Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • June 23, 2010 Waldwick Two residents asked the Waldwick Mayor and Council last week to freeze taxes and made some recommendations to cut expenses, only to be told that the governing body was already doing everything possible to keep tax increases to a minimum. Richard Giannetti of Longview Drive questioned the council about the $23,000 expenditure for a new fence in Residents ask mayor and council for tax relief the town pool area. He also questioned the two-year contract for the snack stand operator at the pool, noting that the $501 per year fee was too low and suggesting that perhaps some school’s business classes would be willing to run the concession to fulfill a graduation requirement. He also advocated working on shared services. Councilman Chuck Farricker said that the fence proj- The Borough of Waldwick will hold a public auction of items no longer needed and unclaimed items held by the police department on Tuesday, July 6 between 7 and 8 p.m. on the second floor of the municipal building, 63 Franklin Turnpike. Items may be inspected beginning at 6 p.m. All items will be sold “as is”. Among the items to be sold to the highest bidder are a Hewlett Packard color printer, laptop computers, several bicycles in various conditions, a box of new Faberware pots, a toolbox, a circular saw and other miscellaneous Town to auction surplus property items. Successful bidders will be required to pay in cash or by certified check made out to the Borough of Waldwick at the time of pick up of the item. All items must be removed from the property at the conclusion of the sale. No items will be delivered. By law a public auction is the only way the municipality may dispose of surplus items. In previous years the borough has autioned some items on-line, one of the few towns to avail themselves of that option. ect had been put off for several years and had now reached the “dangerous” level. As to the refreshment stand, he said, “they make a lot less money than you think. They last only one year. Let’s hope this operator does last.” Borough Administrator Gary Kratz said that the stand is a service provided to the pool’s users and does not cost the borough any money. He said the operator pays for the gas and electricity he uses. “We’re not overrun by people wanting to run it,” he said. Kratz also said that it would be a liability to have someone other than an experienced food operator run the stand. Giannetti also suggested that costs for pool use and other areas be apportioned among users so as to avoid having the taxpayers subsidize certain operations. “In our society, it doesn’t work that way,” countered Councilwoman Anita Bozzo. “Everybody pays for services. We are willing to pay so our kids are well educated and become good citizens,” she added, referring to the schools. Kratz told Giannetti that he should lobby the state legislature for a constitutional amendment if he wanted to make changes in this area. Addressing Giannetti’s concern about shared services, Kratz said that the municipality had been proactive in seeking regional solutions to solve problems. Mayor Russell “Buddy” Litchult noted that the municipal court had been merged and street paving was done cooperatively with several area towns. Laura DiGiovanni of Cyphers Court urged the governing body to be “more fiscally responsible” and seek ways to maintain taxes at their current level. “People don’t want to move to Waldwick because taxes are too high. If our home prices go down, what is our future,” DiGiovanni said. “Taxes are not the reason property values go down. A lot of factors contribute,” said Bozzo. “We worked pretty hard last year, brainstorming on things we can do. Don’t get the impression the council is not concerned,” she told DiGiovanni. “It’s in the forefront of our minds all the time, not just at budget time, and we will continue to explore,” said Councilman Don Sciolaro. “We don’t get any state aid, and those funds cut belonged to us in exchange for having the power station in our town,” he added, noting that the council had not funded the library renovation this year. Former Mayor Frank McKenna, speaking from the audience, noted that the council had recently had a reduction in force of two and a half positions and had previously restructured the police department to cut one officer from the force. Mayor Litchult said that the municipality anticipates further cuts in state aid next year and was “watching its pennies” so as to have a surplus this year.