Bridgewater's $54.9M Budget Proposes Tax Increase For Residents

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater Township Council unanimously introduced a proposed $54.9 million municipal budget for 2026, which includes a slight tax increase to residents.

Township Administrator Michael Pappas presented the budget at the April 9 Council meeting. The 2025 budget was $51.5 million, making the proposed increase $3.375 million for 2026.

Council President Joan Gieger said the budget process involved work between the council and administration.

"This was very much a bipartisan endeavor," Gieger said.

She said she met with the administration "at least three or four times," had many conversations with individual council members, and that the township administrator spent about three and a half hours reviewing the budget with her line by line.

Pappas said the increases are "all outside of the township's control."

He said the budget supports recreation programs, road improvements, senior programming, public works equipment, technology infrastructure, public safety upgrades, and park improvements.

He also said the township hopes to continue road work and move forward on several park and drainage projects.

Among the items discussed were replacement radios for first responders, security upgrades at the municipal complex, police weapons replacement, cyber security, and improvements at parks, including Dave and Philip Miller Park, Harry Alley Park, and Kid Street Park.

Pappas said Camp Cromwell improvements are tied to a $4 million federal grant, and the township council approved a $975,000 bond issue at the end of last year because the grant is reimbursable.

Pappas listed several major cost increases affecting the budget, including a $1.8 million increase in healthcare, a $513,000 increase in one pension system, and a $192,000 increase in another.

He also cited higher costs for snow removal, gasoline, fire hydrants, Social Security, and liability insurance. He said those costs total more than $3.4 million, while the township reduced the remaining portion of the budget by $73,872 from the previous year.

Pappas said the proposed municipal tax rate would rise from .2440 to .2448.

To see the impact on homeowners, a Township home assessed at $600,000 in 2025 saw a municipal tax bill of $1,464 per year.

With a new assessed value of about $660,000 for 2026, the annual municipal taxes would be $1,615.68, an increase of $151.68 per year.

Councilman Timothy Ring broke that down another way.

"So if you take your $151 annual increase, it's a $12.58 a month increase," Ring said.

Councilman Michael Kirsh said snow, gas, and electric costs have added pressure to the budget.

"None of us likes to pay taxes. None of us likes to pay the cost of what things are today. But you know, the reality is that running any sort of operation is expensive and tends to get more so over time," said Kirsh.

The public hearing and final adoption for the 2026 municipal budget is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m.

See below or click here to watch the full budget presentation(beginning at 40:32):

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