Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • September 29, 2010 Area Village approves $25,000 for water company audit by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council has approved a $25,000 emergency appropriation for an audit of the Ridgewood Water company needed to contest a legal action brought by Wyckoff, a water customer. Wyckoff’s suit is based on an audit supported by Glen Rock and Midland Park, the other two water customers who did not join in the formal legal action. Wyckoff has demanded that the recent 21 percent rate increase be repealed. The contract for the Ridgewood municipal audit will be awarded to Louis C. Mai, CPA, as a special consultant. A previous audit commissioned by Wyckoff, Glen Rock, and Midland Park suggested that the Ridgewood Water Company was using water fees to support Ridgewood government operations not directly related to the delivery of water to customers outside Ridgewood. Joseph Fiorenzo, an attorney and former Wyckoff mayor, called the Ridgewood Water Company’s actions “unfair and illegal” because customers outside the borders of Ridgewood were allegedly paying for services that only benefited Ridgewood residents. A letter to the Ridgewood Village Council signed by the mayors of Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Wyckoff alleges that water fees collected from their three towns may have been used to pay for more than water -- including expenses of Ridgewood government that are not directly part of the Ridgewood Water Company. “Our preliminary analysis has uncovered that Ridgewood Water has been subsidizing a number of the operating expenses of the village (Ridgewood) without any justification,” the June 7 letter to Ridgewood states. “It appears that approximately 21 percent of the total water utility expenses of $12,199,384 are for ‘indirect administrative and statutory expenditures.’ The expenses paid by the water utility, charged to the rate payers, include payments for police, the village council, financial administration and a variety of other expenditures which appear to be completely unnecessary for the operation of a water utility with 37 employees including 10 administrative staff. Our accounting expert has been advised that there is a report which purports to justify the passing off of such large expenditures to the water utility, but despite several requests it has yet to be provided.” The letter, which was released to the press last week after repeated requests, was signed by Midland Park Mayor Joseph Monahan, Wyckoff Mayor Rudy Boonstra, and Glen Rock Mayor John van Keuren. Midland Park and Glen Rock were not formal parties to the lawsuit filed against Ridgewood by Wyckoff a few weeks ago, but all three municipalities supported the audit of the Ridgewood Water Company that led to the June 7 letter. The suit urged that the entire 21 percent increase for water consumers in all four towns be repealed. A Glen Rock official who asked not to be named confirmed that, in his opinion, the report indicated “over-allocations.” Fiorenzo prepared the legal papers for the Township of Wyckoff pro bono. Ridgewood’s official position is that the added water rate charges are necessary to protect the quality of water to all four towns. The company has offices in Ridgewood, a monitoring plant in Midland Park, a treatment plant in Glen Rock on land Ridgewood owns, and artesian wells in all four towns. WHO WILL CARE FOR MY CHILDREN? Choosing someone to care for your kids is the most important decision you will ever make. Let Kate or Karen be there for you and your family. Full Time / Part Time / After School Care A free dental clinic for area residents who are at least 18 years of age will be coming to 266 Harristown Road in Glen Rock on Nov. 13 thanks to the cooperation of the Community Emergency Response Teams in Glen Rock and Ho-Ho-Kus. Stan Kober, Ho-Ho-Kus CERT program manager, announced the event last week. The clinic will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will include a blood drive that will be held between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. “We’ll provide traffic and pedestrian control and handle the administrative details, including logging people in,” Kober said of the Ho-Ho-Kus group’s involvement. He said the two local CERT organizations will be working with local dentists who will provide their professional services on a volunteer basis through Dentistry with a Heart, a national organization. Kober said event organizers expect a turnout of approximately 100 people. Those who attend may choose one cleaning, one tooth extraction, or one filling. The participating dentists will be able to take X-rays, if necessary. Two oral surgeons and two dentists will be on hand throughout the day, and a doctor will be available to take patients’ blood pressure and provide other related services, Kober said. He added that this event is for everyone, not just Glen Rock residents. CERT joins forces on free dental clinic Asked where people would park for the dental clinic, Kober indicated that there are a few hundred parking places are available in the parking lot at 266 Harristown Road, which is located at the corner of Maple Avenue. The CERT program is part of the Citizen Corps Program and was developed in California in 1985 so trained community members would be available to assist others in the event of a widespread emergency. Team members are trained in disaster survival and basic first aid so they are able to help themselves, their families, neighbors, and other members of the community until emergency personnel can arrive on the scene. Among their many responsibilities, CERT members search for lost or kidnapped individuals, promote community awareness of hazards and preparedness measures, assist in evacuations and traffic control, staff emergency operations centers and shelters, provide first aid, and assist with search and rescue operations. CERT training classes, which are paid for through federal taxes, consist of eight sessions (a total of 20-24 hours) that are provided at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute in Mahwah. The courses are taught by emergency responders, including firefighters, emergency medical, and law enforcement personnel. J. CRUSCO NORTHERN NANNIES 201 . 396 . 6897 www.northernnannies.com ���������������������������� KEANE FIT & WELLNESS ��������� 9-29-10 janine NorthernNannies2x2(9-29-10) 2 x 2” Sheila Keane ������������������������������������ �������������������������������������������� ������������������������ ��������������������� ���������������������������������������������� • EDUCATED - MA in exercise science • CERTIFIED - ACSM, NASM, Post Rehab Specialist, MAT Specialist • EXPERIENCED - 15 years one-to-one personal training Waterfront house on Fripp Island, SC (near historic Beaufort and Parris Island). 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