Helmetta, New Jersey

Helmetta is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region, with Manalapan Brook (a Raritan River tributary) flowing through the center of the community. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,455, The community was established around a snuff mill opened in the 1820s that was acquired by George Washington Helme in the 1880s.

Helmetta was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 20, 1888, when it was created from portions of East Brunswick, based on the results of a referendum held on March 10, 1888. Helmetta's boundary with East Brunswick Township was changed as of March 24, 1897. The borough was named for Helme's daughter, Olivia Antoinette "Etta" Helme.

History

thumb|left|[[St. George's Anglican Church (Helmetta, New Jersey)|St. George's Anglican Church]]

G.W. Helme Snuff Mill District

Helmetta's main landmark is the large, abandoned Helme Products Inc. plant that sits adjacent to the Camden and Amboy Railroad line running through the borough. The mill began producing snuff in the 1880s. On February 23, 1900, the mill was bought by the American-Sniff Company in a merger with Helme Products Inc., but the merger was dissolved in 1911. In 1925, the mill became the largest of its kind in the world, and by 1934 it employed 400 people. In 1986, the mill was bought out by American Maize-Products. Finally, in 1993, it was purchased by Swisher International, and operations were moved to Wheeling, West Virginia. In 2012, the mill was purchased by Kaplan Companies and was subsequently transformed into an apartment complex. The transformation was completed in 2017.

The G.W. Helme Snuff Mill Historic District is a classic example of a late 1800s mill town. The district consists of the George Washington Helme snuff mill, housing for employees, accessory buildings, St. George's Episcopal Church, Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, and Helmetta Pond, which at one time served as a source of power for the mill. About 109 buildings were originally in the district, which was named to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on February 1, 1980, and to the National Register of Historic Places, on August 15, 1980.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.88 square miles (2.27 km2), including 0.83 square miles (2.15 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) of water (5.57%).

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Helmetta had a population of 2,455. The median age was 39.1 years. 17.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.4 males age 18 and over.

98.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.5% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,052 households in Helmetta, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.6% were married-couple households, 16.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 746 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% 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 3.01. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Helmetta is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

, the mayor of Helmetta Borough is Independent Christopher Slavicek, whose term of office ends December 31, 2027. Members of the Helmetta Borough Council are Council President Peter J. Karczewski (I, 2027), Sandra Bohinski (I, 2026), Michael R. Duffy (I, 2027), Ronald Dzingleski (G, 2025), Joseph Reid (G, 2025) and Nicholas Stasi (I, 2026).

Samuel Mena was appointed in September 2021 to fill the seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Noreen Carolan-Genthe and Nicholas Stasi was appointed in October 2021 to fill the seat formerly held by Joseph Perez and also expiring in December 2021. Both Mena and Stasi will serve on an interim basis until the November 2021 general election when voters will select candidates to serve the balance of the terms of office.

In January 2016, Ronald Dzingleski and Joseph Reid were appointed to fill two of the three vacant council seats.

In April 2016, the borough council selected Noreen Carolan to fill the term expiring in December 2016 that had been held temporarily by Brian Hackett who had in turn been appointed to fill the seat held by Yvette Bruno.

In 2014, a recording of a police officer telling a cameraperson stating that he has the constitutional right to take video that he doesn't "give a damn" about constitutional rights was made public. In response, the city government proposed an ordinance banning video and photography inside public buildings without a permit.

In April 2018, Helmetta disbanded its three-officer police force and entered into a six-year shared services agreement with Spotswood to provide police, dispatch and EMS services to Helmetta residents. The Spotswood Police Department is a 24/7 law enforcement agency that serves both Spotswood and Helmetta. The department has 22 officers, 3 full-time dispatchers, and 4 part-time dispatchers, led by Chief Michael Zarro. In July 2022, Helmetta and Jamesburg entered into a six-year shared service contract in which Jamesburg would provide police and dispatch services to Helmetta. This decision came about after the Borough of Spotswood decided that providing dispatch services to Helmetta was not economically viable.

In 2018, the borough had an average property tax bill of $6,270, the lowest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,092 in Middlesex County and $8,767 statewide.

Federal, state and county representation

Helmetta is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 12th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 1,399 registered voters in Helmetta, of which 403 (28.8%) were registered as Democrats, 264 (18.9%) were registered as Republicans and 731 (52.3%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 50.4% of the vote (463 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 48.1% (442 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (13 votes), among the 925 ballots cast by the borough's 1,372 registered voters (7 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 67.4%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 52.1% of the vote (557 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 44.9% (480 votes) and other candidates with 2.0% (21 votes), among the 1,069 ballots cast by the borough's 1,438 registered voters, for a turnout of 74.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 56.2% of the vote (587 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 42.3% (442 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (8 votes), among the 1,044 ballots cast by the borough's 1,382 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 75.5.