Tax Increase Proposed In Chester Township 2025 Budget

CHESTER, NJ — Chester residents can expect to see a small tax increase under the recently introduced 2025 municipal budget.

The proposed total budget of $17,222,944 for 2025 is an increase of 6.9 percent or roughly $1.1 million over the 2024 budget.

The average home property in Chester Township valued at $668,100 will pay $60.13 per year or $5.01 per month in 2025 which is a tax rate decrease of 1.8 percent.

The increase in the budget can be attributed to a loss of $91,596.58 worth of state aid funding.

Derek Macchia, Chester Township Chief Financial Officer, explained the tax increase was mitigated by a decision made Feb. 1 to withdraw from state health benefits and switch to the Metropolitan Health Fund, avoiding the state increase of 25 percent.

This resulted in approximately 16 percent savings for the township without losing the current level of coverage for employees.

Improvements to recreational facilities are another part of the 2025 plan. The porta-potties at Black River Field will be replaced by brick-and-mortar bathrooms, and locks and WiFi-enabled thermostats will be introduced at the Highlands Ridge Barn, according to Mayor Tim Drag in a social media post on Tuesday.

The proposed budget includes investments in equipment for the Chester Police Department, the Chester First Aid Squad, and the Chester Fire Department.

"We support our First Responders. We’ve again put money aside for planned replacements of equipment like fire engines," Mayor Tim Drag posted to Facebook on Tuesday. "We are also making investments in equipment for our best in class Chester Police. This equipment will keep all of us, including our valued officers, safer."

The planned budget will go up for final approval in April.