Seaside Park votes to annex South Seaside Park from Berkeley Township

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Seaside Park officials voted Monday night to annex neighboring South Seaside Park from Berkeley Township, a decision that will merge two Jersey Shore communities on the same barrier island after decades of legal fights and local organizing.

The borough council approved the measure 6-0, with one abstention, on second reading, clearing the way for the transfer of about 158 acres at the southern tip of the island, just north of Island Beach State Park.

The area, about 10 blocks long and home to roughly 400 residents, has long been part of Berkeley Township despite being physically separated from it by 2 1/2 miles of water, or a roughly 16-mile drive across the Mathis Bridge and mainland roads.

“This is something that’s been going on for decades,” said Don Whiteman, president of the South Seaside Park Taxpayers Association.

Geography at the center of the fight

South Seaside Park sits between Seaside Park and Island Beach State Park, a narrow stretch of land about a half-mile long and 450 feet wide.

Residents have argued for years that the community functions as part of the barrier island, not the mainland township that governs it.

“If we wanted to go to Berkeley Town Hall, it would take us 40 minutes,” Whiteman said. “If we wanted to pay taxes or get a building permit, we had to go to the mainland. We’re a beach community.”

He said the distance also affected schools and daily life.

“Our kids, if they went to elementary school, would be a 45- to 50-minute bus ride,” he said.

Residents pointed to differences in municipal services as well, including snow removal and beach maintenance.

“They didn’t clean the beaches, they didn’t snow plow,” Whiteman said. “They just were not giving the service.”

A long legal path

The vote followed more than a decade of renewed efforts by residents to break away from Berkeley Township, including dozens of planning board hearings and a legal fight that reached the state Supreme Court.

The court ultimately ruled that the neighborhood met the requirements to deannex, allowing Seaside Park to move forward with the annexation.

A similar effort nearly 50 years ago ended in rejection, leaving the issue unresolved for generations.

“This time, we weren’t going in blind,” Whiteman said. “To me, it was always about services.”

What happens next

The annexation is not yet final.

Seaside Park and Berkeley Township now have about 60 days to negotiate how to divide assets, debt and tax revenue tied to the area. If no agreement is reached, a court-appointed panel could decide.

“What happens now is they will go over everything in a way of finances, and they’ll come up to an understanding,” Whiteman said.

A study cited during the process found Seaside Park could reduce its tax burden by about 8% by incorporating the neighborhood.

For Berkeley Township, the stakes are financial. Officials have raised concerns about losing roughly 10% of the township’s tax base, along with control of assets such as White Sands Beach, without compensation. If the township is able to sell off assets tied to the area, leaders say those proceeds could be used to pay down bond debt, potentially reducing annual debt service by as much as $11 million and easing pressure on taxpayers. At the same time, officials acknowledge the budget could shift in either direction depending on variables like health care costs and sale proceeds. Services would also change, with Berkeley pulling back operations such as garbage collection, policing and shared fire and emergency medical services coverage, while exploring new agreements with neighboring communities.

“There are a lot of moving parts. If we can reduce that debt service, then potentially we could save money on taxes, but we don’t know the numbers yet,” Berkeley Township Mayor John A. Bacchione said.

Despite the uncertainty, the mayor emphasized a cooperative approach moving forward.

“I congratulate Seaside Park and wish them well. We’re going to be as neighborly as possible to make this a smooth transition because we’re looking out for the residents on both sides,” he said.

One town on the island

If finalized, the annexation will unify the southern portion of Ocean County’s northern barrier island under a single municipality for the first time in more than half a century.

For residents who pushed for the change, the shift is practical and symbolic.

“It’s a win-win for both communities here,” Whiteman said. “My father would be so happy. He would have said ‘You did good, son.’ That is what he would say when I was growing up.”