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 →
Environmental Commission October 19, 2026 Agenda
Township Council October 20, 2026 · 6:30 PM Agenda
Planning Board October 21, 2026 · 7:30 PM Agenda
62.8°F · Forecast →

Reporter's Briefing

What Matters Now

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The main item is a new or changed Township Council record: New agenda discovered. Summary: AGENDA BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT TOWNSHIP OF BERKELEY HEIGHTS Union County, New Jersey Public Meeting October 22, 2026 @ 7:00 PM ➢ Board of Adjustment meetings are held IN-PERSON.

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 October 19, 2026

Latest Meeting Recaps

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Top Stories

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Opinion October 16, 2026

The $5 Million “Loss” That Wasn’t

Berkeley Heights gave 100 Locust a 30-year tax break because officials said nobody would build it otherwise. The building now takes in $7 million a year.

_Originally published by Edmund Tom Maciejewski at TomForTown.com._

*By Edmund Tom Maciejewski*

*Berkeley Heights gave 100 Locust a 30-year tax break because officials said nobody would build it otherwise. The building now takes in $7 million a year. Here is the math you were not shown.*

In 2017, Berkeley Heights handed the developer of 100 Locust Avenue a 30-year pass on regular property taxes. The pitch was simple. “No developer would build a project with these economics,” the town’s slideshow said, without a PILOT, a payment the developer makes instead of taxes. [1]

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High Interest

Accountability Dashboards

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Public Contracts No-bid contract registry 259 awards with contract-specific official no-formal-bid statements, source links and quoted evidence. Coverage is incomplete. Vendor Evidence Compare contractors Selection methods, authorized prices, documented charges, promised work and results, with source records. 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 88 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 28 recent entries include final-vote language; 74 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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Closed Session Zoning Board of Adjustment

Board of Adjustment meeting 10/22/2026 includes a closed-session item

The Board of Adjustment meeting 10/22/2026 references a closed or executive session. The record mentions litigation.

Why it matters: the stated exception, whether a public resolution preceded the closed session, and when minutes will be released.

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Updated Communications Committee

Changed calendar event: Township Council Meeting (3f3eed2b)

The Changed calendar event: Township Council Meeting (3f3eed2b) 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 Zoning Board of Adjustment

Changed website page: Zoning Board AgendaCenter (952a591e)

The Changed website page: Zoning Board AgendaCenter (952a591e) 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 Township Council

Changed website page: Township AgendaCenter All Categories (cf8c9f38)

The Changed website page: Township AgendaCenter All Categories (cf8c9f38) 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.

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Updated Planning Board

Changed website page: Planning Board AgendaCenter (726aa9eb)

The Changed website page: Planning Board AgendaCenter (726aa9eb) 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