Bloomfield Will Lower Tax Hike With Help Of $2M In State Aid

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — It helps to have friends in the Statehouse. That’s the message from local officials as the budget season countdown continues in Bloomfield.

Bloomfield recently learned that it will be getting $2 million in direct appropriations from the latest state budget.

During the Bloomfield Town Council meeting on Monday, officials said they plan to use some of the funds to lower a proposed municipal tax increase for homeowners.

The Bloomfield Town Council introduced their proposed 2025 budget in June. The spending plan previously included a 4.52 percent increase to the municipal portion of a local homeowner’s property tax bill. An average house assessed at $354,230 would have seen a tax increase of $205 per year. Read More: Bloomfield Town Budget Has Tax Increase Despite $2.6M In Cuts

After factoring in state aid, that number has changed, officials reported. The average Bloomfield homeowner is now facing a 3.64 percent increase – or about $165 per year.

The state appropriation also enables Bloomfield to advance several “key community investments” that were prioritized in its funding request. These include “implementing a comprehensive pedestrian safety initiative, preserving public health programs impacted by federal grant losses, expanding transportation and social services for seniors, supporting youth mental health programs in public schools, and enhancing park amenities and green space throughout the township.”

The rest of the money will be used to restore the town’s reserve for uncollected taxes to its “established standard level.” This step helps protect Bloomfield’s long-term fiscal stability and ensures the township can meet obligations in the event of shortfalls in property tax collections, officials said.

The town council plans to hold a public hearing for the amended budget on Aug. 11, with formal adoption scheduled afterwards.

View the proposed budget and related documents here.

“This is a major win for Bloomfield families, and it shows what’s possible when local priorities are elevated by strong partners in Trenton,” Mayor Jenny Mundell said.

New Jersey Sen. Britnee Timberlake, and Assembly members Michael Venezia and Carmen Theresa Morales – who represent Bloomfield and several other nearby towns in the 34th district – also said the extra state funding will help local families.

Venezia – a member of the Assembly Budget Committee and the former mayor of Bloomfield – said the $2 million appropriation is about more than just numbers.

“It’s about improving lives, from pedestrian safety to essential senior services,” he said.

Watch footage from the July 21 council meeting below (video is cued to the discussion about the budget amendment):

BLOOMFIELD PROPERTY TAXES

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Here’s how that played out in Bloomfield last year, according to state data (percentages rounded up):

• School – 46%
• Municipal – 39.3%
• County – 14.7%

In 2024, the average Bloomfield resident paid $12,020 in property taxes on a home valued at $354,446 (not including credits and deductions). Read More: Here's How Much Bloomfield Homeowners Pay In Taxes (2025 Update)

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.