TOWNSHIP OF STILLWATER
TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE
JANUARY 7, 2025
RE-ORGANIZATION MEETING
The meeting was called to order at 6:05 p.m. by Municipal Clerk Valerie Ingles who stated that adequate notice of this meeting has been provided according to the Open Public Meetings Act, Assembly Bill 1030 noting the meeting date, time and place were duly published in the New Jersey Herald on January 2nd, 2025, posted at the Town Hall, official website, Stillwater Facebook page and advised those present that this meeting was being held in compliance with provisions of P.L. 1975, Chapter 231, Sections 4 & 13.
Municipal Clerk V. Ingles led the public in the salute to the American Flag.
Municipal Clerk V. Ingles invited Sussex County Clerk Jeffrey Parrott to read the Statement of Determination and announced that at the last general election, Mr. George Scott and Mr. David Manser were elected to the Township Committee for three-year terms. Mr. Parrott administered the Oath of Office to Mr. George Scott congratulating him and wishing him well. Mr. Scott’s Granddaughter held the Bible and his family joined him during the Oath. Mr. Parrott then administered the Oath of Office to Mr. David Manser congratulating him and wishing him well. Mr. Manser’s Mother held the Bible and his family joined him as well during the Oath.
Municipal Clerk V. Ingles invited Chaplin of the Stillwater Area Volunteer Fire Department Robert Scrudato to provide an invocation.
ROLL CALL: Committeeman D. Manser, Committeewoman D. Delaney, Committeewoman V. Rumsey, Committeeman G. Scott, Committeewoman L. Chammings
ELECTION OF MAYOR:
Municipal Clerk V. Ingles called for nominations for Mayor.
A MOTION was made by Committeewoman V. Rumsey to nominate Committeewoman L. Chammings, seconded by Committeeman D. Manser.
Municipal Clerk V. Ingles called for additional nominations. There were no other nominations so nominations were closed.
ROLL CALL VOTE: Committeeman D. Manser, yes; Committeewoman D. Delaney, yes; Committeewoman V. Rumsey, yes; Committeeman G. Scott, yes; Committeewoman L. Chammings, yes. Motion carried with all in favor.
Committeewoman L. Chammings accepted the position of Mayor of Stillwater Township for 2025. The meeting was turned over to Mayor L. Chammings.
ELECTION OF DEPUTY MAYOR:
A MOTION was made by Committeeman G. Scott to nominate Committeewoman V. Rumsey as Deputy Mayor, seconded by Mayor L. Chammings.
There were no other nominations so nominations were closed.
ROLL CALL VOTE: Committeeman D. Manser, yes; Committeewoman D. Delaney, yes; Committeewoman V. Rumsey, yes; Committeeman G. Scott, yes; Committeewoman L. Chammings, yes. Motion carried with all in favor.
Committeewoman V. Rumsey accepted the position of Deputy Mayor for Stillwater Township for 2025.
Mayor L. Chammings thanked everyone for their continued support. She stated that this Township Committee works together as a team with great strengths and are a very effective bunch of people with a common goal.
Committeeman G. Scott stated that it’s a great committee sitting up there; the communication through the Committee has been outstanding this past year. He stated it’s been 30 years of sitting on the Township Committee, it’s really a pleasure sitting up there with them.
Committeeman D. Manser thanked everyone for coming out that evening and thanked the Township Committee. He stated that if it wasn’t for the Committee, he wouldn’t be standing up there that night. He thanked them for the opportunity to serve this town, it’s a pleasure and an honor; he’s really looking forward to this year as we go into the 200th anniversary of this town. It will be really cool to be a part of history.
Committeewoman D. Delaney stated that she’s really enjoyed being on the Township Committee. She stated that it’s a really great team that works really well together. She stated that they may not always agree, but they come to the table, work it out and move forward. If they can continue on that path they’ll be golden! She stated that it’s great to see George back in person & that she’s looking forward to the 200th anniversary. She thanked the public for their support.
Deputy Mayor V. Rumsey stated that she believes this committee works so well together. They always try to do what’s best for the people in Stillwater. She stated that she felt it was fitting to have Lisa Chammings as Mayor again this year for the 200th celebration as Ms. Chammings was born and raised here; she is a part of Stillwater Township.
Mayor L. Chammings stated that this was supposed to be Ms. Rumsey’s year as Mayor but things changed with the 200th anniversary. She thanked everyone for coming and went over some key phrases for 2024 which she read to the public. There was a new attorney at the beginning of the year and a new municipal clerk. Mr. Manser joined the committee in November of 2023 and started his first full year in January 2024. Some of the key phrases were “In-Rems, Tier A Stormwater Management, Pickleball, Trees/Power Outages/JCP&L, Sheriff’s Patrols & increased tractor trailer patrolling, Codification, the Consent Agenda, Audit, Budget, Delaware Water Gap & National Park fight, Contiguous property owners land sales, hiring a new receptionist who’s now the Deputy Clerk, the extended liquor license from the sale of the Boat House, George’s battle, Concord Energy, Bridge repair discussions & the red light district, 992 Fairview Lake Road, Election Day, North Carolina & collecting donations, a very successful tax sale, the Fall Festival, Yuletide Stroll and many more. She’s hoping that 2025 will bring foreclosures, that 992 Fairview Lake Road will get wrapped up, the Bicentennial Celebration, to have one bridge taken care of out of the four in the township and hoping to get more grants. She mainly hopes for good health for everyone in 2025.
Deputy Mayor V. Rumsey stated that she wanted to commend the Stillwater Fire Department & EMS. She feels that they are the most outstanding group the County has. They always take care of Stillwater as well as all of the surrounding towns. She also noted that the Township Committee is an open book; if anyone ever has a concern or something that they want to talk about they are always welcome to speak with anyone on the Committee.
