The Berkeley Heights Town Council is holding an emergency Zoom meeting to introduce a $3.565 million bond ordinance today at 4:45pm. The meeting was supposed to occur yesterday however the Township was unable to manage the zoom meeting where an attendee was allowed to share pornography that then led the township to cancel the meeting altogether despite several residents being in attendance.

The meeting is scheduled to last just one hour and is being held under emergency rules that allow short-notice sessions when urgent action is needed.

The ordinance, No. 2025-26, (which was updated since our last report) would authorize the town to borrow $3.386 million to cover most of the cost, with the remaining $179,000 coming from funds already set aside in previous budgets. According to the Township, the spending is needed to address damage from the heavy rainstorm on July 14.

The ordinance lists three items:

• $3.29 million for “various road improvements”
• $235,000 for “various culvert/bridge improvements”
• $40,000 for “paving of driveway on public building and grounds”

That’s all the public gets. No street names. No scope of work. No engineer’s report. Just vague language and estimated price tags. Each item contiunues to use the same wording — “including all work and materials necessary therefor and incidental thereto” — which doesn’t tell residents much about what’s actually planned or where.

For the first time, the town has officially connected the bond to flood damage. A separate resolution being introduced at the same meeting (No. 2025-239) updates the capital budget and says the funds are needed because the July 14 storm damaged roads, culverts, and other property. But again, no details or documentation are included in the public packet.

The $713,000 in “Section 20 costs” (soft costs that can include legal fees, engineering, planning, and other administrative expenses) remain. That’s 20% of the total price tag. A breakdown is still not provided and specific firms are still not mentioned.

As with the prior version, the Township’s chief financial officer is given broad authority under the ordinance to issue temporary debt, set interest rates, and handle the bond sale. The ordinance does say that FEMA or other grants could be used to offset costs, but it doesn’t mention whether any have been applied for or are expected.

A final vote on the ordinance is set for Tuesday, August 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall. Between now and then, residents can review the full ordinance during business hours at the Clerk’s office.

If passed, the ordinance takes effect 20 days after final adoption.

Here is a list of updated questions that residents can ask:

Which roads and bridges are included in the $3.29 million and $235,000 line items?

Where is the list of proposed projects, locations, and cost breakdowns?

Has an engineering assessment or damage report been completed? If so, can it be made public? If not, how were the estimates calculated?

Which public building is the $40,000 driveway paving for?

What documentation was used to determine that this qualifies as an emergency under N.J.S.A. 10:4-9b?

Now that the ordinance is linked to the July 14 storm, can the Township release photos, inspection reports, or cost estimates to show what was damaged?

Why are soft costs totaling $713,000—20% of the total? What specific services are included, and which vendors or firms are expected to be hired?

Has the Township applied for any FEMA, state, or county funding to offset these costs? If so, can the public see the applications or award letters?

Why is there no mention of Union County or NJDOT cost-sharing, especially for road and culvert work?

Will the Township release a full project list, with cost estimates and justification, before the final vote on August 19?

Will the Township release a recording, transcript, or minutes from the canceled August 4 Zoom meeting?

How can residents give meaningful feedback when no detailed project information has been released?

Updated Ordinance as of 08/05, 804am

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