Township Council Taxes

Repaving of New Brunswick Road between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and DeMott Lane is expected to start about May 15. The Township Council at its April 22 meeting awarded a $384,381.78 contract for the work to Sayreville-based Z Brothers Concrete Contractors. The company was one of nine bidders vying for the job, according to township documents. Township Clerk Ann Marie …

A water main shutdown by the South Brunswick water utility from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30 will interrupt water service for some Franklin residents. According to a notice released by the township, the shutdown will affect all water services south of Princeton Highlands Boulevard (Allston Road) on Routes 27 and 518 will be interrupted. For more information, call …

All but one of the 11 members of the nascent Hamilton Street Advisory Board were named April 22 by the Township Council, although the final picks were not unanimous. The 10 names were drawn from a list of 15 business owners and residents of the Hamilton Street business district. The district runs from about Franklin Boulevard to near the New …

Several groups hoping to get Community Development Block Grant funding for projects ranging from helping homeowners who are facing foreclosure to renovating kitchens in a senior residence made their pitches April 8 before the Township Council. The council’s finance committee will review all 14 grant applications and make its recommendations at a later date. The township received $254,170 in CDBG …

A partisan debate over new sidewalks and road resurfacing projects punctuated the introduction of the 2014 budget at the April 8 Township Council meeting. But when the dust settled, the proposed $57 million spending plan – which calls for a 3.6 percent increase in the amount to be raised by taxes – was introduced. Mayor Brian Levine, the lone Republican …

A vacant building on Lewis Street, owned by the Somerset Community Action Program, is being eyed by the Township Council as a youth/community center. The council at its March 25 meeting gave the go-ahead to township manager Bob Vornlocker to hire the engineering firm CME to take a thorough look at the building and estimate what it would cost to …

The “how to” of the township entering into an energy aggregation contract was explained to the Township Council at its March 24 meeting. Gary Finger, an ombudsman from the state Board of Public Utilities, explained the process by which the township would contract for energy supplies for all township residents. Towns have had the authority to enter in the contracts …

The proposed 2014 budget that will be presented to the Township Council next month includes a slight tax increase and money for street repaving and a controversial sidewalk construction plan. Whether that $750,000 allocation for sidewalks on streets near Franklin Middle School survives in the budget that is finally adopted by the council remains to be seen. Mayor Brian Levine …

Voices got a little loud at the March 20 Board of Education meeting when a Township Councilman and the board president engaged in a heated discussion about a meeting between among members of both bodies. Councilman Phil Kramer (D-Ward 3) used the board meeting’s public portion to tell members that a meeting he has requested with its facilities committee has …

This year’s rash of heavy snow storms has forced the township to so far spend about 2.5 times the average in snow removal costs. This year’s cost is about $310,000, said township manager Bob Vornlocker. The yearly average, he said, is about $125,000. The extra money will come from the township’s snow trust fund, into which unused snow removal money …