Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Sussex run?
Sussex’s borough government spent $2.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,261 per resident. Water and other utilities ($836,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Sussex is run
Read from the borough’s budget and official records.
About $1,261 per resident a year, or $3.45 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 55%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,261 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Sussex’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,261 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 25 New Jersey cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,288, and the middle half spent $403–$4,695. Sussex spent less than 52% 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 under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Sussex itself left out).
No trend yet
Sussex reported only 2022 to the Census Bureau, so there is no trend yet.
The typical homeowner pays $6,626 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 2.41% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Sussex’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. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Sussex’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Sussex →
Who’s in charge in Sussex
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Sussex’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on sussex.nj.us ↗.
One full-time borough employee for every 396 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 (1,979).
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.
Sussex-Wantage Regional School District
Sussex’s elementary school district, shared with Wantage Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $29,081 per pupil, $17,346 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.
High Point Regional School District · $33,580 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Sussex.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: sussex.nj.us ↗
- 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.
Reach Sussex’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Sussex’s government
How much does Sussex spend per resident?
About $1,261 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 $1,261 was less than 52% of 25 New Jersey cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Sussex?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $6,626 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 2.41% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see sussex.nj.us.
Who runs Sussex’s government?
See sussex.nj.us for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Sussex yet.
How many people work for Sussex?
5 full-time and 9 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $28,572 (about $342,864 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Sussex in the state legislature?
State Senate District 24 (Parker Space) and General Assembly District 24 (Dawn Fantasia and Mike Inganamort). The General Assembly district also covers 31 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Sussex’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; 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 →