Wildwood Budget Worst Case Scenario: 21-Cent Tax Increase

WILDWOOD — If the worst happens, taxpayers in this city might be facing a 21-cent increase in the municipal tax rate.
That figure may change, explained City Clerk Chris Wood during a Feb. 13 budget presentation, before that actual 2008 spending plan is introduced at the end of March.
Commissioner Gary DeMarzo, who oversees revenue and finance, agreed that the numbers were “raw” but added that this look at the budget “provides a true snapshot of where we are today.”
Wood asked the crowd gathered in city hall not to think of the evening’s presentation as a political presentation. Wood joked that he was “the lucky loser” that drew the short straw among the various city employees in attendance and had to narrate the
PowerPoint production. But his role, he said, was to remain “blessedly neutral.”
“Municipal clerks don’t blame and praise,” Wood said.
He showed a slide that detailed the core services that the budget should continue to provide for and that he noted, “People for the most part are happy if these elements are maintained.”
Those elements included, public safety, government office services, roads and sidewalk upkeep and maintenance of beaches and public parks.
In 2007, the local purpose tax that was used for fund the city’s day-to-day upkeep was 83.1 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Last year’s total budget was $24.3 million. The city had a ratable base in 2007 of $1.8 billion.
However, Wood said the city is dealing with several budget issues including, loss of revenue and contractual salary increases.
The 2007 budget also left $800,000 from last year’s surplus.
All told, Wood said the city has to make up for $8.8 million in “unavoidable expenses.”
“It has to be made up through either taxes, cuts in the budget, land sales or another means of recurring revenue,” he told the room full of residents.
He said available solutions range from reducing expenses to increasing non-tax revenue, like parking meters charging 25 cents for 20 minutes instead of 30.
“Bottom line is elected officials don’t like to raise your taxes,” Wood said and used the anal-ogy of leaky roof to illustrate previous attempts to use short-terms solutions to fix the city’s budget woes.
“You keep using quick fixes to patch the roof, but you know sooner or later you are going to have to spend for a new roof,” he said.
In a city where residents frequently voice tax concerns, the public comment portion at the close of the presentation was surprisingly silent.
Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com