Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey

History

Mansfield was first formed on November 6, 1688, and reformed by Royal charter on May 9, 1770. Mansfield was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Fieldsboro (March 7, 1850, within township; became fully independent c. 1894), Bordentown Township (March 8, 1852) and Florence Township (March 7, 1872).

The township was named for Mansfield, England.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 21.907 square miles (56.740 km²), including 21.740 square miles (56.307 km²) of land and 0.167 square miles (0.432 km²) of water (0.76%).

The township borders the Burlington County municipalities of Bordentown Township (to the north and northeast), Chesterfield Township (northeast), Florence Township (southwest) and Springfield Township (south).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Bishops Barn, Columbus (where the town hall is located), Georgetown, Hedding, Kinkora, Mansfield, Rising Sun Square (also known as Mansfield Square) and Three Tuns. Homestead, a retirement village, consists of 1,200 homes in Columbus.

Liberty Lake is a 6-acre (24,000 m²) freshwater spring-fed lake, that allows boating, swimming and fishing.

2010 Census

The 2010 United States Census counted 8,544 people, 3,401 households, and 2,452 families residing in the township. The population density was 393.0 per square mile (151.7/km²). The township contained 3,529 housing units at an average density of 162.3 per square mile (62.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 79.04% (6,753) White, 10.42% (890) Black or African American, 0.16% (14) Native American, 7.69% (657) Asian, 0.06% (5) Pacific Islander, 0.62% (53) from other races, and 2.01% (172) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 5.01% (428) of the population.

Out of a total of 3,401 households, 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.5% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the township, 20.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 18.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 27.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.9 years. For every 100 females the census counted 90.3 males, but for 100 females at least 18 years old, it was 86.0 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $74,671 (with a margin of error of +/- $7,953) and the median family income was $97,774 (+/- $17,454). Males had a median income of $62,215 (+/- $5,997) versus $57,917 (+/- $10,212) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,899 (+/- $4,224). About 2.5% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 Census

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 5,090 people, 2,077 households, and 1,561 families residing in the township. The population density was 234.3 people per square mile (90.5/km²). There were 2,122 housing units at an average density of 97.7 per square mile (37.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.42% White, 1.91% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population.

There were 2,077 households out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the township the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 31.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $50,757, and the median income for a family was $59,040. Males had a median income of $45,560 versus $40,968 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,559. About 2.9% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Local government

Mansfield Township is governed under the Township form of government. The five-member Township Committee is elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor. The Mayor presides at the meetings and votes as a member of the Committee. All formal legislative and executive powers are exercised by the Committee as a whole. The Township Committee assigns responsibility for the coordination of administrative and departmental functions among its members. Every Township board and department has at least one member of the Committee serving as a liaison.

As of 2016, members of the Mansfield Township Committee are Mayor Sean Gable (R, term on committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2016), Deputy Mayor Robert Semptimphelter (R, term on committee ends 2018; term as deputy mayor ends 2016), LaVerne Cholewa (R, 2017; elected to serve an unexpired term), Robert Higgins (R, 2018) and Arthur R. Puglia (R, 2017).

Janice A. DiGiuseppe resigned in August 2015, citing personal reasons for leaving office after five years. The following month, the council selected Laverne Cholewa from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the vacancy. In November 2015, Cholewa was elected to serve the two years remaining on the term of office previously held by DiGiuseppe .

In October 2014, Sean Gable was cited for having violated the New Jersey Local Government Ethics Law.

2013 revaluation issues

After a property revaluation was completed in 2013 and based on changes in tax levies by the municipality and the local school districts, the property tax rate increased by almost 50%, from $2.01 per $100 in assessed value in 2012 to $2.93 in 2013. A group of residents has complained to the New Jersey Division of Taxation, claiming that home values had been calculated incorrectly and arbitrarily, showing data that a sample of smaller homes saw taxes drop 8% while taxes on larger homes increased by 10%. The Mansfield Township tax assessor denied the claims and responded that the revaluation complied with all state legal requirements.

Federal, state and county representation

Mansfield Township is located in the 3rd Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 8th state legislative district. Prior to the 2010 Census, Mansfield Township had been part of the 4th Congressional District, a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.

New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District is represented by Tom MacArthur (R, Toms River). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Cory Booker (D, Newark, term ends 2021) and Bob Menendez (D, Paramus, 2019).

For the 2016–2017 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 8th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Dawn Marie Addiego (R, Evesham Township) and in the General Assembly by Maria Rodriguez-Gregg (R, Evesham Township) and Joe Howarth (R, Evesham Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham Township). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).

