Township Council

STREET WOES – Township Councilman James Vassanella said that he’s noticed that since Covid, overall conditions on the Easton Avenue corridor have declined. Some short-term “fixes” to Easton Avenue traffic issues my be put in place before major reconstruction work is set to begin later this decade. That was the upshot from a May 20 forum on safety issues with …

CALLING FOR SUPPORT – Sami Shaban, the Board of Education vice-president, asks the Township Council for a resolution calling for a cease fire in the Hamas-Israeli war. Members of the township’s Muslim community once again on May 14 asked the Township Council for a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Hamas-Israeli war, and once again left disappointed. This was …

AD HOC COMMITTEE MEETS – The Township Council’s ad hoc committee on retail signage chose to hold its first public meeting virtually on April 29. Changes to the Township’s retail signage regulations that take into account a businesses’ location rather then set broad-brush standards may be in the offing. That was the upshot from the first open meeting of the …

RATE HIKE EXPLAINED – Mayor Phil Kramer explained the necessity of a water rate hike at the April 23 Township Council meeting. Water rates would increase nearly 17 percent under an ordinance amendment introduced at the Township Council’s April 23 meeting. The Township would also charge a water meter fee ranging from $4 to $257.25 per quarter, depending on the …

STIFF OPPOSITION – Area residents gather at a 2018 meeting to show their opposition to the proposed NESE project. (File photo.) The company behind a $1 billion, multi-state gas pipeline proposal that would include a compressor station in the township has decided to walk away from the project. Williams-TRANSCO told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on April 10 that it …

NUMBERS MAN – Township Manager Robert Vornlocker broke down the 2024 municipal budget at the April 9 Township Council meeting. Skyrocketing mandated costs are behind a small municipal portion tax increase included in the Township Council’s 2024 budget. Final numbers weren’t available at the April 9 Township Council meeting when the budget was introduced, but the bottom line is the …

ORDINANCE DEFEATED – An ordinance that would have removed a 2,000-foot distance requirement between liquor stores, promoted by Mayor Phil Kramer, was defeated after facing stiff opposition from township liquor store owners. An ordinance that would have eliminated the requirement that liquor stores be located at least 2,000 feet from each other was defeated at the April 9 Township Council …

SUPPORTING THE PROGRAM – Deputy Mayor Ed Potosnak said he now supported the Council contributing $300,000 to a construction trades program for Franklin High School students. With an enrollment-based “guardrail” in place, the Township Council on April 9 voted to partner with the Board of Education to offer some Franklin High School students training in the construction trades. The Council …

Today at 10:23 AM Franklin Township experienced an earthquake which was centered in Lebanon NJ with a magnitude of 4.8. About 18 miles from our municipal complex.  I have contacted our public safety director Quovella Maeweather who indicated the state, which obviously includes Lebanon, has activated the office of emergency management but Somerset County and Franklin have not. There are …

CDBG APPLICATIONS EXPLAINED – Deborah Mitchell, the Township’s CDBG program administrator, talks about some of the 16 applications submitted for grants. A public hearing on applications for nearly $350,000 in Community Development Block Grant money was held at the March 26 Township Council meeting. The public hearing is part of the process of awarding the grants, the money for which …