Council to Consider $1.4 Million Bond for Wesley Bishop

Township council will consider bonding the $1.4 million project tonight, after two council members .

In a letter to the Open Space Advisory Committee (OSAC) last week, council members Chris Chiacchio and Stacey Jordan .

Reacting to that development, Mayor John Button and township manager Scott Carew added a bond ordinance for the project to tonight’s agenda.

Jordan and Chiacchio have previously voted against bonding for the project, but last week’s letter indicated a shift in their position.

“We’ve gotten into a situation where … they’re talking about compromise, and I felt it was appropriate, and Scott felt it was appropriate, to put it back on the agenda,” Button said. “If council doesn’t want to do it, then we won’t.”

As to whether council would also vote to use the Open Space Trust Fund to pay off the debt service from a bond—assuming the ordinance passes—Button said, “That’s a separate discussion.”

There’s also an ordinance on tonight’s agenda to bond $13 million for the construction of the new municipal complex. Council is holding a special workshop to discuss the project at 6 p.m., prior to their regular meeting.

to ensure the township receives better bids.

Additionally, an ordinance is included on tonight’s agenda to bond $655,500 for improvements to the . The ordinance is carried over from council’s last regular meeting, .

At that meeting, Councilman Mike Testa was the sole “no” vote. He explained he supported the project, but said without a clear idea of where the funding would come from and what the impact on taxpayers would be, he wouldn’t vote for it.

Councilwoman Jordan, who is liaison to the and is presumed to support the project—giving council the four votes it needs to pass a bond ordinance—did not attend the last council meeting.

Council’s regular meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the IT room at . The 6 p.m. municipal complex workshop will also be held in the IT room.

To view the complete agenda, click on the PDF above.