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Spotswood ChurchPhoto: Freeholdman12 · CC BY 4.0
Town Hall · Spotswood

How is Spotswood run?

Spotswood’s borough government spent $10.1 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,236 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Spotswood didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$10.1M
year to December 31, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$1,236
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$3.4M
end of 2022 · Census estimate
Borough staff, 2022
53
full-time · 60 part-time · March payroll $451,760 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$9,619
2.60% of home value · NJ 2.11%

What stands out about how Spotswood is run

Read from the borough’s budget and official records.

The school district

Spotswood Borough School District

Spotswood’s K–12 school district, shared with Helmetta. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Spotswood →
$21,833
per pupil · NJ $28,441
1,696
students
$19.6 million
long-term debt

Of the $21,833 per pupil, $12,590 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 65%State 33%Federal 2%

New Jersey districts overall: 48% local, 46% state, 6% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,236 per resident a year, or $3.39 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 30%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 61%Fees & charges 11%Utility sales 11%Interest, fines & other 10%Other taxes & licenses 4%From the state 3%Sales taxes <1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Spotswood collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.

An estimate

Spotswood didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $214,000; payments to other governments $495,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $11.6 million.
About “Other”.33% of Spotswood’s day-to-day spending ($3.4 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Spotswood yet

Every year of Spotswood’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the borough reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $9,619 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.60% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

East Brunswick Township$10,000+
Monroe Township$9,816
Spotswood$9,619
New Jersey$9,590
Old Bridge Township$8,640
Helmetta$7,236
$9,619
typical bill a year
2.60%
effective rate
$369,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Spotswood’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Spotswood’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Spotswood →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Spotswood

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See spotswoodboro.com for Spotswood’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Spotswood yet.spotswoodboro.com ↗
Agendas

Spotswood’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on spotswoodboro.com ↗.

Who works for Spotswood

One full-time borough employee for every 154 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (8,169).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police25 + 14 pt
Administration & buildings6 + 10 pt
Health & welfare3 + 16 pt
Sewer & trash6
Parks & libraries1 + 9 pt
Roads & transportation5
Water & other utilities5
Housing & development1 + 7 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections1 + 2 pt
Fire0 + 2 pt
53
full-time
60
part-time
$451,760
payroll for March 2022
$5.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$87,900
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
21
sworn police officers
Estimates.Spotswood didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

Who represents Spotswood

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Spotswood.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
  3. 3
    New Jersey SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Spotswood compares with the towns next door

Spotswood’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 3 of the 4 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $801 to $1,201 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Old Bridge Township$801$8,640
Helmetta$1,000$7,236
East Brunswick Township$1,201$10,000+
Monroe Townshipestimate$9,816
Spotswoodestimate$9,619

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Spotswood’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Spotswood’s government

How much does Spotswood spend per resident?

About $1,236 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Spotswood didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $11.6 million.

What is the property tax rate in Spotswood?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $9,619 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.60% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see spotswoodboro.com.

Who runs Spotswood’s government?

See spotswoodboro.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Spotswood yet.

How many people work for Spotswood?

53 full-time and 60 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $451,760 (about $5.4M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Spotswood in the state legislature?

State Senate District 12 (Owen Henry) and General Assembly District 12 (Alex Sauickie and Rob Clifton). The General Assembly district also covers 12 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Spotswood’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Spotswood, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →