Nutley Homeowners May Face Tax Hike Under 2022 Town Budget

NUTLEY, NJ — Nutley homeowners would see an increase to the municipal portion of their property taxes under the town’s proposed 2022 budget.

Commissioner Thomas Evans gave a presentation about this year’s tentative spending plan during the board’s April 5 meeting (watch the video below). See the full presentation here.

According to Evans, municipal operating costs have increased by $1,593,072 for 2022, which have been marginally offset by increased revenues of $92,808, resulting in a municipal tax increase to taxpayers of $1,500,264 – or 3.594 percent.

Evans said that salary, sewer, pension and group medical costs are the primary drivers of the town’s annual cost increases.

“Gasoline costs have increased, while our overall debt service costs have declined,” Evans stated in his presentation.

Evans said the town’s overall revenues have remained “substantially stable” for 2022. He noted:

“A reduction in state aid was wholly offset by the full year revenue estimate for EMS services and an increase in construction permit fees for 2022. Going forward our revenues are expected to remain at current levels.”

Evans said town officials will continue to try to identify additional cost reductions before finalizing the budget.

A public hearing and adoption of the municipal budget is scheduled for Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m.

Property taxes have consistently been one of the most pressing issues in Essex County, including Nutley, which had the 95th highest average property taxes in New Jersey last year. The average residential property tax in Nutley in 2021 was $12,344 for a home valued at $321,172. That was a $553 increase from 2020 – a difference of 4.69 percent.

• Read More: NJ's Largest Tax Bills: Belleville, Nutley Rank High On List
• Read More: Tax Gap In Essex County; Many Wealthier Towns Pay Lower Rates

Property taxes in New Jersey are made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Here's how that broke down in Nutley last year:

• School – 50.4%
• Municipal – 33.4%
• County – 16.3%

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Sign up for Patch email newsletters. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page.