How Hopatcong is run
Who runs Hopatcong, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Hopatcong's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Hopatcong
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Hopatcong city staff
The budget lists salaries and wages by department, and hiring resolutions state new hires' pay. We found no staff count or list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Hopatcong in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
Officials said the 2026 budget is at the state's 3.5% levy and spending caps, with no room for more operating spending. The municipal tax rises about $1.4 million, or 9.7%, mainly from a $625,000 increase in health insurance, a $500,000 increase in the garbage contract and 2% contractual raises. They projected fund balance would fall from about $5.4 million to $5 million, a smaller drop than the $1 million the year before. Borough of Hopatcong · Apr 13, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $5.4M (2024-12-31). Borough of Hopatcong · Mar 24, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for 2026.
Comes from
- Property tax for municipal purposes (incl. reserve for uncollected taxes)$16M · 78%
- Fund balance (surplus) used$1.9M · 9%
- State aid (energy receipts tax)$964,637 · 5%
- Receipts from delinquent taxes$650,000 · 3%
- Local revenues (fees, fines, interest, utility surplus)$486,004 · 2%
- Other special items$273,000 · 1%
- Construction code fees$231,500 · 1%
- Other (shared services and grants)$48,692 · 0%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Hopatcong collects one property tax bill and passes most of it on. In 2025 about 53% of the rate went to the local schools and about 21% to Sussex County. The borough's own share was about 26%.
26¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Hopatcong
- Hopatcong Borough School District1.179 · 53%
- Borough of Hopatcong (municipal purposes)0.581 · 26%
- Sussex County0.417 · 19%
- Sussex County library0.034 · 2%
- Sussex County open space0.002 · <1%
- Borough of Hopatcong open space0.001 · <1%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)2.214
2025 tax rates for a property in the Borough of Hopatcong (Sussex County). Borough of Hopatcong · Jun 8, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Hopatcong is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityHopatcong Police DepartmentBorough of Hopatcong · Mar 24, 2025
- WaterThe cityBorough of Hopatcong Water UtilityBorough of Hopatcong · Mar 24, 2025
- SewerThe cityBorough of Hopatcong Sewer UtilityBorough of Hopatcong · Mar 24, 2025
- StreetsThe cityBorough of Hopatcong Public WorksBorough of Hopatcong · Mar 24, 2025
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | MiddlesexNJ | HopatcongNJ | RamseyNJ | EdgewaterNJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 14,740 | 14,824 | 14,925 | 15,499 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $40,000 | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,797 | $1,384 | $2,148 | $2,645 |
| Debt per resident | $1,018 | $1,535 | $1,191 | $2,648 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,026 | $791 | $1,224 | $1,268 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | — | — |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Hopatcong publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe 2026 adopted budget and user friendly budget are posted on the borough's Budgets page. Borough of Hopatcong
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe Administration page and the budget documents do not state the Borough Administrator's pay. We found no contract or resolution. Borough of Hopatcong
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes record a roll call naming each member's vote, including the 3 to 3 budget vote on July 21, 2026. Borough of Hopatcong · Jul 21, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online Borough of Hopatcong
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentBudget documents give one total for the mayor and council: $15,250 of salaries and wages in 2024. Borough of Hopatcong · Mar 24, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay publishedBudgets show salaries and wages by department, and hiring resolutions state new hires' pay. We found no list of each employee's pay. Borough of Hopatcong · Aug 12, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The council split 3 to 3 on the 2026 budget, and the mayor broke the tie on July 21, 2026. What will change in the 2027 budget process?
- Health insurance costs rose $625,000 in the 2026 budget. What savings would leaving the State Health Benefits Plan bring?
- Most of the $22.76 million the borough owed at the end of 2024 was sewer utility bonds and loans. How will sewer rates cover that debt?
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