Reporter's Notebook on Council Mtg April 21, 2010

Bond Debt Service Boosts Sewer Fees - City Making up $308,000 Shortfall
Dog Beach Renewed for Another Two Years!
City Employee Pleads for Help Against Violence on West Side
Madison Marquette Agreement with City - Presentation Postponed

City Council Meeting 4/21/10

Council present:
Bruno, Henderson, Loffredo, Johnson
Absent – Kevin Sanders, who has had knee replacement

Don Sammet – director of redevelopment and planning
#1 Asbury Partners pkg lot agreement report not ready yet.
#2 – part of Asbury Shores orig subdivision and lot part of springw’d ave parks / we shd formally accept dedication of this lot… It’s already on the tax maps as a park
#3 – springwd and dewitt ave / developer has rec’d financing for this…hfma requires be a single access entity so requires name change
#4 – properties on prosect ave, pursuant to memorandum you directed study of certain prop…re. development on Washington av boundary. Planning bed conducted study, do not meet stds, need bdg permits issued, don’t meet criteria/ may need rehab, no power of eminent domain/ spoke to hsg dept., it’s moving ahead w/ its plan for hsg/ mr holmes and planners. Recommend leave bd recommendation as it is.

Brian Grant – city engineer

#1 – economic recovery zone designation – BG – w/ submit ltr to to Monmouth cty freeholder bd, determine zone – springwd av, waterfront dev area and downtown, mks us eligible for financing various development, we’ve identified 4 projects potential candidates
Senior center, installation energy effic street lightings in cbd and sp’wd – reduce ooper cost 60%, been trying to get financing to relocate utilities, not inexpensive activity/ bottom priority completion gas and elec utilities on watrfrnt and can’t be financed thru the EDIT// give deve access to lo-cost financing/
Mayor – can main st be included
BG – understanding that we can come back w/ add’l requests. We chose area specific rather than by project. If funding source is still available…fed’l gov wd pay percentage of interst on the bonds
THastie – bond counsel, allow munic bnds to be sold to taxable rather than tax free mkt, larger mkt, w/in the Bld America bonds, subset, economic recovery zone bonds, instd of 35%, 40% subsidy/ usually only 33% subsidy of interest/ wonderful deal. Allows alternate rev ax bonds they trade on …lower interest?, than regular bonds //contractors get $ cheaper than at a Capitol One or PNC. Certain socially excluded activities purposes for construction/ bar, rest, gym wd be eligible. This stimulus goes away end of yr, but lot not spent or allocated in County so may be extended. We became aware when met w/ nj economic dev auth, but don’t think mon cty gov publicized its availability.
City Mgr Terry Reidy (CM)– only so many muni eligible to go after.

Asbury Park dev housing auth/ jobs, allocated for mn dollars to fund training program for construction, infrastructure jobs/ worker comes to city as for opp/ we screen bkgrand, if pass refer to contractor and he w/ bring onboard after drug screening. Created program for 6 mo training city w/ fund, then can go out and wk anywhere. May be some cost insurance premiums we shd be reimbursed for/ 10-15 positions at $12 /hr. Next step come back and draft agreement bet city and hsg auth.M

