Village Council Work Session Meeting Minutes 20191002

A REGULAR WORK SESSION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD HELD IN THE SYDNEY V. STOLDT, JR. COURTROOM OF THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE HALL, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY ON OCTOBER 2, 2019 AT 7:30 P.M.

1. CALL TO ORDER – OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT – ROLL CALL – FLAG SALUTE

Mayor Hache called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. and read the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. At roll call the following were present: Councilmembers Sedon, Voigt, Walsh, and Mayor Hache. Also present were Heather Mailander, Village Manager/Village Clerk; Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney; and Donna Jackson, Deputy Village Clerk. Councilwoman Knudsen was absent.

Mayor Hache led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag as well as in a Moment of Silence to honor the brave men and women serving in our armed forces and all our first responders.

2. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Russell Forenza, 228 Emmett Place, stated that he wanted to talk about the American flag on the flagpole, which should be the only flag on the flagpole outside including the prisoner of war flag. If another group wants to put up a flag they should get another pole and let them put their flag on that pole. The American flag is for all of the people who have died for this country, there is no flag that is equal or better than the American flag and no other flag deserves the honor to be on the same pole with the American flag. Mr. Forenza stated that there are fringe groups that want to do their thing, and let them do it, but on a different pole.

Mr. Forenza stated that the water still tastes bad. He added that the sewers and drywells need to be cleaned. Some don’t connect to the sewer line, and when the winter comes people are going to be sliding on the ice.

Mr. Forenza stated that he met the new tax collector this week and he thinks they did an excellent job with the hire as she seems to know a lot already which is a tremendous accomplishment. He thanked the Village Council and the Clerk for the hire as he thinks it is an excellent hire.

Tony Damiano, 274 South Broad Street, stated that he was there with colleagues from the Historic Preservation Commission, and added that he spoke last month about the business that painted their storefront orange. There is an ordinance in place regarding the use of bright color which shall be used only for accent. When he began with the HPC four years ago, he was never presented with the by-laws, a handbook, etc. They now have a handbook and it says to retain the established streetscape patterns to maintain the character of the Village center historic district. If the HPC does not favorably recommend your plan, the Building Department will not issue a permit for the work. Mr. Damiano stated that Councilwoman Knudsen wanted to rescind the ordinance and bring it to the Village Council. He stated that the Commission got very upset, and one of his colleagues said that she couldn’t do it as this ordinance was in place by HPC. He added that they took a vote and it was unanimous to keep this ordinance in place, and although she and Melanie Hoban were in favor of this, it clearly does not fit in with the streetscape.

Mr. Damiano stated that they have a predicament now and they are looking to the Village Council to recommend what to do about this. He asked if they weren’t going to follow ordinances, why they would have them in place. The HPC is trying to keep with the character of Ridgewood, and these buildings on Ridgewood Avenue are Tudors, Victorians, etc., and orange is not an historic color. They are looking to the Village Council for some guidance, and added that the business did use their old sign which the HPC did not approve.

Nancy Hill, 136 Doremus Avenue, stated that she wanted to say a few words about shade trees. She added that there are still people in Ridgewood who think that there is a shade tree department and if a tree goes down, a tree gets planted. She stated that this isn’t true, and hasn’t been true for decades. She estimated about 4,000 missing trees which is going to make for a very unpleasant Ridgewood life they don’t do something about it quickly.

Ms. Hill stated that she went to a Visioning Workshop a week ago, and there was an item on the checklist that says maintain the canopy and the trees, and in the group that she went to, four groups said that they valued the canopy highly. She added that there is a lot of support for these trees. She stated that they need these trees, the money, and a permanent shade tree department, and the only way that they are going to get it is if there is a line item for a department and the trees.

Neil Sullivan, 335 East Ridgewood Avenue, stated that he thinks when it comes to the flag; the American flag flies for every American and covers everybody. Once you deviate and get into other areas, you get into the First Amendment. He added that flags can cause division in a community and, so, he would think that if you continue with the agenda of having anybody fly a flag, who determines who flies a flag. He suggested going with the flag that flies the highest and covers everybody.

Hans Lehman, 234 Union Street, stated that the Village Council seems to pride itself on communication with its residents, but asked how do you get a Councilmember to reply to your emails, seven in this case, with no response.

Russell Forenza, 228 Emmett Place, stated that he moved here in 1951 and Ridgewood had a gun range in Glen Rock and at one time had a competition there amongst other towns. He added that it was there before and it was operational, and the surrounding communities all participated in the competition.

There were no additional comments from the public, and Mayor Hache closed public comments.

3. MANAGERS REPORT

Ridgewood Fire Department Open House – Ms. Mailander stated that the Ridgewood Fire Department Open House is this Sunday, October 6th from 1:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. The events are fire extinguisher training and demonstration, engine ladder and rescue demonstration, and refreshments will be served.

Village Council Meetings – Ms. Mailander stated that the upcoming Village Council meetings will take place on the following dates: October 7th Public Meeting at 8:00 P.M. – this is a Monday due to Yom Kippur on Wednesday, October 9th; October 23rd Work Session at 7:30 P.M, and November 6th Work Session at 7:30 P.M.

Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce Sidewalk Sales – Ms. Mailander stated that the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce will host their biggest Sidewalk Sale ever October 3rd through 5th.

Bergen County Utilities Authority – Ms. Mailander stated that the Bergen County Utilities Authority sponsors free recycling events throughout the year. The next recycling and shredding event will be this Sunday, October 6th at Campgaw Reservation in Mahwah. Household hazardous waste collection will take place on Sunday, October 20th from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. at Bergen Community College in Paramus. Details at www.bcua.org.

Ridgewood Farmers Market – Ms. Mailander stated that the Ridgewood Farmers Market, sponsored by the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce has extended the date to which they will continue to operate. They will run until November 24th from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. at the Ridgewood Train Station.

Deadline for Voter Registration – Ms. Mailander stated that the deadline for voter registration for the November General Election is October 15th. Anyone who is not yet registered to vote or has moved with or into Ridgewood since the last election should register or re-register to vote. Voter registration will take place on October 15th from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. in the Village Clerk’s Office and then from 4:30 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. in the Ridgewood Public Library lobby.

4. COUNCIL REPORTS

Community Center Advisory Board – Councilman Voigt stated that they met last Thursday. Today there was a bus tour for seniors to get them engaged with the new bus. The theme was Ridgewood Parks tour with Nancy Bigos as the tour guide. Friday, October 4th there will be a 6th grade mixer from 7:30 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. in the Annie Zusy Center. It includes pizza, cookies, and a DJ.

There is a 7th and 8th grade mixer featuring Flavian the mind reader on November 4th from 7:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. in the Annie Zusy Center. They are seeking to pad the poles in the center with carpeting so people don’t get hurt by banging themselves into the poles and it will cost approximately $1,100.

Age Friendly Ridgewood – Councilman Voigt stated that Age Friendly Ridgewood is likely to gain an additional grant from the Taub Foundation based on their interaction with the Village and the Village Council demonstrating a desire to work with them and with elders.

ACCESS – October 11th and 12th is ACCESS Weekend for families at the Ridgewood Library in conjunction with the Community Center Advisory Board.

There is a senior workshop, “Protecting your body and brain” on Friday, October 11th. Ridgewood Parks and Recreation and Shira Altman will be presenting at the Annie Zusy Center. Crafts, Jester Jim, a family concert, live music, and a fashion show, will take place throughout the weekend.

Ridgewood High School – Councilman Voigt stated that there is the 100th birthday of Ridgewood High School on Saturday, October 19th from 11:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

Chamber of Commerce – Councilwoman Walsh stated that Ms. Mailander mentioned the Sidewalk Sale.

Library Board – Councilwoman Walsh stated that the Library Board meeting was last Tuesday and there was conversation regarding the application that the Library is hoping to put in for renovations. There was public comment asking how the structure would work and it is fluid at this point, but the idea would be to make the application and hope to have donated funds, Village funds, and then the grant that would come back. That is still a work in progress.

Green Ridgewood – Councilman Sedon stated that tomorrow, from 4:00 P.M. to 4:45 P.M. he will be hosting an event in the Library called “Our Planet” for children ages 4 to 7. Registration is full, and they will go through a few select songs and stop in between to talk about the dos and don’ts of things you can recycle in Ridgewood, where our water comes from, and an arts and crafts session. He thanked Ashley Loria, at the Library and Bob Upton, Chair of Green Ridgewood, for working with him to put the program together.

Ridgewood Arts Council – Mayor Hache announced in Councilwoman Knudsen’s absence that the Ridgewood Arts Council met last night and is working on organizing the second annual Holiday Display Contest. Interested businesses should email Councilwoman Knudsen or rac@ridgewoodnj.net.

Visioning Workshop – Mayor Hache announced in Councilwoman Knudsen’s absence that Saturday’s Visioning Workshop was a great success and she was grateful for all who attended as they move into the next phase of the Master Plan process. She has been asked about the feasibility of adding another date for the workshop and is looking into the feasibility of doing so.

