CAPE MAY – Cape May City Council moved Jan. 21 to close a loophole in the recently adopted ordinance, which created a new category of beach tags for use by commercial establishments.
The city recently created a new class of beach tags for hotels and similar businesses that wish to buy them for their guests, and transfer the use of the tags to changing guests over the course of a season.
The introduction of the new beach tag coincided with the city ending its restrictions that made beach tags non-transferable.
The new tags, more expensive than normal seasonal tags, were intended to help the city offset the loss of revenue likely to follow the removal of restrictions on the transferability of tags.
The amended resolution states that businesses outside the city that wish to purchase tags for their guests will be held to the same regulations as city mercantile license holders. They must buy the mercantile tag.
The establishment of the amended regulation imposes those same restrictions on non-city business owners, but it can’t extend the same threat of action for violations. The ordinance permits the city to withdraw the mercantile license of local businesses guilty of the violation. The city has no power over the mercantile licenses of non-city businesses.
