Tax Hike Still Likely In Delayed Belleville Town Budget

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville remains without a finalized municipal budget as October approaches, although local homeowners will still likely see a tax hike under the proposed version.

The council voted to approve an amendment to the 2026 township budget at their meeting on Tuesday. However, the council tabled a vote on the final version, which still awaits state approval.

During the meeting, chief financial officer Frank DiMaria confirmed the budget includes a $175 municipal tax increase for a homeowner with a property assessed at roughly $300,000 – a figure that was also cited earlier this year.

The largest driver of the budget is group insurance costs, which are up by about $4 million, with the spending category now consuming about 27 percent of the entire municipal budget. It’s a situation that other towns across New Jersey have also been experiencing.

DiMaria previously said the draft budget has no significant personnel changes, or service increases/decreases.

The amendment approved Tuesday included dozens of previously unappropriated grant items, in addition to other minor changes. There is no significant change to the tax levy, DiMaria said.

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county.

The Belleville Board of Education gave a green light to the district’s latest school budget in April. A homeowner with a property assessed at $280,565 will see an increase of $268 to the school portion of their taxes.

• Related: Belleville School Budget Has Tax Hike, Job Cuts
• Related: Property Taxes In Nutley And Belleville: See Latest 5-Year Breakdowns

Belleville isn’t the only Essex County municipality that is still awaiting approval of its 2026 township budget. Other towns and cities with still-unresolved municipal budgets include Newark and West Orange.

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