Preview: Council to Talk Budgets, Moving Elections, Staff Salary Models, Shopping Carts

The merry band of council members will be joining together for a fun, festive evening of policy discussion on some of Ridgewood's most important issues Wednesday night.

There may be a game of human chess, trumpeters and jesters, so make sure to grab and chair and watch the action. Ok, none of those things are likely to happen. But you should still drop by at 7:30 p.m. to the on the third floor of Village Hall.

Here's what's on the agenda:

Two Ten Hoeves?

Village Clerk Heather Mailander will be on hand to greet the new Deputy Village Clerk, Donna Ten Hoeve. Mayor Keith Killion said in a conversation with Patch yesterday that to his knowledge, Ms. Ten Hoeve is not related to the previous Village Manager, Jim Ten Hoeve, who worked in the village for decades. Multiple candidates were interviewed for the position, Killion said after discussions with Village Manager Ken Gabbert.

Fleet weak?

Also on the agenda is a presentation on the village's state of the fleet. Many of the village's vehicles need to be replaced and sources have told Patch that the police keep their cars idling out of fear they will not restart. Deputy Mayor Tom Riche commented at the last budget presentation that he would like to see an audit of the village's fleet to develop a systematic approach of replacing some of the vehicles over time.

Dollar, dollar bills

Council members will then hold a discussion on all-things budget. Do they know how to party or what?

First, the council will discuss the , which CFO Stephen Sanzari reported included replacing various vehicles, technology upgrades, a street resurfacing program, stormwater drainage system upgrades, building improvements, park and recreation facility improvements at Veterans Field and the tennis court rehabilitation.

Beyond just the capital budget the village will be making modifications to the general levy, according to the agenda. Village officials have in recent discussions said the goal is to bring the tax increase from a starting point of 7 percent down to a number that's easier on the stomachs of residents.

Switching gears a bit, the council will discuss what's going on with that and the onset of the spring. The management salary ordinance, which locks in salary levels for non-union staff, provides incentive raises based on performance, as determined by the Village Manager.

While Councilman Paul Aronsohn objected to the ordinance–which allows for up to a 4 percent increase–Deputy Mayor Tom Riche touted the plan, which he said models the private system.

Gabbert previously explained that the program will take 2 percent of the salaries for all staff affected in 2010 and 2 perecent of all the salaries that were paid in 2009, along with 2 percent of the anticipated amount in 2010. That amounts to around $84,000 to be doled out, determined by a supervisor's evaluation and ultimately, the recommendation of Gabbert. While there will be no salary increase, the incentive is between zero and four perecent.

Also up for discussion is the salary ordinance for non-union staff. We'll report on that scoop after the meeting.

Here's what else is up:

Complete your streets

The village may be taking action to establish a , which could help improve the bike path and some of the wider roads in town. Others, as we reported a few days ago, were less enthused, calling it little more than PR mouth-moving.

It's in the bank

Does the village really love its bank? Forgive the awful reference to that commercial, but it appears not. Up for discussion is a request for proposals for banking services.

A la carte, elections on the move?

In its last two items, the council will be discussing a new ordinance that many will likely rejoice over. Well, not all. Supermarkets will probably not be thrilled to hear the village is likely to , or it could face fines. Citizens have approached the council within the last year complaining of carts in right-of-ways and other spots throughout the village, which many have said could be dangerous.

Quick question – you know what November of 2012 means? Sure, President Obama will be squaring off against a Republican contender as the head of the free world (Christie, maybe?). But it could also mean a new voting date for villagers. Village Clerk Mailander has said around $30,000 per election, but the village would lose a lot of the autonomy it enjoys in holding its own elections. Beyond that, it would be locked into the format for ten years. So if it's bad, villagers will be left holding the chad.