By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City has built up a record surplus entering the new year and will be able to keep local property taxes stable in the 2023 municipal budget, Mayor Leonard Desiderio announced Tuesday while delivering his annual State of the City address.
Despite inflationary pressures driving up prices across the country, Sea Isle remains in strong financial shape and will continue to provide all of the municipal services and capital improvements that are crucial for the city’s residents and visitors, Desiderio noted.
“The fact is that the cost of living has risen more dramatically in the past year than it has in more than a generation. Obviously, this is a serious concern to many of us; and unfortunately municipal government isn’t immune to the impact of higher costs. However, please know one thing that won’t go up in 2023 is your local taxes,” he said to applause from the audience at City Hall.
He also reported that the city will start the year with a budget surplus of more than $8.7 million, the highest in Sea Isle’s history.
“That is a testament to the soundness of our finances,” Desiderio said.
More details about the city’s 2023 spending plan will be unveiled when City Council holds a budget workshop 9 a.m. Thursday at City Hall. The workshop is open to the public.
In another dose of financial good news, Desiderio announced that the city’s water and sewer rates also will not go up in 2023, the 10th consecutive year they have remained stable.
“Again, through sound financial management and careful planning, we’ve maintained our utility in outstanding shape while keeping costs under control,” he said.
The mayor stressed that in addition to maintaining its financial strength, the city has also been able to improve its capital infrastructure and facilities. A prime example is the city’s plan to build a $20 million community center on the site of the former public school on the block of 45th Street, 46th Street, Central Avenue and Park Road, he said.
The old school, which was built in 1971 and closed in 2012 because of the city’s declining student population, will be demolished as early as this week to make room for development of the community center. Tentatively, the new community center is expected to open sometime in 2025.
“This project has been a long time coming, and is the result of much collaboration between Council and the public,” Desiderio said.
Following up on a commitment he made to the neighborhood surrounding the community center site, Desiderio said he will meet with residents this weekend to review the most recent architectural renderings for the project.
“This weekend’s meeting is to give another opportunity, before we actually go out to bid for construction, for those who are in eyeshot of the building to see what it will look like and to ensure our neighbors that the city has kept its commitment regarding aesthetics and landscaping of the property,” he said.
From a financial standpoint, the city has already funded the down payment for the project and has factored in the financing for construction of the community center into the projections for future municipal budgets, Desiderio pointed out.
Desiderio also touched upon other key municipal projects that the city plans to undertake in 2023 or future years, including a new dog park, stormwater pumping stations to reduce flooding in low-lying neighborhoods and construction of handicap-accessible ramps to the Promenade at 51st and 53rd streets.
The dog park will be the city’s first. It is planned in the north end of town around Seventh Street and Landis Avenue. A new handicap-accessible ramp and beach observation pavilion will be built across the street from the dog park to provide panoramic views of the ocean and back bays.
Desiderio announced that the Cape May County Open Space Review Board has recommended approving a $1.5 million grant to fund the dog park and beach observation pavilion. Construction of the dog park is expected to start in the spring.
The city is also preparing this year for a new beach replenishment project to restore storm-damaged parts of the shoreline. The exact locations for the replenishment project have not yet been announced, but they are expected to include eroded sections of the beaches and dunes in the downtown area as well as the south end of the island in Townsends Inlet.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will supervise the beach replenishment project in partnership with Sea Isle. The federal agency will go out to bid for the project in two months. At that time, more details will be disclosed about the scope of the project and the beach locations that will receive new sand to repair the erosion.
“The importance of this project and this program cannot be overemphasized, as the beach represents our greatest natural asset; and through this program we’ll ensure the vitality of the beach and dune ecosystem,” Desiderio said.
Although his State of the City address was overwhelmingly positive in its tone, Desiderio also focused on Sea Isle’s plan to crack down on groups of unruly teenagers and young adults that have been disrupting the summer tourism season for two years in a row.
He said Sea Isle plans to impose a new citywide 10 p.m. curfew on juveniles under 18 years old and will also ban them from carrying backpacks on the beaches and Promenade starting at 10 p.m.
There will be exceptions for juveniles who are accompanied by their parents or other adults and if they are either heading to or returning from work at 10 p.m., city officials said.
Two new ordinances to formalize the curfew and backpack ban are expected to be introduced by City Council at its Feb. 28 meeting. Final adoption by Council to make the ordinances a local law is expected by the end of March, Desiderio said.
“Our solicitor has spent a great deal of time working on these ordinances and ensuring their constitutionality,” he said.
Desiderio emphasized that he sees “no good reason” for young people to be out late at night unsupervised. He also explained that backpacks are often used by juveniles to hide alcoholic beverages or other things that shouldn’t be allowed on the beaches or Promenade.
“I also want to be clear that our objective is not to give anyone a criminal record, but we must maintain control of our community,” he said.
For more than a year, Desiderio has repeatedly expressed frustration with Gov. Phil Murphy’s office and the state Legislature for not taking a stronger stand to help Sea Isle and other shore communities prevent theft, vandalism, underage drinking and other offenses committed by teens and young adults during the summer season.
The way the current state laws are structured, police can only issue verbal warnings to juveniles who are drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana in public. Desiderio wants to give police more power to take juveniles into custody and have their parents pick them up at the police station.
“I want to be clear: for the vast majority of circumstances, our visitors and our children are well-behaved and are representative of what we want in Sea Isle. I want to thank these children and their parents,” he said.
“The problem is that there are those who know how to exploit some of the weaknesses in our current laws and avoid accountability. And let me be crystal clear – we intend for there to be accountability in this city,” he added.
Desiderio underscored his remarks by quoting former President Ronald Reagan: “We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.”
He concluded his remarks by repeating a warning to potential troublemakers that he has often used throughout the past year.
“I’ve said it before, and I’m going to say it again – we welcome everyone here; but if you don’t want to behave, Sea Isle is not the place for you,” he said.
