20200221 - Village Council Special Public Budget Meeting Minutes

 

A BUDGET MEETING OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD HELD IN THE SYDNEY V. STOLDT, JR. COURT ROOM OF THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE HALL, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY ON FEBRUARY 21, 2020 AT 5:00 P.M.

 

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

 

Mayor Hache called the meeting to order at 5:02 P.M. and read the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.  At roll call the following were present: Councilmembers Knudsen, Sedon, Voigt, Walsh, and Mayor Hache.  Also present were Heather Mailander, Village Manager/Village Clerk; Donna Jackson, Deputy Village Clerk; Robert Rooney, Chief Financial Officer; and Stephen Sanzari, Treasurer. 

 

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 our nation and its first responders.

 

1. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

 

There were no comments from the public.

 

2. INTRODUCTION OF 2020 BUDGET PROCESS – VILLAGE MANAGER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the creating the budget is a long process and Robert Rooney, Chief Financial Officer, is going to summarize what they have gone through to get to this point.  Department Directors will come in and give highlights of their budget from 2019 and also 2020 large projects or goals.  There are three nights of budget meetings, tonight, February 24^th at 5:00 P.M., and March 2^nd at 5:00 P.M.

 

Mr. Rooney explained the handouts that were provided to the Village Councilmembers.  He stated that this process began in August when they asked Department Directors to start thinking about their budgets and submit them to him by the end of September.  These were reviewed and the Department Directors met twice with Mr. Rooney and Stephen Sanzari, Treasurer.  Ms. Mailander joined both of them to meet with the Department Directors a third time to get an understanding of what their budget needs were and what their capital needs were as well.  Mr. Rooney and Mr. Sanzari put together the budget that is being presented tonight. 

 

Mr. Rooney stated that yesterday, he, Ms. Mailander and Mr. Sanzari met with all Department Directors and pared down the capital budget requests to approximately half of what they were originally, and they are now twice as much as they were last year.  He asked the Village Council to make some final decisions when they go through the capital budget, ten days from now, as to what they want to do.  Ms. Mailander added that part of the reason that the capital budget is high is because of the big projects they are doing, such as Schedler, Kings Pond, the Library, which are all big, multi-million dollar projects.  The Village Council will have to decide what they will fund this year, and what they will put off for future years.

3. DISCUSSION ITEMS

 

1. Review of Departmental Budgets and Capital Budgets

 

1. I.T./M.I.S.

 

Dylan Hansen, Director of I.T./M.I.S., stated that in 2019 they accomplished the improved sound in the Court Room with sound panels, upgraded amps, speaker systems, and had it all calibrated by a vendor.  They also went to the Swagit system, that is automated and mostly controlled by a company in Texas that streams the Village Council meetings to YouTube, Swagit and Channel 77 for Optimum and Channel 34 for Fios.  This will be the second year with Swagit and he hasn’t had any real issues with the system.  They also deployed a wi-fi cloud system to all facilities this year, and will be upgrading Graydon as well as just upgrading the Recycling Center and The Stable.  He added that they also just upgraded Village Hall and there is now public wi-fi in the Garden Room.  They are going to expand more into the outside areas as well for the summertime, when people are outside, including into the parks.

 

Mr. Hansen stated that they increased the I.T. Department by one person, so now they are a group of three.  The additions have been a great help for the Department, and there will be a couple of projects they will work to get done this year, including switchovers, upgrades, and some virtualization, as well as an ESRI project.

 

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she would like to see them get some feedback from some individuals about the system, as she was hearing feedback that there are some difficulties with Fios customers.  Mr. Hansen stated that the Fios issue was resolved, as the Village was accidently taken off-line at the beginning of the year, so it had to be reprogramed.  The past two meetings have been on Fios.

 

Mayor Hache asked what the expected expenditure would be on the expansion of the wi-fi.  Mr. Hansen stated that they have some funding left over in the budget, about $6,000, and he requested funding this year but it was pulled because they still had funding from last year.  Mayor Hache asked what the expected additional expenditure would be,  Mr. Hansen stated that they were looking at an additional $28,000 to do the remaining parks, including fiber components, mounts, outdoor boxes, and additional equipment.

 

Councilman Voigt asked about Trackit Support.  Mr. Hansen stated that Trackit is their help desk support, so if someone sends an email to the help desk, it automatically goes into the system, they get a ticket, and then he can track the I.T. Department’s responses on fixing the problems.  Councilman Voigt asked about the increase in the cost of Swagit.  Mr. Hansen stated that last year, when it was initially budgeted they didn’t realize that the system came with the service, and this year the Village has to pay for the service, so now it’s an operating expense.

 

Councilwoman Walsh asked about the training in the I.T. budget, and what it is for.  Mr. Hansen stated that they do additional training for the new security system, PHP for coding for websites or apps, and ESRI which was deployed last year in the Water program and they are going to get all of the other Departments onto it.  That also ties into Spatial Data Logic which is the Building and Health Department software program.

