Councilman Daniel Rodrick and his professed best friend, Councilman Justin Lamb voted against the Township’s 2023 Capital Bond Ordinance last week, causing the measure to fail. As a result, the Township has no funding for road paving and road elevations this year and no funding for town wide drainage and bulkhead repairs.
The $13.9 million bond ordinance would also have funded the purchase of 10 police cars, an ambulance, as well as trucks and equipment for the Department of Public Works.
As a result of the Councilmen’s NO votes, the Township is at risk of losing $6 million in grants from the federal and state governments.
“The political grandstanding by Councilmen Rodrick and Lamb is putting lives and property at risk,” Mayor Maurice B. “Mo’ Hill said. “These two political hacks never leave campaign mode and are always scheming for headlines. They are not serious about serving the public but rather are only self-serving. Their most recent action has real negative consequences for the residents of Toms River.”
Rodrick and Lamb said their votes were intended to stop the Downtown Loop/Water Street widening project that is designed to accommodate traffic from the Downtown Revitalization project which includes 285 new high-end apartments, new restaurants and retail stores as well as a banquet hall/wedding venue. The $13.9 million bond ordinance included $1.5 million for the Township’s share of the Loop/Water Street project. The federal government has agreed to pay $5.6 million towards the project if the Township participates. That federal grant is now at risk because of the reckless actions of Councilmen Lamb and Rodrick.
The Council acted on the Capital Bond Ordinance on a second and final reading on April 5. The vote was 4-2, with Councilmen Kevin Geoghegan, Josh Kopp, Matthew Lotano and James Quinlisk voting YES. Bond ordinances require a super majority, 5 affirmative votes, to pass. Councilman David Ciccozzi was absent.
Mayor Hill said he will ask the Council to introduce a new Capital Bonding Ordinance, but that the delay will increase costs and potentially push some road paving and elevation projects into 2024.
“We lost the prime months of April and May for road improvements,” Mayor Hill said. “Fuel prices always rise in the summer and oil prices are on the rise again which increases the cost of asphalt. We may not be able to repair all the roads we planned to fix this year. Rodrick and Lamb have really hurt the taxpayers with this stunt.”
