Final Departmental Budget Hearings for $77.8M Budget

The final round of departmental budget hearings were heard Tuesday by the Township Council for this year's $77.8 million municipal budget. 

Presenting budget requests that night were Montclair Parking Utility, departments of public works and finance, the offices of the township attorney, and municipal clerk and township manager. 

In addition, the Health Department presented its $1.8 million budget request. 

The 2013 budget is up $2.25 million or 3 percent from 2012. The municipal tax levy will rise 2.4 percent this year or $1.25 million. 

Parking Utility 

The newly created Montclair Parking Utility will request $3.1 million in 2013. 

The utility, which took over for the Montclair Parking Authority at the start of the year, is expected to generate enough revenue to be cost neutral for the township. 

Township Manager Marc Dashield said the goals for the utility will revamp how parking is handled in the township, including installing credit card machines at parking decks. 

An impending investment this year for the utility will be an estimated $800,000 for installing new parking meters, said Dashield. The township is in the process of determining what kind of replacement meters will be used for the new parking system. 

“We are looking at the new technology,” said Dashield. “We are going to look to get the most sophisticated meters we can for the best price.

Public Works Department

The Public Works Department will request about $6.3 million for its budget in 2013 as it contends with aging equipment.  

The entire department, including solid waste and recycling removal, generates about $843,000 in expected revenues, and will cost taxpayers about $5.5 million. 

The Public Works Department costs Montclair’s 1,500 households about $450 each, said Community Service Director Steve Wood. 

The department will request an increase of $54,000 in expenditures to contend with an an aging fleet of garbage trucks and equipment, said Wood. 

“I’ve got seven garbage trucks over 20 years old,” said Wood. “The trucks are actually rotting away. ... Garbage is actually pouring out of the bottom of them.” 

Some of the increased funds, if approved, would go toward repairing garbage trucks and overtime expenses for part-time workers. Township Manager March Dashield also requested an additional $75,000 in emergency funding for repairing the township’s fleet of trucks.  

Finance Department

The Montclair Finance Department will request about $920,000 in 2013 while it eyes the goal of reducing the township’s $212 million debt. 

The Finance Department generates about $336,00 a year, which brings a cost to taxpayers to about $585,000. The budget increased about $2,300 in operating expenses, or about 1 percent, said Montclair CFO Finance Frank Mason. 

The tax collection rate is a healthy 98.4 percent, said Mason, a slight increase of .03 from last year.  

Township Attorney 

Township Attorney Ira Karasick is looking for $418,000 in 2013. 

The attorney’s office generates about $70,700 in revenues, which brings the total cost to taxpayers to about $347,600. 

The goal of the office is to minimize outside counsel expenses for the township, said Karasick.  

In February, the Township Council approved to increase Karasick’s salary from $86,000 to $125,000.

The increase was said to be due to Karasick’s additional legal services provided outside the scope of his original contract, such as handling tax appeals and redevelopment work, all of which raised his compensation to approximately $111,000 in 2011. 

Township Clerk’s Office

The Municipal Clerk’s projected budget will decrease because there are no Montclair elections in 2013. 

Municipal Clerk Linda Wanat requested about $332,400 for her department this year. With $153,600 in revenues, the cost to taxpayers will be about $178,800.The township will save about $55,000 in election expenses this year as there are no local elections.  

One of the sources of revenue for the Clerk’s Office is filming permits, which Wanat said have been increasing in recent years.

“We are considered a film-friendly community,” said Wanat, “... because I think we have a balance between the needs of the production companies and our residents.” 

The Clerk’s Office will also unveil a new database on its website, called eCode360, that will allow residents to view and download township codes and ordinances.

In addition, a computer kiosk will soon be available at the Clerk’s Office where residents can quickly find and print construction code permit requests. The kiosk is expected to greatly reduce the time staff currently spends on construction code public records requests, said Wanat. 

Township Manager

Dashield requested an increase of $5,000 for his office in 2013. 

Dashield asked for $940,700 for the manager's office. With revenues of $152,000, the office costs taxpayers about $788,500. 

The goals for the office will be improving the township’s alert system and communications. The office will also focus on increasing its presence on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.