In reference to Beach Haven’s recent audit from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General regarding reallocating Federal Emergency Management Agency funds, Beach Haven Mayor Robert Keeler assured residents at the monthly council meeting, on Monday, April 14, that the municipality was not audited because of “a suspicion of wrongdoing.” He said the town did not receive the nearly $4 million in FEMA funding and many news organizations had distorted the issue.
“The audit was not an audit because we’re guilty. It is an audit of the process,” he explained.
FEMA originally awarded the borough $4,858,359 to cover costs of debris removal activities, but the town instead opted into a countywide program for the cleanup. The municipality had tried to deobligate the funding but was not allowed.
“Dealing with FEMA, in layman’s terms, is absolutely unbelievable,” said Keeler. “Trying to find anybody who is in their position for more than six months with the town is very unusual. Every time we turned around we had a new representative, and we started all over again,” he added.
 |
| Photo via Facebook Beach Haven's new Beach Patrol Headquarters is still in the process of being built. |
In other local government news, the municipal budget for calendar year 2014 was also discussed and adopted during the monthly meeting. The council had received clearance from the state to adopt the budget just a few hours before the public hearing.
A few changes had been made in regard to last month’s introduction of the new financial plan, as per the New Jersey Division of Local Government Services. The state division requested that an appropriation for paying down some of the debt accrued from Superstorm Sandy be reduced by $112,500.
The state also reduced the contributions the town is going to have to make for both the police and Public Employees Retirement System pensions by $36,790 of what was initially noted. Therefore the total appropriations for the budget are now $11,321,225.10, which is $149,290 less than what the council originally accounted for.
In terms of the revenue portion of the budget, the state asked the anticipated amount noted for an interlocal construction code be increased by $50,304, to match what the appropriation was last year. The anticipated use of surplus was reduced by $87,094, also.
The amount to be raised by taxation to support the 2014 municipal budget is $7,058,935, which results in a tax rate of 42.92 cents, an increase of 4 cents over the previous year.
“Because we have so much damage in the town due to Sandy, that’s one of the reasons we chose this 4-cent tax increase, which we really agonized over because we didn’t want to increase the taxes. It just seemed absolutely necessary to get the town back running to what it was before,” explained Councilwoman Nancy Taggart Davis.
The first reading for an ordinance to create a new chapter for public health, safety and welfare was also approved. The initial section of the chapter deals with regulations governing electric charging stations for automobiles.
The first reading for an ordinance to use $160,000 from the Water Capital Improvement Fund to replace existing fire hydrants that are outdated or have been damaged was also approved.
The council approved the first reading for an ordinance to provide free daily beach admission for active military personnel and active members of the New Jersey National Guard, as well as their dependents and spouses. Honorably discharged veterans of the Armed Forces are also eligible, according to a new state law.
Richard Crane, borough manager, announced that the town’s preseason beach badges will be sold at the site of the beach patrol headquarters, located on the beachfront of Centre Street, beginning in May. Since the new facility is still in the process of being built, the badges will be sold via a temporary structure.
“Last year we established that as a location where folks would be buying beach badges, and we want to keep things consistent and eliminate any confusion,” Crane explained.
Local resident Marilyn Thomas suggested the council take more proactive measures during the summer months to ensure beach badge checkers are checking all beach-goers for tags and collecting money from those without them. The council agreed that additional efforts should be made, including hiring extra personnel, especially older individuals, to sit at each of the town’s 32 beach entrances.
–Kelley Anne Essinger
This article was published in The SandPaper.
No comments:
Post a Comment