WEST MILFORD — The township government reorganized on Saturday, first swearing in a new face, then a familiar one.
Councilwoman Michele Dale and Councilman Lou Signorino took their oaths of office Saturday afternoon amid family and friends. Then the council got down to business. They chose a council president, Vivienne Erk, who is beginning her second year on the council. The council did not okay the nomination of CarlLa Horton for the spot; her nomination went down 4-2. The council chose Erk with a 5-1 vote; Ada Erik was the sole holdout.
Meeting schedule
There is a change to the meeting schedule beginning in January. The public comments section of the meeting, where residents are allowed to speak on any issue they like, will not begin before 7:30 p.m.
It's been an issue since the council begins its meetings at 6:30 p.m., usually with an executive session where the public is not present. They begin the meeting then adjourn to another meeting room to discuss matters that cannot be discussed in public session. While the meeting agenda lists the topics to be discussed in the executive session, there is no time limit for when the regular session will begin.
Residents sometimes get to the meeting at 6:30 and have to wait. Others who know they're in executive session try to estimate when they will return to the public. If the executive session is a short one, they may miss important parts of the meeting, including the public portion. It was suggested to set a definite start time for the public comments section of the meeting so people don't miss it.
Signorino first said he'd like to keep it the way it is.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," was Signorino's initial take.
But most of his colleagues disagreed. They said it's fair to stipulate a start time - at least a "not earlier than" start time - for the public comments section. Councilmembers Mike Hensley, Erk, Horton and Dale were on board with it. Signorino reluctantly joined them. Erik, though, disagreed, wanting to keep things the way they are.
Residents may still have to wait for the meeting to start eve if they get to the town hall at 7:30. If executive session runs past 7:30, the regular meeting won't start until that is complete.
Greenwood Lake Commission
The council put off appointing its representatives on the Greenwood Lake Commission until its next meeting. Three people applied for the two volunteer spots. Signorino suggested the council take some time and work on a platform for the commission prior to making the appointments.
"We have, as council people, the prerogative to see how these people feel about this," he said
So, the council has three weeks to develop their platform and talk to the applicants.
The Greenwood Lake Commission is a bi-state commission that was formed in 2001 for the purpose of improving the water quality of Greenwood Lake, according to the group's Web site, www.gwlc.org. They serve in a bi-state cooperative effort to help ensure that the natural, scenic, economic, and recreational resources of Greenwood Lake and its watershed are protected. Greenwood Lake supplies over three million residents and thousands of businesses with their water supplies.
Land Conservancy
The council also put off a vote on granting the Land Conservancy of New Jersey a contract not to exceed $11,500 for the work the conservancy does to coordinate open space acquisitions for the township. The group works on state and county applications for open space funding. According to township attorney Fred Semrau, the group secured payment of half a million dollars in 2013.
"I don't think the administration would have gotten through it last year," he commented.
"Let me be the one to say, if someone was able to get us half a million dollars, I don't want to be the one to say I don't want them now," said Horton.
Once they do their job, the township is not obligated to keep them on the payroll, Signorino said. Dale asked if the administration could do it; Semrau said yes.
"This is not a vote of no confidence," said Signorino. "It's a request for more detail."
It, too, will be discussed at the next meeting, which will be held on Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m.