Taxes at Work

Township Manager Robert Vornlocker wrote a letter in February concerning the state Comptroller’s Office report on abuse in municipal sick leave policies. (File photo.) The Township has made no payments under sick leave and vacation accrual policies found by a state agency to be in violation of state law, according to a Township official. In a report issued on July …

Contracts worth more than $3 million in goods and services were approved by the Township Council in June. The Council authorized contracts totaling $913,281.60 at the June 14 meeting, and $2,274,154.55 at the June 28 meeting. At the June 14 meeting, the Council approved contracts for: extending a recreation and enrichment program from various vendors, worth $400,000eight land surveyors, worth …

A $3 million bond ordinance to pay for a handful of road improvements in the Township was introduced by the Township Council at its May 24 meeting. The Ordinance sets aside $2,812,500 for the work. The nearly three dozen streets included in the 2022 resurfacing program are Red Oak Court, Butler Road, Appleman Road, Westminster Road, Cedar Avenue, Equator Avenue, …

Township Councilwoman Kimberly Francois cuts the ceremonial ribbon at the Franklin Township Youth Center as Township Manager Robert Vornlocker and Mayor Phil Kramer (left to right) look on. A half-century of talking about it and 15 years of planning came to fruition on May 14 with the Grand Opening of the Franklin Township Youth Center at 429 Lewis Street. Set …

The Grand Opening Celebration will be followed by a “Youth Fest.” (File photo.) U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) will be among the dignitaries attending the grand opening of the Franklin Youth Center, set for 1 p.m. on May 14. The Center is located at 429 Lewis Street. Watson Coleman will present a $1 million House Appropriations Committee Community Project …

The Magnolia Street bridge replacement work is now not expected to be completed until later this Spring. (File Photo.) The Magnolia Road bridge replacement project’s end date has been stretched from mid-February to sometime in April or May, the Somerset County engineer said on March 17. The delay is due to necessary preparatory utility work that has to be done …

Approval for the purchase of eight vehicles for the Franklin Township Police Department was approved at the February 22 Township Council meeting. Resolutions to purchase seven 2022 Ford Explorer SUVs, for a total price of $237,500, and one 2021 Ford Expedition SUV, for a cost of $39,358 were approved. The eight vehicles were purchased as part of the department’s fleet …

The Franklin Township Police Department’s more than 65 uniformed officers are among those scheduled to add body-worn cameras to their equipment list around February 1, a police department spokesman said. The cameras became mandatory thanks to a 2020 law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy. Their use, and the storage and maintenance of videos recorded with them, are heavily regulated by …

Magnolia Road will be closed to through traffic into 2022, due to the replacement of the Magnolia Road bridge. The replacement of the Magnolia Road bridge will probably not be finished until mid-February. That’s the word from Somerset County engineer Matthew Loper, who sent an update letter to the township that was read at the November 22 Council meeting. Work …

A grant to the township from the state Department of Transportation will pay for a little more than half the cost of repaving part of DeMott Lane next year. The $348,000 grant was announced on October 26. It was part of more than $161 million in municipal aid grants given out to 541 towns. Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said the …