Friday, May 17, 2013
Home buyouts in areas prone to flooding expected to start soon, though participation remains voluntary.
Buyouts of properties in flood prone areas are expected to begin within a matter of weeks, beginning in Middlesex County and working south into the summer months as residents and their respective town officials make the difficult decision to abandon entire neighborhoods for good. Though buyout specifics have been limited, Bob Martin, commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, said between eight and 10 towns along the coast have inquired about participating in the State’s Blue Acres program, which purchases severe repetitive loss homes in flood areas and converts the land into open space. Martin said he wanted to be cautious about naming the municipalities that have inquired about the property buyouts as many have …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
NJHOPELINE received approximately 300 calls in its first days
Although New Jersey has the second-lowest suicide rate in the nation, a new hotline has received approximately 300 calls since it was launched May 1, according to Philly.com. New Jersey’s suicide rate for people ages 35 to 64 increased 31 percent from 1999 to 2010, and as a result the New Jersey Department of Human Services spent $648,981 to create NJHOPELINE, Philly.com reported. Officials have expressed concerns of the emotional impact the stress related to damage and losses from Hurricane Sandy has had and will continue to have, according to Philly.com. Operated by University Behavioral HealthCare at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, the hotline only uses New Jersey-based trained volunteers and professional counselors. The …
County will apply for loan through CDBG to boost ratable base
Adoption of the county budget was once again postponed, as the county recently became aware of possible funding that could boost its ratable base, which was drastically cut due to Superstorm Sandy. The Ocean County Freeholders approved a resolution at its regular meeting Wednesday allowing the county to apply for funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Actually, it’s good news,” Freeholder Director John P. Kelly said. The funding would come from CDBG, separate from the grants the county receives annually through the program. The money is for communities whose ratable base diminished by more than 5 percent because of the superstorm, county Business Administrator Carl Block said. “We may be able to incorporate…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Measure would have delayed hikes for five more years
An amendment aimed at halting federal flood insurance rate hikes for five years has been blocked in the U.S. Senate. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) was blocked from coming to a vote Tuesday by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Amendments in the U.S. Senate require what is known as "unanimous consent" before a vote can take place, meaning a single member can block a vote from occurring. Toomey told the New Orleans Times-Picayune Tuesday that he objected to changing reforms put in place last year because he supports the move to "diminish the subsidization that occurs now where homeowners in low-risk areas are made to subsidize in high-risk areas." Landrieu, the newspaper reported, said she will likely reintroduce the …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Manchester is switching to a calendar-year budget, as opposed to a fiscal-year budget.
Manchester Township Council unanimously passed a budget on Monday night, May 13, that saw a $30.90 reduction in the average home’s property tax levy. And that’s a reduction from the last 12-month budget. The $31,059,684.16 budget is equivalent to the six-month budget that covered the township from July 1-Dec. 31 of last year, and is a reduction from the 12-month budget that was in effect from July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012, according to Chief Financial Officer Diane Lapp. The township council approved the budget without the 2 percent tax levy cap. The township had a six-month budget because it transitioned from a fiscal year budget to a calendar year budget at the suggestion of the State of New Jersey. “The State is looking for all …
Monday, May 13, 2013
County residents can gather information pertaining to hazard mitigation and provide input on Tuesday, May 14 from 3 to 7 p.m.
The Ocean County Office of Emergency Management will be developing a plan to address a variety of potential hazards and is seeking public input at a Tuesday, May 14 meeting. “It’s very important to get public participation in developing our Multi-Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan,” said Acting Sheriff William Sommeling, who serves as the county’s Emergency Management Coordinator. The plan will include a risk assessment and a hazard mitigation strategy. It will identify projects that can reduce damages from natural, man-made and technological hazards. “With Superstorm Sandy fresh in everyone’s mind we want our citizens, elected officials and emergency responders to help develop the plan that is best for Ocean County,” Sommeling …
Senate bill 2601 would also allow the county to exercise the power of eminent domain in order to erect dunes to protect lands, property and facilities near the beaches
The Ocean County Freeholders oppose a Senate bill that, if approved, would permit counties to take over the operation of beaches within its jurisdiction. A resolution stating that Ocean County would be “actively impacted” by this legislation was unanimously passed at a Freeholders meeting May 1. “If Ocean County were to take over and maintain the 44 miles of just oceanfront beaches in Ocean County, it would not only be cost prohibitive but would also require taxpayers who don’t use the beaches to pay for them,” Freeholder Joseph H. Vicari said. The bill (S2601, A3891), sponsored by Sen. Bob Smith and Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer, would authorize any county of the fifth or six class — Atlantic, Monmouth, Ocean and Cape May — to assume …
'Triple whammy' for Shore residents, Menendez says on U.S. Senate floor
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez threw Shore residents a virtual lifeline Thursday, delivering an address on the Senate floor where he urged colleagues to support an amendment to federal legislation that would stop flood insurance rate hikes, at least in the short term. Menendez (D-N.J.) spoke in favor of an amendment to the Water Resources Development Act which would stop flood insurance premiums from rising until FEMA completes its study on the affordability of premiums of the National Flood Insurance Program. Shore homeowners face annual flood insurance premiums of up to $31,000 a year if they do not raise their homes at a significant cost. Many homeowners who were never previously located in flood zones now find themselves being listed as …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
"Discrepancies" were found in some of the charges submitted by AshBritt, the debris removal firm contracted by the state after Superstorm Sandy
AshBritt, Inc., the firm hired by the state to haul debris after Superstorm Sandy, benefited from an “ambiguous” contract that resulted in at least tens of thousands in extra charges, according to a report released on Wednesday. Ocean County Administrator Carl Block handed the Freeholders a thick report at Wednesday’s pre-board meeting. The report, done by state-hired monitor The Louis Berger Group, Inc., reviews the mileage billed to Ocean County by AshBritt. “The director contacted me after some articles had been written about the clean up efforts,” Block said. Freeholder Director John P. Kelly had asked for a report to be done breaking down the process of debris hauling as well as the charges in relation to distance. “Discrepancies” had…
66-year-old woman is reported to be in stable condition
A woman suffering from heart failure aboard a cruise ship was rescued early Thursday by U.S. Coast Guard officials while the vessel was 20 miles off Toms River's shore. Personnel aboard the Splendor, a 952-foot Carnival cruise ship, contacted Coast Guard watchstanders in New York at about 12:40 a.m. Thursday and reported a 66-year-old woman aboard was experiencing heart failure, according to a news release. A rescue crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City was dispatched to the cruise ship to rescue the woman, who was not immediately identified by authorities. The Coast Guard helicopter crew was able to hoist the woman and a nurse aboard and transport them to Jersey Shore University Medical …
proud
9:49 am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The current building standards are audacious, impracticle and subject to change. more ›