Mayor – can we wk w/ hsg to track how doing, performance

BG – end of each training, performance eval to city – what became of them/ trying to provide as many opps to people as possible, that’s why shorter term of 6 mos.
PKG Strategy – need ord for pkg in CBD, ordinance that wd address your concerns/ may 6 meeting w/ bring to council.
CM – send him concerns so he and BG can add to deliberations, so ordinance w/ represent those.
Ordinance dogs on beach – sunset provision req’s ord to come bak to council for discussion
Mayor – now may 1 to
Henderson says it’s fine
CM – always someone will violate. Woman drove up from BB or other town jst to see the dog beach. Heard about that and yappy hour been good draw.
Bruno – dogs allowed to run loose on beach? (his dog was attacked in Bradley Park by an unleashed dog, which caused him injury.)
SH – yes on dog beach.
SH – pros out way cons. Lot of people whenever she goes. Dogs run free on that beach, never had any problems.
JL – jst have strict enforcement. If dogs pee on bd’wk who’s going to clean that up?
City Atty Raffetto – how long a period.
JL – I’ll give it 2 yrs.
CM – happy to do that, gives sense of consistency.
SH – wd like to meet w/ mark (Kinmon) for license and rabies shot enforcement.
Police Chf Kinmon – ok step up enforcement.
SH – we got a little revenue from it.
FR – potential of creating nonprofit to run mayor’s ball, donators cd get tax break, nonprofit wd raise $ for various projects to aid youth. w/ your app’l w/ submit resolution to go ahead and establish.
CM – waste water connection fee report - sewer fee / some recent case law clarifies when can do this, he’ll revise it and present to council later
Chief Kinmon - request handicap pkg spots, various blks - what to do w/ spaces where person linked to it no longer needs it. Kinmon w/ lk into w/ FR
BG – ratio is 1 for every 25 spaces
CM --request to use our dates by fishing club
Tom Gilmour – Commerce –
Clean Ocean Action – Apr 24, Sat. clean beaches
Madison Marquette – Health & Wellness Day – 5/12
Visiting Nurses – also health wellness day 5/15
JC Promotions Flea Market craft and collectibles show – Sunset Park, 5/29, 7/18, 9/04
Great Amer Volleyball – 6 – 8:30 pm jun 8, Tuesday nites, wkly event on 5th av beach
Amer Diabetes Assn – bike/family ride/ third av pavilion stopover 6/19
Church w/out Walls Sunset Park – 7/10, 18, 25, 8/01, 15
Pamela Mainardi – wedding – third av beach, 8/08
Kendra Dingee – wedding -- “ “ 10/10
Spec events Ru events jazz festival sunset park – noon to 6 pm June
Mayor’s Chill out series at Train Terminal – plans to move outside/ very festive
Luckinbill Concert Series – try to fund thru sponsorship money, w/ be sicussed at next special events committee
JL -Well we want to do them so…
State asked UEZ to submit admin budgets/ ask u to approve tonight, $146, 080.

Famularo, James – asst CM –
City of ap opp to refurbish bball facility/ not good shape, goal is to utilize dollars in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), $20-30,000, facility is good shape can repair, cost cls to $8k, new rims, backboards and backboard systems, move equp’t/ recondition and put new equip’t
JB – courts shd’ve been done yrs ago and we cdn’t get mtg w/ the board of ed. It’s a lease deal.
JF – expired now was 30 yr lease/
JB – tennis courts
Mayor – youth program to hie youths for summer w/ garden of joy / tennis, baskbetball crts w/ be part of. Garden of joy put in grant for…
JL – shdn’t we hv a lease on prop so we can control them?
JF – yes
JB – what about bd of ed?
JF – doesn’t use crts
JL – good idea just shd retain control over it
Matters introduced by council –
Mayor – trans subcom mtg go over phase 2 renovations, May 8 at train station
JB – next Thursday some kind of latino/ Hispanic affairs office, mon-ocean
Mayor – an independent project based here because of size of latino pop, covers other towns, Sewell Ave
CM – sculp-tour, art project, sculptures put on public and private land, was sponsored by SICA, which came here to ask if we wanted to host it also with Long Branch. The sculptures w/ arrive may 5 and 6. will meet w/ SICA to coordinate/ Madison Marquette also providing land to accommodate them.

Presentation on subsequent redevelopers agreement w/ Madison Marquette Postponed

Proclamation – 1872 originated, Arbor Day – trees along streets preserve top soil, etc. Sat. June 10

Public Comment Portion
3 min. one time
Rita Marano – 8th ave
I was on bdwlk today who is respons for collecting fees for extension of sidewalk tables?
Clerk Steve Kay my office $4 per/sq foot
RM – driving up and down bd’wk not in good condition from / pin ball guy has 4 rides outside who does he thnk he is? Who’s monitoring this? Mr. City Manager u got an ans.?
Jeep? It’s open on the top. It’s big. City wrkers on sand, what’re they doing?
CM – every yr we prepare beach for summer.
RM – boards splitting splintering, dogs urinating on garbage cans.
Vernice McGriff – 2nd ave
Mentioned earlier date we migh have somekind of budget comm.. never got papers bk so guess can forget about that. Improving sidewalks etc, where’s money coming from? Grants and loans. Town w/ be responsible.
CM – yes
JG – think giv some serious thought to taking on loans. Other point schools, once tennis courts were available, prop belongs to bd of ed, can’t they restore it? Thing that’s overwhelming everone’s trying to balance budgets, wnt as attractive and beautiful as pos, don’t wnt to get weighed down w/ unnec debt, don’t know how we’re going to pay for the loans. We citizens need to understand better how money’s to be spent and repaid.
CM – I will respond to you on that.
Frank Syphax –
Uncle of Lori Ross / w/ get petitions from friends of hers. She’s always on front lines.
Other point, no sweeper came thru this past Monday.
With all good construction wk sprnwd ave, etc. any way u can find money somewhere to fix up the springwd courts/ laughter,
Mayor – tonight we discussed wkg w/ bd of ed fixing tennis courts and the basketball courts w/ be rehabed/
Dwayne Small –
No contractors doing wk here who get wk from federal gov’t, mk sure they’re documented, contractors tkg lower wage earners instead of / are u aware that there’s a labor ready type place for undocumented workers behind third av hardware store? Lot of people living in town w/ out of state plates and kids going to our schools. Wdn’t penalize kids but others are getting tickets for exprired registration. Can this city enforce that especially with funds that are dealing w/ restoration of AP. There’s a system called verify. Worker Status and Vehicles.
CM – city has contract w/ businesses we can verify, yes. It’s job of sev’l…upon signing agreement w/ city, verified then, periodically by construc office and at end by auditor. Mark Kinmon to respond to licenses, jst started addressing sev’l mos ago, state statute, gets complicated, some go back and forth, hv issued summones in the past…
Jerry scarano – Lbranch
Electronic signs for summer, encourage local merchants to hire locals / and outreach to match jobs w/ wkrs. Homeowners hse tour, havn’t seen in paper, maybe something on how successful it’s been in past.
Lori Ross – Wside Commu ctr
Regardless of whether I’m here or not on my employment, I’m vested or not vested, I’ll be pursuing / this affects my children ///shooting Sunday morning, thank god pete Johnson (said they were shooting in broad daylight) told kids to go home becz he hrd something/ I’ll meet w/ state police, local police, we need help w/ prevention/ know mayor you were involved w/ former Gov Corzine in getting a plan/ this is much bigger. Immediate need right now. At night I’m in town, 2012 improvement coming online, we’ve got a problem in 2010. In broad daylight on a Sunday I’m getting a call about shooting/ I’ve got to wk w/ someone.

