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.
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My March 2 Recreation Commission meeting was rescheduled for March 9
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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.
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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.
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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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