Not quite fireworks – Meeting of 03/28/2011

Both the conference agenda and the regular meeting agendas were very full and there was much more of an audience in attendance than usual.  The items the Council expected to engender a great deal of comment were the two ordinances 10-2011 and 11-2011 establishing new R51 residence districts.  These have been the subjects of long and drawn out lawsuits and the ordinances were adopted under protest.  Audience protest was expected but, I believe the need was obviated by, comments from the Council regarding the fact the adoption was effectively coerced by the courts, and that the zoning ordinance had to be adopted before the rulings in the case could be appealed.  As the plans are to continue to appeal the decisions regarding these ‘builder remedy’ lawsuits, it appeared that anyone who might have been in attendance to protest this was mollified.  One person did get up and question the Council about a letter that had been printed in the West Essex Tribune last week but, as I did not read the letter, and as I am still making myself familiar with all the issues involved (having started way before my tenure!), I really can’t comment on that.

Speaking of commenting on things – one of the issues on which I ran was to work to make local government more transparent.  As yet, we do not have the meetings televised – which is an issue that has been raised and I am told they are ‘working on it’.  Until that time, I blog.  For those who cannot come to the meetings, I hope that an insider’s perspective, along with reportage by the Patch and the West Essex Tribune, will round out the picture of what is occurring at the Township level.  I am fully aware that there are other ‘takes’ on what is going on.  I would encourage everyone who comes to meetings – whether on the Town Council or not – to speak about what happens, ask people to get involved, have others come out to see for themselves what is happening.  An educated populace is an empowered one.

The real ‘meat’ of the meeting was the introduction of the 2011 budget.  I have stated time and time again that I am not satisfied with the budget and that I don’t agree that we as a group have come up with the best possible budget.  I felt, as did my fellow Councilmen, that a reduction of services was unfair and not needed at this time.  For example, why take away leaf collection from the town when it would just force the cost onto the individual taxpayer to solve the problem?  And, who could possibly vote for elimination of all SYLS programs not covered by fees – as this would get rid of all senior programming entirely?  These were not reasonable considerations.  So, as was published in the West Essex Tribune, “the Council unanimously agreed that the benefits provided by these programs far exceeded there cost and all agreed not to eliminate them.”  But when asked if any further expense reductions were sought, what can you answer when all your suggestions and ideas have already been shot down??

I have already proposed in the budget and conference meetings a number of recommendations such as a) increasing the amount of the Township employees contributions to their health insurance premiums, b) further reducing headcount by consolidation of job responsibilities, c) reducing the budgeted amount for police vests by soliciting bids from responsible vendors who could provide the Level IIIA protection at a 40% reduction from the budgeted amount, and d) replacing pagers for the Fire Department on a revolving basis as opposed to doing them all at once.  I even had the temerity to question the $20K budgeted for the Employee parties and having them get two half-days paid to attend.  All of these suggestions would reduce the taxpayer burden today.  And, even if we couldn’t get to a 0% increase budget, it would be a budget that has a lower increase than that of 2010 and one I’d be much happier with.  So, while I voted YES to introduce the budget (so that we could meet State timelines to be eligible for more funding), I voted NO to approving the budget itself.

The budget is coming up for vote on May 2^nd.  We only have two Council meetings until then – come out and make your voices heard.

Budget Blues - Meeting of 03/07/2011

Not much progress is being made in our conference meetings regarding the budget.  Mike Rieber and I can't seem to get agreement that a 0% increase is the proper goal to have.  I strongly disagree that people won't even notice it or that the $45 (which is what the municipal portion of the tax increase would be for an average home of $605,000) is what people spend without thinking.  What I think is that people are tired of property tax increases, that we need a break, and if someone wants to tear up $45, then it is his or her money to do so with - not the Town Council's to continue to spend for them.

