City OKs Stormwater, EMS Rules; Mulls Change to Sidewalk Dining

SEA ISLE CITY – City Council met April 11 and finalized several ordinances on second reading and implementation with no public comment. 
The subject of one was the management of the city’s watershed plan and ancillary issues such as stormwater management.
The other ordinances approved the alignment of Emergency Management Service employees, currently a voluntary corps, into city administration.
In response to Committee member Frank Edwardi’s question, Administrator George Savastano said, “The plan is to follow Civil Service procedures on interviewing and hiring. We have an EMS consultant who will be helping us with the process, and we are encouraging all who have been city EMS volunteers to apply.
“We will even have the chief also follow the process. Our main criterion will be: can you do the job?
“Under state personnel procedures there are two categories of employees, competitive and non-competitive. Fortunately, these positions fall under the latter which means it’s pretty much up to the city who we want to hire.
“We’ll be focusing on certifications already in place and experience, and of course our EMS volunteers, many of whom have been in these jobs for years, are very well qualified.”
On the mechanics of implementation of the city-managed EMS, Solicitor Paul Baldini confirmed there would be no delay or denial of service based on inability to pay.
“There might be insurance co-pay, we can’t control that, but Sea Isle City is not looking for any co-pay or deductible, and there will be no issues connected to the ability to pay,” he said.
Savastano and Council President William Kehner expressed appreciation for all that the EMS had done to maintain “Such high standards for service to everyone in Sea Isle.”
Sidewalk Dining, Outdoor Alcohol
Committee member John Divney said he attended the recent city Chamber of Commerce meeting where members expressed opinions that the current ordinance is working very well.
He left that meeting with recommendations from members as to how to improve the current regulations: extend sidewalk dining hours from 7 – 9 p.m. to 7 – 12 midnight; allow establishments to keep tables, chairs and other equipment stored on the sidewalk overnight; allow permanent structures such as awnings to remain in place over tables; and allow bands to play outside until 10 p.m. rather than the current 9 p.m.
Much discussion ensued about the viability and desirability of those recommendations.
Kehner said, “We can sunset any new options, and it’s up to the owners to make it work, or we take away the benefits.”
Council member Mary Tighe said, “We don’t want any problems with rowdyism on Friday nights, for example, there is a big difference between an after-dinner drink and drinking on the sidewalk.”
Edwardi opined that he was opposed to any extension of drinking hours. Committee member John Gibson said any extensions should be on weekends and holidays only. Divney said, “Let’s direct the solicitor to at least get something in writing we can consider so that we can enact any recommendations before Memorial Day.”
Council voted to direct Baldini to draft an ordinance for debate and discussion among constituents. Then, the council will open the text for public comment.
Savastano added that council needed to be aware that another issue could loom: a different city ordinance that permitted outdoor sales, for example at an outdoor bar, only until 11 p.m. vs. sale of alcohol in fully enclosed spaces.
“There may be a discrepancy between the ordinances for outdoor sales if you change sidewalk dining rules,” he noted.
During public comment, resident John Henry said, “I don’t know where to begin with, what you’re doing with this issue. Sea Isle, yes, has always been a resort, but it was a family resort. Now with various actions taken in recent years, there’s no parking, it’s noisy, and there’s alcohol everywhere. Stop worrying about timing and make sure you get these ordinances right so you’re not always continually reacting to different opinions and changing them.”
Over-65 Property Tax Freeze?
Kehner mentioned a League of Municipalities article about a proposal from the state Legislature that would permit homeowners over the age of 65 to freeze their state property tax bill at the amount of the year after they turn 65.
“There would be no reimbursement or further state aid for these owners from the state, and moreover municipalities would still need to pay 100 percent of their school and county tax levies.
“I’ve spoken with our tax assessor, and she said this proposal would be burdensome, even devastating for Sea Isle, since our various mandatory levies would continue to increase and our tax base would be frozen.
“Since many of our homeowners are over the age of 65, and rather well off, I suggest we pass a resolution opposing this proposal.” Council supported Kushner’s recommendation with Edwardi voting no, saying he “Wanted to give a break to the old guys.”