Township Council — January 13, 2026

What was decided

All nine members were present; the minutes note that Mr. Wright arrived late. Every vote was 9-0: ayes Anbarasan, Francois, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka, Potosnak, Uddin, Vassanella and Wright; no nays; none absent.

• Executive session first (Res. #26-036; mover Vassanella, second Francois): “Personnel (Interview Tax Assessor Candidates) & Attorney/Client Privilege (Williams Transco)”. On return, the Mayor announced that the Council had interviewed Tax Assessor candidates and discussed Williams Transco. See the NESE pipeline.

• Introduced, with hearings set for February 10:

  • Ord. 4487-26, a revision and codification of the Township’s ordinances (mover Kharazi, second Uddin);
  • Ord. 4488-26, Chapter 384, Water, Section 384-19, Curb Connection Capital Fees (mover Francois, second Uddin);
  • Ord. 4489-26, inclusionary zone district MFIZ-4 (mover Uddin, second Kharazi);
  • Ord. 4490-26, inclusionary zone district MFIZ-2 (mover Vassanella, second Kharazi);
  • Ord. 4491-26, inclusionary zone MFIZ-1 (mover Francois, second Uddin);
  • Ord. 4492-26, inclusionary zone district MFIZ-5 (mover Vassanella, second Uddin);
  • Ord. 4493-26, amending Chapter 112, Section 112-350, the Franklin Boulevard Redevelopment Plan (mover Kharazi, second Uddin). See redevelopment and PILOTs.

  Each MFIZ ordinance establishes a district “Providing Affordable Housing Units to be Developed Subject to Certain Conditions and Requirements”. See Fourth Round housing.

• Consent agenda (Res. #26-037 to #26-066; mover Francois, second Uddin). It included:

  • #26-063, “Ratifying a Settlement Agreement with Fair Share Housing Center Concerning the Township of Franklin’s Fourth Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan”;
  • #26-058, an NJDOT Municipal Aid grant application (2026-MA-00018) to resurface New Brunswick Road from Cedar Grove to Willow;
  • #26-041, year 2 of routine water-sample monitoring, Garden State Laboratories, not to exceed $75,000.00;
  • #26-040, a natural-gas emergency generator for the Community Relations Bureau, 935 Hamilton Street, not to exceed $108,735.00;
  • #26-050 to #26-052, health, dental and prescription plan administrators (Aetna, not to exceed $1,750,000.00; dental, Aetna $390,000.00 and Cigna Dental $2,000.00; CaremarkPCS, not to exceed $165,000.00);
  • #26-053, Somerset County senior transportation, not to exceed $96,157.27;
  • #26-062, a stormwater maintenance agreement for the Foundation of the Wilf Campus, 350 DeMott Lane.

• Approved warrants of $1,407,150.02.

• A motion to limit Council comments and reports to one minute per speaker carried (mover Kramer, second Francois).

Public Discussion

Carol Kuhn, Linda Powell and Robert Scarapene raised concerns about NJDEP approvals of air and water permits for the NESE project. The minutes list health risks, environmental harm, dredging toxic sediments in Raritan Bay, and building a compressor station in Franklin. They asked the Township to identify local ordinances or zoning that could affect or slow construction and to ensure compliance with local and county rules, and said the gas is not intended for New Jersey.

Answer. The minutes record Township Attorney Rainone saying the Township continues to explore legal avenues, with “constraints due to preemption and limited municipal authority”; no strategy was disclosed, and the Township would keep evaluating options.

Reports

The minutes summarize Council reports without names: the Land Use Committee discussed affordable housing and Ord. 4489-26; Public Works is reviewing 2026 road paving, with Pierce Street to Cedar Grove Lane work underway; and convenience-center prices are expected to change because of state rules on mulch and branches.

Records

• Minutes (approved February 10, 2026) · Agenda · Packet
• Video on Granicus (0:29). Granicus publishes no captions for Franklin meetings; this page follows the Clerk’s minutes.