Aside from the questions below, we hope the Council reverses the nonsensical decision to prevent public questions and comments from zoom tonight considering the impact of the storm and the potential for residents to want to speak to their elected representatives about it’s after effects.

For context on the below, please read Deals Light on Details- Berkeley Heights Council Set to Approve Another Round of Quiet Spending

Questions

Sewage

The Council is rejecting the NJ American Water bid, but the resolution doesn’t say anything about keeping sewer operations in-house long-term. Can you clarify whether the town is still moving toward privatization (or outsourcing) in stages?

What’s the total price tag for the new contract with National Water Main Cleaning Co.?

Neglia

How many companies actually bid on the $753,870 paving contract? Were the costs compared side-by-side, and can residents see that breakdown?

Neglia Group designed the paving plans and recommended the winning vendor. Doesn’t that create a conflict? What safeguards are in place to make sure these decisions are impartial?

Neglia is also getting another contract — this time for $89,670 — and again, no public bidding. That’s just $330 under the threshold where more scrutiny kicks in. Why wasn’t this opened up to competition?

SJC LawnCare

For the $30,000 tree watering contract, how was SJC Lawncare chosen? Was the job ever publicly advertised or offered to other companies?

DEP Settlement

Has the Township taken any action against De Block Environmental Services for the bad sewer data that triggered the $37,500 DEP fine? Were there any efforts to hold them accountable or recover costs?

Why are taxpayers the ones paying for that DEP fine if a contractor was responsible?

Bid Threshold

The Township recently raised the no-bid threshold to $53,000. That’s allowed under state law, but not required. Why make that change now, especially with so much new infrastructure spending?

What will the Township do to make sure smaller contracts — just under that new threshold — still get enough oversight?

Teamsters Contract

The new Teamsters contract includes raises, bonuses, and updated policies. What’s the full five-year cost to the Township, and where’s that money coming from?

Why wasn’t a financial analysis or budget impact shared with the public before the contract is voted on?

Historic Preservation Contract

The historic restoration contract for $82,850 was awarded without any bidding. Given the size and significance of that project, why not open it up?

Editors Note: Correction as of 7/16: During today’s meeting, the Mayor correctly noted that this contract exceeds any formal bidding threshold. The reason it did not go through competitive bidding is that the Township invoked the professional services exemption. I’m not sure why the $90,000 figure stuck in my head — it may have been a mix-up with election pay-to-play laws, where keeping contract totals under $90K can avoid triggering additional disclosure requirements. Honestly though, I couldn’t find that number anywhere and I literally writing about the 53k threshold in the same article. Who the hell knows? I spent two hours looking for it.

That said, the use of professional services exemptions for contracts of this size is still a concern, and the spirit of the question remains valid. We will include both the Mayor’s response and our analysis in the meeting summary.