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Mayor Wilson's Monthly Report to Residents
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Dear Morris Township Residents:
What an unprecedented time this is! I would like to update you on events that happened in and around our community this past month. Following a brief update on the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to give special attention here to some of the topics that have gotten obscured in the avalanche of COVID-19 news.
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COVID-19: A BRIEF UPDATE
The situation is very serious. As expected, the number of COVID-19 cases is escalating rapidly. ALL of us need to do our part to slow the spread.
Our Communications Committee (Mark Gyorfy and myself) along with our Administrator, Tim Quinn, and his assistant, Virginia Murphy, have been working very hard to produce the large number of Municipal Messenger communications that have been shared with residents in the last couple of weeks.
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All of this information can be found on our
website
. I encourage you to pay special attention to the social distancing and personal hygiene measures detailed there; to practice them yourself; and to help others understand why these measures are so important to ALL of us. Some KEY recommendations that cannot be repeated enough include:
- STAY HOME as much as possible.
- If you do have to go out, STAY AT LEAST 6 FEET AWAY FROM OTHER PEOPLE, ALWAYS.
- WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY AND WELL.
Per the recommendation that has come out from CDC just in the last couple of days, I also urge you to wear something to cover your face (scarf, bandanna etc.) when you have to go out. Keep in mind that wearing a face-covering can help to protect others from you if you are an asymptomatic carrier of this virus, but it does less to protect you from others. IT DOES NOT REPLACE THE NEED FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING. It’s also important that members of the public NOT use surgical masks which are in short supply and are needed by our health care workers.
View the video below for the
U.S. Surgeon General's
directions on how to make your own homemade mask.
We truly ARE in this together. Each person’s actions affect everyone else. Let’s ALL do our part to keep ourselves and each other safe and healthy.
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HIGHLIGHTS OF ITEMS FROM OUR 3/18 TC MEETING THAT HAVE NOT GOTTEN MUCH ATTENTION
Several topics were addressed at our March 18th Township Committee (TC) meeting which have not gotten much attention and in which I know many residents would be interested:
MORRIS TOWNSHIP’S 2020 BUDGET
- At our 3/18 TC meeting, TC members voted to formally introduce this year’s budget.
- Our budget is now available for residents to review. You can access it here.
- Key Next Steps: At our next TC meeting (which will be held via remote access on Wed, April 15th):
- Our Township Administrator, Tim Quinn, will explain our budget to the public
- TC members will discuss the budget
- Residents will have an opportunity to ask questions and share comments
- Key Background Information
- The budget that has now been formally introduced reflects months of work by staff (especially our administrator, department heads, and chief financial officer); by TC members who provided input as part of our standing committee structure; and by our professional auditors.
- Our proposed budget is flat. It includes NO TAX INCREASE FOR RESIDENTS.
- The prevailing view among those of us who have worked on this budget is that it is fiscally sound and worthy of our support.
- The effects of the current economic fallout of the COVID-19 situation on our budget are uncertain and evolving. Updated information on the impacts to our town and our residents will be highlighted in our ongoing Messenger communications and detailed at the public hearing.
- Morris Township residents can rest assured that we are as well prepared as any town in NJ to weather the economic storm that lies ahead of us.
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James Street Sidewalk
At the 3/18 TC meeting, members of the Township Committee approved a plan to install a sidewalk along the west side of James Street from Cottonwood (where the current sidewalk ends) to Applewood. While the COVID-19 situation is likely to produce a variety of delays that are impossible to predict with certainty right now, I want residents to know that completing this project is a top priority for Morris Township. We are committed to doing everything we can to move this project along as quickly as possible during this time of extreme challenge and uncertainty.
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New Ordinance: No Convenience Stores Allowed At Gas Stations
At the 3/18 TC meeting, we introduced an ordinance (#08-20) which amends Chapter 95, Section 37 of the Township Code. The key impact of this ordinance is as follows: In future applications that seek to establish gas stations or vehicle repair shops: no retail sales of food or other non-automotive related items will be allowed AND no gas station will be allowed to operate in conjunction with a convenience store.
Next steps
: After the Planning Board (PB) reviews this ordinance, it returns to the TC for a public hearing and final vote. The PB is scheduled to review this ordinance at its 4/6 meeting, and the public hearing and final vote is scheduled for the 4/15 TC meeting. Both of these meetings are scheduled to be held via remote access. We fully realize the challenges posed by conducting public meetings via remote access. See IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT PUBLIC MEETINGS (below).
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REDEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE ABBEY
At the 3/18 TC meeting, we formally introduced the Redevelopment Plan that our planner has prepared for the Abbey. To ensure that residents have a clear understanding of what’s going on with this site (what’s happened in the past, where we are now, and next steps going forward), I sent a special,
separate report
just on this topic. Please keep this report handy for future reference.
Important Notes re: the public hearing on the Abbey Redevelopment Plan TENTATIVELY scheduled for Wednesday, April 29
th
:
Given the extraordinary conditions created by the COVID-19 emergency, many of us on the Township Committee are pushing to re-schedule this Public Hearing for a later date.
We GET the importance of this site to our community. We GET the hardships that trying to deal with this site
right now
pose for everyone.
While a decision to postpone this public hearing is not ours alone to make (we are bound by certain legalities that originate at the state level), many of us are advocating that we postpone the public hearing on this site until such time as in-person attendance at public meetings can resume – and at a minimum until some point in May.
