What to Know for Tonight's Council Meeting

Looking for a sneak preview of tonight’s township council meeting? You’ve come to the right place.

The following is a sampling of what’s on the agenda:

• After two full months on the backburner, the long-gestating athletic fields project returns to the fore tonight. Council will consider a resolution to use $1.5 million from the Open Space, Recreation, Farmland And Historic Preservation Trust Fund for improvements to , to include the addition of artificial turf, parking lot improvements and drainage improvements, and Wesley Bishop South, for various field and other improvements. Council was to have voted on this back in May, . Mayor John Button said Monday morning it’s time for a resolution to the issue.

“It’s extremely frustrating to me that we’re being pushed into a corner on work I believe all of us has said publicly has to be done,” he said. “Why are we going to be scared off by a letter? … It’s our obligation to resolve issues, not just sit on them.”

Button said he doesn’t consider the threatened lawsuit an “inordinate risk.”

Councilman Chris Chiacchio, who has opposed the use of Trust Fund money, was brusque in addressing the impending discussion/vote Monday morning.

“I’m disappointed. I wouldn’t ever have handled it this way if I were one of the other council members,” he said. “And yes, I’m very annoyed this topic is coming back up again.”

Chiacchio referred to the use of the Trust Fund as “the textbook definition of a gimmick” and once again advocated for the placement of a referendum on the November ballot.

“I don’t think we should be going down this road,” he said.

A call to the Baron & Brennan law firm in Voorhees, which is representing the group of citizens threatening the lawsuit, was not immediately returned Monday.

• Representatives from will give council a presentation to bring them up to speed on the . Township manager Scott Carew had previously indicated there may be opportunities for the township to assist financially with the completion of that project, and the mayor reiterated that, noting Perkins Center’s status as a historical structure. “In my mind, that’s historical preservation,” he said. “There might be an opportunity for council to help.”

• Council will consider an ordinance to bond $432,250 to pay for the installation of new lights at and parks. Carew said the township should find out this week whether it will be awarded . He said Mary Pat Robbie, Burlington County’s conservation resource director, indicated she would be recommending the freeholders award the full amount of the grant to the township. Button said he’s very confident the township will receive the grant, but supports moving forward on the project either way. “It’s safety-related,” he said.

• Council will adopt the 2012 budget, , or $21.19 more for the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $529,800.

The council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the IT room at .