By MELISSA BEVERIDGE
The Bradley Beach Borough Council could not get the votes to authorize spending up to $500,000 for the replacement of beach railings. Mayor Gary Engelstad said the project was recommended by FEMA.
Police Chief Leonard Guida said 90 percent of the $500,000 “looks pretty good for reimbursement.”
“We wouldn’t be doing this unless we had a strong response from FEMA,” Engelstad said.
Guida said the rail system couldn’t be done piecemeal by the borough’s public works department.
But the ordinance was tabled after it didn’t receive the four yes votes needed to pass. Councilman Sal Galassetti voted against the ordinance. He said that if FEMA wants to give the town half of a million dollars “than it should go into our lakes.”
Councilman Harold Cotler was absent from the meeting.
In other business the council tabled an ordinance dealing with changes to café permits in the borough after concerns were heard from residents. Councilman Thomas Volante said he had was concerned about bathroom access and the number of seats. Volante said it was a “quality of life issue.”
Engelstad said the council would be introducing an ordinance regarding group rentals, and the definition of a family at the next council meeting.
“The new legislation will address and prevent bad action going forward,” Englestad said “We have to get creative to prevent something that’s not appropriate for our community.”
The council approved an ordinance to supplement the 2016 Municipal Budget, which includes a zero percent tax increase due to the borough’s healthy surplus. Council members praised the work of the department heads who cut their budgets to keep the tax rate down.
Engelstad said the municipal budget also includes a $50,000 placeholder for the sinkhole that formed by the train tracks on the Bradley Beach/Avon border.
During council reports, Englestad said the council would be withdrawing from the Monmouth County assessment project.