 

Councilman Sedon stated that he was going to ask about the jump in contractual services, but he guesses that would be for the increase in the Swagit system and the cloud system.  Mr. Hansen agreed.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that Mr. Hansen has capital requests.  Mr. Hansen stated that the first part is $20,000 for a portable camera system that would tie into the Swagit system so they would be able to televise from any location on the fiber loop.  They could then also televise from The Stable, or any place that the fiber exists.  Mayor Hache asked if it was similar to what the Board of Education was using.  Mr. Hansen stated that it was similar, but they were encoding their own system and the Village was using Swagit.  Computers that are five plus years old are replaced, and the server upgrades are a separate line item.  The servers have had a life of eight plus years, which he is happy about and he will start clustering them together which leads to less down time.  He added that there were also ruggedized PCs for patrol vehicles for Police cars, and this is for the older Police vehicles.  For the I.T. office, he wants to get new desks and chairs.  Firewalls which protect from the internet need to be replaced, as that is done every five years.  Mr. Hansen added that he had $19,000 for wire racks in his budget to try and organize inside the server rooms.  They currently record all Police car cameras onto a server, and the new software doesn’t work with the current server, so they need a new server and software for the in-car camera systems so the information can be uploaded.

 

Mayor Hache asked about the ruggedized PCs for patrol vehicles, and if they should be in the Police budget.  Mr. Hansen stated that they try to keep all the computers under one budget, to maintain the inventory, so they have always purchased the computers when they are replacements through I.T.  However, when they order a new Police car, they are included in the package for the car.  Councilwoman Knudsen asked about how old the PCs were that they were replacing and about them running Windows 7.  Mr. Hansen stated that they have to take them off-line, as they can’t be upgraded, and they were about 8 years old.

 

Mayor Hache asked about the operating budget, stating that salaries seemed to be stable except for one salary which jumps about 20%.  Ms. Mailander stated that when they went out for the third I.T. person, they had a salary range and in interviewing three times, three groups of people, they realized they would have to increase the salary range for the new person.  In order to properly compensate the person who has been here for four years, they had to increase the salary for the existing employee, otherwise she was earning less than the new hire.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that was something done from an administrative perspective, but it wasn’t something that was contractual.  Ms. Mailander agreed, adding that they are both non-union positions, so they have a performance evaluation at the end of each year, and then their annual increase is based on their performance.

 

2. Health Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that Dawn Cetrulo, Director of the Health Department and Health Officer, would be presenting her budget.  Ms. Cetrulo stated that her 2019 Report would be available in the Health Department for anyone who would like to review it.  For 2019, they formed a Stigma Free Task Force and accomplished many things in 2019.  For many of the programs, they teamed up with West Bergen Mental Healthcare and the schools, and showed a film called Angst.  The Stigma Free Task Force also attended the PRIDE event and used the RISE program with the Ridgewood Day Camp at Graydon, and delivered over 1,800 kindness cards throughout the Village.  She added that they would also be reaching out to the nursing homes.

 

Ms. Cetrulo stated that the cosmetology licensing went through nicely, and they did all of the inspections of the various salons, spas, and barbershops last year.  This year, everybody has been licensed and paid their fee, so now they are working on doing the second year of inspections.  She added that she is working on outreach to pediatricians, childcare facilities, nursing homes and senior care to get information out about what is out there.  They have done a lot of that through visiting them, emailing, and Facebook posting.  The Director of Geese Peace came to train Ridgewood and surrounding towns and park employees.  The Village group oiled 143 eggs from 32 nests. 

 

Ms. Cetrulo stated that goals for 2020 are working on the retail inspections and trying to increase the number of inspections.  The State requires them to be done annually, however places that are a high risk they like to do inspections more frequently.  Also, continuing customer service skills within the Department through positive recognition and training.  Her entire staff went through cultural diversity training, and everyone got a certificate.  She added increasing shared service agreements is a goal, and they just signed a contract with Norwood to do their cosmetology inspections.  Another big thing is improving the vaccine compliance within the community, as they did a lot of outreach to the nursery schools, and the parents to encourage them to get their children vaccinated.

 

Councilman Voigt asked about the social services line item for $25,000.  Ms. Cetrulo stated that they have had several situations where they run into a resident that needs social services, and in trying to call County agencies for assistance, there isn’t a great response.  Some towns actually have a Human Services Department, so the Village has been looking into hiring somebody on an as-needed basis, as part of the public health nursing contract.  Councilwoman Walsh asked if the Village is duplicating the effort, since that service is offered by the County.  Ms. Cetrulo stated that the County provides adult protective services, and they really only come out if the person is in danger to themselves or others, so it wouldn’t be for calls like this.  Ms. Mailander stated that the situations that have occurred here might be an adult child with special needs and the parents are in a nursing home and they don’t know how to navigate through their lives, such as meals on wheels or the food pantry.  Ms. Mailander added that they are gathering information from a firm that handles this and then they will bring it to the Village Council to review.  She stated that they were trying to assist these people who are Village residents, and may need some help for a specified time.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she understands completely, and that there are certain legal issues, but perhaps they can tweak whatever the County offers, because the Village is pouring a lot of money into those services, and the Village is eligible for them.  Ms. Mailander stated that the County agencies would assist these residents they were a danger to themselves or to others.  Ms. Cetrulo stated that she can give an example of someone who called the Police and Fire Departments ten or twenty times a month, because she dropped her remote control for her television.  They would call Adult Protective Services (APS) and no one would come out.  Her inspector went there, and the individual was urinating in her chair so badly, that the chair shorted out.  APS would not come out, and Ms. Cetrulo called them herself several times.  At one point, the individual asked her multiple times what day it was, and Ms. Cetrulo called 262 HELP and said that the resident had some memory issues, and they got her into the hospital and then a nursing home.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that outside of this meeting, they should have a conversation with the County, because this must also be happening with other municipalities, and the services are obviously needed.

