WIXLIB

COUNTY OF .NJ.US

Published by theCOUNTY OF BERGENProduced by theOffice of the County Executive&Office of Public InformationCover Photos Provided By:Office of the Bergen County ExecutiveBergen County Office of Public InformationBergen County Department of HealthBergen County Division of Cultural & Historic AffairsBergen Community CollegePrinted by:Royal Printing ServicesCOVER DESIGNTouray HollandEDITORDerek Sands

COUNTY OF BERGENOne Bergen County PlazaHackensack, NJ 07601-7076James J. Tedesco IIICounty ExecutiveBOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERSThomas J. SullivanChairmanGermaine M. OrtizVice ChairwomanMary J. AmorosoChair Pro TemporeDavid L. GanzGermaine M. OrtizSteven A. TanelliDr. Joan M. VossTracy Silna Zur

4CONTENTSCounty Executive. .5Board of Chosen Freeholders. .6Freeholders' Committee Assignments.8Freeholder Representation on Various Boards & Agencies.8Constitutional Officers.9Bergen County History & Government. . 10Education in Bergen County. .12Directions to One & Two Bergen County Plaza.13Bergen County Holidays.13Organizational Chart of County Government .14County Departments, Authorities, Agencies, & Commissions(listed alphabetically).15County Administrative Divisions and Offices(listed alphabetically).21The Courts.30State Officials.31Federal Officials.32Map of Bergen County Municipalities.33Municipalities (listed alphabetically).34Important Phone Numbers.69Webpages of Interest.70County Parks Information.71Bergen County Fast Facts.IBC(The information in this directory was compiled and completed as of Feburary 2018.

5BERGEN COUNTYEXECUTIVEJames J. Tedesco, III

6BOARD OFCHOSEN FREEHOLDERSThomas J. SullivanFreeholder ChairmanGermaine M. OrtizFreeholder Vice ChairwomanMary J. AmorosoFreeholder Chair Pro Tempore

7David L. GanzFreeholderDr. Joan M. VossFreeholderSteven A. TanelliFreeholderTracy Silna ZurFreeholder

8FREEHOLDERS' COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTSBudget and FinanceInformation TechnologyCommunity DevelopmentOrganization and Internal Affairs (Agenda)Ganz (Chair), Ortiz, TanelliAmoroso (Chair), Tanelli, VossHealth ServicesZur (Chair), Sullivan, GanzHuman ServicesVoss (Chair), Amoroso, OrtizLabor and PersonnelTanelli (Chair), Ortiz and SullivanVeteran LiaisonGanz (Tanelli alternate)Cultural and Historic Affairs LiaisonVossTanelli (Chair), Ganz,SullivanSullivan (Chair), Ortiz, ZurParksTanelli (Chair), Ortiz, ZurPlanning & EngineeringOrtiz (Chair), Ganz, SullivanPublic WorksSullivan (Chair), Ganz, OrtizShared Services/ConsolidationAmoroso (Chair), Sullivan, ZurTransportationLaw and Public Safety Sullivan (Chair), Tanelli, ZurZur (Chair), Tanelli, SullivanFREEHOLDER REPRESENTATION ON VARIOUS BOARDS & AGENCIESB.C. Economic Development LiasionZurB.C. Municipal Advisory CouncilVoss and SullivanB.C. Housing Authority LiaisonOrtizNew Jersey LegislatureVoss and SullivanB.C. Open Space Trust FundTanelliB.C. Planning BoardVoss (member), Ortiz (alternate)B.C. Flood Advisory CouncilTanelliBoard of Social ServicesAmoroso and ZurBoard of School EstimateBergen Community College:Ganz (Chair), Ortiz,VossSpecial Services School District:Voss (Chair), Amoroso, ZurVocational Schools:Voss (Chair), Amoroso, TanelliCommunity Action (GBCA)Amoroso and GanzEnvironmentalAmorosoSolid Waste Advisory Council (S.W.A.C.)VossWorkforce Development Board (WDB)ZurUtilities Authority LiaisonOrtizImprovement Authority LiaisonTanelliAdvisory CommitteesAfrican American: GanzAsian: AmorosoHispanic: OrtizLGBTQ: ZurEnvironmental CommitteeAmorosoHospital Authority/New BridgeZur

9CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERSThe Consititution of the State of New Jersey provides for the election of aSheriff, a County Clerk, and a Surrogate Judge to serve each county. TheSheriff is elected to a three-year term and the Surrogate Judge and CountyClerk are each elected to five-year terms. The County Prosecutor is appointedby the Governor for a five-year term.SURROGATE JUDGEMichael R. DresslerCOUNTY CLERKJohn S. HoganACTING PROSECUTORDennis CaloSHERIFFMichael Saudino

