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Morris Plains StationMorris Plains Station · Photo: Robert Mortell · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Morris Plains

How is Morris Plains run?

Morris Plains’ borough government spent $10.3 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,650 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Morris Plains didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$10.3M
year to December 31, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$1,650
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$2.7M
end of 2022 · Census estimate
Borough staff, 2022
31
full-time · 26 part-time · March payroll $310,974 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$10,000+
a year
★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,650 per resident a year, or $4.52 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 27%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 91%Interest, fines & other 3%From the state 2%Other taxes & licenses 2%Sales taxes 1%Fees & charges 1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Morris Plains collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.

An estimate

Morris Plains didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $252,000; payments to other governments $765,000. With these, the whole budget was $11.3 million.
About “Other”.27% of Morris Plains’ day-to-day spending ($2.7 million) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Morris Plains yet

Every year of Morris Plains’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the borough reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
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

Morris Plains$10,000+
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township$10,000+
Morris Township$10,000+
New Jersey$9,590
Hanover Township$8,845
Cedar Knolls$8,813
$10,000+
typical bill a year
$643,300
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Morris Plains’ 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 Morris Plains’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Morris Plains →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Morris Plains

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

See morrisplainsboro.org for Morris Plains’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Morris Plains yet.morrisplainsboro.org ↗
Agendas

Morris Plains’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on morrisplainsboro.org ↗.

Who works for Morris Plains

One full-time borough employee for every 201 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (6,223).

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

Police12 + 10 pt
Parks & libraries2 + 11 pt
Administration & buildings4 + 2 pt
Roads & transportation5
Water & other utilities4 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections1 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash1
Health & welfare0 + 1 pt
Other2
31
full-time
26
part-time
$310,974
payroll for March 2022
$3.7M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$103,300
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
10
sworn police officers
Estimates.Morris Plains didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

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

Morris Plains Borough School District

Morris Plains’ elementary school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Morris Plains →
$28,679
per pupil · NJ $28,441
601
students
$12.9 million
long-term debt

Of the $28,679 per pupil, $18,140 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 78%State 20%Federal 2%

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

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

Who represents Morris Plains

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Morris Plains.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  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 Morris Plains compares with the towns next door

Morris Plains’ own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 3 of the 3 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $1,304 to $1,857 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Morris Township$1,304$10,000+
Parsippany-Troy Hills Township$1,337$10,000+
Hanover Township$1,857$8,845
Morris Plainsestimate$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 Morris Plains’ government

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

The Handbook →

Questions about Morris Plains’ government

How much does Morris Plains spend per resident?

About $1,650 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Morris Plains didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $11.3 million.

Who runs Morris Plains’ government?

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

How many people work for Morris Plains?

31 full-time and 26 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $310,974 (about $3.7M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Morris Plains in the state legislature?

State Senate District 26 (Joe Pennacchio) and General Assembly District 26 (Brian Bergen and Jay Webber). The General Assembly district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Morris Plains’ 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 (for Morris Plains, the Bureau’s estimates); 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 →