Ocean City Council Unanimously Approves Budget With Slight Tax Increase

Ocean City, NJ -- The owner of the average Ocean City home worth about $500,000 will see an annual tax increase of $48.75 under the $75,081,291.53 budget passed unanimously by Ocean City Council Thursday night.

“This is the most responsible budget I’ve ever seen,” Council President Keith Hartzell said. “It’s a heck of an achievement. The magnitude of this won’t even sink in tonight. This is a great moment in our city.”

Hartzell said he’s been on council about 20 years, and remembers a time when coming to an agreement on a budget was contentious.

“It’s nice to look at a budget that I think is really great the first time I see it,” Hartzell said.

Councilwoman Karen Bergman echoed Hartzell’s comments, and Councilman Michael DeVlieger called it a “tight budget that makes good investments.”

Councilman Pete Guinosso commented on the $20 million investment in the dredging of back bays and lagoons, saying he thinks the city should consider investing more in the project. The investment is part of the mayor’s proposed five-year, $98.5 million capital plan.

“The $20 million is not set in stone,” Chief Financial Officer Frank Donato said. “It can be amended throughout the year.”

Donato said the investment was an unprecedented amount of money for any project in the city, for a project that needs a serious investment.

“No one wouldn’t consider a greater investment,” DeVlieger said of the project, which has seen a number of setbacks as the areas have become harder to navigate over the years. “We want to spend the money well, get good results and move from there.”

Guinosso also noted the city needs to find a solution to the upland silt that filters down into the bays.

“Maybe we could put some rocks there to stop the silt build up,” DeVlieger said. “I think that bears some examination.”

There were no changes in the budget since it was introduced on March 24. It includes 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.

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.