Questions Sent to Berkeley Heights Mayor and Council on Flood Bond and DEP Permits

On Sunday, we published an article fact-checking the Township’s narrative on DEP permits, FEMA submissions, and the Town’s $3.5 million storm bond. Following publication, I sent a set of questions to the Mayor and Council. The article was based on documents we received in response to an OPRA request.

Questions

Stream/River Clearing and DEP Permits

Has Berkeley Heights applied for any NJDEP permits since 2020 to clear or maintain streams, brooks, or rivers?

If no permits were filed, how does that square with past statements that DEP rules tied our hands?

Is the Township planning to pursue the necessary permits going forward, and if so, when?

Has the Township coordinated with nearby towns, the County, or the State on joint maintenance or watershed efforts?

Residents continue to face serious flooding issues, with little clarity on what has been done and what will be done aside from a Task Force that is set to report near the end of the year.

Emergency Flood Bond

Some of the projects in the $3.5M storm bond do not match the Township Storm Damage Assessment. How were streets and areas chosen?

The FEMA spreadsheet shows about $5.17M approved, $713K pending, and $227K rejected. Why was the threshold determination made before pending claims were reviewed?

What follow-up or appeals have been made for the rejected or pending FEMA or state submissions?

Why did the bond ordinance itself not reference the storm that prompted it?

Will the Township commit to a public dashboard showing how bond funds are being spent, including vendors used, the type of repair work completed, and supporting documentation?

There are big dollars in play, and since the FEMA funding plan fell through, taxpayers are now responsible for whatever the Township spends.

A public dashboard would give residents a way to follow whether and how these dollars are spent and hold leaders accountable.

If the Mayor or Council send a response we’ll be sure to publish it.

Prior to our receipt of the responsive documents that led to the above questions we recorded another episode of Nightwatch (September).  The clip below (which we hadn’t published until now) is a continuation of the discussion of the “Emergency” Storm bond we published a few weeks back.

Voluntary contributions are critical to independent, fact based reporting. If you appreciate our work please consider a financial contribution.

Read All Articles Connected to the 07/14/2025 Flood “Emergency” Bond

Subscribe to NJ21st For Free

Our Commitment to Ethical Journalism