$113.6M Municipal Budget Approved In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City has approved a $113.6 million municipal budget for 2024, with a 3.7-cent tax increase.

The tax increase means that the owner of the average Ocean City home, assessed at $650,000, will pay an extra $241 annually, officials previously said.

City Council voted 5-1 to approve the budget at Thursday's meeting, with Councilman Tom Rotondi being the only "no" vote.

People-related costs, like salaries and benefits, make up more than half of the budget. Rotondi said that while he thinks "Ocean City is better run than almost any town in Cape May County," one person in Avalon's government does five jobs that, in Ocean City, are covered by five individual people.

Rotondi suggested "doing more with less."

"We need to look at these positions and say, 'hey, do we really need this position when it could be done by someone else in the organization?'" Rotondi said.

Mayor Jay Gillian noted that no one wants to see taxes go up, but the budget was crafted to cover growing expenses while maintaining services.

Ocean City will use $6 million of its surplus for the budget, and will keep the remaining $5.4 million in surplus in case of emergencies, CFO Frank Donato previously said. Having an emergency fund is beneficial, plus it helps with the financial strength of the city, he said.

Revenue sources like beach tags, licenses, fees and permits help pay for the budget, Donato said, adding that the city was "lucky" to have so many sources.