Township Council — June 23, 2026

What was decided

A Board of Health meeting preceded the Council meeting, which was called to order at 7:20 p.m. All nine members were present: Mr. Anbarasan, Ms. Francois, Deputy Mayor Kharazi, Mayor Kramer, Mr. Onyejiaka, Mr. Singh, Ms. Uddin, Mr. Vassanella and Mr. Wright. Unless noted, every vote was 9-0, with all nine voting aye.

• Adopted, with no public comment at either hearing:
  • Ord. 4511-26, to acquire by purchase or condemnation, for open space, the Collins Property, Block 5.02, Lot 70Q, 4301 State Route 27, Princeton (mover Anbarasan, second Uddin);
  • Ord. 4512-26, appropriating $426,721.40 from the Open Space Trust Fund for the Collins Property (mover Singh, second Anbarasan). See open space and farmland.
• Introduced, each with its hearing set for July 14, 2026:
  • Ord. 4513-26, to acquire by purchase or condemnation, for open space, Block 508.02, Lot 11, 287 Cedar Grove Lane (mover Anbarasan, second Uddin);
  • Ord. 4514-26, appropriating $5,460,000.00 from the Open Space Trust Fund for that property (mover Kharazi, second Uddin);
  • Ord. 4515-26, rescinding Chapter 92, Cannabis, and replacing it with a new Chapter 92 (mover Vassanella, second Uddin).
• Consent agenda (Res. #26-272 to #26-287 and #26-289; mover Uddin, second Kharazi). It included:
  • #26-287, a conservation partnership agreement with the Land Conservancy of New Jersey for the Kerani property, Block 5.02, Lots 61.01-61.09, 1 Riddering Lane, Princeton, with $1,380,000 from the Open Space Trust Fund;
  • Route 27 resurfacing, Z Brothers Concrete Contractors, not to exceed $168,204.10 (#26-278);
  • rejection of the bids for the Bartha Woods (Castleton Park) planting, clearing and maintenance project (#26-279);
  • a final change order raising the Highland Avenue sidewalk contract from $212,840.00 to $216,185.00 (#26-280);
  • a shared services agreement with Fire District Nos. 1, 2 and 4 (#26-289).
• Res. #26-271, naming Winston Drive honorary “Earl C. Williams Jr. Drive” (mover Francois, second Vassanella).
• CDBG. No one spoke at the public hearing on the 2026 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan. Res. #26-290 authorizes an application for $371,090; the minutes show no separate roll call on it.
• Planning Board Alternate #2 nomination tabled, 7-2 (mover Francois, second Anbarasan). Ayes: Anbarasan, Francois, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka, Singh and Uddin. Nays: Vassanella and Wright. Mr. Wright had nominated LaToya Reed, a fourth-ward resident. The minutes record that he argued the Council had bypassed screening for a Zoning Board appointment because of urgency and could do the same here; the Mayor and Ms. Francois said screening is the established practice and the Zoning Board exception was made only because that board critically lacked members; and Mr. Vassanella said all nine members should have equal access to information and the chance to recommend candidates. The nomination was tabled to July 14 for the standard screening.
• Executive session on a “Potential Open Space Acquisition (Sai Datta Mandie Property – 583 South Middlebush Road – Block 36.01, Lot 6.03) & Donation Contract” (Res. #26-288; mover Singh, second Uddin). The motion to return to open session passed 8-0 with Mr. Wright recorded absent.
• The minutes of June 9 and the executive sessions of March 24, May 12 and May 26, 2026 were approved (mover Francois, second Uddin).

Public Discussion

The minutes record three speakers.

• Chiwei Troy of Corwen Court, said the Exxon station at 1101 Easton Avenue charges 10-20% more for regular and 40% more for premium than nearby stations, and asked the Township to investigate and refer it to the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs.
• Deborah Inman of Roberts Road, asked whether restrictions on pool rentals had been considered since the previous meeting.
• John McCracken of Arlington Avenue, asked for updates on rumble strips on Amwell Road and a traffic-light study at JFK Boulevard and Winston Drive.

Answers. The minutes record that New Jersey does not regulate gasoline prices except in declared emergencies; that pool rentals were scheduled for the next Administration meeting and the June 25 Land Use meeting; that Amwell Road is a county road, so the Township would ask Somerset County Engineering to review the rumble strips; and that the Engineering Department would run turn counts and volume studies at JFK Boulevard and Winston Drive, a process expected to take several months.

Council comments

• Mr. Wright described the speed-hump process, which requires block-wide consensus and Council review.
• Ms. Uddin said she was working with the County on sidewalk installation.
• Ms. Francois said the Administration Committee recommended waiting for Senator Bob Smith’s state legislation on gas leaf blowers before Township action.

Records

• Minutes (approved July 14, 2026) · Agenda · Packet
• Video on Granicus (1:28). Granicus publishes no captions for Franklin meetings; this page follows the Clerk’s minutes.