North Bergen passes $86.7 million budget with zero percent tax increase

The North Bergen Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an $86.7 million budget with a zero percent tax increase at Wednesday’s meeting. 

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Mayor Nick Sacco elaborated on the subject with Hudson County View.

“I never put an unsound budget out, I never let a budget become a gimmick budget, so the budget had to be on sound footing and it came back zero,” Sacco said.

“And, I had to make a decision: do I let it stay zero or do I raise taxes a little bit in case of emergencies, something going on, but you know, zero is the actual number it should be.”

Sacco also answered as to whether or not he was concerned with bonding and/or tax abatements leading to budgetary issues years into the future.

The budget was initially introduced at the February 25 meeting, where Township Administrator Chris Pianese explained some of the intricacies, such as employee/union health benefits and the township surplus.