Announcements

COLD BLUE ALERTThe NWS in Mount Holly has issued a weather forecast which calls for temperatures to fall within the prescribed Code Blue Alert thresholds. As such, pursuant to the law, effective 6:00 pm, Tuesday, January 31, 2023, and continuing until 9:00 am, Monday, February 6, 2023, a Code Blue Alert has been issued for Monmouth County. Step 1: Find out if a CODE BLUE alert has been used by calling 732-222-1000 or checking the electronic signs around town. It will also be listed on our city website (www.longbranch.org), social media, and our email blast. Step 2: Call 732-222-1000 and give your location where you would like to be picked up. Step 3: A taxi cab will pick you up and bring you to a Monmouth County CODE BLUE approved hotel for the night(s). Return transportation will also be provided by a taxi cab. Things to Know:• There is no cost • This is all funded and organized through the county and city • The city will be coordinating all transportation • Questions? Call 732-222-1000 Motel List

Long Branch Resident Charles F. Shirley Jr. Returns in a New Role  January 3, 2023 (LONG BRANCH)- Mayor John Pallone announced that Charles Shirley Jr. will be the new City Administrator for Long Branch effective January 3, 2023. His official appointment will be on the agenda for the January 11th council meeting. Charley Shirley Jr. has in-depth experience with local government in many facets. He most recently worked for the city in law enforcement from 1997 until retiring in 2022. Charley has a strong background in administration of municipal affairs that includes purchasing, personnel, grant management, and budgets. He also has years of experience in his roles as Fire Marshal, Ex-Chief of the West Long Branch Fire Department,  Emergency Management,  and Code Enforcement. "We are very happy to have hired Charley Shirley Jr. as our new Business Administrator. He comes with decades of municipal government experience, most recently retiring as a Lieutenant in the Long Branch police department. Charley knows Long Branch and also most importantly cares about the city. " Mayor Pallone said.  Charley Shirley has strong ties to the City of Long Branch. He played a vital role in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, leading the city to receive millions in recovery money. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he started both the city testing and vaccination sites, which assisted thousands of residents. He has had dozens of honors and awards throughout his career including multiple Valor awards, Life Saving Award, and Fireman of the Year. "I am very proud to be coming back and to continue to the serve the City of Long Branch. I am looking forward to being a part of all the projects and great things we have going on in the city," Charley Shirley Jr. said. 

Oliver Byron Fire House to be preserved for Generations to Come  (LONG BRANCH, December 14, 2022) – The City of Long Branch introduced an Ordinance this evening to purchase the Oliver Byron Fire House with the vision of creating the Long Branch Fire and History Museum. The historic 1891 building and property are located at 46 Atlantic Avenue at the corner of Ocean Avenue. “As the city with the oldest fire department in Monmouth County, we are thrilled to create this new museum. It is dedicated to the bravery and service of all the firefighters who have devoted their lives to the protection and safety of our City’s residents for over 150 years,” said Mayor John Pallone. “It was important to us to preserve this building with all of the rich history it holds with our Fire Department. We did not want to see it torn down or lose a piece of our important history. Our hope is that this museum will be here forever for many people to enjoy and learn from,” Mayor Pallone concluded History:  Long Branch’s Oliver Byron Hose Company No. 3 was originally formed in 1890. It was the third fire station to be established in the city.  A notable image of a fish with the name “Fishtown” is visible on the Oliver Byron Station House door. It refers to the early years of North Long Branch, when the area was known as Fishtown.  The Oliver Byron Station House is named after the famous Broadway stage actor, Oliver D. Byron, who lived in Long Branch and owned several properties in the city and made a sizeable donation to the newly formed hose company.  The Future of Oliver Byron Engine Company: The members of the Oliver Byron Engine Company have consolidated with the Neptune Hose Company. When the company members made the decision to sell their property, they were approached by an interested private party, but the members sought out the City of Long Branch with the hope that their important legacy could be preserved. “Our fire company is ecstatic that the City is purchasing our facility and transforming it into a Fire and History Museum. We look forward to working together to make this a success, and we will assist in seeing that our history will be preserved and displayed for many to experience,” summarized Oliver Byron Engine Company’s Secretary and Trustee Ronald Guidetti. 2023: The City plans to open at least part of the museum in 2023 with a grand opening filled with rich history and memories of historic Long Branch. There are historic, interesting artifacts from all nine fire companies that can be displayed in the new museum. This includes a historic horse-drawn chemical steamer. More details to follow. ###

