Bond Ordinance for Franklin Street School Introduced, In Doubt

CAPE MAY – Cape May introduced a bond ordinance Oct. 15 that seems poised to fail when it is presented for adoption in November. The ordinance calls for $2 million in capital funding, as the city’s share of the cost for a $6 million project to restore the Franklin Street School complex as a branch of the county library system.
Cape May City Council, frequently doing business by 3 to 2 votes, has come up against an issue that requires a supermajority. It takes four of the five votes on the governing body to adopt a bond ordinance. The plan for the Franklin Street School has won county commitment and the support of the Cape May County Library Commission, but not as much effort has gone into building a consensus on council.
For months, residents have used public comment to urge members of council to find ways to better work together. Instead, council has continued its in-fighting, with members Zack Mullock and Stacey Sheehan losing a long list of split votes 3 to 2 to a frequent majority of Shaine Meier, Patricia Hendricks and Mayor Clarence Lear.
The split has been apparent for months. The council and Lear, as its presiding officer, have been scolded by some members of the public and pled with by others who have expressed frustration with the personal interactions on the governing body.
Now, the city stands to be embarrassed in its relationship with the county. At the city’s urging, two county entities have promised the commitment of $4 million for a library renovation to which the city may not be able to commit.
The vote on the bond issue for the library may also foreshadow the larger question of funding for a new public safety building.
Council Split
The conversations among the council members have never resulted in a 3 to 2 vote, in which Mullock and Sheehan were in the majority.
On the night of the bond ordinance introduction, a motion by Mullock on another issue called for council to require that the city manager share bidding specifications with council members before advertising a call for bids on a specific project to renovate a local memorial.
City Manager Neil Young said he fully intended to do what Mullock was requesting, yet the motion that apparently would impose no additional, unintended action on the city manager, and which was specific to the project under discussion, was defeated 3 to 2, handing Mullock and Sheehan another loss, when a rare victory would seem to have cost little.
This vote happened on a night when it became clear the vote of at least one of these two council members would be required to adopt the bond issue in one month. 
Certainly, these votes are not necessarily connected, but the inability of the council to find areas of small compromise is glaring and is a topic of continuing public comment.
On the library vote, Mullock said he was for the project, but was not sure this was the best use of the city’s bonding ability. Mullock called for something he has advocated for in the past, a multi-year capital budget model that lays out expected capital projects, priorities and time frames, showing the potential impact on property tax rates.
Both Sheehan and Mullock have also expressed concerns about the proposed location of the public safety building, and also argue that new facilities for public safety departments can be provided at a lower cost.
Sheehan announced weeks ago that she would not be the fourth vote for the public safety building bond issue. No discussions at council work sessions have focused on changing her vote or securing Mullock’s; yet, it is known by all that the supermajority is needed.
On the library bond issue, Meier argued that this represents “an opportunity to get the Franklin Street School back better than it ever was.”
Hendricks pointed to the county commitments. “We finally have the freeholders engaged,” she argued.
Neither spoke to Mullock’s call for a multi-year financial strategy for priorities and capital commitments. Mullock’s call for a multi-year plan has motivated many members of the public to speak at the meetings.
The library and public safety building projects and associated deliberations are separate, but connected.
Amid the debate on the library bonds, Police Chief Anthony Marino urged council to continue to move forward on a combined safety complex. The fear he expressed was that to split the buildings would leave the police department as “the forgotten soldier.”
For Marino and Fire Chief Alex Coulter, the situation they face in badly deteriorating facilities is urgent, yet time passes. Time becomes a reason to take a specific action. As one member of the public said previously, “The worst reason you can use for a decision is that we have been at it for so long.”
The vote to introduce a $2 million bond issue by a margin which seemingly ensures the ordinance’s defeat in November could be a wakeup call for a council that can only go so far on 3-to-2 margins.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.