Shortly before the Surf City Borough Council passed a resolution vehemently opposing a N.J. Department of Environmental Protection resiliency rule change on track to take effect early next year, Councilman Peter Hartney had one word to describe it: draconian.

“It’s basically a backdoor way of driving people off barrier islands because they are raising shore costs,” he said during the Sept. 10 council meeting, noting the rule has already been revised once.