Berkeley Heights News

Berkeley Heights Civic Watch

A plain-English digest of what is happening in Berkeley Heights.

Meeting recaps, spending dashboards, and local news — with links to the public records behind them.

Next Meetings Calendar →
Township Council July 15, 2026 · 7:30 PM Agenda
Planning Board July 15, 2026 Agenda pending
Recreation Commission July 15, 2026 Agenda
79.0°F · Forecast →

Reporter's Briefing

What Matters Now

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The main item is a new or changed Communications Committee record: This page changed, but the exact wording change was not clear.

The practical question is whether the new material changes public spending, taxes, services, school operations, land use, or residents' ability to see and comment on government action.

Updated July 11, 2026

Latest Meeting Recaps

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Township Council 2026-06-30

Township Council Meeting — June 30, 2026

At the June 30, 2026 Township Council meeting, JCP&L representatives discussed reliability upgrades, while council members and residents raised concerns about frequent outages and the lack of specific...

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Berkeley Heights Board of Education 2026-06-25

Board of Education Meeting — June 25, 2026

The Berkeley Heights Board of Education met June 25, 2026, entered executive session, then returned to public session for student-athlete recognitions and a presentation on the district’s strategic pl...

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Berkeley Heights Board of Education 2026-06-11

Board of Education Meeting — June 11, 2026

The Berkeley Heights Board of Education returned from executive session at about 7:36 p.m. on June 11 and spent much of the public session recognizing Governor Livingston student representatives and s...

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BerkeleyHeights.news

Top Stories

Local Edition Open News
News July 11, 2026

Berkeley Heights Wants to Ban Data Centers Everywhere in Town. Does That Square With the Master Plan?

Ordinance 2026-13 would prohibit data centers in every zone in Berkeley Heights. On Wednesday, July 15, the Planning Board must say whether the ban is consistent with the 2022 Master Plan.

On Wednesday, July 15, the Berkeley Heights Planning Board takes up a single big question: is the Township Council's proposed ban on data centers consistent with the town's Master Plan?

The answer matters because state law makes it matter. Before the Council can hold its final adoption vote on July 21, the Planning Board must review Ordinance 2026-13 and report any provisions that are inconsistent with the Master Plan.

BerkeleyHeights.news read the full ordinance, the 2022 Master Plan (both volumes), the April 2020 Master Plan Reexamination Report, the current zoning code, and the video record of the June 9 and June 30 Council meetings.

The push started with market interest, not abstract worry. Introducing the proposal at the Council's June 9 conference session, Councilwoman Susan Poage said there had been "rumblings" of data center interest in "large properties in our town," and that the word "revenue" prompted her to research the industry's impacts before any application landed.

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High Interest

Accountability Dashboards

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Monthly Spending Bill-list dashboard June 2026: $1,817,977.99 across 392 line items. Top payment: GARDEN STATE MUNICIPAL JIF $468,152.19. BOE Capital Referendum promise tracker No public BOE payment ledger yet — we're tracking agendas and check journals until one is released. Closed Meetings Executive-session tracker 76 captured executive-session references with minutes/release status fields. Library Finances Transparency packet 7 of 7 packet components found in captured public records. Votes & Comments Meeting action index 23 recent entries include final-vote language; 56 include response or follow-up language.

June 2026 Spending

Spending dashboard →
June 2026 bill lists $1,817,977.99 across 392 line items Top payment: GARDEN STATE MUNICIPAL JIF $468,152.19

Civic Alerts

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Public Notice Communications Committee

Skip to Main Content uses promotional language

The Skip to Main Content uses wording that sounds more like a sales pitch than a neutral notice. Residents may want the facts, costs, and tradeoffs stated plainly.

Why it matters: whether the public is getting balanced information before a decision is made.

Read source Open discussion
Updated Communications Committee

Changed website page: Calendars (074b1381)

The Changed website page: Calendars (074b1381) was updated. Residents may want to check what changed before the next meeting or deadline.

Why it matters: whether the change adds a deadline, vote, cost, attachment, or public comment issue.

Read source Open discussion
Updated Communications Committee

Changed website page: World Cup (4) (9a46b342)

The Changed website page: World Cup (4) (9a46b342) was updated. Residents may want to check what changed before the next meeting or deadline.

Why it matters: whether the change adds a deadline, vote, cost, attachment, or public comment issue.

Read source Open discussion
Updated Communications Committee

Changed website page: List (074b1381)

The Changed website page: List (074b1381) was updated. Residents may want to check what changed before the next meeting or deadline.

Why it matters: whether the change adds a deadline, vote, cost, attachment, or public comment issue.

Read source Open discussion
Updated Communications Committee

Changed calendar event: Board of Adjustment Meeting (07ad01b2)

The Changed calendar event: Board of Adjustment Meeting (07ad01b2) was updated. Residents may want to check what changed before the next meeting or deadline.

Why it matters: whether the change adds a deadline, vote, cost, attachment, or public comment issue.

Read source Open discussion