[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6181530,"mediaKeyId","5112805-0d5cd6ceac63c1eafa1229a845ec87de","parentId",5112805,"title","Council holds contentious first reading on new police hiring guidelines; critics say standards are lowered","audioSeconds",144,"startMs",1114000,"endMs",1258000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5112805-0d5cd6ceac63c1eafa1229a845ec87de&start=1114&end=1258","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5112805-0d5cd6ceac63c1eafa1229a845ec87de/thumbnail_1114000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6181530/Toms-River/Ocean-County/New-Jersey/Council-holds-contentious-first-reading-on-new-police-hiring-guidelines-critics-say-standards-are-lowered","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6181530-292e6607560d5599c099c1db18c55081/orig.mp4?Expires=1770425183&Signature=DohjTG757khR7PO7~y--t7HBfJR9~J7gjrNiarG5MxV1pzAJeYwO~ic4b~HXCCnq3JQ-ZC2WlQwV3bJkjJh1L9AZj11lBr0tWzbK5API5EuOCVC0yVWpPbcDBm3SgGzMx6btuxy-T9uwPEr8s0llsaeU0d0wu6BoWHLTMVOhh2D8pqbr52faVlgmUVhJu~KhFe-ofoAMDhIa8yZ85ZLAkDQL2OJgjHuxu9pusNs2sl~JyAflluS9FCSi8nBuKcPnHLP39oqWzEjYD03tOj9MkfxhJXrWXYz3QXaQUno8Y7l2yUTK8UURj~82HrXTx66vlb17bsOa1~Biw0fdSg0D4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Toms River Township, NJ","date","2025-06-30T00:00:00Z","article","The Toms River Township Council conducted a heated first reading of an ordinance amending chapter 50 (Department of Law Enforcement) to establish new guidelines for hiring police officers.

The proposed changes, discussed at length at first reading, were described by the administration as intended to broaden the hiring pool by allowing veterans with two years of military service and lateral hires (already-certified officers from other municipalities) to be eligible under streamlined procedures. The mayor and administration speakers said those changes would speed hires and increase the number of available candidates, addressing a statewide decline in applicants.

Several council members said they opposed lowering the long-standing standards. One council member said \"the standards have been dropped quite a bit\" and announced intention to vote no. Another member said the ordinance \"opens us up to police officers being political appointments rather than... qualified police officers,\" and urged the council to maintain existing qualifications to ensure the \"best of the best.\"

The administration answered that military service, including overseas duty, and experience as a certified officer are valuable qualifications and that the new rules are similar to approaches other departments and the county sheriff's office are adopting in response to a shrinking applicant pool. The mayor said a prior test produced a list of only 13 candidates for a three-year list and cited practical hiring delays that the ordinance aims to reduce.

Council members asked for more detailed language and more time to review before final reading. At least one council member said he would \"dive deeper into this\" and do homework with administration staff prior to the ordinance's final vote. The item will return for a future meeting's final reading after council review and clarification of the proposed standards.

Why it matters: The ordinance adjusts local hiring criteria for sworn police officers. Changes to hiring standards affect recruitment, departmental composition, and public trust; council members signaled concern about lowering academic or experiential thresholds while the administration emphasized recruitment pragmatism.

Speakers and quotes in this article are drawn from the public record of the council meeting transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Council Meeting 06/30/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Toms River council held a first reading of an ordinance to amend police hiring rules to make it easier for veterans and lateral transfers to join the department. Some council members and residents warned the changes lower standards; the administration said the measures expand the candidate pool amid statewide recruiting shortages.","taxTitle","Toms River, Ocean County, New Jersey","taxId",2757,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6181535,"Toms River council approves submission of affordable-housing plan, extends deed-restricted units and rehires outside counsel",908,1718000,2626000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5112805-0d5cd6ceac63c1eafa1229a845ec87de&start=1718&end=2626","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5112805-0d5cd6ceac63c1eafa1229a845ec87de/thumbnail_1718000.jpg","/articles/6181535/Toms-River/Ocean-County/New-Jersey/Toms-River-council-approves-submission-of-affordable-housing-plan-extends-deed-restricted-units-and-rehires-outside-counsel","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6181535-88dfe00546a5059031a7f9c35c9ef629/orig.mp4?Expires=1770425183&Signature=NE3CI4GfLNbjlZxPqm14wn8j0UuiTiIQSOahzjnnbB0n-C5XE33f2NM6Wsv6mSKh36jDz0dehDljx5Ti21IiNHxfO8PE8RRsajUv3EDrnpyF3njZZ6vrDxLVoYKBDrfrVEMqTpLx0jC-MFOFwlkRqCeE2871sY7sHuoo317HKGllEg65sBKfFmcwh1KSYAe8ktxoKnqdu1TMFa-jfQ3cPGvplPApwNVZwWrFeWDBB~k8OpoYOloB1ZAiouiuJIqtRqfUYBU1p~ociCAN1h1I1n7WHDqIr8IKR~U1Q-NclliP77yd2zDHclV1WeUYekocA-M7vTG8BlI6iFigI1lGJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Toms River Township Council voted to re-engage outside counsel and to move forward with a housing element and fair-share plan that the administration says will meet the town's fourth-round affordable-housing obligation mainly by extending existing deed-restricted units and applying credits.

Affordable-housing counsel told the council the township negotiated deed-restriction extensions on roughly 470 existing units, which would preserve those units as affordable for another 20 to 30 years and generate \"bonus credits\" that count toward the town's obligation. The counsel and planner said they also expect to claim a credit of roughly 200 units based on prior round agreements, enabling the township to meet the state-prescribed total without building thousands of new units.

