The April 28, 2008 Township Committee minutes have been posted.

[Guest]

The April 28, 2008 Township Committee minutes have been posted.

http://www.cranburytownship.org/TC_minutes042808.pdf

"...
Mr. Stannard reported that on Friday, April 25, 2008, he and Mr. Wittman had toured the
PNC Bank Building on North Main Street and stated the building appears to be very sturdy as
well as dry.
...
ANNUAL SALARY RANGE

Minimum Salary
Maximum Salary

Mayor - Part Time
$5,000
$10,000
Township Committee - Part Time
$4,000
$8,000
Township Administrator - Full Time
$90,000
$130,000
Township Clerk/Registrar - Full Time
$45,000
$80,000
...
Cranbury Township Library 2007 Annual Report

Board of Trustees

• Approved the change from seven to eight Board members on Feb. 24, 2007.
• Financial Audit completed on May 18, 2008.
• Hired consultant to conduct a Library Service Assessment Study.

Staffing Changes

• Howard Zogott retired from the Director’s position after serving 8 years.
• Marilynn Mullen was chosen as the new Director to begin Jan. 2, 2008.
• Douglas Baldwin was hired as the System Administrator to begin Jan. 7, 2008.
• Library Assistant Celeste Greene resigned.
• Three Library Assistants were hired: Jeanne Negin, David Zebhur and Elyse Casimir
...

b). Report from Police Chief Jay Hansen on Police Department

Police Chief Jay Hansen gave the March report on the Police Department. Chief Hansen
reported the overtime for the month of March had been due primarily to schools and
training. Of the overtime amount, 40% was mandatory and 60% was for training of the
officers which was felt was absolutely necessary. The shift coverage was limited severely
and reported the Department is still within its budget and he intends it to be so for the
remainder of the year. Chief Hansen reported 274 summonses were issued. 129 –
Village Area, 132 – Route 130 and 13 - East of Route 130. Village Area – 64 speeding
and 65 moving violations, Route 130 – 4 speeding and 128 – other violations and East of
Route 130 – no speeding violations and 13 other violations. The officers were working
under an Aggressive Driver Patrol Grant and it turned in for what he considered a very
impressive number of summonses. Chief Hansen explained these grants are only issued
to police agencies that are pro-active and have demonstrated an ability to produce
substantial results. Chief Hansen added the new Traffic Safety Unit has very clearly
contributed to the project and it is unfortunate it will be cut by 50% when he retires due to
reduced personnel levels through attrition. Chief Hansen stated he hoped the Township
Committee would reconsider and keep the Traffic Safety Bureau fully staffed. During
March the officers ran radar posts on 112 occasions: Cranbury Neck Road -8, Dey
Road-6, Maplewood Avenue-8, North Main Street-19, Old Cranbury Road-5, Old Trenton
Road-10, Plainsboro Road-21, Route 130-18, South Main Street-10 and Station Road-5.
The bike patrol had been non-existent due to the weather and lack of manpower when
the weather was ok. Chief Hansen reported the Police Department had recently met with
Paul Adezio, Esquire, of Mason, Griffin & Pierson, Township Attorneys, in reference to
working on the truck parking issues and other possible ordinances to update the
Township Code. Mayor Stout asked who had awarded the Township the “Aggressive
Driver” grant. Chief Hansen responded that had been awarded by the State and that the
Township has recently received numerous grants through the hard work of Sgt. Frank
Dillane, the head of the Traffic Safety Bureau. Chief Hansen added, he is very pleased
with his work in securing the grants for the Township. Mr. Wittman asked the top
speeding violation in the Village area. Chief Hansen reported: South Main Street,
58 mph in a 40 mph, North Main Street, 58 mph in a 25 mph, Cranbury Neck Road, 48 mph
in a 25 mph, Plainsboro Road, three individuals were issued summonses for driving 53
mph in a 25 mph and on Route 130 a motorist was issued a summonses for driving 86
mph in a 55 mph.
...

Mr. Stannard, Report on Successful Candidate for Police Chief:

Mr. Stannard, liaison to the Police Department, announced Captain Edward Kahler had been
the successful candidate to fill the upcoming Chief of Police position when Chief Hansen retires
on May 31, 2008 after many years of dedicated service. The Township Committee considered
candidates with at least two-years of service to Cranbury Township with the rank of Sergeant or
above. Mr. Stannard stated the Township Committee will be formally appointing Mr. Kahler to the
position of Chief at its May 19,

2008 meeting and the appointment will be effective on June 1, 2008. Captain Kahler has served
on the Cranbury Township Police Department since 1986 to the present and prior to that, worked
for the Middlesex County College Police Department in Edison, New Jersey and had volunteered
as an Auxiliary Sergeant for South Brunswick Township. Captain Kahler also has a Bachelor’s
Degree in Criminal Justice from The College of New Jersey. Captain Kahler is well know in
Cranbury Township and frequently a guest speaker at the Lions, Fire Department, Boy Scouts,
Cub Scouts, the Cranbury PTO and the Cranbury Business Community. Mr. Stannard added, the
Township is fortunate to have Captain Kahler as its next Chief of Police.
...

Public Comment

The Mayor opened the meeting to public questions and comments on those items not on the
agenda.

Mr. Mark Berkowsky, representing Cranbury Housing Associates, stated he was speaking on the
Ordinance (04-08-11) which had been introduced earlier in the evening. Mr. Berkowsky indicated
there are many conditions in the ordinance he has concerns with and felt that trying to work with
this ordinance in place, once adopted, would be very difficult. Mr. Berkowsky asked that the
Township consider working with Cranbury Housing Associates to come up with a mutually
agreeable ordinance. There being no further comments, the Mayor closed the public part of the
meeting.

