WILDWOOD — After much delay, Commissioners in a 2 to 1 vote approved the city’s 2009 budget on Oct. 8 during a special meeting.
Commissioner Bill Davenport, who voted yes the first time the city tried to adopt the budget, and Commissioner Gary DeMarzo, who previously abstained from voting on the budget, both voted in favor of the spending plan.
Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. voted against the $26.1 million budget and its accompanying $20,405,768 tax levy. Troiano said he would not vote for the budget because it came with a 18.2-cent tax hike.
Susan Jacobucci, director of the Division of Local Government Services, told the city in the Sept. 10 letter that the budget should have been adopted April 28 and the city had to adopt a budget no later than Sept. 17.
She writes, “if the city of Wildwood fails to adopt a budget consistent with our approval according to the statutes, the director of local government services also has the authority pursuant to NJSA 40A: 4-17(b) to establish the amount to be raised by taxation and thereafter notify the Cape May County Board of Taxation of such amount.”
She also noted that state directives would personally penalizes Commissioners $25 each day for past the deadline that the budget isn’t passed after Oct. 9.
Property owners will pay a total tax rate of $1.831 per $100 of assessed valuation. That rate includes the $1.11 local-purpose tax, a 51-cent school tax, 3.1-cent library tax, 1.1-cent open space tax and 16.8-cent county tax.
