New Providence Borough Council voted on $275,317 in school-route funding and a fire department overhaul without posting backup documents online.

Eleven records obtained through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request now fill in what residents could not review before the Sept. 15 and Sept. 24 council meetings. The documents cover Safe Routes to School money, fire ordinance costs, police promotions and a bills list with no vendor detail, as first reported by NJ21st, the civic-journalism outlet run by editor John Migueis.

No public response from Mayor Al Morgan or the Borough Council to the transparency concerns appears in public records as of Sept. 30.

Safe Routes to School: $490K in design costs

The Sept. 15 consent agenda included a $275,317.45 budget insertion for the borough's 2018 Safe Routes to School project. The OPRA backup shows the money pays for final design work on South Street, Laurel Drive and Brookside Drive. Combined with earlier preliminary engineering funding, total design spending reaches $490,150.23.

No construction cost estimate is included.

Fire department restructuring projects $232K cost

Two fire ordinances on the Sept. 15 agenda would reshape how New Providence runs its fire department. Ordinance 2026-11 would replace Chapter 51, switching the fire chief's selection from an election by department members to an appointment by the mayor with council approval. It would also let the borough bill insurers or residents for emergency response costs. Personnel charges would start at $50 per firefighter per hour. Equipment rates would follow FEMA schedules.

Ordinance 2026-12 would designate the Fire Official as a deputy chief and require inspections for food trucks each time they leave and return to pre-approved locations.

The financial summary obtained through OPRA projects about $232,000 in compensation costs. The fire chief's presentation calls for a full-time chief, more fire inspectors and more hours for the Fire Official, citing daytime response gaps and inspection staffing problems.

In a Sept. 14 preview of the meeting, Migueis wrote that the fire ordinances were "the biggest items on the table this week, but we didn't see a redline or summary in the online packet showing residents what's changing."

Police promotions follow chief's retirement

A promotion memo on the Sept. 15 consent agenda recommended four officers for new ranks: two to lieutenant and two to sergeant. The memo lists salaries and a proposed start date. The vacancies opened after Police Chief Daniel Henn retired Aug. 1. Mayor Morgan appointed Donald Sretenovic as the new chief, TAPinto reported.

The names of the promoted officers and their individual salaries were not published in the available records.

Bills list and other items

The Sept. 15 meeting also included a $484,085.45 bills list. The OPRA backup now shows vendors and payment amounts that were not in the online agenda before the vote. Colliers Engineering payments on that list total $82,348.75, including a $13,000 charge for Maple Street Phase II layout revisions described as a response to resident concerns.

At a Thursday, Sept. 24 special meeting, a DPW roadman position memo asks permission to advertise a 40-hour-per-week job starting at $45,000 a year, though the agenda describes the item as permission to hire. The discrepancy is unresolved.

Residents can reach the Borough Council at 360 Elkwood Ave. or (908) 665-1400.