Departments Deliver Wish Lists to Town Budget in Line, School Says
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
IT 0403 Pg A1 Yellow Red Blue Black Volume 116 Number 14 THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2003 75 Cents 75 cents Budget Departments in line, deliver wish school lists to town Gero Park and $20,000 to make says By Patricia Harris repairs to buildings and facilities. of The Item Hogan also noted a total of 484 employees, officials and vol- By Eveline Speedie More township residents are of The Item participating in recreational ac- unteers service the department’s tivities and more money is 99 programs and 247 participat- School officials said Monday coming into the township coffers ing teams. Those teams include the district is spending average to than ever before. basketball, soccer, softball, t- below average per pupil com- That was the good news recre- ball, roller hockey, football, pared to comparable districts in ation and parks director Robert wrestling and track. the state and pointed to future Hogan brought to the Township The efforts of those involved cost-cutting measures as evi- Committee when he made his in recreation brought praise from dence of their eye on fiscal mat- budget presentation at Tuesday’s Committeeman Salvatore J. ters. meeting. The Committee is in the Bate, the Committee’s liaison to In a year after the Board of Ed- process of hearing requests and the department, who told Hogan, ucation saw an $18.01 million presentations from all its depart- “You’re doing something for bond referendum passed, offi- Staff photo/Alan Leon ment heads, and plans are to in- everybody.” He reiterated some cials have come in with a net statistics from the director’s pre- MUNCH BUNCH—The Millburn Deli on Millburn Avenue is one of several places in town troduce a proposed budget on budget for 2003-04 of nearly $54 sentation, saying, “These are for patrons to enjoy outside dining. A township ordinance passed Tuesday night at the May 6. million. As board member Marcy amazing statistics.” Township Committee meeting imposes new restrictions on outdoor cafés. At the session, the Committee Kadin, chairman of the finance Committee members also committee, said, “we cut $2.5 also heard budget requests from million from this budget. It was its senior citizen coordinator and Continued on Page B13 the first time (the cuts were so construction and zoning officer. pronounced).” Hogan told the Committee that Superintendent of Schools Contract dispute continues participation in recreational ac- Unit Richard Brodow, Assistant Su- tivities in the township has in- perintendent for Business Robert and the school officials have she said. “This lack of a contract creased 22 percent in the past By Eveline Speedie Zeglarski and Board President scheduled meetings at that level, concerns me because these five years, and revenues coming of The Item workers are the lowest paid in to the township have increased heads Mary Litterman, as well as Mason-Massey said Monday. She Kadin, expressed confidence in Members of the school district’s also said all previously scheduled the school district’s employment. from about $656,000 in 1997 to the school budget for the coming maintenance department entered a meetings had been cancelled at They are conscientious, hard- $872,000 in 2002. year. Although the budget on second week of picketing outside the last minute. working guys who have received Nearly half of the revenues— talk which residents will be voting Millburn High School Monday, “After this, if this meeting does- commendations. The schools slightly more than $400,000— April 15 is $58.3 million, the and said they would continue the n’t take place, we will ask to go to have not even complied with the come from the pool, he showed actual cost of operating the action until they secure a contract. a formal PERC hearing,” Mason- terms of the contract that expired in his presentation. Other dollars schools day-to-day is just under Custodians and maintenance Massey said. “This is the last ex- last July. The men don’t have sources of revenue are activities, $54 million. The reduction of ap- workers in Communications ploratory conference. Then it will uniforms and there are health which brought in about and safety concerns.” Patricia Harris proximately $4 million results Workers of America AFL-CIO have to be settled in the courts.” $224,000, the Par 3 golf course, of The Item from using the state’s equaliza- Local 1076 started picketing last Mason-Massey charged the Richard Brodow, Superinten- which yielded about $222,000, tion formula for purposes of week over a contractual dispute school district with unfair labor dent of Schools, said again and tennis, which accounted for The township’s police and fire making comparisons