By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP – Township Committee on Monday, Dec. 7, authorized Mayor Rich Palombo to submit an application for a Local Government Emergency Fund Grant, which could help cover some township expenses related to COVID-19.
Part of the funds could be used to improve the township’s system of remote meetings, but the township will have to agree to spend money on the system whether it gets the state grant or not.
“So the question is, is this something that the committee finds acceptable to move forward? There is some risk, there’s no question about it, but it’s also an opportunity if the funds become available and they are approved,” Palombo said.
If approved, the grant would fund a technological improvement for virtual meetings, according to township engineer Paul Dietrich.
“It’s really to help integrate these virtual meetings that we’re currently having, to be able to have better presentations,” he said. It could allow information to be presented both within the meeting room as well as to participants attending remotely. “It’s a way to bring the meeting room into the virtual world.”
Township Administrator Scott Morgan said businesses and organizations increasingly rely on remote meeting systems. Some elements of the current remote meeting process could continue after the pandemic is a memory, officials said, allowing more people to view and participate in meetings without traveling to Township Hall even after COVID-19 is no longer a serious risk.
Officials said they hope that will be the case sometime next year.
“So if I understand correctly, our risk wouldn’t be for the entire $76,000, our risk would be $15,000,” Commissioner John Coggins said. Revenue and finance are part of his committee responsibilities.
“Yes,” township attorney Dan Young replied.
“A risk of $76,000 would make this a way different conversation, to be honest with you,” Palombo said.
The risk would be far less than that, Chief Financial Officer Barbara Ludy said. The new remote meeting system would cost an estimated $15,000 she said, but the township has other expenses that could qualify for the grant, so that if that expense were somehow disqualified, the cost to the township would be closer to $5,000.
“We’ve submitted expenses greater than the $76,000, so if they would bump out those projects, we would lose about $5,000,” she said.
“No brainer,” Committeeman Curtis Corson said.
Coggins made a motion to approve the resolution, which passed unanimously.
According to Morgan, the state has worked closely with the township on the grant application. Ludy expressed confidence that the township would be awarded the full amount.
She said the grant wouldhelp fund some salaries for employees who have been out because of COVID-19 and other expenses, such as purchasing laptops so that some employees could work remotely.
Morgan said the township underwent a similar process when applying for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for expenses related to a tornado that tore through Marmora this year, saying the staff helped make sure that only allowable expenses were included in the final grant application.
He said from what the township has heard so far, the application looks very good.
Most municipal meetings, including township government and the planning and zoning boards, have been held remotely through most of the year, complicating some issues while at the same time making access easier for some residents.
School board meetings have also been held remotely, and last week the township held a remote tree-lighting ceremony. Officials planned to relocate the annual event from in front of Township Hall to the more spacious Amanda’s Field Dec. 4. Instead, a video was posted to the township’s Facebook page and to YouTube, including music from the Uptown Singers, the Upper Township Middle School and images of decorated properties.
Committeewoman Kim Hayes suggested residents take a look at the video, and praised the work of the Public Works Department and others.
On the video, Palombo welcomes viewers with “Merry Christmas” while ringing sleigh bells. He said officials had hoped to hold the event in person.
“But because of the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and the outdoor restrictions with respect to how many people can congregate, we decided to do this virtual call,” he said in the video.
Mark Pancoast did the final video edit.
The 18-minute video included holiday messages from local officials and songs recorded at previous tree-lighting ceremonies.
“Let’s hope going forward we can have some live events and start enjoying things the way we used to,” Palombo said at the meeting.