The Greater Blairstown Business Association
Unity in Business & Community
www.shopGBBA.org
Agenda for 3/20/2019 GBBA General Meeting
Today’s Message: “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.”
Networking from 6:30 to 6:45 pm
15 people in attendance.
Opening Remarks at 6:45 pm:
Formal Business at approximately 7:00 pm:
Tonight’s Speaker at approximately 7:30 pm
New attorney as of 2018 (savings of $18,000).
Tax collection rate of 98% currently.
New well for township near the firehouse.
5800-5900 people (aging population)
754 max at BES down to 459
Area 30.9 sq miles with 58 miles of township roadways
Town employs 8 full time police. 6 public works people, 3 general staff...all full time. Other employees part time.
Vacant or abandoned homes in our town now must register and pay fees...collected over $100,000 as of the end of January 2019.
Ridge and valley to buy some unused land owned by the town for $56,000
Foreclosed on 7 properties that the township was paying taxes on….will be offered to contiguous property owners and then sold at auction if not sold.
Raised fees on clothing bins and zoning permits
The oil spill on Walnut Valley (fire house) to be remediated….at a tremendous cost. New company can save $200,000-400,000 from initial estimate
Blairstown has preserved over 1200 acres at a cost of about 1 million dollars in the past years since the open space tax was created
Debt service...1.4 million in debt. Largest expenditure being the municipal building
State aide (which yards creek money now counts as) is due to go down after having been flat for a number of years.
Reserves have constantly been depleted more every year, so measures have to be taken to correct that.
Expenses have been reduced by relying on volunteers more for things like emergency management. Crossing guards expense ($14,000) passed to the school (still being negotiated), ems contribution eliminated, payments to fire officers (stipends) have been eliminated.
Road improvements (very important to residents), capital improvements, fire equipment, OEM items...all needed expenditures
5.5 cent proposed municipal tax with 3.5 cents towards road improvement (raising about 248k per year for roads)The other 2 cents would go to the general appropriation. This is $137.5 for a home assessed at 250K for the year. Only 11.45 per month. Its $165 more a year for a 300K home. Not set in stone as its still being discussed.
For reference: The upper part of Mohican Rd from Cobblewood to Gaisler was about $380k with another $240k plus for the lower section to be done.
Town surplus is down to about $800k and constantly shrinking. Previously the township maintained a surplus of $2 million plus.
A municipal tax will allow us access to grant money otherwise unavailable to us without a municipal tax.
Still to be voted on.
Another idea is to bond for several roads to get them done all at once then pay back with new tax money as it comes in.
Public Participation at approximately 7:45 pm:
Fred Cook brought school budget info…..NWHS is losing state funds and in trouble.
Closing Remarks at approximately 8:00 pm:
Unity in Business & Community
www.shopGBBA.org
Agenda for 3/20/2019 GBBA General Meeting
Today’s Message: “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.”
Networking from 6:30 to 6:45 pm
15 people in attendance.
Opening Remarks at 6:45 pm:
- Thank you to all for attending and to First United Methodist for hosting.
- Thank you to our speaker tonight, Joanne Van Valkenburg.
- Self-introduction of members and guests.
Formal Business at approximately 7:00 pm:
- Board Reports/Board Meeting Summary - 15 minutes
- Quarterly weekend meeting
- March 30th at 8:30 am at Re/Max Ridge, 8 Main Street, Blairstown
- March 30th at 8:30 am at Re/Max Ridge, 8 Main Street, Blairstown
- Looking for those to host upcoming meetings at 6:30 pm
- April 17 -- Speaker Blairstown CARE, need location
- May 15 -- Speaker NAMI (mental health), need location
- June 19 -- possible speaker Scott Johnson (BT police)
- July 17 -- Blairstown Ambulance Corps, 108 NJ-94, Blairstown
- April 17 -- Speaker Blairstown CARE, need location
- Notable local events
- May 17th & 18th -- BEC Community Clean-up Event -Membership appealed to for volunteers
- May 17th & 18th -- BEC Community Clean-up Event -Membership appealed to for volunteers
- What topics you’d like to see covered?
- Please make sure you pay your membership dues: calls to go out to members who haven’t renewed. Reminder that dues help with scholarship
- Quarterly weekend meeting
- Board Openings -
- Two Member-at-Large openings - Publicity Committee Chair, Events Committee Chair. Membership appealed to. Need more hands on deck.
- Committee openings - Publicity, Events, Membership, Scholarship
- Two Member-at-Large openings - Publicity Committee Chair, Events Committee Chair. Membership appealed to. Need more hands on deck.
- Recap on goals from previous meeting -
- GBBA discount card -- needs volunteer to coordinate
- At this time we must assume we will not be hosting Sip & Shop as we have had no volunteers to the Events Committee. Hoping that we can get some help and make it a summer event instead.
- GBBA discount card -- needs volunteer to coordinate
- New Business (as needed) -- Debbie Waldron brought up the Main St. Assoc. goals. Parking issues, asking for input, date to be announced for a meeting.
- Joanne Van Valkenburg shared that Blair Academy will be creating a parking lot from Blair Place with handicapped spots and at least 10 other parking spots.
Tonight’s Speaker at approximately 7:30 pm
- Joanne Van Valkenburg will be sharing details about the changes to Blairstown taxes that will affect resident and businesses.
New attorney as of 2018 (savings of $18,000).
Tax collection rate of 98% currently.
New well for township near the firehouse.
5800-5900 people (aging population)
754 max at BES down to 459
Area 30.9 sq miles with 58 miles of township roadways
Town employs 8 full time police. 6 public works people, 3 general staff...all full time. Other employees part time.
Vacant or abandoned homes in our town now must register and pay fees...collected over $100,000 as of the end of January 2019.
Ridge and valley to buy some unused land owned by the town for $56,000
Foreclosed on 7 properties that the township was paying taxes on….will be offered to contiguous property owners and then sold at auction if not sold.
Raised fees on clothing bins and zoning permits
The oil spill on Walnut Valley (fire house) to be remediated….at a tremendous cost. New company can save $200,000-400,000 from initial estimate
Blairstown has preserved over 1200 acres at a cost of about 1 million dollars in the past years since the open space tax was created
Debt service...1.4 million in debt. Largest expenditure being the municipal building
State aide (which yards creek money now counts as) is due to go down after having been flat for a number of years.
Reserves have constantly been depleted more every year, so measures have to be taken to correct that.
Expenses have been reduced by relying on volunteers more for things like emergency management. Crossing guards expense ($14,000) passed to the school (still being negotiated), ems contribution eliminated, payments to fire officers (stipends) have been eliminated.
Road improvements (very important to residents), capital improvements, fire equipment, OEM items...all needed expenditures
5.5 cent proposed municipal tax with 3.5 cents towards road improvement (raising about 248k per year for roads)The other 2 cents would go to the general appropriation. This is $137.5 for a home assessed at 250K for the year. Only 11.45 per month. Its $165 more a year for a 300K home. Not set in stone as its still being discussed.
For reference: The upper part of Mohican Rd from Cobblewood to Gaisler was about $380k with another $240k plus for the lower section to be done.
Town surplus is down to about $800k and constantly shrinking. Previously the township maintained a surplus of $2 million plus.
A municipal tax will allow us access to grant money otherwise unavailable to us without a municipal tax.
Still to be voted on.
Another idea is to bond for several roads to get them done all at once then pay back with new tax money as it comes in.
Public Participation at approximately 7:45 pm:
Fred Cook brought school budget info…..NWHS is losing state funds and in trouble.
Closing Remarks at approximately 8:00 pm:
- Thank you all for attending.
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