Emails Reveal County Administrator Blaming Police Chiefs; County Dispatch Plan Breaks Even with Only Half the Towns Participating

Emails released may put a damper on the County-Wide Dispatch Plan and leave County Administrator Jerry DelRosso with some explaining to do.

On December 3, 2015, Galloway Township News broke the story about Atlantic County and Stockton University entering into an estimated $31 million dollar contract for a Countywide Dispatch Center and Stockton Police Center.  The catch however was every taxpayer in Atlantic County would pay the majority of the bill for years.

Galloway Township News waited almost a month before the County would release documents regarding the Countywide Dispatch Center only after having been met with resistance from Jennifer Starr who is the Assistant County Counsel. 

Atlantic County Releases Blacked Out Copies of Documents on Proposed Dispatch Center

On November 15, 2015, Galloway Township News had submitted two Open Public Records Requests with Atlantic County regarding the Countywide Dispatch Center. Documents between the years of 2012 and 2015 were sought. 

Now, almost a month later after waiting for the County to release the documents and after having been met with resistance from Jennifer Starr who is the Assistant County Counsel, the County released documents that are almost of no use. About 80% of the documents were poorly blacked out by the County stating in our opinion an invalid exemption.

Atlantic County, Stockton University Plan $31 Million Dollar Dispatch Center; Some Municipalities to Pay Double in Costs

Atlantic County and Stockton University have entered into an estimated $31 million dollar contract for a Countywide Dispatch Center and Stockton Police Center.  The catch is every taxpayer in Atlantic County will flip the majority of the bill for years to come and layoff of employees will be required.

On November 10, 2015 Atlantic County conducted a presentation in which every Mayor was invited to attend. The County presented what appears to be outdated figures of a project that is estimated to cost about $31 million dollars which is to be bonded. 

According to the presentation released by Atlantic County, Stockton University will contribute $4.8 million to the project and 8 acres of land located on Stockton's property on Pomona Road and Duerer Street, for the complex to be built.

Casino Patron Files Civil Rights Suit Against Resorts Casino and Hotel

Atlantic City, NJ - Mr. Darrell Miller of Cincinnati, OH has filed a claim against DGMB Casinos, LLC the operator of Resorts Casino and Hotel and Mr. Steve Laning, alleging violations of the New Jersey Civil Rights Act of 2004. 

The suit claims Resorts violated Mr. Miller’s civil rights by “an improper, illegal and perverted use of the…legal process in a way that was neither warranted nor authorized by law and with the ulterior motive of using the criminal justice system to recapture losses that resulted from its own negligence.” Co-defendants in the suit are the State of New Jersey, Deputy Attorney General Yvonne Maher and Detective Sergeant Paul Horsey.

Resorts Casino claimed Mr. Miller and other defendants took advantage of a flaw in the Resorts computer system that failed to recognize a player had been in the casino to redeem the free play offers. This supposedly caused Resorts to send over $10,000 per month in free play to Mr. Miller they claim he was not entitled. In the highly competitive Atlantic City market, casinos regularly send free play to entice patrons to their casino.

Court Rules Atlantic County Violated Pay-to-Play Ordinance; Auditing Firm Banned for 4-Years

Freeholder Colin Bell

Today, a Superior Court judge ruled that Atlantic County violated its own Pay-to-Play Ordinance when it awarded an $88,000.00 no-bid contract to Ford-Scott & Associates to perform auditing work despite the fact that it had made large political contributions to campaign accounts controlled by Atlantic County Sheriff Frank Balles.  

The Ordinance prohibits the award of a contract to a business that makes a donation of more than $300 to "the current holder of any elective County office."  Freeholder Colin Bell (D-At Large) pointed out the pay-to-play violation before the Freeholder Board approved it and was the only Freeholder to vote against the illegal contract.  

Rabies Confirmed in Skunk Located in Galloway on Odessa Avenue

A skunk collected from the 200 block of Odessa Avenue in Galloway has been confirmed as the seventh case of rabies in Atlantic County this year, but the first found in Galloway.

This is the second rabies case found in a skunk. The other previous cases involved four raccoons and one fox.

The skunk was found in the property owner’s yard and exhibited aggressive behavior before it crossed the street into another property where it was captured and removed by the local animal control officer. It was sent to the state lab for testing where it was confirmed positive for the viral disease on August 28, 2014.

Family Seeks $5 Million in Damages After Fatal Accident in Galloway Township; Charges Filed

On May 1, 2014, a Tort Claim Notice was filed against the State of New Jersey, Atlantic County and the Township of Galloway by Egg Harbor Township based Attorney Paul R. D’Amato, Esq. of the D’Amato Law Firm. 

The Tort Claim was filed on behalf of the family for the Estate of Elizabeth Torpey following an accident that claimed Torpey’s life on March 19, 2014 in Galloway Township.

According to the accident report, the fatal accident occurred on South Liepzig Avenue and West Country Club Drive. Torpey and her friend, Anna Jordan, were walking on the sidewalk, when Torpey was fatally struck by a 2007 Honda Civic driven by Sharon Musher, of Philadelphia, PA. Jordan was also hit by Musher’s vehicle, but was treated and released from the hospital.

Health Department Complaints? Does the Township Know About Them and What are Those Complaints?

Ever wonder what happens to those Municipal complaints that are filed with the Atlantic County Health Department? Does the Township know about those complaints?

In a recent interview with a local Business owner in Galloway Township, we were asked, "doesn't the Township know about complaints made to the Health Department?"  Our immediate response was "of course they know." The Atlantic County Health Department submits a report monthly to each municipality of any complaints filed with their agency. 

To ascertain this request by the Business owner, who requested to remain anonymous, we submitted an Open Public Records Request to Galloway Township Clerk TC Kay for these records. We immediately received a response from Kay stating, "Galloway Township's Custodian of Record believes that you have submitted this OPRA request to the wrong agency. It would perhaps be more productive if you contacted the Atlantic County Health Department to ascertain these documents."

Rabid Skunk Confirmed As County's First Rabies Case of 2014

Credit: Press of AC

A rabid skunk was recently collected from a property on Betsy Scull Road in Egg Harbor Township, making it the first confirmed case of rabies in Atlantic County this year.

The homeowner contacted the local Animal Control Officer after a dog she was pet sitting encountered a skunk in the backyard and killed it. The skunk was sent to the state lab for testing and was confirmed positive for rabies.

Atlantic County Updates Its Emergency Notification System; Sign-up Today!

Atlantic County has recently updated its Emergency Notification System and is now using CodeRED to deliver messages within minutes to residents, businesses and registered participants in the event of an emergency or time-sensitive issue. 

Information can be sent to targeted areas or throughout the county. 

The system includes all landline phones in the Verizon database. Cell and VoIP (voice over Internet protocols) numbers must be individually registered. Those who previously registered do NOT need to do so again.

Veterans History Project of the Liberty of Congress Gathering Veterans Stories Presented By Atlantic County Historical Society

The Atlantic County Historical Society encourages everyone to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and artifacts at their location in Somers Point. The society is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10am - 3:30pm. The are located at 907 Shore Road in Somers Point and offer Free Parking.

The Veterans History Project is dedicated to preserving the stories of our veterans' personal experiences while serving in any branch of the Military. The Historical Society is looking for a few Biographical Details, Early Days of Service, Wartime Service, Coming Home and any Reflections from our Veterans. 

If you would like to be part of this project with a loved one who served in the Military, you can contact the Society at (609) 927-5218 or by email at ACHSinfo@comcast.net.  You can also visit them on the web at www.AtlanticCountyHistoricalSocietynj.org.

County Tax Administrator Warns Consumers Of Tax Appeal Scam

The Atlantic County Board of Taxation warns residents not to be scammed by companies charging a fee to provide Chapter 123 reports to help reduce their property tax assessments.

"Information on the reports they offer to provide for a fee is useless. Chapter 123 is explained on the Board of Taxation website and an explanation is provided with the instructions for filing a tax appeal. Not only is the information available for free but it will not help petitioners reduce their assessments as additional comparable sales must be submitted," according to Marge Schott, Atlantic County Tax Administrator. "This is another case of unscrupulous vendors trying to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers."

April 1 is the deadline for property owners to file tax appeals in all Atlantic County municipalities, excluding Absecon and Egg Harbor Township which have a May 1 deadline due to reassessment and revaluation, respectively.

To file an appeal, property owners must provide comparable salesinformation, such as date of sale, sale price, property location, and block and lot numbers. This information is often available online as well as from the municipal assessor's office or county at no charge.

"Please don't be fooled by false promises. The information you need to file a successful appeal is readily available and absolutely free," said Schott.

To learn more, visit the Atlantic County Board of Taxation at www.aclink.org/taxation to access tax appeal forms, information and instructions.

For tax appeal forms, information and instructions, click here.

Press Release provided by Atlantic County Government.

County Executive Introduces Budget, Talks About Waning Casino Industry; GallowayPatch.com

County Executive Introduces Budget, Talks About Waning Casino Industry; via Galloway Patch.com