By Stephen Appezzato
OCEANPORT – Oceanport officials unanimously approved the 2025 municipal budget, which totals $15.1 million, at the May 15 borough council meeting. The passage marked the end of months of financial planning and collaboration among borough officials, who touted the budget as a model of long-term fiscal discipline, creative problem-solving and steady investment in community amenities.
Council member Michael O’Brien, who chairs the Finance and Administration Committee, provided an overview of the budget. Alongside a notable increase in assessed home values, Oceanport’s municipal tax rate will decrease this financial year.
“The average assessment in Oceanport rose this year (by) $70,000, to $838,126,” O’Brien said, an increase from $767,745 last year. Over the past five years, the borough’s total assessed value has jumped 48.5%. During that same period, the municipal budget rose by $1.1 million – a 16% increase.
“That’s a good thing,” Oceanport CFO Katie LaPorta said. “Our homes are valued higher.”
LaPorta emphasized the borough’s careful approach to managing taxpayer funds.
“We really do try to be very fiscally responsible,” she said. Despite inflation averaging 4.8% annually during that five-year stretch, the borough’s tax rate has dropped by approximately 10 cents per $100 of assessed value over the years, adjusting for inflation.
O’Brien noted that the local tax rate will fall to 38 cents per $100 assessed value this year – a decrease of about four cents from last year.
“The municipal budget increased approximately $100,000 this year, but the average homeowner will experience a decrease in their taxes of about $45,” O’Brien explained.
State aid also remained flat for Oceanport at about $550,000. Despite this, the borough has explored strategies for funding projects and maintaining services without raising taxes.
“We’re in a good position, and it’s not an accident,” he said. “We’ve developed creative ways to think about projects; we’ve been open in terms of what our goals are, expectations; we talk very frequently with our department heads, and we’ve been very consistent in our approach to the budget.”
“All of our recent capital projects in some way have included grant money,” O’Brien noted, such as road programs, lighting improvements at Maria Gatta Park, updates to Trinity Park, a new parking lot at Old Wharf House, and a soon-to-be-built inclusive playground at Blackberry Bay Park.
“In each case, we waited to execute it until we utilized all available resources, limiting the impact on the taxpayer while creating additional value,” O’Brien said. The borough also tapped into sports wagering revenues, field rental income, and interest on surplus funds to fund these improvements.
“This also represents the second consecutive year that we haven’t taken out any additional debt,” he said. “We’ve also kept spending in check, but we haven’t sacrificed improvements to the town.”
The municipal budget process is extensive. “It’s a lot of puzzle pieces, a lot of moving parts, a lot of involvement, a lot of hard work goes into this,” LaPorta said, noting drafting the budget begins in the fall and includes input from department heads before reaching the Finance Committee and the full council.
Mayor Thomas Tvrdik praised those efforts, pointing to ongoing improvements around the borough.
“I have to say, you take a drive around town, you look at our roads, you look at our parks, you look at our officers, our emergency responders – we’re not just kicking the can – we’re getting the work done here and we’re doing it as a team,” Tvrdik said.
Oceanport Becomes ‘Film Ready’
with New Ordinance
Following the start of demolition for Netflix Studios Fort Monmouth, the council adopted a new filming ordinance, officially establishing Oceanport as a “film-ready” municipality, positioning the borough to welcome professional film and television productions.
The ordinance creates a new section in the borough code and aligns Oceanport with the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission’s Film Ready New Jersey program – a five-step certification and marketing program designed to educate municipalities about motion picture and TV production logistics, and promote communities as attractive destinations for filming.
This initiative sets guidelines, permit fees and standards for local filming and helps Oceanport connect with industry professionals by providing local support and expertise.
Some surrounding towns already have similar ordinances in place.
Oceanport’s new law aims to streamline the film permit process while preserving local oversight and minimizing disruption to residents.
In other news, the borough council unanimously appointed Kara Burke-Manna to fill the remainder of council member Keith Salnick’s unexpired term. Burke-Manna currently serves as vice president of the Shore Regional Board of Education and will resign from that position in the coming weeks to assume her new role. She will serve on the council through the end of the year.
The article originally appeared in the May 29 – June 4, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
