Taxes Could Increase, Despite Cuts to Spend
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CLARK, N.J..VOL. 13 NO. 17 THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2003 mycfark.com TWO SEOT1O Taxes could increase, despite cuts to spend... By David Learn unable to cut, including a $286,504 increase in night unanimously voted to introduce an ordi- approximately a 10-percent increase" in taxes, In 2002, the Police Department ran on an Managing Editor employees' salary and wage packages, and nance that would raise the cap on its budget said Laezza. operating budget of 5239,000. For 2003, the Clark taxpayers and municipal officials another 5365,107 increase in benefits. increase from the state-set 1 percent up to 5 That would translate into homeowners department was asked to cut that by $36,000, alike are being asked to tighten their belts with "All departments' other expenses we have percent. Such an increase is allowed, provided paying an additional 10 cents in municipal down to $203,000. the 2003 municipal budget. decreased by $103,000 from the previous a 5-2 supermajority of the council approves property taxes for every $100 of their proper- "To date, no one has come to us. That does The tentative budget is about SI6.6 mil- year," said Business Administrator John Laez- the measure. ty's assessed value. For the owner of the aver- not mean that they will not necessarily appeal lion, up from $16,017,000 in 2002. The budg- za, who began preparing the 2003 budget last The township expects to exceed the 1-per- age Clark home — assessed at $118,000 — their case to the council," said Laezza. "We've et is being reviewed by Township Council September. "Is anyone happy with that? I cent cap just with salaries and insurance ben- that would mean a municipal tax hike of $118. cut them individually anywhere from 5 to 12 members. By state statute, it must be formally doubt it I think we have submitted to them efits, which it contractually is obligated to "The Police Department basically has percent from their previous year's budget. I introduced no later than Feb. 20. what we expect them to cut from the budgets provide. taken the biggest hit, and it's basically tried to stay within the 10 percent." The increase — a little less than $600,000 that they submitted." "If the revenues remain similar to 2002, the because it has the biggest budget," said Laez- Laezza's own office, which had an $87,000 — is due largely to items the township is The Clark Township Council on Tuesday items that were presented would indicate See JOB, Page 2 Towns differ over complex By David Learn Managing Editor Two townships, one golf course, two completely differ- Photos By Jeff Granit ent worlds. A gaggle of geese takes wing from the That might be the best way to describe the situation sur- recreation fields behind the Charles H. rounding the Hyatt Hills Golf Complex and Clark and Brewer Municipal Building. Cranford townships. The golf complex straddles the bor- der of the two municipalities and is overseen by an appointed commission with representatives from each. In Cranford, residents and township commissioners Fowling it up alike have been up in arms over the free golf that golf com- missioners are allowed and a perceived lack of accounta- bility to the township. Officials there have discussed alter- on the fields ing the golf commission's setup. By David Learn Next door in Clark, there has been no outcry from res- Managing Editor idents at large. Clark Mayor Sal Bonaccorso has expressed some concern that golf commissioners had been running No matter where you go, it seems like you have to stay up excessive bills in the course of running the complex, on your toes or you'll put your foot right in it. which prompted him to appoint himself to the golf com- Goose guano, that is. The ubiquitous green squishy Photos By Jeff Griuiit mission in October. stuff coats the football field at Arthur L. Johnson High Geese crowd the ice on the Clark Wildlife Preserve and Habitat by Raritan Road and And he's concerned that his colleagues in Cranford are School, it covers lawns all along the Clark Wildlife Pre- Featherbed Lane. about to take action that will ruin the deal for everyone. serve and Habitat, and it's been a problem at the Hyatt starting to pair off. Once they pair off and nest and lay Cranford officials could not be reached for comment by Hills Golf Complex. dent geese act as a draw similar to the way hunters will presstime Tuesday night. Residents, businesses and other groups plagued by use decoys to attract real geese. eggs, they'll always return to that spot." Salvation came to the fairways when the Hyatt Hills "At this point I would not recommend going into the gaggles of Canada geese have several options available to "There's another issue to this. You can remove the waters of changing the commission," Bonaccorso said at a them to deal with the airborne invaders. Among them are geese, but you can also go in the spring and remove the Golf Commission decided to throw the geese to the dogs. At the height of the golfing season; beginning in Septem- Clark Township Council meeting Tuesday night. "We simple measures like altered landscaping techniques and eggs," Ortenzio said in an interview last week. 