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Oradell reviews 2025 operating budget; council approves technical amendments after public hearing
Summary
The Oradell Mayor and Council held a public hearing May 13 on the 2025 operating budget, which officials said rises 2.2% ($≈$440,000). The council approved several budget amendment resolutions and a self‑examination finding, while auditors praised the borough's strong reserve position.
Oradell’s mayor and council on May 13 held a public hearing on the borough’s proposed 2025 operating budget and approved amendments that staff said do not raise the municipal tax levy.
CFO Katie Chen reviewed key figures, saying the final 2025 spending plan represents roughly a 2.2% increase — about $439,926 — over 2024 and that the borough’s fund balance stood at about $4.67 million. Chen said the municipal tax levy remains the largest revenue source, about 74.5% of revenues, and that identified savings (including reductions to prescription costs and a refinancing of debt service) helped limit the increase.
Rob Lurch, the borough’s auditor, told the council the municipality’s fiscal position is strong: the fund balance represents roughly 23% of annual spending, a level he said supports a high credit profile and allows manageable borrowing costs. “You have a structurally sound budget,” Lurch said, praising the administration’s use of permanent financing and prescription‑cost savings to offset operating pressures.
During public comment, residents asked clarifying questions about what belongs in the operating budget versus the capital program — for example, whether purchases such as a planned dump truck belong in the operating presentation — and about tax‑sale and collection practices. Officials clarified that the dump truck and tree‑planting proposals are capital items and that the operating budget presented was limited to operating appropriations.
After the hearing, the council voted on a set of procedural and technical actions: amendments to the introduced budget to incorporate a grant and a building‑department salary adjustment; a self‑examination resolution allowing the borough to certify its own budget review under the local review statute; and an increase in deferred school taxes tied to school‑levy timing. Melissa, the borough clerk, called the roll and each member present voted yes on resolutions 25‑121 through 25‑124.
What happens next: staff will finalize the budget documents and return to the council with any outstanding clarifications requested during the hearing. The council indicated it expects to adopt the final budget at a later meeting after the narrowed capital items are settled.
