The regular meeting of the East Amwell Township Committee was called to order at 7:30 p

The regular meeting of the East Amwell Township Committee was called to order at 7:30 p.m. Present were Mayor C. Larry Tatsch, Deputy Mayor Linda F. 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, Municipal Clerk Teresa R. Stahl announced that this is a regularly scheduled meeting, pursuant to the resolution adopted on January 3, 2008, and a meeting notice published in the Hunterdon County Democrat issue of January 10, 2008. A copy of the agenda for this meeting was forwarded to the Hunterdon County Democrat, Times of Trenton, Star Ledger, Courier News, posted on the bulletin board, and filed in the Clerk's Office on February 26, 2008

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag.

AGENDA REVIEW

Under Correspondence, the following items were added: 2/26 NJ League of Municipalities memo on State Budget Proposal; 2/27 Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow on "Corzine Cuts"; 2/28 NJ Department of Community Affairs on Fiscal and Budget Issues; 2/28 Attorney Cushing memo on Status of NJEDA Grant for Remedial Investigation and Report Preparation for Meszaros Property.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A.2008 Dog licenses are now due. There is no late fee if obtained in February. Call 908:782-

8536 x10 for details.

B. Hunterdon County Utilities Authority will hold the following:

- A Hazardous Waste Clean-up Day on Saturday, March 8 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

- An Electronics Collection Day on Saturday, March 29 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

C. There will be a special meeting of the Township Committee on Thursday, March 6, 2008, at

7 p.m. to discuss the budget. The public is invited to attend.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

February 7, 2008, Regular Minutes were approved on a motion by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and carried unanimously with minor typing corrections provided by Mr. Tatsch to the Clerk.

February 7, 2008, Executive Minutes (Land Acquisition and Attorney Advice) were approved on a motion by Mr. Martin, seconded by Ms. Lenox, and carried unanimously.

February 20, 2008, Special Minutes (Budget) were approved on a motion by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and carried unanimously.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC (for Comments from the Public for Items Not on the Agenda)

The meeting was open to the public for comments. There being no comments from the public, a motion was made by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Martin, and carried unanimously to close to public

INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES/PUBLIC HEARINGS

Introduction of Ordinances - None

Public Hearings:

ORDINANCE 08-02: AN ORDINANCE TO EXCEED THE MUNICIPAL BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS LIMITS AND TO ESTABLISH A CAP BANK

As proof of publication, Mrs. Stahl provided a copy of the February 14, 2008, legal notice published in the Hunterdon County Democrat The ordinance has been posted and available to the public since introduction on February 7, 2008.

Motion by Mr. Kneski, seconded by Ms. Lenox, and it was carried to open to the public for comment. There being no comments from the public, motion by Mr. Kneski, seconded by Ms. Lenox, and carried unanimously to close to the public.

Motion by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and it was carried unanimously by roll call vote to adopt Ordinance 08-02: Mr. Martin, yes; Mr. Kneski, yes; Ms. Lenox, yes; Mr. Tatsch, yes.

ORDINANCE 08-03: AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CODE OF EAST AMWELL TOWNSHIP, CHAPTER 53, ANIMALS, TO INCREASE THE LATE FEE

Mr. Tatsch explained that the ordinance will help to cover the costs for licensing, is in line with other municipalities, and will encourage timely licensing.

Motion by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and it was carried to open to the public for comment.

Lillie Dorchak, Hunterdon County Democrat reporter, asked whether the late fee was a flat fee or monthly fee. It is a flat fee of $25.00 per dog effective March 1 each year.

There being no comments from the public, motion by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Martin, and carried unanimously to close to the public.

Motion by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and it was carried unanimously by roll call vote to adopt Ordinance 08-03: Mr. Martin, yes; Mr. Kneski, yes; Ms. Lenox, yes; Mr. Tatsch, yes.

