Amid a looming deadline for new elevation requirements under the National Flood Insurance Program, the township council is pushing for homes already elevated under the last requirements instead be grandfathered in.

The impact would be in Coastal A Zones, and newly changed requirements on elevating homes that are in the zone as part of the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps. The changes means a homeowner who planned to raise their home one elevation may have to return to the drawing board and make another plan for a new elevation. The grace period ends March 21.

Berkeley, which saw severe damage along its mainland bayfront and barrier island sections, has about 400 homes in the new Coastal A zone.

The township council passed a resolution in support of grandfathering “to protect the homeowners whose homes were built to elevations acceptable at the time of construction or reconstruction,” said Mayor Carmen Amato.

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“Meet the Mayor” Nights Scheduled

BERKELEY – As part of his “Meet the Mayor” program – an effort to make local government more open and accessible – Mayor Carmen F. Amato, Jr. announced new evening office hours for Berkeley Township residents.

“Elected officials have an obligation to be as accessible as possible to our constituents,” said Mayor Amato. “During my time in office, I have held countless town hall meetings, regularly meet with constituents outside of regular business hours, and have created additional avenues for residents to contact local government.”

The next “Meet the Mayor” event will be held Thursday, February 25th at Berkeley Town Hall from 5:30 to 7:00pm. “I encourage all residents to share their suggestions, concerns or complaints, aimed at improving government responsiveness to taxpayers and improving the quality of life in town,” said Mayor Amato.

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New rules on how to shelter and tether your dog will better protect against animal cruelty, said supporters advocating for the ordinance.

Berkeley Township approved its amendments to the animal control ordinance, voting last month, after animal rights advocates contacted the township urging it to protect animals from being left outside for long hours in extreme temperatures. Besides limiting the amount of time an animal can be tethered over a 24-hour period, it also outlines what kind of tether can be used and mandates provisions for adequate food, water and shelter.

Though it was under consideration last year, the ordinance was being reviewed by the council’s legislative committee and never made it to a final vote, which lead to supporters such as Louise O’Brien and other animal rights activists to ask the council to again look at the changes and vote to amend the ordinance. The council did, introducing it at its early January meeting and voting to approve it at its last meeting.
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BERKELEY – Mayor Carmen Amato would like residents to be aware of the notice issued by the New Jersey Lottery warning players to beware of scammers sending false notifications about lottery prizes.

Recently, some New York Lottery players received fraudulent letters that misused the lottery’s name and logo and the name of a lottery supplier. The letters asked the players to call a telephone number and when they did so they were asked to send money to “claim their prizes.” That is not how State Lotteries operate. You should never be required to send money to claim a New Jersey Lottery prize and you should never respond to a letter, email, text message, telephone call or other communication that asks you to send money to collect a lottery prize.<!–more–>

After concerns that their calls were falling on deaf ears, the township announced the state would join efforts to study Frederick Drive and Route 9, the site of a recent pedestrian fatality.

The study, paid for by the township and the state, would look at what safety improvements would be possible on the state road there. Mayor Carmen Amato said the intersection has been an ongoing safety issue they’ve been trying to address for years.

At the most recent council meeting, Amato said “I updated the Council as well, that I asked Lieutenant Governor Guadagno for her assistance with the Department of Transportation. The Lieutenant Governor and her staff immediately went to action on our behalf.”<!–more–>

The reorganization meeting is the formal ceremony of swearing in elected officials for their new terms, but it is also used as a means to set the goals and pace for the coming year.

In speeches to a packed audience, the mayor and council took the moment to spell out what they would like to work on – or continue – for 2016.

Mayor Carmen Amato, taking his second term as mayor, has served on the council and boards of education for more than two decades. Simply put, Amato said he hopes to continue all that’s been set in motion to make Berkeley the best place it can be, and his colleagues on the council agreed.

“This is a great privilege, and I promise to work each and every day to serve you to the best of my ability,” Amato said after being sworn in.<!–more–>

BERKELEY – Outgoing Councilman Anthony G. DePaola spent his last council meeting in his council seat, receiving and giving warm thanks for the chance to serve.

DePaola had an unexpired term for this year, and in January was sworn in after Councilman Robert Ray stepped down. That term ended December 31.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve, it was a pleasure,” DePaola said. The mayor and council returned the thanks, citing his help and work on the council over the past year.<!–more–>

BERKELEY – An appellate court has sided with the township in its decision to not endorse Berkeley Family Apartments’ plan to use Superstorm Sandy money toward affordable housing apartments on Route 9.

Mayor Carmen Amato said the developers, Berkeley Family Apartments, applied to the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency for financing for 100 percent affordable, multi-family units near JFK Boulevard. He said the township was opposed to this and that he wrote to the agency saying that Berkeley Council would not issue a resolution of need for this project as is required.
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