AH budget hearing

The Atlantic Highlands Borough Council will hold a special meeting tonight at 7:30
at Borough Hall for public hearing and final adoption of its budget.

The $7.17 million municipal budget would be supported by a $3.78 tax levy. The tax rate raised 1.5 cents, which was a decrease from the initial raise of 2.5 cents, to 59.6 cents per $100 of assessed property value.

Borough Administrator Adam Hubeny said every department in the borough cut back in order to keep the hike as low as possible.

Questions on taxes in Matawan?

The Matawan tax assessor is slated to meet with residents tonight at 7 in the meeting room of the Matawan Municipal and Community Center, Broad Street.

The last-minute meeting was declared last night when a group of about 20 Oak Knoll Drive residents approached the governing body at its meeting last night. Residents complained of tax increases from last year at $1,800 and $3,300. One taxpayer said she would have to move if the taxes kept rising.

Mayor Paul Buccellato associated the increase to the revaluation. Residents stated their property would never sell a the new value due to little property and land erosion. Councilwoman Linda Clifton suggested residents appeal the revaluation to have it lowered.

Buccellato said an official would be available to answer questions to any resident tonight.

Photo: Oak Knoll Drive.

FEMA returns

As the deadline for the public comment and appeal session on the new FEMA flood plain maps nears, the agency has not ceased its meetings in the area.

FEMA representatives will be at a special meeting in Highlands on Wednesday, Aug. 20 to answer any specific questions residents might have, officials said. It will be more of an informal opportunity to ask questions than a formal presentation, official said.

Kean speaks on NJNG project

Senator Sean Kean addressed an executive of the New Jersey Natural Gas Co. in a letter last week regarding its coal-tar remediation in Atlantic Highlands.

Residents, officials and volunteers alike came to a meeting in June to voice concerns about the 25-year project. In addition to its length, there have been instances of poor workmanship, according to residents.

Kean stated that the quality of life of his constituents should be a major concern for the company. Further, he said the work should not be an undue burden on the residents.

This is the first I have heard of anyone other than a municipal official address the concerns of the community.

Shared services meeting tonight

Just a reminder that Marlboro Mayor Jonathon Hornik will be hosting a meeting to facilitate shared services in area town tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Marlboro Community Center on Wyncrest Road.

Leaders from several Bayshore municipalities have discussed considering to work with Hornik on such topics. This is not the only attempt at shared services in the area, but it is one of the move wide-spread approaches.

The meeting will also include presentations from experts in the field, officials said.

Bringing demo back

Ok so my regular readers have probably seen this video of the debris falling from the bridge during demolition, but the DEP seems to be clueless of anything other than mud falling from the bridge. (Oh please check out tomorrow's article in The Courier for that fiasco) So, I am posting it again for anyone looking to see it. As always my videos are also located on the right side of this page in the second box.

Olympics fan anyone?

Regardless of a busy schedule, I have been glued to the Olympics coverage at night.

Michael Phelps victories last night were phenomenal. I think my favorite race was the 4x200 relay where Phelps kicked off the race and put America two body lengths ahead of the nearest competitor.

Along with many others, I was rooting for the women gymnastics team last night as well. Those ladies did a wonderful job, especially under such difficult conditions. Two of the six team members were injured before qualifications for the team competition even began. China deserved the gold though, they were almost flawless.

I think the Olympics is a really special time because it shows a type of peace and unity in the world. I think it also reminds people that, on some levels, we are all the same.