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Tempers flared at the Township Council’s second budget hearing Feb. 16 after one councilman said he’d been “hoodwinked” by his colleagues over sidewalk installation in his ward. Township Councilman Carl R.A. Wright (D-Ward 4) said he was “kinda miffed” that none of the $750,000 included in the 2015 budget plan and earmarked for sidewalk installation in streets around Franklin Middle …

The Township Council Feb. 9 took the first step in creating a youth center when it introduced an ordinance permitting the acquisition of a Lewis Street property. The property is located at 429 Lewis Street, which was the home of the Somerset Community Action Program before it moved to Hamilton Street. The ordinance, which will have its final vote at the …

The police department needs a captain to help with the rejuvenation of the Hamilton Street business district, among other things, the Township Council was told Feb. 8. Police Chief Lawrence Roberts told the council during its first 2016 budget hearing that unlike neighboring police departments, Franklin’s has no captains. The captain’s salary would be $155,000, said township manager Robert Vornlocker. …

Update: The proposed increases were approved by the council at the Feb. 9 meeting. Original Story: Proposed payment increases for some of the township’s fire commissioners are up for a vote at the Township Council’s February 9 meeting. Commissioners in Fire Districts 1 and 2 are asking for increases for commissioners and the commission’s clerk, respectively. There are no proposed …

More than $13 million in spending over the course of the year was approved Jan. 26 by the Township Council. The bulk of the authorization – more than $9.9 million – was for the township’s health plans: $6.5 million to Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NJ for medical insurance, $3.1 million to Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NJ for prescription …

The school district’s pre-school program will no longer be free for many students starting in the 2016-17 school year. The Board of Education at its Jan. 28 meeting voted to charge most students a yearly tuition of $5,900 for the program. Students qualified for the free and reduced lunch program, and special education students, would still be able to attend for …

Submitted by Mary Clark, School District Spokeswoman. About 30 members of the Franklin Township Referendum Steering Committee were “On the Move” Jan. 14 in the Franklin Middle School Library. This group of district and school administrators, parents, teachers, Board of Education Members, and township leaders met to discuss how best to communicate information about the implementation of the district’s One Less …

Bids for the planned sound system in Middlebush Park were rejected Jan. 12 by the Township Council because the volume level specifications were found to be too low. Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said that he brought concerns about the volume, raised by Mayor Phillip Kramer, to Eric Zwerling of Rutgers University, a nationally known sound expert. Zwerling, Vornlocker said, agreed …

The roof on the school district’s administration building on Amwell Road needs to be replaced, the Board of Education was told at its Nov. 12 work session. “The roof is leaking pretty badly,” schools Superintendent John Ravally told the board. Ravally said he will have a resolution for the board at its Nov. 19 action meeting to hire Design Resources …

The new elementary school on Claremont Road will pay homage to the area’s farming heritage, the Board of Education was told at its Nov. 12 meeting. Representatives from SSP Architectural Group of Bridgewater were on hand for the board’s work session to preview the new school’s design, prior to it being submitted to the state for approval. The 130,000-square-foot school …