Tax Rates: Wildwood Highest, Avalon Lowest

#40 9/30/08,(Note: Herald Reader comments attached)

COURT HOUSE — When Wildwood passed its municipal budget last week, the county Tax Board was finally able to complete its tax rate summary. Despite the city’s last-minute land sale, Wildwood still finished with the largest total tax rate of the 16 municipalities in Cape May County.

Wildwood total tax rate of $1.657 per $100 of assessed valuation came after commissioners adopted a 92.8-cent local tax rate Sept. 23. Both the local purpose and total tax rates were the county’s highest.

A Wildwood property owner whose home is valued at $100,000 would pay $1,657 in total taxes with $928 going to the city.

According to the tax board, the total rate is determined by adding taxes collected for the county, the county library, open space, district school, regional school and local purpose.

Here’s the rates in the rest of the county:

The boroughs of West Wildwood and Wildwood Crest finished second and third with local purpose tax rates of 69.5 cents and 68 cents, as well as total tax rates of $1.452 and $1.373.

Dennis, Lower, Middle and Upper townships as well as the Borough of Woodbine are also among the highest with total tax rates above $1. Upper Township’s tax rate is so high despite having no local purpose tax primarily due to its 97.2-cent school tax rate, which is the county’s highest.

Only three municipalities pay taxes to the Lower Cape Regional School District: Cape May (22.6 cents), Lower Township (23) and West Cape May (30.6). Cape May has a total tax rate of 83.3 cents and West Cape May’s is 94.5 cents.

The tiny Borough of Cape May Point has the highest county tax (28.9 cents), library tax (5.6) and open space tax (2.0), but its low district school tax (1.0) and local purpose tax (41.6) keep its total tax rate down to 79.1 cents.

North Wildwood has the lowest county tax (13.5 cents), county library tax (2.6) and open space tax (0.9) in the county. With an 18.3-cent school tax and 43.2-cent local purpose tax, North Wildwood finished with a 78.5 total tax rate.

Neither Ocean City nor Avalon are in the county library system and therefore don’t pay library taxes. They both have municipal facilities of their own.

Avalon (36.8 cents), Sea Isle City (51.8) and Stone Harbor (52.9) have the county’s lowest total tax rates. They also have some of the county’s lowest school tax rates: Avalon, 3.4 cents; Sea Isle City, 6.7 cents; and Stone Harbor, 5.7 cents.

Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com

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Post a comment on this article Comments (18) We welcome your thoughts, stories and information related to this article.

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Sun, 10/05/2008 - 6:51amWhat about next year, when Wildwood has no more "land sales" to bail it out? What is that going to do for the budget? Can you hear BIG TAX RATE INCREASE PEOPLE? The Tax Payers, local & out of town, need to stop being the scape goat for bad deals, out of controll hiring, bad, bad spending plans.

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Sat, 10/04/2008 - 10:23amTo answer the question of why the taxes are lower in Avalon, SH etc. Maybe it is because those cities are governed by REAL LEADERS!! THINK ABOUT IT!!!!! Wildwood has the WORST leadership, who with their own personal interests thrown into the mix have created the Falling of Wildwood. They have created this havoc and done so behind closed doors so that they can do what they want to do and not what is best for the City and Taxpayers of the town. And for this you don't need to 'Think about it' just ride thru the city and gaze your eyes upon it's "Beautification" which has been created by their famous MAYOR and his followers!! NOW THE QUESTION IS WHAT EXACTLY ARE THE TAXPAYERS GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? I say to them take a stance, demand answers to the questions and end the destruction of your town!!

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Sat, 10/04/2008 - 5:36amTo Wed. 10/1 5:23 pm

You're welcome....glad to help!!

Sincerely,
LTTA President.

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Fri, 10/03/2008 - 3:15pmIn the City of Wildwood all three Commissioners need to go. You have one that is on a train wreck to run the city into the ground. You have one that probably would be great if he was not being directed by the first one. And you have one that the only reason that he is there is because of hatred. There is no hope for the future for the City of Wildwood. Those who got out, great. Those of us who are stuck here, well that's what we are, stuck. We can not sell our homes for what the city says we can, as they have unfairly assessed us.

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Thu, 10/02/2008 - 6:24pmyes, Wildwood has its problems (i've been there for 41 years and seen the good and the bad)

But the main question should be: Why are the communities that can afford the taxes the most (Avalon, Stone Harbor, Sea Isle) pay the least?

Think about it............