 

Councilman Voigt asked how this overlapped with what Age Friendly Ridgewood was doing.  Ms. Mailander stated that this was totally different.  Councilman Voigt stated that they are talking about a lot of the same stuff as is being suggested here, so he was thinking they should connect with Age Friendly as they may have access to some of these services as well.  Ms. Mailander and Ms. Cetrulo stated they had been in contact with Ms. Brogan.  Ms. Cetrulo added that Ms. Brogan is on the Stigma Free Committee, and they spoke about all of the patients.  Councilman Voigt asked if Ms. Brogan was supportive of this.  Ms. Cetrulo stated that Ms. Brogan is supportive of hiring this person.  Ms. Mailander stated that they would provide more information about the proposal, once they receive it from the company providing the services.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that there was no capital budget for the Health Department.

 

3. Village Manager

 

Ms. Mailander stated that for the most part, the Village Manager’s budget is flat.  During 2019 a lot of different things were accomplished overall in the Village, from the improvement of the sound in the Court Room, to paving, and there is a list of all the accomplishments in all of the different Departments.  Moving forward, they want to continue to do that Village-wide and continue to serve the Village residents in the best and most cost efficient manner possible.  There is an increase in the Village Manager’s budget where money is in the budget for Department Directors who may want to attend national conferences.  The Department Directors would be given a flat amount of money, $2,000, and then they would be able to attend the conferences.  All additional costs would be paid for by the Department Director.  That is the biggest increase in the Village Manager’s budget.

 

Councilman Voigt asked if that $2,000 was all they get, and then the rest is on them.  Ms. Mailander stated that was correct, as up until about ten years ago, Department Directors could attend their national conferences and it was limited to between $2,000 and $2,500.  Ten years ago, times became financially difficult, so it was decided that it wasn’t prudent to allow Department Directors to go out of State for a conference.  Department Directors still attend in-state conferences, but national conferences provide better speakers and networking opportunities for Department Directors, as well as a better understanding of what their colleagues do nation-wide.  Ms. Mailander stated that national conferences had been very beneficial for her, and she thinks it would be the same for others.

 

 

4. Village Council

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Village Council budget included $25,000 for unidentified projects that the Village Council might want to do.  Last year, it was cut out of the budget in order to get down to a tax rate that they wanted, and this year, that is the major budget line item that increased.  They are looking at possibly increasing Village Council salaries, as they haven’t been increased since 2004.  She did a salary survey to show what other municipalities pay their Mayor or Councilmembers, and in addition, some of them receive additional expense allowances.  One of the towns also gives a car allowance.  This was something they could consider, as she thinks the Village is at the lower end of the salary range, as compared to the majority of the towns who responded to her survey.  She added that the Village Councilmembers attend a lot of events and give a lot of their time, and it has been a long time since they received salary increases.

 

Mayor Hache stated that it would be interesting to see salary compared to size of towns, and he asked what other governing bodies are tasked with being the Board of Directors of a public water utility.  There is time being spent there, that doesn’t accrue to Village residents, but to folks outside of Ridgewood, and he thinks the other municipalities should pay into that.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that she didn’t think the Village Council salaries should be raised, as the Board of Education in Ridgewood spends a lot of time at meetings as well, and they are not paid anything.  Councilman Voigt agreed.  Ms. Mailander added she would do an analysis as requested by Mayor Hache.  Councilwoman Knudsen agreed that information is helpful to understand.

 

5. Village Attorney

 

Mr. Rooney stated that the Village Attorney’s budget is relatively flat, except for one case that is going on right now which they estimate is going to be about $25,000 in legal fees.  He added that he was waiting for Mr. Rogers to get his some more information, and the attorneys are McManimon and Scotland.

 

Councilman Sedon asked if Mr. Rooney knew what case it was.  Mr. Rooney stated that he did.  Councilman Sedon saw on his sheet and stated it was RME.  Councilman Sedon stated that the overall attorney fees went down, because they got out of some of the larger historic cases, such as Valley Hospital.  Mr. Rooney agreed.

 

6. Village Clerk

 

Donna Jackson, Deputy Village Clerk, stated that some of the 2019 accomplishments in the Village Clerk’s office were using the service of an intern to scan documents into the Laserfiche software. Once the documents are scanned, a search word or phrase can be used to find the previously scanned documents.  In the future, this will be helpful for OPRA requests.  They can also share this with information with other Village employees.  Two part time receptionists have obtained full time positions within the Village, and they have been replaced with two new part time employees.  There was a carpet installation in the office, which gave them the opportunity to reorganize.  They will have the opportunity to purge some documents, once they get authorization from the State that they have exceeded their retention schedule.

