Township Council Work Session

The Work Session of the Township Council of the Township of Vernon was convened at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 10, 2014 in the Vernon Municipal Center, 21 Church Street, Vernon, New Jersey with Council President Brian Lynch presiding.

Statement of Compliance

Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the public and was posted in the Municipal Building and of the web site on February 2, 2014, in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, N.J.S.A. 10:4-6.

Salute to the Flag

Council President Lynch stated he would like to dispense with the salute to the flag until the public session.
Motion: Patrick Rizzuto
Second: Dick Wetzel

A roll call vote was taken:
Ayes: Dan Kadish, Jean Murphy, Patrick Rizzuto, Dick Wetzel, Brian Lynch
Nays: None

Public Comments

Council President Lynch asked for a motion to open the meeting for public comments.
Motion: Dan Kadish
Second: Patrick Rizzuto
All members were in favor.

Jackie Espinoza, from Jersey Central Power and Light Company—she wanted to introduce herself as the new contact person between the municipality and JCP&L, she works out of Newton, New Jersey.

Closed to Public Comments

Seeing no one else from the public wishing to speak, Council President Lynch asked for a motion to close the public portion of the meeting.
Motion: Dan Kadish
Second: Patrick Rizzuto
All members were in favor.

Items for Discussion

2014 Capital Budget

Fire Departments

Council President Lynch spoke about the Fire Department’s turn-out gear and especially the expiration dates of the gear. Mr. Lynch commended Mayor Marotta for taking care of replacing the gear in advance of any problems.

Mayor Marotta reported that he has scheduled a meeting with the ambulance squads and will discuss their needs at that time.

Council President Lynch questioned the Road Department’s equipment needs. Mayor Marotta said that five plowing trucks are not in service at this time due to various issues. The Mayor also said the Road Department is short on employees, there used to be 29 employees and now there are 24.

A discussion ensued about the need for a street sweeper. The Mayor said the sweeper we owned was not fixable, so one was rented, however, during the oil and stone work in Cliffwood Lake, the rented sweeper broke down, so that project was not completed. One of the sweepers that are being looked into for purchasing also doubles as a vacuum truck.

Weapons for the Police Department were discussed.

A discussion ensued about the band shell at Maple Grange Park. Council Member Murphy questioned if there were any grants that could be sought out for the band shell. Council Member Rizzuto said that having the band shell would be an amenity for the community.

Council Member Murphy questioned the salt usage for the roads. The Mayor said the cost is averaged out and it is based on previous years’ usage. The Mayor explained that two suppliers are out of grit, however, there are other suppliers that we use, and grit is available. The Mayor explained the Municipal Services Act for the Lake Communities, which is in our budget.

There was a discussion about road improvements and also the score board at the ball field.

Adjournment

There being no further items of business to be conducted on the Work Session Meeting agenda, a motion for Adjournment was made by Council Member Dan Kadish. Motion seconded by Council Member Patrick Rizzuto with all members voting in favor.

The Work Session of the Township Council of the Township of Vernon was adjourned at 6:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Bates,
Deputy Municipal Clerk

Minutes approved: April 14, 2014