Borough Council gets to work

By: centraljersey.com
Doug Carman
Staff Writer
HIGHTSTOWN – The new-look borough council’s votes Monday were mostly focused on the governing body more visible and reachable to local residents.
In separate actions, the council did away with the three-minute limit for members of the public to comment, moved future annual reorganization meetings to January 2, moved every meeting times back to 7:30 p.m., and even held off most of its annual appointments to the sewer board and other committees until the Jan. 18 meeting after Council President Isabel McGinty argued the public and the council should look at them further.
While discussing the board, commission and committee appointments, Ms. McGinty noted they traditionally were named by the mayor and then approved by the council on New Year’s day, giving the council little time to get any background information on them.
"A suggestion that I have for this year is that the council involvement in these commissions actually mean something," she said.
Ms. McGinty continued to indicate the importance of getting experts from within the borough to fill these boards and have council members sit in on each committee as spectators.
"Could we give active encouragement to members of the public to come forward for the various committees that we have?" Ms. McGinty said. "We particularly seek those that are suited to the particular commissions … because of their training and what they contribute to the borough."
At least one person from the public wanted this applied specifically to the water and sewer board. Gene Sarafin, in an at-times profane rant, told the council he thought the board was run by "idiots" for the past 45 years. He said he was a member himself in 2003.
"You don’t need secretaries, treasurers … you need people with interesting backgrounds, people that can make decisions that understand the right way and the wrong way to do things, and basically I think you as council should be the water and sewer committee, not anybody else but you," Mr. Sarafin said. "Resumes only for these positions, no more political hacks."
Mayor Steve Kirson said after Monday’s meeting this should give him and his fellow council neophytes, Lynne Woods and Selena Bibens, time to get acquainted to their new positions and the roles of each committee. The appointments, Mayor Kirson said, will likely be handled at the next council meeting Jan. 18.
The 5-1 vote on the reorganization meeting’s new date was slightly more contentious. While most of the council members sided with Ms. McGinty and called for the break from tradition to allow for greater public involvement, former Council President Larry Quattrone opposed the move.
"I’m kind of one that likes tradition. It’s been that way for many, many, many years. It’s Jan. 1, I have no problem with it," he said. "I make sure my wife is ready for that Jan. 1. I don’t know anybody who has a schedule Jan. 1."
Fellow Democratic councilman Dimitri Musing, who seconded Ms. McGinty’s motion to move the date, disagreed.
"I personally like Jan. 2," he said. "I like to go out sometimes on New Years Eve, and Jan. 1 is a little early."
The date may yet be reconsidered. After the council unanimously approved the year’s holiday schedule, Borough Clerk Debra Sopronyi told the council the schedule they just approved included Jan. 2 as a designated holiday for the borough employees.
Other borough council actions taken Monday include:
* Unanimous approval of a temporary operating budget of more than $1.45 million and a debt service of $369,900.
* The approval of a temporary water and sewer budget of $639,000, with a $632,831 debt service.
* Ms. McGinty’s reappointment to the Planning and Zoning Board by a 5-0 vote, with Ms. McGinty abstaining.