Residents walking into the the regular council meeting on Wednesday evening were met by a new mayor and town council. Students from Valley Middle School were ending Student Government Day by holding a mock town council meeting to cap a full day of learning the intricacies of how the boro is administered and governed. During the course of their meeting, they passed resolutions authorizing the donations of $500 to The Library Growth Foundation, $100 to the Police Department, $100 to the Volunteer First Aid Squad, and $100 to the Volunteer Fire Department. Uniformed representatives were on hand to accept the donations which had been raised by students at VMS.
The students had a full day meeting with the mayor, council members, departmental heads, and boro administrators to learn the many roles that come together to make Oakland operate. Before relinquishing power, the students thanked all the people who had assisted them throughout the day, their teachers and their parents. A special heartfelt thank you was bestowed on Dr. Lane who wil be retiring as principal of Valley Middle School after 19 years of serving the Oakland school system. A final bang of the gavel officially ended the day, and the students were joined by Dr. Lane and parents for refreshments.
Prior to resuming official council business, Mayor Szabo expressed a communal feeling of pride for the VMS students who participated in Student Government Day, and for the student body at large. He commended the school district for encouraging civic participation by the students, and read into the record an extensive list of local and national charities that have benefited from the students involvement. Besides the character building traits detailed by the mayor, recent studies have shown that students who are involved in volunteering achieve greater progress in reading, math, and science, and are more likely to graduate from college.
Public Comments
The regular meeting was opened to the public and residents took time to announce forthcoming events in town. The Senior Club will be holding a picnic on June 26th and they encouraged eligible residents to attend; and, The Elks Club will be performing a flag ceremony on June 14th to celebrate Flag Day. (More details on both of these events can be found in The Oakland Journal under Announcements.) One resident also followed up on previous discussions concerning efforts by the town to go more “green”. With the rising cost of fuel, issues on conservation are taking on greater import; and, the council is weighing options with regard to setting up an advisory committee.
Recreation for People with Disabilities
The council reported on the efforts of Jonathan Blake who, with the assistance of boro administrators, is attaining grant applications for recreational activities geared towards people with disabilities. Programs for all ages and situations are planned with an estimated cost of $12, 000, of which the boro would be supplying only $2,000.
Odd & Even Watering Days
Although the hot weather had abated in Oakland prior to the last council meeting, the subject of Odd/Even watering days led to some heated debates. Council member Don Burns, who traditionally is the sole dissenter concerning the annual resolution meant to encourage the practice of Odd/Even, was joined by additional council members in opposing the resolution. He made the case that DPW’s monitoring of the water tanks, along with the town’s reverse 911 capabilities, make the resolution unnecessary and a burdern to residents. His argument was that if water pressure became an issue, calls could go out to residents alerting them of the situation and requesting that they restrict water usage.
Council member Elizabeth Stagg, an ardent supporter of the annual resolution, had her argument clouded by supporters who introduced the concept of conservation into the discussion. She has always maintained that it is not an issue of supply, but of water pressure being available in case of an emergency situation. The introduction of the conservation issue bolstered Council member Burns who used it to further promote his argument. He described water as a renewable resource with little benefit in being saved for a rainy day.
The non-binding resolution for Odd/Even watering days was passed 4-3, and residents are strongly encouraged to water their lawns on the Odd/Even days of the month as they relate to their street address.
Public Smoking
Another topic of debate concerned a proposed ordinance that would outlaw smoking in public by individuals under the age of 19. The discussion was based on a preliminary draft by The Municipal Alliance, and was prepared in response to high school students leaving school grounds in order to smoke. School regulations prohibit smoking on school property, but there are no laws restricting smoking by minors. Laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco products are the only state restrictions that keep cigarettes out of the hands of individuals under 18.
The council was in agreement on the merits of trying to prevent underage youth from smoking, but some council members had concerns over civil liberties. One point was that the ordinance specifies the age of 19 instead of 18. Council member Don Burns questioned whether police would be stopping individuals smoking in public, asking to see identification, and what consequences that would have. This led to consideration of banning public smoking in general, and how would the council define public space. The council believes the proposal needs further review.
Open Space
Council member Elizabeth Stagg and Mayor Szabo began to make the case for extending the open space tax. This is a tax that is already in existence and has proved very profitable for Oakland. In addition to the funds raised through the tax, the fact that Oakland has a tax, and an open space plan, allows it to meet the parameters set for preferred towns in terms of grant considerations. The open space tax is a 1 cent levy for each hundred dollars. Voters passed a referendum five years ago to approve the tax to be used for the acquisition of open space. The council was in agreement that this should go to referendum, and they would actively encourage residents to support it in November.
Discussions were also held concerning the need to have a Green Acres certified appraiser survey potential property in order to determine the viability of purchasing it for open space.
Town Budget
The town budget was on the table for discussion. According to Council member Frank Dipentima, last year was worse than this year. The estimated increase to the average homeowner in Oakland will be $163 dollars rather than the $186 dollars it was previously. The proposed increase includes factoring in a five year plan to cover the 3.8 million dollar bond error that has been reduced to a 3 million dollar error. This was the situation where debt was paid off prematurely, creating an accounting loss for the borough. As this transaction had no criminal intent to it, it is being treated as a personnel matter. Details as to how such a large sum was transferred without oversight are to be provided at the appropriate time.
Returning to the beginning of this article, The Oakland Journal offers this 40 second video that emphasizes the important role civic exercises such as Student Government Day plays in the education of America.