At the first Shamong Township Committee meeting of the year, the group experienced a changing of the guard.
Timothy Gimbel was appointed by his fellow committee members as the township’s new mayor, taking over for Kenneth Long.
Michael Di Croce was also nominated by the committee to become the new deputy mayor.
Sean Gray and Michael Cooney were then sworn in as committee members for a three-year term ending on Dec. 31, 2018.
Gray and Cooney will team with current committeeman Martin Mozitis to round out the new group.
Township solicitor Douglas Heinold read the oath of office as the new members followed along with their right hand on the Bible and their families by their side.
The members swore to commit themselves to performing all of the duties of a township committee member to the best of their abilities.
The new committee wasted no time before moving into public comment and diving into some routine matters during its first meeting together.
After getting through a laundry list of yearly resolutions and housekeeping ordinances, the committee delved into the bill list, which totaled approximately $1.87 million.
Di Croce made it a point to specify that the two highest expenses on the list were the board of education, costing more than $773,000, and the second-largest expense being the $413,000 that goes to the Lenape Regional High School District.
“I think it’s important that everyone in the public understands what makes up over 90 percent of our bills every month,” Gimbel said.
Another large expenditure listed was the purchasing of land for the township for $223,000. The land — located on Willow Grove Road between the municipal building and the Indian Mills Volunteer Fire Station — is intended to become the site of the new cemetery the township is looking to install as a new means of income. The 7.5 acres was acquired with solely the township’s funds so there are no restrictions or ties on it.
“If for any reason the cemetery option doesn’t work out, it will just be a piece of property that the township owns as an asset and can be put to other use, held for future committees to decide or even sold back on the market if need be,” Heinold said.
However, the committee is hopeful to move forward with this long sought after cemetery parcel in the near future.
It also plans to continue the potential siting of a cell tower as an area of revenue generation.
The new group will gather again for its second time of the new year on Tuesday Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the municipal building.
