February 4, 2019 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

The February 4th workshop meeting of the Middletown Township Committee was uneventful and over after 30 minutes.

Here are the highlights:

• The Committee adopted a salary ordinance that provides salary increases to management and non-contractual employees and professionals.
• Ordinances were introduced to borrow funds to purchase radar equipment, repair sidewalks and increase recreation fees and reduce the time allowed to apply for refunds. These ordinances will be voted upon at the February 19 meeting.
• Resolutions were adopted to appoint a member to the Library Board and name Toll Brothers as the developer of the residential portion of the Circus Liquors Site, more commonly known at Village 35.

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.

Middletown Board of Education Meetings; 2/20/18 & 2/28/18

I'm not going to lie, I've been trying to get through these videos for quite awhile. But, with 7 hours of video to watch, I've given up. I hope that some of you have better luck.

BOE Voting Meeting - 2/28/18



BOE Workshop Meeting - 2/20/18


To view the Agendas for these meeting you can click >>>> HERE

If you'd like to get caught up by reading the latest Minutes from the 1/16/18 & 1/24/18 meetings, you can do so >>>> HERE

March 5, 2018 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

At the March 5th meeting of the Middletown Township Committee, ordinances were adopted to establish a no knock registry and to establish a CAP Bank. Also An ordinance was introduced to acquire property on Compton St. by purchase or by eminent domain.

Items up for discussion included upgrades to the McLeod-Rice House, improvements to parks using Green Acres Funds including adding cameras to many of the parks to monitor for vandalism and the sale of excess leaf compost by auction.




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.

Middletown Library Closing on Sundays??

I received a message from a friend telling me that the Middletown Library Board of Directors is considering closing the library on Sundays now.

According to my messenger friend, this Wednesday night, Nov. 15th, at their next board meeting, the board members will be holding a vote to close the library on Sundays. Here is a copy of the upcoming agenda.   

This revelation of closing on Sundays seems to add credence to the concerns that Mahat Macote had expressed about a revenue shortfall in the library budget  and possible ongoing shenanigans at the library, that I posted about earlier.

If any of this concerns you then I would suggest you make it to Wednesday night's meeting at the library and make your voice heard.

May 17th & 23rd Middletown Board of Education Meeting Vidoes

I'll admit I've been a little remiss lately with following the goings on at the Middletown Board of Education. I've finally got a change to look at the videos of last month's meetings and have posted both below. For viewing, the video of the workshop meeting runs 2 1/2 hours, while the voting meeting is a more manageable 42 minutes in length. Be warned however, the audio for the voting meeting is the best. It sounds like the proceedings were under water.


BOE Workshop Meeting - May 17, 2017

BOE Voting Meeting 5 23 17

For those that like to follow along the Meeting Agenda's can be found HERE and the latest available posting of Meeting Minutes of the Middletown Board of Education can be found HERE

March 6, 2017 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

Last week the Middletown Township Committee held it's monthly workshop meeting. Below are the highlights:

• An ordinance was introduced to repeal part of the township code relating to retirement incentives.
• Some of the resolutions adopted include appointing the Township Attorney to provide land acquisition services in Pt. Monmouth, extending the contract for tree trimming services, to purchase vehicles for DPW, allocate funds to cover costs of running the town and an increase in the costs of providing ADA improvements at Tonya Keller.
• Residents expressed concerns of the number of accidents at the intersection of Hosford Ave and Leonardville Rd., the lack of information from the township on the new municipal center and the progress of the required ADA improvement plan adopted in 2012.

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.

BOE Voting Meeting - January 24, 2017

I can't believe that I haven't posted this video yet. It was really quite entertaining.

During the meeting, the Board of Education voted to reverse it's controversial December decision to provide personal legal counsel to 5 board members in the on going battle over ethics charges filed against fellow board member, Joan Minnuies. The fireworks begin at the 51 minute mark of the video and proceed from there. It really is a must watch.

Also be sure to check out minutes between 1:12:00 to 1:28:00 of the video. Former board president Jim Cody, who was one of the board members looking for free legal representation against Joan Minnuies, decided to vote against the advise of the BOE lawyer, who advised that there may be a conflict of interest if he voted on the proposal to table the legal representation. He voted anyway and when the vote passed to reverse the BOE's December action, he accuses other board members of collusion and conspiracy!  Ain't that a case of the kettle calling the pot black?!




You can find the Meeting Agendas, Committee Report and  all other Attachments HERE.

BOE Voting Meeting - November 16, 2016

I just finished watching the meeting of the Middletown Board of Education (BOE) that took place on November 16th. It was pretty standard stuff, nothing exactly stood out as earth shattering business wise.

