by Davy James, Staff Writer
The Township Council tabled an ordinance Tuesday that would have created an autonomous board of health in South Brunswick.
The plan would involve abolishing the Advisory Board of Health, which reports to the council six times a year, in order to give an autonomous board of health power to create its own ordinances without having to go through the council.
Council members said they wanted to explore the plan and its ramifications more before making a decision.
”The last several years we’ve had more or less an autonomous board, and we always defer to their guidance because they’re a strong group of people who know their stuff,” said Councilman Joe Camarota. “This would save the board from the unnecessary step of having to report to the council six times a year. Instead of reporting to us every two months, we’ll have a liaison go to their meetings and report back to us, which is better from an operational standpoint.”
The board was autonomous until the late 1990s when it was changed to an advisory board that reported to the council.
”There was not much communication between what was then the Township Committee and the Board of Health,” said Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz. “But the advisory board and the council worked very hard to build that rapport back up so the council feels it’s a no-brainer to have people with more knowledge of these issues deal directly with it.”
New council member Mac Shah would serve as the liaison to an autonomous board as council members pointed to his background in science as a positive for the position.
Resident Gwen Southgate spoke at the meeting to voice her concerns for creating the autonomous board, feeling it would dilute the policymaking powers of the council by giving the board power to pass ordinances and hire and fire Board of Health employees.
Mayor Frank Gambatese said any decisions made by the board would have to be reviewed by Township Attorney Don Sears for approval. Mayor Gambatese said discussions for going back to an autonomous board have gone on since it was changed to an advisory board. He said the council always has the power to move back to an advisory board if an autonomous one doesn’t work out.
”None of us have the expertise necessary to be Board of Health members,” Mayor Gambatese said during the meeting. “We’re not in the field, and that becomes problematic.”