The budget increase is mainly going to fund the increase in debt service due to the new Town Hall.  Along with the huge building and the huge library, come huge increases in the costs to light and heat.  But, of course, the biggest increases are really in contributions to pensions and healthcare - two items that we can't touch.  At this time, I have requested, as has Mike, to ask the township employees to increase their contribution (from 1.5%) toward the cost of healthcare.  The State healthcare plans are so robust that I can't afford them for my own employees or myself.  Yet, the cost increase from last year - I believe somewhere about 20% for the State as a whole - is not being passed along to the people who benefit from it.  It is now being borne by the taxpayers.  Lucky us!

Other than trying to wrestle with the budget (which must be finalized now as Ms. Meade plans on introducing it on March 28th), the rest of the conference and regular meetings were business as usual.  We did have to pass two zoning ordinances - which were done under protest - to comply with the rulings regarding the COAH litigation the township is involved with.  This was passed along with the Riparian zone ordinance - which also had to be done to comply with State regulations.  It amazes me how little control a town has over its own destiny and how regulated it all is.  Only one interesting note in the evening that I recall - we spoke about brokering electrical power to the Township (as we do with water) and are looking to see if it is feasible and cost effective.

More budget suggestions anyone??

A slippery slope indeed – Meeting of 2/28/2011

I am still tired from the Council meetings – both conference and regular – which took place on 2/28.  The most notable item on the agenda was the final hearing on an ordinance to amend some zoning issues with a number of lots.  The lots, which were split zoned (i.e., zoned both residential and business), were being rezoned to business to reflect the facts on the ground.  Quite a number of citizens turned out to contest the rezoning – which, in my opinion, was the wrong thing to contest.  What this ordinance was doing was just recognizing the current usage of the properties in question and zoning the lot to reflect that usage.  Passing or not passing this ordinance does not change anything; those businesses would just continue to operate on split zoned lots.

What I think that most of the residents who showed up realized is that there is a ‘slippery slope’ here.  But that slippery slope needs to be dealt with at the Zoning Board level – by the time it gets to the Town Council, the ‘dirty deeds’ have already been perpetrated.  It was, however, useful for the residents to come in as they did have complaints about their business neighbors and the Town Manager was able to give them direction as to where to get assistance.

At the conference meeting, before the regular one, we heard from Rich Calbi, Township Engineer, regarding the proposed Geographic Information System – for which a $189,000 bid is up for award and which is part of a $250,000 proposed capital item.  At the meeting on 2/14, both Mike Rieber and I had questions with regard to this item and Rich was at the meeting on 2/28 to answer those questions.  Unfortunately, there was insufficient time to really understand why we are being asked to spend this money.  The other council members seem to be in favor of it but I – and Mike Rieber – are not convinced.  I will be meeting with Rich Calbi and Michele Meade on Friday, 3/4 to discuss this further.  If we are going to do this at all, we must apparently do this NOW before the leaves are back on the trees as the $189,000 is for a fly over to contour map our township!

Finally, we resumed the conference meeting after the regular meeting was adjourned and discussed the proposed budget as presented by Michele Meade.  I am not happy that the proposal calls again for a 2% increase in property taxes!  I raised several possibilities, e.g., asking township employees to contribute more toward their health benefits, holding off on some capital improvement items, but none seems to have traction with the other members of the Council.  My goal, as stated in the meeting, is to have a 0% increase.  I am not sure the other Council members agree with me.  As also stated in the meeting, they are convinced that citizens will live with the increase as long as they don’t have to deal with any reductions in service.  I believe that we can hold services steady and still not increase taxes.  It’s going to be an interesting next several weeks while this is being discussed. 

So – the challenge to anyone who is listening/reading out there!  Send me your suggestions on how we can hold the line on taxes.  Or better yet, come to the meetings and make yourself heard!

Fireworks from the February 14, 2011 meeting

Listening post was held in the conference room off the Council Chambers from 7 PM to 7:30 PM.  Unfortunately, the only listening that was being done was by me and one other attendee - while others were discussing Pitchers and Catchers and their fantasy baseball software processes.  I am not quite sure as to whether it is because the Listening Post is not well publicized that it gets short shrift or whether the population of Livingston is just unaware of how important it is.

