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The city council will vote again tonight on a resolution expressing support for Ocean Grove’s Camp Meeting Association [CMA] in its pursuit of FEMA funding to rebuild its boardwalk — and this time, there’s a chance the resolution will pass.

The council failed to approve the resolution of support after a 2-1 vote, with one abstention, at its March 20 meeting. Resolutions require three affirmative votes to pass in Asbury Park. The resolution would memorialize the city’s support of the CMA in seeking FEMA funds for the Ocean Grove boardwalk.

FEMA rejected the CMA’s request for funding because the Ocean Grove boardwalk is considered to be a private nonprofit facility that does not provide a critical service. The Ocean Grove boardwalk differs from many other towns’ boardwalks because it is owned by a private nonprofit organization — the CMA — rather than a municipality or business.

FEMA policy states that a private nonprofit facility can only receive funding if it performs a crticial service, according to FEMA assistant external affairs officer Mary Margaret Walker. FEMA defines critical services as providing power, water, sewer, wastewater treatment, communications, education, and emergency medical, fire protection and emergency services, Walker said in an email.

Representatives from the CMA have not returned calls for comment on the matter.

Council members John M. Loffredo and Susan Henderson voted in favor of the resolution on March 20, while Kevin Sanders abstained, saying he did not have enough information to vote on the issue.

Councilman James Bruno voted no because of Ocean Grove’s nightly locking of the gates on the foot bridges over Wesley Lake. The Neptune Police Department, which patrols Ocean Grove, locks the gates each night from midnight to 5 a.m., rendering foot and bicycle traffic over Wesley Lake impossible during those hours.

Ocean Grove is part of Neptune Township, but the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association [CMA] owns and operates many of the former Methodist enclave’s properties and recreational areas.

Mayor Ed Johnson said after the March 20 meeting that he would have liked to speak with the CMA before voting on the resolution. He was not present at the meeting, and was told that City Hall did not receive the resolution until 4:30 p.m. the day of the meeting.

Councilman Sanders said that after looking into the resolution and its implications, he would vote in favor of it if it came to a vote again, meaning it may pass tonight.

Councilman Bruno requested that the resolution be placed back on the agenda for tonight’s meeting, he said last week, adding that he may change his vote as well.

Deputy Mayor Loffredo said at the March 20 meeting that he disagreed with the CMA’s decision not to allow same-sex civil union ceremonies on the boardwalk in 2007, but that he would still approve the resolution because of the Ocean Grove boardwalk’s importance to Asbury Park businesses.

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