Full Notification

Mayor Bill Ziegler’s Leonia Status Update, February 3, 2025
 
As the Super Bowl is almost here, I will take the liberty of using a football analogy.  I’m “calling an audible".  This is the prerogative given to the quarterback when he gets to the line of scrimmage in anticipation of executing a particular play and, at the last minute, based on some new pressing information changes the play to fit the circumstances.
 
The audible I’m calling is this… instead of having a Town Hall on Redevelopment, we are going to have a Town Hall on the Budget in February.  Why?  Because new pressing circumstances have come to my attention which have substantial implications for all Leonia taxpayers and warrant a thorough reveal and vetting with everyone who contributes their tax dollars to fund Leonia’s services.  I’m not deemphasizing the importance of a Town Hall on Redevelopment as our very future as a town still depends on getting redevelopment and revitalization right with your continued support and input.  I’m merely saying the biggest short term concern based on late breaking information is our budget and we need to address it in February.  
 
Please mark your calendars now for Tuesday, February 25th at 7:30 pm on the second floor of the new Municipal Center for a Budget Town Hall.   Remember, the municipal services portion of each tax dollar represents 31% (or 31 cents on each dollar you pay in local taxes). This is what we will discuss on February 25th.   The remaining 69% (or 69 cents on each dollar you pay in local tax) which won’t be discussed is separate by state law and is largely represented by the Board of Education and County Government.
 
Why do I want the Budget Town Hall to go first?  Well, last year I assumed our municipal budget circumstances were about as bad as it could possibly get.  And while we weathered that particular storm fairly well and emerged with an operating budget increase lower than inflation, I must admit this year’s challenge looks more daunting than I anticipated even three months ago. 
 
Here are a few facts realized in the last 3 months…NJ state authorities informed Leonia our mandated health benefit and insurance costs increase would be 24.6% this year–that’s on top of a 16% percent increase last year!  That’s a 40% increase in two years for pretty much the same service.  As it is one of the largest single components of our operating budget, this has major implications.  At the same time, we are also seeing other increases  of 7+% for Bergen County Utilities Authority for our sewage disposal costs,  40% for legal fees driven by the Station Parkway lawsuit, 9% in debt service, retirement contributions up 6%, and utilities/fuel costs up 5%.  As a benchmark for your consideration, we know inflation in 2024 was 2.9%.
 
Even though our revenues are up and we have more than doubled grant monies this year through a deliberate focus on outside funding opportunities, our cost increases require more to cover.  This is what I want to share with you on February 25 at the Town Hall and get your input. 
 
We will show you how all of these expense increases add up to a whopping $1.2 million above what we paid last year for pretty much the same services on a total budget of approximately $18.3 million in 2024.  My hope was to bring in another budget that tracked with or below inflation just like we did last year.  I don’t see how that is realistically possible now given the current circumstances even though we continue to look at and will execute various shared service opportunities, restructure some municipal departments, and make selective service cuts. 
 
So I want to bring you up to date (and quickly) on what we’re going to be considering and, frankly, manage your expectations in terms of this year’s coming tax increase. 
We want your input on how best to proceed and will weigh that input into the solutions the governing body ultimately acts upon.   I hope you can make it on February 25th.  If not, we will make sure the recording is posted within 24 hours on the borough website. 
 
Leonia’s Fair Share Housing Plan: 
 
In last month’s status report,  I reminded you how Leonia would adopt our fair share housing plan by the end of January in keeping with state deadlines.  It is now done.  After considerable discussion and study the Planning Board members and the governing body unanimously adopted Leonia’s plan last week.  HERE IS A LINK TO THE PLAN AND HERE IS A LINK TO A PRESENTATION FROM THE BOROUGH PLANNER.  
 
By playing by all the rules and being proactive/smart about our commitments, we have positioned Leonia well and have emerged with a fair share housing plan that puts Leonia in a better position than I could have imagined about 12 months ago and, at the same time, fulfills our affordable housing obligations responsibly. 
 
I sincerely thank the members of the governing body and our Planning Board for their commitment to getting this job done.  The dream team duo of Jeff Surenian and Kendra Lelie as our affordable housing counsel and Borough Planner, respectively, did yeomans work.  I believe we are the envy of many of our surrounding municipalities.  And a special thanks to our Borough Administrator, Marisa Mesropian, who became an in-house expert on this subject and read almost everything the state has written on this topic to help us play by all the rules.
 
I won’t repeat myself in terms of what we’ve done to position Leonia best but, if you want a refresher, HERE is a link to my comments in a previous status report.
 
We will also dovetail these affordable housing plans with our overall redevelopment plans and make sure the two work together seamlessly.
 
At our Town Hall on Redevelopment and Affordable Housing with the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Redevelopment and Revitalization (MACORR) in March/April, we will be reviewing the affordable housing numbers, our plan for fulfilling all our requirements and how all of this needs to effectively come together.  I hope you join your neighbors in attending this session as well.
 
Leonia World Cup Soccer Committee – Call for Volunteers:
 
I am going to form a Mayor’s Advisory Committee in anticipation of the World Cup Soccer finals coming to the Meadowlands in 2026.  There are numerous opportunities from which Leonia can benefit by sponsoring events in town leveraging World Cup excitement and activities. But we need to start working on it now.   Chairing the committee will be Council President Jordan Zeigler who is a huge soccer enthusiast.
 