to other with their employer, the Millburn practices that she said are continu- Monday he could not comment about $26,000. chiefs and superintendent of the districts. Township School District. CWA ing to mount. on the issue other than to indi- Hogan also brought in an op- department of public works Deductions made by the state Local 1076 has been working Among her allegations are the cate he hopes to reach a settle- erating budget request for 2003 brought their wish lists to the include $200,000 for capital without a contract since July decimation of seniority rights and ment. He also said he has not of about $280,000, nearly $8,000 Township Committee this past outlay for equipment and con- 2002. grievance rights. Mason-Massey been advised of any further de- more than last year’s $272,000. Saturday, as the committee struction, $743,233 for federal According to Gail Mason- charged the school district has velopments in the Essex County The projected increase is needed opened its deliberations on this grants and donations from such Massey, Local 1076’s union rep- adopted retaliatory measures investigation. He declined to to cover the cost of utilities and year’s budget. entities as the Education Founda- resentative, a date has been set for against union members in re- comment on the PERC meeting chemicals for the pool and to pay Also making a presentation to tion (listed as a special revenue the two sides to meet in Newark sponse to charges of wrongdoing set for Tuesday. a land use tax on a parcel of the Committee that day was the fund), and $3.4 million for debt with the N.J. Public Employment in the maintenance department The Essex County Prosecu- property adjacent to Old Short township’s engineer. service. An additional $100,000 Relations Commission (PERC) filed with the Essex County Pros- tor’s Office had not returned tele- Hills Park. The Committee will hear pre- is factored into the budget as an- for an exploratory conference. ecutor’s Office nearly a year ago. phone calls by the time The Item For his capital budget, Hogan sentations and budget requests ticipated revenue from leasing The meeting, set for Tuesday, will “The Essex County Prosecu- went to press yesterday. is requesting $50,000 to renovate from all the township’s depart- Continued on Page A13 be the second time the workers tor’s investigation is continuing,” Continued on Page B13 basketball courts in Taylor and Continued on Page A13 Hats in Township Committee ring Romano enters race Haimoff seeks seat By Patricia Harris By Patricia Harris of The Item of The Item Lifelong township resident Sandra H. Haimoff, an active and volunteer Annette Di- participant in the county’s Re- Pasquale-Romano has an- publican Party for more than 20 nounced she is making her years, has received the endorse- second bid for the Township ment of the Republican County Committee. A Democrat, she lost Committee and will run as its in her effort last year to upset Re- candidate for the open seat on publican incumbents Mary the Township Committee this McNett and Salvatore J. Bate on year. the five-member committee. A resident of the township She said her showing last time since she was 17, Haimoff points around—she came within 330 to her broad experience in com- votes of winning—and the well munity service that would enable wishes of many community her to be a knowledgeable members lifted her up and led to member of the committee. She her decision to throw her hat into Annette has worked on educational Sandra H. Haimoff the ring again. DiPasquale-Romano issues, served on planning and “I wasn’t planning on running She believes she is also sensi- zoning boards, and been active in public school system, learned to again,” she said, “but when I Republican affairs. swim at the municipal pool, and heard that Elaine Becker is step- tive to issues for senior citizens. Her mother, Carmela Di- She said she would like the op- participated in the township’s ping down, I decided to.” portunity to work with the com- recreation programs. DiPasquale-Romano stressed Pasquale, owns a two-story home on Church Street and won- mittee to help ensure that Mill- Now her daughters—Amy, she is a personal friend of burn Township continues to be Lori, and Frieda—are all married Becker’s and respects all the ders why she has to pay certain assessments. one of the nation’s finest places and have professions. Her hard work the former mayor has to live. daughter Lori is married to an- done for the township, but she Her husband, Nick, works as assistant deputy clerk for Essex “This community has given so other Millburn High School believes it’s time for a change. much to me and my family,” she graduate, Robert Beck. “We need people like myself, County and is chairman of the Millburn-Short Hills Democratic said.