Amount To Be Raised By Taxation Will Not Rise 'One Dime' In 2013 County Budget

Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr. has been compiling public budgets for 40 years. And 2013 is shaping up be the worst year of all, he said.

"It is the most difficult budget I have ever worked on," Bartlett said a caucus meeting of the Ocean County Board of Freeholders today. "We have experienced unprecedented damage from Superstorm Sandy."

The county fronted the money for storm cleanup for municipalities who signed on for shared services through a $100 million emergency appropriation last November. That money must be made up in increments of 20 percent over the next five years, Bartlett said.

But most of the emergency appropriation funds will be recovered eventually from FEMA and the participating municipalities, he said.

As it stands now, the total budget will rise by $32 million, from $354,000,000 in 2012 to $386,000,000. The increase is primarily from the storm clean-up emergency appropriation in late 2012, increases in costs for the Ocean County Board of Social Services and salaries and wages for police contracts, he said.

"The 2013 budget appears significantly larger than last year," Bartlett said. "It is an artificial comparison."

The county will use roughly $4 million in funds by reducing the county open space tax from 1.5 cents for each $100 of equalized valuation to .75 cents, he said.

The goal this year was to preserve existing services, maintain the county's Triple A bond rating and keep the tax levy the same as last year, he said.

"The county is of the mindset that we are not going to raise one extra dime in tax revenue," Bartlett said.

The tax burden on Ocean County residents will "undoubtedly" shift to the western sections of the county, due to the damage to the oceanfront and waterfront communities, he said.

"This is a falling tax base, this year more than most," Bartlett said. "The barrier island that paid so much for so long will pay less this year. When you have a house that has been destroyed, you shouldn't have to pay those property taxes."

A preliminary new county tax rate has not yet been struck, because not all of the property valuation information from the 33 municipalities is available, Bartlett said.

The costs of caring for 290 county residents who are mental patients in state facilities and providing mental health services for 32,000 residents will rise by $3.5 million this year.

"These are 290 residents who were court-ordered committed and we pay for that," Freeholder Gerry P. Little said.

The Board of Social Services has also seen large increases in people applying for general assistance, food stamps, Medicaid and shelter for the homeless since 2007, when the economy started to go sour, Little said.

"Our county taxpayers are sheltering almost 4,000 homeless people in hotels, motels and apartments every night of the year, year-round," he said. "The budget is a remarkable document, given the financial circumstances we face because of the storm and the economy."

Although the county reduced the number of employees by 10 this year, salaries and wages for county police officers will jump $2.5 million, because of existing contracts. The contracts - which were previously excluded from the state - mandated 2 percent cap - expire on April 1, Bartlett said.

The county will use a little less surplus - roughly $16.5 million - than last year's $17 million, leaving a cushion of $17 million, Bartlett said. All but $300,000 of last year's surplus was replaced.

Recovery from Sandy will take time, lots of time, Bartlett said.

"I think you are looking at five, six, seven years," he said in an interview after the board meeting. "It's not going to be fast. There are too many uncertainties."

The preliminary budget will be introduced at the April 3 regular board meeting. The public hearing will be held at the May 1 board meeting.