SEA ISLE CITY – Mayor Leonard Desiderio delivered a State of the City address and 2021 budget message, issued Feb. 9:
“The past year has been one like no other. It was 11 months ago, on March 9, 2020, that a public health emergency and state of emergency in New Jersey was declared due to the coronavirus disease known as Covid-19. Two days later, Covid-19 was declared to be a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, and on March 13, the president of the United States declared a national emergency pursuant to his constitutional powers.
“Since that time, we have all gone through challenges unlike any we’ve ever experienced. Sickness or worse has touched so many, jobs and businesses have suffered greatly, and the corresponding impacts on mental health have taken a staggering toll on all of us.
“Despite this, we’ve persevered. We’ve seen countless examples of selfless acts as ordinary people try to help each other out, and most notably, as our health care workers rose to the occasion to deal with this pandemic, and as essential workers provided basic services to maintain food supplies and other things that we take for granted on a daily basis.
“During the past year, it’s been my common refrain that we remain optimistic and remember that we are all one Sea Isle City, and together, we will be stronger than ever. I say this because I believe deeply that a positive attitude combined with faith in the understanding that we all share common goals and objectives as a community will get us through the most difficult of times. I know we all have our differences, and sometimes we are at odds with one another, but ultimately, I know we’re at our best when we work together.
“I want to thank the City Council and the people of Sea Isle City for their patience and cooperation over the past year. We are blessed to have such a caring community, and I’m so grateful for all of you.
In spite of the pandemic, the state of the city is very strong. When the beaches were opened last spring, and as time went by in the summer, we saw many beachgoers, and for the most part, we saw people maintaining social distancing practices. In regard to social distancing and mask-wearing, this became a significant issue early on, as the city received many, many requests that we enforce mask-wearing and social distancing.
“Very frankly, this is an extremely difficult issue to enforce consistently. We have tried to educate and inform folks to a large extent because this is something that must be a matter of personal responsibility. I believe we’ve been very successful in Sea Isle City in this regard. Certainly, there are those who don’t believe in mask-wearing or social distance protocols, but that’s the exception. I have seen much respect and consideration for each other shown in our community, and it makes me proud.
“I mentioned education and information because that’s so critical for much of what we do as a city government. We’ve made this a priority for a long time, and it’s served us especially well over the past year, as we’ve been able to address our citizens’ concerns and keep them up to date as things change.
“During this pandemic, all of us have been bombarded with information; indeed, there have been over 100 executive orders issued from the governor since the start of the pandemic – affecting everybody in significant ways. We made it a priority to get the facts out in a timely manner, and that will always be the case.
Managing the impacts of the pandemic has been a daunting task for everyone. With the city workforce, we have been very fortunate – while we have had cases of Covid-19, and there has been time off, the number of incidents have been relatively small. I want to thank our city workers for their dedication and for doing their part to keep each other safe.
“I also want to mention an initiative that we just started yesterday – the Vaccine Registration Assistance Program. As of yesterday, Sea Isle City residents in need of assistance during the vaccine registration process can phone the City’s Welcome Center on weekday mornings and speak with a city staff member, who will complete the online registration process for them over the phone while using a city computer.
“While this program doesn’t fast track receiving the vaccine, it will help to make sure that any of our residents who want the vaccine are properly registered. The bottom line is that we don’t want anyone to be left out from the vaccination process.
“In addition to managing the pandemic and handling the day-to-day matters of public safety, public works, and running the water and sewer utility, the city accomplished many major infrastructure projects in 2020.
“This past summer, our beaches received the first cycle of replenishment under the 50-year program with the Army Corps of Engineers. Beaches were replenished downtown and at the southern end of the island, and while we were hit with some very hard storms last week, the beaches held up well – they did their job protecting the island and suffered only minor erosion.
“On the bay side of the island, we’re in the process of performing lagoon dredging – our first maintenance dredging program since we dredged all of the lagoons about eight years ago.
“Also on the bay side of the island, we are nearing completion of the new fishing pier and kayak launch facility, which will be ready for operation this coming spring.
