By JF Grodeska
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – Picking up unfinished business from its last meeting, the Atlantic Highlands Borough Council voted May 25 to authorize an ordinance establishing permit fees for those wishing to film in the borough. Though it ultimately passed, heated debate among council members and some residents – and a motion to delay – preceded the vote.
The ordinance imposes a $100 permit processing fee for all productions and a sliding scale for filming fees – $150 per day for television productions and $500 for feature film productions. The ordinance does not impose fees on media outlets filming for news events or for filming done on private property.
Council member James Murphy expressed concerns over the lack of some “guardrails” in the ordinance to limit filming hours and establish reimbursement for local businesses should they incur a loss of revenue because of film crews.
But council member Jon Crowley, himself a veteran of the film industry, explained that those concerns would be handled by the Atlantic Highlands Special Event Committee, comprised of the police chief, fire inspector, harbor master and other key stakeholders in town. When a production company applies to film in the borough, a vetting process would include constraints on parking, hours of filming, police involvement and more.
Murphy also voiced his concern over lowering the cost of fees to be competitive with nearby towns, saying he believes it devalues Atlantic Highlands as a location. An initial draft of the ordinance suggested a flat fee of $500 per day for any type of production. But, as Crowley pointed out, many cities and towns impose no fees for film permits which means a production company may simply bypass Atlantic Highlands in favor of another town with lower or no fees.
During public comment, a few residents voiced their concerns about any filming in town and one even suggested Crowley was pushing an ordinance that would be beneficial to him, asking if it constituted a conflict of interest. Complaints about “riff-raff,” no parking, crowded restaurants and businesses loaded with film crews driving away residents were debunked by Crowley who used examples of past productions within the borough that caused no issues.
Local restaurateur Harold Smith who owns Sissy’s said that when production filmed in the municipal harbor, the company set up a craft services food truck in the restaurant’s parking lot but did not utilize the restaurant for food. He said the majority of film productions bring their own craft services team and local restaurants do not benefit from but are instead hurt by productions. He suggested the ordinance be tabled to allow the council more time to think through the process.
The council heard expert testimony from Elizabeth Parchment, director of marketing and chief diversity officer for the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. Parchment spoke about “Film Ready New Jersey,” a new program conceived by the governor’s office that guides New Jersey towns through hosting a film production crew, including the adoption of potential ordinances, the impact on the community and other resources. She spoke of the benefits of film and television production to municipalities.
After the public comments portion of the meeting, Murphy made a motion to delay the final vote on the ordinance. His motion was seconded by council member Eileen Cusack who noted that residents had valid concerns. However, the motion to delay did not have enough votes to stand and the ordinance passed with Murphy as the only dissenting vote; Crowley abstained.
The article originally appeared in the June 1 – 7, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
