Report on July 14, 2008 Borough Council Meeting

By Mark Williams, NPCCR Chair

Last night’s agenda conference was fairly short, lasting less then 30 min. That was followed by the regular council meeting which ended at approx 8:15 pm. No new business was listed on the agenda and 3 items of old business were open for discussion by the council.

Council Agenda Conference

1. Revised Taxicab Ordinance – Language was changed to reflect VIN # as the taxicab’s primary identifier instead of serial number.
2. Revised Tanning Booth Establishment Ordinance – Mr. Hollod reported that he is not currently aware of any Tanning Booth(s) in the Borough.
3. Rental Occupancy Ordinance – Still an open item
   

Regular Council Meeting

Ordinance NO. 08-11 which basically revises Chapter IX of the Borough Code entitled “Personnel” as it relates to, among other items:

• defining Full Time employee as someone who works at least 35 hour week
• recalculating how unused sick time will be monetarily compensated for upon
  retirement…sick leave shall be charged to an employee for the first seven days of an injury pursuant to the Borough’s temporary disability code. The sick days are to be restored if the employee is placed on temporary disability.
•  Borough employees will be limited to one year of unused vacation time eligible to be carried over into the next year.

The above are just 5 of the 17 additions, deletions or revisions to the above mentioned Borough Code. As at the June 23rd Council Meeting the North Plainfield Fire Department and Rescue Squad were present to urge the council to vote “No” on the revisions. Item 4 above of the revised ordinance was of outstanding concern for the fire and medical personal in the room.
A Mr. Holt from the fire fighters/rescue squad bargaining unit asked the council to vote “No” or delay any vote as they are currently in the middle of new contract negotiations. Mr. Jack Fowler reported that it has been his experience as a teacher, in the Piscataway School system, that you limit the right to sue for job- related injury if you are placed on workmen’s comp or temporary disability. He went on to say that should an injured employee not be satisfied with the medical care given by a workmen’s comp medical provider and seek private medical attention that the injured employees should not have to use sick time to attend to their work-related injuries.

The ordinance does not apply to current Borough employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement. However, the issue may become a negotiated item when current contracts are renegotiated. The ordinance passed by a 6 to 1 vote with Councilwoman Habeeb voting “No.”

Ordinance NO. 08-13 to revise amend and /or supplement the section under General Licensing, specifically taxicabs. Basically new rules governing the issuance of taxicab licenses in the Borough were added to the existing ordinance.

Mr. Fowler brought it to the council’s attention that he has noticed the monopolizing of metered parking spaces in Plainfield which reduces available consumer parking for local business use.

Comments by Mayor, Administrator and Council Members

Business Administrator – Borough Business Administrator Mr. Hollod reported that North Plainfield has been awarded $500,000 in extraordinary aid which is double the amount received previously. He estimated a tax bill savings of $80 for Borough residents. A review of Extraordinary Aid awarded North Plainfield revealed the following:

• North Plainfield CY 2008 Extraordinary Aid Award $500,000
• North Plainfield CY 2007 Extraordinary Aid Award $250,000
• North Plainfield CY 2006 Extraordinary Aid Award $400,000
• North Plainfield CY 2005 Extraordinary Aid Award $400,000
• North Plainfield CY 2004 Extraordinary Aid Award $250,000
• North Plainfield CY 2003 Extraordinary Aid Award $200,000
• North Plainfield CY 2002 Extraordinary Aid Award $170,000
  Source: Division of Community Affairs State Aid to Municipalities

Councilwoman Forbes stated that neither she nor the other members took any pleasure in their vote to pass Ordinance NO. 08-11. “We were not being mean or anything.” She noted the growing trend of bringing public sector benefits into the “real world” reality of the private sector. Councilman Hitchcock noted the need for fiscal restraint in this time of economic uncertainty and questioned how many people representing fire and rescue personal, present at he meeting, actually lived in North Plainfield.

Perhaps we could see some of the same type of fiscal restraint and “real world” reality applied to the Borough School District at the administrative level. Reimbursement of $38,000 dollars in unused vacation time is gross fiscal irresponsibility.. Use it or lose it!

Various members of the council praised the efforts of Joe Irovando and Marie Kushnir for their work to make the 4th of July Parade and Fire Works a success. Several members of the council would like to see the parade return to Somerset Street.

And so it was on July 14th, 2008.