June 3, 2019 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

Last Monday, the Middletown Township Committee, held it's monthly workshop meeting. The video description pretty much sums up what transpired during the meeting. If you have time, please watch. These videos are always very informative and at times educational for those wanting to know what goes on down at Town Hall:

"Freeholder Arnone came to present a shared services program run by the County. A group came to speak to Arnone regarding opioid addiction, but the Freeholder stated he had another meeting with the Howell Town Council to attend.

The Township Committee voted to introduce an ordinance to allow the volunteer fire department to elect their officers during the first week of December, in addition to the standard second week.

The group that came to speak to Freeholder Arnone continued their discussion with the Township Committee. The group was under the impression that the township adopted an ordinance banning medical marijuana distribution centers. They also stated that people being paroled from jail are being paroled to Middletown and Monmouth County in general. It was stated that the parolees do not have housing to live in and resort to living on the street, homeless and that the Township needs to take some responsibility and ensure that there is affordable housing for all.

A resident came in to show the Committee that people in her neighborhood are placing large amounts of brush out at the street after the scheduled collection time. She also said that there a re trailers parked on the street for extended periods of time and that there is no enforcement of existing laws."

As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

December 3, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

This past Monday night the Middletown Township Committee got together for it's monthly Workshop meeting. It was a typical December workshop meaning very little was discussed, however, an ordinance was adopted that will provide death benefits for EMS volunteers and another ordinance was adopted that would exempt veterans that are 100% disabled from paying property taxes.

Most of the runtime of the video below can be attributed to Public Comments, which I recommend watching. It's always good to hear what's on the minds of residents that motivates them to attend a Township Committee meeting. Comments being a little after the 25 minute timestamp on the video.





As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

September 5, 2017 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

It was a quick 30 minute meeting last week of the Middletown Township Committee. Committeeman Kevin Settembrino was not present but participated on a conference call.


Highlights:

Ordinances were passed to :

• Borrow 1.12M for various capital projects
• Set a health benefits waiver policy
• Expand the list of prohibited acts on township properties
• Establish a Halloween curfew

Resolutions were adopted to:

• Establishing a duplicate tax lien certificate
• Reduce the performance bond for Oak Hill Associates
• Authorize an online auction
• Amend a contract with an architect working on the McCloud-Rice Croydon Hall
• Hire an additional Planner for redevelopment projects
• Authorize the application for a matching Open Space grant to provide upgrades at various parks
• Pay the bills for the township

As always you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

June 21, 2017 BOE Workshop Meeting & June 27, 2017 BOE Voting Meeting

This month's meeting videos of the Middletown Board of Education have just recently been made uploaded and available for viewing. I am posting them here but I haven't watched them yet. Between the two there is over 5 hours worth of video to watch.

If anyone wishes to discuss what's been going on down at the BOE leave your comments below and we'll talk about it.


Voting Meeting

Workshop Meeting

The Agendas for each meeting can be found Here

Pallone to Hold Student Loan Workshop, November 12

RSVP by November 9

LONG BRANCH, NJ – On November 12th, Congressman Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) will hold a Federal Student Aid workshop at Rutgers University in Piscataway for students on how to make college affordable. The Congressman will discuss his efforts in Congress to reduce student loan debt, and students will have the opportunity to speak with him, as well as Department of Education representatives and Rutgers University financial aid officers. The Department of Education representatives will provide information on federal grants and discuss the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and how to properly complete the form.

The workshop will be held on Thursday, November 12 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., at the Rutgers Visitor Center at 100 Sutphen Rd., Piscataway, NJ. Interested students should RSVP to Amit Jani at (732) 571-1140.

“The Student Loan Workshop will be a great opportunity for students to learn more about one of the major challenges facing their generation – making college more affordable,” said Congressman Pallone. “A college education is one of the most valuable investments a family can make, but today, millions of graduates are entering the workforce burdened with tens of thousands of dollars of debt. Understanding the options for federal grants and student aid is a tremendous advantage. I am glad that my office, along with the Department of Education and Rutgers University, will be able to shine light on the process for high school students and their families.”