SPECIAL DISCUSSIONS - None

SPECIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS - None

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

FARMLAND/OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION

1) Surveys for Hay, B.21/L. 16 & 16.01, and Fisher, B.17/L.16.03: F/OSC Administrator Judy Conard sent a February 20, 2008, MEMO outlining survey costs provided by three firms: Bohren & Bohren at $4,500/Fisher, $6,900/Hay, or $10,000 for both; Newton at $3,850/Fisher; $7,750/Hay, or $10,750 for both; Van Cleef at $6,100/Fisher, $8,800/Hay, and did not quote both. F/OSPC was recommending the award to Bohren & Bohren at $10,000 for both surveys.

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RESOLUTION #39-08

BE IT RESOLVED that the Township Committee of the Township of East Amwell, County of Hunterdon, State of New Jersey, hereby authorizes the following award:

Bohren & Bohren

260 Highway 202/31

Flemington, NJ 08822

$10,000 for Surveys of

B.21/16 & 16.01 and B.17/L.16.03

By Order of the Township Committee,

__________________________________

C. Larry Tatsch, Mayor

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Motion by Mr. Kneski, seconded by Mr. Martin, and carried unanimously to approve the resolution.

RECREATION COMMITTEE

1) Co-Sponsored Bus Trip with Sourland Regional Partnership on April 19: Andrea Bonette was present during this discussion.

Mrs. Bonette explained that the Sourland Regional Partnership (SRP) has had about 8 - 10 tours in the past, usually through the eastern portion of the mountain. This year, she is organizing the trip on the western end of the mountain, including possible sites as Ringoes, Rocktown, Linvale, Route 579, Mount Airy, Lambertville, Holcombe-Jimison Museum, and Marshall House. The date will be April 19, the same date as Roadside Clean up. Environmental Commission Member Blaine Hummel has advised Mrs. Bonette that if the bus parks close to the building and parks in a certain spot, there should be no problems with the clean up day.

Mrs. Bonette asked about bathroom facilities being available for the start of the trip, i.e., from about 12 noon to 12:30 p.m. Mr. Tatsch commented that this would be a great use of a key card to assign a specific time for opening the building. The Committee agreed that the building could be opened for use during the requested time.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATOR'S UPDATE

1) Permanent Appointment of DPW Employee Jason Silverthorn: Mr. Silverthorn's probationary period will end on March 4, 2008. His Supervisor, Mr. Howell, did the six month evaluation and recommends that Mr. Silverthorn be made a permanent employee. Mr. Matheny commented on Mr. Silverthorn "being sharp and helpful with a mechanical ability…and a team member." Both Mr. Howell and Road Supervisor Kadezabek are pleased with Mr. Silverthorn's work.

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RESOLUTION #40-08

BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Committee of the Township of East Amwell that based on the recommendation of the Township Administrator, they hereby appoint Jason Silverthorn as a permanent employee, effective March 4, 2008, at the end of his six month probationary term.

By Order of the Township Committee,

_____________________________

C. Larry Tatsch, Mayor

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Motion by Mr. Kneski, seconded by Ms. Lenox, and the resolution was approved unanimously.

Mr. Tatsch commented that he also observed Mr. Silverthorn's performance, and he is "a great asset." He also stated that "it is the same with Joe (Adamow)." Mr. Matheny concluded that all members of the Department are fitting well together.

2) Policy Manual Updates: Mr. Matheny explained that the Municipal Excess Liability Joint Fund (MEL) gives an insurance reduction with specific qualifications, including policy manual changes. Currently, we have an employee handbook, and he is preparing a policy manual with five sections in a format which is easy to change, i.e., removal and insertion of individual policies rather than rewording the entire book.

Mr. Martin asked if the header should include a review date. Mr. Matheny explained that the policy implementation date would be the same time as "last review." Mr. Martin spoke about the importance of archiving previous versions of policies, and Mr. Matheny explained that they could be part of an addendum that employees and the Township keep in the back of the book.

