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State of the City Message from the Mayor - March 12, 2024

Good morning. Spring is one week from now, and just as the spring season represents new beginnings and transformation, so too is Sea Isle in the midst of a new beginning. After years of planning; after years of deliberation; after years of working together as a community; and in the truest sense of democracy that represents the will of the people, we’ll embark on one of the most consequential projects in our generation; an undertaking which will truly serve the entire city. Of course I’m talking about Sea Isle’s new Community Center, to be built on the site of our former public school. Just as that facility served both the children of Sea Isle and the community at large, so too will the new Community Center. This new facility will absolutely be a hub for citizen gatherings, recreation and leisure programs and activities, special events; and quite frankly, things that we’ll have in the future that we haven’t developed yet that will excite and engage the community. As I’ve stated before, it is a project that we all own and can be proud of; and that will be an integral part of the fabric of our city.

This week I expect to sign the contract for construction of the facility - with the firm of Ernest Bock and Sons; and everyone can expect to soon receive an invitation to the groundbreaking ceremony - that will take place on a Saturday so that we make the event open to as many folks as possible who want to participate.

We expect the project to be completed in a year and a half; so we can all look forward to enjoying your Community Center in 2025.

Another major project for the city, that is about to start within the next two weeks, is the replenishment of our beaches. This will be the third cycle of beach nourishment since we became part of the Army Corps of Engineers’ 50 year program and had our first federally sponsored beach-fill in 2015. The project is scheduled to be completed prior to the summer season, and I’m happy to report that we were just informed last week that in addition to the minimum amount of sand we were to receive based on the initial bids, the project will receive an additional 5 million dollars of beach-fill.

This is a great boon for Sea Isle, as these added funds represent an additional amount of sand on our beaches that would fill about 50 football fields 4 feet deep.

I realize that some people have concerns with the dynamic nature of beach replenishment and its vulnerability to erosion, but decades of experience along our coasts have shown the tremendous benefits of being part of the federal 50 year program. We only need to look at our neighbors to the north and south who have been part of the program for over 30 years - Ocean City and Cape May - to see the realized potential of these projects.

As time goes by, we’ll continue to work in an environmentally responsible manner with nature to assure the continued viability of our most precious natural resource - our beaches.

At the north end of the island, we’re nearing completion of our beautiful new dog park, funded with county open space grants. Before long, we’ll be scheduling the ribbon cutting ceremony for that long planned project.

Along the promenade, we’ll be building new handicapped accessible ramps at 51st and 53rd streets prior to the coming summer season; and speaking of the promenade, last month we were notified that we’ll receive 2 million dollars in grant funding as part of the state’s Boardwalk Preservation Fund program. We’re in the process of advancing the engineering for the eligible projects, which will include needed structural improvements, and completion of the decorative lighting along the entire length of the promenade.

Along with the projects I’ve just mentioned, we have multiple road and utility projects underway; and planned for the future. I know the detours and conditions during construction are an inconvenience; and I want to thank all of our residents and visitors for their patience. Please know that we do everything possible to complete these projects between the fall and spring - as we understand how precious the summer season is to all of us.

As I’ve stated before, and as council is well aware, we have significant projects in the planning and design stages; all of which are included in our five year capital plan adopted by city council in January.

The maintenance of our public assets and infrastructure is one of the main pillars of good government. Along with this is the absolute need to keep the city clean and safe. I’m proud to say that our public works and public safety services are second to none.

Another pillar of good government is sound financial management. We’ve shown for a long time that we’re thoughtful with our expenditures; embracing a fiscally conservative approach to budgeting. Indeed, for seven years our local property taxes have not increased. Unfortunately, in just the past 3 years, inflation has driven costs up by nearly 20 percent. The fact is that we’ve tried to hold the line on any local increases, but it is unsustainable if we want to maintain the same level of services. This year, in order to be financially responsible, we must request an increase in our tax rate of 4.3 cents.

