With such a nice weekend weather-wise, it was difficult to stay indoors. It was a great weekend to do outdoor chores- yard work... and at the same time, see your neighbors- yes, those people you wave to as you drive to and from work. Got my first tick of the year (of the decade too). It's not too early in the season so check yourself, you heard it here first.
Monday, March 15 was the Township Committee special meeting for budget work session. I know I said this before... but I will say it again. We had nearly 100 people at the $305,000 fire district budget hearing... but at our three million dollar plus municipal budget workshop session we only get a handful of public in attendance- there must have been something good on television Monday night...
The Town Committee reviewed the following budgets that were submitted to us: Public Works, Land Use Board, Police Department, Emergency Management / Department of Public Safety. With the help of our Finance Director we were able to slog through the multiple line items and answer many of our questions. We did not approve a budget, we offered input and asked our Finance Director to "plug in the numbers" we suggested; he will follow up with a revised proposed budget and I hope to have another work session to iron things out before we have our formal public hearing. The workshop sessions are public and are announced as such. If you care about how your tax dollars are spend on the municipal level, please attend our meetings. I will also announce on this blog site when hearings are scheduled if they aren't being held on the normally scheduled 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month.
The Committee also decided to retain our Building Department. Speaking for myself I am glad; the idea was floated to participate in an inter-local service agreement for construction services with another municipality. Our Construction Official came prepared with a proposed budget and restructuring plan with recommendations and reductions to help balance the budget of the Building Department. His efforts, team player attitude, and the services he provides our citizens were enough to convince me that the money saved by outsourcing did not outweigh the advantages of having an in-house building department. The option is always there to outsource, but it is difficult to start from scratch and rebuild a municipal working force and the institutional memory that only comes with time.
I received news that one of the members of our Recreation Commission has resigned. This resignation leaves only 3 members remaining on a 7 member, 2 alternate member commission. Without the required 4 to hold a meeting (a quorum) the commission cannot function in its official capacity. One person has expressed an interest in becoming a member but we need help! If you have any interest in the Recreation Commission contact me and I can tell you all about it. You can also check some of my past blogs where I discussed at length the issues involving the Recreation Commission.
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Thursday, March 18 I attended an “Assistance to Firefighters Grant Workshop” for FY 2010 sponsored by Congressman Rush Holt (12th District- our district) and FEMA. The grants are provided to firefighters and other first responders to obtain equipment, training, and other resources. There are 3 types of grants available: 1) Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), 2) Fire Prevention and Safety Grants (FP&S), and 3) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grants (SAFER). We are looking to compete against other fire departments nationwide for our share of $810 million in grant money- mostly with no strings attached and very minimal local matches. For more information on the grant program check their website at http://www.firegrantsupport.com My next job is to take this information back to the Township Committee and the Fire District and see if we qualify and if we wish to proceed with writing the grant proposal and submitting it to FEMA. I will the public updated on this effort through this blog and my public reports at Township Committee meetings.
-Scott
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Week of March 7 - March 13, 2010
Halfway through my 3rd month as Committeeman I could say "the honeymoon is over".. or the optimistic side of me would say "this is why you were elected to office, now get to it".
This week a good portion of the time was dedicated to the defeated fire district budget and the 3/11 public hearing. I met with several fire officials on Tuesday and throughout the week exchanged emails and face to face discussions with various citizens about the fire district.
At the public hearing I counted 26 separate public testimonies; some in favor of the budget, others opposed, and others with opinions that had no exact bearing to the budget discussion. To my estimate there were about 75 people present- what a turn out- but not to my surprise, once the fire budget issue was decided, we took a quick break and the entire public audience left except for about 7 folks- most whom I kindly refer to as our "season ticket holders".
===============================
On with the weekly wrap-up:
Tuesday March 9 I met with the officials from the fire district to discuss their budget. My questions were answered in a satisfactory manner, and my concerns were duly noted. Overall it was a fine meeting. After this meeting I headed on to the Municipal Building for our Recreation Commission meeting. There were not enough members present for a quorum but I did have a nice chat with member Sherrie Peterson who told me about her involvement with the county 4-H program. Not to waste a fine night out I stopped by our Construction Official's office and our Zoning Officer to see how things were going.
