Ho-Ho-Kus December 14, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 9 Borough council introduces two new fee ordinances by Jennifer Crusco Next week (Tuesday, Dec. 20), the Ho-Ho-Kus Council will hold public hearings on two ordinances that would establish new fees within the borough. Both ordinances were introduced in late November, and will be considered for final passage after the conclusion of the public hearings. Ordinance 1001 would establish a $100 fee for the installation of a burglar alarm system, and Ordinance 1002 would add administrative fees and a vehicle charge when off-duty police officers are hired for non-borough related work. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli noted that the burglar alarm proposal would require a homeowner to register with the borough when an alarm system is installed. Cirulli explained that borough police respond to many false alarms each year, and the registration program would allow the police to communicate with the individual homeowners regarding the causes of those alarms. The administrator pointed out that, after the third false alarm at a given location, the property owner is subject to a fine. Police Lieutenant Michael Pattman explained that the fine, which is set at the municipal judge’s discretion, begins at a minimum of $50. At one time, the Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department installed temporary alarm systems in the homes of vacationing residents. This program was stopped approximately 10 years ago, Pattman said, as it was identified as a liability issue for the borough. Ordinance 1002, Cirulli said, is intended to discourage the use of police personnel by outside entities unless police service is absolutely necessary. He noted, for example, that a company that requires traffic direction in the midst of a project would not need a police officer to carry out that duty. He added that police officers who are hired for these jobs are off-duty when they do that type of work. He said each person is paid at a different rate, so the borough decided to add a percentage of the charge to the companies hiring the police officers to make up for the administrative costs and for the police vehicle. “Rates of compensation for contracting the services of off-duty law enforcement officers shall be based on a rate equal to that of time and one half of the contractual hourly rate for the individual officer being compensated,” the proposed ordinance states. “An additional fee of 20 percent of the rate as calculated above is hereby established to cover administrative costs, overhead, and out of pocket expenses of the borough. “Use of a borough police vehicle shall be billed at the rate of $30 per hour.” The Dec. 20 council meeting will be held at 8 p.m. at borough hall, 333 Warren Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus. The Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department is currently experiencing its busiest time of the year, Lieutenant Michael Pattman reported last week. “From 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. is prime time from now to New Year’s,” the lieutenant noted. Pattman added that members of the department are conducting a new round of leaving crime prevention courtesy cards with residents whose homes are inadequately lit or have other conditions that might attract burglars. Pattman and Sergeant Christopher Minchin launched the reminder program in 2003 and, since that time, burglary activity in Ho-Ho-Kus has declined during the holiday period. The lieutenant pointed out that, in addition to the potential for break-ins at local residences during these darkest evenings of the year, a new scam is afoot in the area. Pattman reported that unscrupulous individuals have been Police department issues new warning using special detectors that indicate when a car key fob is nearby. He explained that several cars in the area have already been stolen through this method, and urged residents to lock their cars and not to leave the fobs inside the vehicles. The police department requests that citizens immediately report any suspicious activity to police headquarters. Quick reports from vigilant residents can halt crime, because some burglars are not easily discouraged, even by alarms, and plan to break in and leave before they think police can respond to the scene. Residents are reminded to alert the police to unknown vehicles, unknown people, or unusual activity. When issuing a report, residents should be prepared to describe suspicious persons and try to get the make, model, color, and license plate numbers of any (continued on page 18)