West Orange Town Budget Still Needs Final Vote, Tax Hike Likely

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange remains without a finalized municipal budget as it heads into October.

Township administrators and council members are still awaiting state approval for 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.

Under a draft budget released in April, the municipal tax increase is projected to come to $312 for an average homeowner with a property assessed at $615,472.

During the town council meeting on Sept. 15, administrators said the spending plan is still being reviewed by the state.

Councilman Joe Krakoviak was among those responding to public questions about the budget’s current status.

“There was a question about whether the council had ever completed its voting on the 2026 budget – and we did,” he said. “We went through the budget line by line. It took us way too long once again, but we signed off on every line item in the budget and then it went to the state.”

“We can’t vote to adopt the budget until after the state reviews and approves it, and we have all the numbers we need in order to determine what our tax rate is going to be,” he continued. “Now, we’re hoping that’s going to happen in the next few weeks, but everybody keep your fingers crossed.”

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

Earlier this year, the town’s chief financial officer estimated that the total tax increase for West Orange homeowners – including school, town and county – will come to $666 this year.

• Related: West Orange School Board OKs New Budget With Tax Hike, Job Cuts

West Orange 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 Belleville.

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