Message from the Mayor Joseph Belasco, Mayor, Hazlet Township
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reat things are happening in Hazlet. When I was sworn in as Mayor last January, I told my friends and family that I would make two promises: that I would work hard to protect Hazlet’s quality of life and keep taxes down so my children and grandchildren can call our community home. Nearly a year later, I’m pleased to report that we have made significant progress toward those goals. Hazlet is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. This year, I’ve done my best to keep our streets clean and our families safe. You may have noticed the improvements to our neighborhood parks. We have added benches, fencing, and playground equipment in order to create a space for young and old alike to relax and enjoy our community. I am committed to not only improving Veterans Park, but all of our neighborhood parks, which are targeted under this improvement program. Before the year is out, watch out for the Sewer Building located on Brookside Avenue to be demolished in order to enhance the park adjacent to Cove Road School. What I’m most proud of with respect to our quality of life is the terrific job the Public Works Department has done cleaning up our overgrown jug handles so that Hazlet puts its best foot forward to those driving down Routes 35 and 36. Equally important, this summer we added nine new officers to the Hazlet Police Department. These new officers are men of integrity who were born and raised in our town. And from a practical perspective, they give us more bang for our buck as they replace senior officers with higher salaries.
We are also committed to keeping Hazlet an affordable community. For the first time ever, we returned the surplus from payments on sewer bills to residents and were able to reduce quarterly payments to $99. And do me a favor: take a look at your tax bill. I went through our budget line by line. This year, for the first time in living memory, most homeowners will pay less on the municipal portion of our property tax bills. That’s the kind of common sense budgeting that will continue into the future. Moving forward, the central challenge we face is attracting businesses along the Route 35 and 36 corridors. New businesses can decrease the property tax burden on homeowners. To do this, we recently formed an Economic Development Committee to serve as ambassadors to business and attract investment in our community. We have made significant strides in 2013 and we have done it together. I am grateful to all the residents – volunteer fire and first aid, parents involved in the P.T.O., seniors helping at the Cullen Center – who have volunteered their time and energy to the causes we hold dear. And finally, on a personal note, I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve as Mayor of Hazlet Township. It’s my great privilege and honor. Together, we can do great things.
Taxes at a Glance
Hazlet Welcomes New Police Officers
Homeowners may notice that property tax bills are divided into five categories: school, municipal, county, fire, and open space. In late 2012, Hazlet Township performed a legally required property reassessment to bring property assessments in line with current market conditions. While almost all properties in town experienced a decrease in their assessments, not all assessments decreased at the same rate. As a result, those properties that had a decrease in their assessment that was less than the township average most likely saw an increase in their property taxes. Conversely, those properties that had a decrease in their assessment that was greater than the township average saw a decrease in their taxes. Please note that while the Board of Education and Fire District portion of taxes increased in 2013, the municipal budget did not.
On August 6, Hazlet Township welcomed nine new officers to the Police Department. Congratulations to Robert Dickens, Patrick Kiley, Nicholash Greene, Patrick Wood, Richard Jaeger, Dane Frattalone, Nicholas Logothetis, Richard Wilhelm and Charleigh Dufford.
Stay Informed! All residents are encouraged to stay informed about Hazlet happenings by logging onto our web site at www.hazlettwp. org or finding us on Facebook under Hazlet Township
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Best wishes to Lieutenant Charles McBride who retires after twenty-seven years of service!