Pompton Lakes Borough Council met in a special open session to review a proposed five-year shared‑services agreement with the Borough of Oakland for residential garbage, recycling and vegetative‑waste collection, but postponed any vote after council members said contract language and operational details remain unresolved.

The proposal would make Pompton Lakes the lead agency and provide collection for approximately 4,400 residential units in Oakland from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030, excluding condominium and apartment complexes. The borough administrator and DPW superintendent told the council the deal would add nine new employees dedicated first to Oakland collections and would include the capital cost of two new garbage trucks in the annual fee charged to Oakland.

The proposed agreement, presented to the council by Michael, borough administrator, and Dan, DPW superintendent, was described as a cost‑recovery arrangement in which Oakland would pay an annual fee that covers salaries, benefits, fuel and equipment costs. The administrators put the first‑year total fee on the screen at $1,024,681, with projected escalation in later years; they also showed a projected annual net revenue to Pompton Lakes beginning around $133,000 and rising to about $177,000, generating roughly $780,000 in net revenue over five years, according to the presentation materials shared with the council.

Why this matters: Council members and several residents said the borough could gain staff and equipment capacity that might help local services, but they pressed for precise contract wording, service levels and firm cost details before approving a multiyear contract. Several council members said the draft presented at the special meeting differed from discussions they believed had already occurred, and called for a corrected “final” draft and additional review time.

Key discussion points and outstanding items

- Scope and exclusions: Administrators said the agreement would cover curbside residential garbage and biweekly curbside recycling for Oakland, monthly white‑goods and metal collection (by schedule), and vegetative‑waste collection weekly from April 1 through Dec. 15, aligned where possible with Pompton Lakes’ schedule. Electronics were excluded from the proposed contract.

- Staffing and operations: The plan would add nine laborers for Oakland service; the administrators said those employees and their benefits would be paid through the fee Oakland pays. The borough would own the employees and equipment; after Oakland collections were complete for the day, those crews and trucks would be available for Pompton Lakes work, the presentation said. Council members sought clearer detail on supervision, overtime exposure (for example during snow events) and whether the added staff would reliably free current crews for other borough tasks.

- Vehicles and capital costs: The fee proposal includes the capitalized cost of two new garbage trucks, presented as an annualized debt service amount (about $72,625 per year per truck when capitalized over a longer borrowing schedule). Council members asked for clarified bonding assumptions and whether the figures shown cover one truck or both across the five‑year window; administrators said that truck costs are being financed through a bond/capital ordinance and are included in the fee charged to Oakland.

- Recycling center access and traffic flow: The borough would allow Oakland residents to use Pompton Lakes’ recycling center; presenters noted Passaic County funding for site paving and a one‑way in/one‑way out flow, and said the borough could require decals or other controls to monitor nonresident use. Council members and residents raised concerns about attendant staffing and whether increased use would require an additional part‑time attendant.

- Financial assumptions and negotiation details: Council members repeatedly requested clearer backup for the fee and escalation assumptions (health‑benefit and pension escalators, fuel and maintenance estimates). The borough attorney and administrators said specific negotiating positions and alternatives could be discussed in closed session because those are contract‑negotiation matters, but that the spreadsheet and the numbers presented could be reviewed in open session.

Public comment and council response

Three residents who addressed the council raised service and capacity concerns: Cathy Short of Pine Street said the borough “always seems like we’re shorthanded” and asked how shared services would affect local grass cutting, snow removal and park maintenance; Dorothy Mancini asked whether the borough had run figures to compare the revenue with the cost of new equipment and benefits; and Sandra Mason asked about truck capacity and parking pressure from new apartment developments. Administrators responded that, under the proposed deal, Oakland would reimburse Pompton Lakes for payroll and benefits and that the nine new employees would increase daytime capacity once Oakland collections were complete.

Next steps and final status

Council members said they will not vote on the agreement tonight. They asked staff and the borough attorney to incorporate corrections to the draft contract (for example, clarifying limits on containers and white‑goods tonnage sharing), to provide written answers to a list of detailed financial and operational questions, and to return with a revised final draft before any vote. The council scheduled follow‑up review and said some negotiation items will be handled in closed session.

Ending: The council closed the public comment portion, continued the presentation at the request of members, and moved the matter to additional review rather than final action; no contract was approved at the meeting.