Mayor Hache stated that Councilwoman Knudsen was absent this evening because she was attending the 200 Club Dinner and Awards Ceremony where Ridgewood Police Sergeant Kyle Finch and Ridgewood Police Officer Jack Knudsen are receiving Meritorious Service Awards under Dangerous Circumstances. He thanked all of our public safety professionals, adding that they are grateful for their service to our community.

Mayor Hache added that a lot of interesting things came out of the Visioning Workshop this past weekend, there was good participation from members of the community, NV5, and it was very interesting. The two things that came out most prominently was the importance of the tree canopy, and our age friendliness as a community. He added that they are going to start looking at some proposals to start the projects of replacing and rehabbing the tree wells in the downtown. The removal of those bands will be the first part, and they are waiting to hear back what the cost will be. The second step will be to level out the soil and stabilize that and then rehab the tree well, and the last step is planting new, healthy trees.

Gold Star Mothers Ceremony – Mayor Hache stated that last Sunday, they had the Gold Star Mothers Ceremony, and he thanked Bob Paoli from American Legion Post 53, Maria Bombace, Boy Scouts Troop 5, and the RHS students from Project Interact. He thanked Ms. Mailander, Councilwoman Walsh, and Councilman Voigt for being there, as well.

Grand Opening – This Friday, October 4th at 5:30 P.M. there is a grand opening for Stretch Recovery Lounge at 29 Godwin Avenue. Saturday, October 5th at 12:00 P.M. Café De Royal is opening as well.

5. PRESENTATIONS

a. Lead and Copper

Rich Calbi, Director of Ridgewood Water, and Dan Timmeny, Business Manager for Ridgewood Water were presenting on lead and copper. Mr. Timmeny stated that they were there to talk about lead in our drinking water. They have observed successes regarding lead in our drinking water. The USEPA and Ridgewood Water are very concerned about lead in the water, and the action level for lead is set at 15 parts per billion. There has been some talk about reducing that longer term. The action level for copper is 1.3 parts per million. Under Federal law, they are required to have a program in place to minimize lead in drinking water. Ridgewood Water fully implemented the use of corrosion control polyorthophospate in May of 2016.

Mr. Timmeny stated that the EPA wishes all utilities talk about the health effects of lead. Lead can cause serious problems if too much of it enters your body over time. It can damage the brain and kidneys; it can also damage the production of oxygen carrying red blood cells. The greatest risks are to infants, young children, and pregnant women. Lead poisoning has been linked with lower IQs in children. Adults with kidney problems or high blood pressure can also be affected by lower levels of lead than healthy adults. Fetuses receive lead from their mother’s bones which can have adverse effects on brain development in utero, as well.

Mr. Timmeny stated that lead is a common metal that is found in the environment. Drinking water is one potential source, but the main sources are lead based paint or lead contaminated dust or soil. Most often, it can also be found in pottery, pewter, brass fixtures, cosmetics, and some foods and spices. Exposure can also occur from hobbies such as shooting ranges or fishing, and as a reminder lead is not intrinsic to the water supply. Mr. Timmeny stated that the EPA estimates that between ten and twenty percent of a person’s potential exposure to lead can come from drinking water. Infants who consume mostly formula with lead containing water can received between 40 and 60% of their exposure to lead if they were consuming water with higher levels of lead.

Mr. Timmeny stated that prior to January 2014, lead-free allowed up to 8% of leaded plumbing products. That has since changed and now end-use fixtures that are labeled as lead-free can contain no more that .25%. They always recommend that people test the water in their home. He stated that lead primarily enters the drinking water supply through the corrosion of materials that contain lead in the water distribution system, but also mainly from household plumbing including solder, fittings, valves, and pipes made with lead. Homes and buildings in New Jersey built before 1988 are much more likely to have lead pipes or lead solder in their homes. Service lines can also contain lead.

Mr. Timmeny displayed a diagram that laid out the structure of how someone’s service line connects to the actual water main in the street and where it comes from. The main point to convey is that internal household plumbing tends to be the predominant source of where lead is coming from. Their corrosion control treatment is a polyorthophospate additive that is food grade, and added to the water supply. Phosphates inhibit the transfer of lead from those plumbing materials and it binds the lead that the water might pass through and prevents it from leaching into the water. This is approved by NJDEP and USEPA. As a reminder, Mr. Timmeny stated that they have undertaken significant testing, and when they talk about acquiring additional water from other sources they are constantly testing that water supply.

Mr. Timmeny stated that materials in contact and stagnation are two conditions, that when eliminated will stop the corrosion of lead into the water. You can replace the materials in the home or create a barrier between the water and the material, which is what the phosphate does. Ridgewood Water also tells people to flush the water that has been sitting overnight, let it run for a second, and you will see a reduction if there is anything there.

The Ridgewood Water testing results show a trend since 2003 at 7.7 parts per billion, climbing to 21.6 which was a lead exceedance and put Ridgewood Water on an action plan in 2012. There was a straight line reduction thereafter, and the most recent round of testing two weeks ago was 1.9 parts per billion. Ridgewood Water has never had any issues with copper, and the most recent testing was 0.15 parts per million. Mr. Timmeny displayed a chart showing the action level, which shows that the phosphate is working for sure.

Mr. Timmeny stated that there are discounted water test kits at Village Hall, and they have contracted with a reputable lab which is $50 for a test kit. As a courtesy, if someone wants and it is inconvenient to get to Village Hall, they are taking names and addresses. So, if the meter techs are out in a nearby area they will drop the kits off. The lab picks up the sample directly and will provide the resident and Ridgewood Water with the results, as well. If you have any questions about your piping, you can contact the distribution division, and you can consult with an expert to review the pipes and fixtures in your home.

Councilwoman Walsh asked about the two years that the lead spiked, and if Mr. Timmeny had any analysis why it spiked and afterwards were there any lines changed that would have reduced it. Mr. Calbi stated that they have no definitive conclusions, but they could tell from documents regarding prior operations, that there were treatment changes made in the system that resulted in changes in pH, which is one of the very important factors of maintaining optimum corrosion control in the system. The altered pH then created further corrosion in the system.

Councilman Voigt asked how long you should flush the water in your house. Mr. Timmeny stated that at least a minute is the recommendation, longer if you can leave the room and let it run while you do something else. Councilman Voigt asked about the phosphate creating a barrier between the lead pipe and the water, and if it coats the pipe. Mr. Timmeny stated that was correct. Councilman Voigt asked if someone finds that lead tested high in their house, how they determine the source. It may create a situation where you have to replace all of the pipes. Mr. Calbi stated that they will go out and try to pinpoint where in the home the problem could be. They take a sample at the point of the meter, kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and try to determine if it is a problem from the service line or if it is located in the home. They will then try to isolate it to a location for the resident.

Mayor Hache commended Mr. Calbi for his leadership, and looking at the amount of resources and the outreach of the community. This educational material is helpful as there is a lot of misinformation out there, so he appreciated them already being in front of these things. He asked if additives like phosphate would have an impact on the taste of the water. Mr. Calbi stated that not necessarily, the phosphate by itself will not create a taste problem, but it will create more of a chlorine smell or taste as a result of contact with the chlorination that they do. A lot of the complaints they receive are about the smell and taste as a result of that disinfectant. Mayor Hache stated that they have to comply, so the smell and taste are actually proof of compliance. Mr. Calbi stated that the level of compliance today has quadrupled in the last decade and as a result they have to do more disinfection. Mayor Hache asked if the temperature of the water was also a factor in the lead presence, in addition to running the water for a minute. Mr. Calbi stated that hot water tends to leach it out. Mr. Timmeny added that you should run the cold water at that point as well just to make sure you get it out.

Councilman Sedon commended them for the work that they have done for Ridgewood Water, and for this presentation, as some of the publications that go out make it seem scary, but the presentation did a good job of putting it in perspective. Mayor Hache asked if the presentation would be available on the Ridgewood Water website. Mr. Timmeny stated that they could arrange that. Mayor Hache stated that the water forums with the League of Women Voters that they did last year were great and suggested that perhaps they do something similar this year.

b. WaterSmart

Mr. Calbi stated that about a year and a half ago, Ridgewood Water posed a recommendation to award a contract for software called WaterSmart. Since then they have been going back and forth in ideas with respect to that, the benefits and the cons. They feel that at that time when they brought it to the Village Council they may have asked for too much, but they have seen the value to the program over the past year and a half.

Mr. Timmeny stated that since they last talked about WaterSmart, they have been through two summers which will be one of the driving points of this discussion. In that time, they heard from customers that they wish they had a tool to identify leaks at their residences, and also how a specific volume of water is being used. While Ridgewood Water reads the entire system monthly, they bill quarterly. That makes a big difference when it comes to leak detection. He added that they looked at monthly billing in the past, which is cost prohibitive. Customers also lead them to believe that quarterly billing is sufficient. Mr. Timmeny added that they are confident in the quarterly billing but need a way to get the data they are already capturing out to their customers at a more frequent interval.

