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Township Council » Meetings » Minutes: February 26, 2009

All meeting minutes posted on the township website are unofficial minutes. Official copies of minutes may be obtained from the township clerk.

Minutes: February 26, 2009

A regular meeting of the Randolph Township Council was called to order at 8:00 p.m. by Mayor Metz. This meeting is held pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act. Adequate notice of the meeting has been provided by posting written notice of the time, date, location and, to the extent known, the agenda of the meeting in Randolph Township. This notice was posted on the Bulletin Board within Town Hall, it was filed with the Township Clerk, and it was provided to those persons or entities requesting notification. Notice was also provided to the Randolph Reporter and the Morris County Daily Record on January 12, 2009, by emailing them the annual resolution adopted by the Council on January 1, 2009. The annual resolution, which included this meeting date, was advertised in the Randolph Reporter, the official newspaper of the Township of Randolph, and in the Morris County Daily Record on January 15, 2009.

PRESENT:
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Deputy Mayor Alpert
Mayor Metz

ABSENT:
Councilman Algeier
Councilwoman Price

Manager Lovell stated that he was in touch with both Councilman Algeier and Councilwoman Price who are absent from the meeting.

Also Present: Township Manager John Lovell and Keli Gallo from the Law Office of Edward Buzak

Mayor Metz led the Pledge of Allegiance.

APPROVAL OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES:

(1) January 15, 2009
(2) January 29, 2009
(3) February 5, 2009

Councilwoman Mitsch made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. Deputy Mayor Alpert seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:

AYES:
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello (abstain on January 29)
Councilman Obremski (abstain on January 15 and January 29)
Deputy Mayor Alpert
Mayor Metz

NAYS: None

ABSENT:
Councilman Algeier
Councilwoman Price

APPROVAL OF EXECUTIVE MEETING MINUTES

(1) January 15, 2009
(2) January 29, 2009
(3) February 5, 2009

Mayor Metz noted the date on the January 29 Executive Minutes needs to be changed. It currently shows the date of February 29.

Councilwoman Mitsch made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Deputy Mayor Alpert seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:

AYES:
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello (abstain on January 29)
Councilman Obremski (abstain on January 15 and January 29)
Deputy Mayor Alpert
Mayor Metz

NAYS: None

ABSENT:
Councilman Algeier
Councilwoman Price

OPEN TO PUBLIC

Judith Stewart, 114 Everdale Road, asked the Council to improving handicapped parking and access at local businesses. She reiterated her request for a drive-up mailbox at the new post office.

Lee Whilden, 82 Radtke Road, mentioned an article in the paper whereby the County distributed money to several town for waste collection. She noted that Randolph was not listed as receiving any money.

Manager Lovell responded that years ago Randolph bid independently for waste collection and is receiving money from recycling companies that far exceeds what would have been received from the County.

Seeing no one further from the public, the public portion was closed.

COUNCIL AND MANAGER REPORTS

Councilman Napoliello stated that Thelma Sellmann is the Chairwoman and Lorraine Hopler is the Secretary for the Community Services Advisory Committee for 2009. The Senior Picnic will be held on June 16, 2009, at Brundage Park. The Senior Olympics will be held on May 27, 2009. The Councilman attended a ceremony at Aspen Ice, the winner of the New Jersey Clean Energy Project of the Year Award for the solar panels they installed on the roof of the building. The owner of Aspen Ice is enjoying significant energy savings as a result of that installation.

Councilwoman Mitsch attended an Environmental Committee meeting where they discussed the deer population and the hazards the deer wreak on the township. She asked if there were any results from the recent deer hunt.

Manager Lovell responded that results will be available in about a month and he will share the information with the Council as soon as he receives it.

Councilman Obremski reported that Wendy Whiting is the Chairwoman and Mark Cascella is the Vice-Chair for the Open Space Committee for 2009. The Councilman attended his first County Open Space meeting. He reported that the County Open Space Committee is very serious about towns meeting their deadlines.

