Vol. 24 - No. 45
In This Week’s Edition
THE MANCHESTER
TIMES
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Manchester, Lakehurst and Whiting
P ipes A nd D rums G etting R eady To M arch Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town.
Pages 10-14.
Government Page 9.
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News
Fire Safety For Those With Hearing Loss
Page 18.
Dear Pharmacist Page 19.
Inside The Law Page 21.
Business Directory Page 25.
Classifieds Page 24.
Wolfgang Puck Page 31.
Horoscope Page 31.
By Jennifer Peacock TOMS RIVER – People wander in, likely confused. Since when does a court-ordered Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous meeting include bagpipes? Wrong room. They’ve stumbled upon a practice of the Pipes & Dr ums of Bar negat Bay, which practices Mondays at Christ Episcopal Church on Washington Street. At 6 p.m. a small gathering of novices pick up chanters and practice scales and gracenotes with band founder and pipe major Frank Johnson. Around 7 p.m. band members will trickle in, with their drums and bagpipes, chatting and erupting into what sounds like a high-pitched traffic jam on a hot New York City summer night. They’ll eventually qui-
–Photo by Jennifer Peacock Frank Johnson leads the practice of the Pipes & Drums of Barnegat Bay Feb. 4. et, form a circle. The marching bass drummer will boom boom, boom boom to count the time, the bagpipers will
inhale, and the cacophony from several minutes before bursts into ninenotes in unison. It’s nearly parade sea-
son, and they have to practice. Johnson, a contractor from Toms River, has (Pipes - See Page 8)
Scholarship Available For Manchester Students
By Chris Lundy MANCHESTER – Township high schoolers are invited to write an essay based on the theme “What My Municipal Government Does Best” for a $1,000 scholarship. Manchester is taking part in the scholarship program, which is being run by the New Jersey League of Municipalities. The Louis Bay II Future Municipal Leaders scholarship is named after the Mayor Emeritus of Hawthorne. Each town will select one semi-finalist and send their essay to the League. The league will choose three $1,000 winners and 15 finalists. The essays will be featured in New Jersey
Municipalities magazine. “Many elected officials, appointed and volunteer board members, serve Manchester and help to plan our community and preserve our way of life. They serve year-round, every day, and are at times barely noticed,” Mayor Kenneth Palmer said. “This scholarship competition helps to rectify that while encouraging our future municipal leaders.” Students can get information on the scholarships from their high school guidance office. Regional and private school students must apply through the town where they live, not the town where the school is located.
FOR BREAKING NEWS
| |February October23, 27,2019 2018
Spending Up, Taxes Down With County Budget
By Jennifer Peacock TOMS RIVER – Taxpayers will see a slight decrease in their county tax bill due to more ratables to share the burden. The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders unveiled its 2019 budget at its Feb. 13 preboard meeting, and then formally introduced it a week later. The budget in 2018 was about $416.1 million. It is increasing to $432 million for 2019. The amount to be raised by taxes will be $353.05 million, an increase of 1.89 percent from last year’s $346.5 million. The county took a double-hit with the downturn in the economy in 2009 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Ratables’ value plummeted $20 billion between the two but are slowly climbing. Property values increased by $3.4 billion to $103.2 billion for 2019, yet are still $6 billion below pre-2009 figures. This amounts to a half-cent reduction in the tax rate, keeping it to about 34 cents per $100 valuation. Despite those challenges, the county has kept its AAA bond rating. Bond ratings are done be independent companies and are graded based on a borrower’s fiscal stability. A good score means that the county will spend less money on interest. Other budget highlights include: • $15.7 million for Ocean County College, an increase of $454,418 • $19 million for Ocean County Vocational Technical School, an increase of $372,768 • $9.3 million for a “pay as you grow” appropriation, so the county doesn’t have to go out to bond on some projects • $25 million for roads and bridges • $75 million for county departments that oversee law and public safety • $100,000 additional funds for the senior nutrition program
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