Mayor's Message

Last year, Little Falls like other cities and towns, both large and small and throughout America struggled to fund vital and necessary services. By maintaining a tight cap on spending, my administration was able to keep the municipal portion of our property tax bill the third lowest of all municipalities in Passaic County. At the same time we were able to maintain the high level of services that our children, seniors and working families need and deserve.

As I prepare the budget for 2010, we are faced with a similarly grim financial picture. The state will likely slash aid to communities. As I prepare this year’s budget I will continue to look to lower spending, cut expenses and reduce the tax burden on our residents. In fact I am exploring new ways for the township to bring in new sources of revenues.

Many of you are aware that 95% of Montclair State University is situated in our township. I have asked the Township Council to approve a resolution in support of a law now before the legislature that would allow our community to be paid a per student fee from the university. Conservative estimates of the projected infusion of cash are $1.8million dollars that would go directly to municipal property tax reductions. I value the education that MSU and many colleges provide to our students, however the services that are provided by the Township combined with the loss of rateable’s just doesn’t work any longer. A small stipend, no more than $50.00 dollars for part-time students and $100.00 for full-time students per year will hardly discourage anyone from pursuing a degree. We simply can no longer afford to force our property tax payers to bear the full financial burden for the services we provide the university. I will work with our legislature to spearhead this effort.

I have asked the Township Council to move on selling or re-zoning the few township owned properties we have left in Little Falls. One such property on Rose St. is suitable for a hotel and there is an expressed interest by a developer to build one there. That developer has also set aside a one acre parcel that will be used for a recreation field; a field that is sorely needed for our children. Additionally if a hotel was to occupy this space a sustained revenue stream would be created by way of an occupancy tax and the additional property taxes that that business would generate. The original developer that presented this proposal did so over four (4) years ago in a much stronger economic environment. We need this help now. You deserve this help now. Please tell our council to move on this project. This revenue will help you and your municipal portion of our property taxes. 

Additionally, in an effort to look for other new sources of revenue, I have established an Economic Redevelopment/Parking Committee that will be looking at ways to improve the commercial areas in town and make suggestions to improve downtown parking and look into the establishment of a transit village in Little Falls. 

I am also happy to report that final plans for the long overdue, Little Falls Justice Complex have been delivered to my office, and I anticipate that we will be going to bid with an anticipated ground breaking in early spring. 

Our new grant writer has worked tirelessly and I am happy to report that this year we received almost one million dollars in grant monies. Please click here to download our 2009 Grant Procurement Year – End Summary for updates on the projects and monies received. As many of you know I am an avid supporter of our recreation programs. I created the recreation commission which was disbanded under a previous administration and council, and I will work with the Recreation Commission, especially on our 2010 Open Space Grant Application. In fact we expect to be receiving discretionary funding from the Passaic County Freeholder Board which has already been earmarked for improvements to the Duva complex, our main recreation field. This is a first time event and I am thankful to the Freeholder’s for assisting us. This spring we will also begin a program to conduct criminal background checks on all volunteers who will be working with our children through the various sports and recreation programs. 

These are just a few examples of new ways my administration is looking to bring in fresh revenues and a new and transparent approach to governing; without further burdening our property tax payers. 

As always, my door is open and my phone is always on. Please feel free to call, E-mail me or stop in to my office, and give me your input on any topic of concern. 

Thank you.
Michael DeFrancisci,
Mayor