Hightstown Council Delays Making Appointments

Isabel McGinty wasted no time in addressing the problems she sees with local government in her first full meeting as Hightstown Borough Council President Monday.

At McGinty's request, the council opted to hold off on immediately making its annual council appointments, instead choosing to make use of the 30-day window the borough has to review each person to be appointed to a board or commission.

"Each year, traditionally on Jan. 1, there's been a list that's been presented to council members and it's been approved on that day so that incoming council members generally don't have too much background information on what's just happened," said McGinty, a Democrat.

"The suggestion that I have for this year is that the council involvement in these positions actually mean something."

While she thanked longtime members of the borough's various appointed bodies, McGinty said the borough needs to encourage new volunteers to come forward—particularly those with expertise in the subject those boards discuss.

Borough employees pointed out that the borough website offers a list of upcoming board vacancies, as well as a complete directory of all boards and committees. Anyone wishing to become a member must submit a completed Citizen Leadership Form.

Responding to resident Dan Buriak's request during public comment that the council think about its "future vision of the borough," McGinty said that was the key to progress in Hightstown.

The council, she said, should keep that vision in mind when determining "how we populate our boards and how we look for people who actually have some expertise or some knowledge in particular areas before we put them on an a committee, particularly before we put them on a committee and reappoint, and reappoint, and reappoint. This could transform our borough."

Referring to resident Gene Sarafin's public comment that experts need to be on the Water-Sewer Committee, McGinty exclaimed, "[Actually having] people who know something about engineering on water and sewer—wouldn't that be revolutionary and wouldn't that be common sense!"

The only appointment the council voted on that night was to keep McGinty on the Planning and Zoning Board, which will meet before the Borough Council's next meeting and needed the seat filled. The vote was 5-0, with McGinty abstaining.

Appointments weren't the only proposed change at the meeting. The council unanimously adopted Robert's Rules of Order as the council's parliamentary procedures, and McGinty suggested the borough find a new way to handle public comments, which are not mentioned in the rules.

The borough has in the past held one comment session at the beginning of the meeting and another at the end, and has drawn complaints by limiting each speaker to three minutes per session. Monday's meeting had so no such limit and comments did not run noticeably longer than usual. But McGinty also criticized the way the council does not answer residents' questions the night they pose them.

"As I was listening to public comment I believe there were six people who said they had questions, some of which could have been summarily answered," McGinty said. She proposed Mayor Steve Kirson have the authority to give summary answers at the meeting or to refer residents to the proper borough official.

"I'll take that under consideration," said Mayor Kirson, a Democrat. "I certainly feel that's reasonable."

For more on Monday's council meeting, click .