April 6, 2026 - Livingston Township Council Meeting

Meeting Overview

The April 6, 2026 Township Council meeting was a quieter session by Livingston standards, but several significant items moved forward. The council introduced the 2026 municipal budget on time for the first time in recent memory, advanced a Cedar Street redevelopment plan over a 4-0 vote (Mayor Klein recused due to a conflict), and continued to grapple with an ongoing car wash noise violation that has now accumulated multiple fines with no resolution in sight. On a brighter note, the meeting opened with tributes to Parkinson's Awareness Month and Arbor Day, and featured some well-deserved shoutouts to a hometown success story.

PART I: FACTUAL SUMMARY

Opening & Announcements

Roll Call

• Council Member Meinhardt: Here
• Council Member Anthony: Here
• Council Member Vieira: Present
• Deputy Mayor Bhattani: Here
• Mayor Klein: Here

Proclamations & Presentations

Parkinson's Awareness Month

A full room of advocates took over the council dais for this proclamation. Presenters included:

• Variani Kapoor, Township Resident & Parkinson's Foundation Representative
• Kathy Hinton, Parkinson's Foundation Ambassador & Livingston Senior Center Support Group Facilitator
• Carolyn Chen, LHS Senior & Co-President, LHS Parkinson's Disease Awareness Club
• Karen Malkin, Person with Parkinson's, Michael J. Fox Advocate & PMD Alliance Ambassador
• Kieran Mulgund, Livingston Resident & Parkinson's Foundation Ambassador

Key statistics from the proclamation:

• ~1 million people affected in the U.S.; estimated to rise to 1.2 million by 2030
• 90,000 new diagnoses per year
• 13th leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Economic burden of at least $52 billion annually
• Fastest growing neurodegenerative disease

A symposium is being planned for April 18th at Crane's Mill in West Caldwell.

The Council proclaimed April 2026 as Parkinson's Awareness Month.

Arbor Day 2026

Mayor Klein read the annual Arbor Day proclamation, noting the holiday's roots in Nebraska in 1872 when Jay Sterling Morton proposed a national tree-planting day. The township will hold its annual ceremony on April 24th at 2:00 PM near the gazebo, where another cherry tree will be planted.

Minutes Approval

Council approved the regular and conference meeting minutes from March 16, 2026.

Ordinances

Ordinance 12-2026 — Cap Bank (First Reading, Passed 5-0)

This is a standard annual ordinance allowing the township to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits and establish a cap bank — giving the municipality flexibility to adjust budget line items within state-mandated caps. The public hearing will be held at the next regular meeting on April 27th.

Vote: Meinhardt-Yes, Anthony-Yes, Vieira-Yes, Deputy Mayor Bhattani-Yes, Mayor Klein-Yes

Ordinance 13-2026 — Cedar Street Redevelopment (Passed 4-0)

Mayor Klein recused himself from this ordinance due to a conflict of interest. Deputy Mayor Bhattani took the chair for this item. The ordinance adopts the redevelopment plan for 576-586 West Mount Pleasant Avenue Overlay District. The public hearing is scheduled for April 27th at 7:30 PM.

Vote: Meinhardt-Yes, Anthony-Yes, Vieira-Yes, Deputy Mayor Bhattani-Yes. Mayor Klein — Recused.

Budget Items

Resolution 26-155a — 2026 Municipal Budget Introduction

The council introduced the 2026 municipal budget by title. The CFO noted this is the first time in recent memory the budget has been introduced on time — a point of pride after years of effort. The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for May 11th.

Vote: Meinhardt-Yes, Anthony-Yes, Vieira-Yes, Deputy Mayor Bhattani-Yes, Mayor Klein-Yes

Resolution 26-155b — 2026 Municipal Open Space Tax Rate

Establishing the 2026 open space tax rate. Approved 5-0.

Consent Agenda

All matters listed below were approved in a single motion (5-0) and are considered routine and non-controversial:

• Resolution 26-147: Appointing member to township committees
• Resolution 26-148: Authorizing purchases under the North Jersey Wastewater Cooperative Pricing System
• Resolution 26-149: Authorizing purchases under the State of New Jersey Cooperative Purchasing Program
• Resolution 26-150: Award of contract to Stanziel Construction LLC
• Resolution 26-151: Award of contract to RIVAC's Contracting Corp.
• Resolution 26-152: Rejecting proposals (no details provided in minutes)
• Resolution 26-153: Designating 156 East Cedar Street as an area in need of rehabilitation
• Resolution 26-154: Authorizing preparation of a redevelopment plan for 156 East Cedar Street
• Resolution 26-156: Appointing zoning board alternate (retroactive to January 27, 2026)
• Resolution 26-157: Authorizing execution of funding agreement with Cedar Street Livingston LLC for redevelopment activities on Block 3000, Lot 1.01

Public Comment

Car Wash Noise Violation — Third Update

Joyce Armando, 7 Greenwood Court returned for a third time regarding the Express Car Wash noise issue behind her property. The situation has escalated:

• Essex County conducted another sound test on March 20th
• Results confirmed the car wash is still over the 65-decibel residential limit
• The car wash was issued a $3,000 fine for this violation plus an additional $3,000 fine tied to the original uncorrected violation
• The car wash had already installed an enclosure around the turbine motors in an attempt to mitigate — the operation is still out of compliance despite this mitigation
• Ms. Armando noted: "This proves this is not a temporary issue. The current setup simply does not meet the required limits."

