Stockton council OKs insurance appointments, payment of bills and selects 2026 snow‑removal contractor

The Stockton Borough Council approved routine municipal actions and announced a contract award after executive session at its Nov. 17 meeting held by Zoom.

Resolutions: Council approved Resolution 2025‑85, appointing USI Insurance Services, LLC as the borough’s local Risk Management Consultant for the 2026 fund year, and Resolution 2025‑86, naming Laurie Courter as Fund Commissioner and Diane McDaniel as Alternate Fund Commissioner to the Statewide Insurance Fund. Council also approved Resolution 2025‑87 authorizing payment of municipal obligations; the resolution text lists $290,057.93 as the amount to be paid.

How the council voted: The minutes record each resolution’s approval following motions (Res. 2025‑85: motion by Hunt, seconded by Mann; Res. 2025‑86: motion by Hunt, seconded by Brown). The minutes show the motions carried (roll calls list Brown, Fisher, Hunt and Mann and the recorded Ayes and Nays indicate passage). For the payment resolution the minutes record the amount in the resolution and state the resolution passed; the meeting text shows some inconsistency between the names listed on roll call and a later tally line, which is reproduced as recorded in the minutes.

Executive session and contract award: The council entered executive session to discuss litigation (Affordable Housing Fourth Round / Fair Share Housing Center challenge, cited under N.J.S.A. 10:4‑12b(7)), attorney‑client privileged review of cannabis applications, and contractual matters including snowplow bids. After returning from executive session (the minutes state the council was in executive session until 8:48 p.m.), Mayor Lipsen announced that the borough selected John Sowsiann to provide snow‑removal services for 2026. The public minutes do not include a roll‑call vote for the award; the meeting text indicates a special meeting will be scheduled (likely Dec. 3 or 4) to finalize cannabis committee decisions.

Context and next steps: The appointments put Stockton in compliance with Statewide Insurance Fund bylaws requiring designation of a fund commissioner and, if requested, a risk management consultant. The public‑recorded payment authorizes municipal obligations itemized in attached schedules. The council said it will return with timelines and any required contract documents; details of the snow‑removal agreement (contract length, price, or motion maker) were not provided in the public minutes and are listed as “not specified.”