All meeting minutes posted on the township website are unofficial minutes. Official copies of minutes may be obtained from the township clerk.
Minutes: January 1, 2010
The annual Reorganization Meeting of the Randolph Township Council was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by Councilman 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 December 7, 2009, by emailing them the annual resolution adopted by the Council on December 3, 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 December 17, 2009.
PRESENT:
Councilman Algeier
Councilman Alpert
Councilman Metz
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Councilwoman Price
Also Present: Township Manager John Lovell and Tiena Cofoni from the Law Offices of Edward Buzak
Councilman Metz led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Councilman Metz recognized the following elected officials in attendance at the meeting: Senator Anthony Bucco, Morris County Sheriff Ed Rochford, Deputy Director Freeholder and Mayor of Wharton Bill Chegwidden, Randolph Police Chief Robert Mason, former Post Commander of the VFW Jack Sassamann, and Freeholder Jack Schrier. The Councilman thanked them all for their past support.
RECOGNIZE FORMER MAYOR EDWARD METZ
Manager Lovell thanked Councilman Metz for the job he did for the past year as Mayor and highlighted several of his accomplishments, including:
- Effectively teaming with the Manager to govern the daily activities of the township
- Working to create a new sense of purpose for the Economic Development Committee
- Effective communication within the community via the email alert system and working to implement the reverse 9-1-1 program for individuals currently without access
Councilman Metz presented the following speech:
“I’d like to thank the Council for giving me this opportunity to serve as Mayor this past year. I can honestly tell you it was both a privilege and an honor to represent my town. I feel blessed to have such well-qualified members on our team. Let me also thank my wife Nancy and daughter Erica for their support. I would also like to thank the staff—Donna Luciani, John Lovell, Bill Kerwick, John Van Brunt, and Mike Soccio.
They do a wonderful job in Randolph. The Department of Public Works does a fantastic job in making sure that our roads are clear during inclement weather. The recreation program and town facilities are unmatched in any other town and our CFO does a tremendous job in keeping Randolph fiscally responsible.
I won’t go through what my three goals were for the year, but I will mention that with the Economic Development Committee, we did have our first High School Senior Career Day of which we had over 60 businesses in town and over 100 students sign up. The businesses opened up their doors for a couple of hours one afternoon so that the kids could learn something about an area that they’re interested in pursuing in college. It was also a way for our businesses to get to showcase their businesses to the people of Randolph. One of the things I think happens in Randolph is we do such a great job of educating our children, many of which end up leaving the state to go to college and end up not coming back. We wanted to show the students, give them a little bit of a connection to Randolph, to show them the types of businesses we have in town and the opportunities that are here for them. Hopefully they’ll come back someday. I was happy to get that done.
The email alert system I think was also a huge success and we need to keep marketing that. One of my responsibilities as Mayor was to serve as liaison to the school board. Most people know that when you look at your tax bill, a very small portion goes into the municipal budget while 67% of the budget gets allocated to the schools. The school budget is determined by a separate election. So while the school budget is not within our control, we do feel a responsibility to try to minimize costs and get maximum benefits wherever possible with our neighbors across the street. We’ve worked very hard over the years to share services with the schools for the benefit of our taxpayers. Storing and repairing their busses is one example. This is an area I believe we need to continue to work really hard at, as this is an opportunity for tax savings.
Lastly I would like to share with you what I found the most rewarding in my year as Mayor. Whether I went to a solo percussion concert, did an Eagle Scout presentation, went to a senior picnic, or went to a recreational event, there was one theme that was common throughout. Every single activity that I have attended in Randolph was extremely well attended, both from a volunteer standpoint as well as the general public. This, my friends, is what I feel makes Randolph the wonderful place that it is. Because without the volunteers and interest of the people, we wouldn’t be able to provide the wonderful services that we do.
I’d like to thank everybody for that.
