During the Monday, April 24, Township Council meeting the municipal budget was introduced. Additionally, a public hearing was held about the Business Improvement District’s budget, and one ordinance and several resolutions were passed.
At the start of the meeting, members of the Livingston High School chess team andLivingston Television volunteers were both awarded citations. The Council also recognized April as Autism Awareness Month, and May 7 through 13 as Public Service Recognition Week.
Municipal Budget
Two resolutions were passed in relation to the 2023 municipal budget. The first one introduced the budget by title, and the second established a 2023 municipal Open Space tax rate. That rate - for municipal Open Space, recreation, farmland, and the Historic Preservation Trust Fund-will be one cent per $ 100 of assessed valuation.
A hearing on the budget will be held during the Tuesday, May 30, Council meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. Specific details of the budget will be shared at that time.
BID Budget
A public hearing was held for the annual budget for the Livingston C ommunity Partnership C orporation (BID) Special Improvement District. Aresolutionpassed during the March 13 meeting approving the budget, in the amount of $387,410. There was no public comment made.
Ordinance Passes
An ordinance was passed to eliminate split lot zoning on two parcels of land in town, Block 4302 lot 10 and Block 4801 lot 9.
Block 4302 lot 10 is located along South Livingston Avenue andAmelia Avenue. Most of it is currently in the commercial B-1 Zone, with a portion zoned for R-4, which is used as a parking lot servicing the commercial Zone. The ordinance would make the entire lot in the B-1 zone.
Block 4801 lot 9 is an over three acre parcel located along West HarrisonPlace, Collins Terrace, andWest Northfield Road. It is currently in the commercial B Zone, with a portion zoned for R-4, which isalsousedasa parking lot servicing the commercial zone. The ordinance would make the entire lot in the B Zone.
Another ordinance, to permit monument signs on certain eligible properties in the B and B-l Zones on the township zoning map, was carried to the May 15 meeting. The ordinance would permit certain storefronts located perpendicular to their street frontage to install signs along the main roadway.
Floodplain Ordinance
The Council introduced an ordinance to adopt floodplain management regulations for the town. The ordinance would repeal and adopt a new section of the township code, related to hazard maps.
A final hearing will be held during the May 15 meeting.
Cap Bank Ordinance
Another ordinance was introduced to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits and to establish a cap bank. Local government cap law states that municipalities must limit any budget increases to one percent unless authorized by ordinance to increase it to 3.5 percent over the previous year’s final appropriations. As a result, the ordinance, if passed, will permit a 3.5 percent increase totalling $1,322,125.56.
A final hearing will be held during the May 30 meeting.
Tax Bills
A resolution was passed to authorize the township’s tax collector to prepare and mail estimated tax bills. The Essex County Board of Taxation has not yet certified the general tax rate for 2023, so Livingston would not be able to mail the bills for the third installment of 2023 taxes in a timely manner without the resolution.
The estimated tax levy for 2023 is set for $204,021,792. Taxes on the third quarter are not subject to interest if they are paid before the later of either August 11 or the 25th calendar day after the date that the bills were mailed.
PBA Agreement
A resolution was passed to approve a memorandum of agreement with Livingston’s PBALocal 263 on a new contract for officers. The contract will cover the term of January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2025.
Details of the contract were not disclosed in the resolution, which was a last minute addition to the meeting agenda.
Contracts
Your Way Construction was awarded a $617,422.68 contract for improvements to the Livingston Senior/ Community Center parking lot.
A $102,000 contract was granted to Christopher P. Statile, P.A., to build a storage building for the town’s water pollution control facility.
A$150,000 contract was awarded to Ischia Corp., for ramp and step repairs at the Livingston Library.
Closed Session
In a closed executive session at the end of the meeting, the Council was expected to discuss the vacant property at the corner of Northfield Road and South LivingstonAvenue; a proposal from Outfront Media, a company that specializes in outdoor advertising; contract negotiations related to an R-5Q residential overlay district in town, located on South Orange Avenue; and Fair Share Housing litigation.
Upcoming Meetings
At the next meeting, on May 15, Council member Rosy Bagolie said to expect a resolution speaking out against the rise of book banning requests. The resolution would express the Council’s support for people reading anything they see fit.
Additionally, in the conference meeting, the Council discussed potentially moving the Monday, June 12, meeting to Thursday, June 8.
