Jackson Township, NJ – A sharp 35% increase in Jackson Township’s summer camp rates has drawn criticism from both residents and township officials, with Councilman Giuseppe Palmeri calling the one-year hike “unfair to Jackson families” already struggling with rising living costs.
The fee increase, enacted under Ordinance No. 2025-51 and approved in December, raises base camp registration from $500 to $675, with full-day care climbing to $910.
Pollak shocks town after voting for fee hike with council adversaries
At the second reading, Councilmen Chris Pollak, Ken Bressi, and Mordechai Burnstein all voted yes to the fee hike. The bill was approved by Mayor Jennifer Kuhn and signed into law.
Additional charges now include late pickup fees starting at $25, $150 for drop-off and pickup services, and extra costs for camp T-shirts.
Township officials said the increase was necessary to cover operational expenses that have outpaced the program’s stagnant rates, which only rose by $100 total between 2013 and 2025. The new fees are intended to offset higher payroll costs, minimum wage increases, transportation, and supplies.
“Minimum wage has more than doubled since 2011, and our program fees have barely changed,” the township’s recreation coordinator said at the meeting. “We’re simply trying to make the program sustainable and competitive with other towns.”
Councilman Palmeri cast the sole vote against the measure, arguing that the 35% increase in a single year imposes an unnecessary burden on families facing record inflation, higher utility bills, and new state tax increases.
“I’m a divorced single mom with four children. I already had a hard time affording it because of the costs of trips, ice cream and pizza days, etc. We have toll hikes, gas tax increase, utilities have increased, car insurance has increased, my health insurance has gone up a ton. Mind you I have cancer for the third time. I’m drowning,” said one Jackson resident, Carly Ann.
“This ordinance attempts to make up for 12 years of inaction all at once,” Palmeri said before the vote. “A 35% per-child increase is a significant and sudden burden on Jackson families. I would have supported a phased-in increase over two or three years to allow residents time to plan and adjust.”
He noted that energy costs and healthcare premiums remain at record highs, while New Jersey’s gas tax is set to increase by nearly 50 cents per gallon in January.
Town officials countered that even with the rate hike, Jackson’s camp remains among the most affordable in the region. Comparisons showed that nearby programs in towns such as Freehold and New Egypt charge between $1,200 and $1,600 for similar sessions.
The updated rates take effect for the 2026 summer season, marking the program’s first significant adjustment in more than a decade.