The Township Council passed the 2024 amended municipal budget at its August 26 meeting.
Township manager Barry Lewis said it was “overall a good budget,” and credited the town’s chief financial officer, Ann Cucci, with helping craft it and for working with the state reviewer throughout the process.
With the average Livingstonhome assessed at $712,139, the municipal tax increase will be $85.57, which equates to $7.13 each month. This is a 2.61 percent increase from last year.
Lewis noted that the 2024 budget maintains the current levels of service and staffing levels and budgets for agreed union contracts.
The municipal budget accounts for 18.3 percent of residents’ tax dollars. The school district takes the majority of taxes, at 60.3 percent, and 18.9 percent is allocated for Essex County. 1.7 percent of taxes go to the Livingston Public Library, while slightly under one percent is reserved for uncollected taxes.
Lewis noted that in 2023, Livingston’s municipal tax rate was the second lowest of all 22 Essex County municipalities, higher only than North Caldwell, and the total tax rate was the sixth lowest in the county. “If you had the same value of home in all these other communities, in every single one of them but one, you wouldpay highermunicipal taxes,” Lewis explained.
Thirty percent of the municipal taxes are spent on public safety ($18.38 million); 16 percent on debt and capital projects ($9.99 million); 12 percent on public works ($7.45 million); seven percent on administration ($4.06 million); five percent on the Library ($3.36 million); and five percent on trash and recycling ($3.21 million).
In addition, three percent is spent on buildings and codes ($1.95 million); three percent on utilities and street lighting ($1.59 million); two percent goes to Recreation and Senior Services ($1.32 million); twopercent on insurance ($ 1.22 million); and two percent on tax appeals ($ 1.2 million).
Other expenditures each total less than two percent of the municipal budget.
The majority of the budget increase is due to six major items, which Lewis outlined for the Council. Public Works, both wages and operations, total an increase of over $500,000. Health Department wages increased by $130,000. This increase was due to the exhaustion of federal COVID grants. Health insurance increased 7.32 percent, nearly $300,000. Statutory expenses, including pensions and Social Security, increased $612,012.
The capital improvement fund for the Department of Public Works’ garage project has $500,000 of the budget allocated for it. The reserve for uncollected taxes increased $1,225,798. This increase was the result of ending the accelerated tax scale.
The increase of these six major items account for $3.279 million and represents over 86 percent of the total increase in budget spending.All other municipal budget items have an aggregate increase of 1.25 percent.
The township fund balance increased by $1,407,805, or 13.79 percent. The 2022 year end balance of $10,206,313 increased to the 2023 year end budget of $11,614,118, the township’s highest fund balance in the last 16 years. The increased fund balance has, in part, resulted in the Township’s bond rating being raised toAA+, which is one step away from an ideal AAA rating.
Property taxes as a percentage of overall revenues have continued to drop, from 79% in 2018 to 67% in 2024.
The general capital budget, which is funded through grants and debts, is $5.235 million. It includes additional funding for the new DPW facility and continues to cover the standards for public facilities, streets, vehicles, and equipment.
The water capital budget is $2.75 million, which includes remediation for the township wells, as well as water main installations and improvements; the sewer capital is $4 million; and the swimming pool capital is $200,000. There is to be no increase in water or sewer rates, nor will there be an increase in pool membership fees.
Council member Michael Vieira commended Cucci’s work on the budget. “In the last couple of years you’ve been here, you’ve done such an amazing job in keeping our budget as flat as possible,” he told her.
Council members Ed Meinhardt and Ketan Bhuptani underscored their appreciation for Cucci, as well as Lewis and his entire staff.
In relation to the budget, Mayor Anthony said, “If this was our ‘state of the union’ address, the state of Livingston is strong.”
The slideshow presented at the meeting is expected to be posted on livingstonnj.org.
