Yeah, that's it. I'd like to welcome everybody to our February 18th Brrigotine City Council meeting. Please rise for the flag salute. Please stand in prayer. >> Heavenly Father, illuminate our souls.
Lift our thoughts to higher things. clarify our minds to grasp the truth and turn us in the right direction. Please watch over our police officers as they serve and protect our community. Give them courage in danger, wisdom in
decisions, and peace in their hearts. Shield their families with your comfort and love. In your name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. proceed. Can you read the open public meetings act announcement? >> Notice of this meeting has been provided
as required by the open public meetings act. >> Thank you. actually going to turn it over to acting chief Ward for our promotions. >> Uh thank you everybody for coming out tonight. It is a true honor to be here to honor these exceptional officers on a
a night when they truly should be honored for the things they've done for the city, this department. a promotion for the Burger King Police Department really represents the dedication and leadership these guys bring to the department and the trust uh that they've had through the guys who work here and without the leadership that they bring to the department we'd be nowhere. So,
first I'd like to thank you. I'd like to thank all the staff members because without you guys, nobody would be here. You guys are the backbone of what makes these guys tick, what makes them come to work and have the honor to do the job that they do. So, thank you guys. And I'd like to start with our first promotion would be Sergeant Shane Don.
Chain has been an officer for uh 10 years here. Um he worked as a class one officer, became a class two police officer in Atlantic City, then came back to us as a full-time officer. Uh in his time here, he was moved into the techn where he led investigations. He's done a
lot of training for us. He's got a four-year degree from Richard Soden University and really excited to see him back on the street and he's gonna do a great job for Tracy's here too if you want to come up and the Bible Place your left hand on the plat. Raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I,
Shane Dugan, >> I, Shane Dugan, >> do solemnly swear >> domly swear >> that I will support the Constitution >> I will support >> of the state of New Jersey >> of the state of New Jersey >> and that I will bear true faith >> and I will bear true >> and allegiance to the saint >> and allegiance to the
>> to the governments established >> in the United States >> in the United States >> and in this state >> under the authority of the people >> under the authority >> and that I will faithfully >> and that I will faithfully impart impartially >> partially >> and justly
>> and justly >> perform all the duties >> perform all the duties >> required for the position >> required for the position >> of brigantine police sergeant >> according to the best of my ability >> to the best of my ability >> so help me God >> congratulations
Congratulations. The next officer I'd like to recognize is Sergeant James Powderley. Probably one of the most famous people in Brigintine right now. Your kids all know him as he does lead. He's also u the minister at the Baptist church. So he's very uh very known around this this city
for all his community service that he does. Uh James started with us uh feel like he was just a baby and now here we are. He's got two hash marks and he's becoming a sergeant. He's done so much wonderful things for the department and for the city. So it's really great to see him up here. Um just some of the stuff just to highlight that he's done being a detective bureau uh over the
last couple years. He's led investigations. He's led a lot of training. He's really pushed uh a lot of the things that we do to make the department run better, to bring in a lot of the new uh he's received a lot of awards, a lot of accommodations for his service, and he says couldn't do it without his wife Britney. So appreciate everything that you've done for us.
if you want to come so we can swear. >> Good job. Raise your right hand. I James Powerly >> I, James Powder, >> do solemnly swear. I do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution >> that I will support the Constitution >> of the State of New Jersey >> of the state of New Jersey >> and that I will bear true faith
>> and I will bear true faith >> and allegiance to the same >> and allegiance to the same >> and to the governments established >> to the governments established >> in the United States >> in the United States >> and in this state >> and in this state >> under the authority of the people >> under the authority of the people >> and that I will faithfully >> and that I will faithfully
>> impartially >> impartially >> and justly >> and justly >> perform all the duties >> perform all the duties required for the position >> required for the position >> of police or Brigantine police sergeant >> of brigantine police sergeant >> according to the best of my ability
>> so help me >> congratulations Our next promotion is one of our 24 year vets who's been here for pretty much most of his career. He started as a class one here, was the original person to uh send himself
through the police academy and then get hired later. Lieutenant Rich Deion. He is a mentor to me. He's helped me throughout my career. So to see him getting this promotion is really special to me. He's done so many things for our department from his time in the detective bureau, his sergeant, all the training that he's done. He's been in
the motorcycle unit, firearms, pretty much every aspect of the department that's uh been beneficial to making this place really great. So it's an honor for me to to stand next to you today and see this promotion. And I think it's uh definitely welld deserved and you're the guys around you really trust the things that you do here. So thank you for everything you've done for this
department. And uh Lynn, if you want to come up, I think you're going to be badging. This is uh Lieutenant Leon's wife, Linda Leon. She's an Atlantic County Sheriff and she's going to be uh pinning Lieutenant Leon. >> Place your left hand. Raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I, Rich Deon,
>> I, Rich, >> do solemnly swear >> domly swear >> that I will support the Constitution >> I will support the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> the state of New Jersey >> and that I will bear true faith >> that I will bear true faith >> and allegiance to the same >> and allegiance to the same >> and to the governments established
>> to the government established >> in the United States >> in the United States >> and in this state >> in this state >> under the authority of the people >> under the authority of the people >> and that I will faithfully >> that will faithfully >> impartially >> and justly >> and justly >> perform all the duties duties for all the duties
>> required for the position >> required for the position >> of brigine police lieutenant >> brigantine police lieutenant >> according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability >> so help me God >> so help me God >> congratulations give bonuses for blood Congratulations.
