Taxes

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 …

GETTING CLOSER – An opening date for the new Franklin Park library branch has not been set, but the old branch is now closed. (File photo). Work continues on the new Franklin Park branch of the Franklin Township library, although it’s still not known when it will be open. A problem with sourcing a large electrical panel delayed construction for …

TALKING NUMBERS – Schools Superintendent John Ravally describes the 2024 budget at the March 9 open Finance Committee meeting. (File photo.) The Board of Education approved its $214 million spending plan for Fiscal Year 2024 at a special April 25 meeting. The $213,803,051 budget is powered by a $164,387,049 tax levy for calendar year 2023, up $7,285,784 from calendar year …

DELAYED OPENING – The Franklin Park branch of the Franklin Township Library is now scheduled to be open by the end of April or beginning of May. (File photo.) A delay in the delivery of an electrical panel has delayed the opening of the new Franklin Park branch of the Franklin Township Library. The new branch, located at 64 Clover …

BUDGET QUESTION – Township Councilman James Vassanella asks a question about an aspect of the proposed 2023 budget requests. The final municipal departments made their 2023 budget requests to the Township Council at a special March 21 budget hearing. As is the norm, Township Manager Robert Vornlocker presented the departments’ proposed budgets with respective representatives on hand to answer any …

RISING WATER … RATES – Mayor Phil Kramer said increases in what the Township pays for water forced its hand in raising rates to township customers. An ordinance amendment that calls for a 15 percent increase in water rates was introduced on first reading at the March 14 Township Council meeting. The hike would be the first such increase in …