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Shore News Network

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Ocean County Board of Commissioners introduced its $608,759,015 budget for 2025 this week, promising no increase to the county property tax rate while funding a wide array of capital improvements and services to address population growth.

Key Points

• Ocean County introduced a $608.7 million budget with no increase to the property tax rate
• Major capital projects include school expansions, infrastructure upgrades, and airport improvements
• The budget invests heavily in public safety, education, transportation, and essential services

Deputy Director Frank Sadeghi highlighted the county’s rapid expansion, noting that the population currently exceeds 650,000 and is projected to reach one million. “Now is the time to address this,” he said. “Growth is not a bad thing. It brings economic benefits and greater opportunities.”

The proposed budget represents a $43.7 million increase over last year’s, with $497.9 million to be raised through taxation and $38.5 million from surplus funds. The tax rate will remain at 28.2 cents per $100 of equalized property value, supported by a ratable base of $176.5 billion, according to Director John P. Kelly.

A public hearing is scheduled for April 16 at the Ocean County Administration Building. The budget document is available online.

Key capital allocations include $93.6 million in capital improvements, with $25.2 million designated for the expansion of the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) in Stafford Township, and over $13 million for renovations at two other vocational-technical centers. Ocean County College will receive more than $6 million for instructional facility upgrades in healthcare-related programs.

Infrastructure spending features $11 million for improvements to Cross Street in Lakewood and $12 million toward the Route 539 overpass in Plumsted Township. Additional funding includes $1.2 million for hangars at Ocean County Airport.

The budget also maintains support for essential services: $93.6 million for law and public safety, $27.7 million for road upgrades, $19.1 million for social services, $9.6 million for parks and recreation, and over $9.5 million for senior, veteran, and human services programs.

Officials emphasized the county’s continued AAA bond rating and adherence to the state’s 2% budget cap. “Every budget continues our conservative and disciplined approach to keeping Ocean County affordable while we also invest in our future,” Kelly said.

The Lakewood Scoop

The Ocean County Board of Commissioners introduced the 2025 Ocean County budget March 19 noting the measure addresses the growth in the County while keeping the County property tax rate stable.

Deputy Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Frank Sadeghi said Ocean County has seen dramatic increases in its population often leading the state in growth.

“As of right now, our population stands at just over 650,000 residents,” Sadeghi said. “Based on projections, you can see that number is expected to increase substantially. I believe our population will hit about a million residents in the not too distant future.

“Now is the time to address this,” he said. “Growth is not a bad thing. It brings economic benefits and greater opportunities to the area. We need to address this by increasing services and expanding facilities where we can.”

The introduced 2025 Ocean County budget totals $608,759,015, which is an increase over the 2024 budget of $43,714,505. The amount to be raised by taxation is $497,909,182, an increase of $42 million. The amount of surplus used in this budget is $38,500,000.

“I believe this budget addresses our current needs and moves us soundly and decisively into the future,” Sadeghi said.

Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners John P. Kelly said the 2025 ratable base is $176.5 billion.

“The ratable base helps us to maintain a stable Ocean County property tax rate at 28.2 cents per $100 of equalized property value,” he said.

A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for the Board’s 4 p.m., April 16 meeting at the Ocean County Administration Building, here. The budget document is available online at www.co.ocean.nj.us

Sadeghi, during the Board of Commissioners meeting, highlighted several of the capital projects that are part of the 2025 budget. Funding for capital improvements in the budget total is $93,567,306, an increase of $22,319,617.

“These projects address the needs of our educational facilities including the Ocean County Vocational Technical Schools and Ocean County College,” he said. “It also provides funding for infrastructure improvements for our roads and bridges and also to help with economic development.”

Sadeghi said $25.2 million is being appropriated for the expansion of the MATES academy in Stafford Township which is one of the academies run by the county’s vo-tech school system.

“The Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science is a state of the art instructional facility that provides our high schoolers with exceptional opportunities,” Sadeghi said. “These students are our future doctors, astronauts, and engineers. We are providing them with the tools they need to succeed.”

The budget also includes more than $13 million for renovations to two other vo-tech centers.