F&WW Educational Workshop: Fracking & the Jersey Shore

Please join Food & Water Watch for an educational workshop designed for municipal officials, community leaders, and members of the public to learn how fracking, fracking waste, and related natural gas infrastructure pose a threat to the New Jersey coast. The presentation will provide an overview of fracking, discuss how fracking waste and natural gas infrastructure are already impacting communities throughout New Jersey, how fracking waste and fracking-related infrastructure threaten the coast, and how municipalities can take action at the local level.

Throughout the previous year, Food & Water Watch has helped a growing movement of municipalities take local action against fracking, fracking waste, and related natural gas infrastructure in the absence of statewide bans. Find out if your community is at risk, learn what some communities have already done, and learn what you can do to keep this highly controversial method of natural gas drilling and its toxic byproducts out of your community.

All attendees will receive a flashdrive, as well as all the materials and resources needed to pass a local ordinance.

Fracking & the Jersey Shore:

How Fracking Impacts Your Community and What You Can Do About It

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

6:30pm – 8:30pm

Unitarian Universalist Ocean County Congregation

734 Route 37 West, Toms River, NJ 08755

RSVP: http://fwwat.ch/jerseyshoreworkshop
*Refreshments will be provided by Dean’s Natural Food Market*


This event is free and open to the public so feel free to share the invitation with others.

For questions, or to reserve a seat, please contact Lauren Petrie at (732) 993-8966 or lpetrie@fwwatch.org


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Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping the global commons – our shared resources – under public control.

Pallone Attends Disaster Recovery Workshop and Tours Rebuild of Sandy-Damaged Home

SEA BRIGHT, NJ – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) attended a workshop, hosted by Farmers Insurance and the St. Bernard Project, a national disaster recovery nonprofit organization, to discuss how public and private entities are working together in New Jersey to improve disaster recovery efforts, specifically with groups like Sea Bright Rising, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping residents rebuild in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Congressman Pallone also toured a Sandy-damaged home currently being repaired by Sea Bright Rising. He was joined by Deb Aldredge of Farmers Insurance, Zack Rosenburg of the St. Bernard Project, Chad Carson of Sea Bright Rising, and Sea Bright Mayor, Dina Long.

“It is great to see the work being done here in Sea Bright as organizations come together to make sure that resources are getting into the hands of those who need it most,” said Pallone. “This collaboration between private institutions and local, non-profit organizations is crucial as we continue to rebuild in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but also as we look to effectively prepare for future storms. I’m grateful for all that Farmers Insurance, the St. Bernard Project and Sea Bright Rising continue to do to help our community recover from this historic storm.”

In May of this year, Farmers Insurance, in conjunction with the St. Bernard Project, launched the “Disaster Recovery Playbook,” a compilation of best practices that communities can utilize to ensure a faster and more complete recovery following a disaster. Sea Bright Rising has partnered with the St. Bernard Project to implement a residential rebuilding program in the community of Sea Bright, New Jersey in order to serve residents who own homes but lack the financial means necessary to rebuild on their own. In June, Farmers made a commitment to Sea Bright Rising to provide much needed funding and weekly volunteers through the end of 2014.

May 5, 2014 Middletown Township Committee Meeting: Finance Committee Indeed

Last Monday's Township Committee Workshop Meeting was a short one. How short do you ask? It lasted only 17:39 minutes. If you sneezed or blinked you missed it. Good thing there is a video of  it to prove that it actually took place. It's sad when the Public Comments portion (starting at 7:25) of the meeting lasted longer than the Business portion of the meeting.

The highlight of the meeting was when Don Watson (8:05) questioned items on the Bill List and not surprising, the members of the Township Committee didn't know what Mr. Watson was asking about and had no answer for him. And these people are in charge of our tax dollars!

