Woodbridge council amends FY2025 budget, adopts multiple ordinances and resolutions by consent

The Woodbridge Township Council voted on several budget and ordinance items at its Jan. 10, 2025 meeting, approving a resolution to amend the fiscal year 2025 budget, taking multiple ordinances up for second and third reading and adopting them by voice vote, and approving 26 resolutions by consent.

The council approved a resolution to amend the state fiscal year 2025 budget and set a public hearing and newspaper notice for that amendment as required. The council then took three ordinances involving chapter 7 amendments (Lewis Street, Cliff Road and North Change) up for second and third reading and opened the public hearing; with no public comments the council closed the hearing, adopted the ordinances and submitted them to the mayor for approval.

The council next took up an ordinance to amend chapter 32 (cemetery regulation) for second and third reading. After one public comment the council closed the hearing, adopted the ordinance and submitted it to the mayor for approval. The council also approved four related financial/urban renewal items (letters e, f, g and h) concerning payment terms and taxes tied to properties including 7051 Street, Fulton Street Urban Renewal, Rapid Fire Logistics Center Urban Renewal and JAP Hospitality Urban Renewal. A member stated they would abstain on letter f; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the audio. The council moved a separate ordinance on first reading to be published in the owners’ review on Jan. 23, 2025 and set a public hearing for Feb. 4, 2025 at 6 p.m.

By consent the council approved 26 resolutions listed as items 1 through 26. Several motions and votes during the meeting were recorded as voice votes with the chair noting the outcome; the audio did not provide individual roll-call vote counts for those items. The meeting was continued and scheduled to reconvene on Feb. 4, 2025 for the advertised hearings.

Discussion and public comment on the listed ordinances was brief. Where the record shows no public comment, the council closed the hearings before adopting the measures. Several items were explicitly taken “by consent,” and the council chair led voice votes on those consent items.

Votes at a glance - Resolution to amend FY2025 budget: motion made and approved; hearing to be advertised as required (date set by the council during the meeting). - Ordinances (chapter 7 amendments — Lewis Street; Cliff Road; North Change): taken for second and third reading, public hearing opened and closed with no comments, adopted and sent to the mayor for approval. - Ordinance (chapter 32 — cemetery regulation): taken for second and third reading, one public comment, then adopted and sent to the mayor for approval. - Financial/urban renewal agreements (letters e, f, g, h): approved by consent; one member indicated an abstention on letter f. - First-reading ordinance: passed on first reading; to be published Jan. 23, 2025; public hearing on Feb. 4, 2025 at 6 p.m. - Resolutions 1–26: approved by consent.

How the council voted: Most approvals were recorded as voice votes. The meeting audio repeatedly records the chair calling for “aye” and saying the motion carried; the record does not contain complete individual roll-call tallies. One abstention was noted verbally on letter f; the abstaining member was not identified by name in the audio segment.

Background and significance: The budget amendment and the ordinance adoptions update local fiscal and land-use rules and advance multiple urban renewal and tax/payment agreements tied to ongoing redevelopment projects. The cemetery regulation ordinance (chapter 32) is a local code change affecting cemetery operations and enforcement; it was taken up and adopted after a brief public hearing.

The council scheduled follow-up public hearings and publication steps required by municipal procedure; the items adopted will be forwarded to the mayor for signature or approval as required by local law.

Less critical items and next steps: The council continued the meeting and set Feb. 4, 2025 as the date for several advertised hearings. No further substantive policy motions were taken at the Jan. 10 session.