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Highland Park Planning Board re-elects chair, names officers and professionals for 2025
Summary
The Highland Park Planning Board reappointed Rebecca as chair, confirmed a slate of officers and planning professionals, approved 2025 meeting dates and an official newspaper, and deferred formal adoption of rules to February.
The Highland Park Planning Board on Jan. 23, 2025, reappointed Rebecca as chair and approved its slate of officers and professional appointments for 2025, the board said during its annual reorganization meeting at Borough Hall.
The nominations and roll-call approvals covered vice chair, secretary and the board's professional roster, including Roger Thomas of Dolan and Dolan as board attorney, Chris Casenza as planner, and Bruce Koch of CME Associates as engineer. The board also approved its 2025 meeting dates and designated the Star-Ledger/Home News (as listed in the board record) as its official newspaper for now. The board deferred formal adoption of updated rules of order to its February meeting so counsel and staff can review notice language tied to new public-participation procedures.
Board members conducted the customary swearing-in and then proceeded to nominations. Rebecca nominated Patrick Hillel for vice chair; she nominated Alan Williams to continue as board secretary. The slate of professionals — Roger Thomas (Dolan and Dolan), Chris Casenza (planner), Bruce Koch (CME Associates) — and a motion to nominate Maureen as board clerk with Jen serving pro tem were each put to a roll-call vote and approved.
The board also voted to approve its 2025 meeting calendar and to designate its official newspaper. The chair solicited a motion to approve the dates and the selection of the Star-Ledger (and Home News titles listed in the record); members voted in favor by voice and the motion passed.
The board chose not to adopt revised rules of order at the meeting. Counsel and the chair said they would review the rules and return with any necessary edits in February to reflect the board's approach to remote participation and notice requirements.
The board approved revisions to the Oct. 10, 2024, minutes as proposed by members — including clarifying references to a "preexisting nonconforming use condition" and changing a reference to a future map — and approved the corrected minutes by roll call.
The meeting closed after a brief public-comment opportunity; no members of the public spoke during the posted period.
The administrative actions keep the board's roster and calendar in place while staff and counsel refine notice language tied to expanding online public participation.
