RIVER VALE—While the full local tax impacts of River Vale’s proposed $13.3 million bond issue for its long-discussed Public Safety Complex have yet to be revealed by officials, one resident recently told the council it needs to do more to inform the public about such large public expenditures.
In late July, the council approved a $14 million project, including $13.3 million in bonding, for a new 18,000-square-foot complex on 3.25 acres of township-owned land at Rivervale Road and Prospect Avenue.
And it appeared a couple of council members also agreed with the resident’s call for more communication.
Bernita Drive resident David Rice told the council in late August that a lot of residents were not aware of its proposed $14 million expenditure on a new Public Safety Complex.
He pointed out a multitude of reasons, including lack of newspaper reading, unfamiliarity with printed/online public notices, and council agendas not posted online well in advance of a meeting.
He said he did not feel council members were communicating effectively with residents about important local projects. As an example, he said, he read some reports of a new Public Safety Complex costing as low as $7 million and now the cost is up to $14 million.
Rice said that if more people were aware of the meetings where the complex and its bonding was to be discussed, more people would attend the sessions.
In addition, though Price did not mention it, the River Vale Township Council has returned to in-person meetings only, and provides no livestreamed or archived video recordings of council sessions. Only audio recordings are available by request. Previously during the Covid-19 pandemic, the council broadcast its meetings using the GoToMeeting platform.
Pascack Press reported the council’s approval of the $14 million project in our Aug. 30 issue (“40-Year Bond On Safety Site”) and online earlier.
Council President Mark Bromberg said they would take Rice’s suggestions under consideration and councilman John Donovan said they should be looking into more tech-savvy ways to communicate information to residents.
According to meeting minutes, the township attorney told Rice that the July 26 council meeting agenda was posted at the township hall, and per the Open Public Meetings Act, posted in a local newspaper.
Rice said he believed that posting on the website should be a requirement. He said the township sends out email blasts about its farmers’ market, and should also send out similar communications about key community meetings.
According to New Jersey’s Open Public Meeting Act requirements, electronic notice of public meetings may be provided but is not required.
Advance notice is defined as “available to the public via electronic transmission of at least 48 hours, giving the time, date, location and, to the extent known, the agenda of any regular, special or rescheduled meeting.”
The OPMA act defines adequate notice as a notice posted at least 48 hours in advance and “prominently posted in at least one public place reserved for such or similar announcements, (and) mailed, telephoned, telegrammed, or hand delivered to at least two newspapers which newspapers shall be designated by the public body to receive such notices because they have the greatest likelihood of informing the public.”
We reached out to members about upcoming communication efforts but did not hear back by press time.