New Jersey shore towns hard-hit by Superstorm Sandy want extra financial help from the state as they struggle with rebuilding costs and property values.

The state Senate Budget Committee invited mayors and emergency management officials to testify Monday in Toms River about their storm-recovery needs. The hearing is the first of several that will focus on helping residents recover.

Democrats who lead the Legislature have pledged bipartisan cooperation with Republican Gov. Chris Christie on storm-related issues. The superstorm is expected to financially strain hard-hit towns due to lost tax revenue.

Toms River municipal administrator Paul Shives says his town needs three to five years of extra state aid to help it rebuild from the storm, which may have wiped a third of the township's property value off the books.

 

Shore officials invited to attend include:

  • Mayor Thomas Kelaher, Toms River
  • Mayor Stephen Acropolis, Brick Township
  • Mayor Dennis Vaccaro, Moonachie
  • Mayor Matt Doherty, Belmar
  • Mayor Paul Smith, Union Beach
  • Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes, Superintendent, New Jersey State Police
  • Lt. Colonel Jerome Hatfield - Deputy Superintendent, Office of Emergency Management
  • Chief Michael Mastronardy, Toms River Police
  • Carl Block, Ocean County Administrator
  • John Bartlett, Ocean County Deputy Freeholder Director
  • Walter Kierce, Jersey City Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security
  • Matthew S. Clark, Monmouth County Tax Administrator

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