By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City homeowners who may be struggling with their finances during the coronavirus pandemic are getting a break on their water and sewer bills.
City Council has approved a 30-day extension of the deadline for homes and businesses to pay their second quarter water and sewer bills without incurring a penalty. It has been extended from June 1 to July 1.
In the resolution approving the extension, Council noted that Sea Isle is trying to help out local property owners “in light of the dangers posed by the coronavirus disease.”
The average homeowner pays $1,220 annually for sewer and water service. Sea Isle operates a municipal water and sewer system and has kept utility rates the same for seven years in a row.
In the past several weeks, Council has approved a series of measures to help relieve some of the financial pressures stemming from the pandemic.
Earlier, the grace period for paying second quarter property taxes was extended from May 10 to June 1 without imposing extra interest charges.
Sea Isle joined with other towns in taking the action following Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order on April 28 that directed New Jersey municipalities to extend the grace period for paying property taxes.
“There were some people who took advantage of the extended grace period, but not the majority. Most people paid during the normal time period,” Sea Isle spokeswoman Katherine Custer said Monday.
Council President J.B. Feeley noted that the city is giving Sea Isle taxpayers “a little bit of breathing room” at a time when they may have lost their jobs because of the pandemic’s severe impact on the economy.
“During this public health emergency, you would rather not penalize people who may be experiencing an interruption in their income stream,” he said in an earlier interview.
Historically, Sea Isle has an “excellent” tax collection rate, Feeley said.
As New Jersey residents continue to lose their jobs by the thousands because of the pandemic, communities across the state are looking for ways to help them pay their property taxes and other government fees to prevent the flow of critical tax revenue from being disrupted.
In April, Sea Isle’s Council approved a resolution giving residents and visitors more time to buy discounted beach tags and parking permits as an extra incentive for the summer tourism season.
Sea Isle extended the deadline for selling seasonal beach tags at the discounted rate of $20 from May 15 to June 30. Normally, seasonal beach tags increase to the full price of $25 after May 15 each year.
Council also extended the deadline for parking permits, rental permits and mercantile licenses, all key parts of Sea Isle’s summer economy.
Parking permits had been scheduled to go on sale beginning May 1, but that date was pushed back to May 11. Seasonal parking permits have since sold out. The popular parking permits save motorists from the headache of fumbling for cash or coins to feed the meters or parking kiosks.
The deadline for buying rental permits and mercantile licenses has been extended from May 31 to June 30. Any property in Sea Isle being rented out seasonally or year-round is required to have a permit issued by the city. Businesses are required to have mercantile licenses to operate.
