Passaic County's 2024 budget means an increase for taxpayers. Here's why

Passaic County commissioners approved a $493 million budget for 2024 on Tuesday night.

The annual spending plan for the first time in several years comes with an increase to the amount of tax dollars the county will demand from property owners. The $354.4 million tax levy represents a year-over-year increase of about $6.8 million, or nearly 2%.

The county's total budget for 2024 is down nearly $20 million to about $493 million. Anticipated revenue other than property taxes is down $27 million, budget records show. Projected losses in road resurfacing and bridge repair aid from 2023 alone account for an anticipated $10 million drop in revenue for 2024, records show.

Key expenses are also rising, particularly in employee health care and prescription drug benefit costs, according to county officials. An expected $7 million increase in those costs for 2024 is helping to boost personnel costs in many departments, including but not limited to finance, purchasing and parks and recreation, budget records show.

The end result is the 2024 budget is the first since 2018 to bring a tax levy increase to county taxpayers. County Administrator Matthew Jordan said commissioners and staff crafted the spending plan to continue investment in parks and infrastructure and progress service delivery while replenishing reserve and trust accounts to help protect the county's record-high credit rating.

Following a public hearing that passed without comment during its March 26 meeting in Paterson, the county Board of Commissioners voted 5 to 1 to adopt the 2024 spending plan. Nicolino Gallo, the board's only Republican, cast the lone opposing vote. John Bartlett, the board chair and a member of its budget committee, was absent and did not participate in the vote to adopt the budget.

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County taxes last year accounted for about 21.5% of the total countywide tax property levy, which includes school, municipal and special district taxes, state records show. A similar distribution is likely for 2024 as many towns are school districts in Passaic County are also pushing budgets that test the state's 2% cap regulations for tax levy increases.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: See why Passaic County taxpayes will pay more in 2024