SOUTH RIVER–Spearheading an initiative to reactivate the borough’s inactive committees, Councilman Tony Ciulla spoke about a proposed plan for restructuring the boards.
The borough currently has 14 boards/committees/commissions. The Borough Council discussed the proposed plan to reorganize the committees on May 26 during the council meeting via video conference.
Ciulla said he wants some of the borough’s committees to be restructured due to inactivity. One committee has not had a meeting in a year-and-a-half.
“Some of the committees or boards of commissions do have separate standing authority. So before we start making any changes, updates or combining of things … we thought we might do it the right way and legally. So we have asked [Borough Attorney Andrea Wyatt] to take a look at this and she has come back with her recommendations on how it can be done,” Council President Raymond Eppinger said.
Step one of the proposing plan, Ciulla said, would be for the borough to reach out to the various committees, boards and commission to ask its members if they wish to continue serving or resign.
Eppinger said step two would involve replacing the members who choose to resign with new members who are willing to serve, hence reorganizing the various boards and committees.
“We understand that not only during this time, but it gets more and more difficult to find people who can spare time to serve … but let’s do step one,” Eppinger said. “Find out who’s interested and as we’re doing that we can start working on restructuring these committees and see if some of them can be combined or making sure that the council … can at least oversee to help and guide them in terms of whatever needs to be done.”
When the council sends out a letter to contact various members, Ciulla said the letter should include a due date as to when members must respond by.
“Maybe 10 days before the last meeting in June [the council] must have an answer back so we can move forward at our June meeting to start getting other people on these committees for the summer,” Ciulla said, “so we can start doing things that can benefit the borough.”
For more information, visit www.southrivernj.org/general_info_form.html or www.southrivernj.org/agendas/council/.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
