Talks Continue On Trash, Budget In West Orange: Upcoming Hearings

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Curious about the still-in-development town budget, or potential changes to trash collection in West Orange? There are two upcoming public hearings in late June that you may want to mark down on your calendar.

TRASH COLLECTION

The West Orange Town Council will hold a public hearing to discuss potential tweaks to its garbage collection service on Wednesday, June 26. It will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers at Town Hall, 66 Main Street. The hearing will also be broadcast via Zoom (see login info here).

Public comment will only be allowed in person at the meeting. See Related: West Orange Changes Public Comment Rules After ‘Zoom Bombing’

The West Orange Town Council continued the long-running discussion about trash collection at their June 10 meeting. The question on the table: “Should West Orange make cuts in the name of saving residents some cash?” Read More: West Orange May Switch Up Trash Collection To Save Money

According to a presentation given at the meeting, there are four different options on the table. The difference in cost isn't much: only a few dollars separate each choice:

OPTION 1 – Keep the current service level (no changes). It would cost West Orange households $18.14 per month.

OPTION 2 – Collect trash two times a week, with the town providing carts. Bulk waste would be collected weekly (by reservation only). It would cost West Orange households $17.55 per month.

OPTION 3 – Collect trash one time a week, with no carts provided by the town. Bulk waste would be collected once a month (by reservation only), and no commercial or e-waste would be collected. It would cost West Orange households $15.46 per month.

OPTION 4 – Collect trash one time a week with the town providing carts. Bulk waste would be collected once a month (by reservation only), and no commercial or e-waste would be collected. It would cost West Orange households $15.85 per month.

TOWN BUDGET

In the meanwhile, the march to a new municipal budget continues in West Orange – although it’s still unclear what tax impact it might potentially have on local homeowners.

The council held a workshop to discuss the 2024 municipal budget on June 13 (watch the video below).

The town council will hold a follow-up budget workshop for the public at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 27 at Town Hall (see Zoom login info here).

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

• School – 61.4%
• Municipal – 26.7%
• County – 11.9%

In 2023, the average West Orange homeowner paid $15,475 in property taxes on a home assessed at $336,591. Here are the previous four years for comparison:

• 2022 – $14,920 in taxes on a home valued at $336,282
• 2021 – $14,701 in taxes on a home valued at $337,703
• 2020 – $14,484 in taxes on a home valued at $338,106
• 2019 – $14,086 in taxes on a home valued at $338,561

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