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June 27, 2025

This newsletter is published twice a month by the Township of Cranford to provide residents with important information and updates.

Township Administrator & Chief Financial Officer

Lavona Patterson

l-patterson@cranfordnj.org

(908) 709-7250

Township Clerk

Patricia Donahue

clerk@cranfordnj.org

(908) 709-7210

Township Attorney

Thomas J. Slattery

UPCOMING DATES

Preliminary tax bills were recently sent out earlier this month, so I want to take the time to address the increase and explain where property taxes go and what they support. The Township committee only has control over the Township budget, but the tax bill also supports the Cranford Public Schools, Union County and the Cranford Public Library. Additionally, a School Bond referendum was passed by the voters last year which must be paid off.

In 2025, the taxes are distributed as follows:

Using a $186,000 assessment as the benchmark, property taxes for 2025 are $13,480.76. In 2024, the bill was $12,607.46. 

• $3,177 goes to the Township
• $7,784 goes to Cranford Public Schools
• $2,211 goes to the County
• $96 goes to the Open Space fund
• $211 goes to the Library

You can calculate YOUR taxes by multiplying your property assessment by the tax rate, which in 2024 was .06779 and in 2025 was 0.0725.                             

The services the Township supplies include Public Safety (Police, Fire, EMS and OEM), Department of Public Works, Recreation & Parks, Health Dept., Building Dept., Planning and Zoning, TV-35, Township Clerk, Finance, Tax Assessor, DMC, the Municipal Court and our Township Administrator.

This year, the Township’s operating budget is flat year over year. Areas of the budget that did increase are contractually required pay raises, which amounted to a 2.8% increase, as well as a large increase in State healthcare benefits for our employees. Additionally, Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority sewer rates went up more than expected.

There are also a lot of lies being spread about the developments and Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) associated with them. I have had several people approach me in the last month asking about PILOTs, saying they were told these properties pay no taxes. While I do not support PILOTs and I think the fair share housing program is more of a money grab than a good will effort at providing affordable housing, I want to explain the finances of three developments in town, Walnut Avenue, Birchwood and South and Walnut. (More info can be found on the Township’s website.)  

The Walnut Avenue development is actually two separate developments.

1. 740 Walnut is the commercial property. They are paying full conventional taxes. That means they will pay about $1.2 million dollars starting next year.  $270,000 of which will go to the township, $680,000 to the schools, $240,000 to the county and $20,000 to the library.
2. 750 Walnut is the residential property. This PILOT was negotiated by a previous Township Committee to decrease the density of the development. The PILOT means they will pay 11% of their independently audited revenue to the Township and they pay conventional taxes on the land, which is assessed at $5 million.

201 Walnut and South Avenue

This is a 5-year PILOT that is phased in at 20% per year. Year 1--$127,000, Year 2--$283,000, Year 3-- $439,000. Year 4--$596,000 and Year 5 will be $752,000.

The Township, Public Schools--$69,000, Union County--$25,000 and Cranford Public Library all get the appropriate share.

Birchwood

This PILOT was negotiated in 2018, and unlike other PILOTS, a significant portion of the revenue was earmarked for the schools for the first 5 years and that has been extended at least through 2026. The revenue breakdown for the last four years is as follows:

Moving forward, we are looking at options to reduce our healthcare benefits costs and continue to examine the state of our sewer system. The Township is also aggressively applying for grants as evidenced by recent resolutions and is pursuing other non-property tax revenue sources.

Additionally, this year, we made the conscious effort to borrow less for capital expenses that we are paying off. This is not going to have an immediate impact, but, hopefully, future Township committees will continue this practice and over time, bring down debt and interest payments, which are close to $2 million. Our Township administrator has done an excellent job of obtaining permanent financing, which gives us a target payoff date for much of the debt.

I remain committed to finding ways to decrease costs and to plan for the future. I encourage you to look at the budgets of the Township, Schools, County and Library to better understand where and how your tax dollars are spent.



Terrence Curran

Mayor 

Cranford, NJ

Mayor Terrence Curran

Please watch the video of Mayor Curran’s entire opening comments.

Deputy Mayor Paul A. Gallo - Recreation and Parks

Commissioner Kathleen Miller Prunty - Public Safety

Commissioner Brian Andrews - Public Works & Engineering

• Ordinance introduced tonight addresses vacant properties that are not maintained. It addresses blight while encourages economic activity with an escalating fee structure. Noted as an example the vacant property on North Union Ave that has been vacant for two decades and left unmaintained.

• River desilting is well overdue and the Township has a five-year plan to desilt the river, but is awaiting DEP approval. A resolution on agenda addresses DEP requests for a survey.

Commissioner Gina Black - Finance

• 2025 Property Tax bill: The biggest portion is the schools, we anticipated that based on results of referendum. We made it a point to keep Municipal budget as low as we could, while required to meet union salary raises, there were huge increases in healthcare and sewer fees from RVSA.

