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Teaneck Township Council

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Teaneck Approves Budget After Calls for Cuts

Deputy mayor says Teaneck should explore using volunteer firefighters.

The Teaneck Township Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve the town's $69.1 million budget amid repeated calls from residents to make spending cuts. The budget was mostly unchanged from when it was introduced in March. The 2013 spending plan includes a $53.4 million tax levy. A homeowner assessed at the town's $452,622 average is set to pay $3,949 in taxes. The library tax, separate from the municipal figure, went up $171.09. A $2.2 million chunk of the budget first allocated to covering a flood of successful property tax appeals was removed after the state's Local Finance Board granted Teaneck permission to issue refunding bonds over three years. Some residents have continually called on the council to slash spending. "We can have come …

zizi

11:26 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013

I voted for Obama both times... and what a big blunder I made..... he is worse than George Bush.... at least Bush provided some entertainment.... who else can choke on a pretzel... fall from a bicycle so often... use incorrect English so often being a US president.....   more ›

Thursday, May 2, 2013

What Should Happen to Teaneck's PAL Building?

Some residents say the building should be torn down.

The Township Council has approved using a grant to build handicapped bathrooms at the vacant former Police Athletic League building off Route 4. Councilman Elie Y. Katz has lobbied to renovate the building, citing requests he has received to use it as public meeting space. Katz has said residents have also volunteered to help cleanup the space. Other residents counter the building should be torn down and repairing the decades-old structure would be a waste of town resources. What do you think should happen to the former PAL building? Should it be renovated or torn down? How would you like to see the site used? Share your views in the comments.

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Lisa Dee

1:27 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Art, Improve 100 year old exit, benches for a park, signs directing people to business district . Art be serious these ideas you have are smart and practical,spend tax dollars wisely, improve traffic to business area, improve a park. Honestly i don't see how the council could consider these proposals they all make too much sense.   more ›

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Tax Appeals Expected to Hit Record High in Bergen County

Teaneck council's push to have schools and counties share the tax appeal burden meets opposition.

Bergen County's tax official expects to process around 15,000 tax appeals this year, a record-setting number, according to a report on northjersey.com.  In Teaneck, the council is considering bonding $2.2 million to cover a slew of property tax appeals. The township is set to make its case for borrowing before the Local Finance Board next week.  The council also passed a resolution calling the tax appeals an "inequitable burden" and seeking to have the school district and county pitch in to cover their slice of the $2.2 million in appeals. The council's move backs pending legislation that would share the payments with schools and county government.  Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, however, has said the town should be responsible …

Art Vatsky

6:25 pm on Wednesday, April 3, 2013

I think the record shows that "common sense" is not that common in Teaneck. We have inherited a series of municipal mistakes and, instead of repairing them, we have "kicked the can" down the road, year after year. These tax appeals is yet another example. I have lost my patience with the Council because of their continuing missteps. Plowing snow and removing fallen trees is just not enough. That …   more ›

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Teaneck Wants Schools, County to Pay Share of Tax Refunds

Council resolution calls tax appeal judgments "inequitable burden"

The Township Council is pushing to have the school district and county cover their portion of the town's $2.2 million in tax appeals, northjersey.com reported Tuesday.  The council passed a resolution calling the tax appeals an "inequitable burden" and is looking for other towns to help push the state Legislature and governor to make counties and school districts pitch in for the appeals.  State Senator Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, of Teaneck, said the town was solely responsible, not the school board or others.  “It is up to the municipality to make sure that property values are fair across the board,” Weinberg said in the report.  In Teaneck, 1,800 tax appeals were filed in 2012 and the town is facing $2.2 million in rebates. The …

ray pombo

11:01 am on Sunday, May 5, 2013

i think the coucile of TEANECK SHOULD BE REPLACED THEY ALL ARE A BUNCH OF DO NOTHINGS   more ›

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Letter: Teaneck Council Deserves Praise for Anti-Gun Violence Vote

Five other Bergen County towns have backed anti-gun violence measure, letter says

The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Ed Gross, chairma of the Bergen County Coalition Against Gun Violence: I am writing to applaud the Teaneck Town Council for their decisive vote to endorse the state's new anti-gun violence resolutions. As the chair of the group behind the effort to gain endorsements, I think the Council deserves the town's praise and gratitude for their stand on this issue. Their desire to promote safety from gun violence accurately represents the overwhelming majority of Teaneck residents. Five other Bergen County towns have already endorsed the resolution we proposed and many others are considering it. Eighteen Bergen County mayors have joined NYC Mayor Bloomberg's non-partisan group, Mayors Against …

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Teanecker

6:40 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Such a requirement would most likely be found to be unconstitutional as a form or prior restraint. You simply can't force someone to take a class to own a firearm any more than you can in order to get a voter registration card. Obviously, the case is different for those permitted to travel around with their firearm. For those people, many jurisdictions require such a class. Obviously, whether a …   more ›

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

VIDEO: Diversity Concerns Raised After Planning Board Pick

Former Teaneck Planning Board First Alternate James Kinloch was passed over for a voting position that opened on the board last year.

