Borough Approves Zero-Increase Budget

WOODBINE – Woodbine Borough Council met March 19 for its regularly scheduled meeting and introduced its 2015 budget that called for no “local purpose” tax increase.
“This is the 25th consecutive year we have been able to hold off any increase,” said Mayor William Pikolycky. “Our local tax rate has remained stable and I think our municipal services only continue to improve.”
Woodbine Budget
Woodbine’s tax rate stands at .235 cents per $100 assessed value, the same as in 2014, which means that a property assessed at $100,000 will pay $235 in local purpose tax. The 2015 spending plan calls for a total budget of over $1.8 million, not including federal and state grants, which remains under the 2 percent cap.
Public hearing on the budget will be April 16, in the Borough Council meeting room, starting at 8 p.m.
“Since state aid has remained flat, there is an even greater need that ever to submit borough grant applications for increasingly competitive N.J. and federal aid, and we are doing all we can to make sure that Woodbine’s proposals are well done so that we get our share of this funding,” continued Pikolycky.
A related figure is that in 2015, the borough has budgeted to receive or administer approximately $500,000 in grants for needed projects both through the borough itself as well as through its Airport Business Park.
“The borough collects a total tax levy of about $2.6 million,” added Pikolycky. “Of that amount we only keep $420,789, which is 16 percent of the total, meaning that only 16 cents of every tax dollar collected remains in Woodbine for our needs.”
Proposed Ordinance
Borough Solicitor Daniel Young presented a draft ordinance that Pikolycky asked him to research and write in line with directives of the local finance board and New Jersey statutory authority. This proposed ordinance addresses requirements to file financial disclosure statements as a statutory obligation and states it “is integral to our system of local government and public access to this information provides transparency and is an important aspect of citizen participation in government.”
The ordinance is directed at those appointed individuals who fail to file financial disclosure statements which may also be in violation of the local governments ethics laws administered by the local finance board of the state.
“We are seeking to take the onus off council and the mayor to deal with individuals who fail to comply with the law, after notices and reminders to do so, which severely impacts the trust of residents towards their public officials,” explained Young.
The ordinance includes usual “grace periods” after which any appointed member “shall be immediately suspended from their appointed position without further notice, until they have provided proof of compliance.” After 45 days in suspension, the ordinance calls for immediate termination from the relevant position.
“I am fully in favor of this ordinance and also recommend that any official so suspended should also have any related income from the position terminated until they are in compliance,” stated Committeeman Michael Benson.
“That’s a good idea, why should they get paid if they can’t serve,” agreed Pilolycky. Young will add this proviso into the draft ordinance that will be ready for reading and review at the next Council meeting.
Woodbine School Update
Benson reported that Woodbine’s school children are “very immersed” in preliminary PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) testing and this standardized testing is going on throughout the country. “It’s going very well for the students, they’re using the online functions, we have literacy and math testing to be completed by the end of March and overall testing will be completed by the end of May,” he said.
Benson also said that the long-awaited meeting with the school board where the main topic will be its budget and update on deficit reduction will be held March 26. He noted as well that Woodbine’s Pre-K program has been commended by the N.J. “Pre K, Our Way” organization, a bipartisan not-for-profit chaired by former N.J. Governors Tom Kean and Jim Florio, and will be so noted on its website.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.