Atlantic City Council Agenda: Property Tax Rewards, Abandoned Property List

By |

The Atlantic City Council meeting agenda for Wednesday Sept. 21 includes a resolution to support a property tax rewards program. The program would encourage residents to spend money locally and support Atlantic City businesses, according to the agenda item. The agenda also includes a resolution to publish the list of the city’s abandoned properties in the newspaper. The meeting will start at 5pm. The full agenda can be viewed here.

More about: Government, agenda, Atlantic City, council meeting, rt40govt

Atlantic City Seeks Sealed Bids For Waste, Recycling Collection

By |

Atlantic City is seeking sealed bids from contractors for solid waste and recycling collection services. The bids must be presented to the city’s purchasing board meeting to be held in council chambers on Tuesday, October 18 at 11am. The proposal form and specification details are available from the office of the purchasing department, room 310 City Hall, 1301 Bacharach Blvd., Atlantic City, New Jersey, or by phone: 609-347-5390. The bid reference is # 16-20.

More about: Government, Atlantic City, purchasing, recycling, rt40govt, waste

What’s The Deal With Atlantic City’s Municipal Utilities Authority?

By |

Remember when Atlantic City needed to borrow $73 million from the state to pay its bills? Well, the Queen of Resorts got her money, but it came with a few strings attached. One involves Atlantic City’s Municipal Utilities Authority, which provides water to more than 8,000 residents, businesses and vacation-home owners.  

The small print of the loan creates a Catch-22 situation for the city and the water authority.  The loan says Atlantic City’s Council must agree by September 15 to an ordinance that would hand over the water authority, in the event the city is unable to pay back the loan. But the loan also says that if City Council can’t agree on that ordinance before September 15, it could wind up handing over the water authority’s assets anyway, since it would be violating its borrowing terms. And some people worry that if the city agrees to the ordinance, it will give the state a chance to seize the water authority assets anyway, even if the city follows the terms of the agreement.

More about: Atlantic City, Homepage Featured, american water, Atlantic City, atlantic city municipal utilities authority, atlantic county, emergency loan, MUA assets

Escalating The Surreality Stakes

By |

It wasn’t the first time he’d threatened to pack his bags and abandon the Revel. In fact, it wasn’t even the first time he’d threatened to do so this month. But Glenn Straub, the mercurial owner of the $2.4 billion defunct casino at the northeast end of the Atlantic City boardwalk, stormed out of a land-use meeting early Thursday afternoon, amid unspecific accusations of blackmail, saying he would “shut down” the mega-resort, which he bought for pennies on the dollar in 2015, “forever.” Revel is the second-largest building in the state of New Jersey, and the largest god-damned casino hotel in Atlantic City history. It has been closed for more than two years.

More about: Atlantic City, Business, Homepage Featured, Atlantic City, atlantic county, CRDA, Glenn Straub, planning

Straub, CRDA Target September For Former Revel Plan Approval

By |

Glenn Straub, the developer who owns the Atlantic City property formerly known as the Revel casino, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), are hoping to finish the approval process to reopen the site by the end of September, according to documents filed with CRDA on Wednesday. Straub has been complaining to local media about the drawn-out approval process, while CRDA, which governs planning in Atlantic City’s Tourism District, rejected the earlier application because of concerns about access to the site, since Straub wanted to locate a ropes course in the building’s former main entrance. A successful relaunch for the property is key for cash-strapped Atlantic City and, more widely, for Atlantic County. The Revel property is a top taxpayer and the $2.6 billion site has been a looming empty eyesore on the boardwalk since closing in September 2014. The application that Straub made on appeal includes concessions and suggested changes to the vehicle access to the property.

More about: Atlantic City, Business, Atlantic City, atlantic county, CRDA, Glenn Straub, planning, polo north

Atlantic City’s Trees Battle Hostile Conditions

By |

Atlantic City’s trees, which already contend with hurricanes, salt water, pollution, icy winters and scorching concrete, are now also showing wear and tear as a result of the city’s financial crisis and its haphazard patchwork of planning rules. Since the Public Works department’s budget was slashed amid city-wide cuts, there are fewer people on hand to prune, water and care for the city’s greenery. Now, damaged trees are causing hazards and few replacement trees are being planted. City trees matter because, as every elementary school kid knows, they give us oxygen. But they can also help increase property values, make a city more attractive and do useful things like provide shade and suck up storm-water runoff.  The importance of having a so-called urban forest is part of state and city law.

More about: Atlantic City, Environment, absecon island, Atlantic City, casino reinvestment development authority, CRDA, environment, saltwater

Weekend Business Picking Up For Essl’s Dugout

By |

Essl’s Dugout on the Black Horse Pike has served five generations of families breakfast and lunch. The Dugout’s owner, Bob Essl, has seen the highs and lows of the Atlantic City area and believes the faded resort needs an image change to help it turn around. “For a resort to be as popular as it was and then to lose that….That image has been tarnished. They’ve got to bring that back,” Essl said. The positive news for his business is that weekends have been looking up.

More about: Business, Atlantic City, black horse pike, breakfast, business, commerce, essl's dugout, local business