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Council introduces two ordinances: MUA pay increase and police officer code changes
Summary
The council voted to introduce Ordinance 25-15, which memorializes a 2.5% cost-of-living increase for Pompton Lakes Municipal Utilities Authority commissioners (funded by MUA rates), and Ordinance 25-16, which aligns class 3 school resource officer terms to the school year and confirms statutory caps for class 2 officers.
Pompton Lakes Borough Council introduced two ordinances affecting the Municipal Utilities Authority and police code, moving both measures forward for later public hearing and final vote.
Ordinance 25-15 would memorialize a 2.5% cost-of-living increase for the Pompton Lakes Municipal Utilities Authority (MUA) commissioners; council members were told the increase is funded by the MUA through utility rates and not the borough’s general fund. Council members asked whether commissioners must be borough residents and whether the 2.5% figure could be contested; staff and the borough attorney advised that the MUA is a separate entity, the practice is used for transparency and the municipal code and MUA law do not require a residency limitation for commissioners.
Council members discussed the optics of a higher increase than some other borough pay adjustments; one council member noted the increase is roughly 41 cents per day when spread in aggregate. The council voted to introduce the ordinance for first reading; roll call recorded several yes votes, and the record shows at least one recusal/abstention noted elsewhere on the agenda (the transcript records a recusal during roll call but the speaker name is not unambiguously identified in the audio transcript).
Ordinance 25-16, brought forward at the recommendation of the police chief, amends borough code to set class 3 officers’ terms to coincide with the school year (typically August/September) and updates language about class 2 officers, including confirming the 25% cap on class 2 officers within the police department (as required by state statute). The ordinance also clarifies that class 2 officer swearing-in typically happens at the January council meeting. The council voted to introduce Ordinance 25-16; staff said the changes were proposed by the police chief and reviewed by the borough attorney.
Both ordinances were introduced for public notice and will return for a later hearing and final adoption vote. Council members were advised that introducing an ordinance does not itself change policy and that final adoption comes after the public notice and hearing process.
Votes at a glance: Ordinance 25-15 (MUA salary ordinance) — introduced on first reading (roll call recorded). Ordinance 25-16 (police code amendments regarding class 2/class 3 officers and school-year alignment) — introduced on first reading (roll call recorded). One recusal/abstention was recorded on the related roll calls; transcript does not unambiguously name the member who recused.
The council’s introduction moves both ordinances to the formal notice/hearing stage required by municipal law before final adoption.
