The Arnone Report: Fort Monmouth Progress, Monmouth Park needs help

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Hello Monmouth County! What an incredible few weeks it has been here throughout our beautiful county. The weather has been near perfect, providing great opportunities to visit all the wonderful places and activities we have to offer.

I have some very exciting news to share about the Former Fort Monmouth property. The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders provided final approval last week to guarantee $35 million in notes and bonds through the Monmouth County Improvement Authority (MCIA). The funding will be used to revitalize the property which has been closed since 2011 and the potential impact of this redevelopment on our residents is enormous. It was the right thing to do for the region.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Freeholders approve $35 million in bonds for Fort Monmouth acquisition

Freeholder John Curley, Deputy Freeholder Director Serena DiMaso, Freeholder Lillian Burry and Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

The Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders agreed to back up the acquisition of the 560 acres at Fort Monmouth that is not already controlled by the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority (FMERA) with a $35 million bond guarantee.  The Freeholders voted 4-1, with John Curley opposing the guarantee, at their meeting last night which was held in Ocean Township.

The Freeholders’ action enables the Monmouth County Improvement Authority to guarantee bonds issued by FMERA.  With the AAA bond rating of MCIA, the bonds will have the lowest interest rate available in the market.  FMERA will use the proceeds to purchase the land, valued at $90 million, from the Department of the Army for roughly $35 million.  The bonds will be secured by the land.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Goofy Gopal Denies Accusing Monmouth GOP, MoreMonmouthMusings of Paying Belmar Protesters

photo via facebook

Monmouth County Democrat Chairman Vin Gopal drew more attention to the grassroots uprising of Belmar residents against the policies of their mayor, “Lawless Matt” Doherty, yesterday with a post on the Monmouth Democrats facebook page denying the Observer (formerly PolitickerNJ) article that reported that he and Doherty accused the Monmouth GOP and this website of paying protesters to demonstrate outside Doherty’s house during a campaign fundraiser last week featuring Senator Cory Booker.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Arnone: Shark River dredging to restart imminently

Freehold Director Tom Arnone told MoreMonmouthMusings that the NJ Department of Transportation has agreed to restart the Shark River dredging project despite the fact that the Transportation Trust Fund has yet to be renewed and funded. The news came to Arnone from a DOT official via phone after business hours on Wednesday.

NJ DOT spokesman Kevin Israel confirmed that the project will restart in an email to MMM.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

With transportation funding negotiations deadlocked, County has plan to restart Shark River dredging

Freeholder Director Tom Arnone said he will announce a plan to restart the Shark River dredging project Wednesday morning at the Shark River Marina in Neptune Township.

The project, which had restarted on schedule on July 1 was halted at midnight on July 8 when Governor Christie’s executive order halting projects funded by the Transportation Trust Fund took effect.

The legislature failed to pass TTF funding with a $.23 per gallon gas tax on June 30th. The Senate’s plan was to increase the gas tax while phasing out the estate tax and reducing income taxes on retirees.  Christie and the Assembly agreed on a bill that would have raised the gas tax and reduced the sales tax from 7% to 6%.  Senate President Steve Sweeny and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto agreed to pass a revised version of the Senate’s original bill last week.  Yesterday, Christie said the Democrats plan is “dead on arrival.”

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

The Arnone Report: Show us the 9-1-1 money!

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Summer is in full swing and the weather is extraordinary! I’ve been all over the place the past few weeks with my fellow Freeholders, visiting towns, festivals and businesses throughout our beautiful Monmouth County, and nothing makes me happier than to see businesses thriving and residents and tourists enjoying all that we have to offer here. Speaking of festivals, many of these summer events would not be possible without the support of our law enforcement officers, first responders and volunteers.  I’d like to take a moment to thank all of our first responders, especially our law enforcement officers during this sad and tragic time in our country. Thank you all for serving and protecting us every day and making our communities a safe place to live. The officers here in Monmouth County are among the best in the country and I pray you stay safe each and every day.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Sheriff Golden, Freeholders demand that Trenton fund 911 centers

Sheriff Shaun Golden points to the $.90 fee on his phone bill. Click photo for larger view

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden and all five Monmouth County Freeholders called for the State of New Jersey to stop diverting the $.90 per phone line surcharge New Jersey consumers pay with their cell and landline bills from it’s intended purpose…the funding of Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs)… at a press conference outside the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Public Safety Center in Freehold this afternoon.

