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SAYS BALER OPERATION WILL HOLD DOWN TAXES

With the signing of a multiyear agreement between the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and Environmental Logistics LLC to reopen the NJMC trash baler in North Arlington, Council President Richard Hughes said: “This contract agreement represents a great opportunity for the borough to stabilize its taxes going forward from 2010 and into the future for next five or six years while the borough plans for its future.”

Hughes thanked the NJMC for working so quickly this year to get an agreement with Environmental Logistics, after previous attempts to get proposals from companies seeking to operate the baler failed to produce an adequate bid.
“The NJMC, and executive director Bob Ceberio, recognized the urgency with which action needed to be taken to help North Arlington create revenue to fill the budget hole we are grappling with,” said Hughes. “I applaud the NJMC’s ability to get the baler negotiations done so quickly. This is a tremendous help to our taxpayers.”

Hughes said it will take several months to get the baler operational, so the financial impact on the 2010 budget will not be as great as it will be next year. “We still face hurdles in the 2010 budget, but the baler host fees and free trash dumping will help us. The real impact will be felt in 2011.

Councilman Joseph Bianchi said the baler reopening “provides a reliable stream of revenue to the borough for the next few years as we emerge from some difficult financial years. The financial future of North Arlington is brighter today than it was yesterday.”

The borough will receive a $2 a ton host fee for every ton of trash processed at the baler. In addition the borough will receive free trash dumping, which will save the local taxpayers more than $600,000. In year three of the agreement the borough get an additional 25 cents per ton for each ton over 1,000 tons of garbage processed at the baler.
“We don’t want the borough to be in the garbage business forever, but right now, in this down economy, we have to avail ourselves of every resource we have to keep a lid on taxes,” said Bianchi. “This agreement will help us do that.”

Councilman Jon Kearney said with the baler open, the borough cannot relax on its obligation to create a redevelopment plan. “The NJMC bought us some time to implement a redevelopment program and start generating revenue from other sources besides garbage, ” said Kearney.

The following statement was issued by Mayor Peter Massa on the signing of a new agreement to open the trash baler in the meadowlands

“I want to thank the NJMC for working to help resolve one of the revenue shortfalls that North Arlington has faced. Having the trash baler re-open is a help to our taxpayers at a time when we face massive and unwarranted cuts in state aid. But let’s not fool ourselves. This is temporary relief and what the borough needs is a long term revenue solution.

“I stated last year and I will reiterate it today, the borough must take control of its redevelopment future now. We can no longer live hand to mouth hoping and praying that the NJMC finds a way to provide revenue for our community.

“We have to chart our own redevelopment course independent from the NJMC and we need to do it as soon as possible. We started on the path to independence last year with the hiring of the expert planning attorney Joseph Maraziti, who has repeatedly encouraged us to take charge of our own redevelopment destiny.

“I urge the council to work with me to create a redevelopment plan, with several options for redeveloping the meadowlands within the next 60 days and present the plan and its options to the people of North Arlington.

“We need a transparent redevelopment process that allows for the input from the public and we need it to move quickly so we can take advantage of redevelopment opportunities that may emerge in the coming months.”