Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Mahwah board hears preliminary 2026–27 budget; administrators cite health‑benefits waiver for levy above 2% cap
Summary
Administrators told the Mahwah Township Board of Education the district’s preliminary 2026–27 tax levy would exceed New Jersey’s 2% cap because of large health‑benefit cost increases; officials also announced official referendum results showing Question 1 passed 2,048–1,822.
Administrators presented the first of three budget briefings for the 2026–27 school year on March 25, explaining that rising health‑benefit costs and limited local levy capacity are the primary drivers behind a tax‑levy increase that exceeds New Jersey’s 2% cap.
Miss Hemantia, the business‑office presenter, said the district’s allowable levy under the 2% cap is $74,468,294; after applying a health‑benefits waiver adjustment of $1,411,291, the total levy included in the preliminary budget is $75,879,585, an overall increase of $2,871,454 (3.93%) from the prior year. Hemantia also told the board the district projected a 20% increase in medical costs for the 2026–27 plan year, with prescription costs estimated to rise about 40% and dental costs about 12%.
"Under New Jersey state law, the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
