Mayor & Council Budget Meeting

MINUTES Mayor and Council Special Meeting Wednesday, March 2, 2022 6:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER – A Special Meeting of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of River Edge was held virtually via Zoom in the Council Chambers of the River Edge Borough Hall at 705 Kinderkamack Road, River Edge, NJ 07661. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Thomas Papaleo. STATEMENT – Mayor Papaleo read the Statement of Compliance into the record as follows: Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act: This meeting complies with the Open Public Meeting Act by notification via the February 17, 2022 Sunshine Notice containing the time, date and access information to the Town News and the Record and by posting of same on the municipal bulletin board and Borough website and filing a notice of the same with the Municipal Clerk. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Councilwoman Busteed, Councilman Chinigo, Council President Kaufman, Councilwoman Kinsella (arrived at 6:36 p.m.), Councilwoman Malellari, Councilwoman Montisano-Koen and Mayor Papaleo. ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: Borough Administrator Lissette Aportela DPW Superintendent Jason Milito Fire Chief Gregg Cariddi Police Chief Michael Walker OEM Coordinator Stuart Heinzinger Recreation Superintendent Carolyn Baldanza Claudia Calderon, Citizens Budget Committee Member Kenneth Krautheim, Citizens Budget Committee Member Albert Ruhlmann, Citizens Budget Committee Member PUBLIC COMMENT Motion by Council President Kaufman, second by Councilwoman Montisano-Koen, and all members present voting in favor, to open the floor to the public. No one came forward. There being no public comments, on a motion by Council President Kaufman, second by Councilwoman Busteed, to close to the public. 2022 BUDGET DISCUSSION OEM Capital Request – Passenger Van Stuart Heinzinger, OEM Coordinator, advised that he and Jason Milito, DPW Superintendent, are recommending the purchase of a passenger van with a lift which will be used to transport people during the storm. He explained that the current Senior Bus requires a CDL driver and one is not always available during an emergency. He advised that this van can also be utilized to transport seniors to the store, doctors’ appointments, etc. Jason Milito, DPW Superintendent, advised that this vehicle would replace the 1997 Expedition that serves as a backup to the Senior Bus. He noted that this request can be pushed to next year as the Expedition is still roadworthy. He recommended that the amount be increased to $65,000 to account for a lift gate and ramp. It was agreed that this item will be included in the 2023 Capital Budget with a budgeted amount of $65,000. Recreation Department Capital Budget Carolyn Baldanza, Recreation Director, reviewed her capital requests which included replacement of the lightning detection system which is a joint project with the Borough of New Milford. It was noted that the amount allocated to the exercise equipment can be removed and added to the hockey court dasher board replacement which will be a portion of the project to which the open space grant will be reallocated. It was explained that the scope of this project will be expanded to ensure that as much of the funding awarded by the County is utilized as possible. It was agreed to leave the amount allocated to this project as $240,620. As $87,165 in grant funding has been received, it was decided that $87,165 from the Open Space Trust Fund will be allocated to this project. Camera Funding Chief Walker advised that the $38,000 quote for the camera system covers the Memorial Park bathrooms and Library with monitoring and recording being handled by the Police Department. He noted that this system can be expanded upon in future years. With respect to WiFi, he advised that the cost for Verizon to run a wire would only be a few hundred dollars. As $27,805 was previously appropriated for this purpose, it was the consensus of the governing body to add an additional $15,000 to this line. Field Maintenance DPW Superintendent Milito explained that the lines pertaining to field maintenance are shared between Recreation and DPW. He noted that funds have not been requested for the Board of Education line this year as the Borough is no longer responsible for the maintenance of these fields and the $2,000 that was previously requested has been added to the General Maintenance & Repairs line. He noted that an additional $5,000 has been requested for the Chemicals line for lawn treatment to the Memorial Park open grass area, explaining that there are no sprinklers in this area. He expressed concern that the cost for clay may increase and recommended that the Ballfield Clay line be increased by a $1,000, and if needed, he advised that the Chemicals line can be reduced by a $1,000. It was the consensus of the governing body to increase the Ballfield Clay line to $15,600. Library Workstations Borough Administrator Aportela reviewed documentation that was provided by the Library Director which depicted where the new workstations would be located. She advised that the company from which the quote was obtained is under State Contract. It was decided to request that Daragh O’Connor, Library Director, attend the March 14th Regular Meeting to both provide justification for this expenditure and present a less expensive alternative. General 2022 Budget Discussion Salary & Wages Mayor Papaleo noted that the Personnel Committee met with the Borough Administrator to discuss potential salary and wage percentage increases. He advised that additional information has been requested and suggested that this discussion be deferred as an additional Personnel Committee meeting has been scheduled just prior to the Mayor and Council meeting on March 14th to discuss this matter further. It was agreed to defer this discussion. Historic Preservation Commission There was discussion regarding the Historic Preservation Commission’s request for funding in the amount of $800 to create a website. It was questioned whether they can utilize the Borough website for their materials. It was decided that Borough Administrator Aportela and Councilwoman Malellari will discuss this issue with the HPC to determine whether these materials can be posted to the Borough website in order to keep all Borough-related materials on one platform. Borough Clerk The possibility of reducing the T.V. Meetings line was discussed. As the system is new, it was recommended that the line be kept at $6,000 to see how much is charged this year, and if necessary, adjustments can be made next year. Police Department Chief Walker noted that the Maintenance Contracts line should be increased to $75,000 and OC Hiring & Testing line should be zeroed out. He advised that he will be discussing an increase in the hourly rates for both Dispatchers and Crossing Guards with the Personnel Committee. He requested that line 240-180 be increased to $7,000, explaining that this line pertains to the Law Enforcement 1033 Program, and the additional $2,000 will be used to have items shipped rather than using manpower to pick them up. He detailed the benefits of this program and advised that the items obtained can be sold after a year. Fire Department It was questioned whether line 255-043 should be zeroed out. Borough Administrator Aportela expressed her belief that it may be a duplicate entry and can be removed. Recap of Changes CFO Battaglia advised that, with the changes made this evening, the budget has been reduced by $17,359. He further advised that he has a placeholder to reduce the Capital Budget by $25,000 which will still allow flexibility should there be a need to do an ordinance later in the year. As such, the total reduction is $42,359 which reduces the increase to the average homeowner to $58.22. He cautioned that the BCUA and Paramus numbers are still awaited which could impact this number and advised that he will report any anomalies that may require adjustments prior to budget introduction. Municipal Court There was discussion regarding whether funding for a translator can be reduced as the Municipal Court has moved to a translation app while sessions are being held virtually. As it is unknown when in-person court sessions will resume and whether this software will continue to be used when sessions are back in person, it was decided to leave $5,000 in this line and revisit next year. Utilities It was questioned whether the Borough still pays separately for long distance. CFO Battaglia expressed his belief that these accounts were named this way many years ago and advised that he will review these line items with the Accounts Supervisor. Chief Walker advised that invoices were reviewed when the new phone system was installed and an explanation is awaited from corporate for the various charges. He expressed his belief that some charges may no longer be applicable which may or may not have an impact on these line items. Cap Bank Review CFO Battaglia reviewed the amounts available in the Cap Bank. He advised that approximately $357,000 is expiring this year, $410,000 is available from 2020, and $320,000 from 2021. He noted that these funds are available to utilize for up to three years if needed and expire if they are not used. ADJOURNMENT – There being no further business to come before the Mayor and Council, on a motion by Councilman Chinigo, second by Councilwoman Kinsella, and unanimously carried, to adjourn this meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Anne Dodd, RMC Borough Clerk