The 2015 Capital Budget was voted on and approved at a special Mayor & Council meeting on July 30th.
The $2,856,545 amount has $2,030,000 coming from municipal property taxes with he rest being paid for mostly by grants. The entire $2 million is to be paid out over time, similar to a loan or mortgage with annual payments being put into the operating budget. This year, the debt service amount – the installment payment for all capital projects – was $1,475,000. The governing body, at the recommendation of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ken Blum, try to pay off an equal or greater amount than what was authorized in capital project for any given year. This year makes the second time in half a decade that the municipality paid off less than what was approved in capital projects for any given year.
| YEAR | AUTHORIZED | PAID OFF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | $700,000 | $1,160,000 | $460,000 |
| 2012 | $1,020,000 | $1,195,000 | $175,000 |
| 2013 | $1,924,000 | $1,245,000 | $679,000 |
| 2014 | $1,300,000 | $1,440,000 | $140,000 |
| 2015 | $2,030,000 | $1,475,000 | $555,000 |
$6,974,000 | $6,515,000 | $459,000 |
This year, the capital expenses were originally to equal the amount to be paid off but two major items increased it; $600,000 additional funding for construction of the new Department of Public Works (DPW) building and $250,000 for the purchase of a sewer camera truck. These purchases increased the taxpayer’s burden $555,000 in 2015. In total, the demolition and construction of the DPW building in order to building senior housing, which itself is a requirement to have Roselle Park meet its Affordable Housing requirements – has increased 60% from its original budget of $2 million to, currently, $3.2 million. The line item for Rehabilitation Units of $200,000 is also another amount due annually for five years (for a total of $1 million) to copy with the Coalition On Affordable Housing (COAH). These two amounts are a result of negotiated terms agreed to by the municipality in 2009 in order to settle a Builder’s Remedy lawsuit brought by AvalonBay Communities.
| PURPOSE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Department Of Public Works - Sewer Camera Truck & Signs $250,000 First Aid Squad - Radios $6,500 Police Department - E-Mail Server Encryption Account - Rubber Tile Flooring - Security Enhancements $45,000 Office of Emergency Management - Prefabricated Two-Bay Garage $75,000 Fire Department - Scott SCBA Air Bottles - Turnout Gear - Scott SCBA Air Packs - UHF Portable Radios - Pagers & Batteries - Hoses - Defibrillators - Hamatro Portable Multi-Tool - Rescue Tools - Chainsaws - Grips - Nozzles & Adaptors - Electric Turbo Blower with 60Hz Engine - MultitRAE Multi-Gas Monitor with PID - Petrogen Portable Cutting System - Cutoff Saws - On-Board Radio Charger & Power Inverter - Gas Meters With Hose Attachments - Thermal Imaging Camera $116,250 Borough Clerk's Office - Archiving of Records $5,000 All Borough Departments - Computers & Servers $15,000 Public Library - Computers - Computer Timing System - Printers - Furniture - Silent Alarm $30,000 Borough Buildings - Defibrillators $10,000 | $499,000 |
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| Improvement to Municipal Buildings & Grounds $50,000 Improvement to Library Buildings & Grounds $60,000 Sidewalk Improvements $50,000 Preliminary Assessment & Site Investigation Report For Senior Housing Project $183,795 Improvements To Aldene Park $175,000 | $260,000 |
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| Demolition of DPW Building & Construction of New DPW Building for senior housing | $570,000 |
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| Rehabilitation of Affordable Housing Units | $190,000 |
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| Resurfacing of Various Streets - West Colfax Avenue (from Pine Street to Locust Street) $325,000 - Seaton Avenue (from Westfield Avenue to Faitoute Avenue) $225,000 - Charles Street (from Chestnut Street to Walnut Street) $180,000 - Replacement of Crosswalks on Chestnut Street $55,000 | $321,000 |
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| Study for Galloping Hill Road Improvements to Sewer System | $190,000 |
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$2,030,000 |
A noticeable capital request amount that was reduced by the governing body included a decrease from $449,900 to $116,250 for the fire department. Three streets are scheduled to be resurfaced and the crosswalks with the deteriorating Belgian blocks on Chestnut Street are going to be replaced.
Of the six (6) major sections that make up the 2015 Roselle Park Capital Budget, the breakdown (from largest to smallest amount) is as follows:
- 27.5% will be for the resurfacing of three streets and replacement of the Chestnut Street crosswalks
- 21% will be for additional costs related to the construction of the new DPW building
- 19.4% will be for the capital requests of seven (7) departments
- 18.2% will be for improvements to buildings & grounds as well as Aldene Park and a senior housing assessment report
- 7% will be for a sewer study to address improvements to the sewer system on Galloping Hill Road
- 7% will be to address affordable housing rehabilitation units.
A bond sale will be held at the end of the year to determine the rate of interest to be paid for this year’s capital projects.
