Mayor and Commmittee Reorganization Agenda - January 6, 2026
Agenda for the Organization Meeting of the Mayor and Committee of the Township of Wantage, held at the Wantage Township Municipal Building, 888 State Highway Route 23, Wantage, N.J., at 7:00 p.m. on January 6, 2026.
Call to Order
Clerk will call the meeting to order.
Oath of Office
- Clerk will read the "Statement of Determination" of the Board of County Canvassers, for the Election held on November 5, 2025.
- Clerk will administer the Oath of Office to Committeeman-elect Ronald Bassani a three-year term as Committee Member of the Township of Wantage.
Role Call of Township Committee Members for the Year 2026
Committee Apointment: Mayor for the Year 2026
Clerk will open the floor for Committee nominations to the position of Mayor for 2026.
The newly selected Mayor for 2026 shall assume the Mayor’s seat at this time.
Mayor Oath of Office.
Open Public Meetings Act Compliance
The Mayor will state, "This meeting is being held in compliance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act, Public Laws of 1975, Chapter 231. It has been properly advertised and certified by the Clerk".
Flag Salute
The Mayor will invite all persons present to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag.
Committee Appointment: Deputy Mayor for the Year 2026
The Mayor will open the floor for Committee nominations to the position of Deputy Mayor for 2026.
Boards, Commissions, and Committees
The Mayor shall make known nominations for appointment to the various boards, agencies and commissions of the Township, as follows:
Land Use Board
The Mayor shall announce appointments to the Land Use Board, as follows:
(Class I member must be either the Mayor or a Mayor’s Designee)
| Position | Name | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Class I member | TBN | exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Class II member | Joe Konopinski | exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Class III member | exp. 12/31/2026 | |
| Class IV member | exp. 12/31/2029 | |
| Class IV member | Larry Bono | exp. 12/31/2027 |
| Class IV member | exp. 12/31/2029 | |
| Class IV member | Mike Walther | exp. 12/31/2027 |
| Class IV member | Chris Darmstatter | exp. 12/31/2027 |
| Alternate member #1 | George Unverzagt | exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Alternate member #2 | Keith Albinson | exp. 12/31/2027 |
| Alternate member #3 | Victoria Gill | exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Alternate member #4 | exp. 12/31/2026 | |
| Chairperson | exp. 12/31/2028 |
The Mayor shall open the floor to the Committee, for the Class III appointment to the Land Use Board, for a one-year term running through 12/31/26. Committee members shall choose a Class III appointment from among themselves.
Committee Appointments
The Mayor shall make known nominations for appointment to the various boards, agencies and commissions of the Township, as follows:
Board of Health
| Name | Term |
|---|---|
| Erza Holley | exp. 12/31/2028 |
| Harriet Anderson | exp. 12/31/2029 |
| Paul Ranzan | exp. 12/31/2027 |
| Peter Linsay | exp. 12/31/2030 |
| Karen Jackson | exp. 12/31/2026 |
Local Emergency Management Committee 2026
| Position | Name | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Management Coordinator | Joseph Konopinski | thru 12/31/26 |
| Deputy Coordinator #1 | Thomas Madsen | thru 12/31/25 |
| F.A.S.Alternate | Stan Gardner | thru 12/31/26 |
| Damage Assessment | Joseph Butto | thru 12/31/26 |
| Fire Chief, EMC Member | Hunter Space | thru 12/31/26 |
| Communications, EMC Member | William Gebhard | thru 12/31/26 |
| DPW Supt., EMC Member | Mark Little | thru 12/31/26 |
| Sanitarian, EMC Member | Elain Detweiler | thru 12/31/26 |
| Finance/Resource Mgt., EMC | Ashley Kannaley | thru 12/31/26 |
| Resource Management | Charles Rokonsny | thru 12/31/26 |
| Mayor, EMC Member | Justin VanderGroef | thru 12/31/26 |
| Public Information Officer | Mike Restel | thru 12/31/26 |
| Evacuation | Leroy Little | thru 12/31/26 |
| Operations, EMC Member | Joseph Konopinski, Jr. | thru 12/31/26 |
| Operations, EMC Member | Alex Rubin | thru 12/31/26 | Media | New Jersey Herald | thru 12/31/26 |
The Committee shall take action to confirm the Mayor’s nominations, as shown above.
Professional Appointments
The Mayor shall offer nominations for professional appointments of the Township in 2026, as follows:
| Position | Name | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Township Judge: | Peter Fico, Esq. | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Township Attorney: | Glenn Kienz | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Township Bond Counsel: | McManimon, Scotland & Baumann, LLC | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Township Auditor: | Nisivoccia LLP | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Township Prosecutor: | Robert S. Bohrod | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Township Engineer: | Corey Stoner; Harold Pellow & Assoc | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Public Defender: | John Grey | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Alternate Public Defender: | Michael Justice | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
| Municipal Finance Advisors: | Phoenix Advisors | Exp. 12/31/2026 |
A motion is in order for the Committee to confirm the Mayor's nominations.
Mayor's Appointments
At this time, the mayor will present nominations for appointment to the various positions of Township Government for the year 2026, as follows:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Subdivision Approval Certification Officer: | Melissa Morales |
| Recycling Coordinator: | SCMUA |
| Assessment Search Officer: | Melissa Morales |
| Qualified Purchasing Agent: | Michael L Restel |
| Municipal Affordable Housing Liaison: | Michael L Restel |
| Public Agency Compliance Officer for Affirmative Action: | Michael L Restel |
| Municipal Chief Finance Officer – 4-year appt through 12/31/27 | Ashley Kannaley |
| PERS/PFRS Certifying Agent: | Ashley Kannaley |
| Tax Search Officer: | Melissa Caton |
| Tax Collector 4-year appointment through 12/31/27: | Melissa Caton |
| Tax Assessor 4-Year appointment through 12/31/28 | Kristy Lockburner |
| Principal Public Works Manager: | Mark Little |
| Animal Control Officer: | Melanie Monastra |
| Emergency 911 Coordinator: | Joseph Konopinski |
| Risk Management Consultant-Health Benefits: | Vozza Agency |
| Risk Management Consultant-Statewide Insurance Fund: | Keith Mitchell, The Mitchell Agency |
A motion is in order for the Committee to confirm the Mayor's nominations.
