In 2011, the average homeowner in Cherry Hill has a home assessed at $140,000 and pays approximately $8,717.80 per year in total property taxes.

The property tax levies are created by four separate and autonomous government bodies. While the Municipal Tax Collector prepares a consolidated bill for each homeowner, it is important to note that the four government entities are elected individually and serve different public functions.

Public School District
53.4% of your property tax bill
Average homeowner paid $4,655.00

Contact the Public School District:
Dr. Maureen Reusche, Superintendent
45 Ranoldo Terr
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
856.429.5600
Website

The nine-member Board of Education, elected directly by the voters in April each year, adopts the school budget and education policies.

Camden County
22.96% of your property tax bill
Average homeowner pays $2002.00

Contact the Board of Chosen Freeholders:
Louis Cappelli, Jr, Esq, Freeholder Director

Mr Ed McDonnell, Freeholder Deputy Director
520 Market St
Camden, NJ 08102-1375
856.225.5431
Website

The seven-member Board of Freeholders, elected at large in November of each year, is responsible for prisons, welfare, county roads, parks, and the county college system.

Township (Municipality)
14.74% of your property tax bill
Average homeowner pays $1,285.20

Open Space levy

0.18% of your property tax bill
Average homeowner pays $15.40

Library

1.16% of your property tax bill
Average homeowner pays $100.80

Contact the Township:
Mayor Bernie Platt

Mr David Fleisher, Council President

Chief of Police Richard Del Campo

Mr Maris Kukainis, Business Administrator
Mr Manuel Paredes, Library Director
Mr Mike Raio, Assessor or Ms Carol Redmond, Collector
820 Mercer St
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
856.665.6500
Contact Us

Based on a budget proposed by the Mayor's administration and adopted by Council, these taxes provide for police protection, 49 parks, city planning and zoning, road repair and cleaning, snow removal, leaf collection, trash and recycling hauling, the Public Library, recreational programs, Open Space preservation, and economic development.

Fire District & Emergency Medical Services
7.56% of your property tax bill
Average homeowner pays $659.40

Contact the Fire District:
Mr John Vaughan, Chair, Board of Fire Commissioners
Chief Robert Giorgio
301 Burnt Mill Rd
Cherry Hill, NJ 08003
856.795.9805
Website

Fire commissioners, elected at large each February, administer the fire district and emergency medical services.

Mayor's Budget Address 9-26-2011

On Sept. 26, my administration and Town Council adopted the final budget document of my tenure as Mayor of Cherry Hill. It has been my great honor and pleasure to represent the town that my family and I have called home for the last 45 years. This Township and its residents mean a lot to me and I want to take this opportunity to thank them for entrusting their confidence in me to lead our community.

Nine years ago, I presented my first budget message as Mayor of Cherry Hill. Those were different times, as we moved into the 21st century, and got acclimated to the new world after the events of 9-11. At the time, I explained that the future was bright, but the Township faced tremendous fiscal challenges and that as a town we would face them head on - together. Since that time my administration has ensured that one-shot deals are no longer used and that we have adequate revenues to match our expenses.

It is important to know that my administration has always followed a standard that was invoked by the renowned poet Robert Frost, when he wrote in The Road Not Taken:

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference”

After Town Council adopted the fiscal year 2012 budget, I wanted to take you on a road less traveled; one that I believe has made all the difference for the financial strength of our community.

Under my command this ship has been rebuilt, and now we are charting a course of solvency. This budget document lays out my priorities for the coming year and makes Cherry Hill a beacon for other towns suffering under the constraints of the economic environment and the national recession. This time last year, the Township was grappling with a large budget deficit, but we persevered as we have for the last three years now.

This budget document has created a strong foundation for the next mayor that continues providing essential services without burdening taxpayers. This budget leaves us tied for the lowest municipal tax rate in Camden County, which is a distinction that separates us from other towns. In fact, we’ve done such a good job New Jersey Monthly Magazine has ranked us as the best big town in New Jersey to live in. Now I’ve always known this, but getting statewide recognition is something special.

Our administration has worked hard to break the mold and push innovation in our operations. We have created some of the largest co-operative purchasing agreements in the state that have yielded savings to the tune of approximately $675,000 this year on trash collection and disposal services. Additionally, we’ve seen long-term planning pay off by garnering new revenue and savings from our investments in solar energy, cell towers, RecycleBank and new electrical contracts. These investments have yielded big dividends for our Township and our taxpayers. This success is only achieved through imagination and innovation - not an old way of thinking that cripples most municipal finances.

That said, I made it a priority to combine these initiatives with common sense business practices like negotiating reality based contracts, streamlining the overall workforce and eliminating sick time payouts to protect the taxpayer. Purpose is more important than popularity when it comes to public policy and that is a guiding principle for the governing body when it crafts a budget.

When I took office this municipality was at a crossroads. Businesses were unsure of Cherry Hill’s 21st century landscape and on the fence about this town’s viability as a significant regional hub. My administration changed that attitude, by bringing more than $1 billion in new development to the Township and supporting economic and development policies that brought back investor confidence. The Route 70 corridor and Haddonfield Road were transformed into a destination for shoppers and one by one abandoned buildings have disappeared from our landscape. These relics of the past have been replaced by economic engines for the future.

Even as we sit here new investment awaits. By Oct. 31, national insurance giant Farmers will move into town and lay claim to more than 30,000 square feet of new office space at the Garden State Park. Big and small companies now call Cherry Hill home because they agree we are the spine of South Jersey. There is no longer debate on that subject now.

Aristotle said, “men come together in cities in order to live, but they remain together in order to live the good life.” Through the duress and oppression of the global economy we have again persevered through the some of the roughest times since the great depression so our residents can remain together and preserve the special quality of life we have come to appreciate in Cherry Hill.

Cherry Hill has been able to provide families a good life. Throughout my time in elected office we have revitalized the Township’s recreational facilities and preserved more than 140 acres of property for our children to play in. In other words, we have seen the forest beyond the trees and recognized its importance to our community and the overall environment.

We have created a wonderful place to call home, supported by strong neighborhoods and committed neighbors.

This budget document is also a rebuke of Trenton politics and the shell game that continues to be played under the Golden Dome. My recommendation to the next Mayor will be to work for the betterment of this town despite the spectacle that our state capital creates. And my advice to anyone in local government is to never depend on Trenton for anything.

At night I will sleep soundly knowing that we, as governing body, have made purposeful investments into our public safety and public works departments. I feel confident that we have gone above and beyond to ensure that the Township has protected the health and welfare of our citizens now and into the future.

There are those who will stand up and say that this budget is wrong in order to score cheap political points, but at the end of the day my administration took the road less traveled and we are introducing a budget that again will make us the lowest municipal tax rate in the county and keep us well below the 2 percent cap on the local levy.

I will be leaving office knowing that fiscal responsibility won the day with a workforce that is 20 percent slimmer and working smarter. I will leave this dais knowing that our bond rating is A+ and always improving, as my administration has paid down $23 million on our debt during my tenure.

My goal as your Mayor has always been to facilitate effective and efficient government for our community and I can confidently say that this budget achieves that goal and I’m very proud of it. This ladies and gentlemen is the result of the road less traveled.

Click here for the 2010 budget.

Click here for the 2011 budget.

Click here for the 2012 budget.