Villadom Times Weekly Newpaper Online-December 15, 2010 Issue

Area December 15, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Council votes 3-2 to approve ﬁve percent rate hike by John Koster Three of the five Ridgewood Council members have voted to adopt an ordinance to increase Ridgewood Water Company rates charged to customers in Glen Rock, Midland Park, Wyckoff, and Ridgewood by five percent, even after residents from neighboring towns charged that water fees were used to subsidize Ridgewood police, paid firefighters, and administrative costs. According to an Oct. 20 letter signed by Ridgewood Village Manager Kenneth Gabbert and sent to administrators in Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Wyckoff, the 2011 rate per 1,000 gallons will be set at $4.20. The letter notes that the new rate will be in line with several other water utilities, such as United Water ($4.76), Fairlawn ($4.50), HoHo-Kus ($4.50), Waldwick ($4.79) and Allendale ($4.40). “Aren’t you embarrassed?” Glen Rock Councilman Art Pazan asked the Ridgewood Council. “This latest increase is outrageous! It seems that Ridgewood has a monopoly. I can’t go to United Water and I can’t go to Fair Lawn. We owe it to our residents to keep the expenses down...(Some) Glen Rock residents are out of work and have taken their savings and the college funds for the kids out of the bank to pay their property taxes.” Midland Park Mayor Joseph Monahan said, “Put a pause of this. Give it some thought and, put simply, do the right thing.” Wyckoff Township Committeeman Brian Scanlan criticized Ridgewood’s decision to forge ahead despite the fact that the council admitted that they had heard a lot of questions about the finances and had not answered them. Scanlan said that CPA and auditor Gary Higgins, who was hired jointly by Wyckoff and Glen Rock, had produced a responsible audit in a few weeks, while Ridgewood had �� Premium �� 201-444-9995 �� MOONLIGHT SALE Wednesdays & Thursdays 5-8PM through Dec. 24, 2010 May not be combined with any other offers. �� OPEN 7 DAYS 9AM–6PM �� Open until 8PM Wed, Thur, Fri & Sat �� Fresh Cut Trees months to study the problem and still couldn’t answer basic questions. Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion noted that the issue is now before the New Jersey Superior Court, and certain matters could not be discussed due to the pending litigation. Ridgewood Council Members Paul Aronsohn and Stephen Wellinghorst voted “no” on the five percent increase, splitting with Mayor Killion, Deputy Mayor Thomas Riche, and Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh, who said they felt they should move ahead and approve the increase even though there were some good questions raised by the three towns opposing the hike. “We should be able to do what we want to do with the money that we take in. I don’t think we need them to tell us how to operate the water company,” said Roger Wiegand, a sometime critic who in this case supported the council majority’s decision after the delegates from Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Wyckoff has filed out. Ridgewood, he said, had taken over the water company from a private owner many years ago, and had the right to operate it as Ridgewood saw fit. Village Manager Gabbert and Village Attorney Matt Rogers concurred with one proviso: Ridgewood could not charge outside towns a higher rate than Ridgewood residents without the approval of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. All four towns will experience the same five percent increase after Jan. 1, 2011. Spokesmen from Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Wyckoff achieved solidarity: All of them urged Ridgewood’s council members either to dump the rate increase outright or to postpone the vote until they had a chance to examine the statements advanced by Wyckoff Attorney Rob Landell, and by Higgins. Landell mentioned that Ridgewood had first proposed a five percent increase on top of the 21 percent functional increase of last year, then said the increase could go as high (continued on page 25) All Merchandise 20% off �� CIRINO LANDSCAPING Fall Clean-Up Snow Plowing Personal Service Free Estimate ANY % New Clients Only • w/Coupon • Exp 1/31/11 • Not Combinable Full Service Landscape Company �� 15 OFF SERVICE Tom Cirino SANTA’S HELPER �� COUPON COUPON �� SANTA’S HELPER SANTA’S HELPER � � �� COUPON SANTA’S HELPER COUPON ASK ABOUT OUR PRE-PAYMENT SEASONAL DISCOUNT! Call 201-891-0955 For Information �� ANYTHING COMPUTER OF MIDLAND PARK 12-8-10 pat/janine �� Cirino2x2.5Color(12-8-10) 2x2.5” �� COUPON �� SANTA’S HELPER �� COUPON �� SANTA’S HELPER � �� Live! Plant It! �� COUPON �� SANTA’S HELPER SANTA’S HELPER COUPON �� Virus Removal We’ll remove viruses, adware and spyware and install software to help prevent it from happening again! $ �� Reg. $65 55 Exp. 12/31/10 Free Diagnostics 646 Godwin Ave, Midland Park, NJ 07432 �� 201-444-5445