TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—The Township Council unanimously introduced a total 2026–2027 municipal budget of nearly $17.3 million on April 6, which increases taxes on an average assessed home by $343, said township officials following introduction.
A public hearing on the budget will be Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m. The proposed 2026 municipal tax levy is $13,278,335.
The total budget is up about $800,000 over the 2025 municipal tab, budget data shows. The 2026 local tax levy is $12,410,041, plus a minimum public library tax of $868,294. That means an increase of $664,479.34 over the 2025 tax levy.
Officials said this is due mostly to an increase in interest on the 2025 Bond Anticipation Note of $323,307.89, and increases in state required payments such as health insurance, pension contributions, and library contributions that account for a large portion of the increase.
In response to a question about items or cost areas driving budget increases, Administrator Mark DiCarlo told Pascack Press that there were “no major large amount increases. We had to reduce the surplus as revenue in order to be financially responsible.”
Last year, the township council adopted a $16.5 million municipal budget, with a tax levy increase of 2.39%, costing $12,135,438, and an average property tax increase of $89 per household over 2024’s municipal property tax bill.
The 75-page introduced budget is posted on the township website. The budget introduction was voted on after the council dealt with ordinances and before the consent agenda was addressed.
The average assessed township home is $797,000, officials said. The council had held a half-dozen special budget meetings to go through the budget with Mayor Peter Calamari, Administrator Mark DiCarlo, and department heads before the April 6 introduction. Those meetings are archived online and were broadcast live for residents to observe.
“First and foremost, I thank members of the council for agreeing with most of our budget recommendations,” Mayor Peter Calamari said April 6 during his mayor’s report.
DiCarlo told us that a tax breakdown for municipal, school and county taxes was not yet available. However, generally municipal taxes make up about 30% of property taxes, while local/regional schools account for 60% and county taxes about 10%.
Mayor on employee raises
Before the 2026 budget was introduced and voted on, Mayor Peter Calamari addressed the council about certain employee salaries, overall raises for non-collective bargaining agreement employees, and also had some sharp words for Council Vice President Steven Cascio.
Calamari said for an extra $7,160 a year, or $3 per year on the average assessed home, he had recommended that the township clerk and administrator be compensated with raises that would have increased their salaries to the middle point of neighboring towns’ salary ranges for similar positions. He said the council denied both requests.
Calamari defended municipal employees, and pointed out that the benefits coordinator had saved the taxpayers over $300,000 by researching alternate health plans. He said he recommended that individual to receive a $6 per day raise, which was also denied by the council.
Calamari asked, “How can I in good faith approach employees to do research and take on additional work knowing that the council will not recognize their efforts?”
Mayor on ‘baseless accusation’
The mayor also called out councilor Steve Cascio’s recent comment from the dais that criticized the administration for allegedly spending funds not yet appropriated. He said Cascio voted no on continuing financial operations for the second quarter of 2026 based on that assertion, which was a “baseless accusation.” He said a recent township audit showed “no actions that even hint of the willful misconduct being accused.”
Over the last two years, the council majority of Michael DeSena, Cascio and Michael Ullman — who ran together in 2024 to reduce municipal taxes by 10% — have sparred with the administration over certain budget cuts, including annual employee salary raises.
‘Political sound bites’
Calamari called Cascio’s statements alleging the spending of funds not yet appropriated “political sound bites designed to advance a personal agenda” and added it was “an attempt to distract the taxpayers from his own lack of achievement during his now longest tenure of anyone else on this council.”
Calamari also dinged Cascio, who he said is a government employee outside the township, for initially offering non-collective bargaining unit employees only a 2% annual raise. (It was later increased to 2.5% by a 3-2 council vote, with Cascio and Councilor Michael Ullman opposed.) Calamari had recommended a 2.75% annual increase for municipal employees.
He said Cascio’s offer of a 2% annual raise was “insulting and demoralizing” to municipal employees.
Cascio: Mayor comes across as ‘spoiled, petty’
Cascio, who joined the meeting remotely, said that Calamari’s accusations about him “comes across as being very spoiled and petty if he doesn’t get his whole budget passed the way he wants it.” Cascio added, “All I try to do is make the best decisions for the town…I’ve been doing it a long time,” he said, adding he would educate residents who want to know more.
Calamari pointed out that councilors made some changes to capital requests and salaries during the final budget meeting April 1, leaving only April 2 to make changes to the budget as Friday, April 3, was a holiday for municipal employees. The final proposed budget was then introduced April 6.
“It shows some members have no regard for the work involved for the administration to prepare the final budget after the final budget meeting for introduction, or they just do not care,” said Calamari.
Mayor: Police vehicle use explained
Calamari also addressed the perception that some councilors believe the police department has too many vehicles. He said four older vehicles (2018 or before) are used by special officers at local schools, He said these are ex-patrol cars with high mileage. Also, four police vehicles are reserved for extra duty use, primarily for utility company details.
He said the department requested three Ford Hybrid Mavericks to replace most of the extra duty vehicles. The outfitted cost for each vehicle was $39,500, Calamari said. He said those three vehicles would have generated enough income in their first year to pay for themselves. Instead, he said, the department is left with the existing vehicles that require $2,000 to $4,000 in annual repairs.
Calamari said there are eight front-line duty vehicles, each used for about 12 hours per day, year-round. He said they need to be newer vehicles based on their daily use; most in the eight-car fleet range from 2019 to 2025 model years. Out of two new vehicles requested by the police this year, the council funded one of them, said the mayor.
Calamari said previously two new vehicles would be approved one year and one the next year and that worked well in keeping the patrol fleet in good shape. He noted two administrative vehicles were needed when officers are offsite for training; those vehicles are 2009 and 2017 models, he said.
Also, the chief’s and detectives’ vehicles (2020 models), plus one motorcycle, brings the vehicle count to 21.
“My question for the council is what determining factors are used to disregard the requests from police chiefs who in recent memory each have 30 years of experience?” asked the mayor during his report at the meeting’s start.