PARSIPPANY — Representatives from the Parsippany Library and NJM Insurance Group recently met at the Parsippany office of NJM to acknowledge their designation as a corporate benefactor to the Friends of the Parsippany Library through a $500 contribution. At this time, they also discussed ways that the library and NJM can collaborate in the future to enhance the experiences of NJM’s Parsippany employees and the larger Parsippany community.
NJM Insurance Group is among the Garden State’s largest property casualty insurers. Founded in 1913, NJM’s mission is to provide value-based insurance solutions with the highest levels of service, integrity, and financial stewardship. One of NJM’s core values is to support the communities in which they are privileged to serve. As a corporate sponsor, NJM supports non-profit organizations throughout the state.
The Company operates in a mutual fashion for the exclusive benefit of its policyholders. Headquartered in West Trenton with offices in Parsippany and Hammonton, NJM employs nearly 2,500 workers.
Since 1984, The Friends of the Parsippany Library have been committed to improving our libraries by raising funds that may be used in various ways, such as to sponsor events and programs; supplement children’s programs; and purchase books, computers, software and audio visual materials.
Funds come from book sales, revenue from “The Book Nook” (the Friends’ used book store) and various fundraisers. The remainder of the budget is made up of annual dues paid by the membership (whether individual or corporate), donations, and grants.
To learn more about how you can contribute to the growth of Parsippany’s libraries, visit the Friends of the Parsippany Library by clicking here.
MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Board of Freeholders last night approved a 2018 county government budget last night that will cost homeowners an average of just $1.67 more annually in county taxes (based on an average property of $419,062) to fund services and programs provided by Morris County government.
The $305.8 million budget includes a tax rate increase of 1.79 percent. That is roughly half of the previous year’s increase.
Freeholder John Cesaro
Importantly, the 2018 operating budget incorporates the most significant operational change in the county’s history – the leasing of the Morris View Healthcare Center.
It prepares for the implementation of a self-insured county employee prescription drug plan, with expected long-term savings. The budget positions the county to address emerging challenges by partnering with municipalities, constitutional offices, and others entities on a host of programs and projects.
“The 2018 budget funds key programs and services that make our county the premier place in which to live, work, and raise a family in New Jersey,’’ said Freeholder Christine Myers, chair of the freeholders’ budget subcommittee.
“In addition, the budget process looked far beyond 2018, offering financial integrity that positions the county for future challenges. It allows us to employ strategic planning and look ahead to critical initiatives, so we can ensure our long-term fiscal viability.’’
The fiscally sensible 2018 budget allows the county to remain financially and operationally efficient; maintains and expands public safety initiatives; sustains all human services programs, while enhancing tools needed to battle the opioid epidemic and to address the needs of military veterans.
It enhances support for countywide economic development and tourism initiatives, protects the county’s long-standing, top-ranked Triple A bond rating; and preserves a stable fund balance required for well-run, top-ranked county governments.
Also, the freeholders have maintained the county’s voter-approved preservation trust fund to finance open space, farmland and historic preservation, and recreational trails and flood mitigation.
To ensure that the county’s infrastructure remains sound, $31.1 million in capital projects are included, with resurfacing 24 miles of county roads, construction and/or design of 11 bridges, improvements to the county’s railroads, and the preliminary design of a new county courthouse included in the fiscal package.
Christine Myers and Deborah Smith
“We are stabilizing the county tax effort, employing prudent debt practices, and maintaining a solid countywide infrastructure through prioritized spending that provides fiscal flexibility,’’ said Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo, a member of the budget subcommittee. “Also, development of multi-year financial planning will allow future Freeholder Boards to consider the affordability of initiatives before they become part of a future year’s budget.’’
“This budget offers financial stability in the use of our reserves while supporting the continuation of the county’s Top-rated Triple A bond rating,’’ said Freeholder and Budget Subcommittee Member Deborah Smith. “We carefully scrutinized all aspects of our county operations to ensure that we operate in a lean manner, with a modern, efficient and cost effective operation.’’
While maintaining a tight rein on spending, the freeholders’ proposed 2018 budget continues to invest in key programs and initiatives that maintain the high quality of life in the county, and look to the future.
To view the proposed 2018 county budget, and previous county budgets click here.
