The biggest item on the Agenda for tomorrow’s Town Council meeting is the ’26 Budget introduction, which we covered on Saturday. We are going to cover other parts of the agenda, but we’ll start by revisiting the budget because there are some loose ends and resolutions outside of but connected to the budget that are worth noting.
Budget (again)
First, it’s important to recognize that Berkeley Heights provided their full budget prior to the meeting while most towns we’ve been looking at haven’t so that’s a win for transparency and it also allows us to ask harder questions.
The first connects to ‘other expenses’ which shows increases of ~575K and having the full budget gives us some idea of where that’s coming from:
General liability insurance: + $300,500
Sewer plant other expenses: + $619,044
Phone: + $111,000
Gasoline: + $35,000
Buildings and grounds other expenses: + $12,700
Police other expenses: + $11,450
Combined these total a little over $1M which is a much bigger figure than the overall ‘other expenses’ increase – so while they are definitely factors their existence alone doesn’t provide a clean explanation.
Moving on to another question mark – deferred charges and other appropriations which increases by ~$345k. The increase in deferred charge specifically (the largest share of that increase) appears driven by emergency authorizations, which increase by over $300k without a clear explanation provided within the budget.
The biggest story, however, is a cap bank ordinance that would allow the Township to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits ( Local Government Cap Law) -increasing the 2026 budget by up to 3.5% over prior final appropriations and preserving any unused portion for future years. The ordinance points to about $735K in additional appropriations. The budget shows the math surrounding this (including the extra 1.5%), but doesn’t provide a plainEnglish explanation for why it is needed. It also contains two different figures, $735,583.56 and $735,853.56, as of publication.
Other Items
A cash rounding policy that always rounds up to the nearest nickel and never rounds down – favoring the Township. Overpayments are not returned right away and will be credited to future tax bills.
The Sherman Avenue project is on the agenda with a 5.75% hike -+ $66,025 with other project orders dropping down.
Bids for the Lower Columbia Park project (natural grass soccer field, lighting, basketball courts, fencing, irrigation) but cost estimates, funding breakdowns, and a clear budget line appear to be missing from the packet.
The Township is approving a list of engineering firms through an RFQ process for professional services which would allow them get the nod on future work but criteria for scoring and evaluation which led to their selection doesn’t appear available in the packet.
Also Read:
Berkeley Heights 2026 Budget Proposed at $35M: Here is Where the Money is Going
Related Articles
No Votes, No Edits: BHPSNJ Finalizes Plan Despite Public Critique Over Lack of Substance and Questions on Declining Enrollment
$5.44M in Spending, New Film Rules, and Data Center Limits- John’s Notes on the 7/7 Council Meeting
