US Senator Frank Lautenberg Passes Away Due to Complications From Viral Pneumonia; He was 89 Years Old

Statement on the Passing of Senator Frank R. Lautenberg

WASHINGTON, D.C.—United States Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, the last remaining World War II veteran serving in the Senate, passed away due to complications from viral pneumonia at 4:02 a.m. today at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell.  He was 89 years old.

Senator Lautenberg is survived by his wife, Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg; six children and their spouses, Ellen Lautenberg and Doug Hendel, Nan and Joe Morgart, Josh and Christina Lautenberg, Lisa and Doug Birer, Danielle Englebardt and Stuart Katzoff, Lara Englebardt Metz and Corey Metz; and 13 grandchildren.

Senator Lautenberg was a long-time leader on environmental protection, transportation and protecting public health.  His career highlights include:

• Passing the law that banned smoking on airplanes;
• Authoring the law that prevented domestic abusers from possessing guns; 
• Writing landmark drunk driving laws, including the nationwide .08 blood alcohol standard and the 21 year drinking age law;
• Co-writing the new GI Bill for the 21^st Century;
• Authoring the “Toxic Right to Know” law to empower the public to know what pollutants are being released into their neighborhood; and
• Writing the law to create the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.

After Senator Lautenberg cast his 9,000th vote in December 2011, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid proclaimed on the Senate floor, “Frank Lautenberg has been one of the most productive senators in the history of this country.”

On February 15, Senator Lautenberg announced he would not seek a sixth term in the Senate.  At his announcement in his hometown of Paterson, he set out an agenda for the remaining two years of his term that included reforming U.S. chemical safety laws, improving gun safety laws, and providing federal resources for New Jersey to rebuild from Superstorm Sandy.  

Senator Lautenberg had made significant progress on all three items, most recently by announcing a bipartisan breakthrough on modernizing the Toxic Substances Control Act.  Lautenberg’s legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines also received a vote in the Senate earlier this year. 

Senator Lautenberg was born the son of immigrants and grew up poor in Paterson, New Jersey. He enlisted in the military at the age of 18 and served in the Army in Europe during World War II.  Upon returning home, he graduated from Columbia University with the help of the G.I. Bill.  He joined with two boyhood friends to found Automatic Data Processing (ADP), which today employees 57,000 people worldwide and 4,500 in New Jersey.  He left the business world to pursue a career in public service and give back to the country that helped give him so much.  

Sen. Lautenberg was the last World War II veteran serving in the U.S. Senate and held the record for the number of votes cast by a New Jersey Senator. 

Attached is the Record of Accomplishment for Senator Lautenberg.

Lautenberg Press Office, 202-224-3224
Monday, June 03, 2013

FULL STORY: Galloway Employees Receive Promotions and Raises in First Year of a Stabilized Budget Plus One Union Files a Grievance

GallowayTwpNews.com has obtained through Open Public Records Requests, Personnel Action forms on various employees from January 2013 to May 2013. 

The personnel action forms contain Raises, Promotions, New Hires, Resignations, Retirements and Transfers. Over the past three (3) years the Township has faced a budgetary downfall that has resulted in Layoffs, Retirements and forced Furloughs. 

The Township during their Budget Presentation this year praised Township Manager Arch Liston for presenting a balanced budget with no gimmicks. The gimmicks previously used as described by multiple council members, was the utilization of deferred school tax to supplement the budget. The Township didn't even have that gimmick option available to them this year, therefore in our opinion, the Township had no choice but to present a gimmick free balanced budget. There was no longer a can available to be kicked down the road.

With that newly balanced budget, the Township has now started to spend money on certain employment positions and employees by offering raises and in some cases incentives. We have highlighted some of those below.

