By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
STRATHMERE — Beachgoers will be able to spread their blanket on Strathmere sand for free this summer. But this could be the last one.
On Monday, March 8, Township Committee voted unanimously to table an ordinance that would have required beach tags starting Memorial Day 2021, a move aimed both at raising revenue and controlling crowds.
Mayor Rich Palombo said the township would seek more input from residents of Strathmere and throughout Upper Township.
“It should be stressed that there will be no beach tags for this coming season in Strathmere,” Palombo said.
Committeeman Curtis Corson had called for beach tags as part of the recommendations prepared by an advisory committee formed to look at parking issues in Strathmere, a usually quiet beachfront section of the township between Sea Isle City and Ocean City.
The village became far busier than usual in 2020, which some locals attributed to visitors looking for more distance between beach chairs than was available on other beaches. While there may have been more room on the beach compared to downtown Ocean City, for Strathmere the town was packed on summer weekends, with few parking spaces to be found even well back from the beach.
Committeeman Ed Barr was also a member of the advisory group, along with several residents. The township governing body has been discussing the idea since early this year, with disagreements over the proposed cost of tags and questions about how much a beach tag program would cost to launch.
Committeeman John Coggins prepared an estimate in February.
Assuming the township sold about 5,000 tags, which Coggins described as a conservative estimate, the township would bring in close to $113,000. He estimated the township would spend about $32,000 to establish the program, leaving more than $80,000 to be applied to the expenses of running the beach, including lifeguard salaries.
In previous meetings, Barr suggested that by February the township was already running late to have a new program in place by Memorial Day. If the ordinance were introduced Monday, it would still have needed to be published and face a public hearing before a final vote, which Township Clerk Barbara Young said could have taken place March 22.
Instead, Corson moved to pull the plug, at least for now.
“I think maybe we should table this for future discussion and reintroduce it at a later date,” he said.
The township could approve an ordinance over the summer and be ready to start selling beach tags for 2022 by December. Many shore towns report good sales of beach tags as holiday presents.
It will also give the township months of further discussion and the chance for summer residents to participate.
“That will give us the opportunity to work out some of the kinks and some of the ruffles and better sell this ordinance to our constituents,” he said.
More than 70 people attended the meeting, which was held remotely. Members of committee indicated that they have received extensive feedback on the beach tag proposal from residents.
Corson suggested keeping the Strathmere advisory committee meeting. In fact, he suggested expanding it to include more residents of the township’s mainland communities.
Corson originally suggested the tags cost a hefty $45 each, which would have put Strathmere at among the most expensive tags in New Jersey. Palombo said the cost would be $20 for pre-season sales, the same as Sea Isle City and Ocean City, with tags costing $25 in season. He said the township would also look at offering a daily tag, which was left out of the proposed ordinance. Palombo said there was a great deal of interest in that option.
Corson, whose responsibilities on committee include finances, said the township will not need the additional beach tag revenue this year, but he made it sound like a close call. He said the township will be ready to introduce a budget at the meeting March 22.
“We will not have to implement beach fees in the year 2021 in order to make our budget this year,” he said. “We’re going to be able to move some things around. We’re going to be able to make our budget this year.”
But he said without eventually introducing beach tags or finding some other funding source, the township would need to cut services.
“Our ratables are not increasing on pace with our expenses,” he said.
Corson said the township’s ratables have taken a beating, including a drop of more than $7 million with the closing of the B.L. England power plant and other losses in value for a total decline in overall assessed value of $9.3 million.
The township will not fill two positions this year, he said, in order to save money. Coggins said many people in the township use the free beaches but that not every taxpayer goes to the beach, suggesting beach fees would be a better way to cover the $450,000 to $500,000 the township spends on beach staffing and operations each year, not including beach replenishment costs.
“Going into 2022, we will need user fees or to look at layoffs or reduced services,” Coggins said. “I do not believe that we are going to find a way next year to pull a rabbit out of the hat and balance our budget without new revenue.”