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Byram introduces $13.47 million 2025 municipal budget; adoption set for April 1
Summary
The Byram Township Council reviewed a proposed 2025 municipal budget totaling $13,465,387 and scheduled final adoption for April 1, 2025. The plan relies on $2,085,000 in fund balance and raises the tax levy by 3.19%, an estimated $76.28 on the average home.
Byram Township officials on March 4 introduced the 2025 municipal budget, a $13,465,387 spending plan that the council will consider for final adoption at a public meeting on April 1.
Township Manager Joseph Sabatini directed residents to the township website for the full budget message and supporting documents and said the package sets municipal policy for 2025 and beyond. He told the council the budget relies on a fund-balance commitment of $2,085,000, including $300,000 reserved for one-time items such as ash tree removal and a major fire-truck repair.
The proposed revenue mix is led by current property taxes, which account for 70.39% of the total and amount to about $9,477,421. Miscellaneous revenues (fees, permits, municipal court receipts and grants) and state aid make up the remainder; the budget cites the Energy Receipts Tax ($582,337) and Garden State Preservation Trust ($61,324). Sabatini noted that Local Finance Notice 2024-05 removed a Municipal Relief Fund Aid appropriation from the state budget, reducing anticipated state aid for 2025 by $60,025.27.
On the spending side, total salary and wages across departments are listed at about $3,999,050, a $47,300 increase from 2024. Operational expenses rise largely for road repair and maintenance and for group insurance, which Sabatini said increased by roughly $131,000. Pension assessments also rose: Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) by $7,239 and Police & Fire Retirement System (PFRS) by $50,225.
The council's capital program for 2025 includes projects totaling $5,560,000; the Capital Improvement Fund appropriation is $841,423, which includes a $200,000 one-time contribution funded by the budget’s use of fund balance. Sabatini said the budget would result in an estimated $76.28 increase to the tax bill for the average assessed home ($256,200).
The council did not adopt the budget on March 4; the public hearing and vote are scheduled for the March 18 meeting packet and formal adoption on April 1. Supporting documents and the budget workbook are posted on the township website.
