On City Council’s agenda today is the second reading and public hearing for the 2026 budget. The budget was initially presented to council on February 10, then reviewed in detail with the Council at a public workshop on February 12. The budget was introduced by Council at the March 10 City Council meeting, and following today’s public hearing will be ready for a vote by council. The budget includes a tax rate increase of three quarters of a cent; and the water and sewer utility has no proposed rate increase. As we’ve previously discussed, both budgets have an outstanding surplus position and will fund all the services our citizens have come to expect. The budget represents sound financial planning, and the administration recommends its adoption.
A little over two weeks ago, on Saturday, March 28th, we celebrated what I truly believe is a historic moment for Sea Isle City: the grand opening of our new Community Center. I want to thank the hundreds of residents and visitors who joined us for the ribbon cutting. Seeing the excitement as people toured the 44,000 square feet of this facility - what I’ve been calling "44,000 square feet of fun" - was incredibly rewarding. The Community Center is designed to serve every generation and is already becoming a hub of activity.
I want to thank our Community Services Department for hitting the ground running with a full slate of programming. I also want to mention that I’ve already held two “Chat with Mayor Desiderio” events at the Community Center the past two Saturdays. I will continue to host these “chats” periodically through the coming year and hope to hear from our residents about any concerns or suggestions they’d like to discuss with me one-on-one.
I’m also very pleased to announce that Sea Isle City is slated for a beach replenishment project, thanks to a recent $99 million federal funding allocation from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - announced by Congressman Jeff Van Drew just last week. Following that announcement, we had a meeting with our state partners from the DEP’s Office of Coastal Engineering, and they provided some details of this project that is being fast tracked. Based on the schedule provided from the Army Corps of Engineers to the DEP, the project was advertised for bids this past Friday, and dependent on the results of the bidding, we could see this project start as soon as this June. The beach-fill is planned to be placed between 29th and 53rd Streets. Until the Army Corps receives bids and awards a construction contract, we won’t be able to provide more specific details. I know there will be concerns about the timing of the work, but this project is vital.
Our beaches are not just our primary tourist attraction; they are our first line of defense against coastal storms. While we know that construction on the beach during the start of the season can be a minor inconvenience, the long-term protection of our homes, businesses, and infrastructure is our top priority. We will work closely with the Army Corps and the DEP to ensure the work is done efficiently and with as much respect to our visitors' schedules as possible. As soon as we have more details on the project following receipt of bids, we’ll let everyone know.
As always, please remember - we are one Sea Isle City and together we’ll be stronger than ever.
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
During the March 24 City Council meeting, two ordinances were introduced with First reading…
• Ordinance 1735, which was written to amend the existing ordinance related to Planning and Zoning Fees, thus increasing the fees by developers to ensure that escrow accounts have sufficient funds.
• Ordinance 1736, which was written to amend the existing Zoning Maps, so they are consistent with Sea Isle City’s Master Plan.
Ordinances 1735 and 1736 will each have Second Reading and Public Hearing (and possible adoption) during the April 28 City Council meeting.
Each of the resolutions on the March 24 Consent Agenda was approved, including…
• Resolution 032, which approved the Finance Department’s most recent vouchers. Please note: Vouchers are part of the city’s Purchase Order System, which is how our municipality pays for goods and services.
• Resolution 034, which authorized the award of a Public Bid Contract to My Beach Mobile, of Haddonfield, NJ, for a Mobile App used for the sale of Beach Tags.
• Resolution 035, which certified Sea Isle City’s annual Audit. Please note: Once again, our audit resulted in “no findings” and “no comments” – which is a very good indication of our sound financial management.
• Resolution 036, which authorized a Raffle Application for the Women’s Civic Club of Sea Isle City.
• Resolution 038, which authorized Support of Congressman Van Drew’s H.R. 7459 Coastal Trust Fund Act, which was written to help secure federal funding for the implementation of stable beach replenishment projects that will protect and secure our coastline.
• Resolution 039, which supports the NJ State Senate’s Concurrent Resolution No. 106, which would determine that the NJPACT REAL Rules are inconsistent with legislative intent (thus urging the State of New Jersey to take an incremental and targeted approach rather than drastically expanding New Jersey’s “Flood Hazard Area”).
• Resolution 040, which authorized Contracts between Sea Isle City’s Division of Recreation and private vendors for various summer programs.
• Resolution 041, which authorized a local Co-Op Contract in the amount of $34,272, with TGG Floors, of Dayton, NJ, for the installation of tile flooring in the Community Center. The funds used to pay for this contract were previously budgeted as part of the overall Community Center construction project.
During the “Pending Business” portion of the March 24 meeting, Council President Tighe mentioned the presentation that was made by Municipal Engineer Andy Previti during the March 10 City Council meeting regarding possible options to add shade structures at the JFK Boulevard playground. During the discussion that followed, several council members expressed their opinions (which included concerns over the costs).
During the “Citizen Comment” portion of the March 24 meeting, several residents stepped to the microphone to share opinions and ask questions on different topics, including…
• Questioning if the city plans to hold the Community Center’s general contractor to their signed contract, specifically regarding the contractor not meeting the construction completion date, at which time Council President Tighe assured the resident that the city will indeed follow the wording in the construction contract.
• Requesting the city purchase a large parcel of land in downtown Sea Isle City to be used for public parking.
• Requesting a moratorium on the construction of new “side-by-side” homes in Sea Isle City.
• Offering to help water the city’s trees.
• Showing support for the addition of shade structures to Sea Isle City’s playgrounds.
Our next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 14, at 10:00 AM on the third floor of City Hall – and we hope to see you there!
Best regards from the members of City Council,
Council President Mary Tighe
Ian Ciseck
Frank Edwardi
Michael Jargowski
William Kehner
