Montclair Water, Schools, Budget Among Topics At Town Hall: Video

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair Councilman Peter Yacobellis hosted a town hall at the Montclair Art Museum earlier this week, touching on issues such as infrastructure and water, the upcoming school bond vote, the town’s controversial fire contract with Glen Ridge and the local budget.

The town hall event – Yacobellis’ third since taking office – included more than an hour of questions from residents (watch the video below). Here are some of the highlights from the Oct. 12 town hall and slideshow presentation.

WATER

Yacobellis noted that Montclair was still in a local state of emergency as of Wednesday due to last week’s water main break. Conservation efforts are still needed, he said, adding that officials hope things will be in “good shape” by the weekend.

Montclair lifted its state of emergency on Friday. Read More: Weeklong Water Emergency Ends In Montclair; Testing Will Continue

SCHOOL BOND

Yacobellis presented a series of slides talking about a crucial school bond vote that Montclair voters will face in the November election, showcasing a series of before-and-after images of classrooms and facilities that would take place if the bond is approved. Read More: Montclair School Referendum (How Much Would It Raise My Taxes?)

The councilman – who has been a strong supporter of the referendum – touched on the breakdown of investment by both building and project type, emphasizing the need for the massive investment in new heating and air conditioning systems for buildings with an average age of 96 years.

Yacobellis also spoke about the impact to property taxes, pointing out that the state is willing to pony up for a large percentage of the upgrades. Read More: NJ Agrees To Pay A Third Of Montclair's Huge School Upgrade Project

BUDGET

Yacobellis displayed year-to-date revenues for the township general fund, which he said shows the township is getting back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Parking revenue is still down, but general revenues are up and we’re getting the additional $2.2 million from the American Rescue Plan this year,” Yacobellis said. “I hope to minimize, and perhaps even avoid a municipal tax increase next year, especially to give folks some breathing room with the school bond tax increase if that goes through.”

“I believe in doing no harm to our AAA credit rating as a town,” the councilman added. “I think it’s about shifting priorities a bit. There is a lot we could do if we got smarter about grants and matching funds and putting more pressure on our state and federal reps to deliver for Montclair. We pay so much in taxes. Our kids deserve a great education, and we all deserve a great quality of life.

“If those things can’t be achieved in Montclair, then where can they be?” Yacobellis questioned.

• See related article: Montclair Council Approves Town Budget, 2 Percent Tax Hike

INFRASTRUCTURE

Yacobellis also spoke about several infrastructure projects taking place in the township, including Bloomfield Avenue traffic signals, township pools and parks, and the Midtown Deck.

The councilman said he was taking a stance and “letting the chips fall where they may” on several issues, including:

• Support to make Church Street a pedestrian plaza, factoring in legitimate business concerns into the design
• Revisiting overnight parking in Montclair to permit it in more residentially dense areas of town
• Changing the playbook when it comes to safer streets with tougher enforcement of existing laws on reckless driving and being intentional with our dollars and designs to put more traffic calming measure in place
• Shifting more budget dollars towards human services, improving communication with and funding a needs assessment for seniors
• Pursing composting programs, a 10-year phase-in for electric municipal vehicles such as trash trucks, fire trucks and police vehicles; with a mandate that the town can only purchase hybrid or electric vehicles from 2025
• Instituting a town-wide system of subtly stripped bike lanes for bikes and scooters
• With a 12-18 month phase in; instituting a complete ban (including the town’s own use) on the use of gas powered leaf blowers

FIRE CONTRACT

Not backing down from his strong opposition to the town’s recently renewed fire contract with Glen Ridge, Yacobellis presented content that he said shows what Montclair could have gained in revenue over the next 15-year period “had the council considered financial modeling that the township CFO had prepared.”

“What this agreement locks us into is a scenario, that when you consider all the true costs of operating a full time Fire Department, based on the proportion of services received and what we’re charging Glen Ridge – each time we respond to a call in Glen Ridge – they’re paying about $247 per call, while Montclair taxpayers pay $9,400 per call,” Yacobellis said.

“The point of a shared services agreement is to pool services and costs so that everyone saves money,” Yacobellis said. “That clearly isn’t happening here.”

• See related article: Fiery Debate As Montclair Renews Controversial Fire Contract

CANNABIS

Yacobellis noted that the town recently gave its final approval to Ascend Wellness, which opened for recreational sales to adults in August.

The town has received seven applications for two remaining retail licenses, he said, adding that approval may take place by the end of the year.

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