New Alcohol Licenses, Records Request Fees, Recreational Funding Presented In Cranford

CRANFORD, NJ — Requests for public records might get a little more costly, and a new class of businesses could soon be allowed to sell liquor in the Township of Cranford.

At its meeting on Monday night, the Township Committee saw both Ordinance 2025-22 and Ordinance 2025-26 on the agenda.

New Records Fees

In response to the continued increase in requests for body-worn camera footage from police, there may soon be a special service fee charge for fulfilling these asks.

According to the Township, the level of requests has been creating "a greater burden on the Police Department Records Bureau."

Under the Open Public Records Act, residents can apply for copies of court records, police reports, and more legal documents. While paper copies of documents and photographs have standard costs, records that do not fall under these categories are billed at the actual cost of duplicating the information.

In Cranford, this would equate to the hourly rate of the lowest-level employee who is authorized to fulfill the request. For every one hour of footage, it will be assumed that it will take a minimum of three hours to review and redact the material before it is cleared to be sent out.

All footage requests will be assessed at a minimum of three hours of review. Portions of hours will be rounded up to a complete hour.

Subjects of the recording, a parent or legal guardian, an attorney, and heirs will not be charged more than one hour of the hourly rate if the footage is less than twenty minutes long.

Prior to the review, a cost estimate will be provided. If the requestor chooses to accept, they must give the Cranford Police Department a deposit of 50% of the total cost.

The final cost will not be billed at an amount higher than the estimate.

Those who are victims of crimes related to the footage will also not be charged.

Ordinance 2025-22 was tabled on Monday to be discussed at the next meeting on Dec. 2 due to a typographical error in the document, Township Attorney Thomas J. Slattery said.

Recreational Funding

The Township Committee unanimously approved Resolution No. 2025-377, which formally accepted a $65,000 grant from Union County.

The money will go towards improving playgrounds, walking paths, courts, athletic fields, and other recreational facilities.

"Thank you to Union County for providing this funding that will help improve our community center as well as our tennis courts on Hillside Avenue," Deputy Mayor Paul A. Gallo added.

Alcohol At "Art-House" And Community Theatres

Nonprofit, art-house, and community theatres moved closer to being allowed to sell alcohol in Cranford this week.

Ordinance 2025-26 was introduced on Monday, and would allow businesses to get alcohol licenses at a cost of $2,000 per year.

After a unanimous vote, Ordinance 2025-26 now moves to a public hearing that will take place in December.

The next Township Committee meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2.

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