She pressed the council on two questions: (1) Will the township now shut down the vacuum and air hose operations? and (2) If a shutdown is ordered and the operation continues anyway, what specific enforcement will the township take?

Township Attorney Jared Cantor clarified that the county is the enforcing agency for the sound limits, and that the township's options for enforcement are limited to civil or municipal court action. Mayor Klein committed to getting the county report, consulting with the attorney, and determining the fastest enforcement path.

Councilman Anthony noted that daily fines are accumulating — meaning the $3,000 figure grows with each day of non-compliance. Mayor Klein added: "So let's not hold it up on our part. Let's do whatever we have to do."

Township Position Discussion

Tim Foley, Livingston Resident (fourth generation) spoke about ongoing concern regarding the proposed elimination of Assistant Township Manager Adam Lerner's position:

• "You have changed your mind because Adam is a big asset to this township. He's done a lot of things for us. And again, the way it was done was inappropriate."
• "90% of the time that I'm here, I'm hearing you guys praise him on whatever job he did. I just disagree with it. And that's all I gotta say."

No formal action was taken. This issue appears to still be under discussion in conference session.

Reports of Township Officials

Township Manager Barry Lewis — Nothing formally reported, but indicated the council will be receiving updated proposals and cost estimates for open space improvements across the Orchard Hill and LaCarrie/Strom properties, following up on the public engagement process.

Assistant Township Manager Adam Lerner — Announced upcoming summer celebration items:

• LPD will be hanging new 250th anniversary flags around town
• June: Arts Festival
• July: Concert Series
• August: Movie Nights
• Residents should keep Wednesdays open in the summer

Township Clerk Carolyn Mazzucco — Reminder that the April 16th special election is the runoff for the Mikey Sherrill Congressional vacancy. Urged all residents to vote. Two candidates (one Democrat, one Republican) are on the ballot.

CFO Ann Cucci — Thanked the council and Finance Committee for getting the budget introduced on time. Noted that due to prudent multi-year financial planning, Livingston is in much better shape than many surrounding townships.

Mayor Klein — Gave a special hats off to Nikki James, a Livingston High School graduate starring in Daredevil: Born Again. Mayor noted she is a Tony-winning Broadway actress who also performed in Les Misérables and The Book of Mormon. "We can all be very proud of her."

PART II: ANALYSIS

The Good 🟢

Budget introduced on time. CFO Ann Cucci was right to call this out. Introducing budgets on schedule — rather than playing catch-up — reflects years of disciplined financial management. This doesn't usually make headlines, but it matters. Livingston is reportedly in better fiscal shape than many neighboring municipalities, and this didn't happen by accident.

Nikki James hometown shoutout. A Tony-winning Broadway actress from Livingston starring in a major Marvel series is exactly the kind of story that doesn't get told enough. Good on Mayor Klein for recognizing it.

LPD quick response. Councilman Meinhardt shared two separate incidents over the past week — one at ShopRite, one at Nero's — where LPD officers responded quickly to elderly residents who had fallen. Not glamorous, but exactly the kind of community presence that matters.

Parkinson's advocacy from within the community. The most striking part of the Parkinson's proclamation was how many Livingston residents were involved — including a high school student who founded the LHS Parkinson's Disease Awareness Club. The symposium on April 18th at Crane's Mill is a concrete outcome.

Open space improvements advancing. Township Manager Lewis indicated updated cost estimates for the Orchard Hill and LaCarrie/Strom properties are close to ready. Following through on the public engagement process is the right way to handle this.

The Bad 🔴

The car wash saga continues. Third public comment session. Second confirmed violation. Fines piling up. Still no resolution. The turbine enclosure fix didn't work. The council is now being asked to figure out what enforcement tools it actually has. Better late than never, but this has been ongoing for months and summer — when the outdoor noise carries farther and more residents are outside — is approaching. The clock is ticking.

The Adam Lerner situation. A resident publicly pushing back on a personnel move — citing the council's own praise of the person being cut — is never comfortable. The issue is being discussed in closed session, which is appropriate, but the fact that it keeps surfacing in public comment suggests the council may want to communicate more clearly on this one way or the other.

This summary was generated from an audio transcription of the April 6, 2026 Township Council meeting. All statements are direct quotes or close paraphrases of public meeting records.