“Again, all of this provides opportunity to enter into well-paying careers after high school and we hope these students will stay right here in Ocean County,” he said.

More than $6 million will be used at Ocean County College to renovate instructional facilities for dental hygienist programs and radiography and veterinary labs.

Commissioner Jennifier Bacchione, liaison to Ocean County College, emphasized the importance of investing in the future of Ocean County.

“We have to keep up with the needs of a growing county and also stay within our means,” she said.

The commissioners are appropriating about $1.2 million for hangars at the Ocean County Airport in Berkeley Township.

“This airport is a great hub for commerce,” Sadeghi said.

Two large infrastructure projects in the 2025 budget are improvements to Cross Street in Lakewood a major thoroughfare in that area for $11 million and $12 million will help fund the Route 539 overpass in Plumsted Township which will bring needed safety improvements to everyone using the Joint Base.

“All of these projects, and these are just examples, represent a true investment in the future of Ocean County,” Sadeghi said.

The budget includes funding for all essential county services including: Programs for seniors – home delivered meals and outreach – veterans and human services – $9.5 million and an additional $6 million in grants; road improvements that provide safety upgrades for drivers and pedestrians, $27.7 million; social services programs, $19.1 million; parks and recreation, $9.6 million; transportation programs including Ocean Ride, $4.1 million, and an additional $3.1 million in grants and law and public safety, $93.6 million.

“All the beautiful downtowns, beaches, farms, and all the amenities Ocean County has lose value if our residents and visitors are not safe so it’s imperative we fund our law enforcement and public safety agencies because their efforts keep us safe,” he said.

Kelly said the budget allows the County to maintain its AAA bond rating which enhances the County’s long term economic goals.

“The bond rating is key to securing low interest rates when we have to bond for capital projects,” Kelly said. “It’s a cost saving for the County.”

He added every annual County budget meets the state mandated 2 percent cap.

“Every budget continues our conservative and disciplined approach to keeping Ocean County affordable while we also invest in our future,” Kelly said.

Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haines joined the other Board members in extending her appreciation to Ocean County Chief Financial Officer Julie Tarrant and the County staff for their efforts in preparing the budget.

“This budget enables us to continue to provide the many important services we offer to our citizens and stays within the two percent cap,” she said.

Asbury Park Press

By Erik Larsen

TOMS RIVER — County taxes will remain the same, but spending will go up slightly under a new $609 million budget to fund Ocean County government operations and various capital projects in 2025, according to a preliminary review on Wednesday.

The current property tax rate of 28.2 cents per $100 of equalized assessed value will remain stable over the next year, with $497.9 million of the budget to be raised by taxation in 2025 — an increase of $42 million, the cost of which is offset by a growing base of taxable real estate in the county valued at $176.5 billion, according to the review presented to the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Wednesday. Even though the county sets a single tax rate, the amount each town pays varies. This is because a state formula distributes the county tax burden based on the total value of all taxable properties in each town.

During an agenda session or “pre-board meeting” of the board, Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, co-liaison to the Finance Department, reiterated his belief that Ocean County’s population will reach one million full-time residents by the mid-21st century. The population was 637,229 in the 2020 Census and was estimated to have increased to 659,197 as of 2023.

“There are roughly 9,000 kids that are born in Lakewood alone, in just one municipality, every year,” Sadeghi said.

The population growth in Lakewood was attributed to the need for the reconstruction and widening of Cross Street, which is expected to cost the county government $11 million in 2025.

Highlights of the proposed 2025 budget also includes:

• General capital improvements: $94 million;
• Replacement of Dover Road bridges: $3 million;
• Route 539 overpass in Plumsted: $12 million;
• Commonwealth Bridge in Manchester: $3.2 million;
• Stormwater management: $5.5 million;
• Renovation of Jackson Center (Phase III), Ocean County Vocational Technical School District: $5.2 million;
• Expansion of Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, OCVTS, Stafford: $25.2 million;
• Renovations to Waretown Center, OCVTS: $8.2 million;
• Radiography and Veterinary Laboratories, Ocean County College, Toms River: $3.2 million;
• Administration Building, OCC, Toms River: $3 million;
• Relocation of fuel tank – design and construction, Ocean County Airport, Berkeley: $3.8 million;
• Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning design for county airport terminal, Berkeley: $240,000;
• Design for maintenance hangar, county airport, Berkeley: $800,000;
• Design for two box aircraft hangar, county airport, Berkeley: $460,000.

A formal introduction of the budget is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Ocean County Administration Building at 101 Hooper Ave. in downtown Toms River.

A public hearing and adoption of the budget would take place a month later on April 16 at the same time and place.

Asbury Park Press

By Erik Larsen

TOMS RIVER — Ocean County is defying Gov. Phil Murphy and will cooperate with federal immigration authorities, while at the same time demanding the state pay millions more to cover the cost of increased enrollment of undocumented students in local school districts.

The all-Republican county Board of Commissioners — which has sparred with the state’s Democratic governor on immigration enforcement in the past — adopted a resolution Wednesday that calls on the Murphy administration and state Legislature to revise its school funding formula to “provide full funding for the cost to educate multilingual learner students attending our schools.”

Commissioner Jennifier Bacchione, a former president of the Berkeley Board of Education, said that Murphy had made New Jersey “a sanctuary state” and that his administration had a fiduciary responsibility to compensate those communities negatively impacted by such policies.

“One district within our 33 municipalities has the issue of educating the multilingual learners, who are mostly coming from the undocumented,” Bacchione said.

After the meeting, Bacchione said the district in question is the Toms River Regional School District, which was operating with a $12.4 million budget deficit as of last month.

Mike Kenny, a spokesman for Toms River Regional Schools, said there are 945 multilingual learners in the district. That’s out of about 14,500 students in the district.

The district did not provide what percentage of the 945 students were undocumented.

Bacchione said the multilingual learners require special assistance to educate at a total cost of more than $23.5 million as of Oct. 9. The cost per pupil to educate a multilingual learner in the Toms River district was $25,000, Bacchione and Kenny said.

The commissioner emphasized that the resolution was not intended to stigmatize or remove those children from the student rolls, only to recognize the financial hardship that the Murphy administration has imposed on the taxpayers of Ocean County.

“Not that we do not want to teach, we want to teach and educate our children,” she said. “However, the state should provide the funding.”

In order to educate those students, the district needed 21 teachers, one English as a Second Language coordinator and one English as a Second Language coach, with the cost of each specialized faculty member about $75,000, she said.

“This is putting more of a burden to the taxpayers,” Bacchione said. “On that resolution, we are asking Gov. Murphy to fund what he has provided for in the sanctuary state.”

In a statement to the Asbury Park Press on Thursday, Kenny said the multilingual learners require “many additional supports.”

“Given the additional costs districts incur, the state should consider a separate category of school aid for MLs, like they have for special needs children,” Kenny said.

A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately comment.

After the meeting, county commission Director Jack Kelly, an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel were welcome to visit the Ocean County Jail to cross-reference inmate information with their own databases.

“I want to cooperate with ICE,” Kelly said. “It’s always been my directive and it still is.”

When asked if the county government was in compliance with the Murphy administration’s “Immigrant Trust Directive,” which since 2018 has limited the types of assistance New Jersey law enforcement officers may provide to federal immigration authorities, Kelly was defiant.

“Who knows?” he replied. “But we’re doing it anyway.”

After the directive went into force, the Board of Commissioners in 2019 unsuccessfully sued the administration over the rights of county law enforcement agencies to cooperate with the federal government on immigration enforcement in Ocean County.

News 12

By Tom Krosnowski

County officials are now threatening a $1 billion lawsuit for the power outages that took place over the last few months.

Ocean County officials are threatening legal action against Jersey Central Power & Light, their power supplier, unless service improves.

“We have outages on a weekly basis,” said Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi. “Our message to JCP&L is that electricity and power is a necessity. It’s not just a luxury item anymore.”

News12 has reported on recent mass outages that delayed school openings and disrupted holidays across the region.

Sadeghi says the lack of capacity is even turning away business development.

