More Than $10M in Bonding, OPRA Fees, and Political Fireworks: Inside the June 16 Summit Council Agenda

A few big items are coming back for the 6/16 Summit Council meeting including three bond ordinances and the OPRA police footage fee.

Before we get into that, it would be helpful to recap what happened during the last meeting …

Residents pushed back hard against subdividing part of Wilson Park for a group home project due to the loss of parkland, tree removal, traffic concerns, deed/title concerns and building costs.

The concerns were not mostly about the mission of Our House. They were about losing public parkland, mature tree removal, traffic and safety on Springfield Avenue, stormwater and Salt Brook impacts, possible deed or title issues, the cost of building on a sloped site and whether the City had fully explored alternatives.

There were also concerns raised on the language within the ordinance which stated that the property was ‘no longer needed for public use’; with one resident arguing Summit is already low on parks and another because the park on the chopping block is actively used.

Landman opposed the ordinance on the language issue along with current and potential future need and environmental impact.

Other Council members made clear they did not like the site either, but said the City was boxed in by affordable housing obligations and litigation risks.

The Mayor also weighed in, saying affordable housing legislation is “a problem for municipalities,” arguing that government reps spent three to four hours a week for 18 months trying to finish Round 3 and create the next 10-year plan. She described the available options as “three poison pills” and said developers were “circling like hawks” around municipalities like Summit.

It’s good to see a Mayor who isn’t so cozy with developers who throw up luxury apartments under the guise of affordable housing that often result in 50 million luxury apartments and one studio apartment available to working class families. That’s both hyperbole and commentary, by the way.

The ordinance passed with Landman voting no.

There was also a change to the OPRA police video fee ordinance. The language was changed to make the City’s ability to charge the special service fee discretionary on paper, but the ordinance still keeps the $78.13/hour rate and does not spell out clear public-facing standards for when the fee will be waived.

The concern also remains that the discretion appears to sit inside the same department whose footage may be requested. That does not mean the City will charge the fee every time, but it does mean residents should be asking what the policy will look like in practice.

Then there was the Data Center debate, and it seems like every municipality is looking to close their doors to this idea. Boyer questioned the 20MW threshold raising concerns that a facility under that could still get through, and hinted that the noise ordinance might also need to be adjusted.

Staff responded that the ordinance does not rely only on the megawatt threshold -water-utility impact and the actual land use are also considered. Lasaracina pushed back on Boyer’s concerns along similar lines. Boyer voted no- everyone else voted yes.

Boyer also objected to the majority not supporting the person he recommended, saying he knows Summit’s low-income housing better than anyone on Council because that’s where he’s from – pointing to his advocacy on rent overcharges, security deposits and poor conditions and said the Housing Authority had admitted to giving back $40,000, including a $1,500 refund to one resident.

Lasaracina responded that Boyer had been a strong advocate, but “not a team of one,” and said Council’s role is to choose the most highly qualified candidate, not reverse-engineer a preferred result.

There was also tension around a Pride ribbon resolution- I mean the way this meeting was going and with election season around the corner – you knew some kind of culture war issue was going to come up.

Boyer indicated he was pro-ribbon but asked whether City-approved displays could open the door to other groups demanding their own displays, including hateful or objectionable ones. The Solicitor explained that because the ribbon display was City speech, it was different from allowing third-party groups to use public space for their own message. This actually points to a similar debate that recently came up in Berkeley Heights.

Kalmanson said she did not believe there is such a thing as heterosexual pride, and Boyer pushed back, indicating it was simply a legal question.

A former Council Member took issue with Kalmanson’s statement that prior Mount Laurel committee members had left “a bomb” in the current Council’s lap and stated that Kalmanson had been on Council during the affordable housing discussions, had access and could have asked questions. The former Member also threw heat Landman’s way – saying she was talking to neighbors about how bad the Wilson Park subdivision would be but not offering solutions and that the real solutions were to push back in Trenton and protect other parcels before the next affordable housing round.

The Mayor accused the Council majority of political maneuvering and said local government was being dragged into “hyperpartisan Washington politics.” She criticized challenges to mayoral appointments, the handling of her Board of Education appointees, the Maple Street outdoor dining fight, public “gotcha emails,” social media posts and what she described as one-sided narratives being fed to social media and local media outlets to damage reputations.

She also said the Council majority had excluded her from meetings, cast doubt on her integrity and spent taxpayer dollars on controversial legal battles involving outdoor dining ordinances, Broad Street West and lights at Tatlock. She said the Council majority should “get back to business.”

That led to a clash over speaking time. After the Mayor’s remarks, a point of order was raised and the three-minute limit came up. Boyer objected, saying there was nothing in the rules applying that limit to elected officials and calling it “highly disrespectful” to apply it to the Mayor that way.

