Franklin Township Council Budget Hearing - March 13, 2023

The Franklin Township Council held a budget hearing on 2023-03-13 (Monday, March 13, 2023) at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Building Council Chambers. Mayor Kramer presided and council members answered roll call. Township Administrator Vornlocker and department heads presented proposed 2023 budgets. The public hearing portion was opened and closed with no speakers, and no formal budget adoption occurred.

Public Comments & Testimony

• The public portion was opened by motion and closed after no residents came forward; no public testimony was offered.
• One resident, Bill Connell, was acknowledged by the administrator as the only resident in attendance for the entire budget meeting; he also reset the clock for daylight saving time.

Department Presentations

Assessor

• Assessor Richard Carabelli's proposed 2023 budget is $123,650, compared with last year's $120,006. The increase is mainly in postage, printing, and binding for assessment cards mailed through the county; the bulk of the budget funds commercial-assessment appraisers.

Fire Prevention

• Fire Prevention Director John Hauss's operating budget is proposed at $8,610, up $644 from $7,966, due to books and publications. Hauss was recognized for accurate budgeting, with 99.61% utilization as of Dec. 31, 2022.
• Hauss requested converting a vacant part-time clerical position to full-time, citing increased workload from construction activity, filings, and inspectors' shared-service fire response duties. Estimated cost increase is about $50,000: $25,000 to $40,000 for salary plus $35,000 to $40,000 for benefits.
• Council discussion noted the former part-time employee now works full-time in another department, so converting the position could create a vacancy elsewhere.

Planning, Engineering & Environmental Commission

• Engineering budget is proposed at $141,345, up $30,000 from $111,345, to fund increased demand for township-engineer consulting services. The $103,900 consultant line was fully expended in 2022; the request raises it to $133,900, which was described as still below the cost of the former full-time township engineer position eliminated in 2018.
• Planning Board budget is proposed at $186,250, up $130,000 from $56,250. The increase includes $90,000 for professional consulting and $40,000 for planning and zoning board legal services related to anticipated litigation. $100,000 was moved from the economic development budget to fund a traffic and planning study tied to warehouse development concerns.
• Environmental Commission budget is flat at $11,200, including $10,000 for its consultant/sustainability officer. A contract renewal discussion is expected when the contract expires June 30.
• The Historical Commission budget was deferred to next week's department presentations.

Construction Code

• New Construction Code Official Barry Wilbur presented. Wilbur served as electrical subcode official for nearly 24 years and recently took over after the prior official retired. The construction code budget is proposed at $390,775, up $1,555; increases include software licensing and telephone.
• The department also operates under a larger state Department of Community Affairs Uniform Construction Code budget structure. Wilbur said phones are now being answered, staffing shortages remain, and a previously vacant fire subcode position has been filled through recruitment.

Police, Dispatch, Emergency Management & Capital

• Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather presented. The main police operating budget is proposed at $654,250, down $51,050 because no patrol cars are budgeted in 2023; remaining lines increase about $70,000. Increases include academy clothing, equipment, and training, including de-escalation, drug recognition, water safety, and train-the-trainer courses.
• Vehicle procurement remains constrained: Ford canceled about 95% of police vehicle orders nationwide in 2022, lead times are at least nine months, and Franklin is behind 15 vehicles approved over the past two years. No new SUVs are included in the capital request, saving about $800,000.
• Emergency management budget is proposed at $12,800, up from $5,750, reflecting a new OEM coordinator, three deputy coordinators, portable incident command kits, uniforms, and EOC equipment.
• The animal control capital vehicle was removed from the capital list and will be funded through an available trust.
• The 911 dispatch budget is proposed at about $259,800, up $3,500, including increased language-line costs and new dispatcher uniforms.
• Police capital requests include an additional $500,000 to complete the radio system upgrade after the prior $1.4 million, a LiveScan replacement, Rocky Hill Tower upgrade, CallWorks 911 text/video-capable upgrade, in-car mobile computers, two large message boards, phase-three portable radios, briefing-room furniture, and four additional tasers.

