Post by admin on Jan 3, 2009 9:34:05 GMT -5
www.app.com/article/20090102/NEWS01/901020354/1283/LOCAL07
RED BANK — Juanita Lewis and Edward Zipprich were sworn in to their first terms on the Borough Council, as Mayor Pasquale Menna outlined an agenda that includes streamlining obsolete regulations to fill vacant stores and working with NJ Transit's transit village program for improvements such as a parking garage at the local railroad station.
Zipprich and Lewis were sworn in Thursday afternoon before a standing-room-only crowd in the borough hall, marking a return to an all-Democratic council for the first time since 2000.
"Let's get to work," Lewis proclaimed after taking the oath of office.
Employing the transit village concept marks the first formal mention of a parking garage since the council shelved plans in 2005 to borrow money to build a borough parking deck at the White Street parking lot.
Menna, also Democrat, said he's met with NJ Transit officials and has encouraged them to seriously look at building a parking garage on their (train station parking) lot.
"It's illogical to say use public transportation and you can't park," Menna said.
NJ Transit officials told him a parking garage isn't in their current plans. Menna suggested one could be built using a combination of a state and federal money or through a public-private partnership.
The Transit Village program helps towns plan mixed use development around train, rail and bus stations to encourage people to travel to work in offices there, or to live there and commute by mass transit without having to drive to the station.
Menna said he'd like to tap into transit village funds for infrastructure improvements. He's also instructed borough engineers to come up with "shovel-ready" road, water and sewer projects that could be funded through any federal economic stimulus package proposed by President-elect Barack Obama.
Those types of capital projects are now likely to be excluded from the 2009 budget as the borough faces challenges due to revenue losses from investments, Menna said. Those losses have eaten up savings from a 5 percent spending cut and eliminating the senior citizen director's position, which was combined with another job, he said.
"We can't pass along (increases). We may have to make cuts and they may be across the board," Menna said. "I told (chief financial officer) Frank Mason that a substantial increase in the tax rate is not acceptable."
Last year, the tax rate for the municipal portion of the tax bill, which excludes school and county taxes, increased by 7 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Also on the agenda for 2009 will be changes to spare businesses from a trip to the planning or zoning board by eliminating obsolete regulations, with a goal to make it easier to fill vacant storefronts, Menna said.
Now, a business person seeking to open a new shop in an existing retail store may still have to seek board approval under old regulations, Menna said. The changes wouldn't apply to residential development, he said.
RED BANK — Juanita Lewis and Edward Zipprich were sworn in to their first terms on the Borough Council, as Mayor Pasquale Menna outlined an agenda that includes streamlining obsolete regulations to fill vacant stores and working with NJ Transit's transit village program for improvements such as a parking garage at the local railroad station.
Zipprich and Lewis were sworn in Thursday afternoon before a standing-room-only crowd in the borough hall, marking a return to an all-Democratic council for the first time since 2000.
"Let's get to work," Lewis proclaimed after taking the oath of office.
Employing the transit village concept marks the first formal mention of a parking garage since the council shelved plans in 2005 to borrow money to build a borough parking deck at the White Street parking lot.
Menna, also Democrat, said he's met with NJ Transit officials and has encouraged them to seriously look at building a parking garage on their (train station parking) lot.
"It's illogical to say use public transportation and you can't park," Menna said.
NJ Transit officials told him a parking garage isn't in their current plans. Menna suggested one could be built using a combination of a state and federal money or through a public-private partnership.
The Transit Village program helps towns plan mixed use development around train, rail and bus stations to encourage people to travel to work in offices there, or to live there and commute by mass transit without having to drive to the station.
Menna said he'd like to tap into transit village funds for infrastructure improvements. He's also instructed borough engineers to come up with "shovel-ready" road, water and sewer projects that could be funded through any federal economic stimulus package proposed by President-elect Barack Obama.
Those types of capital projects are now likely to be excluded from the 2009 budget as the borough faces challenges due to revenue losses from investments, Menna said. Those losses have eaten up savings from a 5 percent spending cut and eliminating the senior citizen director's position, which was combined with another job, he said.
"We can't pass along (increases). We may have to make cuts and they may be across the board," Menna said. "I told (chief financial officer) Frank Mason that a substantial increase in the tax rate is not acceptable."
Last year, the tax rate for the municipal portion of the tax bill, which excludes school and county taxes, increased by 7 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Also on the agenda for 2009 will be changes to spare businesses from a trip to the planning or zoning board by eliminating obsolete regulations, with a goal to make it easier to fill vacant storefronts, Menna said.
Now, a business person seeking to open a new shop in an existing retail store may still have to seek board approval under old regulations, Menna said. The changes wouldn't apply to residential development, he said.