Story and photo by Liz Sheehan
SEA BRIGHT – The plans drawn up after years of working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to finance the two buildings that will be replacements of the fire house, police headquarters and library, which were destroyed by Super Storm Sandy almost four years ago, and for the existing Borough Hall will be the subject of a referendum on Sept. 27.
The Borough Council will consider at its Aug. 2 meeting what explanatory statement will appear on the ballot for the September bond referendum vote that will determine the fate of the three bond issues approved by the town to finance the construction of the two buildings.
At its June 1 meeting, the council, in a 4-2 vote approved the bond issues, with councilmen Jack Keeler and John Lamia Jr., voting against them. Both said they were concerned with the costs and wanted less costly alternatives considered.
According to a draft explanatory statement prepared by Borough Attorney Roger McLaughlin, distributed at a special meeting of the council on July 26, the total costs of the Municipal Center, which would contain municipal offices and the fire and police departments and First Aid offices, will be $7,851,721 with the Federal Emergency Management Agency funding $3,058,335 and insurance payments funding $1,032,742, with $3,942,500 to be bonded.
The cost of the library and beach building is $4,875,248, the statement said, with FEMA providing $845,733 towards the library and $1,486,733 towards the beach portion of the building, and insurance payments and beach fees $813,609 to the beach section of the building and insurance payments $166,071 to the library section.
The bonded amount for the library portion of the building will be $332,500 and for the beach portion, $1,486,750, with the beach amount having no effect on taxes as it will be paid by beach fees, the statement said.
SEA BRIGHT – The plans drawn up after years of working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to finance the two buildings that will be replacements of the fire house, police headquarters and library, which were destroyed by Super Storm Sandy almost four years ago, and for the existing Borough Hall will be the subject of a referendum on Sept. 27.
The Borough Council will consider at its Aug. 2 meeting what explanatory statement will appear on the ballot for the September bond referendum vote that will determine the fate of the three bond issues approved by the town to finance the construction of the two buildings.
At its June 1 meeting, the council, in a 4-2 vote approved the bond issues, with councilmen Jack Keeler and John Lamia Jr., voting against them. Both said they were concerned with the costs and wanted less costly alternatives considered.
According to a draft explanatory statement prepared by Borough Attorney Roger McLaughlin, distributed at a special meeting of the council on July 26, the total costs of the Municipal Center, which would contain municipal offices and the fire and police departments and First Aid offices, will be $7,851,721 with the Federal Emergency Management Agency funding $3,058,335 and insurance payments funding $1,032,742, with $3,942,500 to be bonded.
The cost of the library and beach building is $4,875,248, the statement said, with FEMA providing $845,733 towards the library and $1,486,733 towards the beach portion of the building, and insurance payments and beach fees $813,609 to the beach section of the building and insurance payments $166,071 to the library section.
The bonded amount for the library portion of the building will be $332,500 and for the beach portion, $1,486,750, with the beach amount having no effect on taxes as it will be paid by beach fees, the statement said.
The total bonded amount to be repaid through taxes will be $4,275,000 according to the statement.
Another explanatory draft statement was suggested by borough resident Marianne McKenzie which gave a fuller description of the new buildings that would be paid for by the bonds.
At the July 26 meeting, Borough Administrator Joseph Verruni asked council members to submit their comments and suggestions for an explanatory statement by Thursday so one could be drawn up to be voted on at the Aug. 2 meeting.
The referendum on the bond issues was required after a petition signed by 87 residents (of which 69 were qualified), was filed, according to Borough Clerk Christina Pfeiffer.
She said the law states when a petition is signed by more than 15 percent of the voters in the last election in which members of the State Assembly are on the ballot, it qualifies. Pfeiffer said that number was 47.
In a previous meeting, Councilman Brian Kelly said the bonds, after factoring in fees for a new metered parking system in the town and the stopping of rent payments for facilities that were paid to replace the lost buildings would raise taxpayer costs by around 2 cents per $100 of valuation.
Another explanatory draft statement was suggested by borough resident Marianne McKenzie which gave a fuller description of the new buildings that would be paid for by the bonds.
At the July 26 meeting, Borough Administrator Joseph Verruni asked council members to submit their comments and suggestions for an explanatory statement by Thursday so one could be drawn up to be voted on at the Aug. 2 meeting.
The referendum on the bond issues was required after a petition signed by 87 residents (of which 69 were qualified), was filed, according to Borough Clerk Christina Pfeiffer.
She said the law states when a petition is signed by more than 15 percent of the voters in the last election in which members of the State Assembly are on the ballot, it qualifies. Pfeiffer said that number was 47.
In a previous meeting, Councilman Brian Kelly said the bonds, after factoring in fees for a new metered parking system in the town and the stopping of rent payments for facilities that were paid to replace the lost buildings would raise taxpayer costs by around 2 cents per $100 of valuation.
Borough official Frank Lawrence said Wednesday that the town now pays around $150,000 a year in rentals for facilities that replace the ones lost in Sandy.
Lamnia, in speaking to the people who signed the referendum petition, found they were not against the replacement of the facilities but wanted them to be less costly than proposed. Lamnia said after the July 26 meeting “let the people speak.” He said he thought the added expenses in the plans for the new buildings were “not warranted.”
Mayor Dina Long said after the meeting that there would be a public Town Hall presentation on the bonds at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Aug. 23, and a drop-in information session from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 27, at which time questions about the bonds can be answered by council members and members of the borough staff. Another drop-in session will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 7.
Lamnia, in speaking to the people who signed the referendum petition, found they were not against the replacement of the facilities but wanted them to be less costly than proposed. Lamnia said after the July 26 meeting “let the people speak.” He said he thought the added expenses in the plans for the new buildings were “not warranted.”
Mayor Dina Long said after the meeting that there would be a public Town Hall presentation on the bonds at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday Aug. 23, and a drop-in information session from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 27, at which time questions about the bonds can be answered by council members and members of the borough staff. Another drop-in session will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 7.
