EDISON, NJ — The Edison Township Council voted 6-1 to adopt its 2026 municipal budget at a special meeting on Monday, Aug. 3, capping a month-long budget process that began in April and, at points, included furloughs and a walkout.
The Edison Township Council's 2026 budget carries total general appropriations of $181,851,486.98, following a $2,000 amendment approved as part of the budget adoption process.
During the special meeting, Councilman Richard Brescher said the municipal tax increase had risen to 4.45%, up from an initial figure of around 3% presented to residents earlier in the process. The council also authorized more than $11 million in temporary emergency appropriations across the Current Fund, water, sewer and sanitation utilities in the weeks leading up to adoption, covering essential services including police and fire salaries, while the budget process continued.
Before the vote, a council member proposed an amendment to reduce the budget's gasoline line item by $300,000. The amendment failed to receive a second and did not move forward.
Township Attorney explained during the meeting that cutting $300,000 from the roughly $1.5 million gas line item would represent a reduction of more than 10 percent, which under the New Jersey Local Budget Law would have required the council to notice another public hearing on the amended budget, with at least three days' notice, delaying adoption to the following week.
The attorney cited N.J.S.A. 40A:4-9 as the relevant statute and noted the state Division of Local Government Services reserves the right to require its own review before a budget can be adopted.
Council President Joe Coyle then called for a roll call vote on the budget as originally presented. The measure passed 6-1, with Councilman Richard Brescher casting the lone vote against.
"Each one of us has been on the phone different times of the day. They've caucused with each other. I'm happy we've come to an understanding for the residents and for public safety," Coyle said, thanking his council colleagues for their work through what he called "this last ninth inning."
Mayor Sam Joshi said in a statement that the budget affects nearly every aspect of daily life in the township.
"A Municipal Budget has the greatest impact on the daily lives of residents – from Public Safety to garbage pick-up, or our Public Works crews saving the day when a tree falls, senior services, keeping safety of our buildings from residential homes to commercial businesses in town, and so much more," Joshi said. He thanked the council members who voted in favor and said the budget "is far more than a percentage or number."
The Edison Firefighters Association IAFF Local 1197 and the Edison Fire Officers Association IAFF Local 2883 issued a joint statement commending the council for adopting the budget.
"With the adoption of this budget, the Edison Fire Department can continue its mission of providing the high-quality emergency services that the residents of Edison have come to expect," the unions said, also crediting Coyle for his leadership through the process and thanking residents who attended council meetings to voice support for public safety funding.
The budget process had previously included a period of employee furloughs and a councilman's walkout amid disputes over the stalled budget, before the council later approved emergency funds to end the furloughs.
Following the budget vote, the council opened a public hearing on a separate solid waste ordinance.
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