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Jan. 31-Feb. 6:
Record Property Transfers
The County Clerk’s Office reported a record year in 2021 in terms of number of deeds, property transfers and total revenue collected in recording and realty transfer fees. There were over 15,000 new mortgages reported in the county in 2021.
Those eager home buyers were putting up serious dollars for their new properties. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released its home price changes report for November 2021. The year-to-year change in home prices in Cape May County was 25%, the highest of any county in the state.
In Stone Harbor, Tax Assessor Margaret Slavin confirmed the frenzy in the market when she reported that the properties in the borough were, on average, 19% underassessed despite the completion of a borough-wide revaluation in January 2018. It is looking like another one may be on the horizon in the next couple of years.
The county clerk has picked a fortuitous time to announce a new title fraud protection service for county property owners. The free service will alert subscribers when a document is recorded in a specific name.
Misconduct Allegations
The instances of county police officers facing criminal charges continued this week, with the announcement that a state grand jury has indicted a Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office detective sergeant. The now suspended officer faces an indictment for official misconduct and tampering with public records related to a motor vehicle crash involving a relative.
This week also saw an announcement from the Diocese of Camden of a settlement of 300 clergy sex abuse cases for a total of $90 million. The press release stated that while the Diocese and its insurers will pay the bulk of the settlement, the parishes within the Diocese will also be expected to contribute.
In Cape May, the governing body approved the hiring of a special counsel to resolve the year-long controversy over bonus payments to certain city employees by a previous city manager. The funds for the over $100,000 in cumulative bonus payments came from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
There is delay yet again in the administrative ruling regarding fines imposed by the state on former West Wildwood Mayor Christopher Fox for seven ethics violations while Fox was in office. The judge who had been deciding the case was appointed to the Superior Court. A new judge means a new delay in the decision.
Covid
Covid numbers continue their rapid improvement, as the winter omicron-driven surge in cases ebbs. Like a wave washing back out to sea, the Covid case statistics are retreating almost as quickly as they soared.
In a Feb. 4 release, Cape May County reported 303 new cases this week. That number is down from 1,489 new weekly cases as recently as the week ending Jan. 14. The active community cases stand at 594, a drop of 44% from last week and 75% from Jan. 14. Hospitalizations are also declining, with the state dashboard showing a 57% monthly decrease in Covid positive patients across seven southern counties, with Cape May County experiencing a 54% drop.
The one area where improvement lags the decline in new cases is Covid fatalities in the county. The week ending Feb. 4 saw an additional eight county residents succumb to the disease, all senior citizens, which brings the Covid fatalities for just 2022 to 38 or 13% of all deaths from the virus since the start of the pandemic. Nationally, 100,000 Covid-related deaths have been reported since mid-November 2021.
Opioid Overdose Deaths
Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland issued a warning on an alarming rise in fatal drug overdose deaths. Sutherland said the county experienced 10 such fatalities since mid-December 2021. Sutherland singled out heroin and fentanyl, both opioids, for their role in the recent uptick in drug-related fatalities.
This comes as the state announced that 100% of New Jersey’s counties and municipalities formally joined the $26 billion opioid settlement with Johnson &Johnson and three of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributors. The maximum amount for the state is estimated at $641 million.
Meanwhile, the battle to control the distribution of illegal drugs continues with a Rio Grande motel bust turning up 6,000 bags of heroin.
Happenings
Cape May City Council discussed outdoor dining regulations for 2022. With special Covid-related permissions expired, restaurants were advised to follow the existing city ordinance.
Stone Harbor Borough Council members used a recent meeting to inform the public of their priorities for the coming year. As they did so, the chief financial officer (CFO) presented a 2022 budget that, if adopted, would contain no local tax increase.
Ocean City Council is resisting the request from neighboring Sea Isle City to temporarily share a CFO while Sea Isle recruits a new individual for the position.
Sheriff Robert Nolan lost an appeal that would have overturned the state’s Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits the aid state law enforcement can provide to federal immigration officers.
Avalon had already planned on a back passing effort to aid its north-end eroded beaches before Winter Storm Kenan added to the problem.
A Lower Township World War II serviceman has been honored for his participation in the liberation of France with a commemorative plaque in the French agricultural city of Pontivy.
Cape May adopted a new ordinance setting a fee schedule and inspection requirements for short-term rentals that have become a popular use of residential properties in the resort.
Stone Harbor hopes to begin construction of its new 93rd Street wastewater pumping station in 2022. The project is an essential element of the borough’s flood mitigation strategy.
A Cape May County Technical School teacher impressed with his trivia knowledge on the popular gameshow “Jeopardy,” which aired Jan. 31.
Spout Off of the Week
Court House – FYI for anyone buying a new vehicle. Someone took a picture of our temporary tags and made a fake temp plate and went through the EZ pass lane of tolls around NYC. A temp plate only lasts for a short time, but during that time,the person went through 20 tolls and we got the bill in the mail. We only had to wait a week for our permanent plates but during that time they got us. The police told us it is a scam that has been going on. I really wish the person would have got into an accident that involved the police.
Read more spouts at spoutoff.capemaycountyherald.com.
