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South River council adopts 2025 municipal budget after five-minute public hearing
Summary
The South River Mayor and Council read the 2025 municipal budget by title and voted to adopt it after a short public hearing; one public commenter used the hearing to ask about an unrelated battery project.
The South River Mayor and Council on May 5 read the borough's 2025 municipal budget by title and adopted the budget following a five-minute public hearing and a roll-call vote.
Under a resolution citing N.J.S.A. 48:4-8, the council authorized reading the budget by title only. The clerk opened a five-minute public hearing; a resident used that opportunity to ask for information about a separate battery project. No comments focused on the budget itself. After the hearing, a motion to adopt the budget passed on a roll call with affirmative votes recorded from Councilwoman Balas, Councilman DeSantis, Councilman Bazanian, Councilman Giancolas, Councilman Berchinski and Council President Cielo (recorded as "yes").
Why it matters: reading the budget by title and adopting the resolution completes a statutory step the borough must take before finalizing appropriations for the municipal year.
Details and context: the clerk announced that notice of the meeting had been published and posted in compliance with the public-notice requirements (chapter 231 of Public Law 1975). The council used Resolution 2025-150 to permit reading the budget by title only under N.J.S.A. 48:4-8.
Public comment: during the public-hearing period, a resident who identified himself as Govindonado of 30 Dallas (public comment) said he had submitted materials and had questions about a battery project and asked for follow-up information. Council members did not record further public comments on the budget during the open hearing.
What the council did: a motion to adopt the 2025 municipal budget was moved and seconded and passed by roll call. The clerk will follow standard post-adoption steps for publication and filing as required under state law.
Next steps: the council did not attach a dollar figure in the public record during the meeting transcript excerpt. The clerk and borough staff will complete any remaining publication and filing required by state statute.
