By Edmund Tom Maciejewski

Residents deserve clear answers about Berkeley Heights’ 17.8% increase in budgeted debt service, even as the rate on its latest short-term borrowing fell. The increase mainly reflects a larger principal repayment, while bond interest declines. Paying principal down is progress, but how much of that progress will be replaced by new borrowing? Sources: adopted budget, 2026 note financing and 2025 note financing.

The township’s published financing plan already anticipates refinancing and additional borrowing in 2027. When did Council see this payment increase coming? How clearly did it explain the consequences to residents? Council members seeking the mayor’s office or reelection should tell us what they would cut or defer before borrowing again. Source: township financing plan.

The audits show why that matters. Issued municipal debt fell from $49.97 million at the end of 2022 to $45.35 million at the end of 2025. But borrowing authorized and not yet issued jumped from $3.12 million to $14.75 million. Paying down existing debt while approving more borrowing is no guarantee of lasting relief. Sources: 2024 audit and 2025 audit.

This March, the township issued $8.528 million in one-year notes, including $6.164 million in new money. They mature in March 2027. Any balance refinanced will face the rates and borrowing conditions available then. Today’s low rate does not lock in tomorrow’s cost. Sources: note terms and financing plan.

Yet when Council presents mandatory (non-discretionary) versus discretionary spending, residents see only a tiny sliver available for adjustment. How much of today’s mandatory spending began as yesterday’s discretionary decision? It is like making optional purchases on a credit card, then pointing to the bill and saying there is no choice but to pay. The time to control the spending was before the bill arrived.

Council’s other familiar sales pitch is that more spending will not increase taxes. Here is the catch: when new borrowing replaces debt payments that are ending, it consumes savings that could otherwise benefit taxpayers. The project is not free—it consumes an opportunity for tax relief. Residents deserve to see the budget with the project and without it.

My goal is to reduce our debt and future payments, rather than automatically replace debt as it is paid off. On Council, I would protect essential work, press to cut or defer lower-priority projects, and demand a review of less costly alternatives before voting for new borrowing. Every proposal should show the full repayment cost and its effect on future budgets.

That scrutiny matters at the sewer plant, where I-Bank loans have been announced for a replacement vacuum truck and a failed filtration system. I-Bank subsidies can save money, but the repayable portion remains debt. Interest, fees and professional costs all belong in the comparison. As a chemical engineer, I would challenge project assumptions and press for public reporting of final costs and results. Sources: local I-Bank loans and financing benefits.

Taxpayers deserve a plan to bring the bills down. I will make that a priority.

Vote for Edmund Tom Maciejewski for Berkeley Heights Township Council. Visit tomfortown.com for more information about my candidacy.