Transparency Requests Addressed by Kinnelon Council

At Thursday's meeting, Councilman James Freda spoke about the value of listening to the community.

Freda said he had been made aware of concerns of residents and had been actively working to address those concerns. He noted one resident's comments about potholes in the borough and said he spoke to Councilman Dan O'Dougherty, the council's liaison to the Department of Public Works (DPW), about the issue.

"[O'Dougherty] said, 'If there ever is a pothole, you just report it to us and it'll be fixed,'" Freda said.

Mayor Bob Collins added that the DPW is working on a communication method that will allow residents to report things like downed trees, potholes and other items requiring maintenance.

Freda also mentioned the borough's website and to them on it.

"People were making claims, and again it's just hearsay, that the council is hiding things or not putting their agendas up or ordinances up. I looked at the website and they’re correct. Not correct that the council’s hiding anything, but correct that it wasn’t updated properly.

Freda, Councilman Gary Moleta and Collins discussed the issue and Freda said they will make a concerted effort to keep the website current.

"We came up with a game plan to make sure that it is up-to-date at all times. It's something worth looking into, and we did. So it will be corrected starting this week," he said.

Freda said the council will make sure agendas and ordinances are posted on the website as soon as they become available.