As we start 2010, I look forward to supporting the new Mayor. As a Councilman, I will continue to do my best focusing on the areas of fiscal responsibility, marketing the Alert systems, promoting Randolph businesses, and sharing services with the schools.
Once again, thank you.
SELECTION OF TEMPORARY MAYOR
Councilman Algeier nominated Donna Luciani as Temporary Mayor to conduct the following portion of the meeting. Councilman Obremski seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:
AYES:
Councilman Algeier
Councilman Alpert
Councilman Metz
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Councilwoman Price
NAYS: None
NOMINATIONS AND SELECTION OF MAYOR FOR THE YEAR 2010
Mrs. Luciani called for nominations for Mayor.
Councilman Metz nominated Councilman Alpert to serve as Mayor for 2010. Councilman Napoliello seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:
AYES:
Councilman Algeier
Councilman Alpert
Councilman Metz
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Councilwoman Price
NAYS: None
NOMINATIONS AND SELECTION OF DEPUTY MAYOR FOR THE YEAR 2010
Mayor Alpert nominated Councilwoman Mitsch to serve as Deputy Mayor for 2010. Councilman Algeier seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:
AYES:
Councilman Algeier
Councilman Metz
Councilwoman Mitsch
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Councilwoman Price
Mayor Alpert
NAYS: None
SWEARING IN OF MAYOR AND DEPUTY MAYOR
Mrs. Beth Alpert administered the Oath of Office to Mayor Alpert.
The Township Clerk administered the Oath of Office to Deputy Mayor Mitsch.
COMMENTS BY MAYOR AND COUNCIL—Goals and Objectives for 2010
Mayor Alpert:
I would like to thank everyone for coming out on New Year’s Day in this less than balmy weather and wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. I would also like to thank the Council for the faith and trust they have placed in me. I am incredibly proud to serve on this Council and as Mayor as we focus on continuing to do what is in the best interest of our town “where life is worth living.” I look forward to a great year with our Council and our great new Deputy Mayor, Trina Mitsch. And a special thank you to Ed Metz who did an outstanding job as Mayor. I was proud to serve as your Deputy last year.
I also wish to thank my wife Beth, who is always there for me, and our three wonderful daughters, Stephanie, Rachel, and Lauren. Their love and support is immeasurable. I would also like to thank my parents, Ben and Janice, who made the long trek here today from the shore. I would certainly be remiss in not thanking all of our wonderful friends who came here today as well.
At last year’s Reorganization Meeting I spoke about the financial turmoil our country was in. Well, one year later, it hasn’t improved as we now face even greater burdens in 2010. Our Governor-Elect has made some bold policy promises. If he can accomplish them, then our great state will finally be going in the right direction. But that’s not solely on his shoulders and those in Trenton. True financial restructuring must come as a partnership with the municipalities. The 566 towns in our state must come together and pay attention to doing the right thing and putting egos aside. As children, we all learn to share. Now it’s time for municipal governments to re-learn what they were taught as children. In Randolph we have already begun sharing. We share health services with Rockaway Borough as well as animal control services with both Dover and Rockaway Borough.
We share vehicle maintenance with the Board of Education, and over the next year we look to share construction code inspections and enforcement as well as 9-1-1 dispatch, animal control, and possibly police services. There is no municipal government sharing that we will summarily dismiss without competent review.
All of this doesn’t mean that we stop providing the best services possible. In 2010 we will start the capital improvements of the library and senior community center. These are much needed renovations that would become incredibly costly if they were ignored. The renderings of the project are here for all to see.
All too often we take for granted what is literally right under our nose. Under the leadership of John Van Brunt, we have a parks and recreation program that is unequaled. The parental involvement includes over 1,000 volunteer coaches in the program. Our Department of Public Works under the leadership of Bill Kerwick truly surprised me when we first moved here. I have never seen any town that does a better job of snow removal and is as responsive to residents’ needs. Mike Soccio, our Finance Officer, keeps us afloat with good old-fashioned budget strategy and no games or gimmicks that many other towns embrace. Our relatively new Police Chief, Bob Mason, is doing a terrific job ushering the department into a new vision of law enforcement, and of course, John Lovell, the Township Manager, is always there to coordinate things and keep us going in the right direction.