Mr. Timmeny stated that they have between 20 and 30 leaks a year, and will hear two to three times that amount from people who said they had a leak and fixed it. The AWWA best practice indicates that every home will have a toilet leak every five years. What that actually means is they will directly read from the meter how many gallons are passing through the meter per minute. It can be anywhere between 1 and 5 gallons a minute, 4 and 5 is fairly unusual. Looking at gallons per minute, and at 2 gallons per minute, times 60 minutes in the hour, you are looking at 2,880 gallons of water used. That is just a single toilet. Mr. Timmeny stated on a monthly level, at that same two gallons a minute, it will be 86,000 gallons and the quarterly total is 259,000 gallons. The total cost of that leak to a customer per quarter is $1,251.94. He pointed out that this is a significant amount of money for a customer to have to pay simply because they have no idea what’s happening in their home in that interval between billing periods.

Mr. Timmeny stated that they are often called out to do what is called a data logger. Someone will say they presume they have leak, and if it isn’t a sprinkler it is something internal in the home and they would be checking toilets. Data loggers let them log into the meter itself and see the hourly history of water use in your home for 90 days looking back. When you see a toilet running it tends to stand out as a large jump. In 2017, they did 40 data loggers. In 2018 there were 45, and this year they have already done 31. Mr. Timmeny stated that they like going out to do this, but it is pro bono as they are not completing any repairs or work. So, it is a cost to the utility. That cost overall would range anywhere between $6,000 to $10,000 per year, just in terms of human capital, use of vehicles, fringe benefit capture, and the like.

Mr. Timmeny stated that that they did a data logger for a residential leak in Glen Rock. The person’s consumption bill on May 6th was 28,000 gallons, and their August consumption was 313,000 gallons. The first month immediately following that 28,000 gallon read was 114,000 gallons. If that person had that information available to them, they could have called Ridgewood Water or self-diagnosed the problem. The bill for that person was $1,500 in wasted water. Mr. Timmeny stated that there are more than 20,000 accounts, and this is not a crazy amount of water. WaterSmart would allow users to set thresholds and go back and diagnose. These are resources that we don’t presently have as a utility.

Mr. Timmeny stated that a restaurant in Ridgewood used 1.2 million gallons in a single quarter. They did a data logger and were floored by the amount of water that was flying through that building. They have since made repairs, but it is not fully repaired, and on the absolute high end they may be using 400,000 gallons in a quarter. Their bill was $5,500. Had they caught that between the time of the read and that first month they would have saved them over $3,600. Mr. Timmeny stated that was a series of different things, including an ice maker line, the way they were cooling cases, and the running toilet. This is another place where WaterSmart, or a tool like it, would be really helpful and beneficial to residents and commercial customers.

Mr. Timmeny stated that their customers want to have this information available to them. They want it easily accessible. He stated that they had previously come before the Village Council and requested a full suite of services with water reports, mailings to the home, portal, messaging client, and leak notifications. For Ridgewood Water, the most important thing is the portal, integrating with payment methods, and making sure that people have all of that data available to them. If payment is embedded in the portal, WaterSmart indicates that 40-50% of customers are actually engaged with their portal tool. If it was a smart metering system, the uptake is in the mid-20s, and if you are the older legacy west coast utilities, you are looking at 10% of customer engagement. Mr. Timmeny stated that the current billing contract does integrate with WaterSmart, so they would shoot to be in that 40-50% engagement range within 12 months.

Mr. Timmeny stated that WaterSmart is now in Paulsboro, and North Brunswick. They have also recently implemented in Yonkers. There are about 1,500 commercial accounts in the system and about 19,000 residential. There are two streams of water savings from a percentage basis, 3-5% of water use per capita per day are water utility efficiency, and better consumer leak detection. Leak Detection is not the kind of thing that you will find and then never again. The AWWA says that a flapper in the toilet will fail every five years, so you never know when this might affect you. Another benefit is cash flow, as customers pay about 16 days faster through a portal.

Mr. Timmeny stated that they have spent the time collecting data, and would like to talk about the software portal itself, the messaging client, and the leak detection technology which isn’t actually reliant on someone signing up for the system. Going forward, they received a quote of year one pricing at $73,000 which includes API fees and licenses. Year two is $44,000. The last time they were here, each water report that went out to customers was about ninety cents each. They are willing to forgo that entirely just to have the software portal and the tools themselves. Mr. Timmeny stated that it would enhance their operations and offer something to the customer that they are looking for and expect from their utilities.

Councilman Voigt stated that they have about 15 leaks, about $19,000 times four so that’s about $81,000 in savings, and it’s going to cost about $73,000 for the system so it sounds like Ridgewood Water would make money on this in the end. Mr. Timmeny stated that they are certain they will find that more people will notice the leaks in their homes, and right now they know that number is entirely underreported. He added that they don’t know if something has changed, and they won’t know unless they go to the house but can give people that self-service tool. Councilman Voigt stated that they didn’t talk about the commercial side in terms of leaks. Mr. Timmeny stated that the majority of what is reported is toilet leaks on the residential side. Off the top of his head, there is a restaurant in Wyckoff that had a toilet running in a back room for almost two years and they did not know that bill should be any different.

Councilwoman Walsh asked what the dollar amount was last time for the program. Mr. Timmeny stated that they asked for year one costs at $157,840 and then year two costs were $38,000. Councilwoman Walsh asked if the difference from the last time they presented is just due to the reporting. Mr. Timmeny stated that they were asking for four water reports a year that totaled $75.600. Councilwoman Walsh asked how many water reports they were asking for now. Mr. Timmeny stated that they were asking for zero, as they will just engage strictly on the portal itself as an electronic tool that is mobile enabled.

Councilwoman Walsh asked if there were no three year or four year costs. Mr. Timmeny stated that was correct, but they would need to go out to bid to see how that would shake out. API fees are subject to a small increase of 2-3%, so year three would be $48,500. Councilwoman Walsh asked if at that point it would end or would it continue each year. Mr. Timmeny stated that 2-3% was the presumed increase per year. Councilwoman Walsh stated that then there would be charges each additional year. Mr. Timmeny stated that was correct, as the majority of that comes from a subscription fee per account. Councilwoman Walsh asked how much they would save per year. Mr. Timmeny cited the numbers that Councilman Voigt calculated.

Councilwoman Walsh stated that he had talked about customers, and the volume, and asked what the manpower reduction would be. Mr. Timmeny stated that right now this is something that they do not do. The data loggers they would save on the amount of times that they have to go out to a home, but right now they are not combing through the data set to identify leaks. Councilwoman Walsh asked if the 20 to 30 leaks a year were self-reporting, and then what happens. Mr. Timmeny stated that from a utility perspective, they will go out and try to isolate the leak, or the resident may fix the leak themselves. He believes that number is exponentially higher than what is reported. So, giving people that information will cut down on some calls. Every time they go out to look at a leak people ask why there is no tool to tell them that something has happened.

Councilwoman Walsh asked Mr. Timmeny what that cost would be to bill on a monthly basis for the customer to be notified. Mr. Timmeny stated that he would get that exact number, but it was severely cost prohibitive to them. Councilwoman Walsh stated that she set a threshold to her water to $300, so she would get notified when there was a bill that was higher and they should just do that. Mr. Timmeny stated that the cost would be exponentially higher to do that. Councilwoman Walsh asked if they looked into the current billing system and changing that, shouldn’t that be a real easy data point for a company to get and shouldn’t cost that much as it is literally the same data.

Councilwoman Walsh asked for further clarification with regards to how they are engaged. Mr. Timmeny stated that we do not currently have a smart metering system, but if they did, it would be getting data much more frequently. That is a cost that a lot of utilities have decided to embark on, and it is something that is down the road. As a result, their analytics and the uptake of the system is that if people don’t have embedded payments and just use the portal as an information dashboard, your engagement is in the mid 20’s. They would expect that it would be lower than that for Ridgewood Water because they are only providing data once a month.

Ms. Mailander stated that they needed a decision at this time. Councilman Voigt asked how quickly they could get out of the contract if they weren’t happy with it. Mr. Calbi stated that any service like this is a two year maximum contract, awarded annually. Councilman Voigt asked if they would have to do two years. Mr. Calbi stated that you could get out of it after the first year. Mr. Rogers stated that depending on how the contract is written, and performance, there may be exits during the contract process. Councilman Voigt stated that this seems to be a lot more palatable and is in favor because they are going to be saving money.

