STONE HARBOR – The Borough Council will vote on new fees for rental licenses and fire inspections at its next meeting, April 2, Jennifer Gensemer, chair of the Administration and Finance Committee, said during a council work session March 19.
The new fee structure will raise rental license costs from $125 to $300 and inspection costs from $75 to $100, representing a rise of $200 in total for individuals who wish to rent out residential space. The hike would double the cost of a rental license and an inspection, moving from a combined $200 to $400.
Gensemer said it was time for the borough to be run “like a business.” She added that the recommendation for the hike came from a newly created “revenue think tank,” but she did not describe it or list its members other than to say it was composed of financial professionals.
Roger Stanford, fire chief and head of the borough’s Fire Prevention Bureau, argued against making so significant an increase in one move, favoring a more gradual rise in the fees. He also objected to raising the inspection fee from $75 to $100 on the grounds that the borough should seek to keep that fee in tandem with neighboring Avalon, where it is $75.
Avalon charges $300 for a license fee but arrived at that level in steps rather than in one large increase.
Gensemer said that the Fire Department is running a $100,000 deficit and that the borough is “struggling” to afford the career Fire Department. In 2021 Stone Harbor moved away from an all-volunteer department to one with both volunteers and career firefighters.
Stanford countered that the Fire Bureau is separate from the Fire Department and that any department deficit should not be seen as a reason for raising Fire Bureau fees.
