A special meeting of the East Amwell Township Committee came to order at 7:30 PM. Present were Mayor Larry Tatsch, Deputy Mayor Linda Lenox, and Committee members Peter Kneski and Timothy Martin. Committee member Patricia Cregar was absent. Township Administrator Timothy Matheny was also in attendance.

In compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act, a copy of notice of this meeting was filed in the Clerk's Office, posted on the bulletin board, and sent to the Hunterdon County Democrat, Times of Trenton, and Star Ledger on April 30, 2008. The purpose of this meeting is to allow the Township Committee to hold a brainstorming session to discuss and share ideas on Township issues. The public is invited to attend and comment. Action may or may not be taken.

As a matter of record, there were three members of the public present: Hunterdon County Democrat Reporter Lillie Dorchak, and residents Kathy Machnik and Toni Robbi.

Mayor Tatsch explained his hope that this meeting would allow the governing body members to share ideas on saving money and improvements; he noted that these ideas are difficult to share during regular business meetings. Mr. Matheny will act as Moderator so that all governing body can cooperatively discuss ideas. (For the record, Mr. Tatsch provided an email dated May 8 detailing the meeting, which would be limited to two hours. Items will be categorized into Budget, Policy or Process, and nothing will be construed as a "bad idea" but will be the basis for further discussion.) Mr. Tatsch concluded that items discussed this evening would be the basis for review in weeks and months to come.

Mr. Matheny took over as Moderator. He explained that there was a sheet attached to the wall, which will list issues for discussion this evening. The flip chart in front of the dais would list the issue, which category it fell under (i.e., budget, process, or policy), the priority level of low, medium, or high, and comments made either pro or con.

Staff members were sent a memo and asked to provide any concerns by close of business day on May 15. There were two memos received, 1) 5/15 DPW Superintendent George Howell asking for four 10 hour work days during the "time change to time change" period; 2) 5/15 Zoning Officer McManus, re: Reform of Land Use Procedures asking for a two track review system to separate out the stormwater management review process from construction and zoning approval.

Mr. Matheny listed issues on the sheet, as follows:

1) Four Day Work Week for the DPW at 10 hours per day

2) Reform of Land Use Procedures

3) Annual Orientation/Training of Volunteers (which was a suggestion discussed by the Mayor

and the Township Administrator prior to tonight's meeting).

4) Use of I.T. Resources, including On-Line Training (recommended by Mr. Martin). He would

like to see less paper being used, and he noted his achievements at reaching this goal on

a personal level.

5) Township Administrator review of budget requests to streamline reviews by the Township

Committee, as recommended by Mr. Kneski.

6) Municipal Building light switches changed to motion sensors (recommended by Ms. Lenox

to retrofit existing light switches to motion sensors)

7) Solar Power/Panels (recommended by Ms. Lenox)

8) "Green" Paint, Carpet, etc. (recommended by Ms. Lenox to use a "healthier type of paint

and carpet" when renovating the municipal building). Mr. Martin referenced low VOC

paints as a possibility.

9) Tax breaks for seniors and active farmers (recommended by Ms. Lenox).

10) East Amwell Township bumper stickers to be sold and have profits used for Clawson Park

and towards renovation costs (recommended by Ms. Lenox).

11) Discount fuel credit card for municipal use and other cards and rebates (recommended by

Mr. Tatsch). There is a fleet credit card for purchase of Hess Fuel, including diesel.

Mr. Tatsch recommended checking to see if municipalities will get a percentage

reduction for municipal use and getting commercial credit cards with paybacks.

12) East Amwell Township "Welcome" signs at the entrances of the municipality, with a slogan

prepared by contest submission. The signs could be provided by Deptcor at a low cost

(recommended by Mr. Tatsch).

13) Website use: On-line applications, dog licenses, other permits (recommended by Mr.

Tatsch).

14) Pay taxes with electronic debit and/or credit cards (recommended by Mr. Tatsch)

15) Electronic scanning of documents (recommended by Ms. Machnik). Mr. Tatsch also added

that special software/programs could be used to look at tax property data, including

setbacks and zoning, and people can access information on laptops.

16) Less Rules and Regulations and more education in getting the public "to do the right thing"

(recommended by Toni Robbi). Comments were made including the need to make the

public aware of regulations to comply, noting that enforcement is also a difficulty for

the municipality (e.g., noise ordinances are difficult to enforce without a local police

department). Proactive versus reactive approaches with an educational component

would be beneficial.

17) Development of a sense of community and improvement of town center(s), including

highlighting hamlets and naming streams (recommended by Mr. Martin). Comments

included identifying hamlets such as Unionville and Wertsville from a historic

sense would be beneficial, and it may have an effect on traffic speed in particular areas.

Toni Robbi noted that Fred Gardner is working on identifying streams and naming them.

Some discussion took place on techniques to decrease speed in Germany and in France.

18) Cat Licensing (added by Mr. Matheny during the discussion on putting licensing applications

on line).

Individual issues were then discussed, as follows.

