SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The Township Council adopted the 2026 municipal budget, totaling $83,329,642.37 in total revenues and appropriations, following a public hearing on a budget amendment last Wednesday night.
The budget calls for $52,391,481.72 to be raised by taxation for municipal purposes, according to the adoption resolution. It also includes a minimum library levy of $4,805,516 and an Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund levy of $3,672,128.44.
The budget anticipates $4,525,000 in surplus, $20,507,644.65 in miscellaneous revenues and $1,100,000 in receipts from delinquent taxes.
On the appropriations side, the budget includes $54,527,519 in operations spending within the state's cap, along with $11,139,051.44 in deferred charges and statutory expenditures. Appropriations excluded from the cap total $8,701,378.29 in operations, $800,000 for capital improvements, $4,456,504.96 for municipal debt service and $763,533.20 in deferred charges. The budget also sets aside $2,941,655.48 as a reserve for uncollected taxes.
The hearing opened with resident questions about property tax exemption classifications. One resident asked officials to clarify the township's "15F" exemption designation, which the resident said appeared on the township's tax records as "other exemption" without further detail.
Mayor Charlie Carley responded that the classification could cover a range of statutory exemptions tied to state and federal government properties or redevelopment agreements, and suggested the resident bring a specific property to the township's tax assessor for guidance. Another official noted that disabled veterans with combat- or service-related disabilities are also entitled to a residential property tax exemption.
The council then opened the public hearing on the budget amendment itself. A Kingston-area resident asked how much of the budget relies on recurring versus non-recurring revenue, citing the township's use of surplus and state transitional aid, and questioned the township's long-term plan to reduce reliance on those non-recurring sources.
Carley responded that more than 90 percent of the township's revenue comes from property taxes, and that state aid, which has fluctuated in recent years, is expected to gradually diminish over time rather than be eliminated abruptly, requiring the township to adjust accordingly.
The resident added that last year's one-time cell tower monetization, which boosted the prior year's surplus, would not recur this year, and that the state Department of Community Affairs' Division of Local Government Services closely reviews the township's budget annually.
Following the public hearing, the council voted to close the public portion and adopted the 2026 municipal budget, including the amendment, by roll call vote.
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