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Beach Haven council bans pickleball at municipal tennis courts, introduces $17.4M 2026 budget and approves consent agenda
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Summary
On April 13, 2026 the Beach Haven Borough Council adopted Ordinance 2026-6c to prohibit pickleball at its municipal tennis facilities, approved a multi-item consent agenda, and introduced the $17,387,797.25 2026 municipal budget with a public hearing set for May 11.
Beach Haven — The Beach Haven Borough Council on Monday adopted Ordinance 2026-6c, a final-reading amendment to Chapter 184 of the borough code that prohibits pickleball play at the municipal tennis courts. Council member Mike McCaffrey moved the ordinance and a second was recorded; roll-call votes by the five members present were recorded as yes and the measure passed.
The ordinance was opened for public comment at final reading but no members of the public spoke. The clerk identified the ordinance on the agenda as a change to the municipal tennis-courts rules and confirmed it was submitted for final action.
The council also approved a lengthy consent agenda by a single motion. The consent packet included resolution items such as Resolution 83 (certified list of eligibles for the Beach Haven Fire Company 2025 LOSAP), Resolution 90 (authorizing a borough-owned-property online auction under NJSA 40A:12-14, described in the meeting as a boat-slip auction), Resolution 94 (change order for the 2025 Emergency Operations Center), personnel acknowledgments and new hire notices, and contract awards including Shore Connection Inc. for water-main and sewer-lateral projects. The consent agenda was adopted on a roll-call vote with members recording yes votes.
The council introduced the borough's 2026 municipal budget, listing total appropriations of $17,387,797.25 (an increase of $1,179,647.63, or 7.28%, over 2025). The clerk said the amount to be raised by taxation is $9,535,712.03 and noted the council will consider a 1.5-cent increase that would set the tax rate at 0.428. Notable line-item changes cited at the meeting included a 0.82% ($46,280.47) increase in salary and wages, a 10.76% ($1,133,367.16) rise in operating expenses, a 14% increase in liability insurance, and a 25% increase in group health insurance (approximately $550,000). The council approved publication of the budget and scheduled a public hearing for May 11, 2026 at 6 p.m.
Council members voiced concern about the size of cost increases. One council member said, "it's alarming to hear the increases," and noted the council was using more surplus to balance the budget. The clerk and mayor emphasized ongoing efforts to pare back expenses where feasible and to seek additional information from state or county partners on shared projects that affect borough costs.
The meeting also included approval of a bills list totalling $4,438,344.46. That payment motion passed on a roll-call vote.
The council adjourned after final remarks thanking local donors who donated a mural depicting the new Borough Hall and encouraging residents to contact the county with questions about ongoing county projects.
