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Methodist Episcopal ChurchMethodist Episcopal Church · Photo: Josconklin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Madison

How is Madison run?

Madison’s borough government spent $23.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,316 per resident. That is its newest year reported to the Census Bureau. Water and other utilities ($17 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Election Day

Today

General election in New Jersey.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$23.2M
year to December 31, 2022
Per resident, 2022
$1,316
In 2022: $1,316, more than 62% of 45 similar cities
Long-term debt
$14.0M
end of 2022, reported
Borough staff, 2022
127
full-time · 75 part-time · March payroll $1.2M
Typical tax bill
$10,000+
a year

What stands out about how Madison is run

Read from the borough’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,316 per resident a year, or $3.61 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: housing & development, at 25%.

Where the money comes from
Utility sales 49%Property taxes 31%Fees & charges 8%From the federal government 8%Other taxes & licenses 2%From the state 1%Interest, fines & other 1%Sales taxes <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $1.5 million; interest on debt $613,000; payments to other governments $60,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $42.4 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,316 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Madison’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,316 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,189, and the middle half spent $1,010–$1,449. Madison spent more than 62% of them.

Middle half of the group, $1,010–$1,449Median $1,189Madison

Includes sewer and trash ($3.2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
45

New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Madison itself left out).

Over the years

No trend yet

Madison reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau (2023, 2024 are estimates), so there is no trend yet.

Property tax

Typical bills top $10,000 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Madison$10,000+
Florham Park$10,000+
Chatham Township$10,000+
Green Village$9,694
New Jersey$9,590
$10,000+
typical bill a year
$943,200
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Madison’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Madison’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Madison →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Madison

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See rosenet.org for Madison’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Madison yet.rosenet.org ↗
Agendas

Madison’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on rosenet.org ↗.

Who works for Madison

One full-time borough employee for every 139 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (17,612).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Police32 + 37 pt
Parks & libraries19 + 23 pt
Administration & buildings17 + 3 pt
Water & other utilities13 + 1 pt
Fire13
Roads & transportation8 + 4 pt
Housing & development8
Sewer & trash5
Courts, inspections & corrections3 + 2 pt
Health & welfare1 + 1 pt
Other8 + 4 pt
127
full-time
75
part-time
$1.2M
payroll for March 2022
$14.0M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$99,600
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
27
sworn police officers
12
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Madison had 7.2 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 33 of the 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 6.5: Madison had more than 73% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Madison Borough School District

Madison’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Madison →
$26,598
per pupil · NJ $28,441
2,485
students
$26.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $26,598 per pupil, $15,718 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 73%State 25%Federal 2%

New Jersey districts overall: 48% local, 46% state, 6% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Madison

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Madison.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: rosenet.org ↗
  2. 2
    New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
  3. 3
    New Jersey SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Madison compares with the towns next door

Madison spent $1,316 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $1,554. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Florham Park$1,554$10,000+
Chatham Townshipestimate$10,000+
Madison$1,316$10,000+

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Madison’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Madison’s government

How much does Madison spend per resident?

About $1,316 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,316 was more than 62% of 45 New Jersey cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.

Who runs Madison’s government?

See rosenet.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Madison yet.

How many people work for Madison?

127 full-time and 75 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $1.2M (about $14.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Madison in the state legislature?

State Senate District 25 (Tony Bucco) and General Assembly District 25 (Aura Dunn and Marisa Sweeney). The General Assembly district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Madison’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →