June 15, 2004 Minutes

June 15, 2004

Mayor Susan R. Griffith opened the regularly scheduled meeting with a salute to the flag and a 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 newspapers provided by Resolution adopted January 3, 2004”.

Under roll call the following council members were present: Councilwomen Haven, Houser, Sheilds and Wyman, Councilmen Witzig and O’Toole. Borough Solicitor John B. Kearney was also present.

Councilwoman Houser made a motion to approve the minutes from the June 1st meeting. Motion was seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. All members voted yes with the exception of Councilwoman Wyman, who abstained.

The following Committee Reports were presents:

Councilwoman Beth Ann Haven, reporting for the Construction Office, said her committee has been involved in interviews for the Zoning Code Enforcement Officer position for the past several weeks and that a decision has been made to appoint Thomas El to the position for the period of 6/21/04 – 12/31/04.

Councilman Donald Witzig, reporting for Public Safety, said that the Chief advised him that the computer tech did not solve the computer problem, and that he has contacted a few high school students to review the system and offer suggestions. He also reported that a craft and car show will be held on Station Avenue on October 2nd. Witzig said that the Barrington and Haddon Heights Fire Departments are still working on a merger noting that they already participate in joint training sessions.

Councilwoman Trish Sheilds, reporting for Recreation said that Mr. Kennedy of the Soccer Club gave the okay to take the fence around the soccer fields for 4th of July and also the approval to have DPW remove the dirt to behind the tennis courts. Mayor Griffith said she would contact the Assistant Superintendent in the morning.

Councilman Anthony O’Toole, reporting for Public Works, said he asked Gary Geserick (Supt. of Public Works) to take a look at 5 streets and measure for the amount of material that would be needed to perform repairs. O’Toole said he feels we could save money repairing instead of patching. Reporting for Finance, Councilman O’Toole said he received reports from the Treasurer and now is wants to set up monthly meetings with Department Heads to be sure all is going well. He said meetings would be set up next month.

Mayor Griffith said she was having monthly Department Heads Meetings and that they would be started up again. It was asked that notes be taken at the meetings and distributed to council members.

Councilman O’Toole thanked Councilwomen Haven and Sheilds for their efforts regarding the Zoning Code Enforcement Officer position. He then announced that the Tax Collector will be holding a tax sale on October 25th at 10:00am here in the auditorium.

Mayor Griffith reported that the skate park is almost ready to open with some final items to address. She said she is waiting for signage approval from John Bellace of Commerce Insurance and noted that ID cards will be prepared with a master list kept at the Borough Hall.

Mayor Griffith said she received a compliment from Rose Candy who lives at 16 Dallas Avenue regarding a sewer backup at her home during a party. She said the 3 men who responded were “really nice and took care of the problem”, staying around to be sure all was okay. Councilwoman Haven said she also received a compliment about the sewer crew!

With no further reports to be given, Mayor Griffith asked the Borough Clerk to present a Bid Report for the Resurfacing of 8th Avenue and Pedestrian Safety Improvements. The report is attached and will become a permanent addition to these minutes.

There were no comments on agenda items from the pubic in attendance.

Old Business:

During the caucus meeting a decision was made to take the public hearing and final adoption of Ordinance 2004-1171 off the agenda for tonight. After a few minutes of discussion, the following changes were made to the “Noise” ordinance: 1. b. will be changed to read Saturday 9:00am – 9:00pm; 1.c will be added to read Sundays and Holidays 9:00am – 9:00pm. The ordinance will be advertised in full again and a public hearing was scheduled for July 20th.

Ordinance 2004-1172 – Capital Ordinance of the Borough of Haddon Heights, County of Camden, New Jersey, Appropriating Certain Moneys in the General Capital Fund Balance (Surplus) for the Payment of the Costs of the Acquisition and Installation of Computer Equipment for the Borough’s Police Department.

Hearing or seeing no comments from the public, motion to close the public hearing was made by Councilman Witzig, seconded by Councilwoman Wyman. All members were in favor. Motion to adopt Ordinance 2004-1172 was made by Councilwoman Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Witzig. Upon roll call all members voted yes.

New Business:

During the caucus meeting the following Resolutions were removed from the agenda: Resolution 2004:89, 2004:94 and 2004:95. They will be addressed at the July 20th meeting.

Ordinance 2004:1173 – Ordinance Amending the Zoning Ordinance Regarding Permit Requirements within the Historic District for Certain Minor Improvements. Public hearing and final adoption will be held on July 20, 2004, 8:00pm.

Motion to introduce Ordinance 2004:1173 was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilwoman Houser. All members voted yes.

Resolution 2004:88 – Resolution Approving Raffle License for St. Rose of Lima PTA (Car raffle).

Motion to adopt Resolution 2004:88 was made by Councilwoman Sheilds, seconded by Councilman Witzig. Upon roll call all members voted yes.

Resolution 2004:90 – Resolution Authorizing Payment of Bills and Claims for 2nd Half of June.

There was a discussion regarding an item on the checklist payable to Emergency Medical Services in the amount of $12,516.50. Apparently the invoice was not in the packet to be signed by the Public Safety Director. The Clerk said she would check in the morning and council agreed to adopt the resolution pending verification of the invoice in question.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2004:90, pending verification of the invoice in question, was made by Councilwoman Wyman, and seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. Upon roll call all members voted yes.

Resolution 2004:91 – Resolution Appointing Mengste Thomas El to the Position of Zoning Code Enforcement Officer for the Period of 6/21/04 – 12/31/04.

Motion was made to adopt Resolution 2004:91 by Councilwoman Haven, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. Upon roll call all members voted yes.

Resolution 2004:92 – Resolution Authorizing Refund of an Overpayment in the Tax Title and Lien Account.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2004:92 was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. Upon roll call all members voted yes.

Resolution 2004:93 – Resolution Awarding a Contract to Paramount Enterprises, Inc., in the Amount of 176,762.50 for the Resurfacing of 8th Avenue and Pedestrian Safety Improvements.

Motion to adopt Resolution 2004:93 was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilman Witzig. Upon roll call all members voted yes.

Resolution 2004:96 – Resolution Approving Raffle License for St. Rose of Lima PTA (Quilt).

Motion to adopt Resolution 2004:96 was made by Councilwoman Sheilds, seconded by Councilman O’Toole. All members voted yes.

No comments were made during the public portion.

Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Councilwoman Wyman, seconded by Councilwoman Sheilds. All members voted yes.

__________________________________________ 8:30pm

Joan D. Moreland, CMC, Borough Clerk