Although 2010 is going to be a tough year from a fiscal perspective, I will never forget the famous quote from a true American legend, Yogi Berra—“a nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.” And with that I again thank each and every one of you.
Deputy Mayor Mitsch:
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
I just want to say thank you very much for the continued opportunity to serve you all here in Randolph. I would like to thank Ed. I think he did an extraordinary job last year, not just in terms of time commitment as the Mayor’s position entails, but in terms of the initiatives that he brought forth as well which John enumerated earlier. I am really looking forward to serving with Jay. I think he will be excellent as Mayor and I think his past professional experience in law enforcement will be very good for the town, especially in light of the national security challenges that we continue to face as apparent by the events that transpired on Christmas Day.
I didn’t grow up in this country, as most of you know. I do think America is an extraordinary country and Randolph is an extraordinary town in that country. I have the utmost faith and confidence in all the individuals who contribute to this community. I was talking to my sister Maggie this morning, she’s visiting from Ireland, and I was chatting with her about the level of volunteerism in Randolph. A lot of people give an extraordinary amount of time and talent, and I think that’s what really makes this township an incredible place to live.
We do have a lot of challenges economically, and that poses some challenges here as we develop the budget in the next couple of months, but I think Randolph is in a very good position because, long before it was fashionable, long before there were economic challenges, we were managing things here very much in a conservative manner and that really stands for us.
Thank you all and I look forward to a good year. I’m sure there will be challenges but we’ll deal with it, we’ll get on with it, and things will always get better.
Councilman Algeier:
I’d like to congratulate Ed on the great job he did in 2009. We are in the year of Jay Alpert and Trina Mitsch as the leaders in Randolph, and for that I am very grateful. I look forward to working with Jay and Trina and supporting their initiatives.
I would like to look back for a second and mention to you folks here that you folks are what I view as citizens of Randolph. The concept of citizen came to us from the Greeks and Romans. It speaks of something more than just residing in a town. It bespeaks of actually participating in the community. Randolph is blessed with the fact that we have thousands and thousands of citizens. Trina and Jay have already mentioned the volunteer involvement. You folks being here, being part of this reorganization, is part of the greatness of this country in that we have a peaceful transition from the lowest level of government right up to the top. It works the same for the presidency and the same for local government. The people choose, the people have spoken, and I thank you all for allowing me to be a part of this governing body for the past 13 years. I look forward to serving again with my fellow council members.
This year the citizens were a great help. They supported my 30 mile bike ride to the tune of $2,500.00 in support of our troops, and then again when the Chamber of Commerce and the United Way had Operation Appreciation. Randolph citizens stepped forward and contributed a full van load of material that is being shipped to our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq as we speak. So you folks as citizens have earned that title in my opinion.
I’d like to mention specifically Jack Schrier, who was introduced as a Freeholder, but he also serves on the Council in Mendham Township. Jack and I had dinner at a political event one night and we got to talking. I said years ago we started talking about sharing services of animal control but it never went anywhere. I said they have this great facility that used to be owned by the Seeing Eye, it’s now part of his community, it was bought with open space funds, and we have great personnel working in our animal control group but we don’t have a good facility. At the time Mendham had all of its animal control handled by St. Huberts in Madison, a great inconvenience in my view to their citizens. Out of the conversation, we turned it over to our staffs and out of that has come a real concrete proposal where we look forward to sharing animal control services with Mendham Township as soon as we get clearance from the state. We have a couple of other ideas flipping out of our conversation and we’ll see if we can get some more shared services with Mendham Township, or with any community who would like to partner with Randolph. It would save them money and it would save us money.
