By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
ENGLISHTOWN – A certified public accountant told municipal officials he found no internal control weaknesses in the borough’s finances when he conducted a 2015 audit of Englishtown.
Matthew Holman, of the firm Holman Frenia Allison, P.C., appeared before the Borough Council on June 22 to review his findings with the members of the governing body.
“You had a very good audit overall,” Holman said. “The borough is in very good shape.”
He said the purpose of the audit was to ensure the borough’s information was “materially correct on its financial statements.” He said internal control weaknesses would have been reported, but no problems were uncovered and the audit contains no recommendations for corrective action.
Holman thanked Borough Administrator Laurie Finger and the staff at town hall for their cooperation and assistance during his review of Englishtown’s finances.
Council members reported on a number of issues during the meeting.
Councilwoman Lori Cooke suggested that Englishtown’s municipal website needs to be made more user-friendly. She noted that the borough administrator is the only person who can currently post updates on the website.
Cooke suggested that the policy regarding the website updates needs to be reviewed as the administrator no longer works full-time in town.
“The website is where people go for information,” the councilwoman said, mentioning that on days when an event is scheduled and weather is an issue, residents look to the borough’s website for updates.
Cooke’s comments led to a discussion among council members and a consensus that the municipal website should receive some attention.
Councilwoman Maryanne Krawiec noted that Englishtown has received a $5,000 grant toward the purchase of body worn cameras and said the cameras will be deployed with the borough’s police officers in the near future.
Councilman Greg Wojyn said issues regarding noise being generated by certain businesses in the borough’s industrial park on Harrison Avenue are still being investigated. The situation regarding noise has been raised by a resident at recent meetings. Wojyn said some of the issues may be related to an indoor baseball training facility at the site.
During public comment, resident Harold Burrows spoke about traffic in Englishtown. Specifically, he said motorists are using Irving Place as a way of avoiding tie-ups on Main Street.
Mayor Thomas Reynolds acknowledged that traffic is a significant problem at certain times. He said Englishtown’s primary roads (Tennent Avenue, Main Street, Water Street) are under the jurisdiction of Monmouth County, which is aware of the situation.
Reynolds said borough officials are hoping the county freeholders will appropriate money in 2017 so some actions can be taken regarding the traffic. He cautioned that the situation is not expected to have an immediate resolution.