MONTVALE—Mayor Mike Ghassali apprised residents of top items of public interest last week, including items we’ve been reporting.
He touched on the adoption, May 11, of the 2021 municipal budget; the introduction of a ban on marijuana sales; and an update on efforts to keep locals at the forefront of basketball court use
He also broke new ground on mayor and council meetings and the road program, and said that, due to a spate of accidents on Grand Avenue and Mercedes Drive, the county is installing a dedicated left-turn light there this week.
On May 13, Ghassali said, “Unfortunately today there was accident number 24 in the past three years” at the intersection.
Budget notes
As we reported May 17, the average household will see a tax increase of $131.
Ghassali chalked that up to “shortfall of revenue from the hotel tax, court and construction fees, the $320,000 we spent last year on covid expenses, and adding twice a week garbage pickup during the summer.”
He said this year’s tax increase was the first in four years. Check out the budget at https://montvale.org/government/budgets/2021-1/979-user-friendly-budget/file.
Marijuana ban gets June 10 hearing
Ghassali noted the borough also introduced ordinance #2021-1505 prohibiting the sale of marijuana in town.
“The public voted almost 2–1 in town in favor of legalizing marijuana in the state in November 2020, however we have jurisdiction on allowing or not allowing its sales in our town,” he said.
“We are only allowing legally authorized medical care, pharmaceutical research and clinical trials performed or conducted by a licensed physician, medical research, hospital or pharmaceutical companies,” he added.
Ghassali explained the public hearing on this ordinance is on Thursday (not Tuesday, due to primary election day) June 10.
Residents snapping up basketball court access passes
Ghassali said the free basketball court access badge program is proving popular.
“Now you need a badge to play on the courts. We already issued about 110 badges to residents, and about 10 badges to non-residents,” Ghassali said.
The badges are free to residents, $25 for non-residents.
The mayor added, “We are hiring a park monitor and installing several cameras additional signs around the courts and the parks.”
Tech input sought on council meetings
Mayor Ghassali provided an update the difficulties in moving to hybrid meetings, which he said entails that each councilmember and staff log in individually, and that the borough pay a technician to operate the sound system.
“This works but is not ideal. So for now we will have the public meetings (second Tuesday of every month) on Zoom and in person, and the workshop meetings in person only,” he said.
He added, “If you you have an idea on how to simplify the virtual hybrid meetings, please let me know.”
Planning and zoning meetings are in person only
Ghassali said meetings of the planning and zoning boards resumed meeting exclusively in person starting Tuesday, May.
Road program
Saying the borough is in for a road paving program this year. Ghassali noted “PSE&G will be paving all roads they disturbed that were paved five years or less, and we will be paving roads that are part of our road paving program.”
There are 14 borough roads scheduled for mill and pave: Arthur Court, Bryan Drive, Camron Court, Echo Hill, Ellsworth, Erie, Hickory Hill, Main, Maureen, McGuire, Montvale Avenue (Main to Ladik), Partridge Run, Phyllis, and Wildwood.
There are 48 roads scheduled for PSEG mill and pave: Azalea, Birch, Brook, Cardinal, Crest, Fairview, Forest, Glen, Grove, Hartel, Hemlock, Hillcrest, Hillside, Hunting Ridge, Jefferson, Locust, Madison, Meadow, Montvale (KMK to Williamsburgh), Mulberry, Myrtle, Oakland, Norgate, Nottingham, Pearl, Pine, Qual Ridge, Raven, Rutherford, Shadow, Smyrychynski, Spruce, Stone Hollow, Sunnyside, Walnut, Waverly, Westmoreland, and Williams.