Budget Hearing Set for Thursday Night's Ocean City Council Meeting

Ocean City, NJ -- The second hearing and final approval on the proposed $75,081,291.53 budget is set for Thursday night’s Ocean City Council meeting.

The proposed budget carries a tax rate increase of about 9 tenths of a cent, meaning the owner of the average $500,000 home in Ocean City would see a $48.75 annual increase in taxes.

The increase is smaller than what was originally included in the draft budget, as the library was able to make some adjustments during its budget process and ultimately return more to the taxpayer than originally projected.

There were also some salary and wage adjustments in the introduced budget, and a state-issued $10,000 grant for trash and recycling that includes a $10,000 cash match.

Last year, the City received $1.6 million in grants, and so far this year, that total is $427,000.

Ocean City received $2 million in FEMA reimbursements related to Superstorm Sandy that will go through the operating budget, and the City remains compliant with both the spending cap and the state’s 2 percent cap.

The customary ordinance to exceed the budget appropriation limits and establish a cap bank that accompanies the budget will also be considered on second reading.

There will also be second readings on ordinances to sell a 5-foot-wide and 5-foot long strip of land between a home on West 17th Street and the channel that is currently owned by no one to a local family so the family can repair a bulkhead at its own expense; and amendments to the beach tag ordinance so that veterans and active military personnel, who already have free access to the beach, no longer need to obtain a beach tag from the city at all.

Three ordinances will also be introduced.

The first ordinance amends city ordinance to show setbacks to power lines on plot plans submitted with applications for zoning permits, according to the agenda packet.

The second proposes eliminating mechanical parking lifts in the hospitality zone.

The third proposes setting aside $500,000 and borrowing $475,000 to purchase the former BP Gas Station on West 9th Street, one of two abandoned gas stations that have become an eyesore at the city’s gateway.

There are also eight items on the consent agenda.

Council meets at City Hall on Thursday night, 7 p.m.

To view the full agenda, visit ocnj.us.