The administration emphasized the approach would not require immediate, large-scale new development and would rely on the township's affordable housing trust fund to fund deed extensions where allowable. Officials said the trust fund contains developer contributions and that, according to their count, the fund had about $9 million available for affordable-housing work.

The council voted on multiple consent-items to retain legal and planning firms (identified in the meeting as items O, Q, R and S on the agenda) that will support the submission and negotiation with the state non-mediation forum. The mayor and affordable-housing counsel said the vote was to allow the township to submit the plan to the state and to pursue certification; once certified, the township would gain protection from builder-remedy litigation.

Why it matters: The plan and submitted mechanisms determine whether the township complies with state law and court precedent on municipal responsibilities for low- and moderate-income housing and whether the township avoids developer-builder lawsuits. The use of deed-restriction extensions and trust-fund dollars is a policy choice that changes the practical approach from large new construction toward preserving existing affordable units.

Action: Council approved motions to contract with legal and planning counsel for affordable-housing litigation and plan submission. Motion to approve counsel (resolution O) carried by roll call after discussion; subsequent related motions (Q, R, S) were similarly approved with multiple yes votes and several abstentions recorded.

Meeting context and next steps: The council's affordable-housing attorney said a 2-month challenge period for objections and third-party challenges begins the day after submission; the township will monitor the docket and respond to any filings. The administration said it is pursuing litigation on a separate issue (the so-called 1,000-unit cap) that could provide additional credits toward the obligation.

Speakers quoted in this article are taken from the council meeting transcript.","Council voted to reappoint outside counsel and to submit an affordable-housing plan that relies on deed-restriction extensions and credits to meet the state's fourth-round obligation, the township's affordable-housing attorney said.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6181540,"Toms River council adopts amended 2025 municipal budget after public questions on police staffing",585,385000,970000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5112805-0d5cd6ceac63c1eafa1229a845ec87de&start=385&end=970","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5112805-0d5cd6ceac63c1eafa1229a845ec87de/thumbnail_385000.jpg","/articles/6181540/Toms-River/Ocean-County/New-Jersey/Toms-River-council-adopts-amended-2025-municipal-budget-after-public-questions-on-police-staffing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6181540-74fa7f3f84aa18e9a263e6d7079232aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1770425183&Signature=mc1z3iCtZz7ksWiiv6Wc2AIQwvHpwA8YefFL7Rud16xR5mZoJx9ijMQJ1fODt0gVwKNVEf~16KZBKEM4G91r76kWkI9eAnn~ODee2CnSU6pcq22autYEuLlxju8MlIEBp2bjd76UmgFdyrR8fDoGho5VpKZeu8gJGrEHl5vGaM322gLfYDTRg9jiks9cb~Fl~UBZfGyLywksuQll8hQJ~6sm01LSM2eHCBoRibXU9CAF3gK0dxMmi1V2qSRjGYH3-rXUPqiAkoNExNOSSqYcB4GJei4grhjPBLmpib4M7ospLgEWxDH7smGor7gd1O5YKOKDkcGhyhfKkPeXRE8o-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Toms River Township Council on Monday moved forward and adopted the township's amended calendar-year 2025 municipal budget after a public hearing in which residents asked whether the budget includes funding to replace retiring police officers and to pay for school protection.

The council voted to read the budget by title, then held the statutorily required public hearing. After public comment the council approved a resolution amending the introduced budget under NJSA 40A:4-9 and then adopted the calendar-year 2025 budget by roll call.

Residents at the hearing pressed the council on police and school funding. Christopher Raymond (111 Flag Street) asked whether the township will pay \"their fair share\" for Class 3 school officers and whether the budget will backfill the department's vacancies. He said he had been told the school-officer line item would cost \"a little more money this year\" and mentioned a figure of about $240,000.

Council members and administration representatives responded that the budget provides for replacement hiring and contains the funds necessary to reach full patrol staffing. A council member summarized the administration's position that the budget funds the replacement of officers and calls for \"full employment and replacement of every officer in the Toms River Police Department.\" The administration also described a new patrol schedule that increases the number of officers scheduled on duty each day compared with the prior schedule.

At the hearing several residents also raised broader concerns about service changes tied to the 9% reduction in overall spending the council described as part of the proposed budget. One council member said she could not support the budget because she had not yet determined what services might have been cut as part of the savings.

Action: Motion to read the budget by title and adopt the amended 2025 municipal budget. Motion by Councilwoman O'Toole; seconded by Council Vice President Coleman; adopted by roll call. Recorded yes votes included Councilwoman O'Toole, Council Vice President Coleman, Council President Lam, Councilman Burn, Councilman Sikozi and Councilman Nivison. Councilman Quinlisk stated he would vote no. The record also shows at least one abstention during the roll calls.

Why it matters: The municipal budget determines how the township funds core services including police staffing, public works, and municipal programs. Residents at the hearing asked for specific line-item detail and for assurances that reductions would not reduce essential services.

Meeting context and next steps: The hearing followed statutory notice and an earlier presentation of the introduced budget. Council members who asked for more time to review said they will continue to seek line-item clarification from administration staff. The administration said it will provide additional detail on staffing implementation and the timing of academy classes for new officers.

Speakers quoted and sources quoted in this article are drawn from the public hearing portion of the Toms River Township Council meeting transcript.","The Toms River Township Council approved an amended 2025 municipal budget after a public hearing that included questions about funding for school officers and backfilling police vacancies. Councilors moved the budget by roll call; members of the public pressed for clarity on staffing and service impacts.","actionData","errors"]

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Council holds contentious first reading on new police hiring guidelines; critics say standards are lowered

Toms River council approves submission of affordable-housing plan, extends deed-restricted units and rehires outside counsel

Toms River council adopts amended 2025 municipal budget after public questions on police staffing