Council Greenlights Security Camera Installations and New Lead Paint Rules for Red Bank Rentals

RED BANK, NJ : Mayor Billy Portman opened the hybrid (online and in-person), council meeting last night with members in attendance.

The meeting started out great when Borough Clerk’s Laura Reinersten’s Bernedoodle “Smalls” came bounding up the aisle and went right up to Mayor Billy Portman. Check out the picture.

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Proclamations

Immediately after, three proclamations were read for Paint the Town Purple, Fire Prevention Week, and Hispanic Heritage Month. See those accepting in the photo carousel.

Security Cameras Purchase

The council approved a $410,312 contract with Eastern Datacomm through a shared services agreement under the Monmouth-Ocean Educational Services Commission (MOESC). Multiple indoor and outdoor camera systems will be installed throughout the borough.

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According to the Purchase Agreement, the locations include Riverside Gardens Park, Count Basie Park, Johnny Jazz Park, and Eastside Park. Other sites are the Municipal Building, 90 Monmouth St., Recycling Center, 110 Sunset Avenue, the Boys & Girls Club, 138 Drs. James Parker Blvd., the Senior Center, 80 Shrewsbury Ave., Tower Hill (location address not defined), Department of Public Utilities, 75 Chestnut St., English Plaza, off of W. Front Street, the White Street parking lot, and the Bellhaven playground area, located at the end of Locust Ave.

The MOESC is a cooperative that facilitates shared services and purchasing agreements between school districts, municipalities, and other public entities in the Monmouth and Ocean County areas. It helps reduce costs by pooling resources for large-scale projects.

Jim Gant, Borough Manager, discussed the cameras, noting that the project utilizes a handful of funding sources, but mainly draws from a 2017 Monmouth County Improvement Authority (MCIA) funded account. The cameras will provide security, monitoring and deterrence in several locations around the Borough.

MCIA is a governmental agency that provides financial assistance to municipalities, through low-interest loans, bonds, and shared services for various capital improvement projects, such as infrastructure, facilities, and equipment.

Vandalism and Costs to Borough

Responding to several questions from resident Stephen Hecht, Borough Manager Gant said “We have multiple instances in our parking lots. We look at this as asset protection…, being able to get ahead of some of the instances and help with the investigations. The funding sources are not being raised in this year’s budget; they are funding sources that are existent.”

“We’re trying to make the camera locations as comprehensive as possible to ensure more robust protection of our public areas,” Gant said, adding that he hopes the system will be implemented “by the end of the year.”

Councilman Ben Forest, liaison to the Parks and Recreation Committee, “I really loath spending money on these cameras, even if it’s grant money. I’m watching our bill list reports. I’m just appalled at the amount of vandalism that has occurred in our parks. Everything from vandalized park bathrooms to solar panels where people have thrown stones at (them). Some of the bills are incredibly expensive to fix.”

RBPD Capt. Mike Frazee Incident Report

Data sets are from the beginning of the year to the middle of September.

Calls for service: 13,400

Motor Vehicle Accidents: 515

Moving Violations: 2127

Parking Summonses: 10,221

DWI Arrests: 32

Borough Violations:139

Lead Paint Inspection for Rental Properties

An ordinance was reintroduced and adopted to enforce New Jersey's lead-based paint inspection requirements. Councilwoman Nancy Blackwood-Facey requested a delay at a previous council meeting asking to clarify the two certification levels: Lead Safe and Lead Free, which were incorporated into the updated ordinance.

In July 2022, Gov. Murphy signed into law that, “… requires municipalities to inspect every single family, two-family, and multiple rental dwelling located within the municipality at tenant turnover for lead-based paint hazards.”

Partial List of Conditions for Inspection/Fees

• $275 fee for each initial visual lead-based paint inspection
• $325 fee dust-wipe sampling, which measures the total amount of lead dust on a specific surface area
• $250 fee for re-inspection, plus $13.25 per dust-wipe sample
• Owner required to obtain inspection which will performed by Borough Inspector
• Record keeping by the owner

Partial List of Exempted Dwellings

• A dwelling unit in a single-family, two-family, or multiple rental dwelling shall not be subject to inspection and evaluation for the presence of lead-based paint hazards if the unit:

(1) was constructed during or after 1978

(2) is a single-family or two-family seasonal rental dwelling units that is rented for less than six months duration each year by tenants that do not have consecutive lease renewals

(3) has been certified to be free of lead-based paint

Enforcement/Penalties

• Unit owner has 30 days to cure any violation
• If not resolved within that time, a penalty of up to $1,000 per week will apply until the inspection is completed or remediation begins

Irving Place Historic Designation

During the council members comments portion of the meeting, Councilwoman Kristina Bonatakis and the liaison to the Red Bank Historic Preservation Commission said that the Irving Place historic designation was tabled for further review. TAPinto Red Bank reached out to Bonatakis, but did not hear back prior to publication.

To read the September 19 article, “Red Bank Preservation Commission Reviews Irving Place for Historic Status” click HERE .

Bills Paid

The council approved a Resolution to pay September bills in the amount of $1,634,321.

Special Events Approved by Council

• South Street Block Party; Saturday, September 21; 3pm-11pm; Rain Date; Sunday, September 22
• Jersey Shore Ghost Tours; Various Dates starting October 4
• West Sunset Avenue Block Party; October 5; 12pm-6pm; Rain Date; October 6
• Red Bank Exotic Car Club Car Show; October 13
• Coffee Corral Fall Festival; Saturday, October 19; 10am-3pm; Rain Date; Sunday, October 20
• South Street Halloween Party; Saturday, October 19; 4pm-10pm
• Red Bank Street Fair; Sunday, April 27, 2025; 11am-5pm & Sunday September 7, 2025; 11am-5pm – Date approval only

Agenda

To read the complete agenda that includes related documents by scrolling down, click HERE .

The next Regular Council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 10.

Government Definitions

Council Ordinances

An ordinance is any act or regulation of the council, except an expense budget or capital budget, required to be reduced to writing, published after introduction, and considered for final passage after a public hearing meeting after the meeting at which it was introduced.

Council Resolutions

Resolutions do not require formal advertisement or hearings, and are typically considered temporary as they lack the permanent enforceability of an Ordinance

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