10BERGEN COUNTY HISTORYFirst designated as a judicial district in 1675, Bergen County was established(alongside Essex, Middlesex, and Monmouth) as one of four original New Jersey counties byan act of the Provincial Assembly in 1683. At that time, Bergen County’s borders extendedinto what are now Passaic and Hudson Counties. Today, Bergen County is a 233-squaremile parcel of land in the northeast corner of the state, with a population of 945,487 people.Hackensack, which takes its name from a Lenni Lenape word believed to mean "stonyground," was designated as the County Seat in 1710. The oldest records of county governanceare May 19, 1715, and describe a meeting of the Bergen County Board of Freeholders andJustices that resulted in the decision to construct a building housing both the County CourtHouse and County Jail, which would rise on Hackensack’s Historic Green the following year.Bergen County observed the 300th anniversary of its founding on March 7, 1983. In 1984,the county voters elected members of the Bergen County Charter Study Commission, whichwas tasked with evaluating the county’s nine member Freeholder form of government. Thecommission recommended that voters approve a change to the county charter to establish aCounty Executive-led form of government while reducing the number of Freeholders to seven.In 1985, voters approved the commission’s recommended changes to the County Charterand established the position of County Executive. The first Bergen County Executive was electedto a four-year term in November 1986. The seven members of the Board of Chosen Freeholdersare elected at-large for staggered three-year terms. Excluding special elections or appointmentsto unexpired terms, all county officials take office January 1 in the year following their elections.BERGEN COUNTY GOVERNMENTBergen County Government is led by the County Executive, Board of Chosen Freeholders and four Constitutional Officers. There are eight departments under the executive branchof government serving the people of Bergen County.The County Executive leads and supervises the operation of county government,including appointing department heads. In collaboration with the Board of Chosen Freeholders, the County Executive establishes the policy agenda for county departments, divisions andagencies.Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco, III has been serving his first term asBergen County Executive since January 1, 2015. As County Executive, Tedescohas focused on improving services to county residents while also creating greaterefficiency and effectiveness throughout county government. Top accomplishments in his first term have included: realigning the County Police as a unitwithin the County Sheriff ’s Office, creating responsible oversight and a securefuture for the county’s hospital, New Bridge Medical Center (New Jersey’s largest hospital andthe fourth largest publicly-owned hospital in the nation), increasing services and support forU.S. military veterans and their families, identifying opportunities to share services with andbetween Bergen County municipalities, and preserving and enhancing the nearly 10,000 acresof open space and recreational facilities within our Bergen County Parks System.Under Tedesco’s leadership, Bergen County has been recognized by the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the first county in New Jersey toend homelessness among veterans. HUD has also recognized Bergen County as the first community in the nation to eliminate chronic homelessness. Tedesco is a major advocate for theStigma-Free Initiative, which works to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness andencourage mental health treatment without judgment.

11The Board of Chosen Freeholders acts as a legislative body giving advice and consentto the actions of the County Executive.The current members of the Board of Chosen Freeholders are Chairman Thomas J.Sullivan, Vice Chairwoman Germaine M. Ortiz, Chair Pro Tempore Mary J. Amoroso, David L.Ganz, Steven A. Tanelli, Dr. Joan M. Voss, and Tracy Silna Zur.The Constitutional Officers of Bergen County are the County Sheriff, County Clerk,County Surrogate Judge, and the County Prosecutor. Sheriff, Clerk, and Surrogate Judge areelected positions, while the Prosecutor is appointed by the Governor with the advice and consentof the State Senate. The County Sheriff is responsible for the Bureau of Criminal Identification,Bureau of Police Services, Court Security, the Bergen County Sheriff ’s Detention Center, andthe Detective Bureau. The County Clerk is responsible for recording and maintaining publicrecords through the Registry and Counter Divisions as well as the operation of the ElectionDivision. The County Surrogate Judge admits wills to probate, appoints guardians, and issuescertificates of authority to executors of estates. The County Prosecutor is the chief county lawenforcement officer, tasked with pursuing the arrest, indictment, and conviction of those whobreak the law.The Department of Administration and Finance, led by the County Administrator,manages the day-to-day operations of county government and ensures, under the leadership ofthe County Treasurer, that the county has adequate funding to support these operations. TheDepartment includes the Offices of Economic Development, Public Information, InformationTechnology, Fiscal Operations, Personnel, Community Development, Purchasing, Risk Management, and Treasury.The Department of Health Services supports the health and well-being of theresidents of Bergen County. Its divisions and programs include Addiction Recovery Program,Animal Control, Animal Shelter & Adoption Center, Behavioral Health, Health Care Center,Environmental Health, Hazardous Materials Response Program, Health Counseling Center,Health Promotion, Intoxicated Driver Resource Center, Planning and Emergency Preparedness,Public Health Nursing, and Spring House for Women.The Department of Human Services assesses the needs of the county’s most vulnerable residents, manages resources to meet those needs, and coordinates delivery of resources toresidents in need. The department's divisions and programs include Alternatives to DomesticViolence, the Office for Children, Disability Services, Family Guidance, Senior Services, SpecialChild Health Services, and Veterans Services.The Department of Law, led by the County Counsel, maintains two divisions. TheCounty Counsel’s Office is legal counsel to the County Executive and the county's eight departments. Within the office of County Counsel, the Inspector General is tasked with promotingefficiency, accountability, and integrity in the County government by investigating complaintsof fraud and abuse. The Adjuster’s Office is the liaison between the courts and the psychiatricinstitutions of the state. The Adjuster performs investigations and assists in the processing ofgun applications.The Department of Parks manages the recreational and cultural facilities and servicesof the county. Bergen County boasts an excellent park system with 9000 acres where residentscan ski, skate, jog, cycle, golf, picnic, camp, tour a zoo, visit a Revolutionary War battle site, takea guided nature hike, swim, and play softball and tennis. Among the county’s facilities are anationally accredited zoo, six golf courses, 19 parks, two stables, an environmental center, andnine historic sites.