Ramsey council adopts new floodplain management ordinance; introduces funding for senior bus and ambulance

The Borough of Ramsey Mayor and Council on April 23 adopted an ordinance to replace the borough’s flood-damage prevention rules with a new floodplain management chapter to align with recommendations from FEMA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

Borough Administrator Jose Vozseid told the council that FEMA reviewed the New Jersey model flood ordinance and that the DEP revised the model to ensure compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program; Vozseid said, "With the public hearing and vote on adoption at tonight's meeting, it will ensure our compliance with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's timeline." The ordinance was opened for public hearing; no members of the public spoke. The council approved final adoption by unanimous roll call.

Why it matters: the DEP-directed update is intended to keep Ramsey in the National Flood Insurance Program. Vozseid said the DEP requires participating municipalities to adopt the revised ordinance by June 18, 2025.

The meeting also moved several routine and financial items. The governing body approved a block of consent resolutions (Resolutions 84–90) that included endorsement of a single block-party permit and the borough's continuation as lead agent in the Northwest Bergen cooperative pricing program. During communications the mayor noted a $76,000 local recreational improvement grant awarded by the New Jersey Department of Transportation to upgrade electrical service at Finch Park; the council received that communication and voted to file the listed communications.

Appointments and funding actions: Mayor Dylan announced the appointments of Joseph Cenanti as a probationary officer with the Ramsey Police Department and David Purdy to the Ramsey Rescue Squad; those appointments were included in the evening’s approvals. Administrator Vozseid outlined two capital purchases the council will consider at final hearing in May: a replacement senior bus and a partial borough contribution to a new ambulance. He said the senior-bus purchase has a private donation of “over $70,000,” about half the bus cost, and that the borough will fund the remaining cost. For the ambulance, the Ramsey Ambulance Corps intends to use about $300,000 of its funds and asked the borough to provide roughly $70,000 to complete the purchase; Vozseid said repairing the current ambulance would cost about $30,000 but that the vehicle has little useful life remaining.

The council introduced, on first reading, Ordinance O-9-20-25, a capital-improvements ordinance to appropriate $150,000 in borough funds: $80,000 toward the senior bus and $70,000 toward the ambulance. The ordinance passed first reading by title and is scheduled for public hearing and final adoption at the May 14 mayor-and-council meeting. Council members also introduced Ordinance O-10-20-25 to establish restricted areas in municipal buildings to safeguard public records; that ordinance likewise passed first reading and will return for final action in May.

Other items noted during committee reports included ongoing engineering work on a proposed Emergency Services Complex (no date set for presentation of final plans), lead-service-line replacement planning to meet New Jersey DEP requirements to replace service lines by 2031, and work on PFAS treatment options at several borough well sites.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance O-8-20-25, Floodplain Management Ordinance — adopted on final reading; roll-call votes recorded as Yes: Councilwoman Cusick; Councilman Gutwecker; Councilman Kilman; Councilman Popolo; Councilwoman Poppe; Councilwoman Woods. Outcome: approved.

- Consent resolutions (Resolutions 84–90, including block party approval, grant insertions, and extension of Northwest Bergen cooperative pricing) — passed by roll call (unanimous Yes). Outcome: approved.

- Appointments: Joseph Cenanti (probationary police officer) and David Purdy (Ramsey Rescue Squad) — announced and approved as part of the evening’s actions. Outcome: approved.

- Ordinance O-9-20-25 (capital improvements: senior bus and ambulance partial funding) — passed first reading; scheduled for public hearing and final vote May 14, 2025. Outcome: introduced.

- Ordinance O-10-20-25 (municipal building restricted areas to safeguard public records) — passed first reading; scheduled for public hearing and final vote May 14, 2025. Outcome: introduced.

What the council did not decide tonight: final purchase authorizations for the senior bus and ambulance will require adoption of the capital ordinance in May and subsequent resolutions to execute cooperative purchases once funding is in place. Administrator Vozseid said the Emergency Services Complex design will be presented to the full mayor and council and the public when the plan and bid package are completed and after state review; no date was given.

Reported figures and deadlines cited during the meeting were stated by borough staff or read into the record: the DEP adoption deadline for the model flood ordinance is June 18, 2025; a $76,000 NJDOT recreational-improvement grant for Finch Park; a private donation of over $70,000 toward a new senior bus (described as approximately half the bus cost); an ambulance replacement plan that would use roughly $300,000 from the Ramsey Ambulance Corps plus $70,000 from the borough; and a quoted $30,000 estimated repair cost for the existing ambulance. Funding totals and grant amounts cited above are those reported aloud during the meeting.