Laura’s Notes on the 06/26/2025 Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting

The Town Council is meeting tomorrow night at 6:30 — Thursday, not Tuesday. And if you’re thinking it’s weird they moved their meeting to the same night as the BOE, you’re not the only one. Maybe it’s a coincidence… but probably not. The BOE has a liaison to the Council. So unless they’ve stopped talking to each other entirely, someone had to know this was a conflict.

And it’s not like these are sleepy summer meetings. Both agendas are packed. Altogether, there are 388 pages to get through — 42 pages of BOE agenda, 280 pages of attachments, and another 66 from Council. Yes, we read them all.

Here’s what’s on deck for the Council side of things:

Library Board Expansion (Ordinance 2025-21)
There’s a vote to expand the Library Board from 7 to 9 members. I got an email today from someone trying to recruit for the new spots — which is interesting, because I haven’t seen or heard any real reason why the Board needs to grow. It doesn’t look like there are people lined up for the roles either. So… what’s driving this?

Affordable Housing Plan (Resolution 198)
This one locks the Township into its Fourth Round affordable housing obligation — 240 units. It keeps us protected from builder’s remedy lawsuits, but it also means we’re now legally on the hook to find places to build these units.

A few questions we should all be asking:
Where are these units going to go?
How many will actually be affordable — and how many will be market-rate “bonus” units?
Are we thinking through the impact on infrastructure and school enrollment?

Our schools are already at (or over) capacity. BHPS seems to be making moves behind the scenes — like adding Pre-K at Woodruff — but there hasn’t been a single public conversation about what 240 new housing units could mean long term. Will the community get any say before redevelopment plans are finalized?

Animal Control Contract (Resolution 199)
The Township wants to sign a new contract with Plainfield Area Humane Society (Hope 4 Paws). On paper, it sounds affordable: $125 a month. But every service comes with a separate charge — $300 per stray dog, $150 per cat, quarantine costs, euthanasia, emergency response, you name it.

So what happens if we have a busier-than-expected month? Who’s watching the billing? And do residents even know what this service does or doesn’t cover — especially when it comes to wildlife? In the past, we’ve reported issues with billing accuracy. Will someone be checking the invoices this time?

Shared CFO Agreement (Resolution 202)
The cost of sharing a CFO with Springfield is about to jump. The second half of 2025 alone will cost us $50,000. In 2026, we’re looking at $103,000.

So… what changed? Why the big spike in cost? And is this still a good deal, or would we be better off hiring someone in-house? I haven’t seen any performance data on how this shared arrangement is working, and I haven’t seen anyone compare it to the cost of a full-time CFO either.

License Plate Readers (Resolution 210)
The Township is set to approve about $50,000 for license plate readers. These systems are designed to scan and log vehicle plates as they pass — they’re used for crime prevention, but also raise serious questions about data privacy.

How many readers are we getting? Where will they be placed? Who will have access to the data, and for how long? I’ve also heard — from people I trust — that the mayor was previously against LPRs. So what’s changed?

Termination of PS&S Engineering Contract (Resolution 217)
This is a big one. The Township is canceling its engineering contract with PS&S. That contract was supposed to cover boiler and mixer upgrades at the wastewater treatment plant. Now, those jobs are being split off into two new contracts totaling more than $738,000.

No explanation has been offered yet. Were deliverables missed? Or is this tied to the possible sale of the plant?

This move feels important — not just because of the money involved, but because it may signal a shift in the overall direction of the wastewater plan. If this is connected to privatization, we deserve to know. And if it’s not, then why cancel the original contract without any public discussion?

Those are the highlights. If you’re planning to attend (in person or on Zoom), it’s a good night to pay attention.

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