 

Ms. Jackson stated that 2020 goals include continuing to scan documents into the Laserfiche program.  They were successful in entering the 2019 ordinances and resolutions and will continue with 2020 and work on previous years, as time allows.  In 2017, she and Eileen Young, of the Village Clerk’s Office, held an insurance workshop for Department Directors which provided them with instruction in filling out insurance claim forms for Workers Compensation.  She hopes to have another workshop this year, and this time they would focus on Supervisors, because there are many new supervisors of departments at this time. 

 

Ms. Jackson stated that most importantly are the agendas that they take care of and the Village Council packets, which are very time consuming.  There are three meetings a month and they take nearly a week to put together for an individual meeting.  One of the recent meeting packets was 250 pages long.  On top of that, they have OPRA requests.  When she started in 2011, they had 48 ordinances, and now they have 72.  There were 338 resolutions, and now there are 442.  Ms. Jackson stated that in 2018 there were 490 OPRA requests, and in 2019 there were 511.  Mayor Hache asked how many OPRA requests there were when Ms. Jackson started in the office.  Ms. Jackson estimated about 200.  Councilman Voigt asked if there were figures on the number of hours spent per OPRA request.  Ms. Jackson stated that it was about 25 hours in a week.  Councilman Voigt asked if that was increased from prior years.  Ms. Jackson stated that they started tracking it about a year ago.  Mayor Hache asked how that breaks out between private citizens and businesses.  Ms. Jackson stated that it is about 50/50.  This week, they received 34 OPRA requests from one applicant in one day.  Ms. Mailander added that the OPRA requests have become more complicated, and they also have to be sent out to various Departments.  She added that they could employ one person full time just doing OPRA requests and they would still be scrambling to get it done in the time allotted.  They are using everyone in the Village Clerk’s office, as well as the two part-time receptionists, to complete the OPRA requests.

 

Mayor Hache stated that he thinks they should communicate that and let individuals know, as he thinks people go OPRA happy.  Ms. Mailander stated right now they are going into the season with new homebuyers, and they get OPRA requests regarding oil tanks or other home issues.  Ms. Jackson stated that there are attorneys that come to the Village to file an OPRA request, instead of discovery.  Councilman Voigt said it seems that the Village Clerk’s office spends more than half its time doing OPRA requests. Ms. Jackson stated that the part time person works 25 hours presently, but she has other responsibilities.  Mayor Rooney stated that time doesn’t include other Department’s time.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that on the one hand you want the public to have access to the records, but she asked if there has been any change in legislation.  Ms. Mailander stated that OPRA has been on Senator Weinberg’s agenda for years, and it is not necessarily going to make it better.  What they would like to see is what the League has been calling for, which is a commission study with a variety of people on it.  Then they would come up with a good solution as to how to revamp OPRA, which was created before there was a lot of email.  If an email response is requested, the Village cannot charge a fee.  She added that they want to provide public records to the public as they are entitled to it, but it is these other requests that bog them down.

 

Mayor Hache asked if they could draw a distinction between what comes from a commercial request.  Ms. Mailander stated that they couldn’t, and attorneys choose to come through the Village with an OPRA request, instead of discovery, because they get it quicker and for less money, if any money at all.  Mayor Hache asked if any of the legislation would allow them to charge.  Ms. Mailander stated that she didn’t know if that legislation would ever be adopted.  Councilman Sedon stated that this has been a topic of discussion for at least the last six years, and the issue is that residents have quicker OPRA requests, but it is the commercial stuff that takes so much work because they take advantage of OPRA and there must be some kind of distinction that comes down from the State.  Ms. Mailander stated that an OPRA request might be from a pool company, and they ask for everyone that has a pool, and they get that from the Building Department to solicit for pool maintenance. 

 

Councilwoman Knudsen asked about using technology to do redactions, in order to expedite that part of the OPRA request process.  Ms. Jackson stated that Dylan Hansen, Director of I.T., would have better information about that.  Mr. Hansen stated that the Laserfiche program that they are implementing does allow them to do that, because the documents can be saved with the redactions that can be turned on and off.  They have the ability to do it, but it is getting all of the documents into the Laserfiche system, with the staff that they currently have. 

 

Councilwoman Knudsen asked if there was something that they were able to go in and find any public document on a property with the Spatial Data Logic software.  Mr. Hansen said that they could implement that through Laserfiche and Spatial Data Logic, which would allow the Spatial Data Logic to keep track of the OPRA requests and notify the individual when they are fulfilled.  Councilwoman Knudsen asked if the public information is available in the public domain already, then that would alleviate some of the OPRA requests.  She thought that in Spatial Data Logic they would be able to find a property and see the relevant documents related to that property.  Mr. Hansen stated that right now when they get OPRA requests they don’t automatically put that out and redact the information, they gather it when it is asked to be gathered.

