January 18, 2005 Minutes

January 18, 2005

Mayor Susan R. Griffith 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 5, 2005”.

Under Roll Call the following members of council were present: Councilwomen Haven, Wyman, Cortese and Sheilds, Councilmen Hamburger and Witzig. John Kearney, Borough Solicitor was also present.

Motion to approve the minutes from the December 21^st and 23^rd meetings was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. Upon roll call, Councilwomen Haven and Cortese and Councilman Hamburger abstained from voting. Councilwomen Wyman and Sheilds along with Councilman Witzig voted yes.

Motion to approve the minutes from the January 5^th Reorganization Meeting was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. Upon roll call all members of council voted yes.

Mayor Griffith asked Judy Reiss to join her up front and then presented her with a $75.00 gift card as an Appreciation Award for her 15 years of service. The Mayor said that Judy is a valuable member of the Fire Department Staff and the Ambulance Corps, noting she was “the nuts and bolts” of the Fire Department! Judy received a well-deserved round of applause from council members and residents in attendance.

The Mayor called for Committee Reports:

Councilman Donald Witzig reporting for Public Safety announced that Captain Griffith received a $2,000 Buckle Up Grant and is investigating another grant for Emergency Management. Witzig said the new police car should be here by the end of the week. He then announced that there was an “incarceration problem” last week where a prisoner broke a large hole in the wall as well as a glass partition at the 7^th Avenue entrance. Councilman Witzig reported that repairs to the wall were done personally by Chief Shute, at no cost to the Borough. He also reported that new cameras are being looked at for added coverage of the building, inside and out.

Councilwoman Trish Sheilds reporting for Finance announced that her committee will be meeting with various departments to discuss their 2005 budget request. She said she was in the Engineer’s meeting where a wish list was formed for various projects. Regarding the Recreation Committee, she reported that the fence around McCullough Field is almost done and they are looking at ways to remove the sand from the skateboard park.

Councilwoman Andrea Wyman reporting for Public Works gave a year-end report of activity that is attached in full to these minutes. After giving her report, she said she was pleased with the work accomplished by such a small group of employees.

Mayor Griffith announced that she will be meeting with representatives from Motor Vehicles regarding them possibly relocating to another building in Haddon Heights. She also said that a meeting has been set up with members of the School Board to discuss security issues involved with polling places being located in the schools and also the upcoming bond referendum. Mayor Griffith announced that Camden County Hero Scholarship will be having its 39^th Annual Award Dinner soon and asked council members to consider purchasing a ticket for this worthwhile cause of remembering the police officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty while serving there communities.

With no further reports to be presented, Mayor Griffith called for comments from the Public on agenda items. There were no comments or questions.

Old Business:

Public hearing and final adoption of Ordinances 2004-1186.

Ordinance 2004-1186 – An Ordinance Amending Chapter 100 of the Code of the Borough of Haddon Heights Entitled Vehicles and Traffic. (Parking regulations will change on Garden Street to help ease the congestion and parking problems related to school hours. Details of the ordinance will be on the web site (www.haddonhts.com).

Hearing or seeing no comments from the public, motion to close the public hearing was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. All members voted yes.

Motion to adopt Ordinance 2004-1186 was made by Councilwoman Sheilds, seconded by Councilwoman Wyman. Under roll call all members voted yes.

New Business:

Resolution 2005:34 – Resolution Refunding Veteran Deduction. (Homeowner of block 78, lot 4 has qualified for 2004 Veteran’s deduction. Taxes for that property have been paid in full by the homeowner therefore a refund of $250 is due to her.)

Motion to adopt Resolution 2005:34 was made by Councilwoman Cortese, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. Under roll call all members voted yes.

Resolution 2005:35 – Resolution Extending the Contract for Office Basics by One Year. (We are part of the Camden County Cooperative Pricing System Identifier #57-CCCPS. The County prepares bid specifications based on the needs of member towns. Bids were received last year for 2004 and Office Basics offered a 67% discount to member towns for office supplies. The County has chosen to extend the contract for 1 more year at the same savings. We are required to adopt a resolution approving the extension.)

Motion to adopt Resolution 2005:35 was made by Councilwoman Sheilds, seconded by Councilwoman Wyman. Under roll call all members voted yes.

Resolution 2005:36 – Resolution Authorizing Transfers of Appropriations.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2005:36 was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilwoman Haven. Under roll call all members of council voted yes.

Resolution 2005:37 – Resolution Approving Payment of Bills and Claims for January.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2005:37 was made by Councilman Witzig, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. Upon roll call all members voted yes.

Resolution 2005:38 – Resolution Approving Raffle License for St. Rose of Lima PTA– (50/50 Raffle)

Motion to adopt Resolution 2005:38 was made by Councilwoman Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Hamburger. All members voted yes.

Resolution 2005-39 – Resolution Approving Raffle License for St. Rose of Lima PTA – (Vacation Raffle)

Motion to adopt Resolution 2005:39 was made by Councilwoman Cortese, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. All members voted yes.

Resolution 2005:40 – Resolution Authorizing a Change Order in the Amount of $4,600 to the Contract with Paramount Enterprises, Inc.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2005:40 was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. Upon roll call all members voted yes.

With no further business to come before council, Mayor Griffith called for remarks from the public.

John Rayser, West High Street asked about the “acupressure place”. Mayor Griffith responded that it is being investigated and she is unable to say anymore at this time.

Andy Newell, 224 1^st Avenue told council members that the parking on Garden Street has caused damage to the curbing over the years, noting that large pieces of the curbs are going into the street. He asked if repairs could be planned for the future. Mayor Griffith thanked him for his concern.

Greg McAdams, 1006 S. Park Avenue requested that the Mayor and Council President Sheilds write a joint letter to the editor supporting the school bond issue. He told them he is a member of the Task Force and offered to compose a letter for their approval and signature. He said, “We need a lot of votes” and noted that it is “a community issue, not a school issue”. He also said that timing is important and feels now would be too early. Mayor Griffith said she appreciated his efforts on the Task Force. Councilwoman Haven reminded those present that information on the bond referendum also appears on Channel 19 as well as the Borough web site for review by the public.

With no further comments to come before council, motion to adjourn was made by Councilwoman Sheilds, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. All members were in favor.

_________________________________ 8:20pm

Joan D. Moreland, CMC

Borough Clerk

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

2004 YEAR-END ACTIVITY REPORT

Presented 1/18/05 by Councilwoman Andrea Wyman

Trees:

83 take-downs

28 trimmed

Stumps:

73 removed

Sewer:

152 reported blockages (80 of which were homeowner’s lines)

213 preventative maintenances performed

Recycling:

742 tons of paper collected

431 tons commingled recycling collected

Leaves:

5466 yards collected

Grass:

721 yards collected

Brush:

1,910 yards collected