WEST ORANGE, NJ — The march towards a new town budget continues in West Orange.
Township administrators and council members are in the process of hammering out the 2026 municipal budget – which will likely include a tax hike.
A public hearing and final vote will have to happen before the spending plan crosses the finish line. View the draft budget (as of April 20) here.
Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Last year, the average West Orange resident paid $16,162 in property taxes on a home assessed at $615,472, not including credits and deductions. That broke down by school (62%), municipal (26.6%) and county (11.4%).
Last month, councilman Joe Krakoviak reported that the proposal would raise the municipal operating budget by $4.15 million, or 6.25 percent, from $66.4 million to a projected $70.58 million.
Based on the 2025 average home assessed value of $615,472, the 2026 total municipal tax is projected to rise $312 this year, Krakoviak said.
During a public workshop held on Tuesday, chief financial officer John Ditinyak confirmed the total municipal tax hike – including a $32 library tax increase – would come to $312 for the average homeowner under the proposed budget.
Ditinyak estimated that the total tax increase for West Orange homeowners – including school, town and county – will come to $666 this year. The numbers are subject to change, he noted.
The amount of the municipal tax hike isn't necessarily set in stone. Last year, the town council was presented with a proposed 6.2 percent tax hike from the mayor’s office, which would have meant a $243 increase for the average homeowner. Eventually, the council whittled that amount down to a $49 average increase.
2026 BUDGET WORKSHOPS
The West Orange Town Council has held two budget workshops with department heads as they work towards a final version. Watch the April 27 workshop here, and the May 5 workshop here (or view video footage below). A third workshop is scheduled for next week.
The municipal budget was also discussed at the council’s April 28 meeting, including public comment from several residents. Watch video footage here.
Below: A list of major “budget drivers” that are impacting the proposed 2026 municipal budget in West Orange (data: Township of West Orange)
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