Gloucester Township council takes first steps on traffic and block‑party rules, accepts $20,000 donation and holds scholarship drawing

Gloucester Township council opened the meeting with the pledge and an invocation, then accepted a $20,000 donation from Penote Tech to help build Jake’s Law Playground, an all‑inclusive play area at the Valley Brook complex for special‑needs students and adults. "My name is Jason Obiaak. I'm the vice president of Penote Tech," said Obiaak, who joined COO Chris Ryan at the dais to present a check to the township.

The council then heard remarks from the Gloucester Township Day Scholarship Committee and conducted its annual scholarship drawing. Dr. Hollings, who leads the committee, said the program received 366 qualifying applications and that the committee would award 40 scholarships of $1,000 each and name 10 alternates. "The number that's on that sheet is your number, regardless of whether we spelled your name wrong," Dr. Hollings told students gathered for the drawing.

After the ceremonial items, council moved through the business agenda. Council introduced four ordinances in first reading: Ordinance 0‑25‑11 would amend chapter 67 (Peace and Good Order) to formalize block‑party permit procedures, fees and limits; Ordinance 0‑25‑12 would add specific parking prohibitions on named streets; Ordinance 0‑25‑13 would add stop intersections to local code; and Ordinance 0‑25‑14 would amend the list of one‑way streets, specifying segments on Somerdale Road (County Route 677). Each was introduced as a first reading; the council recorded roll‑call approval to introduce them and set public hearings for their second readings.

The council also approved the consent agenda and passed several resolutions by roll call, including Resolution 119 (2025 open‑space tax levy), Resolution 120 (extension of a temporary budget appropriation), and Resolution 121 (certification of equal‑employment‑opportunity compliance). Council introduced Resolution 122 to provide notice and public inspection of the 2025 municipal budget; as read into the record, the transcript lists total appropriations and an amount to be raised by taxation and characterizes the proposed tax rate as a zero percent change from the prior year.

During the meeting the business administrator, Mr. Cartis, answered an emailed (E‑GOV) inquiry about vendor payments that questioned whether multiple bills to Stella Contracting represented a single project split to avoid bidding thresholds. Cartis described the township’s thresholds (quotes for purchases between $6,600 and $44,000; formal bids over $44,000) and said the township uses site‑specific quotes for variable brush piles after storms, which he said makes competitive pricing feasible and that auditors had not cited the township for bid‑splitting.

The second public‑comment period featured multiple residents who raised a range of concerns. A long‑running question about the dissolved municipal utilities authority (MUA) and the disposition of a $585,000 capital figure was discussed; township finance staff said the MUA did not spend that $585,000 before dissolution and that the MUA’s capital budget became invalid on dissolution, prompting the township to introduce a new ordinance later. Resident Shauna Smithman described an identity‑theft and benefit‑payment dispute and asked why local police had not provided paperwork she requested; Chief David Harkkins said the case was investigated, referred to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and to New Jersey Health and Human Services fraud unit, and that investigators found no probable cause to charge anyone. Chief Harkkins also clarified that officers are not required to have body cameras recording at council meetings except when responding to incidents or calls for service.

Other public comments pressed the council to revisit the township’s RV/boat storage rules and to review traffic and lighting projects and redevelopment questions. Council indicated it will schedule a May workshop to review the RV/boat ordinance and promised to provide requested figures about remediation and capital spending related to the former MUA property.

The meeting closed with council members thanking Penote Tech for the donation, congratulating scholarship winners, wishing residents a safe holiday, and adjourning. Most ordinance items were introduced on first reading and will return for public hearings; resolutions affecting budget adoption and capital spending will follow the statutory notice and hearing process.

Provenance: This article summarizes remarks and formal actions introduced and recorded in the meeting transcript (topic introductions and first readings for ordinances 0‑25‑11 through 0‑25‑14; resolutions 119–122; Penote Tech donation; scholarship drawing; public comments and Q&A with business administrator and police chief).