Council adopts traffic changes, adds Shadelon parking limits
Livingston adopted one traffic ordinance and introduced another, setting up a new parking restriction on the dead end of Shadelon Drive for a later vote.
Two hosts walk through the week’s edition in conversation — council updates traffic and parking rules,, residents question referendum costs and bernardet, and what’s coming next. Generated by Aware, from this week’s verified summaries.
One ordinance is now on the books, and another heads to a public hearing before the council decides whether to limit parking on part of Shadelon Drive.
A short stretch of Shadelon Drive is now the next focus. The Livingston Township Council adopted Ordinance 21-2026, which amends Chapter 29 covering traffic, parking, and signs. In the same meeting, the council introduced Ordinance 23-2026, a separate measure that would prohibit parking at certain times on the dead end of Shadelon Drive.
The two actions did different jobs. Ordinance 21-2026 took effect as the council's completed update to township rules on traffic, parking, and signs. Ordinance 23-2026 did not. Its introduction put the proposal on the council's agenda and opened the path to a public hearing before any final adoption.
That means the immediate change is the broader Chapter 29 update, while the Shadelon restriction is still pending. Residents who use that dead end, or park there at the times covered by the proposal, will get another chance to weigh in at the next meeting. After that hearing, the council can decide whether to adopt Ordinance 23-2026 and make the new restriction part of Livingston parking rules.
Residents question referendum costs and Bernardet Hill plans
School spending drew the sharpest questions. During referendum-focused public comment, residents asked about project cost, state aid, and who would ultimately pay. Some tied the proposal to recent staffing cuts and questioned the message of spending on facilities while positions have been reduced.
Another parent focused on Bernardet Hill and the district's use of space. The parent asked whether modular classrooms there would be removed and requested room-by-room utilization details, pressing for a clearer picture of how existing buildings are being used before voters are asked to support more construction.
The exchange left two issues at the center of the referendum discussion: the price tag and the district's case for needing the space. Residents were not just asking what the projects would build. They were asking how the numbers work, what state aid would cover, and whether current facilities are already being used as fully as possible.
Board approves open campus lunch plan
Livingston High School student leaders asked the board to approve open campus lunch and described it as a privilege tied to safety rules and consequences for violations. The board then unanimously approved the motion on student lunch.
The change affects high school students' daily schedule, supervision, and expectations for leaving campus during lunch.
Residents raise church, pool, bamboo issues
General public comment brought a mix of unrelated concerns to the council. Speakers asked the township to reconsider its church property purchase in favor of a proposed Buddhist temple, and others raised handicap parking signage at the pool and a dispute over bamboo encroachment and sidewalk notices.
Residents used the meeting to press the council on property use, accessibility, and code enforcement that directly affect neighbors and community groups.
Council amends 2026 budget resolution
The council adopted Resolution 26-194 to amend the 2026 municipal budget, changing several revenue and appropriation lines in the current fund and water utility budget. The revisions included adding water utility debt service tied to a PFAS settlement payment.
litigation
Board tables insurance provider change
After staff members, residents, and an online commenter raised concerns about the district's proposed health insurance change, the board voted to table item 3.2 until the next meeting. Speakers cited short review time, possible doctor disruptions, out-of-network costs, and questions about whether any savings could bring back positions.
Employees and families could face changes in doctors, costs, and district budget choices if the insurance switch moves forward.
What we didn’t fit in this Sundays edition
Livingston Township had 87 more items this week. Here are sixfour — the rest are on Aware.
- GOVERNANCEBoard member reports: delegate meeting, Memorial Day broadcast, county/association updates, and student representative update. Board members reported on a delegate meeting about meeting schedule options, praised a student-produced Memorial Day broadcast, shared updates from an Essex County School Boards meeting and teacher recognition, and heard a student representative update on Memorial Day service and high school activities.
- GOVERNANCEOrdinance 22-2026 (Second Reading): Project Labor Agreements for Certain Public Construction Projects. The Council held the public hearing and adopted Ordinance 22-2026 establishing requirements for project labor agreements on certain public construction projects. Council members commented that the ordinance supports unions and workforce pathways, including for students.
- GOVERNANCEBoard questions and staff responses on elementary schedule: intervention, data, SEAL, consistency, technology time, specials, special education services, and new principals. Board members asked detailed questions about how the new schedule would affect intervention services, data use and measurement, SEAL lessons and counselor time, consistency across schools, student technology time, specials scheduling, push-in vs. pull-out services, and onboarding new principals. Staff described intended supports, data tools, and implementation monitoring.
- GOVERNANCECouncil approves consent agenda contracts, renewals, and grant items. The council approved two blocks of consent agenda resolutions covering contract awards and extensions, boiler replacement at the water pollution control facility, sale of surplus solar renewable energy certificates, ABC license renewals, and several Chapter 159 budget items. One consent item, Resolution 26-205, was pulled for separate action.
- GOVERNANCECouncil highlights summer events, composting, and community updates. Council members announced summer orchestra concerts, August movies, and a waiting list for the township composting program. A councilmember also recapped recent community events, noted the opening of the Cooper Barnabas Cancer Center, and previewed July 4 activities.
- GOVERNANCEResolution urging relief from rising public employee health care costs. The Board read and adopted a resolution urging the Governor and state legislature to provide immediate and long-term relief from rising public employee health care costs, citing projected double-digit increases and prior premium growth. The resolution directed that copies be forwarded to specified state officials and organizations.
- GOVERNANCEPublic Comment: Agenda Items — Support for Lowering Voting Age to 16. A youth civic leader urged the Council to support lowering the voting age, citing current threats to voting rights and arguing that youth are directly affected by education, healthcare, budgets, and immigration policies and deserve a voice in local elections.
- GOVERNANCEPublic comment period (two speakers): chain of command policy concerns; special education community engagement and CPAC meeting format. Two members of the public addressed the Board. One urged changes to the district’s “chain of command” policy language and implementation, emphasizing empathy and direct administrator communication. Another praised an inclusive special education-focused meeting format and urged broader, less segregated engagement around special education initiatives.
- GOVERNANCEStrategic Plan/Operations Outlook: Facilities Referendum Work and Upcoming State Monitoring (CUSAC). Administration noted that facilities referendum planning will require extensive work if approved and stated the district will undergo CUSAC state evaluation work beginning in the summer, alongside other ongoing initiatives.
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