January 2013 to March 18, 2013

• New Hire: Matthew Ayers, Deputy Director of Public Works - Started on May 11, 2013 with a salary of $67,500. Ayers will also receive an additional $1,800 per year for the added position of "Safety Officer". Ayers, who was an employee with the Township previously, then left, and is now back with the Township at a starting Vacation Time at the rate of employee who has already served 10 years. 
• Jim Brennenstuhl, Part Time Special Assistant to the Township Manager - Started on February 19, 2013 at a rate of $25.00 per hour. No other information or explanation of Personnel Action was provided on the form. 
• Louis Miranda III, Mechanic - Started February 11, 2013 at a Part Time rate of $10.00 per hour.
• Matthew Cassel, Mechanic - Started January 2, 2013 at a Part Time rate of $10.00 per hour.
• Kenneth Keefrider, Mechanic - Started Janaury 2, 2013 at a Part Time rate of $23.00 per hour.

March 19, 2013 to May 1, 2013

• Ray Guerra, Foreman Road Division - As of May 6, 2013 a salary increase to a new salary of $51,332.64. This increase puts Guerra's salary above his subordinate.
• Gary Dooner Sr., Road Division, Acting Foreman - As of May 6, 2013, Dooner Sr., was promoted to Assistant Foreman with a new salary increased to $41,000.
• Paul Gras III, Assistant Foreman - As of April 29, 2013, Gras III was promoted to Assistant Forman with a new salary increased to $41,000.
• Kelli Danieli, Deputy Township Clerk - As of April 29, 2013, a salary increase of $1,000 for passing a Municipal Clerk's Class of Advanced Duties. This is the second salary increase Danieli has received in the past year.

Other personnel actions forms as released by the Township are provided below. Those forms of which some consist of retirements and promotions within the Police Department have been previously reported on.

The Police Department and the Public Works Department have been two of the biggest departments over the past year that have been hit significantly hard with an abundance of retirements and voluntarily layoffs. Now those departments this year are seeing an increase of Promotions and Raises to various employees. 

According to one employee, Local 676 Union which represents non-supervisory employees in the Public Works Department has been attempting to negotiate their already expired contract with Township Manager Arch Liston. The Union in an attempt to negotiate in good faith requested a 2% raise for those employees. Those employees have not received a raise for about three (3) years, stated the employee.  

According to the employee, Liston did not only refuse to agree to the 2% raise but he also refused to negotiate their expired contract until July 2013. That refusal, according to the employee, has now lead the Union Local 676 to file a grievance against the Township for failure to negotiate in good faith. 

GallowayTwpNews.com will continue to report on the outcome of this negotiation, as well the negotiations with other Unions within the Township who also have contracts that are set to expire. 

With the Township's continued concern of cutting costs and wasteful spending, GallowayTwpNews.com will continue to monitor the spending of the Township, including personnel changes within the Departments and the continued grievances filed against the Township. 

Lt Paf March 18, 2013 by GallowayTwpNews

LT PAFs Mar 19-May 1, 2013 by GallowayTwpNews

Galloway Council Unanimously Adopts 2013 Budget; Galloway Patch

Read More Via: Galloway Patch

As reported on Galloway Patch, the newly adopted Municipal Budget is just over $24 Million Dollars with a local tax increase of 2.93 cents.

UPDATED: Municipal Documents Tab Updated with Galloway Township's Master Payroll Lists & CBA Contracts

GallowayTwpNews.com has updated our Municipal Documents tab designed to maintain Open Government and Transparency on Galloway Township Municipal Government. We previously updated that portion of our website to include Council Meeting Minutes from 2012. Additional minutes from 2010 and 2011 are pending release.

Our new Update includes Galloway Township's Master Payroll List from 2008 - 2013. Each document contains the employee's name, position and yearly salary for those respective years.

The Master Payroll list is another document listed on the NJ Best Practices Checklist. The requirement is as follows:

"Does your municipality make available to the public free of charge, either through an internet posting or on-site review, documents that show the current salaries of all personnel and additional documents that would allow the public to view how your municipality’s salaries have changed over a three year period?"

