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NCJanow
Citizen
Username: Librarylady
Post Number: 961
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 10:11 am: | 
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"Only" does not mean ignore, just put in perspective. The other 75% is important as well. Don't see you guys posting much in the education thread, whereas more than 50% of our taxes go towards educating South Orange and Maplewood students. (BTW, South Orangers pay much MORE per student than Maplewood does.)
NCJ aka LibraryLady
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Dan Shelffo
Citizen
Username: Openspacer
Post Number: 64
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 10:48 am: |
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Ah, perspective.
If I was the Library Director, whose salary has risen from $78,297.86 in 2001 to $84,686.97 in 2003, and I got to post on MOL during business hours, the rise in the municipal part of our taxes wouldn't bother me so much either.
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Walker
Citizen
Username: Fester
Post Number: 8
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 11:04 am: |
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Why does south Orange pay more per student than Maplewood?. Especially concidering that their tax base is significantly larger than ours. |
Dave Ross
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 5237
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 11:09 am: |
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Wait a sec... I want my librarian online. |
hariseldon
Citizen
Username: Hariseldon
Post Number: 141
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 11:10 am: |
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Dan, Dan, Dan..guess you don't keep on on Village news. The Library's director retired this summer. NCJanow isn't the director, just a clerk. And probably on her break when she posts. Are you working? |
bets
Citizen
Username: Bets
Post Number: 385
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 11:19 am: |
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Speaking of the library: didn't it just undergo a huge renovation that required it to close for weeks? Why, then, when it rains, are there buckets and plastic sheeting everywhere? |
mrosner
Citizen
Username: Mrosner
Post Number: 626
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 11:28 am: |
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Walker: It is from a formula by statute based on several factors, but population (student or total) is not one of them. If it left tax-exempt property (like SHU) then it might work.
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mrosner
Citizen
Username: Mrosner
Post Number: 627
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 2:44 pm: |
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Happyman: Some of J Crohn's questions were answered, but which one(s) did you want answered?
I thought Noracoombs' question was rhetorical.
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Allan J Rosen
Citizen
Username: Allanrosen
Post Number: 16
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 4:02 pm: |
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Walker: It certainly feels inequitable, but the division of education taxes per town is based on equalized assessments. South Orange sends relatively fewer students into the school system and our average ratables are higher. We currently pay approximately 43% of the school budget with roughly 34% of the students.
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peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 243
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 10:14 pm: |
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Shellfo -- unneccessary, low blow. I for one am quite happy that SOMEONE from the village reads MOL. Seems to me we'd all be better for it if at least 1 person from every dept in the village checked MOL boards at least once a day. And you mean to tell my you never check the web while at work -- never? --Pete |
happyman
Citizen
Username: Happyman
Post Number: 42
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 12:46 am: |
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Mark wrote:
Happyman: Some of J Crohn's questions were answered, but which one(s) did you want answered?
Mark, thanks for asking for the detail, here is the original post:
______________________________________________________
J. Crohn’s post of 9/13/03 12:46pm :
An excerpt from a letter I received from John Gross's office concerning the 2003/2004 budget:
"As I am sure you will recall, 2003 was always projected in our five-year forecasts as a "difficult" budget year. In fact...municipal taxes were estimated to increase by 10.91% or approximately $1.5 million.
In addition to this expected increase, 2003 presented itself with an additional increase of approximately $550,000 in insurance expenditures, a reduction in revenue of approximately $280,000 from interest earned and $200,000 from construction fees, for a total of approximately $1,030,000 in unanticipated appropriations and revenue shortfall..."
I can understand the hit from insurance expenditures--this has happened all over, post 9-11--and I can see how investments could have yielded less than anticipated interest lately. (I hope this is a lesson to anyone who would fully privatise social security.) But why in heaven's name were construction fees not foreseen?** {Question #1}**
Somewhere back in the PILOT thread, I think, someone brought up our debt service. Can anyone speak to whether and how much this affects our postiton now? ? **{Question #2}**
Also, in the minutes of the 1/25/03 BOT Special Meeting, it's reported that a discussion occurred around whether SO would increase funding to the Community Coalition on Race, which has received $35,000 from South Orange for each of the last three years. The CCR had requested a raise to $45,000. Discssion of the issue was postponed until the Trustees could get a look at Maplewood's CCR funding. **{Answered, I think?}**
Anyone know how this issue was resolved?