Members of the Green Team, Environmental Commission and City Government were honored at the Sustainable Jersey luncheon, part of the 107th League of Municipalities Conference in Atlantic City on November 15th. The City of Long Branch was notified that it has achieved the coveted Silver certification with Sustainable Jersey. Only 65 out of 465 participating municipalities have achieved Silver Certification over the past 3 years. Only 8 municipalities received Silver status this year in Monmouth County.  Municipalities that earn Sustainable Jersey’s prestigious certification awards are considered by their New Jersey peers, state government, field experts, and civic organizations to be leaders in the state. To obtain this award, communities must meet rigorous standards in environmental leadership.  “Long Branch is working hard to be a City that continues to prove our dedication to sustainability and future generations. We achieved Bronze Status in 2019 and are proud to have built on our successes to achieve Silver Status”, said Mayor John Pallone. In order to certify with Sustainable Jersey for Silver Certification, the City had to complete and document a wide range of sustainable actions with rigorous standards. Focus areas included Art, Community Partnership and Outreach, Diversity and Equity, Energy, Food, Land Use and Transportation, Local Economies, Natural Resources, Public Information and Engagement, and Waste Management.  “The Green Team and Environmental Commission appreciates the tremendous support we received from the city which enabled us to partner together and make Long Branch a greener place to live and work”, said Long Branch Green Team Co-Chair, Rich Catanese. Sustainable Jersey is a network and movement of municipalities, schools and school districts working collectively to bring about a sustainable New Jersey. It interacts with state agencies, non-profit organizations, foundations, academia, and industries to research what communities could, and should, do to contribute to a sustainable future.   The City of Long Branch would like to thank all the committed City Employees and Volunteers whose efforts helped the City achieve its Sustainable Jersey Silver Status. 

 (LONG BRANCH, September 28, 2022) - The City of Long Branch introduced an ordinance this evening at the council meeting that transfers ownership of almost four acres of land and buildings at Monmouth Medical Center from RWJ Barnabas Inc. to Long Branch. The properties are located on the corners of Third and Bath Avenues (map attached). The City will be acquiring the Ronald McDonald House which is currently being used only as administrative offices, as well as vacant apartments, the former Kindercare building, and the abandoned Auxiliary Hall that fronts on Bath Avenue. The Kindercare Building will be the new municipal court and the new Health and Communications Center will be located at the existing Ronald McDonald House and attached apartments.  “We want to thank RWJ Barnabas for their generous donation of the land and buildings to the City of Long Branch. We appreciate the partnership we have with RWJ Barnabas and their continued support for the city,” Mayor John Pallone said.  Mayor John Pallone explained that the costs to renovate and complete these new projects will not be at the expense of local property taxes. "The State of NJ through the efforts of Governor Murphy and Senator Vin Gopal secured $2 million for the Health and Technology Center and Congressman Frank Pallone matched it with $2 million from the federal government. The money to renovate and complete the new municipal court will also come from the federal funds given to the City by the American Rescue Plan," Mayor Pallone said.   "The City will not incur any costs for acquiring the land and buildings for our new campus. Monmouth Medical Center has gifted the property for the projects. The City will actually save money from the rental costs it pays to maintain the municipal court at the Garfield Grant building on Broadway, which it does not own," Mayor Pallone continued.  "We are very happy to donate these buildings to the City of Long Branch. Monmouth Medical Center will continue renovations and upgrades at the Long Branch hospital and develop services and programs that support the new Long Branch Health and Technology Center," said Bill Arnold.  Mayor Pallone explained that Long Branch will relocate all its health services to the new campus including its Health Department, vaccine and testing clinics and rabies program for animals.  "The plan is to provide expanded health and wellness programs for our residents such as physical fitness, healthy eating and cooking. We will utilize the outside areas for recreational activities such as a walking path and gardening," the Mayor said.  "The telecommunications portion of the City's plan addresses the digital divide in Long Branch highlighted by the pandemic. Many residents lack access or training to use a computer, which is so important for virtual work and educational opportunities. This training center will bridge the digital divide for telehealth and telework purposes," Council President Rose Widdis said.  "The Long Branch Library will also transfer some of its computer and social services programs to the Health and Technology Center," Widdis continued. Once the property is transferred to the City, architectural design proposals will be executed for the renovated buildings. The City will take over the property beginning January 1st. 

