Frelinghuysen Adopts $2.02 Million Budget

June 1, 2026

Sign on the Frelinghuysen Town Hall building — The 2026 Frelinghuysen budget will result in a $2.54 per month tax increase for the average home. Photo by Joe Phalon.

The Frelinghuysen Township Committee adopted its 2026 budget May 18, which will result in a $2.54 per month tax increase for the average homeowner, according to town officials.

The $2.02 million spending plan includes $130,000 for capital improvements, including paving and repair of municipal roads. This is down from the 2025 allocation of $438,852. When asked about the lower figure, township auditor Ashley Kannaley said part of the reason for the lower figure is that state grants have yet to be finalized; when they are, they will be applied to the allocation.

John Mooney, the incoming township auditor, said there are also two outstanding ordinances that include $167,000 in funding for roads that can be applied when and if the state grants come through.

Mayor Kirk Perez said the township committee this year built the budget from the ground up and that he was proud of the results.

“This wasn’t a situation where we simply were tweaking numbers,” Perez said. “We started from scratch. Line by line, we rebuilt this budget to focus on responsibility, transparency and long-term stability.”

Sign on the front of the Frelinghuysen Fire Co. — The Frelinghuysen Fire Co. did not ask for an increase in its allocation from the township committee. It does benefit from getting fuel supplied by the Department of Public Works. Photo by Joe Phalon.

While costs have increased across most departments within the township, it was noted that the Frelinghuysen Volunteer Fire Company did not request an increase in its allocation from the town budget. The expenditure remained at $45,000 as it has for the past several years, and as was proposed when the department was created in 2023.

That figure has remained lower than what Frelinghuysen was paying neighboring municipalities for fire protection before the township formed its own department and withdrew payments to those towns.

A big caveat, however, is that the firefighting equipment is powered by fuel supplied by the township Department of Public Works and is not counted as part of the $45,000 allocation.

Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer

Contributing Writer

Joe brings decades of journalism experience to the Ridge View Echo, covering everything from local school boards to the U.S. Supreme Court. A former National Law Journal editor and Columbia Law School press officer, he now enjoys telling community stories in Blairstown, where he lives with his wife, Rose, and their two dachshunds.