Ho-Ho-Kus February 29, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 Borough asks DEP to consider water allocation increase by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus officials have formally asked the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to consider an increase in the borough’s water allocation, which currently allows the borough’s water utility to pump one million gallons per day. At last week’s council work session, Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli reported that the borough has paid the $10,860 fee that will allow the NJDEP to consider the borough’s request. Water use has become an increasingly salient issue in Ho-Ho-Kus. In 2010, the borough exceeded its water allotment. Although the municipality took steps to tighten watering restrictions in 2011, the borough again exceeded its allotment, and was ultimately fined for excessive use. Last summer, two borough professionals traveled to Trenton to discuss a possible increase of the borough’s water allocation with NJDEP representatives. Eileen Feldman, a public engineer and senior principal of Hazen & Sawyer of New York, and Katie Hoek, principal scientist at the same firm, represented Ho-Ho-Kus. Borough officials acknowledge that there could be several reasons the municipality has been exceeding its water allocation, however non-compliance with the lawn watering schedule is often cited as a contributing factor. Ho-Ho-Kus Mayor Thomas Randall previously explained that the borough has been working to meet current water use restrictions while also seeking long-term relief in the form of an increased allocation. He acknowledged that water use has increased although there has been no population boom in the borough. In an effort to gain residents’ compliance with water use, borough officials introduced an ordinance that included tougher penalties for those who violate the borough’s watering regulations. In October 2001, the council approved Ordinance 998, which concerns the enforcement of water use restrictions. The ordinance was a revamped version of Ordinance 994, a proposal that had drawn public concern at the August council meeting and was subsequently tabled. Ordinance 998 includes details requested by residents regarding how individuals will be notified of violations and eliminated a potential water shutoff as a penalty fol- lowing a first offense. Water shutoffs will now be imposed for a third offense. The ordinance also includes jail time as a penalty, but not until a fourth or subsequent offense. “The water use restrictions imposed pursuant to this ordinance shall be enforced during a water emergency by the local authorized official,” Ordinance 998, Section 81-33 states. “Whenever a local authorized official shall find a violation of the (continued on page 12) Anthony E. Carlos, an investigator from the New Jersey Department of the Treasury’s Equal Employment Opportunities Monitoring Program, recently visited Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Hall, and found the municipality in compliance with the state’s regulations. In reporting the news to the Ho-Ho-Kus Council last week, Borough Administrator Don Cirulli noted that the compliance audit concerns laws regarding the bidding process, responses from the bidders, and borough’s hiring of those who provide professional services. Specifically, the compliance review concerned N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et. seq. and its implementing regulations found at N.J.A.C. 17:27. “Laura Borchers, borough clerk, and Ruthanne Frank, my executive assistant, researched and recovered five years of State: Borough in compliance documents from our archives and worked with (Carlos) for four hours,” Cirulli told Villadom TIMES of the investigator’s Feb. 8 visit. Cirulli added that the investigator reviewed the borough’s records to determine whether Ho-Ho-Kus is complying with the legalities of its professional service contracts and the bidding processes. He noted that Carlos also attempted to determine whether the firms the borough hires are complying with regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and payto-play restrictions. In a letter dated Feb. 14, EEO Monitoring Program Supervisor John Ruth Jr. advised Mayor Thomas Randall, “The results of this review indicate that your agency is in compliance at this time.” J. CRUSCO