Always interesting however are the public comments, which start at the 1:43 mark of the video and continue on for the final 40 minutes or so of the meeting. During the comments, another lengthy discussion pertaining to school security and procedures was raised by two members of the public, who have been spearheading an attempt to eliminate Tier 3 groups (less than 20% Middletown residents) from renting space in the schools for meetings or other activities.

These two individuals have been attending meetings and presenting their concerns to Superintendent George for a year or so now. To it's credit, the BOE has taken the concerns of these people very seriously and have addressed nearly every concern legally possible, these people have presented but it isn't enough. You give them a foot, they want the yard.

I'm all for safety and thinks it's somewhat important to have our schools secure in the event of something terrible and unforeseen, but at what cost? Are we really trying to protect the children or sooth the psyche of a few "Nanny State" parents.

Kids shouldn't have to be afraid to go to school. They shouldn't have to see armed guards in the hallways and the schools shouldn't have to be always seem to be in "lock-down". It's detrimental to the students and the overall learning environment.

If you have other thoughts feel free to leave them in the comments, I'd like to read them.    





You can find the Agenda for the meeting ... HERE

October 4, 2016 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

The Workshop meeting of the Middletown Township Committee was over within 20 minutes of starting. Nothing of major importance was discussed in public. It seems that these meetings are a nuisance for those involved and the sooner they are over with the better.

Below are the highlights:

• All resolutions were adopted as a consent vote.
• The Township Employee Manual was updated to reflect changes for pregnancies and personal use of vehicles. 
• All Committee members thanked the supporters and staff for a successful Middletown Day.
• A proposal was made by members of the Lincroft Village Green Association (LVGA) to install a sprinkler system at Lincroft Village Park. The proposal included drilling a well, which the LVGA stated to fund.

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.

BOE Voting Meeting - September 27, 2016

I haven't had the time to review this latest video of the Middletown Board of Education's September 27th meeting as of yet. The video is nearly 2 1/2 hours long and I just haven't had time to look at it without interruption. If there is anything to truly comment on, I'll do so later after viewing the complete video.




Here is the link to the Meeting Agenda

For a list of attachments to the Meeting Agenda click HERE

August 15, 2016 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

At last Monday's Middletown Township Committee meeting, the court room was packed with residents which lead to the meeting lasting over 2 hours.

During the meeting:

• The township swore in 4 new police officers.
• Ordinances were adopted to amend the sidewalk construction account, to set fees for micro-chipping pets and to borrow $5.3M for capital improvements.
• An ordinance was introduced authorizing a lease agreement between the township and the Middletown Emergency Medical Services. The vote to approve this ordinance will take place at the September 6 workshop meeting.
• Another ordinance was introduced to change the zoning on property along Rt. 35 from commercial to residential.The vote to approve this ordinance will take place at the September 19 workshop meeting.
• The Township Committee also authorized the sale of $3M in bonds to redeem bonds that were issued in 2009.

During Public Comments (54:56),  many residents who filled the courtroom, spoke out against the installation of high voltage power lines along the NJ Transit right of way by JCP&L.



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.

April 18, 2016 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

A rather uneventful meeting of the Middletown Township Committee was held on April 18th. Most of the meeting was taken up by the presentation of a number of proclamations

If you're so inclined, Committee Comments start at 44:12 where you can here what a great and wonderful deal it is for the township to have it's 911 system taken over by the county. This of course has been criticized by many since it was announced.

Public Comments start at 57:31



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 1, 2015 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

The June 1st 2015, Middletown Township Workshop meeting set a new record in brevity, it lasted less than 17 minutes even though two police officers were given promotions.

There was also a snide attempt at humor when a comment was made about the lack of public attendance at the meeting. It's a good thing the meeting was record and posted on Youtube proving that public township meetings actually take place.

Other highlights of the meeting included Assistant Administrator, Jim Van Nest being appointed to the Library Board and the Committee voted to increase the township debt to over $70M.





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.

April 16, 2013 Middletown Township Public Library Board Meeting

Here is another video that just recently became available and I haven't had the time to view in it's entirety . This video is from the April 16th meeting of the Middletown Library Board of Trustees meeting. Why not take a look and share with us what you find.



The agenda and minutes can be viewed ... HERE

8-6-12 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

There was a Middletown Township Committee Workshop meeting last week. It was rather uneventful and as per the norm lately, lasted only 35 minute.

You'll notice while watching the video that Tony Fiore wasn't present during the meeting so the deputy mayor, Steve Massell, stepped up to the plate and presided over his very first township meeting. He seemed uncomfortable and awkward sitting at the head of the table running the meeting. I suppose that would be due to his having to express himself and utter more than just the two words "No Comment" during a typical meeting of the Township Committee.  You'll also notice that his grand entrance and buffoonery from the previous two committee meetings are missing.

