Chatham Township Committee Votes to Bond $4.8 Million to Buy Fire Trucks, Police Cars, Study for Expanded Police Headquarters

CHATHAM, NJ -- The Chatham Township Committee voted, 4-1, to adopt a $4.8 million bond ordinance that will pay for the purchase of fire trucks, police cars, a group affordable housing building on River Road, and a study for the construction of a new police headquarters and municipal office complex at its regular meeting on Tuesday night.

Details of the adopted Bond Ordinance 2024-14 can be found starting on page 12 of the meeting documents available to be viewed HERE

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The ordinance provides $426,000 to Novelle LLC to construct an affordable housing group home at 482/490 River Road; $3.25 million for the purchase of two fire trucks - a ladder truck and a pumper engine, and $75,000 to study the construction of a new police headquarters and municipal office complex.

The study will explore expanding the police headquarters on Southern Boulevard and including space for the DPW and township administrative offices. That would open up the municipal building for other uses that generate revenue. The study could also determine the costs and feasibility of moving police headquarters to the municipal building.

"We need to make a move on our buildings, including the police station," Chatham Township Mayor Stacey Ewald said. "Move the administration offices over there or the police station here. We have to make a move and monetize this building, which we have been talking about for a long time."

The bond ordinance passed by a 4-1 vote, with Mayor Ewald, Deputy Mayor Mike Choi and committee members Marty McHugh and Jen Rowland voting yes and committee member Mark Lois voting no.

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Lois warned that it was "paving the way for debt to be incurred in the future ... in my view, it's a runway to debt and an explosion of debt that we've had in the past."

The majority described the planned expenditures as a line of credit from a bank.

"The suggestion is that it's all being loaded up front and it isn't, it's more like a line of credit," Choi said.

Mayor Ewald noted: "You can't sign up to buy a $2 million fire truck until you have the funding. In the meantime, we can apply for a grant before we make the purchase."

Lois details some of his objections to the bond ordinance in the video below.

Choi talked about making difficult decisions for public safety reasons and that debt was a "critical component" in running local government and that it is an "effective tool if used judiciously". See the two videos below.

Rowland said that the fire trucks are past their usefulness and that the committee decided not to "kick the can down the road" and also pointed out that every grant possible is being sought to defray the cost (see below).

Mayor Ewald said that "there is a toolbox used every year to manage the budget" and talked about preserving the surplus in the video below.

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