Verona Continues to Outline 2013 Budget

The Verona Township Council continued to outline its 2013-14 budget during a special workshop focusing on the municipal court, code enforcement, engineering and public works and buildings and grounds departments on Monday night.

The council already  involving the Verona Police Department and Office of Community Service at the Feb. 25 budget workshop.

Municipal Judge John A. Paparazzo broke down the $237,948 municipal court budget and discussed different forms of technology, which save the township money.

The court uses video conferencing for state and local prisons, he said, which saves thousands of dollars. If someone is in jail for another offense and has a Verona hearing, the court can simply video conference right inside the courtroom.

“We don't have to transport them here, house them here, risk them getting injured or pay for armed guards,” he said.

The court also uses telephone language translation conferencing instead of having to pay for a translator.

“We spend $537 on phone translating services,” Paparazzo explained. “If we used a translator it would be closer to $5,000.”

Verona is also looking into sharing services with Bloomfield by handling some of the township’s administrative duties from Verona, he said, calling it a revenue generator and he labeled it as “thinking outside the box.”

When it came time for Verona Building Inspector Thomas Jacobsen’s code enforcement budget, he highlighted the issuance of permits and permit updates in the township as revenue generators.

In 2012, Jacobsen said, the office issued 908 permits and 175 permit updates, generating $482,415.

“2013 looks to be on pace with 2012,” said Jacobsen.

In the coming year the township can look forward to revenue from permits for projects on Durrell Street as well as new fields and parking lots on White Rock Road.

In addition, an application for a Bloomfield Avenue development remains before the Verona Zoning Board of Adjustment and plans are being drawn up for a mixed-use building at the site of the old IHOP on Bloomfield Avenue, he said.

Township Engineer Jim Helb concluded the meeting with a budget presentation involving engineering, public works and buildings and grounds.

“The focus is predominantly on the street and highway budget,” said Helb. “The general operating budget remains virtually the same as it was last year.”

One thing coming up this year, said Helb, is that the town's five-year garbage contract will be up and will need to go out for bids in the summer.

“We have a very good contractor right now,” said Helb. “Hopefully they will be bidding on future contracts.”

Interestingly, Helb said he can monitor the economy by looking toward the recycling.

“You can see where the economy will adjust based on the amount of recycling we do, particularly newspapers,” he said.

The township recycled between 500 and 600 tons of newspapers per year between 2006 and 2007. The numbers dropped dramatically in 2008 and 2009, he said, but started coming back up in 2012.

“As the economy returns people are reading more newspapers,” said Helb.

$230,735

$237,948

$346,467

$358,114

$1,212,841

$1,242,840

334,996

$334,996

$623,000

$632,000

Buildings and Grounds

$618,495

$639,354