The Borough of Fair Lawn mayor and council on Tuesday adopted several 2025 special improvement district budgets, approved a slate of ordinances for capital projects, roads and water infrastructure and awarded municipal contracts, the council said during its May 20 meeting.

The council voted to adopt the 2025 Broadway, River Road and Fairlawn Avenue Special Improvement District budgets by roll call vote. Members cast unanimous votes on the budget resolutions during the meeting.

Why it matters: The special improvement district budgets fund local business-district services on Broadway, River Road and Fairlawn Avenue. Separately, the adopted ordinances include funding and bonding authorizations for capital improvements, road repaving and water-supply work that the borough says will proceed in coming months.

The meeting also approved a series of ordinances on final reading, including a capital-improvements ordinance that appropriates $4,207,000, road and water supply ordinances, and administrative changes related to the health department and new advisory committees. The council approved a package of contract awards for routine municipal services and equipment.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 181A-2025 — Adopt 2025 Broadway Special Improvement District budget. Outcome: approved (roll call vote: Council Member Salinas — yes; Council Member Krauss — yes; Deputy Mayor Rottenstrike — yes; Deputy Mayor Reinec — yes; Mayor Christina Catron — yes).

- Resolution 181B-2025 — Adopt 2025 River Road Special Improvement District budget. Outcome: approved (same roll call pattern; unanimous).

- Resolution 181C-2025 — Adopt 2025 Fairlawn Avenue Special Improvement District budget. Outcome: approved (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinance 27-38-2025 — Capital improvements and related appropriations; appropriation listed in meeting materials as $4,207,000. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call). A figure for the bond issuance in the published hearing text was garbled in the transcript and is not specified here.

- Ordinance 27-39-2025 — Improvements to various roads; appropriation listed as $1,700,000. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinance 27-40-2025 — Water supply improvements; appropriation listed as $2,060,000. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinance 27-41-2025 — Repeal article for Department of Health and Human Services (administrative change to transition certain health functions). Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call). At the meeting borough staff said many day-to-day services (dog and cat licenses, food-handler classes, immunization record inquiries and similar items) will still be available at borough offices, though some services are being administered through Northwest Bergen County public-health arrangements.

- Ordinance 27-42-2025 — Create a Health Advisory Committee. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinance 27-43-2025 — Amend cat-licensing rules. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinance 27-44-2025 — Amend fees and vehicle-and-traffic administration. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinance 27-45-2025 — Special emergency appropriation for a master-plan reexamination (pursuant to NJSA 40A:4-53). Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinance 27-46-2025 — Create new chapter on restricted areas (limits on recording/entry for specified municipal spaces). Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinance 27-47-2025 — Amend Police Department composition. Outcome: adopted on second and final reading (unanimous roll call).

- Ordinances introduced on first reading (passage on introduction and scheduled public hearings): Ordinance 27-48-2025 (LSA program eligibility amendments), Ordinance 27-49-2025 (volunteer emergency service stipend program amendments), Ordinance 27-50-2025 (fixing salaries/stipends). Public hearing dates were set in the meeting announcements.

Contract awards and procurement actions (consent/resolutions)

- Resolution 201-2025 — Award electrical service and repair contract (Sony Electric Inc. primary, Saw Electric secondary). Outcome: adopted (roll call: unanimous yes).

- Resolution 202-2025 — Contract extension for Evoqua Water Technologies (water-treatment chemical contract). Outcome: adopted (unanimous roll call).

- Resolution 203-2025 — Purchase of evidential breath testing equipment and services from Draeger, Inc., under state contract. Outcome: adopted (unanimous roll call).

- Resolution 204-2025 — Award pool-chemicals contract to Deep Run Aquatic Service Inc. Outcome: adopted (unanimous roll call).

Other formal action

- Resolution 205-2025 — Enter executive session for personnel matters and contract negotiations (pursuant to NJSA 10:4-12). Outcome: adopted; the council entered closed session following the vote.

Details and clarifications

- During the public hearing on the capital-improvements ordinance a resident, Pamela Coles, asked for specifics about the listed work. Borough staff responded that the capital list includes IT upgrades, radios and equipment for police and fire, and other municipal equipment. The council also noted the borough’s triple-A bond rating when discussing bundling of projects to manage interest costs.

- Several ordinance texts and bond-issuance figures read aloud at the meeting appeared garbled in the transcript; where figures were unclear in the record those amounts are identified in this report as not specified rather than being restated inaccurately.

What’s next

Public hearings for the three newly introduced ordinances were scheduled during the meeting (dates announced on the record). The council moved into closed session after the consent and resolution votes to discuss personnel and contract negotiations; any outcomes requiring public action will be reflected in future agendas and minutes.