Township Council — March 24, 2026

What was decided

The meeting began at 7:30 p.m. The roll call lists seven members present (Anbarasan, Francois, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka, Uddin and Vassanella) and Mr. Wright absent; Mr. Singh is not named in it but moves, seconds and votes. Every vote was 8-0: ayes Anbarasan, Francois, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka, Singh, Uddin and Vassanella; no nays; Wright absent.

• Res. #26-124 authorized advertising bids for the development of Catalpa Park “as presented” (mover Francois, second Uddin). See open space and farmland.
• Ord. 4501-26 introduced (mover Kharazi, second Singh), vacating a portion of Executive Drive; hearing set for April 14.
• Consent agenda (Res. #26-125 to #26-150; mover Francois, second Kharazi). It included:
  • #26-150, endorsing the amended Housing Element and Fair Share Plan adopted by the Planning Board. See Fourth Round housing;
  • #26-148, a shared services agreement with the Township of Montgomery for the MS4 Watershed Improvement Plan, not to exceed $77,725. See flooding and stormwater;
  • #26-125, CY2025 budget transfers;
  • #26-130, a $267,268.50 performance guarantee for off-site improvements, Breit Industrial Canyou, 1 Wiley Drive;
  • #26-136, police records management and dispatch software, QED, not to exceed $50,796;
  • #26-137, a Cisco Webex cloud telephone system, year 1, $104,605.81;
  • #26-147, a collaboration agreement with the Board of Education for the Franklin Warrior Partnership Health Center.
• Approved the minutes of February 24, March 9, March 10 and March 17, 2026, and warrants of $20,486,356.32.
• Executive session: Res. #26-151, “Williams Transco Litigation Update” (mover Francois, second Anbarasan). See the NESE pipeline.

Catalpa Park

The minutes summarize the presentation:

• Layout. A 29-acre park divided by a stream. The northern section has two cricket fields, a pavilion with bathrooms, a 67-car lot, a community garden and a wet pond for stormwater. The southern section has an 86-vehicle lot, a playground with three large structures (one inclusive and ADA-accessible, funded by a $360,000 grant), basketball, bocce, tennis and eight pickleball courts, and a larger pavilion. A perimeter path runs throughout.
• Cost. The project went to bid last July at about $9.3 million and was rejected on cost. Value engineering brought hard construction costs to about $8.6 million. Optional deletions (a volleyball court, about $213,000; decorative walls, about $48,000; horseshoe and cornhole areas, about $53,000) could bring hard costs to $8.35–$8.45 million. Construction management is estimated at $400,000 to $425,000.
• Funding. Just under $5.4 million in cash capital from the open space trust fund and just over $2.4 million in unfunded bond capital from a 2016 bond ordinance, about $7.84 million in all. With a total of $9.0–$9.1 million, the shortfall is about $1.2 million, which staff recommended bonding, for a total bond sale of about $3.6 million. The minutes record that all funding comes from open space money “and will not increase taxes”, and that the open space trust fund holds over $14 million.
• Discussion. Asphalt was chosen for paths because of drainage and washout seen in other parks, and for parking lots because of year-round use and plowing. The two bathroom buildings, about 900 feet apart, serve the two sections. Tree removal would be limited, mainly for the bridge, under DEP permits. A resident from Catalpa Farm raised fencing, emergency access during construction and flooding; the plan includes a four-foot post-and-rail fence with a gate, emergency access throughout construction, and notice before work starts.
• Bids. The project will be bid as a whole, with alternates to delete items A, A and B, or A, B and C if bids come in high, under one general contractor.

Public Discussion

• Adam North, East Franklin Fire Company, thanked the Council for recognizing Kevin Apuzzio and said the company hopes to acquire the first aid squad building and name it after him.
• Mark of Chelsea Court, Franklin Park, described dangerous traffic conditions at intersections in the Chelsea Court, Lindsey Court and Beekman Road area, with curves and limited visibility, and asked for marked crosswalks and pedestrian signals.

Answer. Township Engineer Darren Mazzei said Chelsea Court and Lindsey Court are private roads, so any crosswalks would be the homeowners association’s responsibility. See roads and traffic.

Reports

• Mr. Singh said residents’ questions about taxes had increased after a virtual hearing and “a widely circulated press release about significant municipal tax increases”, and asked for town halls, including one for the First Ward, to explain projected revenues and spending.
• Ms. Uddin said about $1 million of the $3 million road paving investment had been secured for Ward 2, and that the 2026 paving schedule will be updated online.
• Mr. Anbarasan said recommended timing changes for the Route 27 traffic light had gone to NJDOT, and a new street lamp on Weston Road had been requested from PSE&G.
• Ms. Francois said she, the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and Mr. Singh sit on the Financial Oversight Committee and review every budget detail, and that taxes are not raised “just for the sake of raising taxes”.
• Mr. Vassanella reported street-light outages on Hamilton Street and said Catalpa Park needs two bathroom buildings because of its size and layout.
• Deputy Mayor Kharazi said he had suggested another town hall after the budget is final, on the assessment, the budget and tax relief, particularly for seniors.

FY2026 CDBG hearing

Twelve applications were received: six for social services ($89,565), two for public facilities ($250,000) and four for housing assistance ($145,009). The Center for Great Expectations, the Franklin Food Bank, the Greater Somerset County YMCA and YCS Youth Consultation Services (Haven House) presented. CDBG Administrator Deborah Mitchell said the Township received $348,512 last year.

Records

• Minutes (approved May 26, 2026) · Agenda · Packet
• Video on Granicus (2:39). Granicus publishes no captions for Franklin meetings; this page follows the Clerk’s minutes.