Council Conference, $111M School Budget Vote in Week Ahead

The video from the previous Montclair Council meeting, on March 12, can be watched above.  

The Montclair Township Council will convene at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the first floor council chambers of the municipal building, at 205 Claremont Ave.

At the council's last meeting on March 12, Montclair Township Manager Marc Dashield introduced the 2013 preliminary budget, which included a municipal tax levy increase of 2.4 percent this year, or $1.25 million. 

The average home assessed at approximately $505,600 can expect to pay about $5,315 in municipal taxes, which is an increase of $94 from last year. The overall proposed budget is $77.8 million, which is up $2.25 million or 3 percent from 2012. 

New business for the council includes congratulating HOMECorp for its 25th anniversary and authorizing Montclair's participation in North Jersey sustainable communities consortium. 

The full council conference agenda can be found in the photo gallery of this article. 

Dashield's report will introduce an ordinance to regulate community gardens. In mid-March, the Montclair Planning Board debated regulations for community gardens, chicken coops and apiaries, or beehives, in town. 

Recommendations discussed by the board including setting guidelines for community gardens, such as permitting only sustainable growing practices, limiting pesticides, limiting the dimensions of chicken coops and where apiaries, can be located on a property. 

Dashield will also introduce an amendment to the Montclair Center Gateway Redevelopment Plan and the council is expected to award various contracts, among other items. 

On Wednesday, Superintendent Penny MacCormack will hold a Wisdom Sharing Event starting at at 6:30 p.m. in the amphitheater of the Montclair High School, at 100 Chestnut St. 

MacCormack has spent the first 90 days of her tenure as superintendent on a listening and learning tour of the district, gaining insight and feedback from parents, teachers and students. On Wednesday, she will call on the community to help build the district's strategic plan for Montclair Public Schools.

The district's strategic plan includes addressing the achievemnt gap and missed performance goals MacCormack announced earlier in March. Recent data from standardized testing shows Montclair students failed to meet state proficiency standards in both language arts and mathematics.

In addition, large achievement gaps persist between types of students — in some instances more than a 30 percent.   

Also on Wednesday, a 1st Ward meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Montclair Public Library Bellevue Avenue Branch, at 185 Bellevue Ave.

First Ward Councilor William Hurlock will hold the meeting for residents to discuss local issues and concerns. The meeting is open to all residents. 

On Thursday, the Montclair Board of School Estimate is expected to vote on and adopt the district's $111.5 million school budget for 2013-14 at 7 p.m. in the George Inness Annex, at 141 Park St. 

The school budget is a 3.3-percent increase from last year, but will be accompanied by no tax hike.