Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • November 2, 2011 Ho-Ho-Kus Borough clerk receives reappointment, tenure by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Clerk Laura P. Borchers has been reappointed to her post by the borough council. The governing body’s decision effectively grants the clerk tenure, which will allow Borchers to hold office “during good behavior and efficiency and compliance with the continuing education requirements set forth in NJSA 40A:9133.10,” the associated resolution states. Borchers was first appointed to a three-year term as clerk effective Nov. 25, 2008. She had joined the administrative staff as clerk in 2005, and received her Registered Municipal Clerk certification in the fall of 2008, after passing the rigorous examination. Any individual hired as a borough clerk has three years to obtain the Registered Municipal Clerk designation, which is required by the state. Borchers studied at Montclair State University for her clerk’s credentials. She previously attended school in India. Before she joined the municipal staff in Ho-Ho-Kus, Borchers had been an administrative assistant to Midland Park’s borough administrator and clerk. She had previously worked as a crossing guard, and in a local bank. She is a member of the Midland Park Volunteer Ambulance Corps and of the Ho-Ho-Kus Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Prior to the council’s vote last week, Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli reported that Borchers was recently elected secretary of the Bergen County Municipal Clerks’ Association. She will take office in January 2012. That organization includes municipal clerks who work throughout Bergen County. The association strives to foster an understanding of the role of the municipal clerk and allows members to share ideas and concerns as they promote their profession. In recent years, the organization has encouraged clerks to use technology to move toward a paperless operation and its members have spoken out against fines and allegations of negligence filed against municipal clerks in relation to the Open Public Records Act. Earlier this year, Borchers was honored for saving the life of a fellow clerk during a professional conference in April. Borchers was at a dinner with other clerks from around New Jersey, when a female clerk from Lebanon began choking on a piece of ice. Borchers, who was seated next to the choking woman, performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving her life. Borchers later told Villadom TIMES that the woman had been laughing at a comedian when the ice lodged in her throat. The woman began nudging Borchers to get her attention, and the trained emergency medical technician then went to work. Borchers said the other clerks at the event told the woman from Lebanon she was fortunate to have been sitting next to an EMT. Council adopts updated water ordinance The Ho-Ho-Kus Council has approved Ordinance 998, which concerns the enforcement of water use restrictions. The newly-approved ordinance represents an update of Ordinance 994, a proposal that had drawn public concern at the August council meeting and was subsequently tabled. The new ordinance includes updates requested by the residents regarding how individuals will be notified of violations and eliminated a potential water shutoff as a penalty following a first offense. Water shutoffs will now be imposed for a third offense. Several residents who appeared at the August council meeting expressed concern that they might not receive a first violation notice due to time spent away from home or a delivery glitch and would then be subject to having their water service discontinued. Other residents said jail time, which was mentioned in Ordinance 994, seemed an extreme penalty. However, the most recent water violation penalties, which were covered by Ordinance 8134, included fines and imprisonment after a first offense. Additional (continued on page 25)