Good Morning.  

With daylight savings time upon us, we’re on the cusp of spring; and I’m sure everyone is looking forward to warmer weather and the time of year we all refer to as “the season.” 

While we traditionally consider “the season” as the time from Memorial Day to Labor Day, we all know that Sea Isle is truly a place to be enjoyed year-round.  There’s no doubt we get much more crowded in the summer, which raises the energy level in town and is so vital to our economy; but above all, we hold a special place in our heart for this island we call home.  

Sea Isle is a special place, and we all should be proud of that.  As a community, we’ve worked together to establish our identity.  We’ve worked together to make Sea Isle the place where everybody wants to be.  We’ve worked together to make Sea Isle a premier destination resort, while maintaining a small town, community atmosphere.  

We’ve established strong relationships between the public and private sectors; and we’ve forged strong relationships with all of our citizens – residents and visitors alike; remembering always that the role of government is to serve the people.  And we’ve been true to the core values of respect, integrity, tolerance, and commitment to excellence. 

Much was accomplished in the past year, and we have much to look forward to.  A year ago, I signed the contract for construction of our new Community Center on the site of our former public school in the 4500 block of Park Road; and last May we held the groundbreaking ceremony for the facility.  As most everyone knows, the project has moved forward swiftly, and within the next month we’re expecting the building to be closed-in with the exterior walls and roofing.  We remain on schedule and within budget; and look forward to opening the Community Center to the public this coming fall.

Last year, prior to the summer season, we completed the third cycle of beach replenishment since we became part of the Army Corps of Engineers’ 50-year program.  In no small part, our partnership with the state and federal government on this beach nourishment program has helped to assure our beaches remain in outstanding shape – not only to provide a great place for everyone to enjoy, but to protect our homes and all property on the island from the power of the ocean and the storms that we must endure from time to time.

Last year we also completed the construction of a beautiful new dog park, funded with county open space grants.  The dog park has been a popular destination for folks throughout the city; and later this year, we expect to add a new handicapped accessible beach entrance across the street from the park at 5^th Street, which will also include an observation platform on the north-end beach at that location.  

This is all part of Sea Isle’s commitment to serve all segments of our population, so that everyone can enjoy the beauty that our island has to offer. 

In regard to accessibility, we also built new handicapped accessible ramps at 51^st and 53^rd streets on the promenade.  Also, for the promenade, we’re in the process of completing design work for structural and additional accessibility improvements, with work to start in the fall of this year.  These projects are being done with funding from the state’s Boardwalk Preservation Fund program, from which we received a $2 million grant.  

Also, in the realm of capital projects, City Council recently adopted a funding ordinance for the projects and acquisitions identified in the 2025 Capital Plan, and on today’s council agenda are two of the items which are vital to our operations.  One is a tactical pumper for our fire department and the other is a surf rake for the public works department.

I’ve said before that maintenance of our public assets and infrastructure is one of the main pillars of good government.  I commend City Council for working with the administration to advance our capital plan initiatives and ensuring that we take the necessary actions to provide city staff with the needed resources to keep the city clean and safe.  I’ve also said before – and I’ll repeat it here – our public works and public safety services are second to none. 

Turning to budgetary matters, the budget I will be proposing to City Council includes an increase in the tax rate of 1.8 cents.  Last year, our budget had to be increased to a larger degree due to inflationary pressures, along with more funding that was needed to cover the costs for our first responders.  

As some may recall, last year we started budgeting at a level that would allow for the provision of fire department duty crews around the clock, year-round; as well as for additional EMS employees. In addition, we increased funding for seasonal employees in the police department, beach patrol, and public works department.

I’m pleased to say that the adjustments we made last year have served us well, and while we must increase the 2025 budget to ensure we maintain the same level of services, we are well positioned for the future.  Our surplus position to start the year grew to over $8 million, which is an appropriate amount for a budget the size of ours.  In addition, we continue to maintain our outstanding AA Bond Rating from the major credit rating agencies.  

We also continue to maintain our outstanding rating with the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System, which ensures that the flood insurance premiums charged to our property owners provide the highest discounts available on the eastern seaboard – 35%. 

From a city operational standpoint, we continue to be a leader in shared services, as we have established agreements with several municipalities and the county for various services.  We’ve continued to show the economy and efficiencies that can be achieved by working together with other communities in a common sense, practical manner.  The most recent examples of this are the agreements we’ve structured with Cape May County for dispatch services and with Dennis Township for municipal court services.  Our goal will always be to provide the most effective services at the best cost.

One of our major priorities over many years has been to address road and drainage infrastructure.  As everyone knows from driving around the past few off-seasons, we’ve done a lot of utility work followed by road paving.  We are also in the design phase for a pump station project that will serve the city in the area of the new Community Center, between 42^nd and 48^th Streets, Park Road, and Landis Avenue.  In addition, we are pursuing grant funding for a number of other pump station projects throughout the city, in conjunction with the county. 

For our water and sewer utility, we will not have any increase to our water and sewer rates – for the 12th consecutive year.  Our water and sewer system has been a great success story for the city, as we’ve systematically worked for many years to maintain and improve our infrastructure in order to ensure the long-term viability of one of the most critical services we provide.  This is another example of good planning for the future.

As for planning for the future, I believe later this year we should start the city’s Master Plan Re-Examination process.  Municipal land use law mandates a periodic re-examination of the Master Plan every 10 years.  Our last re-exam was adopted by the Planning Board in August of 2017; and a thorough and proper Master Plan Re-Examination rightfully takes a considerable amount of time, so it makes sense to get started this year. This will provide a good opportunity for us to engage with the public, various stakeholders, and community organizations as we plan for the future of Sea Isle City.  I’ve said in the past that Sea Isle has a great story to tell, and the Master Plan Re-Examination process will be part of the writing of the next chapter. 

It's very clear that the state of Sea Isle City is as strong as ever. The administration looks forward to reviewing the budget in detail at the Public Workshop scheduled for March 13 at 9:00 AM.  

Before I close, I want to leave everyone with a couple of quotes from Teddy Roosevelt. As everyone knows, I speak often of the importance of working together and I felt President Roosevelt’s comments were very relevant, when he said these two things: “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people” and “Courtesy is as much a mark of a gentleman as courage.”

As always, please remember, we are one Sea Isle City and together we’ll be stronger than ever.