Archive for ‘Township Hall’
STAR-LEDGER
A Superior Court judge ruled yesterday that Hillside’s mayor exceeded his authority in appointing a business administrator, attorney and auditor without the township council’s approval.
The judgment comes nearly a month after the township’s governing body sued Mayor Joseph Menza for illegally installing his executive appointments after he took office July 1. The judge agreed with the lawsuit’s contention that the legislation governing the township’s form of government requires council approval for such personnel selections. MORE
Posted in Township Hall | 18 Comments »
While the township has $1.1 million on account, a little more than $2 million is owed to the board of education, said Menza. The notoriously late township tax bills have not been mailed and once bills go out, the mayor said, payments won’t start coming in for at least three weeks. MORE
Posted in Township Hall | 102 Comments »
STAR-LEDGER:
And nearly $1.4 million in street improvement projects will help repave and repair roadways in Linden, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle Park, Winfield and Hillside. . .
Hillside, according to township Public Works Superintendent Scott Anderson, will use a slice of the federal money to upgrade the bathrooms at its Central Avenue playground to federal standards. That project will begin by the end of this month, said Anderson. MORE
Posted in Township Hall | 4 Comments »
STAR-LEDGER:
Former school board member Angela Garretson won a seat to the township council in June, opening a seat on the school board. The nine-member board unanimously selected [George Cook III] to fill that vacancy on Thursday.
“The reason I originally ran for council was because I wanted a better relationship between the council and board of education,” said Cook. “I still want to better that relationship.” MORE
Posted in BOE '09, In the Schools, Mayor/Council '09, Township Hall | 3 Comments »
NEWS RECORD:
The campaign treasurer accused of stealing money from the election fund of a former state assemblyman was admitted into a pretrial intervention (PTI) program over the objections of the state Attorney General’s office.
Rosemary McClave, 66, of Hillside, was indicted on March 23 with one count of third-degree theft by deception and six counts of third-degree tampering with public records. MORE
STAR-LEDGER:
If McClave, who lives in Hillside, successfully completes the program, the charges against her will be dismissed.
[Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for Attorney General Anne Milgram] said it’s not an appropriate punishment for McClave, whose alleged crimes carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $15,000 fine. MORE
PREVIOUS ROSEMARY McCLAVE COVERAGE — CLICK
Tags: McClave
Posted in County Watchers, Township Hall | 12 Comments »
STAR-LEDGER:
A judge hearing initial arguments in a lawsuit filed by the Hillside council against the township’s mayor spoke sternly to both sides yesterday.
This week, the council sued Mayor Joseph Menza, arguing that he illegally hired a business administrator, attorney and auditor without the body’s consent. The case also contends that Menza improperly barred township department heads from attending council meetings.
After nearly an hour of arguments yesterday, Anzaldi issued a temporary injunction preventing Menza from restricting township department heads from attending public meetings…MORE
Posted in Township Hall | 41 Comments »
Mayor/Council standoff over mayoral appointments
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
STAR-LEDGER:
On Tuesday night, the tug-of-war between the mayor and council majority manifested itself in a nearly half-hour argument over where the mayor can sit. And when Menza wanted to address the council, he had to wait for the public comment session, like everyone else. . .
Hillside’s form of government under the Faulkner Act ascribes executive power to the mayor, according to Deborah Kole, the New Jersey League of Municipalities staff attorney. The mayor has authority to appoint department heads with the advice and consent of the council, said Kole. MORE
Posted in Township Hall | 18 Comments »
$107G Central, Maple playground upgrades planned
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
STAR-LEDGER:
An infusion of county funds into Hillside will help the township upgrade two of its playgrounds, including one in a state of disrepair.
Nearly $107,000 in improvements are planned for the playgrounds at Maple and Central avenues. Union County’s Kids Recreation Trust Fund put up half the funds and the Union County Improvement Authority is helping Hillside finance the rest. MORE
Posted in Township Hall | 5 Comments »
STAR-LEDGER:
In Hillside, meetings aren’t televised, resolutions go unexplained and getting agendas prior to council sessions can prove difficult — even for some of the township council members.
Ten months after the township’s governing body agreed to post documents on its website and broadcast public meetings, neither has happened. MORE
Posted in Township Hall | 63 Comments »
Joseph Menza will be sworn in as Hillside’s new mayor on July 1 after winning a last-minute recount last week by seven votes.
Menza, who won the runoff election against Councilman Jerome Jewell earlier this month by just one machine vote and several absentee and provisional ballots, will take office at noon on Wednesday, July 1 at the municipal building.
The recount, which was requested by Jewell, resulted in Menza losing one paper vote, which officials said was invalid because of extra markings.
While Menza won the mayor’s office, the council remains under the control of the Hillside Democratic Committee by a veto-proof 5-2 margin.
The council is already flexing its partisan muscle by scheduling the annual organization meeting for 6 p.m. on July 1, four hours after the swearing-in ceremony. In the past, and in most communities, newly elected officials are sworn in during the organization meetings.
Posted in Mayor/Council '09, Township Hall | 25 Comments »
The state says the Township of Hillside must return $426,126 inadvertently placed in an Urban Enterprise Zone account over the last three years.
Hillside is not alone. Dozens of other municipalities are being asked to return over $40.2 million that was given to them in error.
Local officials around the state are seething at the money-grab, saying it will affect projects and programs already in the works. Star-Ledger has MORE.
