How Somers Point is run
Who runs Somers Point, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Somers Point's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 11, 2026.
Who runs Somers Point
The elected mayor heads the city government and appoints its top administrator and department heads. The council passes laws, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Somers Point city staff
73 full-time-equivalent positions. 2025 budget. 73 full-time and 61 part-time positions are budgeted for 2025. City of Somers Point · Jan 1, 2025
The 2025 budget lists 73 full-time and 61 part-time employees. We found no list of individual employee pay. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Somers Point in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $4.7M (2025-12-31). City of Somers Point · Jul 10, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for 2026.
Comes from
- Property tax for municipal purposes$13.7M · 63%
- Miscellaneous revenues$4.1M · 19%
- Fund balance (surplus) used$3.5M · 16%
- Delinquent taxes$422,000 · 2%
Goes to (2026)
- Other expenses (non-salary operating costs)$8.1M · 37%
- Salaries and wages$7.6M · 35%
- Debt service$2.5M · 11%
- Pension, Social Security and other deferred charges$2.2M · 10%
- Reserve for uncollected taxes$1.3M · 6%
- Capital improvements$139,100 · 1%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Somers Point is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe citySomers Point Police DepartmentSomers Point Police Department website
- FireThe citySomers Point Fire DepartmentTwo fire companies make up the City's fire department.City of Somers Point
- WaterPrivate companyNew Jersey American WaterCity of Somers Point
- SewerThe cityCity of Somers PointThe City pumps sewage to the Atlantic County Utilities Authority, which treats it.City of Somers Point
- Trash collectionThe citySomers Point Department of Public WorksCity of Somers Point
- ParksThe citySomers Point Department of Public WorksCity of Somers Point
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | WaldwickNJ | South AmboyNJ | Somers PointNJ | Lincoln ParkNJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 10,252 | 10,403 | 10,590 | 10,950 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $1,745 | $2,360 | $2,056 | $2,466 |
| Debt per resident | $1,825 | $2,058 | $2,697 | $824 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $965 | $1,326 | $1,146 | $1,142 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.1 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Somers Point publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Adopted budget posted online City of Somers Point
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineWe found no contract for the City Administrator. The salary ordinance gives only a pay range for the job. City of Somers Point · Jun 26, 2025
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member online City of Somers Point · Apr 23, 2026
- Partly: Council pay stated in a public documentThe salary ordinance sets pay ranges for the mayor and council, not exact amounts. City of Somers Point · Jun 26, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Somers Point · Jun 26, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- The 2026 budget uses $3.5 million of surplus, while the Current Fund balance was $4.67 million on December 31, 2025. How much surplus can future budgets rely on?
- Somers Point had $28.57 million of bonds and notes outstanding on December 31, 2025, part of it in short-term bond anticipation notes. When will those notes be converted to long-term bonds?
- Somers Point's share of state pension liabilities was $12.14 million at June 30, 2025. How will pension costs fit into future budgets?
Help decide what comes next
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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