GLOUCESTER – By a vote of 5-2, the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors adopted a budget on April 25 for the 2022-23 fiscal year that includes an increase in the real estate tax.
That increase, from 69.5 cents to 72.5 cents per $100 of assessed value, will help fund a 5.9 percent raise for school employees and a 5.6 percent raise for county employees. It also includes an additional animal control officer, but does not include irrigation and the grading of fields at Woodville Park.
The county hasn’t raised its real estate tax since 2016.
Voting in favor were Chris Hutson, J.J. Orth, Kevin Smith, Kenneth Gibson, and Michael Hedrick. Voting against were Phillip Bazzani and Ashley Chriscoe.
Bazzani and Chriscoe proposed plans for smaller raises that wouldn’t increase taxes.
“We have to support needs, not wants,” Bazzani said.
Added Chriscoe: “Let’s do the most prudent thing and give our folks a raise and not raise taxes on the citizens of Gloucester County.”
Ken Gibson, who is new to the board, said his top priority is retention and recruitment of quality employees.
“When I came into this office, I had no idea of the crisis we were facing with our employees,” he said, noting nearly 60 county employees have left since July 1, 2021.
Not funding those raises, he said, would have real-world consequences, including lower quality of service with county programs, including the sheriff’s office and the school system. He also said he noticed no extras in the budget, which is almost $90,000 less than the previous year’s budget.
“This is a lean budget,” he said. “I don’t see the waste.”
With the average price of a home in Gloucester County at $300,000, the rate increase will come to about $7.50 a month, said Gibson. However, Gibson noted there is tax relief available to retirees on low income and those who are disabled.
The upgrades at Woodville Park still could happen. The county is waiting on the state to approve its budget. Money from the state budget could go toward Woodville Park project, said acting county administrator Carol Steele.
In a bit of good news, the personal property rate on automobiles was reduced from $2.95 to $2.30.
One day after the budget was adopted, the board interviewed candidates for the county administrator position. An update is expected to be made at the board’s May 17 meeting.