Councilman Sedon stated that he was in favor of it last time and this time sounds even better. It is a great conservation tool and like Mr. Timmeny mentioned, maybe they won’t get it out as quickly without the water reports, it might just get out there through word of mouth. Mayor Hache stated that the figures of water loss are staggering. That is water that is wasted and especially in the summer months when we are buying water from other utilities to make up the shortfall. So, he thinks it is a wise investment. Councilwoman Walsh stated that if she could get that other information, and we have current systems and she would think that these should be hand in hand.

c. PFAS Treatment Demonstration

Mr. Calbi stated that he was talking about the current polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and a resin treatment demonstration project that they are kicking off in the utility. They are talking about PFAS compounds that are emerging contaminants in our water. In particular, they are looking at the compounds of PFOA, PFOS, and PFNA. There are thousands of PFAS compounds, but the three listed are the ones most prevalent in our area and are about to be regulated by the NJDEP. These are man-made chemicals used for firefighting. They are in carpet, clothing, fabrics, furniture, packaging for food and other materials. They are resistant to water, grease, stains, and have been titled the forever contaminant because they do not break down. Mr. Calbi stated that as a result of the use of these contaminants for about the past 70 years, they have made their way through our waste stream and unfortunately into our groundwater.

Mr. Calbi stated that about this time last year, Ridgewood Water, the Village Council, and Ms. Mailander sat in on a really robust educational program about PFAS because they knew it was in our water and they needed to react and let the public know and come up with an action plan. He stated that one of their main goals in the action plan was shutting down the Carr Treatment plant and installing treatment. The Carr Treatment Plant had one of the highest levels of PFAS in the source water, and they shut it down in 2017. They designed and went out to bid on a treatment system, which is now complete and it went back online last week and is running a million gallons a day. It is now running water with non-detect levels of PFAS into the system.

Mr. Calbi stated that their second goal was to evaluate alternative methods for treatment because the GAC that they put at Carr was very expensive and the granulated activated carbon only lasts a certain amount of time and then has to be replaced. Their other goal was to monitor and assess the plants based on those levels in terms of where they should target treatment next in the system. Other goals were to follow the source to determine the source of this contaminant. Earlier this year they filed a lawsuit, and they communicated with wholesale providers to ask what they are doing for treatment. Passaic Valley Water Commission does not have this problem at the moment. They continue to report this information to the public and will present this information to the public this fall with one rather large presentation in Midland Park, and all will be invited to that.

Mr. Calbi stated that they are going to talk about ion exchange using synthetic resin. The goal is to demonstrate the capabilities of this technology for removing PFAS from the groundwater so they can determine sizing and cost. They are doing a resin demonstration program at the Prospect Treatment Plant in Glen Rock. They are considering resin because it has a much larger surface area than traditionally activated carbon, thereby it requires a small vessel reducing the cost, and it has an extended life. It has been found to last as much as three years. They are doing a cost evaluation as well to determine what is best for us.

Mr. Calbi stated that the project is a joint effort with a company ECT2 who have provided test kits for Ridgewood Water to do the testing. Ridgewood Water installed the system with them and is doing the analysis on a monthly basis. It will then be shared with ECT2 who will then generate a report which they will both use to analyze the cost effectiveness of this technology. He showed what the device looks like, adding that they are currently testing two different types of resins. Mr. Calbi added that there is not a single utility in New Jersey that is using resins. In Pennsylvania they have been using this for years, so they are taking this approach proactively in hopes of securing better technology and saving money over time.

Mr. Calbi stated that current results from the August sampling show that the influent concentrations, PFOA standards that are proposed are 15 and PFOS standards are 14. The PFOA is in exceedance and the PFOS is very close. On the treatment endpoint, they are at non-detect, so the resin is working. Based on the results they are getting, they expect it may take a year or more to see some breakthrough, at which point they might stop to do some analysis to find the life expectancy of the resin.

Councilman Voigt asked what that would cost if they continue with the activated carbon and implement that through the whole system. The project at Carr cost $3.5 million in capital costs, and he didn’t have the firm number on operation and maintenance costs but there will be an annual O&M cost. Councilman Voigt stated that if the utility uses 8 to 12 million gallons a day, they have to ramp up the processing of this, so if its $3 million, 8 times that is $25-$30 million. Mr. Calbi stated that was before interest. Councilman Voigt asked about the resin and if there was an idea of how much less expensive that would be. Mr. Calbi stated that the carbon is more expensive than the resin, but it does have a longer life and it can function in a smaller vessel. With the Carr project they had the designer retrofit the system ahead of time so that if they ever decide to go to resin, they are set up for it. Their hope is that they could pump water from other facilities at some point and go from 1 million gallons per day to 2 million gallons per day, saving that infrastructure cost.

Councilman Voigt asked if this would be in our water forever. Mr. Calbi stated that it is a forever contaminant, but at some point if you pump and treat it you could eliminate it from the plume. These chemicals are outlawed, and there was an agreement between the companies and the federal government to stop production, but a lot of these companies change a chain on the molecule and sell it. At the Carr plant, they test for 14 compounds, and found that all 14 are non-detectable at the moment.

Councilman Sedon stated that there was some discussion about the Twinney plant, and there is a cylinder there and would this resin work there. Mr. Calbi stated that they have engaged an engineering firm and they are evaluating both resin and carbon to see which one should go there and to reactivate those vessels. Councilman Sedon asked if this was something that they were considering for the property on Goffle Road. Mr. Calbi stated that was up for the Village Council’s approval tonight, as the Ravine property had to put pumps back in the well. They got test results back and were able to get proposals from consultants. They are going to evaluate treatment alternatives for this site.

Mayor Hache stated that they talked about the challenges with the granulated activated carbon, as once it is used up it is a complicated process. He asked if the cost was also considering the cost of disposal of the chemical. Mr. Calbi stated that was an important point as the carbon can be regenerated, and the resin cannot be regenerated and has to go to a landfill. Mayor Hache stated that he thought there should be an environmental consideration, as well. Mr. Calbi stated that it would have to go deep into a protected canyon.

d. Plastic Bag Ban

Councilman Sedon stated that Justin Manger is the Chair of the Ridgewood Green Team and Bob Upton is the Chair of Green Ridgewood, and they were going to talk about a website that will be a very helpful tool for them to get out the information about the plastic bag ban. The idea is to put Dylan Hansen on as an administrator as well just in case they need to do any updates in the future.

Mr. Upton thanked the Village Council for passing the plastic bag ban, and for implementing the name change that was requested taking REAC to Green Ridgewood. They are focused on the education campaign for the plastic bag ordinance, targeted businesses and residents. Logically, since this is the first program that they are undertaking as Green Ridgewood, this also serves as their introduction to the community under the new name and they are looking to promote the name at Earth Day, as well as throughout the year.

Mr. Upton stated that the plastic bag education is the launch of their Green Ridgewood identity, so they will be doing an education program and asked the Village to take advantage of any opportunities to publicize the plastic bag ordinance. They also provided information to the Chamber of Commerce and the Ridgewood Guild to notify businesses. While they are still developing the education campaign, they are in the process of purchasing reusable shopping bags to use as a promotional item, and rather than creating literature, they are just going to produce something along the lines of a bookmark that can be handed out to people with information telling them where to go to get more information. Those would introduce Green Ridgewood with the name and a new logo which is the same as the REAC logo, but just changing the wording on it.

Mr. Upton stated that they would want to promote the activities, both the plastic bag education and the other activities of Green Ridgewood through a website, Facebook, and social media. They have found it difficult to work with the Village website because they have to request what can go on there, so they feel the need to create their own website that they can manage and control. This will become central to the educational campaign and anything that they decide to do in the future.

Mr. Manger displayed the website, GreenRidgewoodNJ.org and stated that they are looking to take the burden off the Village IT Department, and delegate some of those duties to themselves. He stated that they could add Dylan as an administrator if he wanted to be on the site. He added that the website was a big part of the new rebranding, as it is customizable and made for mobile. Mr. Manger stated that Earth Day is coming up and the theme is Green Ridgewood, so this is a perfect opportunity to highlight the rebranding and use the website to recruit volunteers. He walked the Village Council through the beta of the website and showed them various options and places for personalization and customization. He added that the page is currently live, but they haven’t announced it. It is currently hosted on Weebly and the cost is $150 annually, and there is money in the Green Ridgewood budget to pay for this. He added that there was also a “contact us” page.

Mr. Upton added that one thing they would request is to have a link from the Village website to this page so that people can find them easily. Mayor Hache asked if the idea was to have it on Boards and Committees and then a link to click. Mr. Manger was in agreement.

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she thinks this is great, as George Wolfson and Ellie Gruber tried for years to get the website back, but they couldn’t get the person to relinquish access to the website that had been the REAC website. She asked Mr. Rogers about another group that wanted to do a personal website that was similar to this, but there was a question about content that would be supported by the Village. How does that work if it is a Village committee and this is a private website. Mr. Rogers stated that it is a standing committee that they have dealt with throughout the year, and maybe there should be some additional wording to distance it from that standpoint even though it might be on the Village website. They appoint its members, so they may have to work on some wording to make sure there is a distance there that shows that this website that is being run independently and the Village assists in just those items.

