CRANFORD — Cranford’s department heads and community representatives met with the township committee on Saturday to discuss spending needs and capital requests in advance of next month’s public budget presentation.
The Building Department, which will be coming up against tighter turnaround deadlines this year in accordance with state-level regulations, requested the ability to bring in additional temporary inspectors to help ease the burden on the department.
“Our temporary inspectors who handle day-to-day operations are getting backlogged,” said Frank Genova, the township’s Building and Fire Subcode and Construction Code Official. “There are the summer months when we get backed up but having fill-in inspectors would help with that.”
Steve Robertazzi, director of the township’s Recreation and Parks Department, noted that while this year’s temporary seasonal payroll will need to increase by about $2,000 to accommodate the state’s minimumwage hike, the department’s other operating expenses have remained “fairly flat.” The department did, however, request an additional $5,000 in funds to be put towards landscaping and water testing at the Cranford West lake in Blairstown.
The salary for a second lifeguard, a position now required by the YMCA for safety, also will need to come out of the department’s budget this year. Mr. Robertazzi also mentioned that the township’s community center is in “desperate need” of air conditioning and said that the tennis courts would likely need to be re-caulked and painted in the coming months.
The Public Works Department, which will need to foot the bill to fund the township’s new Shade Tree Commission, also reminded the committee on Saturday that the township will need to start paying off its new twoyear lease on a streetsweeper.
Erik Hastrup, superintendent of the Shade Tree Commission, said the new body will need roughly $24,000 to cover staffing and another $6,300 to rent a crane and facilitate tree removals.
“Some of the trees are too high for the DPW to reach so that is what we need the crane for,” Mr. Hastrup said. “I’ve looked at getting a fence for the conservation center. An eight-foothigh chain link fence should keep deer and other animals out so we can start growing trees and planting them around town. We will need a water tank since there is no water down at the conservation center to water these trees.”
The township clerk reported an increase in full year salaries since the court room services coordinator salary will into that category.
“In terms of elections, I was in touch with Joanne Rajoppi and the cost of elections are due to increase due to the mailing of the ballots and production of ballot,” Township Clerk Patricia Donahue said.
The Fire Department’s 2024 operating budget request is $5,562,703, which is a 2.64-percent increase from 2023. Its staffing-level increase request, which includes 30 full-time fire personnel, overtime and EMS stipends is $4,104,503, a 1.04-percent increase from last year.
“I am asking the council to add fire personnel to keep up with the demands to not only fight fires but also mitigate other situations while educating the community on how to fight fires,” said Cranford Fire Chief Dan Czeh. “We only have three to four minutes now to get someone out in a fire. That’s why we need fire personnel on the scene immediately in order to protect residents.”
The chief also spoke about the need to accommodate female firefighters and spoke about the possibility of adding a second floor to the firehouse’s Murphy-bed area.
The committee agreed that the addition would require a lot of planning, especially since a new roof was just added to the firehouse. Mayor Brian Andrews asked about the possibility of a new firehouse instead of retro-fitting the current one. He asked about the type of location that would be needed to accommodate both men and women firefighters. The chief spoke about municipal park lot 7 as an optimal location for a firehouse.
The library presentation highlighted the planned addition of study rooms and a PSE&G energy initiative that will include installation of LED lighting in March. The library plans to purchase new computers and look into sustainable options to cut costs. The study rooms will go upstairs since the renovation should allow for expansion on both the first and second floors.
“Our money is set by the state,” said Library Director Kathy Cannarozzi. “I know this year we will need a new server and next year we will start needing new computers because technology is outdated in five years.”
Representatives from TV 35 submitted a capital request to increase staffing and replace their outdated truck.
In addition to these and other requests, the health department reported an increase in insurance costs and the Police Department requested funds for new security cameras.
The township committee plans to introduce the budget on Tuesday, March 19, and plans to adopt it in April.
