Mayor and Council Meeting Summary **September 24, 2026**
Posted by Admin ·
Here’s a concise summary of the **September 24, 2026 Borough Council meeting** based on the transcript created by YouTube:
## Key points
- **Meeting opened with a memorial**
- Council recognized the passing of **Robert David Wallitz**, a former Borough police sergeant who served for 28 years before retiring in 2001.
- **Recreation center opening**
- The new recreation center is expected to begin limited programming **within a couple of weeks**.
- Initial plans include:
- Weekday open gyms.
- After-school programming potentially beginning in January.
- Senior programming by late spring.
- Monthly community events such as movie nights and concerts.
- The borough is hiring part-time staff to supervise evening/weekend activities.
- Officials emphasized that the center will open **in stages** because staffing, security, scheduling, and programming all need to be established.
- A security/technology walkthrough with the police department was planned for the following week.
- **High-school football**
- Residents asked about the cancellation of the borough's high-school football program.
- Officials stressed that the **Board of Education**, rather than the Borough Council, controls the school athletic program.
- Borough recreation officials are nevertheless working with the superintendent and athletic director on strengthening youth football.
- The borough has been developing a **flag-football program** as a possible feeder system.
- Officials discussed eventually building participation enough to support seventh- and eighth-grade tackle football and potentially create a pipeline into high school.
- **River Road apartment/property concerns**
- Residents asked what improvements had been made to apartments on River Road.
- Officials reported:
- Painting.
- New carpeting.
- Inspections.
- Sidewalk and roof work.
- Efforts to address a rodent problem.
- Trash-management measures, including traps and potentially cameras.
- Officials said enforcement actions and fines had resulted in significant progress, although **leaks and pest-related problems remained**.
- **Major borrowing/bond ordinances**
- Two bond ordinances were introduced for public hearing on **October 15**:
- **$1.891 million** for various public improvements, equipment, vehicles, IT, communications/signal equipment, and other municipal needs.
- **$1.77 million** for **Olsson Park improvements**.
- Officials said grants would cover/reimburse **more than $1 million** of the combined costs.
- They indicated that only roughly **$100,000 of the Olsson Park amount represents new debt**, with much of the funding coming from previously borrowed recreation-center funds.
- **Traffic and parking ordinances**
- The council approved introductions concerning:
- Towing and parking restrictions.
- Parking restrictions on portions of Dun Avenue.
- **Commercial vehicle overnight parking**.
- These measures passed unanimously among participating council members.
- **Stormwater ordinance**
- The council held a public hearing and adopted an updated stormwater-control ordinance.
- Officials said the changes were required by the **New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection**.
- The requirements primarily affect development applications and are intended to ensure new projects properly manage stormwater and reduce flooding.
- **Payments and municipal business**
- The council approved the consent agenda and payment of claims, with some members recusing themselves from matters involving departments or organizations with which they had conflicts.
- August 27 regular and closed-session minutes were approved.
- **Fire Department**
- Council approved a fire-department boot drive for **October 17, 9 a.m.–noon**.
- Two new firefighters and a new junior firefighter were approved.
- Officials discussed the number of new volunteers and the availability of firefighter training.
- Junior firefighters can participate in certain activities but cannot perform interior structural firefighting until meeting the applicable age requirements.
- **Library**
- A longtime library trustee, **Mary Kamarowski**, resigned after approximately 17 years of service.
- The council planned to recognize her with a certificate.
- The library renovation was reported as complete, including new flooring, carpeting, and shelving.
- Library staff had participated in local back-to-school events and were planning additional community programming.
- **Trees and infrastructure**
- The borough is conducting a tree inventory and updating its community forestry plan.
- Officials said there has been a large increase in requests for tree trimming/removal.
- The capital budget includes money to address the **most dangerous/problematic trees**.
- Residents raised concerns about trees and utility poles creating blind spots at intersections.
- Officials acknowledged that relocating utility poles can cost around **$15,000 each**, making widespread relocation difficult within the current budget.
- **Energy initiatives**
- The borough is implementing its community energy plan.
- Proposed ordinances would address:
- Electric-vehicle charging and parking.
- Solar installations on homes.
- Officials were also exploring energy-efficiency improvements to municipal buildings.
- **Halloween safety**
- Considerable discussion focused on Halloween traffic and crowding.
- Officials said the area attracts many visitors from outside the borough, creating significant burdens for local residents.
- The borough is considering a more organized Halloween event and ways to safely manage traffic and candy distribution.
- Police liability and street closures were identified as issues that need to be resolved before a larger organized event.
- Officials discussed potentially holding activities at the recreation center and using volunteers.
