The stories in 2010 didn't necessarily bring out the national media, like at least one of the top stories in 2009, but there were plenty of things that caught headlines in Millburn-Short Hills this last year.

Some of the stories caused people to turn out to public meetings to voice their concerns. Others brought you here to Millburn-Short Hills Patch to comment, like redistricting stories that prompted hundreds of comments. And still others marked major change for the township. Here is a list of the top stories of 2010 (in no specific order).

1. Budget Troubles

School officials were on track to create a budget with under a 2 percent increase in the tax rate in March, drawing down the surplus to keep the rate increase down. They anticipated a decrease in state aid, but then they lost it was going to be cut even more than they thought on St. Patrick's Day. That's when school officials learned they would lose all of their nearly $3 million in state aid.

School officials had to scramble to find a way to make up the difference in the budget, and the budget needed to be approved by the end of the month so it could be sent to the voters in April. The end result the board approved had many changes, including a shift in the academic supervisors positions, eliminating five of the positions and converting them to department chairmen at the high school.

Hundreds of people packed the school board meetings in late March before the budget was approved to go to the voters, many with varying opinions on what the board sent to the voters. But the story continues on the budget because school officials are anticipating a gap between revenues and costs. Discussions on how to make changes to address the gap have started this fall, and residents will get a first look at the proposed 2011-12 budget during the board's Jan. 10 meeting at 7:45 p.m. at Hartshorn Elementary School.

While the school board's budget woes were the most dramatic of 2010, the township also had its own woes, losing some of its state funding too. It took several months for state officials to approve the township's budget because of a backlog. Township officials approved a $.01 increase in the tax rate with a budget increase of 1.8 percent.

2. Redistricting Produced an Emotional Response

It started with a mandate in the fall of 2009 from the school board, and it ended with a plan to move students between Glenwood, Hartshorn and Deerfield elementary schools. In between, though, there were plenty of emotional and heated meetings as the school board reviewed how to alleviate a crowded situation at Glenwood.

The plan the board approved shifted students from Glenwood to Hartshorn and Deerfield. Additionally, Hartshorn students moved to Deerfield. Fourth and fifth graders and siblings for one year were grandfathered under the plan.

3. Changes at the Top for the School District

One of the top stories in 2009 was former School Supt. Richard Brodow's decision to retire in June 2010. In early 2010, the school board had its candidate to take on the chief school administrator's job, which it first introduced to a small group of invested individuals for review.

The school board introduced James Crisfield to the public in February as its choice for the next superintendent. In April, the board officially appointed him as Brodow's replacement starting on July 1.

But Brodow's departure wasn't the only change in the central administration. Elaine Vislocky resigned from her post as assistant superintendent for curriculum, and Robert Zeglarski left in the fall as the district's business administrator. Zeglarski had retired in 2009, but he returned in an interim capacity until his replacement could be found. In August, the board appointed their replacements—Christine Burton was named Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and Steve DiGeronimo became the district's business administrator.

4. Zoning Issues Grab Headlines

School news wasn't the only thing that dominated the headlines in Millburn-Short Hills, especially when it came to zoning.

After the township and the Chai Center leaders settled on a suit, an application was filed for the center to construct a new synagogue at the corner of Old Short Hills Road and Jefferson Avenue. The first hearing on the proposal—16,350-square-foot structure containing a 144-seat synagogue, library, social room, and several multi-purpose rooms on 1.8 acres of residential property—was held in April, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment has been holding a hearing each month since. They'll continue into 2011, and it remains unclear when the hearings will conclude. The proposal also has been opposed by The Concerned Neighborhood Association of Millburn Township, also known as Save Millburn.

Short Hills residents' fight against an affordable housing project on the Livingston border continues into 2011, although Livingston officials settled with the developer in 2010. Livingston officials approved a zoning change in December to allow TMB Partners to move forward with its application with the planning board in the township. The Millburn Township Committee has joined the neighbors in the fight in court and said it wouldn't support the settlement.

5. Building a Bridge Downtown

Traffic pattern changes. Left-turn tickets. Vibrating businesses. It was all part of the project to replace the Millburn Avenue bridge downtown, which continues into early 2011. The project started in late July as Cruz Construction started to tear down and replace the bridge. By September, police were enforcing the no left turn, issuing hundreds of tickets. Businesses had issues with the project, which prompted the county executive to come to town. The construction shifted right before Thanksgiving, and the project is due to be finished by March.

6. Adding Parking at the Train Station

Township officials have been looking for ways to add parking at the Millburn Train Station for as long as anyone can remember. But the latest study goes back to 2009, and in April 2010 the preliminary designs for a parking deck were presented to residnets. The consensus has been for a deck on Lot 2, which is at the corner of Lackwanna Place and Essex Street, rather than along Glen Avenue based on concerns from neighbors.

But township committee's subcommittee also has examined looking at adding parking at the Short Hills Train Station. The plan for there caused dozens of orange ribbons to be placed on trees so residents could see what the proposal would mean. The reaction has been negative (over 150 comments from our readers, many of them in opposition), and township committee members also have expressed displeasure with the plan.

7. A First for Girls Soccer

There were a lot of great sports stories in 2010, including the accomplishments of the senior athletes who graduated in 2010.

But the girls soccer pulled off something it had never done in school history in November—winning a state championship. The girls went on the road for nearly the entire state tournament, knocking off higher ranked teams along the way. And in their final, championship game had to come from behind to win the title.

Want to see more of the great sports stories from 2010? Check out top 10 sports stories of the year.

8. Fire Guts a Short Hills Store

The smoke filled the sky on one January morning in Short Hills. Nearly 100 firefighters battled a basement fire at 517 Millburn Ave., taking hours to get the blaze under control. The fire destroyed the interior of the building and required it to be demolished, which took weeks to get started. It took even longer for fire inspectors to review the case, determining the cause was not suspicious although they could not finger a specific cause.