Old Bridge officials denied a resolution that would schedule a summit for volunteer opportunities, citing uncertainties about the need for the event and the costs involved.
The Township Council initially tabled the resolution in January, intending to revise the language to fit the needs of Old Bridge. However, it was denied in a 5-4 on Feb. 8 amid questions about the intentions and impact of the document.
“There was language that council members found to be vague, and they inferred that charges or fees would be invoked if it was approved,” Mayor Jim Phillips said.
The “Call to Service Summit” resolution, sponsored by Citizens’ Campaign and presented to the council by residents Linda Seiler and Lorinda Trani in December, would have created an annual event to recruit people for civic roles.
“It’s a service to the municipality to recruit citizens to volunteer and use their skills to help solve Old Bridge’s problems,” Citizens’ Campaign communications director Heather Taylor said in January. “Hopefully, this could be a way for the township to call all hands on deck.”
The Citizens’ Campaign, launched in 2004, has educated over 5,000 New Jersey residents on how to enter positions of service, including appointed office, political party service and various roles for citizens. The organization was created by the Center for Civic Responsibility and offers live and online courses on navigating local government.
The resolution would have established an Old Bridge Citizen Day as well as a summit on leadership opportunities such as appointed government board and commission seats and membership in emergency response agencies. It would have also provided education on the function and application process of the bodies.
Citizens’ Campaign recommended that the resolution include a mailed invitation from Phillips to those who have moved to Old Bridge in the past five years, a one-hour PowerPoint presentation by a trained Citizens’ Campaign teacher at the summit, and a press conference announcing the summit.
If passed, Old Bridge would have been the first municipality in Middlesex County to join the “Jersey Call to Service Campaign.”
But many officials believed the resolution was arbitrary and would result in extra cost for the municipality.
“I just feel that this is a boondoggle. If you look at the resolution, in order to get citizen participation, the resolution calls for everyone who moved into the township in the last five years to be sent a letter,” Councilman Richard Greene had said. “It’s a waste of money to send these notifications. It’s extreme nonsense and just another layer of bureaucracy.”
Assistant Township Attorney Carol Berlen assured the governing body that the resolution provided was a sample, and the township would not be bound to mailers or any other perceived financial burden, but the majority of council members in January agreed to table the resolution, and redraft the document before considering it again.
The “Call to Service Summit” resolution was then revised for the Feb. 8 meeting, and adjusted the advertising caveats to include local media outlets such as Cable TV 15, the Outlook newsletter and the township website instead of mailers. However, council members still questioned the cost to hold the summit and the need for an outside source to establish such an event.
“We took out the mailers and redid the resolution,” said council President G. Kevin Calogera, who was in favor of the summit. “This doesn’t add an expense to the township, but it was the common misconception among the rest of the council that it did.”
Calogera emphasized the importance of a volunteerism seminar and said it would have educated those unfamiliar with volunteer opportunities in town.
“Volunteerism is one of the most important assets we have, and the expansion of that is a good thing,” he said. “One of the biggest problems is that people don’t understand what community volunteers do or the time commitment that’s involved. I’m sure most would get involved if they knew. We would have been able to give an overall view and educate our residents. It would have been a win-win for the township.”
Calogera noted that Citizens’ Campaign has sponsored many ordinances and resolutions in the past and proved to have the township’s best interests in mind.
“This is not the best decision the council has ever made,” Phillips said.
Despite the resolution’s rejection, Phillips said he intends to create a similar seminar outside of the organization.
“There’s a day to be scheduled soon to highlight the good deeds of those who volunteer in the community — one night to recognize the volunteers,” he said. “This was to get more people involved, and we still want to do that.”
Phillips said this volunteer appreciation day would not be identical to the “Call to Service Summit” but would provide an opportunity for the community to acknowledge volunteers, as well as learn about their positions and others that are available.
“If there’s one registered nurse or young man who wants to volunteer on the first aid squad, then it will be worth it,” Phillips said. “We need to break down barriers and recruit more volunteers.”
While no date has been scheduled yet, Phillips said he is exploring the idea and will present it to the council at some point.