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TOWNSHIP MEETING MINUTES
APRIL 18, 2007
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OXFORD TOWNSHIP
TOWNSHIP MEETING
APRIL 18, 2007
The regular scheduled meeting of the Mayor and
Committee of the Township of Oxford was held on
April 18, 2007 in the Township Municipal Building,
11 Green Street, Oxford, New Jersey.
Mayor Lazorisak announced that the meeting had been
properly advertised in compliance with the OPMA of
1975 and called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM.
In attendance were Alex Lazorisak, N. Angelo
Accetturo, Bonnie Riley, Michael Finelli, Michael
Lavery and Sheila L. Oberly.
Everyone stood and recited the flag salute.
Mr. Lazorisak stated that the tax, sewer, and
treasurer’s reports are available to the public.
The Committee reviewed the township budget and on
motion by Mr. Accetturo, seconded by Mrs. Riley and
passed unanimously on roll call vote, the 2007
Township Budget was introduced.
Barbara Riethmuller, Lake Director informed the
Committee that the roof on the refreshment stand at
the Oxford Furnace Lake needs to be repaired. The
Committee authorized Lou Accetturo, DPW Supervisor
to inspect the roof and make the necessary
repairs. She also notified the Committee that this
would be her last year as Lake Director.
On motion by Mrs. Riley seconded by Mr. Accetturo
and passed unanimously on roll call vote to raise
the membership fees for the Oxford Lake for the 2007
season.
On motion by Mr. Accetturo, seconded by Mr.
Lazorisak and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to approve the March 19, 20, 21, 2007 minutes.
RESOLUTION 2007-25
RESOLUTION REQUESTING APPROVAL FOR AN INCREASE
IN THE PETTY CASH FUND FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO
$625.00
WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:5-21 authorizes the
establishment of a Petty Cash Fund for the Police
Department of the Township of Oxford; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Committee to
increase the petty cash fund for the Police
Department to $625.00,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Committee of
the Township of Oxford, County of Warren, State of
New Jersey as follows:
1. Donna E. Lamonaco, Police Secretary, be and is
hereby appointed custodian of the petty cash and is
authorized and permitted to establish a Petty Cash
Fund in the amount not to exceed $625.00 pursuant to
the provision of
N.J.S.A. 40A:5-21. Said Petty Cash Fund will be used
by such office or department to pay claims for small
miscellaneous expenses not to exceed $50.00.
2. Donna E. Lamonaco, Police Secretary having
custody of the Fund, is bonded by a Faithful
Performance Bond of $75,000 and will maintain said
Fund in accordance with the laws and regulations
governing its operation.
Resolution 2007-25 To Increase the Petty Cash Fund
for the Police Dept. to $625.00 was approved on
motion by Mr. Accetturo seconded by Mr. Lazorisak
and passed unanimously on roll call vote.
RESOLUTION 2007-26
CANCELLING OUTSTANDING CHECKS ON THE FINANCIAL
RECORDS OF OXFORD TOWNSHIP COURT
WHEREAS, several old checks remain outstanding on
the financial records of the Municipal Court of the
Township of Oxford, and
WHEREAS, formal action is needed to cancel these
checks.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Township
Committee of the Township of Oxford that the Chief
Financial Officer is hereby authorized to cancel the
following outstanding checks:
Check # Amount
1009 11.00
1010 46.00
1011 1.00
1015 34.00
1016 34.00
1019 34.00
1021 5.00
1025 6.00
1028 34.00
1043 3.00
1047 56.00
1078 1.00
1079 3.00
1082 1.00
1085 4.00
1090 1.00
1091 8.00
1092 3.00
1130 10.00
1131 1.00
1145 3.00
1149 4.00
1150 277.00
1178 2.00
1179 5.00
1183 4.00
1189 11.00
1195 7.00
1196 2.00
$611.00
Resolution 2007-26 Canceling Outstanding Checks on
the Financial Records of Oxford Township Court was
approved on motion by Mr. Accetturo, seconded by
Mrs. Riley and passed unanimously on roll call vote.
