Hillsborough Township Committee reconvenes over emergency temporary appropriations; residents press for more transparency

HILLSBOROUGH, N.J. — The Hillsborough Township Committee met in a special session March 4 to again consider a resolution authorizing emergency temporary appropriations intended to keep municipal operations funded until the 2026 budget is adopted.

"This is about responsible fiscal management, plain and simple," Mayor Payne said as he opened the meeting and asked for a motion to authorize the resolution, which was seconded by another committee member.

Committee Woman Hand, who voted against the appropriation at the prior meeting, urged caution and earlier public access to supporting documents, saying the statute requires two‑thirds approval for the measure and that taxpayers deserve time to review details. "This is something that we should all be taking the time to look closely at and not simply rubber stamping without having all the information needed to make an informed vote," she said. Hand told colleagues she and other finance liaisons had met with administration and the CFO and had reduced some items "by almost a quarter of a million dollars."

Officials and residents focused much of the debate on small line items and whether department chiefs — particularly the police chief — had been consulted before the committee removed or reduced funds. Committee members asked why roughly $26,000 in smaller line items (postage identified as $3,500, paper $3,000 and a dog‑tag regulation line of $20,000) were omitted. One member asked whether removing $200,000 from a police operating line that had shown $400,000 had been discussed with the chief; Committee Woman Gomez replied the decision had been made in meetings with the CFO, administrator and deputy mayor.

CFO Christian Bouchal explained the mechanics of the temporary appropriation: the township's temporary budget was previously $13 million and the resolution would add about $5 million, bringing the temporary total to $18 million. He said the state recently raised the allowable temporary appropriation percentage from about 26.25% to 35% of certain prior appropriations and that the temporary increase is intended to carry salary and near‑term operational bills until the full budget is adopted. "All this does is increase the temporary budget," Bouchal said. "That is it. ... This resolution adds 5 million, bringing it to 18 million. Our budget last year was 41 million. We're nowhere near the 41 million."

During a lengthy public comment period, residents urged more timely publication of agenda documentation and clearer budget presentation. Lou Ann While, of 8 Moore Road, said receiving supporting materials only a few hours before meetings left taxpayers "uninformed" and requested earlier postings. Filomena Salilli, a longtime resident, and others echoed calls for easier public access and clearer explanations of why funds are being requested. Some residents pressed the committee not to frame internal votes in partisan terms and asked for educational outreach on the budget process.

Several speakers asked whether the temporary appropriation would increase property taxes; Bouchal replied that the appropriation itself would not cause a tax increase, but that the full budget process would determine final levies. He also noted certain known payments — including pension obligations due April 1 — influenced the timing and size of temporary appropriations.

The transcript provided does not record a final roll‑call vote on the appropriation resolution during the excerpt; the meeting proceeded to extended public comment and was adjourned, with the committee saying it would reconvene next Tuesday. The resolution had previously failed at the prior meeting after two no votes, which left the committee short of the four yes votes required by statute.

What happens next

Because the transcript does not include a recorded final vote on the resolution, it is not possible from the provided record to state whether the committee adopted the emergency temporary appropriations at this special meeting. Officials indicated they may need to make further temporary appropriations in the coming weeks and reiterated plans to post more budget documentation to departmental web pages to improve transparency.