Laura’s Notes of the 05/20/2025 Town Council Meeting

It’s been a while since I watched a Town Council meeting. Maybe I was still feeling the good vibes from the CMS musical, but for a second, it felt like I’d landed in some cheerful Oz where everyone was smiling and getting along. Turns out, that vibe was all surface. The fake unity actually felt harder to sit through than the tension at BOE meetings.

The biggest theme? Bad tech. The audio was scratchy, the video kept cutting out, and at one point, even the Township Administrator said they needed a new connection because the wires “keep falling out.” That pretty much summed it up.

There wasn’t much back-and-forth—just a lot of items passed with no real discussion, except one ordinance during the Conference Session. Councilman Couto brought up a Street Cleaning Ordinance that would require contractors to fix water lines during paving projects. There was some talk about a map, two streets without water lines, and the need for everyone in town to have clean drinking water. I checked for that map online—nothing. Council said it’ll be posted soon.

One resident asked for a tour of the wastewater plant. Mayor Devanney said it was a legal issue and she’d look into it. Questions followed about conflicts of interest in the proposed sale—specifically whether any companies involved already have contracts with the town. Devanney shut it down with a quick “No.” When asked what happens with money from the sale, she said the plant debt gets paid off first, and whatever’s left might be used for compensation. (Hard to hear—again, the audio was awful.) A PR campaign to sway voters was also brought up. Devanney said that would depend on the bid.

A resident asked if county land could be used to meet the town’s housing requirements. The answer: no—it has to be within township boundaries.

The Mt. Carmel Feast is happening at Little Flower this year. It’ll be free, with fewer food and carnival vendors. Instead of fireworks, there’ll be a drone show. “Bombs” (daytime fireworks) are still happening. It’s different, but the tradition lives on.

One resident supported the “stop sign” ordinance and didn’t think it needed more review. The only hiccup was over how many intersections it actually covers—52 or 55. Council will revisit that June 26.

Everything passed except one resolution. Council meetings will now start at 6:30 PM. A $30K+ contract to install a waste gas meter was pulled. There’s now a shared services agreement with the BOE to maintain Lower Columbia, though it’s unclear why that’s needed since the Township just signed a 30-year lease for the land. Another resolution approved applying for an NJDOT grant. Remember the grant for Mountain Ave (Grassman to Plainfield)? Still waiting on that one. I made noise about it a few years ago when the town collected data from kids about how they get to school. People jumped on me, saying the town was just trying to make things safer. Maybe. But where are the sidewalks? Will they be done before our kids graduate?

By now, the audio was so bad I thought my ears might start bleeding.

The Mayor said the upcoming sessions about the Nokia property are about “vision,” not complaints. Stay positive, or don’t show up. What she didn’t mention up front is the town got a grant just to run these sessions. So yeah, your voice matters—but only if it doesn’t interfere with the bigger plan. And while everyone was encouraged to dream big (golf course? open space?), Councilwoman Poage reminded us that the town pulls in over $1 million in taxes from that property. So let’s be real.

Viana ended with a PSA: Don’t believe what you read on social media about the sewer plant, Nokia, or anything else. Only trust what’s on TAPinto or the Township website. She forgot to mention that those “facts” are usually filtered through the same political machines running the show. So here’s a better PSA:

Ask questions. Pay attention. Don’t take their word for it.

As Reagan said, “Trust, but verify.”

Oh, and in case you were wondering about the ducks — they’re gone. After weeks of turning the nest into a spectacle, it appears the mother abandoned it. That outcome wouldn’t be surprising to anyone who took a minute to look it up. There’s a reason federal law protects these animals—and a reason you’re not supposed to interfere. In any case, no announcement about their passing was made during the meeting and the winner of the duck naming contest is still unknown.

For full detail on the agenda items you can see John’s Notes on the Agenda.

Read more on the Sewage Plant Referendum

Read More on Berkeley Heights Town Council

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