Tax Increase In Ocean City School Budget

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A tax increase is in store in the $50.8 million budget for the Ocean City School District.

The budget, introduced at a recent Board of Education meeting, comes with a half-cent increase on the tax rate. That's an extra $32.50 a month for a home assessed at $650,000, according to Business Administrator Tim Kelley.

That's in addition to a proposed tax increase in the Ocean City budget. A decrease in taxes is anticipated in the county budget. Read more: Taxes Up In Proposed Ocean City Budget

This was a difficult budget cycle, Kelley said, "probably one of the more difficult ones in my time here in Ocean City."

Rising costs regarding employee health benefits and a reduction in students coming in from sending districts were major factors in creating the budget, he said.

The budget also includes funding for a new roof on the high school, which Kelley said that while the district is not necessarily replacing that in the imminent future, they hope to get state funding for part of it, so they had to show that the funds were available in the budget.

A public hearing and final vote on the budget will be held at the May 1 Ocean City Board of Education meeting.