TOMS RIVER, NJ – The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders is going to vote on Wednesday to give Toms River Township $1,880,000 so Toms River Mayor Maurice Hill can save face and try to balance his out-of-control 7% increased budget for 2020. The county is doing a public land swap, buying public land owned by Toms River near Cattus Island Park and Ocean County College in return for nearly $2,000,00 in cash, paid for by resident of the rest of the county.
The deal is essentially a $2,000,000 tree and swamp buy.
It brings up the question, should county public tax dollars, collected from all of the towns in the county be used to help a struggling mayor in Toms River to save face with voters and residents he has failed and let down?
Parts of Toms River’s Shelter Cove park will switch hands to the county. The land right now is disconnected, inaccessible and essentially useless. The land is preserved marshland along the Barnegat Bay.
The other parcel includes another group of preserved open space between Church Road and Ocean County College. These lots potentially could be used for future expansion at Ocean County College, so residents in that area should show up and ask, because one the deal is done, don’t be upset if dorms pop up in your backyard one day down the line.
In total, over $167 acres will be sold to the county.
Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash