CRANBURY: Township Hall holiday hours debated

By David Kilby, Managing Editor
   CRANBURY — The holiday hours of Township Hall were brought into question at the Cranbury Township Committee meeting Monday.
   Mayor Win Cody brought the topic up after Denise Marabello, business administrator, informally asked the committee if she could close the hall at 1 p.m. before holidays.
   Township code says such a decision is under the administrator’s discretion, but Ms. Marabello wanted the committee’s advice.
   Typically, Ms. Marabello decides to close the hall at 1 p.m. the day before holidays unless there is a large workload those days.
   But Mayor Cody said this kind of decision should be looked at more closely.
   At the July 25 meeting, the committee will have a more formal discussion and decide if the shortened days should be given at the discretion of the administrator or the committee.
   Mayor Cody also said it would be better if the decision was made at a public meeting.
   He said, while reading from the Sunshine Law, that secrecy in public affairs undermines the public’s faith in the governing body.
   ”This is just something I was going to let everyone know will happen,” said Ms. Marabello, referring to her decision to close the hall early, “and if three committeemen approved, it’s fine.”
   Mayor Cody considered this to be a vote taken in private.
   Committeeman Dan Mulligan said he took offense to the claim he participated in a private vote.
   ”I want it on record that I didn’t violate the law,” he said.
   Committeeman Jay Taylor said township administrators do have the authority to close the hall early before holidays, and, in fact, the committee does not have that authority.
   The section of the township code on administrative legislation states, “Members of the Township Committee shall not give orders or direction to any township employee except through the administrator.”
   It also states administrators are to “direct and supervise the administration of all departments, offices and agencies of the Township, except as otherwise provided by law.”
   But the Sunshine Law soon became only a backdrop as the committee began to discuss the actual matter upon which Ms. Marabello sought the committee’s opinion – the question of whether or not Township Hall should be closed early before holidays.
   Committeeman David Cook said someone should be on call if the offices are closed early.
   Mr. Mulligan asked if there had been any complaints about the hall closing early before holidays, and Kathy Cunningham, township clerk, said there have been no complaints in the more than 13 years she has been working there.
   But Mayor Cody argued if he came to Township Hall and it were closed, he wouldn’t bother complaining about it. He’d just come back another day — but he still would consider it an inconvenience.
   ”I think the mayor has a valid point,” Mr. Taylor said, and he suggested broadcasting when the offices will close early 72 hours beforehand.
   ”I just feel very strongly that it should be announced to the public,” Mayor Cody said.
   Ms. Cunningham said she usually does leave messages on the answering machine and sometimes notifies residents via the township website — www.cranburytownship.org — when Ms. Marabello plans to close the hall early the workday before holidays.
   Ms. Marabello said there’s also a sign placed on the entrances to the hall, notifying residents the hall will close early.
   Friday, July 1, will be a case in point as it is the Friday before Independence Day. Whether the hall should close at 1 p.m. that day will be up to Ms. Marabello’s discretion.
   She said closing the hall early before holidays is the township’s way of saying thank you to its employees.
   Richard Kallan, of Wynnewood Drive, said the township doesn’t have to say thank you by giving employees two hours off before holidays because employers already say thank you by giving employees paychecks.
   Mark Berkowsky, of North Main Street, said the decision of closing early before holidays should be left to the township administrator.
   ”There was no violation of the Sunshine Law,” Mr. Taylor said.
   ”She just wanted to get opinions and views. She’s the township administrator and in charge of office operations,” he added.
   He said taking the decision out of the administrator’s hands and making it the committee’s decision would be micromanaging.