Lawrence Township Council News Roundup

Lawrence Township is in need of a new municipal judge, as the retirement of the township’s current judge, Paul Catanese, was announced during the last township council meeting.

During the meeting held last Thursday (April 21), the council approved an agreement that will result in the installation of a new traffic light at an intersection along Lawrence Road (Route 206). Council members also discussed the township obtaining its own “Reverse 911” system to be used to instantly notify residents of an emergency or other significant event.

Two ordinances were also adopted, while another ordinance was introduced.

Much of the meeting was spent discussing the 2011 municipal budget and Mayor Greg Puliti’s inquiry about what steps would be necessary to reduce the proposed tax rate increase by one penny. (.)

Judge Catanese

Township Manager Richard Krawczun announced that Catanese’s last day on the municipal bench will be May 31 and that his replacement – who will be required to attend a half-day’s training with Catanese – will need to be ready to work on June 1.

“The new appointed judge will need to be sworn in by a Superior Court judge. What will need to be done, until we get our new municipal judge in place, is we will need to have an acting judge available so that if, for example, something was to come up at 1 a.m. on June 1, before the swearing-in takes place, we would be prepared to have a judge make any types of decisions that would be required,” Krawczun explained, noting that the new judge will serve out the remainder of Catanese’s three-year term, which expires next year.

“Can we get a list of whatever the minimum requirements are that a municipal court judge needs to meet, if any. That would be helpful. And I wonder if we might suggest that candidates who are interested in being considered should include not just a resume but a letter to the council explaining why they are interested in being considered and what they would bring to the position to help us narrow down,” Councilman Bob Bostock asked Krawczun.

The township will be accepting resumes and letters of interest – including a description of their “unique qualifications” – until 10 a.m. on May 3 from anyone seeking to become Catanese’s replacement. A notice on the township website advises that interested parties should send their materials to Krawczun via email at manager@lawrencetwp.com or mail to the 2207 Lawrence Rd., Lawrence Township, N.J. 08648.

The three top candidates will be selected and interviewed by council members behind closed doors during an executive session. A decision on Catanese’s replacement will be made based on those interviews.

“Reverse 911”

“We have entered into a contract with a company that will provide ‘Reverse 911’ calling for Lawrence Township. We were able to find a firm that will actually maintain the system at a cost of approximately $7,500 per year – that’s the minimum for a certain number of lines. If we exceed that, then there will be a minor adjustment,” Krawczun advised council members.

The system will be used to alert residents to various emergencies – from weather-related incidents like snow storms to public health matters such as the one that took place last October when a problem with the water filtration plant in Trenton required residents throughout the area, including parts of Lawrence, to boil water for several days before drinking it or cooking with it. The system will also be used to keep residents informed of important but non-emergency matters, such as changes to the trash collection schedules, Krawczun said.

He said the system will automatically register all “listed” phone numbers in the township. Residents will also be able to register additional contact methods such as “unlisted” phone numbers like cell phones, email addresses, and other text messaging devices.

The system “will make certain that the call is repeated until it is answered. Otherwise it will continue to call,” he said.

While having its “own” system will give the township a greater ability to keep residents informed, the move was also prompted by a few complaints from residents who said they did not receive timely notifications of the “boil water advisory” in October via the “Reserve 911” system used by Mercer County, Krawczun said.

Police Study

Krawczun also reported that Matrix Consulting Group was close to completing its study of the Lawrence Township Police Department and that the firm’s final report will possibly be ready for a public presentation at the next council meeting. Matrix . As part of the study, Matrix officials interviewed police officers – from the rank-and-file all the way up to the command staff – and took part in “ride-alongs” with officers.   

Resolutions

Fourteen resolutions were approved by the council, including one that authorized an agreement between Lawrence Township and the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the installation and operation of a traffic light at the intersection of Lawrence Road and Darrah Lane.

This is the second major traffic light installation/improvement planned for Lawrence Township for 2011. At an earlier meeting, council noted that the long-discussed red light camera system at the intersection of Brunswick Pike (Route 1) and Franklin Corner Road/Bakers Basin Road will be installed later this year. The camera system will capture an image of each vehicle that disregards a red stop signal, so that a ticket can then be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner. The ticket carries a fine but no points on the owner’s driver’s license.    

Another of the resolutions approved authorized an amendment to the contract with the company hired by the township to build two athletic fields on the former Twin Pines property off Lawrenceville-Pennington Road.  . The authorized change to the contract is an increase of $68,673, bringing the total maximum of the contract to $1,246,923.

Ordinances   

The two ordinances adopted by council amend the township’s administrative code regarding underage drinking and amend an earlier ordinance concerning the township’s marriage ceremony fees.

The former amendment creates a so-called “Lifeline Exemption” when an underage individual is in need of medical assistance due to the consumption of alcohol. In such a situation, the person who in distress and up to two other individuals will be immune from prosecution if one of them requests aid by calling 911 or a school public safety agency. To qualify for immunity, the other individuals must remain with the underage drinker until police or medical personnel arrive.  

The latter amendment waives the township’s marriage ceremony fees – $100 for a wedding performed within the township and $150 for a wedding performed outside the township – for members of the United States armed forces.

Council also introduced an amendment to a previously adopted bond ordinance to note that the proceeds of the respective bond will be used to purchase and install a new heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system at the Lawrence Community Center in addition to the previously approved replacement of the building’s roof. A public discussion will be held on that amended ordinance prior to council members voting on it at their next meeting on Tuesday, May 3.

Brush Pickup

One final topic brought up by Krawczun involved brush collection in the town and problems that have arisen from some residents putting brush out at the curbside either too early or after public works crews have finished going through particular areas.  

“We have an outline of a plan that we would like to implement, but I want to share this with everybody first,” he said. “We are seeking some prices on what it would cost to mail to all households a letter along with a map outlining the rules and conditions for brush pickup. We would place on our website – and we’re trying to get a price for this – where you would drop in your address and find out what zone you are in as a resource in case you are on the boarder [of a zone] or can’t read the map properly. Once we send out the letter and put everybody on notice, then we would go out and provide warnings. And then the next step would be actual enforcement [for violations].

“I just want to make sure that everyone is comfortable with that plan,” he told council members. “It’s certainly frustrating not only to the residents but to the Department of Public Works crews. We can only go through each zone once [per month].”

Puliti agreed with the strategy: “It’s a very good service and one I don’t know how we could do without. And that’s where we need help from the residents,” he said. He noted that he has heard several complaints over the years from “people who do not like the looks of brush when it’s put out too early.”