Mayor calls Sea Isle City "as strong as ever"

Mayor Leonard Desiderio delivered an upbeat State of the City address Tuesday, but also revealed plans for a small tax increase in Sea Isle City’s 2026 municipal budget caused by inflation and other financial pressures.

“I want to start by letting everyone know that the state of Sea Isle City is as strong as ever,” Desiderio said in the opening line of his nearly 15-minute address during a City Council meeting.

Continuing his optimistic tone, he emphasized a strong partnership between the city government and the local community that has helped to preserve Sea Isle’s “core mission.”

“As most everyone knows, we have stressed the importance of working together as a government and as a community to get things done. As a local government, we’ve remained committed to our core mission of keeping the city safe and clean, maintaining our infrastructure, providing a balanced system of laws and regulations, maintaining financial stability, and doing our job as effectively as possible with the objective of achieving satisfaction for our residents and visitors,” he said.

Desiderio also used his address to tout the city’s strong financial position, pointing out that the budget surplus has never been higher.

The surplus is more than $9 million, giving the city a big cushion in the budget, said Jennifer McIver, Sea Isle’s chief financial officer.

The proposed $34.4 million municipal budget for 2026 will include a tax increase of less than a penny – or three-quarters of one cent.

With the tax increase, the owner of a typical Sea Isle home assessed at $750,000 would pay an additional $55 in local property taxes annually, McIver said.

County and school taxes are separate from local property taxes.

McIver attributed the city’s tax increase to inflationary pressures on an array of municipal expenses. She cited increases in healthcare, insurance, utility bills, tariffs and the higher cost of products in general.

This is the third year in a row that local taxes will go up in Sea Isle, although 2024’s increase in the tax rate was considerably higher at 4.3 cents. The tax increase in 2025 was a 1.8-cent hike.

    The 2026 budget will include funding for activities and programs at Sea Isle City's $21 million community center when it opens this year..
  

Although a tax increase is proposed in the 2026 municipal budget, the city’s water and sewer rates will remain the same for the 13th consecutive year, the mayor announced.

City Council will hold a budget workshop at 9 a.m. Thursday at City Hall to begin scrutinizing the spending plan. The workshop is open to the public.

Council and the mayor’s administration collaborate on the budget before a final vote will be taken on the spending plan by the governing body in coming weeks. Council has the power to make spending cuts or other revisions if it wants to pursue that option.

Desiderio said the record-high budget surplus is a sign of Sea Isle’s strong financial position overall. The surplus is a key factor that Wall Street companies such as Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s consider when they evaluate the soundness of Sea Isle’s bonds.

Sea Isle currently holds a high Double-A bond rating. Desiderio said that all of the city’s financial indicators show that Sea Isle will maintain or possibly increase the Double-A rating.

Desiderio noted that he is proud that Sea Isle is one of the earliest towns to present its municipal budget proposal this year. He also noted that the city’s auditor has informed him that Sea Isle is in excellent financial shape, not only for 2026, but for the future.

The budget will also allow Sea Isle to maintain “all of the services our citizens have come to expect,” Desiderio said.

One of the most important aspects of the budget is providing the funding for a variety of services and activities at Sea Isle’s new $21 million community recreation center once it opens this year, the mayor said. The grand opening date for the building is expected to be announced soon.

    Sea Isle will continue to pay firefighters to work shifts at the firehouse to provide around-the-clock emergency coverage.
  

Focusing on public safety in his address, Desiderio praised the city’s police, fire and emergency services for being among “the finest in the state.”

In addition to having a full-time police department and emergency services department, Desidero announced that the city will once again provide funding in the 2026 municipal budget to boost the fire department.

The fire department is made up of volunteers, but Sea Isle has provided round-the-clock, year-round coverage by paying firefighters to be on duty at all hours at the firehouse.

With firefighters stationed at the firehouse at all times, they are able to respond to fires and other emergencies much faster.

“This has served us well since the beginning of the duty crew program five years ago,” Desiderio said.

He also singled out Sea Isle’s Public Works Department for keeping the city clean and well-maintained. He called the Public Works Department “second to none.”

Desiderio closed his address by emphasizing how proud he is to be Sea Isle’s mayor and expressing hope that the city government will be able to accomplish more good things in the future with the community’s help.

“I love this city,” he said. “It’s been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your mayor.”