 

Councilwoman Knudsen stated she was thinking to make documents that are public information available, which would eliminate some of the OPRA requests.  Ms. Mailander asked if ESRI would do that.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated she could go on-line and look at Councilwoman Walsh’s tax bill as that information is available, so why shouldn’t all of the public information that is non-confidential be available.  Mr. Hansen stated that would be another Department in that sense.  Right now, the OPRA requests are fulfilled in the time period, but if you were to do every document that came in and make it publicly available, it would be very time consuming. 

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that, for example, if an applications is submitted for the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the application would have to be submitted on paper, and a PDF would have to be provided as well, so that information is then already a PDF.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that in 2011, she thought that all of that was going to be electronic file format with the software, Spatial Data Logic, so that she could go home and type in an address and find out everything about that property.  Mr. Hansen stated that you can go into SDL and see open and past permits on properties, but currently, all of the detail is not uploaded. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that they should adopt, by code, the requirement that any applications to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Planning Board, must be submitted on paper and electronically.  Mr. Hansen stated that would be fine, but right now they only have one larger format scanner for all of Ridgewood.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that if someone is submitting the document in electronic format, the Village wouldn’t have to scan it.

 

Ms. Jackson stated that the reason for bringing all of that up was to ask that they increase the hours for the employee working in the Village Clerk’s office from part time to full time.  She presently works 25 hours per week and they were requesting to bring her up to full time which is 35 hours for the week.  This employee does a large portion of the OPRA requests.  Ms. Mailander added that she also does the agenda packets, the proclamations, and the raffle licensing.  Ms. Jackson added that she helps out with the ads, does the mail, and has other responsibilities.  Councilwoman Knudsen added that it was a busy Department.  Ms. Jackson stated that each Village Council packet, is done by the entire staff of the Village Clerk’s office.  Councilwoman Knudsen thanked Ms. Jackson for putting her agenda packet in an electronic format for her.

 

7. Elections

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Elections budget is under the Village Clerk’s Office.  There is an increased budget due to the Municipal Election in May that runs about $50,000, with the biggest expense being the poll workers.  The County also bills the Village for the Primary Election, which runs $20,000 to $25,000, depending on how many registered voters there are.

 

8. Engineering

 

Chris Rutishauser, Director of Public Works/Village Engineer, stated that Engineering added another Engineer last year, Brian Duddy, who is a licensed engineer and is skilled in AutoCAD.  Mr. Duddy has been a very good asset in developing plans for bigger projects.  Mr. Rooney stated that he left a position there in case they wanted to hire another engineer.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that would be nice as the parking garage, Schedler, and the capital paving program would take a lot of time.  Mayor Hache asked if that was where the 19% came in.  Mr. Rooney agreed.  Councilman Voigt stated that Mr. Duddy was hired at $100,000.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that Mr. Duddy has a license, and that at $75,000 they would probably get someone that has a couple of years’ experience as a graduate from engineering school. 

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the capital budget for Engineering includes $12,000 for office furniture, and the annual paving program.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that for paving, they are recommending $2 million, and also have a recommendation in the capital budget for the Village Council’s consideration of improving the traffic signal at West Glen Avenue and North Monroe Street, in response to a number of resident requests.  They have made some minor improvements at the intersection, but to go further, they require funding.  Ms. Mailander added that for many of the capital items, the Village Council will have to consider whether it is something they want to do this year or push it off for a year.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they have a large number of large ticket items, including Schedler Park improvements at $2.4 million, and the Zabriskie-Schedler House is $865,000.  Regarding Kings Pond, they are currently bidding out the final restoration and planting, including a walking path, park benches, and some native vegetation and removal of invasive species.  He added that he has a call from the NJDEP who heard about the project and asked if the Village would be interested in having that pond stocked with smallmouth bass and sunnies.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that would be a good idea.

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that currently, they are working at Kings Pond and trucking out the soil that was dredged out of the pond.  That material was dredged out through cooperative help with the Bergen County Mosquito Commission; however the Village has the responsibility of getting rid of it, and they have found a venue at the Meadowlands.  They are using Village trucks and have to pay for dump tickets at $368 per load.  Circle Avenue drainage improvements are included as an expenditure, as well as the Woodland area where there is a localized drainage issue that they estimate at $30,000 to fix it.  The Franklin Avenue streetscape plans are being worked on by Mr. Duddy.  Councilman Voigt asked what that includes.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that includes light upgrades, curb, sidewalk, and ADA ramps.  The paving will be paid for by the County.  Ms. Mailander asked if that cost included plans.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that the Village is doing the plans right now.  Ms. Mailander asked if it included anything with land taking.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they would look at the final plans to determine if that was necessary.

 

Councilwoman Walsh asked if they were doing anything with the width of Franklin Avenue.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that Franklin does go wide and more narrow, with areas of parking and no parking.  They will see what is going to work, and some of the lights will be proposed with dedicated left turn lanes, which they already have at certain location.  The multi-family housing being built at the former Ken Smith site, has to integrate their streetscape with what the Village and the County are doing on Franklin Avenue.  Mayor Hache asked if that $1 million was based on the preliminary plan from the meeting with the County.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that it was based on that, but also on what they estimate will be required.  Councilman Voigt asked about the number of lights that are on the estimate.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that would be four traffic lights.  Councilwoman Knudsen asked where they were showing the contributions from the developers.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that The Enclave gave $60,000 but he doesn’t think that is considered in this budget request item.  Councilwoman Knudsen asked what that Ken Smith contribution would be.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that he didn’t recall what their contribution will be.

