Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Monday's 4 p.m. deadline passes with no word from Democrats
A pair of Republican incumbents filed by Monday's 4 p.m. deadline to run in their party's primary election for two, three-year terms on the Township Committee, township officials said. No Democrat filed to run in that party's Primary, according to the clerk's office. Incumbents Clinton Hoffman and Jeffrey Foster filed to run in the GOP Primary election by Monday's 4 p.m. deadline. They will be unopposed within their own party for the chance to run in the November election.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Ordinance gets unanimous approval
The Township Committee at its regular meeting on Wednesday adopted an ordinance allowing its volunteer boards and committees to boot absentee members. The vote was 4-0 in favor of the measure, which sets minimum attendence standards for its volunteer boards and committees, such ast the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Adjustment. Committeeman Clinton Hoffman was absent. The measure requires that volunteer members of municipal panels must attend 65 percent of the scheduled meetings in any calendar year or face expulsion by a two-thirds majority vote by that panel, the ordinance says. There was no discussion among committee members before the vote. It is a measure that the committee had been mulling since January, when talk of creating an …
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Committee assignments for each of the Township Committee members
Each Township Committee member does more than the couple of hours a week for public meetings. Each is assigned to sit on various boards and sub-committees, giving each a particular sphere of influence in town. Committee assignments are made at the pleasure of the Mayor and are fixed at each year’s organization meeting. The following assignments are for the 2013 calendar year: Mayor Todd Luttman: Chair, Administration & Finance; Chair, Tax Collection & Tax Assessor; Member, Planning Board; Liaison to Board of Education. Deputy Mayor Clinton Hoffman: Deputy Chair, Administration & Finance; Deputy Chair, Tax Collector & Tax Assessor; member, Recreation Committee; Member, Environmental Advisory Committee; Member, Planning Board. …
Friday, January 4, 2013
Township Committee hires $680,000 in lawyers, engineers and planners at Wednesday’s meeting
Each new year brings a new mayor and a new deputy mayor, but much of the administration of the town remains the same. The lawyers, engineers and planners who handle some critical functions of the town are independent contractors, paid for with your tax money and hired by those you elected to make the right decisions. At this week’s organization meeting of the Township Committee, the governing body, by unanimous vote, hired $679,500 worth of contractors in 19 positions to augment the salaried staff positions helping to keep the town running. Some of these positions provide specific expertise unavailable from the town’s payroll; others are on stand-by, in case they’re needed. The following is a list of the people in those positions, in no …
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Todd W. Luttman sworn in as Wall's mayor; Clinton Hoffman named Deputy Mayor
Amid well-wishes and accolades, Committeeman Todd W. Luttman became Wall Township’s newest mayor Wednesday at the Township Committee’s organization meeting. Luttman, who was elected to serve a second term on the five-member Committee in November’s election, began his fourth year on the dais at the helm of the governing body after a short swearing-in ceremony. A unanimous vote of the governing body assured Luttman, last years’ deputy mayor, would hold the township’s top elected spot. Committeewoman Ann Marie Conte made the motion nominating Luttman. Committeeman George Newberry seconded it. The vote was unanimous. State Assemblyman Dave Rible administered the oath of office to Luttman, who stood flanked by his daughter, Emily, and wife, …
Monday, October 8, 2012
Committeeman George Newberry lets loose frustration at the utility company during workshop meeting
Committeeman George Newberry at a recent workshop session of the Township Committee let loose a barrage of scathing criticisms of Jersey Central Power & Light after a representative from the company finished a short talk about steps the utility is making to improve communication with its customers. Pete Johner, a JCP&L representative, touted improved website capability for customers of the utility to report power outages and see where power has been lost, as well as new avenues of communication to municipalities in his 15-minute talk. But Newberry, a longtime electrical contractor and volunteer firefighter, was not impressed. Newberry said JCP&L’s infrastructure was failing, its maintenance was lacking and its response to problems is …
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012 committee meeting in numbers
The Township Committee met Wednesday for its regular meeting. Here are some numerical highlights: Police Officers promoted: 3 "No'' votes cast by committee members: 0 Money borrowed in adopted bond ordinance: $1.6 million Average tax increase under 2012 budget: About $60 Local bills introduced: 4 Resolutions passed: 27 Overall 2012 municipal budget: $34,828,782.70 Proclamations: 1 Amount Water/Sewer bills will increase under new local legislation (if adopted): 3.5 percent These items and more will be explored by Wall Patch. Please do check back for updates.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Township Committee meeting shortest in recent memory
Ten minutes. Ten minutes from start to finish. That's all it took to go from flag salute to the final motion to adjourn at Wednesday's Township Committee meeting. Two ordinances introduced. Twenty-seven resolutions approved. A handful of unanimous votes. One public speaker. Done. Members of the committee could scarcely believe it themselves. Typically, meetings run hours, not minutes. Mayor Jeffrey Foster pointed out to the rest of the committee the elapsed time from start to finish. Others, both on the dais and off commented about the quickness. The agenda was full, however. In those three unanimous votes, the committee introduced a pair of ordinances that would accept a donation of 2.7 acres of land and set the salaries of municipal …
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
20-year veteran offers six months notice to allow "seamless transition"
The Wall Township Committee will face a significant challenge in 2012 as it seeks to replace retiring municipal Administrator Joseph Verruni. Verruni informed the mayor and governing body of his intention to retire June 1, 2012, in a letter dated Dec. 27. The longtime administrator, who will be starting his 20th year in Wall, said in an interview that while "public service is very rewarding," he is "looking forward to a new chapter in his life. "I have not come to this decision without considerable reflection," he wrote Mayor Ann Marie Conte and the Township Committee. "The employees and professional staff I have had the privilege to serve with have made my job enjoyable and fulfilling," he wrote. Committeeman Clinton Hoffman said it will …
Friday, October 28, 2011
DOT says it would reconsider offers to restaurant for leasing, purchasing land along Route 35
The long saga of the Exit 98 restaurant and its troubles with the DOT may be headed toward a resolution. Township Committeeman Clint Hoffman has gotten the state Department of Transportation to take another look at its offer to a local restaurant owner who has been battling with the agency over parking lot access. Hoffman at the Township Committee’s workshop meeting Wednesday said the DOT was willing to reconsider its proposal to Exit 98 owner Jeff Woszczak for leasing or buying a stretch of land that used to be his parking lot but was reclaimed by the agency during a Route 35 road-widening project last December. Representatives from the DOT met with Hoffman recently at the restaurant, near the Route 35 traffic circle, and told the …
Joseph Higgins
10:25 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
These are the type of things that when the average person reads them is stunned by the simplicity of it. Have we really reached the point where we have to pass around an attendance sheet to see if people are actually doing their job? Whether a paid position or volunteered, if a commitment is made it should be followed through. It shouldn't be just another line on a resume. more ›