[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6049518,"mediaKeyId","3510310-5468130489fa4d251ea805347934675e","parentId",3510310,"title","Madison adopts 2025 municipal budget; multiple ordinances and consent resolutions passed","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",5446000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3510310-5468130489fa4d251ea805347934675e&start=5446&end=5446","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3510310-5468130489fa4d251ea805347934675e/thumbnail_5446000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6049518/Madison/Morris-County/New-Jersey/Madison-adopts-2025-municipal-budget-multiple-ordinances-and-consent-resolutions-passed","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6049518-214ecf7fbdc158e904f1b255e15b16fc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156140&Signature=gKw3LsvTsB6zDjfRzKs7Qf2zvl~J7h2loHJpp47uWpeA8roJq~B5b2oSjZc~6iqlReO4hf9qIyARHIeXSYOMdBlavJqKMNjjaHf-nzp5NkmGk1alLLO1xCJW~F~qULcuFBuVPCPTU8C-ag76y3X2PS0uzrna6kxd8en4QkG2Zq5AGs~mAffsnWfB7xjQBSabLZJKtNtKpQRphGkFoZR9d2PqzFNQYHsxWcMivTwJKp~s7bwTAKIHL9iWGLcjUe0ML98SIpjZZF42WNCkGvky2YxHtfIyozXE-Nr-eVWaFeQMAUsADWcntznULzztXgyprQMd0P696ZTqN0gN5T8e~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","The Borough of Madison New Jersey","date","2025-04-28T00:00:00Z","article","The Madison Borough Council adopted the 2025 municipal budget and passed a series of ordinances and consent resolutions at its May hearing.

The council adopted Resolution R-140-2025, the 2025 municipal budget and tax resolution. The official statement read in the meeting set municipal appropriations at $15,181,120 for municipal purposes, $736,348.08 for the open space, recreation, farmland, and historic preservation trust levy, and $1,707,926 for the minimum library tax. Council President Rachel Ehrlich told the meeting the budget presented for final adoption was unchanged from the version introduced and that the borough passed state review without issue.

Councilmember discussion reiterated staff and online materials were available and the borough had conducted multiple public presentations; the budget includes a 2% increase in municipal property taxes, the council said. The formal motion to adopt the budget was made and carried on roll call.

The council also adopted several ordinances on final reading: Ordinance 9-2025 (amending lead-based paint inspection fees in housing standards), Ordinance 10-2025 (amending land development and shade tree management provisions), Ordinance 11-2025 (vehicles and traffic amendments), Ordinance 12-2025 (no-parking schedule amendments), Ordinance 13-2025 (electric connection fee schedule), Ordinance 14-2025 (water connection fee schedule), Ordinance 15-2025 (sewer connection fee schedule) and Ordinance 16-2025 (appropriating $28,000 from the General Capital Improvement Fund for fiber expansion). The council declared each ordinance adopted and ordered publication where required.

A combined hearing was held for ordinances 13, 14 and 15 because they update connection-fee schedules for electric, water and sewer; the council emphasized these changes apply only to new connections and do not change existing retail rates.

The consent agenda (Resolutions R-142-2025 through R-158-2025) passed in a single roll call that included items ranging from personnel appointments and contract awards to policy statements. Notable consent resolutions included:

- R-148-2025 — a resolution opposing state legislation that would remove local zoning authority over accessory dwelling units; the council said the borough supports ADUs as a local planning tool but opposes state-mandated overrides of local zoning.

- R-149-2025 — a resolution calling for reforms to the PJM interconnection process to protect New Jersey consumers and support clean energy deployment (the council discussed the PJM presentation earlier in the meeting).

- R-153-2025 — a resolution supporting the New Jersey Climate Superfund Act, urged by local advocates and environmental groups.

Council members also approved voucher totals for the week: total disbursements reported at $4,848,909.21. The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn.

