April 16, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Midland Park School budget OK will result in tax drop Voter approval of the 2014-15 school budget in next week’s school election will result in a drop in the school tax for the first time in at least 40 years. The election is set for Wednesday, April 23 from 2 to 9 p.m. The total proposed budget of $21,170,765 is up 2.21 percent over the current year’s expenditures. The amount to be raised by taxation, however, is $18,620,004, down $606,427, a 3 percent decrease. This means Residents question deli’s non-conforming use status Erie Avenue residents in Midland Park questioned the mayor and council last week as to whether a busy delicatessen in their residential neighborhood was in violation of its pre-existing non-conforming status. Susan Rovi of 328 Erie, said that the success of Park Wood Delicatessen at the corner of Glen and Erie avenues has been creating problems in the neighborhood, including parking problems, noise and traf- fic and safety issues. Rovi said the deli has insufficient parking, forcing patrons and employees to park on the street for extended hours and too close to the stop sign at Glen Avenue. “It’s down on file as a grocery/deli, but it’s now a catering/pizza/restaurant place,” Rovi said. She said there are 14 seats on premises. (continued on page 14) that a house assessed at $392,000, the borough’s average, will get a reduction of $223.94 a year on the school portion of its tax bill. The reduction is due to the fact that the current year’s budget included a one-time only expense of $955,075 to fix the dis- trict’s roofs approved by voters last year. That project had raised taxes on the average house by $359.85. The proposed budget includes $373,275 for capital outlay, including $350,000 to complete the roof replacement project in all three of the borough’s school buildings, according to Business Administrator Stacy Garvey. She said the final piece is a section above the front entrance to the school and another north of the auditorium. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marie Cirasella said that the proposed budget preserves all existing instructional and extracurricular activities in the district, including sports and fine and performing arts programs. Not included in the budget, Garvey said, are any funds to match the state grant the board has received for safety upgrades to its facilities. The $3.1 million grant must be matched with 60 percent from local funds. Midland Park and Ramsey are the only Northwest Bergen districts to retain the April school election. As permitted by state law, other districts have opted to drop the public vote on the budget and move the school board member election to November to coincide with the general election.