Council Makes Municipal Construction Easier (and Cheaper)

Council cleared the way earlier this week to make future municipal construction a smoother—and presumably cheaper—process by allowing the township to bypass redundancies in the approval process.

By a 3-1 vote, council approved an amended ordinance that will allow the township to exempt future municipal construction projects from planning board approval—specifically to bypass municipal site plan approval requirements and compliance with bulk restriction regulations.

Township manager Scott Carew and solicitor Anthony Drollas explained the measure isn't intended to skirt codes or construction guidelines—major projects will still have to be vetted by council and subject to public hearings—but rather to eliminate redundancies and save taxpayer money. 

These redundancies in the planning process "add time and expense that's all coming out of the taxpayer's pocket anyway," said Drollas, citing multiple planning meetings held regarding the town hall project—all of which were attended by a number of professionals, all of whom were paid for their time. 

Carew stressed that municipal projects are still subject to the Uniform Construction Code, must meet all code standards and are subject to construction inspections.

“The ordinance itself came from the planning board,” Carew said. “They thought it was a step in the process they could remove themselves from.”

In an attempt to address concerns, the township added a sentence to the amended ordinance, which gives council the option to refer municipal projects to the planning board for review if deemed necessary.

Councilwoman Victoria Napolitano was the lone “no” vote Monday, explaining that while she had no qualms with absolving the township from site plan approval, she had reservations about the bulk regulation compliance exemption.

When it comes to approval for future municipal construction projects, she said, "In the vast majority of cases, public opinion will win out. But it does open up the township to a council who’s not concerned with public opinion … I don’t anticipate it happening. (But) philosophically, I couldn’t vote for it.”

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