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 →
Recreation Commission July 15, 2026 Agenda

Council and BOE dates post closer to the meeting — see the calendar.

84.1°F · Forecast → Berkeley Heights · 2 active weather alerts

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 Analysis July 4, 2026

Power outages hit Berkeley Heights after fast-moving New Jersey storm

A short but powerful storm knocked out power across Berkeley Heights and added to a large statewide outage event during dangerous heat.

A short but powerful storm ripped through New Jersey late Friday, knocking out power across Berkeley Heights and leaving residents dealing with a dangerous combination: storm damage, darkness, and oppressive heat.

The storm moved quickly, but it hit hard. Across New Jersey, live outage tracking showed well over 200,000 homes and businesses without power late Friday night, with FirstEnergy/JCP&L accounting for the bulk of reported outages.

The timing matters. The National Weather Service's Mount Holly office had warned Friday afternoon that scattered severe thunderstorms could produce locally damaging winds and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning.

That makes power restoration more than a convenience issue. Homes without electricity may also be homes without air conditioning, refrigeration, medical-device charging, sump pumps, internet access, or working garage-door openers. Residents should check on elderly neighbors, people with medical needs, and families with small children.

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High Interest

Accountability Dashboards

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Monthly Spending Bill-list dashboard July 2026: $255,770,197.51 across 5691 line items. Top payment: GENERAL CURRENT EXPENSE $91,792,228.15. 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 75 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.

July 2026 Spending

Spending dashboard →
July 2026 bill lists $255,770,197.51 across 5691 line items Top payment: GENERAL CURRENT EXPENSE $91,792,228.15

Civic Alerts

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Public Notice Communications Committee

Board of Adjustment Meeting uses promotional language

The Board of Adjustment Meeting 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
Public Notice Communications Committee

Final Game Watch Party uses promotional language

The Final Game Watch Party 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
Public Notice Communications Committee

Sadal Wines International Wine Tasting uses promotional language

The Sadal Wines International Wine Tasting 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
Public Notice Communications Committee

Mount Carmel Festival uses promotional language

The Mount Carmel Festival 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
Public Notice Communications Committee

Watch Party uses promotional language

The Watch Party 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