July 20th Meeting Summary

On July 20th we had a short meeting where the following items were discussed.

We started off with a presentation of our Facilities Audit done by Solutions Architecture. The firm went through every building the Township owns and did a full digital scan and analysis of issues with each room. This resulted in comprehensive lists of what needs to be addressed in the short term and long term - broken down into four priority classifications. A cost estimate was complied as well. In total, an estimated $39 million of issues were identified, with $15 million of issues be classified as "priority 1".

At our meeting, Solutions Architecture showcased a website that the Township can use that has all of the scans, architectural drawings, issues identified, and and more all in one place. This will be a great tool for our staff, engineers, and anyone we hire to work on these buildings. However, the public cannot access this information, and due to security risks we cannot make all of the information public. I asked the Administration to create an executive summary to summarize the key issues that were identified in the audit so that the public can have an understanding of the conditions of our buildings.

We passed an ordinance to incorporate the new Lakeside lot into our parking ordinance to allow for permit parking only. This will help to alleviate some issues we have with a lack of permit spots in Lot One. The long term future of building Lakeside into a renovated parking lot, with EV charging, is on hold as the Administration considers how to proceed with other projects.

We introduced a salary ordinance for a new required position for our sewer treatment plant. We will be hiring a Supervisor Sewage Plant Operator for a proposed salary up to $130K. Second reading and public comment will be at the next meeting on August 3rd.

We accepted the 2025 Audit with two items in our corrective action plan. The annual audit will be posted here for the public's review: https://www.veronanj.org/departments/finance/budgetinfo

Other actions taken include adopting the 2026 Community Energy Plan, awarding ADA improvements for the Verona Community Center Annex building, closing out the repair work that has been done at Town Hall, and awarding contracts for services required at the water and sewer treatment plan.

Please note - The Council will have a special meeting on Tuesday, July 28th at 7 pm on Zoom only to interview specialized firms to assist the Township with the design of a new facility for our police and fire department. The agenda with the Zoom link will be posted prior to on the agenda that will be posted here: https://www.veronanj.org/councilmeetings.

Any questions or comments on any matter can be sent to the entire Council using the following form: https://www.veronanj.org/councilcontactform.