Union County Adopts $559 Million Budget

UNION COUNTY, NJ — The county Board of Commissioners adopted a $559 million budget during its April 30 meeting that increases the county-wide tax levy by 2 percent.The tax levy, which is the amount of money that’s raised in property taxes, increased more percentage-wise than it did in 2025 for the county portion of the budget. In 2025, the tax levy for the county portion of the budget increased by 1.75 percent.The tax levy dollar amount for this year’s county budget is $387,868,381, which is an approximate $7.6 million increase from $380,263,119 in 2025. These figures are listed in the 2026 tax impact statement from the Union County Board of Taxation.“This year’s budget includes a modest increase in the tax levy driven largely by the rising fixed costs, most notably a 21 percent increase in health and prescription benefits," said Union County Commissioner Kim Palmieri-Mouded, who is also the Commissioners’ Fiscal Committee Chair, that night as the budget was adopted.The average Union County homeowner will pay $2,135 in county taxes in 2026, which is $27 more than what they paid in 2025, according to the tax impact statement. The tax levy affects each municipality differently. Below is a breakdown of what residents in each Union County municipality will pay in their 2026 county tax bill. The figures are based off the average home assessed value in that municipality and are listed in the tax impact statement.Berkeley Heights: $2,898 versus $2,685 in 2025, a $213 increase.Clark: $2,098 versus $2,160 in 2025, a $62 decrease.Cranford: $2,330 versus $2,252 in 2025, a $78 increase.Elizabeth: $1,636 versus $1,582 in 2025, a $54 increase.Fanwood: $2,297 versus $2,266 in 2025, a $31 increase.Garwood: $1,820 versus $1,969 in 2025, a $149 decrease.Hillside: $1,632 versus $1,662 in 2025, a $30 decrease.Kenilworth: $2,051 versus $2,111 in 2025, a $60 decrease.Linden: $1,755 versus $1,681 in 2025, a $74 increase.Mountainside: $2,840 versus $2,928 in 2025, an $88 decrease.New Providence: $2,877 versus $2,688 in 2025, a $189 increase.Plainfield: $1,406 versus $1,361 in 2025, a $45 increase.Rahway: $1,579 versus $1,419 in 2025, a $160 increase.Roselle: $1,402 versus $1,385 in 2025, a $17 increase.Roselle Park: $1,554 versus $1,563 in 2025, a $9 decrease.Scotch Plains: $2,617 versus $2,558 in 2025, a $59 increase.Springfield: $2,094 versus $2,077 in 2025, a $17 increase.Summit: $4,580 versus $4,614 in 2025, a $34 decrease.Union: $1,672 versus $1,640 in 2025, a $32 increase.Westfield: $3,638 versus $3,604 in 2025, a $34 increase.Winfield: $58 versus $64 in 2025, a $6 decrease.The open space tax, which is the amount of money that’s raised in property taxes for funding the acquisition, preservation and maintenance of land for parks, recreation and conservation, increased by $9 from $90 in 2025 to $99 in 2026, according to the tax impact statement.Here’s a breakdown of how the open space tax will affect your property tax bill. Numbers are based on that municipality’s average home assessment.Berkeley Heights: $135 versus $116 in 2025, a $19 increase.Clark: $95 versus $90 in 2025, a $5 increase.Cranford: $109 versus $97 in 2025, a $12 increase.Elizabeth: $78 versus $68 in 2025, a $10 increase.Fanwood: $105 versus $95 in 2025, a $10 increase.Garwood: $82 versus $82 in 2025, a $0 increase.Hillside: $76 versus $71 in 2025, a $5 increase.Kenilworth: $96 versus $91 in 2025, a $5 increase.Linden: $82 versus $72 in 2025, a $10 increase.Mountainside: $134 versus $127 in 2025, a $7 increase.New Providence: $134 versus $118 in 2025, a $16 increasePlainfield: $66 versus $59 in 2025, a $7 increase..Rahway: $75 versus $61 in 2025, a $14 increase.Roselle: $65 versus $59 in 2025, a $6 increase.Roselle Park: $71 versus $66 in 2025, a $5 increase.Scotch Plains: $123 versus $110 in 2025, a $13 increase.Springfield: $97 versus $86 in 2025, an $11 increase.Summit: $214 versus $198 in 2025, a $16 increase.Union: $79 versus $72 in 2025, a $7 increase.Westfield: $166 versus $149 in 2025, a $17 increase.Winfield: $3 versus $3 in 2025, a $0 increase.SNAP benefits, Palmieri-Mouded said, are also down by several million dollars this year, with more cuts anticipated next year. The county is also affected by inflation, like other counties nationwide, and could also be impacted by other cuts at the federal level.Union County Director of Finance Bibi Taylor said during the meeting that the cost of health benefits had increased by over $25 million. The 2 percent increase will help ensure that operations are properly maintained as federal grants are reduced, Taylor explained.“The budget accommodates for all of the various increases we are seeing, as well as those that other entities are seeing, but we’re doing it in a responsible manner that ensures county taxes are stabilized for not only this year but in prospective years,” Taylor said.This story was made possible through a collaboration of TAPinto sites in Union County.