Council Approves Special Improvement District's Budget

Now that the township council has approved the Scotch Plains Management Corp.'s budget for the next fiscal year, the group can officially move on to two new projects: finding office space and hiring a director.

The council passed the group's budget 4-1 during its meeting Tuesday night. At approximately $67,200, the budget is $400 less than last year's assessment, according to the group’s chairman, Jim Watson.

About $35,000 of that budget will go directly toward hiring a part-time director for the special improvement district, and approximately $6,000 will be used for renting a small office.

Watson said during Tuesday night’s meeting that the position has been advertised using various networks, including trade publications that deal with special improvement districts. The group has gotten six or seven resumés so far. It hopes to make a decision sometime by July.

Watson said that the director will be a big help to the group, handling most of the day-to-day operations. He said the manager will be paid to work a maximum of 20-25 hours per week.

“But that will go a little bit up and down depending on the season, probably in the dead of winter less,” he said.

The group is currently paying Sherry Cronin, the director of the Westfield Downtown Corporation, $100 per hour to consult the group on questions they have as they continue to get going. Cronin gave the group her job description to help them set guidelines for what role they want the part-time manager to play.

"We'll use it to pick and choose what we want the part-time manager to do," Watson said.

The group’s budget, which is effective July 1 through June 30, 2010, also has several other highlights.

The group has budgeted approximately $15,000 to do two events next year.

They’ve also estimated $2500 for postage for mailings to residents, but Watson said they are looking for ways to save there.

"They aren't big numbers," he said. "We don't have a lot to work with. When you put in an employee, that takes a lot of your budget."

Businesses in the special improvement district will still be billed a flat fee of $400 this year. Board member Steve Goldberg said that the fee will gradually increase, but for now the flat fee is a good way of getting business owners comfortable to the idea of the special improvement district.

“We felt last year that the straight fee was a great compromise, and it’s worked really well so far,” Goldberg said.

The group is also currently working on compiling a directory of all of the businesses in the special improvement district. Goldberg said that the group is working with students from DECA, a high school business association, now to start compiling the information, and that they hope to have it released by the holiday season this year.

"The goal is to have a guide that says, 'here's all the businesses in the special improvement district,'" Goldberg said. "No money in the budget is being used for it, but we had money left over from last year."

“We’re really looking forward to this,” Goldberg added. “We’ve spent a lot of time getting ready. When we have a manager to do the ground work, things will move better.”