Carol Jean Doyle Mayor
TOWN OF KEARNY
Tel: (201) 955-7979 Fax: (201) 998-6069
HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY 402 Kearny Avenue • Kearny, New Jersey 07032
August 2026
Dear Kearny Taxpayer:
Your tax bills for the 3rd and 4th quarters of calendar year 2026 and the 1st and 2nd quarters of calendar year 2027 are enclosed. The due date for the 3rd quarter tax bill is extended to September 9, 2026. By State law, quarterly payments received after that date will incur interest from August 1, 2026. If you would like to pay your taxes in person, the Tax Collector’s Office at Town Hall will be open late until 7 p.m. on September 9, 2026. During the summer until Labor Day, the town hall offices close at 2 PM on Fridays only. In recent years, our municipal revenues have benefited from growth in the following: real estate valuations; annual payments to the Town in lieu of taxes (PILOTs) that were used to spur economic redevelopment on Passaic Avenue and in South Kearny; and tax sharing receipts from the Meadowlands District. At the same time, we’ve managed to keep increases in municipal spending to less than the rate of inflation. However, some of the appropriations in this municipal budget faced a double-digit percentage increase. Some of those line items include Health Benefits, Insurance Fund, Passaic Valley Sewer, and Water Utility Anticipated Deficit. While we generated another healthy budget surplus in 2025, the reliance on surplus and reserves needed to be controlled for fiscal stability and therefore the municipal tax levy, which had been kept flat for over ten years, had to be increased significantly this year. As you may know, while Kearny’s Tax Collector is charged with the responsibility of collecting property taxes, the Town of Kearny keeps only 37% of taxes collected to pay for municipal services and the public library. Approximately 44% of the amount collected is sent to the Kearny School District and 19% is sent to the County of Hudson. For all of calendar year 2026, the portion of your tax bill that pays for municipal services increases 14.00%, which is an increase of $536.81 on a residential property with an average assessment of $100,000. Kearny School taxes increase $97.10 while the County’s tax portion increases by 15.00%, or $283.85. This is a result of a State-mandated allocation of the County’s tax burden based on changes in property values in the 12 municipalities of Hudson County. The overall net impact is an annual increase of $917.77 on the average assessment. With the 37% share of the property taxes collected, the Town of Kearny provides the following services:
TOWN OF KEARNY 2026 MUNICIPAL BUDGET
TAX RATE
RATABLE BASE
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS 2025
93,000,000.00
2025
3.8062
1,174,916,944.00
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS 2026
99,000,000.00
2026
4.3435
1,173,769,910.00
INCREASE (DECREASE)
6,000,000.00
CHANGE
0.537
-1,147,034.00 -0.10%
PERCENTAGE -TOTAL BUDGET
6.45%
TAX LEVY INCL LIBRARY 2025
44,719,588
Average Assessment (2026)
RESIDENTIAL 100,000.00
TAX LEVY INCL LIBRARY 2026
50,982,308
2026 Local Taxes w/Library
4,343.47
INCREASE / (DECREASE)
6,262,720
2025 Local Taxes w/Library
3,806.19
PERCENTAGE - TAX LEVY
14.00%
Increase/(Decrease) Local Tax/Municipal Only
Avg House $100K Municipal Library School County & OS Total Annual Tax
2025 3,628.88 177.31 5,123.90 1,917.15 $ 10,847.23
2026 4,136.00 207.00 5,221.00 2,201.00 $ 11,765.00
$
$
537.28 14.12% Incr/(Decr) 507.12 29.69 97.10 283.85 917.77
APPROPRIATION INCREASES & DECREASES
REVENUE INCREASES & DECREASES
SALARIES & WAGES
1,224,500.00
CURRENT SURPLUS
(3,375,000.00)
OPERATING EXP - DEPTS
(355,008.00)
VARIOUS RESERVES
3,075,000.00
HEALTH BENEFITS
2,826,000.00
STATE AID
0.00
SOCIAL SECURITY & PENSION
355,728.00
LOCAL REVENUES
579,335.00
LIBRARY
349,096.00
DELINQUENT TAXES
(542,055.00)
SEWER CHARGES PVSC
579,125.00
MUNICIPAL TAX LEVY
6,262,720.00
JOINT INSURANCE FUND
975,000.00
GARBGE & TRASH COLL & DISP
52,000.00
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND
(350,000.00)
DEBT SERVICE
490,859.00
ANTICIPATED DEFICIT WATER
1,000,000.00
DEFERRED CHARGES
(972,300.00)
UTILITIES
(125,000.00)
RESERVE UNCOLLECTED TAXES
(50,000.00) $ 6,000,000.00
$
6,000,000.00
• Police Department • Library • Senior Transportation Tree Maintenance • Stormwater Management • Curbside Garbage Pickup • Road Maintenance • Emergency Management • Municipal Court • Department of Public Works • Leaf Collection • Municipal Playgrounds • Fire Department/Fire Protection Public Health Services • Snow Plowing, Street Sweeping • Sewage/Wastewater Management • Recreational Facilities/Programs • Capital Projects including Road Resurfacing and Park Improvements • Water Utility including Lead Service Line Replacement The Council and I are committed to providing these services in the most cost-effective manner. We will continue to emphasize strong budget management and sound financial policies. Finally, please note that the State of New Jersey offers various property tax relief programs including the Senior Freeze (Property Tax Relief) Program for property owners who are 65 or older. Information about these programs is available on the State’s web site, http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/ relief.shtml, or in the Tax Collector’s Office at Town Hall.
Very truly yours,
Carol Jean Doyle Mayor
REVENUES:
2026
Distribution
Surplus & Reserves
10,000,000.00
10.10%
State Aid
18,685,679.00
18.87%
Local Revenues
18,124,068.00
18.31%
Delinquent Taxes
1,207,945.00
1.22%
Current Year Taxes
48,550,000.00
49.04%
Library Taxes
2,432,308.00
2.46%
99,000,000.00
100.00%
TOTAL REVENUES APPROPRIATIONS:
2026
Distribution
PERSONNEL COST Police Salaries
16,000,000.00
16.16%
Fire Salaries
13,000,000.00
13.13%
Non-Uniform Salaries
6,749,000.00
6.82%
Health Benefits
17,461,000.00
17.64%
Social Security
1,000,000.00
1.01%
Pensions - Police & Fire
8,351,786.00
8.44%
Pensions - Public Employees
1,030,284.00
1.04%
63,592,070.00
64.23%
Joint Insurance Fund
2,850,000.00
2.88%
Passaic Valley Sewer
6,400,125.00
6.46%
Garbage Collection & Disposal
4,600,000.00
4.65%
Utilites
1,950,000.00
1.97%
NON-PERSONNEL COST
Capital Improvement Fund Debt Service Deferred Charges
5,268,978.00
0.00% 5.32%
307,700.00
0.31%
3,000,000.00
3.03%
Library
2,432,308.00
2.46%
Reserve Uncollected Taxes
2,500,000.00
2.53%
Departmental Operations
6,098,819.00
6.16%
35,407,930.00
35.77%
99,000,000.00
100.00%
Water Deficit
TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS