Minutes: March 9, 2023

YouTube of the  March 9, 2023 budget hearings

The Special Meeting of the Township Council of the Township of Vernon was convened at 7:00 p.m. on March 9, 2023 in person and via Zoom Webinar and in the Vernon Municipal Center, 21 Church Street, Vernon, New Jersey with Council President Natalie Buccieri presiding.

STATEMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the public and the press on March 7, 2023 and

was posted on the bulletin board in the Municipal Building in accordance with the Open Public Meetings

Act, N.J.S.A. 10:4-7. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the Township Budget.

SALUTE TO THE FLAG

Council President Buccieri led the assemblage in the salute to the flag.

ROLL CALL

Present were Council Members Peg Distasi, Patrick Rizzuto, Joseph Tadrick and Council President Buccieri. Also present were Mayor Howard Burrell, Business Administrator Tina Kraus, Municipal Clerk Marcy Gianattasio and CFO Donelle Bright.

Council Member Sparta was not present.

Council

MAYOR COMMENT

This year’s budget is my last budget as Mayor. And in great part, because of two consecutive years of very high inflation, this year’s budget is the most difficult budget of my four-year term.

This budget, as it is proposed, has been developed with a focus on the achievement of five key goals. These five key goals are:

1. To maintain the level of services that our town is required to provide, or has committed to providing, while at the same time looking for areas where we can operate in a more effective and efficient way; 

2. To continue our ongoing road improvement program, and to replace, in an efficient and financially responsible manner, town vehicles and equipment that are beyond their useful life;

3. To continue to pay down our debt and create a pay-as-you-go system for most capital expenses;

4. To continue to make repairs and improvements to township properties so as to avoid even larger improvement costs in the future; and …

5. To Move Vernon Forward towards continuing to be the type of town that’s a good place to live and raise a family, as well as a place where businesses want to locate and prosper. 

The final budget that I presented to the Council in 2022 resulted in a zero percent increase in municipal taxes. We were able to achieve this outstanding objective by:

1. Using almost 1M$ from the Municipal Fund Balance - - which is the town’s savings account where we maintain funds to cover the costs of those unforeseen, unknown and unknowable expenses that pop up from time to time; and …

2. Using another 600K$ of the cash that the town generated from the excess municipal property sale that we had in 2021.

We have no such unusual infusion of cash to help us with this year’s budget.

In addition, this year we are faced with some specific, unusual, and very high-cost increases that we have no way of avoiding. For example:

1. We are forced to absorb a 33.1% increase in the cost we must pay SCUMA to treat the sewage we send them;

2. We are forced to absorb a 21.1% increase in the cost we must pay for the State Health Benefits for our municipal employees;  

3. We are forced to absorb a 16% increase in the cost we must pay for gasoline/diesel fuel for our municipal vehicle fleet, including Fire and EMS apparatuses;

4. We are forced to absorb a 11.6% increase in the funds we must pay into the State Retirement System (PFRS) for our municipal law enforcement employees;  

5. We are forced to absorb a 10% increase in the cost we must pay SCUMA for Recycling Services;

6. We are forced to absorb a 7.8% increase in the funds we must pay into the State Retirement System (PERS) for our non-law enforcement municipal employees; and …

7.  We are forced to absorb a 7% increase in the cost we must pay for Worker’s Compensation Insurance for our municipal employees.  

In spite of the fact that in developing this year’s municipal budget, I have chosen to use 1.15M$ from the Municipal Fund Balance - - which is the town’s savings account where we maintain funds to cover the costs of those unforeseen, unknown and unknowable expenses that pop up from time - - in my attempt to reduce the 2023 municipal portion of taxes to the smallest increase possible, this year’s budget as it is proposed still totals $30.9M$, a 916K$ or 3.1% increase over last year’s budget.

As a way of measuring the financial impact that this proposed municipal budget would have on our town’s taxpayers, the municipal portion of the tax increase on the average Vernon home, which is assessed at a value of $262,600, would be an increase of $93 per year, or $7.75 per month.

The residents and taxpayers of Vernon should rest assured that the budget that I have presented, is based on a focus of addressing our town's real and necessary needs, and not some unreal and unnecessary wants.  

PUBLIC COMMENTS (For Current Agenda Items Only, Limited to 3 minutes per person)

Council President Buccieri asked for a motion to open the meeting to Public Comments.

MOVED: Tadrick        

SECOND: Distasi

All members present voted in favor.

Seeing no members of the public wishing to speak, Council President Buccieri asked for a motion to close the meeting for Public Comments.

MOTION: Tadrick

SECOND: Rizzuto

All members present were in favor.

ITEM FOR DISCUSSION

2023 Proposed Municipal Budget

Each department in the Municipal Center presented their proposed 2023 budgets. The Council asked questions and gave suggestions where the proposed budgets for each department could be decreased.

1. Administration

2. Mayor/Council

3. Legal Service/Engineering & Technology

4. Commissions/Committees

5. Clerk

6. Finance/Audit

7. Tax Collection

8. Tax Assessment

9. Land Use

10. Building Department

11. Police/Dispatch

12. OEM

13. Emergency Services & Fire Prevention

14. Public Works

15. Senior Services & Recreation

16. Court

PUBLIC COMMENTS (On any Topic, Limited to 5 Minutes per Person)

Council President Buccieri asked for a motion to open the meeting to Public Comments.

MOTION: Distasi

SECOND: Rizzuto

All members present voted in favor.

Jessica Paladini – asked what law suit was referenced when O’Toole Scrivo was mentioned.

Council President Buccieri answered that it was the lake communities regarding snow removal reimbursement.

Ms. Paladini expressed concern about the recreation department’s spending. Ms. Paladini feels that the Council should have scrutinized the expenditures of the recreation department.

Seeing no other members of the public wishing to speak, Council President Rizzuto asked for a motion to close the meeting for Public Comments.

MOTION: Rizzuto

SECOND: Distasi

All members present were in favor.

COUNCIL COMMENTS

Council Member Distasi met with the CFO and all of her questions were answered and she feels comfortable in making a decision on the budget.

Council Member Tadrick had no comments.

Council Member Rizzuto feels that the budget has minimal increases.

COUNCIL PRESIDENT COMMENTS

Council President Buccieri thanked the department heads for presenting their budgets. Nobody wants to see increases in the budget and she is hoping to find things to work on.

Council Member Rizzuto asked if we are looking for any new revenue resources.

Ms. Bright is hoping that the transfer station will happen and she has reached out to SCUMA. She feels that this is a huge source of income that the town needs.

Council Member Rizzuto agrees and that is why he would like to be a member of the MUA.

ADJOURNMENT

A motion for adjournment was made by Council Member Rizzuto, seconded by Council Member Distasi to adjourn the meeting, with all members voting in favor.

The Special Meeting of the Township Council of the Township of Vernon was adjourned 8:34 p.m.

 

Marcy Gianattasio, RMC, CMR
Municipal Clerk                                                                              

Minutes approved: March 27, 2023