* * * A G E N D A * * *
June 22, 2005
7:30 P.M.
Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Englishtown, 15 Main Street, Englishtown, New Jersey 07726.
1. Meeting Called to Order and Roll Call
2. Statement of Compliance with Sunshine Law
3. Moment of Silence and Salute to the Flag
4. Approval of Minutes – April 27 and May 25, 2005
5. Correspondence
6. Open Public Portion/Limited to Agenda Items Only
Limited to Five (5) Minutes per citizen to be determined at Borough Council's discretion. Any and all situations regarding Borough Personnel, when names are implied or mentioned, are to be brought to the full attention of the Council through an appointment and subsequent disclosure through the Personnel Committee.
7. New Business:
B. Resolution No. 2005-112
C. Resolution No. 2005-113
Payment of Borough Bills
D. Resolution No. 2005-114
Purchases Over $800 – Bullet Proof Vests – Police Dept
8. Public Portion
Limited to Five (5) Minutes per citizen to be determined at Borough Council's discretion. Any and all situations regarding Borough Personnel, when names are implied or mentioned, are to be brought to the full attention of the Council through an appointment and subsequent disclosure through the Personnel Committee.
9. Executive Session
10. Adjournment
Mayor Reynolds called the meeting to order at 7:31 P.M.
Roll Call: Present: C/Soden, C/Rucker, C/Simon, C/D’Agostino, C/Palmieri
Absent: C/Gallagher
Also present were Julie Martin, Municipal Clerk, Christine Robbins, Administration Clerk, and John O. Bennett, Borough Attorney.
Mayor Reynolds stated pursuant to N.J.S.A. 10 4-6 notification of this meeting has been (1) Published in the Asbury Park Press and Home News and the News Transcript the Official Newspapers of the Borough, (2) Posted to the Public at Borough Hall, (3) Copy has been filed with the Municipal Clerk, (4) Copy of this agenda and the Sunshine Statement has been filed with the Mayor and Council. Thus this meeting tonight is deemed in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
There was a moment of silence and salute to the flag.
There being no corrections, deletions, or additions, a motion to approve the Minutes of April 27 and May 25, 2005 was offered by C/Soden and seconded by C/Simon. Passed on the following roll call:
Roll Call: Ayes: C/Soden, C/Rucker, C/Simon, C/D’Agostino, C/Palmieri
Nayes: None
Absent: C/Gallagher
Abstain: None
C/Rucker states nothing at this time.
C/Palmieri states the Recreation Committee is busy working on the preparations for the Fall Festival.
C/Soden states the garbage bid openings will be held on June 27th at 11:00 a.m. here in the Municipal Building.
C/D’Agostino states on June 14th we held our free rabies clinic where 74 animals were given their rabies shot. We will still be licensing pets at Borough Hall if anyone hasn’t done so yet. Lastly, this week I had a meeting with another Borough and in conversation it was mentioned that our clerk, Julie Martin was a fantastic representative for Englishtown. I wanted this on the record and I wanted to thank Julie for all her hard work.
C/Simon states the police activity report for 6/5 – 6/17; there were 252 calls and 75 motor vehicle stops.
Julie Martin, Municipal Clerk states I just wanted to let everyone know that the governing body will be holding a special meeting next Tuesday, June 28th at 7:30 P.M. for the awarding of contracts for solid waste and recycling bids. As C/Soden said the bid opening will be held on Monday June 27th at 11:00 A.M.
Mayor Reynolds opens the floor to the public for discussion limited to agenda items only.
Joe Palmieri, 36 Queens Way, Regarding Resolution 2005-114 how much does each vest cost for the officers?
Mayor Reynolds responds the total is $4978.11 for eight bulletproof vests. The money is coming from a 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 Body Armor Grant.
There being no further questions or comments, a motion to close the public portion was offered by C/Soden and seconded by C/Simon. Passed unanimously.
