Photo by Tyler Hienkel.

COURT HOUSE - Deputy Freeholder Director M. Susan Sheppard was a pinch hitter for the ailing Gerald Thornton at the Wildwood Chamber of Commerce luncheon held Wed., Feb. 8.

Sheppard told the group that ratables in the county are continuing to go down, although at a slower rate than in past years.

"When I came here last year, one of the major concerns was that ratables were going down in the county. We wanted to make sure that we could provide the same level of services and that the people in the county expected. I think we're still providing the services that everyone expects and deserves in Cape May County. It went up a little bit,"said Sheppard, "but not a lot. We have a $2.4 billion in ratable loss.."

According to the freeholder, county residents will see an increase in their county tax of less than one cent this year.

"We've done a very good job in not trying to fill positions," said Sheppard,"and we've had a lot of retirees. We've had a lot of staff members come from within and do double jobs."

The 2012 county budget calls for a total of $139.1 million, as opposed to last year's budget of $143.7 million. "So yes, we reduced the budget," said Sheppard.

"Our total increase in wages increased slightly, by only $100,000. We worked with less and are trying to downsize our staff," she said.

A copy of the county budget is available on the county's website. Adoption of the budget is expected to take place at the Feb. 28 freeholders' meeting.