More Laid Off Employees Requested Back, Possible Fire Truck Purchase Analyzed at Budget Meeting

If you're a senior clerk typist in the village, watch out! The council and top administrators have expressed frustration with civil service laws that require contracted raises for some village workers regardless of the local economy's state.

Some senior clerk typists make upwards of $90,000 a year, a job Deputy Mayor Tom Riche has said could be found for half that cost in the private sector.

Unfortunately, officials said, they're bound to such requirements and little can be done about the laws.

On Monday, the council continued to entertain the village department head requests and examined the challenges going forward as they work toward clearing a $377,000 budget deficit.

Fire Department

In his first budget request extravaganza, Fire Chief Jim Van Goor told the council and top administrators that although the fire department has not been at the "recommended standard" levels of personnel to fight fires with 13-15 members, twelve firefighters is an amount the department can use to "adequately" fight blazes.

Like anything, the situation dictates needs, officials reported. Mayor Killion said to his understanding, a small brush fire could only require six firefighters while something like a fire that engulfed West Side Presbyterian a few years back would need scores of firefighters. Mutual aid calls would bring in neighboring communities to help.

The procedure, Van Goor said, is to call volunteers after on-call units are exhausted and then get to off-duty village firefighters, whom he said usually get to scenes "within 15-to-20 minutes."

The department will be seeing a retirement in the upcoming months but will be aided by the but are still short on manpower with 2010's retirements and even a transition of fire inspectors to full-time firefighters.

Resident Roger Weigand has in recent months implored the department to consider refurbishing its ladder truck as opposed to purchasing a new one for over $1 million, which the department would prefer. Van Goor said Monday the estimated cost for a refurbished truck–purchased in the 1980s–would be between $450,000 and $650,000 with a lifespan of 10 years.

Weigand also asked the department to explore a shared service agreement with Glen Rock. Van Goor said he'd make contact with the neighboring officials but said the logistics would be difficult to work out. Killion, who's quite aware of public safety logistics from his time as Captain of Detectives in the RPD, urged Van Goor to look into it, touting the need for towns to explore more shared service agreements as budget belts tighten.

Council members were also baffled by an apparent software trouble the department is having with laptops purchased in 2007, which have apparently never been used as a result.

Van Goor said he could not say why this is the case, only that Dylan Hanson, the village's head of IT, is working on getting it worked out.

Van Goor will also look into the number of calls and cost to the department to respond to Valley Hospital incidents, at the request of Councilman Paul Aronsohn.

In a scene that's become all too familiar lately, council members scrutinized a raise to senior clerk typists. The fire department's typist–on payroll for 25 years–is due a 6 percent raise, which officials speculated may be due to her longevity status, though it was not determined at the meeting.

Building Department

Tony Merlino, the head of the building department, reported that increased fees for permits have helped revenues increase by nearly $200,000. Merlino said that while there may have been more permit applications in years past, because permits are based on estimates and building volume, fewer applications could still lead to more revenue.

He said while the amount of permits applied for is "difficult to anticipate," on average the department receives 2,200 a year for about $700,000; for 2010 that figure is about $140,000 higher and becomes a fund balance for 2011 returned to the general fund, Merlino said.

Merlino has requested to reinstate "at least one" more administrator to help make up for the 3.5 positions lost during last year's budget process. The proposed staff member–a clerk typist but not a senior clerk typist–will be something of a pitch hitter, helping with responsibilities as the zoning board's secretary.

That salary would be close to a pro-rated $32,000 and Killion said the village might take a "wait-and-see approach" to determine if that part-time, pitch hitter set-up worked (under the assumption the position is filled).

When asked if the zoning board would be able to handle a Valley Hospital application with its personnel, Merlino said the process of a hospital and residential home is the same, so if there were any issue, it would be minute. Gabbert added that staff would be re-deployed should something like that occur and troubles emerge.

Tax Assessor

The village's tax assessor Mike Barker reported that there wouldn't be many changes to land use departments. He estimates "at least" $200,000 in unanticipated revenue, which is brought in through added assessments.

Barker said there have been only three appeals made by property owners by mid-January; there were 117 filed in 2010, 66 of which were filed with the county and 51 with the state, many of which were carry-over appeals from previous years. The state allows assessment appeals of county board decisions, and is more of a legal process, Barker said. He added that residents are encouraged to appeal with the county first, a less formal process.

Barker said his staff–basically unchanged for the last decade, he said–will remain as is. He didn't think limiting appointment times for residents to cut down on hours of staff would be much of a boon when asked by Mayor Killion.

Health Department

Health Department Director Dawn Certurlo was lauded for her efforts to cut costs and explore more shared services agreements, a combination that amounts to an estimated $12,000 revenue steam. Certurlo increased death certificate fees, which she reported has had elicited "positive" feedback from the community.

Shared services agreements with Glen Rock and Ho-Ho-Kus on child health and other health services has also been beneficial. And for the future, Certurlo says she's considering having the department become a birth registrar. The Health Department has also saved $4,800 by double-siding paper, she said, a measure greeted with smiles by the council. Certurlo is requesting moving a part-time employee to move from 17 hours a week to 25 hours per week.