A special meeting of the East Amwell Township Committee came to order at 7:15 PM. Present were Mayor Larry Tatsch, Deputy Mayor Linda Lenox, and Committee members Patricia Cregar and Peter Kneski. Committee member Timothy Martin and Township Administrator Timothy Matheny were absent.

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 December 23, 2008. The purpose of this meeting is to interview interested candidates for 2009 boards and committees. The public is invited to attend and comment. Action may or may not be taken.

John Hyland (Mountain Road) was interviewed for a position on the Planning Board.

Mayor Tatsch explained that the open position on the Planning Board is the Class I, Mayor or Mayor's Designee position, which is a one-year seat.

Mr. Hyland stated that he has lived in East Amwell for 23 years, was Zoning Officer 4.5 years ago, is interested in land use, and "finds it interesting work."

Mr. Tatsch asked Mr. Hyland's opinion about changing zoning; Mr. Hyland has no set agenda and thinks that "the present zoning seems to work well."

Mrs. Cregar asked about more structure; Mr. Hyland felt that it worked smoothly now.

Mr. Kneski asked if he had any input on zoning since Mr. Hyland had served as Zoning Officer; Mr. Hyland felt that some parts of the code were in conflict, and "there was no good solution." He stated that he served as zoning officer about 4 or 5 years ago. Some items of concern at that time were the lighting ordinance and conflicts in distance setbacks. Ms. Lenox noted that the lighting ordinance had been amended in the past, and Mr. Kneski stated that the conflicts may be common in zoning ordinances.

Mr. Tatsch asked Mr. Hyland about his opinion on open space; Mr. Hyland felt that the 15 acre zoning will keep open space. While it may hurt the tax base, he was "fine with the idea."

Mr. Kneski asked if Mr. Hyland would be able to attend the monthly meetings of a board; Mr. Hyland does not travel much and would be available.

Mr. Hyland had no further questions for the governing body.

Mr. Tatsch explained that the Township is considering other candidates also, and that reorganization is set for January 4. If he is given a seat, Mr. Hyland will be notified by the Clerk. Mr. Tatsch further explained that whether or not a seat is given to a candidate does not reflect on one's skills but on the selection process itself. The governing body thanked Mr. Hyland for his interest, and he left the meeting.

Mr. Tatsch explained that in 2006, he held the Mayor's Class I position on the Planning Board at a critical time, and there was not an extraordinary amount of work and time involved. He stated that the 2009 Mayor might want to take the position on the Planning Board and be involved with setting land policy.

It was noted that there are not many positions left on boards since most currently seated members plan on returning. There are some openings on the Recycling Committee and one alternate on the Board of Health. There may be an interested candidate for the Recreation Committee to interview.

Motion by Ms. Lenox, seconded by Mr. Kneski, and it was carried unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 7:30 p.m.

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Teresa R. Stahl, RMC/CMC

Municipal Clerk