Верховный суд Нью-Джерси разрешил выход South Seaside Park из Беркли, но развязал финансовый спор о долгах и налогах

South Seaside Park Secession Sparks Legal Battle Over Assets and Debts The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that South Seaside Park could leave Berkeley Township and join the Borough of Seaside Park, ending an 11-year legal battle. But it started a… The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that South Seaside Park could leave Berkeley Township and join the Borough of Seaside Park, ending an 11-year legal battle. But it started a new fight over tax revenue, infrastructure ownership, and millions of dollars in debt. The annexation win has led to a financial dispute now before Ocean County Superior Court that could decide who controls 2026 tax collections and how tens of millions in public obligations will be split between the two towns, according to Shore News Network. Judge Francis Hodgson ruled that Berkeley Township can keep 2026 property tax revenue collected from the neighborhood. Seaside Park says it now must provide police protection, fire services, emergency medical response, road maintenance, and public works in the area. Yet it receives no tax revenue. Berkeley Township filed a motion, asking Hodgson to require court-appointed commissioners to hold an evidentiary hearing and prepare the financial division of property and obligations. State law requires that 2026 tax assessments stay with Berkeley because those taxes were fixed before the annexation became effective, according to the township. The township also argues that transferring tax revenue ignores decades of investments Berkeley made into infrastructure serving the neighborhood. Some estimates discussed during the dispute put all financial obligations as high as $30 million. The court has not decided the final amount. The Berkeley Township Sewerage Authority has asked to step into the litigation. Sewer infrastructure debt may become a central issue in deciding how the annexation is resolved financially. The authority says sewer infrastructure and related debt serving the area must be handled before financial issues between the municipalities can be resolved. Attorneys on both sides have filed petitions, answers, pretrial memoranda, motions for intervention, motions for partial summary judgment, and requests for separate trials since June. Marguerite Kneisser and Jean L. Cipriani of Rothstein Mandell Strohm Halm & Cipriani, P.A., represent Seaside Park. Anthony F. DellaPelle, Matthew J. Erickson, and Jon Richard Ferrari of McKirdy, Riskin, Olson & DellaPelle, P.C. represent Berkeley Township. Additional counsel from Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri Jacobs Lagana, LLC have also entered appearances on behalf of the township. The next major milestone will come when the court looks at the motion for partial summary judgment along with a request for a separate trial on tax issues. If the township wins, the borough could spend the rest of 2026 providing municipal services while Berkeley retains that year's tax collections. The outcome of the resolution could influence future annexation issues in New Jersey, deciding how assets, debts, and tax revenues are ultimately allocated.