Bernards Township Closes Municipal Offices Amid Coronavirus

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township is taking precautions including closing municipal offices to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

Bernards Township municipal facilities will remain staffed, however, beginning Tuesday they will be closed to the public.

The township's precautions come after Gov. Phil Murphy announced there are 178 positive cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey on Monday. Of those five were in Somerset County.

Non-essential businesses in New Jersey will shut down beginning on Monday at 8 p.m. because of the coronavirus outbreak, Murphy announced. New Jerseyans should not do "non-essential travel" – such as leaving your home – from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Murphy said. (See Related: NJ Coronavirus Curfew: Bars, Restaurants, Theaters To Shut)

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See below for more information and to contact various Township departments:

Board of Adjustment
Phone: 908-204-3026
Email: ckiefer@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 277 South Maple Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

Engineering
Phone: 908-204-3020
Email: ttimko@bernards.org; slong@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 277 South Maple Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

Fire Prevention
Phone: 908-204-3094
Email: msylvester@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 277 South Maple Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

Library
Phone: 908-204-3031
Web site: bernardslibrary.org

• Will be closed from Monday to March 30. All programming will be suspended until April 6.
• The Bernards Township Library is always open online. Visit bernardslibrary.org to discover digital resources for education, entertainment and more. If you have a question or concern, you can email from the website or call at 908-204-3031.

Municipal Clerk
Phone: 908-204- 3001 / 3002
Email: lmeth@bernards.org
Email: jpadovano@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

• OPRA Request
• Parking Permit Applications/Renewals
• Games of Chance Applications
• Block Party Applications
• Solicitor License Applications
• Special Event Applications
• Election Information: Vote By Mail, Poll Worker Information, Nominating Petition Information

Also visit the Municipal Clerk’s Frequently Asked Questions page, for more information.

Municipal Court
Phone: 908-630-5538
Email: municipalcourt@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

• All payments can be done either by mail or online:
  
  • If paying by mail: Send check or money order made payable to Bernards Twp. Municipal Court, include ticket or complaint number. If you would like a receipt, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope.
  • If paying Online: Visit www.njmcdirect.com. You will need the court code 1802, prefix, ticket number and license plate number of the vehicle you were driving when you received the ticket. (Only traffic violations can be paid online).
  • If dropping off payment: A black drop box has been made available for payment drop off in the back foyer of the Town Hall building at 1 Collyer Lane.

Parks & Recreation
Phone: 908-204-3003
Email: recreation@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

• Activity Registration Online
• Pool & Golf Membership Payments Online
• Trip Registration Online

All park permits for facility and field reservations through April 12 are cancelled. Renters will be contacted by our office via phone or email with refund procedure instructions. We will not be rescheduling or accepting new facility reservations until further notice. The above cancellation date will be re-evaluated on a regular basis and extended as necessary.

All Township playgrounds are closed until further notice. Parks currently remain open for those looking to spend time outdoors, but we remind visitors to follow social distancing recommendations and maintain an ideal six-foot distance between yourself and people outside of your household. We strongly discourage residents from organizing group gatherings or meet-ups in the parks.

Planning Board
Phone: 908-204-3004
Email: dschley@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 277 South Maple Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

• In an effort to continue practicing mitigation strategies by limiting close human contact, effective immediately, all citizens contacting this department to make police reports that are deemed to be non-emergency in nature will be encouraged to make the report via telephone. Examples of reports that may be taken over the phone include, but are not limited to: ID theft, fraud, police information, lost property etc.
• Citizens who call police dispatch to make reports that fit the above criteria will be asked for their contact information and a police officer will contact them immediately. Police supervisors will be making their best judgements in determining if a physical response is necessary and will facilitate a response if necessary.
• Also, unfortunately at this time fingerprinting requests are being suspended for at least 30 days.
• Requests for copies of police reports are encouraged to be submitted electronically, and we will continue to provide documents as required by law.

Public Works
Mailing Address: 277 South Maple Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

• General questions/concerns, make a complaint or report a situation and to follow up on any ongoing/outstanding issues.
  • SDL Portal
  • Phone: 908-204-3084
  • Email: publicworks@bernards.org
• Pill Hill Recycling Center - cards will be issued via mail.
  • Property owners should submit a copy of their drivers license or proof of property ownership, email address and phone number to pillhill@bernards.org, or fax to (908) 204-9058.
  • There will also be a mailbox in the DPW/Engineering building foyer for those residents who do not have access to a computer or fax machine.
  • After the DPW office staff reviews their information, residents will be contacted and the Pill Hill card will be mailed to their address.
• Recycling Bucket Requests
  • Phone: 908-204-3084
  • Email: publicworks@bernards.org

• For information about disposal, recycling, and household hazardous waste, residents can visit the Township Website: Public Works.

Purchasing
Phone: 908-204-3157
Email: Purchasing@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

• All request for bids, quotes and RFP’s are available to download at www.bernards.org under "Current Bids". Until further notice, there will be no vendor contact in person by the purchasing department.

Tax Assessor
Phone: 908-204-3082
Mailing Address: One Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Most of our services can be accessed online on www.bernards.org

• For Residential Square Footage and Assessment Data, please use the following link: Square Footage Information
• Links to frequently asked questions regarding assessments, deductions & farmland, please use the following link: click here.
• To request a 200 Foot Property Search, please email Assessor@bernards.org and mail your $10 check payable to Bernards Township to our address above, Attn: Assessor’s Office
• General questions/concerns, please email Assessor@bernards.org and please be sure to include your name & contact information or call our office at the number above and leave a detailed message. We will return your call and work to get you the information you need as soon as possible.

Tax Collector
Phone: 908-204-3080
Email: pwarren@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 1 Collyer Lane, Basking Ridge NJ 07920.

• 2020 Tax/Sewer Balances & Payments
• If you have a 2019 tax/sewer balance in jeopardy of tax sale, payment cannot be made online, but rather by certified check.
  
  • A blue drop box has been made available for payment drop off in the back foyer of the Town Hall building at 1 Collyer Lane.
• You can make payments through your bank’s online pay system. If interest is due, you can view the amount due on our website. Please take into account delivery time when projecting interest amounts. Interest must be charged on accounts that are past due to the date the payment is received.

Township Committee Meetings - Township Committee

• Watch a live Township Committee Meeting remotely (8:00 PM)
  • Cable TV – Channel 15
  • Verizon FiOS TV – Channel 35
  • Live Stream from Computer - Click Here to Watch the Meeting Live
  • (Executive / Closed Sessions may proceed before each meeting at 7:30 if required)

Zoning Board
Phone: 908-204-2507
Email: nkoederitz@bernards.org
Mailing Address: 277 South Maple Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

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