Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • January 20, 2010 Waldwick Ordinances would approve $91K in new cell tower leases The Waldwick Council last week introduced ordinances authorizing leases for three new co-locators on the borough-owned cell towers. The leases will bring an additional $91,185 a year into the borough’s coffers. MetroPCS New York LLC expects to co-locate on the monopole at the leaf mulch site behind Boston Market, the fifth antenna on the 150-foot tower. The others already there are Sprint, Nextel, T-Mobile and ATT Singular. The new lease will bring $33,600 a year. Two leases are proposed for the 125-ft.-high monopole at the DPW garage on Industrial Way. T-Mobile Northeast’s lease would be for $29,985, and Clear Wireless LLC’s would be for $27,600. ATT Singular and Verizon are already located on that tower. Councilwoman Anita Bozzo praised previous councils which had “embraced cell companies to generate revenue and mitigate the amounts raised by taxes, offsetting the debt service on these buildings.” The cell tower revenue, which up to now has been $215,000 a year on the two borough-owned sites, was pledged to paying off the debt service on the new town hall and the public safety building. The ordinance on the leases will have a public hearing at the Jan. 26 meeting of the mayor and council. The Waldwick Mayor and Council is opposing state efforts to turn over to the counties tax assessment and valuation duties now carried out by municipal tax assessors. The governing body last week adopted a resolution formally opposing a pilot program in Gloucester County switching those duties and objecting to any expansion of the pilot program to include Bergen County. The state Legislature is now considering an expansion of the pilot program throughout the state, causing concern that Bergen County’s municipalities would also be forced to consolidate the duties of the individual towns’ tax assessors into those of the newly-appointed county assessors. Legislation establishing the pilot program was signed by the Governor in August, 2009. Waldwick officials believe local control of the municipal tax assessment and revaluation function is essential to the borough’s ability to control costs and effectively budget for the future. A major concern is that the borough assessor’s Town opposes consolidation of assessor duties ����� ������� ������� ����� ��� ��������������� ����������� extensive knowledge of Waldwick cannot be reproduced at the county level. “It seems the state is trying to regulate how we do business. We do a good job. We are selective in the kinds of things we regionalize. We seek agreements that suit our needs and save us money. We take great care in selecting our borough employees. We are not sure the county takes the same care. We’d have no control,” said Councilman Don Sciolaro. Councilwoman Anita Bozzo, who chairs the council’s finance committee, echoed those sentiments. “Any time the county takes over for the municipality, where they collect and give back, it’s particularly dangerous, as we’ve seen in the past,” Bozzo said. “They take but don’t give you all back; they have higher costs; they inflate the staff. We lose control of the funds, and we lose the personal touch with our residents. We don’t save money at all; it costs more,” she added. �������� ��� ������������ �������� ������������ �� ������� ���������� ��� �������� ������� ��� ����������� Community Alliance plans Wine Tasting fundraiser The Waldwick Community Alliance will host a Wine Tasting on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Saint Luke’s R.C. Church in Ho-Ho-Kus. There will be over 100 quality wines, craft beers, great food, and prizes. Participants may enter to win a 32-inch LCD HDTV, a wine refrigerator, wine accessories, and more. Tickets are $45 per adult and may be purchased online at WaldwickCommunityAlliance. org or by calling Doug Cowie at (201) 873-8919. All proceeds from this event and 20 percent of the wine sales from the evening will benefit the restoration of the Waldwick Train Station. The evening is sponsored in part by Maratene’s Fine Wines and Spirits in Waldwick. ��� ������� ������� ������� ������������ ������������� 1-20-10 pat/janine KellyGuthrieCahill2x2(1-20-10)alt 2 x 2” KEANE FIT & WELLNESS ��������������������� MAT Specialist Sheila Keane • EDUCATED - MA in exercise science • CERTIFIED - ACSM, NASM, Post Rehab Specialist, • EXPERIENCED - 15 years one-to-one personal training �������������������������������� ���������������������������������� Fitness, Weight Loss, Bariatrics, Geriatrics & Parkinson’s Programs JANUARY SPECIAL 201-341-0183 IT’S A NEW YEAR - CALL NOW ������������������������