Westfield Patch: Newest Local Facts

Councilman Sam Della Fera

2010-01-04T19:45:15-05:00

Councilman Sam Della Fera (Republican - First Ward)

Elected in 2009.
Present term expires on Dec. 31, 2009.
Former member of the Historic Preservation Commission.
Vice Chairman of the Code Review and Town Property Committee and member of the Finance Policy Committee.
Active in town sports and volunteer groups.
Attorney in private practice.

Councilman Keith Loughlin

2010-01-23T22:11:49-05:00

Councilman Keith Loughlin (Republican - Fourth Ward)

First elected in 2009.
Present term expires Dec. 31, 2013.
Member of the Memorial Library Board of Trustees.
Vice Chairman of the Public Safety, Parking and Transportation Committee and member of the Public Works Committee.
Attorney with a practice in downtown Westfield.
Policy director for Assemblyman Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield).

Pets and Animal Control

2009-06-07T21:29:58-04:00

Pets

Who to Call: The Town Clerk handles all licensing issues related to pets in the community. Her office can be reached at 908-789-4033.

All dogs and cats at six months of age need a license from the Town Clerk.
A rabies certificate through November 1 of the licensing year needs to be presented to the Town Clerk at the application for a license.
The Town Clerk has vouchers for free rabies vaccinations available in her office.
A dog license is $16 if the dog is spayed or neutered and $19 if not.
A cat license is $10 if the cat is spayed or neutered and $13 if not.
A $8 dollar fee is charged to all licenses not obtained by January 31.

Animal Control

Who to Call: The animal control officer is part of the Police Department and can be reached at 908-789-4000 to discuss out of control animals.

Taxes

2009-06-07T21:23:29-04:00

Tax Assessment

Who to Call: The Tax Assessor can be reached at 908-789-4055.

The Tax Assessor handles the assessment of real property in the town.
All property is assessed by her office for the purpose of determining property tax rates. Her office conducts reassessments as changes are made to the property.
Her office handles tax deduction programs for veterans, the widows of veterans, senior citizens and the disabled. Ask the assessor's office for information and an application.
Appeals of assessment cases can be made to the Union County Board of Taxation.

Tax Collection

Who to Call: The Tax Collector's office can be reached at 908-789-4051

Local property taxes are collected four times a year and the annual July bill contains the payment schedule and amounts. The tax collector handles collection for taxes owed the Town of Westfield, Westfield Board of Education and the County of Union.
- The New Jersey Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service handle state and federal taxation issues, respectively.
Residents are asked to not post date tax checks. All post dated checks will be returned to sendor as the town has to deposit all tax checks within 48 hours of receipt.
There is a five day grace period from the due date. If the 5th falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the taxes are due on the next business day.
Interest is charged on deliquent taxes. There is an eight percent penelty on the first $1500 and an 18-percent penelty on anything over the first $1500. A six percent penelty is charged to taxes over $10,000 not paid by the end of the year.
New owners should call the tax collectors for a copy of the tax bill if they are not provided one by the previous owner.
If you are a qualifed spouse, veteran veteran's widow, disabled person or senior citizen please contact the tax collector for information on tax rebates.

Noise

2009-06-07T21:13:33-04:00

Who to Call: Noise complaints are handled by the Police Department, 908-789-4000.

The town has a noise ordinance that includes a long list of prohibited noises, including animals, blowers, loud vehicles, exhausts, hawkers and peddlers, horns or other signaling devices, loading or unloading vehicles, pile drivers and hammers between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., radios, and yelling especially between 11 p.m. at 7 a.m.
Construction and yard work – including using power tools – is restricted to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Construction and yard work is restricted to the owner, the home’s occupants and family members on Sundays and holidays.
There are exceptions including indoor construction and snow removal.

Sanitation and Recycling Information

2009-06-07T21:08:31-04:00

Who to Call: All questions about santitation and recycling issues should be refered to the Department of Public Works at 908-789-4100.

Recycling

Wbo to Call: Recycling is done by Great Northern Recycling, they can be reached at 888-738-7348. You can also refer questions to the Department of Public Works at 908-789-4100.

Recycling is done by ward, you can consult the recycling calendar at this website. http://www.westfieldnj.gov/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={04807A37-2742-4AA6-8181-ECCD99CAB2A1}&DE={79261D87-215C-4BBB-A8B6-49A315BE3193}
Recyling is picked up at 6am on the scheduled day, residents are advised to have their goods outside on the curb before 6am on the scheduled day in order to avoid a missed pick-up.
If your recycling is not picked up you must call Great Northern Recyling within 24 hours.
All recycling should be placed at the curb in front of your street address, this applies to corner lots too.

