Category Archives: City Council

City Council

City commits to 10% cut in impervious surfaces

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The City Council last month passed a resolution to “commit to a goal of 10 percent reduction in impervious surfaces” at municipally-owned facilities by 2015.

The city “will make best efforts to reduce impervious surfaces, including equivalent storm water runoff reductions, to set an example to communities that storm water management is a serious matter,” the resolution stated.

The resolution cites communities in the Rahway River Watershed as suffering in excess of $50 million in damages to households and businesses from Hurricane Irene in 2011. “The overdevelopment of properties and the elimination of pervious surfaces throughout the watershed have compromised the ability of the region to manage its storm water without such major damages as seen during Irene.”

This piece in Atlantic Cities, “The Way We Build Cities Is Making Them Flood,” essentially blames the urban impervious surfaces (parking lots, anywhere that water can’t drain, like asphalt), for flooding in the Chicago area — only not where you’d think.

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City Council, tax appeals

Hamilton Apartments successful in tax judgment

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A Hamilton Street apartment complex was awarded a roughly 13 percent refund on its property tax bill over two years after a judgment by the state Tax Court.

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City Council, Redevelopment Agency

Redevelopment commissioner reappointed

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The City Council on Monday unanimously approved the reappointment of Anthony Diege to another four-year term to the Redevelopment Agency board commissioners.

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City Council

Council approves vacating 13 feet of Dock Street

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The City Council unanimously approved vacating a portion of Dock Street that will allow the developer to redesign portions of Meridia Lafayette Village.

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City Council, taxes

City Council amends budget

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City Council on Monday night amended the city budget by resolution (AR-87-13), held the required public hearing on the spending plan, but will approve the budget as amended at its meeting next month.

Chief Financial Officer Frank Ruggiero explained that an amendment is necessary if:
– There is an increase or decrease of 10 percent in a budget appropriation;
– A new appropriation is added that is equal to more than 1 percent of the budget;
– The tax levy is increased or decreased by 5 percent.

In this case, it was the first item, an increase or decrease of 10 percent in a budget appropriation. Specifically, $20,000 was reduced in the Department of Law for salaries and wages, related to the public defender and , along with changes to some six line-items in the budget, which reduced the tax levy by about $32,000, from $34.47 million to $34.44 million. The tax levy is about 2.95 percent, or $985,000, more than last year’s tax levy. In all, the budget stands at $50.77 million.

The change will mean an average tax increase of about $113, versus the originally proposed $116, for the average assessed home in Rahway ($133,000). The municipal budget comprises about 40 percent of the overall property tax bill.

The City Council also unanimously adopted a budget for the Special Improvement District (SID) in the amount of $130,000, which funds the Rahway Arts District.

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City Council

City budget up for vote, public hearing Monday

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City Council is scheduled to adopt a city budget for 2013 on Monday night that anticipates a municipal tax increase of about $116 for the average assessed home ($133,000). A public hearing is scheduled during the regular meeting, which begins at 7 p.m.

The $50.7-million spending plan includes a property tax levy of $34.47 million, an increase of about 3 percent over the previous year. City Council also is scheduled to adopt a separate, $130,000 budget for the Special Improvement District (SID), which funds the Rahway Arts District.

The municipal budget was introduced last month. For a breakdown of some specifics on the tax increase, check out this post from last month after the municipal budget was introduced.

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City Council, tax appeals, taxes

City budget estimates average $116 tax increase

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A municipal budget presented Monday night forecasts an average $116 increase in the city’s portion of the tax bill.

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City Council

Council OKs water rate, taxi fare hikes

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The City Council tonight approved three separate ordinances to raise water rates and taxi fares, as well as a revised downtown redevelopment plan.

The governing body last month introduced the ordinance (O-11-13) to increase water rates as well as the ordinance (O-12-13) to increase taxi fares. Here’s a Google Map that details the taxi zone boundaries (and has more than 1,800 views).

Virtually all three ordinances were approved unanimously, 9-0, with the exception of the redevelopment plan, which had one abstention (Council President Samson Steinman). There was no comment from council members on the three measures:
O-6-13, revised redevelopment plan
O-11-13, water rates
O-12-13, taxi fares

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