James Kinloch, a former Teaneck Planning Board alternate who was passed over for a voting position last year, questioned the decision during a Township Council meeting last week, raising concerns about racial diversity on the board, according to a report on NorthJersey.com. The council appointed Keith Kaplan to an unexpired seat held by Mark Schwartz. Kinloch, who is black, resigned as first alternate in December, upset over not being selected, according to the report. Council members said race was not a factor when they made the decision. "I lay claim to what is merely a right to become a regular member of the Planning Board and, given my professional experience, believe that if I were again to be denied that membership, it would be for …

Tee Smyth

10:53 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013

Here we go, Stevie. Where is the racism, exactly? What's the race?? Question. Have you ever been discriminated against due to your race? Anyhooo. To answer the question to your hypo, my response would be: is it true??? Is what Barbara said true? If so, why don't you take issue with the actors? Tee stands alone. I've been saying since the busing debacle that Stern and Katz have narrow interests, …   more ›

Monday, February 11, 2013

Massive Oak Becomes Teaneck Historic Site

"Living witness" becomes first historic tree in Teaneck

The centuries-old red oak tree at the corner of Cedar Lane and Palisade Avenue is now officially a historic site, the first tree to receive such a designation in Teaneck.  Residents have long fought to preserve the massive oak, and the town council last week formally marked the tree as the Teaneck's 16th historic site.  The tree is said to be 250 to 300 years old and located on the site of the former Samuel Campbell farmhouse, built sometime before 1837. The property once stretched from the Hudson River to Hackensack River.  "The tree was standing before the birth of our nation and before George Washington's retreat over the Hackensack River at Historic New Bridge Landing and, as such, is a remnant of a rural landscape that contributes to …

shimon baum

3:26 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Did George Washington himself carve his initials in this tree? The sad thing is it's probably the most exciting thing in this town.   more ›

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Massive Oak Could Become Teaneck's First 'Historic' Tree

Tree along Cedar Lane is 250 to 300 years old

The Teaneck Township Council is expected to vote Tuesday on a measure that would designate a centuries-old red oak tree along Cedar Lane as a historic site. An ordinance to add the tree to the town's list of historic sites was introduced last December after a recommendation from the Historic Preservation Commission. If approved, the move would make the massive oak the town's first tree to be granted historic status.  The tree is 250 to 300 years old and located on the site of the former Samuel Campbell farmhouse, built sometime before 1837, according to the library's virtual village website.  A resolution prepared for Tuesday's meeting calls the tree "a remnant of a rural landscape that contributes to the historic character" of Teaneck.  …

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Carole R

5:46 pm on Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Indeed, John, but that's a whole other topic!   more ›

Monday, January 7, 2013

Teaneck Explores Volunteer Emergency Team

Volunteer group could help in disasters and emergency preparedness efforts. Township officials were in the early stages of gathering information on the idea.

The Township Council on Tuesday is set to discuss the possibility of forming a volunteer emergency response team that could aid Teaneck in major disasters.  The group, called a Community Emergency Response Team, is a widely-used federal program designed to offer basic training for volunteers to prepare and help respond to various incidents.  "CERT members give critical support to first responders in emergencies, provide immediate assistance to victims, organize spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site and collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts," according to the state's Office of Emergency Management.  The free CERT training is typically about 20 hours, in two to four hour blocks over weeks or months, according …

Barbara Ley Toffler

10:01 am on Monday, January 7, 2013

Also!-- Volunteer Emergency Team should have equal representation from each of Teaneck's four quadrants. This representation will allow for choices like Block Captains and other communications to be relatively easily managed and will enable emergency team volunteers to get to know people in their quadrant.   more ›

Monday, December 24, 2012

Teaneck Memorial Honors School Shooting Victims

Town officials, local religious leaders organized the service

Scores of area residents came together Sunday with local leaders for a memorial service in memory of the lives lost when a gunman opened fire at a Connecticut elementary school. Six adults and 20 children were killed in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the deadliest shooting at a grade school in American history. Sunday's service, organized by the Township Council and Teaneck Clergy Council, included a moment of silence and reading of the names of the victims.    

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