RESOLUTION 2007-27
WHEREAS, regulations of the State of New Jersey
provide for the deferral of school taxes in an
amount not to exceed fifty percent of the annual
school tax levy when such taxes are raised on a
fiscal year basis (school year July 1 through June
30); and
WHEREAS, said taxes subject to deferral have not
been requisitioned by or paid to the school
district: and
WHEREAS, it is the desire and intent of the
governing body of the Township of Oxford, County of
Warren, to avail the Township of the deferral as
permitted by regulations promulgated by the Local
Finance Board, Division of Local Government
Services, New Jersey Department of Community
Affairs:
WHEREAS, fifty percent of the school tax levy of the
Oxford School District is $1,518,446.00
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and
Committee of the Township of Oxford, County of
Warren, hereby authorize the Chief Financial Officer
of the Township to defer $1,138,834.50 of school
taxes as permitted by the aforementioned regulation;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that certified copies of
this resolution be forwarded to the Chief Financial
Officer of the Township and the Director of the
Division of Local Government Services, Department of
Community Affairs.
Resolution 2007-27 Deferral of School Taxes was
approved on motion by Mrs. Riley, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote.
RESOLUTION 2007-28
WHEREAS, the Township of Oxford desires to
anticipate as an item of general revenue with prior
written consent of the Director of Local Government
Services in the amount
of $1,615.29 and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Governing Body of
the Township of Oxford that the prior written
consent of the Director of Local Government Services
be requested
to include as an item of general revenue in the 2007
Budget under the following caption:
Drunk Driving Enforcement Fund-2006 Revenue
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that TWO certified copies of
this Resolution be forwarded to the Office of the
Director of Local Government Services
Resolution 2007-28 Item of General Revenue-Drunk
Driving Enforcement Fund-$1,615.29 was approved on
motion by Mrs. Riley seconded by Mr. Accetturo and
passed unanimously on roll call vote.
RESOLUTION 2007-29
WHEREAS, the Township of Oxford desires to
anticipate as an item of general revenue with prior
written consent of the Director of Local Government
Services in the amount of $331.81 and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Governing Body of
the Township of Oxford that the prior written
consent of the Director of Local Government Services
be requested to include as an item of general
revenue in the 2007 Budget under the following
caption:
Recycling Tonnage Grant-2006 Reserve
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that TWO certified copies of
this Resolution be forwarded to the Office of the
Director of Local Government Services
Resolution 2007-29 Item of General Revenue-Recycling
Tonnage Grant- $331.81was approved on motion by Mr.
Accetturo seconded by Mrs. Riley and passed
unanimously
on roll call vote.
RESOLUTION 2007-30
WHEREAS, the Township of Oxford desires to
anticipate as an item of general revenue with prior
written consent of the Director of Local Government
Services in the amount
of $ 353.71 and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Governing Body of
the Township of Oxford that the prior written
consent of the Director of Local Government Services
be requested to include as an item of general
revenue in the 2007 Budget under the following
caption:
Alcohol Education & Rehabilitation Fund-2006 Reserve
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that TWO certified copies of
this Resolution be forwarded to the Office of the
Director of Local Government Services
Resolution 2007-30 Item of General Revenue-Alcohol
Education & Rehabilitation Fund- $353.71 was
approved on motion by Mr. Accetturo seconded by Mrs.
Riley and passed unanimously on roll call vote.
RESOLUTION 2007-31
WHEREAS, the Township of Oxford desires to
anticipate as an item of general revenue with prior
written consent of the Director of Local Government
Services in the amount
of $4,000.00 and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Governing Body of
the Township of Oxford that the prior written
consent of the Director of Local Government Services
be requested to include as an item of general
revenue in the 2007 Budget under the following
caption:
Clean Communities Program
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that TWO certified copies of
this Resolution be forwarded to the Office of the
Director of Local Government Services
Resolution 2007-31 Item of General Revenue-Clean
Communities Program-$4,000.00 was approved on motion
by Mrs. Riley seconded by Mr. Accetturo and passed
unanimously on roll call vote.
