April 17, 2007 Minutes

April 17, 2007

Mayor Beth Ann Haven opened the regularly scheduled meeting with a salute to the flag and moment of silence.

She then stated, “In accordance with Section 5 of the Open Public Meetings Act, Chapter 231, P.L. 1975, notice of this meeting was posted on the bulletin board designed for that purpose and notice was mailed to the official newspaper provided by Resolution adopted January 2, 2007”.

Under Roll Call the following council members were present: Councilmen Lee Wentz, Thomas Ottoson and Donald Witzig, Councilwomen Barbara Cortese and Trish Sheilds. Solicitor John B. Kearney was also present. Councilman Gordon Shopp was absent.

Motion to approve the minutes for the March 20^thmeeting was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. All present were in favor with the exception of Councilwoman Cortese who was abstained from voting. Motion to approve the minutes for the April 3^rd meeting was made by Councilman Witzig, seconded by Councilman Ottoson. All members present were in favor.

Mayor Haven presented Certificates of Appreciation to the following Planning Board members: Chairman Tom Ferrese, Augie Longo, Ernie Merlino, Jackie Parisi, Joanne McLaughlin, Quinn DeMenna and Ted Reynolds. The Mayor thanked the members for the hard work they put into listening and deciding on the many cases that come before the Board. Board members Jack Merryfield and Kimberley Kluchnick were unable to attend tonight’s meeting.

The Mayor then read a proclamation proclaiming April as Alcohol Awareness Month.

At this point in the meeting, Mayor Haven called for Committee Reports.

Councilman Lee Wentz, reporting that the Drug Commission has been active with various programs in the schools, said that Project Prom and 5K Run were just 2 of the activities involving the children of Haddon Heights’ schools.

Councilman Donald Witzig, reporting for Administration, thanked the Mayor for asking him to attend the Department Head meeting in her place. He reported meeting with 14 Department Heads who spoke about activities in their departments.

Council President Trish Sheilds, reporting for Recreation said that sand, seed and dirt have been put down on the field at Devon Avenue to keep the field usable. She reported that baseball’s opening day was beautiful. Regarding finances, Sheilds reported there will be the public hearing on the 2007 budget tonight and presented an overview for those in attendance. She said that our auditor, CFO and she have an appointment in Trenton on April 27^th to present the budget and talk about State Aid.

Councilwoman Barbara Cortese reporting for Public Works asked all residents to put bagged leaves on the grass strip between the sidewalk and curb. She explained that we can no longer rake the leaves into the street. Please refer to complete activity report attached to these minutes.

Councilman Thomas Ottoson, reporting for Public Safety announced that Police Detective David McWilliams has retired after 25 years as a police officer and wished him well. He reported that a 2007 Tahoe SUV has been ordered by the Police Chief and the Glock pistols have been returned and replacement guns have been ordered. Ottoson then read statistics from a printed police report that is on file in the Police Department. He said that the Fire Department responded to 95 calls last month and that they are checking out various trucks in an effort to prepare specifications for a new “squirter” truck that will be suit the needs of Haddon Heights’ residents.

Mayor Beth Ann Haven reported that 250-300 kids attended the Easter egg hunt sponsored by the Haddon Heights Business and Professional Association. She thanked Council President Sheilds for all the work she put into making the affair successful and fun for the kids. The Mayor reported a fire emergency in the new addition at Atlantic Avenue School, saying that the problem was caused by the newly installed HVAC system and that the minor damage was mostly caused by smoke.

With no further reports to be present, Mayor Haven called for remarks from the public on agenda items. There were none at this time.

Old Business:

Public hearings and final adoptions of Ordinances 2007:1232 and 1233.

Ordinance 2007:1232 – An Ordinance Amending Chapter 75 of the Code of the Borough of Haddon Heights Regarding Police Evaluation Procedure.

Hearing or seeing no comments from the public on Ordinance 2007:1232, a motion was made to close the public hearing by Councilwoman Cortese, seconded by Council President Sheilds. Under roll call all present were in favor.

Motion to TABLE Ordinance 2007:1232 was made by Councilman Ottoson, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. Under roll call all members present were in favor.

Ordinance 2007:1233 – An Ordinance to Adopt the BOCA Maintenance Code as an Alternative Property Maintenance Code.

Hearing or seeing no comments from the public, motion to close the public hearing on Ordinance 2007:1233 was made by Councilwoman Cortese, seconded by Council President Sheilds. All members present were in favor.