• Quarterly payments are not equal, and so residents should be wary to try and calculate a full year’s tax bill based on particular quarterly tax bills.

• Sewer fees—Township is meeting with Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority to get further explanation to anticipate the sewerage expenses in the budget next year.

• Planning to investigate Township sewer lines to ensure no breaks in lines that could impact RVSA fees. 

Administrator and CFO Lavona Patterson

Acknowledged retirement of B.C. Leo Schaeffer. We are grateful for his many years of service and commitment to safety of our community.

Congratulated firefighters Dillon and Hannen III on their advancements, and welcomed new firefighters Taggart, Richardson and Scanio to the fire department.

Township Attorney Thomas Slattery

Explained the fourth round affordable housing fair share plan proposed. Encouraged residents to go to the website to read through the plan.

Cranford Fire Department Announcements / Resolutions:

• Accepting, with regrets, the retirement of Leo Schaeffer as a Battalion Chief, effective June 30, 2025.
• Accepting, with regrets, the resignation of Emergency Medical Technician Karolyn Buckridee, effective June 23, 2025.

Authorizing:

• The advancement of John Dillon to the rank of Battalion Chief, effective July 1, 2025.
• The advancement of Thomas Hannen III to the rank of Lieutenant, effective July 1, 2025.
• The appointment of Chapin Taggart as a Probationary Firefighter, effective June 1, 2025.
• The appointment of Paul Richardson as a Probationary Firefighter, effective June 1, 2025.
• The appointment of Thomas Scanio as a Probationary Firefighter, effective July 1, 2025.
• The appointment of Pauline LeDorze as a full-time Emergency Medical Technician, effective June 29, 2025.

ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS

ORDINANCES

Introduction:

• Ordinance No. 2025-151: Amend Chapter 255 of the Municipal Code of the Township of Cranford to Create Article XI of Chapter 255 to Create a Vacant Property Registration Program.
• Ordinance No. 2025-16: Amend the Code of the Township of Cranford, Part II General Legislation--Pertaining To Single-Use Plastics.

RESOLUTIONS:

Expressing Support for Amtrak Northeast Corridor Funding

The Northeast Corridor remains Amtrak's busiest route, yet the federal government proposed budget cuts its funding by 25%, from $1.14 billion to $850 million, worsening issues in a key economic region. In response, the Township Committee unanimously passed a resolution urging adequate funding for the corridor.

Click here for the link to the full list of resolutions

Planning Board

Video: June 26 Special Meeting

1 p.m. Municipal Chambers

Voted to approve the adoption of the fourth round affordable housing plan.

Township Committee

June 30 Special Meeting

7 p.m. Municipal Chambers

Vote to adopt the new affordable housing plan.

Residents can make comments on the affordable housing plan during the public comment portion of the meetings.



Frequently Asked Questions

To view a list of FAQs, please visit the website here.

Starting The Summer Break Safely - A Message For Our Youth Community

As Cranford's youngest residents prepare for their summer break from school, the Cranford Police Department aims to partner with parents and the youth community to address two key safety concerns we have observed in recent months. Since January 2025, the Cranford Police Department has responded to over fifty incidents involving juveniles pounding on the doors and windows of houses before running away. ...

... While we continue to address pedestrian and cyclist safety through enforcement, strategic engineering, and education, we again ask for your support in discussing the “rules of the road” with your children.

Read More...

Clothing and Textiles Recycling Added To The Conservation Center Services

For re-wear, reuse, and recycling, the Conservation Center now accepts certain textiles in any condition for all ages and genders so long as they are clean, dry, and odorless. Watch the video to learn more.

Conservation Center Hours:

Wednesday: 9:20 a.m. to 3:20 p.m.

Saturday / Sunday: 9:20 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.

To register and purchase guest books in person, please come to the Centennial Avenue Pool during the listed registration hours. Registration can also be done online. Website

NOTE: On Tuesday, July 1, the Orange Avenue Pool will open at 2 p.m. due to paving of Birch Street taking place.

Round-Up of Recent Videos

Click on Each Link to Watch on the Cranford TV35 YouTube Channel

• Cranford In Focus with Mayor Curran
• 2025 Flag Day Ceremony At The Cranford Elks
• Downtown Cranford: JAG Physical Therapy Ribbon Cutting
• Downtown Cranford: Central Paint & Hardware Ribbon Cutting
• New Jersey In Focus: Assemblywoman Linda Carter N.J. 22nd Legislative District
• Highlights Of Cranford's Touch A Truck 2025
• Centennial Village Group Velocity 5k Highlights

Tune in on channel 35 on Comcast and Verizon, on channel 2147 in HD on Verizon, CranfordTV-35 YouTube channel, livestream, Facebook @cranfordtv35, Instagram @tv35cranford

Follow @TownshipofCranford on Facebook and Instagram to see the answer or tune in to Cranford TV 35.

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