Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • April 3, 2013 Area Ho-Ho-Kus budget to have zero average increase by Jennifer Crusco The Ho-Ho-Kus Council has introduced an $8,166,529 municipal-purpose budget for 2013. The tax rate associated with this budget is 0.57 per $100 of assessed value. Ho-HoKus Chief Financial Officer Joseph Citro noted that this tax rate will result in a zero percent tax increase for the owner of a home assessed at $750,000, the borough’s average. After the meeting, Citro pointed out that this municipal tax rate could result in a tax increase or decrease for other property owners. This budget does not include taxes associated with other entities, such as the local school district or Bergen County, which contribute to the overall property tax. Citro pointed out that the budget is under the levy cap, and noted that surplus has increased again this year. Councilman Kevin Shea, who is the council’s finance chairman, noted that surplus has risen for the last three years. Surplus is listed at $187,000 this year. Auditor Paul Garbarini Jr. pointed out that surplus provides a cushion for the borough, as there is lag time between the generation of the tax bills and the time the money comes back in to the borough. He said the increase in surplus is to be applauded. This year, the total amount to be raised by taxation is $6,646,054, and miscellaneous revenues will total $1,153,476. The minimum library tax is $414,712. The appropriation for net employee group insurance will decrease to $532,000 in 2013, down from $625,000 in 2012. The reserve for uncollected taxes will be $230,000, up from $220,000 in 2012. The capital budget includes $3,409,000 in general improvements, including $115,000 for road improvements, $245,000 for department of public works equipment, $88,000 for police department upgrades and vehicles, $1,260,000 for sewer department upgrades and equipment, $75,000 for fire department improvements, and $1,626,000 for water department improvements. The council also introduced the self-liquidating budgets for the solid waste utility and the water department. The solid waste budget is $830,000 and the water budget is $929,890. An interested resident who spoke during the public comment portion of last week’s meeting urged the council to review its use of personnel within the police department. He said there could be better staffing opportunities and potential savings. Mayor Thomas Randall suggested that Police Chief John Wanamaker, who was not present at last week’s meeting, might be able to answer some of the resident’s questions. Copies of the budget are available at borough hall, and will be posted on the borough’s website. Councilman Shea said the council welcomes questions regarding the spending plan. A public hearing will be held on April 23 at 8 p.m. The session will be held in Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Hall at 333 Warren Avenue. Tour eight homes during History Day by John Koster The third annual History Day house tours will be held on May 18 this year, and tickets are now on sale week at historic sites and by mail. The $10 ticket price allows tour participants to visit as many as eight historical homesteads in northwest Bergen County. The sites are some of the oldest and most important in northern New Jersey and most are used as local museums of cultural and family history. On the day of the tour, presenters will offer a look at some of the handicrafts and skills employed in Colonial and Revolutionary War times. The tour sites will include: • The Schoolhouse Museum, 650 East Glen Avenue in Ridgewood, an actual schoolhouse from Victorian times that has been converted into a museum featuring clothing, crafts, toys, Indian artifacts, and silverware and pottery from pre-Columbian days to the end of the 19th century. • The Hermitage, 335 North Franklin Turnpike in HoHo-Kus, a Gothic Revival mansion built around an older Colonial home where George Washington once stayed and Aaron Burr courted his first wife, Theodosia Prevost, during the American Revolution. • The Fell House, 475 Franklin Turnpike in Allendale, former home of Patriot John Fell, a member of the Second Continental Congress who helped ratify the U.S. Constitution and spent time in a British prison until his daughter helped win his freedom through the influence of her Loyalist husband. This house was recently saved from the bulldozer by dedicated residents and is being gradually restored to its standing as one of the finest mansions in the county. • The Hopper-Goetschius Museum, 363 East Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River, another impressive larger home. Grilled hotdogs and soda will be served in the picnic area during the tour hours from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. • The Old Stone House, 538 Island Road near Route 17 southbound in Ramsey, a museum that features a detailed look at construction techniques and vintage toys. • The Mahwah Museum, 201 Franklin Turnpike in Mahwah. • The Van Allen House, 3 Franklin Avenue in Oakland, near the terminus of Route 208, a colonial-era farmhouse typical of the homes that middle-income settlers lived in as they worked the land. • The Zabriskie House, 421 Franklin Avenue in Wyckoff, which offers a look at extensive crafts and family living from the Revolutionary War era through the Civil War era. Tickets will also be sold at Abma's Farm Market, 700 Lawlins Road in Wyckoff, Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by mail by writing to the Old Schoolhouse Museum, 650 East Glen Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. Checks should be made out to the Ridgewood Historical Society.