Request a Sign for Your Yard for “Salute to Surf City Heroes Week”

Your Taxpayer Association has organized a celebration to honor Surf City first responders and essential workers who’ve worked tirelessly and selflessly to keep us and our town safe and cared for during a most challenging Spring and Summer. You can join the celebration — and show your support — by putting a sign on your property for all our essentials workers to see (the sign is pictured below, shown in the ad running in this week’s Sandpaper).

FOR CURRENT SURF CITY TAXPAYER ASSOCIATION MEMBERS (or if you are not sure if you have paid 2020 dues):

We’ve arranged for EVERY taxpayer member to get a sign to display for free. Contact one of the following board members, either by email or phone, to arrange pickup:

IF YOU ARE NOT A CURRENT SURF CITY TAXPAYER ASSOCIATION MEMBER

You can purchase a sign for $10. This same $10 will also cover your membership cost for 2020. Please contact one of the board members listed above to make arrangements.

We look forward to an overwhelming show of support…and watch for more details on additional celebration activities.

SCTA Sandpaper Ad 9-9-20

August 2020 Virtual General Meeting and Interview Series

With the Governor’s orders restricting in-person gatherings, we have unfortunately had to cancel our traditional August General Meeting scheduled for Saturday, August 22 at the Firehouse.

But as many other organizations have done, we’re adapting to current conditions and have video recorded the meeting for you to view at your convenience — with the idea of maintaining as much of the content and flavor you’ve come to expect from these meetings. See the video #1 below.

This also gives us the opportunity to expand on the information-sharing part of our mission. Below you’ll also find two filmed interviews addressing very important and current issues in Surf City.

Video #1: SCTA August General Meeting

Below, you can view the Board presentation portion of the meeting. We cover:

  • Board member introductions and current status of the organization;
  • Treasurer’s report on the the group’s finances;
  • Update on membership numbers and donations;
  • Review of recent activities held (including Sand Sculpture pictures — a meeting favorite);
  • And a summary of upcoming events and activities.

Video #2: Status of Covid-19 on LBI – Interview with LBI Health Officer Dan Krupinski

  • Learn about…
  • Work that the LBI Health Department does on behalf of all 6 LBI municipalities, including Surf City;
  • Current status of Covid-19 cases on LBI;
  • Contact Tracing and how the Department is handling this;
  • And, the impact of Covid-19 on businesses and the schools and what is being done on both those fronts.
  • Links (see below the video) for those seeking additional information on Covid-19 related issues.

In the links below provided by Dan, you can find additional information:

List of testing sites: Ocean County is still doing testing at Ocean County College, Mon, Weds, Fri, 9-12 but u must make appointment.

No prescription or symptoms required.

http://lbihealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/covidtestingsites.pdf

Case Activity

Case Demographic Info

https://insight.livestories.com/s/v2/covid-19-dashboard-ocean-county-nj/235d7065-93ef-441b-a62d-54c1813abd8a

State Covid Dashboard

https://covid19.nj.gov/

Video #3: Current Status of Flooding Issues in Surf City

We talk with Rick Bushnell, Founder of ReClam the Bay who addresses:

  • What is the current situation, why and where does flooding happen in Surf City?
  • What work is now being done to remediate flooding?
  • Thoughts and recommendations on how to do more to reduce town-wide flooding;
  • How to contact Rick if you have specific flooding issues, concerns or want to volunteer to help;
  • Where to get more information on the issue of flooding in Surf City.

Here are links referred to in the video:

To see the SCTA writeup — prepared in conjunction with Rick — that summarizes the current state of flooding in Surf City and offers resources to get informed click here to find it and download it

If you would like to contact Rick directly, click here to email him: rickpatsy@comcast.net .

To see other flooding resources that Rick refers to in the interview, click her to go to ReClamTheBay.org

If you are not a member of SCTA (and do not get our emails), you can join by clicking this link.

Surf City Taxpayer Association: 2020 Update on Flooding Issues

Several individuals and small neighborhood groups have contacted the Taxpayer Association regarding flooding issues in Surf City.  It is a subject that is brought up at nearly every general meeting the Surf City Taxpayer Association holds.  We wanted to highlight our approach to this issue and share some resources for those who are interested in more information.

We’ve prepared a downloadable document (see below) that summarizes — in detail — what the Borough is doing,  provides important links for further information and provides a contact person who has volunteered to serve as a conduit — for Surf City homeowners — for all flooding-related information in Surf City. We encourage all who are interested or affected to download this comprehensive report.