CONSENT AGENDA: All matters listed below are considered routine in nature and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of the items. If any discussion is desired, that particular item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered separately on the regular agenda.
RESOLUTIONS:
2025-001 Designating the Official Newspapers
2025-002 Authorizing Awards of Non-Fair and Open Contracts for Professional Services
2025-003 Authorizing the Cancellation of Tax Overpayment or Delinquent Amounts
2025-004 Authorizing the Cancellation of Delinquent Amounts for any Charges/Fees
2025-005 Setting Property Tax Due Dates, Delinquency Charges and Year-End Penalty
2025-006 Temporary Budget
2025-007 Establishing Mileage Reimbursement
2025-008 Adopting Cash Management Plan for 2025
2025-009 Authorizing the CFO to Invest Idle Funds
2025-010 Authorizing the CFO to sell Bond Anticipation Notes and Bonds
2025-011 Approving Mayor’s Appointments of Township Officers with Committee Concurrence
2025-012 Approving Appointments of Boards and Commissions with Committee Concurrence
2025-013 Appointing Tax Assessor and Attorney to Represent Township before County Tax Board
2025-014 Authorizing the CFO or Tax Collector to Impose Service Charge For Returned Checks
2025-015 Authorizing Signatures on Checks
2025-016 Striking the 2025 Tax Rate for Funding the Stillwater Open Space Trust Fund
2025-017 Authorizing Purchases under New Jersey State Contract
2025-018 Authorizing Compliance with the US EEOC
2025-019 Authorizing The Waiver Of The Signature Requirement On Purchase Orders For Certain Vendors
2025-020 Resolution Of The Township Committee Of The Township Of Stillwater Authorizing The Appointment Of Jeffrey Gardner As Mechanic/Truck Driver
2025-021 Resolution Designating Official Depositories
2025-022 Resolution Approving Extension Of Leave Of Absence For Employee 103
Mayor L. Chammings stated that Resolution 2025-012 just needed to be amended to remove Greg Dvorsky as Alt #1 from the Environmental Commission appointments, they just received his resignation letter that evening.
Committeeman G. Scott asked that Resolution 2025-020 and 2025-022 were removed from the Consent Agenda for further discussion.
A MOTION was made by Committeewoman V. Rumsey and seconded by Committeeman G. Scott to approve the Consent Agenda as listed with the exception of Resolutions 2025-020 and 2025-022.
ROLL CALL VOTE: Committeeman D. Manser, yes; Committeewoman D. Delaney, yes; Committeewoman V. Rumsey, yes; Committeeman G. Scott, yes; Mayor L. Chammings, yes. Motion carried with all in favor.
Resolution 2025-020: Committeeman G. Scott stated that he felt that this Resolution should be voted on separately since it involved an employee’s salary and that it shouldn’t be a part of the Consent Agenda.
A MOTION was made by Committeeman G. Scott and seconded by Committeewoman D. Delaney to adopt Resolution 2025-020.
ROLL CALL VOTE: Committeeman D. Manser, yes; Committeewoman D. Delaney, yes; Committeewoman V. Rumsey, yes; Committeeman G. Scott, yes; Mayor L. Chammings, yes. Motion carried with all in favor.
Resolution 2025-022: Committeeman G. Scott stated that he felt this Resolution should also be voted on separately as it’s a request for additional leave of absence. He wished the employee well and hopes that he will be doing better soon.
A MOTION was made by Committeeman G. Scott and seconded by Committeewoman D. Delaney to adopt Resolution 2025-022.
ROLL CALL VOTE: Committeeman D. Manser, yes; Committeewoman D. Delaney, yes; Committeewoman V. Rumsey, yes; Committeeman G. Scott, yes; Committeewoman L. Chammings, yes. Motion carried with all in favor.
AMENDMENTS TO AGENDA
There were no amendments to the agenda.
OPEN PUBLIC SESSION at 6:32pm
Township Resident L. Sylvester stated that it was good to see Mr. Scott back. He is thankful for having the parking lots paved in 2024 to add onto the Mayors recap of the past year. The Township Committee thanked Mr. Sylvester for his service on the Recreation Commission.
Township Resident H. Yardley stated that it’s a pleasure living in Stillwater Township. He’s happy to see Mr. Scott back; God Bless him and the Township Committee. He’s hoping for a wonderful year.
No further public comment.
PUBLIC SESSION CLOSED at 6:35pm.
Municipal Clerk V. Ingles stated that she was happy that Mr. Scott was back in person at the meetings. She also said that it really is a great Township Committee that’s sitting up there and that she’s looking forward to see what 2025 brings.
Township Attorney E. Bernstein stated that he’s also happy for Mr. Scotts return but that the entire Scott family deserves a round of applause. Mr. Scott stated that he couldn’t have done it especially without the help of his wife. He stated that it’s a horrible disease that he wouldn’t wish on anyone. There was a time that the only thing that he could move were his eyes and that was their only way to communicate. He thanked everyone else in his family, friends & committee members for their help and support since June. He swore that he would be walking by Christmas so that he could come in and stand to be sworn in and he did it! He stated that this will be his 31st year on the Committee and that it’s very important to him and his family. He really enjoys it; being involved in the community. He really enjoys how Stillwater is and how it stays that way.
Mayor L. Chammings asked if anyone else wished to speak at all before adjourning.
ADJOURNMENT
A MOTION was made by Committeeman G. Scott and seconded by Committeeman D. Manser, with all in favor, to adjourn the meeting at 6:41 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Valerie Ingles, RMC
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