BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville’s new town budget is still being hammered out, but it could potentially have a $175 tax increase for the average homeowner by the time it crosses the finish line, administrators say.
The Belleville Town Council got a status update on the delayed 2026 municipal budget at their meeting on Wednesday. Watch footage here, or view the video below.
According to town administrators, the spending plan would come with an estimated $175 annual increase on the average Belleville home, which is assessed at roughly $300,000.
The largest driver of the budget is group insurance costs, which are up by about $4 million, with the spending category now consuming about 27 percent of the entire town budget. It’s a situation that other towns across New Jersey have also been experiencing.
Chief financial officer Frank DiMaria said the draft budget has no significant personnel changes, or service increases/decreases.
“It’s pretty much status quo,” he commented.
When pressed on whether the potential tax increase could be lightened, DiMaria said there is little room left to cut without impacting services. Instead, the CFO suggested trying to pursue federal and state aid, or raising more revenue from future real estate development and growing the tax base.
“This isn't a spending issue, this is a revenue issue,” he told the council.
The budget is expected to be officially introduced on July 14, with a final vote and public hearing targeted for mid-to-late August. The township is operating under a temporary budget in the meanwhile.
WAREHOUSE FIRE
Fallout from the town’s devastating warehouse fire in May is muddying up the financial waters, officials reported Wednesday.
The town declared a $2.5 million temporary budget emergency after the Cortland Street industrial fire, which ravaged several local businesses and left others without a home. Damage and other costs related to the blaze has reached more than $500,000 so far.
Administrators said Belleville has received roughly $430,000 in grant reimbursement, so the immediate tax impact from those operating costs is limited. However, there is serious damage to the water, sewer and street infrastructure in the area. Those repairs are not included in the 2026 town budget, and will require a separate capital ordinance.
The loss of the buildings is expected to cut about $300,000 per year in tax revenue starting in 2027, equal to about one tax point.
BELLEVILLE SCHOOL TAXES
Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county.
The Belleville Board of Education gave a green light to the district’s latest school budget in April. A homeowner with a property assessed at $280,565 will see an increase of $268 to the school portion of their taxes.
The budget also contains a wave of staff cuts and other austerity measures, administrators said
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