Vernon schedules hearing on $34.6M budget with 6% tax levy increase

A public hearing and final vote on Vernon Township’s $34,603,492 fiscal year 2026 municipal budget is scheduled to take place at the May 28 council meeting.

The tax levy, or amount raised by taxes, is $21,318,051. That represents a 6% increase in the levy compared to fiscal year 2025. Anticipated revenues amount to $13,285,441.

Vernon Mayor Anthony Rossi said a resident owning a home assessed at the town average of $320,750 can expect an average increase of $9 a month.

The spending plan does not exceed the 2%tax levy cap due to allowable exemptions such as health insurance costs. Other mandates/contractual obligations that contributed to the budget increase are liability insurance, worker’s compensation insurance, utilities and union contracts.

“This was a challenging budget to construct, driven largely by significant, double-digit cost increases that we are legally obligated to fund,” Rossi said on Facebook. “Compounding this pressure is the fact that we held the line with a 0% increase for three consecutive years—an approach that, while beneficial in the short term, inevitably places added strain on future budgets. These are not discretionary expenses. They are mandates and contractual obligations that must be met to keep our municipality operating responsibly and in full compliance with the law.”

The May 28 council meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the municipal building in Vernon.