Some of the new and expanded programs, done through partnerships, include:
Creating a Ballistics Laboratory in the Sheriff’s Office, to support law enforcement;
Creating a Forensic Drug Laboratory in the Sheriff’s Office, to promptly and efficiently identify illegal drugs in our countywide community;
Expanding Morris County’s EMS Initiative, to offer additional backup or as-needed emergency response service to all 39 Morris County municipalities;
Initiating Hope One “Navigating the Journey,’’ which will add county and nonprofit human services offerings to the Sheriff’s existing Hope One mobile opioid initiative;
Expanding the county Office of Temporary Assistance’s Dover operation, to enhance services to residents in that region of the county;
Relocating and expanding the Morris County Veterans’ Clinic, with an expanded Veterans’ Administration (VA) component;
Expanding professional economic development services to all municipalities through the Morris County Economic Development Corporation;
The 2018 capital budget strategically authorizes $31.1 million to responsibly deal with critical infrastructure needs.
$20.1 million is dedicated for public works initiatives and includes:
Resurfacing of 24.1 miles of county roads;
Construction of four bridges;
Design of seven bridges;
County railroad improvements;
A new heating system for the county building used by non-profit Homeless Solutions;
Environmental remediation projects;
Design of a new county courthouse;
Also earmarked for funding to maintain a sound county-wide infrastructure:
$2.4 million: Information Technology equipment and upgrades;
$1.8 million: Park Commission improvements;
$1.7 million: County College of Morris campus upgrades;
$1.6 million: 9-1-1 Communications center upgrades;
$1.2 million: Sheriff’s Office public safety upgrades;
$0.6 million: Morris County School of Technology upgrades.
PARSIPPANY — Meet Caesar!! This 2-year-old male English Bulldog had a rough start to life but is happy to now have the chance to find his forever family!
Caesar came into the rescue with lacerations across both of his front legs. He was also emaciated. Even though he was clearly in pain, he was so sweet right from day one.
Here’s what Caesar’s foster mom had to say…He loves to cuddle and be with you. Caesar will follow you everywhere and loves to play with balls and will chew on bones. He isn’t a big fan of the snow but hopefully that won’t be an issue anymore until next winter! Caesar also loves riding in the car and happiest when he has someone around!
Caesar is good with other dogs and children above the age of ten. We are unsure how he is with cats but can cat test him for an approved adopter. He is also potty and crate trained!
Due to the large number of applications they receive for dogs like Caesar, they will only be processing applications after a $25.00 donation is made. Wise Animal Rescue is a volunteer-based group and want to ensure that all applicants are as serious about the adoption process as they are.
PAYPAL: wiseanimalrescue@gmail.com
PAYPAL VIA WEBSITE: Click here, THEN CLICK THE MAKE A MONETARY DONATION VIA PAYPAL
If you are interested in adopting Caesar, please fill out an application and submit your donation by clicking here.
Follow Wise Animal Rescue on Instagram by clicking here.
Like Wise Animal Rescue on Facebook by clicking here.
PARSIPPANY — The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will hold a public hearing on Thursday, April 12 at Parsippany Town Hall regarding the Matter of the Board’s Review of Major Storm Events of March 2018.
The purpose of this hearing is to solicit public comments regarding the state of preparedness and responsiveness of the electric distribution companies prior to, during, and after the March 2018 winter storms.
“BPU has officially begun its thorough investigation into the recent power outages, as ordered by Governor Murphy,” said NJBPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso. “We applaud Governor Murphy for making power restoration improvements a priority and BPU will do everything we can to ensure New Jersey residents experience significant improvements during future storms.”
President Fiordaliso convened a meeting of his senior staff in which he directed them to begin the investigation immediately.
New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy
The series of meetings comes after Governor Philip Murphy promised an investigation into utility companies’ handing of the outages.
Additional hearings will be scheduled and details will be provided in separate notices. Each hearing will focus on service provided by the State’s electric distribution companies.
Members of the public are invited to attend as many hearings as they wish.
The hearing will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., in the Council Chambers located at
1001 Parsippany Boulevard.
Written comments may also be submitted via email to board.secretary@bpu.nj.gov or in writing to Aida Camacho-Welch, Secretary of the Board, Board of Public Utilities, 44 South Clinton Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite 314, Post Office Box 350, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0350. Please reference March 2018 Winter Storm Events comments -Docket Number-EO18030255 in the subject matter for emails and in the heading of any written correspondence.
Comments will be accepted until May 31, 2018, pertaining to these hearings.
In addition to hearings, the Board will closely review the more than 100 utility storm protocols it implemented following Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene to assess whether these protocols were followed during the recent storms and where improvements should be made. In particular, the BPU will be reviewing mutual aid assistance protocols to ensure New Jersey utilities make restoring power in New Jersey their first priority.
There is also another public hearing planned for Thursday, April 5 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Byram Intermediate School, 12 Mansfield Drive, Stanhope.