 

Mayor Hache asked about Schedler, as the original estimate for the field had two choices, which were much lower than the $2.45 million that were shown here.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they estimate that amount as the total for the work that is proposed, the parking area, walking path, small recreational turf field, landscaping on top of the berm, fencing on the berm, a playground, and restroom facility.  Mayor Hache asked how much of that work he thought they would be able to cover in 2020.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that if they were able to put the parking lot in, he would be very happy, and if they got one-third of the $2.4 million he would be happy.  Mayor Hache stated they should budget for one-third then.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that this has languished so long and is Village-owned property that is underutilized. 

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that they submitted to the State Historic Preservation Organization (SHPO), and have to address the comments that were received back from them.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that maybe they should leave some wiggle room in the budgeting, in case they can do more.  Mayor Hache stated that it is based on what realistically can get done in the next 12 months.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that he thinks if they get the approval from SHPO which will take a while, he wants to bid out the parking lot and get that built, as well as some of the walking trails, because that would get residents into the park.  Then, depending on funds available in the fall, he would like to plant spruce trees to start the screening.  Councilman Sedon stated that the funds for the house are the total, so they could realistically expect that about half of that would get reimbursed from grants.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they do a lot of grant applications and have been promised some assistance, so that amount can subsequently be reduced by any grants that the Village would receive.  Ms. Mailander added that they budget for the full amount and then would be reimbursed by the grant.  Councilman Sedon stated that it was a large budget this year.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that it is a large amount, but it is a large parcel or property and what they are doing is trying to take into account what the neighborhood wants in terms of berm, screening, and preservation of the home.  The work on the house will soon be finished, and then they need the next phase to make the house functional, for the Village to be able to use the house.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she was curious because of all the work that has been done, none of that is in the estimate.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they got an estimate from the Historic Preservation architects, they are very detailed and provided this estimate that is being presented for budgetary purposes.  Ms. Mailander stated that the estimate is everything inside the house.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that was a lot of money for the interior of a house.  Ms. Mailander stated that it has to be done to historic standards, so that may be why, but she would provide Councilwoman Walsh with the quote.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that the public is definitely going to want to see what that entails.  Ms. Mailander stated that the contractors have to be prequalified historic builders as the house is on both the National and New Jersey Historic Registers.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that what is sad is that house was in really good condition in 2008/2009 when it was purchased, but allowing it to deteriorate has increased the cost of repairs, and even more so with the historic designation.

 

Councilwoman Knudsen asked about the letters from SHPO and if it was related to Phase I/II.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they submitted the site plans that staff had developed for developing the rest of the parcel, but they had to be submitted to SHPO because the entire site is under the jurisdiction of SHPO.  Councilwoman Knudsen asked if it was the archaeology.  Ms. Mailander stated that it wasn’t the archeology, but more that the entire site is considered historic so anything they do has to be approved by SHPO.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that the Certificate of Eligibility was for the house.  Ms. Mailander stated that SHPO has come back to the Village and said that it is for the entire site.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that SHPO also didn’t allow only the lot that the house resides on to be declared historic, they included all of the parcels of land that have become one lot, and extended the preservation arm over the entire parcel.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that it is a really great opportunity to have a property that is recognized as historic, but it is a challenge.  Mr. Rutishauser agreed that it is a challenge, in terms of design, SHPO, and finances for the Village.

 

Councilwoman Walsh asked about the list that was proposed from Engineering, and what was the order of importance.  Ms. Mailander stated that they have whittled it down, and many of these are projects that the Village Council has wanted, so this is where they need guidance as to what the Village Council wants to fund.  Mayor Hache stated that they had the recommendations that were made by the ad-hoc committee and there was a list.  They already know what the scope of work and total cost is, but he would like to add up those dollars into what they can realistically complete in the next year, which is the responsible thing to do.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that if they get SHPO approval, they can get the parking lot built.  He would then also start including the trees on top of the berm.  The berm was built by Village staff, so it is a little rough and needs to be cleaned up. 

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that in terms of the list here, safety is the top priority, and if the Franklin Avenue corridor is going to start seeing completion, she asked if there was a timeline that Engineering could give as to how long it would take to coordinate.  Ms. Mailander stated that with Franklin Avenue the Village needs to move forward, because the agreement with the County is that as long as the Village continues to move forward and provides their part of it, the County will continue to move the Village forward on the list.  Mayor Hache stated that in discussion with the County, they said that it would be a minimum of two years for the work to start.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that if the developments are finished, it’s going to be a traffic jam there.  Ms. Mailander agreed, but stated that it wouldn’t be done until the County sees that the Village is completing its part of the Franklin Avenue project, because then the County bids it out.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that means the Village is running out of time. 

