The Asbury Park City Council held its latest meeting on May 28, 2025, at 6 pm in the Municipal Building Council Chambers. On the council bench were Mayor John Moor, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, Councilmembers Angela Ahbez-Anderson, Eileen Chapman, and Yvonne Clayton.
During the meeting, they announced the hiring of a new city manager, key financial ordinances, infrastructure improvements, and city budget matters and. Here’s a breakdown of the major takeaways.
Adam E. Cruz was announced as the new City Manager for Asbury Park with a start date of June 9, 2025 with a salary of $185,000 annually. Nothing further regarding Mr. Cruz was discussed during the meeting.
The council unanimously passed Ordinance No. 2025-10, authorizing a 1.0 % increase in the City’s 2025 municipal budget appropriations to 3.5%, exceeding the standard 2.5% cap permitted under the Local Government Cap Law by utilizing statutory expectations. This increase, totaling approximately $1.77 million, is intended to support the health, safety, and welfare of residents. The ordinance allows unused portions of the budget cap increase to carry over for the next two years. This will likely be a topic of interest at the upcoming budget presentation on June 26th.
The Cookman Avenue and Bond Street Intersection received a funding boost. Another development came with the addition of Ordinance No. 2025-11, which allocates $640,000 for improvements. The project will include traffic signal upgrades, curb and sidewalk repairs, ADA improvements, and pavement work. This project is supported by $184,000 from the City’s Transportation Capital Surplus and a $ 456,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets to Transit Program.
Bond ordinance 2025-12 was also introduced, providing $5 million for sewer system repairs throughout the city. JoAnn Boos, Chief Financial Officer of the city, explained that the reason for this ordinance is due to issues with road collapses and equipment failures. Although this was met with general support, journalist and community member Michelle Gladden used the public comment session to call for greater transparency around the funding source. She asked, “Is this a proactive choice?” Boos confirmed that it was, stating, “We want to make sure we can get on top of them right away and not have to worry about funding.”
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The city’s broader 2025 budget was also reviewed, along with discussions centered on tax increases needed to fund public services, infrastructure maintenance, and community development programs. While the increase has raised some concerns among residents, officials emphasized its necessity to maintain essential services.
JoAnn Boos, the Chief Financial Officer for the city, presented a detailed presentation that takes a deeper look into the municipal budget. She highlights budget challenges, including a 23% increase in insurance costs, a 17.73% rise in state health benefits costs, and a 58% jump in trash removal expenses, along with continued pressure from inflation.
The presentation also outlined the budget’s revenue for 2025 compared to 2024. Increases include a $1 million rise in surplus, a $2,086,668 increase in municipal revenues, a $1,407,379 boost in state aid, and a $350,000 increase in Uniform Construction Code (UCC) revenues. Additionally, Boos shared a summary of expenditures and reviewed the trends in average municipal tax increases and decreases over the past ten years.
The council adopted Ordinance No. 2025-13 which authorizes the hiring of a Police Director to oversee the Asbury Park Police Department. It was not stated in the meeting if that figurehead was being sought after to hire, only adopting the ordinance to allow for such a hire.
Matthew Whelan, Executive Director of Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce, also took the opportunity during the public comment period to announce the upcoming Asbury Park Fest. The event is scheduled to take place from June 6 to June 8 in Bradley Park across from Convention Hall.
The next council meeting is on June 11th at the Asbury Park Municipal Building at 6 pm.
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