Cannabis overlay zone has to be done again
PETERSBURG — Township Committee introduced its $18,409,035 spending plan March 9 calling for a 2.97-cent tax rate increase.
“That’s going to be one of the lowest ones you’re going to hear,” auditor Leon Costello said. “There’s going to be some 7s, some 8s, some 9s, some 10s. It’s bad out there.”
The 9 percent rate increase boosts the municipal tax rate to 35.3 cents per $100 of assessed value, or $353 on each $100,000. The owner of a $300,000 home would see a municipal tax bill of $1,059, an increase of about $106. There also is a fire district tax, school tax and county tax.
The municipal tax levy would increase $613,877 to $6,826,420, which amounts to about 14 percent of the total amount to be raised by taxes. The school district uses about 70 percent.
Costello said health insurance is “a disaster” and other costs are up.
He said Gov. Mikie Sherrill was “pretty much saying gloom and doom on her budget,” noting her address was scheduled for the following day.
The township collects $6 million annually in energy receipts taxes for hosting the former B.L. England Generating Station. Costello said “it would be disastrous” if that were taken away.
“It’s happened in the past, so we’ll keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow,” he said, adding that he has been told that all municipalities would get at least as much as last year.
“Some towns will get more and we know which towns they’ll be — it won’t be you,” Costello said.
The budget is within the caps on tax rate and tax levy increases.
A public hearing on the budget is set for April 13.
Cannabis overlay zone
Due to an administrative error, Township Committee rescinded its ordinance that created a cannabis overlay zone between the Garden State Parkway interchange and the border with Ocean City.
A second reading and public hearing on the ordinance, one of three that enacted regulations for a cannabis store to open, is set for March 23.
Solicitor John Amenhauser said when the township created the overlay zone, it also amended the zoning. The Municipal Land Use Law requires that both regular and certified letters be sent to all property owners within 200 feet.
“We noticed after adoption that the certified mailings had not timely gone out to all those residents within 200 feet. So the action taken on that was void as a matter of law. By not abiding by the public notice requirements, any action that you take cannot stand,” he said.
The other two ordinances regarding the sale of cannabis in the township have not changed.
Yard waste
Committeeman Zach Palombo reported that the Department of Public Works is set to begin picking up yard waste March 16.
“I know that there’s a lot of people who have trees that went down on their property,” he said, noting debris must be piled on the side of the road for pickup.
Palombo said no deadline has been set.
“We understand that there’s a lot of difficulty,” he said, noting landscapers report being swamped with work. “You’re looking at a significant amount of time that’s going to have to go on.”
Mayor Curtis Corson urged residents to be cognizant of where they pile their debris, noting it may be picked up with heavy machinery.
“If you bury your mailbox in the brush and they pick it up with a claw, you’re going to lose your mailbox,” he said, adding the township ordinance states it must be piled 10 feet from any obstruction such as a mailbox, utility pole or street sign.
“Some people may need to move their brush piles or they may not be picked up,” he said.
Bunny’s besties
The Recreation Office is looking for volunteers to help fill eggs for the township’s Easter egg hunt from 3 to 7 p.m. March 25 at the Upper Township Community Center. The hunt is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to noon March 28 at Amanda’s Field. Volunteers also are being sought to place the eggs the morning of the hunt.
“I know that there’s quite a few students who need to get their hours for National Honor Society and Junior Honor Society, so they can definitely get those hours,” Palombo said.
Community Center hours
Township Administrator Jimmy Van Zlike said he has been working with Committeeman Sam Palombo, who oversees recreation, regarding “offering new creative ways to open and expand recreation” at the community center.
“We’ve been discussing the possibility of expanding hours on nights and weekends. Ideas include availability as well as hiring part-time staff to monitor the building while it’s open to the public,” Van Zlike said, noting it is just the first step “in our commitment to the public as far as recreation is concerned.”
He noted township resident Elsie Jamison brought the issue to Township Committee’s attention.
NJPACT-REAL
Van Zlike said he and Amenhauser have been looking into how recently adopted climate change regulations known as NJPACT-REAL would affect the township.
He said the regulations add 2 feet to the base flood elevation and expand floodplains.
“There’s going to be a tangible, immediate impact to us come July, so we’re trying to understand what that is, what does that mean to this community and where it is we want to go forward with adopting those rules and how we are going to navigate that nuance,” Van Zlike said.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff