Lower AC Taxes
Atlantic City property owners could see a tax cut of more than 5 percent this year after the state budget released some funds to the city and county, Mayor Don Guardian told WIBG 1020 in an interview on Monday.
City residents will be”very surprised at the considerable decrease, way beyond just the 5 percent that we had promised them,” Guardian said. The state last week passed its budget after a three-day partial shutdown caused by a political standoff over school funding and legislation related to the state’s largest health insurer.
The state’s new school funding package will help ease the tax burden for residents in Atlantic City and Atlantic County, Guardian explained. At the same time, the state has promised Atlantic City $13 million to fund tax appeals, which means the city will not have to issue new debt, he said. Read more on our site here.
Lenape
The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation can move forward with a lawsuit against the New Jersey attorney general, a three-judge panel ruled on Monday. The state’s attorney general in 2012 said New Jersey had no recognized tribes and the Lenape say this lack of state recognition has had social and economic consequences. SNJ Today has the details.
Hard Rock
The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is holding a public hearing today at 11 am (conveniently, for the public) to discuss the proposal to qualify Atlantic City’s Next Great Expensive Hope (aka, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, the former Taj Mahal) as an Entertainment Retail District. The designation would allow the casino (and CRDA) access to certain tax rebates but there are some complex legal workings behind it. The legislation that created the district designation dates back to 2001 and although it was revised in 2016, it is supposed to apply to older (pre-2004) casinos and CRDA projects. If you want to read the legislation, here’s a link to the latest update.
ACUA has donated some Eco Soil to the Stockton University garden project, alongside the Little Water Distillery in Atlantic City. The distillery is planning to use local botanicals in its gin and spiced rum.
Need something lighter? Just in case you missed it, here’s an internet special: Where’s Waldo featuring Chris Christie. Also, here’s what happened when ‘Mike from Montclair’ called into a Christie radio session yesterday and told the governor to get his “fat ass” in a car and to a beach that is open to the public. The governor called Mike a communist from Montclair, but on the whole the internets concluded Christie lost another round to the greater NJ public. And finally, are you a shoobie?
In the rest of the morning’s headlines, work due on Mill Road in Absecon has been pushed back to September, Hammonton’s Italian festival begins (officially) today, a Tabernacle man was sentenced to four years in jail for a mortgage fraud scheme, New Jersey solar credits might be on the way out, and there’s been a big decrease in Camden homicides. All that and more below:
Summer Flounder Remains Big Hit Throughout South Jersey: Shep on Fishing–Summer flounder seem to be holding on to their ranking as the fan favorite against a number of contenders. A significant number of flounder are being caught throughout the back bays, inlets and inshore waters, but there sure seems to be a carpet of fish under the 18-inch minimum there and on the inshore lumps in the ocean. Press of Atlantic City
Ventnor Renews Administrator’s Contract–Ventnor's Board of Commissioners has renewed a contract with an outside agency to provide administrative support services at a cost of more than $137,500 for the part-time position. It also hired a new tax assessor at a higher salary than that of outgoing assessor Diane Kelly, whose contract was not renewed. Shore News Today
Longport Lifeguard Conquers Cape May SuperAthalon–Longport Beach Patrol lifeguard Tim Schwegman turned the buoy while holding a large lead and went on to a comfortable victory on Monday in the 36th annual event, which includes a 2.2-mile run, 1.5-mile row and 600-yard swim. Shore News Today
Little Garden Tour Finds Nature in Full Bloom in Atlantic County Backyards–Visitors had a chance to step into backyard gardens from one end of Atlantic County to the other Sunday, July 9 as part of the 19th annual Little Gardens Tour. Each stop along the way — starting at the Linwood Arboretum and ending at the Port Republic home of Nikki and Gary Giberson — offered tour goers a chance to enjoy the outdoors and see how gardeners have worked with nature to surround their homes with living beauty. Shore News Today