Squall forming over beach tags at N.J. Shore
The days of the beach badge might be numbered at some Jersey Shore towns.
State Senate President Steve Sweeney is one of the sponsors of a bill that would require towns to provide free beach access if they accept state or federal aid to rebuild their beaches.
Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty says he understands the logic but has concerns about the legislation.
“It doesn’t seem to make sense to tie that into the expense of maintaining the beach on a regular basis.,” Doherty said Tuesday. “I guess my question would be, who would pay for the lifeguards?”
Doherty says the $3 million a year in revenue Belmar gets from selling beach badges works out to the expense of beach maintenance and lifeguard costs.
He says the town has already started selling badges for next summer.
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