 

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that it is going in a positive direction with the County, but she doesn’t think that it is feasible to move it any more quickly.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that was the worry, as the one intersection at Chestnut Avenue and Franklin Avenue, is not as safe as it could be, and there will be additional vehicles once the multi-family housing is finished.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that when the Planning Board reviewed the site plan applications for the multi-family housing, the upgraded road conditions were not anticipated in those site plan applications.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they anticipated improving the roadway but no approval was linked with a timeline.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that the traffic studies that were completed by the traffic professionals on both sides were based on the existing conditions.  She added that what happens now at the County will only improve upon those projected outcomes.  Mr. Rutishauser agreed.  Mayor Hache stated that the County’s restrictions are more resource based than a concern about traffic, which is why they said it would be about a year from now.  Councilwoman Knudsen added that the information that the Village had was based on consultant projections.

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that other capital requests include flashing beacon lights, radar lights, installing the final section of the West Glen Avenue sidewalks, which is going to interfere with resident parking that has been created along the side of the road and is in the public right of way.  There are also sidewalk and paving repairs.  They want to install pedestrian activated warning lights at the crosswalk outside the Library, with intense lights that flash when a pedestrian wants to cross.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that she thinks that will help a lot, because she was driving on Maple the other night and a pedestrian stepped into the road dressed completely in black and she barely saw them.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that he executed a work order with PSE&G to get a much brighter streetlight in that area.  The final item in capital is that there are two tanks that are not working very well, and there is constantly a puddle in the two locations that they would like to correct.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they would go back and have Mr. Rutishauser figure out a priority list and what can be completed in 2020, and bring it back at one of the future budget meetings.

 

9. Planning

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the main increase here is the Other Professional Services budget line.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that is the Village Planner and also the Planning Board Attorney.  There is a conflict planner and an Affordable Housing Planner.  Right now the Planning Board has not been meeting very often, due to lack of items to discuss, which saves money.

10. Traffic & Signal

 

Ms. Mailander stated there was a big increase in materials and supplies for the Traffic and Signal Department and asked if that was signage.  Mr. Rutishauser agreed and stated that the switchover to the kiosks will require about 650 to 750 individual signs to be manufactured and installed.  They do almost all of the sign printing in-house.  Ms. Mailander stated that Signal has capital requests.  Councilman Voigt asked if they were adding another person here.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they would like to do so.  Councilman Voigt asked for the reason.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that the Signal Division’s workload is extremely high, and they are in demand by other Departments.  Currently, the best heavy equipment operator in all Village forces, is a Signal employee and he works with other Departments when they have that need. 

 

Councilman Sedon stated that with the addition of the kiosks, he asked if the workload of collecting coins from the kiosks would be less than with the parking meters.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they do anticipate less collection effort and less coins to carry.  The kiosks will have their own challenges, and each collection crew will have to be issued a snow brush to make sure that they clean off the solar panel on the kiosk, so that it generates enough electricity to function.

 

Mr. Rooney added that each kiosk will have a container that captures the coins, which they take out and put in the car so that will be a great timesaver.  Mr. Rutishauser is correct in stating it will be an adjustment.  One of the challenges they had with the kiosk on North Broad Street is that one of them was in the shade 24/7 so they had to fit a different solar panel for that so it could store the energy better.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that came up at the Chamber, so if it is shady out for multiple days, she asked how many hours the battery backup has.  Mr. Rooney stated that it has about 12 hours on the battery, but if it is in the shade they can replace the panel, as they are provided by the manufacturer.  The capacity of the solar storage is four days, then an additional 12 hours on the battery.  They also get notifications if the battery runs low so they can do something about it.  Councilwoman Knudsen asked if there were added batteries that they could have on call.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that it is going to be a learning curve for everyone.

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that the capital requests for Signal are a bucket truck and Village Hall parking lot LED light upgrades. They also have building maintenance requests, including the exterior renovation on the front and side of Village Hall; at the Fire Headquarters they would like to replace the fire alarm; an EMS roll-down door replacement; and the ADA compliance repair at the Village Hall front door.  Councilman Voigt asked about the side door that is closest to the Community Center being upgraded.  Ms. Mailander stated that it is in last year’s capital budget, and will be done sometime this year.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that for infrastructure, they were looking for $30,000 to continue the fiber optic line conversion throughout the Village.  The final item is the pedestrian crosswalk warning bollards, which have a variable lifespan.

 

11. Fleet Services

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that they hired a full time mechanic at the beginning of the year, with 20 years’ experience in Municipal Fleet Services, who is working out very well.  Ms. Mailander stated that the only increase in the budget is the purchase of tires.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that tires for loaders cost thousands of dollars each.  So far, the weather has been cooperative with no snow, which means less road time for the loaders.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that there were capital expenditures for Fleet, and both of these were important to do.  One is for the heavy duty truck lift, as they can no longer use the one they are looking to replace.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they have to have the lifts certified, and also give serious consideration to replacing the underground fuel storage tanks.  They have a 30 year life expectancy, and are approximately 32 years old.  Ms. Mailander stated that when she first started working at the Village, there was a leak in those storage tanks which caused gasoline to run down to Oak Street and the Village purchased a private home because it was inundated with gasoline.  Councilman Voigt asked if the $800,000 included any type of remediation they would have to do when taking out the old tank.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they were hoping they didn’t have any remediation to do.  They have hired fuel tank specialists the last couple of years testing the tanks and making sure they are completely in compliance with DEP regulations and everything is still okay.  