Points of interest for this meeting would include an ordinance that was introduced to borrow $750K to purchase new radios for emergency responders and due to a change in the by-laws of the Library Board a member resigned causing the Township Committee to appoint a new member to the Library Board.

A few discussion items many also be of interest to residents which would include the discussion of the various public safety grants that the Township has received (DDEF Training Grant, DWI County Roadblock Grant, Federal Body Armor Grant), the bus stop (or lack there of) on Rt.36 and Avenue D and the purchasing of a fence and upgrade of sidewalks along Hubbard Avenue and Middletown-Lincroft Rd. 

The Public Comments portion of the meeting starts at the 23 minute mark of the video and of course shouldn't be missed. I always find this part of the meeting fascinating because it gives observers at the meetings or viewers of these videos insights into what is on the minds of citizens and what it is that residents are currently worried about as it pertains to Middletown.

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.

Middletown Township Committee Meeting 4/16/12

This video is of the April 16th, 2012, Middletown Township Committee Meeting.  It was at this meeting that a public hearing was held to sell the Middletown Swim & Tennis Club, after which the Committee voted to approve the sale to the non-profit group New Jersey Junior Titans, Inc..



As a companion to the video, you can download a copy of the meeting agenda that contains 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.

It's Your Town - Video Newsletter for 4/2/12

The It's Your Town - Video Newsletter for the Monday night April 2, 20112, workshop meeting of the Middletown Township Committee has been posted online for your viewing pleasure.

It was announced at this meeting that the Township had entered into an agreement with a non-profit entity (Titan Junior Hockey) to lease the Middletown Swim Club and will purchase it by the year's end. The Titan's came to the meeting with conceptual drawings of the facility they want to provide. It will include an indoor ice hockey rink and another indoor sports building.

There are still however many questions left to be answered.



As a companion to the video, you can download a copy of the meeting agenda that contains 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.

It's Your Town - Video Newsletter for 3/19/12

The It's Your Town - Video Newsletter which documents the Monday night March 19, 20112, meeting of the Middletown Township Committee has been posted online for your viewing pleasure.

This month's meeting was unusual in the sense that it took nearly 2 hours from start to finish, the norm for the past several months have been an hour or less.

At this months meeting there were two public presentations given, one by Monmouth County Deputy Freeholder Director Tom Arnone who spoke about the "Grow Monmouth" program and the other by Middletown's CFO Nick Transente, who rolled out the FY 2012 Municipal budget in his.

There were also a few public hearings on the agenda for various ordinances, one of which was for the sale of the Swim Club and another that pertained to the subdivison of the property owned by Max Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band.

During Public Comments Mr. Don Watson, the person responsible for video recording Committee meetings since February, once again presented the Committee with a DVD for broadcasting on the Township cable access channels. Mayor Fiore however made it clear that there were no intentions on the Township's part to broadcast this or any meeting when asked.




As a companion to the video, you can download a copy of the meeting agenda that contains 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.

It's Your Town - Video Newsletter 3/05/12

The It's Your Town - Video Newsletter which documents the Monday night March 5, 20112 meeting of the Middletown Township Committee has been posted online for your viewing pleasure.

Members of the public out numbered the availability of seating in the Conference room where the meeting was held. This forced many who attended to stand in the hallway outside of the room. Their complaints about this arrangement were ignored by the committee.

At this meeting members of the Swim Club came in to continue the conversation about the future of the Club and the sale of the property (the Committee introduced an ordinance, at the last meeting, to put the property up for auction).

Mr. Don Watson, the person responsible for video recording these meetings, presented the Committee with a video copy of the 2/6/12 Committee meeting, requesting that the Committee broadcast it on the Township cable access channels. He asked the Committee if they had viewed the previous video which he had given them.

Many excuses were given for not broadcasting the meetings but Township Administrator Tony Mercantante stated that he would review the video presented.

Mr. Fiore stated that there were no guarantees that every meeting would be recorded and therefore he did not want the public to miss a meeting if they were broadcast. Other Committee members were asked to discuss broadcasting but they refused and had no other comments.

So for now, only those with Internet access and knowledge of the It's Your Towns newsletter have the ability to watch and view these recordings.

New discussion items for this meeting included the formation of a new committee between the various leaders of the independent sports leagues and the Township that would discuss the best way to utilize our parks and another committee to be formed to review historical properties in town.

Ordinances will be introduced soon for the formation of these new committees.

As a companion to the video, you can download a copy of the meeting agenda that contains 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.