Borough of Point Pleasant Beach MINUTES
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach met at 6:36 P.M. with Mayor Vogel and Councilmen Mercun, Corbally, DiCicco, Dixon, and DiCorcia present. Councilman Loughran was absent. The Municipal Clerk read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Department Head Memos and correspondence were discussed with many items moved to the agenda for action.
There was no closed session, as there were no items to be discussed.
Mayor Vogel called the regular meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. Present were Council Members Mercun, Corbally, DiCicco, Dixon, and DiCorcia. Councilman Loughran was absent. The Municipal Clerk again read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Motion by Councilman Corbally, to approve the minutes of the October 2, 2007 Council meeting, was seconded by Councilman DiCicco and carried by the following roll call vote:
VOTE: Councilman Mercun, Corbally, DiCicco, Dixon…YEA
Councilman DiCorcia…ABSTAIN
Ordinance 2007-24 (Handicapped Parking Space) was introduced on first reading. Motion by Councilman DiCicco, seconded by Councilman Mercun and carried by the following roll call vote, Ordinance 2007-24 was approved on first reading. The public hearing will be held on November 20, 2007.
VOTE: Councilmen Mercun, Corbally, DiCicco, Dixon, DiCorcia…YEA
Ordinance 2007-25 (Bingo/Raffle License Issuing Authority) was introduced on first reading. Motion by Councilman Mercun, seconded by Councilman Corbally and carried by the following roll call vote, Ordinance 2007-25 was approved on first reading. The public hearing will be held on November 20, 2007.
VOTE: Councilman Mercun, Corbally, DiCicco, Dixon, DiCorcia…YEA
Clerk Ellsworth added several items to Consent Resolution 2.
Motion by Councilman DiCicco, seconded by Councilman DiCorcia, resolutions covering the items listed below were carried by the following roll call vote:
CONSENT RESOLUTION 1:
a) Approval of W/S billing adjustments (12 accounts)
b) Schedule annual tax sale for 12/14/07
c) Payment to Brick Utilities for September water usage ($90,807.70)
d) P O/Payment to Taylor Flooring for carpet replacement clerk’s office ($1604.09)
e) Payments to CME from developer escrow accounts ($1,910.60)
f) P O to T S Abrams Co for TSI 8020 PortAcount respirator & equipment ($7,629.05)
g) P O to MCH Equipment Inc for fire gear washer and dryers ($6,941)
h) P O to CDW Government Inc for police computers ($8990.78)
i) Payment to Breathe Safe for thermal imaging camera ($8939.60)
j) Payment to Advanced Furnace & Air Duct Cleaning ($3662)
k) Approval of Payroll #21 ($236,153.99)
l) Authorization for Mayor to execute interlocal service agreements with
County of Ocean for 2008 DWI Checkpoint and FAST team
m) Salary Adjustment for James Broyles for passage of courses leading to certification
n) Payment to the Galvin Law Firm from Board of Adjustment escrow acct ($65)
o) Authorization to cancel developer escrow balances and transfer funds to
developer escrow administration account
p) Payment of 4th Quarter Tax allocation to Ocean County ($1,766,924.07)
q) Payment to Horizon BCBS for employee health benefits ($119,873.20)
r) Scheduled Payment to PPB Board of Education ($774,676)
s) Payment of 3rd installment to PPB Parking Authority ($36,666.66)
t) Approval of computer generated vouchers ($2,824,876.19)
u) Raffles License Application for Pt Pleasant Woman’s Club on 11/29/07
v) Payments to Galvin Law Firm from Board of Adjustment accounts ($2,110.50)
w) Authorization to submit 2008 Best Communities for Young People application
x) P O to United Computer for Microsoft exchange server for e-mail ($26,675)
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
a) Payment to Fire & Safety Services for fire truck repairs ($806.50)
b) Refund of OPRA fees ($34)
c) Payment to Zupko Plumbing for replacement of backflow reducing valve ($446.88)
d) Correction of July 17th minutes to include payment to GranTurk for
sweeper repairs ($2889.54) which was included in agenda packet, but not listed on agenda cover page
e) Correction of accounts charged for improvement project at DPW facility
f) Payment to TGM Masonry for Police Substation repair work thru grant funds ($7500)
g) Authorization for CME to move forward with New York Avenue drainage project
h) Authorization for CME to move forward with roadway improvements to Delaware Avenue
i) P O to Winner Ford for 2008 Ford Expedition SSV ($26,510)
j) P O to Blue Line Emergency for equipment for police vehicle ($9516.08)
k) Authorize assistant clerk to act as election official
l) Authorization for employee to purchase XTS3000 replacement cases for Police Deptartement.