Lasaracina then responded to the Mayor, saying no one had attacked the qualifications of the Mayor’s Board of Education appointees and that the issue was process and engagement with the school board. She also pushed back on the Mayor’s Maple Street comments, saying words like “illegal” matter and that reasonable people can interpret statutes differently.

Tell me election season is around the corner without actually saying it.

Now onto the meeting for this week:

It starts with another closed session that includes collective bargaining, property acquisition, public safety tactics and techniques, litigation and attorney-client privilege, contract negotiations and personnel. We get a little more detail on some other items: sale of the old Firehouse Property, Tatlock Community Preservation Association litigation, the Ward 1 Council vacancy, Council committees, the Council-at-Large term of office, the Fire Chief position, a Parking Services vacancy and the Round IV Common Council Task Force.

As usual, the public is getting categories and labels – not much else.

$10.447M in bond ordinances

The biggest financial items are the three bond ordinances we flagged last meeting.

Together, they total $10,447,000 in appropriations.

The first is the general capital bond ordinance. It appropriates $5,604,000 and authorizes up to $5,337,000 in bonds or notes.

That ordinance covers a lot:

Memorial Field

East Summit Playground

Tennis courts

Baseball and softball fields

Family Aquatic Center slide

Tatlock Playground

City Hall

DCP building

Fire Department equipment

Police Department vehicles

One fire engine

Stormwater drainage work
Roads, sidewalks, pedestrian safety, traffic calming and traffic signal work

Heavy-duty vehicles for the Department of Community Services

The biggest individual lines in that ordinance are $1.58M for roads, sidewalks, pedestrian safety, traffic calming and related improvements, $1.2M for one fire engine, $847K for municipal facilities and grounds and $794K for stormwater drainage work.

The second bond ordinance appropriates $2.25M and authorizes up to $2.142M in bonds or notes for sewer utility improvements.

Most of that, $1.58M, is tied to sanitary sewer system work, including sewer lines, pipes, collection system upgrades, pump stations, cleaning, inspection and mapping. The ordinance references Broad Street, Woodmere Drive and Pond, Lorraine Road/Place, Sherman Avenue, Constantine Road, Glen Avenue, River Road and Chatham Road.

It also includes $320K for equipment and $350K for the sewer utility headquarters at 41 Chatham Road.

The third bond ordinance appropriates $2.593M and authorizes up to $2.469M in bonds or notes for parking facility improvements.

That money is tied to the Tier Garage and City Hall parking lot.

So, bottom line, Summit is looking at final votes on $10.447M in capital appropriations in one meeting.

OPRA police camera footage fee

The OPRA police camera footage fee is also back for final consideration, but there is one important change from the version we flagged last time.

The City changed the language to “may”, making the charge discretionary instead of automatic, at least on paper.

But the core concern is still there.

The ordinance would still allow the City to charge a special service fee for review and redaction of police body-worn camera and police vehicle camera footage. The rate listed is still $78.13 per hour, based on the prorated salary of the lowest-ranked full-time police officer trained to do the work and the person making the decision on the fee is the head of the department.

So if a resident, journalist or member of the public requests police body cam or vehicle footage and the City says it needs redaction review, the City may charge $78.13/hour before the footage is released.

So that change doesn’t really solve the problem.

Drone ordinance

The drone ordinance is also up for final consideration and would require written authorization from the Police Chief or designee to operate a drone over a public gathering of 25 or more people on public property.

The request has to be submitted at least 10 days before the event.

The ordinance also restricts launching or landing drones from public buildings, public property or parks without written permission. It bars drone activity that interferes with police, fire, EMS or disaster response and prohibits intentional surveillance of someone where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy without consent.

There are exceptions for government agencies, emergency response, law enforcement, utility and infrastructure work and other city-authorized activity.

As we said last time, some of this is understandable from a public safety standpoint but recording public activity, including police activity, is part of modern accountability. The word “interfere” can be reasonable or it can be stretched and that’s the part that needs to be watched.

AI Data Center ban

Summit is also moving toward a final vote on banning AI Data Center facilities in all zones.

The ordinance defines AI Data Center facilities as facilities used for training, developing, storing, deploying, delivering or hosting AI models at scale for off-site users.

It also includes facilities that generate a total peak power load “in excess of 20MW” or have a measurable and distinct impact on water utility consumption.

The City’s stated concern is that these facilities can place major burdens on power, water, wastewater, emergency services and surrounding neighborhoods.

This one became a flash point at the last meeting and is now back for final consideration.

Detention center ban

The detention center ban is also up for final consideration.

The ordinance would prohibit detention, correctional and other carceral facilities in all zones. The exception is for a municipal detention facility used for temporary detention inside a municipal police station.

Chestnut Lot comes back

The Chestnut Lot issue is back- at the last meeting, there was confusion because the old Firehouse sale was still showing up in closed session while the Chestnut Lot materials said the sale that led to the lot closure had been canceled or withdrawn.