Posted in Township Hall | 4 Comments »
The proposed 2009-10 school budget, which voters rejected by a margin of 4 percent in a referendum two weeks ago, is now in the hands of the Township Council.
In the weeks ahead, township officials will pore over numbers and auditing reports to determine what, if any, cuts should be made to a budget that sought to raise the school tax levy by 3.5 percent.
“First, can I ask for a re-count?” Interim Superintendent Michael Roth joked last week when discussing the post-election steps for the budget proposal.
(more…)
Posted in In the Schools, Township Hall | 8 Comments »
Star-Ledger Newark columnist Joan Whitlow slams Hillside today over the traffic barrier township officials erected last month on Bergen Street at the Hillside/Newark city line.
No one in Newark’s government was told it was coming, which has some Newark officials seething. They have a right to seethe. Blocking Bergen Street off just as it was about to end anyway seems so illogical that the “Road Closed” signs on the barrier appear to carry another message: “Keep Out of Hillside.”
Read more and tell us what you think here.
Posted in Police Blogger, Township Hall | 3 Comments »
The township Planning Board has introduced its updated Master Plan after years of delays, according to a report in the Local Source.
(more…)
Posted in BOE '09, Mayor/Council '09, Township Hall | 1 Comment »
The construction is in preparation for the upcoming Route 22 overpass reconstruction by the state Department of Transportation.
A $4.2 million project is in place to improve drainage along Route 22, between mile posts 58.12 and 58.82, said Stephen Dilts, commissioner for the state Department of Transportation. The project includes the installation of larger drainage pipes and a detention basin along the roadway, as well as new curbing and guard rails. “This stretch is among the top 10 hot spots for flooding in the state,” said DOT spokesperson Erin Phalon. MORE
Posted in News, Township Hall | No Comments »
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Hillside officials have put up a traffic barrier blocking traffic driving south on Newark’s Bergen Street from accessing Hillside’s Bailey Avenue, according to a report in the Star-Ledger – and Newark is not too happy about it.
(more…)
Posted in Calendar, Mayor/Council '09, Police Blogger, Township Hall | 3 Comments »
Hillside mayor must pay $32K in legal fees — out of own pocket
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
Hillside Mayor Karen McCoy-Oliver must pay more than $32,000 to reimburse the seven township department heads who successfully sued her for refusing to sign their pay raise contracts, a Superior Court judge ordered Wednesday. . . the mayor must personally pay $25,510 to the Morristown law firm of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, which represented the seven plaintiffs [and] $6,665 to Hillside Township for its legal expenses. MORE
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
• Judge says dept. heads can get their raises, contract
Posted in Township Hall | No Comments »
The portion of Liberty Avenue running under the Route 22 overpass will be closed to traffic beginning next Friday, May 1, until Monday, May 4, Hillside Police Chief Robert Quinlan said.
(more…)
Posted in News, Police Blogger, Township Hall | 1 Comment »
Most members of the Hillside Township Council weren’t too happy with the $41.2 million budget before them on Monday evening. Still, they voted 6-1 to approve it.
2009 Budget Revenues by Category
The finalized spending plan will require Hillside taxpayers to contribute $458,822 (1.77 percent) more than they did in 2008. The tax rate for every $100 of assessed property value will climb a little over six cents, or 2.23 percent, to about $2.862.
Before casting his “yes” vote, Council President John Kulish said that getting to a budget that only modestly raises taxes without cutting any services and employees was a “feat and a half.”
(more…)
Posted in Mayor/Council '09, Township Hall | 7 Comments »
The Hillside Township Council tomorrow will hold a public hearing and vote on the $41.2 million budget they introduced a week ago.
The meeting at the municipal building will be held at 4 p.m. even though township meetings are usually scheduled for 7 p.m.
(more…)
Posted in Mayor/Council '09, Township Hall | No Comments »
The Hillside Township Council on Monday introduced a $41.2 million budget for 2009 — a spending plan that will raise the tax rate 6 cents for every $100 of assessed property value, Council President John Kulish said.
The increase will mean the average Hillside home assessment of $144,000 will see its taxes rise by $86.
(more…)
Posted in Township Hall | 6 Comments »
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With the entrance and exit ramps for Route 78 just meters away, George Washington Elementary School, on Leslie Street at Winans Avenue, is located on one of the township’s most highly trafficked intersections.
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Posted in In the Schools, Township Hall | 6 Comments »
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The rates for membership at the municipal pool on Central Avenue were approved by the Township Council Tuesday night with no change in the basic membership rates from last year.
Low-income residents — those making a total family income of less than $40,000 — will be able to purchase partial season passes at half the cost.
(more…)
Posted in Township Hall | 8 Comments »
The Hillside Township Council’s Finance Committee met for eight “difficult” hours yesterday to finalize a 2009-10 budget that is months overdue.
The finance team poured over the spending plan “line item by line item” to produce a budget that is about $1.8 million less the than the $42 million preliminary budget introduced in September, Council President John Kulish said at last night’s council meeting.
(more…)
Posted in Township Hall | 5 Comments »
MORE: COUNCIL TO INTRODUCE BUDGET MONDAY
The Hillside Township Council last night rescheduled a budget hearing and decided when they would vote on whether to submit an application for a federal grant due in just six days.
Seemingly simple tasks, but not accomplished without the council members throwing themselves into a tizzy and allowing election season tempers to flare.
(more…)
Posted in Mayor/Council '09, Township Hall | 6 Comments »
