Franklin Township Council Meeting Summary - September 8, 2026

The Franklin Township Council met Tuesday, September 8, 2026, at 7 p.m. in the municipal building for its work session/regular meeting. The council presented proclamations and a commendation, heard extensive public comment on Flock surveillance, property taxes, the NESI/Nessie pipeline, and a Habitat for Humanity proposal, then approved routine items, adopted a land-sale ordinance and a Transco settlement, and introduced Catalpa Park funding. The scheduled executive session was not needed.

Commendations & Proclamations

• Deputy Mayor Kharazi read the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month proclamation for September 2026, citing American Cancer Society estimates of about 21,000 U.S. diagnoses and 12,450 deaths in 2026, including 650 new cases and 300 deaths in New Jersey, a 1 in 143 lifetime risk, a five-year survival rate above 90% for stage I but only 15% diagnosed at that stage, and below 30% survival for later-stage diagnoses.
• Kharazi presented a commendation to Ava Golchha, who has operated a lemonade stand for three years and donated all proceeds to the Franklin Township Animal Shelter, raising $175 this year.
• Councilman Vassanella read the Disability Voting Rights Week proclamation for September 14-18, 2026, noting more than 40 million eligible voters with disabilities, about one in six eligible voters, and the voter turnout gap narrowing from 4.7% in 2018 to 1.5% in 2022. Dr. Jackie Jackson accepted on behalf of the disability community, emphasizing that disability suppression, inaccessible polling places, and inaccessible parking remain serious problems.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the August 11, 2026 work session/regular meeting and executive session minutes; Councilman Vassanella abstained.
• Approved warrants totaling $2,546,333.30 for September 8, 2026.
• Adopted the consent agenda, Resolutions #26-355 through #26-389, with no items pulled. It included escrow, planning-review, inspection-fee, performance-guarantee, and maintenance-bond releases; tax and water refunds; purchase and contract awards; software and service contracts; the amended Fourth Round Spending Plan; the updated Affirmative Marketing Plan; and appointments. Notable awards included Catalpa Park construction to Vulcan Construction Group, Inc. not to exceed $8,580,581, Main Street Area 3 Water Main Replacement to William J. Guarini, Inc. for $885,962, and New Brunswick Road Resurfacing to Z Brothers Concrete Contractors, Inc. for $356,031.15.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Stany Yarich of Heather Drive supported the new Garden State Balcony Solar Act, demonstrated a plug-in solar panel, and asked the council to promote the program; he said a 1,200-watt system can cost under $800 and pay back in one to two years.
• Linda Powell of 22 Buffer Drive congratulated resident Ed Pataznik on becoming NJDEP commissioner and reported that the Third Circuit vacated NJDEP's water quality certification for the NESI/Nessie pipeline. She supported Resolution #26-390 as long as the settlement promotes resident health and safety.
• Lorinda Harper of 164 Churchill Avenue opposed the Habitat for Humanity home proposed at 168 Churchill Avenue, citing a very small lot, flooding and environmental concerns, parking problems, traffic safety, privacy, and a concentration of Habitat homes on her street.
• Maureen Taylor of 122 Winchester Way opposed a planned cannabis dispensary near Amwell and Demott, saying it is close to homes, a school, a place of worship, and the library; she asked how many dispensaries are planned, whether a limit exists, what revenue the township receives, and whether traffic will be regulated.
• A resident described Flock as a private, cloud-based surveillance system, alleged that Flock controls and can sell the data, cited Assemblyman Balvir Singh, and said public opposition to Flock is overwhelming; he called for the cameras to be canceled or covered.
• Jacqueline McCaffrey, editor of the Franklin Reporter, demanded immediate shutdown of Flock and an independent investigation. She cited about 26 license plate readers, four Condor video cameras, gunshot detection, three-year data retention, roughly 664,000 unique vehicle reads, and a hotlist hit rate near 47-48%; she estimated $400,000 in Flock commitments, over $100,000 in annual costs, and over $1 million including other surveillance software; she said Franklin's serious crime rate is roughly 75% lower than in 1976; and she asked for the full camera inventory, data-sharing list, records, payment ledger, and public-safety outcomes. She clarified that the Franklin Reporter published an editorial opposing Flock and a news story allowing the public safety director to explain the system, not an editorial favoring Flock.
• A resident asked the council to suspend Flock activity until broader public input or a referendum and asked how to report sidewalk and dumping issues.
• Danielle Williams of 32 Cobbler Circle said she does not consent to government surveillance, said her area has little crime, and called for the Flock cameras to be removed or put to a public vote.
• Frank Ciara of Ward Two distributed a packet and opposed Flock, alleging contract term changes, understated camera counts, tracking of residents, and that Franklin ranked first nationally among public Flock portals for hotlist hit percentage; he asked for an investigation and quoted Benjamin Franklin.
• Kyle Afsted of Webster Road criticized property tax increases, saying his taxes rose 83% since 2012 and 37% since 2022, and said he can no longer afford to live in Franklin and plans to move.
• Deborah Inman asked for enforcement of the noise ordinance after 10 p.m., saying officers often do not issue summonses and dispatchers treat noise complaints as an inconvenience.
• Fessal Nora, a Somerset resident, objected to a 20% property tax increase, questioned spending controls and equity, and said she may sell her home.
• Charlie Crateville of New Brunswick asked for the definition of a 'covered person' under Daniel's Law, criticized the township attorney and public safety director for earlier conduct, and requested apologies and direct answers.
• Sanchi Sherma of New Brunswick Road asked how long the Flock contract is, what cancellation would cost, and whether Franklin coordinates camera placement with New Brunswick; she cited Wisconsin agencies ending Flock agreements and a 404 Media report about Flock and protest surveillance, and urged Franklin to cancel.

