By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN – Municipal officials have expressed their support for a bill that has been introduced in the state Legislature which seeks to add a level of approval to the process by which a crematorium may be constructed in a New Jersey community.
At their meeting on May 10, Township Committee members passed a resolution stating the municipality’s support for the bill, A4374.
Committee members said the proposed legislation is in the best interest of Manalapan residents and the residents of any municipality where a crematory plans on locating. The committee is asking the Legislature to approve A-4374 as swiftly as possible.
A4374 was initially sponsored by two Democratic members of the state Assembly, Eric Houghtaling and Joann Downey, whose Monmouth County legislative district does not include Manalapan, but does include neighboring Freehold Township, among other municipalities. The bill was introduced on Dec. 5, 2016.
Republicans Ron Dancer and Robert Clifton, whose Assembly district includes Manalapan, have signed on as sponsors, according to www.njleg.state.nj.us.
A4374 has relevance to Manalapan because representatives of the Old Tennent Cemetery Association have proposed the construction of a crematorium on the grounds of the Old Tennent Presbyterian Church, Tennent Road.
The association’s plan has not been approved by any Manalapan regulatory board or by the Township Committee.
The cemetery association is challenging a decision made by the Manalapan Planning Board in which board members found they did not have jurisdiction to hear the association’s application.
On May 16, Township Attorney Roger McLaughlin said that in regard to the legal matter, briefs have been filed by all parties and he anticipates a trial date within the next 60 to 90 days.
According to a statement that is included with A4374, the legislation “prohibits a crematory from being built without prior approval from the governing body of the municipality in which the crematory will be located and the New Jersey Cemetery Board. Current law does not expressly provide that the construction of a crematory requires approval of the municipality. This bill requires approval from both the municipality in which the crematory will be located, as well as the (cemetery) board.
“The bill provides that as soon as practicable after an application for the construction of a crematory is filed with the (cemetery) board, the board must notify the governing body of the appropriate municipality. The bill prohibits the board from approving an application for the construction of a crematory unless it has received the express written approval of the governing body of the municipality in which the crematory will be located,” according to the statement.
A4374 has been referred to the Assembly Regulated Professions Committee.
A companion bill in the Senate, S2867, which was introduced by Sen. Nicholas Sacco (D-Bergen and Hudson) on Dec. 15, 2016, contains the same requirements as its Assembly counterpart. S2867 has been referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.