Mayor’s Notes

Mayor Stout re-iterated the Township Committee’s discussion of the PNC Bank Building will take
place on May 19, 2008 and not on May 12th as previously stated.

Mayor Stout reported when he had attended the New Jersey Conference of Mayors recently in
Atlantic City, he had been given a lot of information and was requested to hang a banner in the
Township by members of the A.B.A.T.E. (American Bikers Advocating Training and Education).
They are a group of motorcyclists who give presentations to schools and civic groups to make
everyone aware of motorcycle safety. A.B.A.T.E. had recently gotten the Governor to sign an
Executive Order Proclaiming May as “Motorcycle Awareness Month”. They asked Mayor Stout to
hang the banner, take a picture and send it to them. He recommended hanging the banner on the
fence at the Public Works Department Building on Dey Road. Mayor Stout added he was very
impressed with the group and their cause.
..."

[Guest]

"• Library Assistant Celeste Greene resigned. "

Sorry to "hear" that.

[Guest]

If I may. The arguement is that we are not going to need to hire new staff if the library moves to the PNC building. Yet, here we are in the "old" building. 1 assistant leaves and 3 are hired. Yet, we're to believe that the library will not add any new staff in a new building? Just seems that this 3-1 seems to go against the arguement the library is making.

[Guest]

The library can afford it because they have the extra money to spend. There is a 100 year old law that the library gets a percentage of the tax money raised by the township. Another words, when our property tax rises the library get more money.

Even though this is great in theory, often the library gets more money that what they actually need or could possibly spend. That is why there was a push by washington township to push for a law that allows the library to voluntarily return the extra money to the township for community use.

[Guest]

[Cranbury Conservative]

I have included below a post that I started previously concerning the library. Legislation was recently passed which allows for Library’s which are over funded, like Cranbury's to return the surplus they are running to the taxpayer of the community. With that said why is the Library not returning the surplus they have to the tax payers of Cranbury?

The Cranbury Library Should Return Budget Surplus to the Taxpayers of Cranbury


http://cranbury.info/viewtopic.php?t=2442


April 8, 2008


'Excess funds' law takes effect

By JIM WALSH
Courier-Post Staff

A new state law, promoted by a South Jersey legislator, allows towns to tap "excess" funds at their local libraries.

The measure, signed Monday by Gov. Jon S. Corzine, could help some municipal governments resist tax increases or service cutbacks, said a sponsor, Assemblyman Paul Moriarty, D-Gloucester.

Under the law, libraries would receive all funds needed for operations, as well as a 25 percent budget surplus. But funds above that amount could be returned to the local government, if library trustees approve.

"In some cases, taxpayers are sending twice what is needed to pay for the library," said Moriarty, who blamed a state funding formula. "We should never overbudget any department."

Moriarty, who is also mayor of Washington Township, was blocked last year when he tried to move $400,000 in library funds to the township's coffers.

But Moriarty said Washington Township now will not seek that money, because its Margaret E. Heggan Library is planning to double in size at a new location.

"If we're able to go through with the plan, we'd need the (surplus) money to fit out the new library," he said.

Additional details of the expansion project were not available Monday night.

The new law sailed through the Assembly and Senate in three months, with just two legislators voting against it.

"This bill originally had opposition from librarians and library societies," acknowledged Moriarty. "But they came to realize this is not a threat,."

Robert Wetherall, executive director of the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative, could not be reached for comment on the law.

Under a state formula, towns that fund municipal libraries do so at a fixed rate of $33 for every $100,000 of taxable property.

Statewide, 244 towns fund libraries -- including Riverton, Cherry Hill and Pitman in the tri-county area.

The formula results in an "embarrassment of riches" for some libraries, said Moriarty.

He noted Ocean City, with 15,000 year-round residents, sends $3.5 million to $4 million to its library annually. "They couldn't possibly spend that," Moriarty said.

He said the excess funds are increasingly needed by towns because a year-old law limits hikes in the local property tax levy to 4 percent.

Cherry Hill Mayor Bernie Platt said his town is unlikely to seek funds from the township library. "I am being told that the Cherry Hill Library is running very tight with the money we give them," he said.

But Platt said officials would review the library's budget to identify potential savings.

Staff writer Lisa Grzyboski contributed to this report. Reach Jim Walsh at (856) 486-2646 or jwalsh@courierpostonline.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Guest]

[Guest 1]

"Chief Hansen added the new Traffic Safety Unit has very clearly
contributed to the project and it is unfortunate it will be cut by 50% when he retires due to
reduced personnel levels through attrition. Chief Hansen stated he hoped the Township
Committee would reconsider and keep the Traffic Safety Bureau fully staffed."

Why are we not replacing the chief's spot? Speeding is a problem in this town, if we cut this so called traffic unit in half, what will happen then? If we already have it why can't we keep it? My street runs right through the heart of this town, I want the speed down. Just a thought!

[concerned]

I'm pretty sure I read that the police chief position was filled from within. Not sure if they will backfill that officer's spot, but would make sense.

I agree about the speed. I too live in the 'village' and have small kids. I am constantly worried about kids getting hit by cars who speed down Main Street, don't yield for pedistrians, and don't watch for bikes.

We need to take public safety a #1 concern.

[Michael]

One of the worst things I've seen was someone stopped to let people cross at the crosswalk near Evans (as they are supposed to) and someone passed them on the left. Good thing we were paying attention.