The HGA needs to focus on home owners and let the Township, the developers and the merchants solve their own problems. Jean Bredin photo. Blogfinger staff. © 2015
Here are the nominees for HOA offices. Evidently none of these coronations is opposed. (from the HOA minutes)
President – Barbara Burns
Vice President – Richard Williams
Treasurer – George Germann
Secretary – Theresa Checki
Trustee – David Phillips.
And here is an item from the HOA June minutes: regarding the Ground Rent “problem:”
“A town-wide Ground Rent Committee has been formed to spearhead counter actions to these ground rent increases: it includes representation of town merchants, innkeepers, realtors, and the OGHOA (Barbara is a member).
A retainer of $7,500 has been paid to Attorney Matt Adams from the Philadelphia-based firm Fox Rothschild. His initial mandate is to help define what legal options are realistic so that strategies and goals can be clearly defined. that strategies and goals can be clearly defined.
The committee has created the legal entity For Ten Fifty Inc. for financial operation. The company has initial funding of $10k from matching $5k contributions by the OGHOA and town merchants/ innkeepers.”
Editorial:
The HOA has decided that ground rent increases are of such vital importance that they needed to form a “Town-wide” Ground Rent Committee to consider increases on a case by case basis. So our HOA is going to be working to help merchants and condo developers. What a surprise!
How many of you homeowners who pay $10.50 per year are interested in stirring this pot? How many of you think that this subject has reached a level of importance that the HOA should be spending money on a lawyer?
Has anybody besides merchant building owners, or new condo owners, or new house owners experienced a ground rent increase? What percent of our home owning population has had an increase in ground rents? After all, this is a Home Owners association.
The minutes don’t explain why a lawyer is needed—especially with the HOA contributing money to reach $5000 toward “initial funding.” Did you ever know a lawyer who could stop at the retainer? Let the monied interests in town pay legal fees (realtors, business people, and developers) The HOA should just be observers now. Who authorized spending HOA money on this lawyer?
After all, where is our lawyer to sue over the Township’s outrageous support of developers, especially at the North End and in the condo industry of OG? Where is our lawyer to look into suspicious zoning approvals such as at Mary’s Place and regarding the NERP (North End Redevelopment Plan) where single family zoning was discarded by the Township in favor of 165 new residential units plus an underground garage?
And where is our lawyer to look into the RSIS legal controversy? And where is the money to hire a much-needed parking consultant?
Do you think the new HOA officers will stray from the current bizarre approach of the Home Groaners Ass.? No way!
Short of a revolution, it’s time for a Blogfinger poll and for comments from you about this subject What say you?
PS: Oh, one more thing. there is a new Parking Task Force in Neptune, and two individuals were chosen to represent we the homeowners. These two “Homeowners at Large” were “selected” according to the HOA minutes.
Does anyone know how this selection was made, by whom, and what is their mandate? Who’s best interest have they promised to defend? As usual, murkiness is the middle name of the OGHOA.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
STEPHEN DEROSA: “Life is a Funny Proposition After All.” From Boardwalk Empire
Jack. I agree. Anytime you have someone or some group making recommendations about public policy, there is the potential of a conflict of interest. That is true of the parking task force where members were chosen because they represent a certain constituency. But if someone on the task force might have a financial interest in the results, then the public should know about it.
Some information should be made available to the public regarding all the members, such as which members are realtors, which members own a B and B, which own stores in town and which own homes.
And as for our citizens “at large” representatives, who are from Ocean Grove, we have no idea what conflicts they might have, or even who chose them.
Any conflict?, (with Barbara Burns) I would say “no,” but your question would best be answered by our “Board of Ethics.”
Oh! I forgot, we don’t have one, so I would frame the question differently.
I would ask, “Is there anyone who would NOT have a conflict of interest in this case?”
The new HOA president is Barbara Burns, a condo owner on Ocean Avenue. Does that fact influence the HOA’s involvement in the land lease issue, including spending our money on a lawyer to help condo owners, business men, and hoteliers?
I.M.Radar, I agree and, expanding on your comment:
If the OGCMA does own all the subdivided Lots in OG, as is the popular belief, and the ‘landlord’ can arbitrarily increase ‘ground rents’ , then what is the vulnerability to all of us if the OGCMA decides to sell every ‘leased lot’ one at a time or altogether to ‘ Land Swindlers Development Corporation’?
The process may have already started.
Aside from hotels and B & B’s, Ocean Grove has “residential” facilities that rent additional units and in some cases the entire structure. A paid township “license” is required.
If sold, what is their vulnerability ?
The lease on The Carriage House went from $21.50 to $5,000, and there were still many years left on the lease. If you think an increase like this won’t discourage merchants, you’re dreaming.
The real issue is how many existing homeowners in town have experienced an increase in ground rent beyond the $10.50 which has been guaranteed. Is there one example of that?
All others who are new buyers should take care of their business themselves. If the price is too high, then they should not buy. And if the concern is by business people, then they should have the Chamber take care of it. If the developers are complaining, let them hire a lawyer.
The CMA owns the land, and if they want to raise the lease at the time of new construction or resale of houses, then it seems like they could, unless there is some legal reason that would prohibit that, but if someone wants to challenge an increase, then let them hire a lawyer.
Do you really think that merchants will go out of business because of increased lease payments on their buildings? If they are threatened by this, then they or the Chamber should pay the lawyer. When was the last time that the Chamber of Commerce came to bat on behalf of a homeowner with financial problems?
And as for banks refusing to write a mortgage on a house over this, I doubt it. If you are a buyer and you qualify, then what’s the problem? If the property taxes on our homes went up, would banks stop writing mortgages?
How about some facts to back up what you say? Blogfinger is an information sharing website, so help our readers by providing facts to explain your assertions. And your facts would be more credible if you told us your real name.
There are banks that won’t write mortgages in OG because of the ground rent uncertainty. And as for the HOA helping town merchants…well, if their ground rent gets too high, we’ll have an empty downtown.
I support the 140 year ‘tradition’ of paying to the CMA a $10.50 ‘ground rent’ although I believe there is no justification for this ‘fee’ .
If you have a 99 yr lease in perpetuity, and pay taxes to Neptune, you own your house and the land. It’s just a different kind of land ownership.
I believe, for the OGCMA to charge certain property owners a higher ‘ground rent’ then other property owners, without justifying the increase, could be considered extortion.