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Select Board hears resident account of being cited at North Monmouth Beach; motion seeks town letter on Article 6 access
Summary
A resident told the Select Board a property owner called police and threatened citation while the resident sat with a small group at North Monmouth Beach; the board recorded a motion asking the town manager to send a letter about Article 6 public-access conditions and possible suspension of town obligations. Vote result not recorded in the transcript.
A Monmouth resident told the Select Board on June 24 that a property owner called police and threatened to cite people who remained at North Monmouth Beach, prompting the board to consider a written request asking the owner to honor the Article 6 condition that funds are contingent on “full public access.”
The resident, who identified himself as a member of the Harry Dexter Wilson Pond Association, said about 10 days earlier a group of eight had been using the beach when the property owner asked them to leave and then called police. “If you leave, everything will be fine. But if you stay, I’ll be giving you a citation,” the resident said, describing the owner’s remark and saying the group moved to a private location rather than tie up the police.
The matter centers on language in Article 6 of the town warrant, which the Select Board and staff reviewed in the meeting. Speaker 4, who identified himself to the board as treasurer for town financial matters, told the board it could withhold town-funded maintenance or the town’s share of insurance payments if the public-access condition in the article was not being honored: “If you so instructed me, I would…I would refuse to pay the half of the insurance, and I could potentially tell Public Works not to maintain the property as well,” he said.
After public testimony the board recorded a motion. Speaker 9 moved “that we suspend the town’s actions that we started with Article 6, and ask the town manager to write a letter detailing that suspension and asking for full public access at the North Monmouth Beach.” Speaker 3 seconded the motion and Chair (speaker 11) put the motion on the record; the transcript captures the motion and the second but does not include a recorded yes/no vote or tally.
Why it matters: Article 6 conditions the town’s financial contributions on allowance of full public access, and residents told the board they fear being treated as trespassers at a location the warrant describes as subject to public access. The town’s treasurer and staff will need to determine legal steps and whether to withhold contributions under the article’s language.
What’s next: The motion asks the town manager to prepare a letter to the North Monmouth property group asserting the town’s interpretation of Article 6 and detailing any suspension of town maintenance or insurance contributions pending resolution. The transcript records the motion and second but does not show a final roll-call tally; the board also discussed seeking legal guidance and possibly addressing the matter in executive session with the town attorney.
