Apologies for not updating my blog in a timely manner. While the frequency of my blog updates does not compromise my effectiveness as a committeeman, it doesn’t provide you- the reader with a timely summary of my activities as a public official. Should my blog ever go over one month without an update…call the police!
Monday, November 29: Environmental Commission Meeting
The Environmental Commission commented on the proposed recycling ordinance that is presently before the Township Committee- they were going to provide the Committee with their comments in writing prior to the December 9 meeting but we did not receive them. The Commission was updated on the activities of the Land Use Board by Commission members Lisa Wood and Jennifer Fisher. The Commission discussed the proposed solar energy ordinance that is being prepared by the Land Use Board. Also discussed were ideas to inventory our township’s nature trails and the various grant opportunities available to achieve those goals. I asked the Commission to begin to prepare their budget for 2011 keeping in mind that it is going to be another tight year from a fiscal standpoint.
Tuesday November 30: SADC Workshop on Solar Energy Generation on Farms
The Hunterdon County Municipal Officers’ Association asked State Agricultural Development Committee (SADC) Executive Director Susan Craft to discuss on-farm solar energy generation. Ms. Craft was able to address solar energy generation on preserved and farmland assessed farms. You can find a copy of Ms. Craft’s presentation here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/45654640/SADC-Presentation-on-Solar-Energy-11-30-2010
In short, the SADC has imposed limits on the amount of energy a farmland assessed property can generate- no more than 10 acres in solar panels, 2 megawatts, and a limit of a 1:5 ratio of solar to agricultural / horticultural operations. The property owner must have a conservation plan approved by the Soil Conservation District that addresses aesthetics, impervious coverage, and environmental impacts. The SADC hasn’t yet adopted an agricultural management practice (AMP) for solar energy generation on farms; here is the link to the proposed AMP: http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/sadc/news/hottopics/Solar%20amp%20rule%20proposal.pdf
I found Ms. Craft’s talk very informative and it made me realize that much of this regulation is not yet solidified. Many towns in Hunterdon County- including Franklin- are working on solar energy ordinances and when the Township Committee entertains such an ordinance I will be taking the information I derived from Ms. Craft’s talk as part of my decision making process.
Monday December 6: Open Space Advisory Committee Meeting
Even though I am not on the Open Space Subcommittee, I felt it was important to attend this meeting of the OSAC. Three members were present- no quorum but there was no business that required official action. Those present gave me a solid background on the OSAC mission and some history on past land acquisitions. The OSAC is in need of members- if you have an interest in preserving Franklin’s open space and maintaining our rural character, the OSAC may be for you. One committee member stated that the OSAC isn’t the most glamorous committee … yes, it’s hard not to agree with that statement, but the OSAC does play an important role in Franklin. We also discussed the options of Franklin having a recreation park / field for its residents- I have heard this from many residents as well.
Tuesday December 7: Recreation Commission Meeting
The Recreation Commission reviewed their Halloween tailgate party and how they can improve their already successful event for next year. A discussion ensued about the youth basketball program- this year our program was combined with Clinton’s program- we are not able to use our school’s gym but Clinton has been kind enough to include us in their program. The Commission hopes to be back in our own school for next year’s program. The Commission decided tentative dates for the 2011 egg hunt (April 22), and the fishing derby (May 1). The Commission discussed their budgetary needs for 2011. Resident Martin Bercaw attended the meeting and expressed an interest in being appointed to the Commission. I agreed to help the Commission with preparing a recreation survey for a future municipal newsletter- this survey will ask residents about what recreation activities they would like to see in Franklin. The information from this survey will help both the Recreation Commission and the Planning Board who has been handed the task of preparing a recreation element to our township’s master plan.
Thursday December 9: Township Committee Meeting
Busy meeting- four ordinances, eleven resolutions, and a vote on a contract for the Department of Public Works.
The Committee agreed to adjourn Ordinance 2010-09 (recycling ordinance) to the December 23 meeting. Committee members still have questions about how this ordinance will be enforced, and the severity of the penalties for those who don’t abide by the rules. We have been told that if we do not adopt a recycling ordinance that meets the requirements of the Hunterdon County Solid Waste Management Plan, we face penalties of up to $3,000 a day. Other municipalities in Hunterdon are going through the same questioning such as Bloomsbury, Frenchtown, and Califon.
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2010/10/frenchtown_adopts_new_recyclin.html
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2010/11/bloosmbury_officials_criticize.html
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2010/10/califon_council_has_misgivings.html
We paid the bills… large ticket items include the 11/18 payroll ($46,703), the 12/03 payroll ($30,935), our November health care premium ($18,393), and our December health care premium ($17,722).
We approved the following resolutions:
• 2010-71: awarding a contract to International Salt for snow and ice control materials. We are part of a county cooperative pricing system and this resolution was required in order for us to be part of the cooperative purchase agreement. For those who are interested, the price of salt has decreased over the past 3 years- in 2009 we paid $67.80 a ton, in 2010 we paid $52.00 a ton, and in 2011 we will be paying $51.40 a ton.
• 2010-72: releasing a $57,144 maintenance bond for the Oak Summit Estates subdivision (Block 39, Lot 10).
