CITY COUNCIL’S MESSAGE

During the Administration Reports portion of the January 24 City Council meeting, City Engineer Andy Previti outlined a Flood Mitigation Study that is currently underway in Sea Isle City. The study will:

• Identify drainage basins in the City – including those that exhibit recurring flooding issues.
• Identify the agency responsible for maintaining the storm water system including outfall structures (City or County).Assess causes for flooding.
• Identify possible solutions (dikes, check valves, storm water pumps, etc).
• Integrate local problem areas and possible solutions into regional plans.

City Council and the Administration will inform the public as the Flood Mitigation Study’s findings are made available. The Administration also reported that Chief Financial Officer Paula Doll conducted a Bond Anticipation Note Sale in the amount of $8,195,000.00 on January 4. The note was sold to TD Bank at a rate of 1.24% for 9 months. Additionally, it was announced that Mayor Desiderio’s annual Budget Presentation and State of the City Address will take place during the February 14 City Council meeting. The presentation of the budget will be followed by a Budget Workshop on February 16 in Council Chambers, which will be open to the public. Ordinance 1599 was introduced and had first reading on January 24. This ordinance was written to revise the general ordinance and allow setback encroachments for architectural features commonly referred to as “bump outs” for new construction on corner lots. If passed, Ordinance 1599 would not affect Floor Area Ratio (FAR), it simply would allow developers of corner lots to have some flexibility regarding bump outs, thus allowing for more attractive architectural designs. Ordinance 1598 had its second reading and public hearing on January 24. This ordinance was written to amend construction code fees, escrow fees and the timing of payments. Each of the resolutions on the January 24 Consent Agenda were approved, including:

• Resolution   014,   which   approved   an   Alcohol   Beverage   Control   application   from   the Commodore Club that will allow that organization to extend their interior service area by utilizing a former utility closet. Note: The utility closet is within the club’s existing building and will not change the foot print of Commodore Club.
• Resolution 017, which authorized the advertisement for bids for beach concession, ice cream & water concession, a service contract for a beach tag mobile app and credit card processing for that app, and to furnish, install and maintain leased coin operated viewing binocular machines.
• Resolution 018, which authorized a contract with Garrison Architects for $29,500 for architectural services for the former Sea Isle City Public School facility.
• Resolution 022, which authorized a contract with Center Stage Entertainment LLC for $87,850 for the city-sponsored concerts that will take place on Saturday nights this summer.
• Resolution 024, which authorized a grant application that would fund the reconstruction of Pleasure Avenue from 53rd to 73rd Street.
• Resolution 026, which approved a raffle application for Bishop McHugh Regional School’s annual Casino Night.

During the Pending Business portion of the January 24 meeting, Councilman Divney led a discussion about the Master Plan Re-examination – specifically how the Planning Board has requested that the City move forward with several items listed on the Re-Examination draft prior to adoption (each of which is not related to the housing element portion of the Re-Examination). The items suggested to be moved forward include changes to parking requirements, improvements for recreation and open spaces (including the former public school building, and creating launch and storage sites for kayaking), economic development and storm water management. During this discussion, a motion to have the Administration prioritize these specific items was made and seconded. Additionally, Councilperson Tighe suggested that a sub-committee be created for this process. Our next City Council meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 14, in Council Chambers. The Budget Workshop will begin at 9:00 a.m. on February 16 in Council Chambers. Best regards from the members of City Council, Council President Bill Kehner ([email protected]) John Divney ([email protected]) Frank Edwardi ([email protected]) Jack Gibson ([email protected]) Mary Tighe ([email protected])