Ho-Ho-Kus August 21, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 5 Expanded commission now handling shade tree issues by Jennifer Crusco The Ho-Ho-Kus Shade Tree Commission recently welcomed two new volunteers. Mayor Thomas Randall appointed Patrick Pavelski and Daniel Chase to the com- mission, and both appointees were unanimously approved by the borough council. The addition of the two commissioners brings the com- mission’s membership to five. Pavelski and Chase joined Frank Grieder, Christopher Raimondi, and Kim Mitchell. In a recent interview, Mayor Randall indicated that the commission had requested additional participation. “More membership and more input were wanted. (The expansion) was permitted and desired,” Mayor Randall said. Earlier this year, in preparation for the expansion of the commission, the council approved an ordinance to allow for a five-member group. Those members are appointed by the mayor and must be borough residents. Ho-Ho-Kus Shade Tree Commission members are volunteers, and serve without compensation. “We put out the word and we got two terrific people, both of whom are long-term residents,” Randall said. He added that Pavelski has been involved with the local softball program and is a well-respected member of the community. Chase, who was raised in town, has some background in the field, Randall said, adding that Chase is very enthu- siastic. The mayor explained that the commission is responsible for the inventory of borough trees, and for recommending pruning, limb removal, or tree removal. “Sandy took care of some of that for us,” Randall said, referring to the hurricane that felled several large trees and branches in October 2012. He added that the commission is always looking at renewal. For over a decade, the borough has achieved Tree City USA status annually. According to the Tree City USA website, this program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, and “pro- vides direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry pro- grams.” Municipalities that apply for Tree City USA status are required to meet four standards established by The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State For- esters. Specifically, eligible municipalities must have a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. The website states, “These standards were established to ensure that every qualifying community would have a viable tree management plan and program. It is important to note that they were also designed so that no community would be excluded because of size.” The website further states that Tree City USA standards provide initial direction for a community forestry program that help get a community started toward annual, system- atic management of its tree resources. According to the website, the many benefits of being a Tree City USA include a positive public image for the com- munity, community pride, positive publicity, and financial assistance. “Preference is sometimes given to Tree City USA com- munities over other communities when allocations of grant money are made for trees or forestry programs. The reason is that there are invariably more requests than available funds when grants are available through state or federal agencies. If requests are equally worthy, some officials tend to have more confidence in communities that have demonstrated the foresight of becoming a Tree City USA,” the website states. Borough’s 2013 total tax rate rises As of Aug. 1, property owners in the Borough of Ho- Ho-Kus are paying taxes based on a total tax rate of 1.91. That figure was recently certified by the Bergen County Board of Taxation, and represents a slight increase from the 2012 overall rate of 1.88. A property owner’s tax obligation is determined by mul- tiplying the property’s assessed value in hundreds of dol- lars by the tax rate. Ho-Ho-Kus Chief Financial Officer Joe Citro indicated that the new overall tax rate will result in an annual tax of $14,325 for the owner of a house assessed at $750,000, the borough’s average value. Citro pointed out that the tax rate for municipal purposes is the same as last year: 0.57. The overall tax rate, however, includes the municipal tax and school, county, and open space levies. This year, the school tax increased to 1.087, the Bergen County tax increased to 0.247, and the open space tax is 0.003. This spring, the Ho-Ho-Kus Council introduced an $8,166,529 municipal-purpose budget for 2013. The budget includes $6,646,054 to be raised by taxation. The minimum library tax is $414,712. The borough’s capital budget includes $3,409,000 in general improvements, and the council’s self-liquidating budgets for the solid waste utility and the water department are $830,000 and $929,890, respectively. J. CRUSCO