Councilwoman Walsh stated that if Mr. Hansen should have access to this, as well, because you never know when somebody could go rogue and post something. Councilman Sedon was in agreement. Mr. Rogers stated that it was something that the Village Council would have to weigh in on regarding the benefits that come out of doing it this way. He highlighted possible detriments as well, adding that you have to take those extra steps to make sure that you’re covered and properly engage the right technique and the right wording. Mr. Manger stated that they were happy to work with someone to get the legal wording down. Councilwoman Walsh stated that she didn’t know how you could go rogue with sustainability, but understands if this was going to be a model for others to come. Mr. Rogers stated that it would be a committee by committee basis and the oversight is going to be the key.

Mr. Upton stated that Councilman Sedon is fully informed on what is going on at all meetings, and he reviews the minutes from the meetings before they are sent to Mr. Hansen to go on the Village website. Councilwoman Walsh stated that it is public information, and would still have to be housed on the Village website, but it could be on both locations. Mr. Rogers stated that in the future they might not have someone who is as involved or as attentive as Councilman Sedon is. Mr. Upton stated that they want to order promotional items and put the website on them, and he hoped they were comfortable with him doing that. Ms. Mailander stated that she wanted to run it by Mr. Hansen to make sure there were no problems, as her one concern is that it says “contact us,” and they way that they respond may not be the way that the Village would respond and she didn’t know how that would be reconciled. She added that Mr. Rogers can come up with wording for them, as well.

Mr. Manger stated that they could help promote Village things such as the water program. As long as it has a sustainability issue, they could help get the word out. Mayor Hache stated that some guidance from Mr. Rogers regarding language and also to distribute a social media policy to Boards and Committees, as well. He added that this is a tremendous group of volunteers. Ms. Mailander asked that they wait to hear back from her before ordering anything. Mr. Upton stated that the email address that people would contact them through is already on the Village website. Mr. Manger added that they could take down the “contact us” page, as well, if that was something that the Village Manager wanted.

6. DISCUSSION

a. Ridgewood Water

1. Award Professional Services Contract – Feasibility Study to Reactivate Ravine Well

Ms. Mailander stated that at the Ravine Well, they want to explore the option of pumping the yield from the Marr Test Well to that Ravine Treatment Facility. They did purchase the house at 451 Goffle Road right by the Ravine Well and that was to facilitate the installation of treatment for the Ravine Well and/or the Marr Well. Mott MacDonald, who was the low proposal, will evaluate the feasibility, develop concepts for the activation of the wells, and also the installation of the treatment options. There were three proposals, and Mott MacDonald of Iselin was the low amount at $27,400. The funding is in the Ridgewood Water Capital Budget.

2. Award Contract under State Contract – Fiber Network Collection and Build

Ms. Mailander stated that this is under State Contract to get information about a fiber network and putting it all together so that it can be tracked through our new ESRI system by block and lot. It would also track assets for the water system so they understand where everything is located. This State Contract would go to Civil Solutions of Hammonton in an amount not to exceed $39,260 and this is out of the Water Operating Budget.

3. Award Sourcewell Co-Op Purchasing Contract – 2020 Ford F250 Pickup – Metering Division

Ms. Mailander stated that this is a truck for the Metering Division. This would be in an amount not to exceed $45,743. It is a 2020 Ford Super Duty F250 XL 4WD. It is in the Water Capital Account. Currently the vehicles used by the Metering Division have been failing and spend significant time in the garage. This would let them perform their daily tasks and affords them a vehicle that is versatile in use. The existing vehicles do not have towing capability and do not operate well in inclement weather. It is getting to the point where the repairs are more than the worth of the vehicles. Ms. Mailander stated that this was being awarded to the National Auto Fleet Group under the Sourcewell Contract.

Councilwoman Walsh stated that there are two 2015 vehicles, a Jeep Patriot and Ford F250, and the fact that one vehicle has three times the mileage that the other does and they are both treatment vehicles and makes her curious. Mr. Calbi stated that the initials in the parenthesis are the actual employees that operate the vehicles. Vehicle 163 is a service vehicle so that is currently driven by Jim Techio who is the Senior Water Operator. He goes to every well location to do repairs on a daily basis. The other 2015 vehicle is driven by Jose Leon who is a technician. The majority of his time is at the Wortendyke Facility but he does go out sometimes. Councilwoman Walsh asked about the other vehicles. Mr. Calbi stated that it depends on the use and who is using the vehicle, even though it is a Treatment vehicle, they all have varying responsibilities. Councilwoman Walsh asked about a 2017 vehicle that already has 32,500 miles. Mr. Calbi stated that belongs to Jose Martinez who is everywhere, every day, as the Superintendent.

b. Parking

1. Parking Rates – Permits, Meters

Ms. Mailander stated that the Walker Report indicated that we need an increase in meter rates. Their recommendation was to increase all meters to $1.25 an hour, to increase parking permit rates by $25, to increase CBD stickers and hangtags by $5 each. Right now, the CBD employee permits are $25 a year, and would go to $30 a year.

Councilwoman Walsh asked how many they have sold, because she has seen empty spots. She asked when they decide whether it’s even worth it because all of those empty spots are lost revenue. Councilman Sedon stated that we prices ourselves out of the parking market by overpricing, but if they keep the price down and have the additional spaces maybe they get more. Ms. Mailander stated that for the CBD stickers 141 have been sold, and then monthly it varies. For September the monthly hangtag was 54. If people work different shifts the hangtags can be shared, but the increase is $5 for each of them. Councilwoman Walsh asked what a metered spot would earn in the day. Ms. Mailander stated that it depends on how long they are there, so 8 hours times seventy-five cents. Councilwoman Walsh stated that she sees them as vacant. Ms. Mailander stated that the parking spots in Walnut are full almost every day.

Councilwoman Walsh suggested that maybe they should take the spots from Cottage, as the challenge for the Village is the balance if all the spots are full and you’re driving and see 30 empty CBD spots. Ms. Mailander stated that what they could do is make some of them flex spots, and all of them in Cottage flex spots, so this way it is first come first served every day. Councilwoman Walsh asked why do the flex spots, then. Ms. Mailander stated that they are paying for a permit. Councilwoman Walsh stated that they weren’t getting a discount on parking, though. Ms. Mailander stated that they were getting a discount if they buy the hangtags.

Councilman Sedon stated that he tended to agree with what they were saying that the employee spots do get used a lot more in Walnut versus Cottage. So, instead of taking them away completely, turn them into flex spots and then if employees are buying hangtags and are unable to park, they can adjust it. Mayor Hache stated that Cottage continues to be a very frustrating situation in that sense.

Ms. Mailander asked if the Village Council was willing to increase the permit prices by $5. Councilwoman Walsh stated that she didn’t see why they would have to increase the price. Ms. Mailander stated that Walker says the Village needs to increase the price in order to pay its debt service. Councilwoman Walsh stated that if they were taking the spots away, then that should balance it. Mayor Hache stated that he thinks the increase is a separate conversation from the usage. He stated that for the purposes of us staying on track with what Walker has suggested, we need to move forward with an increase. Mr. Rooney was in agreement and stated that we can determine how we allocate that and move forward.

Ms. Mailander stated that the premium parking permits are currently $1,300. This allows commuters to park in all lots and that will increase to $1,325. The regular parking permits which are Chestnut, Cottage, North Walnut, and the Park and Ride are $975 and are proposed to increase to $1,000. The resident and non-resident Park and Ride parking permits are at $975, so they will go to $1,000. And then the non-resident parking permits which are at Cottage Place only are at $1,950 and that will increase to $1,975. Ms. Mailander asked if everyone was okay with that $25 increase.

2. Parking Kiosks

Ms. Mailander stated that they would talk about the meters next. It is seventy five cents an hour currently everywhere. There have been a lot of different proposals, with more money on the street, or keeping the price the same between the street and the lot. She added that Mr. Rooney has done some calculations, which were discussed at the last meeting. They do need to increase the meters. Mr. Rooney stated that he provided the Village Council with a lot of data at the last Work Session.

Mr. Rooney stated that he went back to the kiosk costs and tried to bring it back in line. He provided a three year lease obligation and the amortization of the debt he used the maximum of 15 years. He went back and did a three-year on the purchase and the lease cost, and they are relatively flat. The reason being is there is no residual value, and after three years, the kiosks are ours. He sent the Village Council some revisions which showed the three-year debt principal and interest on the purchase. Some of the questions that were raised regarding the maintenance and warranty changed some of the projections, as well. If you lease under a 3 year term, you get a 3 year warranty. If you purchase, you only get a 13 month warranty with an option to pay for the additional months. Ms. Mailander added that originally they weren’t told that, but learned today that it was actually 13 months.

