Lear Gives State of City Address

CAPE MAY – Cape May’s annual reorganization meeting is used as a forum for the sitting mayor to deliver an assessment on the state of the city. 
Clarence “Chuck” Lear, completing his first year as mayor, said the city is “sound, stable and our prospects are strong.”
At the same time, Lear used the address to signal a likely rise in the property tax rate and the water and sewer rates for 2018.
A Look Back at 2017
Lear began his retrospective on 2017 by praising the increase in community involvement in city governance.
He cited nine advisory committees City Council formed in 2017 to study and offer perspectives on issues as varied as beach safety, the future needs of the Promenade and seawall, the need for and location of a new public safety building and an assessment of need and prospects for a variety of city-owned properties.
Lear then reminded his audience of the seven other boards and commissions that perform roles in the running of the city. Referencing the Planning and Zoning boards, the Historic Preservation Commission, the city’s Green Team and others, Lear added these citizen volunteers to his broad picture of civic involvement.
The result, Lear said, is 120 to 130 citizens laboring on various bodies to help improve Cape May.
Lear then turned his attention to “selective initiatives” that together produced a successful 2017.
Speaking of legislative actions, Lear cited the adoption of the outdoor seating ordinance, the updating of the construction codes including the adoption of the new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps, and the city’s involvement in fire inspections through its newly created Fire Prevention Bureau.
Looking to further accomplishments, the mayor mentioned the completion of the elementary school swimming pool project, the next phase of the Lafayette Street Park effort and the establishment of regular town hall meetings.
Lear spoke of financial stability by pointing to the over $30 million in assessment growth in the last year, $1.4 million in grant funds received and the continued ability of the city’s utilities to remain self-liquidating.
A Look to 2018
Turning his attention to the new year, Lear’s first focus was on the ongoing effort to study the potential use of a redevelopment zone for the city block half filled by the Washington Commons Shopping Center and a third filled by municipal buildings.
The effort has been controversial, and here Lear said the city “needed builders of arks far more than predictors of rain.” While Lear spoke of the process for consideration of the redevelopment authority, he focused on the opportunities for citizen comment.
He urged residents to attend the Planning Board meeting and public hearing scheduled for Jan. 9.
Lear mentioned the completed Determination of Need Report regarding the redevelopment study and said it is available on the city’s website.
Lear and the council have remained silent on their vision for the potential redevelopment of the block. The available report speaks more to whether or not the proposed area meets the state statute requirement for a redevelopment zone than it does any concrete plans for how redevelopment authority would be specifically used in this instance.
Lear also mentioned the feasibility study underway to determine if the historic Franklin Street School might be a suitable home for the city’s branch of the county library system.
It was in this look at the coming year that Lear suggested that a property tax increase and a rise in the water-sewer rates might both be likely in 2018.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.