Council approves scores of property sales, trafficking-awareness ordinance and redevelopment plan; several items passed by consent

Trenton City Council approved a package of ordinances and resolutions at its Sept. 4 meeting, including a citywide requirement that licensed businesses display human-trafficking awareness materials, multiple sales of city-owned parcels to private buyers, and adoption of a downtown redevelopment plan. Many items were approved on roll call or by a consent agenda with little or no public comment.

The council unanimously passed Ordinance 25-071 (second reading), an ordinance "requiring all licensed businesses within the city of Trenton to display human trafficking awareness materials issued by the attorney general's office." Council members voted yes during a roll call after no members of the public rose to speak.

The council also approved Ordinance 25-072, requiring owners of multi-unit dwellings to provide certain notifications from the Trenton Department of Water and Sewer, and Ordinance 25-084, adopting the 2025 Enterprise Avenue redevelopment plan pursuant to the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (NJSA cited on the ordinance). Several other single-property sale ordinances were approved on second reading; the sales list spans dozens of parcels and buyers and was handled largely without extended debate.

A resolution appropriating a $3,000,000 grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust for City Hall exterior work was discussed and approved in the consent portion of the meeting; council members were told the grant will fund exterior work with additional interior renovations anticipated in the future.

Several other resolutions on the consent agenda were approved together after council members extracted a small number of items for separate discussion. Where councilors raised questions — for example about the assignment of tax sale certificates to private assignees — staff answered questions about the statutory process and advertised lists.

The meeting closed with the council moving several items to executive session and announcing follow-ups on resident complaints and departmental matters.

Votes at a glance (selected items): - Ordinance 25-071 (Human-trafficking awareness displays) — Approved (roll call). No public speakers. - Ordinance 25-072 (Multi-unit dwelling water/sewer notifications) — Approved (roll call). No public speakers. - Ordinance 25-084 (Enterprise Avenue redevelopment plan) — Approved (roll call). - Ordinance 25-086 (Trenton Water Works purchase of Elk’s and Crest Deck properties, $1,034,191.14) — Approved (roll call). See separate article for details. - Ordinances 25-018 through 25-103 (multiple city-owned property sales) — Approved on second reading in a series of votes; buyers and sale prices recorded in the meeting minutes (see clerk’s docket). - Resolution appropriating $3,000,000 grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust (for City Hall exterior renovations) — Approved (consent). - Resolution approving Legionella testing contract (approx. $123,000, annual testing frequency increased to weekly after recent triggers) — Approved (consent).

What the council said: Council members emphasized that second readings and consent approvals do not always indicate the absence of public interest, but reflect a desire to move long-pending property matters and grant appropriations efficiently. Several council members asked administration staff to follow up on specific neighborhood questions (parking, property maintenance, and health/safety complaints).

Next steps: Items receiving second reading will proceed to final adoption as required by the city code if not otherwise amended. Items the administration pulled or that councilors asked to be amended (see separate articles on Water Works residency and the hours-of-operation proposal) will return to a future docket after staff revisions.