Correction: The Borough did purchase a new boat for Emergency Management and the Fire Company in the event high water necessitates evacuation from flooded areas. It's cost is $6,000, not $65,000, as printed in the December Reporter.

Organizational Meeting, January 2, 2006

Borough Clerk Irene Ryan administered the Oath of Office to John H. Jones for another term as Councilman, expiring December 31, 2008. She also administered the Oath of Office to Councilman Douglas Popaca to serve as Mantoloking Fire Chief for one year.

Council is now bipartisan. Peter R. Strohm, a Democrat, stood with his two godsons, Benjamin McAnaney, a law student at Columbia, and Erik Must, a sophomore at Toms River North, while Borough Clerk Ryan administered his Oath of Office for a three-year term as Councilman. Wyatt Earp, the Ocean County Democratic Chairman, read a glowing endorsement of Councilman Strohm from Congress- man Frank Pallone, Jr. recognizing all he has done for the State of New Jersey.

Councilman Gillingham thanked Council for the "priviledge of serving as Council President for the past two years. I will always consider it an honor to have done so." For 2006, he would like this honor for his three-time running mate, Rusty Husted, who has indicated he will retire from Council at the end of this year. Election to Council President will recognize his years of tireless service to the Borough. He has led the effort to preserve and replenish the beach in this reach, and because of him, the Borough has accrued nearly one million dollars for this project when it is eventually approved. Therefore, "it is my pleasure to nominate Rusty Husted for President of the Borough Council." He was elected.

Resolutions to confirm the appointment of Officials, Committees and Boards for 2006, to author-ize the award of a Contract for Professional Services, the naming of Official Depositories, the payment of bills, to designate Official Newspapers, to set the Temporary Budget, to direct Delinquent Tax Collection, to name the local Emergency Planning Committee, to name the Tax Appeal Agents, and to adopt a Cash Management Plan, were passed

All appointments and resolutions can be found on the website, mantoloking.org.

The first public hearing for the 2006 Community Development Block Grant program was held to announce the availability of CDBG funding and to solicit public comment. No one commented at this meeting.

Reminders: When snow is on the ground or forcast, all cars must be off the streets to enable plowing. . . .In January, Borough dog licenses are due for renewal. . . . .The Mantoloking Directory will be mailed to all residents mid-May. Please check your listing. If you have additions or corrections, please e-mail them to ccwilder@comcast.net.

Council Meeting January 17, 2006

All Council members were at this meeting which was opened promptly at 8:00 pm by Mayor Dunbar. He said that no date has been set for the opening of the bridge. There is much working and testing to be done to make sure it is in perfect operational mode. . . . A very large pipe, about 30 feet long and one-plus foot circumference made its way to the Bergen Avenue end of the south lagoon; a barge from the bridge eventually retrieved it.

The Mayor and Council approved the appointment of James L. Fennessy as Alternate Municipal Prosecutor.

Police Chief Ortley reported 135 total incidents for December, a relatively quiet time for the police.

Fire Chief Popaca said there were fourteen fire calls in December, ten of which were alarms.

Councilman Nebel accepted the report of the Municipal Finance Officer, Michelle Swisher as of November, 2005.

Councilman Popaca reintroduced Ordinances Nos. 502 through 508. They all deal with storm water management: stormwater control, pet solid waste disposal, littering, handling of yard waste, disposal of materials other than storm water in the Municipal separate storm water system, prohibiting the feeding of unconfined wildlife in any public park, and prohibiting illicit connections to the separate storm water system. These were passed by title only.

Ordinance No. 509, providing for private traffic duty by members of the Police Department and establishing compensation and administrative fees for such acticity was passed by title only.

Ordinance No. 510, to exceed the 2006 Municipal Budget Appropriation Limits and to establish a Cap Bank was passed by title only.

The following resolutions were moved by Finance Chairman, Councilman Nebel:

To adopt appropriation reserve transfers; to pay the bills for January, 2006; to authorize the award of contracts for professional services; to provide other professional service and maintenance contracts for 2006; to award miscellaneus service and maintenance contracts for 2006; to establish employee salaries for 2006; and to release 2005 unused vacation compensation for the Borough Superintendent.

At the last meeting, Councilman Gillingham was asked to find some unused space to establish a Borough library. There just isn't any extra space, not even a shelf.

A Resolution to appoint Jennifer L. Andreyev as Police Department Dispatcher/Records Clerk as of January 16, 2006 was passed.

Jersey Central Power and Light will be replacing about fifty street lights in the Borough in 2006 and will cost the Borough about $1,300 more a month This project will be taking place in all of New Jersey. A representative of the Jersey Central Power Company will be at the February Council Meeting.

By doing a large amount of work in the Borough by Borough employees, over $62,000 has been saved over the past year.

The surplus Municipal Personal Property advertised for sale has been sold: the fire siren, the boat trailer, the generator and the waterous pumpfor a total of $1,700.

The Borough will apply to the 2006 Community Development Block Grant Program for funding for handicap and bay and ocean-access walkways.

Councilman Popaca, Chairman of the Archives and Records Committee, said the Boroughs of Mantoloking, Point Pleasant Beach, Bay Head and Lavallette are requesting County help to reduce the loads of stored records by assisting in putting it on disk and/or microfiche.

The concern about water pressure has prompted the Water Company to install pressure recorders in areas that have received complaints. A representative may visit your house. . .The Water Company has installed permanent, reflective stakes on all fire hydrants in Mantoloking.

Councilman Husted reported that since the beach was bulldozed, subsequent storms had washed away about half that sand. There is a big cushion of sand in front of the dunes, but more bulldozing will have to be done in the late spring or early summer when more sand is available.

A Dune Walk report is posted on the internet, Councilman Jones announced.

A Resolution to urge Congress to pass the Water Resourses Development Act (WRDA), that Federal support is critical to the sustained health of our coastal resourses and communities, was passed.

Council adjourned at 8:27 pm to go into executive session. The next Council meeting will be February 21, 2006 at 8:00 pm.

The Reporter is compiled and edited by Christine Wilder.