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May 24-30:
They’re Here
Have Patience, Please
A shortage of employees caused many businesses to request patience from customers.
The unofficial start to summer officially began. Beaches are open, lifeguards are ready, and taggers are checking for the all-important beach badge. Cape May County is expecting a banner tourism year, but where are the workers? A tourism industry that hires thousands of seasonal employees each year is hurting for staff. The county’s staffing problems have even been highlighted in the national press.
Multiple factors coalesced to create a labor market turned upside down. The foreign worker visa program was reauthorized, but too late to deal with the backlog of applicants. A federal booster to unemployment may offer enough incentive for some to just stay home.
Child care opportunities were upended last year and are still not back to normal, leaving many out of the workforce. Fear of the pandemic remains a factor, with some workers not ready to return and risk exposure. If the problem does not get resolved before July, businesses could find themselves unable to benefit from a boom in tourist traffic and an easing of restrictions.
Beaches Ready?
Sand on the beach is perhaps the most important preparation for the start of summer. Some towns benefit from natural sand migration patterns, while others must move sand themselves. Avalon completed a back–passing effort that transported 55,000 cubic yards of sand from a mid-borough borrow zone to its eroded north end. North Wildwood is engaged in a massive back–passing effort, which it suspended for the holiday weekend.
The work was timed for Memorial Day weekend, which began instead with rain, record chills and high winds. What toll the bad weather may take on those meticulously prepared beaches isn’t yet clear.
Sand Mining Litigation Stalls
Beach replenishment requires sand, and lots of it.
County communities have had years of struggle with U.S. Fish and Wildlife over its ban on the use of federal funds for sand recovery from Hereford Inlet.
In 2019, good news came in the form of a letter from then Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, reversing the government’s position and setting the stage for the use of Hereford Inlet sand in the next federal replenishment scheduled for fall 2022.
The National Audubon Society called Bernhardt’s action an “unlawful excavation order,” and sued in federal court. Now, Bernhardt is gone, a new administration is in place in Washington, and the litigation is stalled, while the feds reconsider their position.
Vaccines’ Ally: Warmer Weather
Pandemic’s Not Over, But You Wouldn’t Know it
The active case total is down to 53. The week had no new reported Covid-related fatalities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 54% of the county’s total population is fully vaccinated, with 82% of those 65 and older in that group. The county is in the best place it has been in a long time.
Unfortunately, the state’s dashboard reports the county’s high vaccination rates are not uniformly distributed. Of the mainland municipalities, all except Upper Township are below the 50% vaccination rate for their total population.
The vaccination rate continues to slow. The week ending with May 23 averaged 235 new fully vaccinated individuals per day. The week ending May 30 showed an average increase of 162 per day. The ebbing is not because the county lacks unvaccinated adults. To hit the original goal of fully vaccinating 70% of the county’s 18 and older population requires reaching another 6,000 individuals.
Rescue Plan Relief Funds in Sight
The American Rescue Plan Act provides $350 billion for state and local relief. It was signed into law in mid-March. Budgets across the county were delayed, as officials waited for details on how the relief funds can be used.
The county will get just under $33 million in two distributions, half in 2021 and half in 2022. Of that, $15 million is set to go to the 16 county municipalities in a distribution that sees some receiving more than others.
The federal government issued an “Interim Final Rule.” The New Jersey League of Municipalities published a Q&A piece on the use of the funds. In Ocean City, the OC Daily reports the anticipated funds made the difference between a proposed 2021 budget, with a $0.022 increase in the tax rate, and the reformulated budget set for adoption, with that tax rate increase cut by more than half, now at $0.01.
Cannabis Still Out in the Cold
More county municipalities joined the outright ban on cannabis–related businesses within their borders. This week, North Wildwood said no, as did Avalon and West Wildwood. Dennis Township and the County Commissioners moved to prohibit smoking of cannabis products in public space.
Concern also grows that the public vote to legalize recreational marijuana resulted in statutes that complicate the regulation of underage alcohol consumption. Towns are still sorting out enforcement issues regarding cannabis and alcohol.
And…
In this age of frequent mass shootings, a report of an active shooter in Cape May turned out to be a hoax. Meanwhile, “Operation Yo-Yo” netted nine arrests following a major narcotics investigation.
Former county purchasing agent Kim Allen’s long-standing suit against the county gained new life when the New Jersey Supreme Court sent parts of the litigation back to the trial court for further consideration.
Covid restrictions are easing, but Airbnb is maintaining its ban on parties in its rental spaces.
Spout Off of the Week
Stone Harbor – Although I am not a member of the Stone Harbor ROA I don’t see any issue with members who are residents serving on the council. We really should have second home owners allowed to occupy 1 council seat. They are tax payers and deserve a voice. And just to be clear and transparent I am a resident and home owner.
