The Bloomfield Council voted 6-0 to adopt the 2017 Municipal Budget at Monday evening’s council meeting.
The resolution adopting the $80m budget was passed unanimously by the council members present. Prior to the vote, the floor was opened for a public hearing. No members of the audience spoke. Councilman Carlos Bernard was absent.
Municipal Clerk Louise Palagano read into the record the first paragraph of Section 2 of the adopting resolution, which stated that the budget includes $58,845,456.08 for municipal purposes, $311,717.68 in the open space, recreation, farmland and historic preservation trust fund levy, and $1,447,929.22 for the minimum library levy.
The mayor and council also passed a resolution appointing Bonnie Flynn to the new position of Planning Director for the Township. According to her profile on the American Planning Association website, Flynn received her Masters of City and Regional Planning (MCRP) from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University and is a member of the New Jersey Association of Planning & Zoning Administrators, the Affordable Housing Professionals of New Jersey and the NJ Association of Floodplain Management. She is a Professional Planner and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Her previous position was Director of Community Development in Stafford Township, NJ, where she had broad responsibilities pertaining to planning and zoning, CDBG grants, affordable housing, and more. Flynn will officially begin her new position on May 15, 2017 at a salary of $96k.
During the public comment period, Susan Hebert of Greener Bloomfield thanked the mayor and council for supporting their organization and working with the group to renew the township’s bronze certification with Sustainable Jersey. She also provided an update on the recent Brookside Park Cleanup/flower planting sponsored by Greener Bloomfield. She thanked the High School Key Club, the Scouts, Hot Bagels Abroad and O’Boyle/Brookside Garden Center for their support.
Heather Nolan also thanked the council for its continued support of Greener Bloomfield, and said they hoped to hear soon about a grant they had partnered with the town to submit, which would help increase composting in the town and fund a feasibility study.
Michele Mickle, accompanied by her two young grandchildren, spoke about her son, Quenzelle Mickle, who was murdered two years ago, and urged the town not to forget about his unsolved homicide. “Where there is no justice there is no peace,” she said. She asked that anyone who has any information to call 1-877-847-7432 and ask for Jessica Mazzola.
Appointments
- Municipal Judge Vincent A. Pirone was reappointed to his position.
- Thomas Heaney and Mike Salinas were appointed to the Bloomfield Parking Authority.
- Flint Kinkade was appointed as an alternate to the Environmental Commission.
- Damaris Hicks was sworn in as a member of the Rent Leveling Board.
Other Business
The mayor and council passed an ordinance on first reading granting a 5-year tax exemption for the expansion of a commercial property on Beach Street.
An ordinance regulating council decorum passed on second reading, as did an ordinance determining that the Civil Rights Commission will consist of seven voting members and two non-voting liaison positions.
The mayor and council passed a number of consent resolutions, including one authorizing the governing body to apply for a Capital Preservation Grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust to be used to continue work on the Collins House.
The next council meeting will be a conference meeting, to be held on Monday, May 8, 2017, at 7 p.m. in the 2nd floor conference room in the Law Enforcement Building.