GallowayTwpNews.com is not a municipal owned website. It is privately owned by former clerk Lisa Tilton. Tilton who previously served as Galloway Township's Municipal Clerk understands the importance of Open Government and Transparency. 

**UPDATED** GallowayTwpNew.com has also released the CBA contracts of Local PBA #77 Rank & File as well as Superior Officers.  We also released the employment contracts for Chief of Police Patrick Moran and Captain Allan Kane.

Other Union Contracts are scheduled to be released by the weekend.

GallowayTwpNews.com will continue to update our website with additional Municipal Documents as they become available.

Continue to Check Back for Details.

GallowayTwpNews.com Launches a Free Service of Providing Galloway Municipal Documents to the Public

*Updated* Council Meeting Minutes are now released**

GallowayTwpNews.com is proud to launch a new section of the website dedicated to the release and posting of Galloway Township's Municipal Documents. These documents include: Council Meeting Minutes, Planning & Zoning Board Minutes, Municipal Audits, Municipal Budgets and Financial Statements.

Most of the documents are requested by Governor Chris Christie to be readily available to the Public and provided on a Municipal owned website as part of the Best Practices Checklist.

GallowayTwpNews.com is not a municipal owned or operated website. GallowayTwpNews.com is privately owned by Lisa Tilton and we are proud to donate our time and service to provide these documents to the public free of charge.

To view all of the documents we have released, Click on the tab above labeled Galloway Municipal Documents.

Check back for updates as we will continue to release documents as they become available.

Galloway Advertises for Another Attorney to Serve as Conflict Planning Board Solicitor

Galloway Township posted on their official website a Request for Proposals/Qualifications for a Conflict Planning Board Solicitor. The board previously would utilize the appointed Zoning Board Solicitor to fill in as conflict solicitor if at anytime a conflict arose. That practice has now changed.

At the Planning Board re-organization meeting, Mayor Don Purdy who is a member of the Planning Board requested the Township advertise for Conflict Solicitor. On January 30, 2013, that advertisement appeared online.

According to the advertisement, sealed proposals must be received no later than Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. All proposals will be opened publicly at 11:30 a.m. on the 27th. All sealed proposals must be submitted to Township Clerk Thalia TC Kay.

We have posted the RFP Packet below as released on the Township's websites.

Conflict Planning Board Solicitor RFP by GallowayTwpNews

Galloway Awarded $230,000 Grant from NJ DOT for Safe Routes to School Program for Collins Road

(Trenton) – The Christie Administration today announced Local Aid grants totaling $530,000 for two Atlantic County municipalities. The Atlantic County grants are among 35 Local Aid grants totaling nearly $6.8 million supporting local road and safety projects.

·         Egg Harbor City will receive a $300,000 Safe Routes to School grant for its Pedestrian and Bicycle School Access Program.

·         Galloway Township will receive $230,000 through the Safe Routes to School program for pedestrian safety improvements on Collins Road.

The entire package includes ten state-funded Local 

Aid Infrastructure Fund (LAIF) grants totaling $1.1 million for emergency road repairs and 25 federally funded Safe Routes to School grants totaling $5.7 million for sidewalk, intersection, crosswalk and other improvements to help children remain safe as they walk or ride bicycles to and from school.

“These grants are among hundreds distributed by this administration every year to help local and county governments advance essential projects without burdening local property taxpayers,” NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson said.  “Local Aid grants are funneling $380 million in state and federal funds to support worthy local projects and planning initiatives in the current fiscal year.”

The Local Aid Infrastructure Fund generally supports unanticipated expenses, and this round of grants includes funding that will supplement Federal Emergency Management Administration grants related to damage caused by Hurricane Irene in 2012.

The Safe Routes to School grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Today’s announcement of the 25 grants will be provided to the recipients as their projects advance.

According to Township Manager Arch Liston, the Township will still need to go through design and then bidding of this project for Collins Road. The first phase which including improvements along Wrangleboro Road was delayed due to the Township needing to obtain easements from property owners. Liston also stated the Township looks at no costs coming from the Township.

