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
 
Council Members presented committee reports and updates during the work session, including:
•Administration & Finance:  Councilmember Ken Biddick reported on the re-assessment process, rising personnel and infrastructure costs, as well as revenue.
Re-assessment: He reported that the re-assessment, currently underway, is about 70-75% complete. He encouraged residents to allow assessors to enter their homes, stated that the process is quick – less than 5 minutes – and involves the assessor counting the number of rooms, bathrooms and fireplaces and the extent of “refreshment” to older homes. Without the ability of an assessor to inspect the interior, assumptions could be made that the value is higher than it is. In 2027, there will be new market values which should allow some breathing room to the borough’s spending cap.
Rising costs: Among the issues contributing to rising costs is the increased price of health insurance for municipal employees. This could result in about a $500,000 increase in spending. In addition, the Public Works Contract is currently being negotiated and will also impact the budget. Finally, aging infrastructure (water, sewer) will have to be replaced over the next 15 years.
Revenue constraints: The above factors combined will necessitate an increase in revenue. The borough is looking at ways to increase “miscellaneous” income, for example, through parking and beach fees, to avoid or mitigate a tax increase.
 
•Public Works: Councilmember Bob Ross enumerated the activities of Public Works over the summer, including beach raking, road and building repairs, cleaning up for various events, litter collection, watering the flower urns, solid waste removal, and performing borough vehicle repairs. Councilmember Frank Vaul reported that work was underway to determine why there have been meter failures, citing a particular event at the Reeds Hotel that was addressed. The borough is developing a resident portal that will enable residents to remotely monitor their usage and to quickly identify water leaks. 
 
•Utilities: Engineer Marc DeBlasio reported that Jake’s Place has been completed and that the borough will submit the design and construction of both new playgrounds (Jake’s Place and 97th Street) for awards. Regarding the 81st Street boat ramp replacement, if all is approved, he anticipates a November start date for construction.
 
•Engineer’s Report: Mayor Tim Carney closed the Work Session discussing the possibility of better signage on 3rd Avenue to facilitate increased retail foot traffic to the shops south and north of 96th Street. One option was a kiosk asking “Who’s on Third?”. He also mentioned the initiative, “Shop Local with the Mayor,” as a way to promote local businesses. 
Regular Meeting
•Public Comment: Suzanne Hunter, who organized the Jersey Cape Festival of Fine Craft at the 2nd Avenue Recreation Field August 29th and 30th, expressed deep thanks to the Mayor, Council, Chamber, Public Works, Police, and all who helped make the festival happen. More than 100 artists participated in the event. Particularly since this was the first fair in several years, she found public attendance and comments positive, indicated that both she and the participating artists found it very successful, and hoped to be able to organize it again next year. 
 
•Road Moratorium. Stone Harbor resident Geoff Woolery discussed the road moratorium. He indicated that several East/West roads are in particularly bad shape and in need of repair.
The Council also approved a number of Resolutions on the consent calendar:
•Resolution 2026-S-247, to hire Martin Nieves as a full-time, class 3 Maintenance Mechanic within the Division of Water/Sewer in the Department of Public Works;
•Resolution 2026-S-249, accepting donation of crepe myrtle tree from “Friend of Nancy Wood” for the use of the borough;
•Resolution 2026-S-250, authorizing the Borough Engineer to solicit bids for the Marina Boat Ramp Replacement Project.
To view legislation discussed at the meeting, please click:
https://stoneharbornj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Regular-Session-09.01.2026-Website.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/