Friday, March 19, 2010
Downtown Millburn officials attended Tuesday's meeting to answer the outstanding questions.
After its questions were answered, the Township Committee moved forward with the first phase of approving the funding for the downtown riverwalk. The committee introduced an ordinance Tuesday night to generate the money to cover the $600,000 cost of the riverwalk, which is a Downtown Millburn project. Downtown Millburn will pay back the cost of the project with federal grant money. At the committee's March 2 meeting, members raised concerns and questions about the project and its funding. It held off on introducing the ordinance to fund the project until Downtown Millburn leaders, who were not present, could answer their questions. Deputy Mayor Sandy Haimoff said the riverwalk represents the most expensive project the township has done …
Thursday, March 18, 2010
It's a 22 percent reduction from the $3 million the township received in 2009.
Millburn is losing less in municipal aid than they thought they could in a worst case scenario. The township will lose about $700,000 in municipal aid from the state for 2010, according to information released by the state. Township officials had thought they could lose up to $1.6 million in state aid, which is slightly more than half of what they received in 2009. Millburn received slightly more than $3 million in 2009 and will receive slightly more than $2.3 million in 2010. It's a 22 percent cut in aid for the township. Earlier in the day Township Administrator Tim Gordon said township officials had been informed the cut would be no more than $250 per taxpayer. In their calculations for the number of tax bills issued by the township, it…
He sends an email to parents about the 2010-11 budget in light of the state aid cut.
Millburn school officials learned Wednesday they would lose all of their nearly $3 million in state aid for 2010-11. On Thursday Schools Supt. Richard Brodow sent a message to parent citing the difficult and painful choices they'll have to make about the budget. He also sent a second message expressing thanks for those who have helped with the budget. Read Brodow's messages below: Dear Parents, Late yesterday, the district received its state aid numbers. We are being cut almost 3 million dollars by the Governor. Words cannot adequately express the difficulty a reduction of this magnitude presents. The choices available are all difficult and painful. As you may know, there is little time left to fully discuss the decisions that must be …
The remaining four speed humps slated for removal likely will be taken out early next week.
Workers on Thursday were removing the first of five speed humps that are slated to be taken out. They were taking advantage of Glen Avenue being closed in front of the Millburn Public Library to remove the speed hump located there. The road was closed between Lackawanna Place and Brookside Drive because of a water main break. It is the only speed hump that would be removed on Thursday, and it also would indicate to workers how long it would take to remove the speed humps. The Township Committee came to a consensus on Tuesday night to remove five of the eight speed humps installed last fall. The speed humps to be removed are three on Glen Avenue between Brookside and Wyoming Avenue and the two on Hobart Avenue. Two speed humps on Parkview …
The Planning Board approves a satellite store for the Montclair-based bakery.
Gina's Bakery will be coming to downtown Millburn. The Planning Board approved the bakery's application Wednesday night to open a satellite store. The bakery will open a retail store in the store once home to Signal Graphics, which moved to South Orange last month. No baking will be done on premises, and the baked goods will be brought by van each morning to the Millburn store. Brad Padden, business advisor for the bakery, said during Wednesday's meeting how the bakery has been at the Millburn Farmers Market for four years. During that time they have been one of the more popular vendors. "Our customers would ask us when we would be opening a store here," he said. The plan is for the bakery to be open five days each week. It will be open 8 …
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Changes to the plan prompt the Planning Board to send it back for a second review.
A proposal to subdivide a Glen Avenue property in the Wyoming Historic District is headed back to the Historic District Commission. The Planning Board is reviewing a proposal to divide a property at 114 Glen Ave. in the historic district. The board reviewed it last month and opted to send it to the Historic District Commission for review. But changes to the plan to address concerns about the plan prompted the Planning Board to decide Wednesday night to send it back to the commission for another review. The changes include reducing a new house's footprint to 1,800 square feet from 3,000 square feet and straightening the new lot line. Last month the commission voted to recommend the Planning Board to reject the plan because it would …
He answers questions and hears comments about the proposed state budget.
Township officials are happy with some of the changes the governor is proposing like civil service reform, but they also believe county officials should share the burden of cuts in aid. That was part of the message Township Committee members told Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, R-21, during his update to the committee Tuesday night. Fresh from Gov. Chris Christie's budget speech, Bramnick explained why the cuts are taking place. While there was an increase in expenses, there also was a reduction in revenue. "There simply was no money," he said. While he said the information on how much municipal aid will be lost will be released over the next few days, he said the state government plans to give local governments tools to keep down costs and …
The subject of the meetings will be rough ideas on how to add parking at the two train stations.
The plans are still in the rough stages, but township officials intend to hold meetings in April about how to add parking at the two train stations. The Township Committee hired a consultant last fall to study the feasability of building a parking deck at the Millburn Train Station in either Lot 2 or Lot 7. The township engineer also is examining adding surface parking at the Short Hills Train Station. Robert Tillotson, a Township Committee member, said during Tuesday's meeting the meetings would be to inform people who live in the area and who use the parking lots about what the proposals are. No dates have been set, but several meetings would be held at the library. The discussions not only would include the parking deck but also the …
The state Department of Education releases figures that show how much each school district will lose.
The Millburn School District will lose all of its state aid, according to information released by the state Department of Education Wednesday afternoon. Millburn will lose nearly $3 million in state aid. Gov. Chris Christie presented his budget address Tuesday afternoon, which indicated school districts would not lose more than 5 percent of their total budget. Earlier in the day Schools Supt. Richard Brodow said he was waiting for official word on how much money the district would lose in the 2010-11 budget. "We're working on contingency plans," he said. "We'll put something together by Monday." The school board is scheduled to meet at 7:45 p.m. at the Education Center on Monday. School board President Noreen Brunini called the cut …
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Three on Glen and two on Hobart will be removed because of traffic counts.
There will be five less speed humps within the next week after a review of traffic counts and legal issues. Three speed humps on Glen Avenue and two on Hobart Avenue will be removed within five days by Department of Public Works crews per a recommendation of the Township Committee's Public Safety Committee. The speed humps to be removed on Glen Avenue are near Cape Court, the Millburn Public Library and Lackawanna Place. The humps on Hobart to be removed are near Taylor Street and Great Oak Drive. Speed humps will remain on Parkview Drive and on Glen Avenue near Slayton Field. Township Administrator Tim Gordon said the recommendation was based on a legal ruling and the traffic counts from the police. The streets have more than 3,000 …
J Doe, please focus on relevant FACTS: (you come across as a We Love Millburn hand waver - apologies if not true...) New Jersey is not, in fact, the highest taxed state in the nation. Our property taxes are high, but our income and sales taxes are modest by comparison. We’re also not number one in property taxes when all states are considered and when property taxes are measured as a percent of … more ›