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Council hears plan to pursue New Jersey "film-ready" designation, draft ordinance and locations list
Summary
Staff outlined steps to seek New Jersey's film-ready community certification, including designating a liaison, adopting a permitting ordinance (likely by ordinance), setting fees, and uploading municipal and private locations and vendor resources into the state portal; staff proposed a timeline to return a draft ordinance by May 6.
Staff told the council they are pursuing the state's Film Ready program and will prepare a draft ordinance to enable a formal permitting and fee structure, designate a municipal liaison and assemble a list of suitable municipal and private locations and local vendors.
"One of the things towns can do is make themselves basically more friendly and ready to go should a film crew need a set that looks like Highland Park," a staff presenter said, outlining the program. The presenter said several training steps already are complete: a community workshop and a law-enforcement-specific workshop attended by Chief Abrams. The next steps, staff said, are designating a liaison (a staff person) and adopting a permitting process, which staff said towns commonly implement by ordinance.
Staff said the state provides a model ordinance and that an ordinance also permits the borough to establish permit fees for filming. Staff cited sample fee ranges in other towns and suggested a basic permit could be in the low hundreds of dollars; they said fees vary based on scope and whether municipal properties are used. "A basic filming permit in the sample was a hundred dollars," the presenter said, adding that municipalities surveyed ranged from about $100 to $500 depending on staging and complexity.
Staff described other program elements: uploading a minimum number of photo-documented locations (staff suggested at least 10), listing local production resources such as catering, lodging and construction services, and encouraging private property owners to list their sites. The presenter proposed circulating a draft ordinance for review, incorporating police feedback, and aiming for introduction at the May 6 meeting.
Councilmembers raised logistics questions including staging and trailer locations, insurance and hours of operation. Staff said they would consult the borough's insurance carrier about proof-of-insurance requirements and use other towns' fee schedules as a benchmark. Staff also proposed outreach to restaurants, caterers and other vendors so they could register as local resources in the state portal.
No final decision was made; staff said they would circulate a draft ordinance and fee recommendations for council review.
