Township council adopts 2025 budget, advances several ordinances and applies for Open Space grant

The Township of Washington council adopted the 2025 municipal budget Monday and took a series of routine municipal actions including ordinance adoptions, ordinance introductions and grant applications.

Council voted to adopt the 2025 township budget under Resolution 25‑216 after a public hearing. The meeting record shows the council moved to waive the full reading of the budget and then adopted it following the required public notice; roll‑call votes were recorded on the adoption resolution.

On ordinances, the council held second‑reading public hearings and adopted Ordinance 25‑08 (second reading) and Ordinance 25‑09 (second reading). The minutes show a roll call with one councilor recorded as voting “No” on Ordinance 25‑09. The council also introduced Ordinance 25‑10 (bond ordinance to appropriate $2,352,000 and authorize $2,239,000 in bonds for capital projects) at first reading by title and scheduled a public hearing; and the council introduced Ordinance 25‑11, which replaces chapter 2‑44 (flood hazard areas) with DEP‑recommended floodplain management regulations and set a public hearing. Administration and legal staff said the floodplain ordinance follows the New Jersey DEP sample ordinance and noted the ordinance had been reviewed by DEP and FEMA before being presented to the council.

The council approved a consent agenda of items that included authorization to advertise bids for a new shingle roof at the library; authorization to advertise for tree pruning, removal and planting; authorization to advertise for receipt of bids for the 2025 Coolidge Avenue local road project; and certain escrow refunds and grant accounting adjustments. Administration earlier had reported that the library’s shingle roof is 23 years old, that prior leaks had cost $12,685.04 in repairs, and that the town’s architect advised asphalt shingles or standing‑seam metal were both viable, with metal expected to cost two to three times as much; administration recommended asphalt shingles because of cost.

The council approved Resolution 25‑221 authorizing the township to apply to the Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund for a matching grant of $97,000 to make ADA improvements at Memorial Field and Clark Field. Administration told the council that the township recently closed on 450 Pascack Road, an approximately three‑acre parcel adjacent to Memorial Field, which administration said was acquired for about $750,000 and that up to $550,000 of that amount was funded by a Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund grant. Mayor Peter Calamari described preliminary ideas for 450 Pascack Road — a nature trail, exercise area, benches, sidewalks and parking — and said immediate work would focus on cleanup and safety.

Administration also provided project updates: Boswell Engineering will conduct additional soil‑contamination delineation at the old swing‑club property; Boswell anticipates submitting a revised New Jersey DEP application for the Musqueo (Musque) Proxy Brook restoration project the week of May 12; the township plans to submit an application for the 2026 New Jersey DOT resurfacing grant for Ridgewood Boulevard North (deadline July 1, awards expected in November). Administration asked the council to approve advertising a bid for the Coolidge Avenue resurfacing project to allow the advertisement that week.

Ending: The council moved the meeting to the conference agenda after the consent agenda and scheduled several public hearings and procurement advertisements. Several items adopted or introduced will proceed through the normal public‑hearing and procurement processes.