Earlier this week, on New Year’s Day, residents, elected officials, friends, and family members gathered in person for the reorganizational meeting of Livingston’s Township Council. We were heartened to see another packed event, with hundreds of residents filling the Livingston Senior/Community Center to witness the township’s government and committees be set for the year.
It cannot be overstated how wonderful it is to see that so many residents have volunteered to help make this town great. The dozens of committees included the Arts Council, the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, various parade and event planning groups, and so much more. It’s that willingness to contribute to this community that makes Livingston so special, and that was evident this past Monday.
As is the case each year, two of the five Council members were selected as deputy mayor and mayor. Al Anthony will be mayor in 2024, his third time in the role, with Ed Meinhardt named deputy mayor. While the mayor’s vote counts the same as every other member of the Council due to Livingston’s “weak mayor” style of government and annual rotation at the position, it still very much matters who leads our town, as they are the face of Livingston for the coming year. We wish Anthony good luck in the position and hope he represents this community well.
As we embark on a new year, there is much to look forward to in town. In addition to the continuation of great traditions like the Memorial Day Parade and the Fourth of July fireworks, we also eagerly anticipate the progress and conclusion of some business matters that have been topics of discussion in recent years. Some of the goals listed by Council members during the reorganizational meeting included working in tandem with the school district, finally opening the new Department of Public Works building, consolidating and refurbishing the township pools, and utilizing our Open Space land. These are regularly stated goals of the Council in recent years (all of them were mentioned at the start of 2023, as well) and we hope that 2024 is the year we see them finally come to fruition.
Of all of those goals, we are certainly long overdue on constructing the new Department of Public Works building. The current building has been in disarray for years and is undersized. In 2021, this led to issues during a snow storm that forced schools to close for a day, as we did not have space to house an adequate salt supply. Land on Industrial Parkway was selected as the location of the new DPW facility in 2019. Though we understand that COVID-19, materials costs, and supply chain issues have delayed construction, the fact of the matter remains that yet another year has passed without a new building. We hope to see a groundbreaking very soon.
We also hope to move forward with a definitive plan for the pools. A lot of time was spent by officials and residents in 2023 to develop a plan for a new community pool (or pools). As we enter 2024, we hope to see the results of this work and finally learn what the future holds for these special community assets.
Additionally in 2024, we expect further collaboration between the Council and Livingston’s Board of Education, specifically on the potential addition of a school at Monmouth Court. By the end of the decade, when several recent housing projects have been completed and brought more residents to town, it is reasonable to expect a further taxing of our schools. Planning for that potentiality now is prudent.
Along those lines, if the last few years have taught us anything, we can likely expect to see some additional development projects approved, to comply with Fair Share Housing. We hope these are done responsibly, with as little negative effect on residents as possible.
It is also worth mentioning that next month will mark three years since recreational cannabis was legalized in New Jersey. In the months following that date in 2021, several public forums were held on the topic. A group of officials was later tasked with determining where in Livingston five of the six classes of cannabis businesses could be placed. Based on conversations at conference meetings, the Council seems prepared to pass an ordinance, which we expect to see early in 2024. Additionally, we hope to hear about findings and recommendations for the other class of cannabis business, retail, which is the one that is most eagerly anticipated by the greatest number of residents. One way or another, we hope to finally see decisions made on this topic.
We would also be remiss not to mention the introduction of the Volunteer Fire and First Aid Recognition and Incentive program, which is expected to provide $300,000 to Livingston’s volunteer firefighters and EMTs over the next few years. These first responders save residents’ lives, and they are certainly worthy of compensation. The goal of the program, aside from recognizing these deserving residents, is to attract more first responders to the organizations and keep the Livingston Fire Department a volunteer organization. A paid fire department, officials have said, would cost the taxpayers more than $10 million. If $300,000 is what it takes to keep the Livingston Fire Department a volunteer organization, that is money well spent.
Cheers to 2024! We look forward to seeing what Livingston has in store for us all in the New Year.
