newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Towns along the shore in Monmouth and Ocean counties are making millions of dollars from beach tag revenue, but not all of that money goes towards improving the beaches.

According to lehighvalleylive.com, Asbury Park used more than a quarter of a million dollars in surplus funds from beach tag money to cut property taxes, an official said. Surf City reportedly transferred extra beach money to their general fund for all local government services.

In 2011, 26 Jersey shore municipalities with public ocean beaches expected to collect $25.3 million mainly from beach tag fee revenue. They actually earned $29.6 million — $4.3 million above projections.

The towns said that money going into the general fund often pays for beach expenses. According to NewsWorks, the communities said the extra tourists buying the beach tags required more money for trash collections and police patrols in the general fund.

N.J.’s Department of Community Affairs agreed with the towns that put surplus beach revenue into their general funds, but insisted that they cover beach expenses. A “beach utility budget” is intended to separate beach money from a community’s general fund, but they are not used by many towns.

A court case brought against Belmar in the 1980s resulted in that city having to account for how it spent its beach revenue. N.J.’s former public advocate, Ronald Chen, believes the other shore towns with beach tags should do the same.

Surplus revenue should go toward lowering beach badge fees under the beach fees law, he said, according to The Press of Atlantic City. “Belmar outlines in great detail what it spends on beach operations, down to parking meter maintenance and landfill costs for garbage disposal,” Chen said. “Belmar is engaging in open, transparent government.”

Fees for tags at N.J. beaches start at $5 a day. A list of prices for 2012 can be found here.