Frustrations Over West Orange Budget Broil At Council Meeting

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Frustrations over the West Orange municipal budget broiled over during the town council meeting this week.

Several residents blasted a looming tax hike to the municipal portion of their property taxes during a marathon township council meeting on Tuesday. Much of the seven-hour meeting was devoted to public comment.

Watch the full meeting here, and see videos with individual comments below.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that homeowners face a possible hike of 16 percent to the municipal portion of their taxes. It's a figure that has been seeing harsh criticism from many local property owners, some of whom have blamed the town's real estate and development decisions for pouring gasoline on the fire. Read More: Some West Orange Residents Are Fuming Over 16% Proposed Tax Hike

Property taxes in New Jersey are generally made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Read More: Average Property Tax Bill In West Orange Is Growing, Latest Data Shows

Here’s how that played out in West Orange last year (numbers rounded up):

• School – 61.7%
• Municipal – 26%
• County – 12.4%

Some council members had their own concerns about the draft budget and the proposed tax hike.

“I don’t feel like the current budget is reasonable,” Bill Rutherford commented during Tuesday’s meeting, building on earlier questions about potential staff cuts to the town’s workforce.

“We’re looking at either significant cuts in head count, or a significant raise in property taxes,” Rutherford said.

John Gross, who serves as the town’s business administrator, CFO and comptroller, countered that the financial conundrum may not be “reasonable,” but it’s “reality.”

“If your definition of ‘reasonable’ is a budget at 2 percent, well, I can’t give that to you without laying off about 150 people,” he said.

Budget workshops are scheduled for May 18 and May 24 in the council chambers at Town Hall, 66 Main Street.

• See Related: West Orange Mayor Says 'Perfect Storm' Swirls This Budget Season
• See Related: Tax Hike Imminent As West Orange School Budget Hits Finish Line

Residents lined up at the council meeting on Tuesday to sound off about the potential tax hike, both in-person and remotely via Zoom (watch some of their comments in the videos below, each is cued to a different speaker).

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