By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer
Along with towels and sunscreen, a wallet is a necessity for most New Jersey beachgoers.
“You know, it’s the fundamental question, ‘God gave you this beach, what right do you have to charge for it?’” said Ernie Troiano Jr., mayor of the city of Wildwood.
Unlike a lot of communities along the Jersey Shore, Wildwood and many of its neighbors do not require a beach badge to enter.
“The fact that we have a free beach, I’m sure that brings a lot of people who like the fact that it’s free and don’t have a lot of money,” Troiano said. “We cater to the guy who has a million dollars in his pocket [and] to the guy who has a dollar in his pocket. All we ask is when they come to respect what we have, enjoy what we have and have a great time.”
In Wildwood, however, while guests do not pay for the beach, the bill is footed by those who live in the city.
“What I tell everyone is that the beach is free to our guests. It’s not free to someone like me or the people who live here because we foot the bill for that beach,” Troiano said.
According to Troiano, businesses pay a special tax that contributes to the upkeep of the beaches, which includes maintenance as well as marketing the area’s main attraction.
“It’s not free to us, but it’s an amenity to help promote our community and generate the revenue that keeps us afloat all year long,” Troiano said.
Charging for the beach, he said, is a topic that occasionally comes up at council meetings.
“It comes up every once in a blue moon, usually when we have budgetary problems. The fact that we have two other towns that border us here, it would be nice if we did it as a whole,” he said. “It’s a good question that will probably be answered 20 years from now, and the only way I think it’s ever going to happen is if you get someone who is sitting in this office that says, ‘We’re having beach fees, and I don’t care what the repercussions are.’”
There are a handful of free beaches in the state, according to Jennifer Stringfellow, public information officer for the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism.
The list of free beaches includes Atlantic City and Cape May State Park. Sandy Hook also does not require beach badges, but motorists have to pay a $15 parking fee from Memorial Day through Labor Day. And at Sea Isle City, there is no charge for beach admission on Wednesday of each week during the season. Badges are required the other six days of the week.
For most municipalities in the state, buying beach badges to get onto the sand is the norm.
This year, a seasonal badge for beaches in Long Branch, with the exception of Seven Presidents Beach, costs $45 for those over 18.
“We make a determined effort to keep the price down,” said Mayor Adam Schneider, who also said Long Branch’s beaches are among the cheapest in Monmouth County.
Fees are vital for towns to maintain their beaches, according to Schneider, who said the money from beach badges sustains their upkeep.
“When you look at what it really costs to put the beaches together every year, we provide lifeguards for eight to 10 hours a day [and] we provide clean beaches, which means the bigger the crowd the more people we have picking up garbage and cleaning,” he said, adding that city beaches are cleaned throughout the day.
Beach fees also go toward police protection for the area as well as insurance in the event the city is involved in a lawsuit.
“If there is a beach anywhere that you know of that costs nothing and nobody provides any services or any of the things I’ve just described, that’s great, but I don’t think it’s in New Jersey or probably in this country,” he said.
According to Schneider, there have been calls at the state level to make public beaches free.
“Every year, I could almost guarantee, there will be an elected official, routinely from North Jersey, who is going to say ‘Beaches should be free,’” he said. “All that means to me is that they believe that someone else should be paying for them, not that there is really going to be a free beach anywhere.”
Over the past few years there have been bills in the state Senate to prohibit towns that have received federal or state aid after superstorm Sandy from charging beach fees.
State Sen. Michael Doherty (R-Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren) is the primary sponsor of one such bill.
“Hundred of millions of dollars were pumped in by the federal government to replenish and restore these beaches. This is taxpayer money, and I feel that the taxpayer should get something for the money that they are sending to replenish and reopen these beaches and boardwalks,” Doherty said, adding that his bill would also require shore communities to provide bathrooms for beachgoers.
The bill, which was introduced in January, was referred to the Senate’s Environment and Energy Committee.
To help pay for beach expenses under the bill, according to Doherty, some sales tax revenue would stay in the affected municipalities.
“I don’t believe the Jersey Shore is used to its full potential. I think many towns set up obstacles for the use and enjoyment of the beach,” he said, adding that parking fees and regulations along with beach badges keep some visitors away.
Doherty believes the Jersey Shore should adopt the practices of beach towns in other states, like Florida and South Carolina.
“What they do is they allow local companies to maintain sections of the beach and they rent out beach chairs and umbrellas. In return they maintain that section of the beach with lifeguards and clean it up. This is what Jersey Shore towns should do,” he said.
“We’re constantly told that the shore is the crown jewel of the New Jersey economy. Well then, let’s welcome people onto the beach like they do in other states,” he said. “New Jersey is totally out of the ordinary with these excessive beach fees.”
Some municipalities that would be affected by the bill hope that it does not pass.
“The best part about the Jersey Shore is that if you do not want to use the beach, you don’t have to pay,” said Matthew Doherty, mayor of the Borough of Belmar.
According to Doherty, Belmar needs money obtained through the sale of badges not only for beach upkeep but also to handle the influx of people who flock in each summer.
“Normally in the off-season we have around 6,000 people in town. During the summer we could get as many as 60,000,” he said, adding that the money helps the one-square-mile borough pay for extra law enforcement during the peak season.
“If we were not able to charge, we would not be able to provide the services we do,” he said. “The Jersey Shore is beautiful now; why change it.”
The popular resort town of Ocean City in Maryland, operates a free beach and, according to its mayor, it has always been that way.
“All areas of the beach are public and are open to the public at all times,” said Mayor Richard Meehan.
The maintenance and upkeep of the beach, according to Meehan, is part of Ocean City’s operating budget and is offset by property taxes.
According to Meehan, the town has seen a spike in New Jersey visitors over the past few years.
“We’ve seen the number of visitors from New Jersey and New York grow dramatically over the past seven or eight years,” he said.
“It’s a tremendous asset and it’s one we want to share with everybody. We want to make sure that everyone has access to the beach. We continue to promote it and feel it is something that everybody needs to be able to enjoy,” he said.
Contact Michael Nunes at [email protected].