Correction (February 11, 2025):
A previous version of this article included unintentionally misstated details from the Hopewell Township Committee’s February 3 meeting.
- The article suggested that the Township’s Black History Month proclamation directed the naming of new streets after influential Black residents. The proclamation was part of the Township’s annual recognition of Black History Month, and the streets had already been named in previous years.
- The article described a budget cap ordinance as increasing the Township’s budget. To clarify, the ordinance allows for flexibility to exceed the standard 2.5% cap if needed, but the final budget has not yet been introduced.
- The article referred to the Pennington dispatch agreement as a new shared services arrangement, when in fact, this was a renewal of an existing agreement.
The article has been updated for clarity. We appreciate the opportunity to provide accurate reporting and welcome feedback that helps us serve the community better.
Citing the “heroic and significant” accomplishments of Black Americans who lived and worked in the Hopewell Valley, the Township issued its annual Black History Month proclamation. Streets within two new neighborhoods had previously been named after these prominent individuals, including Aaron Truehart, Lewis Fisher, Cora Bergen, Samuel Sutphin, Leona Stewart, Paige Hoagland, and others.
The proclamation notes that the history of Black America is “the story of countless nameless heroes,” and recommends If These Stones Could Talk, written by local residents Elaine Buck and Beverly Mills and the work of the Sankofa Collaborative as valuable sources for information and insight into their “stories of heroism, struggle, and achievement.”
Related reading: Locals Buck and Mills Author “If These Stones Could Talk”
Budget, Emergency Dispatch, Construction Updates, and Public Comment
The Committee also introduced for first reading an ordinance allowing flexibility to exceed the State-imposed budget cap, raising the potential limit from 2.5% to 3.5% if needed. The ordinance does not set the budget but ensures the Township has the option to increase it should circumstances require.
New Jersey’s Local Government Cap Law limits a municipality’s ability to raise its budget to just 2.5% per year. It also allows for a municipality to issue an ordinance to increase this cap to 3.5% over the previous year’s appropriations.
Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning said that the additional budget would allow the Township to provide for the growth the Township has experienced. Unappropriated amounts under the 3.5% can be carried over to the following year’s budget. The ordinance will be discussed at the Committee’s next meeting on February 18.
In other business, the Committee voted to renew its shared services agreement with the Borough of Pennington, whereby the Township would provide police dispatching and emergency communication services to the Borough. The agreement would include 9-1-1 services and would provide a centralized point for command and control during emergencies. Under the agreement, Pennington Borough would compensate the Township $82,566 annually.
The Committee also voted to appropriate an additional $89,984 for engineering services not covered in the original contracts related to construction of the new Senior Community Center.
As part of Hopewell Township’s third round of affordable housing construction, the Committee approved a Developer’s Agreement with American Properties for the Heritage at Hopewell Development, to be located at 2500 Pennington Road, just south of the Pennington Circle on the northbound side of Route 31 The Developer’s Agreement is a standard practice and covers such things as permits and insurance requirements for the 67-unit development.
Committee member Kevin Kuchinski said that in response to requests from the public he was “working toward establishing pedestrian access to ShopRite” from the new development.
In the public comment section of Monday’s meeting, two Township residents expressed concern about budget cuts that were announced by the Hopewell Valley School District and the enrollment increases at Bear Tavern Elementary school. Both residents asked about Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) funding from developers to the Township and expressed strong support for using that money to fund capital improvements at Bear Tavern
Peters-Manning talked about the deep relationship the Township had with the School District, and said that the Township was committed to funding at least part of the expansion at Bear Tavern. She cautioned that the Township was in litigation with the developer that was argued in October and is still waiting on a decision.
“We have to get through the legal case before we can do anything. But we hear you loud and clear,” Peters-Manning said.
Concerning round four of the Township’s affordable housing requirement, Township resident Jim Burd requested that the Committee lobby for further amendments to the Affordable Housing legislation at the State Level and recommended joining a lawsuit brought by the NJ Institute of Local Government Attorneys.
Kuchinski said that he had testified and supported numerous affordable housing bills over the years. “We are being aggressive on other steps to mitigate impact on our community,” he said.
Peters-Manning responded that the Committee is looking at all options to meet the Township’s housing obligations, which currently stands at 348 units over the next 10years.
“I am confident that the number will end up at less than 200,” Peters-Manning said, due to credits for the renewal of affordable housing controls in Brandon Farms and for group home units that are proposed.
The next Hopewell Township Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, February 18 at 6:30pm.
