Council introduces ordinance to remove 24/7 nursing mandate for Stonebridge, sends change to planning board

Council members introduced an ordinance on April 7 to amend Chapter 108, Section 6.23 of the Monroe Township code to remove the township requirement that communities in the PRC‑2 (Planned Retirement Community District 2) maintain a registered nurse on duty 24 hours a day.

The measure was introduced by motion and carried on a roll call vote (Councilman Charles DePiro: yes; Councilman Michael Markell: yes; Councilwoman Rupa P. Siegel: yes; Council Vice President Terrence Van Zora: yes; Council President Miriam Cohen: yes). The ordinance is now scheduled for referral to the Planning Board and a second reading before the council; no final repeal or change to existing services was adopted tonight.

The ordinance would place Stonebridge in parity with the 14 other 55+ gated communities in Monroe that are not bound by the current PRC‑2 nursing requirement. Mayor Steven Delina, speaking before the public comment period, framed the issue as one of local choice: “I feel that each community should have its own freedom of choice as the 14 of the 15 private other senior communities already have to make health care decisions for themselves,” he said, while adding he personally believes nursing services are valuable.

Council members expressed differing emphases but voted to introduce the ordinance. Councilwoman Rupa P. Siegel said the change is “about fairness and freedom” and urged that Stonebridge residents be allowed to decide through their homeowners association; she added she would nonetheless encourage Stonebridge residents to support nurse services. Councilman Charles DePiro, speaking from his experience as a longtime resident and a real estate professional, said he would continue to listen to residents’ testimony before committing his final vote.

Public comment at length focused on the practical and emotional implications for Stonebridge residents. Barbara Levine, president of the Stonebridge HOA, told the council Stonebridge was designated PRC‑2 when it was built in 2006 and said the HOA’s request is only for parity: “The town council vote will not change our current 24 hour nursing coverage. It will only remove the township's requirement that we have such coverage,” she said, noting any future reduction would require HOA approval. Former HOA board member Ava Baron said the annual cost to Stonebridge of maintaining 24/7 nursing is “approximately $440,000,” and argued residents currently have no ability to tailor services because of the ordinance.

Other residents urged caution. Several speakers described personal incidents in which the on‑site nurse intervened before emergency services arrived. Debbie Pavlicka said the nurse’s judgment once led to an ambulance transport and subsequent hospital care for her husband: “He went to the nurse’s office, and she determined immediately that he not only needed to go to the emergency room, he needed to be transported by ambulance,” she said.

Town staff and emergency services clarified operational impacts. The township’s Director of EMS Services (unnamed in the record) said Monroe EMS is the primary EMS for Monroe only, provides mutual aid to neighboring towns on an as‑available basis, and retains its last truck in town at all times; the director reported no dramatic increase in call volume in communities that have reduced 24/7 nursing in recent years. The EMS director noted some communities have shifted nurse hours — for example, Rossmore reduced overnight coverage — while only Clearbrook and Concordia currently maintain 24‑hour nursing coverage in town.

Speakers on both sides repeatedly emphasized that an ordinance change would not directly remove the nurse from Stonebridge without subsequent HOA action. Some residents asked the council to codify any HOA approval threshold (Stonebridge’s current board resolution calls for a two‑thirds homeowner vote to change services), but others noted a municipal ordinance cannot easily single out a community for a different rule without creating inconsistent code. Several commenters and council members also questioned the fairness of prior HOA surveys and whether those surveys accurately represent community sentiment.

What the ordinance does and what happens next

The ordinance introduced tonight would amend the township code to remove the PRC‑2 specific nursing mandate and thereby allow Stonebridge the same local authority other 55+ communities have to set their nursing service level through their elected HOA boards and membership votes. The council explicitly noted the change is an introduction only; the ordinance requires a public second reading and referral to the Planning Board because it alters township zoning/code affecting PRC‑2.

No change to Stonebridge’s current nursing coverage takes effect by tonight’s vote. Multiple speakers and the mayor reiterated that if the ordinance becomes final, any reduction or elimination of Stonebridge nursing services would still depend on Stonebridge’s HOA process and approvals.

Why this matters

Stonebridge residents and council members framed the issue as a balance between two durable principles: local self‑determination for private HOAs, and the protection of residents who relied on a mandated level of onsite medical services when they purchased homes. Financial figures and operational details were repeatedly invoked: the HOA's $440,000 per‑year figure for full 24/7 nursing; the two‑thirds voting threshold cited by Stonebridge’s board resolution; and the town’s claim that EMS resources have strengthened since the PRC‑2 rule was adopted.

Next steps and community stakes

The ordinance will next go to the Planning Board for review and return to the council for a second reading before a final vote. Meanwhile, Stonebridge residents, the HOA, and other gated communities are likely to continue public outreach and discussion. Any town resident who wishes to follow the process should check the township’s website for Planning Board and council hearing dates.

Speakers who appear in this report spoke during the April 7 council meeting and are listed in the article’s speaker section. Quotations are used verbatim and attributed to the speaker as first stated in the meeting record. No final repeal or change to on‑site nursing was adopted on April 7; the council only introduced the ordinance on first reading and referred it for further review.