1) Four Day Work Week for the DPW: This is a policy decision and a high priority. Comments included the following: Utility savings is a "pro." Availability to the public goes down as a "con." Early hours would mean longer days and set up time takes part of the day away on busy road projects ("pro"), i.e., more time to complete tasks. If weather is inclement, there would be longer "down" days with road projects not being done ("con"). Fatigue and safety issues were a "con." Consideration should be given to flex hours (i.e., off in rain conditions); however, this may not be feasible in a small department. A recommendation was made to check to see how other municipalities handle this, i.e., do they have enough employees to staff the full week but allow the 10 hour, 4 day weeks? There would have to be a better "pro-active" planning system implemented to make sure that there is steady work to cover the 10 hour days to maximize tasks.

2) Reform of Land Use Procedures: This is a process category, and the priority is unknown at this time. Mr. Tatsch and Mr. Matheny met with Zoning Officer McManus today to review his memo and request for a two track review system, keeping Stormwater Management separate from Zoning and Construction. The governing body agreed that this item should be tabled since the remainder of the members were not better informed about the approach at this time, and more details were needed.

Comments were made about the efforts being made to better coordinate customer service in the application process (i.e., Kathy Machnik is working with Darlis Maksymovich on this project), and Mr. Tatsch is revising the notes at this time.

3) Annual Orientation/Training of Volunteers: This is a policy category with a high priority. The meeting will provide chairmen of the boards appropriate policy and procedure information, including purchasing, office procedures, hiring, etc., and it will formalize the process for members as a team building exercise. Mr. Robbi noted that board members do receive training, e.g., Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) training for Environmental Commission members. The Committee explained that the meeting would be for municipal expectations. Having Board members meet each other was also a benefit. Mrs. Stahl reminded the governing body that they have had meetings of board chairmen and support staff in the past, and the customer service project for applications came out of such a meeting.

All agreed that this was a "very implementable" idea, and a group session will be arranged. Planning for the meeting will be a task this year. Holding the meeting at the end of February or the beginning of March was suggested; this will allow for up to date reports on budgets.

4, 13, 14, 15) IT Resources: This was considered a budget, process, and policy category. Mr. Tatsch visualized having residents be able to complete applications and pay fees on line with credit cards and to use electronic transfers for taxes. There would be costs involved in implementing a system. Mr. Robbi was concerned with residents running up credit card debt (i.e., using credit cards to pay taxes and the possibility of foreclosures); the governing body felt that this was a personal responsibility, not a Township one. The residents would have the convenience of paying on line or by credit card with the possibility of acquiring credit card value points for their "purchases." Other benefits would be less cash collected by staff, less work for staff, better security with less cash, accountability of payments to customers (which could be done by outside companies), year-end accounting records for residents, less gas usage by coming to the Township to pay fees, among other items. The service charge for using credit cards or electronic funds would be absorbed by the resident.

Further discussion took place, with these highlights: the Township would have to consider the legality of on-line payments; quarterly taxes could be automatically deducted by electronic funds transfer (accounts would be automatically debited at the correct time quarterly for immediate cash for the municipality); dog licenses could be set up for three year cycles but there may be some problems in making sure that the rabies vaccinations cover the dogs according to state regulations and cross checking records may be necessary; using Paypal or an outside agency for collection was mentioned with the residents being responsible for the fees associated with the convenience of paying on line.

All agreed that the on-line billing was a medium priority.

18) Cat Licensing: Mr. Matheny asked the governing body to consider whether or not there was an interest in pursuing cat licensing. This was a policy category with a low priority. Education, however, was a high priority. The topic was discussed at length, with the following highlights: Pros included a logical progression since dogs are licensed and it would ensure cats are inoculated; rabies inoculation could be checked, vaccinations may rise with licensing requirements; more revenue for licensing to cover costs. Cons included another regulation for property owners, adverse public reaction, how to determine exactly what cat is licensed (i.e., hard to identify cats); Mr. Tatsch asked for specific information on how many East Amwell Township residents inoculate their cats at the clinic and at neighboring clinics; Mr. Matheny noted that many surrounding municipalities do license cats and generate income (some by household and number of cats only); the local regulations do require that cats be inoculated; there is a greater potential for cats (especially outdoor cats) rather than dogs to contract rabies; state regulations do require dog licensing and rabies inoculation; some discussion was held on how to handle feral cats on private property; educating the public about the need to have cats inoculated for rabies is very important, and it was felt that responsible pet owners do protect their pets; covering costs for animal control is important, among other items. It was agreed that better education of the public, through newspaper articles, the website, newsletters, and the VIP, on the importance of rabies vaccinations for cats was important.

5) Township Administrator Review of Budgets: This is a budget and policy category with a high priority. Mr. Kneski explained that in Princeton Township the Administrator reviews budgets with department heads prior to Township Committee review. Mr. Matheny explained that Treasurer Luhrs receives department budget requests and categorizes the budget items, e.g., operating, capital, etc. Mr. Kneski's preference was to have Mr. Matheny and Mrs. Luhrs meet with the department heads to reduce budgets or move from (as an example) operation to capital for a clearer picture. The Township Committee would be able to get involved with details later. Mr. Martin suggested that rather than having the governing body decide where to cut expenses if budgets were to be reduced, the Departments should be asked to make recommendations for their own cuts. Ms. Machnik suggested that the same level of detail for each budget should be required from all the departments for consistency. Mr. Matheny reminded the Township Committee that he serves on a part-time basis, and to review all the budgets may require more hours on his part. Some discussion took place on how different departments make their budget projections, and in conclusion, it was determined that as a high priority, if the budgets must be cut, they will be returned to the boards, committees and staff to decide what part of their budgets can be cut. Mr. Robbi cautioned that there may be a trend of inflating budgets in anticipation of cuts.

