New Guides Help Businesses Navigate Government

The township’s Economic Business and Development Commission has created guides to help business owners find their way through the maze of government approvals.

Commission members presented their guides to the township’s permitting and inspection process at the most recent Township Committee meeting.

The guides, said commission president Cynthia Klepich, are designed to help those who are interested in starting a business in Hillsborough or current business owners who want to make improvements.

The commission produced these hints after receiving feedback from business owners who said they needed hints to “navigate” through the township’s building department, Klepich said.

The hints are presented in bullet-fashion to make it easy to understand, she said.

For example, the guide to the inspecting process contains this tip: “ensure the architect and contractors review and do a walk-thru of what is being inspected to confirm it meets the minimum Code requirements as well as the released blueprint/plan prior to the actual inspection.”

About 2,800 applications for permits are processed annually by the building department.

“It is our goal to continue to attract new businesses while working with our existing businesses here in Hillsborough to assist them with the mandated building requirements,” said Committee Frank DelCore, the governing body’s liaison to the Economic Business Development Commission.

“We believe this initiative helps to take the mystery out of the process and answers some upfront questions for the business,” DelCore said.

The guides will be available at the building office in the municipal complex and on the township’s website.