Teaneck Voices celebrates the new council for emulating the Board of Education in establishing standing subcommittees for critical responsibilities of the governing body. The subcommittees and membership nominated at the January 3, 2023 – and to found in a resolution to be included in the 1/10/2023 Council consent agenda - are the following:
Budget: Gee, Goldberg, Schwartz
Cannabis: Belcher, Goldberg, Pagan
Zoning: Goldberg, Pagan, Schwartz – Alternate: Belcher
Parking: Goldberg, Katz, Schwartz
Leaf Collection: Goldberg, Katz, Orgen
Personnel: Gee, Katz, Pagan
Affordable Housing: Belcher, Pagan, Schwartz
Leadership Teaneck: Gee, Goldberg, Katz
We now are waiting to hear the policy applied to these standing subcommittees:
· What are the responsibilities and limits of the standing subcommittees?
· How often will they meet?
· Will they report all their meetings to the full council in a public meeting? If yes, how often? If no, why not?
The Council names a council liaison to every Advisory Board. Advisory Boards are referred to by Acronyms, making it difficult for many residents to know what boards exist, and on which they might like to apply to serve. Here are the Teaneck Advisory Boards with full names and council Liaison nominees to be approved if Res. 16-2023 is approved on 1/10/2023:
Advisory Board on Community Relations (ABCR ) Gee
Hackensack River Greenway Advisory Board (HRGAB): Pagan
Parks, Playgrounds, and Recreation Advisory Board (PPRAB) Goldberg
Municipal Open Space Trust (MOST): Goldberg
Patriotic Observance Advisory Board (POAB): Orgen
Pride Awareness Advisory Board (PAAB): Pagan
Senior Citizens Advisory Board (SCAB): Gee
Shade Tree Advisory Board (STAB): Pagan
Social Services Advisory Board (SSAB): Gee
Stigma Free Advisory Board (SFAB): Belcher
Municipal Alliance Against Substance Abuse (TMAASA): Orgen
Youth Advisory Board (YAB): Katz
Board of Education (BOE): Gee, Alternate - Orgen
Cedar Lane Management Group (CLMG): Belcher
Chamber of Commerce (Chamber): Belcher
Environmental Commission (EC): Goldberg
Historic Preservation Committee (HPC): Belcher
Library Board (LB): Orgen
Planning Board (PB): Schwartz
While in some contexts, like corporate or Not-for-profit organizations, Advisory Boards are composed of selected experts who provide expertise, current research and current practice to leadership and stakeholders of their organizations, Municipal Advisory Boards are composed of interested residents of the community who want to engage in productive discussion and brainstorming ideas in a particular area.
Likewise, the Council Liaisons to subcommittees are not experts, but essentially elected leaders who have interest in a particular area.
Liaisons are NOT members of the Advisory Board, they do not play any leadership role and do not participate in discussions. The liaisons job is to report to the Council in public session exactly what has taken place in the previous Advisory Board meeting.
Teaneck is missing one statutory advisory board allowed by the State (NJSA 40:55D-39f) & required by the Township Code (https://ecode360.com/13627846 )
i.e. : The Site Plan Review Board (related story on development in this edition of Voices)
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