From Public Utility to Private Monopoly? Berkeley Heights Community Members Seek Answers
Since May, NJ21st has provided comprehensive, in-depth coverage of the question residents will likely be asked to answer this November: Should Berkeley Heights sell its sewage plant? The last two articles offered a deep dive into the Request for Bids and the series of addenda issued in June and July. Since their publication, we’ve received emails from Berkeley Heights community...
A Fair Price or a Hidden Tax? Residents Question Berkeley Heights Construction Fees
We’ve gotten several emails from residents about last week’s analysis of construction fees collected by the Township — all of them raising important points that add to the conversation. One resident wrote: “The fees are supposed to be reasonable and enough to cover costs. If they are generating a lot of excess money in the form of fees, then the...
This Week at NJ21st- Unanswered Questions, Hidden Revenues, and a Simple Transparency Solution
The Sewage Deal Smells Worse John did a write-up on the fifth and final addendum to the Berkeley Heights Sewage Plant RFB, as already-weak job protections continue to shrink and the public is left holding the bag on a long list of unanswered questions. Show Us the Summary… and the Money Shauna provided a summary of the 06/26/2025 Town Council...
Berkeley Heights Sewer Sale Deadline Nears As Worker Protections Shrink and Public Oversight Fades
With less than a week before bids are due, Berkeley Heights has issued its final update on the proposed sale of the Township’s public sewer system. Addendum #5—released just days before the July 1 deadline—confirms several long-awaited details. But instead of strengthening protections for workers and residents, the final version actually pulls some key safeguards back. At a time when...
Why Berkeley Heights Should Align Uniform Construction Code Fee Policy with State Standards
A resident asked me (a while ago) to investigate what happens to the revenue collected by the Township’s construction office. Scope and Source We honed in on 2024 as a sample and requested the following through OPRA: All records of revenue collected by the Construction Department from January 1, 2024 to 12/31/2024. Including (but not limited to): Permit fees (building,...
From Social Services to Software: A Breakdown of NJ State Vendor Spending
New Jersey spent more than $3.1 billion on vendors during Fiscal Year 2024 — paying for everything from social services and environmental cleanup to consulting contracts and IT infrastructure. But who got paid, how much, and by which agency? Thanks to data published by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury available through NJ’s Open Data Portal, the public can...
This Week at NJ21st – Two Packed Agendas on the Same Night, BHPSNJ GPA & Budget Update, 7-District Grade Band Comparison and……Stone Veneer?
So Much Agenda, So Little Detail – In a near-unanimous vote — with Ms. Akiri rightfully dissenting — BHPSNJ moved forward with 19 projects as part of the next step in the referendum process. There was no detail available to the public on scope or cost, and it remains unclear when the Board itself received that information. Adding to the frustration, several policies...
BHPSNJ District Acknowledges GPA Concerns, Leaves Students Vulnerable to College Recalculation
Closed Door Presentation obtained through OPRA Confirms GPA Concerns — But Offers No Solution For months, parents in Berkeley Heights have raised concerns that Governor Livingston High School’s GPA system might be quietly putting students at a disadvantage when applying to college. The debate centers on how colleges recalculate GPAs, and whether the way Berkeley Heights weights and scales grades...
BHPSNJ Provides Updated School Level Budget
Sort of. After months of OPRA requests, multiple files, and a lot of back and forth, we finally have something that resembles the building-level budget detail I originally asked for. Roughly adding up the data provided, the total comes to about $6 million — less than 10% of the District’s full $~60 million budget for 2025-26. In other words, even...
Berkeley Heights Administration Stuffs Referendum, Contracts, and Big Decisions Into One Quiet Meeting — Again
John’s Notes on the 06/26/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Agenda Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article indicated that the BA Salary was prorated – that was incorrect. The salary listed is the annual salary. On June 26th, the Berkeley Heights Board of Education is set to hold one of its most packed — and least transparent — meetings of the...
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