Montclair Council OKs Tax Hike In 2024 Municipal Budget

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Another property tax hike is headed Montclair’s way.

The Montclair Town Council approved an amended version of the 2024 municipal budget on Tuesday, voting 4-2 in favor of this year’s spending plan.

Council members William Hurlock, Roger Terry, Robin Schlager and Lori Price Abrams voted yes. David Cummings and Councilor Bob Russo voted no. Mayor Sean Spiller abstained.

The budget will come with a 2.96 percent hike to the municipal tax levy, which equals out to about $140 for a home assessed at $635,000. Read More: Montclair Town Budget Has Potential Tax Hike (See The Latest Numbers)

Several attendees at this week’s meeting questioned the spending plan and the transparency of the process (watch the video below, cued to the budget discussion and vote).

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Here’s how that played out in Montclair for 2023, according to state data:

• School – 56.8%
• Municipal – 26.1%
• County – 17.1%

Last month, the Montclair Board of Education voted to approve the district's 2024-2025 school budget, which keeps the tax increase to the 2 percent cap and doesn't contain any staff cuts. Read More: Montclair School Budget Passes Final Vote From Board

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 Montclair Facebook page.