The BERKELEY Times Vol. 30 - No. 47
In This Week’s Edition
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
Village For Veterans Breaks Ground In Bayville
$62.8 Million Budget Adopted
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Government Page 7
Community News Pages 9-13
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 14
Inside The Law Page 25
Photos by Chris Lundy Left) The house has accessibility built in. (Right) Officials turned over a ceremonial shovel of dirt marking the groundbreaking of the veterans village. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – Usually, gatherings for veterans are somber occasions. Memorial Day. Veterans Day. September 11. The groundbreaking of a veterans village in Bayville was a celebration. Hundreds of people came from miles around, with police directing traffic on busy Route 9. The future home of 124 units for veterans will have the official address of 359 Atlantic City Boulevard. Visitors were greeted with loud country music as Faith Community Church across the street played patriotic songs on bells. Veteran organizations and politicians made the rounds before the presentation made by Tunnel To Towers who also gave a tour of
some of the homes. The property will have 99 apartments and 25 small houses. The houses have stairs and ramps leading to a front door which opens to a living room. A kitchen joins this, while a large bathroom juts off from the kitchen. At the opposite end of the living room is a bedroom. The doors are wide and the fixtures have space around them to cater to people with wheelchairs and other mobility issues. In addition to the apartments, there will be a common area for the veterans to get care they need, such as behavioral health, legal services, and peer support. Anything not directly provided by Tunnel To Towers
By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER - Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy visited the White House recently as part of a trip with the National Sheriffs Association. The sheriffs were in Washington, D.C. to discuss security and other matters related to police work with President Donald Trump. The National Sheriffs’ Association is a professional association that provides information and education about such topics as police training, court security, and acquiring grants. Mastronardy is on the board of the Association, (Trump - See Page 4)
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By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – This year’s municipal budget will see a slight increase, as the costs of running a town goes up. T he t ot al budget for 2025 w i l l b e $62,814,771.24. This is an increase of 729,419.49 from last year’s $62,085,354.75. The amount of this that will be raised by taxes will be $42,707,196.65. This is an increase of $2,803,096.93 from last year’s $39,904,099.72 The tax rate will be .785 cents (less than a penny) per $100 of assessed valuation. This is an increase from last year’s rate of .740. The assessed valuation is how much your house and land is assessed at, not what it cost. The average home assessment in 2025 is $210,117. For someone with a home valued at this amount, their municipal tax bill would be $1,649.42. This is an increase of $103.77 from last year’s average tax bill of $1,545.65. (Budget - See Page 4)
Officials: Key To Tourism Success Is Unlocking The Sea
(Veterans Village - See Page 4)
Sheriff Discusses Law Enforcement With Trump
Photo courtesy The White House President Donald Trump signed Executive Orders to crack down on sanctuary cities and strengthen America’s law enforcement, backed by members of the National Sheriffs Association.
May 17, 2025
Photo by Bob Vosseller Surf City Councilman Peter M. Harney, Harvey Cedars Mayor John M. Imperiale, Ocean County College President Dr. Pamela Monaco, Ocean County Commissioner Jennifer Bacchione, and Jersey Shore BlueClaws mascot Buster were among those who gathered to unlock the ocean, kicking off the tourist season. By Bob Vosseller OCEAN COUNTY – When you have something as big as the Atlantic Ocean to open, a super large ribbon just won’t cut it, but a big wooden key will do the trick. This marked the second year that the Ocean County Tourism and Business Advisory Council coordinated the event symbolizing the kickoff of the summer tourist season with the opening of the ocean and beaches across the county. With the first name of the county being “Ocean,” a special celebration (Unlock The Sea - See Page 5)
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