Vol. 16 No. 40 IWI S#owiqv Cofp.fbl njhn ritmwd

October 7, 1<»1

Even Tho They’re Up

Cape Lags in Tax Increases

A statewide comparison reveals that the Jersey Cape and. those other counties which most live up to the Garden State appellation also had the lowest rise in proper-

ty tax increases this year.

Acording to the N.J. Taxpayers Assn., the five counties with the lowest increase in the property tax dollar levy this year over last were Salem (which had a $2.0 million increase), Warren ($2.7 million), Cumberland ($3.0 million), Cape May ($5.7 million), and Sussfex ($5.8 million) — all rural, sparsely postulated counties. Property taxes this year in Cape May County total $65.5 million, up 9.5 per cent over last year's $59.7 million — giving the Jersey Cape a property tax growth rank of 18 among the 21 counties as measured by, the actual dollar increase, and 12 in terms

of percentage increase.

THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE property tax increase was 10.5 per cent, and six counties exceeded that figure, neighboring Atlantic County’s 38.4 per cent increase being by far the greatest (followed by Camden's 17 per cent and Ocean's 14.3 per cent increase in property taxes). The unusually large increases in Atlantic and Camden counties were caused in part by sizable property tax increases in Atlantic City and the City of Camden, with the Casino City’s tax increase alone accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total

Atlantic County tax climb.

The total tax figures compared in the statewide analysis are the amounts raised by property taxes in support of schools, county goverrtmehf ftqd municipal govern-

ment in each of the counties. A COMPARISON OF THE Jersey Cape tax figures in relation to the state as a whole reveals that the property tax increase in Cape May County was less than the statewide percentage increase in every category except county taxes. While statewide, county tax levies rose 10.5 per cent, they increased 11.6 per cent this year, on the Jersey Cape. The biggest difference was seen in_ municipal taxes, which rose only 7.8 p£r

cent in Cape May County this year, compared to an 11.2 per cent increase statewide. In Cape May County in 1981, the increase in property taxes in support of • public schools was 9.6 per cent, compared tbthe statewide increase of 10.2. TAX INCREASES ASIDE, figures provided by County Abstract of Ratables for 1980 and 81 show that Cape May County continues spending a smaller percentage of the overall tax dollar on education than (Page 17 Please)

Town Doesn’t Want Arcade

by M. Ellen Rowland \ justment would have to approve. As it STONE HARBOR — An aroused and \ turned out, the board unanimously opposvociferous audience jammed Borough Hall ad the application, on Friday night to protest an application Herbert Hornsby, building inspector, for a use variance of an existing building 1 when asked why the original application at 8307 Third Ave. The petitioners, James N had been denied, replied that under an orDiMarco and Clay Sprecher, sought to use \dinance passed in 1974, the intended what had formerly been a fabric shop as a business was not a permitted use. place of amusement or arcade for elec- ROBERT TAYLOR of* 38th St. tronic games or pinball machines as a represented the Mario Zuccato family recreational activity for youth. To obtain (owners of Bud's Market), objectors to the the variance two-thirds of the Board of Ad- application. He pointed out that the in-

The Race for Senate

The .

Week's

PUMPKINS APLENTY are the in thing at this time Of year along Jersey Cape roadsides. This, for Instance, is the scene outside a roadside stand on Rt. 9. Palermo.

tersection of B3rd and Thirt) Ave. already has so much traffic that a blinking yellow light has been placed there and that while applicants promised supervision of the children while in the arcade, there would be no supervision of their crossing the streets at this intersection. The attorney also maintained that the building was too small to house all the machines and children and ( keep a ’controlled situation; that granting the variance • Page 17 Please)

News*''

Digest Top Stories Hospitals get Nod TRENTON — The state Department of Health gave the r go-ahead last Wednesday for expansion projects totaling more than $69 million to get underway at Burdette Tomlin Hospital in Cape May Cburt Ho^e and Shore Memorial Hospital in

Somers Point.

At Burdette a $25.1 million expansion is planned that will add another 58 beds thru the construction of a five-stbry\ tower. Shore Memorial is eyeing a \ $44-million, 101-bed addition that calls for a seven-story tower above the emergency

room.