Borough of Englishtown
Authorizing the Borough of Englishtown
To Estimate Third Quarter Taxes
Whereas, third quarter real estate taxes are due to be paid to the Borough of Englishtown on or before August 1, 2005; and
Whereas, the Borough of Englishtown traditionally mails Notice of such tax payments due and owing (for the third quarter) in mid-July of each year; and
Whereas, the Borough of Englishtown has not yet received the municipal aid figures from the State of New Jersey; and
Whereas, in light of the same, the Borough of Englishtown (and its officials) cannot yet calculate, with certainty, the exact amount of real estate taxes due and owing; and
Whereas, notwithstanding the above, efficient administration of the Borough requires that taxes be paid in a timely fashion; and
Whereas, the failure to have taxes paid in a timely manner can hinder the proper and efficient administration of the Borough;
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Governing Body of the Borough of Englishtown, County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey as follows:
1. That in light of the above situation, the Borough of Englishtown (and its
Officers/representative), are hereby authorized to estimate the third quarter taxes due and owing to the Borough of Englishtown.
2. That the Borough of Englishtown (and its officers/representatives) are
Hereby authorized to mail the estimated third quarter tax bills to all appropriate individuals/entities/tax-payers.
3. That when confirming figures are received by the State of New Jersey,
The Borough (and its officers/representatives) will calculate the exact third quarter taxes due and owing.
4. That when appropriate, the Borough is hereby authorized to mail the said
figures (i.e., exact figures) to all appropriate individuals/entities/tax-payers. (The Borough hereby specifically authorizes the payment of necessary postage fees to effectuate the within.)
5. That if necessary, appropriate refunds and/or deficiencies (associated with
the estimated tax bills) can be issued/collected in accordance with prevailing law.
6. That the Mayor, Borough Clerk, Tax Collector, and Borough Chief
Financial Officer, are hereby authorized to execute any and all other documents necessary to effectuate the intentions of the within Resolution.
Offered By: C/Soden
Seconded By: C/Simon
Roll Call: Ayes: C/Soden, C/Rucker, C/Simon, C/D’Agostino, C/Palmieri
Nays: None
Absent: C/Gallagher
Abstain: None
Resolution No. 2005-112
License For The Borough Of Englishtown
For 2005-2006
Be It Resolved, by the Borough Council of the Borough of Englishtown, County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey that
1. The application having been found in order, all required certifications having been given and all required fees having been paid, it hereby authorizes the Municipal Clerk to issue the following alcoholic beverage license for the term of July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006:
Licensee License Number
CER, Inc 1312-33-002-005
People’s Restaurant
Offered By: C/D’Agostino
Seconded By: C/Simon
Roll Call: Ayes: C/Soden, C/Rucker, C/Simon, C/D’Agostino, C/Palmieri
Nays: None
Absent: C/Gallagher
Abstain: None
Resolution No. 2005-113
Resolution of the Borough of Englishtown,
County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey
Authorizing the Payment of Borough Bills
Whereas, the Mayor and Council have carefully examined all vouchers presented to the Borough for the payment of claims; and
Whereas, after due consideration of the said vouchers, the Mayor and Council have approved payment of same.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Englishtown, County of Monmouth, as follows:
1. The said approved vouchers amounting to the sum of $240,330.70 be and
the same are hereby authorized to be paid on June 22, 2005.
2. The Borough Clerk be and is hereby directed to list on the page in the
Minutes Book following the minutes of this meeting all of the said vouchers hereby authorized to be paid.
Offered by: C/Soden
Seconded by: C/Simon
Roll Call: Ayes: C/Soden, C/Rucker, C/Simon, C/D’Agostino, C/Palmieri
Nays: None
Absent: C/Gallagher
Abstain: None
Resolution No. 2005-114
Whereas, the Borough of Englishtown Council requires that purchases and services over $800.00 or more be pre-approved by the Governing Body except in the case of imminent emergency situation; and
Whereas, the following itemized request(s) were submitted to the Chief Financial Officer by the respective Committee Chairperson(s) for Council approval; and
Whereas, the Chief Financial Officer certifies that appropriate funds are available for the following:
$4,978.11
Purchased From:
Lannigan Associates, Inc.
496 Shrewsbury Avenue
Tinton Falls, NJ 07701
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Englishtown, County of Monmouth, State of New Jersey that the above request(s) is approved for the purchase or order.
