Bloomfield Council OKs Town Budget At Sparsely Attended Meeting

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — It’s been a tough budget season for some towns in Essex County, including Montclair and West Orange, which have seen packed meetings with emotionally charged debates that have lasted for hours. But in Bloomfield, this year’s town budget hearing – and unanimous vote in its favor – took place in just under five minutes.

On Monday, the Bloomfield Town Council approved the 2023 municipal budget at their public meeting. No speakers turned out for the public comment portion of the hearing.

Watch the video below (it’s cued to the budget hearing and vote), or see it online here.

The $99.18 million budget includes $63.49 million to be raised by taxation for municipal purposes, and $2.05 million to be raised by taxation for minimum library tax. There is a $6.37 million anticipated surplus.

In April, town officials said that homeowners with a property valued at $354,230 would see a $75 increase to the municipal portion of their taxes under the proposed spending plan. Patch reached out to township officials this week to verify the tax impact in the approved budget, but didn't get a response. We'll update this article with any reply we receive.

Councilwoman Jenny Mundell was absent from Monday’s meeting due to a work obligation. But she told Patch that if she was present for the vote, she would have said “yes.”

“I am always concerned about responsible fiscal management, but trust our CFO and financial consultants to make thoughtful recommendations,” Mundell said.

The councilwoman continued:

“We rely on department directors and the township administrator’s office to supply information to the CFO about the resources they need to provide the level of service Bloomfield residents deserve and expect. Balancing that with maintaining a good debt ratio (ensuring we pay our bills and make good on money we have borrowed) and keeping an eye toward capital expenditures now and in the future matters too. Much of that direction comes from the mayor and council, who are responding to the concerns of residents and setting the vision for the future. That’s reflected in the budget.”

“Overall, this elected administration has done an excellent job of managing spending for the municipality (and improving our bond rating!) without too much of an impact on taxpayers and I know everyone is proud of that,” Mundell added.

Property taxes in New Jersey are generally made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Here’s how that played out in Bloomfield last year:

• School – 47%
• Municipal – 38%
• County – 15%

>> Read More: Bloomfield Homeowners May Face Tax Increase Under Town Budget

>> Read More: Average Property Tax Bill In Bloomfield Is Growing, Latest Data Shows

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Bloomfield Facebook page.