(Long Branch) – The City of Long Branch approved a resolution at the council meeting on September 28th to hire new Public Safety Director, William Broughton. This comes after the retirement of Domingos Saldida who served the city for two years before relocating to another state with his family.  William Broughton has spent 26 years in law enforcement.  William started his career as a patrolman in Teaneck in 1983.  He rose to the rank of Sergeant in 1988.  In 1991, William’s law enforcement career continued to advance as he was promoted to the rank of Detective Lieutenant, where he led the Juvenile Bureau.  In 1994, he was assigned to the Detective Bureau, where he served as Commander of all adult criminal investigations. William Broughton was promoted to Captain in 2003, heading Auxiliary Services, which included administration, budget, facilities, and equipment for the Teaneck Police Department.   Recognized as a high potential executive in law enforcement, William’s career continued to advance in responsibility in 2005, when he was sought out by the newly elected county Sheriff and accepted the position of Chief of Department at the Bergen County Sheriff’s office, where over 550 employees serve.  He was responsible for the budget, capital projects, court security, prisoner transportation, facilities security, crime scene investigations, warrant and process service, as well as internal affairs.  In 2009, William retired from the Sheriff’s Office as an Undersheriff. The following year, William Broughton was hired as the Township Manager for the Township of Teaneck.  He proudly served in this position for over 9 years. As Township Manager and Chief Executive, William oversaw the day-to-day operations of all Township departments including police, fire, public works, and administered an annual budget of over $70 million.  William is a proud recipient of the Bergen County NAACP’s Reverend Edward P. Dixon III Community Service Award, The Teaneck Chamber of Commerce Public Service Award and the Teaneck Comes Together (TCT) Champion Award.   Additionally, he has received numerous other commendations and resolutions throughout his law enforcement and public service career.   William Broughton serves on the Finance and Ushers ministries of his church and is proud to live a life grounded in the word of God.  He is married to his soul mate and best friend, Sandy.  They have four children, Stephen, Tyler, Gabrielle and Ariana. “We are very fortunate that William Broughton applied to this position. He has a lot of great ideas for our city and we are excited to get started,” Mayor Pallone said.

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The Long Branch Cable Commission is looking for new members to help reinvent the commission. We currently have several vacancies for specialized roles including a liaison with local businesses, a liaison to the city council, internship management, finance, programming and special projects. The cable commission's mission focuses on being the conduit between Comcast and its customers within Long Branch. Adding to that in the coming year includes community outreach, partnering with other city commissions, supporting content creation for all that are interested as well as several other programs.

We would like to give you an update about the drainage and roadway improvement project on Long Branch Avenue that will alleviate existing flooding issues.  Throughout town there has been a lot of construction and road improvement projects and we want to assure you that Long Branch Avenue is part of these improvements.  Due to supply chain issues, materials needed for this project have been back ordered.  Our City Engineers anticipate that the project will start in early June.   We look forward to alleviating the flooding issues and completing the project with new curbing and sidewalks as needed and new resurfacing of the road from Broadway to Joline. Thank you.

To be eligible for LIHWAP assistance, applicants must be water/sewer bill holders who areresponsible for paying their water and sewer bills directly to the water/sewer provider. Also,applicants’ total gross household income must be at or below 60% of the state median Income($6,439 a month for a family of four). The LIHWAP frequently asked questions webpage, availableat https://njdca-housing.dynamics365portals.us/lihwapfaq has additional information aboutmaximum income limits and other items.Participants in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) are automaticallyeligible for LIHWAP assistance so long as they are water/sewer bill holders.People can apply online through the DCAid application portal at https://njdcahousing.dynamics365portals.us/.../dcaid.../.Those without computer or internet access can call 1-800-510-3102 to be directed to one of thecommunity action agencies to assist them with starting, completing, and submitting an applicationonline.

Appointments are available to meet with them in City Hall on the   first Wednesday of each month.Call the Clerk’s Office at 732-571-5686 by noon on the prior Monday to schedule your meeting. Appointments will be in 30-minute increments.

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CITY OF LONG BRANCH NOTICE As per city Ordinance 247-4 “Permits for Special Events” no events or gatherings can be held on municipal property (parks or beaches) without submission of a Special Event Application or a Wedding Application. Fees and insurance applies to all submissions. No alcohol or generators are allowed on municipal property either. For more information contact Danna Kawut at dkawut@longbranch.org or refer to: https://www.longbranch.org/departments/ProgramsEvents/programsevents

Long Branch has a new and improved system for keeping in touch with our residents.  We are calling it Alert Long Branch and the service is being provided by smart911.com. Click the link above to sign up.  We plan to use Alert Long Branch for more than just emergency alerts, in the near future we will use it for community notifications.