March 6, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 Ho-Ho-Kus CERT coordinator withdraws VIP stipend request by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus Community Emergency Response Team Coordinator Stanley Kober has withdrawn his request that CERT members be added to the list of borough volunteers who are eligible for the Volunteer Incentive Program. “While I recognize that each municipality in Bergen County and the State of New Jersey has its own home rule framework of governing, it appears that there may be times when certain actual or perceived limitations or consequences, might overrule a local desire or need,” Kober wrote in a prepared statement, which he delivered to the council last week. “The matter put forth before this council on Feb. 19, 2013 for the requested inclusion of our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), a unit of the Ho-Ho-Kus Office of Emergency Management, into the Ho-Ho-Kus Volunteer Incentive Program for emergency services personnel, may be such an instance. “In the past couple of days, I have been made aware that certain adverse effects, perceived or real, might occur if the borough approves the Ho-Ho-Kus CERT emergency services personnel to be a part of the Ho-Ho-Kus VIP, despite the fact that, for example, Ho-Ho-Kus’ program for volunteer emergency services personnel is different from the Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) for emergency services personnel as other municipalities might have implemented. “Therefore, in order to more clearly demonstrate the desire to continue to be a beneficial contributor at all levels and to grant the possible existence of, even though I do not agree with, certain perceived consequences envisioned by others, with deep regrets I respectfully ask the council to withdraw without prejudice the application for Ho-Ho-Kus CERT to be included in the borough’s Volunteer Incentive Program for emergency services personnel. This request in no way diminishes my strong, personal beliefs that: first, a Community Emergency Response Team only supports and does not supplant or usurp other emergency services; second, this incentive would enhance our local CERT program recruitment and activity turnouts; and third, the active Ho-Ho-Kus CERT personnel deserve to be included in the Volunteer Incentive Program because: a) their tasks performed support the proposition that the active members comply with the standards and philosophy expressed in the current ordinance and the stricter guidelines set forth through last week’s proposed request and subsequent modification; and b) our Ho-Ho-Kus CERT members, as classified as emergency services personnel at an earlier public meeting by you, Mayor Randall, are among the best CERT volunteers who I know and with whom I am proud to serve and be associated.” The specific reasons for withdrawal were not discussed at the public session, and Kober declined further comment. If the VIP request had been approved, Ho-Ho-Kus CERT would have become the first CERT group to become eligible for volunteer incentives. VIP, which was approved by borough voters in a 2002 referendum, extends financial benefits to fire department and ambulance corps volunteers. Another referendum would have been necessary to allow CERT to be eligible for VIP stipends. Those stipends are provided based on a volunteer’s participation in various activities and educational programs. An ordinance that amended firefighters’ qualifications for VIP benefits was approved in 2012. When he made his request to the council at the Feb. 19 work session, Kober told the governing body he believes incentive pay would help CERT increase its membership. At that meeting, Kober indicated that CERT currently has 62 members, about 15 to 17 of whom are active. He told the council that, if VIP eligibility for CERT members took effect next year, approximately six to eight volunteers could have been able to receive benefits. Last week’s article regarding Ho-Ho-Kus CERT should have stated that CERT is NOT a 501c(3) organization. However, CERT Program Coordinator Stanley Kober recently reported that Ho-Ho-Kus Chief Financial Officer Joseph Citro indicated that CERT is able to directly receive in-kind and cash/check donations. Checks should be made out to the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus, with “CERT” put in the memo field and in any accompanying cover letter. The cash/check must have CERT as the recipient in order for it to get into the OEM/CERT budget. CERT may receive direct donations In a letter sent to CERT personnel, Kober wrote: “Several CERT people and residents/organizations have asked about donating money to us and I was under the wrong impression for a (long) time, which was only reconfirmed a short while ago, from some folks ‘in the know,’ that we were not able to accept donations directly into CERT (OEM), but that they had to go to a Borough General Account and that it was not allowable to then come into the CERT account.” Kober said Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli cleared up the matter after speaking with Citro.