Mr. Matheny explained that the manual must be provided to the insurance company by April 30, and the Township Attorney must sign off a review checklist. He asked the Township Committee to look at the bigger policies and provide comments to him.

One of the policies was discussed at length, i.e., Department of Public Works (DPW) coverage. Highlights are as follows: during some instances, the DPW works from 20-26 hours which involves over-time pay but also fatigue issues; there are only 5 DPW members without the ability for rotation; 15-16 hour coverage is "not a big deal" but there's a potential for liability if an employee works 26 hours without rest; the policy allows for 18 hours on, 6 hours off, return to work after the six; there is a 16 hour bank of time accumulated, which can be used towards accumulation of 40 hours of regular shift time (to qualify for overtime) if employees leave early after a long tour of duty; the 16 hour bank will eliminate DPW employee inactivity, i.e., in the building only to accumulate their hours without performance; the 16 hour bank can be used either at the beginning of a shift if they know a storm will be occurring after hours or used after a long shift at night or around the clock; the 16 hours equates to two full work days; in the event that the municipal offices are closed and office staff is not called into duty although DPW members are required to work, having the 16 hour bank will be a similar time off benefit for DPW; in the event that DPW members cannot go home and make it back for additional work, employees can stay on site with a mandatory 3 hour undisturbed rest/sleep period which will allow an extension of permitted work time by three hours for each hour rested.

Mr. Martin asked if this type of policy is used elsewhere. Mr. Matheny explained that there has always been an understanding but no written policies here; he is looking to develop a policy to cover the Township. Mr. Kneski explained that in Princeton Township, there are shifts of three or four crews, and he also agreed that there was a liability problem for East Amwell Township in having a crew work 24 hours. He also noted that Princeton Township had some sleeping quarters. Mr. Matheny said that there are no cots here, but the employees do bring sleeping bags and sleep in their trucks.

A question was raised about getting guidance from the NJ League of Municipalities or Rutgers. Mr. Matheny directed Mr. Howell to get information from the Public Works Managers' site; most municipalities handle this issue individually. Mr. Matheny did look at CDL guidance, which covers 12 hours of seat time; governments are exempt from this requirement in emergency situations. Mr. Tatsch commented on the need for concentration during these events, and he agreed that a policy was appropriate. Mr. Martin appreciated Mr. Matheny's efforts; Mr. Tatsch agreed that the policy was beneficial to the DPW and the Township.

Mr. Matheny stated that the only concern raised with the DPW, who discussed the matter at length, was the fact that it was being put in policy since no other municipality does so. All agreed that the policy was for guidance and direction for 95% of the time, and it will be used as a standard.

Mr. Matheny asked the governing body to read the other policies he provided, and they will be asked to approve a resolution to support the policy manual before it is sent to the insurance company on April 30. Prior to that time, the Township Attorney will also review it and sign off on a checklist.

3) D & R Greenways Land Trust's Complaint of Vandalism on Mountain Road Property: A letter dated February 14, 2008, was received from Jim Amon, who raised concerns about issues he has brought to the attention of state police to no avail. Mr. Matheny also noted a recent complaint from the baseball league about someone with pornography on the municipal fields, noting that the police advised that they could not do anything about it. Mr. Matheny has been in contact with Kingwood Station Commander Skelton, who will investigate these complaints. Some comments were exchanged about the police comments made to both Mr. Ammon and the baseball representative about their inability to assist. Mr. Matheny faxed the D & R Greenways letter to Commander Skelton for follow up. A question was raised about the police officer previously assigned to East Amwell Township; a community police officer has not been assigned for about three years.

Mr. Matheny explained that he is in close contact with Commander Skelton about East Amwell Township concerns, and therefore it is not necessary for a State Police representative to come to meetings to report items unless there's a special need.

