MONMOUTH COUNTY – Commissioner Director Tom Arnone delivered Monmouth County’s inaugural “State of the County” address and discussed projects, tourism, COVID relief and more.
On February 17, Arnone laid out the plans for the upcoming year as the county prepares for a busy summer. Key points of Arnone’s address included: infrastructure projects, shared services, tourism& marketing and the county’s ability to work together.
Arnone explained how the county has been able to work on major infrastructure projects by seeking state and federal money with the idea to not heavily impact residents’ taxes.
For example, the cost of the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge came from the largest federal grant the county has ever received, Arnone said. Construction on the bridge is expected to be done by 2025.
“It’s not going to impact residents of Monmouth County, but it will improve the quality of life for Monmouth County residents,” he said.
Arnone recognized Monmouth County’s shared police and fire dispatching for not only handling all calls for 40 towns, but saving Middletown about $1 million per year with the shared services. He stated how he wants to reach out to all municipalities and look into how the county can better assist towns.
A big portion of Arnone’s address was discussing the importance of tourism In Monmouth County. A top destination with beaches, restaurants and other attractions, the county is expecting a busy summer with tourism on the rise.
“We had a pandemic,” Arnone said. “We had to help people during the pandemic. The only way we are going to get to be back to a vibrant community, a vibrant workforce, is to keep taking that area and saying the best thing you can do is go back to work.”
The tourism department said they plan to make a bigger effort to market all of the amenities Monmouth County has to offer.
Arnone praised Monmouth County commissioners for not “kicking the can down the road” like some politicians do in order to stay in office.
Despite all the challenges the county faced in 2021 with the COIVD-19 pandemic, Arnone admired the county’s use of “team effort” when it came to dealing with these challenges head-on.
He said that Monmouth County succeeded more than other counties when it came to using the first federal COVID-19 relief package and dispersing more than $108 million in CARES Act money. Additionally, he made a promise to do the same with the $60 million in American Rescue Plan funding. The money from this plan is slated to go towards veterans services, special needs populations, animal welfare, food services and the arts.
Throughout the address, Arnone recognized the following county officials for their efforts in 2021: Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linksey, Commissioner Deputy Director Sue Kiley, Commissioner Lillian Burry, Commissioner Ross Licitra and Commissioner Nick DiRocco.
