Wildwood Eyes New Form of Government This Fall

WILDWOOD — At its Wed., July 14 meeting, this city’s governing body gave citizens a sneak peek at some initiatives they would be working on this fall.
Mayor Gary DeMarzo said the city would move forward on charter study to change form of government from three-member commission to five-member council with city manager. He said he ran on that platform and knew commissioners Al Brannen and Ed Harshaw were also in favor of the change.
“Related to the change of government, we’re also working on moving the election date from May 2011 to November 2011 as part of the general election,” DeMarzo said, noting it would save the city between $15,000 and $20,000.
DeMarzo said commissioners would move toward allowing liquor licenses within 100 feet of the Wildwoods Boardwalk, where they are now prohibited.
“It doesn’t make sense, now that they’re allowed on the Boardwalk, not to let them at the foot of the Boardwalk,” DeMarzo said.
The governing body has also scheduled discussions regarding the creation of a city parking utility, creation of a Community Activities Board and the dissolution of the Recreation Commission. These and other things are coming this fall, DeMarzo said.
What are the commissioners up to now?
At the July 14 meeting, they discussed changing the time residents are allowed to leave their trash cans out for pickup the next day. The time is currently 11 p.m., and DeMarzo and Harshaw said the have received numerous requests to make the time earlier, particularly from elderly residents who aren’t generally up that late.
A few seniors spoke during the public portion of the meeting asking for hours between 7 and 9 p.m.
Brannen said the earliest he would suggest would be 9 p.m.
“Some people only have one can but some businesses have 20 cans,” he said. “When it’s hot like it’s been, you can smell it before you see it.”
“I don’t think it’s fair in a tourist town for visitors to be walking by trash in the afternoon,” he added.
Commissioners added the trash ordinance to that evening’s agenda and introduced it by title only. A public hearing on the measure will be held on July 28.
The governing body also introduced a change in the city’s ordinance regulating animals in Wildwood parks. The regulation currently forbids animals of any kind on the Boardwalk at any time and on the beach from May 15 to Oct. 2.
The updated ordinance would include the new Vietnam Veterans Remembrance Wall and Park at Burk and Ocean avenues.
DeMarzo said a local veterans group complained that dogs had been using the area as a bathroom.