NORTH WILDWOOD – North Wildwood City Council April 4 passed its 2023 municipal budget with a roughly 3.8-cent tax rate increase with no public comment.
Municipal Auditor Leon Costello, of the Ford Scott & Associates accounting firm, told the council that the budget was unchanged from introduction.
North Wildwood introduced an approximately $36.8 million 2023 budget, which is about $1.5 million more than 2022.
He said most towns were anticipating higher than normal tax rate increases due to an approximately 23% increase in state health care costs for municipal workers.
Pension costs and inflation were also blamed for tax rate increases around Cape May County.
Somers Point, an Atlantic County municipality, was expecting an 8.4-cent tax rate increase in 2023.
Upon introduction, Costello said North Wildwood’s increase was higher than normal, but “wasn’t terrible.”
