Technical Issues Force Toms River Council Meeting Postponement

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Technical issues with the video broadcast of Tuesday night's Toms River Township Council meeting led to the postponement of the meeting.

Town meetings across the state are being held in virtual formats because of the ongoing outbreak of the new coronavirus that led to an order Saturday from Gov. Phil Murphy shutting down nonessential businesses and telling people to stay in their homes.

That order banning public gatherings as deadlines near for budget introductions. The virtual meetings are happening with the approval of state government because of the public health emergency.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

The Toms River council meeting Tuesday started with business administrator Don Guardian making the budget presentation. But as he spoke, the video crashed and could not be viewed online. A few minutes later the audio returned, but was still cutting in and out.

After a resident questioned whether continuing the meeting would be legitimate given the problems with the broadcast, and efforts to fix the problem failed, the council decided to postpone. The meeting now will be held March 31 beginning at 6 p.m., Township Clerk Alison Carlisle said.

"It will still be virtual, but by different means," she said. Residents who have questions again will be able to submit them by emailing questions@tomsrivertownship.com, Carlisle said.

The number of positive cases has continued to climb in the state and in Toms River. State health officials on Tuesday afternoon said there were 3,675 positive tests for COVID-19 in New Jersey, and 44 people have died from it. There were 28 cases in Toms River as of Tuesday evening, and 200 in Ocean County, according to the Ocean County Health Department. Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

While council meetings are proceeding, other meetings, including the zoning board and planning board, are on hold for now.

Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com Follow Toms River Patch on Facebook.