Mayor's Report: Fall 2026
Fellow Residents:
It has been a busy summer in Middlesex. I am happy to say we continue to make progress in a number of areas and here are some highlights:
The weather so far this year has not been kind to us, and recent summer storms have downed many trees and caused quite a bit of property damage. Thanks to our Police, Fire, OEM and DPW for quick action and follow up with utility companies and local agencies before, during and after the recent storms that enabled us to remove debris, open roads and restore power quickly.
Despite ridiculously high increases in our health insurance premiums, we have managed to put together a conservative municipal budget in terms of a cost increase for the year. We were able to maintain all of our services but required deep cuts in personnel and expenditures to get there. Trenton has already warned us of another high increase for next year, so we are aggressively looking for alternatives.
Housing prices increase at a much faster rate than commercial properties resulting in a larger out of pocket tax bill for the residents as residential properties haven to pick up a larger piece of the pie. To keep pace, we are being aggressive in trying to attract new businesses and redevelopment. We are getting close to having a project in the works for senior housing by Wood Avenue.
We have had many questions regarding our ongoing reassessment program. We have conducted several meetings on the subject and have posted quite a bit of relevant information on the website to help your understanding of the process and a procedure should you feel your residence is improperly valued.
On August 1st we had our annual meeting on the flood wall project. It continues to move along but we are still a long way off. We continue to push hard on our end for completion but with multiple agencies and departments involved it does seem to bog down from time to time. This project cannot get done soon enough for me.
We have paved several local streets, and we have passed some major completion milestones in Mountain View Park. The new bathrooms and playground equipment look great.
The second phase of the Hometown Heroes Banner project has been completed, with the installation of 30 banners along Route 28 and in Victor Crowell Park on the decorative light fixtures.
We are on track to have the 3 Class III officers in the schools in September.
I hope you attended National Night out on August 11th. This event gets better each year. Thanks to all the groups that participated. I tried to stop by and greet you all. Your participation makes this event the success it is.
A fishing derby fundraiser for our Fire Department is planned for September 26th at Victor Crowell Park. Please plan on attending, they need our support.
Victor the rock snake may reach a record length this year. Check him out at Victor Crowell.
The summer concert series has been a large success. Thanks to our sponsors and the Legion, Recreation and the Culture & Arts Committee for their support in getting this underway. Next year will be even better.
Enjoy the dog days of summer and I hope to see you at our 9-11 Ceremony in Victor Crowell Park.
Please come to the council meetings. It’s the best way to keep current on things.
Jack Mikolajczyk