Belleville Releases Year-End Stats: Government, Police, Finance, Court

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A wealth of local data about Belleville’s municipal government was recently released as part of the town’s annual report.

The report – which summarizes data from 2023 and was prepared by the town manager’s office – can be seen online here.

Here are some highlights from this year’s report.

TOWN COUNCIL

The Belleville Township Council adopted 45 local ordinances over the course of the year, also passing 316 resolutions.

The council updated the general code of the township, adopted nine bond ordinances and held 50 ceremonial proclamations.

MUNICIPAL COURT

The Belleville Municipal Court saw the following number of complaints filed over the course of 2023:

• Indictable - 280
• DP & PDP - 222
• Special Forms - 234
• DWI - 84
• Moving Violations - 1,888
• Parking Violations - 15,526

TAX ASSESSOR

According to the Belleville tax assessor’s office, there were 18 tax appeals filed before the Essex County Board of Taxation, reflecting a ratable total of $12,162,400 under appeal – with a ratable loss as a result of the appeals of $106,800.

The township also had a total of 26 state tax court appeals that are pending, officials noted.

A total of 83 added/omitted assessments were made in 2023, with a net ratable gain of $6,477,302 generating $252,501 in total taxes.

POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Belleville Police Department saw 59,719 calls for service last year, a 12.5 percent increase from 2022. Other statistics for the year included:

• Police responded to 1,848 motor vehicle accidents, a 35 percent increase from 2022
• Police made 507 arrests, an 11.9 percent increase from 2022
• Police issued 17,124 motor vehicle summonses, an 11.6 percent increase from 2022
• There were no hate crime offenses investigated last year
• Eight law enforcement officers were assaulted last year

The Belleville Police Department released a crime total summary for 2023 (see graph below), noting that robberies have decreased 70 percent from a peak in 2013, burglaries are down 90 percent compared to a peak in 2016, and motor vehicle thefts are down 37 percent from a peak in 2011.

• See Related: Violent Crime Rate In Belleville, Nutley Has Dropped Over Past Decades

FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Belleville Fire Department responded to 6,346 calls in 2023, an increase of 200 calls from the previous year. Their average response time was under four minutes, officials reported.

Here’s the call breakdown, officials reported:

• EMS – 4,742
• Truck One – 1,281
• Engine Two – 1,884
• Engine Three – 1,309

The Belleville Fire Department’s prevention bureau conducted 1,354 inspections last year, including 1,094 company level inspections, 187 life hazard use inspections, and 73 permit inspections.

The department reduced its overtime spending by $150,000 compared to 2022, officials noted.

BUILDING, CODE ENFORCEMENT

There were 1,501 building permits issued in 2023, Belleville town officials noted. The township collected a total of $1,545,484 in related fees.

Belleville issued 88 new business licenses in 2023, officials noted.

According to the municipal report, some major projects included:

• Mixed-Use – 20 residential units and ground floor commercial at 527-535 Union Avenue
• Mixed-Use – 268 residential units and ground floor commercial at 630 Washington Avenue
• Warehouses at 707-757 Main Street

PUBLIC WORKS

According to the Belleville Public Works Department, water and sewer statistics for the year include:

• 100 water services replaced
• 25 water main breaks repaired
• 200 sewer backups fixed
• 1,594 water and sewer service calls done
• 200 water meters repaired
• 45 smart points replaced
• 150 audits done on water meters
• 40 catch basins cleaned out and repaired

The Belleville Public Works Department shared some recycling collection data for the year, including the following figures:

• E-Waste – 19.5 tons
• White Goods – 201,960 pounds
• Atlantic Coast Fibers Recycling – 1,625.84 tons
• Street Sweepings by Deer Carcass – 205.5 tons
• Brush – 300 yards
• Mixed Vegetation – 2,294 yards
• Tires – 1,000 tons

As for road repairs, the public works department completed 300 “patch jobs” on potholes and trouble spots in the township during 2023.

Meanwhile, 148 trees were trimmed and 60 were taken down due to infestation and disease. Officials said 75 tree stumps were grinded, and 24 trees were planted.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The Belleville Health Department released the following inspection statistics for the year:

• Retail Food Establishments Annual & Complaint Inspections – approximately 4,100
• Residential and Commercial Environmental Health Hazard Inspections – approximately 1,300
• Adult & Child Daycare Inspections - 19
• Tanning Facilities & Body Art Inspections - 5
• Public Bathing Facilities - 4

OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS ACT (OPRA)

In total, 1,183 OPRA requests were submitted to Belleville Township last year. The town submitted more than 12,000 pages of documents in response to these requests.

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