The North Bergen Board of Commissioners formally introduced a $122,091,179.01 budget that comes with a 3.56 percent tax increase last month.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
The municipal spend plan is up about $2 million from last year, when it was $119,984,796.57, most of which is raised from the tax levy, which increased by almost $4 million – which includes $3,717,901.23 for the minimum library tax.
That marks a roughly 4.5 percent increase to the tax levy itself from last year. According to North Bergen spokesman Nick Bond, that translates to a 3.56 percent municipal tax increase.
“Mayor [Nick] Sacco and the board of commissioners are continuing to prioritize keeping North Bergen affordable while investing in critical services like public safety, recreation and infrastructure improvements in this year’s municipal budget,” bond said in a statement.
“The proposed 3.56 percent municipal tax increase is significantly lower than in recent years and falls below the current inflation rate, which is a testament to North Bergen’s improved financial position and responsible budget management. This achievement comes despite the continued growth of key budget drivers outside the local governing body’s control, such as employee health benefits, pension liabilities and energy costs.”
The proposal is in line with their local board of education, who approved a $168 million budget with a 2.87 percent tax hike in March, and lower than their preliminary Hudson County tax rate, which is 6.94 percent, both which HCV first reported.
Yesterday, the Hoboken City Council introduced an amended $161,250,498.68 budget with an 11.5 percent tax increase, the Bayonne City Council approved a $173 million spending plan with a 2.3 percent tax hike last month, and the Kearny Town Council voted down a $99 million budget with a 4.5 percent tax increase last week.
Breaking down the North Bergen municipal budget, general revenues total $37,078,277.78, down about $1 million from $38,240,866.92 last year.
The biggest chunk of that is miscellaneous revenues totaling $30,278,277.78, which is nearly the same as last year, with the biggest line item there being $15,725,858.68 in local revenue s- up from $14,747,998.98 last year.
This comes from various sources like fees and permits, which remained relatively flat at $1,075,000 compared to 2025.
Other larger revenue items included in that over $15 million in local revenues include interest on investments and deposits which remained flat at $1,600,000.
For example, payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement payments, specifically from Post River Road Urban Renewal, remained flat at $1,351,500, and ambulance fees which increased very slightly to $1,580,000.
Of the remaining portion of the over $30 million in miscellaneous revenue, the other portions include $7,271,281 in state aid which remained flat from last year, $5,901,138.10 in special revenue which decreased from $6,436,395.66 last year, $1,380,000 in dedicated uniform construction code fees which decreased slightly from $1,710,000 last year.
Outside of the $30 million in misc revenues, the overall $37 million in general revenues also includes a $4,900,000 surplus which decreased from $5,450,000 last year, and $1,900,000 in receipts from delinquent taxes which remained about the same as last year.
Of the $122,091,179.01 in expenses, there is $87,028,025.50 for total general appropriations, up slightly from $83,765,091.48 last year.
This over $87 million includes things like: $9,865,244.50 in deferred charges and statutory expenses which are up slightly from $9,227,578.48 last year.
Of the over $41 million in other expenses, the biggest budget drivers were insurance including $18,928,000 in group insurance expenses roughly flat from $18,200,000 last year and other insurance expenses at $2,500,000 slightly increasing from $1,759,963 last year.
And $8,579,781 for the municipal utilities authority, roughly flat from last year; and $1,005,000 for electricity, up from $640,000 last year.
In addition, there is $22,893,690.23 for total operations excluded from the municipal budget cap, increasing slightly from $21,283,446.93 in 2025.
