Township Council News and Notes from Jan. 11, 2011

The Berkeley Heights Township Council addressed a number of issues at its work session meeting on Tuesday, January 11. Below are some of the issues touched on by the council:

• The Council voted in favor of a resolution opposing Senate Bill S-818 and Assembly Bill A-2095. The pair of bills aimed to revise the requirements for EMS delivery. Under the bills, some of the new requirements would have included every ambulance needing two EMTs during an emergency, and would have put the local rescue squad under the guidance of the state as opposed to the township. Both requirements would have strained the Berkeley Heights Volunteer Rescue Squad beyond its limits. Said Mayor Joseph G. Bruno, “This would put undue burden on our rescue squad and inevitably put the rescue squad out of business.”
• An ordinance on the revised minimum side yard and rear yard setback regulations for accessory buildings was introduced, and will be open for public hearing at the council’s meeting on Tuesday, January 25. The ordinance, which applies to accessory buildings, has changed the maximum height of secondary structures and accessory buildings from 10 to 15 feet. According to Council President Kevin J. Hall, each additional foot added to the top of an accessory building must result in the movement of the structure another foot away from the property line.
• Parking fees for the municipal parking lot are going up to $285 in 2011, up from last year’s fee of $250. While this was deemed a necessary move by Mayor Bruno to promote a gradual increase in parking fees in order to keep with the rising parking costs in nearby towns, some members of the council were skeptical. Said Councilman Edward Delia, “Just because another town’s (price) is higher doesn’t mean we need to be. The public would be happy if they found out the fees weren’t getting raised again.”
• The council is in the process of finalizing a settlement with Lucent Technologies over a tax appeal process. The settlement with Lucent, the largest commercial rateable in the township, would settle tax issues between the two parties outstanding from 2004 to 2008, and would set the taxes from 2009-2012, only becoming eligible for change again in 2013. Said Former Mayor Robert Woodruff, who is now a part of the Township Council, “We’ve given ourselves some security that we don’t have to worry about this for the next year or so. I think it’s an appropriate settlement. Is it a perfect settlement? No; no settlement ever is.”
• The next meeting of the Berkeley Heights Township Council will take place at the Municipal Court, located at 29 Park Place in Berkeley Heights. The meeting is set for January 25th at 7:00 p.m.