Mount Arlington council approves budget amendment, enters one‑year MOU to cover school shortfall

The Borough of Mount Arlington on Tuesday unanimously amended its 2025 municipal budget and approved a one‑year memorandum of understanding to provide temporary funding to the Mount Arlington School District, council members said.

Mayor Stanzilis and Borough Administrator Carolyn Rinaldi presented the budget amendment during the council’s May 6 meeting and said the full revised budget is available for public review in the clerk’s office. The council voted in favor of Resolution 2025‑65 to amend the budget and Resolution 2025‑66 to establish the MOU; both motions passed on unanimous roll‑call votes.

The action followed public testimony from school and community representatives urging support for the district. Rachel Byrne, president of the Mount Arlington Board of Education, thanked borough leadership for the temporary funding and said the next step for long‑term relief is a referendum that must be supported by residents. Student speakers and residents, including Vida (a Roxbury High School student) and Jessica Price, told the council they support the district and said they would back additional taxes if necessary to sustain programs and extracurricular activities.

Council members repeatedly described the amendment and MOU as short‑term steps taken to stabilize the district while longer‑term funding options are pursued. The council also introduced and adopted Ordinance 02‑2025 to establish a statutory cap bank under N.J.S.A. 40A:4‑45.14 in the same meeting.

The council did not specify the exact dollar amount of the tax impact or the amended appropriation in public remarks; those figures are included in the budget documents available at the Clerk’s Office. Borough officials and the Board of Education urged residents to contact state legislators about broader school‑funding reforms; Assemblywoman Aura Dunn, present at the meeting, separately encouraged residents to ask the Assembly Speaker to advance A3244, a bill to shift special‑education costs to the state.

The council approved the budget amendment and MOU by roll call: Aye—Councilman BaRoss, Councilman Cangiano, Councilwoman Fostle, Councilman Fuller, Councilwoman Galate, Council President Delaney; Opposed—none; Abstain—none. The meeting minutes record the motions as approved with no recorded discussion to alter the final votes.

Looking ahead, board leaders and the mayor indicated that long‑term school funding will require either a successful local referendum or state legislative action; officials did not set a date for any referendum.

The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.