Complete lists of the recipients and grant amounts for the Local Aid Infrastructure Fund grants, the Hurricane Irene-related LAIF grants and the Safe Routes to School grants are available online by clicking on the links here.  

The state Local Aid program is administered by NJDOT.

Former Manager Stephen Bonanni & Former CFO Jill Gougher Documented to Receive Over $124,000 in Accumulated Leave Payout

Township Council at their last meeting tabled a resolution that according to Township Clerk Thalia "TC" Kay, would have authorized payment of accumulated leave still owed to former Township manager Stephen Bonanni and former CFO Jill Gougher. The Resolution has now been forwarded to Township "Labor Counsel for review and consideration at the next regular Council meeting which is scheduled on Tuesday, January 22, 2013" according to Kay. 

GallowayTwpNews.com has obtained through various Open Public Records Requests, the Exit Interview Forms of Bonanni and Gougher. These forms are compiled and further executed by a Township representative and the employee who is leaving the Township. Gougher, who signed her form on October 3, 2011, is scheduled to receive a total of $67,569.53 in accumulated leave. Gougher who worked for Galloway for just under 25 years, opted to receive her payout over a three year time period. 

The payment schedule Gougher agreed to with the Township, includes $24,479.10 she already received in 2012. Gougher was scheduled to receive $21,545.23 for 2013 until the Resolution was tabled by Council. Gougher is also scheduled to receive her final payment in 2014 for $21,545.20.  Gougher's payments are now under review by Labor Counsel. As of today, Gougher is still owed $43,090.43.

Former manager Stephen Bonanni retired after 32 years with Township and signed his initial Exit Interview Form on January 24, 2012. According to additional documents the Township released this past week, Bonanni signed a different Exit Interview form on April 5, 2012. The dollar amount listed on the April 2012 form shows Bonanni receiving less money than originally calculated in January 2012. 

One of the differences on the April 2012 form shows Bonanni receiving compensation for Comp Time of 12 hours. Bonanni who was listed as a salaried employee, is now being paid Comp Time. The form also reflects a reduction in Vacation time balance from 2011.  We will be submitting an email of inquiry to the Township in order to request explanation into the difference in Bonanni's calculated time.

Bonanni's final form in April 2012 shows a Total Payout of $57,189.30. According to Township Clerk Thalia TC Kay, Bonanni received a payment of $5,424.06 in 2012, half of which was paid on March 30, 2012 and the second half paid on April 13, 2012. Bonanni was scheduled to receive the final balance of $51,765.24 in January 2013, however that amount was included on the Resolution to be tabled and forwarded to Labor Counsel for review.

According to Bonanni's Memorandum of Understanding with the Township when he became Acting Township Manager in 2011, he was afforded a provision by Council outside the Township's Policies, Procedures and Ordinances. The provision was to grant Bonanni access to his accumulated sick leave up to $10,000, even if legislation was enacted to cap sick leave before he retired. The provision as stated, "shall be deemed valid irrespective of any legislation that may establish a cap on accumulated sick leave."  To our knowledge, Bonanni was the only employee afforded that additional provision in order to secure his sick leave payout.

We have released a copy of the Exit Forms and have also listed the break down for each payout below which includes a combined accumulated amount of $124,758.83.

Jill Gougher:

Vacation - $45,446.56

Sick (Frozen) - $12,122,97

Sick (Capped) - $10,000.00

Stephen Bonanni:

Vacation - $4,700.85

Comp Time - $723.21

Sick (Frozen) - $41,765.24

Sick (Capped) - $10,000.00

Council is scheduled to consider Gougher's and Bonanni's accumulated leave payout balances at the next regular Council Meeting scheduled on Tuesday, January 22, 2013. 

