It's budget time of year again and the governing bodies in both Fair Lawn and Saddle Brook are encouraging residents to get involved in the process.

The Saddle Brook township council is holding a special meeting Thursday, March 7, at 7 p.m. in town hall to discuss the 2013 budget.

Fair Lawn council will be hold two open budget meetings in the next 10 days.

The first budget meeting, which will involve a detailed rundown of this year's budget by borough manager Tom Metzler and chief financial officer Karen Palermo, will take place Tuesday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Borough Hall Room 201.

The manager and council will then meet with individual department heads to discuss their department's budgets on Saturday, March 16, at 9 a.m. in Borough Hall Room 201. 

Both budget meetings are open to the public.

Borough manager Tom Metzler said Tuesday that as it stands this year's municipal budget includes a 1.38 percent tax increase, which amounts to a $38.84 tax bump for the average homeowner.

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