Elmwood Park council introduces 2025 budget after tie is broken by mayor; some council members say they lacked CFO briefing

The Elmwood Park Mayor and Council voted to introduce the borough's 2025 municipal budget and to introduce an ordinance allowing the municipality to exceed appropriation limits and establish a so-called "cap bank" during the March 20 meeting; the formal budget hearing was set for 7 p.m. April 17, 2025 at the Municipal Building.

Council members approved the motion to introduce the ordinance to exceed municipal budget appropriation limits and establish a cap bank (ordinance 25-6). The introduction of the municipal budget (resolution R-101-25) passed after an initial tie; Mayor Colette cast the deciding vote in favor after a 3-3 council split.

Why it matters: Introducing the budget starts the formal public review period and sets a public hearing where taxpayers may comment. Several council members said they opposed introducing the budget without a prior briefing from the borough's chief financial officer (CFO), and they raised concerns about the scale of the proposed tax increases.

Council members Pam Troisi and others said the proposal represents a second consecutive year of double-digit tax increases and should receive further scrutiny before introduction. One council member said they "have not heard from the CFO of the borough of Elmwood Park regarding the 2025 budget" and called it "irresponsible" to introduce it without a CFO briefing. Those concerns were raised during discussion before the vote and were recorded in the public minutes.

Mayor Colette and other supporters noted that some cost drivers are largely outside municipal control. At the meeting the mayor outlined several categories the borough identified as driving the increase: employee group health insurance (about $953,000), recycling (about $260,000), garbage and trash service (about $221,000), and pension costs (about $303,000). The mayor said those items together account for a large share of the increase and described them as largely "out of our control."

The council set a public hearing on the introduced budget for Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. at the Municipal Building; copies of the budget were made available at the borough clerk's office, and the clerk's notice gave the clerk's contact and office hours for public inspection. The meeting record shows the formal notice of introduction and the date for the hearing were published in the Record and Herald News and posted in the municipal building as required by law.

What happens next: The April 17 hearing will be the formal opportunity for taxpayers and others to present objections or comments on the 2025 budget and the related ordinance to exceed appropriation limits. The council also signaled interest in additional internal briefings: several members asked that the CFO meet with the council before final adoption so questions about line items and the drivers of the increase can be addressed.

Votes and procedural notes: The ordinance to exceed appropriation limits (introducing a cap bank) passed on first reading. The municipal budget introduction vote initially resulted in a 3-3 tie; Mayor Colette cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of introduction, and the council recorded the formal notice of the hearing date and availability of the budget in the clerk's office.

Staff and contact: Copies of the proposed 2025 budget were posted at the borough clerk's office, 182 Market Street, Elmwood Park, and may be reviewed during regular business hours. The borough clerk listed a contact phone number for public inquiries.