For Immediate Release – November 22, 2019
MIDDLETOWN, NJ – Middletown Township received several awards at the 2019 New Jersey League of Municipalities (NJLM) Conference in Atlantic City this week, including Silver Level Certification from Sustainable New Jersey, an Innovation in Governance Award, as well as the Best Social Media Award for the Township’s digital communication channels.
“I couldn’t be more proud that Middletown is attaining such high standards across the board thanks to our dedicated employees and volunteers,” said Mayor Tony Perry. “It was an honor to represent our town at the NJLM conference and I look forward to our continued progress in finding innovative ways to serve our community.”
Middletown’s Silver Level status was recognized at the Sustainable Jersey Annual Luncheon on Tuesday, November 19th where Township officials involved in the process were acknowledged for their efforts among like-minded “green” communities. In order to receive the certification, a town needs to earn a certain number of points for sustainable actions and building healthier communities. Middletown earned a substantial number of points through the Port Monmouth Flood Control Project, the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign and the Recycling Education Campaign. The Township plans on expanding on these green initiatives in the coming months through the Middletown Train Station Recycling Center and a second phase of the Recycling Education Campaign to help clean our recycling stream.
The Township also received the Innovation in Governance Award for New Jersey’s first Tax Dollar Receipt Calculator at the Mayors’ Box Luncheon on Wednesday, November 20th. The Tax Dollar Receipt Calculator, hosted on the website, allows residents to enter their assessed home value and see dollar for dollar where their taxes go. Not only does the calculator show the total dollar amount going towards the municipality, but it is also broken down to show exactly how much money is being utilized in each department such as Police, Public Works, Recreation, Utilities, etc. The Township was recognized for addressing the needs of the local community by providing them with a way to quickly and easily access information online which was previously unavailable. This calculator, which has been successful within our community, can be replicated by other municipalities across the state to increase transparency between local governments and residents.
The Middletown Public Information Office also received the Best Web/Social Media Award for a municipality with over 20,000 residents. This award was given to the municipality that showed a consistent and accurate flow of information through their social media platforms such as Facebook (Middletown NJ Town Hall), Twitter (@middletownnj) and Instagram (middletown.township), as well as digital channels such as Middletown’s YouTube Channel (Middletown Township NJ) and weekly electronic e-newsletter Middletown Minutes.