April 4 – April 10
Looks like spring has finally sprung; I have been able to drive to and from work with the convertible top down, farmers are tilling their fields, and daylight hours are getting a little longer. Hooray for spring!
Tuesday, April 6 Deputy Mayor McGeary and I met with representatives of the Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) to discuss their concerns over proposed Ordinance 2010-03 which amends a few sections of our Township Code, specifically Chapter 310 “Subdivision and Site Plan”, and Chapter 316 “Surface Water Management”. The AAC expressed their opposition to the Ordinance, and after our meeting it was apparent that this ordinance as written did not have the best interest of the agriculture community in mind. The short story is the proposal would exempt certain agricultural practices from site plan approval unless the practice has been “deemed to be a Generally Accepted Agricultural Practice” (AMP) as defined by the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), or a “Site Specific Agricultural Management Practice” as defined by the Hunterdon County Agricultural Boa
What does this mean in plain English? If a farmer proposes a farming practice that doesn’t already fit in the “right to farm” ordinance already on our books, and if it isn’t recognized by the State or County, then the farmer is required to obtain site plan approval for the farming activity. Here is the kicker: the SADC has only defined ten (10) AMPs- you can see them here:
http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/rtfprogram/amps/adoptedamps/index.html
And here is a link showing a list of county AMPS:
http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/rtfprogram/amps/siteamps/determinations.html
If the farming practice is not on either of these lists, then the practice needs site plan approval. AAC members expressed the hardships in having to apply for site plan approval and the hardships associated with introducing an AMP to the State or County Agriculture Committees for acceptance- all daunting tasks and something that Township Committee members were not familiar with. In light of our meeting with the AAC Deputy Mayor McGeary and I felt compelled to request that the Township Committee hold off on voting on Ordinance 2010-03 until we can consul with our township attorney on the proposed language and to see how we can work with the AAC on possibly tweaking the ordinance so it is acceptable.
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Later that same evening the Recreation Commission held their monthly meeting. Five members were present; items on the agenda included a wrap up on the successful Easter Egg Hunt, preparation for the April 18 fishing derby, and some preliminary planning for the summer recreation program (July 12 through July 23). For more information on the summer program, check out page 3 of the most recent township newsletter at:
http://www.franklin-twp.org/Newsletters/Jan-Mar-2010.pdf
Here is the application form for the summer program:
http://www.franklin-twp.org/Franklin_Township_Recreation_registration_school.pdf
As the Recreation Commission liaison to the Township Committee, I am dedicated to communicating the needs, goals, and “anything else that comes to mind” of the Recreation Commission to the Town Committee; if I didn’t do so I wouldn’t be doing my job. The Recreation Commission has some great volunteers who deserve to be recognized for their endeavors and encouraged to reach for new goals and accomplishments as well.
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Thursday April 8 was our Township Committee meeting was kind of on the short side- I’ll make this as painless as possible! We approved the meeting minutes from 3/25/10, and agreed to carry Ordinance 2010-03 to May 13 (see April 6 for info on 2010-03).
President of the Franklin Board of Education Chris Piparo gave us a 20 minute presentation on the school budget and an update on the school addition construction.
We adopted resolution 2010-29 that refunded some overpaid taxes to a resident (whoops!).
We authorized payment of the bills ($196,359.93)- I have found payment of the bills one of the more interesting aspects of my job- you get to see every expenditure like energy bills, equipment costs, payroll, etc. The check control register is public information and at every meeting a copy of this check control register is available for public review and questioning. The Committee decided that until the new budget is passed, all expenditures over $200 must be reviewed and approved by the respective subcommittee- this practice might just continue once the new budget is passed- not a bad practice if you ask me.
We adopted Resolution 2010-30 establishing a tax sale date of May 11, 2010- if you are on “the list”- you know what list I am talking about… you have until May 11 to pay what is owed!
We passed a resolution supporting “Click It or Ticket Mobilization of May 24 – June 6, 2010”. We reviewed Police Director Ken Mandoli’s monthly report for March 2010, highlights include 13 animal complaints, 12 motor vehicle accidents, 11 false alarms, 6 assists to the Rescue Squad, 4 motor vehicle assists, 4 warrants served, and 2 assists to the Fire Company. 109 motor vehicle summonses and 157 warnings were issued. There were 5 adult arrests and 1 juvenile arrest.
Chief Bradley Patkochis of the Quakertown Fire Company provided the Committee with a report on 1st quarter 2010 EMS activity- 33 calls between January and March with an average response time of 6 minutes 20 seconds; Chief Patkochis noted that this is over a 50% reduction in response time over the same time period in 2008.
DPW Supervisor Alan Dilley provided the Committee with his March 2010 monthly report. The employees have been busy with equipment maintenance and repair, and generally preparing for the busy spring schedule of brush/tree trimming and mowing and road maintenance. We had a storage building damaged during one of the storms and after receiving 3 proposals, Alan presented us with a quote of $12,255.00 for a replacement 30’x36’x10 pole barn building. The insurance company reimbursed us $6,000.00 for the destroyed building. The dollar amount is under the bid and prevailing wage threshold.
Zoning and Construction has been pretty quiet- only 10 zoning permits issued between January and March . Hopefully construction activity will pick up in the warmer months ahead. I provided the Committee with a summary of the 3/29 Environmental Commission meeting and the 4/6 Recreation Commission meeting. Mayor Jacukowicz appointed Kevin Suydam to the Recreation Commission- congratulations Kevin I look forward to working with you.
We approved raffle license #64 for the Rotary Club of Flemington to hold a 50/50 cash raffle on September 18, 2010 at 3pm at the Clinton Elks Club- the big prizes being 1st prize up to $7,000, 2nd prize up to $2,000, and 3rd prize up to $1,000. Nice!
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As I finish my first quarter of 2010- 1/12th of my 3 year term as your Committeeman, I am thoroughly enjoying myself. It is an honor to be part of democracy; perhaps I can improve the image of elected officials… I have learned a lot since January and there is much more to accomplish. The learning curve can be intimidating at times when one is not familiar with the subject matter.
Please don’t be shy about reaching out to me with your concerns around town. Please remember to vote on the school budget on April 20.
Scott
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