Parking cameras are coming to Montclair streets, tickets for the 15th Montclair Film Festival are on sale and the state’s public television newsroom now broadcasts from Montclair State University. Here is your Montclair news roundup for the week, including what the governor told The Montclair Pod about the school funding formula that shapes your property tax bill.
Gov. Sherrill Says Updating The School Funding Formula Is “Always On My Mind”
Gov. Mikie Sherrill told The Montclair Pod that updating New Jersey’s school funding formula is “always on my mind” as her administration rolls out a new statewide database and begins public outreach to overhaul the system. For Montclair families, the stakes are close to home: the district’s $20 million budget crisis helped prompt state lawmakers to advance bills for earlier fiscal warnings.
Sherrill, who lived in Montclair for years, has talked school finance with the Pod before. Read the full transcript of our interview with her and listen to our conversation on what she said about Montclair’s fiscal crisis.
Uptown Sound Music Festival Makes Its Debut At Anderson Park
Upper Montclair’s first music festival takes over Anderson Park on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 2 to 8 p.m., rain or shine. The festival was originally set for Sept. 26 and was postponed because of weather.
Admission is free. Rocking for Inclusion opens, followed by El Ritmo and The Bard Band (featuring our own Mike), with headliner Waterbury Road closing out the night. Expect food trucks, community vendors and family-friendly activities at the park at 274 Bellevue Ave.
Montclair To Test Parking Cameras In 90-Day Pilot
Montclair is moving ahead with automated parking enforcement, though drivers will not see cameras on the street just yet.
The Township Council approved up to $50,000 for a 90-day pilot of “SafetyStick” technology from Municipal Parking Services, Montclair Local reported. The solar-powered devices use radar and cameras to document parking violations, and a municipal parking enforcement employee reviews the evidence before any ticket is issued, according to The Montclair Girl.
The council adopted an ordinance in November 2025 that allows the technology at spots such as fire hydrants, bus stops, crosswalks, drop-off zones and loading zones. The contract must return to the council for approval before the pilot begins, and no start date has been announced. The same system is already used in Belleville.
Montclair Film Festival Tickets Now Open To The Public
The 15th annual Montclair Film Festival runs Oct. 16 through 25, and general public tickets went on sale Thursday, Oct. 1, at festival.montclairfilm.org. Montclair Film members got first access on Sept. 28.
The festival features more than 70 films, plus conversations, panels and special events across town. Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine” opens the festival Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. at the Wellmont Theater. Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!” closes it Sunday, Oct. 25, and Gilroy will receive the festival’s Filmmaker Tribute Award after a Q&A moderated by Montclair resident Stephen Colbert, per Montclair Film’s announcement. Ava DuVernay’s documentary “14th” screens Friday, Oct. 23, at Montclair Kimberley Academy’s Upper School.
The full program, including guests such as Jesse Eisenberg, Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti, is detailed in our festival lineup. Browse the Montclair Film Festival page for schedules.
Montclair State Marks Official Takeover Of Nj Pbs
A new chapter for public television in New Jersey began Thursday, Oct. 1, when “NJ PBS News with Rob Nelson” debuted at 5:30 p.m. ET. The launch marks Montclair State University’s official takeover of full NJ PBS programming and its daily newscast. The university became operator of the state’s public television stations July 1. The weeknight newscast is produced from the university’s College of Communication and Media.
