CREST HAVEN – Freeholders introduced the $138.9-million 2014 budget Jan. 27. If passed March 11 after a 7 p.m. hearing, the county equalized tax rate will be 20.9 cents per $100 of assessed value. While it will vary according to the ratio of assessed value to true value, each taxpayer will pay $209 per $100,000 of property value. That is about half a cent higher than last year’s rate, and one of the state’s lowest, according to Director Gerald Thornton’s budget message.
The county intends to break ground for a new correctional center, add a third story to the Superior Court building on North Main Street, Court House, and open the Wildwood Crest branch of the County Library. Also underway is a project that will construct new housing for snow leopards at the zoo.
The board took the following actions:
• Authorized competitive contracting for architectural services for a needs assessment for Superior Court Building. There are 15 firms in a pool that could provide those services according to a 2012 resolution.
• Authorized an agreement with N.J. Office of Information Technology that allows the Sheriff and Prosecutor’s offices to operate on the state’s 700 MHz, P-25 radio system. The move is expected to upgrade communications between first responders.
• Requested Gov. Christie and the Legislature to permanently extend the 2 percent cap on interest arbitration. Without such action the legislation would end April 1, 2014. The resolution states, “This law empowers county governments…to effectively control public safety employment salaries and personnel costs by capping interest arbitration at 2 percent for base salaries, which includes step increments and longevity pay” as well as “restrictive 2 percent property tax cap levy.”
• Designated Thornton and Vice Director Leonard Desiderio as annual members to the Policy Board of South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization.
• Authorized competitive contracting to provide a produce vendor for county employees in connection with its Wellness Program.
• Authorized a travel show agreement with Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities, Inc. for $20,000 to distribute tourist information at 30 travel shows, a cost of $666 per show.
• Authorized Triad Associates, under a retainer, to proceed with grant administration services for $13,575 for a federal grant to support Jersey Cape Diagnostic, Training and Opportunity Center’s employment center.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