Discussion of how we will handle this situation going forward will be included as an agenda item on our upcoming 4/15 TC meeting. To be continued…
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLIC MEETINGS – ESPECIALLY OUR LAND USE BOARDS
Other than the Planning Board (PB), Board of Adjustment (BOA), and Township Committee (TC), ALL of our other boards and committees are cancelled for the month of April – possibly longer (TBD).
TC meetings will continue to be held as scheduled via remote access. The focus will be on items that are ESSENTIAL to running our town.
Our land use boards (including the PB and BOA) present their own set of unique legal challenges which every town in NJ (including ours) is struggling right now to resolve. Land use issues and decision-making processes are governed by numerous legal rules that are established at the state level. Recently published
state guidelines
basically say that the same rules as usual apply (such as timing and deadlines, public access to documents, and public participation in meetings). The only change is that now everything has to be done online - via remote access.
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Cathy’s Commentary:
This expectation is problematic. It’s causing a lot of concern among many local officials – including me. The logistics of doing everything online is easier said than done. Of particular interest to me are the timing requirements for handling applications: I would like to see them extended so towns like ours are not forced to proceed with applications under conditions where public access and public participation are so clearly impeded. It’s not going to surprise me if further adjustments in state compliance guidelines are forthcoming, but at present, like every other town in NJ, uncertainties abound as to the exact remote-access practices we will use going forward. Another addition in the “To Be Continued” bucket of uncertainties the COVID-19 crisis has produced.
In the meantime, we will be conducting our first PB meeting via remote access.
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REMEMBER TO COMPLETE YOUR CENSUS FORM!
With all of the other pressing concerns that are competing for everyone’s attention right now, it’s understandable if completing your census form is the last thing on your mind. Ironically, situations like this pandemic are a great example of why it’s so important for EVERYONE in our community to be counted. Census data will be vital in determining the amount and kinds of reimbursement that come to our community for various purposes and from various sources – federal, state, and county. Invitations to complete the 2020 Census were sent in the mail a few weeks ago. For the first time, you can choose to respond online, by phone, or by mail. All information is confidential. Please be sure to complete it if you have not done so already.
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OUR COMMUNITY SPIRIT IS AMAZING!
The last several weeks have brought a countless number of stories of our residents and staff supporting and encouraging each other in so many different ways. From individuals reaching out to help each other with necessities like food and medicine; to whole neighborhoods coming out and
Clapping Because We
Care
to show our gratitude for the heroic work our health care workers are doing for all of us; to the awesome birthday visits for kids our Police and Fire Departments are doing - the stories of people in our community helping each other in fun, caring, imaginative ways is inspiring. To arrange a birthday parade, contact Morris Township Police Lt. Heather Glogolich at
hglogolich@mtpd1422.com
or call the Community Policing Unit at 973-326-7450. While this COVID-19 situation is horrible for everyone, it’s also shining a light on the spirit within our community that makes Morris Township such an awesome place to live.
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SPECIAL THANKS TO GIANNA DEL COLLE
,
who was recognized at our March Township Committee meeting for her outstanding service to our community. Gianna has gone above and beyond in volunteering her time and talents to helping so many others in so many ways during this time of such great need for all. THANK YOU, GIANNA, FOR ALL THAT YOU DO TO HELP SO MANY PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY – ALWAYS, AND ESPECIALLY NOW!
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In closing…
I came across this message from one of my favorite history organizations:
Discover NJ History.org
. I find it thought-provoking and uplifting. I hope you do too:
Channeling Our Inner Suffragist Amidst Uncertainty
“In 1918, amidst the peak of the Suffrage Movement, the world was also facing the devastating effects of a global pandemic. The 1918 "Great Influenza," known as the Spanish Flu, killed around
670,000 people in the United States
. This, coupled with the casualties of World War I, left Americans vulnerable and scared for what the future may hold.
“Women were at the forefront of managing society during this period of disarray. The effects of the Spanish Flu left a significant shortage in labor, enabling women to become valuable and necessary members of the workforce. As many women made the choice to work outside of the home for the first time, they gained social and financial independence. Not only did this help change perception of women in the United States, but it also granted women the autonomy to advocate for equal rights, like suffrage. Two years after the peak of the pandemic, the 19th Amendment was ratified, constitutionally granting women the right to vote.
“We realize that people throughout New Jersey are facing a period of extreme anxiety. Just as these women did before us, we are determined to help our communities, and come out of this struggle stronger. We encourage everyone to channel their inner suffragist at this time, and remain hopeful and strong over the next few months.”
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Finally…
In a Spirit of Better Late Than Never: Video of the March 18th Township Committee Meeting
In the deluge of COVID-19 information that came upon all of us just before and immediately after our March (3/18) TC meeting, links to video of that meeting were never shared with the public. For anyone who may be interested, links to that meeting are presented below.
00:01:00
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE and Introductory Remarks
00:02:45
PRESENTATIONS- RECOGNITION COMMUNITY SERVICE – GIANNA DEL COLLE
00:25:00
ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING AND FINAL CONSIDERATION
00:34:40
INTRODUCTION OF 2020 MUNICIPAL BUDGET
00:41:05
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS AND COMMENTARY BY TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE
01:15:30
CONSIDERATION OF MONTHLY REPORTS
For anyone who would like written information about our March 18th meeting:
- The full meeting agenda can be found here
- The full text of each of the ordinances for introduction can be found here
- The full text of each of the ordinances for adoption can be found here
- The full text of the resolutions that were adopted can be found here
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Stay well and be sure to stay 6 feet from others!
Cathy Wilson
Mayor, Morris Township
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