Patten slams councilmen on mill plans

Mayor also says consolidation wouldn’t solve financial woes

By: Vic Monaco
   HIGHTSTOWN — Mayor Bob Patten lashed out publicly this week at Borough Council members, most notably Patrick Thompson and Walter Sikorski, for their proposals and actions related to the once-again stalled negotiations with the conditional redeveloper of the rug mill property.
   The mayor also criticized Mr. Thompson’s call for a new budgeting tact and returned to a position he had cast aside during his recent re-election campaign, making it clear he doesn’t see consolidation or shared services as a solution to the borough’s financial woes.
   "There has to be school-funding reform," he said at Monday’s Borough Council meeting, pointing out that the bulk of taxpayers’ money goes to local schools. "All these ideas of shared services and consolidation, there’s not going to be that much of a financial difference. There’s no guarantee shared services is going to be the ticket to substantial decreases in the tax burden."
   The stalled talks with John Wolfington over redevelopment of the 7-acre mill property — seen as essential to economic development — had Mr. Sikorski suggesting a deadline and Mr. Thompson wanting to seek proposals from other developers again.
   But the subject had Mr. Patten admonishing Councilman Sikorski, his Democratic opponent in the recent general election, for revealing to the Herald last week that Mr. Wolfington had again raised the number of residential units he wants to build during a private meeting.
   "We need a spokesperson," the mayor said. "A lot of comments have been made to the press. When council members go out to the public, it’s inappropriate. As the mayor, I think I should be the one to speak. I would appreciate you respecting the seat of the mayor."
   Mr. Sikorski, who sits on the mill subcommittee with the mayor, did not respond. Instead he moved ahead with questions about how long the borough is willing to give Mr. Wolfington to present a conceptual plan that is in accord with the borough’s recently revised redevelopment ordinance. Borough Attorney Fred Raffetto said the borough is not technically obligated to Mr. Wolfington despite the fact that the council recently named him conditional redeveloper for a second time in three years.
   "We did that," Mr. Thompson said, "because we had just changed our ordinance consistent with something we thought he’d be interested in doing."
   Specifically, the council in October approved a Planning Board suggestion that the maximum number of allowable units be raised from 80 to 130, at a time when Mr. Wolfington was proposing 127 units. Now, the developer, who began with an 80-unit plan, wants to build 141 and wants the option to rent some, which also violates the ordinance.
   Councilman Sikorski also suggested Monday that the borough do what it can to get Mr. Wolfington to sign a memorandum of understanding, under which he would have to provide escrow money so borough staff can be paid to continue review of the project. Council had expected to approve an MOU on Dec. 4 under which Mr. Wolfington would pay $50,000 in escrow funds. But Mr. Wolfington told the Herald last week that he plans to offer less than that.
   "Does this just continue with no deadline?" Mr. Sikorski asked.
   Councilman Thompson said the borough should consider seeking proposals again from other developers, who might be able to purchase the Bank Street property from Mr. Wolfington. Mr. Raffetto responded that the borough could do that but suggested it be done only after it feels it has "exhausted all avenues" with Mr. Wolfington because he now owns the land.
   His words dripping with sarcasm, Mayor Patten said to Mr. Thompson, "Go ahead. Start looking for someone. That’s great. Put an ad in the paper and sign it Councilman Patrick Thompson."
   Mayor Patten, in a more serious moment, went so far as to indicate the council might want to consider sending the redevelopment ordinance back to the Planning Board again for further changes. Later in the week, at Thursday’s meeting of the Economic Development Committee, the mayor made that point more strongly.
   "If the council feels they need to compromise … there will have to be an amendment," he said.
   He also criticized the council for not approving a redevelopment plan a lot sooner.
   "Groundbreaking could have been done. Townhouses could have been built by now," he said. "But I keep trying."
   Mr. Thompson’s motion to seek requests for proposals from other developers went nowhere Monday after Borough Administrator Candace Gallagher pointed out that the borough doesn’t have the funding for the process, which cost about $3,000 last time. She said the borough could issue bonds for that purpose in hopes that a developer would reimburse the borough later.
   On the municipal budgeting front, Mr. Thompson said borough officials should change the process, which begins next month. Rather than arriving at an unknown budget total after months of meetings, he said, the borough should set a total first – "starting in a place we can afford" — and work to reach it.
   "We’ve been going at it in a way that’s painful and backward," he said.
   Mayor Patten — who last week criticized Mr. Thompson’s suggestion to set up a study committee of former council members and business leaders to look at borough spending — continued Monday to find fault with Mr. Thompson’s ideas.
   "For eight years we’ve been doing exactly that. We always look for input from the public, but the onus is on us," he said.
   The school budget, he continued, makes up 58 percent of the local tax bill "and we’re supposed to make things perfect for our property owners?"
   Councilman Larry Quattrone said Mr. Thompson’s approach would definitely result in service cuts. Mr. Thompson said that could be the case but the borough could also seek financial assistance from outside entities such as the Peddie School.
   Council President Dave Schneider said that cutting some services in half would not result in a significant savings for taxpayers, and they would not be happy with service cuts. Councilwoman Constance Harinxma said the borough could do more to seek shared service agreements with other communities.
   Mayor Patten continued to defend the current budgeting process.
   "I don’t think it’s been proven it’s not working," he said, while telling Councilman Ryan Rosenberg that he needs to convince people otherwise.
   Mr. Rosenberg replied by pointing to the 2006 tax hike of 18 cents.
   "I think our tax increase should convince people," he said.
   In the end, Borough Council took no action to change the budgeting process or address the situation with Mr. Wolfington.