Bridgeton council votes on 2026 budget amendment at special meeting

Bridgeton council gave final approval to its 2026 budget amendment Tuesday evening at the Police and Municipal Court Complex, 330 Fayette Street.

The budget amendment was the last step in a process that began when the 2026 budget was introduced on April 21 and later revised by Resolution 97-26 on June 16. A public hearing on the original budget was held May 19, and the June 30 hearing gave council its final chance to adopt the amended plan.

At the May 5 council meeting, CFO Dianilda Torres said the then-proposed increase was $0.36 per $100 of assessed value, about $30 more a month for the average Bridgeton home. By the time the budget reached final adoption, that proposed increase had been cut to $0.22 per $100 assessed value through use of fund balance and a 10 percent reduction in operating budgets.

The introduced 2026 general budget totaled $32,756,282.38, with $19,498,152.16 to be raised by taxes. It also showed 245 total employees, up from 238 in the final 2025 budget. The budget packet set a dedicated water and sewer utility budget of $12,976,651.07 with 17 employees and a dedicated solid waste utility budget of $2,862,500 with six employees.

The budget package included $10,305,275 in outstanding general water and sewer debt and $14,680,900 in CCIA firehouse debt.

The June 30 meeting notice was issued under the Open Public Meetings Law and posted publicly, with notice sent to the South Jersey Times and The Daily Journal and posted on the city website and bulletin board. Along with the budget vote, council also handled two street-closure requests for summer events, including an Ionic Lodge #40 fundraiser on Columbus Avenue and Union Baptist Temple’s pastor’s birthday and 106th church anniversary celebration around Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, Spruce Street, Pine Street and Henry Street.