Freeholders OK $900,000 in Contracts for 2010 Elections WF BOE
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Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, March 18, 2010 OUR 120th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 11-2010 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. www.goleader.com [email protected] SIXTY CENTS WF BOE Projects $4 Million In State Aid Cuts for 2010-2011 By MAGGIE DIGGORY Westfield school district currently re- exact state aid figure today, Thursday, Specially Written for The Westfield Leader ceives approximately 6 percent of its March 18. A public meeting is sched- WESTFIELD – The board of edu- operating budget from state aid, ac- uled for Tuesday, March 23, at 8 p.m. cation (BOE) meeting Tuesday cording to board member Richard and the Finance Committee will present evening following Governor Chris Solomon. The board projects 2010- a budget using the exact state-aid fig- Christie’s budget address left board 2011 state aid will be 1 percent, a ures. members balancing the reality of the decrease of $4,250,000. Superintendent Dolan has meetings state’s fiscal problems and its deep The budget for the current school scheduled with the district staff, admin- impact on the school district’s budget year is $90 million, $85 million of istrators and teachers unions in the com- for 2010-2011. which is for operations. Debt repay- ing days. “The rules changed today. Based on ment, grants and entitlement programs “The day of reckoning is here. We what we heard, our state aid will be cut amount to $5 million. Westfield re- need to look through a new lens,” said 92 percent,” said Superintendent of ceives $5 million in state aid for opera- Board President Ginny Leiz, as she Schools Margaret Dolan, during her tions. [Source, Public Notice, The asked fellow board members to share opening remarks Tuesday evening. Westfield Leader; March 26, 2009 – their reactions to the larger than ex- Up until today, the district was plan- http://www.goleader.com/09mar26/ pected cut in state aid. ning a budget based on state aid de- 23.pdf]. Board member Richard Mattessich creasing from zero to 15 percent. The The district expects to receive the said, “That we don’t lose the quality we’ve built over the years. We bit the bullet last year and made a lot of cuts. We’re in as good a state as we can be.” Board Vice-President Julia Walker Courtesy of Nick Karter described Governor Christie’s budget THE POWER OF WATER...A youngster at Valley Road in Clark gazes at the flood waters of the Rahway River last Sunday announcement as “Trenton said, ‘Here after the storm deluge of Saturday. are the rules and we’re giving you no money to follow them.’ We were cut loose today. We are self-funded.” Mr. Solomon summarized how he Freeholders OK $900,000 viewed the district’s options for revis- ing the 2010-2011 budget. “We have a couple of options: one, go to the asso- ciations for suggestions and give back In Contracts for 2010 Elections [but], that won’t be enough. Second, By PAUL J. PEYTON Transport of Union, University Van break the backs of the social services significant program cuts. Third, raising Specially Written for The Westfield Leader Lines and Princeton Van Service of agencies in this county and others more money from property taxes. We ELIZABETH — The Union Ewing to transport voting machines particularly in times as difficult as can go to the public with an amount up County Freeholders approved to and from the polling locations. they have been over the last two or to the cut in state aid,” he said. He $900,000 in funding for elections to Freeholder Al Mirabella asked if three years,” Mr. Guzzo said. concluded that a combination of things be held throughout the county this the county could save money by com- Mountainside resident Gerry would need to occur and called for year. bining printing contracts. “Maybe we Gallagher of the Center for Hope “community-wide discussion.” B&B Press of Somerville was given can get a reduced cost?,” he said. Hospice said the board awarded Hope One member of the public, Mitch a $149,569 contract to print absentee Deputy Clerk Alan Falcone said Hospice $204,000 in 2008, $189,000 HAPPY BIRTHDAY…The Rotary Club of Westfield celebrated the 105th Slater, who is running for a seat on the and provisional ballots for this year’s the Clerk’s Office put out a request in 2009, and $180,000 this year. anniversary of Rotary International recently with a visit from their district BOE, remarked, “I’m curious why [the Primary and General elections. Full for proposals for bids on all three “This is a very important source of governor. Pictured, left to right, are: District Governor