Trustees Approve Salary Scale for Village Hall Employees, SOPAC Update

A recap of Monday’s Board of Trustees regular Meeting

Announcements

• Downtown New Jersey Excellence Awards – Each year Downtown New Jersey recognizes New Jersey’s best downtown projects and programs with an awards reception. On December 15, Carole Anzalone-Newman, Executive Director for Main Street South Orange, for her efforts in promoting exemplary programs and relationships with the business community and government in South Orange. The Board of Trustees is pleased to congratulate Carole in her achievements and being recognized as a recipient of the 2012 Downtown New Jersey Excellence Award.
• Board of Trustees Meeting Agendas have been redesigned to include both discussion items (conference agenda items) and formal action items. Two regular Board of Trustee meetings will continue to be scheduled on the 2^nd and 4^th Monday of each month. The scheduling of a separate Conference Agenda meeting will no longer be required, enhancing the flow and timeliness of decision-making by the governing body.
• First Night Maplewood/South Orange - will be celebrating its 20 year anniversary on December 31, 2011 from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.at Columbia High School, Parker Avenue at Valley Street. Wristbands are available for sale online at www.firsstnightmwso.org , at the libraries in Maplewood and South Orange, and at various merchants in South Orange and Maplewood. Wristbands are $11.00 if purchased online, or $15.00 at the door; preferred seating available is also available for $22.00 if purchased online.
• Village Hall Offices and Village Facilities – will be Closed Friday, December 23rd and Monday, December 26 for the Christmas Holiday, and Monday, January 2, 2012 for New Year’s. On behalf of the Village President, Board of Trustees, and Village staff, we wish everyone a safe holiday season and a Happy New Year.
• A Public Safety reminder to increase safety and reduce crime with exterior lighting - The South Orange Police Department encourages residents to leave exterior lighting on at night. As the winter months approach, days are shorter and nights longer.  Use security lights with infrared motion sensors are an inexpensive substitute for an exterior porch or side door light.  Good lighting deters criminals because they don’t want to be seen or identified.

Presentations

• Derek Romanaux of the Cougar Soccer Club gave a presentation updating the BOT on their latest activities.  The 46-year-old club provides soccer to between 500-800 South Orange and Maplewood youths for nine months a year.
  
  Romanaux talked about some of the problems the club has been experiencing, mainly the field conditions of various fields around South Orange and Maplewood.  The club mainly uses Chyzowych Field, which is currently a source of dispute between the two towns.  Romanaux claims that the field is sometimes not usable.
  
  The club contributes in multiple ways to the two towns, including the purchasing of nets, goals and other field improvements for the fields and also contributes $10,000 to the Columbia High School soccer programs.

• The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) gave their quarterly report, as well as a report on the most recent fiscal year, which ended on June 30.
  
  The Chairman of SOPAC, Anthony Leitner, started off by saying that SOPAC has obtained a liquor license that will allow them to host parties without limits in the loft.  Previously, they could only serve alcohol to up to 75 people.  He also announced that they are expecting an audit report to be available in the beginning of 2012.
  
  SOPAC Executive Director Michael Bollinger presented an overview of performances from the last fiscal year and the current year.  This is his first full year programming SOPAC.  Some highlights included Freddy Cole, Drew the Dramatic Fool and The Manhattans.  He also highlighted the increased community engagement by SOPAC.
  
  SOPAC Treasurer John Zoubek showed that attendance was up in the last year.  He also presented the latest SOPAC financial figures.

Ordinances

• Ordinance 2011-17 , which was tabled from past Board of Trustee meetings, passed 4-3 on its second reading.  It will now go into effect by the Village.  Trustees Michael Goldberg, Nancy Gould and Janine Bauer were the nay votes.  This ordinance provides for the compensation of all non-contractual and all supervisory personnel.
• Ordinance 2011-20 passed 5-1 on its second reading.  Goldberg was the only nay.  This ordinance will now be enacted into law.  This Ordinance amends the Pay-to-Play ordinance, Chapter 27, sections 27-7 and 27-13F to include extraordinary un-specifiable services and to permit the negotiation of additional services subject to six conditions.
• Ordinance 2011-21 was tabled until a future meeting.  It will be referred to the Planning Board on January 11.  This is an ordinance which provides for secure bicycle parking and storage for new construction and substantial rehabilitation of multi-family apartment uses.  The application of the ordinance is prospective only, and will not result in nonconforming uses.  The ordinance provides for a definition of bicycle racks and design criteria.
• Ordinance 2011-22 passed 6-0 on second reading.  The ordinance will now be enacted.  This ordinance would authorize the refunding of all or a portion of the Village’s Outstanding General Improvement Bonds, Series 2005, and authorizes the issuance of not exceeding $12,000,000 of Refunding Bonds to effect such refunding and appropriation.
• Ordinance 2011-23 passed 6-0 on second reading.  The ordinance will now be enacted.  This is an ordinance which amends the definition of “Landscaper or Landscape Contractor”, Village Code Section 61-10A, to exclude from the definition those persons and business entities who are subject to registration pursuant to the New Jersey Contractors’ Registration Act. Landscapers so excluded from the definition would no longer be subject to licensure pursuant to Village Code Section 61-10 B.

Board Discussion

• Ellen Foye-Malgieri gave an update on the Village’s ongoing reassessment.  Patch will be providing further details shortly.
• Village Counsel Steven Rother provided an update on the ongoing lawsuit with East Orange Water Commission.  Patch will be providing further details shortly.
• Reagan Burkholder discussed a salary study that he is currently working on.  The study will show a comparison of the Village’s employees with those of other communities.
• Last year’s YMCA program for the Baird’s basketball program will be continued this year.
• The legal committee will be looking into hiring redevelopment counsel.
• Goldberg gave a presentation on the renovation of Village Hall.   Patch will be providing further details shortly.

 Public Comments

• Leslie Pogany, owner of Bunny’s Sports Bar, asked the Board of Trustees if it was possible to look at Maplewood’s two special improvement districts and see if there was a working arrangement available.  She asked that a business plan for the SID be presented to the businesses so that they can look into working with it.
• Alyssa Aronson brought up her concerns about South Orange.
• Claudia Mattheiss asked for more frequent public updates about the East Orange Water Commission.  She doesn’t trust EOWC due to their past business practices.
• Erna Laves asked that South Orange recognize former Village Hall staff that have left this past year.  Among those she mentioned was Trudy Schneider, Patty Wolf and Mario Luciani.

Consent Agenda

• 17 resolutions were passed on the consent agenda. 

Village President Appointments

• Village President Alex Torpey appointed 10 residents to different statutory boards.

Deborah Davis Ford about the latest charter school application by Hua Mei.

All Board of Trustees meetings can be viewed on the South Orange Village website here.