Mayor Hache asked what the expected life was of these kiosks. Mr. Rooney stated that the average life is ten years. There are several municipalities that have some that are 14 years old that they have been using. He added that Councilwoman Knudsen stated that you aren’t changing the technology though. Mayor Hache asked if they were including software updates as opposed to just hardware. Mr. Rooney stated that they will maintain the software. He added that after three years, the Village owns the kiosks. Doing the analysis of the maintenance costs that you would have to pay if you purchased it, you are paying less under the lease than you would be under the purchase. Eighty five meters leased at a three year cost would be $745,000 and that would give a cost per meter of roughly $8,800. Mr. Rooney stated that if you purchase it, you are looking at approximately $824,000 and the cost is $9,700 per meter.

Councilman Voigt asked with a lease with a 36 month warranty, if something breaks on it would they come to fix it. Mr. Rooney stated that the warranty is on parts except for the battery. Should it require installation, it is another coverage, however, based on three individuals that he spoke to, they are amazed at the capabilities that Signal has on fixing these things. So, he didn’t think they needed to worry about the labor costs.

Ms. Mailander stated that they needed to know if the Village Council wanted to purchase, lease, or do the entire Village now or continue to phase it. Mayor Hache stated that he thinks that if they are looking at the purchase cost as 10% higher than the leasing cost, and you are ending up with a three year warranty versus 13 month. Mr. Rooney stated that as to the revenue stream, he provided the Village Council with four different analyses as to where they would have the various increases. Mr. Rooney stated that his suggestion is to go $1.25 across the board. This way they are guaranteed the money to have the operations get up front if a year from now they decide that they have collected enough they can make an adjustment. His concern is that they have to make sure they have enough to finance the debt service. He added that there is an increase in revenue from the kiosks, but he can’t tell them that it will stay that high, say 40% for example. He would be more conservative, saying 15% is reasonable. Mr. Rooney suggested going with what Walker proposed, and using that as a guideline, he thinks they will be where they want to be. The other point is, he reached out to Walker to see if they had time and could meet a deadline to look at the change in projections. They could do that for a fee of $8,200.

Mayor Hache stated that with the purchase they are amortizing the cost over 15 years. Mr. Rooney stated that he changed that and brought it back to three years. Mayor Hache stated that realistically, the lease payments don’t change regardless of how long they hold the existing equipment. Mr. Rooney stated that was correct. Ms. Mailander added that Walker does indicate another price increase within a couple of years, but if they are doing well at $1.25 they may not need that. Mayor Hache added that it could smooth it out. Ms. Mailander stated that was correct, adding that it was a bit of an increase now but there won’t be another increase for a few years. Mr. Rooney stated that as Ms. Mailander pointed out at the last meeting, they don’t want to do this twice. Going by the information that they have available, he thinks it is very reasonable to do the $1.25 across the board.

Councilman Voigt asked if they needed a decision tonight. Ms. Mailander stated that they do because they need to get the ordinances adopted so they can be effective in time for January 1st. Mayor Hache asked from a pricing perspective, 25 cents now buys you 20 minutes, but 25 cents will buy you 12 minutes at $1.25. Councilman Voigt stated that he thinks they are really underestimating what the kiosks can do. If they go to $1.25 and they start to really bring in some revenue, he thinks they owe it to the town and the residents to back off that amount if they are doing that well. Mr. Rooney stated that was Council’s decision and his concern was that he doesn’t want to be short and then have to catch up. Mayor Hache asked what would be the assumptions in the revenues from the kiosk to get them to flat as opposed to going to negative. Mr. Rooney stated that he would have to do the math, but he thinks it would be worthwhile looking at.

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she thinks that Councilman Voigt is saying that in July, you have six full months of data. In July, if you are showing that your numbers are shocking, then at the August meeting they would make a plan for January. Councilman Sedon stated that he would still be in favor of seeing the data and getting the difference by Monday. Based on that, he would still be in favor of doing $1.25 on the street and $1.00 on the lots and they would look at it again in six months and review it in July. Mr. Rooney stated that would be his minimum.

Mayor Hache stated that he appreciated Mr. Rooney putting on the auditor hat, but the only reason they wouldn’t reach the same level of increase is that the attrition would not be as great. Then there has to be people who say that $1.25 is too much. Mr. Rooney stated that in his assumptions he took a 5% reduction, because as Walker said, it normally experiences 5% less usage when the rates go up and the people start to work their way back in. So, there is some reserve in there for that. Mr. Rooney added that he would get them the numbers.

Ms. Mailander stated that she needed to know if they wanted to do the entire Village now with the kiosks. There was agreement throughout the Village Council. Mayor Hache stated that what they did with the roll out for the pilot programs, the idea was to pilot North Broad. He thinks that the turnover in the spots is noticeable, and asked what the assessment is of how they have worked out. Mr. Rooney stated that he thinks they are fine, once people got over the change. Ms. Mailander stated that she thinks the new screens have been a help, as well. She added that she wanted to know how the Village Council felt about leasing or buying. Mr. Rooney stated that his suggestion was to lease and there was agreement among the Village Council. Councilman Sedon stated that you are paying a bit less and getting more of a warranty, and at the end of the day you own them.

Ms. Mailander stated that the revenue from this doesn’t just pay for the debt service. It pays for improvements to any lots, and PEO salaries. Mr. Rooney added that it would pay for this lease cost. Councilman Sedon stated that if Mr. Rooney could get them the numbers that Mayor Hache had requested for Monday, because the next meeting is in a few more days, then they could see the differential and decide on the rates. Ms. Mailander stated that they can’t write an ordinance unless they know, so they would have to wait until the 23rd of October. Councilman Voigt asked if that gave enough time for January 1st. Councilwoman Walsh stated that they could hold a special meeting. Ms. Mailander stated that it would be effective by January 1st. Mr. Rooney clarified that they were definitely doing the increases for the permits. Mayor Hache stated that the only thing up in the air is $1.00 across the board and what the assumption is for the kiosk increase and whether or not that is realistic. Ms. Mailander stated that they would discuss it on the 23rd and then have a Special Public Meeting that night.

c. Budget

1. Award Sourcewell Co-Op Purchasing Contract – 2020 Ford F250 Pickup – Shade Tree Division

Ms. Mailander stated that this was for the purchase of a Ford F250 for the Parks and Shade Tree Division through the Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Program. Funding is in the Capital Budget, and this will rescind the resolution that was previously passed for a Ford Ranger. This vehicle is more versatile and will be better suited to the jobs that they do.

2. Award Contract – Tree Planting Throughout the Village

Ms. Mailander stated that they went out to get quotes. Six plan holders were eligible, and they received three. The low quote was from Clarke Moynihan Landscaping and Construction LLC out of Andover. It was for the planting of 100 trees, of 10 different species. The cost is $398 per tree. By comparison, when Mr. Rutishauser bid out the paving and curbing contract, the contractor quoted $500 per tree. This is $39,800 and there is money for tree placement and some additional money will come out of the Shade Tree Division Regular Operating Budget. She added that she had Nancy Bigos give an estimate of what it would cost to do this in house. With the salaries and internal coordination, the cost would be $27,200 and then the trees and supplies would be $22,695. So, she estimated about $49,895, but that doesn’t address concerns about delivery and storage of the trees, proper watering, and then the fact that staff would be redirected from their normal day to day activities for approximately 20 business days. It is about $10,000 less to have an outside contractor do it, as well as the fact that the Park Department currently has tree trimming scheduled out as far as April of next year. She recommended they accept this award.

Councilman Sedon asked when the trees would be planted. Ms. Mailander stated that they were looking to get them planted this fall. Councilman Sedon asked if it was some time in November. Ms. Mailander stated that was most likely. Councilman Sedon asked if a tree was planted in front of a Village residence would they be notified. Ms. Mailander stated that she would look into that. Councilman Sedon stated that they have been engaging in these tree plantings for several years now and the Village Arborist isn’t really involved in the plantings. So, he was hoping that the arborist could be involved in the supervision of this because you are talking about protecting an investment as you could potentially lose more trees. Ms. Mailander stated that her understanding is that by hiring this contractor, the contractor is then responsible for the tree and if it doesn’t make it they are then responsible for replacing that tree. Councilman Sedon suggested that the arborist could even drive by when they are doing an area to check and make sure that they aren’t cutting any corners.

Mayor Hache stated that it doesn’t have to be one or the other, as if they are talking about protecting an investment and supervising buys a certain level of insurance. The idea is to come up with a list of the trees that have been planted and in a year have the arborist take over from there, instead of assuming that the tree was fine after a year. Councilman Sedon was in agreement with that and added that a little bit of oversight on our part would go a long way and make a lot of sense. Ms. Mailander stated that she agreed.

3. Award Contract – Two Gearboxes – Water Pollution Control

Ms. Mailander stated that the Village received three informal written quotes for the replacement of a Winsmith double reduction gearbox including torque control at the Water Pollution Control Facility. The low quote was very good, so they are going to purchase two units because they have several of the gearboxes and this way they can replace ones that are failing. The recommendation is to award the work to Precision Electric Motor Works of Clifton, in an amount not to exceed $34,550.

