School board gets rate increase break; police criteria to change

SOUTH RIVER — The Board of Education will get a break in its electric rates.

Last Wednesday, the Borough Council agreed to reduce the current electricity tax hike of 18 cents per $100 tax rate for the board to 9 cents per $100.

The rate reduction was requested by the board in June after board members received a jolt when they found out electric rates for the year 2000 would be increasing.

The board, which renews its budget on a fiscal year beginning in April, did not anticipate such a high increase.

Instead, the board allocated for a 5-cent electric rate increase for the 2000-2001 school year.

The council was forced to increase electric rates by 18 cents per $100 after a sweltering summer in 1999 caused electric rates to reach more than $1 million in August.

The council also approved, on first reading, revisions to the police hiring criteria for the rank of lieutenant, sergeant and captain at its meeting last week.

Under the new proposal, the South River Police Department would have three lieutenants instead of the current two.

In addition, the hiring requirements for the positions will change. In order to qualify as a captain, a candidate will have to hold the position of lieutenant for at least one year and be a member of the police department for at least 10 years.

The promotion review process will now consist of five elements.

In prior years, the promotion process was comprised of the amount of time an officer had served, educational background and a recommendation by the police chief.

Under the proposal, the chief will continue to recommend a candidate for promotion, and education and seniority will also be taken into account, but there will now be a police committee to review the candidate as well as a peer advisory board.

A percentage of each of the various elements will be given to the candidate.

A second reading on the ordinance is expected to take place at the Sept. 7 meeting.