Mayor: State of City Favorable, Poised for Great Future

SEA ISLE CITY – At the regular meeting of Sea Isle City’s Council Feb. 24, Mayor Leonard Desiderio presented his annual budget and “State of the City.”
Desiderio opened with an upbeat assessment of the financial status of the city and the stewardship his administration has provided to maintain fiscal prudence.
“We have exercised prudent financial management which has led to a very favorable future for Sea Isle,” stated Desiderio. He cited a number of measures he had taken that have led to a fiscal surplus, such as holding the line on workers’ health benefits, an ongoing freeze for new city positions, and a tax collection rate that stands at 98.5 percent.
“Our city is managed on the principles of respect, integrity, tolerance and excellence,” said Desiderio, “and that has led to our success, which is linked to the best of forward thinking.”
Desiderio highlighted several upcoming changes for 2015 that will be “making Sea Isle a better place to live and visit.” In June, he is hoping to cut the ceremonial ribbon that will open the city’s new municipal building.
This new construction on JFK Boulevard will replace the current municipal building that, according to Desiderio, “has served our community so well for over 100 years but which could not be rehabbed for any practical purpose or price after damage from Superstorm Sandy.”
Another milestone for 2015 will be beach replenishment that has been “a number one priority since the day I took office seven years ago. We established a close partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers and this program will be on-going for 50 years to ensure long-term viability of the city’s beaches.” Per the mayor, the city will be apprising the public with periodic and timely info via social media and “old-fashioned” paper reporting.
To maintain and even go beyond just maintenance and move to improvements, Desiderio talked about the city’s water and sewage upgrades that are now going on throughout certain sections of city streets. “We can’t take our water for granted, we want the water to flow from our faucet and the water to go from our toilet,” quipped the mayor.
Referencing the city’s long-standing hiring freeze, Desiderio said that this year he will be recommending a couple of additional positions as exceptions specifically for Public Works and for the Water and Sewage Department.
“We are down by about one-third in overall positions but these positions I will be requesting are critical to city operations that can’t be done by part-time, seasonal, intermittent or contract worker.”
A budget workshop will be held March 2, at which time Desiderio will present specific requests and related figures.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.