For our final promotion tonight, we're going to be promoting Michael Feynan to captain of the police department. This is also really special. Me and Mike started the class one academy together in 2004 and rolled around and beat each other up and became best friends ever since. So to get to stand here and see
Mike succeed so well is is really an honor for me. Um he's done so much for our department over the years from training to defensive tactics to all of the u different stuff he's got for our traffic and uh all the different financable things that he's done for making the department great. His new
role he's going to be taking over as the patrol captain which is a lot of responsibility. He's going to pretty much run the day-to-day operations of the police department. So, he's taking uh taking on a big role, but there's nobody better for the job right now. So, I'm really excited to see him move forward in his uh his career. Tom, if you would like to come up,
Andrea Payton. Yeah. >> Awesome. Thanks, Tom, for your service. He just recently retired from the Atlanta County Prosecutor's Office after service. So, thank you for Tom. Raise your right hand. Repeat after me. I, Michael Fine,
>> I, Michael Feine, >> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution >> that I will support the Constitution >> of the State of New Jersey >> state of New Jersey. >> And that I will bear true faith >> I will bear true faith >> and allegiance to the same. and allegiance to the same >> and to the governments established >> and to the governments established
>> in the United States >> in the United States >> and in this state >> and in this state >> under the authority of the people >> under the authority of the people >> and that I will faithfully >> I will faithfully >> and partially >> and partially >> and justly >> and justly >> perform all the duties >> perform all duties >> required for the position >> required for the position
>> of brigantine police captain >> of brigantine police captain >> according to the best of my ability >> according to the best of my ability. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. >> Congratulations. Thanks First of all, I want to say how proud I am of everybody who's been promoted today. Outstanding officers, very
involved in the community, and many of I've known since I've been on council and always been there to be supportive, to help and take care of the city. And I think that is so important. I also want to thank all of our police families. Our officers could not do the jobs that they did if you weren't there supporting
them. And that is so important to us. I think probably one of the most important things in this city and it's actually a big reason I find that more and more people are moving to Brigantine is because of the outstanding police force that we have. And I think it is so important especially in this day where it is very very challenging and very
very hard to be a police officer. And I will tell you, I'm very proud of the city. I'm very proud of city council for the support that we have for each and every one of you and grateful for the job that you do. Our lives are better in Brigantine because of your service to this community. Um, I also want to
recognize our retired chief Rich Caseo. Um, Rich Sorry, just getting a little feedback. Uh, Rich has been an outstanding chief. Very, very proud to have the opportunity to have him be the chief here. And one of the things I think that's very
interesting is Rich took over just before the pandemic. When the whole world shut down, we looked to Chief Caseimeno to keep this town going, to keep us safe. and Rich stepped right in and took over and did an outstanding
job. When everybody else sheltered in place, he along with all of our officers continue to work hard and continue to be out in that community. It's not a luxury that any of you had. I think one of the things that made Rich really good is that he has held almost every position within the police department and I think
that really helped him to have a strong understanding of what the needs of that department are and how to advocate that to city council. anytime we ever had questions and needed to know what was going on or what the department needed, Chief Castimen was able to articulate
that and make sure that things got done. And I'm very very grateful for that service. And I think for me being a teacher, probably one of the most important things to me is uh Rich's ability to mentor young officers who come on. And I think that's important. One of the best ways to learn is through
the leadership of other people. And I think Rich has been an outstanding leader um to be able to be there hands hands in and make sure that people understand the job that they need to do from someone who has done that job. So Rich, for your 25 years of service here
in the city of Brigantine, we're very grateful. I'm going to read this proclamation. I don't know if you want to come up, you want to stay back there while I read it. It's up to you. But >> come on up, chief. So, I don't have I don't have my glasses on. You have to bear with me. I almost
stole tigers. All right. So whereas Chief Richard Casemno served our community over the course of 25 year career with the Brigintine Police Department, exemplifying professionalism, integrity, leadership, and courage, earning the respect of his
fellow officers, and the people he proudly served with. Shortly after assuming the role of chief in February of 2020, when our lives were forever changed by the global pandemic, Chief Caseimeno led the department through these challenging and unprecedented
times by implementing the most up-to-date safety measures, communication system, and training uh and training to safeguard both the department and the community. Chief Casemna was actively engaged in our schools, our neighborhood, and our
community organizations, and firmly believed in the the best way to serve the public was providing highly trained personnel through the use of top-notch equipment and advanced technologies and initiatives that became the hallmark of his career.