PARSIPPANY — Lauren Astor was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Astor is pursuing a degree in Digital Media at Ithaca College. Lauren was a graduate of Parsippany Hills High School Class of 2015.
Astor is among approximately 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.
Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines. Its mission is “To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”
Since its founding, 1.5 million members have been initiated into Phi Kappa Phi. Some of the organization’s notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. Each biennium, Phi Kappa Phi awards $1.4 million to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, click here.
Parsippany Town Hall Council Agenda Meeting (03/13/2018)
During the public session resident Kenneth Dolsky discussed “Request that thoughtful analysis of opposing marijuana before a decision is made.” Mary Pruzski also discussed negative impact legalization of marijuana. Julia Peterson said local government should make moral decisions about marijuana and to make the proper decision. Barbara Seaman discusses “killing the seed” regarding addiction.
Nicholas Homyak discusses “Physical and social mechanisms that attribute any individual to addiction, and equate marijuana with opioids, and also discussed Aurora was found to be a fraudulent company and didn’t have a license to operate and can’t believe what they say. Beverly Casper says we need a plan to have Jersey Central repair street lights. Pat Petracca would like to thank the departments as they did a good job during the snow storms.
This meeting has two parts. Here is the second part.
PARSIPPANY — Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce called for an immediate audit of education spending before Governor Phil Murphy continues with his plan to raise taxes by $1.7 billion and increase spending by eight percent. Approximately $30 billion is expected to be spent on education next year from state and local taxes.
“Whatever anyone thinks is wrong with our education system, the problem isn’t a lack of money,” explained DeCroce (R-Morris, Essex, Passaic). “Murphy should order an audit for education just like he did for NJ Transit and the EDA.”
New Jersey spends $18,235 per student, the fourth most in the country and about $7,000 more than the national average. Murphy has proposed spending $14.9 billion on education next year, a 6.2 percent increase.
“The data on school spending shows taxpayers are doing more than their fair share to support education,” said DeCroce. “We need to relieve the property tax burden on families and businesses, especially the suburban homeowners who pay up to eighty percent of their local school costs.”
New Jersey residents paid $15.1 billion in school taxes as part of their property tax bills last year, according to the state Department of Community Affairs. School taxes also accounted for 62 percent of property-tax hikes and 53 percent of the average bill.
“Fixing school funding is a logical step toward decreasing the tax burden that is driving people out of New Jersey,” concluded DeCroce. “The state should look more deeply into how our education dollars are being spent to make the system more equitable.”
Effectively immediately, doctors in New Jersey can recommend their patients use medical marijuana to treat anxiety, various forms of chronic pain, migraines and Tourette’s syndrome. The conditions have been added under the first stage of a wide-ranging expansion of the medicinal marijuana program announced Tuesday by Gov. Phil Murphy . Patients will also pay less to…
PARSIPPANY — International House of Pancakes, 792 Route 46 underwent extensive renovations recently with a complete new interior design, tables, floors, ceilings, walls and decorations.
Parsippany-Troy Hills Mayor Michael Soriano and Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce Robert Peluso President cuts the ribbon celebrating the renovation.
Joining the owners in the celebration, Mo Abdelhadi and Sobhy Abdelhady,were Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Board Member Frank Cahill, Board Member Ildiko Peluso, Board Member Nicolas Limanov, Parsippany-Troy Hills Economic Development Advisory Board member Adam Kandil, Parsippany resident Al Goldberg among many friends and employees.
Parsippany resident Al Goldberg, Co-owner Sobhy Abdelhady, Parsippany-Troy Hills Mayor Michael Soriano, Parsippany-Troy Hills Economic Advisory Board Vice-Chairman Frank Cahill, Chairman Robert Peluso, Co-owner Mo Abdelhadi and Parsippany-Troy Hills Economic Development Advisory Board member Adam Kandil. The Economic Development Advisory Board presented the brothers with a plaque thanking for their continued support in Parsippany-Troy Hills as well as being an employer for many residents.Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce Board Member Nicolas Limanov thanking DJ Jay Cee for playing the music for the eventIHOP Employee Nicholas Lopez holding the ribbonComplete renovations of the premisesAll old tables and booths were removed and replaced with new modern stylesComplete renovations of the premisesCarpenters working on the new floor
Here’s what Caesar’s foster mom had to say…He loves to cuddle and be with you. Caesar will follow you everywhere and loves to play with balls and will chew on bones. He isn’t a big fan of the snow but hopefully that won’t be an issue anymore until next winter! Caesar also loves riding in the car and happiest when he has someone around!
