Council begins numbers-crunching sessions

Sparta - The Department of Public works has proposed an 18 percent increase, up $570,135 from last year’s budget to cover the costs of services and programs in fiscal year 2006. Council members reviewed the request, including a 98 percent increase in projected expenditures for gasoline, at the first of a series of public budget hearings at the Municipal Building. Sparta officials, who have come under question concerning the allocation of surplus budget funds the past few years, were encountered by a shortfall in public interest, with only a handful of Sparta residents, some toting pocket calculators, choosing to attend the “working session” between the township administration and council. Sparta Township Manager Henry Underhill presented the council with a 2006 public works budget totaling $3,814,150 compared to the current operating costs of $3,244,015 in 2005. He said gasoline costs were expected to rise to $266,741, an increase of $131,741 from last year. Thomas Spring, the public works manager, said a good portion of the $60,000 requested increase for road services and programs was the result of new state stormwater regulations including installation, maintenance, and repair of catch basins and drainage swale. Recently elected councilman Jerry Murphy questioned the cost of stormwater-related operations, but the public works manager said each year, 500 of the township’s 2,200 catch basins are in need of repair, or about 30-40 per day. Road services also included snow plowing and removal; guard rail and street sign weedwacking and repair; pot hole, pavement, curb, and berm repairs; crack sealing, and oil and stone surfacing and roadway resurfacing. Councilman Scott Seelagy said he was impressed by the services of the 16-employee department, but was more interested in comparing this year’s request to the numbers from last year. He questioned the need for providing shared fleet maintenance services for 18 Stanhope police vehicles and trucks. “If the agreement with the other town is unprofitable, it’s time to launch the other town,” he said. You’ve got to stay on top of that to make sure it’s worthwhile. If you get to a point of just breaking even, it’s not worth it.” The maintenance agreement with Stanhope, now in its second year, is worth $35,000 annually to Sparta as well as the services of an additional mechanic at half the cost, said James Zepp, who has overseen the township’s fleet maintenance operation for the past five years. Underhill said the department will review the shared agreements at the end of the year in light of a new service pact with the township board of education, which will call for the maintenance of 10 building and grounds vehicles and four mini buses. “I service the people that service the public; it’s no small task,” said Zepp. “Fleet management dynamics have been changing all the time. The BOE was the last piece to the puzzle. Now, I can start streamlining.” Seelagy also noted a $114,000 proposed increase in recycling expenditures for 2006, of which Underhill said $80,000 was slated for payment to Waste Management, Inc., the township’s contracted carrier. “One of the problems is that there’s no competition,” said Ralph D’Aries, the township director of health and welfare. “Waste Management comes in with a bid and we’re at their mercy. They’ve got to be making some money on this, even though the numbers don’t come back to us.”