By Sunayana Prabhu
Rapid redevelopment and climate uncertainties headlined talk all around New Jersey last year. Yet, an abundance of natural resources, such as wooded preserves and a thriving Jersey Shore, as well as unique downtowns, the proximity to New York City and strong economic cores continue to enrich the Two River area.
Maintaining the region’s vitality has, therefore, been a priority for county, state and federal officials. Two elected officials representing Two River communities – U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6) and Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone – discussed some of the accomplishments that strengthened the area in 2023 and their goals to move it forward in 2024.
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., 6th Congressional District
As ranking member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. is uniquely positioned to keep an eagle eye on the vitality of the Two River area.
His primary focus in 2023 was an affordable, accessible and transparent health care system, he told The Two River Times during a phone call Jan. 2; and 2024 will be the first year “when we’re finally getting negotiated prices for drugs under Medicare,” Pallone said.
“I am trying to expand that in the next year to include private health plans and not just seniors and disabled under Medicare,” he added.
In May 2023, the federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 expired. States began the process of bringing pandemic-related health care protections to an end, which would result in the loss of health care coverage for millions of low-income Americans. In response, Pallone led Democrats in securing provisions in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus to require states to provide one year of continuous coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP beginning Jan. 1, 2024.
In the same vein, a few weeks ago, Pallone led the House passage of The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, which “will force hospitals and insurance companies to reveal their prices for basic things,” said Pallone. The bipartisan legislation will help consumers compare and better understand the cost of health care services across different hospitals and insurance companies. Hospitals will be required to display charges for over 300 standard items and services in a consumer-friendly format; insurers will be required to make public their negotiated in-network provider rates for all items and services, billed charges for out-of-network items and services, and personalized cost-sharing information.
One example of health care cost discrepancies that will be accessible with the new bill: an analysis by the Peterson Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that the price of knee or hip replacement surgery varied widely across the 20 largest metropolitan areas, ranging from less than $20,000 to more than $70,000.
Closer to home, Pallone said there have been ongoing efforts to “permanently ban offshore drilling” to protect the Jersey Shore and the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers, especially in light of recent tar balls found on local beaches from a relatively “small spill,” Pallone said. He noted that his office will continue to request funding for coastal resiliency projects, beach replenishment and flood control projects, including in Union Beach, Port Monmouth and Monmouth Beach, as well as dredging of the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers.
Thomas A. Arnone, Director, Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners
“Our tax rate actually went down this past year,” said Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners Director Thomas A. Arnone, something the board is very proud of. He added that Monmouth County’s fiscal track record continues this year with a Triple-A bond rating, the highest issued by national credit rating agencies that proves a strong capacity to meet financial commitments. That rating means municipalities in the county can “borrow off our credit rating,” Arnone said, noting Monmouth has the highest rating of the 21 counties in the state.
In an effort to help municipalities control expenses, the county launched several shared services last year. Additionally, Arnone said the county had “banner year” for tourism, referencing the amount of traffic as proof of the county’s popularity. Countywide marketing has helped elevate businesses from the arts – like Count Basie Center
for the Arts programs – to other nonprofits serving the community. The county provided funding assistance to Lunch Break, Interfaith Neighbors and several other organizations during and after the pandemic.
Another initiative Arnone lauded is Brewed and Distilled In Monmouth, an online tool that markets and promotes over 30 breweries and distilleries, “the most in the state of New Jersey,” which also benefited surrounding businesses.
In 2024, the county will “continue to purchase open space,” Arnone said, in an effort to enhance the park system, particularly in the western part of the county to preserve its history. Arnone counted the preservation of open space as one of “the biggest accomplishments over the course of the year.”
However, many challenges remain, Arnone noted.
With inflation and expenses rising, the county is likely to see “about a $2 million deficit just in our gasoline budget for all of our equipment and trucks throughout the county of our 53 municipalities,” Arnone said. County officials have been working to “either cut or reduce or consolidate areas” where possible, Arnone said.
The county is also working closely with Middletown’s vision of the Belford redevelopment, including the Belford ferry project. Arnone said a parking garage will be developed to coincide with the proposed development in the area.
The county is in the process of regionalizing EMS services in the areas surrounding Oceanport and Eatontown to deal with shortages in EMS staff. “As we know that service is becoming difficult for people to join because of the education and the restraints on people’s life,” Arnone said. The county is in the process of purchasing a building for that purpose in the Oceanport area. Arnone stressed the county is “not taking over” but rather helping as it can. He said he hopes to get the services “up and running by the first quarter of 2024.” Before starting, the county will need to get licensed from the state of New Jersey, purchase equipment, hire more staff and work collaboratively with the adjoining First Aid Squads.
Arnone also mentioned quality-of-life issues for county residents. He said the commissioners will “continue to fight for the quality of life with these Verizon monopoles that some of the towns do not want to see.”
The commissioners are also in the “early stages” of exploring the possibility of county airport.
Overall, Arnone is optimistic about the way forward, he said. “We have the most growth. It’s becoming the most desirable place. And I think it’s probably the hard work and dedication of my fellow commissioners, myself and all the rest of our mayors in our local towns that continue to work together and that’s the sign of success. Here in Monmouth County it is our partnerships. No matter what party we are, we all work together.”
The article originally appeared in the January 4 – January 10, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
