Seaside Park Introduces Ordinance to Annex South Seaside Park; Tax Concerns Remain

A ‘Welcome to Berkeley Township’ sign in South Seaside Park. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Seaside Park officials on Thursday night unanimously introduced an ordinance that would annex the South Seaside Park section of Berkeley Township into the borough. If approved on final reading after a second hearing in ten days, the 158 acres of land that make up the barrier island’s southernmost community will have a new municipal government.

The introduction of the ordinance came amidst calls by some residents to hold off on the annexation process after it was revealed that a mathematical error greatly overstated the potential tax savings for residents of Seaside Park should their neighbor subsumed into the borough. While revised estimates from consulting firm Government Strategy Group reflected an overall property tax savings of about 8 or 9 percent under annexation, it paled in comparison to the initial estimate of an appropriate 40 percent tax decrease. At Thursday night’s meeting, members of the consulting firm said they took responsibility for the error, which was corrected in an addendum that was added to their initial study, however some residents questioned whether other portions of the data compiled by the company were reliable. Some residents requested a new report be conducted – at least on the topic of taxation – while others said the addendum should have been included in a fully-updated study.

“All I want to suggest is, let’s think about a pause,” said resident Dave Arbach. “There are a host of issues that, based on the report, are not representative of reality. Two weeks ago, they led with a 40 percent tax increase. That’s not happening.”

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Other residents said they reviewed the revised data and were confident of tax savings, even if it will not be as dramatic as originally assumed. Still others said the “two Seaside Parks” should come together as a matter of principle since it would provide the borough with more ratables and connect the two communities that many have always thought of as one.

“It’s very simple: if this municipal council wants to lower taxes, you vote yes. If you want to make taxes higher, you vote no,” said South Seaside Park resident James Fulcomer. “When I was much younger, the decision was made to say no, and as a result, the individuals of South Seaside Park paid tens of thousands of dollars more every year in taxes. Let’s not make the same mistake – let’s create a greater Seaside Park with lower taxes.”

Seaside Park officials are required by law to either approve South Seaside Park’s petition for annexation or deny it. There is no deadline built into the state’s annexation law, however, said special counsel Jean Cipriani. At some point, however, the borough council would be required to act on the request, which has been pending since last summer after South Seaside Park residents won the right to secede from Berkeley Township following a state Supreme Court ruling.

“I think, at the end of the day, we need to take the information provided in the study and make a decision we feel comfortable with,” said Seaside Park Councilwoman Gina Condos. “I don’t think you’ll ever make everyone happy, that’s a given. But we each have the opportunity on second reading to change our vote.”

“This is not an easy decision for any of us,” said Councilman Joe Toth, before the vote was taken.

Ultimately, the annexation ordinance was introduced by a unanimous vote of the seven-member borough council. Like all ordinances in New Jersey, a public hearing is required along with a second vote for final adoption. That vote will take place at a council meeting scheduled for Monday, March 30, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Should the council adopt the ordinance, South Seaside Park immediate becomes part of Seaside Park. In anticipation of the potential vote, Seaside Park officials have created new zoning districts that correspond with Berkeley Township’s ordinances until a cohesive system can be developed. After adoption, a committee of representatives from both Seaside Park and Berkeley Township will have 60 days to determine whether any debt service attributed specifically to the annexed area should be transferred between towns. If no agreement is reached, a court will appoint an expert to review the arguments of both towns and render a recommendation to a Superior Court judge.