S Bonanni Closed Out Interview Jan 2012 by GallowayTwpNews

Bonanni Exit Interview Form by GallowayTwpNews

 

Gougher Exit Interview Form by GallowayTwpNews

Galloway Township Closed Post Office Located at the Municipal Complex

The Post Office once located at the Municipal Complex is now closed. Duct tape and a black bag covers the sign that originally identified the Post Office location. Council debated for several years as to whether the Post Office should be closed as reported in Galloway Patch, due to the reduction in revenue and increase in expenses. The Township could no longer afford to expend money in what once was a beneficial service to the community.

A campaign "Use it or Lose it"as reported in Galloway Patch, launched by citizens of Galloway Township, still wasn't enough to keep the post office open. Employees who worked in the post office were laid off with the exception of the Postmaster. Personnel documents released by the Township through an OPRA request, indicate the Postmaster Pam Conover transferred to the Administrative Offices within the Township. A specific department was not listed on the Personnel Action Form.

Other Post Offices are still located throughout Galloway Township. 

According to the US Postal Services, the following locations are still open:

Pomona Shopping Center
269 W. White Horse Pike
Pomona, NJ 

Cologne Post Office
807 W. White Horse Pike
Cologne, NJ

Oceanville Post Office
174 S. New York Road
Oceanville, NJ

Township Advertises Request for Proposals on Special Counsel to Handle Records Management

Galloway Township has posted an advertisement on their Official Website requesting Proposals for a position of Special Counsel to handle Records Management. According to the advertisement, one of the Township's minimum requirements for this position is "Advanced working knowledge of OPRA, DARM and GRC."  According to the Advertisement, all Sealed Responses are due to the Township Clerk by Wednesday, February 6, 2013 at 11:00 AM.

Through various Open Public Records Requests, the Township over the past year has been under intense scrutiny by former publisher of GallowayTwpNews.com Harry B. Scheeler, Jr.  Scheeler is reported as having approximately 18 outstanding GRC complaints against the Township. The Township also had to defend at least two OPRA Lawsuits, both of which have been settled.

The Township has contracted with various Law firms over the past year in order to serve as Special Counsel either for litigation or to train employees as required by the Joint Insurance Fund. According to Legal Bills, Township Solicitor Michael Fitzgerald has been reviewing OPRA Requests in conjunction with Township Clerk TC Kay. Fitzgerald has also answered multiple GRC Complaints on behalf of the Township. 

As it pertains to the addition of another Attorney and the estimated cost the Township will incur, we requested comment from Mayor Don Purdy, Members of Council, Township Manager Arch Liston and Township Solicitor Michael Fitzgerald. Our request for comment went unanswered by all officials. 

We will follow up on the appointment as well as report on the legal fees incurred by Township for this Professional.

RFP Special Counsel for Records Management by GallowayTwpNews

Publisher Requests Township to Investigate Sick Time Payout of $18,876.18 Paid to Employees

On Wednesday, January 2, 2013, Galloway Township Council approved by unanimous vote a resolution "Authorizing the Payout of Accumulated Vacation and Sick Time for Employees who have Separated from Galloway Township as of December 31, 2012." Fourteen employees are listed on the resolution for a total amount of $211,356.71. Of that, in our opinion, $18,876.18 was paid to employees who were not eligible to receive it.

Four members of the Police Department will receive a total of $138,751.82 while the other ten employees will receive a total of $72,604.89.  Wording on the resolution specifically states throughout, that payment is being made "upon retirement and/or separation" pursuant to Township Ordinance 1068 of 1991. All of the employees listed on the resolution were members of a Union, either PBA Local #77, Local 210 (Blue Collared and/or Supervisors Unit), Local 676 and/or Local 68.

The employees being part of a Collective Bargaining Unit (CBA), receive benefits that are set forth therein. When reviewing each of the CBA Contracts for Paid Leaves, excluding PBA, each of the contracts state the employees are to Paid Leave in accordance with Ordinance 1068 of 1991. After reviewing the Resolution authorizing the payments and Township Ordinance 1068-1991, also known as Section 73-8 in the Township Code, it was clear, the Township's Resolution adopted on January 2, 2013 does not conform with the language set forth in the Ordinance.

