July 16 Town Council meeting

Town council approved on first reading ordinances to shift capital spending from a high-school concession stand to jitney buses, establish a town energy-aggregation program ordinance, and amend the Harvard Press Redevelopment ordinance at the July 16, 2013, meeting.

The meeting agendas and related materials are here.

The controversy over the town’s cease-and-desist letter to resident Jake Freivald over a website address continued at the meeting, although at a less-contentious level than at the June 25 meeting. He and his wife, Sue Freivald, and other residents spoke about the issue during public comment. Bert Peronilla asked the mayor to retract the letter. He has offered to contribute $1,000 to the West Orange First Aid Squad if anyone presents evidence that they confused the Freivald page, www.westorange.info, with the town website, www.westorange.org. I asked the town business administrator to respond to the comments and questions, but he made no comments related to the issue.

The council also approved a request to begin repairs to the roadway, sidewalks and sewers on Moore Terrace with an initial $20,200 engineering and survey contract awarded to Suburban Consulting Engineers, of Mount Arlington, in a competitive bid.

The meeting also featured a presentation by the town tax collector on the recent estimated third quarter tax bills. (The 30-minute video excerpt of that part of the meeting is here.)

The council approved on first reading an amended bond ordinance to shift funding from construction of a high-school concession stand, approved at $275,000, to jitney buses, for $276,523 – effectively ending the concession stand project. The shift also amends the amount for lighting the high school football and track field to $262,634 from $275,000. The use of the indicated $10,843 remaining in the ordinance for the concession stand is unclear. The administration has whittled down the concession stand allocation from $350,000 as it became clear the project would cost even more than that. The ordinance is on for second and final reading at the August 20 council meeting.

The council approved on first reading an ordinance creating a municipal energy-aggregation program designed to lower electric costs for town residences and businesses by pooling customers town-wide to encourage suppliers to reduce their charges. The council approved a resolution at the previous council meeting designating Gabel Associates, Highland Park, to develop the program. Based on council comments prior to the July 16 meeting, the ordinance is likely to be amended at the next council meeting.

The council approved on first reading an amended ordinance for the Harvard Press Redevelopment residential project to allow for rental units from condominium sales. The ordinance is on the agenda at the next council meeting.

At my request, the council tabled my proposal to clarify language in the council’s agenda ordinance. The amendment would provide that all materials the council receives for consideration at the meeting also appear on the town website, allowing for confidentiality. Many supporting materials, including contracts and supporting letters, are now given to council members but not posted on the town website. My proposal was modified during the administration’s review. I’m hoping for further discussion that will narrow or eliminate the difference between my proposal and the administration’s language.

Newly elected Council President Susan McCartney removed the General Matters Pending (GMP) section of the meeting agenda, where councilmembers had the chance to speak just before Public Comment, and added an Announcements/Upcoming Events section at the end of the meeting. Neither section is part of the meeting agenda ordinance. She allowed announcements during the traditional General Matters Pending period. She said she was looking to make changes to the ordinance, but did not prompt any discussion. Two residents opposed dropping GMP during public comment.

I’m a West Orange Township councilman since 2010, reachable at jkrakoviak@westorange.org. I'm a business communications consultant in my spare time.