Here is a brief summary on items discussed at our Monday, March 3rd Council Meeting.
It was part two of our annual budget workshop, and we covered the largest of our departments, and our two utilities. Each conversation covered the ongoing expenses, which all included very moderate changes. In addition, we went through capital requests for all of the departments covered. Generally, this is where we need to make some hard choices on what to fund and possibly not fund.
Some high level notes that I took on Monday:
Code Enforcement - Costs have been reduced for file management now that the department has (finally) implemented digitization. Our fees for permits are still in the middle of the pack for surrounding towns.
Fire prevention - Capital costs included a truck for the department, radios and mobile computers
Fire department - They need continued investment for new gear, some tools and computer software that is necessary to comply with federal requirements.
Rescue Squad - The Squad needs a pickup truck and CPR device
Police Department - They will be adding 2 members to the force, and 2 officers will be retiring. Vehicle lease costs were paid for last year with income generated from outside of Verona work. Next year capital requests included new vehicles, dash board cameras, bullet proof vests, weapons, and a new utility vehicle.
Building and Grounds - They are working on a required (and mandated) lactation room for employees at Town Hall. Capital requests include replacing security cameras and the Community Center roof.
DPW - Capital requests include two more dump trucks, new paint machines, and a lift for vehicle maintenance. We also discussed the need to repave the parking lot at the Community Center.
Water and Sewer Utility - They are looking to hire more staff to bring it up to necessary staffing levels. The Derwent Sewer line will need to replaced, as well as other necessary repairs from the smoke testing.
Recreation - Currently they have four full time staff members, but they also have 15-25 part time staff members and almost 200 seasonal employees
Pool - The finances and capital needs have been well discussed in other meetings. Lifeguards make $1 on top of minimum wage, as the positions are hard to fill.
The next step on the budget process is that our Town Manager and CFO make final adjustments, and the budget will be introduced at our next Council meeting. There is then a 30 day period before adoption. On capital requests, the Council will submit any questions or concerns to the Administration this month, and then a final list of projects will be submitted to the Council for approval. Capital requests will need to be voted, likely as bond ordinances, and require passage with a supermajority (4 votes).
We had a few other pieces of business we completed on Monday. This included introducing an ordinance to set the salary for a Deputy Manager position from $120K to $140K. Any comments on this salary should be sent to the Township Council using the following link: https://www.veronanj.org/councilcontactform.
We also approved change orders to two contracts. One is the emergency work being performed on our tower communications building. The second is on the window replacement to town hall. We applied for a Sustainable Jersey grant to start a food waste recycling program. In addition, we approved a contract with a firm, Ciel Power, for home energy audits. We also authorized renewal in BMED.
Those were the highlights from the meeting. Please send the entire Town Council any comments you may have at https://www.veronanj.org/councilcontactform.
Next meeting is on Monday, March 17th.