Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Impact to average homeowner is $79.
Municipal taxes on the average Chatham Borough home will rise $79 under the terms of a $13.6 million budget introduced at Monday’s Borough Council meeting. The overall tax levy for municipal purposes, $7,540,389, will rise 1.72 percent, Business Administrator Robert Falzarano said, under the 2 percent state-mandated cap. The rest of the budget will be funded by other revenue, including income from leases, parking, fees and state aid. The annual municipal tax bill for a home assessed at about $600,000 will rise from $3,449 to $3,528, Falzarano said. The increase includes the library tax and the fees for water, sewer and solid waste. A public hearing on the budget will be held April 8. The municipal portion accounts for about 22 percent of …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
An Arkansas man faces more than 20 years in prison for his role in the car accident that killed the borough's deputy DPW director and injured the borough administrator and his brother.
A jury trial for a 45-year-old Arkansas man charged with manslaughter in the death of Chatham Borough's DPW deputy director has been set for 9 a.m. April 3. James T. Hearon, of Wade, Ark., has been charged with manslaughter for Charles Dziedzic's death in April 2012. Manslaughter is a "C" felony under Arkansas law that carries a penalty of 3 to 10 years in jail and/or a $10,000 fine for Dziedzic's death in a car crash in April 2012, according to Lonoke County Prosecutor Chuck Graham. In addition to the manslaughter charges, Hearon also faces two counts of second-degree battery, a "D" felony in Arkansas, for the injuries to Robert and George Falzarano. Each count has a penalty of up to six years in jail and/or a $10,000. Hearon was driving …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Chatham Borough considers second brush pick-up.
The Chatham Borough Council agreed to consider a second brush pick-up through borough streets, but only after leaf pick-up finished and if the Department of Public Works was not overwhelmed with snow removal. Chatham Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano said the DPW had already completed one round of brush pick-up after Tropical Storm Sandy hit the area. Now, he said, the DPW is focused on leaf pick-up. "We went through and picked up the brush," Falzarano said, "and we left notice that we'd been through and we wouldn't be back." After residents saw the notices, Falzarano said he received many phone calls and visits from borough residents, some quite "nasty," who said the residents were unaware of brush pick-up in their neighborhood. DPW …
Monday, November 26, 2012
The council meets Monday evening at the borough municipal building.
The Chatham Borough Council will vote on a resolution transferring $10,100 to the 2012 Current Fund Budget to cover operating expenses and $140,000 to help pay for damage caused by Tropical Storm Sandy when they meet Monday. Emergency funds from Sandy include $35,000 in police overtime, $35,000 in DPW overtime and $70,000 in operating expenses as a result of the storm. Between August 2011 and November 2012, three major storms—Irene, the October 2011 snow storm and Sandy—hit the area, each causing more damage than the last. Sandy's impact was by far the worst. At the borough council meeting on Monday, Nov. 12, Administrator Robert Falzarano estimated the storm's total damage to the borough at $680,841. Costs to the borough from Sandy …
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Most of the funds will be taken out of Chatham Borough's joint insurance fund, but emergency appropriations will have to be allotted for the rest.
In a report on Chatham Borough's preparation for and response to Tropical Storm Sandy, Administrator Robert Falzarano estimated the storm's total damage to the borough $680,841. Falzarano briefly summarized his report diring the council meeting Monday, in which he outlined the borough's major costs as a result of the storm. According to the report, costs from Sandy include: These funds are on top of the 942 regular hours worked by DPW employees and the 1,674 regular hours worked by police employees during the storm. According to Falzarano, damage caused by borough trees can be taken out of the borough's Joint Insurance Fund (JIF), which is in the millions. For the remaining funds, Falzarano said the borough council will likely have to vote…
Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Chatham Borough Council meets Monday.
In their first meeting since Tropical Storm Sandy hit the area, the Chatham Borough Council will review emergency management and JCP&L's performance during the storm when they meet Monday. Much of Chatham Borough lost power as a result of Tropical Storm Sandy, including all schools, and police said trees or wires came down on almost every street. According to the First Energy website, all of Chatham Borough has had power restored as of 11 p.m. Sunday. In 2011, borough residents and officials criticized JCP&L's slow response to restoring power after both Tropical Storm Irene and the late October snow storm that hit exactly one year before Sandy. Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano will address the borough's emergency management during …
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Chatham Borough also considers increasing supply of bags for Pay As You Throw program.
Chatham Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano said he met with the owner of B&B Disposal to address problems residents have noticed with their green trash bags. "We're getting some complaints about bags breaking," Falzaranno said. Because Chatham Borough participates in a Pay-As-You-Throw program, residents can only use approved bags to dispose of their non-recyclable waste. These bags are a specific color—green, in the borough's case—and are printed with the town's name on the side. The bags are only available at Kings Supermarket, Dreyer's Lumber and ShopRite. They cost more than plain black or white trash bags and are meant to encourage residents to recycle and reduce their non-recyclable waste as much as possible. Councilman Vicki …
Monday, September 17, 2012
Arkansas man faces manslaughter and battery charges, up to 22 years in prison for accident that also seriously injured borough administrator and his brother.
An Arkansas man could face more than 20 years in prison and $30,000 in fines for his alleged role in a fatal accident in April that claimed the life of Chatham Borough's deputy director of public works and seriously injured the municipality's administrator and his brother. James T. Hearon, of Wade, Ark., has been charged with manslaughter, which is a "C" felony under Arkansas law that carries a penalty of 3 to 10 years in jail and/or a $10,000 fine for the death of Charles Dziedzic, according to Lonoke County Prosecutor Chuck Graham. Hearon also faces two counts of second-degree battery, a "D" felony in Arkansas, for the injuries to Robert and George Falzarano. Each count has a penalty of up to six years in jail and/or a $10,000. Hearon …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Robert Falzarano thanks public for their support, Chatham employees for their hard work.
Monday’s council meeting marked the public return of Chatham Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano – a return that was met with much applause and multiple well-wishes. Falzarano had been out following a motorcycle accident outside of Little Rock, Ark. on April 23 that led to hospitalization, surgery and several weeks in the Intensive Care Unit. Mayor Bruce Harris began the meeting by welcoming Falzarano back, a sentiment that resulted in a standing ovation from every person present in the room. As the night progressed, residents took the time during public discussion to extend their well-wishes. “It’s good to see you back,” Joseph Marts, a former mayor and councilman, said. “You’re a valued member of this organization.” Falzarano thanked …
Monday, July 9, 2012
Acting Administrator Vincent J. DeNave says Robert Falzarano has not returned to work, but has started to participate in emails and conference calls.
Chatham Borough Administrator Robert Falzarano has started working from home, according to Acting Administrator Vincent J. DeNave. Falzarano "has really started to participate more," DeNave said, and has called in for conference calls and responded via email to borough issues with municipal employees and officials. It is still unclear when Falzarano will return to work fulltime, but DeNave said "he's excited to get back here ... [h]e's anxious to get back to work." Falzarano was hospitalized for over a month following a motorcycle accident outside of Little Rock, Ark. on April 23. Falzarano was stabilized at the scene of the accident, then transported to the hospital where he underwent surgery and spent several weeks in the Intensive Care …
R. Swanson
6:12 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Only in the public sector are salary increases "mandatory". This is the cost of allowing collective bargaining for public employees and why folks in Wisconsin, for instance, finally woke up. Hopefully there will be the same realization here some day that bargaining with taxpayer funds when the economy isn't growing and tax revenues are stagnant makes no sense whatsoever. Public sector employees, … more ›