State of the Borough Address
Presented by Mayor Matthew P. McHale
January 4, 2007

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Dumont Borough Hall. In 2006, the voters of Dumont chose to return Bob McQuade and Eric Abrahamsen to the Dumont Borough Council. They also chose to retain Harry Stylianou and Marty Caspare. Partisanship aside, they could not have made a wiser choice.

While these four men may be of the same party, as is the rest of this dais, they each bring with them qualities unique to their personalities. We do not always agree. Our focus and concerns may appear at times similar but is often different. The policies of this administration are formulated through discussion, compromising, and polishing. As this Borough’s Mayor, these men serve as a guide to me both personally and professionally. It is a great pleasure and honor to serve with men and women of such character, valor, and dedication.

The State of the Borough of Dumont is good. As we move into 2007, we reflect upon a year in which Dumont continued to stabilize and return to normalcy after an unfortunate, but healthy two year period of turbulence, change, and healing.

2006 was a year of thinking outside of the box and attempting to implement bold, fresh, and innovative ideas. In some areas there was success, and in some failure. Often, and the members of the Council will confirm this, I found myself in overdrive, impatient in seeking to pull Dumont up faster then it should be. It was Councilman Manna who kindly reminded me that “Rome was not built in a day.” While Dumont is not Rome, it is a unique and special place that deserves the best which I know now can be achieve through a slow, steady, and thorough approach.

In 2006, we were able to:

• Continue to secure Dumont’s fair share of grant funding from the county, state, and federal governments.
• Alleviate chronic flooding in the White Beeches neighborhood, particularly in the areas of Cole Court and Cypress Road.
• Repave our borough streets – many of them through grant funding.
• Improve our snow removal by replacing our inefficient and outdated DPW equipment.
• Replace and upgrade our municipal playground equipment so that our children have the safest and best to play on.
• Redesign our municipal website to ensure that information is transmitted more efficiently and thoroughly.
• Upgrade the municipal phone system which finally allows residents to leave messages for the Borough’s officials and employees.
• Employ a full time Chief Financial Officer to watch over the taxpayers’ dollars and prevent grave mismanagement for which we continue to pay.
• Increase the amount interest the Borough earns on its funds by soliciting proposals that yield the highest return. In 2005, Dumont earned approximately $89,000. Since August of 2006, in just four months, we have earned $89,099.
• Establish a Board of Ethics who will promulgate a code that will guide municipal officials and employees and protect the taxpayer from abuses.
• Introduce and adopt an ordinance that prohibits registered sex-offenders from residing within 500 feet of our parks and fields.

In 2007 the most important issue confronting Dumont, and all of New Jersey’s 566 municipalities, is the existing property tax structure. This structure is broken and we can no longer ask our residents to suffer. Throughout 2006, I repeatedly called on my fellow “Dumontians” to help myself and the Council demand real and true property tax reform from Trenton. We cannot let up. We as residents, as taxpayers, must make our voices heard.

While we wait to hear from Trenton, I will continue to take the necessary steps of restructuring our municipal financial operations to eliminate unnecessary spending when possible and if not possible, expand the services that our residents already receive, without expanding the budget. Working with our Finance Chairman, Bob McQuade, our Chief Financial Officer Terri Giotis, our Borough Administrator John Perkins, and our Auditor Gary Vinci, we will continue to search for unique and innovative ways to approach our municipal finances. In 2007 we must turn to our neighbors of Bergenfield, Cresskill, Demarest, Haworth, New Milford, Oradell and the County of Bergen to seek ways to share services. By sharing services efficiently we can stem the ever increasing costs of our services and we can learn to work cooperatively.

A hallmark of my tenure serving first as a member of the council, and then as Mayor, has been to open up the municipal process by making Borough Hall more approachable, transparent, and responsive.

In 2007, I hope to continue these advancements by:

• Taking the Borough’s website to the next level, and creating a 24-hour Borough Hall where residents can interact with the Borough of Dumont at any time during the day.
• Introducing a quarterly newsletter to inform those residents who are not internet savvy of the doings of their municipal government.
• Exploring the idea of televising the Mayor and Council meetings.

To preserve the town that we love and cherish, I intend to propose the following ordinances to protect Dumont’s environment:

• A Shade Tree Commission which will inventory the Borough’s trees, seek grant funds to plant and replace existing trees, and to educate the public of the importance of trees in every day life.
• An Environmental Commission, to be spearheaded by Councilman Eric Abrahamsen, to work with the residents of the Borough of Dumont so that they comply with the new Department of Environmental Protection requirements, curb the pervasive litter that we are plagued with, and to embark on a town-wide beautification program that recognizes and commends residents for aesthetically improving their property and greenery.

We must remain diligent in our efforts to curb overdevelopment and institute the tools that we need to control and dictate what future development will look like in Dumont. As many of you recall, Dumont experienced a construction boom that lasted for a decade in the late 50’s to early 60’s. Some of these structures have come to the end of their existence, and others have been preserved. Unfortunately we will never stop development, but we must control it so that we have “smart” and not “over” development.” To do this, 2007 will be the year in which, along with the Planning and Zoning Boards, we will map out Dumont’s future by adopting a strong master plan. We must be vigilant about seeking and providing affordable housing for our seniors so that they may continue to be an active and vital part of our community.

Finally, we will continue in our commitment to improving our infrastructure whether it is our roads, sidewalks, curbs, storm water or sewer drains, and parks. In 2007, Dumont will endeavor on a project that will finally address the problems that have caused sink holes and pipe cracks, in the area of Fire Fighter’s Park, Catawba Street, New Milford Avenue, and Oak Street. We will also be improving Dumont’s Memorial Park by upgrading its ancillary drainage and constructing a walkway that will expand the park’s recreational opportunities so that it includes residents of all ages.

I look forward to working with the members of the Council and its new Council President, Ellen Zamechansky – the first woman Council president in over 20 years, the Borough’s staff – including the Fire and Police Departments and the Volunteer Ambulance Corps. - and professionals as we continue to endeavor on improving this special place called Dumont. I also look forward to taking direction from Dumont’s 17,000 plus residents when it comes to sensitive and important issues confronted by the whole community.

Lastly, I would like to make one final appeal; I encourage all to take pride in Dumont, to contribute to its vibrancy, and to participate whether it is in our many recreational programs, boards, or committees. We are one family, and our family can thrive through cooperation, compromise, and accomplishment.

Thank you and Happy New Year to you and yours.