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Planning board discusses starting master-plan update in 2026 ahead of 2027 deadline
Summary
Board members urged beginning work on the 2027 master-plan update in 2026, discussed options for subcommittees or an RFP for a professional planner, and noted the need to budget for the work over upcoming fiscal years.
Morris Township, Nov. 17, 2025 — Members of the Morris Township Planning Board used the meeting to press for getting the township’s master-plan update under way well before the 2027 deadline, discussing options to start in 2026, form subcommittees and budget for consultant services.
A board member said the board could approach the update in several ways: section-by-section work, spinning off subcommittees to draft specific sections, or commissioning a professional planner via an RFP to manage the full update. "A plan for the plan," the member said, urging a schedule that would allow portions of the work to be completed across budget years.
Board members raised practical considerations including confirming funding and scope with township officials and the need to budget for an RFP and planner fees. One board member recommended confirming with the township committee and finance staff (Tim Quinn was mentioned) whether a scope of services and budget lines will be available, noting the work could be phased over multiple years to reduce one-time budget impact.
Several members volunteered to serve on a subcommittee and the board expressed support for starting the process in 2026 so there is time to prepare a full update by 2027. No formal vote or binding directive was recorded; members asked staff to begin discussions about scope and budgeting going into the next fiscal cycle.