“We’ve continued with our ongoing utility reconstruction program, ensuring that we maintain our water and sanitary systems in the best shape. Our utility infrastructure program has served us well, as we’ve corrected much of our problems with infiltration into deteriorated sanitary lines, which can drive the cost of treatment up. Relative to this and its impact on the budget, I’m happy to report that our water and sewer rates will not increase for the eighth consecutive year.
“Another project that we’ve been working on and that Council will be asked to fund, in an ordinance this morning, is the addition of seven pickleball courts next to the marina building. We’ve worked with members of the public over the past year and were able to come up with a plan that will meet the needs of this growing sport.
“When it comes to projects, I need to mention our efforts on flood mitigation. We have submitted a substantial grant application to FEMA for a pump station that will serve the drainage area between 44th and 47th streets. This is part of our ongoing program to systematically install stormwater pump stations. As we move forward, we’ll partner with the county, as much of our storm-water infrastructure is under their jurisdiction. We hope to receive word on this recent grant application this spring.
“In addition to pump stations, we’re also continuing with other drainage projects to improve conditions as much as possible, understanding the challenges we face on a barrier island. Another project that you’ll be asked to approve today is the addition of a relief storm sewer on 40th Street, from Central to Kneass. This area has suffered from chronic flooding for some time, and the addition of this pipeline will tie this drainage into our existing pump station at 38th Street, which will improve conditions in the area of 40th and Central.
“Also in the project realm, we are continuing with planning and design for the proposed community center at the site of the former school, in the 4500 block of Park Road. Following up on the initial public presentation of the conceptual plans this past summer, the architect has been working on design development, and we’ll be prepared to make another public presentation next month in order to show everyone where we’re at in the process and get feedback on the design to date.
“A down payment for the construction of the proposed facility is included in the budget being presented to you today. I understand we still have work to do before we move forward with construction documents, and the fact is that the contract for that next phase of architecture and engineering must be approved by Council, but I’m confident that we’re on the right track with this facility.
“I’m confident from the meetings we’ve had to date and from the feedback I’ve gotten that this is a facility that the public wants and that the City needs in order to deliver the best community services for our residents, and I look forward to next month’s public presentation.
“From an operational standpoint, this budget includes funding for additional protected beaches at the north end of the island. We’re doing this in response to requests from the public, and the apparent increase in the use of these beaches since the new parking lots were built at the north end between 4th and Eighth street.
“We also have included funding in this budget for the implementation of duty crews for our fire department, in order to provide overnight staffing during the summer and other selected times. The ordinance to implement this duty crew program is on today’s agenda for adoption, and I want to thank the fire department for their work with the administration to develop the details of this program. The volunteer fire service requires a considerable commitment of training and continuing education to achieve the required certifications, and I’m proud of all of our members for their efforts to maintain the viability of the Sea Isle Volunteer Fire Department.
“Turning back to finances, the budget I’m presenting to Council today includes a slight increase of just under one half of a penny. We’ve been able to go several years without any increase in the tax rate; and the fact is that this year, with all of the obligations we have, a slight increase is appropriate. The budget we are presenting starts with a surplus position that is the strongest it’s ever been – nearly $7 million.
“The strength of our surplus and the soundness of our overall budget is what will enable us to advance the new community center I spoke about a few moments ago without a significant effect on our taxpayers. There are a lot of factors that go into the budget, and we look forward to going over these with Council this Thursday, Feb. 11, at a special budget workshop.
“In closing, I will, once again, ask everyone to remain optimistic and remember that we are all one Sea Isle City and together we’ll be stronger than ever, and I leave you with these words from Lyndon Johnson:
“’The American city should be a collection of communities where every member has a right to belong. It should be a place where every man feels safe on his streets and in the house of his friends. It should be a place where each individual’s dignity and self-respect is strengthened by the respect and affection of his neighbors. It should be a place where each of us can find the satisfaction and warmth which comes from being a member of the community of man. This is what man sought at the dawn of civilization. It is what we seek today.’
“Thank you, and may God continue to bless Sea Isle City.”
