The 2026 budget and property taxes, explained

How the budget was adopted

The 2026 budget cycle began with the temporary budget. On January 6, 2026, the Township Committee adopted Resolution 2026-006 authorizing it, 5–0.

On March 12, 2026 the Committee was told the 2026 budget would be introduced April 16 to meet statutory deadlines, and the finance liaisons, Mayor Fine and Deputy Mayor Kian, were to meet the Administrator and CFO.

Resolution 2026-108 introduced the budget on April 16, 2026. The vote was 5–0. The appropriations were $27,058,362.93. The amount to be raised by taxes was $16,545,270.77. The utility budget was $5,450,537.00. The public hearing was set for May 14. The budget was posted April 21 and advertised April 22.

The hearing opened on May 14, 2026. One resident spoke, Rick dePinho of Wilshire Road, about the Hofheimer House referendum and maintenance costs. The Committee then adopted Resolutions 2026-130 (CFO certification), 2026-131 (reading by title) and 2026-132 (adoption), each on a 5–0 roll call: McCarey, Blick, Croson, Kian and Fine voted yes. Ordinance 26-15, establishing the 2026 cap bank, was also adopted 5–0, with the same five members voting yes.

Revenue and spending

The adopted budget appropriates $27,058,362.93. This is up from $25,605,250.05 in 2025. The tax levy for municipal purposes is $16,545,270.77. This is $732,737.69 (OCR) or 4.63% more than the 2025 amount of $15,812,533.08.

Revenue lines from the budget packet include: current local taxes $16,545,270.77 (61.1%); other local sources $3,732,491.79; anticipated surplus $2,600,000; PILOT payments $1,910,000; federal and state grants and other $1,470,600.37; delinquent taxes $800,000.

Appropriations include police $6,565,898.92; employee benefits $5,421,240; streets $2,793,100; administration $2,549,500; planning and construction $1,123,580; fire $1,122,270; vehicles $917,000; capital improvements $909,000; buildings and grounds $891,500; human services $885,656.31; insurance $610,500; engineering $324,100; legal $270,000; debt service $1,675,017.70 (OCR); and a $1,000,000 reserve for uncollected taxes.

The sewer utility budget is $5,450,537. This is against $5,137,292 in 2025. It includes $347,874.91 (OCR) of utility debt service. The budget funds 103 employees, up from 99.

Comparing the adopted 2026 total with the adopted 2025 total, 2026 appropriations are $1,453,112.88 (calculated from OCR-extracted totals) above the 2025 final figure. The 2026 goals and objectives, prepared by the Administrator on August 5, 2025 and adopted by the Committee on September 18, 2025, set a goal to “develop a budget for current expenses, Sewer Utility, and Open Space that maintains or lowers the 2025 tax levy while preserving current services.”

The budget packet’s summary page shows a $4,000,000 reserve for uncollected taxes. The adopted budget and its statement of appropriations show $1,000,000. Both pages are in the same packet. LocalWhy records this difference without resolving it.

Municipal rate and household figures

The municipal purpose rate in the adopted budget is $0.252 per $100 of assessed valuation. This compares to $0.259 in 2025, a decrease of 2.70%. The User Friendly Budget gives a calculated 2026 rate of $0.2518 and a 2.78% decrease. The packet and adopted budget print $0.252. The documents give different rate figures.

Ratables rose 7.58%. They went from $6,107,636,600 to $6,570,827,800. This is why the levy can rise 4.63% while the rate falls.

The average Warren home is assessed at $1,021,852 for 2026, compared to $969,669 in 2025. The public hearing packet shows municipal taxes on that home at $2,575, against $2,511. This is an increase of $64 or 2.5%. The User Friendly Budget shows $2,573.02 (OCR), against $2,511.44. This is an increase of $61.58 or 2.45%. The two Township documents give different estimates.

At introduction, Administrator Mark Krane said the budget was 6.14% over 2025. He said 85% of the increase came from health insurance, the police department budget, and property and casualty insurance. He also said the proposed rate decrease was the lowest in more than 10 years.

Committeeman Croson said that historically only 16% of the tax bill consists of municipal taxes. For calendar year 2025, the User Friendly Budget shows the municipal purpose tax as 14.78% of the $107,004,047.84 raised by all taxing entities.

The April 16 minutes describe the proposed tax rate as “2.52%”. The budget packet states the rate is $0.252 per $100, a 2.70% decrease. The User Friendly Budget gives the calculated 2026 rate as $0.2518 per $100, a 2.78% decrease. The records’ descriptions differ. The adopted budget and packet show $0.252, while the state form shows $0.2518.

Health insurance and debt

On April 16, 2026 the Committee adopted Resolution 2026-111 terminating all Township participation in the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, listing 68 employees (OCR), and Resolution 2026-115 authorizing the Township to join the NJ Solutions Joint Health Insurance Fund. Each passed 5–0.

The appropriation for employee benefits is $5,421,240. This is 20.0% of the 2026 budget, up from $4,982,642. The User Friendly Budget lists a “State Health Benefit Plan Increases — increase of 38%” line under structural budget imbalance risk.

Debt outstanding at adoption: serial bonds $11,822,000 net of $124,216.93 in deductions (OCR); bond anticipation notes and authorized but unissued debt $4,483,680.70 (OCR); sewer utility fund debt $4,072,360.96 (OCR); regional school debt $6,372,440.36 (OCR), fully deducted.

The Township’s debt position is summarized on sheet UFB-10 of the User Friendly Budget, the same sheet that carries the Aaa and AAA ratings.

Per capita gross debt is $1,679.99 (OCR) and net debt $1,016.23 (OCR); net debt is 0.29% of the three-year average valuation. Debt service in the 2026 budget is $1,675,017.70 (OCR) municipal and $347,874.91 (OCR) sewer.

The full tax bill

The 2026 composition table in the budget packet lists, per $100 of assessed value:

Taxing unit	Rate
Municipal purpose	$0.252
Regional high school	$0.347
Local school	$0.778
County (estimated)	$0.268
County library	$0.034
County open space	$0.030
Municipal open space	$0.020

For calendar year 2025, the total tax rate for all entities was $2.061 per $100. The total levy was $107,004,047.84. The municipal purpose tax was 14.78% of this total. The User Friendly Budget lists the 2026 estimated amount to be raised by taxes as $112,466,777.87. On the same sheet, the total amount to be raised is listed as $112,501,794.38. The document does not explain this difference. The total for 2025 was $107,004,047.84.

The packet marks several tables as based on the budget when it was introduced. The Township documents mark county rates as estimated. The Somerset County 2026 tax rate table and abstract of ratables need a browser. LocalWhy has not reviewed the county figures.

The municipal rate is set by the Township Committee. The school and county rates are set by those bodies.