With that being said, I look forward to serving with everyone here on the Council. We’re going to have a busy 2010. Good luck to everyone in 2010.
Councilman Metz:
I’d like to congratulate Trina on her hat trick as Deputy Mayor. I think many of you know Trina has been asked more than a couple of times to be Mayor. She knows the time commitment involved and with her busy life, she’s content to be Deputy Mayor and giving us everything that she can. We really appreciate that. Jay, once again, I’m excited in your role and I’ll be there for anything that you need.
Councilman Napoliello:
I want to thank you all for coming here today and I want to wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.
First I’d like to thank Ed Metz for the wonderful job he did last year as Mayor. I was very proud of him. I also want to congratulate both Jay Alpert and Trina Mitsch on their elections to Mayor and Deputy Mayor for 2010. They’ve been very effective Council members who I’m sure will also be excellent leaders. I look forward to working with both of them this year. Together we will continue to make Randolph “where life is worth living.”
Despite the recession last year, in many ways it was a good year for Randolph. Here are some of the Council’s accomplishments that I am most proud. We were able to continue to maintain our AA+ bond rating. We are only one of 7 towns of 566 in this state who have that rating. This allows us to borrow money at the lowest possible cost. Also our Council rejected COAH’s unrealistic mandate and decided to undertake the Highlands Conformance Analysis in 2009. Since the state has pushed the deadline back to June 2010, that analysis is still ongoing. We were able to have a Fall Festival Country Fair as we worked in cooperation with the Randolph Rotary Club. This time the weatherman cooperated and we had a very nice day. Last but certainly not least, we encouraged the installation of solar panels at Aspen Ice and other establishments at the Middlebury section of town. I look forward to another productive year in Randolph in 2010.
Thank you all for coming, and once again, happy new year.
Councilman Obremski:
Ed, I also would like to offer my thanks for a great year last year. You did bring a great sense of humor to the job and made the year go by very fast. You got through it unscathed and a great job by you.
Congratulations to Jay and Trina. I look forward to working with both of you and the rest of the Council as we move forward to once again a very difficult year for us, but we all know about that so let’s get on to better things.
Gary did mention the animal control issue. It’s one of my pet projects. I’m going to continue to work with the Friends, the Randolph staff, and Mendham Township to move this along. We have a long road ahead of us with Green Acres regulations but I’m confident we’re going to get that done and find a new home for our animals in town.
Also as I’ve spoken over the last few years, I’m liaison again to the Traffic Committee, another one of my passions. We’re going to continue to move our Alive at 25 program throughout the state. We believe it is a model. The state has already recognized that in a couple of their manuals so we’re going to move along with that. We’re also moving along with our recommendations to get something done with the intersection of Route 10 and Dover Chester Road. Our public hearing is going to be held on January 14 where our sub-committee will put out their recommendations. We do have representatives from the county and DOT that have agreed to come to that meeting.
Once again, thank you all for coming today. Happy New Year to everyone, and it’s nice to see such a large crowd here on a holiday.
Councilwoman Price:
I’d like to wish everybody a very happy New Year and begin by saying thanks to all of you who have come out and braved the cold weather. I see a lot of our community volunteers here today and that’s what our community is all about, volunteerism.
All of us know what challenges we face today as we begin a new year—our economy is still hurting and that has hit hard in Randolph. We’re still the township where “life is worth living,” but more of our residents are asking if they can afford to live here. Everyone is being asked to do more with less, and that includes Town Hall.
That’s why it’s so crucial to hold the line on taxes and make our money work more efficiently for us. We need to take a good look at our infrastructure and more effectively share services with other towns and governmental entities. Sharing services is about practical government—it’s doing more with less and doing it cost-effectively.
We’ve made some progress already in this regard like our purchasing cooperative and sharing of some services by our animal control, building and health departments. A feasibility study is now underway to consider a merger of our police department with another town—something Wharton and Mine Hill accomplished nearly eight years ago.