RESOLUTION 2007-32
WHEREAS, the Township of Oxford desires to
anticipate as an item of general revenue with prior
written consent of the Director of Local Government
Services in the amount of $2,109.50 and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Governing Body of
the Township of Oxford that the prior written
consent of the Director of Local Government Services
be requested to include as an item of general
revenue in the 2007 Budget under the following
caption:
Municipal Alliance-2006 Reserve
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that TWO certified copies of
this Resolution be forwarded to the Office of the
Director of Local Government Services.
Resolution 2007-32 Item of General Revenue-Municipal
Alliance $2,109.50 was approved on motion by Mrs.
Riley, seconded by Mr. Accetturo and passed
unanimously on roll call vote.
RESOLUTION 2007-33
WHEREAS, the Township of Oxford desires to
anticipate as an item of general revenue with prior
written consent of the Director of Local Government
Services in the amount of $500.00 and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Governing Body of
the Township of Oxford that the prior written
consent of the Director of Local Government Services
be requested to include as an item of general
revenue in the 2007 Budget under the following
caption:
Body Armor Fund-2006 Reserve
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that TWO certified copies of
this Resolution be forwarded to the Office of the
Director of Local Government Services
Resolution 2007-33 Item of General Revenue-Body
Armor Fund $500.00 was approved on motion by Mr.
Accetturo, seconded by Mrs. Riley and passed
unanimously
on roll call vote.
Ordinance 2007-04 Adopting a Redevelopment Plan for
the Oxford Textile Mill Redevelopment was read by
title on second reading and opened for public
comments. Ms. May asked questions about the next
steps for Oxford Textile and if there will be open
meetings on the progress of this development. . Mr.
Lavery stated that Department of Environmental
Protection’s jurisdiction and they will tell the
owner of the property what the restrictions are on
this property. The reports will be available to
the public under the Open Public Record Act when
completed. Mr. Lazorisak said that DEP and
Department Of Transportation are the two departments
that will dictate what can actually be done on the
Oxford Textile’s property. Mr. Lazorisak closed the
public
comment and on motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by
Mrs. Riley and passed unanimously on roll call vote,
Ordinance 2007-04 was approved.
On motion by Mrs. Riley, seconded by Mr. Accetturo
and passed unanimously on roll call vote to approve
Timothy McKimm, Jr.’s applications to the Oxford
Township Volunteer Fire Company and a blue light
permit.
The Oxford Furnace Young at Heart Club invited the
Committee to their 25th Anniversary picnic at Oxford
Furnace Lake on June 26, 2007 at 12:00 AM. On motion
by Mr. Accetturo, seconded by Mr. Lazorisak and
passed unanimously on roll call vote
to donate $300.00 to the Young at Heart Club for the
event.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to approve QC Labs contract for testing the water at
the Oxford Furnace Lake
for the year 2007.
Lou Accetturo gave a report on the sewer lines
downtown on Wall Street. He stated that he put dye
in the line at Oxwall and the line is connected to
the interceptor line which is owned by the county
and that is where we are getting the high flows.
Bill Gleda, Finelli Consulting will send letters to
all business owners on this street to make sure the
abandoned lines are capped off going to their
business. The owners will have thirty days
to notify the township if the lines are still
connected. He also received prices on supplies to
smoke the lines. The estimate is $1,700.00, plus
plugs ranging from 12” to 18” would roughly be
$1,000.00. The total estimate would be $3,500.00 for
the
equipment.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mrs. Riley
and passed unanimously on roll call vote to
authorize Lou Accetturo to spend up to $4,000.00 to
buy the equipment that he would need.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mrs. Riley
and passed unanimously on roll call vote to sign
Michael Lavery’s contract for 2007.