“It impacts the economy of Ocean County on many levels – the rateables that are not going to occur for five-10 years, the jobs that it creates that are not going to be happening,” Sadeghi said.

County government is now threatening a massive lawsuit if things don’t improve.

“I’m saying $1 billion,” Sadeghi said. “I think maybe the billion dollars is light – I think maybe we should go $1.5 billion. I need to have concrete answers. When is it going to happen, how much money is it going to take, when are you going to complete – when are you going to start the project?”

JCP&L spokesperson Chris Hoenig replied with a statement, saying:

“JCP&L continues to invest in our infrastructure along the Jersey Shore and throughout our service territory to enhance service reliability and meet the current and anticipated future demand for electricity. We look forward to working with our elected officials at the municipal, county and state level now and into the future.”

The county and the power company have been meeting, with the next update set for February.

Asbury Park Press

By Erik Larsen

TOMS RIVER — Citing ongoing service issues, the acting director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners said at Monday’s organizational meeting that the county must pursue legal action against Jersey Central Power & Light.

“I say that we immediately file a suit against JCP&L in the amount of $1 billion,” said Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, who was appointed deputy director of the board and took over as its chair in the absence of Board Director Jack Kelly.

While some commissioners nodded in the affirmative to Sadeghi’s expanded comments on the issue, the board took no action on Monday. Sadeghi said the county government will find a way to get the attention of the electric company whose corporate parent, FirstEnergy, is headquartered not in New Jersey but in Ohio, he noted.

“JCP&L continues to invest in our infrastructure along the Jersey Shore and throughout our service territory to enhance service reliability and meet the current and anticipated future demand for electricity,” said Chris Hoenig, a spokesman for JCP&L. “We look forward to working with our elected officials at the municipal, county and state level now and into the future.”

Lakewood, New Jersey’s fastest growing town, has seen its population explode by 46% in the last decade, exceeding 133,000 residents with estimates topping 150,000. Sadeghi, a local civil engineer and businessman, argues that JCP&L’s investment in the area has not kept pace with this dramatic growth, resulting in demand exceeding supply.

Sadeghi observed there have been ongoing power outages — most recently in the Manchester and Lakewood areas — and that more than a dozen commercial construction projects planned in Lakewood are on hold because JCP&L is unable to provide electricity to power them.

“They cannot complete these office buildings,” Sadeghi said.

The commissioner complained that the county government arranges meetings with JCP&L executives, they have conversations about what needs to be done but ultimately nothing gets done.

New commissioners sworn in

The organizational meeting also saw the commissioner’s oath of office administered to newly-elected Commissioners Robert Arace and Jennifier Bacchione, both Republicans. Both commissioners had actually been sworn into office on Friday. The five-member board has been all-Republican since 1993.

In his public remarks, Arace said he believed further investment in infrastructure was required to meet the demands of a growing population. He also said protecting open space elsewhere to preserve the county’s natural character and environmental integrity was just as necessary. Additionally, Arace endorsed the expansion of the county’s vocational schools, “to equip students with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in today’s workforce.”

On the other end of the generational perspective, Arace said he would ensure robust services for the county’s senior citizens to protect “the dignity they deserve in their golden years.” Ocean County is home to more than 200,000 people who are 65 and older.

“I promise we will not let you down,” Bacchione said. “We’ll do everything possible to provide you with government you can respect and the government you deserve. I will work with my fellow commissioners to make county government more responsive and transparent to the needs of our residents, including our seniors and veterans.”

Bacchione said the county government needed to find a solution to its homeless issue, which she said “has gotten worse over the past few years.” She also criticized Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration for turning New Jersey into what she said is a “sanctuary state,” which she opined had burdened school districts with tens of millions of dollars in additional costs and increased the cost of living for everyone.

Arace was assigned a portfolio that includes parks and recreation, culture and heritage preservation, senior services, veterans services and Ocean Ride (the county’s modest public transit system).

Bacchione’s portfolio includes public health, the county clerk’s office and county election board, business development and tourism, the county’s public library system, the Ocean County College Board of Trustees and County Connection.

Sadeghi said that Kelly, 73, — appointed director of the Board of Commissioners for 2025 at the meeting — had been unable to travel to the county seat from his home in Eagleswood due to Monday’s snowstorm.

