file photo courtesy of Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County has officially approved its first budget since the end of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) federal funds, and despite some last-minute budget cuts, the overall budget reflects an increase over the previous year.
The $720 million budget, adopted after cuts totaling $695,100, includes an increase in taxes for homeowners. Owners of homes assessed at $530,000 — the county’s average — will see an increase of $67.82 per year on the county portion of their tax bills. This means that the county’s tax levy accounts for roughly 11.5% of the average property tax bill.
💰 Tax Levy Increase and Budget Cuts
Though the budget increase may feel noticeable, some last-minute cuts were made to offset expenses. The total tax levy for the county rose by 4.79%, which translates to about $5.65 extra per month for the average assessed home.
Some of the budget cuts came from various departments, including:
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$100,000 cut from the fire marshal, police academy, and gas and oil auto budget lines
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$147,000 in cuts to the Department of Public Works, including items like salt, calcium chloride, cinder and sand, and road signs
Despite these reductions, Bergen County will maintain all essential services that residents rely on every day.
🏛️ Challenges with Expiring American Rescue Plan Funds
County Executive James Tedesco had previously warned that this would be a difficult budget year due to the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds, also known as the American Rescue Plan. The county had received $39.6 million in ARP funding last year, which it will not receive this year. The loss of this funding represents 2.6% of the 4.79% tax levy increase.
Despite this financial challenge, Tedesco reassured residents that the county’s services would remain intact, even with the absence of federal support. “In the face of heightened volatility coming out of Washington, this fiscally responsible and prudent budget reflects Bergen County’s continued record of sound financial management,” Tedesco said during his budget presentation in April.
🚧 Fiscal Responsibility and Continued Services
The overall budget increase of almost $8 million allows Bergen County to continue its critical services, including public safety, education, infrastructure, parks, and health and human services. The county is committed to ensuring that these essential services remain available to residents despite the challenges presented by the loss of federal funding.
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Now the County roads will never be fixed. Depressed manhole covers everywhere.
They’ve been spending a lot of money on parks and buildings. Now they gotta maintain them. If not, they will go to shit like back in their early 80s. Remember that remember the duckpond in the 80s and looked horrible. It took 10 years to fix it up.
Spend spend and spend