Closed Executive Session will begin at 7 p.m. in the Executive Chambers to discuss legal/litigation issues, followed by Regular Public Meeting in the Council Chambers at 8 p.m.
There is currently funding that is available in the county for homeless families through the Social Services for the Homeless - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (SSH-ARRA) programs. Families meeting the eligibility guidelines to receive this federal stimulus money can receive up to four months of emergency and prevention assistance. Please take notice that these monies are NOT for families getting already receiving welfare, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF ) or are on SSI.
If you know of someone who think might be eligible, or if you think you might be eligible for funding assistance, contact one of the organizations listed below for more information.
The agencies and programs are:
1. Bergen County Board of Social Services Program: Motel Placement Target: Families who are homeless, working, and ineligible for TANF or SSI Contact: The Homeless Hotline 1-888-3-BERGEN, 1-888-323-7436
2. Bergen County Community Action Partnership Program: Homeless Prevention (Mortgage, Security, Rent, Utilities, and Case Management) Target: Families at risk of homelessness and ineligible for TANF or SSI Contact: 201-342-2323
3. Bergen County's United Way Program: The Compassion Fund - Homeless Prevention (Mortgage, Security, Rent, Utilities, and Equipment and Appliance repair/ replacement) Target: Families at risk of homelessness and ineligible for TANF or SSI Contact: 2-1-1, ask for Elizabeth and the Compassion Fund.
Each SSH-ARRA funded agency will provide a complete assessment and collect the necessary documentation to meet eligibility requirements. In general, the SSH-ARRA funding eligibility requirements are: * Must be a family (at least one adult and one child, under 18) * At least one member of household is a US Citizen or eligible alien * Monthly income = 350% of poverty or less (350% of poverty chart attached) * Family is ineligible for, TANF or SSI, or has exhausted Emergency Assistance (EA) benefits * Not Serving a welfare sanction or case closed in past 12 months due to sanction * If other resources available, they are not viable to meet the presenting emergency
The Borough of Bergenfield will utilize a new communications service, effective June 1, 2010, that allows us to send important, valuable community information directly to residents using the latest technology.
The Nixle Community Information Service allows us to create and publish messages to be delivered to subscribed residents instantly via cell phone text message and/or email. Notifications can also be accessed online at Nixle's web site at http://local.nixle.com/borough-of-bergenfield-nj.
Messages may include Storm Alerts, Missing Person Alerts, Emergency Road Closures as well as other relevant safety and community event information.
According to Bergenfield Borough Administrator Rick McGarril the ability to quickly disseminate important information directly to residents via, e-mail and cell phone text messaging is essential in today's technologically savvy world.
The service is reliable and free for our group to use.
The messages can be sent specifically to residents registered within a ¼ mile radius, giving them the opportunity to receive trustworthy information relevant only to their neighborhood. Residents decide from which local agencies they want to receive information. Subscribers can also choose the way in which alerts are received, whether it is by email, text message, or over the web.
There is NO spam and no hidden cost. Standard text messaging rates do apply.
Nixle builds on the foundations of other public-to-public communication services, such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, but adds a key component: security. When citizens receive information from our agency via Nixle, they know it can be trusted.
"Nixle is a first-of-its-kind tool for communities that need to provide critical information to their residents," said Craig Mitnick, Founder and CEO. "In today's world, you have to trust the source of your information. Residents of Bergenfield can rest easy that the local messages they receive are authentic."
Residents of Bergenfield and those in neighboring communities can immediately begin receiving pertinent information via text message, email, and web by registering at www.nixle.com.
We are very excited to have you experience it for yourself.
As we approach the end of 2009, half way through our 2010 fiscal year budget, it seems appropriate to respond to some of the areas of concerns expressed recently by our residents. In no particular order these concerns center on the borough’s fiscal health, the recent property revaluation, borough spending, and the near term future due to the nationwide recession.
In spite of the present recession the community remains fiscally strong and the present budget does not include an increase in spending in spite of inflationary pressures. We continue to collect the majority of taxes on a timely basis. We have sold some tax liens on delinquent properties where required to maintain our revenue stream. This is not unique to Bergenfield and does not have a serious impact on the borough.
An indication of the borough’s fiscal health was reflected earlier in the year when the borough did not find it necessary to take advantage of a state plan that would have allowed us to pay only 50% of our pension obligations this year. While many communities found it necessary to adopt the plan, we did not believe it was fiscally responsible as it only postponed debt payments to future years.
The recent property tax revaluation reflected in the 3rd quarter 2009 tax bill corrected the gross inequities resulting from the 2004-05 revaluation and will save the 7000 residential property owners approximately $3,000,000 annually. Prior to the revaluation, residential property owners were paying more than their fair share of taxes.
It is no secret that the State of New Jersey is deeply in debt for many reasons including past borrowing practices and the present recession. With the January 2010 change in the state administration we expect to see cuts in state aid to the community as well as to our school system.
While there are few major options available to offset the expect loss of state revenue without reducing services, the borough has taken or will take additional steps in the near future to reduce expenditures. These include the installation of solar panels to generate electricity, improvement in the use of electrical power by changing to more efficient lighting, a change in telephone provider to use VOIP technology, preparing payroll in-house rather than using an outside contractor, a change in garbage disposal methods at our apartment houses and a renegotiated insurance program on our buildings which were over insured.
Regardless of what the future may bring I’m confident that your borough council and the borough staff are capable of resolving them while maintaining the quality of life that we have come to expect in our community.
Welcome to the official web site of the Borough of Bergenfield, New Jersey. This site contains extensive information on the Borough of Bergenfield, NJ, in an easy-to-navigate format. If you are new to this site, or to the Internet in general, please review the tips below. If you still have trouble navigating the site, please feel free to contact the site administrator by
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.
To see a schedule of upcoming Borough meetings, click the navigation menu above for "Calendars > Meeting Calendar".
To check the garbage collection or recycling schedule, click "Calendars > Garbage Pickup" in the above top menu.
If you need to fill out a form or application, click the left menu for "Download Documents" and browse there for the form you need.
To see a table of contents of the entire web site, click "Site Map" in the left menu.
If you're still having trouble finding what you're looking for, simply use the "Search" function and type in your inquiry. You will receive a page of results to narrow your search.
Borough of Bergenfield
198 N. Washington Ave Bergenfield, NJ 07621 201-387-4055
The Nixle Community Information Service allows us to create and publish messages to be delivered to subscribed residents instantly via cell phone text message and/or email. Notifications can also be accessed online at Nixle's web site at 
As we approach the end of 2009, half way through our 2010 fiscal year budget, it seems appropriate to respond to some of the areas of concerns expressed recently by our residents. In no particular order these concerns center on the borough’s fiscal health, the recent property revaluation, borough spending, and the near term future due to the nationwide recession.
Welcome to the official web site of the Borough of Bergenfield, New Jersey. This site contains extensive information on the Borough of Bergenfield, NJ, in an easy-to-navigate format. If you are new to this site, or to the Internet in general, please review the tips below. If you still have trouble navigating the site, please feel free to contact the site administrator by
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