Motion to adopt Ordinance 2007:1233 was made by Councilman Ottoson, seconded by Council President Sheilds. Upon roll call all members were in favor.

Public hearing of 2007 Municipal Budget. (Resolution 2007:66).

Hearing or seeing no comments from the public, motion to close the public hearing on the 2007 Municipal Budget was made by Councilwoman Cortese, seconded by Council President Sheilds. All members were in favor.

Motion to TABLE the adoption of Resolution 2007:66, 2007 Municipal Budget was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Wentz. Under roll call all members present voted yes.

New Business:

Resolution 2007:80 – Resolution Authorizing the Tonnage Grant Application for 2006.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:80 was made by Councilwoman Cortese, seconded by Councilman Witzig. Under roll call all members present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:81 – Resolution Authorizing an Emergency Temporary Appropriation.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:81 was made by Councilman Wentz, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. Under roll call all members present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:82 – Resolution Authorizing Two (2) Purchases by the Police Department Utilizing State Contracts. (1 vehicle and 18 guns.)

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:82 was made by Councilman Ottoson, seconded by Councilman Witzig. Under roll call all members present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:83 – Resolution Authorizing the Borough of Haddon Heights’ Tax Collector to Prepare and Mail Estimated tax Bills in Accordance with NJSA 54:4-66.3. (Estimated bills will be mailed in June, payments due August 1^st).

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:83 was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. Under roll call all members present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:84 – Resolution Approving the New Jersey Department of Transportation Resolution, application and Agreement for State Aid to Counties and Municipalities. (This is required so we can proceed with the design work of the Historic Railroad Corridor Enhancement Project.)

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:84 was made by Councilman Witzig, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. Upon roll call all members present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:85 – Resolution Approving Temporary Capital Budget Resolution. (Approves various capital items in the 2007 Budget, such as, roof for municipal building, computer equipment, Police SUV, fire equipment, fire station wall refurbishing, dump truck, riding mower, curb rehabilitation, sewer improvements, reconstruction of Atlantic Avenue, handicapped ramps, road improvements and abandonment of Kings Highway pumping station.)

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:85 was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Wentz. Upon roll call all members present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:86 – Resolution Authorizing Payment of Bills and Claims for April.

Council President Sheilds made a motion to remove the invoice for Public Solutions in the amount of $1,415.28 from the bill list. Motion was seconded by Councilman Ottoson. All were in favor. Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:86 as amended was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Ottoson. Upon roll call all members present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:87 - Resolution of the Borough Council of the Borough of Haddon Heights, in the County of Camden, NJ Authorizing the Issuance and Sale of Tax Anticipation Notes of the Borough of Haddon Heights in the Principal Amount of up to $1,500,000; Making Certain Covenants to Effect and Maintain the Exemption of Interest on Said Notes from Federal Income Taxation; and Authorizing Such Further Actions and Making Such Determinations as May be Necessary or Appropriate to Effectuate the Issuance and Sale of the Notes.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:87 was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Ottoson. Upon roll call all members of council present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:88 – Resolution Approving that the 4^th of July Committee Sponsor a Beer Garden.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:88 was made by Councilman Witzig, seconded by Council President Sheilds. Upon roll call all members of council present voted yes.

Introduction of Ordinance 2007:1234. Public hearing and final adoption is scheduled for May 15, 2007, 7:00pm at the Municipal Building.

Ordinance 2007:1234 – 2007 Capital Items approved in Resolution 2007:85 above.

Motion to introduce Ordinance 2007:1234 was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Witzig. Upon roll call all members present voted yes.

With no further business to come before council, Mayor Haven opened the meeting to the public.

John Rayser, 611 W. High Street asked was the Railroad Corridor Project was. He was told it was the continuation of the streetscape program. He brought up his continued concern about parking on West Atlantic Avenue by the ballfield and safety of the children. He asked if no parking signs could be installed in the area where 3 cars park, thereby causing a narrow roadway for passing cars. Mayor Haven said she has addressed that problem with the engineer who is looking into a solution. In the meantime, she asked Councilman Ottoson to see that more enforcement is done in that area on the weekends. He also asked about the speed trailer.

With no further comments from the public to be heard, Mayor Haven announced that council would be going into an Executive Session for the discussion of personnel issues. Motion to close the meeting to the public was made by Councilman Witzig, seconded by Councilman Wentz. All present were in favor.

________________________________7:35pm

Joan D. Moreland, Borough Clerk