Ordinance 2737-26 - Creating Long Term Strategic Planning Committee - Public Hearing 3/17/2026

PUBLIC NOTICE

MILLBURN TOWNSHIP

MILLBURN TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE

ORDINANCE 2737-26

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that the following Ordinance was submitted in writing, introduced, read by title and passed on first reading at a meeting of the Township Committee of the Township of Millburn, in the County of Essex on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The ordinance will be considered for final passage and adoption at the public hearing held at a special meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at the Millburn Education Center, 434 Millburn Avenue, Millburn, New Jersey when and where or at such time and place to which said meeting may be adjourned, all persons interested will be given an opportunity to be heard concerning said ordinance. The Millburn Education Center will open for this meeting beginning at 6:45PM and details on the meeting and agenda may be located at town hall, on our website https://www.twp.millburn.nj.us/AgendaCenter or by contacting the Municipal Clerk's Office at 973-564-7092.

BY ORDER OF THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE

Christine A. Gatti, RMC, Township Clerk

ORDINANCE 2737-26

AN ORDINANCE CREATING THE LONG-TERM STRATEGIC PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND ADDING § 2-39 TO THE MILLBURN TOWNSHIP CODE

WHEREAS, the residents of the Township of Millburn (the “Township”) have expressed a desire for a more deliberate, coordinated and forward-looking planning process relative to the sequencing, timing and prioritization of initiatives that support the long-term continuation and enhancement of Millburn and Short Hills’ reputation for exceptional quality of life, academic excellence, civic engagement and environmental and residential character;

WHEREAS, the Township Committee of the Township (the "Committee") desires to foster community engagement on the long-term strategic planning for the Township as well as transparency and continuity; and

WHEREAS, the Committee finds it necessary to establish a Long Term Strategic Planning Advisory Committee ("Advisory Committee") to promote community engagement in long-term planning for the Township; and

WHEREAS, the Committee believes that creation of the Advisory Committee will be beneficial in achieving these goals and in ensuring that residents’ priorities are considered; and

WHEREAS, the Committee also believes that the Advisory Committee is necessary to provide institutional knowledge to provide consistent long-term planning advise that will benefit the Township; and

WHEREAS, the Committee believes that this institutional knowledge will help guide all future Township Committees across multiple administrations to receive consistent advise on growing the Township in a fiscally responsible manner that fits the unique character and nature of the Township; and

WHEREAS, the Advisory Committee shall serve in a purely advisory capacity to the Township Committee with the Township Committee free to accept or reject any recommendations of the Advisory Committee; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the Mayor and the Township Committee of the Township of Millburn, County of Essex, State of New Jersey as follows:

Section 1.

Township of Millburn Code § 2-39 is hereby enacted and reads as follows:

Section 2-39 LONG TERM STRATEGIC PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE

§2-39.1 Purpose

The Millburn Township Long Term Strategic Planning Advisory Committee (the "Advisory Committee") is established to create a clear vision for the Township's long-term future. The Advisory Committee is tasked with integrating the Township’s foundational planning documents, including but not limited to the Township’s Master Plan, a long-range capital spending plan, and the Downtown Vision and maintaining a comprehensive and forward-looking strategy which prioritizes fiscal responsibility, responsible growth, and transparency. This strategy will create a living, centralized framework that incorporates resident input, professional expertise, and the Township's foundational planning documents. Such strategy will enable the Township Committees to make informed decisions that prioritize Township resident concerns, ensure important projects are not overlooked or forgotten, maintain the character of the Township, and promotes the Township as a bastion of academic excellence in New Jersey.

§2-39.2 Establishment; Membership; Organization

1. There is hereby established a committee to be known as the Township of Millburn Long Term Strategic Planning Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee shall consist of nine (9) voting members that will be appointed by a simple majority vote of the Township Committee. Two (2) of the voting members may be Township Committee members, and the remaining members shall be comprised of resident volunteers. The Township Business Administrator and Township Chief Financial Officer, and/or their respective designees, shall serve as non-voting members to provide technical expertise, operational context, and staff support to the Advisory Committee's deliberations.

1. Appointments of members to the initial Advisory Committee shall be made by the Township Committee pursuant to the following terms:
   1. Two (2) resident members shall be appointed to four-year terms.
   2. Two (2) resident members shall be appoint to three-year terms.
   3. One (1) resident member shall be appointed to a two-year term.
   4. Two (2) Township Committee members shall be appointed to one-year terms parallel with their term on the Township Committee.

1. After appointment of members to the initial Advisory Committee, all subsequent appointments of resident members shall be for four-year terms. All subsequent appointments of Township Committee members shall be for one-year terms parallel with their term on the Township Committee.

1. A vacancy occurring on the Committee other than by expiration of a term shall be filled by appointment by the Township Committee for the remainder of the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.

1. All members of the Advisory Committee shall serve without compensation.

1. All persons selected to serve as resident members shall possess expertise and/or professional experience relevant to municipal planning, finance, economic development, operations, or community engagement.

1. All members of the Advisory Committee shall disclose any conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest in accordance with the Local Government Ethics Law, N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.1 et seq.

1. By February 1 of each year, the Advisory Committee shall designate a member of the following Township bodies to serve as non-voting liaisons to the Advisory Committee: Environmental Commission; Planning Board, Historic Preservation Commission; Zoning Board; Flood Mitigation Advisory Committee; Board of Education; and Recreation Committee. The duties of the non-voting liaisons shall be to facilitate coordination and information sharing across the Township bodies and to assist Township planning efforts.

