VENTNOR The Board of Commissioners Thursday, March 28 approved an ordinance raising the fee for vending ice cream on the beach to $500 for the season. It also introduced another ordinance setting parameters for residents putting trash and recycling curbside on collection days.
Ordinance 2019-004 was adopted unanimously following a public hearing in which no members of the public spoke for or against raising the fee for peddling ice cream and ices on the beach from $50 to $500 for the summer season. Veterans vending on the beach will still be required to abide by the requirements of the ordinance, it's just going to cost them more. The new fee was viewed as a compromise after the board's ad hoc Advisory Committee recommended raising the fee to $5,000.
The city also plans to limit the number of licenses it issues in the future. However, any of the 16 veterans who were issued licenses last year will be granted new licenses provided they meet all the requirements of the ordinance. The city plans to reduce the number of vendors to a total of 10 through attrition.
If adopted after a public hearing to be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, Ordinance 2019-006 will require property owners or occupants to first use containers provided by the city when putting out trash and recycling on collection days. The ordinance states that containers other than what the city provides can only be used if the city's containers are full, and they must have attached or secured lids to prevent trash and recycling from blowing away on windy days.
The city is purchasing 95-gallon recycling and trash carts for every household in the city. The cost is partially funded by a $53,460 grant secured by the Atlantic County Utilities Authority. The remaining cost, which amounts to $38.76 for each cart, will be funded through a new multi-year trash and recycling collection contract with the ACUA. The annual payback for the carts is about $67,600 per year for six years, officials said previously.
According to Administrator Maria Mento, the ACUA will deliver the carts in May and remove old containers if requested. The trash carts will be a burgundy color and the recycling carts will be blue with burgundy lids. The cans come with a microchip that identifies the cart as property of the city.
In other business, the board approved a change order for contractor Arthur Henry to install an insertion valve in a pipe near the 5000 Boardwalk condominium complex. It was on Feb. 8 that city workers attempting to install a new fire hydrant in front of the high-rise rushed to repair a broken pipe, which flooded the street and garage causing property damage.
It was a Hurculean effort to shut the water down, Commissioner Lance Landgraf said.
The change order added $42,349 to the total cost of repairing the leak, which official said would not exceed $150,000. The city will also incur costs for damage to property and equipment at 5000 Boardwalk, Landgraf said.
Chief Financial Officer Albert Stanley reported an influx of $198,200 in revenue representing premiums paid on tax sale certificates. According to Stanley, the city has about $800,000 in premiums in a redemption account that the city can draw down annually. The funds will be considered unanticipated income and placed in reserve to help with future budgets.
The board also awarded a $186,356 contract to Ferriozzi Concrete Company to install handicapped-accessible ramps at various intersections in the Ventnor Heights area. Public Works Supervisor Ed Stinson said Ferriozzi presented the lowest of four bids for the work. The installation will get underway this spring, ahead of repaving certain streets by the South Jersey Gas, which upgraded service lines following Hurricane Sandy.
The city also hired a new police officer through intergovernmental transfer. Michael A. Arena, who has four years of experience working for Stockton Police, will earn $55,000 as a police officer, starting April 1.
