Lakehurst adopts 2026 budget with 5% tax increase after public hearing

The Borough of Lakehurst Mayor and Council voted to adopt the 2026 municipal budget on June 18, approving a plan that includes a 5% municipal tax increase. The motion to adopt Resolution #26-132 passed on a roll-call vote with all present council members voting in favor and one member recorded as absent.

CFO Sibilia presented the budget during a public hearing, outlining the contributing factors that led to the 5% tax increase. The council previously passed Resolution #26-131 authorizing the budget to be read by title only before opening the hearing.

During public comment, resident Kathy Abrahamsen questioned unpaid taxes on a vacant lot at 212 Church Street and asked whether Public Works could remove a tire and rim that were collecting water on the property. The record shows the question was raised during the budget hearing; no formal motion to abate or remove the item was recorded during the meeting.

The council’s vote to adopt the budget followed the presentation and the public comment period. The meeting minutes record the vote as affirmative for Council President Oglesby, Councilman DiMeo, Councilwoman Dugan, Councilwoman Hodges and Councilman McCarthy; Councilman Emmons was recorded as absent.

Note on transcript items: the meeting transcript contains two inconsistencies that we have preserved as factual about the record: one instance labels the adoption section as the “ADOPTION OF 2025 MUNICIPAL BUDGET,” though the body of the record and the motion refer to the 2026 budget; and a later report refers to a meeting with “the Council President Emmons” even though Emmons is marked absent on roll call. For clarity, this article uses the year and names as they are confirmed elsewhere in the transcript and in council motions.