====================================
Wednesday March 10 was our Land Use Board meeting- workshop session. The Board adopted our Natural Resource Inventory (NRI)- a document which to have on the township website shortly. The NRI documents and describes the natural resource characteristics and environmental features of a community utilizing text, maps, and geographical information system (GIS) data. The NRI provides guidance for the protection, preservation and conservation of these resources.
The only other business item was a presentation of the County prepared Wastewater Management Plan / septic build out for Franklin Township.
http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/planning/stormwater/Roundtable/HCWMPPresentation.pdf
Our township engineer Rick Roseberry of Maser Consultants provided us with an update on the county study and how it effects Franklin Township. He interpreted the summary of build out numbers generated through the NJDEP Model Builder. The county provided map had some notable errors, and there were many questions about how dilution rates were calculated. The study also brought home the ugly fact that Franklin is not an island and the impact of the watershed knows no municipal boundaries.. we can zone our land in an environmentally sensitive manner but if adjoining municipalities do not share the same interests, the watersheds can still be polluted. Regardless, the study left us with more questions than answers and we will have to have a county planner in to one of our meetings to further discuss this study and the impacts it will have on Franklin.
=====================
March 11 was the Township Committee meeting. The first 1.5 hours was dedicated to hearing comments from the public about the fire district budget. At the end of public comment, the Committee discussed their positions and decided to reduce the $305,000 budget by $5,000 resulting in a $300,000 budget. I also volunteered to attend a Firefighters Grant Workshop on March 18 being held by Congressman Rush Holt's office to inform fire companies in his district about federal grant opportunities. Hopefully we will be able to ascertain some grant money to make up the $5,000 difference and more.
After the fire district hearing we approved the payment of bills between February 25 and March 11 totaling $1,494,425.67. Why so much? The top 2 items were $822,374.17 for the Franklin Board of Education, and $546,372.46 to North Hunterdon/Voorhees school district.
Our public works department and police director gave their monthly reports for February. We approved final payment to improvements made to Matthew drive, including a maintenance bond.. so if the improvements aren't up to snuff, the work is bonded.
The Committee approved Resolution 2010-24 supporting Governor Christie in efforts to reduce state spending.. and the respective subcommittee members gave reports on the Open Space, Land Use Board, Environmental Commission, and Recreation Commission.
If you haven't done so yet, go to the township website at http://www.franklin-twp.org/ and sign up to have meeting agendas and minutes sent directly to the email address of your choice. Don't let local government blow by you, become involved and be informed.
========================
On Saturday March 13 I attended a Board of Education meeting. Members of the Board provided citizens with an update on the school addition. The meeting was informative and I hope they continue to host such meetings and keep their website up to date in order to keep us all informed on our investment- the school addition.
=====================
This coming week I get off easy.. we have a budget workshop session on Monday night and I will be attending that grant workshop on Thursday. As always you can reach me at scottsbauman@gmail.com or by telephone at 908-797-4140.
Scott
This week a good portion of the time was dedicated to the defeated fire district budget and the 3/11 public hearing. I met with several fire officials on Tuesday and throughout the week exchanged emails and face to face discussions with various citizens about the fire district.
At the public hearing I counted 26 separate public testimonies; some in favor of the budget, others opposed, and others with opinions that had no exact bearing to the budget discussion. To my estimate there were about 75 people present- what a turn out- but not to my surprise, once the fire budget issue was decided, we took a quick break and the entire public audience left except for about 7 folks- most whom I kindly refer to as our "season ticket holders".
===============================
On with the weekly wrap-up:
Tuesday March 9 I met with the officials from the fire district to discuss their budget. My questions were answered in a satisfactory manner, and my concerns were duly noted. Overall it was a fine meeting. After this meeting I headed on to the Municipal Building for our Recreation Commission meeting. There were not enough members present for a quorum but I did have a nice chat with member Sherrie Peterson who told me about her involvement with the county 4-H program. Not to waste a fine night out I stopped by our Construction Official's office and our Zoning Officer to see how things were going.
====================================
Wednesday March 10 was our Land Use Board meeting- workshop session. The Board adopted our Natural Resource Inventory (NRI)- a document which to have on the township website shortly. The NRI documents and describes the natural resource characteristics and environmental features of a community utilizing text, maps, and geographical information system (GIS) data. The NRI provides guidance for the protection, preservation and conservation of these resources.