Now the City is moving to reopen the Chestnut Lot and the ordinance repeals the prior closure and returns it to paid permit parking.

Fee increases

The fee ordinance is also up for final consideration.

Pickleball, paddle court and tennis court rentals at $3 per court per hour with a two-hour maximum.

Second, it increases a long list of construction-related fees. That includes fees tied to new buildings, alterations, fences, signs, demolition, asbestos removal, plan review, contractor changes, retaining walls, plumbing, electrical work, generators, EV chargers and other items.

Third, it adds the OPRA police video redaction charge discussed above.

So this is not just a recreation fee ordinance. It is a broader fee increase ordinance with a police-transparency issue inside it.

Salary ordinance and salary resolutions

Council is also considering the 2026 salary ordinance for city employees with two related salary resolutions.

According to the staff memo, the January salary resolution reflects a 3% cost-of-living allowance included in the 2026 budgets for non-union employees who have maxed out of step increases, along with Council-approved department head increases.

Examples listed in the packet include:

City Administrator/Chief Financial Officer Tammie Baldwin: $226,880

Fire Chief Eric Evers: $229,546

Police Chief Ryan Peters: $229,005

Director Engineering/Public Works Aaron Schrager: $214,882

City Clerk Rosalia Licatese: $170,100

Police Captain John Garcia: $199,135

The July salary resolution includes step and/or longevity increases for other employees, including Finance Director Jennifer Kobliska at $167,375 and Parking Services Director Nicole Sawicki at $110,642.

Film Ready ordinance

Summit is also introducing a new filming ordinance as part of its effort to become a “Film Ready” town.

The ordinance would repeal and replace the City’s filming controls and update filming permit and parking fees.

A filming permit would generally be required for filming on public property or when private filming uses public property for vehicles, equipment, temporary structures, barricades or anything affecting traffic or pedestrian movement.

Applications generally have to be filed at least four business days before filming.

The ordinance requires $5M in general liability insurance and a $2,000 cash deposit or maintenance bond.

Filming would generally be allowed from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. for camera wrap and 10:00 p.m. for crew wrap, with night scenes requiring approval.

Fees include:

$100 basic filming permit

$250 expedited basic filming permit

$150/day for projects under $20M

$500/day for projects over $20M

$25 for nonprofit educational documentary or public television filming

$0 for student applicants filming for educational documentary or public television purposes

$5,000/day for street closures

$30 per metered CRBD parking space per day

$7/day/vehicle for parking facility or overnight parking

Violations could carry fines up to $1,000 per day or up to 90 days in county jail, or both.

Ashland Road sidewalk project

Summit is looking to award the Ashland Road Sidewalk Project to Cifelli & Son $218,900 and would include new sidewalk on the south side of Ashland Road from Stacie Court to Tanglewood Drive and from Rotary Drive to Silver Lake Drive. ADA-compliant sidewalks and ramps are included.

The packet says eight bids were received and the project is funded by a $259,000 NJDOT grant.

The resolution header reads “Award Bid – Ashland Road Sidewalk Plan,” but the actual authorization sentence refers to the “Industrial Place and Walnut Street Improvement Project.”

Affordable Housing Round IV Task Force

Council is also expected to appoint members to the Affordable Housing Round IV Task Force-pending closed session discussion – no list of names .

Given what happened at the last meeting over Wilson Park and the Our House project, this is not a small process point- Affordable Housing is a hot topic and if a new task force is being appointed, residents should be able to see who is being considered and how that group will operate.

NJDOT grant applications

The consent agenda includes three NJDOT grant application resolutions.

-Village Green Accessibility and Mobility Enhancement Project.

-New England Avenue Improvement Project.

-Briant Parkway Neighborhood Roadway Improvement Project.

These resolutions authorize submission of the applications and execution of grant agreements if awarded.

Sanitary sewer repair project
Authorizes bid advertisement for the Sanitary Sewer Repair Project, Sections C & K.
The packet lists the advertisement date as June 17, 2026 and the bid opening as July 14, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.

Bills and payroll
$2,016,645.64 is the top number and includes:
$1,087,078.46 in bills
$929,567.18 in gross payroll
The bill list breaks down this way:
Administration: $117,375.81
Finance: $128,794.30
Parking/Community Programs: $82,015.81
Safety: $182,949.36
Works: $575,943.18

The Works batch total includes some items packaged under that batch that appear tied to Uniform Construction Code / construction-code functions, but the batch total itself is $575,943.18.

Some larger items include:
$79,784.25 in legal services through Cleary Giacobbe Alfieri & Jacobs (does not surprise me at all)
$94,876.30 fire pumper payment
$64,442.25 for second quarter health services
$87,619.59 for Tulip Street
$142,065.70 for Canoe Brook improvements
$33,650.75 for Broad Street sidewalk final design
$28,770 for HVAC control system maintenance