Public Hearing on Budget, Parking and Fields Policy Decision to Dominate Council Meeting

Some of the largest, most divisive issues in the village could be reaching its culmination on Wednesday night.

Take a look at our preview of some of those big issues to be discussed Wednesday.

The meeting begins at 8:00 p.m. in the Sydney Stoldt Courtroom. Get there early – given the amount of substantive issues this meeting is covering, it may be a packed house.

Parking

It may be unrealistic to believe parking problems will be solved on Wednesday night. Few, if any, will argue that a problem that's festered for nearly a century will be solved without major changes. This is something of a Band-Aid, but in encouraging business in the CBD while also clearing some of the spots from repeat parkers and employees hogging prime real estate.

The council has said for months that it wants to end the waffling on parking problems and act decisively.

The , appears to have changed a bit over the course of months. Originally a dual system of parking permits and lowered rates at metered spaces in lots, timing seems an issue. The ordinance put forward would lower lot rates from 50 cents to 25 cents per hour, include Saturday enforcement and enforcement times would begin at 6:00 a.m. and end at 6:00 p.m., still nabbing commuters. The original plan would have had enforcement begin at 10:00 a.m.

Councilman Paul Aronsohn, who endorsed the Chamber of Commerce-proposed plan, has . The council had agreed to eliminating the two-and-three-hour parking limits in the municipal lots in favor of twelve-hour lots, but Gabbert then changed the proposal, saying turnover was needed. Aronsohn expressed dismay that the agreement made had been changed.

The plan also includes parking passes to compete with Brogan Cadillac and mitigate that change from continual 12-hour parking in the lots to the existing two-to-three hours. The passes would be available for $650 a year or potentially on a seasonal basis as well, which would allow commuters to park at the train station for a flat fee and eliminate quarters.

But someone jumped the gun and last week despite the council having not voted on the ordinance (the public hearing is May 11). Moreover, the signs noted incorrect information that was not consistent with the new ordinance proposal. The council said it expects a "full report" from Gabbert on Wednesday.

Fields

With the new turf fields, the Fields Committee–a body comprised of sport group organizers, citizens-at-large, village and school officials– for later allowable hours of recreation. The current fields policy stipulates that games on the high school fields cannot go past 9:00 p.m. The committee, however, wants the hours to extend to 10:00 p.m. on many weekend nights while also giving the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association (RBSA) the opportunity to play weekday nights over the summer to the same time.

The RBSA has complained that despite the new turf fields at RHS Stadium and Stevens Field, it's actually lost use of fields due to the referendum converting the B.F. field to a track; G.W. is now under construction, eliminating another field. It's been reported that the RBSA has threatened to withhold funding pledged to go toward the cost of the lights (a $525,000 five-year lease) recently installed at the high school fields. The and passed it, against the strong objections of neighbors.

The council then heard the pitch and said, with the main objection centered around neighbor concerns around Stevens Field. The council told the committee to "dig deep" and explore other options because Stevens was "a serious problem." that light shines into their homes, lacrosse balls enter their yards, noise is a problem, parking and traffic issues damage their quality of lives and safety, among other concerns.

If the council says nay to the policy revision, the existing policy would remain in effect. Sport groups have said that could mean much less time for participants and an elimination of games, something a very active village already struggles with. Any new policy would have to go back for another vote at the school board and then the council should it be voted down Wednesday night.

Budget

Spirits are significantly higher this year than last, when , a result of severe budget cuts. Department heads to reinstate some of those members back on village payrolls and the council has sounded receptive to that idea.

Its proposed budget–as just a starting point, not a finalized number– would increase taxes anywhere from 5.25 to 7.4 percent, with the higher end of the scale adding $255 more to the average resident based on an assessment just under $800,000.

While you may be thinking that this sounds to be over Governor Christie's 2 percent cap, that's because allowed exceptions to the cap are the cost drivers.

Several factors increased the budget, notably rising health care costs (14.7 percent increase, $621,000), pension increases (totalling $883,000); bond payments, Civil Service-required increases in steps and salary, emergency appropriations to dealing with snowstorms, liability and worker's compensation, and other smaller factors. The entirety of the budget surplus is spent in 2011, which officials say will "be addressed" in 2012.

Village Manager Ken Gabbert and CFO Stephen Sanzari have said while salaries and benefits increase in the short run for 2011, it's part of the process for real savings and negotiations in 2012 through 2014.

Emergency responders honored

The police officers instrumental in saving lives and protecting the public in two notable incidents within village borders .

Three officers pulled an alleged arsonist out of his burning home on Garfield Place in March, with two sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Then, but a few weeks later, several Ridgewood officers helped a county-wide effort to take down men alleged to have committed an armed robbery at a Wyckoff jewelry store.