Avalon OKs Police Off-duty Pay Rate; Asked to Support Terrapin Protection

AVALON – Avalon Borough Council held its final meeting of 2015 Dec. 22 with a routine agenda. The meeting was short and lasted less than an hour.
Council passed a resolution that sets a pay rate for off-duty use of municipal police officers.
Atlantic City Electric’s use of off-duty officers for traffic control while engaged in its project to erect galvanized steel poles for transmission wires was the impetus for that resolution.
Using a model already in place in Middle Township, the Avalon effort establishes a pay rate for officers used as well as a charge for use of municipal equipment such as police cars. Payments from the utility will be made to the borough and payment to officers will be a borough task.
Council also heard a presentation by Dr. Lisa Ferguson, director of Research and Conservation at the Wetlands Institute, on a bill pending in Trenton that would establish the diamondback terrapin turtle as a non-gaming species.
The designation change for the turtle would effectively ban harvesting of the animals in New Jersey. Ferguson pointed to the importance of the diamondback terrapin turtles in the wetlands habitat and the fact that the lack of protection now does lead to targeting the turtles for harvesting in the state.
Questioned by Council member William Burns, Ferguson said that protection for the turtles would not necessarily mean moving them to the endangered species list.
“They play a unique role in the habitat here,” she said, and the change from a gaming to non-gaming species may be all that is required.
The aim of the presentation was to seek a borough resolution of support. Council seemed predisposed to agree to such a resolution.
Business Administrator Scott Wahl said that one would be prepared for council’s consideration by the next meeting.
Council also adopted the new Floodplain Management Plan created by a committee of borough officials and appointed residents. 
Avalon hopes that by establishing its own plan, separate from but cooperative with the county plan will enable the borough to gain additional levels of relief on flood insurance premiums.
Avalon already has among the highest discount rates in the state at 25 percent and wants to ensure that they hold that rate and possibly move to 30 percent with the new plan.
Council praised the work of the committee which had to complete the task in a relatively brief period of time.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.