4. ADA Compliant Curb Ramp Program

Ms. Mailander stated that Bergen County goes out for the ADA complaint curb ramps, which are those with the bubbles on them. So, the County is awarding a contract under the County Contract to P.A. Contractors of Green Brook, in an amount not to exceed $86,743.31. This is for going forward with the paving, where the Village does have to do those curb cuts.

5. Authorize Acceptance of Community Development Block Grant for Handicap Accessible Ramp for Zabriskie-Schedler House

Ms. Mailander stated that this was for the acceptance of the Community Development Block Grant for the handicap accessible ramp at the Zabriskie-Schedler House. The Village applied for this earlier this year and has been awarded an $80,000 grant to construct the ramp and this does not require matching funds. This is to authorize that grant and have it executed.

6. Discuss All Terrain Emergency Vehicle – Emergency Services

Ms. Mailander stated that at this point they need to make a decision as to whether or not the Village Council wishes to fund the ASAP or not. Councilman Voigt stated that there is the MedStat or the Gator, and he asked if the difference was $25,000. Ms. Mailander stated she believed that was correct. Councilwoman Walsh stated that she thinks the Gator is more versatile. She understands that the ASAP vehicle is enclosed and operates like a mini ambulance but if it can’t be driven on the street right into the hospital, that seemed like the big selling feature. Ms. Mailander stated that the Gator couldn’t do that either.

Mayor Hache stated that they discussed at the last meeting that if someone has been hurt and they put them on the Gator they actually have to immobilize them because it is not compatible with the stretchers. This delays the care and there were a lot of things that were mentioned as advantages. Councilwoman Walsh stated that those were extreme cases and we have ambulances available. It would really be in the instances where you can’t get the person safely off or somewhere where it is inaccessible. Councilman Voigt stated that he is okay with a Gator and he thinks that a MedStat is a bit of overkill. Councilwoman Walsh stated that she was okay with a Gator. Mayor Hache stated that he was fine with the ASAP. Councilman Sedon stated that he was fine with the Gator.

d. Policy

1. Flag Ordinance

Mr. Rogers stated that he provided the Village Council with a memorandum discussing another concept for the flagpole at Van Neste Square. He also included a draft of an ordinance that was a work in progress. Therefore it is not a public document and they just wanted to see what it might look like. He added that the Village Council should be aware of a recognized doctrine by the United States Supreme Court utilized by many communities throughout the United States known as the Government Speech Doctrine. He provided the Village Council with two cases and also some background wording from one of the decisions to show the distinctions between what the Government Speech Doctrine does versus a First Amendment free speech issue. This deals with content neutrality issues which means they would have to include safeguards if they go that route.

Mr. Rogers stated that the Government Speech Doctrine permits a municipality to advance its own form of expression or speech without having to adhere to content neutral type safeguards so long as it’s the municipality. In this case it is the Village Council making the decisions as to what the expressions or the speech should be. It emanates out of what has gone on throughout the years and how things have operated with monuments in public parks, flags or other types of structures that have been allowed in public parks over the years. What happened is that the United States Supreme Court said that the government can’t be confined to making sure that everything it does is content neutral. It takes positions with lots of different things, and as long as it is the governmental entity that is doing it, that Government Speech Doctrine is protected and certainly would qualify for certain things.

Mr. Rogers stated that there were a couple of instances that he provided to the Village Council, sharing examples of situations, showing that the court said that the government has its own right of speech. Even though public parks are often identified with the public in mind, the government owns the land and if a statue is accepted, it is meant to convey the speech of the government itself. So, it is certainly something that the Village Council can do in terms of dealing with the flagpole. The process would be that there is a thought or an idea of what type of a flag to fly, and by resolution the Council would decide what goes up and when it goes up. They would have the same guidelines in terms of timing and size of flags. With the plethora of applications that they may get with regard to non-commercial public interest type flags, the flagpole can only handle so many. Mr. Rogers added that there would be limitations with regard to that.

Mr. Rogers stated that it is a different approach, but he thinks it is something that the Village Council needs to be made aware of as they approach what should be done with this flagpole. If they use the Government Speech Doctrine, he believes that the American Flag Code applies, in which the American Flag has to be flown at the top, and everything else underneath it. He stated that it was something that the Village Council should consider, and decide which route they would like to go as far as making determinations.

Councilman Voigt asked if the flag was for public use only. Mr. Rogers stated that was what he was asking the Village Council to decide when they decide which method to use. Councilman Voigt stated that his personal feeling is that it is a public place and it should be for the public. Councilwoman Walsh stated that they have heard from residents with concerns. There are two flagpoles at Van Neste Square, and this is specifically in the northwest corner. The American Flag is always going to fly on the memorial flagpole, and this is a different flagpole. She added that they always wanted to fly the American Flag on both flagpoles, and the additional flag would go on the bottom if it could withstand it.

Councilwoman Walsh asked if there was an American Flag and an expression flag, if it is contradictory do they not fly the American Flag. Mr. Rogers stated that if you look at some of the wording from the case law, it says that a government can’t function by trying to take care of that in an ordinance. Government Speech has the discretion to decide which of those things goes up there, but with the other one you have to have protections for people who want something different and may be outside of the purview of what you intend. He added that at the same time to maintain content neutrality, you would have to allow that kind of banner.

Mayor Hache asked if they could resolve to say that the upcoming schedule of flags that will fly on the pole for the year, as opposed to what they were considering before which was having a logbook with requests. Mr. Rogers stated that as he read further about the Government Speech Doctrine it really is a government decision. He wrote in the memo that maybe there are times that people make suggestions about what should fly, and that is permitted, but you don’t want to have an application process because that is not government speech. He added that you would have to take out the application process if they went that route and work it in a different fashion where the Village Council would decide. Mr. Rogers added that it is done by public resolution and requires discussion, it also becomes less time consuming. He pointed out that he was trying to draw attention to the distinction between the two routes.

Mayor Hache stated that at any time they could decide that there is a national event and replace whatever it is that they had scheduled with something that is more significant to what was happening at that moment. Mr. Rogers stated that they could create a schedule for the entire year, but there may be other ways of dealing with it that may be less determined. The Supreme Court says that if you are going the free speech route, it is a very difficult task to make sure that you cover all the bases while remaining content neutral and provide the opportunities for all of these things to get in. This is very new ground with regard to the approach from a free speech standpoint, and you do lend yourself to a greater exposure when you go that route. If someone applied from a free speech standpoint and the Village decides these are obscene and insightful you expose yourself, whereas with Government Speech you don’t have that kind of thing.

Councilman Sedon stated that with the Government Speech aspect that could cut down on someone who would want to create an issue with an application, he added that with Government Speech someone would have to come in and publicly request a specific flag. Mr. Rogers pointed out that you didn’t need that, but you could leave the door open to hear requests. He added that the downside is that it is not the public expression that maybe some people were hoping for, it is the government expression. He asked the Village Council to think about it and offered for them to contact him individually. Ms. Mailander added that she would put that back on the agenda for the 23rd.

2. Hudson Street Parking Garage Construction Site – Authorized Signatory

Ms. Mailander stated that some materials need to be exported to an approved facility, so they need someone to authorize who can be at the site to execute and sign various manifests as well as permit applications and other documentation. This authorization will be given to Chris Rutishauser, Village Engineer, through a Village Council resolution.

3. Residency Requirements for Village Councilmembers

Councilman Voigt stated that he had inquiries from several residents regarding what the residency requirement is for existing Village Councilmembers. He has been working with Mr. Rogers as there are some state laws that are in effect relating to residency requirements for an existing Village Councilmember. He wanted Mr. Rogers to go through what those were, adding that he handed out the statute.

Mr. Rogers stated that Councilman Voigt sent him an email regarding several statutes that he wanted him to take a look at. The first was 40A:19-1.12 which says that no person can be a candidate or hold a local elected office unless he is a resident of that unit. The interesting thing is that there isn’t any set definition, but there are some other definitions that go into this. The next one is 40A:9-1.11 which deals with a definition for a resident and a resident is a person having within the local unit a place of abode which has not been adopted for any temporary purpose. This means that it is meant to prevent someone from jumping into a locale and deciding to see how they do, and it is also meant for dealing with situations where somebody may temporarily have to move from someplace where they are permanently domiciled. The courts look at certain things such as voter registration, and whether or not there is an ownership or lease at the property, driver’s license, and it says that they are not going to consider temporary places. Mr. Rogers stated that was what the courts and the statues say, as there is not one separate definition for residency, but it is subject to fact sensitive issues.

