Politics & Government

Brick Council Declines Settlement With New Mantoloking Taxi

Taxi company sued township after license renewal was denied

The township council has declined to settle a legal dispute with New Mantoloking Taxi.

The taxi company first found itself in the crosshairs of the township – as well as its neighbors – after it illegally paved over a residential lot and began using it for parking.

Since then, the township's planning board denied an after-the-fact application to rezone the land; the lot had to be torn up.

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But complaints from residents and a number of alleged zoning and code violations at the company spurred the council to deny renewing the company's taxi licenses last fall, resulting in an almost immediate order by a Superior Court judge to stay the council's vote and allow the company to continue operating as litigation proceeded.

That litigation could have been ended by a council vote by the council Tuesday night, though the settlement was voted down 4-1.

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The company will still be allowed to operate in Brick, however, since a court order allowing it to do so remains in place indefinitely.

Township attorney Jean Cipriani said the company fulfilled its obligation to obtain a zoning permit and settle a number of other matters, including moving its previously-unlicensed limousine and medical transport business out of Brick.

That business is now operating in Toms River, Cipriani said.

Some remaining zoning matters, as well as citizens' concerns, remain, however.

"There may be some code enforcement issues out there that are not part of this settlement and not part of the license," however, said Cipriani.

Cipriani said she advised council members in a closed, executive session that their voting against settling the case could result in "long term financial issues" as litigation played out.

Council member Jim Fozman voted in favor of settling the case, but council members John Ducey, Susan Lydecker, Joseph Sangiovanni and Domenick Brando all voted against the settlement.

Council members Dan Toth and Bob Moore were not present at the meeting.

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Correction: An earlier version of this story indicated the settlement vote passed. In fact, the settlement was defeated 4-1.


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