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
New Ordinances Introduced Concerning Construction and Zoning
Council introduced ordinance 1684, a new construction ordinance, which includes requirements for controlling plastic dust and debris, proper use and covering of dumpsters, responsible disposal of construction waste, and certification of lawful dock disposal. This ordinance establishes stronger environmental and safety regulations for construction sites in the borough.
Additionally, Council introduced ordinance 1685, which refines regulations in the Business District by removing Zone C criteria, aiming to align development standards of Zone A and B. Council voted down this ordinance as it determined that more information is needed from the Planning Board based on the concerns of several affected property owners.

Budget and Parking
The 2025 Budget was approved with public hearing and adoption to take place during council meeting on 5/20/2025.
Council reversed course on issuing “sticker” parking passes (used by retailers) and is resuming use of the hang tag parking pass. This reversal was made after several businesses complained that the passes need to be transferable for their employees who work various schedules.

Borough Engineer
Marc DeBlasio, borough engineer, reported that 2nd Avenue paving from 111th-122nd Streets should be completed before Memorial Day.

The 96th Street Playground is complete, as well as the resurfacing of the basketball and bocce courts. There are plans to demolish the small administration building located there and a plan to rebuild, which will include bathrooms.

The playground at 83rd Street, known as “Jake’s Place” (Jake’s Place refers to an inclusive playground in Cherry Hill), is still under construction with plans expected to be completed by Spring 2026. The borough has received a $750,000 grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection. There is a potential of an additional $250,000 matching grant. The total $1 million is expected to cover the cost of the playground.

There was discussion regarding the timing of the final paving of 3rd Avenue. Engineer DeBlasio said that the county oversees that project since 3rd Avenue is a county road. He said he would reach out to county officials regarding completion dates.

Public Works
Councilmember Bunny Parzych announced the sudden passing of long-time borough supervisor, Robert Brewer.

Rocky Tirado, an experienced borough employee, has been named as new director of Public Works.

Public Comment
Chris Campbell, a SHPOA trustee, spoke on behalf of SHPOA and applauded the borough for their current budgeting and processes under the helm of Cynthia Lindsay. SHPOA also asked council for an update and availability on shared services reports issued by the Department of Community Affairs.

Other News
After a short, closed council session, new borough clerk Jeanne Parkinson was appointed. Ms. Parkinson has a significant background in township administration, having worked in Millville and Ocean City.

Regular Meeting
Ordinances Approved on Budget Cap, Water/Sewer Rate Hike Ordinance 1681 passed, which allows the 2025 Budget to increase the appropriation (spending) cap amounts the full amount available which is 3.5% over last year’s appropriations within the cap.
Additionally, council passed ordinance 1682 to increase water and sewer rates to support the deficit in the 2025 budget. This results in adding $125.00 to the quarterly base rate sewer bill as
discussed at the 4/1/25 council meeting.

To view the agenda and legislation discussed at the meeting, please click:
https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Website-Regular-05-06-25.pdf
To view a video of the meeting, please click: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl1Nbz14FC8

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/