December 18, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Area ACLU legal director to address advisory board Ed Barocas, legal director for the Amer- ican Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, will meet with the Community Relations Advisory Board of Ridgewood and Glen Rock on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the first floor Garden Room in the Ridgewood Munici- pal Building, 131 North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood. The ACLU-NJ’s conflicts over govern- NBCUA budget will result in lower per customer cost The Board of Commissioners of the Northwest Bergen County Utilities Author- ity has unanimously approved a $12,972,502 operating budget for 2014. Chairman Brian Chewcaskie noted at this month’s special meeting that the budget represents a decrease of $2,632,005, or 17 percent from the authority’s amended 2013 budget of $15,604,507. “The budget will be submitted to the New Jersey Division of Local Government Services for their approval,” Chewcaskie said. “Distribution of the final budget and the 2013 final user service charges will be made as soon as possible, but no later than Jan. 15, 2014 as stipulated in our service contract.” It was also announced that the process included an amendment to the prelimi- nary budget that had been approved by the authority commissioners on Oct. 16. This amendment was an adjustment to the pro- jected capital budget for 2014, rescheduling several anticipated major capital projects from 2014 to 2015. The revision does not impact either the operating budget or the operating revenues required for 2014, offi- cials said. Other highlights of the budget include: The 2014 operating portion of the $10,328,405 budget increased by $383,660 or 3.86 percent from the 2013 budget. The debt service portion of the budget decreased by $2,901,665, resulting from the retirement of authority bonds. The capital improvement portion of the budget decreased by $114,000. There was discussion that, even though flow intake was lower than normal, rela- tively few municipalities would experience increases due to infiltration at some munic- ipal lines. Even in such cases, the cost per customer was reduced from $324 to $323, the lowest since 2000. As is the customary standard, revenue anticipated from user charges will vary for each community depending on the factors (continued on page 23) ment sponsored religious displays continue unabated this holiday season. Ed Barocas, Esq. will discuss the trend in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 1995 decision in Capi- tal Square Advisory Committee v. Pinette, which upheld the ACLU’s position that pri- vate religious speech in a public forum is protected by the free speech clause of the First Amendment and should not be viewed as unconstitutional governmental endorse- ment of religion. The committee will be guided through a discussion concerning religious displays on public property, and the creation of public forums where the displays are located, and turned over to private groups. The American Civil Liberties Union’s work to protect the enduring values of freedom and equality is based on a three- pronged approach: litigation, public educa- tion, and lobbying. The ACLU is a leader in the fight for equal opportunity regardless of skin color, gender, or sexual orientation. Barocas oversees the ACLU-NJ’s legal program and manages a docket of more than 30 cases, which touch every corner of civil liberties and due process of law. Prior to working for the ACLU-NJ, he served as special counsel for the Special Hearings Unit of the Office of Public Defender in Newark. Prior to serving as special coun- sel, Barocas was an assistant deputy public advocate for the Division of Mental Health Advocacy in Wall. He attended Rutgers College in New Brunswick and received his juris doctorate from the National Law Center at George Washington University. Community Relations Advisory Board Committee meetings are open to the public and provide a safe environment for com- munity members who are experiencing or witnessing bias-related crime to be heard. Individuals working or living within the Ridgewood environs who have experienced bias intimidation, housing discrimination, racism, sexism, or an injustice based on their sexual orientation are urged to contact the board at crabnj@gmail.com. The Community Relations Advi- sory Board, appointed by the mayors of Ridgewood and Glen Rock was created to overcome bias attitudes toward persons or groups based on their race, color, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or dis- ability. The all-volunteer board meets the third Wednesday of each month. Visit on Facebook @ Community Relations Advi- sory Board of Ridgewood and Glen Rock.