The only other business item was a presentation of the County prepared Wastewater Management Plan / septic build out for Franklin Township.
http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/planning/stormwater/Roundtable/HCWMPPresentation.pdf
Our township engineer Rick Roseberry of Maser Consultants provided us with an update on the county study and how it effects Franklin Township. He interpreted the summary of build out numbers generated through the NJDEP Model Builder. The county provided map had some notable errors, and there were many questions about how dilution rates were calculated. The study also brought home the ugly fact that Franklin is not an island and the impact of the watershed knows no municipal boundaries.. we can zone our land in an environmentally sensitive manner but if adjoining municipalities do not share the same interests, the watersheds can still be polluted. Regardless, the study left us with more questions than answers and we will have to have a county planner in to one of our meetings to further discuss this study and the impacts it will have on Franklin.
=====================
March 11 was the Township Committee meeting. The first 1.5 hours was dedicated to hearing comments from the public about the fire district budget. At the end of public comment, the Committee discussed their positions and decided to reduce the $305,000 budget by $5,000 resulting in a $300,000 budget. I also volunteered to attend a Firefighters Grant Workshop on March 18 being held by Congressman Rush Holt's office to inform fire companies in his district about federal grant opportunities. Hopefully we will be able to ascertain some grant money to make up the $5,000 difference and more.
After the fire district hearing we approved the payment of bills between February 25 and March 11 totaling $1,494,425.67. Why so much? The top 2 items were $822,374.17 for the Franklin Board of Education, and $546,372.46 to North Hunterdon/Voorhees school district.
Our public works department and police director gave their monthly reports for February. We approved final payment to improvements made to Matthew drive, including a maintenance bond.. so if the improvements aren't up to snuff, the work is bonded.
The Committee approved Resolution 2010-24 supporting Governor Christie in efforts to reduce state spending.. and the respective subcommittee members gave reports on the Open Space, Land Use Board, Environmental Commission, and Recreation Commission.
If you haven't done so yet, go to the township website at http://www.franklin-twp.org/ and sign up to have meeting agendas and minutes sent directly to the email address of your choice. Don't let local government blow by you, become involved and be informed.
========================
On Saturday March 13 I attended a Board of Education meeting. Members of the Board provided citizens with an update on the school addition. The meeting was informative and I hope they continue to host such meetings and keep their website up to date in order to keep us all informed on our investment- the school addition.
=====================
This coming week I get off easy.. we have a budget workshop session on Monday night and I will be attending that grant workshop on Thursday. As always you can reach me at scottsbauman@gmail.com or by telephone at 908-797-4140.
Scott
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Week of February 28 - March 6, 2010
Monday March 1 was our rescheduled Committee meeting. A summary of the meeting is as follows:
1. We approved the Feb 11 meeting minutes and then opened the meeting to the public.
2. Several members of the public felt that it was too early for the Committee's hearing on the defeated fire district budget. Even though the Committee met the letter of the law (ie 5 day notice prior to the hearing), the 5th day was the day of the hearing. To give the benefit of the doubt the Committee agreed to postpone the hearing until March 11. If you intend on attending the fire district budget hearing on March 11 please note that the public hearing will be held at 730 pm at the Faith Chapel Wesleyan Church located at 43 Lower Landsdown Road.
3. Residents on Samuel Wilson Lane voiced their displeasure with the snow plowing along their street and front yard area from the recent snowstorm. Apparently front end loader was used by the Dept. of Public Works to push snow back off the road and in the process damaged lawns, curbing, and mail boxes. Since the area cannot be adequately assessed with the snow still on the ground the Committee agreed to revisit the issue once the snow melts.
4. The Committee approved ordinance 2010-01 "Local Government Cap Law" which permits the local gvt budget to increase by 3.5% over the previous year's final appropriations, which in Franklin's case amounts to $88,864.63. In short, it is similar to a cost-of living adjustment.
5. We received and approved our Tax Collector's Receipts and Disbursements report for the month ending January 2010. For January 2010 our Tax Collector received $735,179.17.
6. We authorized payment of bills accrued between Feb 11 and Feb 25 totaling $74,204.72 with exception to one bill that Committeeman Shockley was going to look into regarding $853 for boots and coats for the Public Works Dept.
