Mayor Jeff Foster Presides At Last Meeting

Mayor Jeffrey Foster presided over his last meeting at the helm of the governing body Wednesday as members of the Township Committee thanked him for his leadership in the past year.

Wednesday’s meeting of the Township Committee was the final public business meeting of the year. The committee form of government under which Wall Township is organized chooses a member of the committee to serve as mayor for a period of one year.

In a short speech at the end of Wednesday’s meeting, Foster said he was proudest of the committee’s effort to save a 32-acre plot of farmland from future development, keeping it in the township’s cache of for open space.  He also thanked the numerous township employees and the Department of Public Works for their efforts in cleanup after the recent storm damage.

“I want to thank the members of the committee for allowing me to serve as mayor,’’ Foster said. “It has been an honor.’’

In other events, the committee by a unanimous vote adopted:

• .
• Local legislation regulating the planting of bamboo and other invasive plants on residential property.
• An ordinance changing the zoning of two lots on Route 35 – 1840 an 1844 Route 35, respectively – allowing businesses of 80,000 square feet, down from the 200,000 square feet previously allowed.
• An ordinance codifying the salaries of municipal employees for the 2013-14 year.

It also adopted three resolutions aimed at Jersey Central Power & Light’s response to Hurricane Sandy and the following nor’easter.  The vote for those also was unanimous.