New Milford council adopts road-improvement and FEMA home-elevation ordinances; several ordinances introduced for hearing March 10

The Mayor and Council of the Borough of New Milford adopted three capital ordinances at their meeting and introduced two additional ordinances for public hearing on March 10.

Adopted ordinances included: a capital appropriation of $228,060 to fund road reconstruction and drainage work on Roslyn Avenue, Monroe Avenue and Marion Avenue, to be raised from a New Jersey Department of Transportation grant; an amendment to a prior capital ordinance (listed as 2025:07) that modifies the source of funding for the FEMA Home Elevation Project’s grant management phase and appropriates $199,127.61; and a capital appropriation of $3,982,552.28 for the FEMA Home Elevation Project construction phase, to be raised from a federal grant and payments by certain affected property owners.

The clerk read each ordinance and the council opened and closed public hearings with no public comments recorded. Roll-call votes on the adopted ordinances were recorded in the meeting transcript as affirmative votes from council members present.

The transcript also shows two ordinances were introduced on first reading and set for public hearing at the March 10 meeting: an amendment to chapter 30 (land use regulations) concerning front-yard setbacks, fence heights and driveway widths (2025:09), and an amendment to chapter 7 (traffic) rescinding certain overnight parking restrictions on Monmouth Avenue, Stockton Street and Trenton Street (2025:10). Both introductions passed on initial roll calls and were scheduled for public hearings at the March 10 work session.

Separately, the council approved en masse a block of resolutions numbered 02/2025:85 through 02/2025:93; no individual resolution details were read into the record during the open meeting portion in the transcript.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2025:06 — Capital appropriation $228,060 (NJDOT grant) for road improvements (Roslyn Avenue, Monroe Avenue, Marion Avenue). Outcome: adopted. Roll-call: Councilwoman Samuelson (yes); Councilman Zeilner (yes); Councilman Grotzky (yes); Councilman Seymour (yes); Councilwoman Grant (yes).

- Ordinance 2025:07 — Capital ordinance amendment for FEMA Home Elevation Project (appropriation $199,127.61). Outcome: adopted. Roll-call recorded as affirmative by Councilwoman Samuelson and other members listed in transcript.

- Ordinance 2025:0E — Capital appropriation $3,982,552.28 for the FEMA Home Elevation Project construction phase, funded by a federal grant and payments by affected property owners. Outcome: adopted. Roll-call: Councilwoman Sandhuysen (yes); Councilman Zeilner (yes); Councilman Grotzky (yes); Councilman Seymour (yes); Councilwoman Grant (yes).

- Ordinance 2025:09 — Land use ordinance amendments (front-yard setbacks, fence heights, driveway widths). Introduced on first reading; public hearing set for March 10.

- Ordinance 2025:10 — Traffic ordinance amendments (rescind parking restrictions on specific streets). Introduced on first reading; public hearing set for March 10.

- Resolutions 02/2025:85–02/2025:93 — Adopted as a block; details not specified in the meeting transcript.

Clarification on FEMA amounts: the clerk read the appropriation total for the FEMA construction ordinance as $3,982,552.28; during the clerk’s reading the line-by-line breakdown of the FEMA grant portion included a figure that is garbled in the transcript. The transcript’s rendering of the FEMA grant amount appears inconsistent with the appropriation total; the transcript does not provide a clear, auditable breakdown. The minutes, ordinance text, or borough clerk’s office should be consulted to confirm the precise grant breakdown and homeowner payment figures before publication or fiscal reporting.

No amendments, abstentions or failed motions were recorded for the ordinances at final reading in the transcript.