The Listening Post is an opportunity for the townspeople to raise their  issues, questions, and concerns in a somewhat less intimidating and more informal manner than during a regular council meeting.  Rather than contacting an individual councilperson regarding a complaint or a question (and I had gotten several even before I took office!), this allows an issue to be raised in an open forum where, one would hope, the more people that know about the problem, the faster the fix can be put in.

At one Listening Post, a couple raised the issue of allowing information to  be sent via email instead of snail mail - to help cut down on waste (as most of the information is either not looked at or looked at and trashed) and on the cost of postage.  This is a very helpful suggestion and we took it upon ourselves to begin to look at the problem and how to resolve it.

The bottom line is - if the people of Livingston don't use the Listening Post, it will go away.  There really is no point in sitting around for 30 minutes talking amongst ourselves....

As for the conference meeting, there was a bit of fireworks.  We revisited the proposed Tree Ordinance that had been submitted by the Livingston Environmental Commission - primarily to deal with lots of under 1 acre.  That ordinance is now under review by the Planning Board and we expect their comments shortly.  No fireworks yet.  Then we discussed the Riparian Zone Ordinance which deals with the water quality of streams in the town.  Apparently, Livingston did not enact this ordinance previously because, as the Town Manager indicated in her memo, "due to concerns about the need for separate municipal ordinances when the NJDEP has regulations that already protect these areas."  All well and good, but now we gotta!  The only thing I asked was that we add the language that this is being foisted on us by the State in the initial "Whereas" clause.  Still no fireworks.  We had some housekeeping items regarding legal bills ... now the fireworks!

The Town Manager recommended the award of the bid for a Geographical Information System (GIS) to the tune of mega bucks (not sure if the bid results have been published yet so don't want to list the amount).  Both Mike Rieber and I challenged the need for this system.  Despite the fact that the funds have already been allocated, as long as they haven't been spent they might not need to be!  One of the major objections we have for this system is that, if it's not going to save us mega bucks, and if I haven't needed it up till now, why are we spending the money now?  The question I asked is whether this is a 'nice to have' or 'need to have.'  I believe that we 'need to have' new polycarbonate tanks for our Fire Department - it's a safety issue.  A new GIS is not.  If it is important, we can look at it next year or the year after that - but maybe it's okay to defer this spending until later.  I firmly believe that, in this case, not spending where we are not saving is fully justified.  The end result is that the award is being deferred and the Chief Engineer will be brought in to justify this expense.  I look forward to it!

After this little tiff, we then discussed another mega bucks bid (same issue - don't know if the bid results have been published yet) on Phase I of the Development of a Comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan.  This item has a bit more traction in that we are processing storm water to the tune of - gee, no one can give me those numbers - and by implementing this modeling system, we can find the areas of excessive flow and then correct it.  It did not appear that there is any other way to get this done.  This also seems to have benefit to the citizens of Livingston in a very tangible way – when water pressure drops, someone can be immediately alerted and start working on a fix.  On the other hand, I had a concern with this bid in that the vendor recommended by Purchasing had to 'rebid' as they didn't seem to include several things in their initial bid.  My 'spidey sense' gets raised by these types of things as a) we've given more consideration to one bidder than others who bid it properly initially and b) if the lowest bidder is construing things so narrowly, do I hear change notices later??  Again, hackles were raised all around.

The rest of the items were pretty much more housekeeping with the inevitable change notice regarding something for the new building.  I am sure the rest of the council members are as tired of them as I.  We did have a fairly lively discussion regarding how to deal with the feral cat situation in Livingston and I am not convinced that it is cheaper to trap, neuter, and release than to trap and destroy.  I know trap and destroy is not a popular alternative, but is it really more humane to let them wander in the freezing cold and either starve to death or be killed by wild foxes or hit by cars?

