WILDWOOD — If city commission wants to support its $24.1 million spending plan, at least two hotel/motel liquor licenses will have to be sold.
The budget was introduced with a 1.5-cent tax decrease on April 25. The budget has yet to be adopted because $500,000 in revenue is anticipated from the sale of at least two of the licenses.
The expected tax decease is unlikely if the city can’t move the liquor licenses.
Commissioner Gary DeMarzo also noted at an Aug. 22 meeting that the budget is also short about $100,000 in ambulance fees.
“All in all, there’s about a $600,000 hole to fill,” DeMarzo said. “A tax increase is not being ruled out.”
Four liquor licenses were set aside for ho-tels/motels with a minimum of 100 guest sleeping rooms, but no interested party offered the $250,000 minimum bid for each license. The city is trying again at another auction Sept. 10 at 2:30 p.m.
Under the original plan, with the tax decrease, the local tax rate would fall to 79.7 cents for every $100 of assessed value, compared to 81.2 cents in 2006. The total tax levy, or the amount to be raised by municipal taxes, is $14.8 million.
The city has to ap-prove its budget in September in order to include new properties on its 2007 tax rolls.
Last year the budget was also delayed while the city waited state approval for a payment from developer K. Hovnanian, which is work-ing on developing the city’s back bay and for-mer landfill.
“There’s got to be a way to stop the tax increases,” said resident Bob Angeline, who urged the city to operate within its means.
“It is easy to say stop spending, but it isn’t so simple,” responded Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr.
“Show me a budget that does not go up from one year to the next,” he added. “The price of insurance goes up, the price of gas, the price of equipment. It is the cost of doing business.”
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?
