Township code up-to-date and available online

BY PATRICIA A. MILLER
Staff Writer

BRICK TOWNSHIP - It's done.

The nearly two-year-long process to revamp the township code is finished, much to the relief of Township Clerk Virginia Lampman and Councilwoman Ruthanne Scaturro.

The Township Council voted to adopt the revisions at the Nov. 28 council meeting.

"My dream has always been to get the township into the 21st century," Scaturro said. "The codebook is now online. I'm so happy we are there, finally."

The process began in January 2005. The township hired General Code Publishers Corp. of Rochester, N.Y., for $26,000 to begin revamping ordinances and codes, updating them and putting them in order by chapters.

"They take out wording that isn't necessary to go into the codes," Lampman said. "They clean it up and insert it into the right part of the codebook."

The 8 1/2-by-11-inch codebook, with "hundreds of pages," is organized by chapters and contains all township ordinances and laws, Lampman said.

"Any resident can go on the Web and utilize our codebook, and it's up-to-date," she said. "The turnaround time is about three weeks."

Lampman and a committee consisting of Scaturro, Councilwoman Kathy M. Russell and Councilman Michael Thulen met on a regular basis to review the needed changes.

"She dragged most of us kicking and screaming to the meetings," Scaturro said. "It was a labor of love. It's something that will benefit everyone in Brick Township."

The committee reviewed the requests of department heads and responded to General Code's requests for information, Lampman said.

"We went through every chapter of the codebook and the manuscript of the code company," she said.

General Code also reviewed the codebook for inconsistencies and made practical recommendations to make the legislation more enforceable, including suggestions for fines, fees and penalties, Lampman said.

"This is the best way to go, to go with an experienced code company," she said. "They did a magnificent job. I'm glad to see it's complete and that it went so well."

The Township Council adopted the previous code back in 1989. The code was updated 23 times through 1996. Another coding company took over in 1997. But township officials were concerned about a lengthy turnaround time for updates and the lack of available electronic options, according to General Code's 2005 analysis.