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
Budget Introduced
Council introduced the Borough’s $21.3 million budget with a 3.4 percent tax increase. The tax rate moved from $0.292 cents per $100 of assessed value to $0.302. Debt service and employee benefits were among the costs which drove up expenses. Council will hold a public hearing on April 18, at which time it will consider passing the budget.
Flood Prevention
Building official Ray Poudrier, who also serves as the flood prevention coordinator, discussed a new flood prevention ordinance that could help the Borough get Community Rating System points which, in turn, could save property owners money on their flood insurance policies. Changes include adding one foot to the design elevation of a building, and deed restrictions that prohibit building owners from converting crawl spaces into living spaces.
Sand Study
The Borough’s Coastal Consultant, Doug Gaffney, said the Borough is going to study the flow of sand from the beaches to the Point. Volunteers from the Stone Harbor Property Owners Association will be trained to use GPS devices to gather data on sand movement prior to the upcoming beach fill project. Eventually, that data will be updated and combined into other databases so the Borough can better determine what the groin height at the Point should be as well as other ways to protect the beaches.
Bird Sanctuary
Lenore Tedesco, director of the Wetlands Institute, reported that work to get rid of invasive plants at the Bird Sanctuary is going well. The pond, which had been dry, now has water in it which could allow our Borough frogs to use it as a habitat.
Council Meeting
Council voted on several ordinances and resolutions. Ordinances included setting pool fence heights at four to six feet from the ground and panels within those fences to be between 48 and 54 inches in height, a comprehensive job description for the Borough Administrator, and prohibiting boats from landing on the beach.
In a 5-1 vote Council rejected an ordinance that would allow people to hold weddings on the beach and at pavilions for two hours. Councilmember Victor Foschini was the lone positive vote. Members later said that they would vote for an ordinance that gave at least three hours. A new ordinance is expected to come up soon.
Resolutions voted included allowing people to use credit cards to purchase beach tags, awarding contracts for summer camps programs, and setting seasonal employee salaries.
For legislation discussed at the meeting, please click this link: http://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Regular-Meeting-Agenda-3.21.23-Web.pdf
For a video of the meeting, please click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW0umLhZfM8
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/