1 Feb
2022
1 Feb
'22
12:35 p.m.
Borough of Harvey Cedars, Ocean County, NJ
February 2022 Hometown News
*Department of Public Works & Public Property - Commissioner/Mayor Jonathan
Oldham*
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Wow, what a storm! We are still
cleaning out: plowing street ends, clearing around fire hydrants, and
opening easements. There was a lot of snow.
Our team started at 4:00 am on Saturday and are still at it. The wind kept
the snow drifting and filling-in opened areas as soon as they made a pass
with the plow. We were fortunate that the dunes remained intact despite the
strong northeasterly winds.
We will begin to hook up the directional drill on Bay Terrace shortly. We
have ordered the parts and, as soon as they arrive, we will complete the
water loop on Bay Terrace. This will greatly improve the water pressure and
help circulation. The drainage project on Essex Avenue will begin next
month and we are planning to have a portion of Essex Avenue and North Holly
paved as soon as the asphalt plants reopen.
As you may know, the windmill farm off our shores is moving along. Green
energy is the passion of our leaders, but we are concerned for how the
windmills may affect our island, and are working to try to have them moved
further offshore. They will be over 800 feet tall, and we will see them on
the horizon. If you would like more information, click on this link
https://www.savelbi.org/. People are not talking about this, but it will
increase our electric bills significantly. Our efforts are not to stop the
project, but to move the windmills further offshore.
Please stay safe and warm.
*Department of Revenue & Finance – Commissioner Paul Rice*
The Commissioners and Department Heads are wrapping up work on the 2022
municipal budget. We don't expect a significant increase in the local tax
rate. We hope to have the budget finalized in the next few weeks.
The finance department also filed our Annual Debt Statement at the end of
January. Our net debt to valuation percentage is 0.344% where the state
allows for 3.5%.
Please remember to get your dog licensed. Getting your dog licensed is the
law, but there are also many benefits for the dog owner. A licensed dog can
easily be returned to their owners! The process also reminds you to keep
your dog up to date on their rabies vaccination.
The Harvey Cedars Activity Committee is working on finalizing details for
an online store. The online store will allow you to purchase Harvey Cedars
merchandise and have it shipped directly to your home. All proceeds of
merchandise sales go towards the events hosted by the HCAC. If you are
interested in joining the Harvey Cedars Activity Committee, please reach
out to Christine at events(a)harveycedars.org.
As a reminder the 1st quarter property taxes are due today, February 1st.
If you would like to sign up for the direct debit program, the forms can be
found by clicking here
<http://www.harveycedars.org/Cit-e-Access/webpage.cfm?TID=150&TPID=14906>.
*Department of Public Safety & Public Affairs – Commissioner/Deputy Mayor
John M. Imperiale*
I hope everyone stayed safe, healthy, and warm through this past weekend’s
blizzard! I want to thank the Chief, all of the Officers of the HCPD, and
all of our Borough workers for their excellent work before, during, and
after the storm.
Speaking of healthy, I want to thank the LBI Health Department for
conducting a Covid Vaccine Clinic at Harvey Cedars Borough Hall on January
25th. It was terrific outreach on their part and a good demonstration of
the benefits of relationship building with other agencies and officials in
the County and State.
Chief Burnaford and I took advantage of the good relationship we have with
our State Legislators to meet with them in January to discuss State funding
for the Body Worn camera mandate. We met with Senator Chris Connors,
Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove, and Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and laid out for
them the significant shortfall between the costs to the HCPD of the cameras
themselves and ancillary costs, such as hiring additional personnel,
upgrading computer systems and the funding provided by the State. All three
local legislators expressed their support for seeking more funding for the
program.
The HCPD has signed a Shared Service Agreement with the County for the Move
Over Law Enforcement Program (MOLEP) - specifically to address reckless
driving. We successfully participated in this program last year. MOLEP is
a traffic safety program for the purpose of identifying, educating, and
removing reckless drivers from the roadways. The County covers the cost of
the program and the HCPD provides in-service training to those officers
assigned to MOLEP.
This year, beginning in April, we plan on holding the *HCPD Community
Forums*, which were planned for 2020 and again for 2021 but postponed due
to Covid. At these HCPD Community Forums, you will have the opportunity to
meet and learn everything about the HCPD and its Officers through a series
of six meetings. Once a month, in April, May, June, Sept, October, and
November, members of the HCPD will present their backgrounds and their
specific responsibilities within the HCPD. The series will start off in
April with Chief Burnaford presenting the HCPD Organization Chart and the
day to day operation of the department. All sessions will include a
question and answer period. Exact dates and times, and the full details of
each session will be announced soon; look for them and come to Borough Hall
for these informative sessions.
A couple of quick reminders:
In case you are just now getting away for the winter, you can still
register for the Winter House Checks Program, a service that has our
officers periodically checking in on properties when they are unoccupied
for any period of time, and notifying the owners of any issues. We
encourage everyone to take advantage of this free and invaluable service!
Visit www.hcpolice.org and click on “Winter House Check” to sign up today.
We do ask that everyone signs up every year to ensure that the department
has the most current contact information.
If you're one of the hearty individuals out walking, running, or
biking when it is dark out, stop by Borough Hall and pick-up a free “High
Reflective Visibility Reflector Bands for Wrist, Arm, or Leg.” These bands
are worn to enhance your visibility and safety.
*DID YOU KNOW?* Continuing the “Did You Know?” section, Did You Know that
the HCPD utilizes the off-season to concentrate on the bulk of their
training? Some of their training includes, but is not limited to, crime
scene investigation, ethics, leadership, deescalating techniques, use of
force and more.
*Other Town News *
COVID-19 RATEPAYER RELIEF MEASURES
<http://www.harveycedars.org/Cit-e-Access/news/index.cfm?NID=53970&TID=150&jump2=0>