But there is so much more to do. The plain fact is that Randolph is behind the curve in using shared services to cut costs and lower the tax burden on our residents. We need to change our ways and look to the best practices of other towns, including those in our backyard, so that we can make our government work better for our residents.
A couple of areas that we haven’t really addressed yet include looking at our court services. We made a major investment in that infrastructure but just looking at how we can share that with other towns. That’s been done in our community with other regional court systems that have merged and combined and saved significant dollars. Also combining our land use bodies. That’s been done in several of our neighboring towns. What happens there is that you then only have the services on one professional staff and that saves money for the town.
In terms of helping our businesses, they’re hurting with the downturn in the economy and we need to reach out and be more business-friendly. We need to work and adopt a business plan for attracting and retaining responsible ratables in town. More business rateables would help us lower our tax burden.
Before we cut back on more services or increase taxes, we need to look at these types of priorities and not be satisfied with the status quo. We need to address the needs of our residents who are hurting and can’t afford higher taxes.
I’ve proudly served Randolph for the past four years on our Town Council. I look forward to working with our Town Council in the coming year and to make Randolph a place where life is truly worth living.
I wish you all a very happy New Year.
CONSENT AGENDA
Councilman Napoliello made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Councilman Obremski seconded the motion, and the following roll call vote was taken:
AYES:
Councilman Algeier
Councilman Metz
Councilman Napoliello
Councilman Obremski
Councilwoman Price
Deputy Mayor Mitsch
Mayor Alpert
NAYS: None
Council Appointments for 2010
Deputy Clerk
Donna Brady—1 year term
Township Attorney
Edward J. Buzak—1 year term
Special Counsel for Labor and Negotiations
Fredric M. Knapp—1 year term
Special Counsel for Tax Appeals
Richard DeAngelis—1 year term
Special Counsel for Negotiations & Preparation of Developers’ Agreements
Anthony Bucco, Jr.—1 year term
Bond Counsel
John L. Kraft—1 year term
Prosecutor
Michael Cresitello—1 year term
Public Defender
Allan Iskra—1 year term
Deputy Public Defender
Andrew Blair—1 year term
Township Auditor
William Schroeder of Nisivoccia and Company—1 year term
Township Physicians
Duane G. Sossong—1 year term
Immediate Medical Care Center—1 year term
Municipal Historian
Gail Hari—1 year term
Planning Board
John Jerow—4 year term
Roy Squillario—4 year term
Colleen Ryan Meyer—Unexpired term
Myra Sesko (Official Member)
Board of Adjustment
Jim Grimshaw—4 year term
Roy Claps—4 year term
Douglas Todd (Alternate #1)—2 year term
Mark Forstenhausler (Alternate #2)—2 year term
Board of Health
Art Baeder—3 year term
Gayle Pearson—3 year term
Joyce Echanique (Alternate #2)—2 year term
Parks Committee
Bernard Barrish—3 year term
Len Pietrewicz—3 year term
Stephen Healey—3 year term
Sharon McConvery—3 year term
Environmental Commission
Connie Stroh—3 year term
Stephen O’Mara—3 year term
Kathleen Mygas—3 year term
Larry Appel (Alternate #1)—2 year term
Thomas MacArthur (Alternate #2)—2 year term
Landmarks Committee
Marcia Rumsey—3 year term
Charlie Whitehead—3 year term
Meg Sullivan—3 year term
Phil Montesano (Alternate #1)—Unexpired term
James Loveys (Alternate #2)—Unexpired term
Board of Assessments for Local Improvements
Tom MacArthur—2 year term
Economic Development Committee
Lou Pangaro—3 year term
Richard Thomas—3 year term
Jim Gorga (Alternate #2)—1 year term
Recreation Advisory Committee
Iva Cook—1 year term
Tom MacArthur—1 year term
Ned Levine—1 year term
Beth Alpert—1 year term
Anne Standridge—3 year term
Vic Viscomi—3 year term
Joseph Nazzaro—3 year term
Community Services Advisory Committee
Jim Corbett—3 year term
Judith Stewart—3 year term
Lorraine Hopler—3 year term
Mark Cascella—1 year term