Through his career, Chief Caseimento served in both the patrol division and the detective bureau and was a member of the Atlanta County SWAT team, mentored new hires in his role as field training officer, trained department personnel and firearms instructors, and served on
the department's motorcycle unit. As a lifelong resident of Briggin, a devoted family man, his career was more than a profession. He served with dedication and pride and ensured the safety and well-being of his hometown. Chief Caseimento's legacy will have a lasting
impact on the Brigantine Police Department and the people of Brigantine will be forever grateful. Now therefore, I Vince Sarah, mayor of the city of Brigantine, on behalf of city council and the people of the city of Brigantine, do hereby recognize Chief
Richard Casemno for his outstanding service to the Brigantine community. Chief, thank you so much. Uh, you know, first I want to congratulate the newly promoted. I obviously know those guys very well. Uh, they did a a really good job throughout
their careers and I know they're going to to do a great job uh moving the department forward. It's in good hands. Uh, so it was easy to step step aside because I know it's in good hands. Uh, I want to thank mayor and council for
this. Uh this is really cool. Um I really when when a guy did 25 years like I really took it serious and uh it's cool. It's cool being being able to uh celebrate it now after 25
years. I always uh I always wanted to celebrate those guys because it's hard. Uh I know a lot of guys throughout the county and in Brrigantine who for some reason or another didn't complete 25 years. So um I always was really excited to celebrate someone. So it's cool being
that guy now. Uh I want to thank mayor and council uh for this. Uh this is really cool. I want to thank all the uh past officers. Uh you know they this is for 25 years. So they're really instrumental in that. They bring you on,
they train you, they take you under their wing, they they pass on their training to you. Uh if you need them, uh they're there for you. If you know you had a rough night, they they'll help you through it. So I want to thank maybe some of them are here. I want to thank them for that. Uh I want to thank all
the men and women back there. Um you know, over 25 years I worked with all of them. They all helped to make the department better. uh you know, they they're out there in the community. They're answering calls in the middle of the night. Uh and they're they're making
the department as good as it can be. And as the mayor said, that's why it's a safe place. That's why it's a great city because because of their all their hard work and we work together uh uh to do that. And I want to thank the community because uh the community loves us. We
love the community back. These officers are in the schools almost every day. we're we're forging relationships with the with the kids in the school and and I'm really proud of them. So, I thank them for standing by me and working together for 25 years. Uh,
all right. The hardest part is my wife and my kids. uh if you know them, uh they're absolutely awesome and they're uh you know, the best thing that you could ever ask for uh standing by you for 25 years.
So, I really thank them uh for that. You know, when when I swore in a new guy, I always liked thanking the the the family. You know, thanks for standing by your your uh officer. You're embarking on this career with him or her. And uh it's really important the family rides
this roller coaster with you and uh it's cool to come full circle and thank them after 25 years. It puts them through a lot. You know, there's there's times where uh you have to drop everything you're doing and just leave. and uh you go on some nasty calls
sometimes and and they're like, you know, what happened to dad and uh what's wrong with them? And um so anyway, they live they live the job with you. Uh and obviously the wife bears the brunt of that. You guys know how awesome she is,
try to get through it. Um so yeah, I just I thank them for sticking by me for 25 years. Uh, as as the mayor said, I was on the SWAT team for 12 years. And, you know, I would I would gear up at 3:30 in the morning and I would try not to wake up the babies. They're not
babies anymore, but uh, you know, and I did it for 12 years. So, you you gear up and try not to wake anybody up. And, you know, I know now that you leave your wife and and she's got to think about what you're doing. you know, it's a county team, so you're rounding up people who are selling lots of guns,
lots of drugs. They're wanted for homicides, and you know, your poor wife's got to try to go back to bed and then go to work couple hours later. And if you're lucky, you can call her and say, "Hey, everything's all right." So, I really appreciate her standing
standing by me through all that. And the girls, love you guys. You're the best. Thanks everybody. Let me clean up. All right, we're going to take a five minute recess. Give time uh for people to take pictures and hang out and talk a
little bit. So, we have a motion and second for a fiveminute recess. >> I'll make that motion. >> All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? All right. Seeing none, motion pass. Feel free come up, take pictures. I'm going to That was cool.