Years ago when Democrat Patrick Short was elected to the Township Committee, he made it a point to read the bill list every month and questioned what the township was spending money on. It became apparent very quickly that the other members of the Township Committee never looked at or questioned the bill list that was present in their meeting packets each month. For his efforts, Short was publicly ridiculed by his colleagues on the dais (all Republicans BTW) for questioning Township spending. It was a travesty to witness.

Now, once again we have evidence that the Committee members, who act as Middletown's  "Finance Committee", aren't doing their job. It's an embarrassment  when the Township Attorney has to answer basic questions about township finances on the behalf of committee members. Watch the video and you'll see what I'm talking about.



As always, you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

Oil Spill Amnesia

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's Newsletter:

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. On April 20, 2010, the oil rig exploded, killing 11 workers. The platform soon collapsed beneath the water’s surface, but over the course of the following 87 days, more than four million barrels of oil spewed from the blown-out Macondo well, coating nearly 1,000 miles of Gulf coastline and temporarily closing more than 88,000 square miles of some of the nation’s most productive fishing grounds.

The Deepwater Horizon tragedy was a wake-up call, but some of my colleagues seem to have missed the sound of the alarm. In the two years since the disaster, I have offered bills to implement the safety recommendations of the National Commission on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. I also have introduced the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act to make sure that oil companies pay the full cost of damages resulting from future oil spills. Unfortunately, the Republican majority has refused to allow these much-needed reforms to be considered by the House of Representatives.

We owe the families of those killed two years ago a serious examination of the lessons learned in order to ensure that the ongoing drilling in the Gulf is as safe as possible. We owe the families and workers who depend on the coastal resources of New Jersey and elsewhere a promise that a similar accident will never take place off of their shores.

Free Student Aid Workshop on Monday, April 30
Do you have concerns about affording higher education? On Monday, April 30, at 7 p.m., I will be organizing a free Student Aid Workshop for high school students and their parents in conjunction with the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority and Rutgers University. The workshop will be held at the South Brunswick Public Library, 110 Kingston Lane in Monmouth Junction.

Experts will be on hand to offer information on financial aid opportunities at the federal, state, and campus levels, including Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, and scholarship programs offered by the State of New Jersey. They will also be glad to answer your questions and provide information about your own financial aid situation.
For more information, please contact Andrew Black of my staff at (609) 750-9365 or andrew.black@mail.house.gov.

Celebrate National Park Week: Visit Any National Park for Free
Wallace Stegner, the famed Western writer and historian, once said that national parks are “the best idea we’ve ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." And next week, you’ll have the opportunity to visit any of America’s 397 national parks – and any of the hundreds of battlefields, historic places, and other associated sites managed by the National Park Service – without paying any entrance fee.

National Park Week 2012 runs from this Saturday, April 21, through Sunday, April 29. It presents a great opportunity to visit any of New Jersey’s national parks, including America’s newest national park, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. Many other parks are within easy driving distance.

To learn more about National Park Week and to plan your trip, visit NationalParkWeek.org.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Middletown Budget Workshop Meeting Tonight

If anyone is interested, I would like to point out that there is a budget workshop meeting planned for tonight in Middletown down at town hall.

If you would like to express your concerns about how your tax dollars will be spent or have any thoughts on how Middletown can trim excess dollars from the upcoming budget, now is the time to speak up. 

It doesn't matter what political affiliation you subscribe to, this is about how your money is spent. Let the Mayor and other committee members know how you feel: 

DATE: Wednesday, January 14, 2009
TIME: 7:00 PM BUDGET WORKSHOP MEETING

PLACE: Middletown Town Hall
Main Meeting Room
One Kings Highway, Middletown, NJ 07748
at which time the following matters of business will be conducted:

7:00 PM BUDGET WORKSHOP SESSION

EXECUTIVE SESSION TO FOLLOW

and any other matters that may come before the Township Committee.