So, the meeting ended with the Town Manager's temper running rather high.  I believe that Michele wants to do the best job possible; but my job, as well as my fellow council members, is to question, challenge, and re-think any and all expenditures.  My goal, and I hope that my colleagues is as well, is to ensure that our property taxes stay flat while maintaining services for the community.  Spending without a clear payback period just does not make good business sense.

Let me know what you think out there!

Updates from the sick bed

Well, folks, sorry I haven't been blogging for a while.  It's not that I haven't been very active on behalf of the citizens of Livingston; it's because I have been battling pneumonia.  Take my advice - you don't want to have it!  I was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday, January 28th.  I showed up - coughing and wheezing - to the second budget hearing on Sunday, January 30th.  Although very under the weather, I was still the only one challenging and questioning every line item.  We met for the final time on Thursday, February 3rd to finish up all the departments.  While mostly just gaining an understanding of what each department does and what kind of financing they would be looking for in the new calendar year, there were a few interesting interactions.  One of the challenges I made to the budget was the $20,000 line item for the employee holiday party and summer picnic.  This did NOT go over well with the Town Manager.  Another issue, on which I was not entirely satisfied, is why some of the budgeted amounts are not really aligned with what is actually spent.  While it is legitimate to re-allocate funds between line items over the course of a year, it does not make sense to me to not try to budget what you actually think you are going to spend.  If transparency is a goal, this method of budgeting is in direct contradiction and seems to do more to obscure on what items monies are being spent.

Since then, we've had another conference and regular meeting on February 7th - which was mostly housekeeping and very short meetings.  I then had the privilege to attend the annual Fireman's Dinner on February 8th which was held at the Crystal Plaza.  Chief Mullin reviewed the Fire Department's annual report and performed the annual inspection of the volunteers.  Livingston's 76 member department is truly amazing and their contributions should be noted and appreciated by the entire Livingston citizenry.  Unfortunately, the dinner was not kosher so, after chatting at the bar with many of the volunteers, I went home and collapsed.  Wednesday I attended two meetings - the Townwide Safety Committee meeting at 4 PM at the Board of Education offices (first time EVER that I was there!) and then the 7:30 PM meeting of HCHY (Healthy Community Healthy Youth).  It is amazing to me how dedicated many people in this community are and how much time they are willing to volunteer to Livingston.  I was also amazing to me how surprised each committee was that their Town Council liaison actually showed up!  I'm not sure why previous Councilmen did not feel it necessary to attend these meetings; I consider it part of my Council responsibilities and duty to the community.

Finally, I capped off the week with a 4 PM Friday, 2/11 meeting with Michele Meade and Pete Klein, head of the Planning Board, to discuss COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) and the affordable housing issues and litigation with which Livingston is wrestling.  This litigation is typically what is discussed when the Town Council goes into closed session after our regular meetings.  

Well, there you have it.  Now that I am on the mend, I will absolutely try to get this blog out by the Wednesday following each regular and/or conference meeting.  Let me know what you think about what I think - I am here to serve!

01/24/11 Meeting

As I sit here listening to Obama's State of the Union Address and the Republican Response, I am even more galvanized to ensure that Livingston's Town Council can provide the best services possible at the lowest possible cost and to make those hard decisions to limit government and keep the tax burden from growing.  Low taxes, reasonable regulation, sound money - I love it (at least the Republican part of it)!

Well, in the spirit of limited government, our meetings last night were fairly short and to the point.  [Maybe having one less councilman present helped make it go more quickly; and Rudy is definitely great at keeping us all on track.]  Our conference meeting dealt with more legal fees  incurred due to both COAH and construction litigation.  As everyone knows with litigation, the only ones who win are the attorneys - but we need to continue as this is what has been mandated by YOU and is ultimately in the best interest of the town.