Good to see you playing or what? Hey, how are you? Sir, >> he's over there. really nice. Me too.
So, how are you? Good. You look good. Just Congratulations. >> Okay. Nice to meet you. scared right past you. What? >> All right.
Are you Jimmy's mom? >> Yes, I'm Shane's mom. >> You Okay. Ready. Hey, what's up? How are you? >> Good. How are you? >> Very good. Congrats.
>> How's everybody? >> Good. Can we just do one more? I I'm sorry. Okay. Come on. What's that? because you know We're going to be resuming our meeting. >> We have a motion and second to resume
the meeting. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? Seeing none, we're going to resume our meeting. >> Tiger, any executive session tonight? >> No executive session, man. >> All right. Next up, we have our approval
of our February 4th, 2026 Brickine City Council meeting minutes. A motion second. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes.
>> Mayor Sarah. >> Yes. >> Next up, we have our bill requisition list. We have a motion. Second. >> I'll make that motion. >> Questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> You. Yes. >> Yes. >> Kane. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor Sarah.
>> Yes. >> Uh, next up we have public comment. This is on agenda items only. If you wish to be heard on any agenda item, please come up and state your name and address for the record. Seeing no public comment, we're going to close the public comment. Uh, next up we have
ordinance number two of 2026. This is an ordinance of the city of Brigantine, uh, county of Atlantic, state of New Jersey, repealing and replacing article 1, chapters 85-1 through 85-22 titled affordable housing in the code of
the city of Brigantine. >> We have a motion, second. >> All right. So, this is an introduction for the next couple ordinance that are coming out. Uh, two, three, four, and five. These all have to do with affordable housing. We're going to be introducing them tonight, but I also
want to put it on record that the state of New Jersey did not get these into us and adequate time to review. Did a quick look at them. We're in a position to introduce them, but the state has very strict timelines on when everything has to be adopted. So, we're going to start
the process, but I know I'm going to speak for myself that we reserve the right to reintroduce if there's any issues or problems with these. And I want that to be a part of the record because the state did not get these to us in time to properly review. All right. So, questions or comments?
Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor Sarah, >> yes. >> Ordinance number three of 2026. This is an ordinance of the city of Brigantine, County of Atlantic, state of New Jersey, amending article 6, chapter 85 through
20 or 85-24 85-25 85-26 title affordable housing overlay in the code of the city of Brigantine. Motion second. >> Again, this was an ordinance that we received late, so we're going to be
reviewing it in the introduction period. Questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor Sarah. >> Yes. >> Ordinance number four of 2026. This is an ordinance of the city of Briggin
County of Atlantic, state of New Jersey, amending chapter 198, article 6, sections 198-51.1 titled affordable housing overlay B1 zone. section 198-51.3
titled affordable housing overlay B1A zone and section 198-54 titled affordable housing overlay B3 zone in the code of the city of Brington have a motion second >> second thing we're introducing this but
we still need to review it uh questions or comments seeing none can we have roll call >> yes >> yes Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor Sarah. >> Yes. >> Ordinance number five of 2026. This is an ordinance of the city of Brigantine
County of Atlantic, state of New Jersey, repealing and replacing chapter 150 sections 150-1 through 150-10 development fees in the code of the city of Brigantine. We have a motion. Second. >> I'll make that motion.
>> Second. And again, these are very lengthy ordinances that came in last minute from the state. We're still in the review process. Questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Sarah, >> yes.
>> All right. We have resolution 2026-63. This is a resolution authorizing property tax exemption for a permanently disabled veteran. This is for block 7304, lot 7. Motion. Second. >> I'll make that motion.
>> Second. Questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Sarah, >> yes. >> Resolution 2026-64. This is a resolution authorizing property tax exemption for a permanently
disabled veteran. This is block 7702, lot 11. Motion second. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> Questions or comments? See? None. Can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. Yes. >> Mayor Sarah. >> Yes.
>> Resolution 2026-65. This is a resolution authorizing the submission of an application for project funding for the lead service line replacement program phase 1 and identifying the city official authorized to execute the application which will be
our city manager Tiger Plaid. We have a motion. Second motion. >> Second. >> Questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. Yes. >> Yes. >> This is for the city's part.