Mr. Finelli stated that an application for a grant
was received from NJDOT in reference to a grant for
the bikeways that is due by June 30, 2007. This
money would be for
bikeways around the ballfields.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to authorize the engineer to revise the grant
application and submit to the state.
Mr. Finelli discussed the requirements on the
Delaware River Basin Flood Mitigation Plan. He
suggested there is an advantage to being a part of
this. This allows the Township to piggyback on what
will be a much more comprehensive plan in the
relatively near future that the county is putting
together that is the All Hazardous Plan.This is also
for other disasters and the Township will reap the
benefits with being involved at the county level
with very limited cost to Oxford.
Mrs. Riley stated that he had a meeting with Bill
Gleba of Finelli Consulting and he will write
several proposals how to change the ordinance on the
sewer reevaluations. Any major corrections on any
billings will be sent out in the next seven days to
pick up the
past billings that were overlooked. There will be a
reevaluation on all commercial properties when the
new ordinance is approved.
Jersey Central Power and Light sent a letter to the
Mayor stating they will be trimming trees in town
but did not state when or where the trimming will be
done. The Mayor asked that the Clerk contact Hannah
Massaquoi, Area Manager and have her call the
Mayor to set up a meeting to discuss this letter.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Diane Hooper asked about the land by Cambridge East
and if the Township is going to develop this
property. Mr. Lazorisak said that the Township is
not pursuing this but is something that the Township
is looking at. If Oxford Textile does not go through
for any reason, this could be a back-up plan for a
tax ratable. He stated that with the Highlands,
there is only two pieces of property left in the
Township-Oxford Textile and Cambridge. The
professionals are starting to put together an RFP
but the first step is to send it to the State of New
Jersey to see if the project would be approved. If
the state approves it, then the Township would send
it out to developers to see if the project can
possibly be done on that piece and second if it is
feasible for the township. Based on primarily
reports from the Township Engineer there would be
approximately one hundred age-restricted units.
There were discussions on setbacks, property line,
the ball fields, tot lot, the design of the project
and etc. The Committee stated that nothing is in
writing and no decisions have been made for this
property.
The public comment was closed at 9:10 PM.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
WHEREAS, Section 8 of the Open Public Meeting Act,
Chapter 231, P.L. 1975, permits the exclusion of the
public from a meeting in certain circumstances, and
WHEREAS, this public body is of the opinion that
such circumstances presently exist.
1. The public shall be excluded from the discussion
of any action upon the hereinafter-specific subject
matter.
2. The general nature of the subject matter to be
discussed is pending litigation-(Oxwall Property),
contractual matter- (Oxtech) with the minutes made
available at such time the Township Committee
determines there is no danger to the Township by
disclosing those minutes.
3. It is anticipated at this time that the above
stated subject matter will be made public at the
conclusion of the litigation. The motion carried
with the following roll call vote.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to go into Executive Session at 9:10 PM.
The Committee entered into open session at 9:57 PM.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to authorize Michael Finelli to put together a
specification for a new Township Department of
Public Works truck and advertise in the bid spec in
the Star Gazette.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to authorize the Mayor to sign a release to
Municipal Excess Joint Liability Insurance Fund for
$5,000.00 for a claim arising out of an action
entitled Scott & Sharon McDonald v. Township of
Oxford and James & Alexandra Cannizzaro.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to send a letter to Anthony Fontana, New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection in support
for Convanta Warren Energy Resource Company’s permit
modification to allow for the added throughput
already approved and planned for in Warren County’s
Solid Waste Management Plan.
The following bills were held:
Schoor DePalma $
1,172.00
Schoor DePalma 9,763.00
Schoor DePalma 1,108.00
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to approve the remainder of the bills listed on the
April, 2007 Bill List.
On motion by Mr. Lazorisak, seconded by Mr.
Accetturo and passed unanimously on roll call vote
to adjourn the meeting at 10:10 PM.
_____________________________
Sheila L. Oberly, RMC |
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