Photo credit: Jamie Atlas
The Montclair Pod asked all three candidates for Montclair’s councilor-at-large seat the same seven questions about their experience, priorities, and plans for the township—from property taxes and development to school finances and everyday services.
Below are Mariana Horta’s responses. Read the other candidates’ answers in our separate Q&As with Kyle Porro and Toni Martin.
Responses are presented in the candidate’s own words, with formatting standardized for readability.
The Montclair Pod: What makes you the best candidate for this seat? Please point to specific experience or accomplishments.
For years, I’ve done the homework on how Montclair spends its money and who pays for it, and I’ll bring that to the Council. I’m a demographer by training. I read every Township budget, compare ours each year with those of New Jersey towns half to twice our size, and am often one of only a couple of residents who speak at budget hearings. This year I analyzed every property in Montclair to understand what kinds of homes we have and what each pays in taxes. On the Council, I’ll base decisions on the best available evidence (that means data, not vibes), with no political agenda. Every hard choice helps some residents and costs others, so I’ll weigh those trade-offs openly and explain my votes. I’ll represent everyone in all four wards, whether you moved here last year or have lived here your whole life. As one of seven council members, I’ll listen to and work with every one of my colleagues. My involvement started with the broken sidewalks on my street. In 2017, I proposed a town-run repair program modeled on Minneapolis’s, but my council member never got back to me. Last year, when our street got sidewalk violations, the neighborhood organized to hire one contractor together, and we paid far less than we would have separately. I’ve also joined other parents pushing for safer streets and conducted a free enrollment study for our public schools.
TMP: What are the top three issues facing Montclair residents right now, and which one would you tackle first?
- Property taxes are very high and add to a cost-of-living crisis in our area. The Council can’t do anything about other costs growing much faster than people’s incomes, like healthcare, transportation, and groceries. What it can do is put residents first by holding the line on municipal spending and weighing the tax impact of every proposal before it.
Housing costs are also a heavy burden for renters, but I focus on property taxes because renters pay them too, through their rent, though much less per home. In 2025, the average single-family home paid over $25,000 in property taxes, compared with under $5,000 for an apartment. The often-quoted $22,487 average covers houses, two- to four-family homes, and condos, and leaves out apartments in larger buildings. The Township has also eased renters’ burden with rent control. - Development and what it means for our tax base and our neighborhoods. Residents want to keep their tree-lined streets and historic homes. They want to know what new buildings will add to the community, whether they fit the surrounding streets, and how growth will affect getting around town safely and efficiently. From talking with many residents, I’ve learned that most are neither NIMBYs nor YIMBYs. They just want new development to fit in and pay its fair share of taxes.
- Everyday municipal services and safe streets. Garbage and recycling pickup, snow removal, permits, sidewalks, safe crossings, stop signs, and local parks are where residents meet their town government every day. Getting around town should be safe and convenient, with streets that work for everyone, whether you’re driving, walking, or riding a bike. Good street design saves lives, and every repaving project is a chance to make a street safer while crews are already there. A senior center should be one of those everyday places, but we don’t have one. With a growing senior population, that needs to change soon.
I’d start with the first, because it touches every household, owners and renters alike. I’d push for a multi-year budget plan that shows where costs are heading before the next budget is introduced, and a plan to rein in our fastest-growing costs. I’d also bring residents in earlier. Each November, the Township holds budget hearings where department heads present their requests, but there’s no similar meeting to hear residents’ priorities. I’d like to hold budget town halls in all four wards each November, so residents are heard and the Town Manager can weigh their priorities when drafting the next year’s budget.
TMP: Montclair has added large apartment projects while longtime residents say they’re being priced out. What should the council do differently on development and housing costs?
Housing costs squeeze residents in many ways, most of them beyond the town’s control. I’ll focus on two where the Council may make a difference. The first is the cost of staying in the home you have, and property taxes are the part of it the Council can directly affect. Keeping spending growth in check, so taxes don’t outpace incomes, helps young families, seniors, and longtime neighbors stay.
The second is the cost of buying a home here. Only about 4% of Montclair’s houses and condos are valued within reach of a middle-income household in our region, and buying the typical single-family home takes an income of about $407,000. Our many two- and three-family homes don’t fill that gap, because their units usually aren’t sold separately. I’d like the Council to do more to encourage modest homes that people can buy, and that generally pay their fair share of taxes. Unfortunately, the Council cannot require that new, multi-unit buildings be condos instead of apartments. What it may be able to do is to streamline the process of converting two- to four-family homes into condos, either when sellers agree to sell them separately or when buyers come together to buy a home with more than one unit. One of my friends did this. After a two-family house was converted into two condos, its taxes nearly doubled. A young family could move into homeownership on one side, and an older couple could downsize from a larger Montclair home on the other.
