Stone Harbor Council Meeting Summary – March 3rd, 2026

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.

Councilmember Ken Biddick, chair of the Administration and Finance Committee, reported that work on the budget is proceeding and will be completed as soon as possible, but three more weeks are needed to finalize. Borough salaries comprise 50% of the annual budget, with overtime, pension and medical benefits totaling twice the salary total. Personnel changes have affected the preparation of this year’s budget. He noted that the borough prefers to look within the borough rather than outside to hire new people. Megan Dilks will fill the vacant Borough Tax Collector position, while maintaining her post as Utility Tax Collector. The overall goal is to spend below the available state-imposed budget cap.

 

Councilmember Bunny Parzych reported that Jenny Olson has accepted the additional role of Director of Tourism. She will continue as the borough’s Director of Recreation. Council agreed that Olson is a widely respected and a valuable asset to the borough.

 

Councilmember Bob Ross, head of the Public Works Committee, acknowledged the great job the Department of Public Works did during the recent snowstorms in terms of clearing snow and maintaining public safety.

 

Mayor Tim Carney presented Certificates of Appreciation to Employees of the DPW. Proclamations were given to three Police Officers who checked in on and assisted some elderly residents during the storm.

 

Councilmember Frank Vaul, Utilities Committee chair, noted that work on modifying the water and sewer billing process is ongoing. Meter-related equipment issues need to be fixed before work can finish in 2026.

 

Borough Engineer Marc DeBlasio said the following capital projects are nearing completion:

196th Street Recreation Project – should be done by early April

2121st Street Paving Project – should be complete by summer

382nd Street Jake’s Playground bids received. The winning bid was reduced by $400,000 on second submission.

4111th and 114th Streets outfall pipe removal and ancillary work will begin in 
2026 and could be finished by the spring of 2027. This project bid was $1 million under budget, but additional costs may be incurred.

582nd Street Pickleball courts will be resurfaced, and new courts will be added by converting an existing tennis court. This should be completed by May 2026

681st Street Marina boat ramp – a replacement permit has been filed. No timeline offered.

Regular Session

A request was made for a hardship opening at 118 105th Street to install a new natural gas line for a home that was demolished and is 50% complete. The street is under a moratorium until 2028. Two separate openings will be required, and an infrared patch will be used to repair the openings. There was much discussion among the council members on this issue, particularly regarding the viability of the moratorium. The request was continued for further review and will be again presented at the next Council Meeting.

 

Two Ordinances were adopted (17.04 and 17.05), which will repeal and replace Chapter 560, Article 5 and Chapter 560, Article 1, respectively, of the existing Zoning Ordinance governing Affordable Housing. No objections were registered.

 

To view legislation discussed at the meeting, please click: https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-

content/uploads/2026/02/Agenda-and-Back-Up-for-Website-003.03.2026.pdf

 

To view a video of the meeting, please click:

 

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/