Message from Deputy Mayor Matt Adams | May 1, 2026

Every Spring, our Township Council faces the same fundamental challenge: how do we keep
Scotch Plains running at a high level while maximizing every tax dollar the town needs to spend
in order to do that?

We do this as part of our annual municipal budget process, something required of every municipality in the State of New Jersey. Nearly all of our neighboring communities and municipalities around the State have faced significant budgetary obstacles. Scotch Plains is not immune. The cost of everything is rising. Each of the members of the Council experience it in our everyday lives and private businesses, and know that you do too.

After a lot of hard work and number crunching, I am proud of the budget that was adopted by the Township Council last month. Our 2026 municipal spending plan continues to prioritize the things that matter to you and your family like public safety, recreation, and infrastructure, as well as much-needed upgrades to the functional systems like our sewer pumping stations that may not be glamorous, but are vital to the functioning of the Township.

I want to take a few minutes to walk you through what this new budget means for you and your family.

Let me start with the headline number. Yes, there is a modest increase to the municipal tax rate. For the average home assessed in Scotch Plains, that translates to roughly about $22 a month. I understand that any increase in costs matters to us all, and we do not take that lightly. But I also want to put that number in context.

Municipal government in Scotch Plains accounts for just 15 percent of your total property tax bill — one of the lowest municipal shares of any town in New Jersey. The lion’s share of what you pay goes to the public schools and Union County. We control only a small slice of that bill, and we work hard to keep our slice as lean as possible. We have zero control or influence on how the school district or the county manages their finances. They do so separately and independently from the Township.

The rising costs we are experiencing are being driven almost entirely by the fixed, hard costs outside of our direct control. For example, health insurance costs for Township employees have surged by more than $902,000 — a statewide trend. Workers’ compensation and liability insurance, as well as contractual obligations with the municipal workforce, also added a major financial burden in this budget.

Utility costs for electricity, streetlights, and natural gas also increased this year – just like you are seeing with your household bills. We are absorbing as much of these increases as we possibly can before any of it impacts your tax bill.

Despite these challenges, we manage the budget in ways that have held the municipal rate of tax well below the rate of inflation and close to flat over the course of the last decade in Scotch Plains.

While you see the impact of rising costs in other municipalities, what we have be able to achieve in Scotch Plains is nothing short of a remarkable. This town is built on fiscal discipline, the stability and professional leadership that this Council and the Township administration has brought to our community, and effective short-term and long-term planning.

Scotch Plains proudly carries a AAA bond rating — the highest possible — from the major rating agencies. That independent rating is not just a badge of honor that proves our superb financial stewardship. It directly saves you money by lowering the interest rate the Township pays when we borrow for capital projects.

In this budget, we are paying more than the minimum debt payment this year for capital improvements because we believe in reducing our obligations, not kicking them down the road for future governing bodies to deal with. That is smart, responsible business. Look around at whether other municipalities in New Jersey are doing the same during this period of surging costs. I submit that we are likely in the minority.

Shared services agreements are another tool we use to aggressively drive down costs. We currently partner with Clark, Fanwood, Mountainside, Westfield, Union Township, and others to eliminate duplication and stretch every dollar. These agreements cover everything from sewer operations and tax collection to leaf disposal and health inspections.

The more we can share, the less each resident pays. Over the next year, I am calling upon our Township administration to explore even more areas for shared services agreements with our partners in government in areas where duplication and inefficiencies exist.

So where does the discretionary spending go? Directly into the services you rely on every day.

Leaf collection and snow removal through our Department of Public Works... Emergency response capabilities for our Police and Fire Departments... Capital investments in roads, drainage, parks, and Township-wide IT infrastructure... These are not frills. They are the core functions of local government, and we fund them because Scotch Plains residents deserve modern, reliable, responsive services.

The total 2026 Municipal Budget is $36.7 million. Of that, $21.19 million is raised through local taxes, while the rest comes from state aid, fees, shared services revenue, interest on investments, and other sources. We draw on every legitimate revenue stream available so that the burden on taxpayers is as small as possible.

I will close by saying this: fiscal conservatism is not about cutting services. It is about delivering results responsibly — keeping costs controlled, maintaining strong reserves, paying down debt, investing strategically, and never spending tomorrow’s money today.

In Scotch Plains, we enjoy a healthy financial outlook because of our disciplined approach to our finances, and it is my honor to help keep it that way.

Despite the undeniable financial pressures that exist this budget year, we will continue to hire, train and equip more police officers, expand the capabilities of our fire department, including the department’s relatively new full-time EMS capabilities, reinforce the DPW with new manpower and equipment, continue with the historic investments that this Council has made to our municipal parks, and ensure that our community continues to be sustainable, resilient, and modernized.