Hamilton council approves leases, grants and code amendments; library earmarked for $1.5M federal renovation funds

Hamilton Township Council on May 21 approved a series of routine and higher-profile measures including lease agreements for space at the Home Del Recreation Center, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) subrecipient agreements, and a $1,500,000 federal allocation earmarked for renovations at the Hamilton Public Library.

Council approved on second reading a set of lease ordinances that will place Camp Fire New Jersey on the first floor, the Jane Bell Housing Foundation in the basement, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County on the second floor of the Home Del Recreation Center; the leases are nominal ($1) with tenants responsible for utilities. Council members noted exterior improvements funded in part by a grant and credited assistance from "Congressman Kim" for securing federal dollars.

The consent agenda (CA1–CA24) also included CDBG agreements for the YMCA's summer program, a local basketball program called Fan Favorite and the Wilson Center's homeless-prevention efforts. Council approved the consent agenda on roll call.

Council introduced a set of ordinances on first reading that amend municipal fees, handicap parking designations, and replace the stormwater chapter (Chapter 5-77) with an updated stormwater-control code meant to bring the township into conformance with state requirements. Council subsequently referred land-development code amendments to the Planning Board under NJSA 40:55D-26.

Votes recorded during the meeting included multiple 4-0 roll-call approvals for consent items and several ordinance readings; where items were introduced on first reading, council scheduled further proceedings per statutory process.