Mr. Tatsch called Mr. Amon, and he left a message to have Mr. Amon alert Mr. Matheny about any specific information he had on the police officer who communicated with him. Mr. Tatsch suggested installing a sign, which read "This site is under surveillance," similar to signs installed near the Meszaros property; he felt that this might be a deterrent to vandals. Discussing this with D & R Greenways might be a possibility.

4) Historic Preservation Committee and Stormwater Management Ad Hoc Committee Secretarial Positions: Mr. Matheny reminded the governing body that these positions were discussed at budget meetings, and there was a consensus to hire at that time. He has not yet attempted to fill the positions, and he asked whether to proceed now or wait until budget adoption. There was coverage at a recent meeting (Stormwater Management) with secretarial support.

Mr. Tatsch commented on the recently expanded activities of the Historic Preservation Committee, noting their "dynamic" nature and attempts at getting a lot of things done in the future, e.g., grants, cataloguing the Quick collection, etc. Mr. Tatsch would like to see a secretary hired using the temporary funding in the budget. Mr. Kneski agreed, noting that the position may be filled in the $16 - 20 range; Mr. Matheny explained that the $16.00 range is only for substitute secretarial help if this amount exceeds the employee's current salary, and secretarial rate may be a lower figure.

While there has been some interest expressed in positions, Mr. Matheny stated that the jobs would be posted in the usual way. Mrs. Stahl asked the Township Committee to confirm that the intent is to hire both the Historic Preservation and Stormwater Management secretaries at this time; the governing body confirmed this.

5) Increased Liability Coverage for Public Officials: Mr. Matheny referenced a recent MEL notice about the availability of increased public officials' liability from $2,000,000 with up to $4,000,000 in excess up to $6,000,000 with up to $10,000,000 in excess. The premium for the increased coverage would $4,049. Some discussion took place, and it was agreed that the current coverage would be sufficient.

UPDATE ON MUNICIPAL EMAIL SYSTEM

Mr. Martin stated that he has received information from Jim Stahl, which was valuable. Mr. Martin provided a PowerPoint hand-out outlining the current situation, need, options, selection, and implementation. He outlined the following points: Township Committee members and boards use home or office base-email, and personal web based storage may be lost; personal and office email is still subject to OPRA; the use of office email may violate company IT policy; the current Township email service is stored on a Township server, not web-based; email needs include compliance with OPRA, must meet document retention policies; ability for remote access is beneficial, and an inexpensive solution is important.

Mr. Martin outlined potential web-based programs, i.e., Zoho Office Suite (not an elaborate system); Zimbra, which is a Yahoo program; and MS Office Live (new, but not favorably reviewed). Mr. Martin explained that Google Apps is from a leading search firm, provides 6.5GB per person, has POP Outlook compatibility, allows custom email (i.e., maintain the current eastamwelltownship.com domain), and provides educational/government versions free of charge (i.e., ads can be turned off). Google Apps has many features, is free, and is easy to implement. It includes remote email, Outlook compatibility, calendars, sharing and collaboration, and a large amount of storage. Premier editions of the program are available, which allow for policy management and message recovery.

Mr. Martin spoke about implementation, suggesting that a vendor be hired to set up the system, which would cost from $100 - 500. The development of a scope document should be done prior to hiring the vendor, i.e., what is it that we want, do we want to use a group account as a secondary backup onto the Township server, etc. Mr. Martin commented on the fact that the email would not be private if located on an outside server (Google), but materials are OPRA material already. He also cautioned that if Google went down, the system would go down, and the Township would depend on Google's storage availability.

Mr. Martin suggested that Mr. Matheny look for a vendor from the list he provided.

Some discussion took place about setting up the Township Committee members with email addresses similar to the current staff addresses, e.g., llenox@eastamwelltownship.com. Once the email system is set up, the governing body would exclusively use the Township system for all Township matters (i.e., not home or office accounts). Mr. Martin stated that access would be through the Google Apps site, providing a sign in section and a web page area with mail, a calendar, etc. Google Apps can also use the POP account to download to Outlook for copying onto the Township server and on individual computers. For OPRA requests, one could access the Google server, with Mr. Martin noting that Google has pioneered great search engines. He concluded that many large companies use the service, and it eliminates having email on desktops anymore.

