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View of Island Heights, NJ from Pine Beach, Dec. 2024Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Island Heights

How is Island Heights run?

Island Heights’ borough government spent $2.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, about $1,624 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Island Heights didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.

Town website
Day-to-day spending, 2022
$2.7M
year to December 31, 2022 · Census estimate
Per resident, 2022
$1,624
Census estimate · not compared
Long-term debt
$4.6M
end of 2022 · Census estimate
Borough staff, 2022
9
full-time · 27 part-time · March payroll $106,609 · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$7,718
1.41% of home value · NJ 2.11%

What stands out about how Island Heights is run

Read from the borough’s budget and official records.

★ What stands out · Your share of the 2022 budget

About $1,624 per resident a year, or $4.45 a day

Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 74%Interest, fines & other 16%Fees & charges 6%Utility sales 3%From the state 1%Other taxes & licenses <1%

Revenue is well above spending. That usually means Island Heights collects property taxes for the school district and county and passes them on, so only its own spending is counted.

An estimate

Island Heights didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.

Not in the receipt.Interest on debt $77,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $2.9 million.
About “Other”.30% of Island Heights’ day-to-day spending ($829,000) is filed by the Census Bureau outside the named functions above, so the receipt can’t say what it buys.
Compared with similar places · Over the years

No comparison or trend for Island Heights yet

Every year of Island Heights’ figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the borough reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.

How Town Hall compares budgets →
Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $7,718 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.41% of the home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

New Jersey$9,590
Island Heights$7,718
Toms River Township$6,497
Berkeley Township$4,114
$7,718
typical bill a year
1.41%
effective rate
$546,800
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Island Heights’ rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.

Tax bills are one input to Island Heights’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Island Heights →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Island Heights

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See islandheightsboro.com for Island Heights’ current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Island Heights yet.islandheightsboro.com ↗
Agendas

Island Heights’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The borough posts agendas and minutes on islandheightsboro.com ↗.

Who works for Island Heights

One full-time borough employee for every 188 residents

On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,692).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022

Administration & buildings1 + 12 pt
Police4 + 6 pt
Roads & transportation3 + 3 pt
Water & other utilities1 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections0 + 2 pt
Housing & development0 + 2 pt
Fire0 + 1 pt
9
full-time
27
part-time
$106,609
payroll for March 2022
$1.3M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$74,500
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
4
sworn police officers
Estimates.Island Heights didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Central Regional School District

Island Heights’ middle and high school district, shared with Berkeley Township, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Island Heights →
$23,523
per pupil · NJ $28,441
2,285
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $23,523 per pupil, $13,604 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 70%State 26%Federal 4%

New Jersey districts overall: 48% local, 46% state, 6% federal.

Also serving Island Heights

Island Heights Borough School District · $25,309 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Who represents Island Heights

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Island Heights.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
  2. 2
    New Jersey General AssemblyState representatives
  3. 3
    New Jersey SenateState senator
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New Jersey

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Island Heights compares with the towns next door

Island Heights’ own figures are Census estimates, so it isn’t placed among its neighbors. 2 of the 2 towns next door reported 2022 figures, from $933 to $1,210 per resident. Tap a town to see its page.

Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Toms River Township$933$6,497
Berkeley Township$1,210$4,114
Island Heightsestimate$7,718

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Island Heights’ government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Island Heights’ government

How much does Island Heights spend per resident?

About $1,624 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Island Heights didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $2.9 million.

What is the property tax rate in Island Heights?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $7,718 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.41% of the typical home’s value, vs 2.11% across New Jersey. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see islandheightsboro.com.

Who runs Island Heights’ government?

See islandheightsboro.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Island Heights yet.

How many people work for Island Heights?

9 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $106,609 (about $1.3M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Island Heights in the state legislature?

State Senate District 10 (Jim Holzapfel) and General Assembly District 10 (Greg McGuckin and Paul Kanitra). The General Assembly district also covers 15 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

Ask neighbors about Island Heights’ government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Island Heights, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →