2019 Reorganization
As we do every year before our September Membership meeting, the trustees held our reorganization meeting where we elected and appointed the officers of NBTA for the upcoming year. Three trustee seats were up for re-election and in keeping with our bylaws, if the number of candidates equals the number of open seats, an election is not required. That was the case this year.
Long term trustee and former President Pat Moran has retired from trustee service. We will miss his guidance, support and institutional knowledge of NBTA. Pat is responsible for many of the successes of NBTA over his years of service and we are sincerely grateful.
The seats held by Trustees Bob Van Buren and Mark Falco were also open. Both Bob and Mark agreed to serve again.
We welcome our newest trustee – Chuck Dudley – who will be replacing Pat Moran.
The following trustees were elected and appointed to officer positions and committee chairs:
Officers
- President – Bill Walsh
- Vice President – Skip Soriero
- Treasurer – Mark Falco and Tom Frangione
- Secretary – Barry Sullivan
Committee Chairs
- Beautification – Bob Van Buren
- Finance – Mark Falco/Tom Frangione
- Hospitality – Skip Soriero
- Membership – Eileen Szperka
- Municipal Affairs – Hank Fisher/Chuck Dudley
Follow-Ups
Your trustees will be following up on a number of topics and suggestions brought up by members:
- Directional arrows at the turnarounds
- Adjusting/trimming the flowerbeds at the North Beach signs on the median
- Stencils painted on the shoulders of the Boulevard to indicate biking/pedestrian traffic flow, specifically, is the shoulder wide enough to accommodate?
- Options for pickle ball lines/nets on the tennis courts at 1065 LBB
- How can members identify which of their neighbors are or are not members of NBTA and help grow our association?
- Summer 2020 Get Together – Our Hospitality Committee is looking at options for member events for next year. Possibilities include:
- A lobster bake like we did a few years ago or something similar
- A couple of smaller cocktail party events
- Timeframe – likely July or August
- There will be some charge but the organization will subsidize the event(s)
- If you have any ideas and/or would like to help out, please drop us a note at our website – nbtpa.org. We are always looking for ideas and volunteers, too.
Property Revaluation Update – August 2019
NBTA contacted Appraisal Systems, Inc., the firm selected by Long Beach Township to conduct the revaluation study and the LBT Tax Assessor regarding the upcoming revaluation study. All property owners will receive a letter – mid to late September – providing detailed information about the process. According to the assessor, work will begin this fall, but Appraisal Systems will not be working through the winter. Perhaps in recognition that we are largely a seasonal community.
While the timing has not been finalized, the study is expected to take 9 months to complete. But, with approximately 9,000 properties in the township, it won’t be quick.
The last LBT property revaluation was completed in 1996.
Water Meter Update
NBTA inquired with the LBT Water and Sewer Department about installing a separate water meter for outside water use because we heard from Mayor Mancini in June that LBT would be moving, at some point, to sewer billing based on water meter readings. Why does it matter? Sewer rates based on water meter readings assume that every gallon registered on the water meter ends up in the sewer system for treatment. Therefore, you would be paying some amount in your sewer bill for outside water use – like watering flower beds, filling pools, etc. – that did not ‘go down the drain’. According to the Water and Sewer Department, the township has no plans to change our sewer billing from a flat rate to a volume rate based on water consumption. That’s a slightly different message from what we heard in June. It remains to be seen what happens.
We had a good discussion about this topic in our meeting and received some helpful hints from members, such as:
- Consider the timing of when you will have your water meter installed. Many plumbers are busy in the late fall and early spring doing turn-on and turn-off work. This can impact availability and price.
- Meter placement and position – if you close up your home in the off-season, the water meter has to drain completely to avoid freezing and cracking. The meters aren’t cheap and replacing the meter is on you.
School Consolidation Plan
On August 28th, the LBI Consolidated Board of Education met and attempted to take formal action on a proposal to forward a referendum request to the State. They failed to get enough votes for the $7.6 million referendum to rehab the LBI Grade School and consolidate students and staff into the school in Ship Bottom. However, there is still enough time to meet the deadline for a December 10th special election on a referendum. The ballot question for the referendum must be set 18 days before a special election. If approved by voters for $7.6 million, expected tax impact is $8 for a home assessed at $300,000; $17 for an assessment of $600,000 and $28 for a home assessed at 1 million. The cost to educate in the LBI Consolidated District is $33,000 per student, over twice the state average of $16,000. The consolidation is expected to save $450,000 but that would be reserved for additional curriculum and staff. A former school board member developed a survey for taxpayers and voters to express an opinion at consolidation.
You can find the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/YBC5NT9 or search on LBI Consolidated School survey. Make your voice heard.
Shore Rental Tax Repealed
Last October, a new tax was enacted that added an 11.6 percent tax to short-term rentals done through private owners and online marketplaces – 6.625 percent Sales and Use tax and 5 percent Hotel and Motel Occupancy fee.
This changed effective August 8, 2019. The tax no longer applies to homeowners renting out accommodations.
According to one of the repeal bill’s sponsors, the law enacted in October 2018 was never intended to apply to private renters. The tax bill signed by the governor last October required homeowners who rented their homes out privately to collect and remit the tax to the New Jersey Division of Taxation and keep certain records documenting the rental.
On August 9th (after the bill sat on his desk since June 27th), the Governor signed the repeal bill.
Now, if a renter/vacationer books directly with an owner or through a Realtor, the tax does not apply. However, if a third party, such as Airbnb, VRBO or a travel agent collects the payment and issues the contract, then the tax applies.
Real Estate Info
If you haven’t seen the Summer 2019 Beach Briefs published by Benee Scola & Company, here is an excerpt from that publication:
“There are approximately 642 single family homes in North Beach. The average number of homes for sale per year since 2010 is 17 or 3%. The List Price to Sale Price Ratio has averaged 93%.”
This report shows the average price of a North Beach home in 1988 was $484,000. The average price rose to $1,290,000 in 2018.
Sand Dollar Real Estate reported the following:
