The Livingston Township Council passed an amendment to a bond ordinance and approved a developer’s agreement during its Monday, December 9, meeting.
At the start of the meeting, a citation was given to the Ritz Diner, which recently celebrated its 40th year of business in town. In addition to the town’s plaudit, Essex County commissioner Pat Sebold issued a citation to honor the diner and its owners, Marion andDavidFeldman.
Bond Ordinance
An ordinance was passed to amend Bond Ordinance 26-2024, which had initially been adopted on September 23.
The amendment to the ordinance deletes the reference of “$7,050,000” for the appropriation and estimated cost and “$6,700,000” for the estimated maximum amount of bonds or notes. In its place would be the figures “$22,000,000” and “$20,900,000,” respectively. Also deleted would be the reference to “$350,000” for the down payment required by the Local Bond Law, instead substituting “$1,100,000.” Additionally to be deletedisareferenceof“$2,000,000” for the Section 20 costs, substituting “$7,000,000.”
Developer’s Agreement
The Council authorized the execution of a developer’s agreement with A&M Partnership for a 6,166 acre property that is identified as Block 107, Lot 8.011 on Livingston’s tax maps.
The agreement affects all or a portion of vacant real estate located along the eastern side of Eisenhower Parkway between Nay Ion Avenue to the north and Executive Parkway to the south.
The developer plans to construct a four-story multi-family residential building. There will be three stories of residential dwelling units and resident amenities over a one story parking garage. In all, there will be 71 residential dwelling units.
This resolution was on the agenda for the November 25 Council meeting, but the vote was pushed to the December 9 meeting after the exhibits were not available to the public in time for the previous meeting.
Recreation Fees
A resolution was passed to establish various fees for the Department of Recreation and Senior Services, effective January 1, 2025. These include increases to various camps, sports, and dance programs hosted by the township.
Originally pickleball and tennis fees were set to increase from $ 10 to $20 annually for residents, $200 to $250 for non-residents, and $ 100 to $ 150 for senior non-residents. Council members expressed an interest in increasing those rates higher to raise funds for repairs to the courts. They agreed to increase the fees to $25 for residents and $300 for non-residents by passing an amendment to the resolution that had been approved earlier in the meeting.
Little League Fields
The Council agreed to apply for a $1.5 million grant from the New (Continued on Page A-6) Jersey Department of CommunityAffairs to install turf infields to be used by the town’s Little League.
“This is going to make a huge difference for our program,” said Little League president Pat Ippolito.
Other Resolutions
Several housekeeping resolutions were also passed during the meeting.
The Council passed a resolution certifying the town’s annual report of audit for the fiscal year that ended on December 31, 2023. Also approved and adopted was the 2023 Corrective Action Plan, which is sent to the Division of Local Government Services.
A resolution was also passed to approve 2024 budget appropriation transfers. These included moving $91,250 within the current fund and $35,939.01 within the pool utility.
The Council additionally cancelled $220,000 in unexpended sewer budget appropriations.
A contract was awarded to LEW Environmental Services for the management of lead testing rental units.
CDBG Hearing
During the meeting, the second of two Essex County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) hearings was held. The hearing was to suggest certain improvements in town which can be funded through this grant. Senior buses and improvements to the pools have been aided by this type of grant in the past. There was no public comment.
At the previous meeting, Council member Ketan Bhuptani suggested using the grant to add ADA compliant parking spaces in town. Council member Shawn Klein agreed, and suggested adding spaces around the Oval. Deputy township manager Russ Jones suggested improving the automatic doors at the Livingston Senior/Community Center.
Upcoming Meetings
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18 at Town Hall. It is expected to be the final meeting of the year.
The 2025 reorganization meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. on New Year’s Day at the Senior/Community Center. Subject to formal governing body approval Ed Meinhardt is expected to be named the mayor and Shawn Klein the deputy mayor for 2025.
Closed Session
In a closed executive session at the end of the meeting, the Council was expected to discuss contract negotiations related to Harvest Lane and potential litigation involving former Livingston Police officer Gary Johnson.
MI Photo