The Township Committee commended Mr. Martin for his research and presentation.

Further discussion included the following highlights: there is capability for up to 50 email accounts with the free version; the Premier version can include additional accounts at a cost for each account; Google has a spam filter, but the Premier version would include Postini, which is a more refined system; Mr. Tatsch commented on using AOL, which also provides free anti-virus and anti-spam programs and filters, which are effective; all agreed that spam was impossible to eliminate entirely, and it was still necessary to go into spam mail to retrieve email correspondence which erroneously ended up there.

The Township Committee members agreed that they would like to start with the free government version program of Google Apps, adding the Township Committee members as account users and along with the staff. If the need exceeds the capabilities, funding for the Premier version could be done in next year's budget. Staging and adding more users, including eventual access to boards will be considered.

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RESOLUTION #41-08

BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Committee of the Township of East Amwell that they hereby authorize Township Administrator Timothy Matheny to obtain quotes and consider options for the implementation of the Google Apps email system at this time.

By Order of the Township Committee,

____________________________

C. Larry Tatsch, Mayor

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Motion by Mr. Kneski, seconded by Mr. Martin, and it was carried unanimously to approve the resolution.

BUDGET UPDATE AND STATUS OF APPROPRIATION REQUESTS

Mr. Tatsch commented on the correspondence received from the Amwell Valley-Ringoes Rescue Squad, noting that there is still turmoil in the organization. It was unclear if they would be a "final version" of a report about the status; Mr. Tatsch stated that the governing body will be considering this when they discuss the budget at the next meeting.

Mr. Tatsch also outlined his recent discussions with Treasurer Luhrs on budget reductions with "the least harm." He also spoke with Mr. Matheny, Mr. Howell, and Engineer O'Neal about the scope of the Back Brook Road project; it was concluded that in meeting the intent of the grant application, Mr. O'Neal is comfortable with reducing the figure to $50,000. Mr. Howell also noted that he would be able to do the patching work on Lindbergh Road and other roads with a budgeted amount of $50,000.

Mr. Tatsch said that the state budget cuts would have to be taken into account, and he mentioned a cut in the amount of $9,000, which is one-half of a percentage point in the budget. Mr. Tatsch would still like to see the budget introduced below a 2 percent increase.

NEW BUSINESS

RAFFLE LICENSE #08-02 AND #08-03 FOR COOPERATIVE HOUSING CORPORATION The Cooperative Housing Corporation is holding two drawings at The Ridge at Back Brook on June 23, 2008, for a 50-50 cash prize and for four tickets to a Yankee's game.

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RESOLUTION #42-08

BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Committee of the Township of East Amwell that they hereby support the fund-raising efforts of Cooperative Housing Corporation, 62 East High Street, Somerville, NJ 08876; and

WHEREAS, the Corporation has made application to hold an off premises 50/50 raffle and a raffle for four tickets to the Yankees’ game on June 23, 2008, at 3:00 p.m. at the The Ridge at Back Brook, 211 Wertsville Road, Ringoes, NJ 08551;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Committee of the Township of East Amwell, that raffle license number #RA-08-02 and #RA-08-03 be approved and processed.

By Order of the Township Committee,

_____________________________

C. Larry Tatsch, Mayor

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Motion by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Martin, and it was carried unanimously to approve the resolution.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Andrea Bonette, 17 Ridge Road, referred the Township Committee to her lengthy report on the official newspaper, which was listed as correspondence. She was uncertain how Maria Andrews got her Trenton Times circulation figures for Hopewell, and she speculated that it was because there is a circulation distribution list in the Hopewell zip code, which includes Hopewell and Pennington, and this may be the 2,000 figure. Mrs. Bonette still held to the belief that the Newark Star Ledger is the newspaper delivered to more municipal residences.

