3 Ways Essex County Will Benefit From $50B New Jersey Budget

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A huge wave of school aid for towns, money to rehab a local MVC, and funds for a long-awaited “greenway” are among the benefits for Essex County in a historically massive state budget.

On Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a $50.6 billion state budget, greenlighting a massive wave of funding across New Jersey. Read More: Tax Rebate Official As NJ Budget Is Signed (Here Is What You'll Get)

In Essex County, the state budget got a mixed reaction from lawmakers, advocates and pundits. Read More: Massive NJ Budget Gets Cheers, Jeers In Essex County

Sen. Kristin Corrado, a Republican who represents several towns in the county, said the budget is a "missed opportunity" that will solidify New Jersey’s position as one of the most unaffordable states in the nation.

But other lawmakers from Essex County, such as Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz, have supported this year’s budget, lauding the amount of funding for school construction, as well as the expansion of universal pre-K, support for child care and social services, and upgrades to the state’s water infrastructure.

Here are three things that this year’s state budget will pay for in Essex County.

SCHOOL AID

According to a statement from Murphy’s office, the budget continues to make “historic investments” in public education, with an additional $650 million in K-12 formula aid for a total of $9.9 billion in FY 2023. Since 2018, the state has increased K-12 formula aid by more than $1.8 billion, “far outpacing investments” by any other administration.

State aid is an influential factor in a school district's share of property taxes. Many districts say that cuts – or even flat spending – forces them to raise taxes for local homeowners.

According to the Murphy Administration’s previously released figures, Essex County will see an 11.44 percent bump in school aid, putting its total at $1.64 billion, the highest of any county in New Jersey by a wide margin. Read More: Essex County Will Get Most School Aid In NJ – And It’s Not Even Close

The anticipated state aid totals for each public school district in Essex County were:

• Belleville - $43,951,378 (23.97% increase)
• Bloomfield - $45,609,524 (28.07% increase)
• Caldwell-West Caldwell - $2,905,519 (19.64% increase)
• Cedar Grove - $1,817,550 (21.57% increase)
• East Orange - $175,087,372 (0% increase)
• Essex County Voc-Tech - $29,601,481 (7.8% increase)
• Essex Fells - $243,499 (24.37% increase)
• Fairfield- $817,543 (24.87% increase)
• Glen Ridge - $1,937,530 (20.27% increase)
• Irvington - $130,893,074 (2.32% increase)
• Livingston - $7,368,809 (21.79% increase)
• Millburn - $5,502,303 (21.88% increase)
• Montclair - $8,413,637 (4.73% increase)
• Newark - $1,035,927,916 (13.21% increase)
• North Caldwell - $809,755 (27.62% increase)
• Nutley - $7,970,806 (4.99% decrease)
• Orange - $102,461,303 (10.35% increase)
• Roseland - $571,190 (20.04% increase)
• South Orange-Maplewood - $8,287,062 (15.02% increase)
• Verona - $2,263,911 (19.47% increase)
• West Essex Regional - $2,298,224 (16.11% increase)
• West Orange - $29,372,985 (44.27% increase)

ESSEX-HUDSON GREENWAY

Murphy also noted that there is $85 million for local government aid – mostly culled from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds – including money to support and accelerate work on the Essex-Hudson Greenway.

A specific funding amount for the greenway wasn’t included in Thursday’s news release.

Last year, officials announced that the state will be purchasing nearly 135 acres of property in North Jersey for $65 million. The plan? Turn an old, defunct nine-mile railroad line into a 100-foot-wide biking and hiking path.

The ambitious project will cross above the Passaic and Hackensack rivers and pass through eight towns: Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Belleville, Newark, Kearny, Secaucus and Jersey City.

Supporters say the greenway will give residents and visitors in one of the most densely populated areas of the state a place to ride a bicycle or take a leisurely walk outdoors. It would also give New Jersey commuters another way to hop aboard mass transit headed to New York City, helping to relieve traffic congestion in the area and reduce pollution.

• See related article: NJ Will Turn Old Railway Into Huge 'Greenway' For Hiking, Biking

In February, advocates gave an update on the status of the project, noting that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation and the Open Space Institute announced that the purchase agreement for the new greenway, which was set to expire on Jan. 31, was extended to June 30 – the day the state budget was signed.

• See related article: Finances Still Being Hammered Out For $65M Essex-Hudson Greenway

MVC UPGRADE

The Murphy administration also said there is $60 million in the budget earmarked to rehabilitate aging state facilities, including the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) in Newark.

The money comes from American Rescue Plan Act funds, the governor noted.

The NJMVC facility on Frelinghuysen Avenue in Newark is one of the busiest in the state. It was one of several in New Jersey to see repeated closures and delays in the coronavirus pandemic.

• See related article: Gargantuan Line At Newark MVC As Locations Across NJ Reopen
• See related article: Newark Motor Vehicle Center Closing; Worker Tests For COVID-19

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.