Historical Background of Park Ridge
The Governing Body of Park Ridge meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:15 p.m. in the Borough's Council Chambers. Both meetings are preceded by a Closed/Executive Session which begins at 7:15 p.m.
The executive power of the Borough is exercised, subject to the approval of the Borough Council, by the Mayor, who has the responsibility of implementing policies of the Borough Council and who functions as liaison officer between the Borough Council, municipal personnel and residents of the Borough. The Borough employs a part time administrator who is the chief administrative officer. The Tax Collector/Director of Finance, a full time position, is the comptroller and chief financial officer of the Borough and is the treasurer of the utilities.
The Borough’s Police Department consists of 17 police officers and supervisors who are equipped with modern and scientific crime fighting equipment. The Fire Department has 5 modern pieces of fire fighting equipment and is manned by 45 volunteers. Both police and fire fighting training is provided by the Bergen County Fire and Police Academy. Ambulance Service is provided on a 24-hour basis by the Tri Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps in cooperation with the Boroughs of Woodcliff Lake and Montvale. Emergency dispatching of police, fire and ambulance services is centally handled by Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch. The facility is located in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
The Borough is served by the Bergen County Utilities Authority, which provides sewerage treatment facilities for the municipality. The service charge is part of the general property tax levy. Weekly garbage collection is also included in the general property tax bill.
As noted earlier, the Borough has owned and operated two self-sustaining utilities for over 80 years. These utilities are administered by a semi-autonomous Board of Public Works, the members of which are appointed by the Mayor with the confirmation of the Borough Council. The Borough employs a full time Director of Operations who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the electric and water systems, sanitary sewer, and roads/park/public buildings.
The Park Ridge school district is an independent legal entity administered by a 7 member Board of Education elected by the voters of Park Ridge for staggered three-year terms. The school district serves students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade. The school district is authorized by law to issue debt for school purposes upon vote of the electorate. In 2008 and 2010, Park Ridge High School was named as one of the top public high schools in New Jersey based on average SAT scores, % of students attending four year colleges, % of students attending the most competitive colleges, and the % of students awarded major scholarships.