Colts Neck Township Committee To Hear Resolution On Removing Planning Board Member

COLTS NECK, NJ — The Colts Neck Township Committee will hear a resolution on Wednesday to remove a member of the town planning board, according to the meeting agenda.

The resolution follows an April town hearing about an altercation between Planning Board Vice Chair Kris Lukowitz and Deputy Mayor Michael Viola.

According to officials, the two got into an argument during the annual League of Municipalities event in November, which later turned physical. Mayor Tara Tochia Buss and former Committeeman JP Bartolomeo, who were standing nearby when the argument happened, intervened to separate the two.

After township officials were informed of the fight, the town investigated the incident and held a hearing on April 1 to determine whether or not Lukowitz violated township policies and should be removed from the board.

Though the hearing concluded without a decision on Lukowitz’s status, Steven Secare (the independent hearing officer) said he would write a recommendation to the governing body on what action should be taken.

Now, the Township Committee will discuss Secare’s decision on Wednesday before hearing Resolution 2025-102 on "removing [a] Planning Board member."

Wednesday night’s meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Town Hall at 1 Veterans Way, Colts Neck.

To see the meeting agenda, you can click here. To see a livestream of the meeting, you can watch on the Colts Neck Township YouTube channel.

Previous Coverage

• Argument Sparks Effort To Remove Colts Neck Planning Board Vice Chair