Finally, I see from the same minutes that the Board voted "yes" to 2003 expenditures of $25,000 in Village Hall Interior Renovations and $2,500 in Carpeting. Under "Court Administration," $3,500 in carpeting expenses was allocated from funds previously appropriated, along with $4,000 in wallpaper and paint.
Now, I'm all for improvements to Town Hall and the Court, but not necessarily in the run-up year to a budget crisis. Nevertheless,
"The Board asserted that the Court must be "fixed up" because it is aesthetically unpleasing. Trustee Theroux asserted that the Court and the Police Department must be made more "consumer friendly" and this project should become a priority."
What's going on here? I realize the Special Meeting took place eight and a half months ago, but it did follow a Finance Committee meeting two weeeks earlier. Were there no indications of impending financial trouble at that time? ** {Question #3}**
Were our trustees kept in the dark about the budget situation,** {Question #4}** or was someone asleep,** {Question #5}**or what? ?** {Question #6} **
_____________________________________________________________________
I think there are still a lot of us out there that are wondering how we got from here to there in 14 months:
“Here”:
$4,000,000 Anticipated Surplus 7/02
$3,000,000 Actual Surplus 1/1/03
($1,030,000) BOT informed by CFO of deficit 9/5/03
“There”: ($1,500,000) Expected Increase
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Noracoombs’ post of 9/13/03 4:07pm:
“IF this is true, I have one question for the BOT:
Why was the Village CFO still the CFO as of 9-6-03?” **{Question #7, May be not such a “rhetorical” question.}**
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Sorry for putting you on the hot seat…maybe the CFO should be answering these questions also.
Thanks in advance for your response…..
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noracoombs
Citizen
Username: Noracoombs
Post Number: 25
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 10:07 am: |
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Actually, my question was not rhetorical (although I didn't expect it to be answered). After reading all these posts and past few BOT meetings, it is clearer than ever to me that there really needs to be accountability for the sorry state of S.O. finances. Yes, unexpected expenses (ie, medical insurance) come up. Yes, expected revenue sometimes falls through. But the situation we're in goes way beyond that. IMO, poor planning and poor management have as much to do with it as everything else. It's time for someone at Village Hall to step up to the plate and take responsibility for the trouble we're in.
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mary032
Citizen
Username: Mary032
Post Number: 13
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 11:45 am: |
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It puzzles me that in all this very informative and serious discussion on this board, one name has been very carefully omitted, not mentioned even once: Bill Calabrese, our mayor. Last May we voted him in again under the banner “Leadership with Vision”. Where is, or was, his leadership? Isn’t he supposed to hold the reins on the Administration? Isn’t he supposed to check on Mr. Gross and Mr. Matthews? Isn’t he supposed to oversee the budget? Why, in the last BOT meetings when the budget was discussed, has he kept such a low profile? What kind of leader is he, not even able to keep order during the Steglitz-Rosen hurly-burly in the meetings. Heck, the BOT meetings are run by the duo Matthews/Gross. Most trustees complain that they were not apprised on time of the seriousness of our budget crisis. Was Mr. Calabrese? If not, why? If yes, what did he do about it? Let’s face it folks: each trustee has one vote, but Bill Calabrese is supposed to lead. I know, it sounds funny!
Mary
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J. Crohn
Citizen
Username: Jcrohn
Post Number: 456
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 12:16 pm: |
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Thank you, Happyman, for reiterating my queries.
It should not be up to Mark Rosner and Allen Rosen to have to answer for the entire BOT and Mr. Calabrese. |
mrosner
Citizen
Username: Mrosner
Post Number: 633
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 3:36 pm: |
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This message board is not an official communication vehicle for the village. It is one that I have chosen to participate in(amd believe me, a lot have told me and still tell me that I am nuts for doing so).
I will forward the post to the CFO. I do think all of you are entitled to the answers. Sometimes I think it is better for someone else to answer and then I don't respond. Sometimes I don't know the answer and I am waiting a response to questions before I post.
