The HOWELL Times
Vol. 18 - No. 1
In This Week’s Edition
BREAKING NEWS @
jerseyshoreonline.com
Inside The Law Page 11
Dear Joel Page 11
Dear Pharmacist Page 12
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Memorial Day Service Draws Larger Crowd Than Normal
COVID Economic Taskforce Created; Method Debated
−Photo By Bob Vosseller (Above) VFW Post 9691 Commander Frank Longo, at right, joins fellow member Egivio Lurito at the Veterans Memorial Monument where they planted a flag during a Memorial Day ceremony. (Right) Howell Township Deputy Mayor Evelynn O’Donnell speaks during a Memorial Day Service held at the Memorial Monument in front of the former Howell Township Town Hall off Preventorium Road. By Bob Vosseller HOWELL – Township Veterans Of Foreign Wars Post 9691 Commander Frank Longo was saddened earlier this month noting that
the usual Memorial Day service in the township would have to be cancelled due to the current COVID-19 conditions. That decision however was reversed by
Deputy Mayor Evelynn O’Donnell whose strong family ties to those in the military, prompted the suggestion of a live service but handled in a social
distancing fashion. “She got in touch with me and said we should do something,” Longo added and with a few phone calls the event (Memorial - See Page 4)
Towns Save Money On Snow-Less Season
By Chris Lundy JERSEY SHORE – The sun was shining. T he sk y was clear. Temperatures were up in the 70s. No, this wasn’t Memorial Day weekend. This happened in February. People f looded the parks and playgrounds – back when they were all open – enjoying the
unseasonably war m weather. This past winter was unusual in that there wasn’t much snow. Schools, for example, didn’t have a single snow day. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t some cold days. Before Mother’s Day weekend, for example, there were snow
predictions that didn’t come to fruition. There were a few spring days when the homeless shelters were open because the temperature was expected to drop to freezing overnight. But – and this is not to jinx us for next year – if it was cold, it didn’t connect with precipitation.
The end result was a savings for nearby municipalities. Every town budgets a certain amount of money expecting to use it for snow removal. But none of the nearby towns spent significant amounts recently. Some towns are using these savings as a buffer for the revenue lost
May 30, 2020
due to the COVID-19 pandemic, since people out of work are having trouble paying their taxes. Jersey Shore Online reached out to several large towns and learned that the amount of money they spent on snow removal has decreased over the last few years. (Snow - See Page 4)
By Bob Vosseller HOWELL – The formation of a township economic taskforce to address coronavirus impacts on local businesses prompted some strong discussion about how agenda item additions should be handled. Council members debated about how and when a last-minute agenda item would be placed on their agenda during a recent council meeting. The crux of the debate was whether residents would have a chance to learn about what was being discussed at the meeting ahead of time. A resident commented that “add-ons were tough enough for residents to keep up on and a case where an item was added to the agenda but the resolution that it pertained to was not.” Mayor Theresa Berger said she did not want to see items added to the agenda on the day of the meeting. “If we get an agenda on Friday, unless it is an emergency, we shouldn’t change the agenda.” The mayor asked, “can we make a rule that we just don’t change the agenda? If it is not in by Monday then you don’t change it. If it is urgent, absolutely. I am speaking in general terms.” Township Manager Brian Geoghegan cited one instance where a department head had suggested an item be added to the council agenda but “was told no for that reason.” “I’m just requesting that we have some kind of a process in place that unless it is urgent or an emergency it should not go on the agenda the same day. I don’t see the need for that,” the mayor added. “We’re operating under a crisis right now. I don’t think it is unreasonable to add on an economic recovery tasks force,” Councilman Thomas Russo said in reference to the item that prompted the discussion. “I said it had nothing to do with that specific item,” the mayor said. Council members also discussed whether this also included proclamations, some of (Taskforce - See Page 2)
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