April 11, 2012

Transition Task Force Approves Budget, “Priority Task Map” Gets Adjusted

The Transition Task Force approved a $149,050 budget at its meeting last week.

Questions about differences between “Task Force costs” and “transition costs” reflected some uncertainty about how to define expenses among Task Force members. Borough Mayor Yina Moore was among those who called for clarification, and Borough Administrator Bob Bruschi agreed that “we need numbers.”

“The budget is for the work of the Transition Task Force and is a subset of our total transition costs,” said Task Force member and Township Mayor Chad Goerner after the meeting. “It includes consulting costs, legal costs, and other costs directly attributed to the work of the task force.”

“We’re sort of working with two budgets here,” said Acting Township Administrator Kathy Monzo at the meeting. “Some expenditures that were listed in the Task Force budget were moved to transition costs.” Ms. Monzo reported that the two budgets were being tracked separately, and that there would be “updates as we go forward.”

“There will be other costs associated with the transition, and these were estimated in the Consolidation report,” she added. These “other costs” will come out of municipal budgets, and, at the- meeting, Task Force Chair Mark Freda noted that “each administrator is carefully watching what is being spent” and appropriately identifying each expenditure. Some of these costs will be eligible for state reimbursement.

Also at the meeting, Center for Governmental Research consultant Joe Stefko reported that he would be sending an updated “priority task map” in the coming days. The map, which may be found online, provides a timeline for the sequence of steps to be taken in preparation for consolidation. Mr. Stefko described it as “a living, breathing document” that changes every couple of days. An immediate example was his suggestion that the deadline for “designating folks in key administrative positions for day 1” be moved from May 15 to some time in April, “so governing bodies can implement the process by mid- May.”

It was also agreed that a review of the new municipality’s organizational structure will occur in mid-May.

Jim Levine reported that the Personnel Subcommittee was working on devising severance arrangements and work force sizing options, and would bring a “full proposal” to the Task Force’s next meeting. Mr. Stefko concurred with the subcommittee’s interest in giving current employees “a very full picture.” Ms. Monzo noted that “cross-pollination” had already begun in some areas, where employees from both the Borough and the Township have the same insurance coverage.

Facilities subcommittee member Bernie Miller called the Task Force’s attention to Phase 2 of the timeline, which will look at the housing of the new administration. He reported that the committee is working with KSS Architects to determine the costs of an updated plan. While the Township has approved the KSS contract the Borough has not, and there was some uncertainty about whether or not KSS had begun to work.

A joint Borough/Township meeting with the Task Force was scheduled for Tuesday, April 10, after press time.


February 29, 2012

Township Mayor States His Position On Institute Housing and Battlefield

To the Editor:

As mayor, I have received numerous letters for and against the proposed housing development for the Institute for Advanced Study. As many may know, the Battle of Princeton was not just a battle at what is today’s Princeton Battlefield park. It was a battle that moved through a number of sites all the way to Nassau Hall. It is clear to me that the most value in interpreting many revolutionary era battles, as they typically spanned large areas of ground and consisted of various skirmishes, is to do so through interpretive signage, archaeology, historical tours, and of course, preserved land.

To that end, I agree with the two esteemed historians, Jim McPherson and David Hackett Fischer, in their proposed compromise regarding this development. They have put forth a compromise that would allow for the housing project to move forward with the ability to preserve a large area of the overall site from development through a permanent conservation easement. The size of the land preserved would be about double the footprint of the Institute’s housing project.

In addition, the Institute will provide for archeological work on site before and during construction, access to a path through the preserved land and public interpretive signage upon completion of the project, and potential coordination with historical agencies for historical tours, thereby enabling the public to learn more about the Battle of Princeton.

Compromises inevitably leave both sides with perceived gains and losses. However, in this case I believe the right balance presents itself. We will enable many generations to more fully understand the Battle of Princeton and its importance through interpretive signage, historical tours, archaeology, and preserved land. We will also see to the housing needs met for the talented and creative faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Chad Goerner

Mayor, Princeton Township

February 8, 2012

Transition Task Force Brainstorms Merger

With the naming of Mark Freda as chairman and Steve Sillars as vice-chairman, the Consolidation Transition Task Force is ready to start planning the merging of the two Princetons. The group held its first organizational meeting last Wednesday and will meet again tonight to tackle such topics as an early retirement program for municipal employees, the proposed hiring of KSS Architects to figure out space planning for merging offices, and other consolidation-related matters.

More than 60 people were on hand for the initial gathering, which was switched from a meeting room at the Township Building to the larger, main meeting hall. Borough Mayor Yina Moore and Township Mayor Chad Goerner led most of the discussion, but will defer at tonight’s meeting and in the future to Mr. Freda, who is a former Borough Council member and emergency services director of Princeton Borough. He and Mr. Sillars were unanimously elected by the task force.

