Wildwood ‘Too Wealthy’ for Abbott School Aid

WILDWOOD – Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano released news Aug. 10 from Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-1) concerning Wildwood’s School District application to be designated as an Abbott Urban Aid District.  
According to Troiano, Van Drew stated that Wildwood is “too wealthy with too much commercial development and too low a tax rate” to qualify. With too few children needing assistance, and too much tax revenue, Wildwood cannot be designated as an Abbott district by the state.
There are 31 Abbott districts in the state, among them: Millville, Vineland, Bridgeton, Salem, Newark and New Brunswick.
According to the N.J. State Dept. of Education, eligibility for extra school funding is calculated by “poverty economic indicators … determined in large part by District Factor Grouping (DFG).”
The Department of Education devised the system in 1974 to rank every district in the state by seven factors:
* Per capita income level
* Occupation level
* Education level
* Percent of residents below the federal poverty level
* Density (average number of persons per household)
* Urbanization (percent of district considered urban)
* Unemployment (percent of those in the workforce who received some unemployment compensation). (Abbott II, page 385)
According to Troiano, these statistical metrics do not readily apply to Wildwood because of the nature of the community as a seasonal resort. He believes the statistics are skewed against Wildwood.
Troiano promised to look into the specifics of the eligibility process saying this “minimum tax information is just not fair,” referring to the formula imposed by the state that measures tax income received by the district being examined.
Comparisons, Census Data
A check of the 2015 Cape May County Abstract of Ratables listed Wildwood’s municipal tax rate at $1.274 per $100 of assessed value, with its general tax rate (all taxable items included) at $2.287, both were highest of the county’s 16 municipalities.
The U.S. Census Bureau 2015 estimate placed the city’s median household income at $26,742, (based on 2010-2014 data). Per capita income in the same period was $21,826.
The Census Bureau listed Wildwood’s population at 5,325 as of April 1, 2010. It placed the percentage of Wildwood residents living in poverty at 33.3 percent. “This geographic level of poverty and health estimates are not comparable to other geographic levels of these estimates,” Census stated.
The average number of persons per household (density) was placed at 2.17.
Wildwood’s education level, as of 2014, was 79.9 percent were high school graduates over 25 years of age. Those with a bachelor’s degree totaled 14.9 percent, in the same age group.
Designated by the state as an Urban Enterprise Zone, Wildwood shares that designation with three other Five Mile Island municipalities. Millville, Vineland and Bridgeton in neighboring Cumberland County, which are Abbott districts, are also designated as Urban Enterprise Zones.
That state UEZ program, according to the Department of Community Affairs, “Exists to foster an economic climate that revitalizes designated urban communities and stimulates their growth by encouraging businesses to develop and create private sector jobs through public and private investment.”
Other Business
In other business, City Engineer Mark DeBlasio reported that the state Department of Transportation has allocated $176,000 for the reconstruction of Magnolia Avenue; the design phase was to begin in June of this year.
The state Department of Environmental Protection Flood Hazard Risk Reduction Program application has been submitted, and he expects an answer on that application in the next few months.
To contact Jim McCarty, email jmccarty@cmcherald.com.