Council Introduces Budget and 2,000 New Trees

WOODBINE – Borough Council introduced its 2014 municipal budget at its March 6 meeting. The budget calls for municipal expenditures of $1.8 million, not including an additional $1 million in anticipated grants. The budget includes no municipal tax increase, for the 24th consecutive year, something Mayor William Pikolycky said he is “very proud of.” The mayor thanked council members and borough employees for “working together to keep taxes low.”
Pikolycky announced that he had been in discussions with MUA officials regarding a new plan for recycling electronics, which the MUA had planned to stop collecting in June. The mayor said that the new plan will involve offsetting the cost of the electronics recycling by using the recycling rebates issued to municipalities each year. “Finding a solution is important to small towns like us,” Pikolycky said. “And unless the DEP waves some magic wand to fix it, this looks like the plan.”
Council also discussed repairs to be made to the borough water tower. Cell phone antennas will be relocated in the next few months in preparation for the work. The tower will have a new access door installed, and have some welding repairs made this summer. The tank will be painted in the fall. The project is being funded by a grant from the Department of Community Affairs, which the borough received last year. Painting the tank is expected to take two weeks.
A job fair will be held at the Woodbine Community Center March 10, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The event is hosted by Devereux, a behavioral health company, which will be opening two new group homes for the developmentally disabled on the grounds of the Woodbine Developmental Center. Positions are open to anyone over 21 years old, with a valid drivers license. The mayor urged all interested residents to attend.
Pikolycky also announced that the borough will be receiving 2,000 seedlings to be distributed to residents free of charge. The trees, provided by the NJDEP forestry tree recovery program, should be available in mid-April, and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis. Woodbine has been designated the distribution location for the county. Exact dates and pickup locations will be provided at the next meeting. “We’re going to shade the borough so we don’t have to turn on our air conditioners,” Pikolycky quipped.
To contact Don Tozer, email dtozer@cmcherald.com.
Press Release from Woodbine:
Mayor William Pikolycky is pleased to announce that the Borough of Woodbine introduced, at its March 6, 2014, Council meeting, the Borough Budget for 2014. The Local Purpose tax continues to be stable for the 24rd consecutive year. The rate is at 23.5 cents per $100 assessed value, the same as last year. This means that a property assessed at $100,000 would pay $235.00 in Local Purpose tax.
The 2014 spending plan calls for a total budget of over $2.8 million, which remains under the 2% cap.
“Despite reductions in ratables of approximately $700,00, we are pleased to be able to maintain a level and stable, sustainable tax rate over the years by leveraging our municipal funds by Federal and State funding sources. In addition, we were able to continue to improve upon our shared services which results in cost savings, in particular with municipal aid staying flat from last year to this year,” added Mayor Pikolycky.” Of the overall taxes collected, Woodbine keeps only 17 cents of every dollar, the balance going to the school district, the County, etc.”
Public Hearing on the municipal budget will be held at the April 17, 2014, Borough Council meeting, starting at 8 p.m.
Mayor’s Budget Message:
To the Residents of the Borough of Woodbine:
As Mayor, I am pleased to submit the Woodbine Municipal Budget for 2014.
I have worked with the Governing Body, along with our Chief Financial Officer, to ensure that State mandates are fully complied with while assuring fiscal responsibility and best practices while staying under the 2% Levy Cap.
The Borough Council, along with its Revenue and Finance Committee, is recommending this year’s spending plan which calls for a local purpose tax rate of $0.235, which is the same as 2013, and as a result for the 24rd consecutive year has not increased.
Our 2014 budget calls for a total spending plan of $1,791,200 (excluding Federal and State Grants) up less than 3% over the 2013 budget.
The Borough collects a total tax of approximately $2,600,000. Of that amount the Borough only keeps $410,000, which is 17% of the total. Thus only 17 cents out of every tax dollar collected remains in the Borough.
This budget maintains the same level of services and programs that the Borough residents have received in the past years.
This budget does not include the grants that are still being pursued. Since State Aid remains flat there continues to be a greater demand than ever to go after increasingly competitive State and Federal funding.
Despite losing ratables of approximately $ 700,000, our tax collection rate has increased to 97.3%.
Woodbine has continued to cover municipal needs without any additional local tax burden through best management practices and shared services.
In addition, we continue to successfully obtaining grant funding from federal, state, and other sources, thus leveraging our funds.
This strategy has allowed the Borough to improve and maintain our infrastructure. For 2014, the Borough has budget to receive or administer approximately $1 million in grants for needed projects throughout the Borough and its Airport Business.
The Borough will continue to pursue costs savings through shared services such as those with the Woodbine Municipal Utilities Authority, the Woodbine Port Authority, Woodbine Developmental Center, the Woodbine School District, Middle Township Court System, and with both Cape May County and the State of New Jersey. These collaborations, with both private and public entities, aid us in ensuring cost savings with no reduction in services, and in some cases an expansion of services.
Although like many other municipalities, we have undergone a reduction in our tax ratable base, a combination of fiscally responsible use of surplus along with responsible budgeting and use of best practices, grant funds, constant debt service, increased tax collection rate, and expanding shared services has allowed the Borough to once again maintain a zero percent increase in the Local Purpose Tax rate, without any reduction in services to Borough residents.
As a result, the Borough has continued to promote and ensure the quality of life and health, safety, and welfare of our present and future residents in a fiscally responsible manner.
I would like to thank the Borough Council, appointed officials, members of our Boards, Authorities, Commissions, Borough employees, Borough consultants and shared service partners for their dedication to the improvement of the Borough.
William Pikolycky
Mayor