Clark Township adopts amended 2026 budget, boosts firefighter LOSAP funding

The Clark Township Council on Monday adopted the final 2026 municipal budget as amended, approving a larger withdrawal from the township's LOSAP trust to increase benefits for volunteer firefighters.

Mayor Albanese said the budget revision reflects an accounting move to match the trust withdrawals to the cost of LOSAP and defended the change as lawful and appropriate: "we are giving our firefighters the maximum amount that we can give permitted by law because they deserve that," she said.

The amendment drew public attention during the budget hearing when resident John Griese asked why LOSAP funding rose to $70,000 from the $1,000 originally listed in the proposed budget and asked what changed given a reported beginning-of-year LOSAP balance above $200,000. Griese asked, "What happened between the beginning of the year and now that we needed to amend it?" Mayor Albanese replied that the adopted numbers reflect withdrawals from the trust to match the program cost.

Council members discussed the impact on taxpayers and noted that the municipal portion of the tax bill — the portion the council controls — remains modest. Council member Jim (who spoke during the meeting) said the budget translates to "less than a $100 per household" on average.

The council moved and seconded adoption of the amended budget and carried the measure on a roll call vote. The council did not adopt county or school tax rates — those remain set by other jurisdictions.

Next steps: the budget becomes final following adoption by the council; any county- or school-level tax impacts will be determined separately.