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Park Ridge council adopts amendment to 2026 municipal budget, scaling municipal tax increase to about 2.5%
Summary
At a public hearing the council approved a resolution amending the 2026 municipal budget after the finance committee cut items and identified non-tax revenues; council members attributed the need for increases largely to insurance and Bergen County Utilities Authority rate hikes.
The Park Ridge Borough Council on a recorded vote approved a resolution to amend the 2026 municipal budget after a brief public hearing and council discussion.
Council members said the budget’s initial draft had proposed roughly a 5.5% municipal tax increase but that the finance committee reviewed multiple iterations, identified non-tax revenue and other offsets, and reduced the municipal portion to approximately a 2.5% increase while maintaining current borough services. “We went line by line through every item on the budget, and we were able to get to about a 2.5% tax increase,” a council member stated during the hearing.
Council discussion identified two primary cost drivers. One speaker said large increases in insurance costs and charges from the Bergen County Utilities Authority (BCUA) together raised borough expenses by about $300,000 and were factors outside local control. “The insurance were part of the state plan, that’s set by Trenton. And the BCUA, that’s the county government that sets those rates,” a council member said, noting those items contributed directly to the higher municipal budget figure.
After those explanations the presiding official moved to approve the resolution to amend the 2026 municipal budget (resolution number referenced during the meeting). The motion was seconded, and roll call votes recorded the following in favor: Goldsmith, Mintz, Hoffman, Fenwick, Metzler and Council President Cozzi. The motion carried.
The council opened public privilege of the floor and invited comment; no members of the public addressed the council on the budget at the hearing.
The amendment will be published as required in the Bergen Record and will proceed under the standard municipal adoption timetable.
The council then moved on to other agenda business, including several ordinance hearings and the consent agenda.
