During North Bergen’s Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Wednesday, the board voted to introduce an ordinance that if approved will change the schedule of striking a city budget and issuing tax bills.
Currently the township operates on a fiscal year budget (July to June) and tax bills are sent out twice a year, with each bill covering two quarters.
The change to a calendar year budget (January to December) will allow tax bills for all four quarters to be sent out just once per year to property owners.
“We have this spiking [now],” said Township Administrator Christopher Pianese. The tax bills are made up of three parts – the municipal tax, the school tax, and the county tax. They are determined at different parts of the year based on when those entities pass their budgets, so tax bills may vary from one to the next.
“I commend Jimmy Wiley for the work he did and all those involved.”—Mayor Nicholas Sacco
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“When you send your four tax bills [at the same time] the chances of it being more equalized are greater,” Pianese said.
Pianese said that the state is encouraging municipalities functioning on a fiscal schedule to return to calendar budgets.
Commissioners will take a final vote on the ordinance to move to a calendar year at their meeting on March 23 at 11 a.m.
Renovating bank into parking HQ
Also at the meeting, the commissioners introduced a bond ordinance that will allow them to borrow $3.7 million for the renovation of the former TD Bank Building that the town plans to convert into a headquarters for the municipal court and Parking Authority.
Requests for construction bids will be issued shortly for the building, located at 4223-4229 Bergen Turnpike.
“It’s definitely needed,” said Sacco. “The courts are too small and it would be a benefit to the neighborhood too, there will be additional parking spaces in the evening.”
Sacco said the township will no longer need to rent offices on Bergenline Avenue for the Parking Authority.
20 new streetlights
The commissioners approved 20 new streetlights through resolutions requesting Public Service Electric and Gas Company to furnish and install them, primarily in downtown North Bergen.
New street light sites include Meadowview Avenue, Grand Avenue, Paterson Plank Road, Kennedy Boulevard, Sixth Street, and 14th Street.
Ordering fewer cameras, for now
Through a resolution, commissioners approved a $70,240 change order for Packetalk, LLC, the Hoboken company in charge of installing digital cameras for the township’s Operation Center, run by the police.
Pianese said that while the township had planned to install 100 cameras, they have purchased 90 and have decided to focus on upgrading to more intelligence-based software before seeking grant sources to pay for more cameras.
DPW wins safety award
The North Bergen Department of Public Works has received the 2010 Gold Safety Award from the New Jersey Self Insurance Joint Insurance Fund.
The announcement was made directly after the Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Wednesday.
DPW Superintendent James Wiley said that it all started last year, when he attended a meeting where safety ratings were put up on a wall and North Bergen was nearly last on the list. He said after the safety program was explained to him, he and his 43 employees instituted a program of safety courses.
“The unsung heroes of this job is you guys, you earned this,” said Wiley to the many DPW workers who attended the meeting.
“They noticed that North Bergen was not faring well in accordance to the rating, and in one year, they turned it around and changed it,” said Mayor Nicholas Sacco. “I commend Jimmy Wiley for the work he did and all those involved.”
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.