JACKSON – Members of the Township Council have approved an updated schedule of meeting dates and a format change that will now include an open caucus session.
According to a calendar approved by the council, the governing body will meet on Dec. 11, Dec. 26, Jan. 2, Jan. 22, Feb. 11, Feb. 26, March 11, March 25, April 8, April 22, May 8, May 27, June 10 and June 24.
Each meeting will begin with a public caucus session at 6:30 p.m., followed by an executive session meeting of the council members. The executive session is closed to the public.
Under New Jersey state law, the members of a governing body are only permitted to discuss certain items out of the public’s view. Items which may be discussed in private are contract negotiations, personnel matters, property acquisition and litigation in which the municipality is or may be involved.
Following the closed session, the council members will reconvene with a regular public meeting during which they will consider resolutions, ordinances and other matters that may come before them.
Legal action may be taken during the caucus portion and regular portion of the meetings.
Council President Ann Updegrave said the purpose of the caucus meeting was explained by Township Attorney George Gilmore.
In the past, she said, “as soon as you go into town hall at 6:30 p.m. and before you open up the meeting for the executive session portion, you were actually
opening up the meeting for
the whole night.
“[Now], what happens is as soon as you open
the meeting up and
there’s something on
the agenda for public
discussion that one of the
council members just wants to ask a question, that will be the [caucus] time for the council member to ask the question,” Updegrave said. “We are not actually changing the [starting] time of the meeting.”
This change in format came about as a result of one meeting when several council members had a question and just wanted to discuss it, she said.
She said Gilmore said it would be permissible to discuss the matter before going into executive session.
Updegrave reiterated that the council caucus will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be for discussion of safety, welfare and similar items. Questions from the public will not be taken.