A substantial increase in charges to residents for town-operated daycare sparked questions from Councilman John Bueckner at the Nov. 27 council caucus.
Town Administrator Anthony Iacono told the council that The After Care program has made significant positive strides over the last few years, but that an increase in salaries was essential to make certain the program had enough people to run it.
Councilman Fred Constantino in a previous interview said the program was struggling to attract qualified people because of the low salary, and that by raising them to levels that are comparable to other care center, Secaucus could maintain its program.
Before this raise in pay, the town received no applications to fill the positions needed. After the increase was proposed the town received 21 applicants.
Changes to bring the Front Street facility up to state standards also helped inflate this year’s overall costs, and this has required the town to increase the price of the service for the second time in six years.
By filling the staff and expanding the program, town officials said they have finally eliminated the waiting list that has existed since the program’s inception in 1995.
The program has become so popular that at times it had a waiting list of as many as 90 kids. The most recent list is about 30. The program currently uses 145 Front St. but has an option to use Huber Street School’s new multi-use room, an option the town could take if the program continues to grow.
This could happen by next September, Iacono said.
Initiated in 1996, the program offers residents a package of supervised sports, arts and crafts, recreation and television as well as study time and possible help from qualified counselors. By providing supervised quality child care from 3 to 6 p.m. on school days, officials seek to relieve working parents of the burden of finding childcare. The center is open to all children who reside in Secaucus.
In 1999, the town was forced to raise the price by $10 to cover additional costs. The current change would increase the fee to $160.
Iacono said the town always sought to make the program self-supporting.
Bueckner, however, was concerned about the costs, noting that the program has yet to break even, despite an increase in 1999. The town took in about $48,000 in fees this year, but expended 90,000.
"The increase you’re proposing now is a significant jump," he said. "If we haven’t been able to break even in the past, are you certain this will do it?"
Iacono said the goal was to come as close to breaking even as possible, and that the latest increase in changes would bring the program closer and allow it to hire the staff it needs to operate.
Iacono said the fees didn’t always cover expenses. This year’s increase was also design to cover some of other one-time expenses such as meeting new state guidelines.
Police, professional contracts and Gail Place discussed
With two police officers set to retire, the Town Council must decide on how many more officers to hire. The list of local candidates was reduced sharply as a result of physical examinations. Of the 62 candidates that passed written portion, only 16 candidates remain.
Bueckner urged the council to hire more not less, saying he would like to see increased patrols through the town to deal with traffic and potential juvenile drug use in the parks.
Elwell, however, said the town has to weigh increased police against cost to the taxpayers, and that striking a balance was his goal.
In other matters, the council agreed to authorize a professional service contract with PMK group for a preliminary investigation report that would establish the Keystone contamination site on Humboldt Place as a redevelopment area. This contract is not to exceed $20,000. To continue to qualify for cleanup funds, the town must show what it might do with the property once it is free of contamination. This could be a plan for housing or for a shopping center.
Elwell said the town must show some profitable use of the property before the state will agreed to give more money for its cleanup. Until now, the state has given money for testing.
The council also agreed to give PMK a professional service contract for $17,042 to seal a well on the old Treacy Property. The site is to be used for open space, recreation and environmental studies.
In updating the council on the situation on Gail Place, Elwell said town officials had met several times with PSE&G to discuss changes in the area. Last February, a home on Gail Place exploded into flame after workers digging up water lines in the street accidentally struck a gas line. In November, another gas line was struck, although no fire resulted. The mayor said the town was poised to prevent future problems in this area.
"We have a threefold opportunity here," Elwell said, noting that PSE&G has been canvassing the neighborhood to ask if each household would like to move their meters outdoors. This change would mean that no high pressure lines would be inside the home, reducing the risk of having a house fill up with gas if a line should break – such as what happened a few weeks ago when three houses had to be cleared of gas, and back in February when the house exploded. This will also give the gas company a chance to dig back to the street and inspect existing lines and allow PSE&G to provide accurate maps. Elwell said that over the years, the existing pipe maps have become less accurate.