Discussion Items

• Ordinance 4517-26, the cluster subdivision and land development update, was moved to the October 13, 2026 public hearing because one section rezones a small property and requires individual notice to owners within 200 feet.
• Ordinance 4518-26 authorized the private sale of three township-owned lots to Habitat for Humanity: 56-58 Main Street, 29 Kossuth Street, and 168 Churchill Avenue. The council reopened the public hearing so a resident could speak. Councilwoman Francois said she was concerned about 168 Churchill Avenue, and Councilman Vassanella noted the lot is about 250 square feet below the R-10 minimum. Township Manager Vornlocker said 23 Habitat homes exist, mostly in Wards 4 and 5, and a zoning board denial would cause the property to be deeded back to the township. The ordinance was adopted 8-1, with Francois voting no.
• Ordinance 4519-26 was introduced to appropriate $1,380,000 from the Open Space Trust Fund for Catalpa Park construction and equipment. The manager said this supplements earlier appropriations and supports the $8,580,581 construction contract awarded on the consent agenda; the public hearing is set for September 22, 2026.
• Resolution #26-390 authorized a settlement with Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC in the federal condemnation action. The township attorney said the federal court already granted Transco the easement, so only compensation remains; the settlement amount is about $600,000, nearly 20 times Transco's original offer. The mayor said the agreement will require Transco to execute and pay within 30 days, subject to federal court scheduling, and council members stressed that accepting the money does not end opposition to the NESI/Nessie pipeline. The resolution was adopted unanimously.
• Resolution #26-392, a stormwater detention facility maintenance agreement with IDIL Executive Drive, LLC for 1-3 Executive Drive, was adopted unanimously.
• Public Safety Director Lloyd Fredericks responded to Flock criticism by saying cameras are an investigative tool, not a real-time surveillance center; explaining the camera count discrepancy as four cameras attached to video cameras plus two moved/double-counted units; attributing the high hotlist hit rate to checking all hotlist categories, mostly suspended registrations and licenses; and saying no Franklin officer has abused the system and Flock does not sell data. Mayor Kramer said a demonstration showed the township does have administrative capability, and that unchecking motor-vehicle violation boxes reduced the hit rate to under 1%. The council took no vote on Flock; discussion included creating an FAQ, shortening data retention, and requiring a warrant for older queries.
• Manager Vornlocker answered other questions: the Flock contract is four years with two years remaining; cancellation consequences would require contract review; camera placement is deconflicted with New Brunswick, county, and state agencies; cannabis licenses currently total about 21 despite an 18 cap, with the Amwell/Demott location a pre-existing nonconforming use; the township collects 2% of gross cannabis revenue (1% for manufacturing), about $600,000 through the second quarter and possibly $1.2 million for the year; noise ordinance violations are measured from 200 feet after 10 p.m.; and sidewalk repair requests can be submitted to the Department of Public Works.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes, warrants, and the entire consent agenda were approved; the only abstention was Councilman Vassanella on the minutes.
• Ordinance 4517-26 postponed to October 13, 2026.
• Ordinance 4518-26 adopted 8-1, with Councilwoman Francois dissenting, authorizing the Habitat for Humanity land sale.
• Ordinance 4519-26 introduced unanimously; public hearing and final adoption are scheduled for September 22, 2026.
• Resolution #26-390 and Resolution #26-392 were adopted unanimously.
• No binding action was taken on Flock; the council discussed transparency steps but did not refer the issue to a referendum.
• No nominations were made for board, committee, or commission vacancies, leaving them open.
• The scheduled executive session was canceled and the meeting adjourned.