January 20, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Allendale Borough residents reject curbside garbage option by John Koster Allendale residents have overwhelmingly rejected a curbside garbage pickup option that could have saved the borough an estimated $98,000. Eyeing the potential savings, the Allendale Council considered the option of asking residents to leave their garbage at the curb, rather than continue backyard or side-yard pickup. Residents turned out in force at last week’s council meeting and a show of hands and petitions indicated nearunanimous opposition to the curbside concept. “Allendale is a premium town, and we pay premium taxes,” said John Dreyer, one of the keynote speakers. “Curbside should be one of the last things on the table…this is nutty, in my opinion.” A show of hands suggested that the vast majority of residents at the meeting agreed with Dreyer, who said that changing Allendale’s backyard or side-yard pickup to curbside collection was not the way to cope with the economic slump. Dreyer argued that Allendale’s property values would be compromised by having curbside pickup, and that burglars would be able to target houses more easily if the present back-yard pickup were discontinued. Nancy Greene, who owns multiple properties in Allendale, concurred that changing to curbside pickup would be a mistake. “Everybody I talked to was opposed to such a position,” Greene said. She added that garbage pickup is the one thing that all Allendale residents have in common “I don’t think you should get rid of something that benefits every resident,” she said. “I don’t think you’ll find anyone on this dais who’s for curbside pickup in a passionate way, that this is the moral thing to do,” said Councilwoman Suzanne LaMonica. “The passionate thing is to control our taxes.” The conundrum, as far as the council is concerned, is that the council has to find ways to cut expenses to formulate a budget that comes in under the New Jersey state cap, but none of the options are acceptable to the public. Commenting on one such option, Greene, who is the library director in Ridgewood, argued against anything that could compromise the autonomy of the Allendale Library. She said the Allendale Library is her favorite library, and she stated her opposition to any concept that might regionalize library services. Other residents opposed options that could impact the Allendale Department of Public Works. The hearing ended with no formal decision, but council members and the borough administration clearly understood that most residents who spoke or signed petitions oppose curbside pickup. ���� The Allendale Republican Club will hold its annual reorganization Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. The session will be held in the council chambers at borough hall, 500 West Cres- Republican Club to reorganize ��� 99 West Allendale Ave. Allendale, NJ Phone: 201-327-2423 Fax: 201-327-9550 cent Avenue. All registered Republicans are encouraged to attend. 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