Montclair May Open Its Wallet For Several Improvement Projects

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair may open its wallet for a series of new capital improvement projects, town officials say.

On Wednesday, Mayor Sean Spiller and members of the Montclair Township Council announced that they are taking a look at several potential projects to spend tax dollars on. The list includes repairing curbs and roads, rehabilitating fire facilities, improving the Montclair skate park, constructing a new Clary Anderson ice arena, and building a new municipal complex that would include a combination senior/community center.

The mayor said Montclair is in a good financial position to invest in projects that will pay dividends for local residents.

“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made to create financial stability and sustainability for Montclair,” Spiller said, pointing out that the town has reduced its municipal debt by more than $70 million dollars while improving its bond rating to AAA. Read More: Montclair Earns 'AAA' Bond Rating For 5th Year In A Row

“These steps have positioned our township to consider making key investments in our community that residents deserve,” Spiller said. “I am asking our financial team to comprehensively look at these proposed investments and make recommendations for the council and community to consider.”

Spiller added that he plans to hold a series of town hall meetings to “engage with residents and understand [their] priorities.” He addressed the issue following the public comment portion of Wednesday’s town council meeting.

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Montclair’s council members also weighed in about the proposed capital improvement projects.

Deputy Mayor Bill Hurlock focused on curbing and continuing the progress of repaving Montclair’s roads.

“We’ve made tremendous strides repairing and repaving roads and fixing and updating curbing throughout Montclair,” Hurlock said. “Included among the capital improvements we’ll be reviewing is the completion of our goal of repaving each and every road in our township over the last 10 years.”

“The fact that we’ve made these improvements while reducing our debt and improving our bond rating speaks volumes,” Hurlock said.

Second Ward Councilor Robin Schlager noted the proposed investment in Montclair’s skate park, which opened in 2020 after a years-long push from local skaters and youth.

“The Montclair skate park has been a wonderful addition to our community,” Schlager said. “I’m pleased to consider ongoing investment to ensure the skate park remains a vibrant recreational resource for Montclair.”

Third Ward Councilor Lori Price Abrams said the capital investments up for consideration are significant improvements for Montclair.

“From bolstering our fire facilities, to creating a community/senior center and ice-skating rink, these are worthwhile projects that merit serious consideration as a community,” Price Abrams said.

Fourth Ward Councilor David Cummings said he believes robust community input is key to reaching the best course of action.

“With any proposed capital improvement plan we have to strike a balance between making important investments in our township, while doing so in a financially sustainable way,” Cummings said. “Resident input should be at the center of everything we do.”

“One suggestion I believe the council should consider is establishing a facilities committee,” he added. “This will allow the council and our professional staff to analyze our property and get input from staff for recommendations that ultimately will require robust discussion.”

At-Large Councilor Peter Yacobellis also said that resident input will be important moving forward.

“Thoughtful engagement with residents and stakeholders will enable us to make investments that add the most value to our community,” Yacobellis said. “I look forward to working with the mayor and my council colleagues to come up with a vision that Montclair can be proud of.”

MONTCLAIR BUDGET

Montclair homeowners would face an increase of nearly 2 percent to the municipal portion of their property taxes under an early draft of the town budget introduced in March.

If it passes as written, the budget would mean a $100 tax increase for a property valued at $633,600. The $99.99 million spending plan is up almost 5 percent from last year.

The introduced budget document can be seen online here.

• See Related: Tax Increase In Montclair's Future Under Proposed Town Budget

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