Burlington County is governed by a Board of chosen freeholders, whose five members are elected at-large in partisan elections to three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year. The board chooses a director and deputy director from among its members at an annual reorganization meeting held in January. As of 2015, Burlington County's Freeholders are Director Mary Ann O'Brien (R, Medford Township, 2017; Director of Administration and Human Services), Deputy Director Bruce Garganio (R, Florence Township, 2017; Director of Public Works and Health), Aimee Belgard (D, Edgewater Park Township, 2015; Director of Hospital, Medical Services and Education) Joseph Donnelly (R, Cinnaminson Township, 2016; Director of Public Safety, Natural Resources, and Education) and Joanne Schwartz (D, Southampton Township, 2015; Director of Health and Corrections). Constitutional officers are County Clerk Tim Tyler, Sheriff Jean E. Stanfield and Surrogate George T. Kotch.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 6,195 registered voters in Mansfield Township, of which 1,838 (29.7% vs. 33.3% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,957 (31.6% vs. 23.9%) were registered as Republicans and 2,396 (38.7% vs. 42.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered to other parties. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 72.5% (vs. 61.7% in Burlington County) were registered to vote, including 91.3% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.3% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,499 votes here (49.6% vs. 58.1% countywide), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 2,447 votes (48.6% vs. 40.2%) and other candidates with 43 votes (0.9% vs. 1.0%), among the 5,037 ballots cast by the township's 6,411 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.6% (vs. 74.5% in Burlington County). In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 2,612 votes here (50.2% vs. 58.4% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 2,500 votes (48.0% vs. 39.9%) and other candidates with 56 votes (1.1% vs. 1.0%), among the 5,206 ballots cast by the township's 6,277 registered voters, for a turnout of 82.9% (vs. 80.0% in Burlington County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,494 votes here (57.0% vs. 46.0% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 2,237 votes (51.1% vs. 52.9%) and other candidates with 38 votes (0.9% vs. 0.8%), among the 4,379 ballots cast by the township's 5,822 registered voters, for a turnout of 75.2% (vs. 78.8% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 2,254 votes here (68.1% vs. 61.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 974 votes (29.4% vs. 35.8%) and other candidates with 28 votes (0.8% vs. 1.2%), among the 3,312 ballots cast by the township's 6,427 registered voters, yielding a 51.5% turnout (vs. 44.5% in the county). In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,986 votes here (53.3% vs. 47.7% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 1,485 votes (39.9% vs. 44.5%), Independent Chris Daggett with 149 votes (4.0% vs. 4.8%) and other candidates with 86 votes (2.3% vs. 1.2%), among the 3,724 ballots cast by the township's 6,263 registered voters, yielding a 59.5% turnout (vs. 44.9% in the county).

Education

Students in public school for kindergarten through sixth grade attend the Mansfield Public Schools. As of the 2014-15 school year, the district and its two schools had an enrollment of 669 students and 52.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2014-15 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are John Hydock Elementary School (235 students in grades K-2) and Mansfield Township Elementary School (423 students in PreK and grades 3-6).

Children in public school for seventh through twelfth grades attend the schools of the Northern Burlington County Regional School District, which also serves students from Chesterfield Township, North Hanover Township and Springfield Township, along with children of United States Air Force personnel based at McGuire Air Force Base. The schools in the district (with 2014-15 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School for grades 7 and 8 (758 students) and Northern Burlington County Regional High School for grades 9-12 (1,355 students). Both schools are in the Columbus section of Mansfield Township. Using a formula that reflects the population and the value of the assessed property in each of the constituent municipalities, taxpayers in Mansfield Township pay 46.5% of the district's tax levy, with the district's 2013-14 budget including $35.6 million in spending.

Students from Mansfield Township, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in Medford and Westampton Township.

Roads and highways

As of 2010, the township had a total of 76.02 miles (122.34 km) of roadways, of which 37.12 miles (59.74 km) were maintained by the municipality, 18.42 miles (29.64 km) by Burlington County and 13.67 miles (22.00 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 6.81 miles (10.96 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Interstate 95 (the New Jersey Turnpike) stretches northwest for 3.1 miles (5.0 km) through the township, connecting Florence Township in the west to Chesterfield Township on the township's northern border. Interchange 6 on the turnpike, which connects to the Pennsylvania Extension and Route 130, is located in the township. The Exit 6 tollgate is located further west on the Pennsylvania Extension in Florence Township.

Beginning in 2004 and lasting until early November 2014, a large construction project widened a 35-mile (56 km) section of the Turnpike between Interchange 6 in Mansfield Township and Interchange 9 in East Brunswick Township in Middlesex County. This project included the construction of two new carriageways (to accommodate the outer roadways, or truck lanes) bringing the roadway up to 12 lanes of traffic in a 3-3-3-3 "dual-dual" configuration of separate truck and car lanes in each direction, and relocating the southern merge point of these two lanes into Mansfield from its former end at Interchange 8A in Monroe Township, Middlesex County.

Interstate 295 passes through the township as do U.S. Route 130, U.S. Route 206 and Route 68. county Route 543 also passes through.

Public transportation

NJ Transit provides bus service in the township between Trenton and Philadelphia on the 409 route.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Mansfield Township include: