Petition To Delay $9 Million Purchase Lacked Signatures: Mayor

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A petition aimed at putting the brakes on a $9 million purchase of the car dealership lot across from the Ocean City Community Center lacks the necessary number of signatures to put the decision before a public vote, Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said Wednesday evening.

The petition was launched by members of the watchdog group Fairness in Taxes. They submitted the petition to the Ocean City Clerk’s Office Tuesday, according to the mayor.

The petition featured 467 signatures, with 399 found to be qualifying signatures, Ocean City Clerk Melissa Rasner told FIT member David Hayes in a letter informing him the petition was found to be insufficient. The letter was provided to the media by the mayor's office Wednesday evening.

Sixty-eight people didn’t qualify because they were not legal voters found on the current voter registration list provided by the New Jersey State Voter Registration System, according to the clerk’s office.

The clerk’s office also stated the necessary number of signatures was 597, which would be 10 percent of the number of votes cast in Ocean City in the Nov. 7, 2017 elections (3,980). FIT members previously stated they believed they would need about 400 signatures to force a spring referendum.

Hayes wasn’t immediately available for comment Wednesday night.

On Sept. 13, Ocean City Council unanimously approved a proposed bond ordinance to appropriate $9 million, including the borrowing of $8,550,000 in bonds or notes, for the acquisition of 1.856 acres (80,850 square feet) of the lot from Klause Enterprises. The city has not come to a decision on what to do with the property.

On Sept. 27, Ocean City Council unanimously approved a proposed ordinance to acquire the rest of the lot by purchase or condemnation. No price tag was included in the proposal.

The basis for the petition is an argument made before the Sept. 13 vote on the proposal by former FIT President Michael Hinchman that the appraisals the city relied upon to come up with the total overestimate the value of the property.

In a statement previously distributed to the media, Gillian said the city received two appraisals on the property. Two appraisals determined the market value to be $9 million and $8.3 million, an 8.8 percent variation, Gillian said. In his comments during the public hearing, Hinchman said the variation was more than 10 percent.

The city administration has said it wants to purchase the lot to prevent development on the property.

See related:
Petition Aims To Block $9 Million Car Dealership Lot Purchase
$9 Million Purchase Of Lot Stops Unwanted Housing, Officials Say
Ocean City Moves Toward $9 Million Purchase Of Car Dealership Lot
Council Approves Property Purchase As Petition Debate Continues

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