County Still Opposes Beach Takeover Bills

CREST HAVEN – For the second time in eight months, freeholders unanimously opposed pending bills, one in the Senate another in the Assembly, that would permit the county to assume control Atlantic Ocean beaches. The board took similar action April 9 prior to the first Senate committee vote.
At its Dec. 10 meeting, as the board had done April 9, it shunned legislation sponsored by Sen. Robert Smith (D-17th) of Piscataway, who chairs the Environment and Energy Committee. In the Assembly a companion bill is sponsored by Deputy Speaker L. Grace Spencer (D-29th) Newark, who chairs the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee. Her committee voted 4-2 during a Nov. 25 session to approve the bill, which had its second Assembly reading.
Those voting yes: Spencer, Majority Whip Peter Barnes III, (D-18th) of Edison, Paul J. Contillo (D-38th) of Paramus, and Deputy Majority Whip Ruben J. Ramos Jr., (D-33rd) of Hoboken.
Voting no was Assistant Republican Leader Scott Rudder (R-8th) of Medford and Holly Schepisi (R-39th) of Westwood. Deputy Majority Leader Reed Gusciora (D-15th) of Trenton did not vote.
No First District legislator is a member of either committee.
Affected by the legislation could be fifth and sixth class counties, four of which front on the Atlantic Ocean: Cape May, Atlantic, Ocean and Monmouth.
In the April 25 Senate vote, Sen. James Whelan (D-2nd) of Atlantic County voted yes as did Smith, Assistant Majority Leader Linda Greenstein (D-14th) of Cranbury, and Deputy Conference Leader Christopher Bateman (R-16th) of Somerville. Jennifer Beck (R-11th) of Red Bank abstained.
The board acted in concert with wishes of Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton, who recommended the board “not get into beach restoration.”
Quipped Vice Director Leonard Desiderio, “We would love you to,” alluding to the beach erosion woes that constantly confront that city.
Thornton said he talked with “other coastal counties” and “What disturbed me most was this legislation was introduced from an Assembly person, Spencer, who lives in Essex County and Sen. Smith from Middlesex, both are landlocked counties. They want coastal counties to take care of themselves. They want the counties to take control of the beaches.”
While some might consider owning a beach a luxury, Thornton is mindful that, responsibility comes with ownership. If the legislation were to become law, the county could, if affected municipalities agreed, collect beach fees or have a countywide beach pass. At the same time, it would also become responsible for all beach operations and upkeep.
Pointing to the bills’ sponsors, Thornton added, “They don’t say why. There’s no rationale.”
Thornton said he was asked by John DeNottio, director of New Jersey Association of Counties his sentiment about the bills. “My response was if Essex and Middlesex are willing to pay, we are in favor of it. I’m not sure if they want to pay. I didn’t get a response from them.’”
According to the proposed legislation, beaches would “constitute a public utility of the county. Revenues and expenditures of the county beach utility would be required to be reported in detail on the same Internet website that the county budget is published.”
Counties assuming control of beaches would get an exception to the 2.5 percent cap on increases in final appropriations of the previous year’s expenses “relating to the operation of the county-controlled beaches.”
Some committee amendments included a municipality “may adopt an ordinance reserving to the municipality responsibility and control over beaches within the municipality, in which case any county ordinance or resolution to assume control and responsibility over beaches would not apply…”
If a county assumed control of the beaches its beach fees would supersede the imposition of any municipal beach fee and the authority of a municipality to collect its own beach fees shall expire.”