Deputy Mayor Alpert expressed concern over the recent testing at the Picatinny Arsenal and how it impacts Randolph homeowners. He noted that the traffic light on West Hanover Avenue at Shongum Road creates quite a back-up of traffic on West Hanover, impacting Randolph residents. The Deputy Mayor asked that the issue be revisited with Parsippany.

Manager Lovell responded that it may be a county light, but he will reach out to both the County and Parsippany to see if some common sense modifications can be made to the light.

Mayor Metz reported that he participated in a Morris County Leadership Forum held at Picatinny Arsenal dealing with the impacts of COAH and the Highlands. While at Picatinny, the Mayor met with officials concerning the recent blasting problems impacting Randolph. Chief Mason will also be contacting the police department at Picatinny to try to bring about a resolution to the problem.

Manager Lovell reported that he is preparing his message for the Annual Report. He noted that he had read an article in the newspaper about the state proposing a motor vehicle super center for Canfield Avenue in Randolph and noted that the State never contacted anyone from Town Hall on this issue. The Manager contacted the Motor Vehicle Commission, and a meeting will now take place during the week of March 9 to review the proposal. The Manager stressed that while he doesn’t oppose a super-center, he does want to be made aware of plans being made involving Randolph.

Deputy Mayor Alpert asked if a super-center were to bring more jobs into Randolph, would that impact the COAH obligation.

Manager Lovell responded that he asked several departments in Trenton that question, and no one he talked to in Trenton knew what COAH was.

REVIEW AND SET PROPOSED AGENDA FOR MARCH 5, 2009 REGULAR MEETING

There were no comments by the Council. The agenda will be set for the next meeting.

PRESENTATION BY ROBERT COLLINS, KINNELON BOROUGH COUNCIL—Impact of Highlands on Kinnelon

Manager Lovell noted that Councilman Collins is speaking at the invitation of Councilman Algeier.

Councilman Collins’ remarks included:

  • He is aware that Randolph enjoys an excellent reputation
  • Kinnelon shares Randolph’s frustration with new COAH regulations
  • Kinnelon had a COAH credit until the recent change in methodology
  • They now have a COAH obligation of 66 new homes
  • Kinnelon is 97 percent in the preservation area, as opposed to Randolph having approximately 3 percent in the preservation area
  • He appealed to the Highlands Council regarding his concern that, with the restrictions of the Highlands Act, Kinnelon would likely be unable to meet the 66 unit obligation
  • The Highlands Council responded that there is a Memorandum of Agreement with COAH that should make that issue a little more palatable
  • He believes there is a disconnect between Trenton and Morris County
  • Kinnelon had no choice about conformance with the Highlands plan
  • Costs associated with conformance have been prohibitive
  • Kinnelon applied for two grants from the Highlands and received one for $50,000.00 to help defray costs
  • Kinnelon has very limited commercial ratables
  • Since 97 percent of the town falls into the preservation area, there can be no further growth going forward
  • An application to the DEP under the Highlands exemption to replace an old firehouse took well over a year for response
  • A similar application for a new DPW building to house their equipment will have to be made in the near future
  • Kinnelon has stayed true to is mission and has preserved about 1200 acres within the last three years
  • They recently received a Morris County Preservation Trust Grant of $1.2 million to preserve an additional 670 acres
  • His viewpoint on preserving open space in a preservation area is that things in Trenton change
  • He invited the Council members to attend a meeting in Kinnelon at any time

Manager Lovell noted that there are similarities between Randolph and Kinnelon. Randolph is close to being built out. The Manager’s frustration with Highlands comes from the fact that the data base supplied to Randolph is incorrect.

