I have mayoral reins in my firm grasp for a month now and what a thrill! There is no honeymoon period when you are in elected office and given the state of affairs I am more than happy to get to work.
The Committee is off to a great start working together and tackling issues in a timely matter. I am very impressed with the initiatives each committee person has brought to the table. There is a lot to be done but it all starts with a budget; the Finance Subcommittee just met and is beginning to shape up our 2011 municipal budget. The statutory date for budget introduction in March 11; I am hoping we can introduce ours, adoption by April 22. Our budget deadlines are governed by the State and can be viewed here:
http://www.njslom.org/letters/2011-14-LFN.html
Hats off to our public works employees, police officers, firefighter and EMS volunteers- the last few weeks of weather haven’t been exactly ideal, but our roadways are clean and safe allowing first responders to do their jobs when help is needed.
I have been able to talk to many residents since becoming Mayor; I have gained much insight on what residents expect from their local government- and what they don’t expect! I enjoy listening and talking with folks from around town and anyone that knows me can tell you that I have an open door policy; and I do make house calls!
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Wednesday, January 19: Meeting with Hunterdon Co. Agricultural Development Board Staff
I learned that we have $135,859 in county open space funds that we need to spend; our last application for open space funds was submitted in 2006. It’s too bad that we didn’t utilize the fund between 2007 and 2010, but the optimist part of me is thankful that we now have $135,859 we can use to help finance past open space purchases.
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Thursday, January 27: Committee Meeting, Highlights Include:
We approved payment of our bills between Jan 13 and Jan 27. Big ticket items included: Franklin Township Board of Education ($1,314,715), North Hunterdon Voorhees School District ($529,748), 1/14 payroll ($41,669), first installment of our insurance coverage ($31,814), our November and January payment to the North Hunterdon Municipal Court ($19,409), and legal counsel ($6,554). The check register is available for review in the Clerk’s Office.
The State allows municipalities to increase the 2011 municipal budget from 2.5% to 3.5% over the 2010 Final Appropriations by ordinance, the Committee discussed this option but it appeared that no one was interested in raising the cap.
Thanks to the New Jersey Clean Energy program, our municipal building and public works garage received free energy audits and will be retrofitted with energy saving fixtures (lights , boilers, etc) for free as well. The Committee authorized me to sign participation agreements to make these retrofits possible. Copies of the scope of work and project summaries can be viewed using the following links:
Public Works Building:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48009346/Direct-Install-DPW-Building-Project-Summary
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48009386/Direct-Install-DPW-Building-Scope-of-Work
Municipal Building:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48009398/Direct-Install-Municipal-Building-Project-Summary
http://www.scribd.com/Direct-Install-Municipal-Building-Scope-of-Work/d/48009407
For more information on the Clean Energy Program, Direct Install, click this link:
http://www.njcleanenergy.com/di
The Committee authorized me to sign the 2011 contract between the Township and Anthony Koester. Tony has done a great job as our attorney in 2010 and I am honored to welcome him back for 2011.
The Committee authorized me to sign an animal control contract with St. Hubert’s to the tune of about $9,000.
I appointed Scott Hender and John Peterson to the Agricultural Advisory Committee.
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Saturday, January 29: Attended a Seminar
Board of Education President Chris Piparo and I car pooled to Trenton on Saturday morning to attend a seminar sponsored by the New Jersey League of Municipalities and New Jersey School Boards Association. The seminar addressed ways school districts and municipalities can collaborate and meet the 2% property tax levy cap. As I’ve stated in previous posts, I am aware of the divisiveness between those who support our school district, and those who do not. I want 2011 to be the year that witnesses our governing body and the school district working and communicating together. We may have disagreements but that is natural, but the “us versus them” mentality when it comes to our school needs to stop. By Mr. Piparo and me openly working together it is my hope that others will take note and consider finding ways to help support our efforts.
While there may be some disagreement on the fiscal solutions to achieve a successful school curriculum and learning environment, I believe that a good school system impacts our property values- for good and bad. Given the property tax levy cap, we cannot continue to overlook ways to work together in order to save money, share services, and reduce spending.
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Monday, January 31: Environmental Commission
Diane Burgess was appointed Chair (mayoral appointment) and the Commission members voted Bill Wild as Vice Chairman- congratulations Bill! The Commission discussed the recycling ordinance that is before the Committee as well as the solar energy ordinance. A good amount of discussion was focused on applying for an ANJEC grant for a township-wide inventory of conservation easements. I am looking forward to working with the Environmental Commission in 2011 on their projects- may it be well water testing, applying for grants, reviewing ordinances, or a myriad of other tasks they perform.
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