Open Space Advisory Committee
At this time, the mayor will present nominations for appointment of members to the 2026 Open Space Advisory Committee of Wantage Township:
- Mr. Ronald Bassani
- Ms. Victoria Gill
- Mr. Justin Dudzinski
- Ms. Allison Orsi
A motion is in order for the Committee to confirm the Mayor's nominations.
Recreation Committee
At this time, The Mayor will present nominations for appointment of members to the 2026 Recreation Committee of Wantage Township:
| Name | Position | Term Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Warren Wisse | Regular Member | 12/31/2026 |
| Daryl Wuhrl | Regular Member | 12/31/2026 |
| Susan Weiss | Regular Member | 12/31/2028 |
| Gary Margiotta | Regular Member | 12/31/2028 |
| Heather Hill | Regular Member | 12/31/2027 |
| Daniel Cullinane | Alternate Member | 12/31/2027 |
| Donna-Sherie Gotland | Alternate Member | 12/31/2026 |
A motion is in order for the Committee to confirm the Mayor's nominations.
Recognition of Line Officers
2026 Officers, Wantage Township First Aid Squad
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President: | Bill DeBoer |
| Vice President: | Stan Gardner |
| Chief: | Andrew Smetana |
| Captain: | Michael Sprung |
| 1st Lieutenant: | James Watson | 2nd Lieutenant: | Zachary Sprung |
| Secretary: | Carmella Sta Teresa |
Clerk will Administer Oath of Office
Approval of Consent Agenda
The Mayor will request that the Committee review the consent agenda. If any member of the Committee wishes an item on the consent agenda to be discussed and considered separately, a motion to this effect shall be made at this time.
Consent Agenda
Consent Agenda for the Organization Meeting of the Mayor & Committee of the Township of Wantage held at 7:00 P.M. on January 6, 2026
All matters listed below are considered to be routine in nature and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of the items. If any discussion is desired, that particular item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered separately.
- Professional Services Resolutions
- Resolution #1-2026 A motion is in order for the Committee to pass a Professional Services resolution for various professional services.
- Temporary Budget
- Resolution #2-2026 A motion is in order to adopt the 2026 local temporary budget for the Township of Wantage, as per the attached resolution.
- Rates of Interest
- Resolution #3-2026 A motion is in order to establish the rate of interest to be charged for non-payment of taxes and utilities, on or after the date when they would become delinquent, as per the attached resolution.
- Overpayment/Underpayment of Taxes
- Resolution #4-2026 A motion is in order to authorize the Tax Collector to cancel of record any overpayment or underpayment of taxes and utilities in the amount of $10.00 or less for the calendar year 2026, in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.A 40A: 5-17.1.
- Cash Manangement Plan
- Resolution #5-2026 A motion is in order to adopt the Cash Management Plan of the Township of Wantage for 2026.
- Official Depositories
- Resolution #6-2026 A motion is in order to designate banks as the Official Depositories for Township funds in 2026.
- Meeting Dates
- Resolution #07-2026 A motion is in order to establish the regular meeting of the Mayor and Committee for calendar year 2026, as per the attached resolution.
- Open Public Meeting Compliance Act
- Resolution #08-2026 A motion is in order to approve a resolution of compliance with the Provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act for 2026, as per the attached text of resolution.
- Official Newspapers
- Resolution #09-2026 A motion is in order to designate the New Jersey Herald or the New Jersey Sunday Herald as official newspapers of the Township of Wantage for the year 2026.
- Defense Against Tax Appeals
- Resolution #10-2026 A motion is in order to authorize the Township Attorney and the Township Tax Assessor to defend the Township of Wantage against all tax appeals filed during calendar year 2026.
- Establishing Legal Holidays
- Resolution #11-2026 A motion is in order to establish the Legal Holidays to be observed within the Township of Wantage for calendar year 2026.
- Accepting Insurance Bonds
- Resolution #12-2026 A motion is in order to approve the Insurance Bonds for various municipal officials and the Blanket Bond covering all Bondable officials for calendar year 2026.
- Authorizing Purchasing Authority of the Administrator, Clerk, CFO
- Resolution #13-2026 A motion is in order authorizing the Administrator, Clerk, CFO as the Qualified Purchasing Agent, to have discretionary spending authority of up to $17,500 on any given purchase or project during calendar year 2026, with any proposed expenditure above this amount being brought to the governing body for authorization prior to the issuance of a purchase order.
- Awarding Contract for Specific Payroll-Related Services
- Resolution #14-2026 A motion is in order to award a contract for specific payroll related services.
- Regarding Publication of Legal Notices after March 1, 2026
- Resolution #15-2026 A motion is in order to approve a resolution regarding publication of legal notices after March 1, 2026.
- Establishing Procedures for Compliance with 2026 Public Notice Publication Requirements and Designating the Township's Official Webpage for Legal Notices
- Resolution #16-2026 A motion is in order to approve a resolution establishing procedures for compliance with 2026 public notice publication requirements and designating the Township’s official webpage for legal notices.
Mayor's Statement
The Mayor will address the Committee and the public with remarks concerning priorities and goals for the Township of Wantage in 2026.
Committee Comments
The Mayor will invite each member of the Committee to offer remarks concerning 2026 Committee goals and priorities.