CAPE MAY – During public comment at the July 19 Cape May City Council meeting, resident Jules Rauch put a series of issues on the plate of the governing body, indicating that he did so as a representative of the Taxpayers Association (TPA).
Among the issues raised by the association was renewed prodding that the city resolve the now 19-month impasse with respect to the payment of over $100,000 in bonuses from a trust fund account dedicated to affordable housing initiative.
Rauch also asked the city to explore a moratorium on new pool construction as a means of freshwater conservation. Rauch also raised the issue of the limitation of irrigation activities. The TPA is concerned, Rauch said, because of the increasing demands on the water distribution system prior to the planned enlargement of the city’s desalination plant.
The TPA is also asking the city for better enforcement of lawn care companies and control of construction dumpsters. The association also urged the city to look at the rents charged to the Washington Street Mall merchants, especially restaurants that benefit from the use of city property for outdoor dining.
The council did not comment on the various issues. There was one in which some disagreement emerged, but that did not come from the council. Rauch pushed the council to adjust how the occupancy tax revenues are allocated. One of the TPA’s other members and chair of the city’s Municipal Taxation and Revenue Advisory Committee, Dennis Crowley, came to the podium to disagree. Both Crowley and Rauch agreed to discuss their disagreement and return to the council with a unified position.