Councilman Voigt asked for clarification on the wording “when they cease to become a resident.” Mr. Rogers stated that he doesn’t know that it actually is defined, but he thinks it is all factually sensitive. Councilman Voigt asked if it was based on voter registration and driver’s license. Mr. Rogers stated that wasn’t ceasing, but to establish residency those are the things that the courts have looked at over the years to determine whether someone is a resident. Councilman Voigt asked what permanent domicile means. Mr. Rogers asked if there was a particular statue Councilman Voigt wanted him to look at. Councilman Voigt stated that there was a particular case he sent Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers stated that he wasn’t sent a case, but it was provided this evening and he could see that Councilman Voigt highlighted a particular section of that information that says domicile has been defined as a place where a person has their true home and particular establishment where after they leave they have the intention of returning. He added that he remembered reading those words, so maybe Councilman Voigt had sent it to him.

Councilman Voigt stated that the residents had questions on what the definition was, as they weren’t entirely clear, so he was assuming that they have to be a resident and have a permanent domicile in this locale. Mr. Rogers stated that was another word for a jurisdiction or town. He added that if your residence is in a municipality you can run in that municipal government or legislative district. Councilman Voigt asked if they needed to have any local law on this. Mr. Rogers stated that they can’t, this is state court and statute controlled.

e. Operations

1. Update of Graydon Pool Restroom Improvements

Ms. Mailander stated that the bid will be advertised in The Record by this Friday, October 4th. The bids will be due on October 23rd at 10:30 A.M. They will have a discussion of the bids that were received that evening at their Work Session, and then possibly be able to award at that Work Session depending on how much it comes out at, and as long as the Engineer has enough time to review the bids and make sure that they comply. They may also be able to have a Special Public Meeting at their November 6th Work Session. The length of the contract would be that it has to be completed before the season opens for Graydon; however they may start prior but may have to stop at some point due to weather.

The items in the contract include masonry repointing, door upgrades, repair of restroom partitions, repair of walls and ceilings, application of high performing paint coatings, installation of new barrier free restoration accessories, upgrade of interior and exterior lighting, and other related work for a complete project in accordance with the contract documents. This was developed with Connolly and Hickey, and the Village does not need to have prequalification of bidders for this building. Ms. Mailander added that she asked about the roof being replaced, and she was told that the work that is being done will not affect the roof in any way, so that project can go forward at this time.

2. Review of Best Practices Inventory

Ms. Mailander stated that this was the annual best practices that are sent out by the State. They have to answer questions about what the Village does in various areas of government and from those answers it is determined whether State aid will remain the same or change. Mr. Rooney has gone through this with various departments that are in charge of these different questions. They have two or three no’s, and are at the point where they will still get 100% of our State aid. Ms. Mailander added that they did an unscored survey this year that didn’t go towards the score.

Mr. Rooney stated that the reason for the unscored survey is for future use and whether or not they should ask these questions down the road. Since he has been here they have done their best to get all yes answers but there were a lot of questions that weren’t fair. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) met with the state over the past year and recreated a lot of the different questions that are here and seem to be very fair. He added that the GFOA did a great job in modifying this to be realistic. Ms. Mailander stated that the requirement is that they discuss this at a meeting, and she didn’t know if the Village Council had any questions about any particular questions.

Mayor Hache stated that some of the no’s seemed easy to rectify, as they were talking about cybersecurity threats and on-going education of staff, and those were things that seems very easy to fix. He added that he didn’t see anything concerning on here.

3. Resident Survey

Ms. Mailander stated that this is something that she brought to the Village Council that Fair Lawn had done about seven years ago. There are some similar questions to Fair Lawn, and others that could be discussed. She added that she didn’t know if the Village Council wished to do this, but she had a conversation with the Mayor where he said that any chance for input is a good thing. She highlighted some of the possible questions for the survey. Then it has areas for ratings.

Ms. Mailander added that they do have the ability to use SurveyMonkey and in addition they could have hard copies for anyone that didn’t want to go on the computer and do it. She added that if they had other questions that they could think of between now and Monday if they decided they wanted to move forward, they should get them to her and then they could get the survey up and running. She added that they could use the information to do things a little differently and to find out what people value.

Mayor Hache added that they should include some questions about the Central Business District. Councilwoman Walsh stated that she thinks that some of the questions need to have more of a qualifier, adding that maybe there would be a statement and a question. Mr. Rogers stated that it would be almost like a referendum. Councilwoman Walsh agreed, adding that if you knew that it was going to save you a certain amount of tax dollars would you be in favor of it. Mayor Hache stated that without the context of what the applications are, and Councilman Sedon added that people would be saying that they love curbside garbage pickup. He added that during the budget discussion they did a survey through the Visioning Process, but this would be different and they could use it to determine what residents’ value and there is an opportunity for savings. This would assist them in determining what people value more if they had to make budget cuts.

Ms. Mailander added that if the Village Council had specifics she would appreciate it so that they could get some good feedback and hopefully a good response rate. Councilwoman Walsh suggested that some of the 13 questions were all demographic, and if they have no intention of using that information she would just eliminate those, because the shorter and more concise the survey, the better. Mayor Hache added that at least the age question might be interesting in terms of the types of services that are important to which demographic. Ms. Mailander and Councilwoman Walsh discussed the recreation questions and how that applied to questions about age and number of children under the age of 18. Councilwoman Walsh stated that she thinks that people are going to answer surveys if they are quicker. Councilman Voigt asked if they were open to other questions. Ms. Mailander stated that she was and to let her know and also let her know if they wanted to clarify any other questions. She added that if they wanted to do the survey this month she would need the questions by Monday, and they could also use the answers for the budget.

7. REVIEW OF OCTOBER 7, 2019 PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA

Ms. Mailander stated that this was a review of the October 7, 2019 Public Meeting Agenda.

Proclamations: National Diabetes Awareness Month; and Recognize October 13, 2019 as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

There are no ordinances for introduction or public hearing for Ridgewood Water.

Resolutions for Ridgewood Water include: Award Professional Services Contract – Feasibility Study to Reactivate Ravine Well; Award Contract under State Contract – Fiber Network Collection and Build; and Award Contract under Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Contract – 2020 Ford F250 Pickup – Water Metering Division.

The following ordinances are scheduled for introduction: 3751 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Ridgewood Parking Permits and Central Business District Employee Parking Stickers and Hangtags; 3752 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Parking Meter Fees; 3753 – Management Salary Ordinance; 3754 – Non-Union Salary Ordinance; and 3755 – Establish Regulations for Winter Door Enclosures for Businesses.

The scheduled public hearings include: 3747 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic; 3748 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Driveways; 3749 – Establish Reserved Parking Spaces at Train Station Parking Lot – NJ Transit and Concession Stand/Social Service Association; and 3750 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – 15 Minute Parking Meter on East Ridgewood Avenue.

The scheduled continued public hearing includes: 3746 – Bond Ordinance – Zabriskie-Schedler House – Phase III.

Resolutions include: Award Contract – Roofing of Graydon Pool Buildings; Award Contract – Ford Escape – Parking Enforcement Officers; Award Contract – Tree Planting Throughout the Village; Award Contract Under State Contract – Genesis Rescue Tools; Award Contract Under Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Contract – 2020 Ford F250 Pickup – Shade Tree Division; Award Contract – Two Gearboxes – Water Pollution Control Facility; Award Contract – ADA Compliant Curb Ramp Program; Authorize Execution of Manifests for Hudson Street Parking Garage; Authorize Major Soil Moving Permit – 142 Elmsley Court; Authorize Execution of Community Development Block Grant – Zabriskie-Schelder House Ramp; Appoint Member to Planning Board; and Appoint Members to Zoning Board of Adjustment.

8. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Hans Lehmann, 234 Union Street, stated that he was going to go back to what he referenced earlier, and would like to enter the record that there was an email sent to the Deputy Mayor on seven separate occasions to which he received no reply. He read the body of the email for the Village Council, regarding the CRAB Committee, adding that he hoped someone on the Village Council would get an answer for him.

Boyd Loving, 342 South Irving Street, stated that there was some discussion about the parking kiosks, and if he recalled correctly the kiosks were installed in the lots in the spring when it was light out late in the day. They attended a meeting at the BOE offices, and now it is starting to get darker earlier, and they found that the kiosk screen in the Cottage Street parking lot was difficult to see as there was no lighting. Mr. Rooney talked about there being 85 kiosks, and perhaps the kiosks on Broad Street and the Chestnut Street lot can be seen because those locations are lit very well, but when you start putting kiosks in locations that are not as well-lit he didn’t know if there was an option that they could be backlit. Mr. Loving mentioned Daylight Saving Time and the difficulty to see these kiosks in the dark when parking is in effect until 8:00 P.M.

There were no additional comments from the public, and Mayor Hache closed public comment.

9. RESOLUTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION

Deputy Village Clerk Donna Jackson read Resolution #19-328 to go into Closed Session as follows:

10. ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Councilwoman Walsh, seconded by Councilman Sedon, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the Village Council’s Work Session was adjourned at 10:49 P.M.

 

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Ramon M. Hache, Sr.
Mayor
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Donna M. Jackson
Deputy Village Clerk