North Bergen officials hope they will be able to cover some costs of their police and department of public works operations through Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) funding, but are still unsure whether the funds will remain frozen by the state.
At the township’s Aug. 25 commissioners’ meeting, two resolutions were passed asking for funding from the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone Authority.
Urban Enterprise Zones were urban business districts empowered to collect 3.5 percent in sales taxes, and these funds were made available to those municipalities for beautification projects and salaries for government workers. But the Christie administration froze the payments to the municipalities earlier this year in response to the state budget deficit.
Township Administrator Christopher Pianese said that the standard application has been for up to 35 percent of monies in the township’s UEZ project fund, which is used to cover police officers stationed in UEZ zones.
In one resolution, they asked the state for $709,474 to go toward 12 police officers and have agreed to match their salaries and benefits with $619,129.
“The UEZ zones are under attack.” – Nicholas Sacco
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Through another resolution North Bergen applied for $370,919 for the DPW salaries and will match this with $323,685. He said that they would fight the new regulation, since state law does not site department of public works under the cap.
“The UEZ zones are under attack,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco at the meeting. “UEZ zones are not responding [to the state] and I’m really disappointed in them because they are being dismantled.”
Commissioner Frank Garguilo noted that it was unfair, stating that North Bergen was now being taxed more than other non-UEZ zone municipalities.
Bond ordinance approved
The township’s $3.87 million bond ordinance, which will allow North Bergen to borrow funds for road improvements, building maintenance and acquisitions, as well as vehicle purchases and replacements, was passed.
The most important project this will cover is to install a left-hand turn lane on Tonnelle Avenue into the mall Vornado Realty Trust developed, where stores like Walmart now exist, said Pianese.
He said the developer has promised the township $3 million for construction, which the township must match with $1.5 million. Originally, they had hoped to fund it through the UEZ, but have since lost hope that it will happen.
“We have to get the left-hand turn lane,” said Pianese.
Resident complains about idling vehicles
During the public comment section of the meeting, resident Kevin O’Malley asked officials for help with idling vehicles in front of his property on Bergen Turnpike. He said that trucks around the Colona Brothers property often have large trucks idling overnight, even though state statutes prohibit vehicles from doing so. Since bringing it to their attention months ago, he learned that there had been some confusion as to who should enforce the law.
Chief William Galvin said that he had learned that they could issue summonses and that they already had given one this week. He said that they have told Colona that they will no longer tolerate it.
Sonic agreement
At the meeting a developer’s agreement, which had been previously approved by the North Bergen Planning Board, was passed.
Kennedy 3 Real Estate, LLC, which is building a Sonic Drive-In restaurant at 2819 Kennedy Boulevard, has now entered into an agreement with the township and has posted bonds to ensure completion of the project, said Pianese.
Absentee landlords beware
Landlords who receive more than two convictions or enter guilty pleas for disorderly, indecent, tumultuous or riotous conduct complaints within one month will now have to post a bond of $500 to $5,000 with the township.
The ordinance, originally introduced on July 7, was first passed at Jersey shore towns and then extended to college towns, said Sacco. He said that now it has been expanded throughout the state.
Removing stairs
Pianese said the dilapidated stairs that connect Grand Avenue west to 12th Street will be removed because residents said they were a hazard.
The township has entered into a $61,400 contract with Max Adamo Construction, Inc. of Ridgefield for their removal.
Changes to OPRA request charges
The commissioners introduced an ordinance that, when passed, will update their Open Public Records Act request charge. A Hudson County Appellate Court decision recently decided that government record reproductions must only cost the “actual cost” to reproduce them.
Under the ordinance, letter-sized documents would be $0.05 per page, while legal-sized pages would cost $0.07. Other copying records, such as company discs, photographs, and map-sized paper, would be determined at the time of copying.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.