Locals noted that the $16 million project is meant for flooding or rain water issues (heavy rainfall can come off the mountain and accumulate in town), instead of ocean water problems eyed by the Army Corps plans.

So they’re climate change deniers…?

“77% of the people voted against the floodwall project.

Wow.

But opposition has mounted with residents concerned about how the cost would affect property taxes, the fact they’d have to cover the cost to maintain the floodwall as well as effects the barrier would have on beach views or access to the shore.

Alrighty then, enjoy watching house values drop and people abandon the area, leading to lower tax revenue and higher taxes.

“Long story short, it comes down to the fact that they’re looking to just roll it into our taxes, roll it into our responsibility,” said Longo, whose family has lived in Highlands since the 1950s.

It’s interesting that people who don’t live in a communist society expect others to bail them out.

Locals noted that the $16 million project is meant for flooding or rain water issues (heavy rainfall can come off the mountain and accumulate in town), instead of ocean water problems eyed by the Army Corps plans.

Recent projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationshow wide sections of the Highlands likely being inundated by roughly 2.5 and 3.5 feet of increased ocean levels by 2100.

And storms have not been kind to the Jersey Shore town.

When Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, more than 83% of the borough’s homes were damaged.

Residents in the area are candid, noting that storms can make entire sections of the roadway impassable.

Highlands’ storm drains also back up amid harsh weather — causing their own flooding issues.

Pointing to the concerns, local and federal officials have studied the borough for potential solutions for over three decades.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state most recently proposed building the $148 million floodwall, with an up-front cost to Highlands taxpayers of $13 million to build and an annual cost of $452,000 to maintain.

The reinforced concrete structure was slated to be 14 feet high and extend over a mile — from Veterans Park to the One Willow Seafood Restaurant. It ostensibly would have spanned the town’s entire waterfront.

However, this past Election Day as part of a ballot question, 1,959 people in Highlands voted “no” to the floodwall and 579 voted “yes.”

In addition to worries the local section of Jersey Shore coast could be marred by the wall, a decade ago — when Sandy hit — some experts said building a floodwall could create a “bathtub effect” and trap more water downtown.

In the fall, Highlands Mayor Broullon clarified the ballot question was not binding.  Still, she later said the borough planned to “honor that vote” while continuing to work with state and federal agencies to help solve the flooding issues.

Five months later, that sentiment remains.

This is very, very obviously a horrendous place both to live, and to continue living. These people are stupid as a bag of rocks and are getting they deserve.