Both hospitals are critically overcrowd' ed — especially in suipmer. Expansions are necessary to improve the quality of patient care. The expansion projects will be funded thru tax-free bond issues and major fundraising efforts Fee Hike for Shore CAPE MAY — Cape May city manager Fred Coldren has called for statewide increases in beach fees with additional revenue to be used for the restoration and nourishment of NewsJersey’s beaches. According to Coldren, "Properly and fairly conceived sdme of our shore resources could be made to support themselves financially thru user fees, , which are presently well established as i beach fees." He also said that beach fees , will continue' to be a source of revenue for State Shore Protection Master Plan projects, adding millions of dollars each year for the shoreline improvemertt fund. Beach fees would only have to be increased by 50 cents or $1. Bar Vote OK’d NORTH WILDWOOD - North * Wildwood has joined Lower Township in • placing before local voters the question of whether bar. hours should be shortened Superior Court Judge Nathan Sthller ruled last Friday that two questions may be placed on the ballet pertaining to the hours for the retail sale of alcoholic beverages. Although a petition had been collected and approved by .City Cbuncil to place the question on the Nov. ballot, the action was delayed when members of the North . Wildwood Tavern Assn, filed suit against the cily, the county clerk and the city clerk contending the city clerk had failed to make a complete and thorough investigation in order to determine whether or not 15 per cent of the qualified voters signed the'petitions. (Page 17 Please)

t

Republican Jim Hurley: Byrne, Demos Hurts S.J.

Deiriocrat Ed Salmon: Effectiveness the Issue

•You often hear it said that South Jersey is being shortchanged by actions taking place in Trenton. Does South Jersey have an e//ective volte in the state capital; do

we have an effective ear ?

HURLEY: I think we have as effective a voice as we can have under the circumstances. By that I mean, Brendan Byrne and his ..colleagues have been particularly tough on South Jersey for a varie-

ty of reasons, in my opinion.

One is they wanted to makg South Jersey into something that North Jersey never was, or, at least, North Jersey Couldn't be; and that is because we were unspoiled. In other words, North Jersey's spoiled. South Jersey's not spoiled so we'll preserve t South Jersey. So they enacted and created, *a lot of instruments that would centralize power in Trenton. And as a resultM that — and I'm pot just saying Brendan Byrne. I’m saying Joe Merlino, the Senate president; and Christopher Jackman, the

;er of the House; and so forth,

We have an effective voice, but right now we’re a minority voice. Even the I head up 36 Republicans — and that's a pretty substantial minority. And they did a lot of talking to us in the last two years; we diij a lot of working together with the Democrats — because they needed us. We (Page2 Please)

* •You often hear It said that South Jersey (B being shortchanged by actions taking place in Trenton. Does South Jersey have an effective voice in the state capital; do we have an effective ear? SALMON: The answer to that is No. we do not have an effective voice in the state capital.

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The Herald Interview

The State Senate seat in the First Legislative District (Cape May County and most of Cumberland County) is currently filled by Republican James Cafiero of Wildwood, who is not seeking re-election After more than a doze ft years in office. The two challengers seeking the seat are Republican Assemblyman James Hurley of Millville, and Democrat Edward Salmon, a Cum^ berland County Freeholder, also of Millville. The two are veteran politicians whose Millville background has some common threads (see biographical sketches, Page 2). They were interviewed individually last week. ..

Part of the problem is that we, in this « rea, have been represented by the same jree men for a total of 38 years. And when you realize that we have no representation in the Governor’s Cabinet, the Casino Control Commission, the Parkway Authority, the Turnpike Authority, the Economic Development Board, the state Supreme Court, and other major boards in the state - you realize how shortchanged we've been I think it’s time to elect a governor that's going to be sympathetic with South Jersey, and I think Jifn Florio will be that kind of governor •HlatoricaNy it was Kant and Wciil; tradi tionally It'a North and South New Jersey teems to be a state without unity arid, to a degree, without a single identity. Is this because of geography, because we are situated between Philadelphia and New York? Just whyiis it that it's South Jersey and North JersexJ^nstead of New Jersey