Township Council

The Township Council is moving closer to voting on an ordinance amendment prohibiting the use of traditional loud fireworks by private businesses and organizations. Responding to complaints from residents about the noise, Mayor Phil Kramer last year asked Township Manager Robert Vornlocker to look into the availability of “quiet” fireworks. That research will probably lead to an amendment to the …

The township’s dream of having a thriving corporate business park will probably take 20 years to 25 years to realize, the Township Council was told during a special Feb. 7 meeting. And to ensure success, that corporate park should include affordable housing as well as amenities such as restaurants, the council was told. The recommendations came from Todd Poole of …

An ordinance that would prohibit pet stores from selling animals bred in large-scale commercial breeding facilities is making its way to the Township Council. The ordinance wold be symbolic at this point because the last township pet store that sold dogs and cats – Pets, Pets, Pets, on John F. Kennedy Boulevard – closed its doors several years ago. The …

The township is getting ready to auction off the farming rights for a number of plots. The Township Council at the Jan 24 meeting set at $8 per acre the minimum auction price for 414 total acres, 261 of which are tillable. The price is the same as it was in 2013, the last time the council set the minimum …

A $4,000 donation to Second Chance for Animals and commendations for a township man’s good works and the former deputy mayor kicked off the Jan. 24 Township Council meeting. Mayor Phil Kramer in 2016 donated all of the fees he would have collected for performing marriages to Second Chance for Animals the organization that funds the Franklin Township Animal Shelter. …

Reports of unmanned aircraft flying over township-owned open space and parkland has prompted officials to research whether that activity can be prohibited. Township manager Robert Vornlocker told the Open Space Advisory Committee at its Jan. 17 meeting that he has asked the township attorney to look into the matter. There probably won’t be an answer to the question for several …

Five township Eagle Scouts were acknowledged by the Township Council at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting. The scouts, all members of Troop 154, received their Eagle classification over the past two years. The Eagle Scouts recognized were: Albert Kraus, whose project was replacing the Little League field sign, and doing general maintenance around the fields. Joseph Richter, whose project was …

Fourth Ward Councilman Carl Wright, a 7-year veteran of the governing body, was chosen Jan. 3 to be the township’s Deputy Mayor for 2017. The council also voted on a number of other positions, including township attorney, municipal court judge, and township prosecutors and public defender at its annual reorganization meeting. Wright’s nomination was made by former Deputy Mayor Ted …

The on-again, off-again dispute over amplification of Pop Warner football games at Middlebush Park is apparently on again. The topic resurfaced at the Dec. 13 Township Council meeting, and even though the problem has been rectified, it resulted in a minor dustup between Councilwoman Roz Sherman (D-Ward 2) and Councilman Carl R.A. Wright (D-Ward 4). The topic was broached by …

The repair of faulty roadwork will result in the partial closure of DeMott Lane during the week of Nov. 28. The township was not satisfied with the milling and paving done on DeMott earlier in the fall by Somerset-based DeSantis Construction, so the company will fix the problems, township manager Robert Vornlocker told the Township Council at its Nov. 22 …