We badly need a restaurant on Cedar La. along the lines of the late, lamented Louie's. It has to be someplace u can get a sandwich or a salad, and offer a varied and interesting menu.

How about some sort of control over the rents of stores on Cedar Lane? It is almost impossible for anything to survive with the huge rents.

how about resolvable hours at the municipal building. 9 to 5, 8 to 4, 10 to 7? Monday to Friday. honest policies to address tax assessments of property. this might keep the township from being sued over the overinflated assessments we currently have. a movie theater running a variety of films and paying attention to matinees, especially during holidays and weekdays. efficient government.

oh, i just woke up...must have been a dream

Teaneck Improvements in 2013? Here are a few:
Installation of the long overdue Bus Shelters on the Cedar Lane Streetscape
A DPW truck garage in order to maintain our DPW Trucks (resolution passed in 1999)
The return of the 5 Day Town Hall work week. That gives us 52 more days per year to do business at the Town Hall's 10 depts.
Repair of the Town Hall Building before it degrades any further.
An internal Workflow study for the Town Hall to assure we properly address building needs.
A circulating bus service between Cedar Lane, Queen Anne and Teaneck Rd business districts to get more residents getting there needs met within Teaneck.

For me, I think the bigest mistake was thinking that Cedar Lane was a walking district. It is not, it is a driving destination, that's the only way it will succeed. So make it driver friendly. Have you driven there lately? Just what I thought...

Zero tax increases.......

A council that better represents the interests of all residents with new energy, honesty and creative ideas. There is more to the quality of life in Teaneck than tax cuts-cutting school budgets hurts all especially those who don't send their children to private religious schools. How you ask? More residents need to vote and ensure their needs are represented-voter turn out is depressing in the more integrated parts of town. Lets hope we do better the next Council election

Without any more delay, the council must reinstate a 5-day 40-hour work week for municipal building employees, with the minimum of at least a half-day on Friday in exchange for extended hours on Tuesday or any other day. That is within their control, what type of business will be coming into Teaneck is NOT within their control although working more closely with the Chamber of Commerce would be a good start, as well as consulting other towns whose downtown areas have grown and developed like Englewood, Hillsdale, Glen Rock, etc. The great improvement in recylcing pickup is to be commended, but the DPW on River Road is still in dire need of rebuilding and modernizing. Finally, while I am on the topic, some of the garbage companies who service significant parts of town have fallen off the wagon and are no longer offering programs for those households that actuvely recycle such as discounted fees, prepaid stickers for garbage bags, etc and they are getting away with that without penalty from the township. This is discriminatory, and also doesn't continue to encourage recycling. Waste Management is a prime example. What accountability is there from the original agreement back in the early 1990's?.

How about working to attract stores that appeal to a larger variety of people. Seems to me that a Starbucks, Burger King, McDonalds, Pizza Hut anything would bring much needed revenue in to the town. You can't keep slamming folks with property taxes. At some point you have to find other ways to bring money in to the community.

I would like to see a left turn signal from Palisade. Ave on to Cedar lane. And a better shopping district like we used to have

A) Some simple to address 'quality of life' issues: 1) Enforce noise laws for cars with blaring music and loud exhausts. 2) Keep bicycles off sidewalk on Cedar Lane. (Would make the Lane more pedestrian and shopper friendly)
B) Make Cedar Lane less desirable as an alternative to Rt. 4 from Teaneck Road to River Road (and Hackensack). Narrowing Cedar Lane with angle in parking will also make it more shopper friendly.
C) A jitney from VFW parking area to Cedar Lane is a practical way to enhance the Lane and make it more desirable than a shopping mall.

Better snow removal, particularly on the south side of town, near the Bogota border would be appreciated. In the same vein, it would be great if the piles of autumn leaves would get picked up before they get snowed on. There are many streets that need resurfacing. Oak Street leaps to mind as one example.

Work to develop a mechanism so that towns can opt out of the County Blue Laws. The blue laws create a near insurmountable economic hardship to local retail businesses.

ALL THE CLOSING BUSINESSES!!! Economic development should be priority one for Teaneck!!! No petty politics please... just focus on our merchants.

A post office that is open for the people. During the holidays it closed at noon.
Restaurants like Wendy's, Burger King, Starbucks.
A grocery store besides Stop and Shop.
Better parking at the High School.

The best school system in the world!

Teaneck spends most money per student among its peers and gets the worst results....... multiple 100k per year physical education teachers...... administrators making even more.. the list goes on...

I think it's time we scrapped the town manager system. let's elect a mayor and also elect council members BY DISTRICTS, so that there is some accountability and residents have an "address" to go to for help, etc. the town manager is not accountable to the citizens and the council often defers to the manager anyway. as for the council, by electing members by districts, we create a system whereby each section of teaneck has a specific advocate, as opposed to the current system.

