Common Council on Hurricane Irene: What Went Well, What Didn't

The Common Council reflected on a successful emergency response to hurricane Irene at Town Hall on Wednesday night, and discussed how its response could have improved.

"I have never seen more cooperation among people in town," said resident Robert Bendock. "But going forward what we need to do is to lay out a succinct plan. I think that communication would be the only area where you would find criticism from the public." 

While the city did have an emergency response plan, and did carry it out, all discussion eventually gravitated to Jersey Central Power & Light’s slow response to restoring power to the city.

“Until they were able to martial the right kinds of resources, which took a lot longer than any of us would have liked, and until they were able to better communicate with all of their forces,  it meant that certain areas of the city   people were without power for a lot longer than they should have been and we had the associated hazards,” Cotter said. 

Highlights of other business on Wednesday night:

Best Practices Checklist

For the past two years in connection with the 2% cap,  there is a state requirement for communities complete a best practices checklist. The intention  us to get some sense that municipalities are operating in the most efficient manner possible.  

The council unanimously passed a resolution to adopt the 2011 best practices checklist.

“The public should be aware of what we’re responding to,” Cotter said. “For example one is, has your municipality adopted a pay for play ordinance  pursuant to New Jersey statutes? And the answer there is yes.”

This checklist is significant since it will determine the percentage of a municipality’s December final state aid payment, ranging from 95% to 100% based upon the number of questions the city answers in the affirmative.   

Help Wanted:New City Solicitor

The city is looking for a new city solicitor following the soon-to -be vacated seat of Barry Osmun from the council. Councilman Richard Madden said the city is seeking someone who is an experienced attorney well-versed in municipal and other arenas able to react quickly in different situations and possessing “a proactive approach and effective demeanor.”

The city is asking that resumes submitted to the city administrator no later than Friday, October 7, 2010. Elected officials have established a search committee which consists of the mayor, council members, three attorneys, council president and city administrator. 

Sewer System Master Plan

City engineering is currently in the process of creating a Master Plan for the city’s sanitary sewer system. The sanitary sewer system is aging. A majority of it was constructed over 80 years ago. The intent of the Master Plan is to establish a proactive approach to managing the system and overall risk.

One of the most critical concerns that need to be analyzed within the Master Plan is the quantity of infiltration entering the city's sanitary sewer system. This needs to be addressed on a citywide basis and should be completed under the advice of a Professional Engineer whom has prior experience with infiltration studies.  

In addition to the infiltration study, the proposed Master Plan will investigate the efficiency of older pumping stations and the possibility of constructing bypasses to increase capacity of the City's sewers and to reduce the risk of surcharging. Both should be investigated with the assistance a Professional Engineer with extensive experience in the field of sanitary sewer engineering.

The Division has obtained five proposals and three firms were then interviewed. Neglia Engineering Associates of Lyndhurst, New Jersey best meets the qualifications we are seeking.  

New Jersey DOT Financial Aid Submission

Engineering is in the process of submitting applications to the New Jersey Department of Transportation -Bureau of Local Aid or the fiscal year 2012 Municipal Aid Program. This program provides grants for road projects. The City is allowed to submit two applications per year. The following is the priority list for NJDOT road grant applications” Priority 1: Hilcrest Avenue (Entire Length) and Priority 2: Deforest Avenue (Entire Length)