July 17, 2007 Minutes

July 17, 2007

Mayor Beth Ann Haven opened the caucus meeting at 7:00pm by welcoming everyone and explaining the regular meeting agenda items. There were no items to discuss on the caucus agenda this evening so Mayor Haven gave her reports and then asked council members to do the same.

Mayor Haven reported having received a thank you note from Jim Burrough’s family. She said that Jim was a member of the Fire Department for over 50 years and would be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.

She reported on the kick-off meeting for the West Atlantic Avenue Reconstruction project that will extend from Garden Street to Route 295.

The Mayor reported to the 279 residents in attendance that immediately after the June 19^th council meeting the County Board of Taxation was contacted regarding a request to reopening the appeal process. She, along with other members of council was invited to and went to a Homeowner Association’s meeting to better understand their concerns. The Mayor noted that in a further effort to inform residents, a “calculator” was placed on the website so residents could get an estimate of the year’s taxes for their property.

Mayor Haven reminded senior and disabled residents about the Tax Freeze program and announced that the deadline has been extended to August 15^th. She encouraged anyone, 65 or over to apply to see if they qualify.

Regarding Professional Property Appraisers, the company that was hired to do the revaluation, she said they were asked for the criteria used to conduct the revaluation. She also advised the residents that council is exploring an extension to the due date for the 3^rd quarter taxes. Lastly, the Mayor said that all avenues will be pursued.

Council President Trish Sheilds reported that she has been working diligently with Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts and that a letter has been sent by the Speaker to the State Division of Taxation requesting immediate investigation of the assessment process and permission to wipe new assessments off the book and return to the 2006 figures.

She also reported that 407 meetings were set up for residents to speak one-on-one with representatives who conducted the revaluation and advised the residents that each one will be looked at individually.

Council President Sheilds then said she feels it is necessary to ask for Assessor Tom Glock’s resignation and asked for council’s support. After further discussion and Solicitor Kearney’s opinion that facts have to be gathered before action is taken, everyone seemed to agree that a special meeting could be scheduled for this topic. The date for the special meeting will be advertised in The Retrospect and/or Courier Post as well as being on the website and Channel 19.

Solicitor Kearney reported that extending the grace period for payment of 3^rd quarter taxes may violate the Bond Law and could bring some risk in expenses to the Borough. He went on to explain our current AAA bond rating and the fact that it could be lowered by extending the due date. After discussion, Councilmen Ottoson and Shopp said they wanted the resolution to be put on tonight’s agenda, with Council President Sheilds saying we can check with Bond Counsel and rescind it if necessary.

Upon further discussion, the Mayor said we have 2 options, adopt a resolution tonight or wait a week, check everything out and schedule a special meeting. After more discussion among council members, the Mayor suggested taking a few days to check all the details, and then have a special meeting.

At this point, with no further items to be discussed, Mayor Haven asked everyone to stand for a salute the flag and a moment of silence.

She then said, “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 Shopp, Ottoson and Witzig, Councilwomen Cortese and Sheilds. Borough Solicitor John Kearney was also present. Councilman Wentz was absent.

Motion was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Witzig to approve the minutes from the June 19^th meeting. All members present were in favor.

Mayor Haven called for Committee Reports at which time the following reports were presented:

Councilman Thomas Ottoson, reporting for Public Safety reported the following items: the new police vehicle will be on the road soon and a Police contract meeting will be held in August. He also reported that the police have been issuing tickets to people not using seatbelts and that the evaluations for the Police Department are now complete. Ottoson also said that police vehicles have been changed from high octane gas to a lower octane gas in an effort to save money. Regarding the Fire Department, he reported that a grant for the new fire truck has been submitted and they are waiting to hear if it was accepted.

Councilman Gordon Shopp, reporting for the Economic Development Committee said that the focus is on promotion, marketing and PR for the business districts. He also said the website is being re-evaluated to include resources and a list of commercial property available. Shopp reported that a brochure is being designed to inform people of what is involved in opening a business in Haddon Heights.

Councilman Donald Witzig, reporting for Administration, thanked involved council members and administrative staff members who set up the 407 appointments for residents to meet with representatives from the revaluation company.

Council President Trish Sheilds, reporting for Recreation said she received a call from Pennoni Associates stating that they are waiting for the test results from the area behind the tennis courts. On Finances, Sheilds reported that we are still waiting to hear from the State regarding our request for Extraordinary Aid. She thanked the 4^th of July Committee for a wonderful holiday celebration, and commended them for their efforts.

Councilwoman Barbara Cortese, reporting for Public Reports presented an activity report for June. Complete report is attached to these minutes. She advised that there has been an excellent job done by the residents on recycling and suggested everyone check out the website for information on processing grass, limbs, etc. for recycling. Cortese also thanked the 4^th of July Committee for the great celebration, even without fireworks. She then thanked the Mayor and Council President in their efforts regarding the meetings for the residents and the administrative staff for their efforts in scheduling them.

With no further reports to be made, Mayor Haven called for remarks from the public on agenda items. There were no comments at this time.

OLD BUSINESS:

Resolution 2007:95: Resolution Addressing the 2006 Audit Report and the Proper Use of Purchase Orders. (This is a response to the comment on the 2006 Audit. Department Heads have been told to get approval prior to making a purchase. Arrangements have been made to have the Deputy Treasurer approve purchase orders in the absence of the Treasurer.)

Resolution 2007:95 was tabled on June 19^th. Motion to bring the resolution back to the table was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Shopp. All members present were in favor.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:95 was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. All members present were in favor.

NEW BUSINESS:

Resolution 2007:112 – Resolution Recognizing Bargaining Unit (AFSCME Council 71). This bargaining unit will cover full time employees of the Department of Public Works, Municipal Court, Finance, Planning, Zoning and Assessor’s secretary, Police secretary and Administrative office staff with the exception of the Borough Clerk, Deputy Borough Clerk and Superintendent of Public Works.)

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:112 was made by Councilman Shopp, seconded by Councilman Witzig. Upon roll call, all members present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:113 – Resolution Approving the Payment of Bills and Claims for July.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:113 was made by Councilman Ottoson, seconded by Councilman Shopp. Upon roll call all members of council present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:114 – Resolution Approving Raffle Licenses for St. Rose of Lima. (Plasma TV, 50/50 and car raffle).

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:114 was made by Council President Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Shopp. Under roll call all members of council present voted yes.

Resolution 2007:115 – Resolution Approving Grant Application by the Drug Alliance in the Amount of $10,574.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2007:115 was made by Councilman Witzig, seconded by Councilwoman Cortese. Upon roll call all members of council present voted yes.

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

Twenty-Two (22) residents came before council; all but 1 expressing continued displeasure with the high amounts of their property assessment. Seniors were concerned about how to pay their taxes; others were comparing their property to that of their neighbors. One resident asked if any of the people who originally appealed their taxes received a reduction. Council President Sheilds said that 27 received a reduction.

One (1) resident said she was happy with her assessment and also said she believes it takes courage to be Mayor or member of council.

Four (4) residents wanted council to take action against Assessor Tom Glock tonight. One (1) said not to get rid of him, instead, make him correct the situation. One (1) resident asked if the Assessor did his job. Solicitor John Kearney responded saying that “we don’t have all the facts”.

Further discussion between council members regarding a resolution expressing lack of confidence in Mr. Glock. Council President Sheilds said “we relied on his expertise”. No action was taken.

With no further comments from the public in attendance or council, motion to adjourn was made by Councilwoman Cortese, seconded by Council President Sheilds. All members present were in favor.

_____________________________________9:45pm

Joan D. Moreland, Borough Clerk