The Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners on March 20 introduced and approved a $618.9 million operating budget for 2025 that officials say reduces the county purpose tax rate to 0.319 and allocates $87.6 million for capital improvements.

The budget, presented by County Commissioner Director Reyes and Chief Financial Officer Nicholas Jegolinski, sets the net to be raised by taxation at about $503.4 million and reflects what the administration described as continued debt reduction, increased reserves and targeted capital spending. "Tonight, I'm proud to introduce the 2025 Middlesex County operating budget," Director Reyes said during the presentation.

County leaders said the proposed county purpose tax rate of 0.319 is a reduction from the prior year and "has not been reached in over a decade," a change officials attributed to growth in assessed valuation and an emphasis on economic development. Jegolinski told commissioners the introduced budget anticipates operating revenues of about $115.4 million in addition to grants and other funding sources and forecasts roughly $60 million annually in grant expenditures and revenues as a historic trend.

The county plans to appropriate $87,600,000 for capital projects in 2025, funded in part from the capital improvement fund and by authorizing up to $16,761,094 in bonds or notes. The board authorized a public hearing on that capital appropriation to be held March 6, 2025, and directed publication of required notices, the clerk said.

Officials emphasized the county's progress on reducing funded debt, saying funded debt fell from about $400 million roughly a decade ago to about $100 million now. The budget includes an annual debt service appropriation of $46 million; county staff said that represents a significant decline from prior years and sets a target of reaching $40 million in coming years.

Jegolinski cited an increase to the capital improvement (pay-as-you-go) line of $10 million, mandated contractual increases and higher operational costs tied to inflation. He also pointed to an increase to county collections under the optional hospital fee program of $5.4 million, changes in interest income that raise investment receipts by $1.9 million, and a planned reduction of about $10 million in paydown of notes and roughly $4.2 million in debt service reductions tied to lower bond issuance.

The county reported an accumulated surplus (fund balance) of approximately $113 million and said that surplus ratio exceeds the 15% benchmark used by bond rating agencies. Officials noted the county has maintained a top bond rating for more than two decades.

Formal action: the board opened the public hearing on budget resolutions and then adopted the budget and tax resolution. The clerk stated the budget and tax resolution was approved by the board on March 20, 2025, and instructed that a summary be published in the Home News Tribune on March 9, 2025. The meeting record reflects a voice vote with "Aye" and "Motion carries" recorded; individual roll-call tallies were not specified on the record.

Why it matters: County leaders say the budget frees operating dollars for services by reducing debt service and growing reserves while funding transportation, parks, facility upgrades, IT infrastructure and other capital needs. The capital improvement fund and the planned appropriation aim to address roads, bridges and parks without issuing large amounts of new debt.

The board also authorized the publication and hearing process required by the Local Budget Law and scheduled the capital appropriation public hearing for March 6, 2025. Staff said additional detail on specific capital projects will be provided in subsequent materials and hearings.

Provenance: The budget introduction and detailed financial figures were presented by Director Reyes and CFO Nicholas Jegolinski in the meeting transcript beginning with Director Reyes' introduction of the 2025 budget and continuing through the clerk's summary and statement that the budget and tax resolution was approved on March 20, 2025.