The task force has an initial budget of $50,000, contributed equally by the Township and Borough, for such expenses as hiring independent auditors or consultants. With a preliminary report due April 10, time is short. “This is a very, very aggressive schedule,” said Borough Administrator Bob Bruschi, in his opening summary of the task force’s duties. He and Jim Pascale, who is the Township administrator, said they have been meeting with department heads since consolidation was approved by the voters last November.

The two administrators divided their findings into three areas: organizational charts, transition costs, and the savings that can be achieved through consolidation. Mr. Pascale said that the department heads had been able to find ways to save costs. “There are many hidden costs that need to be addressed,” Pascale said. “From the color of police cars and deciding what to do with that, there are all kinds of costs along those lines as we transition into one community. Department heads have made a tentative list of issues.”

The hiring of an architect firm, specifically KSS, which designed the Municipal Building, was recommended by the administrators to do the space planning involved in merging the offices of the municipalites. “Our goal number one is to start putting bodies in offices in Township Hall, Borough Hall, and the recreation complex,” said Mr. Pascale. “We will need expertise. I met with KSS. Bob is comfortable with KSS. We don’t have a lot of time to go out and solicit bids.”

The money for the services of an architecture firm, estimated at $28,000, would not come from the $50,000 transition budget, but from the money put aside for transition costs. “We don’t have time to have an RFP (request for proposal),” said Mr. Bruschi. “We’re not trying to shove KSS down your throats, but the Township is comfortable with this.”

Task force member Jim Levine urged that the suggestion be tabled until he and his colleagues have had time to consider it. “Moving forward with KSS seems like the cart is way before the horse,” he said. “It just feels like we should have more input.” The group agreed to table the question of hiring KSS until tonight’s meeting.

The members of the task force were urged by several to “follow the road map” established by the Consolidation Commission, which was formed last year to study the consolidation proposal. “I don’t want the task force to get the idea that we’re here to re-invent the wheel,” Mr. Goerner said. “Follow the model of the consolidation commission.” Aaron Lahnston, who chaired the commission, echoed that request. “Be true to the plan,” he said, during the public comment section of the meeting. “The voters voted for it.”

The early retirement incentive program is another priority, Mr. Pascale said. “The consolidation report eliminated 18.5 positions. The law that created the ability to consolidate also has a provision where you can humanely reduce the size of staff through an early retirement program.”

An application must be filed by the Borough and Township with the State of New Jersey to obtain estimates on the cost of an early retirement incentive program. “We might not want to consider the program once we see the numbers,” said Mr. Goerner. “We need to look at the issue from a cost perspective, understanding what other options are available. This is the key critical issue before we move forward.”

During the public comment section of the meeting, Jefferson Road resident Kate Warren asked whether the municipalities must accept bids for the architecture contract. Mr. Bruschi replied that since the contract is considered a professional service, it is exempt from the rules that govern public bidding.

Township resident Henry Sager urged the task force to create “a plan for a plan. It needs to be very clear what you can do as a task force,” he said, adding that differences in work cultures will need to be considered as departments are merged.

Mr. Lahnston urged the task force to consult members of the consolidation commission. “We want to support you,” he said. “Please use us. Call on us. We want to help.” He also recommended that the task force use the commission’s consultant, Center for Governmental Research (CGR), as its project manager.

Kristin Appelget, Princeton University’s director of community relations, offered to provide resources and information. “If there is a subcommittee on town and gown, we’d be interested,” she said.

The task force will hold its public meetings every other Wednesday starting tonight, at 7 p.m., in the municipal building. The group’s term expires June 30, 2013.


January 11, 2012

Township First to Select Transition Team

Four applicants with backgrounds in academia, business, social services, and politics were recently selected by Princeton Township to serve on the consolidation transition team. The Borough has not yet announced its choices.

The transition team has been charged by the Consolidation Commission with implementing its recommendations for consolidation, which will take effect in January 2013. Both municipalities were asked to select four residents; three transition team members and one alternate. Two elected officials from both the Borough and Township will also serve, along with administrators Jim Pascale and Bob Bruschi. The Consolidation Commission, which is a separate entity, will continue to function in an advisory role.

Township choices included Dorothea Berkhout, executive director for administration at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University;К

Linda Mather, president of Beacon Consulting Associates and a regular League of Women Voters moderator who also served on the 1991 consolidation committee; and Scott Sillars, president of Isles E4 and chair of the Citizen’s Finance Advisory Committee for Princeton Township since 2007. Gary O. Patterson, a senior executive with Miller Investment Management, was selected as an alternate.

