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Sep
25
Ledger: Council, Mayor feud over budget in Hillside
Filed Under Edward Brewer, In The News, John Kulish, Karen McCoy Oliver | Leave a Comment
Another autumn brings a new budget fight to Hillside, with council leaders again blaming the mayor for the spending plan being late and, as in previous years, the mayor charging she is being shut out of the process.
The township council introduced a 2009 municipal budget Tuesday night in a 5-1 vote, with Second Ward Councilwoman Shelley-Ann Bates dissenting be cause members had received copies of the spending plan only minutes earlier.
Sep
23
Ledger: Council To Meet On Municipal Budget
Filed Under In The News, Karen McCoy Oliver, The Leadership | Leave a Comment
HILLSIDE: A special meeting of the township council is to be held this evening to introduce a proposed 2009 municipal budget.
The 6:30 p.m. meeting was scheduled by the council’s finance committee, with the obligatory open public meeting notices published in a local weekly newspaper.
Numerous residents said they learned of the meeting only yesterday in an e-mail message from Second Ward Councilwoman Shelley-Ann Bates.
Mayor Karen McCoy Oliver said she was informed of the meeting last week, but has not been apprised of work to date on the budget, which by law is under the purview of the mayor.
“Budget preparation is sup posed to come out of the mayor’s office,” Oliver said. “I have repeatedly asked for budget information, and gotten nowhere.”
Sep
17
LocalSource: Officials Urged to Approve Televised Meetings, Comply
Filed Under Barbara Rowen, Edward Brewer, Gerald Freedman, In The News, John Kulish | Leave a Comment
By Paul Greulich, Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 1:20 PM CDT
HILLSIDE, NJ - An ordinance to televise Hillside’s public meetings was unanimously approved at a well-attended council meeting, despite prior opposition from some council members. At least one municipal official believes the turnout clinched the approval.
The measure — Joseph T. Loeb Township of Hillside Sunshine Act of 2008 — approved during a Township Council meeting Monday night, requires officials to record all public meetings and make public records, such as agendas, minutes, ordinances and resolutions, available on the Internet.
Councilwoman Shelley-Ann Bates sponsored the ordinance, which was introduced following a petition circulated by residents last month that called for a referendum vote.
“This is something people have expressed a desire to see,” Bates said. “By keeping people informed, we have a government that works.”