DISCUSSION

(1) Allies, Inc/Morris Habitat Projects

Manager Lovell provided a copy of draft agreements with Allies, Inc., and Morris Habitat for Humanity for their proposed projects in Randolph Township. He will begin drafting agreements for review with the Township Attorney in the next several weeks. Both organizations are very interested in working with Randolph. Both projects should provide a combined total of 32.5 units that would be used to satisfy COAH obligations. The Manager’s goal is to commit most or all of the $1.3 million in the developers’ fees account. He asked the Council to review the draft agreements and provide any input they may have to him as soon as possible so that he can begin getting these projects started as quickly as possible.

(2) 2009 Municipal Budget Review

Manager Lovell stated that it was a good meeting on February 21. All of the departments, with the exception of the Health Department, were reviewed. If any of the Council members would like to go through the budget line by line, the Manager will make himself and staff available to do that. Numbers from the state will most likely not be available until March 16. Once he has those numbers, the Manager will be in a better position to finalize the proposed budget.

Councilman Obremski noted that the newspaper reported that the County budget makes specific reference to paying their full share of pension costs for this year. He was under the impression that deferring pension payments was not optional.

Manager Lovell responded that, if the Governor’s plan for pensions is adopted, the County can raise the full amount of the pensions and then place those dollars in surplus or an investment fund, but they would not be able to pay their full pension bill this year.

Health Officer Mark Caputo presented an overview of the Health Department, which included the following comments:

  • Thanked the Council for their support and commitment
  • The housing market drives the demand for building department services
  • There has been a decline in the number of inspections
  • The decision was made to eliminate a part-time property maintenance and housing inspector, reduce hours for the plumbing inspector, and reduce hours in health education
  • Administrative duties in the Building Department have increased
  • Emphasis on customer satisfaction and service will continue in the years ahead
  • There are discussions with other towns about possible shared services
  • In 2008 an adolescent immunization program was started
  • Enhancements to the adult immunization program were implemented in 2008
  • Vaccines are provided on a pre-paid basis, which did not work particularly well
  • There has been an increase to the budget for expenditures in order to modify the adolescent and adult immunization programs for 2009
  • With these modifications, Mr. Caputo is confident there will be an increase in residents participating in the program
  • Under the structured pricing for the program, it should be self-sustaining
  • Randolph will be providing health services and animal control services to Rockaway Borough
  • Randolph will also be providing animal control services to Dover
  • Randolph was the recipient of a grant from the National Association of City and County Health Officials to assist in the development of metrics for accrediting local health departments on a national level
  • The Health Department is exploring the possible expansion of shared services with neighboring communities
  • The trailer annex for housing cats at the animal pound will be delivered on March 16
  • They are exploring shared services in animal control
  • Curbside recycling is going well
  • In 2008 a five year contract with Blue Diamond was renewed for curbside recycling
  • On January 1, 2009, a new contractor began dumpster services with the apartment complexes
  • Regarding recycling, tipping fees have decreased, however there has also been a decrease in recyclables
  • Randolph’s contract for co-mingled commodities will expire at the end of 2009, while the contract for mixed paper recyclables will be expiring at the end of March 2009
  • With the expiration of these contracts, the Health Officer will be seeking find the best possible deal for Randolph
  • In the future, Randolph may look to single stream recycling

Manager Lovell indicated that he will allow the immunization program to run for 2009, however he will revisit the issue if the program does not live up to expectations. The Manager noted that he is having ongoing discussions with other communities regarding shared services in the building and animal control areas.

(3) Set Next Budget Review Date

A budget work session was scheduled for March 19, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. There is a regular Council Meeting on March 17.