- **Communication with residents**
- Several council members acknowledged problems with **communication between borough departments and residents**.
- There was discussion about producing a more frequent newsletter, potentially quarterly.
- Officials are also upgrading the borough website and transitioning to new `.gov` email addresses.
- The upgraded website is expected to provide more online forms and information.
- The council discussed potentially creating an official **Facebook presence** because many residents rely heavily on Facebook for local information.
- Officials emphasized that managing social media effectively may require a dedicated communications/public-information position.
- **Police report**
- August statistics included:
- **131 motor-vehicle stops**
- **441 summonses**
- **58 warnings**
- **8 arrests** — 5 males and 3 females
- 296 summonses related to borough parking ordinances.
- **Sports fields**
- Council members expressed satisfaction that the borough's athletic fields are being heavily used.
- Officials acknowledged some complaints about field availability but viewed the increased participation as evidence of growing recreational activity.
- **Senior transportation**
- The borough experienced difficulties obtaining transportation coverage, particularly on Fridays, because of a shortage/availability issue involving a bus driver.
- **Upcoming recreation events**
- Flag football was underway.
- Basketball registration was scheduled to open **October 5**.
- Fall Festival: **October 10, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.**
- Tree lighting: **December 4**
- Breakfast with Santa: **December 6**
- **Other community events**
- The VFW was planning an Oktoberfest.
- Creative Arts was planning an art fair in November.
- The Friends of the Library were planning a concert.
- A fire-department fundraiser/boot drive was approved.
- **Closed session**
- The council amended its closed-session resolution to cover both **personnel and litigation** matters.
- The meeting then went into closed session before returning to/closing the public meeting.
## Biggest themes
1. **Getting the new recreation center operational** is a major priority, but officials want to phase it in rather than immediately offer a full schedule.
2. **Youth sports—especially football—were a major community concern**, with the borough pursuing flag football and a potential feeder program while acknowledging that the high-school program is controlled by the school district.
3. **Infrastructure and public safety**—trees, flooding, parking, traffic visibility, and property conditions—received substantial attention.
4. The borough is undertaking **significant capital spending and borrowing**, while emphasizing that grants and previously authorized funds will cover much of the cost.
5. Officials repeatedly returned to **communication and community engagement**, including improving the website, newsletters, social media, and coordination with the school district.
6. There was a noticeable emphasis on **volunteers and resident participation**, particularly for recreation, sports, and community events.
## Key points
- **Meeting opened with a memorial**
- Council recognized the passing of **Robert David Wallitz**, a former Borough police sergeant who served for 28 years before retiring in 2001.
- **Recreation center opening**
- The new recreation center is expected to begin limited programming **within a couple of weeks**.
- Initial plans include:
- Weekday open gyms.
- After-school programming potentially beginning in January.
- Senior programming by late spring.
- Monthly community events such as movie nights and concerts.
- The borough is hiring part-time staff to supervise evening/weekend activities.
- Officials emphasized that the center will open **in stages** because staffing, security, scheduling, and programming all need to be established.
- A security/technology walkthrough with the police department was planned for the following week.
- **High-school football**
- Residents asked about the cancellation of the borough's high-school football program.
- Officials stressed that the **Board of Education**, rather than the Borough Council, controls the school athletic program.
- Borough recreation officials are nevertheless working with the superintendent and athletic director on strengthening youth football.
- The borough has been developing a **flag-football program** as a possible feeder system.
- Officials discussed eventually building participation enough to support seventh- and eighth-grade tackle football and potentially create a pipeline into high school.
- **River Road apartment/property concerns**
- Residents asked what improvements had been made to apartments on River Road.
- Officials reported:
- Painting.
- New carpeting.
- Inspections.
- Sidewalk and roof work.
- Efforts to address a rodent problem.
- Trash-management measures, including traps and potentially cameras.
- Officials said enforcement actions and fines had resulted in significant progress, although **leaks and pest-related problems remained**.
- **Major borrowing/bond ordinances**
- Two bond ordinances were introduced for public hearing on **October 15**:
- **$1.891 million** for various public improvements, equipment, vehicles, IT, communications/signal equipment, and other municipal needs.
- **$1.77 million** for **Olsson Park improvements**.
- Officials said grants would cover/reimburse **more than $1 million** of the combined costs.
- They indicated that only roughly **$100,000 of the Olsson Park amount represents new debt**, with much of the funding coming from previously borrowed recreation-center funds.
- **Traffic and parking ordinances**
- The council approved introductions concerning:
- Towing and parking restrictions.
- Parking restrictions on portions of Dun Avenue.
- **Commercial vehicle overnight parking**.