Mrs. Bonette outlined her recent inquiry about a road crew matter, with the following highlights: she contacted Mr. Kneski, Mr. Matheny, and Mayor Tatsch; on 1/29 she saw two trucks and a loader on Mountain Road; Mr. Fiscor (who owns property previously belonging to Charles and Ruth West) has giant logs appearing and disappearing on his property, in the vicinity of where the front loaders; she emailed Mr. Matheny, who commented on not having tax payers police staff and asked for specific information; she felt that she had asked a straight forward question; she came to the last meeting and obtained a copy of the road report, which indicated that the employees were in the grit yard and municipal building on that date, which puzzled her more; Mr. Matheny answered that the crew were on Mountain Road to remove a dead tree by the road before it took out power; she was unable to locate the stump or cut up tree. Mrs. Bonette concluded that her questions were 1) Where is the tree and stump? 2) Why is the road log different? 3) Is there a policy if a tree is causing a danger, i.e., did a resident call or did the crew notice the tree? 4) Why was she not able to get the initial information of where the crew was working?

Mr. Tatsch said that he would not be answering right now, but he invited Mrs. Bonette to stay at the meeting.

Motion by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Martin, and carried unanimously to close to the public.

Mr. Tatsch wished to discuss the appropriateness of asking a staff member on what time and date there was an occurrence. As an example, he asked Mr. Matheny where he was at 9 a.m. nine days ago; Mr. Matheny could not answer. He then asked Ms. Lenox what she was doing in her barn at 6:30 a.m. on a particular date, and she was able to recall what she was doing.

Mr. Tatsch explained that it was unfair to pose open-ended questions, noting that staff could answer incorrectly and cause more questions. Mr. Tatsch further commented, with the following highlights: he found Mrs. Bonette's line of questioning disingenuous about making up stories and he commented on her looking for a stump. Mr. Tatsch commended the road crew for being observant and having the fore-sight to remove the tree before it caused damage to power lines and possibly averting injuries and accidents. Once the appropriate questions were asked, Mrs. Bonette was provided with information she requested, and he did not want any more searching on this issue. Mr. Tatsch said that the Township Committee encourages residents to ask questions, and if inappropriate activities take place, e.g., seeing employees gathering at a donut shop, action will take place. Mr. Tatsch stated that appropriate questions will be answered honestly and truthfully.

Mr. Tatsch concluded that no further information is necessary on this topic, and the governing body agreed.

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS

TREASURER LUHRS provided the bills of the evening. Motion by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and it was carried unanimously to approve the bills of the evening.

Treasurer's Resolutions:

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RESOLUTION #43-08

WHEREAS, certain Capital appropriation ordinances have funding that are no longer necessary;

WHEREAS, it is necessary to formally cancel said balances;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Township Committee of the Township of East Amwell, County of Hunterdon, State of New Jersey, that the following unexpended balances be canceled:

Amount Cancel to:

Ordinance 03-17 Reiter $56,900.53 Deferred Charge to Future

Taxation - Unfunded

By Order of the Township Committee,

____________________________

C. Larry Tatsch, Mayor

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Motion by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Martin, and it was carried unanimously to approve the resolution.

