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Egg Harbor Township adopts 2026 budget despite resident concerns about surplus use
Summary
The township committee adopted the 2026 municipal budget after required hearings and roll-call votes. A resident asked why the budget relies on about $8.75 million in surplus while still increasing taxes; committee members acknowledged large prior-year reserves and said some surplus funds are earmarked for capital projects.
The Egg Harbor Township Committee voted to adopt its 2026 municipal budget following a public hearing and roll-call votes.
At the public hearing resident Doris Stilley asked why the budget uses roughly $8,750,000 in surplus while still seeking a tax increase, saying "If 8,700,000 in surplus was used, why are taxes still going up?" Stilley urged greater transparency and long-term fiscal discipline, arguing that repeated draws on reserves without accountability are unsustainable.
Committee discussion acknowledged high surplus levels from 2025 — one member noted a roughly $19,000,000 surplus on a $52.8 million budget — and described how portions of reserves have been reserved for capital needs. The committee moved to adopt Resolution 210 to approve the budget; the motion passed on a roll-call vote.
Township representatives said some surplus is allocated for large capital projects (the administrator noted about $1,800,000 budgeted for a community center project) and that budget decisions reflect commitments to maintain services, pay employees and fund agreed priorities. One committee member expressed concern about reliance on surplus and urged additional work sessions and listening sessions so the committee could better involve itself and the public in budget formulation going forward.
The committee also approved earlier procedural steps tied to the budget: Resolution 208 (self-examination of the budget) and Resolution 209 (authorizing the budget to be read by title only) before the public hearing and final adoption. The meeting minutes show the committee handled the required hearings and subsequent roll-call votes during the same session.
Next steps: The budget adoption is final for 2026 as approved by the committee; residents concerned about surplus use and the tax impact were urged to attend future work sessions and budget workshops the committee said it will consider scheduling.
