Asbury Park Homeowners Association Meeting recap
Code Enforcement & The Effects of the School Budget on Our Taxes
The Asbury Park Homeowners Association (APHOA) met on May 20th 2025 at The Salvation Army chapel. Captain Nathan Deming welcomed members and shared efforts to increase community awareness of the Salvation Army’s programs.
Elton Armady, Asbury Park’s Community Development Director, explained the four main areas of his department: Code Enforcement (the largest part, with most staff), Business Licensing, Rent Leveling, and Workforce Development.
Code enforcement sets property maintenance rules in the city to make sure property owners and residents follow them. This includes electrical, plumbing, heat and air cooling systems, paint, sidewalks, weeds, and more.
Mr. Armady discussed other areas managed by the Community Development Department: Certificates of Resale Compliance (previously called “transfer of title”), Certificates of Rental Compliance (previously called “Certificates of Occupancy”), Short-term Rentals, Dumpster Permits, Lead Safe Certification, Business Licensing, Rent Leveling, and Workforce Development.
He ended his talk with a Q&A session. The following related topics were discussed in detail.
- Code Enforcement Inspectors: They work daily (including weekends) by driving around the city looking at various properties for noticeable issues. If a property is in violation, they issue a “Notice of Violation”first, which puts the property owner on alert, while also allowing time for remediation, before issuing a “Summons” if the issue is not resolved.
- Tree Removal:The UnitedStates Environmental Protection Agency has recently required every state to create an ordinance protecting trees on both private and public land. Currently residents are required to obtain a “Tree Removal Permit” prior to removing any trees. The Asbury Park Department of Public Works offers the permit application and works with the city’s Environmental Shade Tree Commission on this effort.
- Grass Clippings: The Public Works Department does not collect grass clippings and residents should not leave them in piles at the curb or in the street. Instead, they should be bagged and placed out on garbage day or residents can mulch clippings. The City of Asbury Park has also informed landscapers they are not permitted to blow leaves and grass clippings into the street, as this can harm water quality and drainage systems. The Community Development Department expects homeowners to inform their landscapers as well.
- Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Ban: Last year, the Quality of Life Committee talked about possibly banning gas-powered blowers, similar to Montclair, NJ. The topic hasn’t advanced beyond initial discussions. Mr. Armady urged residents who want a ban to share their thoughts with the Mayor and City Council.
The Oceanfront Development Progress
Michele Alonso, Director of Planning and Redevelopment, prepared a handout for the APHOA meeting listing the waterfront developments under construction as of 5/19/25.
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BOE Budget Effects on City Taxes
The last speaker of the evening, Dominic Latorraca (APHOA Treasurer / Board of Education member), addressed the main concern of the night: how the new Board of Education budget for 2025-2026 will affect residents’ taxes. As a current member of the BOE, Mr. Latorraca could only speak for himself, not for the entire school board or their actions.
He explained most of the BOE budget comes from state formulas that decide how much the state and the local area pay. For many years Asbury Park received state funding; however, that state funding ended and now there are budget shortfalls.
On May 7, 2025 the BOE budget was passed by a five to four vote, the slimmest of majorities. Voting in favor of the budget were: Tracy Rogers, Wendi Glassman, Joe Grillo, Michael Pena and Kristen Clarke. Voting no to the budget were: Jessie Ricks, Barbara Lezinski, Dominic Latorraca and Stephanie Ackerman.
The budget includes for 2025-2026:
- The sale of the maintenance building located at 916 2nd Avenue
- The sale of the Dorothy McNish Parent Center located at 300 Prospect Ave (now closed)
- It should be noted, these buildings are not currently for sale, have not been sold and are only conceptually included in the budget due to the anticipated revenue
- No budget cuts were enacted
Mr. Latorraca calculated what the average homeowner should expect in tax increases. Due to the new school budget and the annual property value reassessment (State law requires a reassessment yearly), average taxes in Asbury Park will rise approximately by $1,556. If your home is worth more than average, your taxes will increase by a larger amount. It should be noted, at the May 7th Board of Education Budget meeting, board members voting in favor of the budget stressed and proclaimed the increase to the average homeowner was minimal at approximately $50 per month. That math equals $600 per year, not $1,556 as stated above.
Questions from the audience covered topics like PILOTS (Payments In Lieu Of Taxes), student performance, building costs, graduation rates, reading and math scores, as well as suggestions for consolidating schools.
Due to the topic of PILOTs arising, Mayor John Moore announced a special City meeting about PILOTS on June 12 from 8 to 10 pm. City experts will spend the first hour discussing the city PILOT policy, followed by a Question and Answer session for the audience.
Many attendees felt that the Board of Education’s decision to forgo any cuts to the budget is worrying and not sustainable over time. Resident Donna Harrison expressed this sentiment passionately.
“We are a low performing district and the budget is going up…I heard you say, it passed by a slim margin, and I heard you say they’re selling something, but there (has) to be more…this is extreme. These tax increases are extreme. And there have to be other answers here – there have to be.“
Jordan Model mentioned that there will be a BOE election soon, with four positions open. Given that the recent budget passed by a narrow 5 to 4 vote, this upcoming election carries even greater significance for residential affordability in our community. The outcome of this election could potentially shape policies that impact the cost of living for many residents.
The meeting was closed by APHOA board president Jordan Model.
Local elected officials in attendance:
Mayor John Moore, Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, and Council Member Angela Abhez-Anderson, BOE Members: Dominic Latorraca, Jessiemae Ricks, and Barbara Lesinski
LINKS:
Find out more about school funding itself. The BOE did a presentation in March of 2025 about the complex system of how schools in New Jersey are funded by state, local, and federal money. See the presentation. asburypark.k12.nj.us
You can review the approved school budget by visiting the school district’s website asburypark.k12.nj.us About APSD/User Friendly Budget – 2026 User Friendly Budget Link (https://cdnsm5-ss19.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_199200/File/User%20Friendly%20Budget%202025-2026.pdf) 2026 Budget PowerPoint Presentation* Link (https://cdnsm5-ss19.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_199200/File/2025-2026%20Budget%20Presentation.pdf)
Link to The Special Presentation and Q&A on Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOTS)
Thursday, June 12, 2025 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Council Chambers in Asbury Park https://www.cityofasburypark.com/Calendar.aspx?EID=3259&month=6&year=2025&day=12&calType=0
NJ S2* This bill modifies the “School Funding Reform Act of 2008” (SFRA) to eliminate the State aid growth limit and adjust the transition to the full funding level for certain school districts. Summary link https://www.billtrack50.com/BillDetail/985333
For more information about the Asbury Park Homeowners Association visit https://asburyparkhomeowners.org
