Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci Highlights Progress, Priorities in 2026 Address

Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci delivered the city’s 2026 State of the City address in the ballroom of the Greenview Inn at Eastlyn Golf Course on March 1, 2026, outlining measurable gains and a packed work plan for the year ahead. The Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce luncheon drew city officials, Cumberland County commissioners, school board members, first responders, business owners and New Jersey State Senator Michael Testa, and featured an introduction by Dawn Hunter and acknowledgement of sponsor Levari Industries.

Fanucci opened by cataloging last year’s infrastructure work, saying Vineland upgraded 14 miles of roadway in 2025 and has a dedicated road program to renovate 11 miles in 2026. He credited recreation and public works staff for improvements across Vineland’s nine parks and highlighted the Vineland Convention Center, which opened in November and is expected to host events throughout 2026 that will bring visitors and hotel and dining revenue to the city.

Public safety figures featured prominently in the address. Fanucci praised first responders after noting the Public Safety Department answered more than 34,000 calls in 2025, and he pledged targeted safety improvements around schools, parks and bus routes. The mayor also recognized library staffer Dr. Luis Amberths for the library’s new E-Sports room and an Inclusion Cafe that is set to open within the next month.

On utilities and digital access, Fanucci said Vineland will begin serving residents with a new city broadband network in 2026, funded by a $3.7 million grant received last year. He detailed modernization work including construction of Well 17, upgrades to other water wells and progress on three substation rebuilds, and outlined plans to pursue environmentally friendly electricity generation and battery storage as part of longer-term utility resilience.

Turning to city finances and economic indicators, Fanucci emphasized a disciplined budget approach, telling the audience, “Our commitment to responsible fiscal management has ensured that city resources are allocated efficiently, balancing investments in growth with careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars. This disciplined approach allows us to deliver essential services, maintain infrastructure, and foster economic opportunity while safeguarding Vineland’s long term financial health.” He also pointed to growth in property values, tax revenue, commercial development and added housing units, and said ongoing industrial-sector activity includes new businesses relocating and established companies expanding operations.

Fanucci closed by thanking the community for its role in those gains and injecting a lighter moment about the city’s digital rollout: “By the way, you have to download the app, I don’t think security’s letting you out of here today until you do,” he joked. He ended with a recurring theme of unity, saying, “Over the past year, we have proven once again that when we work as one community, there’s no challenge too great and no horizon too distant,” casting 2026 as a year to translate those projects into visible services and jobs for Vineland residents.