CAPE MAY – The biggest thing to happen at the Cape May City Council meeting April 19 was what didn’t happen. At its earlier work session, council heard from Solicitor Anthony Monzo on two ordinances that he had been asked to draft. Both impact outside dining environments and roused the concern of the business community and the Greater Cape May Chamber of Commerce.
The first ordinance would alter the present mercantile fee structure for outdoor seating at restaurants, bars and cafes on Washington Street Mall. The fee structure has not been changed since 2008 when the city invested $2.5 million in renovation of the mall.
Fees are part of the way the city pays for public area improvements. Under the proposed change, the annual permit fee would move from its three-tier structure to a flat $5 per square foot. That is double the highest tier currently in place.
The second ordinance under consideration would establish a new fee for outside seating arrangements not covered by zoning regulations. It would impact those establishments that may provide temporary, seasonal outdoor seating where patrons might enjoy food or drink in a more informal way. The city does not regulate this more informal use of outdoor seating.
At its work session, council heard from Monzo and Mayor Edward Mahaney about the growing popularity of outdoor seating. Mahaney said that concerns of health and safety, as well as the fact that such seating arrangements imposes new costs on city services, made it necessary for the city to look at the issues involved. Neither ordinance had been drafted with the input of business owners, so when they appeared on the agenda for a regular meeting of council on April 19, figurative alarm bells rang.
The chamber made it clear that it did not know if members opposed the ordinances or not. What chamber officials argued was that more involvement of the business community was needed before council introduced the ordinances.
Correspondence from the chamber proposed a committee of hotel, restaurant and other food service business owners to provide input to the city on the proposed ordinances.
A group of business owners turned out for the council meeting, but Mahaney acted quickly to remove the introduction of the ordinances from the agenda.
Judging from the reaction of some other council members, he had not shared his intention to do so prior to the meeting. Citing a need for greater public comment, Mahaney proposed that the ordinances, drafts of which had only recently become public, be addressed in a public discussion May 3.
Mahaney did not directly respond to the call for a committee. He deflected concerns for public input to the May 3 discussion.
Beach Safety
As the city prepares for the opening of summer, beach safety has been a recurrent theme at council meetings. The city engaged its engineering firm in a feasibility study to see if there were actions the city could reasonably take to alter the beach slope.
Confronted with high-cost options that promised limited relief over a short time, the city turned to an approach that emphasizes more intensive safety education efforts while pursuing a partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers on future beach engineering options.
City Manager Bruce Macleod publicly unveiled new signage for the beaches. The larger signs would continue to present information currently displayed on rip currents and the beach flag system, but it would also add safety tips for reducing the likelihood of beach accidents.
The signs, a set of minor changes to the existing safety brochure, and continued planning for an “infomercial” on the local cable channel are all part of the education effort.
Dennis and Anita DeSatnick, who have long advocated greater efforts at beach safety, saw the efforts as laudable and too little. They both continue to push council to get greater public involvement in discussions of options.
Dennis DeSatnick has repeatedly called for a meeting of a committee council supposedly formed months ago. This was the second time in the meeting when calls for a committee with public representation were not directly responded to by council members.
DeSatnick also feels that the city needs the advice of professionals whose expertise extends beyond that of Hatch Mott MacDonald, the city’s engineering firm.
Testy exchanges with Mahaney have been a regular aspect of Dennis DeSatnick’s public comment periods. Both DeSatnicks have pushed for greater sharing of information about city deliberations with the Army Corps of Engineers.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
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