Cut expenses - the REAL unnecessary ones such as providing a car for a township manager who lives over an hour away.

you do know that hackensack and englewood and probably other towns nearby supply cars to managers? Also some management of the police/fire have these cars for good reason as they are responsible for big emergencies 24/7. Do you honestly think the cost of the car comes close to have any real impact on taxpayers? no. it is just petty politics. And zizi, how do you propose the council pay for it without using taxpayer money?? Please lets focus on helping our business districts and not bickering about this nonsense.

JamesTS:

Do you honestly believe that these highly paid managers can not afford a dependable car?

Why you insist that this issue is nonsense?

It is not nonsense..... this specific issue show the reckless abandon the town council has for tax payers money..... if the council feels that they need to grant cars to such managers.. than they should donate the money or find it elsewhere..... The council should show some sense using tax money.. they should not just grant such things in such a nonsense way....

James: The Manager's car is a symbolic issue. It costs Teaneck about a $1,000 a month to provide the car, insurance, fuel, and maintenance. Further, it endorses long distance commuting. The round trip is about 130 miles a day. It is the manager's choice to commute that far but why should it be at our cost? Ask the Council. Remember, as the highest paid township employee, the manager can't plead economic hardship. Finally, at the same time the Council granted the car, thousands of towns across the country were ending take home cars for their employees. Just the daily gas bill alone for that distance is $24 or about $100 for a 4 day work week. But don't blame the manager. He asked for it and it was given by the Council, just like the 4 day work week with Friday Town Hall closure. My preference: End the take-home car and put the money saved into the DPW Truck Garage Fund or the Town Hall Repair Fund.

Art - good point. James, this town is way too liberal. We need to have a backbone and say NO. The town council shows no fortitude in this respect.

I find it interesting that the town manager's car is the symbol of people's disenchantment with the Council. If you are disenchanted with the council's use of funds, why doesn't someone propose a motion to stop paying the Council members their $7500/year? If saving money is the issue we get alot more that way....
Seriously, if you have issues with the town manager, you should take it up with him first, directly, and then the council. If you do not have an issue with the performance of the town manager, then lets move onto more important things. hey does anyone have any ideas how to increase small business opportunities that do not atract more banks and pharmacies? Now that is worth talking about!

Very well said Jim Dunleavy. These "take home" cars are nothing new. Most towns of teaneck's size have this for multiple town employes who have 24/7 duties. Forget this petty politics... our business community is dying out day by day and yet everyone is (as usual) bickering about this garbage. Why is our town council and Chamber of commerce so silent ??? Where are they to help our businesses??? NOw that's a real issue.

Jim and James:

The very people who asked for and got free cars inclusive of all costs are not going to worry about your business community. Why don't both of you do the following,

-propose a motion to increase small business opportunities that do not attract more banks and pharmacies
-propose a ban on people's thoughts who disagree with you and that you consider garbage

Teaneck should not worry about what others towns do right and not just what they do... there is a difference.....

It starts with small things and eventually leads to big changes..... we need to tell the council that days for lavish contracts and generous perks are over...... It is time to convert Teaneck into lean organization that functions like other towns around us......

If we have to compare our town with our peers than we should start with reducing expenses.... increasing revenue... lowering taxes... and that is worth talking about.....

Zizi, as I am sure you are aware, most of the township's revenues is taxes. To increase a commercial tax base that is fair is laudable. Yet when I hear that it costs a commercial real estate owner in town more money to have a business rent their property than it is to keep it empty concerns me that something is upside down, wouldn't you agree? Since I am a healthcare provider who is employed I would not begin to consider myself an expert on job creation as that can only be the realm of entrepreneurs, as we learned in the last election. By taking focus off of an issue like the cars, which will gain us little in revenue but alot in increasing the decibel level, i think you will agree that spending our time on more useful endeavors is in the best interests of us all. You expressed a need to tell the council to identify the lavish contracts and perks and to get rid of them. May I ask what they are and how much money does it take for a contract to be concidered lavish? Once we all agree on that definition then we can move forward with the council

Jim:
Giving 4% increases regardless of performance is lavish..... giving cars as perks is lavish...... giving 4 day work week to anyone is lavish...... arranging newer bigger offices by moving to old police building is lavish..... To service town vehicles in a town owned garage with town hired staff is lavish when the whole operation can be outsourced at a great saving and better turn around...... The list goes on.... The property taxes in Teaneck are way too high..... compared to our peers...... (something we should compare with other towns)..... Teaneck does not even pick up our garbage......

The problem is that people think cutting $12,000 a year from the expenses is not important...... The council need to treat tax payers money as it is theirs..... would you spend $12,000 a year just because your neighbor spend it on a car?...... I guess we need to treat every decision based on lower expenses and lower taxes....

I would create a paid position for a person who is responsible to bring in businesses
and development into Teaneck. We all know the current system is a disaster and failure.
All good intentions but we have lost so many good businessesthey can't sell their business and we wind up with a town no business wants to come to.