I do not speak for the board and certain questions should only be answered by others. In this case, I think the CFO should answer most of them. In some cases I have tried to give the opinion of the board even if is different from my own just so it is understood better. A lot of issues which might seem to be a no-brainer are really not and do require discussion. I like to weigh the pros and cons of everything while trying to think if there are other alternatives.
Just for clarification, the CCR was budgeted for $35,000 last year and we did not wait to see what Maplewood was going to do.
I knew the surplus was going to be less, but I did not know the full extent (there were some variables that were not known at the initial budget meetings).
I was not happy with the timing of the memo. In fact, I don't like the timing of the whole budget process (and a lot of the problems are due to the state). I feel like we should do a full review and anticipate the budget in advance with quarterly updates. I am not on the finance committee because the chair held meetings at a times that were not good for me.
We have delayed improvements to the court house/police station for years. The longer we wait, the more expensive the renovations seem to become. We have tried to stagger repairs to various building so we don't have all of them come up in one year. Every year we deal with a tight budget - this year is tighter than others.
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Eric DeVaris
Citizen
Username: Eric_devaris
Post Number: 36
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 4:04 pm: |
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I agree with J.Crohn. Messrs. Rosner, Rosen, and Joyce are going out of their way to respond to most of our questions here and we should be thankful to them; this was not part of their job description when they got this job. They have, I believe, appreciated the intelligence represented in this board, and decided to participate, and I think they are doing a very good job. Unlike some of their colleagues, like Mr. Steglitz, who have obstinately refused to be present here; he publicly declared that he doesn’t even read this board. So much for a Village Trustee who is, supposedly, seeking to read the public’s pulse. Thank you Mark, Alan, and Patrick.
Eric
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J. Crohn
Citizen
Username: Jcrohn
Post Number: 467
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, September 27, 2003 - 10:54 pm: |
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"This message board is not an official communication vehicle for the village."
No doubt. But surely officers of the Village are not elected to respond to public concerns exclusively through official communications vehicles.
I echo Eric's thanks to you, Mr. Rosen, and Mr. Joyce, and hope that others will see the wisdom in engaging in this kind of dialogue, however frustrating it must be at times.
For all his evident dissatisfaction with the endeavor, Ed Matthews, too, deserves recognition for having taken the time to respond here to publicly aired concerns about the PILOT issue. Between the discussions online and the presentation in Town Hall, my own view of PILOTs has broadened and changed. I doubt I'm alone.
Finally, Village officials need to understand that as much as they'd rather not have to contend with citizens talking back, questioning their judgment, demanding explanations, and even suggesting that they are criminals, the reality of public speech does now include this medium.
Every time I go to a local meeting of some sort I am surprised to run into someone I've never met who has read something I've posted, and has read what other people post, and who relies on this board as much or more than the News Record to learn what's going on in our communities.
That's the reality of things--and personally, I'm more comfortable with elected officials who are in touch with reality. |
mrosner
Citizen
Username: Mrosner
Post Number: 643
Registered: 4-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, September 28, 2003 - 12:16 pm: |
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J. Crohn. I only mentioned that because there are times when a complaint or issue needs to be addressed immediately. The best way for that to happen is to make a call to the appropiate party. In the case of the budget questions, it might be better to do so in person at a budget meeting or to Mr. Gross directly since many questions require follow-ups which do not always work as well in this forum.
Not to mention, that none of us (even me) check MOL every day. |
Lizziecat
Citizen
Username: Lizziecat
Post Number: 45
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 12:04 am: |
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Speaking as a retired librarian, $84,000 is not out of line for the director of a library in an upscale suburban town with an educated and demanding citizenry. If you are referring to Ms. Janow, I don't believe that she is the director of the South Orange Library, and I don't think that she is even a certified librarian with a Masters in Library Science. So if she's posting during business hours, even if she's not on her break time, it's not costing the taxpayers all that much. Ms. Library Lady is most likely a library assistant or a clerk, positions for which a Masters degree is not required.
