MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING
OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE
BOROUGH OF SADDLE RIVER – MARCH 28, 2017
PRESENT: Mayor Kurpis, Council President Jensen, Council Members: Acaster,
Salazer, Schulstad, Yates, Municipal Clerk Joy Convertini, Borough Administrator
Giaimis, Attorney David Lafferty
ABSENT: Council Member Gray
PRESIDING: Mayor Kurpis called the meeting to order at 7:00pm; Borough Clerk Convertini read the following statement:
PUBLIC NOTICE: "Notice of this meeting in compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act, Chapter 231 of the laws of 1975, has been given by posting a notice of the Work Session Meetings of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Saddle River on the bulletin board in the Municipal Building and in the office of the Borough Clerk and by emailing notice thereof to the Herald News and The Record on March 24, 2017, also on the Borough website.”
NOTIFICATION OF FIRE EXITS
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
WORK SESSION AGENDA
MAYOR KURPIS:
Appointment of Municipal Judge: The Mayor and Council are in receipt of resumes from prospective municipal judges and this was discussed in detail at this time. The concept of a shared service for municipal court with another municipality was addressed; the pros and cons of this concept were discussed. Mayor Kurpis stated that he is friendly with the family of one of the candidates and he did not want this to have any bearing on a decision. Additional feedback will be obtained before a decision will be made.
Saddle River Day: Mayor Kurpis stated that Angela Ross will be the Chairman of Saddle River Day, which will be a very special event. He further stated that the objective is to include every group in Saddle River in order to appeal to all demographics in the Borough.
Website Update: Mayor Kurpis stated that he met with Council Member Schulstad and Borough Administrator Giaimis in order to work on finalizing the Site Map. He further stated that he would like to see this information translated to GovOffice shortly in order to get the new website up and running.
Public Relations Update: Mayor Kurpis stated that, in an effort to attract the affluent buyer to Saddle River, we must identify the essence of Saddle River. The Public Relations Committee met and addressed this issue in detail. He further stated that the Mayor and Council must decide if the reputation of Saddle River must be determined in conjunction with the demographic. Mayor Kurpis stated that many of the statistics published regarding Saddle River median incomes are inaccurate, perhaps due to sharing a zip code with a neighboring municipality; Council Member Schulstad is reviewing this matter.
Support for the Relocation of Valley Hospital: Mayor Kurpis stated that The Valley Hospital is planning to relocate to the Borough of Paramus and is requesting support from all municipalities in the area. All were in agreement that Saddle River would support this relocation. A resolution will be adopted at the Regular Meeting on April 17, 2017.
No Knocks Policy: Mayor Kurpis asked the Council if they are in favor of instituting such a policy and this was discussed in detail. Attorney Huntington will research this matter in conjunction with the solicitation regulations and report back to the Mayor and Council.
Bishop House Committee: Mayor Kurpis stated that the Bishop House Committee met on March 27, 2017 and addressed the procurement of the 501 C-3 status in order to be able to take advantage of all applicable grant opportunities. He further addressed the need for an interior renovation in order to increase the square footage in order to accommodate larger groups. Exterior improvements were also addressed and pavers will be installed as part of the Streetscape IV project.
Interlocal Agreements: Mayor Kurpis stated that he would like to enter into discussions with the Board of Education in order to determine how best to work together.
Thomas Weng, President of the Board of Education thanked the Mayor and Council for their continued support and hopes to continue together by working toward shared service agreement. He further stated that he wanted to get some feedback on how best to introduce this process.
BOROUGH ADMINISTRATOR:
Quint Fire Truck: Borough Administrator Giaimis stated that the Saddle River Fire Department took delivery today of the Quint fire truck. The equipment was paid for in full, including additional items that were ordered.
Salt Shed Renovation: Borough Administrator Giaimis stated that the salt shed renovation is slated to begin on Thursday, March 30, 2017, weather permitting.
Wandell Water Issue: Borough Administrator Giaimis addressed this matter in detail at this time.
Webinar with Agenda Management System: Administrator Giaimis stated that he is going to view a webinar regarding an agenda management system, in order to move toward a paperless agenda.
Grant Consultant: Administrator Giaimis stated that this resolution is presented for adoption at this time in order to allow the grant consultant to begin work on grant applications with time sensitive deadlines. Compensation for this grant consultant was discussed in detail at this time.
Citizen Leadership Form: Administrator Giaimis stated that all members on Boards and Commissions must fill out this form and the secretaries will be distributing them as each Board and Committee meets.
Capital Alternatives: Administrator Giaimis stated that this resolution should be adopted at this time.
RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE ENTERING INTO A CONTRACT WITH
CAPITAL ALTERNATIVES CORPORATION
Resolution# 96-17 Offered by Council President Jensen
Seconded by Council Member Schulstad
Roll Call Vote: AYES, Unanimous
Dedication by Rider: Administrator Giaimis stated that this resolution will be adopted at the April 17, 2017 meeting of the Mayor and Council. This provides for receipt of funds from gifts, bequests and donations and will be set up for donations made specifically for Borough beautification.
COUNCIL MEMBER UPDATES:
Council Member Acaster stated that the PBA negotiations will continue with Attorney Ray Wiss with a date to be determined next week.
Council Member Schulstad stated that the amendment of the ordinance regarding garage doors must be revised in order to introduce it at the April 17, 2017 meeting.
Mayor Kurpis addressed signage for the Susan Zabransky Hughes Run and this was discussed in detail.
The sign ordinance does not apply to Borough owned property and the signs have historically been on the Wandell School property.
Council President Jensen stated that the Quint fire truck was delivered. He further stated that the Fire Department has requested that additional space in the fire house be evaluated.
Mayor Kurpis stated that he has been speaking with Borough Landscape Architect Levy about the hiring of a forester. He asked Council Member Yates about the duplication of efforts and this was addressed in detail.
Council Member Yates explained the role of the forester, from evaluating and identifying dead or hazardous trees to the planting of new trees.
Council Member Salazer stated that volunteers are needed for Saddler River Day. She further stated that a movie night is scheduled for June 16, 2017. The Memorial Day Celebration planning will begin shortly.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC:
Marilyn Goldfischer, 124 West Saddle River Road asked if a current deer count has been established. Council Member Yates stated that, to date, he has not received this information. Ms. Goldfischer asked about retaining a grant consultant and Mayor Kurpis explained the fee structure in detail at this time. She further stated that the walking path around Rindlaub Park is in need of repair and dog owners must keep their dogs on leashes. She further stated that the banks of the Saddle River are in need of cleaning and Council Member Yates stated that a committee be formed for this purpose.
Mayor Kurpis stated that he is going to meet with Mayor Randall from Ho-Ho-Kus to assess how the communities can work together.
Tom Weng, President of the Wandell Board of Education, stated that he communicates with Ho-Ho-Kus in order to work together for the greater good of the children. The census data regarding Saddle River was addressed. Mr. Weng addressed the current water issue at the Wandell School and reported on the second set of tests. The results were essentially similar to the first round of tests; these results only involve drinking fountains. The purchase of new water stations is currently being evaluated. Moving Borough voting to the Wandell School was also discussed.
RESOLUTION FOR CLOSED SESSION
At this time, a resolution was read to go into Closed Session.
Resolution # 97-17- Offered by Council President Jensen
Second by Council Member Schulstad
Roll Call Vote: AYES: Unanimous
ADJOURNMENT: A motion to adjourn was made and seconded.
Respectfully submitted,
Joy C. Convertini
Municipal Clerk
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MAYOR AND COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING MARCH 28, 2017