Asbury Park Press

By Frank Sadeghi

With all the noise and rancor of the presidential campaign consuming everyone’s attention and energy, a critical rule change being made by the Murphy Administration — which could have a potentially calamitous impact on Ocean County and the entire Jersey Shore — went almost completely unnoticed. I am talking about the 1,044-page, so-called Resilient Environments and Landscape Rule Proposal, otherwise known as REAL.

Most of you are probably asking yourselves: What the heck is that? Therein lies the problem. Most residents I have spoken to during my travels around my home County of Ocean know nothing about these proposed state regulations, nor do they have any sense of the potentially grave economic and financial impact on their lives it could cause.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts of several elected officials, business leaders, and other stakeholders, Gov. Phil Murphy and the NJDEP recently closed public comment on the proposal and are preparing to move forward.

I think this is a huge mistake and urge them to reconsider. I am also urging Jersey Shore residents to make their voices heard — public comment timeframe be damned!

As an Ocean County Commissioner — but also as a Certified Municipal & Professional Engineer who owns an Engineering business and a building company on the Jersey Shore, and who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Land Surveying from the NJ Institute of Technology and a Master’s degree in City & Regional Planning from Rutgers University — let me quickly summarize what we are all facing.

In short, the proposed REAL Rule will render a growing number of development and redevelopment projects as surefire financial losers, effectively creating “No Build Zones” on the barrier islands and coastal communities of Ocean County and elsewhere. Further, should another Superstorm Sandy or similarly damaging storm hit our county, the REAL Rule will adversely impact the ability of people to rebuild, should they so choose.

The REAL Rule will severely reduce property values, starve shore communities of local tax revenue, and mandate expensive flood insurance, even in areas that have never flooded and likely will never flood. Our friends in Cape May County have pointed out that these proposal rules are based on projected sea-level rise for the year 2100 that has less than a 1-in-5 chance of occurring. Make no mistake, this is radical ideology masked as science to frighten people, and it is wrong.

Perhaps most alarming of all, is that the proposed rule calls for a “managed retreat” (that is really what it says!) for residents and business owners on the Jersey Shore and even in urban river communities like Hoboken. A “managed retreat” is what the NJDEP refers to as a “climate adaptation strategy,” which they hope leads to government buyouts of at-risk properties in coastal areas.

The proposed new regulations are so absurd and extreme that they would even seek to impose mandates on things like the construction and storage of lifeguard stands, as well as force new rules governing the location and capacity of beach badge sheds, which local towns use as a base of operation for not only distributing badges, but where many house equipment used to keep people safe and maintain the beach.

While the REAL Rule is being presented as a way to protect residents, what it does in reality is make it harder to live, work, and develop along the coast. That is why I stand with The League of Municipalities and others across the state who believe that more time is needed for these regulations to be refined in a manner where we can find common ground, and where the public has the opportunity to weigh-in more fully on something that will have significant consequences for generations to come.

Frank Sadeghi is a member of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners, where he serves as liaison to the Ocean County Division of Business Development and Tourism. He is the principal owner of Morgan Engineering and Ayra Properties and is Certified Municipal Engineer and Professional Engineer in the state of New Jersey.

Shore News Network

TOMS RIVER, NJ – Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi paid a visit to Luke, an 11-year-old entrepreneur and founder of the up-and-coming startup “Luke’s Firewood,” to discuss the challenges of running a small business and the dedication required to succeed.

Luke, who started his business providing firewood to local residents, spoke with Sadeghi about pricing strategies and the hard work involved in growing his venture. Despite his young age, Luke is already earning praise for his business acumen and strong work ethic.

“I believe by the time he finishes his education, he’s going to be well-versed in business acumen,” said Sadeghi, reflecting on Luke’s efforts and determination.

The commissioner noted that young entrepreneurs like Luke are a sign of a thriving local economy, emphasizing the importance of supporting innovation and ambition among the county’s youth.

Ocean County officials and residents see a promising future in the energy and drive of young entrepreneurs, predicting the region will continue to grow as a hub of economic activity.