 

12. Street Department

 

Mike Junta, Assistant Superintendent of Public Works, was present.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that the Street Department’s regular budget didn’t have much change from the prior year.  Capital budget includes two vehicles, a front end loader and a tri-axel dump truck.  They would like to replace their 1997 Deer 44 as it has about 14,000 hours and the transmission has leaks.  The mechanics have looked at it carefully and feel that it is no longer a viable vehicle for them to use.  They would also like to replace a 1999 tandem dump truck with a lot of hours on the engine, as the body has rotted off of the frame.  Mechanics have also felt that given the current state of the truck, it is not safe to drive and has been parked for about two years.  The tri-axel dump truck is something that they could use to haul materials.  Councilwoman Knudsen asked how big the vehicle would be.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that it is the largest dump truck possible.

 

13. Yard Waste Pickup and Recycling

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that the proposed budget for yard waste pickup and recycling of yard waste is flat over last year.  Ms. Mailander added that the only thing going up are the disposal fees and the Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) testing because this allows the Village to have more people certified as truck drivers.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they encourage everyone to get a CDL commercial driver’s license as it allows them to drive all of the Village vehicles.  It also requires the CDL driver’s license employees to be tested for drugs and alcohol, which means they have to come to work in a sober state.  Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she thought all employees were required to get a CDL to drive a Village vehicle.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they encourage it, but it is not required for all vehicles.  Ms. Mailander stated that a lot of permanent part time people may not have their CDL, but they may decide to obtain it while working for the Village.  Mr. Rutishauser added that they encourage the staff to get the CDL because it increases their versatility.  Ms. Mailander stated that there are no capital budget requests for this division.

 

 

 

14. Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF)

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that Jim Fells, Supervisor, was present at the meeting.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that Mr. Fells is the new Supervisor and took the position a year ago.  They face a number of challenges this year, as the lab manager and license holder is retiring, so they have to replace him. 

 

Councilman Voigt asked what the NJDEP Compliance Study is for $150,000.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they have to look at some of the compounds they are finding in the sludge, and this is something they have to do in conjunction with Ridgewood Water because they are using sequestering agents and are also doing a lead service replacement.  Whatever goes into a household, comes to the WPCF, and things that they are looking to address are often times found concentrated in the sludge.  The current sludge disposal is at Passaic Valley in Newark, and they previously had gone to Two Bridges where they incinerated it, but that facility lost their permits.  Councilman Voigt asked if this study was required.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that it was necessary before it was too late and they were forced to do the study due to a regulatory edict.  Ms. Mailander stated that was taken out of the budget, and it is not likely to be done in 2020.

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that at the WPCF they still have their liquid waste acceptance program, which brings revenue to the Village through the processing of gray water from septic tank cleanouts brought to them by a contractor who does these cleanouts.  Councilman Sedon asked how much was brought in through this program.  Mr. Rutishauser guessed about $120,000 in 2019.

 

Mr. Rutishauser stated that capital requests include pumps, meters, and SCADA, and fixing some crumbling places in the administration building.  

 

15. Zoning Board of Adjustment

 

Ms. Mailander stated that legal advertising is the biggest increase in the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s budget.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they have to advertise the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s decision for an applicant in the Ridgewood News.  There has been talk at the State level to waive or change that requirement, but that hasn’t happened yet.

 

16. Building Maintenance

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the budget for Building Maintenance is flat to the 2019 budget. 

 

17. Utilities

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Utilities budget is also flat to the 2019 budget.

 

2. Wrap-up and Next Steps

 

Ms. Mailander stated that their next Budget Meeting is Monday, February 24^th at 5:00 P.M. with Tax Assessor, Municipal Court, Fire, Police, Emergency Management, the Library, and the Building Department.

4. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

 

Pamela Perron, 123 Kenilworth Road, asked when the Village purchases vehicles if there was any requirement as to whether the vehicle was available in a hybrid form.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that they went down that road and had two BMW all electric Mini Coopers on a trial basis and it was a learning curve.  His first Village vehicle was a Prius, and there were a number of hybrid Ford Escapes for the Parking Utility, but the number of miles that they put on the vehicles were so few that they found that it never offset the additional cost of buying the hybrid model.  If Village vehicles were driven 40,000 to 50,000 miles a year, a hybrid vehicle might be worthwhile, but the Village vehicles are not putting on that type of mileage each year.

 

There were no additional comments from the public.

 

5. ADJOURNMENT

 

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Councilwoman Knudsen, seconded by Councilwoman Walsh, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the Village Council’s Special Public Budget Meeting was adjourned at 7:10 P.M.

 

 

 

 

______________________________

Ramon M. Hache, Sr.                         

Mayor                        

 

 

______________________________

              Heather A. Mailander

      Village Manager/Village Clerk