Residents Get 2nd Chance To Comment During Bernards Township Committee Meetings

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The public is once again being allowed to comment twice at a Bernards Township Committee meeting.

"We are reintroducing a second public comment this evening," announced Mayor Ana Duarte McCarthy at the Tuesday Township Committee meeting.

The second public comment period, which occurs after business and agenda items are heard, was previously eliminated by the Township Committee in 2022 after being originally added to committee meetings in 2019.

At the time, residents opposed the Committee's decision to eliminate the second public comment portion. Read More: Residents Oppose Ending Second Public Comment At Bernards Township Committee Meeting

With a new mayor and regime in charge for 2026, the second public comment session has now been restored.

During the first public comment session, the public is welcome to comment on any agenda item. If an ordinance is listed for its own public hearing, residents are asked to hold their comments for that particular public hearing.

The second public hearing will welcome comments from the public on any topic over which the township committee has jurisdiction.

"If you are speaking during the first public comment and start to meander into non-agenda topics, I will gently remind you," said McCarthy.

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