“Scott, Thea, Linda and Gary are all extremely well qualified and each brings different, complementary skills to the table,” said Township Committee member (and new Deputy Mayor) Liz Lempert, who, along with then-Deputy Mayor Sue Nemeth, interviewed the candidates.

Applicants who were not chosen may still be asked by the transition team to serve on subcommittees. “We had many qualified applicants and want to take advantage of the great pool of talent that came forward,” noted Township Mayor Chad Goerner.

All interviews for Township members of the transition team were conducted in December by Ms. Lempert and Ms. Nemeth. “We reviewed their work in late December and met in closed session to discuss how we could put a team together with various strengths,” Mr. Goerner said.

In response to recent comments complaining that the selection process did not take place at public meetings, Ms. Nemeth observed that “interviews were conducted in a manner that allowed for candid and thorough discussion of each individual’s expertise, interests, and time availability. A public interview process would not have afforded us enough time or provide enough privacy to adequately weigh the commitment of serving.”

Ms. Lempert similarly commented that ‘Interviewing in private allows for a more open and relaxed dialog, and helps us to better evaluate candidates. This was the same process we used to select the Consolidation Commission members, as well as other committees.”

“The public should know that we recommended the very best team selected from among a highly qualified pool of candidates and hope many who were not selected will serve on subcommittees formed by the Task Force,” Ms. Nemeth added.

“We are anxious to move this process forward as soon as possible and hope that the Borough is able to make their appointments soon,” noted Mr. Goerner.

Borough Council members were scheduled to meet in a closed session last night (January 10) to discuss the appointments, before their scheduled public meeting.

The issue was first discussed at a private, unannounced meeting in late December of Council members Jo Butler, Kevin Wilkes, Jenny Crumiller, Mayor-elect Yina Moore and Councilwoman-elect Heather Howard. Eight candidates were selected from a list of applicants interested in representing the Borough. They were interviewed, in an open session, on January 3.

Councilman Roger Martindell took exception to the implication that Council was going to select from that group in a closed session. At press time, he said he intended to ask at the January 10 meeting that the appointments be discussed instead at an open session.

“The selection of persons to interview for the transition task force should be by publicly acknowledged criteria following public interviews of candidates,” he said. “Since we have not, as of the January 10 meeting, accomplished those goals, then I think it’s important to hold the process open and continuing so that we might select the persons in the most open and rational way possible. I look forward to doing so in the next few days ahead.”

Ms. Crumiller said in an email that meetings by governing bodies to discuss personnel matters, including appointments, are always done in closed session, “for a good reason.

“It would a disservice to volunteer applicants to discuss their relative merits in public,” she said. “Given that the Township Committee had chosen its Task Force members weeks ago, the Council felt a sense of urgency in moving the transition process forward and catching up to the Township Committee.”

“Frankly, it’s frustrating that people who agreed to that process are now raising issues about it,” she added. “There was not a peep of dissent over the plan until a few days ago. I hope we can move forward and name the task force — we have remarkable citizen applicants and we need to let these volunteers get to work. We’re anticipating that those volunteers who are not chosen for the task force will be considered for a subcommittee, where we expect most of the work to take place.”


Township Elects Goerner, Lempert As It Reorganizes for the Last Time

Chad Goerner was reelected Mayor and Liz Lempert took Sue Nemeth’s place as Deputy Mayor at Township Committee’s reorganization last week.

In her nomination, Ms. Lempert observed that, given how much was accomplished in recent months, it was hard to believe that Mr. Goerner has been mayor for only one year. She described him as a “great colleague,” “inclusive” in his work and a “great communicator”

Ms. Nemeth, who hopes to run for a seat on the Mercer County Board of Freeholders later this year, nominated Ms. Lempert. Ms. Nemeth spoke of Ms. Lempert’s history of engagement in preservation efforts; her work with the citizens finance advisory committee; her role as an advocate for the Human Services Department; and her influence in the recruitment of bilingual volunteers Township offices.

Describing her as “an excellent leader” over the past year, Mr. Goerner noted that Ms. Nemeth has his full support as she looks ahead to working at the county level.

Mr. Goerner, who sported a blue bow tie that evening, was sworn in by former governor Jim Florio. “I worked on his campaign while in I was in college and his ability to stand by his principles and make difficult decisions–but the right decisions–even when they weren’t always the most popular, inspired me to become involved in politics,” said Mr. Goerner in thanking Mr. Florio.

Ms. Lempert was sworn in by attorney and former School Board member Walter Bliss.

