On Monday, September 14th, the Cherry Hill Township Council gathered for their bi-weekly caucus meeting. As per usual, the public was welcome to attend the meeting physically in the Cherry Hill Municipal Building, as well as on Zoom.
This particular meeting garnered larger public participation than usual, as numerous Cherry Hill residents had a wide variety of concerns to bring to the attention of the council.
Mayor David Fleisher opened his remarks by thanking the community for once again coming together at the 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony to honor the victims, their families, and the valiant first responders.
Additionally, Mayor Fleisher announced an upcoming partnership with the Cherry Hill school district designed “specifically for the health and well-being of our students.”
“We will enter into an agreement with the schools to fund a licensed mental health clinician for the high schools and alternative program,” Mayor Fleisher explained. “The dedicated counselor, funded for an initial two-year period from our township’s opioid settlement funds, will serve as an important mental health resource and work to combat drug abuse disorders among our youngest residents.”
Once the floor had been opened to the public, the council heard concerns from community members ranging from local issues like pedestrian access between neighborhoods to national issues such as flock cameras and data centers.
One particularly vocal group had been a handful of residents from The Premier at Cherry Hill, formerly known as The Towers of Windsor Park, who had banded together to report their growing concerns regarding their living conditions. Residents recounted poor building care, mold, and persistent unaddressed damages while seeing quite an increase in their rent and utilities.
“We will be on it tomorrow,” Mayor Fleisher addressed them directly. “We recognize that there is a problem there, and we will put our resources to bear to work with you.”
On a more nationwide scale, flock cameras (automated license plate readers that track vehicle movements) were once again brought to the council’s attention as more community members grew weary about the parent company’s intentions.
One public participant cited a recent scandal reported by the American Civil Liberties Union, detailing that Flock Safety has allegedly “intentionally misled” communities about the true scope of their data collection and monitoring capabilities.
“We all recognize on council the dialogue that’s taking place nationally, statewide, and locally around these concerns. We also recognize from law enforcement that this type of technology has been used here locally, just even over the last 12-24 months, to help solve some very serious crimes,” Mayor Fleisher states.
“Having said that, there are ten flock cameras that are in use in Cherry Hill. That contract ends December 31st, and a decision has already been made that we will not be renewing that contract with Flock,” the Mayor announces. “Flock cameras will not be in Cherry Hill after the close of this year, so that will be wrapping up quickly.”
As the meeting closed, the council reminded spectators of upcoming events within the Cherry Hill community. The schedule is as follows:
- September 26th – Ballet in the Park at Croft Farm
- September 26th – State of New Jersey Property Tax Filing at the community center
- September 26th – National Public Lands Day volunteer opportunity at the Large Red Barn at Croft Farm. Registration is required through the township website at www.chnj.gov
- September 28th – Senior Festival at DoubleTree by Hilton, Grand Ballroom
- October 28th – Mayor’s Wellness Walk starting at the Cherry Hill Mall
The next Cherry Hill Township Council Meeting will take place on Monday, September 28th. In the meantime, the full recording of this meeting and its minutes can be viewed at any time at https://www.chnj.gov/AgendaCenter.
