Financial Debate Continues As Parsippany Council Adopts 2023 Budget

PARSIPPANY, NJ — The Parsippany Township Council voted in favor of an $88.4 million municipal budget that will raise taxes by nearly three percent after two public budget hearings and many hours of debate.

The budget was approved 4-1, with Councilman Justin Musella casting the lone dissenting vote.

The vote followed two public budget hearings since the budget was introduced on April 18.

During the hearings, various township department heads presented their operational plans for the coming year, explaining the figures in their section of the budget, and many of them stated that they were recovering from being understaffed due to a hiring freeze.

Musella reaffirmed his stance on the budget, saying he wants to keep his campaign promise of ending the practice of "overburdening taxpayers with large tax increases," which he believes the administration is doing.

But, according to Mayor James Barberio and the other council members, those proposed cuts are not realistic and could cause a decrease in township services and hinder the future of the township.

"I believe that budget decisions must make Parsippany a stronger community today as well as 5+ years from now, and I am proud that our budget reflects these values," Barberio said.

Musella stated after a nearly three-hour-long meeting on Tuesday, May 9, that he believed he found specific items that he thought could be cut to reduce the burden on taxpayers.

Under his proposal, vacant and non-essential positions could be eliminated, as well as $318,731 in salaries, raises, and bonuses; $200,000 in Parks and Forestry, $100,000 in legal services, and $90,000 for the summer concert series, among other things.

"I presented a specific plan to make the budget more acceptable and bring back fiscal responsibility to our township, but this fell on deaf ears. I worked hard to find a compromise with the administration and was disappointed that no aspects of my proposal were entertained," Musella said.

Before the budget was presented to the public, councilman Paul Carifi stated that the council had already reduced the budget from its initial starting point.

"Before the budget was at that 2.5 percent, we all gave recommendations and suggestions to make cuts and got it down to where we got it, but at that point, once we reached where we are at right now, that's where our CFO, that's where our BA, and our auditor said, 'you can't go any lower,'" Carifi said.

The adopted 2023 budget calls for a 2.57 percent overall tax increase, equating to an additional $100 per year per homeowner based on the town's average home valuation of $313,000.