m) Payment to NJSLOM for conference registration ($55)
n) Raffles License Application for Elks Lodge #1698 on 11/18/07
o) P O to NJSLOM for 2007 Municipal Salary Report ($50)
p) Authorize Birdsall Engineering to proceed with soil disposal at Sea Coast Oil site (not to exceed $10,250)
q) Authorize CME Assoc to proceed with improvements to Boston Avenue ($34,500)
r) Authorize ad in PPB HS 2008 year book
s) Permission for St Peter PTA to utilize lighted road sign to advertise
annual craft show, following DOT guidelines
t) Award contract for tree service to Falkinburg Tree Experts ($7800)
u) Authorize Boro Attorney to draft ordinance to create loading zone on Forman Avenue
v) Approve PPB HS special event application for annual Homecoming Parade on
11/21/07 and Ocean County road use application
VOTE: Councilmen Mercun, Corbally, DiCicco, Dixon, DiCorcia…YEA
Mayor Vogel: asked Administrator Riehl to make sure Public Works checks Boardwalk for loose boards, at least twice a week; applied for Shared Services Grant with the Board of Education – thanked NPP Coordinator Sharon Cadalzo for preparing; Public Works is currently cleaning up graffiti in town.
Councilman Mercun: Municipal Court Clerk reported 1,183 traffic tickets and 184 complaints – disposed of 2,948 traffic tickets and 275 complaints – collected $232,942.75 in criminal penalties and fines this past month; going to meet with Business Administrator and all Department Heads to discuss Professional Oversight Committee and review how Supervisors handle complaints, from both citizens and employees, concerning the conduct of our Borough staff.
Councilman Corbally: the pile of scrap has been removed from Sea Coast Oil property with $1,152 realized from sale of said scrap; water tower project going smoothly – installed valve to protect against pressure drop – thanked Jim Broyles for monitoring and congratulated him on completing two more courses towards Public Works certification; Mike Ormsby and Jarrad Popp have signed up for pesticide training – once they are trained town will be able to treat weeds growing out of curbs and streets; still waiting on word from NJ Transit regarding charge for lease of property on west side of railroad tracks.
Councilman DiCicco: on October 3rd, FEMA Committee filed an application for re-entry into the Community Rating system – thanked Mike Gardner and Steve Ardito; on October 19th, Steve Ardito, Mike Gardner, and I will be presenting ‘We Did It – So Can You’ at the NJ Association of Flood Plain Management meeting; today’s “New York Times” had an article entitled "Hurricane Fears Cost Homeowners Coverage" – spoke with insurance agents and was told that All State, State Farm, and Liberty Mutual have not written any homeowner policies in NJ in the past two years – also was told that some other companies will not be renewing any more policies after January 2008 – the State of Florida has no homeowners coverage other than that which is written by the State – this is a crisis looming in New Jersey – one of the leading public policy issues facing the Jersey shore; congratulated Environmental Commission and Shade Tree Committee who were awarded the eighteen trees they applied for from the Ocean County Shade Tree Commission – these two committees are doing outstanding work.
Councilman Dixon: the dip in the road on Niblick and Baltimore Avenue needs patching; MAC Yard Sale was a big success – thanked Public Works for picking up the extra bulk garbage; Sergeant Duffy (Officer at Antrim School) stopped 30 students from riding their bikes without helmets; 33 warnings issued in town for garbage, grass, and debris last month; identified several more homes to be checked for over-crowding – encouraged the public to continue to call in with any homes they think might be over-crowded.
Councilman DiCorcia: my homeowner’s insurance was not renewed – I was told they were expecting a terrible hurricane season; thanked Administrator Riehl for sending a letter to the State – the traffic request for Route 35 North and Forman Avenue will be investigated by Mr. Wayne Matthis, once State resource constraints have been lifted; Councilman Loughran and I are meeting with the Board of Education, on October 17th, to discuss budget, buildings and grounds, and recycling.
Administrator Riehl: annual tax sale is scheduled for December 14, 2007 – this is for any tax delinquencies related to 2006 – the added/omitted bills are in and scheduled to go out soon – they are due November 1st; decommissioning of wells has been postponed until after the painting of the water tank.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD OPENED AT 7:48 P.M.
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway: asked about the status of public meeting regarding emergency management (shooting for January and will involve County); thanked Chief DePolo for advance notice on the Dottie’s House walk; thanked Chief DePolo and Councilman Corbally for working to make sure the town-wide garage sale took precedence and that traffic moved quickly; saw a notice for a walk this weekend in the paper – town has had an event every weekend since the summer ended – asked the Governing Body to consider setting a limit on the number of events; asked that grass seed be put down at band shell area.
Ray Cervino, 206 Seymour Avenue: asked what elected officials would do if it came to their attention that someone was violating DEP and Municipal ordinances regarding work at the lakes; asked why Democrat controlled Council has ignored District 2’s concerns about traffic problems and speeding – there is a crisis with speeding and lack of 4-way stop signs (Councilman DiCicco: speeding is a crisis there and everywhere – instituted Project Erase, etc. – we haven’t ignored it) – asked about lowering speed limit on Bay Avenue (can’t be done – we had three County level studies done – all three came back not authorizing the reduction of the speed limit – in response to the first question, anyone who is cutting vegetation against DEP regulations, or against the ordinance that I introduced, which indicates penalties for any unlawful cutting, will be penalized; Councilman Corbally: I worked on Bay Avenue study with Chief DePolo – it doesn’t make sense to me, but if the average car is going 7 or 8 miles over the speed limit, the County will not lower the speed limit, say from 30 to 25 mph – they want to average car to be either further away or closer to the speed limit before they will consider lowering it).