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RESOLUTION #44-08

WHEREAS, The State of New Jersey has passed the following legislation-Chapter 54, P.L. 1995-Developer Escrow Statute Amendments, effective September 13, 1995; and

WHEREAS, to comply with N.J.S.A. 40:55D-53.2 the Municipality must adopt a schedule of the fees and charges of all professionals whose services might be charged to developers;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Township Committee of the Township of East Amwell that the following fees and charges of professionals are:

Zoning Board of Adjustment and Planning Board

Engineer-Hopewell Valley Engineering, P.C.-See Attached Sheet

Planner-Banisch Associates Inc. – See Attached Sheet

Storm Water Management Consulting, LLC $160.00 per hour

Zoning Board of Adjustment Attorney

Trisha Waterbury, Esq. $155.00 per meeting

$155.00 per hour other work

Planning Board Attorney

Christopher Norman, Esq $600.00 per meeting up to 11PM

$100.00 per hour after 11 PM

$135.00 per hour other work

By Order of the Township Committee,

__________________________

C. Larry Tatsch, Mayor

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Motion by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and it was carried unanimously to approve the resolution.

Tax Collector's Resolutions:

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RESOLUTION #45-08

WHEREAS the Tax Collector of East Amwell Township has been shown proof and in accordance with the Tax Assessor agrees that Raymond Johnson, owner of Block 21, Lot 19.02 in the Township of East Amwell, is totally and permanently disabled as a result of service to the United States, and has been so declared by the Veteran’s Administration; and

WHEREAS in accordance with N.J.S.A. 54: 4-3.32, the governing body of any municipality may refund the amount of taxes collected on any property which would have been exempt from taxation if proper claim in writing had been timely made; and,

WHEREAS Mr. Johnson has been declared totally and permanently disabled since August 20^th, 2007, and has only received such notification on December 12^th, 2007 from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Township Committee of the Township of East Amwell, County of Hunterdon, State of New Jersey that Mr. Johnson’s property be exempted from all property taxes from the date of his total and permanent disability, August 20^th 2007, and that the $3,835.20 which has been paid in taxes since August 20^th, 2007 be returned to Mr. Johnson; and,

BE IT FURTHURMORE RESOLVED that the property be tax exempt as long as it is owned and occupied by Raymond Johnson or by his surviving spouse in accordance with the continuance of the right to exemption.

By Order of the Township Committee,

____________________________

C. Larry Tatsch, Mayor

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RESOLUTION #46-08

WHEREAS there had been an overpayment for 1^st Quarter 2008 taxes for Block 35.01, lot 8.01 Q0301, assessed to Salvatore and Deborah Lentine and,

WHEREAS this amount of $28.99 has been requested by them for refund,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Treasurer is authorized to prepare and mail a check in the amount of $28.99 be refunded to them.

By Order of the Township Committee,

____________________________

C. Larry Tatsch, Mayor

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Motion by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and the motion was carried unanimously to approve the resolutions.

CORRESPONDENCE

Mr. Tatsch strongly disapproved of Assemblyman Doherty's 2/22 request for support of A-1880, which would require voter approval of all bond debt at the municipal and county level. He commented on the municipality's ability to have public comment on all ordinances, and he provided specific examples of adhering to the public concerns (e.g., not adopting a tree ordinance and sending it back to committee). If the public does not like a municipal budget, governing body members would not be re-elected, i.e., there was a direct connection from the budget to a bond ordinance to the appointment of public officials. Mr. Tatsch commented that this is not so at the state level, indicating that despite constitutional requirements to vote on budgets, the state has a $58,000,000,000 deficit and has unfunded pensions and insurance problems. He asked the governing body to authorize a letter to be sent in opposition to the bill.

Motion by Mr. Martin, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and it was carried unanimously to prepare Mr. Tatsch's response letter of opposition on letterhead for distribution.

Mr. Tatsch sent an email to Tara Sheperd at Hunterdon Area Rural Transit indicating that East Amwell Township would participate in a special workshop with NJ DOT representatives to discuss Safe Routes to School grant funding. He suggested sending either the Township Engineer or Planner to the meeting.

Mr. Kneski will not be able to attend the East Amwell Township School's Read Across America Day next week. Mr. Tatsch and Mr. Matheny will be present.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, a motion was made by Mr. Martin, seconded by Ms. Lenox, and it was carried unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m.

_______________________________

Teresa R. Stahl, RMC/CMC

Municipal Clerk