Bulk Waste

The town offers bulk waste pick up services in the spring, by permit only. Pick up is divided by ward.
Bulk waste permits cost $80 and can be picked up at the Department of Public Works.
Each permit covers up to 750 pounds of bulk waste.

Conservation Center

The Conservation Center is located at 1300 Lamberts Mill Road, across from Tamaques Park.
The schedule of the center varies by season.
- January: All Saturdays from 9am - 3pm
- February: Alternate Saturdays from 9am - 3pm
- April 2 - May 31: Thursday to Sunday from 9am - 3pm
- June 4 - September 6: Thursday from 9am - 6pm and Friday to Sunday from 9am - 3pm
- September 10 - October 4: Thursday to Sunday from 9am - 3pm
- October 8 - December 18: Seven days a week from 9am - 3pm for leaf collection

School Enrollment and Statistics

2009-06-08T18:05:23-04:00

ENROLLMENT

Who to Call: For questions about enrolling your chlid, call the Westfield Public Schools, 908-789-4420

A family must reside in Westfield to be eligible to attend Westfield public schools.
The district does not allow out-of-town students to attend Westfield schools by paying a tuition.
Children must be five years old on or before Oct. 1 that year in order to be eligible for kindergarten, and they must be six years old to enter first grade. Registration for kindergarten begins in January for the following fall.
Families who move into the district any time during the school year should contact the school office where their child would attend to register.
An official, original birth certificate is required at the time of registration. Additionally, two proofs of residency are required, which include a lease, deed or contract for the home and/or a utility bill.

STATISTICS

Who to Call: For statistics on the school system, call the Westfield School District, 908-789-4420

There are 6,200 students in the Westfield School District for the 2008-'09 school year.

Testing

The State Department of Education creates a Report Card for each school district.
The report card is located on the state Web site.
The testing scores are broken down by school.
Westfield High School
Roosevelt Intermediate School
Edison Intermediate School
Jefferson Elementary School
Washington Elementary School
Wilson Elementary School
Tamaques Elementary School
McKinley Elementary School
Roosevelt Elementary School
Lincoln School

Emergency Information

2009-06-08T17:47:49-04:00

HOSPITALS

Who to Call: In the event of an emergency please call 911 for assistance. The main hospital serving Westfield is Overlook Hospital in Summit. The number is 908-522-2000. Other area hospitals include:

Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, 973-971-5000
- Morristown Hospital is known for it's cardiac center, cancer center and being the regional trauma center for Morris County.
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Rahway in Rahway, 732-382-4200
- Rahway Hospital is known for its cardiac care and pulmonary care centers.
JFK Hospital in Edison, 732-321-7000
- In addition to being a regional trauma center for Middlesex County, JFK Hospital is known for its neurology department.
University Hospital in Newark, 973-972-4300
- University Hospital is the largest trauma center in northern New Jersey. It is affliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

POLICE

Who to Call: The event of emergency please call 911 for assistance. All other times call 908-789-4000.

The Westfield Police Department is headed by Chief John Parizeau.
The department is split into the patrol, detective, juvenile and traffic divisions. The department the administration of parking lots and parking services, along with enforcing parking laws in the town.
The department administers community outreach functions including the DARE program

FIRE

Who to Call: In case of emergency please call 911, in all other cases call 908-789-4130.

The Westfield Fire Department is headed by Fire Chief Daniel Kelly.
The department handles fires and emergency calls throughout the town. It is split between fire stations on North Avenue and Central Avenue.
The Fire Safety Office is located in Fire House II on Central Avenue next to Sycamore Park.

AMBULANCES

Who to Call: The Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad on Watterson Street is the primary emergency ambulance service in Westfield. In case of emergency call 911, in all other cases you can call 908-233-2500.

Downtown Westfield Corporation

2009-06-07T18:43:47-04:00

Who to Call: The Executive Director of the Downtown Westfield Corporation is Sherry Cronin and she can be reached at 908-789-9444.

The DWC administers the special improvement district downtown. This includes downtown marketing, business outreach, promotional events, business recruitment and streetscape projects. The DWC handles issues in the SID zone only. The DWC is funded by a special tax paid by the downtown business and property owners.

Better Business Bureau

2009-06-07T18:39:15-04:00

Who to Call: For issues related to local businesses, call the Trenton bureau of the BBB, 609-588-0808

Contact the Trenton-based BBB to report or access a complaint against a business.