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Residents press Long Branch council on taxes, transparency and meeting access
Summary
During public comment Feb. 25, Long Branch residents questioned council decisions on fire apparatus purchases, campus renovations and the pier, called for greater transparency and asked for virtual/call‑in options for meetings.
Residents used the Feb. 25 public comment period to press the Long Branch City Council on spending priorities, transparency and public access to meetings.
Vincent Leapour (33 Ocean Terrace) criticized the council’s perceived lack of transparency and questioned a 50/50 funding split between the Long Branch First Aid and the Elberon First Aid squads, citing that Elberon handles fewer calls. Leapour also queried a listed payout to Johnson Restaurant Supply of $9,853.82 and asked whether a $1,867,345 contract (resolution R37) for fire apparatus purchases was the correct vehicle type: “City needs a tower bucket truck, not a ladder,” he said, and urged the council to explain procurement and ISO‑rating effects on homeowners.
Nick Delemo (580 Patton Avenue) pressed for clearer, earlier communication about projected tax impacts tied to multiple capital items. He told the council the pier contract is about $12 million with roughly $8 million appropriated and warned of “at least a 4 to 5 million shortfall” he expects will fall to taxpayers; he also cited a roughly $2 million fire engine purchase and possible building refurbishments as additional costs.
Another speaker, using the handle or identifier JPR234, urged the council to expand access to meetings via call‑ins or live comments and proposed forming a community advisory board for the local hospital, saying community‑centered care “requires community input.”
Mayor Palone responded during miscellaneous business by outlining existing outreach—coffee with the mayor, council office hours and town halls—and defended the administration’s record, saying the city has secured “tens of millions of dollars” in grants in recent years for projects including the pier, library, senior center and health/technology center. On the question of first aid squad funding, he described structural differences between entities (paid vs. volunteer service) and noted the city’s donations total roughly $70,000 to both squads as recorded at the meeting.
The meeting record shows the clerk provided a phone number for citizens seeking follow‑ups and said public council hours are held the first Wednesday of every month. Several speakers said they felt the public lacked adequate opportunity for back‑and‑forth dialogue during the formal public comment period.
