Privacy & Cookie Policy
Ship Bottom Taxpayer’s Association
Effective Date: April 14, 2026
1. Introduction
The Ship Bottom Taxpayer’s Association (“SBTA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving the residents and taxpayers of Ship Bottom, New Jersey. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about how our website collects and uses information.
This Privacy & Cookie Policy explains what data we collect when you visit shipbottomtaxpayers.org, how we use it, and what choices you have. By using our website, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
2a. Information You Provide Directly
When you use the contact form on our website, you may submit:
- Your name
- Your email address
- The message or inquiry you send us
We use this information solely to respond to your inquiry. We do not add you to any mailing list without your explicit consent, and we do not sell or share your contact information with third parties.
2b. Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through the tools described below.
3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — and similar technologies. Below is a description of each service that uses cookies on our site.
Google Analytics (via Google Tag Manager)
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use our website. This helps us improve content and navigation. Google Analytics collects information such as:
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- General geographic location (country/region level only)
- Browser type and device type
- How you arrived at our site (e.g., search engine, direct link)
Google Analytics does not collect your name, email address, or other personally identifying information. IP addresses are anonymized. We do not enable advertising features, remarketing, or data sharing with other Google products.
Google Tag Manager is used to deploy Google Analytics on our site in a privacy-compliant manner, managed through our Complianz cookie consent plugin. Analytics cookies are only set after you have given your consent (where required), or can be blocked by declining tracking in our cookie banner.
For more information, see Google’s Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.
Google reCAPTCHA
Our contact form uses Google reCAPTCHA v3 to protect against spam and automated abuse. reCAPTCHA collects hardware and software information (such as device and application data) and sends it to Google for analysis. This is a functional, security-related service necessary for the contact form to operate safely.
Because reCAPTCHA is a functional cookie used for security purposes, it does not require consent under most privacy frameworks. However, its use is disclosed here in the interest of transparency.
For more information, see Google’s Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy and Google’s Terms of Service at https://policies.google.com/terms.
Google Search Console
We use Google Search Console to monitor our website’s performance in Google Search results. Search Console does not place cookies on visitors’ browsers and does not collect any personal data from website visitors. It only provides us with aggregated, anonymized data about how our site appears in search results.
Cookie Consent (Complianz)
We use the Complianz plugin to manage cookie consent on our website. Complianz sets a small functional cookie to remember your consent preferences. This cookie does not track you across other websites and does not collect personal data beyond recording your consent choice.
4. Cookie Categories
The cookies on our website fall into the following categories:
- Functional (Required): Cookies necessary for the website to operate, including the reCAPTCHA security cookie and the Complianz consent preference cookie. These are always active.
- Statistics (Optional): Google Analytics cookies that help us understand site usage. These are only set if you consent, or if your browser/region settings allow them under applicable privacy law.
We do not use marketing, advertising, or social media tracking cookies.
5. Your Choices and Rights
You have several options to control how your data is used:
Cookie Consent Banner
When you visit our site, our cookie banner allows you to accept or decline non-essential (Statistics) cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the cookie settings link in the footer of our website.
Opt-Out of Google Analytics
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Data Requests
Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding your personal data, including the right to access, correct, or request deletion of data we hold about you. To submit a data request, you may use the data request form on our website or contact us directly at the address below.
We will respond to verifiable data requests within a reasonable timeframe. Note that we have limited personal data — only what you voluntarily submit through our contact form.
Do Not Track
Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. Our Complianz consent system is configured to respect DNT signals where applicable.
6. Data Retention
Contact form submissions are retained only as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry and are not stored in any long-term database beyond standard WordPress site backups.
Google Analytics data is retained according to Google’s standard data retention policies. We have configured GA4 to use the minimum retention period available.
Cookie consent records are retained by Complianz for compliance documentation purposes.
7. Third-Party Services
Our website uses the following third-party services, each with their own privacy policies:
- Google Analytics / Google Tag Manager — https://policies.google.com/privacy
- Google reCAPTCHA — https://policies.google.com/privacy
- Google Search Console — https://policies.google.com/privacy
- Complianz (cookie consent) — https://complianz.io/legal/privacy-statement/
- WordPress (website platform) — https://automattic.com/privacy/
SBTA does not sell, rent, or share your personal information with any third party for commercial purposes.
8. Children’s Privacy
Our website is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information through our contact form, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
9. Security
We take reasonable measures to protect the information submitted through our contact form, including the use of SSL/HTTPS encryption on our website. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy & Cookie Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the effective date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions about this policy, wish to submit a data request, or need to report a privacy concern, please contact us:
Ship Bottom Taxpayer’s Association
Website: https://shipbottomtaxpayers.org
Contact Form: https://shipbottomtaxpayers.org/contact-us/