According to Township Code, employees are only permitted to receive payment of Sick Leave time if they either "Resign or Retire." The ordinance does not allow a provision for the broad term of "separation" as the Township used in the resolution.

After reviewing each of the employees Exit Interview Forms, which we have released below, there are seven employees who did not either Retire or Resign. Six of the employees were part of the Township's wide spectrum of Layoff's. One employee is still employed with the Township and only received a reduction in hours. Employee's who receive a Layoff status are able to seek unemployment benefits immediately. However, employees who resign, will have a harder time obtaining those benefits.

It is our opinion after reviewing all the relevant Township Codes, CBA Contracts, Resolution and Personnel Forms, that the seven employees who received Sick Leave Payout totaling $18,876.18, were not permitted to receive any of those benefits as they are still employed or were laid off.

We notified and requested comment from Mayor Don Purdy, Members of Council, Township Manager Arch Liston, Township Solicitor Michael Fitzgerald, Director of Finance Marilyn Dolcy, Police Chief Patrick Moran and Township Auditor Leon Costello of our findings with the Township's overpayment of Sick Leave. 

We believe the Township's inclusion of the word "Separation" in the Resolution which further allowed the authorization of these payments, is not consistent with the Township Code. If the Township opted to pay employees who received a status of Layoff, the Township would need to amend the Township's Code and each of the CBA contracts, as the contracts also state Resignation and Retirement only, not separation.

In response to our email, Councilman Jim McElwee stated, "I made a motion to table Resolution 37-13 for further review. I was told by manager Arch Liston that these payouts were in line with their Union Negotiated Contracts. Solicitor Fitzgerald concurred I believe with a nod of his head. For this reason and on their explanation I withdrew my motion. If in fact these employees do not meet the criteria for these payouts, I will request the resolution be amended at the next Council Meeting to reflect any and all adjustments needed."

Mayor Don Purdy also responded for comment by stating, "I will be looking into your findings on Monday as this is Saturday now and there is no one (sic) able to check. We on the governing body alway(s) look to rely on our professionals." All other requests for comment went unanswered at the time of publication.

We have requested the Township to immediately suspend payment to the employees until the determination is made as to whether the seven employees who received $18,876.18 in Sick Payout is reviewed for compliance in accordance with Township Code and Ordinance 1068 of 1991. 

Employees & Amounts requested to be Investigated:

Pamela Alleyne:     $1,158.87     (Planning & Zoning)

Carla Dow:     $10,000.00     (Senior Services)

Raymond Farrell:     $1,838.63     (Public Works)

Bryan Losasso:     $2.342.04     (Public Works)

Edward McClain:     $471.79      (Public Works)

Jennifer McConaghy:     $629.13     (Police Department)

Bernard Sawasky:     $2,435.72     (Public Works)

The Township previously came under scrutiny when former publisher of GallowayTwpNews.com Harry Scheeler exposed the Township under former manager Stephen Bonanni approving Compensatory Time to three salaried employees. Although the employees did not have to give the Comp Time earned back, the Township no longer permitted those employees to receive any additional Comp Time.  One of those employees has since resigned. 

We have released our email which includes an in depth research of our findings, the Resolution Township Council adopted that is in our opinion, not in conformance with Township Code and the Exit Interview Forms of the fourteen (14) employees who received Pay Outs totaling $211,356.71. 

We will follow up with Council at the next council meeting as to the result of this inquiry for investigation.

Request for Comment on Employee Payouts


Resol 37-13 Payout Accumulated Leave
Employee Exit Interview Sheets 2012

Polistina Replaces Dixon as Engineer Following 4-3 Vote at Galloway Reorganization Meeting

Via GallowayPatch.com

Publisher Seeks Input from Public on Galloway Township; Reveal of New Publisher Upcoming

New Publisher of GallowayTwpNews.com is seeking information from the Public as to what Information about Galloway Township piques the public's interest. As the new Publisher, I can rely upon statistics from traffic, but I would rather hear from you, the resident, the public, the community and business owners.