>> I'll ask because there's different for the city's part. Okay. Correct. Yeah, >> I've had people asking me, is the city going to apply for grants to help the homeowners pay for that? >> Yes, it it's it's through what's called the I bank. We are applying for money to
offset costs, right? >> Absolutely. >> But the the homeowners are still going to be required to quite a bit. >> There will be a cost to them. >> Yeah. Because >> again, this is mandated by the state of New Jersey. Well, I keep reiterating
that, but there people are very confused about it. >> Yeah, I think part of the challenge too with the grants um there's more money that are available to towns that have higher levels of affordable housing. So
really, a lot of the money that's out there for homeowners is needbased. So since our affordable housing levels low, we won't get as much. uh but we are exploring every option to try to bring money in to keep it under control. But again, this
is something that's being impressed upon every municipality by the state of New Jersey and New Jersey is not really providing enough funding to cover everything. Okay. Thank you. >> No, you are correct. I think this creates a financial burden on a lot of
people. And I think this is a problem when you have state officials who make decisions that sound good in the vacuum of things but don't understand the reality of how it impacts people. And I think that is a major challenge. Uh we're doing everything within our power
to keep costs under control, but again, this is a state mandate. At one point in time in the state of New Jersey, if it was statemandated, it's state pay. But with this, it is state mandate. you pay, right? And that's one of the problems
and a lot of it comes down to how the state of New Jersey decides to spend its tax money. And there for us, we're applying to get what we can, but it's not going to offset 100% what home owners have to pay. That is unfortunately the challenge.
All right. We have um resolution 2026-66. This is a resolution authorizing a contract with Arthur Chu Consulting for planning, permitting, and design for proposed reconstruction of 15th Street South, 20th Street South, and 37th
Street South. This will be in the amount of 35,000. We have a motion second. >> Second. Uh, one of the things that we're really doing is actively and aggressively um reconstructing and repaving many streets uh through Brigantine. There's a
lot of streets that need it. We're picking off as many as we can. Uh, this will be part of the next round that we worked. Uh, questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor Sarah.
>> Yes. Resolution 2026-67. This is a resolution authorizing the issuance of amusement game license to the Smile Factory LLC for the 2026 licensing year. The motion second.
>> I'll make that motion. >> Questions or comments? Seeing none, can I have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Resolution 2026-68. This is a resolution authorizing the tax
collector to issue refund payments. Have a motion. Second. >> Make that motion. Second. >> Questions or comments? >> Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor Sarah. >> Yes.
>> Resolution 2026-69. This is for a self-examination of the 2026 budget. We have a motion and second. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. Questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes.
>> Yes. >> Mayor Sarah, >> yes. >> Resolution 2026-70. This is a resolution authorizing a contract with affordable interior systems, WS Golf Company, Inc. for office furniture and improvements. This is for our beach fee office. This is
going to be be in the mountain of $22,7720. We have a motion. Second. >> Second. Uh, this is something they definitely need. I think a lot of the equipment in there is um probably older than me. I don't know the last time that they've gotten equipment. There's a lot of the workers down there who actually
spend their day standing. So, I think we need to make sure we invest in that office down there. Uh, questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes.
>> Resolution 202671. This is a resolution authorizing a contract with tactical public safety and portable radios for the fire department. This is the amount of 10,811. Have a motion. Second. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> Questions or comments? Seeing none. Can
we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor Sarah. >> Yes. >> Resolution 2026-72. This is a resolution authorizing a contract with Frank Mazet and Sun, Inc. for replacement of iron ply
underllayment at the links clubhouse. This is the amount of $15,180. The motion second >> second >> questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes.
>> Next up, we have our consent agenda. We have Elks raffle license number 1140 and number 1141. Hooked on fishing which will be July 25th 2026. Stockton University Battle of Brigantine March 28th 2026.
Riptide Derby 2026 March 1st to May 21st extended access May 26 through June 30th 6 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. Uh motion second. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> Questions or comments? Seeing none, can we have roll call? >> Yes.
>> Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor, >> yes. >> We have our council manager committee discussions. Uh, mayor, I just want to uh bring up obviously it was uh pretty cold here for
a period of time there and we had over a two-eek period there was uh 208 broken pipe calls that our public works and some of those included our fire department including four water main breaks. So in about a twoe period uh
those uh the staff were really running all over the island taking care of people and I know uh how hard they worked. Uh so John if you could you know thank your your team and and all as well chief uh for the great work they did during that time frame
turn it over to our departments of course thank you I know you guys worked really hard I know it's very much appreciated so thank you to our deputy mayor Karen >> view the lynx is looking so forward to having
golfers out. It's been quite a while since anybody's been out there. Hopefully next week we can have have golfers out. Have decent time out there. Um I just want to remind you all to check your email. We got a message from the
school about Read Across America Day. If you're able to go and read to the kids, it'll be March 3rd, fourth or 5th. Okay. So just respond to them. That's it. Thank you.
