Glen Ridge Council Raises Water Rates 6%, Awards Tree-Pruning and Vehicle-Sale Deals
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Glen Ridge residents will see their water bills rise after the Mayor and Council adopted a resolution amending the water and sewer bureau fee schedule, increasing consumption rates by 6% while leaving minimum flat rates unchanged. The council also awarded a tree-pruning contract to Bucks Tree Experts of NJ, the lowest responsible bidder, to prune about 20% of the borough's trees; the deal has a base cost of $228,100 plus up to $8,000 in additional hourly work, for a total not-to-exceed value of $236,100.
In other business, the council approved a shared services agreement with Bloomfield Township covering social services, and authorized the sale of two surplus borough vehicles — a 2006 Ford F-150 and a 2012 Ford Escape — through the GovDeals online auction site. The council also adopted updates to the Police Department's rules and regulations to bring them in line with current code and state law requirements, and authorized the borough's annual July 4th fireworks display at the Glen Ridge Country Club. A charity gaming resolution was adopted as amended, permitting the Glen Ridge High School HSA and Ridgewood Avenue HSA to hold 50/50 raffles on March 1 and April 23, along with a casino night and merchandise raffle on March 21 at 555 Ridgewood Avenue.
On municipal services, officials noted that residents are being contacted by letter from National Metering Services about a water meter replacement program, which officials described as an easy process worth following up on. The mayor reminded residents that snow and ice must be cleared from sidewalks within 24 hours, citing a couple of recent slip-and-fall incidents. Police Chief Mike asked residents to remove basketball hoops stored between the sidewalk and curb, since they obstruct snowplows, and to avoid throwing snow from snowblowers into the roadway, noting that DPW crews have had to re-clear streets because of this. The chief also praised the borough's salt storage facility, built about five years ago, for providing enough capacity to keep salt supplies steady with no shortages this winter. Finally, a "Coffee with a Cop" event was announced for Tuesday, February 18th, from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the Starbucks on Bloomfield Avenue, free and open to all residents.
What to watch
- Residents should follow up with National Metering Services to sign up for the water meter replacement program.
- The "Coffee with a Cop" event takes place Tuesday, February 18th, from 8:00–10:00 a.m. at the Bloomfield Ave Starbucks.