New Jersey lawmakers have restored a $2 million state security grant for Beth Medrash Govoha and approved $1 million in municipal aid for Lakewood Township as part of the fiscal year 2027 state budget, reversing proposed cuts in Governor Mikie Sherrill’s initial spending plan while scaling back municipal assistance provided in recent years.

The $60.7 billion budget, which awaits final Legislative approval ahead of the state’s July 1 fiscal deadline, includes a one-time $2 million grant for security enhancements at Beth Medrash Govoha.

The funding, which was included in former Governor Phil Murphy’s annual budgets is intended to support safety enhancements at the Yeshiva, which is the largest in the country, with well over 10,000 students enrolled.

The spending plan also provides $1 million in discretionary municipal aid for Lakewood Township. While the funding represents a restoration from the governor’s proposal, it marks a sharp reduction from the previous two state budgets, which included $8 million and $7 million, respectively, for the fast-growing Ocean County municipality.

The municipal aid has been championed in recent years by Senator Bob Singer (R-Lakewood) and Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D-Lakewood), both of whom whose 30th Legislative District includes Lakewood, and who have argued that Lakewood’s rapid population growth has placed extraordinary demands on local infrastructure and municipal services while the state’s existing aid formulas have failed to keep pace.

Despite being one of New Jersey’s largest municipalities, Lakewood receives among the five lowest amounts of municipal aid per capita in the state. This severe underfunding has left the township struggling to cover essential services, including police, fire, public works, and other critical needs.

The final budget reflects negotiations between the governor and legislative leaders, restoring several legislative priorities that had been omitted from the administration’s initial proposal. Gov. Sherrill’s first budget had sought to eliminate or reduce numerous discretionary grants added by lawmakers in prior years as part of an effort to address the state’s structural budget challenges.

The fiscal year 2027 budget takes effect July 1.