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NCJanow
Citizen
Username: Librarylady
Post Number: 979
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 7:32 am: |
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Thanks, Lizziecat (I think?). I am a Senior Library Asistant , having worked at the South Orange Library 13 years tomorrow. While I don't have an MLS, I am just a few credits short of having a MBA.
Our director, Elaine Clark, retired this summer and moved to Florida. The Library Board is currently in the process of reviewing resumes and interviewing candidates to fill the position.
I NEVER intimated that I was the director. Anyone familiar with South Orange and/or the Library knows that I am not (nor would I qualify based on my educational background).
Any and all of my posts are as a public citizen, not a town employee.
NCJ aka LibraryLady
On a coffee break..or something like it.
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nwyave
Citizen
Username: Mesh
Post Number: 110
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 11:18 am: |
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I've seen some literature lately about the Tony Smith sculpture. I am far from an expert in that field and it may be a beautiful thing to have in our village. However, I do not think that with the current financial crisis, the town should be spending one penny in this area. If we can get grant money (that would not be used for any other purpose, and thus the only reason we are getting it is to fund this project), then assuming the astetics work, that would be fine. If we are in a financial crisis, then even things that people might really want, such as this, needs to be examined. As this is discretionary, in my opinion it would have to wait until we can perhaps one day afford it - certainly not now. |
mayhewdrive
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 405
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 11:42 am: |
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NW,
I TOTALLY agree. From what I had heard quite a while ago, this sculpture is not even going to be an "original", but a "re-creation" which would still cost in the $50k+ range.
I actually heard someone who was promoting this project that they thought this sculpture would make S.O. a destination. I don't buy that.
I agree with NW...As this is discretionary, in my opinion it would have to wait until we can perhaps one day afford it - certainly not now. |
Lizziecat
Citizen
Username: Lizziecat
Post Number: 49
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 7:14 pm: |
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I agree with Mayhew and nwyave on the sculpture. The town has needs which are much more pressing than a piece of sculpture, which, by the way, should be donated to the town, if the artist was indeed such a prominent and beloved resident. |
Washashore
Citizen
Username: Washashore
Post Number: 74
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 10:46 pm: |
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nwyave and mayhew: How about a campaign to get rid of some of the dead weight and Big Billable Hours folks at Village Hall. We ought to be able to "afford" the full cost of an original Tony Smith with the savings from such a successful campaign. |
mayhewdrive
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 406
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 10:52 pm: |
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Wash,
That does raise an interesting question that I have often wondered...is Mr. Matthews a salaried employee, or does he charge the Village hourly for his time? |
Allan J Rosen
Citizen
Username: Allanrosen
Post Number: 17
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 - 1:02 pm: |
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MayhewDrive: The answer is both. Village Counsel is paid a retainer for most of his Village duties but is paid a special below-market rate for litigation and non-covered items on an hourly basis. |
woodstock
Citizen
Username: Woodstock
Post Number: 375
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 - 2:41 pm: |
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Washashore,
I'm sure if you can identify "dead weight" on the budget, and present it without being antagonistic, people would be happy to hear it. Everyone on the BOT pays taxes, just like the rest of us. I'm sure they're not thrilled about their high taxes either.
As far as "Billable Hours folks," perhaps you can be more specific, rather than using innuendo. If you specifically mean Mr. Matthews, say so. Don't beat around the bush. Then justify your reasoning, again, without being antagonistic.
Waiting For The Electrician, Or Someone Like Him
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mayhewdrive
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 408
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 - 8:04 pm: |
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Thanks for the response, Allan.
Can I assume that this arrangement allows for this position to receive both paid benefits & "overtime" pay for some "non-covered" items? Is attendance at Village Meetings paid on an hourly basis? We all know how late those meetings often run.
Essentially, my point is that would it be in the best financial interests of the Village to make this position a full-time salaried position (with no paid overtime)?
I fully admit I am outside my area of expertise on what other municipalities do. However, in my field, we have a similar situtation with "contractors" that are paid hourly (often times with no cap on hours). For short term help, it makes sense, but for long term engagements, it almost always winds up costing the company more than if the person were a full-time salaried employee. |
Washashore
Citizen
Username: Washashore
Post Number: 76
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, October 2, 2003 - 1:20 am: |
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woodstock: Thank you for identifying the specificity to my comments that you seek. The "dead weight" to which I referred is indeed Mr. Matthews. We have begun to unravel here how much the Village pays him in salaried and billable hours. When the total amount is revealed, it is likely that many Villagers will demand that the village attorney be salaried (and perhaps this Village attorney fired) rather than on a billable scale.
