As a courtesy to our SHPOA Members, we’re bringing you a summary of each Stone Harbor Work Session and Council Meeting. Intended as summaries, these intentionally don’t have a lot of details and are not a substitute for the official Borough minutes.
Work Session
 
Finance
Councilmember Ken Biddick, chair of the Administration and Finance Committee, said they are looking into areas in the Finance Department where they can automate or otherwise improve efficiencies. They are discussing with a local person as a possible hire for a part-time Chief Financial Officer position.
 
Public Works
Councilmember Bob Ross, chair of the Public Works Committee, noted that general spring maintenance is underway to ensure the town is ready for Memorial Day weekend and ultimately, the summer season.
Engineer Marc DeBlasio updated the council on Federal Emergency Management Agency grant applications that were submitted regarding flood mitigation work needed in the 80th to 88th Street corridor and the 89th to 99th Street corridor. The grant applications had been submitted in early 2025 but put on hold based on the Trump administration review of the grant program. However, the funds have opened up and the borough’s applications are being updated and reconsidered.
 
Utilities
Councilmember Frank Vaul, chair of the Utilities Committee, provided an update on utilities and said that they hoped the new billing calculations for water/sewer use would be implemented in time for the 2Q bills.
 
Engineering
Engineer Marc DeBlasio said the improvements to the 97th Street recreation facility are essentially complete. Work on the affordable housing unit at 102nd Street has resumed. The 121st Street paving should be completed by Memorial Day, weather permitting. Paving and striping of the new pickleball courts at 82nd Street should be completed by Memorial Day.
The new playground at 82nd Street is close to completion and should be ready sometime in June.
 
Regular Meeting
Outside auditor Michael Garcia made the presentation on the $23.4 million budget for 2026.
 
Key takeaways from the presentation:
•The Borough was able to avoid exceeding the state mandated spending cap
•$.015 cent local purpose tax rate increase
•Spending increased over last year primarily due to increases in salary/wages, workman’s comp costs, health insurance costs, and increased pension costs
•Key challenges were losing the CFO to retirement, and the deputy CFO, who left for another job
•Garcia reminded Council that the expenses for shared services are not counted within the spending cap calculation
•Parking revenues are expected to increase in 2026 due to the increase in the parking fees and adding more parking locations to pay vs. free
Council then voted to pass the budget 6-0; Council also voted on other ordinances focused generally on zoning, bulkhead, and other code changes.
 
To watch a view of the meeting, please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-MqOgnwKQ
 
NOTE: As you may know, our friends at the Cape May County Herald are offering SHPOA members only an exclusive discount for Herald subscriptions — 25% OFF with code “SHPOA” — and they are also providing your association advertising space in print and online for us to promote the association and the initiatives important to our members.
 
To subscribe and use the discount, please click on https://capemaycountyherald.com/subscribe/ and use promo code “SHPOA” at checkout to claim your 25% discount. Only valid for new subscribers.
To read past Stone Harbor Council Meeting summaries, please click here: https://www.stoneharborpoa.org/category/borough-meeting-summaries/
 
To watch recordings of past meetings, please click here: https://stoneharbornj.org/agendameetings/watch-mayor-and-council-meetings-online/