>> Yes. Congratulations, but I'd like to congratulate all our promoted officers police department. They certainly deserve it. Good luck and good health to Chief Casemo in his recent retirement. I also want to put a shout out to John
Doring and his staff during their preparedness during a recent weather problem. One particular story I had a woman very well known to us on the afternoon said I don't know what to do I can't get out of
my house I got a link in front of my front door wasn't snow piled up that I can't reach anybody made a call to John's cell phone on a Sunday afternoon and he answered me to call her back and she says they're
already here so thank you have a whole lot everybody know that garden club has already started meeting trying to get supplies together coming up with a game plan for uh planning this summer. Um I
want to congratulate all those promot great group of guys well deserve and of course the retirement chief kous. >> Thank you mayor. Yeah, congratulations to everybody with promotions and all.
Really cool, especially know one or two of the guys since seems like they were 10 or 12 working here, these kids. So, it's it's pretty cool. Yeah, playing hockey isn't a whole lot. But, uh, other than that, thanks John for
everything you do. Wow. Two over 200 burst pipes. It's crazy. Uh other than that, we got the um uh economic development committee ongoing negotiations with different things that are coming up. I wish I could say a few
things about some big things that are happening, but uh soon it'll happen soon. Uh the cultural arts commission's meeting regularly. They have some upcoming things coming up also uh next month. And one of the biggest things is next month is the uh St. Patrick's
parade. Uh, you know, we're so happy to have uh Graham Marshall selected, Neil Kane being one of them, uh, Bob Hume from Sand Jack Deli, uh, Janette Kesler who does so much every year supporting ACUA. And then we have a brigade teacher
of the year, Carrie Hazer is so that that's all I got. Thanks. >> I just want to give a couple quick updates. Uh we've been working on, you know, beach replenishment, emergency beach replenishment, following up with
the governor's office again. Um sending a letter again today in writing. We've had a couple conversations with the governor's office. They told us they're reviewing it. We want to send it up in writing to make sure that they be possible to let the governor know how important this is. We've been working
with Congressman Banju, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the New Jersey DS. Uh, one is, uh, the extension of the seaw wall. We're looking to do a permanent extension up there to try to protect those homes. Uh, everybody's
working with us. You know, Congressman Van is working real hard right now to get the federal funding to move that forward. Uh, with the beach replenishment, he's got federal funding available. We just need the state to put some type of emergency declaration forward in order to move that money from
the federal government to the state. Uh, the other thing we're working on with the Army Corps is um they're doing a year-long study on the impact of hard structures, whether it's jetties or groins or wave breaks to see if that will help hold sand in place and add
protection. Um, working with Andrew's office, we've now officially applied to be in that study. We applied, they said we would be a part of it. The D had to support it, which they said they would support it. And then the Army Corps asked us for an official letter from me
officially asking. So I guess we had to officially officially ask, but I understand it's all about paperwork. So we uh forwarded that out today. So hopefully we'll have some good news on that. And it's really good to have um strong partners at many different levels in order to get work done because I feel
like um they do really look out for team. So it's good having those relationships. I wanted to give an update on uh South Jersey gas bills. This is something working with Senator Palestina. There's a number of residents in the community who have actually reached out to myself and the senator said from all over the
county. He's received some frustrated phone calls from residents that have that are stating that their delivery charges are now three times as high as the actual gas. Um both the senator and I have had con uh conversations with South Jersey Gas. What we've requested
is a five-year history of the delivery charges so we can look at the trends and we also want to know what specifically makes up that charge because it's more than just the cost of delivery. There's a lot of charges that make that up. Um I had an opportunity to follow up with um
a representative yesterday from South Jersey Gas. They said they're working on gathering up that information and they anticipate having it for the senator and for us here on Brigantine by next week. Uh we made the original request on January 23rd, but I was hoping to have
it this week, but they said they would have everything next week. So, we will keep everybody posted and share that out publicly. Uh the other thing I've been talking with the senator about is what can be done right now um to get some relief on those bills. I know Governor Cheryl, that's been one of the big
things that she campaigned on was uh relief on both gas and electric bills. So, I think there might be an opportunity for all of us to work together to try to bring some meaningful I know the senators on board and you know as soon as we have this information we'll share it with uh the public as
well as with uh the governor. At this time I'd like to open it up for public comment. Uh anybody wishing to be heard please come up and state your name and address for the record. >> Elizabeth Anderson um 309
309 South 37th Street. Oh, I can speak. Oh. Um, my husband and I purchased a two family home about six years ago. Um, we live on the second floor of this house with an
outside um entrance. We rent the first floor and the renters have a private front and back entrance. Um, I personally vet,
review, introdu, um, ask questions of everybody that wants to rent my property for that first floor. Um, I provide for the renters, um, what I expect when they're their rental instructions,
um, whenever they leave, what how they leave the place and what condition they leave it in. Um, I also, um, provide them with the list of amenities so they are fully aware of what they're
going to be getting there and what I expect of them. My neighbors, I'm very close to many of them. No one's had reported any disturbances. I may not be in the house all the time, but no one has come to me
with any problems or issues with anybody that I do rent to. In fact, I've gotten many um raving reviews from the people that are staying there. I am fortunate enough to be very close to the beach, about a half a block. So, they're thankful to be that close, and they've
respect all of my wishes and my requirements. Just as an overview, I have three bedrooms that I rent. One is 70 square ft, one is 93, one is 107.