George Loder, 712 Atlantic Avenue: regarding campaign literature received, asked Councilman Corbally what resources were used to make the claim that our property values are going to be reduced by twenty percent if a parking plan is instituted in our town to generate revenue (not going to share our campaign resources) – received literature stating you can’t trust politicians – asked Councilman DiCicco what he would do, if elected as Mayor, to gain more revenue (Councilman DiCicco: in order for us to raise revenue directly from Trenton we need to put a coalition of all the municipalities together – Trenton has refused all efforts by Point Pleasant Beach to get specific taxing authority for tourism related industries – I think the reason is that there is not a large enough coalition of tourist communities to carry the weight in Trenton – “The Star Ledger” published an article I agree with, on how to get this done – stated that you need to gear up all the municipalities – Piscataway may want to use a tax on developers – Point Pleasant Beach may want to use a parking tax – need to give these municipalities true home rule – let the voters decide if they are taxing correctly rather than going to Trenton – I think this is what we need to accomplish as a municipality) other municipalities in the State of New Jersey already have a tax on parking – Piscataway is 18.7%, Newark is 12.5% – Atlantic City has a drink tax on alcoholic beverages sold in casinos (Councilman DiCicco: their lobbying efforts are much more powerful than ours – the most recent parking tax was promoted by Senator Singer on behalf of Jackson for Great Adventure and it got nowhere in the legislature – very difficult for wealthy municipalities to get additional taxing authority from the State – legislators in Trenton not interested in believing you have a tax crisis when tax increases over the last three years have been approximately 2-3% – we know we have an issue, but Trenton doesn’t see it that way – we need to piggyback on top of bigger municipalities that have more lobbying power – my proposal has been to go through the League of Municipalities) – interesting that you are running for Mayor but not willing to share your revenue generation plan before the election so we can compare that plan to Mr. Barrella’s.
Peter O’Rouke, 10 Hayes Court: this is not the proper forum to use as a shooting gallery for political purposes; parking is really a monster in this town – noticed a parking space has been eliminated, as well as several others, over the years – was told someone had a visibility problem – these are rented spaces on Ocean Avenue – there is a handicapped spot on Ocean Avenue that has had a car parked there that hasn’t moved since it parked there on May 2nd – can’t afford to loose any spaces on Ocean Avenue – going to be in trouble if you keep removing parking spaces; suggested using empty parking meters for advertisements.
Joellen Arrabito, Forman Avenue: was told that The Woman’s Club wanted to have a debate between candidates and Democrats declined (Councilman DiCicco: not true – would be available – told via email that it was cancelled due to lack of interest).
Vincent Barrella, 116 Niblick Street: informed all of the passing of Connie Vuocolo, who had a heart of gold (sentiments shared by Councilman Mercun who was the first person on the scene with the First Aid Squad) he will be sorely missed by the community; asked if court revenue was included in figures he received (yes) – we are down about $100,000; asked Councilman DiCicco what he plans on doing in 2008 to raise revenues lost on parking and court fines (up $350,000 in parking revenues) when you put all together we are only $40,000 ahead of last year (2006) – last year we were $350,000 ahead (of 2005) and year before that we were $314,000 ahead (of 2004) – so we are down $312,000 for next year in the 2008 budget – where is that money going to come from? (Councilman DiCicco: will examine where the numbers are, and if that means we have to raise parking revenues, we may do that – we will talk about that when we are considering the budget figures, as to where we are in respect to costs and revenue) – we will try to get this debate set up.
Councilman DiCorcia: asked if Mr. Barrella was aware that it was Councilman DiCorcia who recognized this, several years ago, and instituted charging at meters from April 1st through October 31st – can always tweak that again; some of the parking spaces taken away were done so for safety reasons.
Vincent Barrella, 116 Niblick Street: increase from 2002 to 2003 in our parking revenue and Municipal Court fines was $110,000 more than our increase in budgeted spending for the same time period – this year the increase in budgeted spending is $775,000 more than the increase in Municipal Court fines and parking revenue. (Councilman DiCicco: that includes a $550,000 grant) no it does not – it includes real spending increase.
Joe Lemma, 203 St. Louis Avenue: have two Municipal parking lots with free parking downtown; brought up bringing ATM machines into town; every place I go, I see ATM machines – all the stores have them – other towns have them – they must be making money off of them; can see spots in town where cars are parking for free, such as Channel Drive – should put some of the old parking meters there to make money.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD ENDED AT 8:16 P.M.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 P.M.
