Laura’s Notes on the Berkeley Heights 06/25/2024 Town Council Meeting
There was no one who presented during the public hearing on agenda items. The announcement was that the Senate President awarded the Township $250,000, which will go towards the lower Columbia repairs. A shared service agreement with Springfield Township for the CFO and Qualified Purchasing Agent was discussed. Donnelly raised that the hours listed are 15, but the individual being...
Response from BOE Representative Sai Akiri on CMS Field Question
Yesterday I wrote on the Council’s Attempt to have the public vote on the CMS Field Issue with little to no detail on the actual agreement publicly available and with no presentation in front of the BOE – which would give the BOE an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns. I followed up with an email to the full...
Questions the Rec Department & Town Council Should Answer Before Asking Our Schools for the CMS Field
The following is an email NJ21st sent to the Recreation Department, Mayor and Town Council… Good Evening, Three Areas We would Like More Information On: Revenue My understanding is that the recreation department holds events where it takes in revenue on BHSPNJ Property (playground camp for example). Can you please provide the total amount of NET revenue taken in by...
Response to Vice President Dipti Khanna regarding Lower Columbia Lease Agreement
Debbie Varnerin is Chair of the Berkeley Heights Recreation Commission and Resident of Berkeley Heights, NJ Dipti, I was disheartened to see your response to John Migues and the Berkeley Heights Community Watch when you ignored my email dated May 15th. As a resident and the Chair of the Recreation Commission am I not important enough, or vocal enough, to...
Response from BOE Vice President Dipti Khanna on CMS Field Question
Earlier today I wrote on the Council’s Attempt to have the public vote on the CMS Field Issue with little to no detail on the actual agreement publicly available and with no presentation in front of the BOE – which would give the BOE an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns. I followed up with an email to the...
Should we Cheer-lead the Mayor and Council on the CMS Field Question?
Rah-Rah-Rah or….Nah? For years, the BOE and Town have discussed the Lower Columbia Field. Now that most machine-supported BOE representatives are no longer on the BOE, the Council appears to be trying to add public pressure through a ballot measure with only partial information available to the public while they are still in negotiations with the Board of Education. Based...
No….The Township Does NOT have a CFO, and the Proposed Solution Should Raise Concerns
The Township Administrator has been acting as CFO for two months. This is what the State Comptroller has to say about that. Councilman Paul Donnelly was the only Town Council Member to raise concerns about this issue, and there are concerns: How can someone without the required certification be playing the role of CFO? CFO’s are required to sign off on...
Response to Councilwoman’s Questions on the Library Liaison Position
Councilwoman Poage asked about the library liaison position during the most recent BOE Meeting. The Board President and Superintendent did not appear to provide a clear answer. The law requires the Superintendent to attend library board meetings and allows the Superintendent to designate someone to attend them –it is not a required position. Under the previous Superintendent, a central office...
A Response to Town Council Member Poage’s Letter to the Editor
Unity Means More Listening and Less Labeling Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is important when it comes to our schools. There’s no arguing that. And yet… argument is exactly what we’re seeing. I’m troubled that Ms. Susan Poage seems to be purposely misrepresenting new BOE member Kelly Hufnagel’s views on DEI to further the narrative of ‘certain group bad’. Ms....
Laura’s Notes on the Berkeley Heights 05/21/2024 Town Council Meeting Agenda
Update at 5:32 p.m.: The Proposed Salary for the Chief of Police Position is $216,300 – the contract is still in draft form. The Town Council Meeting will occur tonight, Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00PM The meeting will start with a conference session dedicated to having an affordable housing update, followed by a presentation from FACT (the Union County Care...
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