Action Center
Friday February 15, 2008
West Paterson Mayor says Borough is 'Fiscally Sound'
WEST PATERSON—Mayor Pat Lepore reported the borough is in good shape financially, thanks to new infrastructure developments and grant funds from the state.
“The borough is fiscally sound, improving on past years,” Lepore said last week in his annual State of the Borough speech. “There is more infrastructure activity now than there has been in the past 25 years, with little or no cost to taxpayers.”
The mayor, speaking at the Municipal Building, went into detail about the numerous pipe and sewer projects taking place as well as road projects. He said the borough would continue pushing for a prudent budget.
He also spoke about the numerous grants the borough has received, which he said will ensure that residents will pay as little in taxes as possible.
During the meeting, Councilman Keith Kazmark estimated that since the beginning of the mayor’s second term in 2003, West Paterson has been allotted $3 million in grants from various state and federal agencies.
Kazmark said that with a combination of the grants and minimal tax increases, the borough is in solid financial shape. He added that this year, the borough is better off after a lull due to the previous mayor’s unwillingness to raise borough taxes.
“The previous mayor didn’t raise taxes for three years,” Kazmark said.
“When Lepore came in again we were in a difficult financial situation. It took a long time to make up for those three years. I can say that in 2008, we have a comfortable and sustainable budget in West Paterson.”
Lepore said he expects the completed 2008–09 budget, expected in March, will be reasonable and under the Gov. Corzine’s 4 percent tax increase cap.
“I’m very cautiously optimistic that this budget will be under cap,” Lepore said.
The mayor and council members noted that much of the infrastructure push has come from K. Hovnanian Companies’ Four Seasons at Great Notch development on Valley Road.
Sean Mulhall, community manager for K. Hovnanian, estimated the company has spent $16 million toward off-site improvements in West Paterson.
The company has installed 6,000 feet of sewer lines and 90,000 feet of water mains in the past two years.
Mulhall said the company on average usually invests closer to $2 to $3 million on off-site improvements in other towns.
“This is definitely setting a record,” he said Monday.
Doug Fenichel, a K. Hovnanian spokesman, said that they were happy to help the town with infrastructure, as his company realized that the development’s 700 new residents would have a great impact on the town.
“It’s the neighborly thing to do,” Fenichel said.
Councilwoman Ruth Patterson said that if it were not for K. Hovnanian, some of the citizens in the more rocky and mountainous parts of the borough may still be using septic systems.
“They have helped tremendously,” Patterson said Monday. “The development helped us hook up people we wouldn’t have normally hooked up.”
After the meeting, others praised the town for its open space initiatives over the years and the revamping of the borough’s parks.
“The mayor has done everything he said he was going to do; he is very aggressive about our town,” said Dorothy Frey, who described herself as a longtime resident of West Paterson and a frequent walker of Frank D. Zaccaria Memorial Park.
Praise for improving the park also came from the West Paterson Boys and Girls Club President Sam Yodice Jr., who said that irrigation of grass fields at Memorial Park was a tremendous benefit for the children.
“With the constant watering, the roots are stronger, and it provides a safer service to play on,” Yodice said.
The mayor also mentioned that he would be interested in looking into expanding the municipal/library parking lot because of added use.
“Oh, it absolutely would be a wonderful thing, said library director Robert Lindsley. “With the normal activity in Borough Hall or library, there are very few spaces available.”
Reach Virgil Dickson at 973-569-7172 or dickson@northjersey.com.
Reprinted with permission. (c)2008 Herald News (Passaic Co., NJ) Virgil Dickson
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