6, 7, & 8) Municipal Building Light Switches, Solar Power/Panels, and "Green Products": These are policy and budget categories. The intent is to make the municipality more energy efficient, and Ms. Lenox felt that now is a good time to consider this when renovations are being planned. A recommendation was made to start installing motion sensors on lights before the renovations begin.

Mr. Tatsch also asked that the thermostats and settings be reviewed to make sure that they are working efficiently. Some discussion took place with the following highlights: the water sensors on the sinks in the restrooms are working satisfactorily for the most part; a suggestion was made to put a sensor on the sinks in the garage; it was noted that with even with the sensors, there has never been hot water coming from the ladies room sink, and the garage area may be a place where hot water (which may have to run) would be a sanitary issue; a recommendation was made to put motion sensors on the lights in the restrooms to make sure that they are off when not in use; education was an important aspect to make sure staff is alert to efficiency; low VOC paints and carpets should be used for the renovations, and Mr. Martin said that these items could be purchased locally; comments were made about the formaldehyde which comes off new carpet - it can dissipate if the carpet is unrolled and stored elsewhere before installation; using water based rather than oil based points is also important.

8, 12, 17) Car Stickers, Welcome Signs, Sense of Community/Naming Hamlets & Streams, Town Centers: This was a budget category. Mr. Robbi suggested having an appearance at the Hunterdon County 4H Fair; Mrs. Stahl stated that large municipalities have booths at the NJSLOM convention as an example. Ms. Lenox visualized having the small car stickers similar to shore areas and other places, i.e., small ovals with letters such as "EAT" - perhaps green and white and with the slogan if one is chosen for the welcome signs; proceeds from the sale of the car stickers could be used for open space preservation.

Mr. Tatsch's idea of the welcome signs was discussed. Having a better quality sign to display “Welcome to East Amwell” was suggested. The slogan could be chosen by contest. Ms. Dorchak suggested checking with the County printing department for quotes in addition to Deptcor. Mr. Robbi asked how the signs would be located; Mr. Tatsch spoke about putting the signs in our municipality to acknowledge what East Amwell stands for as a community; placing signs on county roads may be an issue to consider. A suggestion was made to have the Historic Preservation Committee assist on the work on the hamlet designation. Fred Gardner is currently working on naming un-named tributaries of the Stony Brook. Mr. Matheny also recommended including the replacement of the East Amwell Municipal Building sign in next year's budget, and there was agreement with this suggestion. As an estimate, Mr. Matheny explained that the sign at Clawson Park was approximately $4,500.

Mr. Martin commented on past plans for a town center in the village area, and Mr. Tatsch commented on plans by the County for sidewalks and traffic changes. The traffic changes were not satisfactory to the residents in the area, and there is no funding for the sidewalks. All agreed that this is a budget issue.

9, 11) Tax Breaks and Discount Fuel Credit Cards: Mr. Matheny asked that the remaining items on the list be considered and discussed in a group, including tax breaks for seniors and farmers and discount credit cards. Mr. Matheny will call Hess to find out about discounts for municipal purchases of fuel. He explained that there are fleet cards for Hess, and there are accounts with Staples and Home Depot, which “are not exactly” credit cards. He further explained that there had to be purchase orders prior to purchase in order to encumber funds. Mr. Matheny will also look into other purchase cards with a discount.

(For the record, no further comments were made about tax breaks for seniors or active farmers.)

15) Electronic Scanning of Documents: This was a budget category and would be an expensive one. It would require a large IT expense. Mr. Tatsch commented on information he obtained at the NJSLOM convention on planning and municipal software. All were in favor of considering this at some time as a positive benefit to the municipality.

Conclusion:

Mr. Matheny prepared the last two sheets as "Items to Implement":

1) The volunteer orientation/training session will be a one evening event; it will be a 1.5 hour maximum meeting, and the CFO, the Township Administrator, and the Township Clerk will attend. New volunteers and Chairs must attend, and all other volunteers are welcome to attend. It will be held in late February, and budget updates will be given. Topics will include budgets, purchasing, membership rolls, and liaison rolls, among other items to be developed.

2) Municipal Renovations are in progress, and "green" issues will be addressed, i.e., low VOC paints and carpet will be used, and light switches in the men and ladies restrooms will be switched to motion detectors. Mr. Robbi spoke about "paybacks" earned over the course in time.

Minutes will be prepared from tonight's meeting, and research or calls will the next step.

A motion was made by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and carried unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:50 p.m.

__________________________

Teresa R. Stahl, RMC/CMC

Municipal Clerk