Transparency Concerns Raised At Chatham Borough Workshop Meeting

CHATHAM, NJ — At the borough's first public workshop meeting, much emphasis was placed on the importance of transparency, which some residents claim is not being met.

Last month, Chatham Borough Mayor Thaddeus Kobylarz announced that the borough would hold quarterly public workshop sessions.

The sessions' goal was to improve transparency between the local government and its residents, which had been a source of contention in previous council meetings.

That goal was partially met on Monday when various departments from around the borough, such as police, administration, and public works, spoke about their past accomplishments and future goals.

Included in the goals not only for the borough council but for the entire administration were improved transparency and accountability. According to borough officials, one of the main tasks for the upcoming year is to improve and expand the use of the Granicus software.

The borough currently uses Granicus to store Mayor and Council meetings, but they hope to expand that to the Planning and Zoning Boards in the coming year, including posting all site plans to the website prior to meetings.

Their objectives also include maintaining a strong presence and expanding postings to the borough website.

Resident Bob Weber claims that those two efforts alone are not enough to establish transparency for the residents.

"Despite what is represented in those slides, transparency is not derived from a new, nicer website; it's not a product of the expanded use of Granicus; and it doesn't derive from the expanded use of the SDL platform. All of those things in your slide don't really correspond to being transparent," Weber said.

One particular grievance that came up during the meeting was the way that the Post Office Plaza Redevelopment Project was handled. Residents claim that the council held multiple "down to the wire, same-night decisions" while discussing plans for the housing development.

Last spring, the borough postponed two long-awaited town hall meetings regarding the Post Office Plaza Redevelopment Project, both times providing residents with what they claim were vague explanations.

Another example that was mentioned at the workshop meeting was how the council handled discussions about the upcoming change to the current "Green Bag" garbage collection system.

When the council approved the switch, one major source of concern was the financial impact on the borough's residents.

"It really, really, really makes me angry, and we're all going to pay more. If it's going to cost us that much money to switch to less… I'm not going to tell you to dare to be stupid, I'm going to dare you to be smart and change the contract," local resident Valerie Clark previously said.

Weber claims that additional discussion about the garbage contract change must have occurred during the executive session following the council meeting and questions why those minutes are not made public.

The final concern brought up to the council dealt with the ongoing concerns and contention surrounding potential negotiations with the school district and the borough regarding a new housing project.

The Ivy of Chatham housing project is being funded through a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement approved by the Borough of Chatham Council via ordinance.

Jocelyn Mathiasen, a member of the Chatham Borough Council, previously stated that the financial agreement will generate $49 million in revenue.

When the project was first approved, one of the primary concerns was how it would impact the local school district. Chatham Board of Education President Jill Critchley Weber previously stated that the school district plans to meet with members of the borough council to discuss sharing the PILOT revenue from the River Road development.

Several members of the community have since spoken out, claiming that the potential discussions are not in the best interests of borough residents.

Stewart Carr, a Chatham Township resident, previously spoke to the council and school board, arguing that the school board should not be asking the council to share municipal funds from the PILOT but rather to increase funds through a referendum.

"To take that money and go over to someplace else, cutting out the taxpayers, is not appropriate, and I would argue that it is outside your mandate as a delegated power," Carr said.

On Monday, resident Joyce Martinsen reaffirmed that exact statement, claiming that the residents of Chatham Borough should continue to be fully informed on any future and ongoing conversations regarding the PILOT funds.

"We elect you and you're supposed to represent our voices and we would expect that our input, comments and feedback are all considered when making a decision that will impact our safety, our taxes and our way of life," Martinsen said.