2026 Municipal and Capital Budget

Todd Saunders
Mar 29
2 min read

Last Tuesday (3/24/26) the Town Council introduced the 2026 Municipal Budget. The Finance committee is Led by Councilman Venkataraman, with Councilmen Pecker, Kiefer and Domogala as part of the committee.

Here's the bottom line: for the average assessed home in Westfield ($832,500), the municipal portion of your tax bill will be approximately $3,114 this year. That's an increase of about $80 over 2025.

I know $80 doesn't sound like a lot in a vacuum. But I also know that for many families in this town, it's not the only thing going up. Groceries are up, insurance is up, and everything feels more expensive than it did a year ago. I understand that, and I don't take it lightly.

The 0% increases we've had the last few years were great, but they weren't going to hold forever. Pensions are up, the cost of paving a road or running a fire truck is up, and contracts and materials continue to climb. At some point, holding the line at zero starts to mean something different. It means deferred maintenance, slower response times, and a decline in the parks, roads, and services that define Westfield.

I wasn't willing to let that happen. None of us on the Council were.

So we made a hard call. An $80 increase on the municipal portion of your tax bill keeps this town running the way you expect it to. I'd rather be straight with you about that now than hand the next Council a bigger problem down the road.

Important context: we control 16% of your tax bill.

Of the roughly $197 million collected in total property taxes across Westfield, the municipal portion that the Town Council controls is only about 16%. The school district controls 62%, Union County for 19%, and the library and open space levies make up the remaining 3%.

So where does the municipal tax money go?

Public Safety (police, fire, dispatch) remains the largest category at 34% of the budget. Statutory and required costs like pensions and insurance account for 23%. Public Works and engineering take 14%, utilities 12%, general services and administration 10%, and capital improvement and debt service 7%.

And what can we expect in terms of capital improvements to the town?

In total, there are $5.4 million in capital improvements.

The biggest allocation ($4.1 million) goes to roads, stormwater, and drainage improvements covering over 40 roads or road sections. Other investments include facility improvements at Town Hall, DPW, and the Fire Department ($450K), Public Works equipment and vehicles ($435K), recreation and park improvements including the 200 South Ave. pocket park design ($225K), public safety technology and equipment ($217K), and traffic and pedestrian safety improvements ($70K).

Projects already underway include the Houlihan/Sid Fay parking lot and comfort station, fuel system replacement, Quimby Street design plan, Tamaques Park design plan, and cell tower installation at the Conservation Center.