Here's a quick rundown for Monday night's Workshop Meeting of the Middletown Township Committee (if you couldn't make it, like mostly everyone else, watch the video and follow a long):
There was a presentation given to the Township Committee by a representative of Good Energy. This representative wants the township to participate in an effort to get cheaper electric rates for its residents by helping them to purchase their electricity from the company.
There also was a public hearing on an ordinance to auction some property on Unity Court, which was adopted. Another public hearing to accept the new flood elevations set by FEMA was not adopted. After a vote of 2 for and 2 against, it was determined that the vote would be rescheduled until the next meeting so more information could be obtained from the Planning Board.
Committeemen Fiore and Settembrino both voted not to adopt the new elevations. Mr. Fiore said he asked the Planning Board twice for advice and did not get a response. Mr. Settembrino, who sits on the Planning Board gave no reason for his vote.
Township Committee comments begin at the 49:20 mark of the video and it is followed by public comments.
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
3 comments:
Settembrino voted no because he is running for re-election and didn't want to be seen as voting for the new elevations because of the cost it would impose on the taxpayer and potential voter come November. He will still vote no the next time it comes up for a vote.
Re the Good Energy presentation, a few comments. Good Energy is not itself an energy supplier, but rather a consultant paid on commission to seek the best price for the municipality on behalf of residents. A recent state law allows municipalities to buy in bulk on behalf of residents, called energy aggregation. The idea is that a more favorable electric rate can be obtained through the large scale contract. Residents who do not already have a third party supplier would be eligible to participate. Something that residents should be aware of about this arrangement, per Good Energy’s proposal, is that it is an ‘opt out’ program, not ‘opt in’. In other words, you would be automatically enrolled. While there may be good arguments for it, there has been movement away from this type of automatic switching in recent years. Residents might prefer to ‘opt in’.
I for one would be interested to know what questions Mr. Fiore had for the Planning Board that he hadn't received answers on.
Post a Comment