Full Notification

Spotlight on our 2024 Municipal Budget

Here’s what you can expect over the next week or so…

Monday, March 25, 2024 – Town Hall at the Senior Center to present detailed numbers about our current budget proposal and to get feedback from you.  There will be no decisions made by the governing body at this meeting.  It is about listening to your feedback and factoring that into the ongoing budget process.   Whether you are attending in person or virtually, you will have equal opportunity to be heard during the public portion/Town Hall portion of the meeting (3 minutes per speaker).  Here is the link to participate virtually:  https://meet.goto.com/492099037

Thursday, March 28, 2024 – I’ve called a Special Meeting of the governing body (again, at the Senior Center at 7:30 pm) to discuss and decide on any open issues relating to the budget and to make any necessary adjustments. Any decisions will be made with the advantage of weighing the input of all public comments from the Town Hall or other means (emails etc.) and a thorough financial analysis all of which will be available to the public too.  Decisions including the hiring of a 20th officer for our outstanding Leonia Police Department and whether to approve pickleball courts will be made at this meeting.  

Monday, April 1st 2024 – The budget is formally introduced by the Mayor and Council in keeping with N.J. state deadlines.

In previous updates, and at recent Mayor and Council meetings, you’ve heard me ring the alarm bell over our financial circumstances.  

On Monday we will be presenting the municipal portion of the budget which is approximately 30-31% of each tax dollar you pay and then listening to your comments.   The majority of the rest of your tax dollar goes to the Board of Education or the County.  The Mayor and Council does not oversee nor are we responsible for the Board of Education budget or Bergen County government’s budget.     

This year’s proposed municipal budget is coming in at a 2.98% increase (last year was up 5.5%) despite the loss of $500,000 in federal funds, inflationary headwinds of 3.4% in 2023, increases in pension and benefits costs mandated by the state, and extra costs associated with getting ready for a revaluation.  We accomplished this by managing our costs down and making some necessary cuts to many of our departments.  What we did this year was necessary and will likely create greater efficiencies.  What we did this year was also painful and we won’t be able to do this again next year without chipping away at our Quality of Life and the very things that make Leonia special.  

As important as presenting this year’s budget to you in a complete and transparent way is, I believe of even greater importance is the recognition that we have some systemic issues to solve which, if left unaddressed, could potentially sink us.  The upward trajectory of our increasing year over year tax rate must be proactively and effectively tackled.  First, we have to recognize the real problem we are facing.  Information about this will be presented.  Second, we have to proactively come up with a solution before we have the highest tax rate in Bergen County.  At the Monday meeting, we will also be presenting ways out of our current fix and what we have to do to survive without sacrificing our residential character and overall Quality of Life.  The more people who are aware, the better.  And if we don’t fix, and I mean really fix the cause of our tax increase problems, we will just wind up year after year paying more and receiving less services while simultaneously sacrificing more of what makes Leonia special.

On Monday night, Council President Christoph Hesterbrink, Borough Administrator Marisa Mesropian, CFO Issa Abbasi and I will present the details behind the budget, including where we made the cuts, which departments are making sacrifices and share substantial information about our overall costs. I promised greater transparency into all local government activities and this Town Hall is part of my commitment to ensure we are sharing all the information to help you understand what’s happening.  

I’m sure you will learn things about our budget you did not know and this information will help you formulate a more informed perspective about our financial present and future.  After all, this is your money.  You should know how it’s being spent, how it is being managed and what investments we have in mind for the future. 

One logistical consideration… We must use the Senior Center for this Town Hall meeting despite the obvious space limitations because it is the only current venue where we have the necessary equipment to facilitate virtual participation and to record the session.  When the Courtroom is available in the new building this will no longer be a problem.  But right now it is.  Only 88 or so people can get into the Senior Center without exceeding fire code capacity.  So, if you have the option of virtually participating you can eliminate the risk of not being able to get in.  If you are going to attend in person, I advise arriving earlier than 7:30 pm to get a seat.  

Of course, if you can’t make it either in person or virtually, please watch the recording at your convenience.

Hope to “see” you on Monday at 7:30 pm.  

Kind regards,

Bill