Cranbury Township Examines Early Holiday Closings

The Cranbury Township Committee discussed Monday the issue of early dismissal for township employees before holidays.

In the past, the township administrator would call for an early dismissal the Friday, or day before, a holiday if it was deemed appropriate. Township employees, which include 33 workers, would typically leave at 1 p.m. and continue to receive pay for the hours not worked.

At the meeting Monday, Mayor Winthrop Cody suggested that there be a decision on whether there should be a uniform policy in place, or if the administrator would continue to make the decision on a case-by-case basis.

Committeeman David Cook said, “A formal policy is taking it too far. I am fine with leaving the decision to the township administrator.” Cook, along with other committee members, said that he wants to ensure that the public can conduct business when the offices are closed, should there be an emergency.

“If there is an emergency, someone has to be there to be as a contact in the event someone has to get a marriage license or pay taxes,” Cook said. Committee members discussed the idea of having a point person that could assist in the event of an emergency, which could be the township administrator.

The committee decided to contact neighboring towns to view their policy and then revisit the issue following the next meeting after the Fourth of July holiday.