'That cre- can't just arbitrarily do that. GM is the owner of that prop- hiring sneciallv trained does, and more expensive tactics ates a problem with people who see this as a violation of ber, the •commission hired the Howell-based Geese Police io chase the geese awav with trained Border collies for erty. Anything that goes on there, GM has to approve." *!KC using lasers to Uittatc uie ssccso HUG itu'vin^i. goose rights or something." S300 a week. The site is a redeveloped General Motors industrial The wildlife preserve, commonly referred to as the At the Hyatt Hills Golf Complex, the geese problem brownfield. By arrangement among the three entities — reservoir, is the largest draw for these geese. About 108 stems not from the wildlife habitat but from the 5.4-acre "The Border collie was very successful," said Ellen- port. "Before we hired the Geese Police, the goose drop- General Motors, Clark and Cranford — General Motors is acres large, the wildlife preserve stretches from the pond the complex uses for stormwater drainage. The pond to be repaid for the money it spent creating the golf com- municipal border with Westfield to a dam on Madison Hill acts as a water hazard for three different holes, and draws pings were so bad that you couldn't walk on the putting green without squishing things." plex, and after that, the profits are to be split between Road about two miles away. ?ts water acts h'ke a magnet, in geese by the scores. Clark and Cranford. drawing geese by the thousands to Clark. Once in the "i would say you were looking at easily 300 geese," Hiring the Geese Police was actually the second meas- ure the Hyatt Hills Golf Complex used on its goose prob- The two townships are expecting to get some money water, the geese see!; out large grassy areas where they said Robert Ellenport, a former mayor and now member sometime in the next 10 years. Bonaccorso is concerned See GEESE, Page 2 can find food. of the Golf Commission. "The problem was that they were that if Cranford tries to alter the ordinance governing the "I get more calls about goose droppings than I do about golf complex, General Motors might decide the arrange- anything else," said Schools Superintendent Paul Orten- ment is more trouble than it's worth. zio, who reports heavy goose traffic at Carl H. Kumpf and Vegetation a cost-effective way io keep geese off lawns "If this kind of action was taken, GM could tell Clark Frank K. Hehnly schools, as well as on the Arthur L. John- By Bavld Learn es and grasses native to New Jersej Otl'.ir. makeshift hiwiers v.ucii ss and Cranford, 'No thank you, we're going to abolish the son High School football field. "It really is a mess." . Managing Editor and plant them along water's edge. s:ring arc overcome loo easily, snei commission,'" he said. It's a mess of especial concern when it comes to the Plant shorter species in the front, Within c week, or two, homeowners If that happens, the townships would get property tax For residents, with homes along football field. As popular as it is with the Crusaders and gradually transition] ag to taller will bo cunfrontvxl once more with revenue from the complex, but nothing else. ;he Clark Wildlife and Preserve their fans, the 100-p!us-yard football field is a dining plant species in the rear. Depending marauding ceene. During a reorganization meeting held earlier this year, Habitat, stepping in green goose heaven to geese, who leave thousands of little presents on on the plant, they can be plscec a Hallls'ld's solution has other ben- the Hyatt Hills Golf Commission appointed Cranford rep- guano is pretty much aa established the field as they go. meter apart to twice as densely. efits hesrcci keeping geese off resentative Bob Hoeffler as the commission's sole chair- in an effort to keep the geese off the grass earlier this fact of life, but there is hope. • lawns where tlsey arc pot wanted. man. Hoeffler previously had shared that spot with Clark fall, the school district paid G-Tech of Metuchen SI ,500 a Businesses can hire the Geese "The key is to plant them in a By using sptiiias of plants nutivu io representative Robert Ellenport even though the commis- dense enough cluster that you can month to splay nonlethai lasers across the football field in Police and a municipal body een.