UPPER FREEHOLD – The township’s governing body has not done much governing lately.
Over the past decade, the governing body rarely has had to cancel Township Committee meetings due to lack of a quorum. However, for the first time in recent history, the township has had to cancel two consecutive meetings for lack of a quorum of its elected officials.
In order to reach a quorum for conducting township business, at least three members of the five-member committee have to attend. Because Mayor Stephen Fleischacker, Deputy Mayor William Miscoski and Committeeman David Reed all said they could not attend the scheduled Nov. 8 and Nov. 29 Township Committee meetings, the township had to cancel the meetings, according to Township Administrator Barbara Bascom.
The Township Committee has not met to conduct township business in over a month, since the last meeting took place Nov. 1.
On Nov. 6, Fleischacker lost his bid for re-election to Republican newcomers Stan Moslowski and Lori Horsnall Mount. Miscoski decided not to run for re-election. The mayor, who is also a Planning Board member, has not attended any township meetings since the election, including the Nov. 27 Planning Board meeting.
The Planning Board is in the process of trying to revise the township’s master plan, which guides land use in the community. Among the community issues that the Township Committee has not been able to address because it has not been able to reach a quorum, is the Nov. 6 referendum that passed regarding the open space tax. The referendum had a misprint and asked voters to raise the tax .02 cents instead of 2 cents. Whether or not the township will have to hold a special election for a 2-cent referendum has not yet been addressed, since officials have not met since the election.
The next scheduled meeting is Dec. 6.
The Township Committee meets on the first and fourth Thursday of the month, with occasional additional meetings on the fifth Thursday of a month.
In November, both the League of Municipalities meeting in Atlantic City and the Thanksgiving holiday caused changes to the meeting schedule.