Vol. 24 - No. 42
In This Week’s Edition
THE BERKELEY
TIMES
FOR BREAKING NEWS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM | March 30, 2019
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Bayville, Berkeley, Beachwood, Pine Beach, Ocean Gate and South Toms River
Government Page 7.
Spring Is Starting, And So Are Community Gardens
No Municipal Tax Increase For Berkeley
Letters
By Patricia A. Miller BERKELEY – Six and a half years after Superstorm Sandy blasted the waterfront sections of the township, Berkeley’s ratable base has finally recovered, Mayor Carmen F. Amato Jr. said. And in part because of that recovery, there will be no municipal tax increase in Berkeley Township this year, the mayor said. Berkeley’s ratable base is now $5,175,652. The ratable base was $5,089,815,160 in 2014. “We are now fully recovered from those losses,” Amato said at the March 25 Township Council meeting. The 2019 municipal budget will total $47,046,044, up from $46,716,487, an increase of $329,556 over last year. The amount to be raised by taxation will be $33,434,022, Amato said. That translates into no municipal tax increase. On a home assessed at the township average of $201,200, homeowners will pay $1,299 in 2019. The municipal budget numbers do not include other taxes, such as those from the schools and county, the mayor said. “It’s a good budget,” he said. The municipal tax rate will remain at $.6460 per $100 of assessed valuation. Operations and expenditures for this year have been frozen at last year’s levels, he said. “This budget’s emphasis remains on long
Page 8.
Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town.
Pages 9-14.
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News
Why Is Everyone Mumbling?
Page 16.
Dear Pharmacist
Olive Oil Reduces Cancer And Risk Of Stroke
Page 17.
Inside The Law Page 19.
–Photo by Patricia A. Miller Volunteers have been getting the Wrangle Brook Community Garden ready for planting. By Patricia A. Miller BERKELEY – The Wrangle Brook Community Garden may not look like much in late March. But wait a few months, when the tomatoes,
peppers and other vegetables are in full bloom. It won’t look like the same place. “It’s very upliftting to be a part of it,” said founder Bonney Parker, on a recent chilly, windy day at the gar-
den, which is off a dirt path off Southhampton Road in the Silver Ridge Park section of the township. Parker and her sister share one plot each summer. Ironically, her sister is the gardener,
not Parker. “I wish I could say I was a gardener,” she joked. “I’m an organizer.” The one-acre lot has been home to 40 private plots, space for
(Gardens - See Page 4)
(Tax Increase - See Page 5)
Fun Page Page 23.
Business Directory Page 20-21.
Classifieds Page 22.
Horoscope Page 27.
County Adopts $432 Million Budget
By Jennifer Peacock TOMS RIVER – The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders adopted its 2019 budget, its first with Freeholder Deputy Director John Kelly helming that process. Kelly unveiled this $432 million budget back in February, and it passed without public comment at the Freeholders’ regular March 20 meeting. “What does this budget cover? It covers all the core services provided to the 600,000 people that call Ocean County home,” Kelly said. “It makes certain that our seniors, who rely on so many
senior programs we have, including our nutrition program that provide daily meals, are fully funded. …It assures residents in Ocean County that they can attend Ocean County College and our vo-tech schools at an affordable price, providing them with a quality education that is the cornerstone for opportunity for good jobs and a great future.” The budget also funds maintenance the county’s 626 miles of roads and 259 bridges and culverts, Kelly added. It covers the everyday mundanity filling potholes, plowing snow - to the future, such as funding stormwater management systems to
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keep Barnegat Bay clean. The budget also includes a healthy amount to fund veterans’ programs, something near and dear to Freeholder Gerry Little’s heart, Kelly said. The opioid addiction crises plaguing not only Ocean County but the entire state remains a primary concern for the Freeholders. The budget includes funding for law enforcement - sheriff’s department, prosecutor’s office, corrections, security, and juvenile services - to maintain public safety. “They are working to meet the ongoing challenges (County - See Page 5)
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