Taxes

RATE INCREASE EXPLAINED – FTSA executive director Joe Danielsen explains the need for a 10 percent rate hike in this year’s budget at the October 3 Sewerage Authority Commission meeting. Customers of the Franklin Township Sewerage Authority will notice a slight increase in their quarterly bills as a 10 percent rate hike takes effect in November. The rate hike was …

GENERATIONAL FARMING DISCUSSED – The Generational Farmer panel at Somerset County’s Influencing Agriculture Conference included (l-r) Carol English of English Farm in Basking Ridge; Matt Puskas of Middlebush Farm in Franklin Township; and Jimmy Abma of Abma’s Farms in Hillsborough and Doug Van Nuys of Hillsboro Farm. A township farmer was among 13 Somerset County farmers who participated in panel …

A contract worth more than $65,000 for fitness equipment for Naaman Williams Park was awarded September 12 by the Township Council. The company that will supply and install the equipment is MRC of Spring Lake. Among the equipment being purchased is a captain’s chair for $4,692, recumbent cycle for $6,658, vault bar ($619) and push-up ($1,150) stations, cardio walker for …

CDBG GRANTS – Deborah Mitchell, administrator of the Township’s Community Development Block Grant program, discusses this year’s program at the Township Council meeting. An application for more than $348,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant money was approved July 11 by the Township Council. The program, overseen by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, is designed to help …

As promised earlier in the year, an application to the state to use trailer classrooms at five township schools during the 2023-24 school year was approved by the Board of Education at its June 20 meeting. The trailers would be used at Pine Grove Manor, MacAfee Road, Hillcrest and the Franklin Park annex elementary schools and at Franklin Middle School …

CONTRACTS APPROVED – The Board of Education on June 20 approved a number of contracts for goods and services. The Board of Education at its June 20 meeting approved purchases totaling $3,499,932.68. The Board approved an $85,000 purchase of a dump truck for the District’s Buildings & Grounds department. The truck will be provided by either Nielsen AutomotiveGroup or Pellegrino …

Goods and services worth more than $300,000 were purchased at the May 23 Township Council meeting. A contract worth $258,090 was awarded to Cliffside Body Corp. of Fairview for two stainless steel dump bodies with spreaders and plows. A three-year contract worth $36,418.76 was awarded to Lexipol of Frisco, Texas for service and maintenance of all Franklin Township Police Department …

UPDATE: All of the bond ordinances were approved at the May 23 meeting. Bond ordinances totaling nearly $20 million for capital improvements and purchases were introduced by the Township Council at its May 9 meeting. The largest, $6,225,000, is earmarked for improvements to the water utility. Among the projects included in the bond are the East Millstone water main replacement, …

Contracts worth nearly $2.8 million were awarded by the Township Council at its May 9 meeting. The largest, for $1,874,520, went to Shauger Property Services of East Orange for the MacAfee Road water main replacement. Capital Paving & Contracting of Annandale was awarded a $746,683.95 contract for the repaving of Equator Avenue. Pellegrino Chevrolet of Westville was awarded a $168,000 …

BUDGET INTRODUCTION – Township Manager Robert Vornlocker broke down the proposed 2023 township budget at the April 11 Township Council meeting. Update: The Council adopted the budget at its May 9 meeting The $66.3 million 2023 budget introduced on April 11 by the Township Council carries with it a 1 percent increase in the amount of local purpose taxes to …