Bloomfield Tax Bills Jump in the Fourth Quarter: Mayor Explains the Increase

Some Bloomfield homeowners opened their fourth-quarter tax bills and found them noticeably higher than the bills they paid in the previous quarter, enough that Mayor Jenny Mundell issued a statement to explain the jump. The increase traces back to the roughly $114.5 million municipal budget Bloomfield approved in July, which carried a 12 percent municipal tax increase, more than triple the prior year's. Here is what happened, why the bills look the way they do, and what it means if you own or are buying here.

Property taxes are the biggest recurring cost of homeownership in New Jersey, and Bloomfield is no exception. When the bills themselves arrive with a visible bump, it is worth understanding the numbers, not just the sticker shock, because those costs shape monthly budgets and comparable sales alike.

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What the bills show

Patch reported on September 17, 2026, that some homeowners' fourth-quarter bills came in significantly higher than their third-quarter bills, prompting the mayor's public explanation. Quarterly timing also adds to the confusion, because the fall installment reflects the full new municipal levy while earlier 2026 installments were still based on the prior year's rate. Details vary by assessment and payment plan, so your neighbor's number may not match yours, and it is always worth checking your own bill line by line.

Here are the key facts behind the increase:

• A 12 percent municipal tax increase adopted with the July budget, more than triple the previous year's increase, according to the mayor and Patch reporting.
• Roughly $589 more per year for a home at the average assessment, based on the township's own budget figures shared when the budget was adopted.
• The main drivers: rising health insurance, pensions, public safety costs, and wastewater expenses, the same cost pressures most Essex County towns are wrestling with.
• The municipal share is only part of the bill. School and county levies, and any voter-approved referendums, are separate lines that also move from year to year.

Remember that the fourth-quarter bill is a catch-up moment: the new municipal rate applies fully in the fall installment, which is why the jump can feel sharper than the annual percentage suggests. If your bill looks higher than you expected, pull the breakdown by levy, and compare it with the same quarter last year before you assume an error.

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What this means for homeowners

If you own in Bloomfield, the practical step is a quick budget review. If your mortgage escrow accounts for taxes, your lender will true up the escrow at some point, which can change your monthly payment, so it helps to check your escrow analysis when it arrives. If you pay taxes directly, plan for the higher fall and spring installments.

It is also a good moment to look at your assessment. Bloomfield's town-wide revaluation is on the Essex County schedule for 2028, so assessments are still based on older values for now, but that will reset within a couple of years. Understanding how your assessed value compares with what your home would sell for today is genuinely useful for your tax picture, both now and after the reval.

What this means for buyers

For buyers, the lesson is simple: ask for the actual tax history, not just the current-year figure, and have your lender model the true monthly cost at the current rate. A $589 annual increase on an average home is modest against a full mortgage payment, but property taxes in Bloomfield and across Essex County are already among the highest in the country, so every increment matters to your long-term budget. When you compare homes, taxes belong in the same conversation as price, because two similar houses can carry meaningfully different annual bills.

The bottom line

The fourth-quarter jump is not a mistake and it is not news about the revaluation; it is the 2026 municipal budget working its way onto bills. For sellers, a clear, current tax figure makes your listing easier to evaluate honestly. For buyers, it is a reminder to look at the whole carrying cost, not just the purchase price. I update this page as things change, and if you want to talk through how taxes fit into your buying or selling plan, I am happy to walk through the math with you.