Five Things You Need to Know Out of Monday's Council Meeting

1. The township has hired a collection agency to go after municipal court deadbeats.

Duncan Solutions, of Milwaukee, WI, has been selected to collect outstanding fines from those who have not made good on their municipal court penalties.

Council approved a resolution Monday night authorizing the deal.

The state Administrative Office of the Courts must approve the move before Duncan Solutions can begin collecting fines on the township's behalf. It has already approved similar contracts between Duncan and the cities of Bridgeton and East Orange, according to township officials.

The one-year contract does not require the township to pay Duncan Solutions anything, acccording to Business Administrator Tom Cardis. Rather, the delinquent fine payers will be required to pay Duncan a fee.

"It does not cost the township anything," Cardis said during Council's April 2 work session. "It's a percentage that's added onto the bill when it's collected."

2. Council passed an ordinance on first reading that would result in motorists only being able to make right turns from Chews Landing Road onto the Black Horse Pike.

Motorists would no longer be able to cross the Black Horse Pike to proceed onto East Front Street if Council adopts the ordinance on final reading. Left turns are already prohibited at the intersection for Chews Landing Road traffic.

It is expected Council will vote to adopt the measure at its April 23 meeting.

3. The Council approved Mayor David Mayer's appointment of Bach Associates, of Haddon Heights, as township architect.

4. Council approved the purchase of 10 Panasonic Toughbook CF-31 mobile data terminals and related hardware for police cruisers at a cost of $59,263.

The laptops will replace equipment that has been in use for more than 10 years and, according to Chief W. Harry Earle's letter to township officials, "can no longer support the required software to operate the various systems installed in police vehicles."

5. The Gloucester Township Day Scholarship Committee has now awarded more than $900,000 in college scholarships to 1,500-plus township students over 27 years after Monday night's selection event.