DOVER — St. John’s Episcopal Church will host its annual Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the church, located at 11 South Bergen Street, Dover.

Community members are invited to bring their beloved furry friends to be part of this special service that honors the joy and companionship pets bring into people’s lives. The blessing is open to dogs and cats only, and will be incorporated into the church’s worship service.

The Blessing of the Animals tradition is celebrated in many churches worldwide in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, whose feast day is observed each October.

“We welcome everyone to join us in this celebration,” said a church representative. “Our pets are part of our families, and this is a wonderful opportunity to give thanks for the love and companionship they provide.”

DOVER — The Mayor and Town Council will hold their regular meeting Monday, September 29, at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. Mayor James P. Dodd will open the session with the Sunshine Statement. An interpreter will be available, and attendees are asked to silence electronic devices.

How to join: Zoom Meeting ID 865 3265 7738, Passcode 862503.

Click here to download the agenda.

What’s on the agenda

• Second reading & public hearing: Ordinance 30-2025 to formally create a Department of Public Safety, consolidating Police, Fire, and OEM under a Director of Public Safety (replacing the chief positions) and setting ranks and reporting structure.
• First readings: Four ordinances to add handicapped parking spaces at 109 Baker Street, 9 Sanford Street, 56 Ann Street, and 147 Liberty Street, plus Ordinance 35-2025 amending Chapter 72 (Salaries & Compensation) for certain town positions.
• Bills list: Resolution 264-2025 to approve payments totaling $3,299,016.75.
• Licensing: Resolution 265-2025 to approve taxi/limo licenses for Dover operators following inspections.
• Facilities: Resolution 266-2025 to increase the Health Department renovations contract with AB Contracting by $14,605.65 (new total $252,064.65).
• Public safety in schools: Resolution 267-2025 appointing Ruben Arenas, Frank Marino, and Glicerio Piazza as crossing guards for 2025.
• Closed session: Resolution 268-2025 authorizing an executive session on confidential personnel matters; any actions will be considered afterward in open session.

Public comment

Comments will be taken twice (agenda items and general), three minutes per speaker. Residents are reminded to keep remarks respectful and focused on issues.

DOVER — Dr. Louis A. Valori, Principal Owner of The Valori Group LLC, has issued a detailed response to the Morris County Police Chiefs Association following its recent letter criticizing his firm’s analysis of the Dover Police Department.

Valori emphasized that his report was not an investigation, but a fiscal and operational review intended to give Dover’s elected officials an honest look at the sustainability of the department’s budget and staffing model. “Nearly 30 percent of the Town’s budget is consumed by one department. That is not an opinion — that is fact,” he stated.

According to Valori, the study relied strictly on hard data, including budgets, contracts, and overtime costs. He rejected the Association’s claim that certain contractual obligations, such as Detective Stand-By Pay and Extra Duty pay, should not be considered. “Those costs are taxpayer obligations. They affect pensions, liabilities, and overall spending,” he wrote, noting that federal reimbursements do not erase the inefficiencies of an overtime-driven model.

He also pointed to Dover’s contractual minimum staffing requirements, which he says force the town into overtime dependency. “Whether the mandate is three officers plus a supervisor, or four officers plus a sergeant, the reality is the same: Dover’s finances cannot sustain this model,” Valori said.

In his response, Valori challenged comparisons to past studies, stressing that his analysis reflects Dover’s current 2025 fiscal realities, where overtime has grown while revenues have not. He also defended his qualifications, citing his law enforcement and military background as well as advanced academic training in public administration and organizational leadership.

“Your attempt to discredit me personally does not alter the facts,” Valori wrote. “The average Dover resident earns approximately $30,000 annually. Asking them to subsidize runaway overtime and a department that consumes nearly one-third of the municipal budget is not sustainable governance.”

Valori concluded that his report was impartial, data-driven, and focused on fiscal responsibility. He described the Association’s letter as a “defensive maneuver designed to preserve the status quo,” and urged Dover’s Mayor and Council to act on facts, not rhetoric.

DOVER — Mayor James P. Dodd issued a strong statement on Friday, September 26, in response to the Morris County Chiefs’ Association letter defending Dover Police Chief Jonathan Delaney.

Calling the letter “a desperate attempt to protect a fraternal brother and a system that benefits the chiefs of police,” Dodd emphasized that his duty is to Dover’s residents, not out-of-town chiefs. “I was elected to serve the people of Dover, who cannot afford a police department plagued by out-of-control overtime and mismanagement,” he said.

According to Dodd, the numbers reveal a stark imbalance. While the average Dover resident earns $31,000 annually, eleven police officers earn more than $200,000 each. A lieutenant earns over $300,000, and Chief Delaney’s total compensation package, including benefits and a take-home vehicle, approaches $400,000—placing him among the highest-paid public employees in New Jersey.

“The Valori report was fact-driven and laid out the fiscal and structural problems in Dover’s current system,” Dodd said. “The Chiefs’ hostility is predictable; they have long opposed public safety directors because real oversight threatens their oversized contracts and power centers.”

Dodd stressed his commitment to prioritizing residents. “I will always put residents first, unlike out-of-town Chiefs who don’t live here or pay taxes here. This is about protecting residents, not protecting paychecks. Our taxpayers cannot afford runaway overtime or a department that fails to enforce basic quality-of-life issues like homelessness, public intoxication, and noise violations.”

Concluding his statement, Dodd rejected the Chiefs’ letter as “nothing more than a false narrative and conclusion.” He added, “The people of Dover deserve fiscal responsibility, accountability, and safe neighborhoods, not political letters written to defend the status quo at the expense of residents.”

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, Dover Focus did not receive any communication from the Morris County Chiefs’ Association in reference to the letter defending Chief Delaney.