Open Space Trust & Capital

• Tara Kenyon and Carl Hauck presented. The proposed open space salary charge is $403,647.20: ten park employees charged at $30,000 each plus two full-time employees fully charged to the trust, reflecting a long-standing policy.
• Estimated 2023 open space tax revenue is $6,883,059.20. After appropriations, $4,756,149 is reserved for future use. About 70% of funding remains available for land acquisition. The open space tax is a flat five cents per $100 of assessed value, and bond principal is down $1.235 million because an open space bond was paid off.
• Capital requests include two zero-turn mowers, Princeton Highlands Bridge repainting, artificial turf around the Middlebush skate park, Williams Park nature trail with a $20,000 Sustainable Jersey grant pending, Middlebush Park electric vehicle station, driveway reconstruction, irrigation expansion, fiber/data conduit to the park, Inman Park tennis court reconstruction, Williams Park workout equipment and sunshade, miscellaneous trail improvements, and Environmental Center bridge design/build.
• Council members questioned the roughly $70,000 artificial turf around the skate park and whether a second opinion was obtained. Staff explained it followed a joint insurance fund safety inspection and that the alternative rubber surface would cost more than double. Council also discussed pickleball striping at Inman Park; the cost is the same regardless of striping, but tennis demand and recreation input will be considered before deciding.

Public Works, Water & Capital

• Board of Education transportation and condominium/snow reimbursement budgets were described as pass-through or formula-based. The condo/snow account is $100,000, with about $70,000 reimbursed in 2022.
• Sanitation budget is proposed at $863,734, up about $119,000 from $744,478, driven by county recycling rate increases and new residential properties; a state tonnage grant offsets $72,000.
• The snow/storm trust increased by $9,250. The amended trust ordinance allows Ida debris recovery costs to be paid from the trust, with FEMA reimbursement anticipated.
• Road department budget is flat at $1,527,000. Utilities include $150,000 more for gas and diesel; street lighting remained flat, and LED street-lighting comments were being prepared for the state Board of Public Utilities.
• Water utility budget totals about $14,787,000, up about $200,000 from $14,582,000. Purchased-water costs rise $300,000 to $9.3 million due to American Water and New Brunswick rate increases, offset partly by lower debt service.
• Water capital includes recurring programs such as meter replacement, hydrant replacement, main replacement, and valve replacement, plus major projects including Landing Lane pump station upgrades, apartment and curb meter retrofits, Kingston pump station, a water pole barn, HDPE pipe fuser, Route 27 service replacements, and East Millstone main replacement.
• East Millstone discussion: full replacement is about $3.9 million; a smaller vulnerability/loop project is about $575,000. Council members supported phasing the full replacement over several years. Hauck suggested doing the loop first and replacing mains over about three years.
• Roads capital includes $3.5 million annual resurfacing, crack sealing, stormwater infrastructure, a new DEP-required catch basin and stormwater system GIS survey estimated at about $1 million total with $500,000 requested initially and a deadline of end of 2025, complete-streets sidewalks, sidewalks to schools phase three, street-sign replacement phase two, and Canal Road guide rail phase eight.
• Facilities and fleet capital includes police cooling system pipes and doors, senior center kitchen floor and accessible Grasso Grove furnishings, senior center boiler replacement, municipal building HVAC, sprinkler, sidewalk and gazebo work, DPW electrical upgrades and epoxy flooring, convenience center pole barn and dumpster covers for DEP mandates, IT server-room cooling, a plotter replacement, multiple vehicles, a horizontal chipper replacement, street sweeper and VAC trailer for DEP catch-basin cleaning, a stump grinder, and tractor attachments.
• Personnel requests include a full-time capital projects inspector with an estimated $60,000 salary plus $55,000 in benefits, and a part-time tree inspector to prioritize tree removals and respond to resident concerns. Councilwoman Francois called the inspector position a no-brainer for quality control. Funding the part-time tree position from the shade tree fund was discussed but not decided.

Clerk, Elections & Mayor/Council

• Township Clerk Ann Marie McCarthy presented. The election budget includes $7,000 additional printing and postage for sample ballots. A separate 2024 presidential primary is expected to double election costs.
• The Clerk's office budget is proposed at $111,347, more than double, due to a $35,000 code-book recodification and $25,000 for new OPRA software and a public records portal. OPRA requests totaled 1,694 in 2022 and continue to grow. The new system is intended to include police records and automate request handling.
• The Mayor and Council budget has only a $42 increase in league dues.
• Remaining department and non-department budgets will be presented next Tuesday. The financial oversight committee will meet afterward. State aid figures were not yet available, so budget introduction could be bumped to the first meeting in April if needed.

Key Outcomes

• Public hearing opened and closed with no comments; no budget ordinance was adopted at this hearing.
• Budget requests discussed but deferred for future action included the fire prevention full-time clerical position, public works capital projects inspector, part-time tree inspector, and East Millstone water main phasing.
• Staff will develop a phased East Millstone approach. LED street-lighting comments were due to the BPU on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
• The next budget hearing is scheduled for the following Tuesday, with final introduction possible at the first April meeting if state aid figures and financial oversight work are not completed.
• The meeting was adjourned by unanimous voice vote.