7. You may recall in January I informed you that the Township was cited by the State Office of Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health for various violations.. we received an extension to comply (April 25, 2010) and we have already installed the railing on the front steps of the municipal building.
8. We held the first reading of Ordinance 2010-02 amending Chapter 75 of the Municipal Code (Police Dept). For the sake of brevity I will not type the proposed ordinance- a copy is available at the Clerk's Office, and it will be published in the Hunterdon Democrat on March 18, 2010. The second hearing of the ordinance will be on March 25.
9. We held the first reading of Ordinance 2010-03 amending Chapter 220 of the Municipal Code (Land Use), Chapter 310 (Site Plan and Subdivison), and Chapter 316 (Surface Water Management). My "brevity" statement explained in #8 applies to this one too.. you can read the proposed ordinance in its entirety at the Clerk's office, or in the March 18 Hunterdon Democrat. The second hearing will be on April 8, 2010.
10. For my "Administration Subcommittee" report, I informed those present that the township will be getting an upgraded photocopier (48 month lease for a Cannon at a cost of $256.80 per month). I would like to work with the Town Clerk on updated our OPRA request forms. I also have a floor plan of the first and second floors of the municipal building and look forward to coming up with ways to better utilize our space.
11. In my "Planning Zoning & Construction Subcommittee" report I updated the Committee on the Land Use Board meeting of 2/24/2010 and the 2/22/2010 Environmental Commission meeting. Mayor Jacukowicz appointed Committeeman Robert Shockley to a 3 year term to the Environmental Commission. Congratulations Rob.
12. I reported to the Committee that I am still collecting comments from various entities on the policy questions regarding agricultural so that we can complete our Farmland Preservation Plan. I should have the comments to the Hunterdon Land Trust in March so they can include them in our official response document and send them back to the State Agriculture Development Committee- there is $700,000 plus in grant money at stake and we aren't going to let that go by the wayside.
For the most part, that was our March 1 Committee meeting; if anyone out there felt I missed something, please get in touch with me via this blog.
===========
My March 2 Recreation Commission meeting was rescheduled for March 9
==========
I had a follow up meeting with our Construction Official on March 2 to discuss his proposed FY 2011 budget. Speaking about budgets I have reached out to the Land Use Board, Open Space Committee, Zoning Officer, Construction Official, Recreation Commission, and Environmental Commission asking all entities for their budget requests. The Township Committee is having a budget workshop session on March 15 at 630pm in the municipal building. I received a copy of the entire township budget (150 plus pages).. makes for good reading. I look forward to a productive workshop session with my fellow committee persons.
=============
To tie up one loose end from a previous blog entry.. I can now reveal the zoning violation that I couldn't before.. on March 3 our Zoning Officer cited the owner of 1052 Croton Road for conducting a recreational activity (soccer training facility) in an accessory structure on the property- the property is in the AR7.0 zone which does not permit that type of use on the property. In 2003 the owner was denied a use variance by the Zoning Board of Adjustment to permit a soccer training facility at this location. Our Zoning Officer ordered the property owner to cease the activity on the site, appeal his decision, or re-apply for a use variance. Failure to comply will result in the issuance of a fine up to $2,000 and/or 90 days in jail. I will keep this blog updated on the progress of this zoning violation issued on March 3.
===============
On a closing note, this blog got some free publicity on nj.com when it was mentioned in a news article concerning the defeated fire district budget. I hope those of you who linked onto this blog from the nj.com website are enjoying the content of the blog, and as always I welcome your comments.
Scott Bauman
1. We approved the Feb 11 meeting minutes and then opened the meeting to the public.
2. Several members of the public felt that it was too early for the Committee's hearing on the defeated fire district budget. Even though the Committee met the letter of the law (ie 5 day notice prior to the hearing), the 5th day was the day of the hearing. To give the benefit of the doubt the Committee agreed to postpone the hearing until March 11. If you intend on attending the fire district budget hearing on March 11 please note that the public hearing will be held at 730 pm at the Faith Chapel Wesleyan Church located at 43 Lower Landsdown Road.
3. Residents on Samuel Wilson Lane voiced their displeasure with the snow plowing along their street and front yard area from the recent snowstorm. Apparently front end loader was used by the Dept. of Public Works to push snow back off the road and in the process damaged lawns, curbing, and mail boxes. Since the area cannot be adequately assessed with the snow still on the ground the Committee agreed to revisit the issue once the snow melts.