Public portion closed with no response to Ross –
Approve meeting minutes – SH, JL, Mayor – Bruno off dias
$870,000 for Newtel vouchers

Events, minus church w/out walls, approved.

Transfer tax payments 601 Mattison Ave, investors savings bank.
5 class one special officers, req’d by police – all yes.
From Sammet -- Resolutions – properties on tax map -- all yes
Affordable housing – sev’l resolutions – all yes
Creation of Asbury park mayor’s ball inc. – all yes
Gilmour – submission/ acceptance UEZ anticipated assistance $146,080. SH: absolutely. Others yes

May 5, next mtg.
Ord 2917, continued allow dogs extending sunset provision for 2 yrs.
RCA project – 525 Prospect Av, lo bidder recommended taylor bros RCA funds to be used $12,000 of $29k project.

CM – hearing on sewer rate fees, atty and auditor say what charging now and what will raise it to.
Includes Demand Charge, based on water meter size, ranges from 5/8 pipe $65. 09 was $57. An $8 a qtr increase/ usage was $3 per / increase $3.45 for 1000 gallons consumption/ avg bill increase $17 per qtr.
This is adequate for city to meet its debt service – see below

Attorney - $500,000 increase, attributed to debt service 05 bonds issued thru / repayment of funds borrowed including prin and inter components. Debt svc schedule is set in advance/ so city understood wd be debt increase between 05 and 2010. outside city’s control because ws agreed to five yrs ago.
Auditor/ yes.
Atty - Even w/ new fees/ therefore $308,000 increase in sewer rates is necessary/ can’t make until may …we need an increase/

Public Comment –
Rita Marano –
When u borrowed the money, the sewer plnt was almost paid for – one more yr to go/ my understanding redev was going to pay not us.
CM – I’m going to ask mr Kaplan to respond to one. Sewer plant is for entire city/ money borrowed against sewer plant went to entire city not jst developers. Expec was 5 yrs dev expected wd be enough dev to pay for // money was’t used for the waterfront, it ws for regular users
Kaplan – 07 redev req’td the city borrow money for odor control at sewer plant/ that debt service is being pd by developer every 6 mos plus an administrative fee/ (missed the number)
RM – so why the increase then? After all the payments redevlopers are making?
Dave Kaplan – yes. We knew the $500k spike was there, we tried to level that spike out/ nego w/ mon cty impr auth renegotiate terms of bond, but not successful. Interest is around 4%
RM – unfair, residents they don’t even know how much w/ pay
CM – when done in 05 scheduling was available to public. It ws there, discussed in 05, analysis done, present to gov body, state and public, all done in the public. Hv to be clr that everything being done in open. We had mtgs to discuss how we’d raise money to improve conditions throughout city. We knew in 2005 that by 2010 debt service wd increase by $500,000. Fact fees hvn’t gone up is element of recession/ allowed more police to be hired and better services.
Kaplan – short fall is $308,000 and increases will pay that.
RM – Think you’r going to lose a lot of people here.
Meeting adjourned.