Bridgewater's 2026 Budget and Your Tax Bill, Explained

The short version

The 2026 municipal budget is $54,903,722.86 (Current Fund) plus a Sewer Fund of $13,924,398.82. The Council introduced it 5-0 on April 9, 2026 and adopted it 4-0 on May 7, 2026, Councilwoman Isla absent.
The Township’s share of the tax rate is 0.245 per $100 of assessed value out of a 1.820 general rate. Most of a Bridgewater tax bill goes to the regional school district.
The amount raised by tax for municipal purposes rose $2,779,508.03 (9.96%), to $30,698,691.09, while the municipal rate rose from 0.244 to 0.245, because total assessed value rose 9.57%.
In July the Council adopted three bond ordinances totalling $8,605,000, sold notes at 2.6940%, and certified the 2025 audit, which had one recommendation.

Who sets each part of the tax bill

The Somerset County Board of Taxation’s 2026 Abstract of Ratables sets out the rate, per $100 of assessed value:

Part of the bill	Set by	2026 rate	2025 rate	2026 amount raised in Bridgewater
Regional school	Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education	1.221	1.294	$153,121,021.00
County	Somerset County	0.285	0.293	$35,765,946.85
County library	Somerset County	0.038	0.040	$4,712,234.31
County open space	Somerset County	0.031	0.031	$3,896,363.88
Municipal purposes	Township Council and Mayor	0.245	0.244	$30,698,691.09
General tax rate		1.820	1.902	$228,194,257.13

The effective (equalized) rate is 1.758 in 2026 (1.829 in 2025). Fire district taxes are added on top according to which of the four districts a property is in: from 0.023 (District 1) to 0.063 (District 2) in 2026. See fire and emergency services.

The school district is a separate government shared by Bridgewater and Raritan Borough. Its 2026-27 user-friendly budget, filed with the state, shows a general fund tax levy of $171,068,217 (up from $166,028,051) plus a debt service levy of $7,247,882, and Bridgewater’s share of the total school levy as $153,121,021. Councilman Ring said on October 1 that the governing body has no oversight of school matters.

The 2026 municipal budget, step by step

January 8: temporary budget. Vice-President Andrew Bucko proposed a temporary Current Fund budget of $20,160,000, funding operations to about March 15. Mayor Matthew C. Moench said the Finance Director calculated the Township would be about $144,000 short by March 15 and that the figure left no buffer for emergencies such as snow removal. The minutes record a consensus: the Mayor committed to deliver a draft budget by the February 10 statutory deadline, and the Council raised the temporary appropriation. Councilman Kirsh moved $21,736,006.64, to fund the government through March 31; adopted 5-0 (Res. #26-01-08-028). A sewer temporary budget of $4,957,755.83 passed 5-0.
February 27: draft delivered. Bucko reported on March 5 that the Council received the draft budget from the administration on February 27. The two-member Budget and Finance Committee (Bucko and Isla) reviewed it with the CFO, auditor, Tax Assessor, bond counsel and financial adviser.
March 19: a request for a public session. Resident Anda Cytroen asked for a special meeting for public input on the budget. Geiger said none was scheduled but she would raise it with the Council; Kirsh said the State has at least 28 days to review an introduced budget.
April 9: introduction, 5-0 (Res. #26-04-09-110). Pappas presented a $54.9 million budget and said the proposed municipal rate would rise “slightly from 0.2440 to 0.2448 per $100 of assessed value.” The same night the Council approved an emergency temporary appropriation of $1,525,000.00, bringing 2026 temporary appropriations to $23,261,006.64, and introduced a cap bank ordinance, 5-0.
April 23: Ordinance #26-06 adopted, 4-0 (Geiger absent; no public speakers). Pappas said the ordinance, adopted annually by many New Jersey towns, lets the Township bank unused room under the State levy cap for use in a later year.
May 7: amendment, hearing and adoption. The Mayor said the amendment (Res. #26-05-07-120, 4-0) aligned timing differences with the school district’s fiscal year, removed a duplicated shared-services line and made “a minor $100 correction” to sewer debt service, with “no overall impact on the budget.” After the hearing the budget was adopted 4-0 (Res. #26-05-07-122): Bucko, Kirsh, Ring and Geiger aye; Isla absent.
September 17: grants added. Five grants were inserted into the budget, 5-0: Safe and Secure Communities ($45,150.00), the 2025 and 2026 National Opioid Settlement ($28,573.18 and $60,942.15), the FY2025 Bulletproof Vest Partnership ($13,643.89) and a municipal court alcohol education grant ($1,090.85). The minutes note that grant revenue cannot be budgeted until the award is received.

What was said at the hearing and adoption

One resident spoke at the May 7 hearing. Manish Patel asked how the Township’s debt, which he had heard discussed as $85–90 million, is allocated across projects, and asked about the bond rating and a repayment timeline through 2040. The minutes record these responses:

Council President Geiger said strengthening surplus is a key priority, that earlier bond-rating concerns were linked in part to low surplus, and that surplus “has increased significantly in the current budget.”
Mayor Moench said borrowing is within state limits, that rating concerns were “primarily tied to surplus levels rather than total debt,” that smaller capital items are moving to cash funding, and that debt “could be fully retired by around 2040 if no new borrowing occurred.”
Councilman Kirsh said municipal debt spreads the cost of long-term assets over their life, and that “despite minor changes to the bond rating” the Township remains in strong financial condition.
Councilman Bucko said that, by his rough estimate, debt service is “about 15% of total appropriations,” and that he would keep monitoring it.

At adoption, the Mayor said the increases are driven largely by healthcare, pensions, insurance, utilities, fuel and snow removal. Geiger estimated an increase of “about $13 per month for a typical home.” Ring said no budget is perfect and described the process as one of compromise. The Mayor said it was “the first budget in several years to pass without any opposing votes.”