The council recorded roll calls for each adoption; multiple members voted in favor and one member (Councilmember John Forte) was recorded earlier in the meeting as absent, excused.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","April 28, 2025 Madison, NJ Borough Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Borough of Madison adopted its 2025 municipal budget with a 2% municipal tax increase, approved several ordinances (including utility connection fees and traffic code changes), and passed a consent agenda that included a resolution supporting the New Jersey Climate Superfund Act and a call for PJM interconnection reforms.","taxTitle","Madison, Morris County, New Jersey","taxId",70480,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6049524,"Madison council hears warning on rising electric costs tied to PJM capacity rules",740,2950000,3690000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3510310-5468130489fa4d251ea805347934675e&start=2950&end=3690","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3510310-5468130489fa4d251ea805347934675e/thumbnail_2950000.jpg","/articles/6049524/Madison/Morris-County/New-Jersey/Madison-council-hears-warning-on-rising-electric-costs-tied-to-PJM-capacity-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6049524-2cd66c5a534441936392058aaabdb7c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771156140&Signature=cnSp0vbzULbfIuefivRk4tQgVsxnr-DOpaQT~s8PXq4gBiCDv~vt0hw-157u1i9OSYNsP5TnS3L8al392X-BC~WOAnslIxssP3yPOGpvjm32s9M1Na5y84NKDg7m-jFnWC48-M7plaEKk4nx7oIOqCiCFTnevc3Q3x~~lPi09GmiyvZn0r6ZvWz6DtJwyzgZ2sknqJPWerhR2Lpwdh5-uINiQkiDrDmD2GNEPb20jT1RI3lKrPddGGEBtemmHS7zTf2glkRwIrOm8SK9Cyo-kOXu9f2HaXHAi6JDQX3Oa6DS5YHvvF7xDMfu1UN9K2E~PfIPIPPePMj7uybfiVJRAg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brian Vida, executive director of the Public Power Association of New Jersey, told the Madison Borough Council that municipal electric utilities across the Mid-Atlantic face sharply higher capacity costs driven by changes in the regional grid operator’s rules and a backlog of generation projects.

Vida said Madison’s wholesale capacity charge is rising roughly 250% this year, from about $800,000 to $2,750,000, and he warned those costs are not unique to Madison. “Madison’s capacity costs are actually rising 250% this year. They’re going from 800,000 to about $2,750,000,” Vida said.

The increase matters because capacity — the portion of electric bills that pays for reserve generation and reliability — now makes up a larger share of municipal wholesale costs. Vida told the council the upward pressure comes from four broad factors: increased demand (notably large data centers), decreased supply (older plants retiring and slow replacement), rule changes at PJM that reduced accreditation for many types of generation, and inflationary pressures on construction and fuel.

Vida said PJM’s interconnection process — the multi-stage review that lets new power plants and renewable projects connect to the grid — has become a multi-year bottleneck. “In the past it took about two years for PJM to complete its study process. Today, these projects are waiting five years or longer,” he said, adding that most of the projects in the queue are renewables.

He also contrasted the municipal utility position with investor-owned utilities, which have announced rate increases for customers beginning in June 2025: PSE&G about 17%, JCP&L about 20%, Atlantic City Electric about 17%, and Rockland about 18%. Vida noted Madison has not raised retail rates since 2010 and the council had chosen not to raise rates this year despite the higher wholesale costs.

Council members and members of the public asked questions about causes and solutions. Council President Rachel Ehrlich thanked Vida for the clear explanation: “This was really helpful,” she said, and noted the presentation reinforced public discussion about the causes of anticipated summer rate increases elsewhere in the state.

Residents in the public comment period stressed the interconnection backlog and state regulatory responses. Ken Dalski of Empower New Jersey told the council he sees a persistent backlog and urged faster action: “PJM’s enormous backlog of mainly renewable energy sources is a long story,” he said.

Vida described potential mitigations being pursued at regional and federal levels, including additional transmission investments, an emergency interconnection queue bypass ordered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and a short-term reliability initiative to move shovel-ready projects forward. He also said local self-generation and battery storage can reduce a municipality’s contribution to regional peak demand and therefore lower capacity charges; he pointed to a 15 MW battery project in South River as an example.

The council’s consent agenda later included a resolution calling for reforms to the PJM interconnection process; that resolution was placed on the consent agenda and adopted as part of the evening’s votes.

Madison officials did not announce any immediate rate changes at the meeting. The presentation and the council discussion make clear the borough is watching wholesale market developments closely as municipal utilities and neighboring investor-owned utilities prepare for higher bills this year.","A presentation by the Public Power Association of New Jersey warned that changes in PJM capacity accreditation and a backlog in interconnection studies are driving steep electricity cost increases for municipal utilities, including Madison.","actionData","errors"]

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Madison adopts 2025 municipal budget; multiple ordinances and consent resolutions passed

Madison council hears warning on rising electric costs tied to PJM capacity rules