9 June 2008 - Regular Meeting

Agenda at Meeting

(click here for the Agenda e-mailed to Council members - 4:55 pm, Friday, 6 June 2008)

(Mark's Comments / Annotations are in Red)

  1. CALL TO ORDER - PUBLIC MEETING STATEMENT (7:30 pm)

  2. PLEDGE - SILENT PRAYER

  3. ROLL CALL (Mayor North, Councilors Alloway, Fields, Waldron, Volkert,  Brunton present. Councilor Perno absent)

  4. PUBLIC HEARING ON ORDINANCE

    1. ORDINANCE 08-04 - ADOPT AMENDMENT TO ORDINANCE 53-2 Night use of park- community center restricted 6  (No comments)

  5. PUBLIC HEARING

    1. PUBLIC

    Mr. Tom Evaul

        1.    Requested update on $950,000 PNC Bank building purchase, and negotiations for it.

    Mayor North said the borough will try to avoid removing the building from the tax rolls.

        2.    Has the borough signed the agreement with Conifer regarding the age restriction removal from Chestnut Station Townhomes?

    Mayor North said not yet. [This refers to conditions stipulated in Ordinance 08-02, passed 14 April 2008.  - MB]

        3.    What is the need for a Special Counsel? Why not use Solicitor Higgins?

    Mayor North said Solicitor Higgins cannot help with this issue. It is a tax issue dating back to 1986. Retaining special counsel is part of the attempt to address it.

        4.    Regarding the budget, Mr. Evaul did a spreadsheet and highlighted appropriation items that were more than 25% over the maximum expenditure over the last three years. Asked if these items represented "Contingency" money.

    Mayor North said that since the budget was not in front of him, he could not discuss it. Mr. Evaul then suggested a specific "Contingency Fund" be set up in the budget and asked what the surplus is. Administrator Fry said the surplus at the end of 2007 was about 1.2 million dollars. Mayor North said we would be using a small portion of that for the 2008 budget.

    1. ENGINEER'S REPORT (Page 1; Page 2. Presented by Mr. Jay Sims of CES)

  6. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 10.22.07 (Approved 4-0, with Mr. Perno and Mr. Brunton abstaining, as they were not on Council at that time)

  7. CORRESPONDENCE  (A proclamation for the Merchantville Birthday Celebration was read)

  8. COUNCIL REPORTS

    Ms. Fields:

        Planning Board - Meet tomorrow. No applications on schedule

        Code Enforcement has begun assembling Abandoned Properties List

        Gave Monthly EMS report - Merchantville EMS handled 80% of calls for May

     

    Mr. Waldron:

        Public Events -

            Birthday Celebration held June 7. Very hot! Went well

                Planning going well for car show 50 applications for cars so far

        Shade Tree Commission - Meeting 12 June

            Gave out Tee shirts at Birthday Celebration

            Should be a list of all borough trees

        Communications & Newsletter -

            Newsletter due end of June

        Historic Planning Commission - No meeting, no applications

     

    Mr. Brunton

        Highway Department report unavailable

        Licenses (download report)

        Board of Health - No activity

        Office of Emergency Management -  - No activity

     

    Mr.Volkert

        Monthly Fire report - 10 calls

        68 Fire Inspections have been Completed

        No report for sewer

     

    Mr. Alloway

         Police (download summary)

            More aggressive with gazebo activity

        School Closes on June 10 at 12:45

        Municipal Court

            $25,267.99 received

            591 cases disposed

            6202 cases added

  9. ADMINISTRATOR REPORT

  10. OLD BUSINESS (None)

  11. NEW BUSINESS

    1. PROCLAMATION Honoring Local Firefighters To Deploy For Iraq

    2. ADOPT ORDINANCE 08-04 Amendment To Ordinance 53-2 Night Use Of Park  /Community Center Restricted (Adoption vote. First reading was 27 May 2008. Passed Unanimously)

    3. RESOLUTION R08-65(-2) ABC Liquor License Renewals (Approved Unanimously. This is labeled as R08-65-2 because a different R08-65 was approved 27 May 2008)

    4. RESOLUTION R08-66 Transfer Budget Appropriations (Approved Unanimously)

    5. RESOLUTION R08-67 Opposing S-1455 (Approved Unanimously)

    6. RESOLUTION R08-68 Appointing Special Council (Approved Unanimously)

    7. RESOLUTION R08-69 Employment Separation Agreement With Borough Administrator (Approved Unanimously)

    8. RESOLUTION R08-70 Authorizing Execution of the New Jersey Historic Trust Grant Application (Approved Unanimously)

    9. RESOLUTION R08-71 Committing to Matching Funds for New Jersey Historic Trust Grant (Approved 4-0, Mr. Brunton abstaining. Reason for Mr. Brunton's abstention - Receipt of this grant requires a 50% matching commitment from the Borough. While the Community Center needs the work these funds would provide, Mr. Brunton feels it is inappropriate to apply for funds when there is no clear path to meet the requirements of the grant - that is, matching the $750,000 grant amount. While other grants have been or are being applied for to cover this matching amount, the borough has no plan or means to ensure availability of matching funds should these additional grant monies not be provided, or even to cover that amount not covered by the additional grants.)

    10. RESOLUTION R08-72 Parks and Playground Program Supplies (Approved 4-0, Ms. Fields abstaining due to position with Parks & Playground)

    11. DISCUSSION Review Shared Service Survey (A discussion of Shared Services was held to fill out the Shared Services Survey from Camden County)

    12. FINANCIAL REPORTS

  12. PAYMENT OF BILLS R08-73 (Approved Unanimously)

  13. ANNOUNCEMENTS Mr. Waldron - Knows of four or five kids who want to go to camp but can't afford it. Cost is $255 / child.

  14. PRIVATE SESSION R08-74 Personnel (Approved Unanimously. Private Session Held)

  15. ADJOURNMENT (9:30 pm)

AGENDA IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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