Township Committee — August 25, 2026
With McNally absent, the Committee adopted Ordinance #2603, a property maintenance ordinance for non-residential properties, 4-0 after a hearing at which five speakers supported it and one did not. It rejected all seven bids for the 2026 road program as over budget, ordered Motorola radios for the fire companies and emergency management (not to exceed $536,023.28) and met in closed session on Toll/Tavistock v. BTSA. Ten people spoke in all.
- Development
- Infrastructure
- Environment
- Government
Meeting recording
Recording plays on the township archive
This meeting does not play on this page. The township's recording is complete and plays in full on the township's own channel.
What happened
What the record shows
Present: Asay, Hodges, Tompkins and Mayor Duarte McCarthy; McNally was absent. Every vote below was 4-0 (aye Asay, Hodges, Tompkins, Duarte McCarthy). The meeting adjourned at 8:29 p.m.
Executive session
#2026-0390 took the Committee into closed session on “Attorney-Client Privilege - Potential Litigation - Toll/Tavistock v. BTSA.” See the Sewerage Authority.
A resolution marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks and named the seventeen Bernards Township residents who died.
Ordinance #2603: property maintenance, non-residential
Six people spoke at the hearing. Kirsten Light of Victoria Drive, Debra Paster-DeWitt of Spencer Road, Nancy D’Andrea of Vanderveer Drive, Joanne Kleinle of Riverside Drive and Yuri Grabovsky of Riverside Drive spoke in support; Todd Edelstein of Riverside Drive spoke against. The ordinance was adopted, 4-0 (motion Tompkins, second Asay).
As printed, it adds Section 3-21 to Chapter 3, Police Regulations. It defines blight, including deteriorating or abandoned buildings, debris, graffiti, litter, deteriorating pools, paint or siding, and piles of wood chips, mulch, brush or dead trees. It limits temporary scaffolds and construction equipment to eight weeks without the Zoning Officer’s written permission, requires visible landscaping to be kept orderly, bars storing refuse outside for more than two weeks and storing inoperable or unlicensed vehicles. Owners have 10 days after written notice to comply; any extension may not run past 30 calendar days from the initial notice; fines are up to $2,000, with each day a separate offense. The township may remediate after a hearing before the Committee and place the cost as a lien on the property. The Zoning Officer is the only enforcement officer, and residential dwelling units are exempt entirely. See the property maintenance ordinance.
Other ordinances introduced (hearings September 15)
- #2604, accepting a riparian zone conservation easement at 30 North Stone Hedge Drive (Block 5001, Lot 34).
- #2605, accepting a riparian zone conservation easement at 95 Tuxford Terrace (Block 7201, Lot 19).
Resolutions
The consent agenda included:
- #2026-0383, rejecting all seven bids for the 2026 road improvements, received August 5, 2026, because the low bid, Reivax Contracting Corp. at $2,098,774.00, exceeded the amount allocated. The Township Engineer is to rebid the project in 2026 “when bidding can be optimized.” See roads and paving.
- #2026-0387, Motorola radio equipment under state contract, not to exceed $536,023.28: $239,898.84 for Basking Ridge Fire Company No. 1 (Station 20), $209,874.24 for Liberty Corner Fire Company (Station 40), $20,782.10 for Fire Prevention, $35,468.10 for Emergency Management and a $30,000.00 contingency. See fire and EMS.
- #2026-0382, accepting a $119,372.00 state Local Public Health Infrastructure grant.
- #2026-0381, hiring Kevin Little as Police Support Technician, a new position, and #2026-0386, a patrol officer; a Livescan fingerprint system received at no cost through a State Police grant. See police.
- #2026-0388, municipal HVAC services from In-Line Air Conditioning, Inc., the lower of two bidders; #2026-0393, Christopher Corsini, Esq. as alternate special counsel, not to exceed $10,000.00 (the subject is not stated).
- #2026-0385, returning a $21,130.02 maintenance surety to the United States Golf Association for its entrance improvements.
- The 2027 holiday schedule, two veterans’ tax refunds, two vacation payouts, a 100th-birthday tribute to Harry Epple, and block party permits.
The August 11 minutes were approved.
Public comment
No one spoke in the first period. In the second, Nancy D’Andrea spoke about the trails added from Ross Farm (parks and recreation), and four people commented on the property at 47 Oak Ridge Road: Keven Buckley, Meg McKay, Jeff Dudeck and Dan Sullivan. The minutes record no further detail.
Records
- Minutes (township document page)
- Agenda (township document page)
- Video on the township’s YouTube channel. This page follows the Committee’s minutes.