For example: the attorney advised the village to condemn the Shop Rite site and then purchase it. It would also have been the attorney's job to make sure that an environmental audit was done to determine the presence of any contamination BEFORE one dime of the Village's money changed hands. Yet, this was not done. In some towns, when the contamination was found AFTER the purchase, that alone might have been grounds for his dismissal. In this town, it served only to allow Mr. Matthews additional BILLABLE hours to deal with this contaminated mess, while we lost both a food store and a tax ratable in the downtown, and gained a vacant contaminated site from which Mr. Matthews likely CONTINUES to bill the Village for his services to rectify the mess he led us in to.
I suspect that when you purchased your home, you hired an attorney to advise you on the land transfer issues, including the condition of the house and site. The Village should expect no less from its attorney in land transfer deals. However, when said attorney also has billable hours, then perhaps it is in the attorney's best interest to recommend insufficiently researched Village actions that, once taken, invariably lead to more protracted legal dealings than if he were on straight salary.
It would be publicly responsive if Dr. Rosen would continue to fill in the blanks about how Mr. Matthews is paid, what his hourly billable rate is, and what his total earnings remuneration from South Orange last year was, rather than having Village residents go through the Open Public Records Act (OPRA)to request public information via a great deal of unnecessary paper work if Village officials were more forthcoming with what is our right to know.
What say you, Dr. Rosen? The information on Mr. Matthews' contract with the Village, and how much he earned from the Village last year,is public knowledge. Will you tell us the specifics so we don't have to spend more time and money through OPRA to uncover what a simple post here would resolve? |
Washashore
Citizen
Username: Washashore
Post Number: 78
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, October 7, 2003 - 5:30 pm: |
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Dr. Rosen: We have begun to unravel in this thread how much the Village pays Mr. Matthews in salaried and billable hours, and how we might cut costs so as to reduce the amount of the municipal tax increases in '05 and beyond.
We residents need this information so as to know whether to support his retention in a similar contractual relationship as he currently enjoys with the Village, or to support some other form of legal advise for the Village, such as a salaried-only attorney. For example: Mr. Matthews advised the village to condemn the Shop Rite site and then purchase it. It would also have been the attorney's job to make sure that an environmental audit was done to determine the presence of any contamination BEFORE one dime of the Village's money changed hands for this site. Yet, this was not done.
In some towns, where contamination was found AFTER the purchase, that alone might be grounds for the attorney's dismissal. In this town, it served only to allow Mr. Matthews additional BILLABLE hours to deal with this contaminated mess, while we, the residents, lost both a food store and a tax ratable in the downtown, and gained a vacant contaminated site from which Mr. Matthews likely CONTINUES to bill the Village for his services to rectify the mess he led us in to.
I suspect, Dr. Rosen, that when you purchased your home, you hired an attorney to advise you on the land transfer issues, including the condition of the house and site. The Village should expect no less from its attorney in land transfer deals. However, when said attorney also has billable hours, then perhaps it is in the attorney's best interest to recommend insufficiently researched Village actions that, once taken, invariably lead to more protracted legal dealings than if he were on straight salary.
It would be publicly responsive of you to continue to fill in the blanks about how Mr. Matthews is paid, what his hourly billable rate is, and what his total earnings remuneration from South Orange last year was, rather than having Village residents go through the Open Public Records Act (OPRA)to request public information via a great deal of unnecessary paper work if Village officials were more forthcoming with what is our right to know.
What say you, Dr. Rosen? The information on Mr. Matthews' contract with the Village, and how much he earned from the Village last year,is public knowledge. Will you tell us the specifics so we don't have to spend more time and money through OPRA to uncover what a simple post here would resolve?
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Kelly O'Neill
Citizen
Username: Kellysaid
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2003 - 5:31 pm: |
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I was just wondering what the assitant director of recreation would actually do, just curious |
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