Offered By: C/Simon
Seconded By: C/D’Agostino
Roll Call: Ayes: C/Soden, C/Rucker, C/Simon, C/D’Agostino, C/Palmieri
Nays: None
Absent: C/Gallagher
Abstain: None
Mayor Reynolds opened the floor to the public for any items they wish to bring to the attention of the governing body.
Mayor Reynolds addresses the public regarding several questions asked at the last council meeting about a plan or vision for our community. We did a five-year master plan that was approved in June 2003 with input from the Council and Planning Board. This is an available document for the public so if anyone would like to see it please call the clerk.
There was also a question regarding the use of Homeland Security money, I did some research into this and found there are three levels of Homeland Security Grants. The first is County Level – you apply for the grant, if you are awarded the grant you then go out and purchase the items you listed in the grant and submit an invoice to the County for reimbursement. Second level is a State Level grant, which is direct aid to the municipalities with no restrictions and can be used for any items for Homeland Security. The third level is a Federal Homeland Security grant, which usually goes to municipalities that have greater threat risks such as Newark (Newark Airport) etc.
Lastly regarding the Rt. 527 and 527A realignment, there was a meeting back in February, which was called by the County engineer. Englishtown Borough Engineer Tom Herits, C/Rucker, and myself along with representatives from Manalapan and the County were present for this meeting. For the future meetings please know that during the public portion of non-agenda items if a question is asked and you want a specific answer there are two ways you can get this information; please call the Borough Clerk at least 48 hours before the meeting and let her know that you want an answer to said question and she can get the information to bring to the meeting or you can ask your question to Mayor and Council during the public portion and if we do not have the specific answer it will be deferred until the next meeting.
Jayne Carr, Main Street asked is there any plan to fill the potholes on LaSatta Avenue.
Mayor Reynolds responds the County was called twice and did come out to fix those potholes. We will call them again.
Jayne Carr, you explained the three levels of Homeland Security. Which level do we receive?
Mayor Reynolds responds, State Level.
Jayne Carr states I read in last week’s paper that while we were having our meeting here there was also a meeting in Manalapan where a council member who had met with you stated it would be in Englishtown’s best interest for you to explain to us that within the next two years we would be facing bankruptcy. Please explain that to us.
Mayor Reynolds responds I can’t respond to someone else’s comment. I don’t foresee bankruptcy within the next year or two. We are looking at our revenue sources, which are narrowing due to the fact that we don’t have the surpluses because we used them over the last several years to keep the tax levy down.
Paula Kuchinski, Hamilton Street states they have repaved the section in front of my house however they fixed it exactly the same as they did the first time and I am asking for money to be held aside to see if it will in fact hold this time.
Mayor Reynolds agrees.
Paula Kuchinski asks is there money available from the State for towns that share services?
Mayor Reynolds responds there are grants available for you to go into shared service agreements and they do a feasibility study to see if it’s a win/win for both communities.
Paula Kuchinski asks on your fact-finding mission did you get any facts yet?
Mayor Reynolds responds Manalapan has not gotten back to us yet. After the meeting we left it off as, if you’re interested give us a call, and nobody has gotten back to us.
Paula Kuchinski raises questions about the budget.
Discussion between Mayor Reynolds and Paula Kuchinski takes place regarding the budget.
Paula Kuchinski states either Freehold Borough or Freehold Township put a hold on hiring any employees, has Englishtown done that?
Mayor Reynolds responds we haven’t hired anyone.
Paula Kuchinski asks do you look to hire anybody in the future?
Mayor Reynolds responds if it’s a replacement for somebody.
Paula Kuchinski states Freehold Township just sent a letter to their employees stating that they have to pay a portion of their health insurance. Has that been explored for Englishtown?
Mayor Reynolds responds we have looked at all options. With the salaries that we pay we didn’t feel it prudent to ask for contributions. Englishtown salaries are probably not as high as Freehold Township. We feel the benefits are necessary in order to keep good people.
Paula Kuchinski states if other municipalities are doing it, Englishtown must do it. The bulk of our tax dollar is going to the schools. Mr. Bennett, you said there was a way to work on that.