COMBINED ACTION ITEMS

Councilman Obremski made a motion to approve the Combined Action Items. Councilwoman Mitsch seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:

AYES:
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Deputy Mayor Alpert
Mayor Metz

NAYS: None

ABSENT:
Councilman Algeier
Councilwoman Price

A. Liquor License Renewal (Pocket License) for the 2008-2010 Season

R-90-09

BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, that the following application for renewal of alcoholic beverage license (pocket license) for the respective premise hereinafter designated, for the 2008-2009 season and the 2009-2010 season commencing July 1, 2008 and ending June 30, 2010, be and the same are hereby granted. The Township Council of the Township of Randolph adopted Resolution No. 381-08 on November 13, 2008, to rescind the pocket license renewal for James B. Grecco because the pocket license Special Ruling Petition had yet to be approved. Said approval has since been received by the Township of Randolph. The fees have been paid as hereinafter listed and the said applicant having complied with all requirements of the Statutes and Rules and Regulations of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control:

LICENSE NO.: 1432-33-106-03
NAME OF LICENSEE: Grecco, James B.
LOCATION: Pocket License
FEE: $2,500.00

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Township Clerk be and is hereby ordered and directed to sign and issue said license in the name of the Township of Randolph and to deliver the same to the licensee when receipt is signed by the licensee or the authorized agent to the licensee.

B. Raffles

(1) Off-Premise Merchandise Raffle, Greek Orthodox Community Center of Randolph, June 28, 2009, 12:30 p.m., at St. Andrew Hall, 1447 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph

(2) Off-Premise Merchandise Raffle, Interfaith Council for Homeless Families of Morris County, Inc., November 12, 2009, 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., at the Meadow Wood Manor, 461 Route 10 East, Randolph

(3) Off-Premise Merchandise Raffle, Randolph Rotary, October 3, 2009, 4:00 p.m., at the Randolph Township Municipal Building, 502 Millbrook Avenue, Randolph

OPEN TO PUBLIC

Judith Stewart, 114 Everdale Road, asked about the amounts listed in the budget for salary and wages for the animal control department and nursing department

Manager Lovell responded that some animal control employee costs are charged directly to the licensing trust fund and do not show in the budget. The nursing department numbers are listed fully in the budget.

Mrs. Stewart asked where the money goes that Randolph receives from other towns for animal control services.

Manager Lovell responded that the money goes into the trust fund.

Mrs. Stewart suggested adding a footnote to the budget for those particular items showing where the money goes because she feels the budget is misleading. She thanked the Manager for the improvement to the pink pages in the budget and feels it will enable residents to examine the budget with a clearer picture of employee hours. Mrs. Stewart noted that she has numerous questions on the proposed budget and asked how best to get those questions answered.

Manager Lovell responded that he is available to answer any and all questions she has. She need only contact his office to make an appointment.

Seeing no one further from the public, the public portion was closed.

COUNCIL AND MANAGER COMMENTS

Manager Lovell noted that he had one Personnel item to add to the Executive Session dealing with the Municipal Clerk.

EXECUTIVE SESSION

WHEREAS, Section 8 of the Open Public Meetings Act, Chapter 231, P.L. 1975 (N.J.S.A. 10:4-12) permits the exclusion of the public from a meeting under certain circumstances; and

WHEREAS, this public body is of the opinion that such circumstances presently exist.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, in the County of Morris, and State of New Jersey, as follows:

1. The public shall be excluded from the following portion of the meeting.

2. The general nature of the subject matter to be discussed is as follows:

a. Personnel

3. As nearly as now can be ascertained, the matter or matters to be discussed at this time will be disclosed to the public at such time and under such circumstances as are prescribed by law.

4. At the conclusion of the closed Executive Session, the Council may reconvene in public session for the purpose of taking formal action on matters discussed in closed session or on any other matter as permitted by law.

Councilman Obremski made a motion to move into Executive Session at 9:25 p.m. Councilman Napoliello seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:

AYES:
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Deputy Mayor Alpert
Mayor Metz

NAYS: None

ABSENT:
Councilman Algeier
Councilwoman Price

Councilman Obremski made a motion to move out of Executive Session at 9:35 p.m. Councilwoman Mitsch seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:

AYES:
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Deputy Mayor Alpert
Mayor Metz

NAYS: None

ABSENT:
Councilman Algeier
Councilwoman Price

ADJOURNMENT

The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 9:35 p.m.

_________________________________
Donna Marie Luciani
Township Clerk

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