Taxes at Work

(Photo: East Millstone UMC.) An ordinance that would allow the purchase of property in East Millstone for open space preservation was introduced by the Township Council on January 23. The ordinance would allocate $261,500 from the Township’s Open Space Trust Fund to buy the property at 4 Elm Street. The property is owned by the East Millstone United Methodist Church, …

Contracts for new police cars and cleanup services were approved November 28 by the Township Council. The Council approved a contract worth $319,709.60 with Nielson Ford of Morristown for seven Ford Police Interceptors. The Council also approved a contract worth $150,000 with Panfietti Construction of Phillipsburgh for property cleanup as needed. The contract is effective through November 2025, and cannot …

BRIDGE TO CLOSE – The pedestrian walkway on the Landing Lane Bridge will remain open during the month-long construction project. The Landing Lane Bridge will be closed in both directions for approximately a month starting December 4 for priority repairs to the retaining wall. Work will be conducted around-the-clock to expedite the construction, according to a press release from the …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …