Township Council — September 8, 2026

What was decided

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. Ms. Uddin and Mr. Wright arrived late. Votes were 9-0 (all nine ayes) unless noted.

• Res. #26-390, settlement with Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company, LLC, voted separately: 9-0 (mover Anbarasan, second Francois). It settles the condemnation action Transco filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey (No. 3:26-cv-00018) for an easement on Block 5.02, Lot 26.01, the Higgins Property, whose non-agricultural development rights the Township holds under a 2017 Deed of Easement. Transco needed a permanent access road and temporary workspace there to reach Compressor Station 206. The attached agreement records:

  • Transco filed the action on January 2, 2026, and on February 20, 2026 the court rejected the Township’s objection and granted an Order for Condemnation and Immediate Possession;
  • Transco withdraws its initial offer of $30,000 and pays $500,000 for the permanent access road easement and temporary easements;
  • Transco funds, through its foundation, a Township-designated community benefit of $100,000;
  • payment is due within 30 days of signing, and a consent judgment is to be filed on receipt.

  See NESE pipeline.

• Ord. 4517-26 (Chapter 112, cluster subdivisions): the public hearing and adoption were moved to October 13, 2026 “for technical reasons”, 9-0 (mover Francois, second Vassanella).

• Ord. 4518-26 adopted, 8-1 (mover Anbarasan, second Uddin): ayes Anbarasan, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka, Singh, Uddin, Vassanella and Wright; nay Francois. It authorizes the private sale of township lots at 56-58 Main Street, 29 Kossuth Street and 168 Churchill Avenue (Habitat for Humanity). At its hearing Loretta Harper of Churchill Avenue, opposed the project at 168 Churchill Avenue, citing lot size, flooding, parking and traffic safety.

• Ord. 4519-26 introduced, 6-0 (mover Anbarasan, second Uddin): ayes Anbarasan, Francois, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka and Uddin; absent Singh, Vassanella and Wright. It appropriates $1,380,000 from the Open Space Trust Fund for the construction of, improvements to, and equipment for Catalpa Park, with the hearing set for September 22, 2026. See open space and farmland.

• Consent agenda (Res. #26-355 to #26-389; 9-0, mover Kharazi, second Anbarasan). It included:

  • Catalpa Park, Vulcan Construction Group, Inc., not to exceed $8,580,581.00 (#26-372);
  • Main Street Area 3 water main replacement, William J. Guarini, Inc., not to exceed $885,962.00 (#26-374);
  • New Brunswick Road resurfacing with fabric, Z Brothers Concrete Contractors, not to exceed $356,031.15 (#26-375);
  • Sterling Road Area resurfacing final change order, Fischer Contracting, from $648,322.99 to $732,480.05 (#26-381);
  • professional engineering services, various firms, not to exceed $750,000 per vendor (#26-376);
  • internet-based sales of delinquent property taxes and municipal charges, Realauction.com, $12 per property advertised (#26-377);
  • an amended Fourth Round Spending Plan (#26-388) and an updated Affirmative Marketing Plan (#26-389). See Fourth Round housing.

• Res. #26-392, voted separately, 9-0 (mover Francois, second Uddin): a stormwater facility maintenance agreement with IDIL Executive Drive, LLC for the on-site detention basin at 1-3 Executive Drive (Block 469, Lots 1.03, 1.04 and 1.07).

• Minutes of August 11, 2026 approved 8-0, Vassanella abstaining (mover Anbarasan, second Uddin). Warrants of $2,546,333.30 approved 9-0.

The agenda listed an executive session on “Litigation (Williams Transco)” (Res. #26-391). The minutes record no vote on it; they end with the motion to adjourn, 9-0.

Public Discussion

The minutes record 15 speakers.

Flock license-plate cameras. Eight speakers addressed the system. See license-plate cameras.

