Official minutes of Warren Township meetings in their original hand-written form were bound in leather and preserved and are now located in the vault of the Municipal Building. This project was organized by Mrs. Dolores (Dee) Lortie, Warren Township Clerk, who retired in June of 1998. A review of the hand-written minutes reveals that the elected officials met approximately four times per year, usually in February/March for re-election, again in April, September and November. One of the more notable meetings was called in August of 1863 to assess the Township $300 per man "under the present call of the President of the United States." As a result of the Civil War, the country needed 300,000 additional soldiers. Because Warren Township had failed to provide sufficient volunteers, it had to raise $11,000 in bounty money. Due to this need to raise money, the Township had to borrow money to fund its expenses. Meetings were held at different places, usually the Fairview Hotel also known as the Mt. Bethel Hotel. It was at the April 10, 1871, meeting that the first per pupil cost of "$2 per scholar" was noted. Official action was taken to widen main roads down "the Mountain" into Scotch Plains, including "Dog Watch Hollar." Such names as Corey, Kirsh, Friday, Codington, Giddes and Mundy appear regularly as candidates for election to various township positions. Elected positions included those of Assessor, Collector, Overseer of the Poor, Chosen Freeholder, Judge of Elections, Justice of the Peace, Surveyors of Highways, Commissioners of Appeals, Constables, Pound Keepers and District Road Keepers. The Township Committee consisted of three members. Elections were very different from those today: In those times the qualified voters gathered at the hotel to cast their ballots. There were few Republicans here in the 2nd half of the 19th century. A "Democratic Ticket" was printed each April listing the men running of the various positions. The first official printed budget of Warren Township, dated April 1875, was titled Annual Report of the Receipts and Expenditures of the Township of Warren, NJ. The total revenues for that year were $8,425.41 and the expenditures were exactly the same. The "fees" paid to committeeman varied among the men at that time from $34 to $56.50 per year. During the following year of 1876, the budget was up to $9,531.68 and each of the committeemen then received an equal amount of $27.50 in "fees". Highlighted items on the printed "Democratic Ticket" included $600 for Repair of Roads, $300 for the Support of the Poor and $500 for each of the Constables for their year’s work. It was on March 13, 1877 that Warren Township’s three-person Committee grew to five Committeemen. At that time the Committee included David D. Smalley James Ralph, John Kirch, George H. Witten and Peter Newmiller. John Kirch’s brother was a Constable, while his other brother, Frederick, was a Surveyor of Highways. Road districts had increased to 21 by 1878. Once again the names listed are those we still hear, such as Silas Blazier, John Reinmann, Enos Mundy and William Spencer. These men were paid to maintain the condition of the roads in their districts. By 1885, road overseers were elected in their respective districts, rather than at large for the entire town and continued to be paid to maintain the roads. It is interesting to note that ultimately, Warren Township Committeemen gave away the roads which became our present County roads. It was not until 1891 that the minutes reflected that money was set aside in the budget for "new" roads as opposed to just maintaining roads. By 1898, additional names, such as Betzhold, Codington, Delamann and Sage began to appear on the District Road lists. For the fiscal year ending in February of 1879, the names of delinquent taxpayers were published and distributed for all to see as part of the Annual Report. Thirty-one residents were listed, of which four were women, and the amounts of delinquent tax amounts ran from $1 to $92.70. The total amount of delinquent taxes was $334.66 or just under 10% of the total budget. It was in this budget report that there was an indication for the first time of some kind of lawsuit and fees paid in a settlement. By the year 1894, those on the delinquent tax rolls had tripled. As a result, it was during 1895 that properties were put up for auction due to failure on the part of property owners to pay their taxes. One lot put up for sale was a 26-acre parcel for $7.80 and another parcel as small as two acres was put up for sale for $1.30. If residents chose to pay their back taxes, it was at an interest rate of 12%. Names of anyone who continued with delinquent taxes or were subject to foreclosure saw their names published on a yearly basis in the Annual Report. At the turn of the century, Warren was governed by William H. Rogers, Chairman/Mayor Thomas C. Bird and Treasurer Henry P. Williams. Also found in the minutes is a notation that the Somerset County Telephone Company was given permission to place poles, string wires and operate a telephone line here. |