On development, I’d ask three questions. Does it fit the neighborhood? Does it add to the tax base? And how will it affect getting around town safely? The Planning Board and Zoning Board decide individual projects under state law, but the Council writes the zoning rules, adopts redevelopment plans, and approves PILOT agreements. That’s where I’d ask these questions.
I’d also push the Council to ensure assessments are fair. My analysis of recent sales found that lower-priced homes were assessed a bit closer to market value than expensive ones, costing a typical lower-priced homeowner about $750 a year. The townwide revaluation should correct that, and the Township should check that it did.
On affordable housing, Montclair is doing its part. We have about 18 deed-restricted affordable homes per 1,000 residents, more than any comparable Essex County town with a published inventory (3 to 12 elsewhere), and we’ve met our state’s “fair share” obligation. The region’s need is far greater than any one town can meet, so Montclair can take pride in its contribution and encourage neighboring towns to match it.
TMP: The council doesn’t run the school district, but the district’s deficit hits every taxpayer. What, if anything, should the council do to help stabilize school finances?
The Council and the Board of Education are separate, but they share the same taxpayers, and they should work together to meet the community’s needs. Here’s where the Council can help:
Share PILOT revenue, both residential and commercial. Property owners pay for our schools through their tax bills, and the state contributes very little. When a building pays a PILOT instead, its share of school costs falls on everyone else, including homeowners and businesses with no PILOT agreement to keep their payments predictable. Since 2024, state law has let towns share PILOT revenue with their school districts, but Montclair hasn’t. In 2025, the Township received about $6.5 million from 14 PILOTs, residential and commercial. Split the way a regular tax bill is, the schools’ share would be about $3.75 million. Today they receive none of it.
Or use PILOT revenue to pay down old school debt. Taxpayers still pay about $7.7 million a year on bonds issued when Montclair’s school district was a Type I district, and the Township services that debt. Using existing PILOT revenue to cover part of it would bring immediate tax relief. That matters this year. Residents generously supported the school referendum, and fast-rising health benefit costs at both the schools and the Township pushed bills up further. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, average wages rose 3.3% in New Jersey over the past year, and only 2.2% in Essex County. With the average house already paying over $25,000, taxes shouldn’t grow faster.
Plan together. The Township and the district could save money through joint purchasing and shared services, such as one crew maintaining both parks and school grounds, or shared snow removal. Our school grounds also lack shade trees, and the Township plants trees every year. It could plant some at our schools too. And a local jitney could serve middle and high schoolers, older residents, and commuters heading to our train stations without driving and parking. It could replace school buses for older students, take them to after-school activities, and still serve everyone else.
It also helps to understand why school taxes are high. Montclair budgeted about 6% less per student than the state average this year. Our school taxes are high because each student has less property behind them than in towns like Millburn or Princeton, so a high tax still buys below-average spending per student. Part of the reason is our housing stock, which is more varied and inclusive than in other towns that get no state equalization aid. Schools and town services cost money per resident and per student, but property taxes depend on value. The Council should keep this in mind when making zoning and redevelopment decisions.
TMP: Beyond raising property taxes, how should Montclair bring in revenue?
There is no free money. Revenue that doesn’t come from property taxes usually comes from fees that residents also pay, and both add to our cost of living. So any new revenue source should be chosen carefully. Here’s where I see room:
Grants for one-time needs. The library’s $36.7 million in state funding shows what’s possible. The Township plans to apply for a Safe Routes to School grant this year, and there are state and federal funds for stormwater, streets, and resilience. Grants work best for building and repairing facilities. When they pay for recurring costs like staff, those costs remain after the grant ends and leave a hole in the budget.
Fees that cover costs. Each service fee should cover what the service costs the Township, so residential taxpayers don’t have to make up the difference. Fees should be reviewed regularly. Parking meter rates went eight years without a change.
Visitors. Montclair is a regional destination, and visitors could contribute more. Some towns in other states do this with a restaurant tax, but New Jersey doesn’t allow one. That leaves parking, which visitors and residents both pay for. Because residents pay too, parking rates should be set to keep a few spaces open on every commercial block, so drivers aren’t circling and adding to congestion. Any revenue is a side benefit.
