Residents urge action on school-funding reform, meeting notice and anti-bonding at Hillsborough reorg meeting

Two residents used the township’s public-comment period at the Jan. 2 reorganization meeting to raise issues they said merit committee attention: the state’s School Funding Reform Act hearings and local government transparency and fiscal choices.

Alicia (Lisha) Gaber provided hearing dates for the state’s review of the School Funding Reform Act and urged committee members and residents to attend or submit comments. She listed regional hearings including a Jan. 8 session at the Somerset County Government Office in Somerville and later sessions in Trenton and Camden County. Gaber said local school funding could be affected by changes to the formula and encouraged coordination between the township and the school district on upcoming building and enrollment matters.

David Brook (7 Winding Way) urged the committee to publish final meeting agendas earlier than the evening of the meeting to improve public participation. He said detailed agenda materials often arrive too late—around 4:30–5 p.m. on meeting nights—making it difficult for residents to review multiple-page items before speaking. Brook also criticized the township’s use of bonding to finance projects, calling bond borrowing a long-term debt that increases overall costs for taxpayers and urged the committee to consider alternatives.

Brook asked the committee to consider a podium for public speakers so residents can set papers on a stable surface while addressing the dais; he offered to help partially fund it.

Clerk Sarah Brake read the public-comment rules and time limits before remarks. The committee did not take formal votes on these public-comment requests during the meeting; they were entered into the record for possible future action.