Jersey Shore Online

By Stephanie A. Faughnan

OCEAN COUNTY – Despite concerns about the future of a Code Blue shelter in Toms River’s Riverwood Park Recreation Center, homeless individuals in Ocean County will continue to have access to warm shelter during freezing temperatures.

Ocean County is required by state law to implement and fund Code Blue emergency warming centers. However, the shelters may be operated by non-profit organizations that have experience serving homeless individuals.

The Code Blue activation period runs from November 1 to March 31, with the highest risk of personal harm occurring from December to February.

Last year, the list of Code Blue warming centers included the one facilitated by Just Believe in Riverview Park, and others run by Refuge House of Prayer in Toms River, True Vine Community Service in Bayville and Forked River, and Greater Bethel Church-Faith Fellowship in Lakewood.

Reliable sources have indicated that the county intends to use one of its buildings in the Pleasant Plains section of Toms River to ensure there are enough beds to protect the homeless from extreme cold weather this season.

Authorities have not yet named the non-profit that will facilitate the dedicated county-owned warming center operations. The facility is expected to accommodate between 30 to 50 people.

Ocean County’s budget for Code Blue funding is nearly $400,000 this season. This includes $225,000 from the Board of Commissioners and $130,000 from the New Jersey Division of Family Development. An additional $35,815 represents the first disbursement from the Ocean County Homelessness Trust Fund.

“When we created this trust fund in 2023, one of the key uses for the money was to help fund the Code Blue program which provides overnight warming centers for the homeless when temperatures fall below freezing,” said Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Barbara Jo Crea in a press release. “These centers also provide resources and services needed to put our residents back on the road to self-sufficiency. This is an important step by the Trust Fund’s Task Force that will help our residents.”

Commissioner Frank Sadeghi, liaison to the Department of Human Services, expressed confidence that everyone needing help during the Code Blue season will find it. He said the county expects to have at least 150 Code Blue beds available this season across five warming centers, including the new one which would be owned by the county.

Last season, the highest number of beds used in a single night was 85, which was 55 percent of the county’s total capacity. With a projected 30 percent increase in demand for the upcoming season, the county plans to provide at least 110 beds at peak times.

NJCounts is New Jersey’s annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Conducted in the last ten days of January, it tracks individuals and families experiencing homelessness, including those in emergency shelters, transitional housing, safe havens, or living on the streets. 

While the final numbers for the January 2024 PIT Count are not yet available, 2023 data reveals that Ocean County had 302 households, comprising 434 people, experiencing homelessness. Notably, 108 of the total number of households cited domestic violence as a significant factor contributing to their homelessness. Toms River reported the highest number, with 48 percent of the county’s homeless population, followed by Lakewood at 15.1 percent.

Toms River Mayor Daniel Rodrick has said that he does not believe that all of the homeless individuals within the community are Toms River natives, and that this town shouldn’t bear the burden for the region.

“Toms River will no longer be a depository for the county’s homeless,” he told The Toms River Times. “The prior administration allowed a homeless camp to grow and fester. My administration is working with the (State Department of Community Affairs) on a plan to clear out the camp. Just Believe brought nearly 300 homeless people into Toms River from all over Monmouth and Ocean County last year. If the liberal do-gooders on the County Board of Commissioners move forward on this, we will take legal action against them and Just Believe. We will not let them turn Toms River into San Francisco!”

The County Commissioners are all Republican.

The Homelessness Trust Fund is supported by a $5 surcharge on most recorded documents with the Ocean County Clerk’s Office. This money is used to fund local programs, with $2 of each surcharge specifically allocated for the Code Blue program.

Crea pointed out that state guidelines restrict the use of these funds from being used to build a homeless shelter. Ocean County has faced criticism for not having a county-run shelter. Earlier this year, the Board of Commissioners allocated $12.5 million from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to non-profits to help prevent homelessness and support the unhoused. The funds include provisions for transitional housing.  

In today’s GSI on the Road, Shore Edition,” clip we discuss the impact Trenton policies have on New Jersey small businesses with Ocean County Commissioner Frank Sadeghi.