The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors voted by a 5-2 margin Tuesday evening to advertise the real estate tax rate at $0.637 per $100 of assessed value, an increase of $0.023, and the personal property levy at $3.15 per $100 of assessed value, a five-cent increase, for fiscal year 2027. Supervisors also voted to advertise a cigarette tax at the maximum rate, which would be 40 cents per pack. Gloucester County currently does not have a cigarette tax. Additionally, the board voted to advertise a 2 percent increase in the meals tax rate. These advertised rates reflect the maximum amount of increase the board can implement. The board can choose to lower the rates before the adoption of its final budget. “What you advertise is your max,” explained County Attorney Ted Wilmot. The FY27 budget requests total more $96 million with revenues projected to reach $89.5 million without the additional proposed rate increases, creating an operating gap of $6.5 million. “The potential revenues are g...