According to draft resolution that the New Jersey Association of Counties is urging all 21 New Jersey Freeholder Boards to adopt, New Jersey is in violation of federal law, the “NET 911 Act of 2008” (H.R 3403) for having diverted 89% of the $1.25 billion in 911 System and Emergency Response Fees collected since 2006.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Christie Shuts Down Road Construction

Arnone in talks to keep Monmouth County projects going uninterupted

Governor Chris Christie issued an Executive Order last night shutting down all projects funded by the state’s Transportation Trust Fund.  The fund’s authorization expired at midnight though published reports indicated that there is enough money in the fund to continue work through mid-August.

Christie’s dramatics came as a result of the Legislature failing to reauthorize the fund.  The Senate was considering a bi-partisan plan to reauthorize the fund with a $.23 per gallon gas tax increase while also phasing out the estate tax and income tax on retirement income.  The Assembly passed legislation negotiated by Christie and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto in the wee hours of Tuesday morning that would increase the gas tax $.23 and phase in a reduction in the state sales tax from 7% to 6%.  Christie said the last minute sales tax reduction was his idea.

The Christie/Prieto plan was widely panned from both the left an right and had little support in the Senate.

No plan under consideration addressed New Jersey’s highest in the nation cost of road construction: an estimated $2 million per mile on average.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

The Arnone Report: Shark River Dredging To Resume, Freeholders Support Mayors’ and Assemblywoman Handlin’s Efforts With JCP&L

By Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone

It’s finally here …summer has returned! I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having lately, and enjoying all that our beautiful Monmouth County has to offer – beaches, parks, lakes, rivers, boardwalks, lighthouses, museums, theaters, historical sites, restaurants and much more. Our tourist season is in full swing, and according to early estimates, we are paced to match or exceed last year’s numbers, providing economic stability here in our region.

Speaking of tourist season, I am happy to report that the dredging of the Shark River is set to restart in the next few weeks, getting us closer to increasing the recreational side of the Shark River corridor as well as restoring the channels for our commercial fishing industry. As you may know, the dredging had started late last fall and was halted on January 1, 2016, due to state regulations in place to protect spawning and the early life stages of winter flounder and anadromous fish. The dredging project is moving along nicely due to a coalition of State, County and local leaders that effectively advocated for the project, including Senator Jen Beck, Committeeman Randy Bishop, County of Monmouth, Board of Chosen Freeholders, New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJ DOT) Office of Maritime Resources, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJ DEP), and the governing bodies of the participating municipalities including Neptune City, Neptune, Belmar, and Wall.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Monmouth County Launches Flooding Awareness Program

John Szeliga, Verizon; Middletown Mayor Gerald Scharfenberger; Monmouth County Freeholder Deputy Director Serena DiMaso; Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden; Capt. Jay Steingold of Naval Weapons Station Earle; FEMA Region II Administrator Michael Moriarty and Tony MacDonald Director of the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute.

A countywide collaboration with Monmouth County’s government, FEMA, Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute, New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, National Park Service, Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve at Rutgers University, Navy Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Verizon designed to raise the public’s awareness of flood risks and to encourage the mitigation of those risks was launched this morning in Middletown with the installation of a High Water Mark (HWM) sign at the Belford Ferry Terminal.

FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program’s High Water Mark awareness program gives participating municipalities Community Rating System (CRS) points which result in residents of the community getting a break on their flood insurance premiums.

Municipal participation is voluntary and there is no cost to the towns for participating.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet