Glen Ridge Mayor and Council Meeting Highlights Painful Tax Increases

In a recent meeting at Glen Ridge Borough Hall, officials discussed and addressed concerns regarding significant tax increases. The meeting was presided over by Mayor Deborah Mans, who opened the session with the usual invocation of "One nation under God."

The agenda included accepting minutes from the January 20th, 2026th meeting, which were accepted following a roll call vote. A public comment period followed, where residents could voice their concerns about recent tax hikes.

The first to speak was Eric Goldman, who expressed frustration over what he perceived as unfair and significant tax increases across the town's southern end, particularly on Lorraine Street. He mentioned that his own house saw an 90% increase in value, leading to a corresponding 90% rise in taxes. Meanwhile, a neighbor's property doubled in value but their taxes remained unchanged.

Mayor Mans acknowledged these issues and expressed her commitment to ensuring accurate data is used for revaluations, which are ordered by the county due to homes exceeding assessed values. However, she clarified that while commercial properties have seen notable increases, residential valuations have also risen proportionally with market trends.

The meeting concluded without a public forum being initiated as suggested by Goldman. Mayor Mans recognized the frustrations among residents but emphasized the importance of providing accurate and timely communications about these revaluations to ensure fairness.

Action items:

• Resolution 48-26: Approved claims warrants for amounts shown in resolution, including transfers to the Board of Education.
• Resolution 49-26: Determined form and details of bonds issued by Glen Ridge, to be sold to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank and the state of New Jersey, with agreements related to the project also executed.
• Resolution 50-26: Authorized a raffle license for a duck race event held on May 16th at Glenidge High School.
• Resolution 51-26: Authorizes a Glenridge Parent-Teacher Association (PBA) race application for an event to take place in May.
• Resolution 52-26: Conditionally approves the Glenridge Country Club’s application to host fireworks on private property during Independence Day weekend.

These resolutions were passed after necessary votes and roll calls, ensuring that local governance processes adhered to official protocols.