How North Arlington is run
Who runs North Arlington, 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 North Arlington's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs North Arlington
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
North Arlington city staff
70 full-time-equivalent positions. 2026 budget. Full-time employees in the 2026 budget. The borough also has 96 part-time employees. Borough of North Arlington · May 14, 2026
The 2026 user-friendly budget gives staff totals and aggregate pay. Council resolutions list 2026 pay for department heads and some part-time staff by name; we found no full payroll list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is North Arlington 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.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $7.2M (2024-12-31). The city's own target: We found no written reserve target. New Jersey towns report a Current Fund balance (surplus) rather than an unassigned balance. North Arlington's was $7,248,685 on December 31, 2024. The unaudited 2025 statement shows $8,156,409 a year later. The 2026 budget uses $5.2M of surplus as revenue. Borough of North Arlington · Aug 7, 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$19.9M · 62%
- Surplus (fund balance) used$5.2M · 16%
- Meadowlands tax sharing$1.4M · 4%
- State aid (energy receipts tax)$1.1M · 3%
- Library property tax$995,685 · 3%
- Interest on investments$550,000 · 2%
- Municipal court fines$500,000 · 2%
- Other (delinquent taxes, EMS billing, construction fees, franchise fees, grants and others)$2.3M · 7%
Goes to (2026)
- Public safety$8.7M · 27%
- Insurance$5.5M · 17%
- Public works$3.4M · 11%
- Statutory expenditures$2.8M · 9%
- Debt service$2.6M · 8%
- Utilities and bulk purchases$2.6M · 8%
- General government$1.9M · 6%
- Other (reserve for uncollected taxes, library, court, health, parks, capital and others)$4.5M · 14%
Who provides your services
Not everything in North Arlington is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityNorth Arlington Police DepartmentBorough of North Arlington · Apr 9, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityNorth Arlington Police DepartmentPolice dispatch and 911 are a borough budget line.Borough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
- FireThe cityNorth Arlington Fire Department (volunteer fire company)The borough funds fire department expenses and a contribution to the volunteer fire company.Borough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
- Emergency medical servicesThe cityBorough of North ArlingtonBorough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
- StreetsThe cityBorough of North Arlington Public WorksBorough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
- LibraryThe cityNorth Arlington Free Public LibraryFunded by the borough's minimum library tax.Borough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
- Public healthThe cityNorth Arlington Board of HealthBorough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
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 | Roselle ParkNJ | Asbury ParkNJ | North ArlingtonNJ | New MilfordNJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 15,603 | 15,632 | 16,601 | 17,133 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $12,193 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,563 | $4,036 | $1,923 | $1,631 |
| Debt per resident | $1,097 | $3,315 | $671 | $937 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $882 | $3,383 | $1,013 | $993 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 15.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 |
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 North Arlington publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online Borough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe August 7, 2025 resolution renewing the administrator's contract says the contract is attached, but it is not posted. Borough of North Arlington · Aug 7, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineMinutes record roll-call votes listing each council member by name. Borough of North Arlington · May 14, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA June 11, 2026 resolution sets the mayor's pay at $14,073.57 and each council member's at $12,192.71 per year. Borough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay publishedResolutions list 2026 pay for department heads and some staff by name. We found no full payroll list. Borough of North Arlington · Jun 11, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- North Arlington's share of state pension liabilities was $16.8 million at June 30, 2025. How will pension contributions fit into future budgets?
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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