How Westwood is run
Who runs Westwood, 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 Westwood's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Westwood
Westwood operates under a Mayor and Council form of government. The mayor is the chief executive, presides over meetings and makes appointments the council confirms. The council adopts the budget and appoints a Borough Administrator, who runs day-to-day operations.
What they are paid
Westwood city staff
The 2026 budget lists 68 full-time and 47 part-time budgeted employees with $8.17M of base pay in total, reported by employee group. We found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Westwood 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
The 2026 budget raises the municipal tax levy by $292,608 (1.80%) to $16.57M. The municipal tax rate falls from 0.638 to 0.594 because assessed values rose, and the average home's municipal tax goes up $142.08. The budget uses $2.01M of surplus, the same as in 2025, and lists the surplus, $1.03M of state aid and $479,000 of construction code fees as revenues that may not recur. Borough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $7.5M (2025-12-31). 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. Westwood's was $7.46M on December 31, 2025. The 2026 budget uses $2.01M of it as revenue. Borough of Westwood · Apr 21, 2026
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$16.6M · 72%
- Fund balance (surplus) used$2M · 9%
- State aid (energy receipts tax)$1M · 4%
- Library property tax$991,862 · 4%
- Local revenues (fees, court fines, interest)$614,700 · 3%
- Construction code fees$479,000 · 2%
- Other (police outside duty, cable and cell tower fees, PILOT, delinquent taxes, grants and others)$1.5M · 6%
Goes to (2026)
- Police$4.4M · 19%
- Employee health insurance$1.6M · 7%
- Debt service$1.6M · 7%
- Police and Firemen's Retirement System contribution$1.5M · 6%
- Streets and roads crews$1.4M · 6%
- Sewage treatment (Bergen County Utilities Authority)$1.2M · 5%
- Library$991,862 · 4%
- Other (administration, garbage collection, reserve for uncollected taxes, insurance, other pensions and others)$10.5M · 45%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Westwood collects one property tax bill and passes most of it on. Of the 2025 levy, 57.88% went to the schools and about 11% to Bergen County. The borough's own share, including the library, was about 31%.
31¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Westwood
- Westwood Regional School District1.251 · 58%
- Borough of Westwood (municipal purposes)0.638 · 30%
- Bergen County0.228 · 11%
- Westwood Public Library0.035 · 2%
- Bergen County open space0.01 · <1%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)2.162
2025 tax rates for a property in the Borough of Westwood (Bergen County). Borough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
Who provides your services
Not everything in Westwood is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityWestwood Police DepartmentBorough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityWestwood Police Dispatch/911Borough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
- FireThe cityWestwood Fire DepartmentThe budget funds its expenses and a Length of Service Awards Program.Borough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
- StreetsThe cityBorough of WestwoodBorough of Westwood · Apr 21, 2026
- Trash and recyclingThe cityBorough of WestwoodBorough of Westwood · Apr 21, 2026
- LibraryThe cityWestwood Free Public LibraryBorough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityBorough of WestwoodBorough of Westwood · Apr 21, 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 | Lincoln ParkNJ | WestwoodNJ | WanaqueNJ | RidgefieldNJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,950 | 11,365 | 11,418 | 11,547 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $5,970 | $4,500 |
| General fund per resident | $2,466 | $2,038 | $1,626 | $2,462 |
| Debt per resident | $824 | $967 | $2,612 | $2,408 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $1,142 | $1,298 | $840 | $1,323 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 7.1 | — | 5.3 | 6.8 |
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 Westwood 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 certified budget, introduced budget and user friendly budget are posted on the borough's Municipal Budgets page. Borough of Westwood
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe finance page posts budgets, audits and debt statements. We found no contract or resolution stating the Borough Administrator's pay. Borough of Westwood
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes record a roll call with each member's vote, including on the 2026 budget adoption. Borough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public document Borough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
- Partly: Employee pay published Borough of Westwood · May 5, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The Current Fund balance fell from $7.96 million to $7.46 million in 2025, and the 2026 budget again uses $2.01 million of surplus. How long can the borough keep using surplus at that level?
- Westwood's share of state pension liabilities was $14.7 million at June 30, 2025, and the 2026 budget sets a $1.49 million PFRS contribution. How will those costs fit into future budgets?
- The 2026 budget lists the surplus, $1.03 million of state aid and $479,000 of construction code fees as revenues that may not recur. What would replace them?
- The municipal tax rate falls from 0.638 to 0.594 in 2026, but the average home's municipal tax rises $142.08. How should residents read the change in assessments?
The budget year runs January 1 to December 31. The council introduced the 2026 budget on April 7, 2026 by Resolution #26-116. It held the public hearing on May 5, 2026 and adopted the budget at that meeting by Resolution #26-144. See who is running for council
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