Photo Credit: Surf City Police Twitter Account

Plans and Considerations for the Season of 2020

We hope that you and your family doing well and adapting to our new-normal, as we move forward to the next phase of Covid-19 recovery.

Your Surf City Taxpayers Association (SCTA) board has been meeting through the winter and spring (via Zoom) to plan the summertime events and activities we sponsor, to continue to address issues facing Surf City, and you, the taxpayers, and working on other initiatives to support our Surf City community.

Events and Activities.  Please click here to see the SCTA Season Overview and Calendar of Events.  You will see that we are planning a full slate of activities.  With our ongoing Covid-19 situation, every 15 days we will evaluate whether to hold, postpone or cancel the events.  We will communicate with our members via email blasts, postings on this website and/or placing notices in the Sandpaper.

Joining — or Renewing Your Membership in SCTA.   We hope you will join the Taxpayer Association this year so that we can continue to sponsor member-oriented events, invest in projects and programs such as beautification and public safety, serve as your spokesperson / advocate on matters that are important to you and your fellow taxpayers, and continue to financially support vital local non-profit pour organization that serve our community.

You can renew your membership or join SCTA right on this website. Click here to find the annual membership form…as well as the link to join and pay via credit card.

Keeping in Touch.  The Surf City Borough Council is now holding their monthly public meetings remotely — and you can participate. Click here to go to the Borough website where you’ll find information on using the Go To Meeting app and the rules for participating. These meetings take place on the second Wednesday of every month, at 7:30 p.m.

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser for Alliance for a Living Ocean – Sunday, Jan 19, 2020

A good friend of SCTA, Mike Tomko (proprietor at Wally’s here in Surf City) wants to let our community know about Sunday’s ALO Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser at Applebees on Route 72 in Manahawkin. It runs from 8am to10am. Cost is $10.

Read more about it here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2239576656343584/ 

For more information the Alliance For a Living Ocean, you’ll find their website here: http://www.livingocean.org/

Highlights from the “Taste of Surf City Member Cocktail Party”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday, September 20, a group of 150 Surf City Taxpayer members gathered for the first ever “Taste of Surf City Member Cocktail Party” at the Surf City Yacht Club.

The sold-out event  brought together 150 homeowners with fifteen local merchants for an evening of hors d’oeuvres, desserts, wine, beer, music, conversation – and a spectacular September sunset. See more photos from the event below.

It was unanimously agreed that this first collaboration between the Surf City Taxpayer Association, merchant community and Yacht Club was a smashing success. So many neighbors met for the first time. Many rekindled old relationships. Over 25 different food options ranged from a Taco Bar, to empanadas, shrimp cocktail to gourmet pizza, jalapeno poppers to Swedish meatballs…finished off with assorted Cookie Bars, Fudge and Pumpkin Spiced Coffee.

A special “thank you” goes out the Surf City Yacht club for providing the perfect local venue. And thanks to all our participating merchants: Anchor Produce, Anchor Wine & Spirits, Baked on the Beach, Blue Claw Seafood Market, Country Kettle Fudge Shop-Surf City, How You Brewin, Little Bite of Italy, Mario’s Italian Market,  MKT Eatery, Okie’s Butcher Shop,  Panzone’s Pizza-Surf City, Shore Fire Grille, The Cheese Shoppe, The Sandbox Café – Surf City and Wally’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few of the comments sent to us by those who attended:

  • “Thank you for organizing it and for holding an event where businesses and community can share and get to know each other.”
  • “Fabulous night, great talking with neighbors, business community went way above my expectations. Thank you for organizing, can’t wait to do it again next year!”
  • “Thanks so much for arranging this lovely event. It was so well organized; the food was delicious and an amazing group of people came together in friendship. It was a perfect evening.  Looking forward to next year’s event.”
  • “Thank you for all of the hard work to put on this event! We met a lot of people we didn’t know before.  The venue, the food and refreshments were super.   Great job!”

Legislature sends bill to Phil Murphy that exempts some vacation rentals from hotel tax

In a topic of importance to many Surf City taxpayers, the state legislature has sent a bill to Governor Murphy to exempt some homeowners from a new tax that would be levied on rentals of homes.

This article from NorthJersey.com details the exemptions and states that it is yet unclear whether  the Governor intends to sign the new bill.