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Council pulls ordinance to dissolve Shade Tree Commission after strong public opposition
Summary
An ordinance that would have replaced Sayreville’s Shade Tree Commission with an advisory committee was pulled from the agenda after commissioners and residents said the change would reduce transparency and strip authority established under New Jersey law.
The Mayor and Borough Council of Sayreville pulled an ordinance from the agenda Tuesday that would have dissolved the borough’s Shade Tree Commission and replaced it with a quarterly advisory committee not subject to the Open Public Meetings Act.
The matter drew sustained public comment. Arthur Rittenhouse, who identified himself as chair of the Shade Tree Commission, urged the council to keep the commission intact and said the proposed change was placed on the agenda without following the council’s rules of order. "The Shade Tree Commission is charged with exclusive responsibility of planting trees and shrubs on local county, state, and federal land within the borough of Sayreville," Rittenhouse said, and he…
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