Both Ms. Nemeth and Bernie Miller, who were returned to Township Committee in the November election, were sworn in as well at the Tuesday evening meeting. Ms. Nemeth was sworn in by Township Attorney Ed Schmierer. Noting that he had done this a number of times before, Simon Miller did the honors for his father, whom he thanked for the “lesson he’s given me and my children: the value of public service.” Mr. Miller announced that he would not run for office in 20012.

Congressman Rush Holt (D-12); Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes; and former Township May Michelle-Tuck Ponder were among the dignitaries present for the Township’s last reorganization meeting as a separate entity.

Dog Tax

With that in mind, Mr. Goerner said, he and Deputy Clerk, Kathy Brzezynski paid a visit to the Township’s archives that morning. Princeton was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 9, 1838, and the hand-written budget for that year, Mr. Goerner reported, included $500 for the repair of roads; $500 to support the poor; $50 for bridge repairs; and $400 for schools. Incoming revenue included a $1 tax on every dog. “From our humble beginnings to a budget today of approximately $36 million ($61m if we include Princeton Borough), we have grown into a vibrant, diverse and desirable community,” observed Mr. Goerner. “Reunited once again, the future for our community looks very bright.”

At last year’s reorganization meeting, Mr. Goerner reminded the audience, he paraphrased David Bowie, observing that “we won’t always know where we’re going, but I promise you it won’t be boring.” This time he channelled the Moody Blues as he promised that “we will ‘keep as cool as we can and face piles of trials with smiles.’”


January 4, 2012

Goerner and Nemeth Look Ahead to 2012

A TIMES SQUARE NEW YEAR IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM

A TIMES SQUARE NEW YEAR IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM: Princeton Public Library gave kids and caregivers a chance to greet 2012 ahead of schedule Friday with dancing and music, their own noise makers, horns, crowns, sparkling cider, and blow-up versions of the Times Square ball in the form of globes to throw into the air to mark the New Year. (Photo by Emily Reeves)

Although the Borough and the Township’s annual reorganization meetings were scheduled for Tuesday evening, January 3, after Town Topics’ press time, Township Mayor Chad Goerner and Deputy Mayor Sue Nemeth were happy to talk about their hopes and expectations for 2012 before the formalities began.

In response to rumors that he will not run again for mayor, Mr. Goerner explained that both he and Ms. Nemeth were expected to be renamed to their posts at the Township’s Tuesday evening meeting. He said, however, that he has not yet decided whether or not to run for mayor of the new consolidated municipality in the coming November election. He reported that he would make his decision “later this month.”

Implementing consolidation was, not surprisingly, high on both Mr. Goerner’s and Ms. Nemeth’s list of priorities in the coming year. “I predict we’ll implement the historic merger of Princeton Township and Borough with greater ease than anyone envisioned and achieve greater savings than projected,” said Ms. Nemeth.

Mr. Goerner was more guarded in his forecast, noting that while “the biggest obstacle was getting consolidation to pass,” making it happen “won’t always be easy and I am sure there will be obstacles.” Mr. Goerner, who served on the Consolidation/Shared Services Commission, said that he “was proud to promote consolidation and see it as a long term benefit for our residents.”

Preparing for a fiscally healthy new municipality was another priority for Mr. Goerner. “Collaboration will also be important as it relates to Borough and Township finances,” he noted. “I have proposed that the two municipalities’ Joint Finance Committee work together to ensure transparency and consistency in both municipal budgets for 2012. There should be no significant disparities in terms of new debt issuance or tax rates. It will build trust between the two communities as we transition to a single one.”

Ms. Nemeth predicted that the Princetons’ successful consolidation “will serve as a model for other communities committed to improving services and providing tax relief.” She anticipated “a more productive relationship with the University,” adding that “we applaud their willingness to contribute to essential services and underwrite a portion of the transition costs of consolidation.”

“I also anticipate that new development will be a lively issue for 2012,” commented Mr. Goerner. “The Institute for Advanced Study has a concept plan for housing right now that I believe strikes the right balance for both preservationists and faculty housing needs.” Princeton University will most likely begin planning for phase one of the Arts and Transit zone, he observed, adding that he looks forward to “being involved in those discussions.”

Two of Princeton’s landmarks — the hospital and the Community Park pool complex — are currently “undergoing major transformations,” Ms. Nemeth said, and she is looking forward to their reopening as “state-of-the-art facilities that will serve our community for many decades.” Other positive initiatives in the coming year, she said, include a study of transportation needs, encouraging the development of affordable housing in the community, and enhancing public safety with fully coordinated emergency services.

“I hope the action in 2012 is positive and not filled with political jostling and theater as we head into 2013,” commented Mr. Goerner. “That may be too optimistic,” he added.