Please know that controlling property taxes has been and will continue to be the top priority of the Mayor and Council. We have worked to stabilize taxes and keep the municipal increase to a minimum.

The municipal increase this year is $68 on the average home (for the year). The current budget continues to be in line with the legal requirements of maintaining a 2% cap on expenditures. The Council and I have worked hard to secure grant funding to offset any potential increase in property taxes. Grant awards ranging from streetscape funding, to law enforcement equipment, to open space initiatives, to road paving and sewer improvements, amongst many others have allowed us to undertake these initiatives with no impact to our budget.

The Passaic County, Passaic Valley High School and the Woodland Park School District portions of the tax bill have increased a combined $100 on the average home this year. Please understand that the Mayor and Council have no control over the school or county budgets.

The Municipal Council and I are only responsible for 24% of the total taxes collected, while the budgets for the schools and the county make up the remaining 76% of your tax bill.

On a positive note, the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders has awarded the Borough a County Open Space grant in the amount of $150,000 to help with the improvements to the Zaccaria Park Field.

Since 2004, the Borough has been awarded nearly $3 million in open space grants from the Freeholders. These dollars have allowed us to complete park, recreation and open space projects in town without using the general operating budget and has allowed us to stabilize municipal taxes.

— Mayor Keith Kazmark