13 Nov Borough Meeting Highlights 11-6-2019
Dear West Wildwood neighbors,
West Wildwood borough held its 11th meeting of 2019 on Wednesday, November 6th at 3PM and was attended by approximately 35 taxpayers. Mayor Fox, Commissioner Golden, Solicitor Blaney, Municipal Clerk Donna Frederick & Deputy Clerk Carl O’Hala were in attendance.
The Police report was read and is attached to this newsletter.
The Public Works report was unavailable.
Public questions and/or comments included the following:
- In response to last month’s question regarding the vetting process of potential employees, Mayor Fox confirmed potential employees are vetted properly with background checks. Candidates may be given a second chance despite prior criminal activity.
- The BOWW does not notify mortgage holders of delinquent sewer charges and real estate taxes unless specifically requested by the mortgage company.
- Mawhinney lawsuit: Solicitor Blaney reported they are currently in the discovery period which can last up to 450 days. The matter is proceeding. This is the only Borough litigation as of now.
- Conflict counsel, in conjunction with other agencies, continues to work on the employee disciplinary matter and it should be scheduled for a hearing shortly.
- A document (dubbed the Bittner document) is in the hands of Borough officials and the solicitor needs to review the document to determine if it can be released, due to attorney-client privilege issues. After reviewing, the officials will notify the solicitor of their decision on whether to release it or not.
- Solicitor Blaney will provide the NJ statute that allows the “grandfathering in” of health coverage for Commissioner Golden at the next meeting.
- Mayor Fox stated there is “no movement” on his ethics appeal. He is waiting on attorneys to meet and go over some things. The pre-hearing scheduled dates have been cancelled twice.
- The unofficial winner of the vacant commissioner seat is Amy Korobellis with 122 votes. John Banning received 103 votes while Nancy Doherty received 26 votes. The new commissioner will be sworn in after the votes are certified by the county.
- Carl provided an update on the Living Shoreline Project. He said the matter is in the hands of attorneys. The property owner does not want to allow access and has secured an attorney. Carl confirmed bags of shells will be laid along the shoreline and then topped with bio logs. Carl plans to attend a coastal coalition meeting to share ideas and issues related to dealing with storms, financial aid, managing flood plains and community rating system in the hopes of reducing flood insurance rates. An update of all costs so far will be provided next meeting.
- Commissioner Golden stated an OPRA request is required to release the names of the officers who attended the police academy at a cost of $200/officer. Security reasons did not permit him to share the details of the training in advance. Also, the Police Chief will not attend monthly meetings as it could create more litigation.
- Street flooding continues on W. Pine and other streets restricting access to property owners. The streets should be raised, open drainage lines on P & R Avenues and outfall lines need to be managed. Bids should go out in the new year, but funding will be the issue.
- A suggestion was made to modify the parking rules during the off season. An ordinance will be introduced at the December meeting.
- The bulkhead at the end of Poplar Avenue continues to leak. The required height of new bulkheads is 8’5”. The code enforcement officer is responsible for ensuring compliance.
- Welcome to our newest police officer, Kevin Corrigan. He replaces Officer Pinto who has recently left the department. The number of police staff, including the chief, is seven. Commissioner Golden stated, although it is the off season, it is necessary to maintain the staff at seven or eight employees for 24/7 coverage in order to avoid overtime.
- Several residents reported hearing gunfire on the island. The location of the gunfire was not determined.
We encourage you to watch the video of the monthly meetings to fully understand the discussions. To view the videos go to the https://ctwww.org/ website. The latest video is always on the homepage. There is a separate page for the prior videos. Also the newslink page has articles and the communications page has all of the newsletters.
We appreciate your support through becoming a member and your generous donations. We welcome your feedback as it helps us address the issues most important to you and your family.