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
Resilient Environment and Landscape (REAL) Rulemaking – Proposed Rule Published
Administrator Manny Parada reported that the proposed rule that would implement NJ Governor Murphy’s Executive Order to undertake a comprehensive revision to land use rules to respond to rising sea levels, extreme weather, and recurrent flooding was published on August 5. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) proposed rule would significantly expand the acreage in Cape May County under land use regulation and require comprehensive revisions to the regulations governing coastal management, wetlands protection, flood control, and stormwater runoff. Specifically, the proposed regulation would require a structure’s first finished floor to be 5 feet above the current FEMA flood elevation. It is estimated that properties (99.8 percent) in all but one acre in the Borough would be subject to the new standard.

NJDEP has announced that it will conduct three hearings during a 90-day public comment period. At the end of the comment period, NJDEP may issue a final rule or revise the rule and re-open the comment period. It is estimated that a final rule would likely be adopted in 2025 and allow a year for implementation.

Parada recommended that the Council adopt a resolution developed by Cape May County that would address concerns raised by local communities, including further study and evaluation of the potential impacts of the proposed rule, the timing and phasing of related requirements, funding, and expectations for the rulemaking process. For a presentation on REAL, please visit: https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-
content/uploads/2024/07/07.16.2024-Work-Session-Agenda.pdf
For additional information, please visit: https://dep.nj.gov/njreal/

Review of Borough Services and Operations
Council approved a motion to hear a presentation from the Local Assistance Bureau (LAB) of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Division of Local Government Services at the August 20 meeting related to a proposal for an assessment of Borough services and operations, which would include benchmarking with peer municipalities and providing advice on potential opportunities to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of operations and cost savings opportunities for the consideration of the Borough. The assessment would be provided at no cost.

Public Comment
Business representatives complained that they had not heard back from the administration on whether they can proceed with plans for upcoming events. (Editor’s note: In this year’s budget, Council reduced overtime for public works employees, who typically work those events.)

Regular Meeting
Approval of Ordinances and Resolutions
The Council approved several Ordinances and Resolutions, including:
Ordinance 1670 – Amending Chapter 520-29 “Handicapped Parking” of the Municipal Code specifically adding handicapped parking spaces on the beach ends of several streets

Resolution S-148 – Renewing membership in the Atlantic County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund
Resolution S-149 – Memorializing a change to Public Works Work Rules
Resolution S-150 – Amending the Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual and Employee Handbook
Resolution S-151 – Authorizing the Mayor to sign Agreement, Funds, and Support for the Museum Director
Resolution S-152 – Urging the State to take incremental and targeted approach to adopt the proposed REAL rules
Resolution S-153 – Authorizing a private handicapped parking space at 247 88th Street
For legislation discussed at the meeting, please click: stoneharbornj.org/wp-
content/uploads/2024/08/08.06.2024-Regular-Agenda-and-Documents.pdf

For a video of the meeting, please click:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ0tAoviSqc

NOTE: The Cape May County Herald recently had articles related to topics covered at this Council Meeting. These articles can be found along with others as part of their coverage of Stone Harbor.

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/