• 2010-73: accepting a $262,585 bid from DeSantis Construction for the West Sidney Road Improvement Project, Phase 1.
• 2010-74: inserting a “special item of revenue” into our municipal budget- $973.08 from a 2010 body armor grant from the NJ Dept. of Law & Public Safety.
• 2010-75: inserting a “special item of revenue” into our municipal budget- $1,514.10 from the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety “Drunk Driving Enforcement Fund”.
• 2010-76: inserting a “special item of revenue” into our municipal budget- $4,000.00 from the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety “Click It or Ticket” program.
• 2010-77: inserting a “special item of revenue” into our municipal budget- $5,000.00 from the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety” Holiday Over the Limit Under Arrest” program.
• 2010-78: cancelling three checks that have been either misplaced, lost, or destroyed: Kasper Disposal Services (#5146, $21.59), Municipal Clerk’s Association of Somerset County (#5669, $35.00), and a payroll check that was misplaced (#6587, $1,130.00).
• 2010-79: cancelling a $209.99 reserve in a closed grant fund account we had open for our Natural Resource Inventory Grant.
• 2010-80: refunding three property tax over payments: $30.00, $1,304.76, and $377.27.
• 2010-81: approving the North Hunterdon Municipal Court budget for 2011 ($512,227.15). Franklin’s share of this budget is $124,628.73 ($10,385.73 per month). Our 2010 monthly payments were $9,024.23.
• 2010-82: authorizing the North Hunterdon Municipal Court to appoint Robin Manfredi as the Certified Court Administrator for 2011 at a salary of $74,006.60. Ms. Manfredi’s salary for 2010 was $72,555.49.
Police Director Ken Mandoli submitted his November 2010 monthly report. 59 motor vehicle summonses and 103 warnings were issued. The Department conducted 19 investigations, investigated 59 incidents, received 80 radio calls, and 121 phone calls. There were four adult arrests.
Department of Public Works Supervisor Alan Dilley submitted his November 2010 monthly report. The majority of the work in November consisted of getting the snow equipment ready, clearing roadway shoulder basins, installing snow fences, delineating plow routes, and removing trees and limbs from the roadway. The Committee and the DPW union have been negotiating a contract agreement for most of 2010. In short, the contract calls for a 3 year term (1/10/10 – 12/31/12), 3% raises each year, no compensation for unused sick days, and unused vacation days to be redeemed at the current hourly rate by the end of each year. After an executive session that lasted from 9:30 PM until 10:10 PM we went back into public session and the contract came up for a vote; there was no one from the public present. To his credit Committeeman Tarshis was uncomfortable voting for the contract given the timing- he would rather have the vote take place at our December 23 meeting, earlier in the night. I too was uncomfortable with the timing of the vote, and the proposed raises cited in the agreement. A vote was called and the vote was 2-2 (Committeeman McGeary was absent) so the contract was not approved. The contract will most likely come up for another vote on December 23. Unless the raises are adjusted to a level that is more sensitive our economic climate I will continue to vote no on the contract.
Our Zoning Officer John Barczyk submitted his November monthly report- slow month: only 3 applications- one approval, one incomplete, and one denial. I must say though in his defense, each Tuesday night I visit the municipal building to see our employees, there is always someone in John’s office.
We authorized payment of $230.00 for newly elected Committeewomen Vigdis Austad and Susan Campbell to attend the NJ League of Municipalities Newly Elected Officials orientation. I took the same class last year and it is money well spent.
We received 3 quotes from vendors to upgrade the electric in the multi purpose room in the municipal building. The quotes ranged from $800 to $1,095; we agreed to table this project for now and possibly include a more encompassing electric upgrade to the municipal building as part of a capital improvement in 2011.
Three ordinances were introduced: 2010-11 Lighting Ordinance, 2010-12 suspending the COAH fee to existing residential structural improvements and expansions, and 2010-13 Solar Energy Systems. Since we received two of the three ordinances that day we were in no position to comment on them; all three were scheduled for a public hearing on December 23.
The solar energy ordinance can be viewed here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/45662473/Solar-Energy-Ordinance-for-Dec-23-Hearing
Sorry I am having trouble downloading the lighting and the COAH fee ordinance but it is available at the Clerk’s office. I will continue to attempt to download it onto my blog.
Sunday December 12: North Hunterdon EMS/Rescue Working Group
I attended an informational meeting on ways for north Hunterdon County municipalities to improve and reduce the costs of emergency medical services. Representatives from Hampton, Lebanon, Clinton Town, Clinton Township, High Bridge, and Franklin were in attendance. This meeting was strictly informational and is most likely one of a series of meetings that will attempt to cover the possibilities of sharing services, investigating the pros and cons of regionalization, ways to improve services, and ways to reduce costs in providing emergency medical services. This first step in openly discussing shared services / regionalization is just that- a first step. This group’s mission statement and how its recommendations impact municipalities remains t o be seen- that being said there is nothing yet to agree or disagree with but it is worth keeping an eye on and making sure that Franklin is at the table as our neighboring municipalities work towards a better, more efficient EMS system. I was glad to see three members of Quakertown Fire Company in attendance.
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