Monday, May 13, 2013
Police officers in Westwood must have a degree to be promoted.
Westwood officials are reconsidering making a change to the borough Police Department's promotion rules, just months after the Council voted against it. Currently, an officer must have a degree to be promoted, and officials voted to keep that rule last December despite the recommendation of the police committee to remove it. Councilman Robert Miller, the chair of the police committee, brought the issue up again at a Council meeting last week. According to Miller, the borough's labor attorney has deemed that the current rule is "noncompliant" with Title 40A, the state laws which govern municipal government operations. "[Education] can be a consideration," Borough Attorney Russell Huntington said. "It cannot be a bar to consideration." The …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Westwood Councilman Peter Grefrath said skateboarders damaged memorial benches in Veterans' Park twice this year.
Westwood officials are taking new measures to prevent skateboarders from damaging benches in Veterans' Memorial Park. The borough will install armrests in the middle of the memorial benches to stop skaters from sliding their boards along the seats, Councilman Peter Grefrath said this week. Grefrath previously reported that benches in the park had been damaged, then reported more damage after they had been repaired. "When all is said and done, it's vandalism," Grefrath previously said. The new armrests come at a cost of $148, which will be paid for from the donation account used to buy the benches. Grefrath said he was unsure whether the price for families looking to dedicate benches would increase in the future. The armrests should be …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Officials said the budget process this year was one of the most difficult they have faced.
The Westwood Council unanimously approved a $16.8 million budget that includes a 1.97 percent tax increase from last year during their meeting Tuesday night. The average borough homeowner with a property assessed at $398,000 will see an increase of $84 in municipal taxes. The total tax levy is increasing by $244,889 according to borough CFO Durene Ayer. Officials said this year's budget was unusually difficult. A decrease in the borough's assessed value meant that the average homeowner would have seen an increase of $28 without any spending increases. Revenue also dropped by about $16,000, according to Ayer. "This was probably one of — if not the — most difficult budgets I've worked on in 18 years," Councilman Peter Grefrath said. To …
Benches in Veterans' Memorial Park have been damaged twice so far this year.
Seven memorial benches, dedicated by local families to deceased loved ones, were damaged this week, according to Westwood Councilman Peter Grefrath. It was the second time skateboarders damaged benches in Veterans' Memorial Park this year. "I am totally aware that none of it was done on purpose," Grefrath said. There is no law against skateboarding in the park, though damaging public property counts as a "violation of the peace" under borough ordinance. On some of the benches, the damage was minor paint scuffing left by the boards, according to Mayor John Birkner. Others were "damaged down to the metal," he said. Repairing the benches the first time took about five hours, according to Grefrath. Some of them may need to be sent back to the …
Friday, April 5, 2013
Two Democrats and two Republicans have filed to run for two open seats on the Westwood Council this year.
Four candidates have filed to run for the two open seats on the Westwood Council this year. Incumbent Robert Miller and Robert Bicocchi will be running for the Republicans. Ruth Nass and Angelica Perkins will be running for the Democrats. Councilwoman Ingrid Quinn, whose term expires at the end of the year, is not seeking to keep her seat. Miller was first elected to the council in 2008 and made an unsuccessful bid to be mayor in 2011. Bicocchi is a member of the borough's zoning board. Nass also ran in last year's council election, but lost in the race against Republicans Peter Grefrath and Ray Arroyo. Perkins is a first-time candidate in the borough. The primary election is scheduled for June 4 and the general election is scheduled for …
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Officials said borough ordinance already covers what was proposed in a new ordinance from an anti-smoking group.
The Westwood Council decided against introducing a new ordinance banning smoking in parks Tuesday because it's already prohibited. Officials had been considering a new ordinance at the suggestion of Global Advisors on Smokefree Policy (GASP), an anti-smoking group, and the borough's Recreation Advisory Board and Board of Health. State law has banned smoking in "indoor public places" including government buildings, though towns can make stricter laws, a GASP rep said. Borough ordinance already prohibits smoking "in any indoor or outdoor park or recreation facility." "I don't see the need to write another ordinance that covers what we already cover," Councilwoman Cynthia Waneck said. Officials estimated that the costs of having the borough …
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Taxes could rise $84 for the average borough homeowner under the proposed budget.
Municipal taxes for the owner of an average Westwood home assessed at $398,000 would rise $84 under a budget introduced by the borough council Tuesday night. The proposed $16,815,478 budget is an increase of 1.88 percent from last year's budget, according to Councilwoman Cynthia Waneck, the finance liason. The introduced budget is available on the borough website here. Officials had a difficult time with the budget this year because of a decrease in non-tax revenue and a $17 million drop in the borough's assessed value, Waneck said. The decrease in Westwood's valuation would have meant a $28 increase for the average homeowner anyway, she said. The council cut requested capital expenditures down from about $2.4 million to about $1.3 …
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The borough's assessed value is down, which could cause taxes to rise, according to auditor Gary Vinci.
The assessed value of Westwood has dropped by about $17 million this year because of tax appeals, a decrease in taxable properties and the former Pascack Valley Hospital remaining closed, auditor Gary Vinci said at a recent borough council meeting. The drop in value from about $1,730,000,000 to $1,713,000,000 could mean a $28 tax increase for the average borough homeowner to compensate for the loss of ratables, according to Vinci. All properties in Westwood are included in the assessed value. Borough officials are facing several rising costs for the budget this year, according to Vinci. The costs of health insurance, pensions and payment on debt service will all be increasing, he said. Councilwoman Cindy Waneck said officials had been …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The borough will have a property revaluation done this year.
Westwood will undergo a revaluation this year, updating property values for 2014, Mayor John Birkner said this week. The Bergen County Board of Taxation is requiring the borough to have the revaluation done because it has been years since the last one and the economy has shifted in the time since then, according to Birkner. The change in property values has also prompted a large number of tax appeals. There were 197 appeals in Westwood last year — many of which were successful — according to county tax officials. Appealed property values shifted down by a total of $4.8 million in 2012, records show. Revaluations in other area towns also contributed to the need for one in Westwood, according to Birkner. Hillsdale recently completed a …
The existing equipment has been in use since the Municipal Complex opened in 1994.
Westwood officials hope to have upgraded 911 system and security equipment in place in the Municipal Complex within a few months. The borough Council voted on a pair of ordinances this week appropriating a total of $255,500 for the two projects. The upgrade will replace existing equipment which has been in use since the Municipal Complex opened in 1994, according to Westwood Police Chief Frank Regino. "Technology has kind of surpassed the equipment that we have," Regino said. The upgrades include new computers and switching equipment for the Police Department's 911 system, for which officials put aside $130,000. Improvements to the Municipal Complex's security system will include new door locks, closed-circuit T.V. cameras for halls and …
Common Cents
10:00 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Anybody who has taken the time to invest in themselves with any sort of education deserves priority. The long played buddy system has to go. Working that second job or the shady business instead of making yourself more marketable in your career is a decision made by the individual. Like in the military, education gets the brass. Not saying there may be a candidate without an education, but … more ›