Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Mountain Lakes run?
Mountain Lakes’ borough government spent $7.2 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,726 per resident. Water and other utilities ($741,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Mountain Lakes is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
About $1,726 per resident a year, or $4.73 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Mountain Lakes collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.
$1,726 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Mountain Lakes’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,726 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 48 New Jersey cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,439, and the middle half spent $1,079–$2,284. Mountain Lakes spent more than 58% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.4 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 →
New Jersey cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Mountain Lakes itself left out).
No trend yet
Mountain Lakes reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
Typical bills top $10,000 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Mountain Lakes’ 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 Mountain Lakes’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Mountain Lakes →
Who’s in charge in Mountain Lakes
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Mountain Lakes’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on mtnlakes.org ↗.
One full-time borough employee for every 100 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 (4,197).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Mountain Lakes Borough School District
Mountain Lakes’ K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $39,534 per pupil, $25,679 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.
New Jersey districts overall: 48% local, 46% state, 6% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Mountain Lakes.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: mtnlakes.org ↗
- 2New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
- 3New Jersey SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Mountain Lakes compares with the towns next door
Mountain Lakes spent $1,726 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Boonton Township | $876 | $10,000+ |
| Boonton | $981 | $10,000+ |
| Parsippany-Troy Hills Township | $1,337 | $10,000+ |
| Mountain Lakes | $1,726 | $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 Mountain Lakes’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Mountain Lakes’ government
How much does Mountain Lakes spend per resident?
About $1,726 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 $1,726 was more than 58% of 48 New Jersey cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
Who runs Mountain Lakes’ government?
See mtnlakes.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Mountain Lakes yet.
How many people work for Mountain Lakes?
42 full-time and 17 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $267,399 (about $3.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Mountain Lakes 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 Mountain Lakes’ government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
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 →