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City Council Actions:
In recent weeks Cape May Council has
taken several actions affecting the
interests of the taxpayers:
City Council introduced the
proposed budget for 2021. The proposal
included a 0% increase in the property tax
rate for municipal services. Your
municipal tax should remain the same unless
your assessed valuation has increased. The
tax rates for the school district, regional
school district and county services have yet
to be set.
By a vote of 5-0 Council has
raised the Daily Beach Tag fee from $6 to
$8. Except for Sea Isle City, Cape
May will still have the lowest daily fee on
the coast.
Council also raised the fee for a
Commercial Beach Tag from $50 to $100.
The introduction of this unique tag last
season (Cape May is the only resort in New
Jersey that offer such an accommodation),
resulted in a significant loss of revenue
not due to Covid19. Council hope that this
increase will compensate for that loss in
2021.
Water and Sewer rates will
increase beginning May 18, 2021.
On April 20th Council will make the
following changes to these rates:
- For the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Quarters
the water rate moves from $9/1000gal
over the minimum to
9.27/1000gal.
- For the third Quarter
(July-August-September) the rate moves
from $9/1000gal to
$9/1000gal to $9.45/1000gal.
- The minimum Sewer Rate will increase
from $70.00 to $71.40
for up to 5,000 gallons.
- The Sewer Rate moves from
$17.75 to
$18.10/1000gal above the minimum.
Council will also set increased rates for
West Cape May, Cape May Point and the Coast
Guard Base, each of which are customers of
the CM Water/Sewer Utility.
By a vote of 4-1 Council has once
again suspended its existing Code
prohibiting the open carrying and
consumption of alcoholic beverages in the
public spaces of the city. In 2020
the city waived this prohibition to benefit
22 bar licensees as they coped with the
limitations of the State-imposed Covid19
lockdown. Despite a significant measure of
community opposition resulting from the
effects of the vague content and confused
enforcement of that measure on the quality
of life in Cape May, Council has again acted
on behalf of the bar licensees.
However, Council has placed several new
measures into effect which may address many
of the complaints raised in opposition.
All these measures will terminate on
the date of the lifting of State Sanctions.
These measures include:
- The carry/consumption must take
place only within 50 feet of the license
premises.
- Open carry/consumption is prohibited
on any portion of Rotary Park, the Beach
and most of the Promenade, nor or any
street, highway, sidewalk, or vehicle.
- Only plastic cups are permitted for
open carry/consumption. No glass cups or
bottles. The resolution is silent on the
use of cans.
- Tailgating and bringing in coolers
of beverages purchased elsewhere may not
be brought into the 50' zone of license
premises. Likewise, carrying an open
container from one 50' licensee zone to
another 50' licensee zone in prohibited
if it is beyond the 50' zone of
purchase.
- All persons consuming alcohol in
public must carry proof of age.
- "To-Go" beverages must remain in
sealed containers and may be opened and
consumed only in a residence or private
property and may not be opened or
consumed on any public space noted in
the ordinance.
While these measures represent a clear
improvement from chaos of 2020, and Council
is to be commended for a good faith effort
to strike a reasonable compromise, problems
remain.
The Beach Drive barriers will be
installed again in 2021.
Further, at the close of its deliberation
on the Resolution, Council accepted and
adopted a modification to the Resolution.
For two beverage licensees on Beach Drive,
Council permitted them to use that part of
the Promenade that falls within their 50'
zone.
The effect of this concession will be
that at this narrowest width, in addition to
two lanes of traffic, no bike lane and no
clear sidewalks, Beach Drive will now be
used by patrons carrying open containers
across the street and pedestrian access on
the Promenade will be constricted.
In casting their votes on
this Resolution each member of Council
stated publicly that they do and will not
support any change in the Code prohibiting
the open carrying and consumption of
alcoholic beverages in the public spaces of
the city beyond the lifting of State
sanctions.
City Council also suspended existing
Code regarding the use of public space for
restaurant seating. The procedures
will be essentially as they were in 2020
with sidewalks and walkways constricted and
Decatur St closed for use by two
restaurants. Council expressed their
interest in crafting a comprehensive
ordinance to make these provision permanent
in the year to come.
By a vote of 5-0 Council adopted an
ordinance prohibiting the use of marijuana
in any public area of the city.
This action was necessary following the
State Legislature's passage of a sweeping
revision decriminalizing marijuana across
the state. Under this package of three laws
the use of marijuana by persons of legal age
is permitted, juvenile use is
decriminalized, and six new classes of
marijuana business, ranging from growing to
retailing and delivery, are created. Cape
May has until August 22 to prohibit any or
all of these from operating in the city.
MTRAC begins its Work. At
the urging of the TPA, Council created the
Municipal Revenue and Taxation Advisory
Committee (MTRAC) to assist Council in
achieving its goal of providing an
appropriate level of municipal services at a
minimum cost to taxpayers, and in the best
interests of the City, its residents,
property owners, businesses, and visitors.
Its mission is to conduct a comprehensive
analysis of both the City's current revenue
and budgeting practices; and to make
recommendations to the Council toward the
goal of implementing a fair and equitable
plan for revenue and resource allocation in
the interest of property owners, business
owners, residents, and visitors of the City.
Following their analysis, the MTRAC
has recommended that Council enact a 1%
increase on the charges of rent for every
occupancy of a hotel or motel room
in the City of Cape May that is subject to
taxation pursuant to Subsection (d) of
Section 3 of P.L. 1966, c. 30, N.J.S.A.
54:32B-3 (sales tax). The committee further
recommended that Council enact the Municipal
Occupancy Tax for seasonal residential
rental.
Read the full MTRAC Position Paper
TPA recommends this article from the
Cape May Sentinel for an
interesting perspective on how Cape May
businesses survived the 2020 pandemic:
The Cape May Sentinel - Cape May
Recovers, Buoyed by Federal Aid
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