Clash Between Council And Mayor Surrounding Parsippany Budget Hearings

PARSIPPANY, NJ — A clash over the annual budget process broke out between the mayor and two members of the Parsippany Township Council.

At Tuesday's Council meeting, Parsippany-Troy Hills Mayor James R. Barberio unveiled this year's municipal budget, which includes a nearly four percent increase in local property taxes.

Following the introduction, a resident asked the council if there would be a public hearing on the budget so that residents could get a better understanding of the overall increases.

This sparked the initial discussion, with most township council members ready to eliminate a special budget hearing, which was a customary practice prior to COVID-19.

Councilman Justin Musella insisted on public budget hearings and strongly advocated for public participation in the township budgeting process.

"I think the important thing that we owe to the taxpayers is having a process where there is public input and where we have the opportunity to interview the department heads, the CFO, and the business administrator," Musella said.

Council President Loretta Gragnani also spoke out, stating that there is no need for a public budget session because there is nothing that can be cut to make it smaller, an opinion shared by Councilman Mike dePierro.

"I've already done my homework, but I'll go along with it," dePierro said.

The proposed budget for 2023 includes an overall 2.57 percent increase in the tax rate, with a local tax rate of 3.76 percent, equating to a $100 increase in the annual impact on the average Parsippany homeowner.

"Nobody likes a budget with a tax increase, but we have minimized the amount of the increase while dealing with significant nationwide economic impacts and external influences," Barberio said.

Increases are the result of inflation and mandated cost increases, but they are also the result of necessary investments in critical infrastructure improvement and public safety.

According to Barberio, the 2023 budget prioritizes public safety by increasing the number of police officers in the township "to the levels that it should be." The police force will be increased from its historic low of 81 deployable officers to more appropriate numbers.

According to officials, all of the other budget increases were necessary and well thought out, which further eliminated the need for a public hearing.

Special budget hearings are regularly held throughout the state of New Jersey and were a customary practice in Parsippany, Musella said. The hearing provides an opportunity for department heads to publicly describe their financial needs and provide insight into increased funding requests.

However, Barberio insisted to the council on Tuesday night that there was nothing to cut from this year's budget. "If anybody up here thinks there is, you really don't understand the budget all that well."

Musella later told Patch that he is not advocating for cuts, but rather for greater transparency about why certain department increases are necessary. His goal for the public budget hearing is to have the opportunity to go department by department and identify all of the ways the council can optimize how the town hall operates.

Optimizing the workforce within town hall, according to Musella, "will have savings for the taxpayers by being more productive and efficient, and we can find out what positions are duplicative and what vacant positions can be eliminated, and we can give that money back to the taxpayers."

Musella continued,"I also think that having the participation of the public is important because I want people to be informed about how their money is being spent, how the departments are operating, and for those departments to receive and provide feedback, suggestions, and, and criticism where we can better shape the budget to reflect the needs of the community."

Following the introduction of the budget, Musella made the motion to hold special budget hearings, which was seconded by Councilman Paul Carifi, Jr. The motion was unanimously approved by the council members, confirming that a budget hearing will be held in the coming weeks.