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Thu, 10/02/2008 - 12:48pmAs for W.wildwood the answer to why we have such a high tax rate is simple, our former fearless, *** leader and family ( aka the FOX's)spent exorbitant amounts of our hard earned tax money on who knows what, possibly to fuel *** or just greed.
What I do know is that we are going to find out shortly because its about to hit the fan. Lets not forget the Lady Lieutenant who turned a blind eye to it all while *** himself, they'll love you in the poky. When you guys are sitting in your 8x9 's enjoying the view of the bars and Bubba across the isle from you in the block remember this, you had your fun and that no matter how much the honest tax payers in W.Wildwood will enjoy this thought the damage is done. Hopefully its not long lasting!

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Thu, 10/02/2008 - 10:10amWell he has done it again. With all of the budget problems in Wildwood, how the heck did two new people get hired in the rec department? I thought the city was NOT hiring any new people? Once again, the wool has been pulled over the tax payers eyes! What a scam.

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Thu, 10/02/2008 - 6:45amwaaahoooo!!!.......we are #1.......in how to destroy a town
1)........hire friends/family at inflated wages
2)........spend, spend, spend.......monies we don't have
3)........borrow, borrow, borrow .......put expenses on credit card
4)........sell assets at fire sale prices

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 11:05pmFor your information ,The phone number for the "ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE" is 609 292 4925, The address is Attorney General Office p.o. box 080, Trenton ,New Jersey, 08625. if you have any information , either call or write ,and they will return to you as soon as possible, wildwood

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 5:32pmWell we wont see the president of the LTTA using this graph at any meetings. What ?Lower is lowest of all the bigger towns and alot leass then some of the smallest towns.....how can that be ! Calling Mr. Beck, calling Mr. Beck......what direction do I go now ? Ahhhh ha hahaha ha ha

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 2:30pmYes, what are we going to do about it?

Middle is the 4th highest in the county after a 34% increase the year of the reval.

Gonna keep voting the same people in office Middle?

Then, plan on getting more of the same.

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 1:27pmIF TROIANO DOSEN'T *** FOR THE GROSS MISMANAGMENT, NEPOTISIM, OFFICIAL MISCONDUCT AND TOTAL DISREGUARD OF TAXPAYERS. HE MUST HAVE FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES. WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE INVESTIGATION OF PUBLIC WORKS AND THE GHOST EMPLOYEES WITH NO SHOW JOBS, AND THE THEFT AND SALE OF CITY OWNED PROPERTY?

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 11:57amTheir is no way any ww city employee should get a raise or increase in benefits until the city can do so without raisiing taxes again.

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 9:54amDennis Township is doing an excellent job on the local level but school taxes are out of control. Something needs to be done so that we are not priced out of our homes and no I'm not talking about "ratables". We should all know by now that bringing in developement just leads to higher taxes.

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 9:35amHOooooLY CRABS! The first guy/gal is dead on. What I can't understand is why or how Troiano is still in office. Isn't there enough people, who don't like him, to start a petition? If he is that bad, get him out.

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 9:13amIt is a true undeniable fact that per square mile Wildwood has the highest coast of living than most communities of it's size per square mile in the State of New Jersey. The reason is simple. The number of full time employees collecting full benefits. A real life solution to this is very easy. Drop the Civil Service status like North Wildwood. Lay off all non essential personnel personnel immediately. Then during the busy summer months hire part time staff for a decent wage and do not offer any health benefits.

We could probably cut the staff in half as well as our budget and taxes. No other community of our size and demographics has nearly the number of full time staff as we do period.

Do the math.

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Wed, 10/01/2008 - 8:57amWell it is all put in our FACES now................the question is what are we going to do about it? Are WE the taxpayers of Wildwood going to sit back and let this all continue? Let's stop allowing this Mayor and Councilman to bring us to ROCK BOTTOM!! Cause us to put FOR SALE signs on our homes. Not to mention that we cannot even get the assessed value that we pay the taxes for each year. Take a ride around OUR town and looik at the eyesores, poor condition of streets, boardwalk that is in serious need of repair, downtown that looks like the 'Ghetto'. Even PAPA JOHN'S (troiano's son) could not make it down there. We have been lead down a path of demise for this City and it is time to express our concerns to HiGHER AUTHORITIES. Time to investigate what has been done behind those closed doors in City Hall.

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Tue, 09/30/2008 - 10:39pmI believe Wildwoods high tax rate is due to corruption and nepotism (making up unneeded year round jobs for family and friends). Just look at the names on the list of employees at City Hall, Fire Departments (3 Troianos), Police Department with no-show jobs, etc., etc. Just the cost of lifetime medical for these employees and their families is enough to sink our 1.3 square mile town. With all the new ratables since Troiano took office Wildwood's local purpose municipal budget doubled.