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
Utilities

Council Member Robin Casper announced that she would recommend postponing a feasibility study to create a Storm Water Utility until 2025 at the next Utility Committee Meeting. Storm Water Utilities are intended to address flooding and storm water runoff, a primary source of water pollution, directly through user-based fees based on the percentage of impervious ground.

Stone Harbor’s 2024 Budget authorized $375,000 to perform the study as a preliminary step toward creating a utility. Casper noted that the Council would make the final decision on whether to move forward with the study.

Casper noted that New Brunswick is the first municipality in New Jersey to establish a utility and that 17 municipalities are beginning organization. She concluded that Stone Harbor would benefit from observing the experience before proceeding to organize the utility.

Council Member Bunny Parzych commented that Stone Harbor should move forward with a study of stormwater runoff and the potential for mitigating the flooding on Third Avenue that occurs regularly during storms.

Finance

Chief Financial Officer Cynthia Lindsay stated that a Resolution pending a vote would appropriate $67,000 for the 82nd Street playground from a local residential improvement grant. She also announced that some initial purchase orders had been issued for the 97th Street project for surfacing and equipment. The 97th Street playground is being funded through a $78,000 open space grant awarded last year. She anticipated that once the grant funding is received, the contract would be open for competitive bidding.

Lindsay stated that she is working to increase efficiencies in the Department and would begin with improving the procedures for cash management in the Recreation Department.

She also announced the hours of the Construction Office would be changed, so that the office will be open to the public from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM Monday through Friday. She explained that this would allow staff to work uninterrupted from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and concentrate on processing pending permits.

Lindsay said she expects that tax bills will not face any major delay and be issued close to if not on time for the August 1 tax cycle. She stated that the Cape May County has certified the levy and the tax rate would be set by next week.

Public Works

Council Member Bunny Parzych stated that the Borough is continuing discussions regarding the Lot Grading Ordinance and wanted the public to know that the Council is aware of the concerns. She stated that the Ordinance is a good ordinance and was slowly assisting with flood mitigation but had raised some issues with property owners. She stated that Borough Administrators are continuing to work with residents and would be proposing revisions to the Ordinance.

Engineering

Borough Engineer Marc DeBlasio reviewed the status of the Borough’s grant applications:

1) A New Jersey Transportation grant to resurface 121 Street from Second Avenue to Third Avenue. The grant application was submitted on June 20.

2) A FEMA planning grant to analyze the potential to raise roads from 80th-99th Street. A bulkhead survey has been completed and additional surveys regarding storm water and the sewer system should be completed in the next couple of weeks prior to submission.

3) An Open Space grant for $1,290,000 for the reconstruction of the 97th Street Recreation Araa, including the basketball courts, restrooms and administrative buildings. Stone Harbor’s share of the pending grant application would be approximately $800,000 to $900,000.

Administration and Finance

Deputy Executive Director Kamini Patel urged the Council to continue the current insurance policy through the Atlantic County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund. The ACM JIF manages a regional pool to provide cost effective fire, liability, auto and workers’ compensation coverage to municipal governments. Without providing the cost of the renewal, she intimated that there will be an increase based upon the increased cost of reinsurance (30 percent locally). She explained that the market is hardening due to rising claims associated with treatment of long-term Covid and the re-opening of workman’s compensation cases, as well as the impact of climate change and damage from hurricanes, floods, and fires.

Patel noted that as a member of ACM JIF, Stone Harbor received $620,304 in dividends since joining the pool. She stated that additional benefits include risk management and safety training, insurance coverage for community events, access to a Cyber-Risk Management Fund and an Auto Repair Shop Program operated by the Fund.

Regular Meeting – Ordinances and Resolutions Approved

The Council voted to unanimously approve:

Ordinance 1667. The ordinance expands the number of Borough parking lots where permit holders are permitted to park, specifically the beach lots east of First Avenue between 94th and 96th Street.
Ordinance 1668. The ordinance seeks to clarify zoning law for lots situated in two zoning districts so that the regulations of the more restrictive district will apply with an exception for residential use in a business district where residential zoning use would apply.
Resolution 2024-S-128. The Resolution amends the 2024 Budget to appropriate funding ($67,000) from a County local residential improvement grant for the 82nd Street playground.
The Council postponed consideration of Resolution 2024-S-130 at the request of Chief Financial Officer Lindsay. The Resolution amends the 2024 Budget to appropriate funding from the Atlantic City Direct Install Program ($348,745.73), allocated for replacement of HVAC systems in Borough facilities. She stated that she would seek additional information regarding procurement procedures before moving forward with the spending.

To view legislation, please click: https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/07.02.2024-Regular-Meeting-Agenda-and-Documents.pdf

To view a video, please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHriu6bveM4

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/