Various housekeeping items - literally - were discussed, including the award of cleaning supplies contracts.  There was actually very little comment from either the attendees of the Conference meeting or the councilmen and we went into Regular session at 8 PM with little ado.  The proposed ordinances were passed with little comment - with the exception of the kudos received from the Township Safety Committee for us passing the Stop Sign ordinance for S. Ashby Avenue.

The resolutions regarding both the change notices and other contracts award did raise an interesting comment from Larry Kohn regarding additinonal grounding work to be done in the radio building.  Mr. Kohn quoted a number of other change orders which also called for additional grounding work and wondered if we were not only paying to have it done but to have it corrected and done again.  If nothing else, the number of change order related to grounding must mean that the building is well grounded indeed!!

We did go into closed session but ended with a short open session regarding two other traffic ordinances relating to no left turn onto Madonna Drive and placing another stop sign on Fairfax (? - not sure and don't have data in front of me).  After some lively discussion, we agreed to allow the two ordinances to go for public hearing as recommended by the Township Engineer and endorsed by the Township Safety Committee.

No rest for the weary - more budget meetings tomorrow night!  Stay tuned.

Budget season has begun!

This morning, I and my fellow councilmen met with Michele Meade, Bill Nadolny, and various department heads to discuss their programs and budgets for 2011.  First up was the Police Department whose major requests included bullet proof vests, a weapon unloading station, a continuation of the program to upgrade police car video systems from VHS to digital, and beginning to upgrade the police radios from analog to digital.  Having just returned from the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) show in Las Vegas, I was able to bring back some knowledge of body armor and its costs and will be providing this information to the Town Manager and Purchasing Agent.  The police were budgeting approximately $555 per vest; I had been quoted costs in the $325-$350 range.  As I am acutely aware, just because it's part of a State contract, doesn't mean it will be the lowest bid.

Next meeting was with Jennifer Hessberger, the director of SYLS - under whose purview both the Senior Youth and Leisure Services fall as well as the Swimming Pool Utility.  The major purchase discussed was a new Senior Bus.  Given that the Senior Bus had been out of commission for a period this year, causing some hardship for the seniors within the community, a new bus has been determined to be needed and the 'old' one will be held as a backup. The good news is that 75% of the bus cost will be funded through a State grant.

The Town Council had discussed the new pool fees proposed by SYLS at the 1/10 meeting.  At that meeting, we had requested that the fees for 2011 be held at the 2010 level for senior couples - with a maximum of $2 increase for individual seniors.  There were also nominal increases for families and individuals.  This fee schedule was confirmed today.

The Township Clerk's budget actually showed some opportunities for savings.  In this budget, all the cost for postage for all Township mailings are accrued; but as the VAST majority of mailings are within the 07039 area code, we have an opportunity to get first class mailing at a very reduced pre-sort rate.  In addition, I provided Glenn with information on printing vendors who could potentially provide printing services at a much lower rate than is currently being budgeted.

Health & Human Services presented a very 'flat' budget and a substantial amount of their costs are covered through fees and/or State grants.  An example of shared services at its finest is Livingston's provision of Public Health Services for Milburn Township.  This is a great model which I know I am anxious to see proliferated through other departments.

The final presentation was that of the Fire Department.  The Chief and Asst. Chief both came down to discuss their budgets.  Of course, in all discussions with both the police and fire department, safety of the officers is paramount.  But it should not preclude us from questioning capital expenditures.  Unfortunately, one of my fellow councilmen thought it proper to chastise me for doing so.  The perception has been that if the police wanted to patrol on elephants, the Town Council would ask how many they needed.  NO LONGER!  Our responsibility is to know where the dollars are going and if we don't ask the questions, we are not fulfilling our obligations.  What I do believe, as has been evident in the meetings today, is that the department heads are acutely aware of the financial realities and are doing their best to keep requests reasonable and costs low.

Our next round of budget hearings is on Wednesday, January 26th at 7 PM.  I hope that my fellow councilmen will take the opportunity to review the budget in more depth so that they too can challenge how the taxpayers money is being spent.