Vol. 16 - No. 47
In This Week’s Edition
THE TOMS RIVER
TIMES
FOR BREAKING NEWS
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
Your FREE Weekly Hometown Newspaper For Toms River, Island Heights, Ortley Beach & Lavallette
Government Page 9.
Extra Surplus Used To Keep Town Tax Rate Flat
Offer To Buy Surf Club Still On The Table
Community News! Don’t miss what’s happening in your town.
Pages 10-16.
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News
5 Medical Factors That Could Lead To Hearing Loss
Page 18.
Dear Pharmacist Pancreatic Cancer Is Our Next Epidemic
Page 19.
Inside The Law Page 21.
Business Directory Page 24-25.
Classifieds
–Photos by Chris Lundy The former Surf Club was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. (Inset) The parking lot would also be included in a purchase. By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – How much is the Surf Club worth? That’s the question that is halting the purchase of Joey Harrison’s Surf Club at 1900 Ocean Avenue in Ortley Beach. The former nightclub was destroyed in Superstorm Sandy and the
owner had decided to sell the property – but how much and to who remains unanswered. There have been discussions to sell the land in the past, to either the town or a developer. One developer would want to close Ocean Avenue to build a condo complex right over it.
| April 20, 2019
Township officials didn’t like that plan. Toms River has plans for the property, too. They would extend the boardwalk, have a public beach, and features like a gazebo to make it an attractive wedding destination. Between (Surf Club - See Page 5)
By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – The township’s tax rate is staying flat for the third straight year, but some warn that if surplus keeps being used it might have a negative impact. The total budget is $130,769,113, up $5,373,800 from last year’s $125,395,302. The amount to be raised by taxes is $82,690,095, up slightly from last year’s $82,089,203. The tax rate will remain at 63 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. For the average home valued at $273,900, the taxes will be $1,739.81. This is just the figure for municipal taxes, and does not include other taxes such as those paid to the county or school. Increases to pensions and health benefits make up about $3 million. Increases like this are not sustainable, business administrator Don Guardian said. The township is looking into self-insuring in the future, which might be less costly. The township was down billions of dollars in ratables after Superstorm Sandy. Ratables are all the taxable property in an area. So much property was destroyed, and taxes are based on property assessments, that it shifted the burden toward properties that survived. Now, more properties are coming back online, so the taxes can be spread out wider, but the town is still half a billion dollars behind pre-Sandy numbers. Guardian also said that the town’s average tax liability is lower than both the average for the county and the average for the state. Councilman Maurice Hill said it’s been difficult to maintain a budget for three years that didn’t have any tax rate increases. (Tax Rate - See Page 5)
Page 23.
Fun Page Page 26.
Wolfgang Puck Page 31.
GOP Leader No Longer With Lobbying Firm
By Chris Lundy TRENTON – County Republican leader George Gilmore, who recently went to trial on tax evasion charges, parted ways amiably last year with a lobbying firm he was associated with. In addition to being the head of the county GOP, his law firm Gilmore and Monahan did work for
many local municipalities. He was also involved with 1868 Public Affairs, a firm that boasts having connections in government that can “provide our clients with a powerful voice in the budget and legislative process.” Richard Ambrosino Jr., managing partner for 1868, explained that Gilmore was of counsel with
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1868, meaning that he had all the rights of a partner but had no equity in the firm. Gilmore’s split from the firm was made official in December of 2018, but he had not done any work for them for at least six months prior, Ambrosino said. His work dried out when the (Leader - See Page 5)
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