Area September 18, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 5 Towns to get full refund from utilities authority Seven area municipalities will be getting back from the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority the full $1.6 million they believe is owed them. The towns had placed the funds in the debt service reserve when the authority’s plant was built in 1965. The bonds matured last year but the authority initially proposed to use the money to fund current capital projects, to reduce annual charges to members and to offset future rate increases. Bowing to pressure from the mayors of the affected municipalities, who insisted on getting the full amount, the NWBCUA commissioners last week adopted on first read- ing a resolution revising their 2013 budget to reduce the fourth quarter service charges by $1,598,983, an amount negotiated down from $2.3 million between the towns and the authority. The modification will still need to be adopted following a public hearing at a future meeting. “We are optimistic, but until we have something in our Wyckoff and Midland Park to cooperate in health fair project The Wyckoff and Midland Park boards of health are co- sponsoring a giant health fair geared to the entire family on Saturday. Sept. 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The inter- active event will feature vendor displays, blood pressure and hearing screenings, chair and yoga massages, an edu- cational component and an expanded flu vaccine clinic, among many other offerings. A “passport to health” fea- ture will give participants the opportunity to win a free emergency preparedness basket. The opportunity to make the fair larger presented itself when Wyckoff moved its fair from Cedar Hill Christian Reformed Church, where it was held for a number of years, to the Wyckoff Library a much larger venue. Both boards anticipate the joint venture will become an annual event and expect that other cooperative efforts will follow. Attendees will learn about emergency preparedness, body alignment, physical therapy counseling, mental health /stress management, prescription counseling, dia- betes education, safe driving, health coaching, nutrition education, social worker/elder care, dental health and acu- puncture and many other topics. The traditional flu clinic, administered by the North- west Bergen Regional Health Commission, will be held at the same time for adults of all ages. Children three to 17 years of age will also be vaccinated if a parent or guard- ian is present (pre-registration is required). The children’s vaccine is thimerosal free. The vaccine fee is $25, cash or check only. No insurance will be accepted, but a receipt will be provided for submis- sion to the health insurance company. Persons who have a Medicare HMO (Medicare Advantage) must also pay $25. Regular Medicare participants must bring their Medicare Part B card for the clinic to bill Medicare directly. The fair will be held in the newly-renovated lower level meeting room of the Wyckoff Library, 200 Woodland Avenue. For health fair information, call (201) 891-7000 extension 304. For vaccine information and pre-registra- tion of children, call the NWBRHC at (201) 445-7217. hands, we’re going to reserve comment,” said Waldwick’s Borough Administrator Gary Kratz, whose town had taken the lead in pursuing the refund. Allendale Mayor Vince Barra, who served on the nego- tiations committee, expressed greater confidence. “I am pleased with the decision of the commissioners of NWBUA to return $1,600,000 to our towns. I think the decision is fair to both the towns and the authority. We look forward to working with the NWBUA in the future to provide excellent service at the lowest possible cost to our residents.” Wyckoff Mayor Rudy Boonstra echoed those senti- ments. “The mayors of the towns involved wanted the full amount, and that is exactly what they did. Speaking for myself, I am pleased with the action they took and appreci- ate their efforts and their engagement with our subcom- mittee,” Boonstra noted. NWBCUA Executive Director Howard Hurwitz said the budget revision would not affect the authority’s operat- ing budget because the moneys were budgeted in a sepa- rate column. He said the funds had been intended to be returned to the municipalities by mitigating future rate increases. “It might affect them in the future,” he said. He added the authority’s attorney and auditor were now working on filing the appropriate documents with the NJ Department of Community Affairs, which must approve the change. A draft resolution Hurwitz circulated to the mayors of the affected towns last month proposed returning only $800,000 this year and placing the remaining funds in reserve to be applied to future rate stabilization in the 2015 and 16 budget years, “when significant service charge increases are projected,” If all goes according to schedule, each town will get its refund proportionate to its user assessment. The approxi- mate figures are: Allendale - $200,000 (12.48 percent); Ho-Ho-Kus - $82,700 (5.17 percent); Mahwah - $470,000 (29.34 percent); Midland Park - $150,000 (8.85 percent); Ramsey - $300,000 (18.6 percent); Waldwick - $210,000 (13.02 percent); and Wyckoff - $200,000 (12.33 percent). The other current member towns are Franklin Lakes, Ridgewood, Saddle River and Upper Saddle River.