The Alternative Press

FREDON TOWNSHIP, NJ – Township employees will continue to receive medical coverage from Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, with the township self-insuring some of the co-pay amounts.

The township committee voted unanimously on Thursday, July 26, to continue with the coverage for the seven full-time employees, but to self-insure 30 percent of the deductable. The township has been increasing the amount of self insurance over the past few years, Mayor Carl Lazzaro said.

The mayor noted the plan has a maximum out-of-pocket of $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a family and the township’s self-insuring will cut that back. He said the township has done this in the past and never had a problem with huge bills.  

The prescription coverage for the employees will not change.

The township had until Aug. 1 to renew. The committee looked over other plans, from Aetna and Americare, but decided Horizon was still the best.

In other matters, Committeeman Anthony Thomereux said the township received a $200,000 grant for repaving on Warner Road. The township has to match $68,000. The $268,000 will pave less than a quarter-mile of road, he said.

Only three members of the public attended the meeting, but they all spoke during the public session.

Chuck McWhirter, owner of  Spring Valley Equestrian Center said trees are growing over the power lines on Paulinskill Lake Road and it is a bad situation when he loses power with all the horses who need water. He pointed out he is doing a camp this summer and doesn’t want to endanger the campers traveling to and from the center because of trees falling on the lines and the road.  

Lazzaro said JCP&L is responsible for trimming trees back from their wires and they have been out doing inspections. Thomereux pointed out it is a county road. Lazzaro said he can send a letter to the county engineer’s office noting the problem.

Both McWhirter and Carl Kaltsas, owner of the Fredon Deli, noted their taxes have gone up considerably.

Kaltsas said his property taxes went up $6,000 last year. He is concerned the assessment may be in error. Lazzaro said he would accompany him to the assessor’s office to see what could be done.

Lazzaro noted the total operating budget of the township is $68,674 less this year than last. “We have hired no extra employees, we’ve let road work slide,” to keep the budget in line, he said. “We lost $104 million in property value in the township and we lost double tax appeals from Bear Brook,” he explained. “When you can’t even pave a quarter mile of road for $270,000, it’s a problem.”

“We are much better off than other towns,” he added.

The other comments from the audience were about the stray cat problem in the township. The township offers a free spay-neuter program and tries to publicize it, Committeeman Douglas White said, noting he has adopted three stray cats.

Any township resident can access the program by calling the clerk’s office.