What's Happening in Northvale, NJ…

Northvale's mayor and the city council have unanimously approved the municipal budget for 2016.

According to an article on NorthJersey.com, the new budget carries a slight tax increase with it; home owners whose properties are assessed at $389,200, which is the average for the community, will pay an additional $47.51 in taxes. This is the first increase in the past three years, an occurrence Patrick Marana, one of the council members, says is an “extraordinary track record.”

The entire budget for 2016 is $8,699,132.65, and last year was $8,473,474.65, a 2.66% increase. Marana suggested residents look at the increase in the context of a four-year time span. The fact there have been no increases in the past three years, Marana said, made it necessary that a slight increase be enacted this year. Costs have increased steadily but taxes have remained steady, a situation that could not be sustained indefinitely.

One other factor in the increase is the fact the library tax, which is mandated by the state, increased by 4% to a high of $312,693. The tax is based on the value of real estate in Northvale. Mayor Ed Piehler wrote a letter to residents explaining the increases, noting that among other factors, the city's legal costs have more than doubled, from $65,000 last year to $140,000 in 2016.

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