Message from the Mayor of Mantua for June 13

Dear friends of the community,

I am pleased to announce that we adopted the 2024 Mantua Municipal Budget at our June 10 Municipal Committee meeting without a tax increase. Our annual budget, which represents 20% of your property tax bill, is $16,887,044.36 for this year, with credits reduced by $847,491.46 from the previous year. This budget has a 0% fiscal impact for our residents at the local level. Our Town Committee’s budgetary goals were to maintain financial stability, expand community awareness and engagement, and improve the quality of life of our residents while maintaining our community’s welcoming environment.

Mantua Township recently received an excellent financial credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, which will save taxpayers money. S&P Global Ratings is an American credit rating agency. S&P Global Ratings upgraded our long-term rating from AA- to AA+ after reviewing our municipal finances for a bond sale. This is a very high rating which indicates that we, as a debtor, have a very strong capacity to meet our financial commitments.

The credit agency indicated that the upgrade reflects the improvement in Mantua’s economic parameters due to the substantial 46% growth in the value of assessed homes after the 2023 revaluation. This, as well as our stable financial profile and increasing fund balance levels, were factors in their decision to increase our rating.

The AA+ rating indicates stable financial performance and an available surplus that remains above 15% of our expenses and our standard financial policies and practices, including the implementation of a formal cash management plan and policy surplus.

As a result, the Municipality of Mantua will face a lower interest rate when borrowing to finance our projects, saving taxpayers money.

On June 8, Mantua resident and Miss Avalon Emily Cooney competed in the Miss New Jersey pageant in Atlantic City. The Township Committee and I would like to congratulate Emily on her place in the top 11 in this year’s competition. Emily platform focused on helping our military veterans. We are grateful for her efforts and very proud that she represents our community with enormous dignity and honor.

At our June 10 Town Board meeting, Jose “Busta” Bustamante received a township proclamation. José is an artist and lives in the town of Mantua. He recently won the SEI and Philadelphia Phillies mural competition. His “Next Generation” mural is displayed in left center field above Ashburn Alley at Citizens Bank Park. It was a pleasure to present José and his wife, Stéphanie, with a proclamation recognizing this tremendous achievement.

On June 12, we held our first senior picnic at the township municipal building complex. We had over 100 senior friends in attendance on a lovely evening. Our seniors enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner, prepared by our own chef Jim Kiel. Water ice was provided by the water ice station. Excellent work by our recreation committee and all the volunteers who made this event a great success.

On Tuesday, July 9, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., we will partner with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive at our township administration building.

One of our dedicated team members, Leah Clemenson, is spearheading this exciting initiative for our township. As you may recall, Leah’s younger brother Matthew was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when he was just 12 years old in 2022. After a very courageous battle, he sadly passed away on 1 August last year.

Throughout Matthew’s fight, the generosity of blood donors provided him with crucial support. By continuing this effort, Leah honors his memory and the life-saving generosity of blood donors around the world. Please join Leah and our team on July 9 and consider donating by signing up at redcrossblood.org/give.

The municipality’s summer newsletter will arrive in mailboxes in the coming weeks. We publish quarterly newsletters to disseminate community news more quickly. We hope this helps you stay more informed about what’s happening in our community.

The Town Board and I wish all the amazing dads in our community a very Happy Father’s Day.

Upcoming township meetings and events:

• Wednesday June 19 is a Juneteenth public holiday: municipal offices closed.
• Thursday, June 20 at 7 p.m.: Fire district meeting at the Union Station.
• Saturday June 22 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.): Convenience store at the Public Works Garage.

On behalf of Deputy Mayor Pete Scirrotto, myself and the entire Township Committee, we look forward to continuing our service with honesty, integrity and confident leadership.

Respectfully,

Mayor Robert T. Zimmerman, MAS