1. The Township Committee shall have the discretion to remove any member of the Advisory Committee for cause.

§ 2-39.3 Election of Officers

1. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the Advisory Committee shall elect from among its voting members a Chairperson whose duties shall be to set the agenda, preside over meetings, appoint subcommittees, and arrange the activities and functions of the Advisory Committee so the business of the Advisory Committee shall be accomplished in an orderly and productive manner.

1. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the Advisory Committee shall elect from among its voting members a Vice Chairperson, whose duties are to assist the Chairperson or preside over the Advisory Committee in the absence of the Chairperson.

1. At the first meeting of each calendar year, the Advisory Committee shall elect from among its voting members a Secretary, whose duties shall be to record the minutes of all meetings and to submit all agenda and meeting minutes of the Advisory Committee to the Municipal Clerk's Office for record keeping in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 29-39.8.

§ 29-39.4 Purposes

The purposes of the Advisory Committee are to:

1. Support the long-term continuation and enhancement of the Township's reputation for exceptional quality of life, academic excellence, civic engagement, environmental and residential character.

1. Assist Township Committees, across administrations, to  prioritize initiatives important to Township residents and prevent priority items from being delayed or overlooked.

1. Improve the Township's efficiency and operational effectiveness.

1. Support initiatives that maintain a reasonable and predictable tax trajectory for Township residents.

1. Support initiatives that attract new residents, business, visitors, and investment in the Township.

1. Ensure that growth in the Township is done in a coordinated, fiscally responsible manner, that is appropriate for the design and character of the Township.

1. Identify and integrate initiatives from county, state, and federal entities that assist in reducing municipal inefficiency.

1. Create and provide the Township Committee a timeline, which shall be updated as needed, for implementing initiatives and action items identified as priorities by Township residents.

§ 29-39.5 Functions

The functions of the Advisory Committee shall include, but are not limited to:

1. Issue advisory opinions or reports on policy, budgeting, and implementation of proposed or existing initiatives.

1. Establish specialized subcommittees which shall be empowered to issue advisory opinions or reports to the Advisory Committee for deliberation before presentation to the Township Committee. These subcommittees may focus on issues including, but not limited to, finance, capital planning, development, infrastructure, economic vitality, traffic, or quality-of-life initiatives. These subcommittees may include Advisory Committee members and resident volunteers with relevant professional experience and/or expertise. Any subcommittee created by the Advisory Committee shall be authorized to consult with existing Township professionals to complement, but not duplicate, said professionals work.

1. Create a cohesive framework to assist and inform the Township Committee on long-term policy decisions, capital investment, operational priorities, and fiscal planning.

1. Develop guiding principles which prioritize capital projects, policy initiatives, and major financial commitments over time, including recommended sequencing and timing of said financial commitments.

1. This cohesive framework shall integrate the Township's Master Plan, long-range capital spending plan, Downtown Vision Plan, and any other planning documents the Advisory Committee may find useful in supporting the purposes of the Advisory Committee.

1. Support community engagement and solicit feedback from residents on what initiatives are important to the community and how the community wishes to prioritize those initiatives.

1. Maintain a living, auditable record of Township initiative, studies, and recommendations.

§ 2-39.6 Meetings

1. The Advisory Committee shall meet a minimum of six (6) times per year. These meetings may be held in person, via ZOOM, or both, but shall be advertised as such on the Township's website and calendar. The Advisory Committee is empowered to schedule additional meetings as is necessary.

1. No less than twice year, the Advisory Committee shall host a public forum to solicit resident input and present emerging concepts pertaining to the long-term future planning of the Township. These public forums shall be independent of and supplemental to the meetings described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

1. In order to conduct any official business, a quorum of the established voting membership shall be present at a meeting. A quorum of the Advisory Committee shall be five (5) voting members.

1. The Advisory Committee will not be governed by the Open Public Meetings Act. The meeting place and time shall be such as may be determined by the Advisory Committee and shall be open to all members of the public.

§ 2-39.7 Actions

1. The Advisory Committee shall prepare an Annual Strategic Planning and Operations Report ("Strategic Report") summarizing its activities, findings, and recommendations for the previous year. The Advisory Committee shall submit the Strategic Report to the Municipal Clerk's Office by December 1 of each year for dissemination to the Township Committee.

1. The Strategic Report shall be made available to the public and prominently published on the Township's website no later than thirty (30) days after submission of the Strategic Report to the Municipal Clerk.

1. The Township Committee may request bi-annual supplemental reports on the Advisory Committees activities. The Advisory Committee shall submit any requested supplemental reports to the Municipal Clerk's Office no later than sixty (60) days after receipt of the Township Committee's request. The Municipal Clerk's Office shall disseminate this report to the Township Committee upon receipt.

1. Any supplemental reports issued by the Advisory Committee shall be made available to the public and prominently published on the Township's website no later than thirty (30) days after submission of the supplemental report to the Municipal Clerk's Office.

§ 2-39.8 Recordkeeping

The Advisory Committee shall keep records, agendas, and minutes of its meetings and activities. The meeting agenda and minutes shall be published by the Township no later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the records.

Section 2. If any part of this ordinance is adjudged invalid, such judgment shall not affect the remainder of the ordinance.

Section 3. All ordinances inconsistent with this ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of such inconsistency.

Section 4. This ordinance shall take effect immediately upon final passage and publication as prescribed by law.

Posting Details – Ordinance 2737-26

Millburn Township Committee
Date Posted on Millburn Public Notices Page and Bulletin Board: 03/11/2026