Doris Dolan—1 year term
Barbara Anderson—1 year term
Tom MacArthur (Alternate #1)—Unexpired term
Library Board of Trustees
Geneva Campbell—5 year term
Traffic Advisory Committee
Greg Mohr—2 year term
Harry Ruiz—2 year term
Audrey Verona—2 year term
Joanne Veech—2 year term
Hailey Mann (Alternate #1)—2 year term
CDRS Appointments
Barbara Gothie—Representative Appointed by Mayor
John Van Brunt—Representative Appointed by Governing Body
Gerald Giaimis—Alternate Appointed by Mayor
Council Liaisons
Councilman Metz—Economic Development Committee
Councilwoman Price—Community Services Advisory Committee
Councilwoman Price—Landmarks Committee
Deputy Mayor Mitsch—Environmental Commission
Councilman Napoliello—Parks Committee
Councilman Obremski—Municipal Alliance Committee
Deputy Mayor Mitsch—Recreation Committee
Councilman Algeier—Board of Health
Councilman Algeier—County College of Morris
Mayor Alpert & Councilman Metz—Board of Education
Councilman Napoliello—Rescue Squad
Councilman Metz—Fire Department
Councilman Obremski—Traffic Advisory Committee
Councilman Algeier—Safety Committee
Mayor Alpert—Media and Communications
Resolutions
A. Rate of Interest on Delinquent Taxes and Delinquent Water and Sewer
R-01-10
WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 54:4-67 has been amended to permit the charging of 8% of the first $1,500.00 of delinquent taxes and assessments, and 18% on any amount in excess of $1,500.00; and
WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 54 also permits the charging of 8% interest on the first $1,500.00 of delinquent water and sewer charges and 18% interest on any amount in excess of $1,500.00; and
WHEREAS, the delinquent charges on finance agreements is 1 1/2 % per month in each installment in default for thirty (30) days.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, County of Morris, as follows:
1. The rate of interest to be charged for nonpayment of taxes, assessments, water and sewer charges, on or before the due date shall be 8% per annum for the first $1,500.00 and 18% on any amount in excess of $1,500.00.
2. No interest shall be charged if payment of any taxes and assessments is made within ten (10) calendar days of due date.
3. The rate of interest to be charged on delinquent finance agreements is 1 1/2 % per month in each installment in default for thirty (30) days.
4. This resolution shall take effect on January 1, 2010.
B. Bank Depositories
R-02-10
BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, that the following list of banks be designated as depositories for Township funds for the year 2010:
JP Morgan Chase Bank
TD Bank, NA
New Jersey Cash Management Fund
The Provident Bank
Heritage Community Bank
Investors Savings Bank
C. Fees for Agendas
R-03-10
WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 et seq., known as the “Open Public Meetings Act,” requires notices to be given of meetings of public bodies, as defined and prescribed in said statute, and further provides for the fixing of a reasonable charge to be paid by any person requesting such notices.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, as follows:
1. The Randolph Reporter and the Morris County Daily Record, as the newspapers having the greatest likelihood of informing the public of meetings to be held by the Township Council of the Township of Randolph, are hereby designated as the newspapers to receive notices of all meetings of this Township Council for the calendar year 2010 as required by the “Open Public Meetings Act.”
2. The bulletin board located immediately adjacent to the Municipal Clerk’s Office in the main hallway of the Randolph Municipal Building shall be the place for posting of all notices of meetings of the Township Council during the 2010 calendar year.
3. The sum of twenty ($20) dollars is hereby fixed as the fee to be paid by any person requesting that notices of meetings of the Township Council of the Township of Randolph during the 2010 calendar year be mailed to such person; but, as provided in N.J.S.A. 40:4-19, no charge shall be made to any newspaper requesting the mailing of such notices to its business office.
