West Wildwood Budget Holds No Tax Hike

WEST WILDWOOD — On May 10, this borough introduced a 2010 municipal budget with zero increase in local purpose taxes and a provision for a new city administrator position.
The $2.39 million spending plan includes a $1.39 million tax levy- the amount collected through local property taxes.
Anticipated revenues of just over $1 million include use of surplus, anticipated miscellaneous revenues and receipts from delinquent taxes.
Mayor Herbert Frederick told the Herald that the borough was actually able to reduce the tax levy from last year’s $1.44 million. This reduction should have netted taxpayers a 2 cent tax rate decrease, but due to $10 million in tax appeals following the borough’s 2008 revaluation, there will be a zero rate increase instead.
The borough’s 2009 local tax rate was 52.8 cents. Because that rate remains unchanged, local property owners would continue to pay $528 per $100,000 of assessed value.
Frederick said that while other towns have seen large increases in employee salary and benefit costs, West Wildwood has been able to temper those increases by reducing full time employees.
He also noted that the borough was forced to use $575,000 of its surplus fund, or more that twice as much as it did last year.
He said, however, that the borough would be able to replenish at least $130,000 of that fund later this year through FEMA reimbursements for snow removal costs during the winter storms.
According to a release, the borough’s budget includes the anticipated “Administrator/Clerk” to replace the recently retired clerk Dorothy Tomlin. The new position will allow for the individual hired to have administrative oversight of all facets of borough operations.
“It is important in a small municipality such as West Wildwood, to have someone available to the public on a regular basis to help residents with issues and problems,” said Frederick. “The Commissioners are part time and are not always readily available to meet immediate needs of their constituents. It only makes good business sense to have an administrator available to the public to help get them through the red tape that frustrates everyone so much.”
The budget is available for public review at Borough Hall. Copies of the budget are available for a nominal fee. A public hearing for the spending plan is scheduled for June 11 at the regular Commissioners meeting at 7 p.m.
The mayor said West Wildwood and Avalon were the only two towns in Cape May County to reduce taxes last year.
“We’ve been working hard to keep the rate down this year too,” he said.
Frederick also noted some recent changes in the structure of the borough’s water and sewer utilities that have yielded substantial savings for taxpayers in recent years.
“Wildwood Water took over our water utility last year for a $240,000 savings for ratepayers,” Frederick said. “That’s a 70 percent reduction for seasonal homeowners and 50 percent for year round residents.”
Frederick said the borough this year was also able to maintain the sewer rates after a 20 percent reduction last year.