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Taxes

Mandatory Library Tax Increase Fuels Local Tax Increase In Proposed Township Budget

The township was able to hold the line on municipal taxes in its proposed 2019 budget, but a mandatory hike in the library tax means an overall increase in local property taxes for township residents this year. The $61,931,338 proposed budget was introduced at the March 26 Township Council meeting. The total represents an uptick in the 2018 spending plan …

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D&R Canal Commission Drops Support For Proposed Pedestrian Bridge Off Easton Avenue, Killing Project

Update: John Hutchison, the D&R Canal Commission’s executive director, shed more light on the issue. Hutchison said that at the March 20 commission meeting, it was learned that the new cost estimate for the bridge was $876,000, with a 10 percent contingency. “Commissioners agreed that in light of the revised cost estimate, that it may be appropriate to suspend consideration …

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Township Youth Center Gets Rave Reviews; Still On Target To Open In September 2020

A new library branch, a fitness center and music and video studios are just some of the amenities that will be included in the Franklin Township Youth Center when it opens on Lewis Street. The 24,000-square-foot center is slated to open in September of 2020. Under discussion for decades, and championed the last several years by Township Councilwoman Kimberly Francois …

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Preliminary School District Budget Sees Slight Tax Reduction, Creation Of New Programs

Another increase in the value of township properties is contributing to a projected slight decrease in the school tax rate, the Board of Education’s business administrator said March 18. BA Jon Toth’s comments came during an open meeting of the school board’s finance committee, during which schools Superintendent John Ravally and Toth brought board members and the public up-to-date on …

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Township Council Green-Lights Pursuit Of Deal With County For D&R Towpath Bridge

The Township Council wants to know more about a proposed $500,000 pedestrian bridge to the Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath near Easton Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. The Council voted on a motion to give township resident John Loos – a member of the Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission – the authority to see whether Somerset County would be …

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Township Council Wraps Up Two Budget Meetings, Hears That Finances Are In Good Shape

Franklin is in a “very good, strong financial position,” the Township Council was told at a Feb. 19 special budget meeting. That prognosis of the township’s revenue position came at the end of the meeting – the second budget meeting in eight days – from township auditor Andrew Hodulik. And as far as debt is concerned, Township Manager Robert Vornlocker …

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Township’s AM Radio Station Ready For Emergencies

Township residents looking for information during emergencies now have another outlet, an AM radio station. WRBX 655 AM 1630 has been live for a couple of months, the end result of an effort started in 2017 by Mayor Phil Kramer. In August 2017, the Township Council awarded a $73,018 contract to a Michigan-based company for the station’s equipment and maintenance. …

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Online Transaction ‘Safe Zone’ Created In Front Of Police Station

A “safe zone” for residents to conduct online business exchanges will be established in front of police headquarters under an ordinance approved at the Oct. 9 Township Council meeting. The brainchild of Councilman Will Galtieri (D-Ward 2), the zone is meant to give online sellers and buyers some “peace of mind” when transacting their business, he said. “The idea is …

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Financial Considerations Lead to Cuts In Private School Busing, New School Start Times

Not all private school students will be afforded bus transportation by the school district this year. Students who attend Immaculate Conception School in Somerville;  Noor-ul-Iman School in Monmouth Junction and Timothy Christian School in Piscataway will not have district-supplied transportation, said district spokeswoman Mary Clark. Students who attend Bishop Ahr High School will not get busing through the district office, …

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School Board Sets New Goals For Superintendent

Schools Superintendent John Ravally stands to earn another $29,000 at the end of the upcoming school year, based on five goals approved Aug 23 by the Board of Education. As it does yearly, the board set three quantitative goals and two qualitative goals for Ravally, with tiered payments based on how much of each goal he accomplishes. The board approved …

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