Gloucester County Administrator Brenda Garton will be faced with difficult decisions as she prepares the county’s fiscal year 2015-16 budget, as budget cuts will be likely to avoid a real estate tax rate increase.

The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors directed Garton Tuesday night during its meeting in the colonial courthouse to prepare a budget based on an equalized real estate tax rate of 68 cents per $100 of assessed value; but to be ready to show what cuts would be necessary to bring the tax rate down to 67 cents, 66 cents and the current rate of 65 cents.

The overall county’s real estate tax value dropped as a result of this year’s new reassessment. For the county to make up the lost revenue while maintaining current levels of services, the real estate tax rate would have to be increased three cents from its current level.

However, supervisors expressed Tuesday night its desire that county administration be prepared to make cuts in order for the burden no...