I mentioned the inflationary pressures that are driving this increase. In addition to these costs, we also must budget significantly more funds for our first responders.

For the first time in our history, we’ll be funding the Fire Department at a level that will allow for stipends in order to provide duty crews around the clock, year round. This year we’ve budgeted for 10 full time positions in our EMS division. 7 years ago EMS was a completely volunteer organization.

In addition to these costs, we’ve budgeted significantly more funds for seasonal employees including police, lifeguards, and public works. The fact is that the minimum of about 15 dollars an hour will not attract the necessary workforce. Add to these labor costs the hefty increases to insurance premiums, and the situation becomes clear:

If we want to continue to provide proper public safety and public works services, we must properly fund them.

Fortunately, from a budgetary standpoint, this year is an anomaly.

With the information we know, and with approval of this proposed budget, our future holds great promise - we’ll be able to continue with the provision of all of the services that our residents and visitors expect. With our progress to date on our labor contracts, we’re confident in our future cost projections regarding salaries and wages, which are a major component of our budget.

We continue to provide a wonderful offering of free concerts throughout the summer at our Excursion Park Band Shell; where we also provide free movie nights, Family Fun Nights, festivals, farmers markets, and many other activities. And while we anxiously await the opening of our new Community Center, we continue to offer a multitude of recreation, fitness, and leisure programs and activities.

We continue to maintain our outstanding double A bond rating from the major credit rating agencies. We continue to ensure that the flood insurance premiums charged to our property owners provide the highest discounts available on the eastern seaboard.

We continue to see property values rise; and we continue to ensure that all of the vital aspects of a shore community necessary for long lasting viability are maintained and improved in a well managed, thoughtful manner.

From a utility perspective, we will not have any increase to our water and sewer rates - for the 11th consecutive year. As with the rest of the city, we’ve continued to maintain and improve our water and sewer infrastructure in excellent condition. As much as all of us agree that public safety is paramount; we must never take for granted the critical importance of our water and sewer utility. The costs of this operation are more than one third of the city’s budget; and as I just mentioned, everyone in Sea Isle is paying no more for this service than they did in 2013.

The state of our city is as strong as it’s ever been.

The administration looks forward to reviewing the budget in detail at the public workshop scheduled for March 21st at 9:00 a.m.

Once again, as always, please remember we are one Sea Isle City, and together we’ll be stronger than ever.

Thank you, and may God bless our veterans and Sea Isle City.

Smile…You’re in Sea Isle,

Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio

Message from the Council - March 7, 2024

At the start of the February 27 City Council meeting, Mayor Desiderio announced that he will deliver his annual State of the City Address during the March 12 City Council meeting, at which time he will also deliver his Administration’s Proposed 2024 Municipal Budget to City Council.

Also on February 27, City Council adopted Ordinance 1712 following its Second Reading and Public Hearing. Ordinance 1712 allows fees for two new programs being hosted by Sea Isle City’s Recreation Office ($20 per team for a Pickleball Tournament, and $150 per team for a Women’s Basketball Tournament).

Each of the Resolutions on the February 27 Consent Agenda was approved, including…

• Resolution 042, which approved the City’s most recent Vouchers (the process used to make payments for goods and services).

• Resolution 043, which authorized the award of a contract in the amount of $21,093,000 to Ernest Bock & Sons, of Philadelphia, for the construction of Sea Isle City’s future Community Center (representing the lowest responsive and responsible bid for this project).

• Resolution 044, which authorized the use of Tennis Fee Trust funds in the amount of $9200, to pay Shaughnessy Sports Construction, of Freehold, NJ, for the annual preparation and re-opening of the Har-Tru Tennis Courts at Dealy Field.

The next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 12, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers on the third floor of City Hall – and we hope to see you there. The public is also invited to a Budget Workshop in Council Chambers on Thursday, March 21, at 9:00 AM.

Best regards from the members of City Council,

Council President J.B. Feeley
Frank Edwardi
William Kehner
Jack Gibson
Mary Tighe

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