- These measures passed unanimously among participating council members.
- **Stormwater ordinance**
- The council held a public hearing and adopted an updated stormwater-control ordinance.
- Officials said the changes were required by the **New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection**.
- The requirements primarily affect development applications and are intended to ensure new projects properly manage stormwater and reduce flooding.
- **Payments and municipal business**
- The council approved the consent agenda and payment of claims, with some members recusing themselves from matters involving departments or organizations with which they had conflicts.
- August 27 regular and closed-session minutes were approved.
- **Fire Department**
- Council approved a fire-department boot drive for **October 17, 9 a.m.–noon**.
- Two new firefighters and a new junior firefighter were approved.
- Officials discussed the number of new volunteers and the availability of firefighter training.
- Junior firefighters can participate in certain activities but cannot perform interior structural firefighting until meeting the applicable age requirements.
- **Library**
- A longtime library trustee, **Mary Kamarowski**, resigned after approximately 17 years of service.
- The council planned to recognize her with a certificate.
- The library renovation was reported as complete, including new flooring, carpeting, and shelving.
- Library staff had participated in local back-to-school events and were planning additional community programming.
- **Trees and infrastructure**
- The borough is conducting a tree inventory and updating its community forestry plan.
- Officials said there has been a large increase in requests for tree trimming/removal.
- The capital budget includes money to address the **most dangerous/problematic trees**.
- Residents raised concerns about trees and utility poles creating blind spots at intersections.
- Officials acknowledged that relocating utility poles can cost around **$15,000 each**, making widespread relocation difficult within the current budget.
- **Energy initiatives**
- The borough is implementing its community energy plan.
- Proposed ordinances would address:
- Electric-vehicle charging and parking.
- Solar installations on homes.
- Officials were also exploring energy-efficiency improvements to municipal buildings.
- **Halloween safety**
- Considerable discussion focused on Halloween traffic and crowding.
- Officials said the area attracts many visitors from outside the borough, creating significant burdens for local residents.
- The borough is considering a more organized Halloween event and ways to safely manage traffic and candy distribution.
- Police liability and street closures were identified as issues that need to be resolved before a larger organized event.
- Officials discussed potentially holding activities at the recreation center and using volunteers.
- **Communication with residents**
- Several council members acknowledged problems with **communication between borough departments and residents**.
- There was discussion about producing a more frequent newsletter, potentially quarterly.
- Officials are also upgrading the borough website and transitioning to new `.gov` email addresses.
- The upgraded website is expected to provide more online forms and information.
- The council discussed potentially creating an official **Facebook presence** because many residents rely heavily on Facebook for local information.
- Officials emphasized that managing social media effectively may require a dedicated communications/public-information position.
- **Police report**
- August statistics included:
- **131 motor-vehicle stops**
- **441 summonses**
- **58 warnings**
- **8 arrests** — 5 males and 3 females
- 296 summonses related to borough parking ordinances.
- **Sports fields**
- Council members expressed satisfaction that the borough's athletic fields are being heavily used.
- Officials acknowledged some complaints about field availability but viewed the increased participation as evidence of growing recreational activity.
- **Senior transportation**
- The borough experienced difficulties obtaining transportation coverage, particularly on Fridays, because of a shortage/availability issue involving a bus driver.
- **Upcoming recreation events**
- Flag football was underway.
- Basketball registration was scheduled to open **October 5**.
- Fall Festival: **October 10, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.**
- Tree lighting: **December 4**
- Breakfast with Santa: **December 6**
- **Other community events**
- The VFW was planning an Oktoberfest.
- Creative Arts was planning an art fair in November.
- The Friends of the Library were planning a concert.
- A fire-department fundraiser/boot drive was approved.
- **Closed session**
- The council amended its closed-session resolution to cover both **personnel and litigation** matters.
- The meeting then went into closed session before returning to/closing the public meeting.
## Biggest themes
1. **Getting the new recreation center operational** is a major priority, but officials want to phase it in rather than immediately offer a full schedule.
2. **Youth sports—especially football—were a major community concern**, with the borough pursuing flag football and a potential feeder program while acknowledging that the high-school program is controlled by the school district.
3. **Infrastructure and public safety**—trees, flooding, parking, traffic visibility, and property conditions—received substantial attention.
4. The borough is undertaking **significant capital spending and borrowing**, while emphasizing that grants and previously authorized funds will cover much of the cost.
5. Officials repeatedly returned to **communication and community engagement**, including improving the website, newsletters, social media, and coordination with the school district.
6. There was a noticeable emphasis on **volunteers and resident participation**, particularly for recreation, sports, and community events.
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