GallowayTwpNews.com under former Publisher Harry B. Scheeler, Jr. was innovative reporting on transparency and open government. That investigative style reporting and demanding of open government will continue under my operation. 

As the new Publisher, I intend to start 2013 with hard core reporting of transparency, open government, accountability and pressuring the elected officials not only at our Local Level, but also at our State Level to do what is right for Galloway Township residents and community. 

Many question and wonder when the reveal of the New Publisher of GallowayTwpNews.com will be announced. I can assure everyone, the announcement is coming and will most likely happen in the month of January.

In the interim, I am requesting all of our readers, business owners and residents of Galloway Township to submit either through email at gallowaytwpnews@gmail.com or by leaving a comment at the bottom of this story with what you would like to see investigated and published.  

We will review and investigate anything from Galloway's Budget, Commercial Developments, Residential Developments, Planning and Zoning Board Decisions and Applications, Council Appointments, new and existing Laws and Ordinances, Revenue Ideas. You name it, we will research it.

You can remain anonymous or you can provide your information. Any information you provide directly to this Publisher and not in the public's view will remain under the NJ Shield Law, unless you the individual direct this Publisher otherwise to use your information.

As Publisher, I intend to research everything provided. I will only report on facts and documentation. If you give me a tip and I can verify and prove what you have is credible and reliable; the story and investigation will be published. 

I would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy 2013. 

Council to Select Deputy Mayor, Professionals & Board Appointments at Reorganization Meeting

Galloway Township has posted the Agenda for their 2013 Reorganization Meeting. The Township will hold their meeting on Wednesday January 2, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.  The Meeting will be held in Council Chambers located at 300 E. Jimmie Leeds Road. The agenda also lists Regular business to be held and voted on right after the Annual Reorganization Meeting. The Township advertised the meeting in the Press of Atlantic City, December 3, 2012. 

According to the Agenda, Council will nominate and select a new Deputy Mayor. Councilman Tony Coppola Jr., currently serves as the Deputy Mayor. That position is selected annually by a majority of Council. 

Mayor Don Purdy will serve his second year as Mayor. Purdy who previously served as Deputy Mayor in 2010 and 2011 under former Mayor Keith Hartman, was selected by Council in 2012 to serve as Mayor for two years ending December 31, 2013.

GallowayTwpNews.com previously reported and released the Diversified List of Professionals  that submitted Requests for Proposals in order to receive an appointment by Galloway Township Council. Positions such as Township Solicitor and Township Engineer are contracts that could potential yield a significant monetary gain to those selected.  In reports obtained through Open Public Records Requests, the Township Solicitor's position pays an average of $150,000 annually. Council in 2012 raised the budget line for Legal fees to $200,000. Between former Solicitor Michael Blee and current Solicitor Michael Fitzgerald, the Township paid approximately $115,000 in 2012. 

The Township's Engineer position depending on development and capital projects, could pay approximately $750,000. Some years according to reports, the Engineer could be paid just shy of a Million Dollars annually. Reports released by Township Clerk Thalia TC Kay on Friday, show Township Engineer Kevin Dixon being paid approximately $145,000. As the reported released is not in line with other reports we have obtained, we have asked the Township Clerk for a more definitive amount and reporting on those figures. We will update the article once we receive those figures.

The Agenda for the meeting is listed below. 

Reorg Council Mtg Agenda 1-2-13

UPDATED: GallowayTwpNews.com Launches a Municipal Contact List

UPDATED: Mayor and Council have been added to the Contact List

GallowayTwpNews.com has launched a new Service Tab labeled "Galloway Contact List."  The list was designed in order to provide the Township's Municipal Contact Information. We encourage everyone to visit the newly installed tab listed on our website. 

Municipal Telephone Numbers, Fax Numbers and a link to the Township's Website, including Police, Fire and Ambulance websites are also provided.

We will continue to update the site with the most current contact information in order to serve the Public.