Livingston Town Budget Crosses Finish Line: See Tax Impact For Homeowners

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Livingston’s new municipal budget has finally crossed the finish line.

The Livingston Township Council voted to adopt the amended 2026 municipal budget earlier this week. The spending plan was delayed to allow administrators to respond to new information from the state.

The budget will come with a 3.78 percent increase to the municipal portion of a homeowner’s taxes. That equals out to $137 per year for an average home, which was assessed at $729,727 last year.

Township Manager Barry Lewis said Livingston’s municipal tax rate is among the lowest in Essex County.

However, the municipal government only controls about 16.4 percent of the total tax dollar paid by residents, Lewis added – with the remainder made up of school and county taxes (see below).

“Astronomical” increases to health insurance – a complaint that many other local government officials have been making in New Jersey – were among the rising expenditures that Livingston has had to cope with this year.

Other highlights of the spending plan include:

• Fund Balance – The township achieved a 15-year high fund balance of over $17 million
• Municipal Revenues – Property taxes as a percentage of overall municipal revenues have continued to drop from 79 percent in 2018 to 65.5 percent in 2026
• Infrastructure and Services – The budget continues to fund capital projects including PFAS water remediation and public facility maintenance

The following graphic shows Livingston municipal government expenses in the 2026 budget (data: Township of Livingston)

Other Essex County towns are also seeing tax increases this year, Lewis pointed out:

Watch footage from the June 8 meeting here, or view it below (video is cued to the budget hearing at the 41:29 mark):

TAXES IN LIVINGSTON

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county.

In 2025, the average Livingston resident paid $18,465 in property taxes on a home valued at $729,727 (not including credits and deductions). Here’s how that broke down last year, according to state data:

• School – 60.9%
• Municipal – 20.4%
• County – 18.6%

The Livingston Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the 2026-2027 school budget in April. The spending plan includes several cuts, in addition to a $478 annual tax increase for a homeowner with a property assessed at $738,359.

• Related: Livingston School Board OKs Staff Cuts, Tax Hike In New Budget
• Related: Average Livingston Property Tax Tops $18K: See Latest 5-Year Breakdown

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