Alex Cauwels, Past board] couldn’t wait a week to vote on Service Mailers, Inc. of Garfield was contracts, and noted that B&B, Full- funding for those that provide this District Governor Dr. D. Michael Hart and Club President Mark Swingle. the teachers contract.” The board rati- given a $65,781 contract to mail Service and Royal Printing came in care. While this year is $9,000 less fied a three-year contract March 9 with sample ballots for this year’s School, with lower bids in the areas they were than last year, we are grateful for the teachers’ union, giving teachers pay Primary and General Elections. granted contracts. He said Full-Ser- whatever you can provide us,” Mr. Skibitsky, Haas React increases of 3.9 percent for each of the Royal Printing Services of West vice also sorts the ballots and brings Gallagher said. next three years. New York was given a $474,240 con- them to the Post Office. The board also approved, on sec- Superintendent Dolan responded that tract to print ballots for School Board, “Over the years we found this was ond reading, an ordinance to appro- To Christie’s Budget Talk the board already was aware of the Primary and General Elections, and a actually the cheapest way of doing it, priate $200,000 to construct 10 to 12 By MICHAEL J. POLLACK town. state’s fiscal problems and, in a coop- $110,000 contract to print voting au- was to split it up in this manner and bunkers at the Galloping Hill Golf Specially Written for The Westfield Leader The Christie administration has pro- erative effort, the teachers’ union came thority books, poll books “and all bid it out separately,” Mr. Falcone Course in Union. Funds will be drawn WESTFIELD – Mayor Andy posed a 2.5-percent annual property tax to the table and “focused on what needs other printing needed to run an elec- told Mr. Mirabella. from the county’s capital surplus ac- Skibitsky opened Tuesday’s council con- increase cap. Also, the governor alluded to be done for our schools.” tion within the county” for the 2010 In other business, the board ap- count. ference session by referencing Gover- to cutting aid to schools by $800 million Tuesday night, the board also ratified election cycle. proved a resolution to have County Garwood resident Bruce Paterson nor Chris Christie’s budget address. and assistance to towns by $450 million. the Westfield Association of Educa- In addition, the freeholders ap- Manager George Devanney award said the county took out bunkers years Governor Christie, in his speech, out- “It’s going to be tough,” Second Ward tional Secretaries’ (WAES) union con- proved $40,000 contracts to Liberty contracts to agencies under the peer ago to speed up play. He said, by lined how his administration would seek Councilwoman Vicki Kimmins said. tract retroactive to July 1, 2009, through grouping aging grant. A half million putting them back, golf will be slowed, to combat a $10.7-billion deficit next “But we need that.” June 30, 2012. As of press time, salary Boards of Educ. Brace dollars will be funded to the county and revenues would be reduced. year and begin to stop the “madness” “There are a lot of difficult decisions increase figures were not available. for this grant from the state with “This (additional bunkers expen- that has gone on in terms of state spend- that have to be made at the state level…the According to the board, the WAES For Deep Aid Cuts additional funds sought for the sec- diture) is loony,” Mr. Paterson told ing and government growth. [town’s] Finance Policy Committee has made concessions regarding members’ By PAUL J. PEYTON ond and third years of the program. the board. The mayor said he was struck by the a lot of work ahead of them,” the mayor health insurance by eliminating tradi- Specially Written for The Westfield Leader Human Services Director Frank Cranford resident Jim Buettner sug- fact that the state’s total debt ($51 bil- said. tional indemnity insurance, increasing AREA – School districts are bracing Guzzo said the state provides peer- gested the golf operations staff or lion) had tripled since 2002 ($17 bil- David Haas, the vice-chairman of the in-office visit co-pays and prescrip- for deep cuts in state aid. The Westfield grouping monies to counties that ei- prisoners in the S.L.A.P. (Sheriff’s lion). Finance Policy Committee, told The tions, as well as increasing contribu- Leader placed calls to local districts at ther operates a county hospital, as Labor Assistance Program) install the “Obviously, when you look at the Westfield Leader, “As I said four years tions to members’ health insurance cov- press time for comments. Districts had Union county does with Runnells Spe- bunkers to save money.