What changed on the tax bill

From the County abstracts:

Amount raised for municipal purposes: $30,698,691.09 in 2026 against $27,919,183.06 in 2025, up $2,779,508.03 (9.96%).
Net taxable value: $12,541,052,800 in 2026 against $11,445,942,200 in 2025, up 9.57%. That is why the municipal rate rose only from 0.244 to 0.245. Residential (Class 2) property makes up $9,374,552,400 of the 2026 total.
Revenues in the budget (2026 vs 2025): surplus anticipated $4,568,582.40 ($5,778,640.72); miscellaneous revenues anticipated $18,436,449.37 ($16,890,710.56); receipts from delinquent taxes $1,200,000.00 ($1,000,000.00).

The minutes do not give an average assessment or a dollar change for the average 2026 bill beyond Geiger’s “about $13 per month.”

Borrowing and debt

Bond ordinances adopted July 9, 2026, each 5-0: #26-10, emergency radios, $4,205,000 ($3,994,750 in bonds or notes); #26-11, roads, $1,900,000 ($1,805,000); #26-12, drainage, $2,500,000 ($2,375,000). At introduction on June 25 the drainage ordinance passed 4-1, Kirsh voting no. In all, $8,605,000 was appropriated and $8,174,750 in bonds or notes authorized. On March 19 the Council also authorized a New Jersey Infrastructure Bank Water Bank note of up to $4,100,000 for sewer work.
Debt figures given at meetings: Kirsh said on July 9 that Bridgewater “maintains a strong AA bond rating, has approximately $85 million in outstanding debt, and continues to have bonding capacity.”
Note sale: Pappas reported on July 23 that five firms bid on the bond anticipation notes and JP Morgan won at 2.6940%, an estimated net saving of about $62,000 compared with the prior year.

Audits

In his January 5 remarks, Vice-President Bucko said audits of the Township’s finances “from 2022, 2023, and 2024 uncovered basic deficiencies requiring the implementation of remediation plans,” and that the Council expected the budget on time, as state law requires.
On January 8 the Council appointed Suplee Clooney & Company as auditor for 2026, up to $67,475.00, 5-0.
On July 9 the Mayor said the 2025 audit was complete and that its only recommendation concerned unanticipated Public Works overtime for late-December snow removal, already addressed in the 2026 budget. On July 23 the Council certified the audit and approved a corrective action plan, 5-0 (Res. #26-07-23-173 and -174). Bucko said the finding was an over-expenditure of about $18,000 for snow removal when the contingency account had been drained, and that previous audit recommendations had been addressed. Pappas said the State extended the deadline to August 31 and the Township finished within the required time.

Reassessment, appeals and bill timing

Reassessment: on May 7 the Council hired Appraisal Systems, Inc. for appraisal inspections, up to $89,430.00 for 2026, 4-0. The Mayor said about 20% of properties are inspected each year and all are reassessed over five years, and that owners need not allow inspectors inside. Pappas said an owner who refuses access may lose the ability to appeal the assessment.
Tax appeals: the Council approved state tax appeal refunds in March, April and June; Ring noted that refunds include amounts already paid to the school district, county and fire district. Special tax counsel Carlin, Ward, Ash & Heiart, LLC was appointed on a contingent basis for the 2025 tax year (February 19).
Third-quarter bills: on July 23 the Council extended the third-quarter grace period “due to delayed tax rate certification” (Res. #26-07-23-179, 5-0). Kirsh said the municipal portion was not the reason for the delay; Pappas said the County had recently certified the rate.

Where the records differ

The budget increase. Pappas described the 2026 budget on April 9 as “a $3.375 million increase from 2025.” The 2025 budget resolution’s title gives an introduced Current Fund of $51,401,645.82 (May 27, 2025); the difference between the two introduced totals is $3,502,077.04. LocalWhy has not reviewed the 2025 adopted budget, which may differ from the introduced figure.
The municipal rate. Pappas gave the proposed rate as 0.2448 (April 9); the County abstract, which reports three decimals, gives 0.245.
Surplus. Geiger said at the hearing that surplus “has increased significantly in the current budget.” The County abstract shows surplus anticipated (the part of surplus used as revenue) at $4,568,582.40 in 2026, down from $5,778,640.72 in 2025. The fund balance itself is in the budget and audit documents, which LocalWhy has not yet reviewed.
Tax increase claims. Former Councilman Filipe Pedroso said on May 18 that the adopted budget “raises municipal taxes on Bridgewater residents by 10 percent” and that municipal taxes had risen about 42 percent since the Mayor took office. The County abstracts show the amount raised for municipal purposes up 9.96% from 2025 to 2026; LocalWhy has not checked the multi-year figure.
New debt. Pedroso said on July 23 that the Council had “already approved over $15 MILLION in new debt bonds” in 2026. The 2026 minutes LocalWhy reviewed record $8,174,750 in bonds or notes authorized by the three July ordinances and a Water Bank note of up to $4,100,000.

What LocalWhy has not yet reviewed

The township’s Municipal Finance page holds the introduced and adopted budgets, the user-friendly budget, the audits and the debt statements. The township site stopped answering LocalWhy’s network on October 31, 2026, so those documents have not yet been reviewed; figures here come from the Council minutes and the County abstracts. The cap bank percentage in Ordinance #26-06 is not stated in the minutes.

What residents can do

Speak at the budget hearing (in 2026 it was the first May meeting) or in public comment at any Township Council meeting. Meetings are at 7:00 p.m. and streamed live; the next regular meeting is November 5, 2026.
Read the budget, audit and debt statements on the township’s Municipal Finance page.
School taxes are set by the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education, which holds its own budget hearing.
Corrections to this page can be emailed to info@localwhy.org.