A healthy commercial tax base. Walkable downtowns that draw shoppers, and permits and licenses issued online, would make Montclair an easier place to do business. Growing the commercial tax base is harder than it sounds, though. Despite our vibrant business districts, commercial property pays only about 10% of our property taxes, and homes carry about 85%.
PILOTs are another way the Township raises money outside the tax levy, but that revenue doesn’t seem to significantly lower existing taxpayers’ bills or help fund our schools. More on that in my PILOT answer.
When the Township can’t raise more revenue, it can control costs. I’d look hardest at the fastest-growing lines, especially employee health benefits, and at how other towns deliver the same services for less, such as trash and recycling collection.
TMP: Tell us where you stand on Payment in Lieu of Taxes, including whether the schools should get a share.
Ideally, no more PILOTs. They aren’t a bad deal for the town, but they don’t provide the relief taxpayers need. If the Council decides a site needs redevelopment, I’ll push for a shorter PILOT, so the building joins the tax base sooner and taxpayers don’t wait 30 years.
Montclair’s PILOT apartment buildings usually pay as much as taxable apartments, or more, about $5,300 per unit per year (including the PILOT on the building and the taxes on the land), compared with about $4,200 for taxable apartments. In 2025, the four large PILOT housing projects paid about $4.3 million, about 86% of what full taxes would be. That average hides a wide range. Valley & Bloom paid more than full taxes, and the Siena paid 84%. Wellmont paid 69%, but it’s new, and its PILOT rises over time. 11 Pine Street paid only 63%, and its PILOT doesn’t seem to rise much. Shorter agreements would keep us from living with a bad deal for 30 years.
The other issue is where the money goes. About 95% goes to the Township, 5% to the County, and none to our schools, even though schools make up 57% of a property tax bill. Because PILOT buildings sit outside the regular tax base, everyone else pays a little more in school taxes. As long as we have PILOTs, residential and commercial, the schools should get a share. I’ve advocated for this for years. And nearby towns show it can be done. Since 2022, Cedar Grove has sent its schools $1.2 million a year from its Hilltop PILOT under a 25-year agreement. Princeton now shares part of a PILOT with its schools too. And in Verona, after the Council approved a new PILOT this spring, the mayor suggested sharing future PILOT revenue with the schools. I’d like Montclair to:
- Share part of existing PILOT revenue with the schools, or use it to pay down the old school debt in the municipal budget.
- Build school sharing into recently approved 30-year PILOTs, such as Lackawanna Plaza and the Church Street building now under construction, from the start.
PILOT revenue is also temporary money. Once it pays for recurring costs, the budget comes to depend on it. The Township needs a plan to end that dependency. It should be transparent about what PILOT revenue pays for and use it for one-time needs, like facility improvements or paying down debt, instead of recurring costs like personnel.
TMP: A councilor at-large represents the whole town, not one ward. Name one specific thing you’d push for in your first six months, and how you’d get other votes for it.
I’d push for a Township-run sidewalk repair program that fixes sidewalks block by block. Today, when a sidewalk is reported, the homeowner gets a violation and has to hire a contractor and arrange a permit, a utility mark-out, an arborist inspection, and a final inspection, often for just a slab or two. When my neighbors and I hired one contractor for over 100 slabs on our street, we paid $210 a slab, while other quotes ran as high as $600. Repairing many sidewalks at once saves money and makes them safe for everyone, and the Township can organize it far more easily than any one street can. Preserving our street trees would be a priority of the program, so repairs work around roots instead of removing mature trees. Minneapolis already runs a program like this.
Broken sidewalks are in every ward, so every councilor hears about them. Safe sidewalks are the start of safe streets, for kids walking to school and for older residents alike. I’d start by meeting one-on-one with each of my colleagues and the Town Manager to share the cost data, then propose a pilot with blocks in all four wards. Then we let the results make the case.
If I could add a second and third priority, they would be a senior center and more street safety improvements, including bike lanes. Our senior population is growing, and a senior center should be part of our disaster preparedness plan because it keeps some of our most vulnerable residents connected to services and reachable in a crisis. Bike lanes also bring much-needed traffic calming, which helps everyone, while also making it safer for people who prefer to travel on two wheels and leaving more parking and less traffic congestion for everyone else.