We're looking about 270 270 square ft per bedroom. I am permitted only to rent to four people because of this square footage. My first
floor alone is around 750 square feet. My initial fee when I started renting was $150 for the inspector to come in and make sure everything was acceptable. It is now up to $450.
I'm told that is the fee is per bedroom. Nothing has changed in my unit. I pass every inspection. We've had no issues with any of the inspectors. I understand that there have been some
short-term rentals that have been in the news or have been causing disturbances in the neighborhoods wherever they're located. Um, our street, our block, um, is quiet and
again, my renters appreciate that. Um, and I am grateful that we are in that particular area. Um, I understand those larger places have 10, 12, maybe 14 guests and I can understand if there's
no one there to really um, manage it um, how it can get out of control. What I'm asking here is if you could re-evaluate the inspection fee for those of us, let's say under a thousand square feet.
I'm I'm well below that. Um our street probably needs minimum police surveillance. Um, and I am trying to um, and I'm sure you're perfectly aware that
all short-term rentals are they're not equal. And I feel that we're in a different category that should be penalized because of something that has occurred in the past couple years. Um, I would be open to any questions that you
may have, but if you could if there's anything else I can supply to seriously um consider having either a range or different u categories for short-term rentals because I am um sad that I have
to be put in the same group with some people that are not managing their property well at all. If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer. And if there is anything else I need to provide to you, anything I can
give you to help you make a decision and encourage you to seriously consider this. Um, I would appreciate it very much. >> Thank you very much. I would appreciate it. Something we could take a look at and evaluate. uh the short-term rental
uh fees there is a range and I think I don't know if you were hearing a part of it but there was months and months and months of discussions with many of the owners and I think the challenge that we had is while it sounds like you run your property very very well there's never
been an issue there there has been massive issues across the city that needed to be addressed we had to hire two full-time code enforcement officials as well because um there was numerous legal bills that were associated with this
>> and um part of the issue is that it's not fair to put that solely on the taxpayers. So if you notice the fees are by bedroom. So the larger your home is, the larger the fee is, the smaller it is, the smaller the fee is. That's
something we tried to consider. But something we will continue to evaluate, but the city also has to recoup some of its expenses that we've had in dealing with this and that we've continued to deal with this. And I think one of the cornerstones of this is having those uh
inspectors, those code enforcement officials who go out and stay on top of this, which has really kept things under control. So, we're not trying to make a profit off it. We're not trying to do anything extra, but it does cover the added expenses that are here. But it is something we can look at and evaluate.
But I just want you to also understand the history of where we are. >> I and I I understand this because it's been a couple years. Um it's it's the yes, it's the number of bedrooms, but it's also the square footage. When you
look at one that's 70 square feet, I mean, there's one little So I I can't possibly have a large number of people in the house, >> right? um to maybe even cause an issue
with being rowdy. Um and I totally understand that because of the added expenses. Um, you're saying you could spread it out through all through all of their short-term rentals, but how many of us
have really no maybe square footage would be more appropriate rather than the number of short-term rentals? Um, and looked at those closely. And if that means another kind of inspection that you have other
criteria that you would like to follow, but definitely the size of the area is going to be a major consideration uh because of the number of people that are going to be occupying it. So I don't know if there's another factor there
that wasn't considered. It just tried to spread it out through all the short-term rentals and it just >> expired. Your time something we'll review and take in consideration. We'll take So, thank you.
>> I feel your pain. I have a similar situation where I have a small duplex upstairs and downstairs and downstairs was originally two bedrooms, but after Sandy, when I raised the house because of upstairs having an addition, I had to
build a room underneath. So, now I have three bedrooms. But originally the inspector would come to my home and say that 9 by9 bedroom can only accommodate one person and you could put two people in the queen bed in the front bedroom. So you're only allowed three people. So
I added another bedroom. So now I can accommodate five people. Okay. But I'm penalized the same as you are. They want $600 to right license my property and I'm only six people.
