Honestly, if you've been living in Hunterdon County for a while, you know the vibe is usually pretty quiet. We have the rolling hills, the historic bridges, and that specific "middle of nowhere but close to everything" energy. But lately, things have been moving a lot faster than the traffic on Route 31. From high-stakes arrests that sound like movie plots to local commissioners wrestling with your property tax bill, staying up to date on hunterdon county nj news is becoming a full-time job for residents.
January 2026 has already kicked off with some heavy-hitting updates. We aren't just talking about the usual school board bake sales or town hall meetings. There's real movement on the financial front and some genuinely weird safety concerns that have neighbors talking at the Bagel Club and local diners.
The Fake Cop Investigation in Raritan and Readington
The biggest story hitting the local wires this week involves a 18-year-old from Raritan Township. It sounds like something out of a Netflix drama, but it's very real. Dean R. Pluchino was arrested on January 16, 2026, after an investigation that spanned multiple townships.
Essentially, there were reports of an unmarked vehicle pulling people over. If you were driving through Readington or Raritan lately and saw a car that didn't look quite "official" enough, your instincts were probably right. Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson and Raritan Township Police Chief Al Payne confirmed that Pluchino was charged with impersonating law enforcement and tampering with evidence.
It’s a weird situation. You’ve got a teenager allegedly running around playing cop in a county where we generally trust the person behind the sirens. The Readington Township Police had actually put out a warning about this back on January 9th, so it took about a week of investigation to track him down. He’s been released on pretrial monitoring, but the conversation it sparked about road safety and how to identify "real" unmarked cars is still buzzing.
Taxes and the 2026 Rate Freeze
Money is always the big elephant in the room in New Jersey. If you’re a homeowner here, you’re probably used to that annual "how much higher can it go?" feeling when your tax bill arrives.
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However, there might be a bit of a breather coming. During the reorganization meeting on January 9, 2026, Commissioner Jeff Lanza made a pretty bold call. He’s pushing for a 2026 tax rate freeze.
- The Goal: Keep the county portion of property taxes flat.
- The Reason: Hunterdon’s "quietly resilient" economy is doing well, and commissioners want to maintain that without squeezing residents further.
- The Caveat: This only affects the county portion of your bill. Your local municipal and school taxes are a whole different beast.
Speaking of municipalities, if you live in Clinton Township, you might want to mark February 5th on your calendar. The Sewerage Authority is holding a rate hearing at 8:30 a.m. on Beaver Avenue. They are looking at "setting new sanitary sewer user fees," which is usually government-speak for "it’s going up."
The Real Estate Market: Franklin and Union Township Shifts
You might think the real estate market would go into hibernation in January. Not this year. The latest hunterdon county nj news regarding property values shows that towns like Franklin and Union are actually becoming "strategic" hubs for buyers fleeing more crowded areas like Princeton or even NYC.
In Franklin Township, the median home value has stabilized right around $550,000. It’s a bit of a "hidden gem" scenario. People are specifically looking for houses that feed into the North Hunterdon High School district.
What’s interesting is that homes are still selling for nearly 100% of their list price. We aren’t seeing the insane 20-person bidding wars of 2021, but there isn't exactly a surplus of houses either. Inventory is tight—we’re looking at about a two-and-a-half-month supply. A "balanced" market usually has six months. So, if you’re selling, you still have the upper hand, especially in East Amwell where properties often trade at a premium due to preserved farmland rules.
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State of Emergency Rollbacks
On a broader scale, Governor Phil Murphy just did something that actually impacts our local administrative red tape. On January 16, 2026, he signed an executive order ending several long-running states of emergency.
Believe it or not, we were still technically under "emergency" declarations from things as old as Hurricane Irene (2011) and Superstorm Sandy (2012). These lingering orders often affect how local towns get funding or manage infrastructure. Clearing them out is basically the state's way of saying, "Okay, we’re finally back to a true normal."
Even the COVID-19 emergency declaration has a hard end date now: February 16, 2026. This gives local health officials and nurses about a month to wrap up any remaining "emergency-era" exceptions they were using.
School Boards and "Unsung Heroes"
If you have kids in the system, keep an eye on the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District. They’ve laid out some pretty specific goals for the 2025-2026 school year. They’re moving toward a "Committee of the Whole" model for their meetings, which is basically a way to make the board more transparent and collaborative.
Also, the Hunterdon County School Boards Association is getting ready for their "Unsung Hero" awards on March 4th. Nominations opened this month. It’s one of those rare moments where the focus is on the kids who do the right thing without needing a spotlight—the kind of news that actually feels good to read.
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What You Should Actually Do Now
Staying informed is one thing, but acting on hunterdon county nj news is what actually saves you money or keeps you safe.
Check your dog's tags. Seriously. In Clinton Township and several others, the 2026 dog license renewals are due by January 31st. If you wait until February 1st, you’re hitting a late fee. It’s a small thing, but it’s an easy $15-18 task to check off.
Verify unmarked police stops. Given the recent arrest in Raritan, the police are reminding everyone: if an unmarked car tries to pull you over and you feel unsafe, put on your hazards, slow down, and drive to a well-lit public area. You can also call 911 to verify that the vehicle behind you is actually a legitimate officer.
Watch the revaluations. If you’re in Raritan Borough, property revaluations start on January 19th. People will be coming around with ID badges to look at properties. Make sure they have their credentials visible before you let anyone in.
Hunterdon is changing. It's becoming more expensive and a bit more complicated, but it's still one of the few places where you can see a "tax rate freeze" proposal and a "maple tree tapping" event on the same community calendar. Keep your eyes on the commissioner meetings if you care about your wallet, and keep your doors locked while the "fake cop" legal case plays out in court.