Pittsgrove Committee adopts consent agenda; residents press officials on long traffic‑light outage and township finances

The Pittsgrove Township Committee on Sept. 24 voted unanimously to adopt a consent agenda that included payments, appointments and a contract award for a 2026 Ram 3500 truck, while residents used the public-comment period to press officials about a prolonged traffic‑light outage and township finances.

Mayor Fiore J. Copare called the meeting to order, the committee accepted the August departmental reports, and the body acknowledged an engineering report on road reconstruction projects tied to FY2025 and an FY2026 NJDOT Trust Fund application. The committee then approved facility use for Creativity CoLaboratory Charter School and moved to the public‑comment portion of the agenda.

Why it matters: The consent agenda bundles several routine but consequential items into a single vote; among the listed resolutions, the purchase contract and raffle licenses commit municipal resources and oversight. Residents’ questions about a traffic light out for "more than thirty days" and the use of surplus funds signal local priorities that could prompt follow-up from township staff or county officials.

During public comment, Matt Berger asked about taxes and the township surplus; Mayor Copare and Committeeman Yeagle referred him to the township auditor, Evan Palmer, for more detailed figures. Nicholas Mesiano raised the stalled traffic signal at Gershal Avenue and Almond Road and said he "believes it shouldn’t take this long," while Solicitor Albert K. Marmero said he had not yet received a county response about speed-table or signal requests. Christina Mesiano asked whether surplus funds were being invested and received confirmation that township and school budgets are separate and that the CFO could provide investment details.

Yvette DuBois‑Trembley, who the transcript records as the new superintendent of the Pittsgrove Township School District, introduced herself (she assumed the role July 1, 2025) and said, "On behalf of the district, the school and the township will continue to foster a strong working relationship." The mayor also reported ongoing talks about shared police services with Elmer Borough, efforts to secure Wi‑Fi service at Green Branch Park in coordination with Comcast, and that the county expects State funds to purchase three ambulances for participating municipalities.

Votes at a glance: The committee read and adopted Resolutions No. 134‑2025 through 142‑2025 by consent (roll call ayes: Harz, Schmidt, Spinelli, Yeagle, Copare; no nays). The resolutions covered: payment of bills (134‑2025); appointments to the Rent Control Board (135‑2025); consenting to conditions to sell a development easement (136‑2025); amending Recreational Advisory Committee appointments (137‑2025); authorizing on‑premises merchandise raffle licenses to Ranch Hope, Inc. (138‑2025 and 139‑2025); awarding a contract to Beyer of Morristown for a 2026 Ram 3500 truck through the Educational Services of New Jersey Co‑op #65MCESCCPS (140‑2025); authorizing tax refunds (141‑2025); and authorizing an off‑premises merchandise raffle license to the Schalick Track Booster Club (142‑2025).

Procedural notes: Approval of the August 27, 2025 minutes passed (motion by Committeeman Harz; second by Committeeman Schmidt) with Committeeman Yeagle recorded as abstaining. Facility-use and departmental-report motions were adopted without recorded dissent.

What’s next: The committee scheduled its next regular meeting for Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. Officials and residents indicated anticipated follow-up: the solicitor awaiting county response on traffic‑control requests and the CFO or auditor as the contacts for detailed budget and surplus figures.