We envision watch parties in Wood Park with a biergarten and food options during matches and many other fun events which will bring Leonians out to enjoy the games.   Leonia could very well become a premier destination for those watching matches in the tri-state area if we play our cards right.  This could be a huge boon for the merchants and restaurants all along Broad Avenue.  I’m hoping our Chamber of Commerce and business owners will also get engaged in this effort. 
 
Ideally, we are looking for Leonians with experience in soccer or sports marketing, event planning, and vendor relations.  Anyone can express interest.  Members of the committee will be expected to participate in monthly meetings for most of 2025, and should probably transition to meeting every two weeks in December 2025 leading up to the World Cup.  If you are interested, please fill out the volunteer form on the website and indicate the “Mayor's Advisory Committee on World Cup” as your specific interest. VOLUNTEER HERE. 
 
The Committee will look to become a licensed watch party site with either FIFA and/or US Soccer, to ensure proper marketing exposure.  By placing a biergarten and having food options for matches, Leonia can become a premier destination for those watching matches in the tri-state area, given that games are being held at MetLife Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia), and Gillette Stadium (Foxboro).
 
Congestion Pricing:
 
It is safe to say the jury is out.  At least in terms of the feared impacts the introduction of congestion pricing in mid town Manhattan below 60th Street might pose to Leonia traffic.  The concern is that vehicles attempting to avoid the surcharge that would normally travel through the Holland or Lincoln Tunnels into the city might divert over the George Washington Bridge instead.  So far, we have not seen any appreciable changes in traffic flows.  In fact, and this may be due to the season, traffic has been somewhat lighter leading up to the bridge which, at least for now, is good news for Leonia.  Our Leonia Police Department does a great job of managing our traffic (with help from County officers) and keeping me informed as to what’s happening.   I’ve let Congressman Gottheimer and other state and county officials know what we are experiencing right now too.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
 
County-mandated Revaluation will begin this year:
 
Every ten years or so a municipality is required by law to open its doors to revaluation experts who spread through town and re-assess the value of every single property and building.  This is done to ensure the formula for taxes charged to each homeowner better reflects current market values.  As you can expect this is a formidable effort and requires in-home visits to complete. 
 
Some homeowners will receive an assessment that is higher than the one done 10 years or so ago and others may receive a lower assessment.  I’m told that it is basically a wash.  That the higher assessed values are typically almost completely offset by lower valuations.  Personally, I don’t believe this will hold true.  I believe the increase in property values for this area overall will not make that kind of offset possible.  But what I think doesn’t matter in this case. 
 
We will all be asked this year, most likely beginning around the late Spring/early Summer to make an appointment with an evaluator for them to assess our building/property.  To facilitate this, a homeowner can expect to receive a letter or postcard  in the mail with instructions you need to follow to set up your appointment.  As additional information becomes available, I will pass it on. 
 
Last point… this isn’t free.  We as taxpayers are required to foot the approximate $290,000 bill to pay for the revaluation.  With today’s tight budget reality, that is a big additional burden but nothing we can do anything about.   We just won’t have to worry about it again for another 10 years. 
 
New Age Friendly initiative in Leonia:
 
The focus here is on our seniors.  An AARP program outlines the steps a municipality can take to best cater to the unique needs of its senior population.  These needs include communications, programs, transportation, health services, affordable/appropriate housing etc. 
 
At this year’s re-organization meeting, I appointed a new Mayor’s Advisory Committee to facilitate Leonia becoming certified as an Age Friendly community.  In addition to helping our seniors this formal certification, once earned, will better position Leonia to receive grant monies specifically for our senior population.  This certification is one of the ways we are investing in not only improving senior services but our ability to fund the same through increased grants.
 
In the Spring, Age Friendly Leonia will determine through a community needs survey how to best improve policies, practices and services for our older residents. 
 
Leonian Ellen Healy is chairing this effort and working very closely with our Senior Center Lead Maggie Browne.  I’ve asked Councilman Louis Grandelis to serve as the liaison as he is also liaison to the Recreation Commission.   More to come on this important effort as we gain momentum in the coming months. 
 
Check out the new Environmental Commission page on the borough website:
 
HERE is a link to the new Environmental Commission page(s) on the borough website.  In this particular posting, you will find new information on composting and food waste.  The other day, I dropped off my food compost at the bin behind the Senior Center.  Remember this is available to all Leonia residents who signed up and are paying a fee to a private farmer to do this.  HERE is the LINK  to sign up for food composting if you are so inclined.
 
What struck me as I dropped off my most recent load of food composting, was the weight of what I was carrying.  If all of us could take our food waste and similarly compost it, we would be removing a substantial amount of garbage from what the DPW collects curbside and this, in turn, would dramatically reduce our tipping fees to the BCUA. Our tipping fees are another costly line item in the municipal services budget and, not surprisingly, they have also been going up, up, up.  So it’s really in everyone’s best interest, even if you aren’t as environmentally conscious as some in town, to compost because your tax burden would decrease accordingly. 
 
State of the Municipality Address:
 
If you’ve made it this far in my monthly status update perhaps you are a glutton for punishment and might still be interested in the attached link of my annual State of the Municipality address which I delivered at our January re-organization. STATE OF THE MUNICIPALITY ADDRESS.  In this speech, I thank all of our tremendous volunteers, cite the good work that’s been done and review our priorities as a borough for 2025. 
 
I hope everyone is managing to stay warm during these cold winter days. 
 
Bill Ziegler
Leonia Mayor
February 3, 2025