We’re nearing the end of March, and the administration still hasn’t transmitted a proposed budget to the Council. If you’ve been paying attention to things in town, this may not seem out of the ordinary. In recent years, the initial budget proposal has typically been made in April or May.
The problem? State law requires that this be done by the end of February so that the Council can review and approve the budget in a timely manner. This budget is for the year that started on January 1. It’s simply unacceptable to leave the town on autopilot for the majority of the year, approving and adopting a budget after more than half the year is over.
Last year, the process was particularly slow. After the administration transmitted the budget in mid-April, the Council reviewed it in excruciating detail. Work sessions drug into the summer and a public hearing wasn’t scheduled until the end of September. Further complications pushed the final adoption until mid-November – delaying the preparation of 4th quarter tax bills for residents throughout the town.
This is unacceptable. At the end of last year’s budget process, it seemed like everyone agreed. Councilmembers and administration alike vowed to do things differently in 2026. But here we are, a quarter of the way through the year and no budget has been proposed. And that only kicks off the process.
Once a budget is proposed, the Council will no doubt take a significant amount of time to do its due diligence. It would be optimistic at this point to think this will be done and adopted by June 30. It’s quite possible that things will drag on into the late summer or early fall, once again leaving the town without a clear roadmap for its finances through more than half the year.
It doesn’t have to be this way. County Executive Joe DiVincenzo made his proposal for the Essex County budget in mid-January. Verona’s initial budget was presented in mid-February. South Orange officially introduced its budget last week, and Montclair has outlined on its website a timeline that would lead to final adoption at its first regularly scheduled meeting in May.
It’s time for West Orange to chart a new course. We need to turn off the autopilot, get real about the budget process, and plan for our future.
That starts with a Mayor and an administration that is committed to proposing a budget on time – setting the town up to meet the state’s statutory deadline. As Mayor, I would make that commitment and meet that priority.
