New Year, Same Mayor As Washington Township Reorganizes For 2024

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Very little changed at the Washington Township reorganization meeting this week, as Mayor Matt Murello was voted Mayor by the Township Committee for another year.

During the Jan. 2 reorganization, Mayor Murello once again touted Long Valley's accomplishments over the past year, emphasizing the administration's continued commitment to fiscally conservative budgeting.

Murello was sworn in for his three-year term and named mayor for the sixth year in a row at the start of the meeting. Committeeman Michael Marino was also re-elected as vice mayor this year.

"Serving as your mayor is an absolute honor and a privilege so I would also like to thank my fellow committeemen for putting their faith in me to continue to serve our community as the township’s mayor and again congratulate Vice Mayor Marino," Murello said during his annual address.

One of Murello's first moves in 2024 was to present Merv Haines with a proclamation for his years of service and rename the Cataract Park Creek pedestrian bridge the Mervyn Haines Trail Bridge.

According to Murello, one of the most difficult challenges in municipal government is keeping up with the township's aging infrastructure. In 2023, the municipality collaborated with Morris County to repair and resurface the Schooley's Mountain Road bridge.

The project was completed three weeks ahead of schedule and on budget after more than a year of planning.

The 150-year-old bridge, which serves as a vital link for the Long Valley community, allows travelers to safely cross on a newly paved riding surface supported by structurally reinforced walls and arches. Morris County provided funding for the $1,008,000 project in the German Valley Historic District, which has extended the bridge's life by 30 to 40 years.

The township also stated that they continue to maintain 162 miles of roadways, with the municipality maintaining 141 miles, Morris County maintaining 19 miles, and the state maintaining 1.5 miles.

The township is also continuing to collaborate with the MUA on strengthening the water and sewer infrastructure, particularly on the mountain, with considerable changes in the planning stages to increase the capacity of the MUA system.

In addition, with new purchases such as a $145,000 street sweeper and a larger tree chipper, the DPW continues to keep Long Valley roads and parks in excellent condition, as well as work on ash tree removal in township easements.

In 2023, the township had more than 20 shared service agreements worth more than $1 million.

Some of the shared service agreements include school resource officers in all of the township's schools, municipal court, fuel, construction inspection, tax collection, fire inspection and protection, firefighting and policing, Murello said.

The committee also stated that it listens to residents' concerns about property taxes and is committed to fiscally conservative budgeting.

"We strive to continue to deliver the services and equipment needed in our town with minimal tax impact to the residents. Washington Township is proud of maintaining the third-lowest municipal property taxes per person in Morris County," Murello said.

According to the township, the average percentage of property taxes paid by municipalities in the state is roughly 29 percent, with schools receiving about 53 percent and counties receiving 18 percent.

In 2023, the municipality received approximately 18 percent of property taxes paid by Washington Township residents; 72 percent went to schools, and the remaining went to the county and library. Murello stated that the committee worked with local departments to keep the municipal portion of the property tax bill at 2.3 percent.

"I’m committed to continuing to keep the municipal share of the property taxes low and deliver the services needed for our residents," Murello said.

Budget discussions can typically last several months, with a final version of the budget being approved in late spring. A township committee work session meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 10.

The agenda for the meeting is anticipated to be published before the meeting.