• Jim Johnston of Norwich Place, argued against the cameras, citing private control of the database, possible data sales and public opposition. He referred to a New Jersey Assemblyman’s claims about data sales.
• Jacqueline McCafferty, Ward 2, asked for an immediate shutdown. She cited a 48% hotlist hit rate, Fourth Amendment privacy concerns and a lack of evidence that the cameras reduce crime, and asked for an independent investigation into police restructuring and for contract transparency.
• Bill Bowman, Cherrywood Lane, editor of the Franklin Reporter, said the publication did not support the cameras; it had published an editorial opposing the system and suggesting the contract be nullified.
• Javhan Walker of Kuhn Street, asked that Flock activity be suspended and the system put to a public referendum. He also asked about sidewalk repair and dumping complaints.
• Danielle Williams of Cobblers Circle, opposed the cameras on privacy grounds and for lack of crime justification, and asked for a referendum and removal of the system.
• Frank Sciara, Ward 2, questioned the contract terms, the camera counts and the hotlist hit data, cited national comparisons and Florida’s ban on the technology, and questioned the Council’s oversight of the police department.
• Kyle Aspen, off Webster Road, opposed the surveillance and raised property tax increases.
• Sanjhi Sharma, New Brunswick Road, asked about the contract’s length, the consequences of cancelling it and coordination with New Brunswick, and cited reports from Wisconsin about Flock data disclosures.

Other topics.

• Linda Powell of Buffa Drive, opposed the NESE pipeline and compressor station, citing the Third Circuit’s vacating of the water quality certification, and supported Res. 26-390 on the settlement funds. She congratulated Ed Potosnak on his NJDEP appointment.
• Faisal Nour of Vince Road, raised property tax increases and asked how resources and expenses are managed.
• Stanislav Jaracz of Heather Drive, advocated the Balcony Solar Act for energy equity and lower costs and asked the Council to promote it with the Environmental Commission.
• Loretta Harper of Churchill Avenue, reported a speed radar on Churchill Avenue that does not work, asked how the noise ordinance is enforced, and opposed the Habitat for Humanity project at 168 Churchill Avenue.
• Maureen Taylor of Winchester Way, questioned a new cannabis dispensary near homes, a school and the library, dispensary limits, the revenue offset for taxes, and traffic at Amwell and DeMott.
• Deborah Iman, Ward 4, asked that officers issue summonses rather than warnings for noise violations after 10 p.m.
• Charlie Kratovil, New Brunswick, asked how “covered person” is defined under Daniel’s Law.

Answers. The minutes record:

• Flock: officials, including the Public Safety Director, said discrepancies in the camera counts were reporting errors. They said high hit rates come from broad hotlist settings, such as suspended licenses, and that filtering for serious crimes brings them under 1%. They said Franklin owns the data, it is hosted on AWS, and Flock does not sell it; the system is an investigation tool, not real-time surveillance; and “the contract has two years remaining”.
• Property taxes: the Mayor said township taxes have grown at roughly half the rate of inflation, the township controls only 13% of the total tax bill, and proportional assessment increases do not automatically raise an individual homeowner’s taxes.
• Habitat for Humanity: the Manager said the Churchill Avenue lot was vetted by the Land Use Committee and is a non-conforming lot; if the Zoning Board denies the variance, the property is deeded back to the township.
• Dispensary: officials said it is a pre-existing non-conforming use in an R-40 zone, legally permitted regardless of its distance from schools. The Township collects 2% of gross income, projected at about $1.2 million a year.
• Noise: the ordinance prohibits noise audible from 200 feet after 10 p.m.; the Manager said he would reinforce enforcement with police.
• Daniel’s Law: redactions on financial disclosure forms are required by state-level compliance, not local policy.
• Balcony solar: the Mayor and Council supported the act and advised buying UL 3700-compliant equipment.

Council comments

• Mayor Kramer favored shortening the Flock data-retention period and requiring stricter, quarterly reports, and said he had written to the Attorney General about these concerns. He reported attending the swearing-in of former Councilman Ed Potosnak as DEP Commissioner and discussing the NESE pipeline with the Governor.
• Mr. Singh reported on his first ward meeting (taxes, public safety and the NESE compressor station) and congratulated the task force and residents on their 12-year effort against the compressor station, calling the vacating of the water quality certification a significant victory.
• Ms. Uddin reported on a community meetup about roads, sidewalks, trees, traffic, public safety and the upcoming master plan renewal, and reminded residents of “NJ Save” property tax relief.
• Mr. Wright said he would prefer cannabis tax revenue go to social action programs rather than the general fund.
• Deputy Mayor Kharazi raised possible air quality monitoring around the township.

Records

• Minutes (approved September 22, 2026) · Agenda · Packet
• Video on Granicus (2:44). Granicus publishes no captions for Franklin meetings; this page follows the Clerk’s minutes.