Commissioners to Vote on $176,748 Increase to Road Striping Contract Already Under Way
Change order is the largest dollar figure on a 36-item agenda that also includes a new county engineer and a second amendment to the Social Services Building agreement
The Salem County Board of Commissioners will vote Thursday night on a $176,748 change order to the county’s roadway line striping contract. It is the largest dollar figure listed on a 36-item agenda, and work under the contract reportedly started Wednesday, a day before the board is asked to approve the increase.
The resolution would authorize Change Order #1 to the county’s contract with Zone Striping, Inc. Commissioners awarded the original contract on Sept. 16 for $211,597 (Resolution 2026-454). Zone Striping was the low bidder out of two. Dan Swayze & Son, Inc. bid $304,576. The change order would add roughly 83 percent to the original price and bring the total to $388,345.
The original resolution set a 12-month contract term, with each assigned project to be completed within 30 days of a notice to proceed. County CFO Kelly Hannigan certified the funds from an account labeled Line Striping/Oil & Stone.
The agenda does not say what is driving the increase. It doesn’t say whether the county is adding roads, adding mileage or changing quantities. The work covers 14 county roadways:
The roads scheduled for striping are:
- Harmersville-Hancocks Bridge Road
- Harmersville-Pecks Corner Road
- Pecks Corner-Cohansey Road
- Kings Highway
- By-Pass Road (Mannington)
- Pointers-Auburn Road
- Hawks Bridge Road
- Pennsville-Auburn Road
- Daretown Road
- Deerfield Road
- Garden Road
- Olivet Road
- Buck Road
- Centerton Road
The board will also consider a second and final amendment to its shared services agreement with the Cumberland County Improvement Authority for renovations to the Social Services Building. The agenda does not disclose the dollar value of the latest change or what it alters.
County records show how the project has grown. Commissioners approved the original agreement in March 2025 (Resolution 2025-121), with CCIA providing construction management. The county set a project budget not to exceed $1,975,918. On Sept. 2, the board approved a first amendment (Resolution 2026-428) adding $84,233.57 to mill and pave the building’s parking lot. That figure includes a $2,054.48 fee to CCIA, 2.5 percent of construction costs. The money comes from two 2025 capital ordinances for county buildings and facilities.
The building’s role has changed in the meantime. The county disbanded the Salem County Board of Social Services effective July 1 and now provides those services directly through its Department of Social Services.
Personnel and labor items fill out the agenda. Commissioners will consider appointing a County Engineer, though the agenda does not name the appointee. They will weigh a Memorandum of Agreement and a Letter of Agreement with Communications Workers of America Local 1085 covering the county and the Prosecutor’s Office, and another amendment to Resolution 2026-003, which sets job titles and salary ranges.
A second spending item would award a non-fair and open contract to Vision Service Plan Insurance Company for an employee vision plan at an estimated $70,000. In October the board approved a similar contract with Delta Dental of New Jersey for an employee dental plan, estimated at $405,525. The county would also renew its membership in the Southern Coastal Regional Employee Benefits Fund.
Grants make up most of the rest. The board is set to accept and execute a New Jersey Department of Children and Families grant for the Child Advocacy Center serving the Prosecutor’s Office. It would also support a Division of Criminal Justice SART/FNE subaward application (VS-17-25), apply for the 2027 Statewide Respite Grant, accept additional funds for the 2026 Area Plan Grant and extend two Rural Health Transformation Program 2026 grants. Companion Chapter 159 resolutions would insert the revenue into the county budget for FY27 Child Advocacy Development, the 2026 Area Plan Grant and the Rural Health Transformation chronic disease outcomes grant.
Other items include updating the investment authorization with Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, a transfer of funds and a resolution authorizing the sale of surplus county property on an online auction site.
Public comment will be taken on agenda items or other county business. Speakers get four minutes and must state their name and address. The board may go into closed session, and its next meeting is Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.