SEA ISLE CITY – Following a productive budget workshop on Jan.12, Sea Isle City’s Mayor and City Council members are pleased to announce that the town’s 2012 Municipal Budget will be officially introduced by City Council at 10:00 a.m. on Tues., Jan. 24, inside Council Chambers, 233 JFK Boulevard, second level.

Sea Isle’s 2012 Budget reflects a 0% tax rate increase, and the City will be one of the first municipality’s in the State of New Jersey to introduce their budget this year. 2012 marks the third year in a row that Sea Isle City’s tax rate has remained the same. Additionally, the new budget will be introduced $630,000 under the State’s levy cap (the amount that taxes are permitted to be raised to, as set by law).

According to Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio, “to bring the budget in by such an amount under what is allowable by law is a testament to the City’s fiscal prudence and control on spending.”

“The cost of current fund salaries and wages for city employees are budgeted for 2012 at roughly the same amount as in 2008,” said Mayor Desiderio. “This is one of the most significant factors in achieving our budget objectives. We have consistently down-sized City staff in an orderly manner so as not to reduce City services or disrupt operations, and we’ve done this without layoffs. We have also managed our healthcare costs through contract negotiations and monitoring of the healthcare market.”

“Our 2012 budget also provides for increased debt service payments for projects already completed, and most significantly the budget provides for payments anticipated to be needed for the City to go to bond sale in 2012 for projects that are currently under temporary financing,” added the Mayor.

“I would like to congratulate the Mayor and his team for delivering the same tax rate three years in a row,” said City Council President John Divney. “This is another example of how City Council and the Administration work together to achieve benefits for the entire community."

Once Sea Isle City’s 2012 Budget is introduced on Jan. 24, it will be available for viewing online at www.seaislecitynj.us (via the “Government” tab).