Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • October 9, 2013 Franklin Lakes Borough adopts amended building use ordinance by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Council has adopted an amended ordinance intended to control the use of the meeting rooms at municipally-owned buildings. The ordinance also imposes a $50 room use fee, from which charitable organi- zations will be exempt. The balance of the ordinance adds building use policies to the borough code. Those policies pertain to the use of the borough hall on DeKorte Drive, the firehouses on Bender Court and Franklin Lake Road, and the ambulance corps building on Bender Court. The original ordinance was introduced in July and was expected to be adopted at the August council meeting, but representatives of several non-profit organizations appealed to the governing body to exempt their organizations from the fee. At the September work session, the council agreed to the exemption. Members of the Franklin Lakes Woman’s Club and the Valley Hospital Auxiliary told the council they are 501c3 nonprofit organizations, and they asked that the $50 fee be waived for their meetings. Both groups explained that it is getting harder to raise funds. They described the vari- ous expenses their organizations incur and said they do not believe the $50 fee should apply to 501c3 nonprofits. Mayor Frank Bivona had emphasized that the fee is intended to cover the cost of operating and maintaining borough facilities built with taxpayer money. He pointed out that fees are also charged by the borough for services such as those for all the children who play on the recreation department’s sports teams so taxpayers are not charged for those services. Bivona claims the borough takes in about $800,000 in fees each year. If those fees were not collected, he said, tax- payers would see an increase in their taxes. But he agreed that charitable organizations should not have to pay the fee. The ordinance permits borough hall to be used only by borough boards, committees, and commissions, or subcom- mittees of those groups. The borough’s mayor and council may, by resolution, allow use by other organizations or per- sons in accordance with such terms and conditions as may be set forth by the governing body in the resolution approv- ing that use. Members of the Franklin Lakes Fire Department are permitted to use the meeting rooms at the borough’s fire- houses for personal use and parties at no cost to those mem- bers, provided the member is present at the event. Firehouse meeting rooms may also be used by borough boards, committees, and commissions, or their subcommit- tees. The governing body may also allow the use of these meeting rooms by other organizations or persons. The ordinance will restrict the use of ambulance corps building as follows: The large meeting room may be used by members of the Franklin Lakes Volunteer Ambulance Corps for official ambulance corps business and training, and for personal use and parties by members, at no cost to members, provided the member is present at the event. That meeting room may also be used by borough boards, com- mittees, and commissions, or their subcommittees, and may be used by other borough organizations and groups for meetings only, subject to certain rules and regulations. Those rules and regulations require that borough orga- nizations and groups must be organizations and groups that have residents of Franklin Lakes as a majority of their members. A list of organization or group members by municipality must be submitted with the application upon request. The rules and regulations also require that an applica- tion for use of the large meeting room at the ambulance corps building must be submitted to the borough clerk’s office at least 30 days prior to the meeting; the maximum occupancy must be 120 people; and the fee for the use of the room will be $50 per meeting; except that charitable organizations or groups which qualify as 501c3 nonprofit organizations and have residents of the borough as a major- ity of their members will be exempt from that fee. The use of the large meeting room at the ambulance corps building by other borough organizations and groups may not interfere with ambulance corps’ use and all organizations and groups must provide a “hold harmless agreement” and proof of insurance in accordance with recommendations of the borough’s risk manager. Those groups or organizations must also provide proof of liquor liability insurance when applicable, although the govern- ing body may waive the requirement for the liquor license liability insurance. The ordinance explains that the use of the building by the ambulance corps for official business and training must be given top priority in allocating the use of the large meet- ing room. The use of the building by borough boards, com- mittees, and commissions, or their subcommittees, must be given next priority; and all other groups must be given priority on a first come, first served basis.