Okay. For the same reason, have you checked your water bill? You're paying for two water bills, right? A double water bill as a as a as a duplex. >> Um, >> you have one meter or two? >> I have one. >> You have one meter. So, you're in the
same boat as me. I pay two water bills, two I mean, one water bill, but two sewage bills. >> I I think that's something that we should look at also because water in is water out. So why are you charging me double if I'm only using X amount of
water coming in? Why am I paying double to have the water go out through the same sewer? It's not like it's two separate sewers. It's one sewer. So there's a few issues that I'm going to address some of those, >> you know, with >> to me it's square footage rather than
because >> square footage rather >> because yes, obviously >> my places are 700 700 too, you know, 700 square feet versus somebody that's about 18 people. rent the place. >> But the person who's got 18 people is not paying the same fee as you
>> for when you're talking about the >> it's per bedroom. >> It's per bedroom. >> Per bedroom, right? Per bedroom. What you're talking about is the water sewer fee. >> Well, that's sort of another issue that I'm I'm talking about with I had the exact same problem. >> Perfect.
>> My fee increased considerably over like 150 I was paying >> before. Now I'm paying 560 I think for 600 or four >> when Yeah. when nothing has changed or and and to me I don't feel that we
haven't even created there there's nothing going on in our neighborhood particularly that needs extra attention or someone that has to be paid to sort of help us. Um everything has been the same all these years. So, um I I I find
it a little I understand what you're saying, but there seem to be um some inequities between those that were causing the problem or probably the residences that have numerous people there and hard to control.
>> Well, I think the challenge too is so we have expenses for the city and this is what we discussed in the meetings with the short-term rentals. Should every taxpayer in the city of Brigantine pay to address it or should this be covered by the short-term rental industry? And
even though there might not be specific issues associated to your property or to yours, the issue is it comes down to like you said. So should every homeowner and bring a team have to pay to support the businesses or the businesses?
>> I agree with you. Short-term rental. I took on that responsibility to have a short-term rental with all that was involved. But for this situation that has now arisen has nothing I'm not I'm not part of that group that is causing
the problems or need extra attention or if if those situation didn't happen for instance we would be still paying the original inspection fee because everybody was following the rules at making sure that the neighbors weren't
annoyed and there was no destruction. But unfortunately things like that do happen. But for us to so to take that total cost and have all of us help pay for that,
you're going to, you know, you're we're paying for something that we're not we weren't the cause of it, nor are we creating or continuing to be a cause of. So, I just feel it um
it's not equitable. I That's what I'm saying. The square footage could be looked at as opposed to the number of people that have short-term rentals. >> Like I said, it's something that we're going to continue to evaluate. Okay.
Look at >> I appreciate your let me speak. >> Absolutely. Thank you. and we thank you for being a responsible owner at Rener who manages your renters. >> Thank you. And and because of the
economy also, we're now I don't have to raise my price, but I do have to cover my expenses. And we've noticed that with the number of renters that um have slowly been declining, and I raising my
fee isn't going to help that situation. So that's why I wanted to bring it to somebody's attention that is impacting us uh on whether we're going to continue to do that. >> Oh yeah, everyone's feeling the effect of that. >> Yes.
>> And it's not just I've up and down the coast. >> There's a lot of issues with short-term rentals and um I think one when COVID hit >> Yeah. people start to travel, short-term rentals made sense. But now that people
are traveling more, they're staying in hotels, they feel comfortable. Um, because we've been watching this for a while, there's a lot of short-term rental properties that aren't being rented all over because people are taking different options. So, you are correct, >> right? I know, and I I know there's many
factors. Um, but this particularly I appreciate your hearing. I hope that I can hear from you soon. And again, if there's any other information I can give you and and as a side note, I am absolutely blessed. The ceremony
was the most beautiful thing I've seen and they truly truly truly do appreciate I appreciate all the help and what they do to keep us safe. This was a wonderful meeting. Thank you. >> Thanks. Thanks, Mrs. Anderson. One one
last thing too is that when when the crowds were here for nearly a year and we were going over what to do with the new short-term rental rules, a a majority of them were asking for a 7-day minimum here on the island, which we
didn't we didn't agree with that uh at the time because we felt it affect people's businesses. like if you have three or four days rented out and then you have an opportunity to rent two or three days out, >> you know, we didn't want just to be a
lose out on that money. So, >> right, >> that was one thing that we were considered when we had the, you know, the twoight minimum. >> So, and I summertime I'm seven minimum. >> It is winter time and I'm a little more flexible. Um, but during the summer from
Memorial Day to Labor Day is seven day minimum for us. So I don't chop it up and just um I want people that uh are serious about what I'm trying to provide. >> Right. So like they said we we're talk about see if >> I appreciate your time.
>> Thank you. >> There's no other public comment. We're going to close the public portion. Any final council comments? >> I see none. We have a motion and second to the meeting. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? Seeing none, motion
pass. Thank you for coming out, watching your council see him at work.