Local Government

Four council members seated at a raised wooden dais in a government chamber with flags behind them.

Local Government

Berkeley Heights officially bans data centers townwide after unanimous council vote

Berkeley Heights Township Council voted unanimously on Tuesday, July 21, to ban data centers in every zone, citing grid concerns and ambiguous zoning language, though residents challenged the 42-day timeline and lack of financial analysis.

July 23, 2026 · 2 min read

Microphones on a wooden council table during a formal government meeting.

Local Government

Berkeley Heights considers adding six police positions, including first deputy chief

Berkeley Heights Township Council introduced an ordinance Tuesday, July 21, to create six new police department positions, including a deputy chief rank. The same meeting brought a final vote on a township-wide data center ban.

July 22, 2026 · 1 min read

Aerial satellite view of a wooded parcel outlined in red next to a baseball field and park.

Local Government

Chatham residents renew push for public forum after blog reports housing plan certified

An advocacy blog reports a judge has certified Chatham Borough's affordable housing plan, and residents are pressing the Mayor and Council to hold a public forum on the proposed four-apartment project at 58 North Passaic Avenue before the next council meeting on Monday, August 10, 2026.

July 21, 2026 · 1 min read

Brick building entrance with a black awning sign reading NJ Transit Summit Station above glass doors.

Local Government

Penn Station capacity gap threatens to limit Gateway gains for Summit commuters

A federal study found Penn Station can handle only 32 trains per hour from New Jersey even after improvements, well short of the 48 the Gateway tunnel could deliver by 2038. Two public webinars on Monday, July 27, give Summit-area commuters a chance to weigh in on the $7-8 billion rebuild.

July 21, 2026 · 1 min read

Rows of glass-fronted server rack cabinets inside a data center facility.

Local Government

Berkeley Heights council to vote Tuesday on data center ban flagged for factual errors

Berkeley Heights Township Council faces a final vote Tuesday, July 21, on Ordinance 2026-13, a blanket ban on data centers in all zones, but an independent analysis published two days before the vote identified factual errors in the ordinance's text and questioned whether the council did adequate research before acting.

July 21, 2026 · 3 min read

Local Government

Berkeley Heights eyes $2.5 million in sewer spending with $800K lacking breakdown

Berkeley Heights Township Council is scheduled to introduce Ordinance 2026-18 on Tuesday, July 21, authorizing approximately $2.5 million for sewer infrastructure projects, including an $800,000 soft-cost provision with no per-project breakdown in the public record.

July 21, 2026 · 3 min read

Group of eight people posed in two rows inside a municipal council chamber with wooden desks and microphones.

Local Government

Old firehouse back on market after $5.45M sale collapses; analysis pegs Broad Street West costs at $1.7M a year

Five years after Broad Street West collapsed, Summit taxpayers are still paying approximately $1.7 million a year in debt service and lost parking revenue tied to the failed redevelopment, according to one resident's analysis of city financial statements, and the 396 Broad Street firehouse property is back on the market after a $5.45 million sale fell through in May.

July 21, 2026 · 3 min read

Aerial view of suburban and rural areas in Roxbury Township, Morris County, New Jersey with a lake visible.

Local Government

Eleven days after DHS said it was backing off, a Roxbury warehouse is back in play as a detention facility

DHS reversed its June 29 decision to abandon a planned ICE detention facility at a Roxbury Township warehouse, filing a July 10 court notice that it intends to move forward with the project — reviving a legal battle with New Jersey and the township that has implications for Morris County residents.

July 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Construction workers and equipment in front of a neoclassical public library building with yellow caution tape.

Local Government

Union County expands union labor rules for more construction projects

Union County commissioners voted Tuesday, July 14, to lower the mandatory Project Labor Agreement threshold from $5 million to $3 million, expanding union labor requirements on county-funded construction projects across the county's municipalities, including Summit.

July 15, 2026 · 1 min read

Tree-lined commercial street with parked cars and multi-story shops in downtown Summit, NJ.

Local Government

Gold ribbons for an 11-year-old, a promise kept to volunteer firefighters — what Chatham's council actually spent Monday night on

Federal data released July 14 shows the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro, which includes Summit's Union County, posted a 4.1% annual inflation rate through June 2026, outpacing the national 3.5% rate, with shelter up 4.3% and grocery prices up 4%.

July 15, 2026 · 1 min read

Brick municipal building along a tree-lined street in a suburban setting.

Local Government

New Providence gets $75K state grant to hunt for savings

New Providence is one of 21 municipalities statewide to receive a first-ever MERP grant from the state Department of Community Affairs, securing $75,000 to fund an independent efficiency review of borough operations that could identify cost savings and shared services opportunities.

July 15, 2026 · 1 min read

Brick municipal building with American flags and a blue sign reading Borough of Chatham Municipal Building.

Local Government

Gold ribbons for an 11-year-old, a promise kept to volunteer firefighters — what Chatham's council actually spent Monday night on

Chatham Borough's Mayor and Council met Monday, July 13, with the published agenda featuring a closed session on the library project and affordable housing litigation, plus a resolution to formally establish the voter-approved firefighter compensation program.

July 15, 2026 · 1 min read

A tree-lined two-lane road with a yield sign at an intersection in Chatham Township.

Local Government

Hillside Avenue closing for repaving project starting July 21

Chatham Township will close Hillside Avenue to traffic during weekday work hours starting Tuesday, July 21, for a $314,790 repaving project funded largely by a $261,720 NJDOT grant.

July 14, 2026 · 1 min read

A tall white historic courthouse building with a clock tower flanked by modern office buildings.

Local Government

Want a seat on your local school board? Union County deadline is July 27

Union County residents in communities with elected school boards must file nominating petitions by 4 p.m. Monday, July 27, with a new requirement of 25 valid signatures — more than double the previous 10 — under a state law that took effect in early 2025. Summit's board is mayor-appointed and not affected, but the deadline applies to other Union County communities with elected boards.

July 14, 2026 · 2 min read

A brick municipal building with an American flag, viewed from a parking lot on a clear day.

Local Government

NJ Supreme Court raises bar for zoning variances after development ruling

The New Jersey Supreme Court's Monday, July 13 ruling in Monarch Communities v. Township of Montville requires zoning boards to separately weigh whether a development proposal conflicts with a municipality's master plan, strengthening local boards' ability to deny use variances in cases like Summit's pending Beacon Unitarian Church application at 695 Springfield Ave.

July 14, 2026 · 2 min read