4. Certified copies of this resolution shall be mailed by the Clerk of the Township to the Randolph Reporter and the Morris County Daily Record and a certified copy shall be filed with the Clerk of the Township.
D. Signatures on Checks
R-04-10
BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph that the signatures of the Township Manager and Township Treasurer shall be required on all checks drawn against Township accounts.
E. Official Newspaper
R-05-10
BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, that the Randolph Reporter be designated as the Official Newspaper for the Township of Randolph for the year 2010 and the Morris County Daily Record is the “backup” Official Designated Newspaper and are hereby designated as the newspapers to receive legal notices for the Township of Randolph for the calendar year 2010.
F. Certifying Agent to Police & Firemen’s Retirement System and Public Employees’ Retirement System
R-06-10
BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, that Michael Soccio, Director of Finance, be appointed Certifying Agent for the Township’s Police and Firemen’s Retirement System and the Public Employees’ Retirement System for the year 2010.
G. Assessment Search Officer
R-07-10
BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, that the Municipal Clerk be appointed Assessment Search Officer of the Township of Randolph for the year 2010.
H. Cash Management Plan
R-08-10
WHEREAS, the Township of Randolph adopted a Cash Management Plan on April 2, 1997; and
WHEREAS, the State of New Jersey amended the statutory provisions governing cash management plans and permitted investments; and
WHEREAS, the Director of Finance has amended the Cash Management Plan of the Township of Randolph to incorporate these provisions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Council, Township of Randolph, County of Morris, State of New Jersey, that the Cash Management Plan as amended be approved.
I. Re-Establishment of the Municipal Alliance Committee
R-09-10
BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, State of New Jersey, that in compliance with P.L. Chapter 51 and the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, the Randolph Township Municipal Alliance Committee is hereby re-established. The Municipal Alliance Committee pledges to work towards the following goals as directed in the Chapter 51 legislation.
1. Organized and coordinated efforts involving schools, law enforcement, business groups and other community organizations for the purpose of reducing alcoholism and drug abuse.
2. In cooperation with local school districts, comprehensive and effective alcoholism and drug abuse education programs in grades Kindergarten through 12.
3. In cooperation with local school districts, procedures for the intervention, treatment and discipline of students abusing alcohol or drugs.
4. Comprehensive alcoholism and drug abuse education, support and outreach efforts for parents in the community.
5. Comprehensive alcoholism and drug abuse community awareness programs.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the above mentioned Alliance will be recognized as an Ad Hoc Advisory Committee reporting to the Township Council.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the membership of the Randolph Municipal Alliance Committee may include, but not be limited to, the following representatives:
Mayoral alliance representative, Chief of Police, Board of Education President, Superintendent of Schools, Student Alliance Coordinator, representative of the Parent-Teacher Association, representative of the local bargaining unit for teachers, representative of the Chamber of Commerce, Municipal Court Judge, representatives of local civic association, representative of local religious groups, private citizens.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Randolph Township Municipal Alliance Committee be authorized to seek and secure funding from the County of Morris for 2010.
J. Resolution Forming Deer Ad Hoc Committee as Sub-Committee of Parks
R-10-10
WHEREAS, there exists a need to effectively control and reduce the white-tailed deer population within the Township of Randolph; and
WHEREAS, organized hunting on public properties can assist in culling the deer herd population within the Township; and
WHEREAS, concerned residents and local hunters have expressed a desire to be a part of the planning and implementation process for deer hunts on public lands; and
WHEREAS, many of these individuals offer a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding the implementation of a controlled deer hunt.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, County of Morris, State of New Jersey, that an Ad Hoc White-Tailed Deer Hunt Committee be formed as a sub-committee reporting to the Parks Committee to continue the implementation of controlled deer hunts on public lands in Randolph Township.