4. The Committee approved ordinance 2010-01 "Local Government Cap Law" which permits the local gvt budget to increase by 3.5% over the previous year's final appropriations, which in Franklin's case amounts to $88,864.63. In short, it is similar to a cost-of living adjustment.
5. We received and approved our Tax Collector's Receipts and Disbursements report for the month ending January 2010. For January 2010 our Tax Collector received $735,179.17.
6. We authorized payment of bills accrued between Feb 11 and Feb 25 totaling $74,204.72 with exception to one bill that Committeeman Shockley was going to look into regarding $853 for boots and coats for the Public Works Dept.
7. You may recall in January I informed you that the Township was cited by the State Office of Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health for various violations.. we received an extension to comply (April 25, 2010) and we have already installed the railing on the front steps of the municipal building.
8. We held the first reading of Ordinance 2010-02 amending Chapter 75 of the Municipal Code (Police Dept). For the sake of brevity I will not type the proposed ordinance- a copy is available at the Clerk's Office, and it will be published in the Hunterdon Democrat on March 18, 2010. The second hearing of the ordinance will be on March 25.
9. We held the first reading of Ordinance 2010-03 amending Chapter 220 of the Municipal Code (Land Use), Chapter 310 (Site Plan and Subdivison), and Chapter 316 (Surface Water Management). My "brevity" statement explained in #8 applies to this one too.. you can read the proposed ordinance in its entirety at the Clerk's office, or in the March 18 Hunterdon Democrat. The second hearing will be on April 8, 2010.
10. For my "Administration Subcommittee" report, I informed those present that the township will be getting an upgraded photocopier (48 month lease for a Cannon at a cost of $256.80 per month). I would like to work with the Town Clerk on updated our OPRA request forms. I also have a floor plan of the first and second floors of the municipal building and look forward to coming up with ways to better utilize our space.
11. In my "Planning Zoning & Construction Subcommittee" report I updated the Committee on the Land Use Board meeting of 2/24/2010 and the 2/22/2010 Environmental Commission meeting. Mayor Jacukowicz appointed Committeeman Robert Shockley to a 3 year term to the Environmental Commission. Congratulations Rob.
12. I reported to the Committee that I am still collecting comments from various entities on the policy questions regarding agricultural so that we can complete our Farmland Preservation Plan. I should have the comments to the Hunterdon Land Trust in March so they can include them in our official response document and send them back to the State Agriculture Development Committee- there is $700,000 plus in grant money at stake and we aren't going to let that go by the wayside.
For the most part, that was our March 1 Committee meeting; if anyone out there felt I missed something, please get in touch with me via this blog.
===========
My March 2 Recreation Commission meeting was rescheduled for March 9
==========
I had a follow up meeting with our Construction Official on March 2 to discuss his proposed FY 2011 budget. Speaking about budgets I have reached out to the Land Use Board, Open Space Committee, Zoning Officer, Construction Official, Recreation Commission, and Environmental Commission asking all entities for their budget requests. The Township Committee is having a budget workshop session on March 15 at 630pm in the municipal building. I received a copy of the entire township budget (150 plus pages).. makes for good reading. I look forward to a productive workshop session with my fellow committee persons.
=============
To tie up one loose end from a previous blog entry.. I can now reveal the zoning violation that I couldn't before.. on March 3 our Zoning Officer cited the owner of 1052 Croton Road for conducting a recreational activity (soccer training facility) in an accessory structure on the property- the property is in the AR7.0 zone which does not permit that type of use on the property. In 2003 the owner was denied a use variance by the Zoning Board of Adjustment to permit a soccer training facility at this location. Our Zoning Officer ordered the property owner to cease the activity on the site, appeal his decision, or re-apply for a use variance. Failure to comply will result in the issuance of a fine up to $2,000 and/or 90 days in jail. I will keep this blog updated on the progress of this zoning violation issued on March 3.
===============
On a closing note, this blog got some free publicity on nj.com when it was mentioned in a news article concerning the defeated fire district budget. I hope those of you who linked onto this blog from the nj.com website are enjoying the content of the blog, and as always I welcome your comments.
Scott Bauman
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