Edison council delays 2026 budget vote after member departs, administration warns furloughs possible

Council President Coyle said the council would delay a vote on the 2026 municipal budget after three members were absent and one member left during a recess, leaving the council without the four votes required to adopt the budget. He told attendees the budget hearing would be rescheduled for Aug. 3 as a combined work session and regular meeting.

The township’s business administrator told the council that council failure to adopt the budget before the end of the month could require the township to use temporary emergency appropriations and, if prolonged, to issue employee furloughs. The administrator noted that temporary emergency appropriations can carry the township only through the month-end and urged members to reconvene for a special meeting if necessary.

During the work-session discussion, Councilman Brasher criticized the timing of an amended budget packet he said he received the same day and asked for line-item documentation for EZPass charges and fuel tied to take-home municipal vehicles. Brasher estimated—without citing supporting documents—that changing take-home vehicle policies could yield substantial savings and said he would not vote on the budget until he received the requested detail.

Coyle responded that the most recent amendments were accounting reclassifications and not net increases or decreases in total budgeted dollars. He explained that midyear cuts do not fully translate into realized savings because many line items already reflect months of spending, and he emphasized the council’s decision to preserve funding for public safety, fire, and public works.

With no roll-call adoption recorded in the transcript, the council did not adopt the budget that night. The council president said Aug. 3 would be the next combined meeting to complete the public hearing and attempt to adopt the budget.