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Hillsborough Planning Board elects officers, adopts 2025 schedule and names professionals
Summary
At its Jan. 9 reorganizational meeting the Hillsborough Township Planning Board elected Carl Seraci chair, reappointed committee leadership and approved a slate of professional appointments and administrative resolutions to guide the board’s work in 2025.
The Hillsborough Township Planning Board on Jan. 9 elected Carl Seraci as chair for 2025, named Rob Piesen vice chair and Patricia Smith board secretary and approved routine administrative resolutions including the 2025 meeting schedule and designation of official newspapers.
The reorganizational meeting, opened by Eric Bernstein, planning board attorney, began with oath of office ceremonies and a roll call. Bernstein said the meeting had been advertised under the Open Public Meetings Act (chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975). "This meeting has been duly advertised according to section 5 of the Open Public Meetings Act," Bernstein said.
The board reappointed the Master Plan Subcommittee with largely the same membership as 2024, ratified a fair-and-open selection process for professionals, and approved several professional-service contracts: Eric Bernstein & Associates as board attorney and Pannoni Associates (Mr. Mayhew) as board engineer (selected after fair-and-open proposals). The board also approved an extension of a professional services agreement with T&M Associates and designated CME Associates as alternate board engineer. The board adopted rules of order, administrative procedures and fixed charges for meeting notices; it designated the Hillsborough Beacon and the Courier News as the board’s official newspapers for 2025.
Board Chair Carl Seraci, in brief remarks after being sworn and elected, thanked board members for the reappointment. "Appreciate being reappointed, you know, for allowing me to have the privilege to lead the team again in 2025," Seraci said.
Why it matters: reorganization votes and professional appointments set who will preside over hearings and which outside consultants and engineers will review applications and issue technical reports. Those appointments govern how applications will be processed and which experts will advise the board on engineering, planning and legal matters.
Votes at a glance - Election of Chair Carl Seraci — motion carried on roll call; outcome: elected. - Election of Vice Chair Rob Piesen — motion carried on roll call; outcome: elected. - Election of board secretary Patricia Smith — motion carried on roll call; outcome: elected. - Appointment of board attorney Eric Bernstein & Associates (fair-and-open) — motion carried; outcome: appointed. - Appointment of board engineer Pannoni Associates (highest score in evaluation) — motion carried; outcome: appointed. - Extension of T&M Associates professional services agreement — motion carried; outcome: approved. - Designation of official newspapers (Hillsborough Beacon, Courier News) — motion carried; outcome: approved.
The board also confirmed its 2025 calendar and directed staff to post meeting documents on the township civic clerk site. Routine reorganization items, including committee assignments and minor administrative motions, were approved without substantive policy debate.
Less critical details: the board confirmed the Master Plan Subcommittee membership (no roll call vote required for the re-nomination), and the court reporter appointment (non–fair-and-open) was approved.
Meeting context: the reorganizational portion was largely procedural and brief; the board moved from formal reorganization to the regular agenda later in the evening.
