Bergen County Approves Over $100 Million in Bonds for Vital Improvements; Hears Firing Range Proposal

In a recent meeting of the Bergen County Board of Commissioners, over $100 million in bonds were introduced and approved for various departments and community projects, from health improvements to public works and educational facilities. A proposal for a new state-of-the-art firing range was also made. The commissioners expressed pride in various community engagements and discussed plans for environmental, educational, and inclusivity initiatives.

The meeting began with formalities and remembrances, but quickly moved into the public hearing and discussion phase. Among the proposals made was one by John Pheson from Mahwah Township, who suggested that two large buildings being constructed in Mahwah (1.7 million sq ft) could allocate 1% of the floor space for a new state-of-the-art firing range. Pheson emphasized the potential benefits for the town and county, stating, “I think that a new state-of-the-art firing range would represent a major improvement versus the current range that was originally constructed in 1965. You could have the premier range in the country, in the United States.”

The Commissioners proceeded to introduce and approve various ordinances, a significant portion of which were bond ordinances for the county’s different departments. Ordinances 23-15 to 23-18, totaling over $47 million, were introduced for improvements to the Department of Health, Public Safety, Public Works, and Bergen County Community College. In addition, ordinances 2315-2329 were introduced and passed, appropriating over $64 million for improvements to various county offices such as schools, sheriff’s office, jail improvements, and more. Ordinance 23-13 authorized interior renovations to various county offices, with Commissioner Mary J. Amoroso emphasizing that the renovations were necessary to ensure proper outfitting for the services provided.

Apart from financial matters, the meeting also covered various community engagement initiatives. The law enforcement community outreach efforts were praised, with National Night Out events highlighted as instrumental in building trust between residents and law enforcement. Bergen County’s first all-electric cop car was unveiled. However, Commissioner Joan M. Voss expressed concerns over the dwindling number of people joining the police force.

Note: This meeting summary was generated by AI, which can occasionally misspell names, misattribute actions, and state inaccuracies. This summary is intended to be a starting point and you should review the meeting record linked above before acting on anything you read. If we got something wrong, let us know. We’re working every day to improve our process in pursuit of universal local government transparency.

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