K. Resolution for Creating Policy for Telephone Meetings
R-11-10
WHEREAS, the Township Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, conducts all Township business through public meetings held in the Municipal Building at 502 Millbrook Avenue; and
WHEREAS, members of the Township Council and key staff members are expected to physically attend public meetings held at the Municipal Building except on those rare occasions when significant personal and professional conflicts arise; and
WHEREAS, the Township has invested in a Polycom Telephone so as to enhance and enable off-site meeting participation when conflicts as described above preclude attendance in person by meeting participants; and
WHEREAS, it is recognized that there exists a need to regulate the use of same for future meetings.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED on this 1st day of January 2010 that Council meeting participation by Polycam Telephone shall be generally restricted to emergency, unscheduled regular meetings of the Council scheduled by the Township in accordance with law to address an emergency matter.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Council participation by Polycom Telephone for regularly scheduled meetings shall only be permitted by authorization of the Manager so as to achieve a meeting quorum or voting quorum (two-thirds of the Council) by prior arrangement with the Manager.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that this resolution shall take effect immediately upon passage.
L. Resolution Dissolving the Advisory Open Space Committee
R-12-10
WHEREAS, on January 7, 1993, the Township Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, adopted a resolution creating the Advisory Open Space Committee; and
WHEREAS, over a period of seventeen years, members of the Committee have provided guidance on the preparation of a comprehensive Open Space Acquisition Plan as well as worked diligently with Township staff and Council members in the acquisition of open space for permanent preservation; and
WHEREAS, members of the Advisory Open Space Committee have essentially completed their mission in Randolph Township; and
WHEREAS, the Township Council must from time to time evaluate its committee structure and invest its volunteer assets with wisdom based upon community needs; and
WHEREAS, the greatly reduced workload assigned to the Advisory Open Space Committee can be effectively re-assigned to the Randolph Environmental Commission.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Council of the Township of Randolph, Morris County, New Jersey, on this 1st day of January 2010 as follows:
(1) Township Attorney Edward Buzak is hereby directed to prepare an ordinance retiring and dissolving the Advisory Open Space Committee.
(2) The function and any remaining responsibilities of the former Advisory Open Space Committee are hereby transferred to the Randolph Environmental Commission.
(3) The Parks Committee liaison to the former Advisory Open Space Committee shall now act in a similar capacity to the Environmental Commission.
(4) The Township Council hereby applauds the efforts of the Advisory Open Space Committee members past and present for accomplishing their intended mission.
M. Resolution to Rescind a Portion of Schifano Construction’s MCCPC Contract #6—Road Resurfacing, for District #1 Members
R-13-10
WHEREAS, on December 3, 2009, Schifano Construction was awarded a portion of MCCPC Contract #6 (Road Resurfacing), Categories A, B & C for District #1 Members; and
WHEREAS, Tilcon New York protested the award for Categories A, B & C for District #1 members to Schifano Construction based on their evaluation of being the low bidder; and
WHEREAS, based upon the review and opinion of the Township Attorney (Tiena Cofoni, Esq.), Tilcon New York is the actual low bidder for District #1 members in Categories A, B & C of Contract #6 (Road Resurfacing) in compliance with the bid specifications.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Township of Randolph, County of Morris, and State of New Jersey, that a portion of Schifano Construction’s initial award for Categories A (Superpave Hot Mix Asphalt), B (Bituminous Concrete in Place) and C (Milling in Place) for District #1 Members of Contract #6 (Road Resurfacing) be rescinded and re-awarded to Tilcon New York as being the true low bidder in the categories noted.
COUNCIL AND MANAGER COMMENTS
Manager Lovell reminded the Council and public of the reception following the meeting to be held in the lobby.
OPEN TO PUBLIC
Seeing no one from the public, the public portion was closed.
ADJOURN FOR RECEPTION IN MAIN FOYER
The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 1:35 p.m.
_____________________________
Donna Marie Luciani
Township Clerk