Photo: Josconklin · CC BY-SA 3.0How is Scotch Plains Township run?
Scotch Plains Township’s town government spent $29.9 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,222 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Scotch Plains Township didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Scotch Plains Township is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School District
Scotch Plains Township’s K–12 school district, shared with Fanwood. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $22,005 per pupil, $13,806 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.
About $1,222 per resident a year, or $3.35 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 28%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Scotch Plains Township didn’t report all of its 2024 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Scotch Plains Township yet
Every year of Scotch Plains Township’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022–2024. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →full-time in March 2025, up from 95 in 2022.
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 Scotch Plains Township’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 Scotch Plains Township’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Scotch Plains Township →
Who’s in charge in Scotch Plains Township
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Scotch Plains Township’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on scotchplainsnj.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 208 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (24,496).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Scotch Plains Township.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: scotchplainsnj.com ↗
- 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 Scotch Plains Township compares with the towns next door
Scotch Plains Township’s own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 4 of the 6 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $885 to $2,251 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Fanwood | $885 | $10,000+ |
| Westfield | $1,267 | $10,000+ |
| Watchung | $1,475 | $10,000+ |
| Plainfield | $2,251 | $9,920 |
| Clark Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Berkeley Heights Township | estimate | $10,000+ |
| Scotch Plains Township | estimate | $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 Scotch Plains Township’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Scotch Plains Township’s government
How much does Scotch Plains Township spend per resident?
About $1,222 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, a Census Bureau estimate (Scotch Plains Township didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $30.7 million.
Who runs Scotch Plains Township’s government?
See scotchplainsnj.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Scotch Plains Township yet.
How many people work for Scotch Plains Township?
118 full-time and 79 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.1M (about $12.7M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Scotch Plains Township in the state legislature?
State Senate District 22 (Nick Scutari) and General Assembly District 22 (Jim Kennedy and Linda Carter). The General Assembly district also covers nine other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Scotch Plains Township’s 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 (for Scotch Plains Township, 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 →