Proposals to fund $132,000 in successful property tax appeals and borrow an additional $1 million for future refunds, increase competition and transparency in purchasing insurance coverage, funding $268,000 in environment remediation, investigate procurement of police weapons and ammunition, and fund the budget for the Downtown West Orange Alliance head the agenda for the January 14, 2014, council meeting.
The meeting agendas and related materials are here.
The meeting will also feature year-end financial housekeeping to close out the 2013 budget and spending.
Find out what's happening in West Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Council is asked to fund another $132,169 successful property tax appeals, continuing a trend from last year. In addition, the administration is asking council approval to borrow $1 million to fund future tax appeals – on top of receiving council approval to borrow $3.35 million in 2013 for tax appeals. The town paid out more than $3.5 million last year.
Council will also consider an ordinance on first reading designed to increase competition and transparency for the town’s purchase of insurance and related consulting services. I introduced this ordinance after learning that the town had paid its insurance consultant nearly $1.1 million in commissions over the last three years. The ordinance is based on a model developed by Citizens Campaign, a non-profit group focused on improving government in the state, that has saved municipalities millions of dollars.
Find out what's happening in West Orangewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Council will also consider two proposals to hire engineering firms for environmental remediation at five town properties. The administration is asking approval of Matrix New World of Florham Park for the first three locations:
- Fire station, 415 Valley Road.
- First Aid Squad, 25 Mount Pleasant Place.
- Dogwood Pump Station, 794 Northfield Avenue.
The firm was the highest of three proposals at $41,140, but the administration said New World’s bid was “more inclusive and provided additional services” than the two other bidders.
The administration is asking council approval of T&M Associates of Middletown for $226,850 – the lowest of three proposals -- for work at:
- The former public works garage, 6-8 Lindsley Avenue.
- Fire station, 280 Pleasant Valley Way.
Much of this work has lingered since late 2012, when the administration withdrew a proposed resolution that would have provided an apparent no-bid contract to Birdsall Services Group for $316,270 http://bit.ly/Kg9CT8. The firm and several of its employees were indicted for an alleged long-running and wide-ranging scheme to evade political-contribution laws to gain more public business in New Jersey. The company entered bankruptcy liquidation, and its assets were sold.
The administration is asking council approval for a two-step research project to investigate the vendors and market for police firearms and ammunition to update the specifications and standards for procurement. Areas of study include “smart gun” technology, the capability of vendors to have efficient buyback campaigns to minimize second-hand sales in the private market, vendors that equip all their firearms with trigger locks and vendor commitment to “minimizing the ‘arms race’ between law enforcement and civilians.”
Council will also consider the 2014 proposed budget of the Downtown West Orange Alliance, which manages the town’s special improvement district to promote properties and businesses along Main Street and Valley Road. The budget requires the town to fund $60,809 of the $220,000 budget.
Other proposed agenda items include:
- Renewal of shared services contracts to provide Essex Fells and North Caldwell with animal control services.
- Renewal of a three-year contract to provide health officer services to Essex Fells.
- Boarding and padlocking the former Select-O Flash building on Central Avenue as abandoned and unsafe, with the costs forming a lien against the property.
- Authorization of a temporary 2014 budget.
- Cancellation of 2013 budget appropriations to maximize the surplus from unspent funds as well as transfers among budget accounts to match with spending changes from those projected in the budget.
- Certification of the annual 2012 audit and review of the auditor’s findings that require corrective action.
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.