John Bennett, Borough Attorney responds there was a recent decision by the Supreme Court which allowed the Commissioner to review a regional district as to the way the funding is done to make it more of a per pupil as opposed to an equalization rate. This was only done in one school district in the State so far and the commissioner did change the formula, which is statutorily set. This isn’t cost effective for Englishtown to do now.
Mayor Reynolds responds smaller districts that are either a regional or their high school is a regional are looking to go to the legislatures in mass and maybe do a class action suit due to the fact for example; Englishtown is being directly affected by the growth of Manalapan.
Paula Kuchinski asks, Mayor do you want to keep Englishtown or are there any other thoughts?
Mayor Reynolds responds personally I would like to see Englishtown remain Englishtown however there is a point where we could end up where we were twenty years ago, where we are going to have boarded up fronts because people can’t afford the commercial rent and they will move. There may be a time where Englishtown cannot reside as Englishtown.
Paula Kuchinski states you have a Main Street that is very valuable and if you’re not careful it will be Manalapan’s Main Street.
Mayor Reynolds asks C/Soden, weren’t you looking into forming an ADHOC committee to look into grants?
C/Soden responds yes and I feel that Jayne Carr is the most qualified person for this committee.
Jayne Carr responds with the support of the Planning Board, Code Officials and Council I would like to be a part of it.
Paula Kuchinski states in regard to Interlocal agreements what would be left of Englishtown? With shared services what would be the reason to keep this building open?
You are losing the identity of Englishtown by selling off services.
Mayor Reynolds responds we would still have our identity as Englishtown. You would still have your vote. You are still the municipality of Englishtown and still have the democratic process as the residents of Englishtown to say after 5 or 7 years that the Interlocal agreements are not good for us and end them. Agreements aren’t for life. I don’t even know if there are going to be benefits to us entering into an Interlocal Agreement. I would like to see Englishtown survive however, if the taxes keep going up the majority of people in town would not be able to afford to live here. I have a responsibility to the citizens who elected me as Mayor to look at all options to save money and keep the security of the community. I have not even heard back from Manalapan if they are even willing to do this. Manalapan has to get three council people to approve this in order to go forward with a feasibility study.
Paula Kuchinski states, I’m thinking about the lives of all the workers that this is affecting. It must be very hard to go to work everyday and have that black cloud over your head.
Discussion continues between Mayor Reynolds and Paula Kuchinski.
Discussion takes place between Mayor & Council, John Bennett, Borough Attorney and Jayne Carr regarding COAH Certification and an Economic Development Committee.
Kathy Bien, Empire Designs I was wondering if the Borough could do any fundraising programs that are supported by the Borough. Freehold has cruise night, Long Branch has Ocean Fest, Englishtown has Sanford Park and the lake, isn’t there some way we can bring tourism into the Borough and actually make some money off all the traffic that comes through?
Lori Cooke, 12 Wood Avenue, states about the feasibility study it sounds like at this time there isn’t one going on. It has come to my attention that Mr. Aaronberg from BlueShield Consulting has been riding around with the Manalapan Police Dept. To me that sounds like some kind of study is going on.
Mayor Reynolds responds that’s Manalapan, we have nothing to do with that. They have not approached us regarding a study. The public will make an informed decision when the information is gathered, by referendum, and if the public feels by that referendum that the police stay, the people have spoken. Manalapan is not going to make any decisions until they see the benefit cost analysis.
Discussion continues between Lori Cooke, Mayor & Council and John Bennett, Borough Attorney.
Paula Kuchinski, Hamilton Street states my fear is that Manalapan is going to wait until we go bankrupt and then come in and take us over.
Discussion continues between Paula Kuchinski and Mayor Reynolds.
There being no further questions or comments, a motion to close the public portion was offered by C/Soden and seconded by C/Simon. Passed unanimously.
Executive Session
There is no executive session this evening.
Adjournment
There being no further business a motion to adjourn was offered by C/Soden and seconded by C/Simon. Passed unanimously.
The time being 9:20 P.M.
August 10, 2005
Approved by Governing Body Clerk