Proposals to borrow nearly $7.26 million through three bond ordinances, amend the 2014 introduced budget to increase appropriations by $85,000, and incorporate the results of an arbitrator’s award to the police patrolmen union that the administration had estimated at approximately $830,000 head the agenda for the April 22, 2014, council meeting.
The meeting agendas and related materials are here.
The administration has proposed three bond ordinances on first reading:
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- Borrowing $550,000 to contribute to the Llewellyn Park sewer and road improvement project. The original bond ordinance, approved in 2012, authorized the $4.18 million project to borrow up to $3.68 million. The entire project was to be repaid by Llewellyn Park property owners. The administration is now proposing to borrow $550,000 more that will be repaid by the town and all of its property owners. The project cost is now $4.78 million. The proposed ordinance does not include any explanation for the change. I’ve asked the administration for additional information about the town’s obligation to repay the additional $550,000 borrowing.
This proposal appears to conflict with Mayor Robert Parisi’s comment at the April 8 council meeting that “… As members of the council know that we’ve approved bonding for Llewellyn Park and we’ve approved bonding for redevelopment. Those are not, that’s not debt service that the taxpayer, the average taxpayer is responsible for.” (10:30 of the council meeting video)
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- Borrowing $6.65 million to fund a wide variety of capital improvements ranging from traffic cones, cots, hoses and desks to an aerial ladder fire truck and asphalt roller to street re-surfacing and sewer upgrades. The total estimated cost of the purchases is $7 million.
- Borrowing $57,000 to replace bleachers at various fields at the high school. The ordinance does not say which fields or why the town is paying for improvements on school property.
If approved, the borrowing will raise the town’s outstanding and authorized debt roughly 10% to approximately $70 million from net debt of $63.8 million in the supplemental debt statement from May 2013.
Three proposed ordinances are on for second and final reading, along with a public comment hearing:
- The first is the administration’s proposal to update the salary ranges of the police force to reflect a February 8, 2014, interest arbitration decision of the labor contract between the town and its patrolmen’s union.
In general, the decision awards annual pay increases similar to those of the other town unions in the last round of contract negotiations -- zero in 2010 and 2011, and 2% increases in 2012 and 2013. The top salary for patrolmen rises to $87,870 and for new officers in training of $43,065. The union had asked for 3% raises in each of the four years of the contract.
The decision also directs all patrolmen to receive stipends of $625 for 2012 and another $625 for 2013, which the arbitrator wrote reflected the labor agreement with the firefighter’s union that provided $3,000 stipends (a change from 2% of base pay) to those who have Emergency Medical Technician certification.
The stipend for detectives was increased from $1,000 to 1,250 for 2012 and $1,500 for 2013. The decision is here. The administration’s latest estimates on the cost of the decision is $830,249 in 2012 and 2013. I’ve asked the administration for final costs of the award.
The ordinance also would also set top pay for the police chief at $160,571, deputy police chief at $142,157, captain at $125,743, lieutenant at $111,277, and sergeant at $98,480.
- The second proposed ordinance would allow the town to potentially exceed the state cap on annual appropriation increases to 3.5% from 2.5%. The law allows the municipality to “bank” the unused portion of that potential increase, estimated in the ordinance at $1.725 million in additional potential spending. That “bank” would be available to offset appropriation increases that would otherwise exceed the cap in the following two years. The proposed ordinance will have a second and final reading, including a public comment hearing, at the April 22 council meeting.
- The third proposed ordinance would restrict temporary commercial sign advertising that’s done without the property owner’s permission.
Large changes to the introduced budget include:
- A decline of 3.5% in contributions to the two major employee state retirement funds of $177,097 to $4.8 million.
- A 25% increase in private and public programs offset by revenue of $286,000 to $1.4 million. A large factor was a new $375,000 hazard mitigation grant.
- A doubling of the capital fund for down payments on borrowing to $325,000 from $150,000.
The state requires a public comment hearing on the budget. The introduced budget states that the hearing will be at the April 22 council meeting. But Municipal Clerk Karen Carnevale announced at the April 8 meeting that the hearing will be at the May 6 council meeting.
Other resolutions of interest include:
- Appointment of Robert Stock as Class I Special Law Enforcement Officer for traffic enforcement.
- Processing the involuntary disability retirement for Police Officer Frank Biello.
- Authorization to apply for a $20,000 state forestry grant.
- Authorizing the sale of 21 surplus vehicles with an estimated value of $21,000.
If you’d like to contact the council with your thoughts on any of these issues, please send an e-mail to council@westorange.org or call 973.325.4155 to leave a message.
I’m a West Orange Township councilman since 2010, reachable at jkrakoviak@westorange.org. I'm a business communications consultant in my spare time.
