West Orange Council Chops Away At Tax Hike In Town Budget (See Updated Numbers)

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Town Council has made some progress chopping away at a potential tax hike in the 2025 municipal budget, its members say.

The council held the latest in a series of public budget workshops earlier this week. Watch video footage below, or view it online here.

According to numbers presented at the workshop, the current version of the budget would mean a $91 municipal increase for an average home assessed at $615,472.

The school district’s estimated tax levy for an average home is $263, and the estimated county tax is $45. After adding the library tax and the county open space tax, the average homeowner will see a combined $426 tax hike.

Town administrators noted that the municipal increase previously stood at $243 in April. However, “revised looks at revenue” and “a lot of cuts” have whittled that number down.

• Read More: Tax Hike Possible In West Orange Town Budget (See Early Numbers)
• Read More: West Orange Tax Hike Looms, Town Council Holds Workshops

Council President Joe Krakoviak said the draft budget from the mayor proposed to raise municipal property taxes by 6.2 percent.

“So we’ve been looking for efficiencies and savings to lower that increase,” he said.

Krakoviak shared the following recap of the workshop on social media:

“For anyone interested in learning more about what transpired at the July 14 budget workshop, here's a link to the video https://bit.ly/453rZGF. You may be particularly interested in the reductions made previously in the budget and the resulting reduction in the estimated property tax levy, which starts here https://bit.ly/4luJkOz. If you have trouble seeing the screen in council chambers, please just rely on the audio until the township CFO has a chance to post the relevant documents in PDF in the budget section of the township website, www.westorange.org. [The] council, along with CFO John Ditinyak, administration directors, and the Citizens Budget Advisory Board, had reduced spending by $1,336,449 ahead of last night's workshop. Then we reduced spending further. We expect to have updated numbers as part of the formal introduction of the budget at the July 22 council meeting.”

Another budget workshop is scheduled for Thursday, July 24 at 5 p.m. It will take place via Zoom and in person at the council chambers at Town Hall, 66 Main Street. No public comment will be heard. Learn more and see login info here.

TAX REVALUATION IN WEST ORANGE

This year's budget season in West Orange has also been impacted by the town’s recent property tax revaluation.

West Orange recently carried out a revaluation campaign – the first it has seen in more than a decade. The mandatory program was ordered by the Essex County Board of Taxation and approved by the New Jersey Division of Taxation.

During a revaluation, all local properties are reassessed to find out their current “full and fair value.” The goal? To make sure each home or business owner is paying their fair share toward the town’s overall tax burden.

Although almost all property values rise during a revaluation, it doesn't necessarily mean that all property taxes will increase, experts explain: some may rise and others may fall (learn more here).

>> Read More: 'Scary Numbers' For Some West Orange Homeowners Amid Tax Revaluation

“While the tax rate declines significantly to account for the large increase in the tax base, it is not comparable to last year’s rate,” Krakoviak previously explained. “The decline this year reflects the increase in the assessed value of property, which in turn is designed to bring assessments in line with market value.”

Krakoviak isn’t the only municipal official who has recently commented on the revaluation.

In January, the town’s municipal tax assessor, Jacob Nieman, spoke about the revaluation, commenting that “people really want to live here, and they’re willing to pay a very hefty price to do so.”

The town saw “widespread” increases in home values, which were not confined to specific pockets or neighborhoods. Residential homeowners saw their property values increase by an average of $343,513 – about 82 percent (the median average increase was $274,600 or 89 percent).

In total, the value of all property in West Orange increased by 84 percent. However, the breakdown of the town’s value distribution remained largely unchanged, Nieman reported:

• Residential – 72%
• Commercial – 17%
• Exempt – 10%
• Vacant Land – 1%

TAXES IN WEST ORANGE: A QUICK GLANCE AT THE NUMBERS

Here’s how West Orange's property taxes broke down in 2024, according to state data (percentages rounded up):

• School – 61.8%
• Municipal – 26.8%
• County – 11.4%

In 2024, the average West Orange resident paid $15,778 in property taxes on a home valued at $336,878 (not including credits and deductions).

Here are the previous five years for comparison:

• 2023 – $15,475 in taxes on a home valued at $336,591
• 2022 – $14,920 in taxes on a home valued at $336,282
• 2021 – $14,701 in taxes on a home valued at $337,703
• 2020 – $14,484 in taxes on a home valued at $338,106
• 2019 – $14,086 in taxes on a home valued at $338,561

Statewide, the average tax bill topped $10,000 for the first time in 2024, landing at a record-high $10,095 – which is still well below what West Orange residents are paying. Read More: Here's How Much West Orange Homeowners Pay In Taxes (2025 Update)

Some experts have pointed out that a high tax bill doesn't necessarily mean a homeowner is getting ripped off, however – it depends on what you get for the money.

“While no taxpayers in high-tax jurisdictions will be celebrating their yearly payments, it's worth noting that property taxes are largely rooted in the ‘benefit principle’ of government finance – the people paying the bills are most often the ones benefiting from the services,” researchers from The Tax Foundation recently wrote.

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