Red Bank votes to hire strategic, vision planners; critics call it 'wasteful spending'

RED BANK - A split council voted to authorize a search for a municipal strategic planner and a municipal vision planner during Thursday night’s meeting, at a time when the borough has already hired a firm to revise its master plan.

Some council members said they believed a strategic and vision plan needed to be created concurrent to the master plan, while others balked at what they considered duplicate expenses.

Since 2021, Red Bank has been in the process of rewriting its master plan. Aside from small additions every few years, the last major overhaul of the borough’s master plan was in 1995. Since then, the borough has grown in size and income, which drove demographic changes.

The consultant BFJ Planning, which is contracted by the borough to rewrite the master plan, has been soliciting feedback from residents of all backgrounds to determine what residents would like to see for Red Bank’s future.

The master plan is a guide for future planning of the borough. It is a roadmap meant to address resident concerns such as cyclist safety and map out future zoning plans such as increasing parks.

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Councilman Edward Zipprich said that after talks with planning professionals across the state, he believes that “while we are planning for the future of the borough, we should make sure that we have all of the professional documents that we need to get going in the future.”

Zipprich cited that in 1994, a vision plan was introduced before the master plan, which delineated a need for revitalization. In the 1994 report, it states "the Vision Plan is an expression of possibilities for the future, which is based not only on the physical portrait, but also on an understanding of the economic and social grounds of the community."

Councilman Michael Ballard said overhauling the master plan and then implementing a vision and strategic plan is “kind of backwards to me.”

He said, “As legislators we set the path and the vision for the town moving forward. Everything we vote on sets the direction of this town.”

But other members of the governing body, which has been beset with factional infighting, disagreed with such an approach.

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Councilwoman Kate Triggiano said, “I’m in complete disagreement with this step. I feel that it’s duplicative. I feel like it’s wasteful spending. … I think that it’s undermining the master plan process.”

BFJ Planning is currently operating with a budget of $160,000.

Triggiano said the master plan has a vision plan. “So a vision plan is already coming to fruition as part of a master plan. It’s part of what’s been contracted to do by (BFJ Planning). So, if you’re going to do another vision plan, you’re doing a duplicative step.”

She said the strategic plan comes after the master plan is implemented because it is a document detailing how to implement the master plan.

“We have always shown a degree of respect to our professionals,” Mayor Pasquale “Pat” Menna said. “Wouldn’t it have been somewhat diplomatically correct to discuss it with them? … You have been talking to people all over the state, but you haven’t been talking to our own planning board. That’s the problem I have.”

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'They want to spend money on something that is so irrelevant'

Planning board member Barbara Boas said during public comments that both the vision plan and strategic plan can be altered after the master plan is complete so there is no need to spend more money.

“I’m very unhappy about that,” Boas said. “The council has been focusing on like a laser on pinpointing saving money on something that we really don’t have to save money on. And then they want to spend money on something that is so irrelevant and redundant.”

Planning board chair Daniel Mancuso emphasized during public comments that the master plan is meant to reflect the entire Red Bank community. He said the planning board chose BFJ Planning “because of their public outreach, which has been overwhelming and is continuing.” He said there will be more meetings for the public to give input on what they hope for the borough’s future.

“It puzzles me a little bit, why you’re looking to go down that road at this point. But I just want to clarify that the master plan is not by any stretch of the imagination, something put together by a small group, by the entire planning board or even this council. It is a public document, by the residents, not just of Red Bank, but anyone can speak or add their voice to this plan. It is not a project done by a small group.”

The votes for both a strategic planner and a vision planner passed 3-2 with council members Zipprich, Ballard and Sturdivant voting for solicitation of proposals for the two positions. Councilwomen Kathy Horgan and Triggiano voted against the requests. Councilwoman Angela Mirandi abstained from voting saying “I’m a little confused” and that she needed to educate herself more on the master plan process.

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Red Bank NJ hiring strategic, vision planner; critics call it wasteful