Long Branch plans to raise beach fees

LONG BRANCH — Students may no longer be able to attend city beaches for free if a City Council proposal becomes official.

Faced with a $358,000 deficit from beach operations, the council unofficially announced at its March 22 meeting that it would be raising all beach badge prices.

The council agreed at the workshop meeting that the price of a daily weekday badge will remain at $5 but the weekend daily badge will go from $5 to $7 and the seasonal badge will be raised from $35 to $45.

The council also agreed that students ages 14-17, who previously had free access to the beaches, would be charged $3 for a daily badge and $30 for a seasonal badge.

Before coming to an agreement on the badge prices, the council and the city administration discussed what the fair price should be to try to close the revenue gap.

“If you go to Belmar, Spring Lake, Long Beach Island, you are going to pay almost double what we pay, and those beaches are packed,” Recreation Director Carl Jennings said. “We give our patrons a good bang for their buck.

“We raise it and we will still be giving them a good bang for their buck.”

Beach revenues from 2010 came in at just under $1.3 million, but Finance Director Ronald Mehlhorn Sr. previously said that the city does not itemize expenses attributed to the beach operation in the budget.

He said in a 2011 interview that some of the larger expense categories for beach operations are $521,000 in direct costs, which include lifeguards, ticket-takers and equipment, as well as $452,000 in costs for public works and $111,000 in costs for special police, resulting in a $358,000 revenue shortfall.

Mehlhorn said the city sold 4,400 seasonal badges last year and an additional 162 seasonal badges during a December promotion.

However Councilman John Pallone expressed concern that even if the fees are raised by a little, the city beaches may lose some patrons.

“The issue I wanted to point out is [that] others are about [at the fee level] where we are going,” he said. “With the unknown, do we want to be a little competitive?

“I don’t know, maybe there are people who come here just because it’s $3,” he added. “There is a certain amount of people we may lose for only a dollar or two.”

Pallone then suggested that the city raise each daily badge by $1, while charging students $3.

Long Branch Mayor Adam Schneider said that no matter what the city charges, the council will probably have to examine the fees next fall.

“Whatever the council decides, I’m fine with, and six months from now we’ll take a look,” he said. “I think we are going to sit down six months from now and say either we should have gone higher or good thing we didn’t push it far enough.

“If people think it’s too much, they won’t come; if they think it’s the right amount, they’ll go,” he added. “I don’t know what the number is where someone will say, ‘I’m not paying that.’ ”

Councilwoman Joy Bastelli suggested that it might be wise for the city to raise the seasonal badge $5 each year for the next three years in an attempt to ease beach fees to a new price.

At one point in the meeting, it was suggested that the seasonal badge be raised to $50, but Bastelli suggested raising it to $45.

“Understanding that we are in an economic crisis, so even if we raise it by $10 it would be fairer,” she said. “I think after we make the decision this year, I think next year we’re going to have to re-evaluate.”

Bastelli also suggested that if the city were to charge students, they should not raise the weekend student price to $5.

Councilwoman Kate Billings said that last summer was an unusual weather year and that the city should be cautious in raising fees too much.

“I thinkwe have to realize that last summer was a phenomenal summer weather-wise,” she said .

Business Administrator Howard Woolley Jr. said that under state law, the city cannot charge residents less than out-of-towners.

He said to circumvent those regulations, the city chargesmore for the daily weekend badge.

“I think the idea in increasing the weekends [fee] came from [that] the weekend people tend to bemore out-of-town people, so we are giving a lower rate to the people during the week,” he said.

He also said that gas prices are expected to rise this summer, and the last time there was a big increase, local businesses saw increased business.

Schneider said the city has not raised beach prices since he’s been in office, but the time has come to do so.

“We haven’t increased anything in 20 years,” he said. “We are cheaper than everyone else, and we will remain cheaper than everyone else.

“We are still a bargain, and I like that,” he added. “We always took the approach that we don’t want to raise fees as Pier Village was coming along.

“I’m really OK either way because I like the fact that we never raised it but I think now we have to.”

However, during the public portion of the council meeting, resident Vincent LePore was critical of the city for going back on its word.

“I think it’s a shame that you have to raise the fees on the kids,” he said. “I stood here on September 1 on the emergency beach resolution and warned you then that the powers that be would get those kids charged.”

In September the city approved $50,000 in emergency appropriations because salaries for beach staff went over budget due to the good summer weather.

Long Branch has 15 beaches: Seaview Avenue, Great Lawn, Madison Avenue, Laird Street, Chelsea Avenue, Melrose Terrace, Morris Avenue, Pavilion Avenue, North Bath Avenue, South Bath Avenue, Matilda Terrace, Cottage Place, West End, Brighton Avenue and New Court.

The beach season is from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and children under the age of 14 and seniors are allowed on the beach for free.