As we reported yesterday, bipartisan legislation to forbid Jersey Shore towns receiving state/federal aid from requiring beach tags is waiting for a Trenton committee hearing.
Beach tags are big business at the Jersey Shore. For example, Belmar sold roughly 250,000 at $7 per tag in summer 2008 alone. Taking that revenue stream away? Post-Sandy?
Controversy is inevitable.
Advocates will argue that the legislation is a long overdue matter of fairness. Billions of dollars worth of government aid has been requested following a superstorm responsible for damaging or destroying over 70,000 Garden State homes. If all taxpayers help pay for our beaches through state and federal aid, then how is it fair to charge them extra for beach access every summer? And by the way, New Jersey is the only coastal American state where the practice is widespread.
Opponents, however, will point to the substantial ongoing costs associated with maintaining Jersey Shore beaches for the tourist season. Lifeguards, infrastructure, emergency personnel, etc. and so on. Moreover, Shore town property taxes (vacation, business and year-round residential alike) are significantly offset by annual beach tag sales. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are already talking tax hikes. Does the Legislature want to compound that problem in the wake of Hurricane Sandy?
In truth, the Democrat Legislature may not care. Keep in mind: Monmouth, Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May counties are overwhelmingly Republican; this bill’s GOP sponsor is from Northwestern NJ, while its Democrat sponsor represents portions of the Southwest. Neither represent Shore points.
Where do you come down on this issue, Save Jerseyans?
