Taxes

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 …

BUDGET TIME – Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather prepares for her comments to the Township Council at its first 2023 budget hearing on March 13. Budget requests for a number of township departments were heard at a special March 13 Township Council hearing. The hearing was one of two that will be held before the township’s 2023 budget is introduced, …

BUDGET TIME – Schools Superintendent John Ravally explains some elements of the tentative FY 2024 district budget at the school board’s special open Finance committee meeting on March 9. Update: The Board of Education on March 16 voted to introduce it’s tentative FY 2024 budget. It now goes before the Somerset County Executive Superintendent for review, and final adoption in …

NEW LIBRARY BRANCH – Library officials expect the current Franklin Park Branch to close around March 21, with this new branch opening several weeks later. The new Franklin Park branch of the Public Library should be opening around the middle of April, a library official recently said. The “tentative” date for a temporary certificate of occupancy for the branch, located …

STATE AID INCREASE – Schools Superintendent John Ravally said the increase in state aid is “timely.” (File photo.) The Franklin Township school district is targeted to receive more than $21 million in state aid for its K-12 program in Fiscal Year 2024, a nearly 38 percent increase in the amount it received for Fiscal Year 2023, according to figures recently …

WORK UNDERWAY – This was the scene on February 21 in the Township Council chamber. Chairs were removed and existing carpeting taken up in preparation for the installation of new carpet. The replacement of the carpeting in the Township Council Chamber in the Municipal Building should be completed by the Council’s February 28 meeting, the Township Manager said. The $16,972.16 …

Salary increases for Commissioners in Fire District 3 were among the fire commissioner salaries approved by the Township Council on December 13. The proposed salaries passed the public’s muster at the February fire elections. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented by the Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Period. We are …

Township CDBG Coordinator Deborah Mitchell explains the proposed amendments to the Township Council. Left-over money in previous years’ Community Development Block Grant program was good news for four township organizations that had project funding approved at the December 13 Township Council meeting. The township had a total of $92,871.36 in left-over CDBG funds from 2019, 2020 and 2022, according to …

Contracts totaling more than $40,000 for new carpeting in the Council Chamber, the Court and Police Department were awarded December 13 by the Township Council. Both contracts went to The Gillespie Group of Dayton. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented by the Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Period. We are …