JACKSON – The township settled a $1.2 million lawsuit, which was described during a recent Township Council meeting.
The settlement had been reached concerning a wrongful death lawsuit involving a motorcyclist who died during a chase with police in 2018.
Township Attorney Gregory McGuckin explained that the settlement was made during the trial on the advice of the township’s insurance firm.
Allegations listed in the lawsuit included negligent hiring, negligent retention, negligent supervision and failure to properly follow internal guidelines of the police department.
The decision to settle according to McGuckin was “based on the testimony that was presented at the beginning of the trial.” He added that Chief Matthew Kunz and several others had testified at the trial.
Concerns Over Candor
During that same meeting which featured an ordinance to create the position of a public safety director, some residents noted with concern the continued emotional exchanges that have taken place during council meetings including the removal of one speaker who was stated to be out of order..
These verbal exchanges have involved arguments over votes on ordinances amongst the council and dialogue between officials and residents.
“It is bad enough that our town is divided. We don’t need our law enforcement divided. We need them now more than we have ever needed them. It is up to you guys to step in,” resident Deb Jones told the Council. “I work in education. If this was going on in my classroom, it would never make it this far that so much had to be aired.”
She added, “this to me is madness. I’ve lived in this town since I was a kid. We need to do something. This should not be a fight. When does this end? If we can’t make a decision right now then we need to respect the people on this board who have a difference of opinion and dive into that a bit more.”
Approved Ordinances
Ordinances approved during that meeting included Ordinance 07-24 that involves penalties for trespassing on public property, Ordinance 08-24 that involved rezoning a section of the township and Ordinance 09-24 involves landlord registration.
Updating The Master Plan
It was announced that township leaders were in the process of updating the township’s Master Plan which is essentially a roadmap to the future that reviews many aspects of town zones, ordinances, and state laws and mandates to help Jackson fit into the overall picture of a more regional community.
This also helps the township navigate the future anticipated growth before that growth becomes an infrastructure problem for the community. Mayor Michael Reina applauded a recent decision by the Planning Board to initiate a Master Plan Sub-Committee.
“Chairwoman Michelle Campbell has assembled a team that is more than capable of doing the leg work and coordinating the process with our township professionals and to act as voices of reason, concern, and clarity as we prepare for some long overdue improvements in our town,” Reina said.
He said those improvements include millions of dollars in overdue infrastructure upgrades promised by the township to improve and expand county road systems, paving, sidewalks, lighting, and other upgrades that have been announced by county officials.
“The county has told us they plan on making these investments, but they need to see an updated plan,” the mayor added. “We are working off a master plan that was created more than a decade ago, so it needs to be updated. We’re also under pressure from the state because we need to come into compliance with several state mandates.”
Planning Board Attorney Robert Shea noted, “this is the first step of the process, this is the creation of the master plan subcommittee. It will be a very long process.”
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