Newark Council adopts dockless-vehicle licensing, approves wastewater share and several contracts; Fulton Street abatement deferred

The Newark Municipal Council on April 16 adopted a series of measures on first reading and approved contracts and temporary appropriations while deferring and amending a proposed 30‑year tax abatement for a Fulton Street project.

Council meetings opened with public comment that repeatedly returned to housing, tax abatements and homelessness; several speakers asked the council to provide stronger oversight of development incentives and to revive housing‑focused committees. During the formal business portion the council advanced ordinances and votes that city officials said they need to keep operations running until the 2025 budget is adopted.

Council members voted to advance an ordinance creating a licensing chapter for dockless vehicles used in commercial deliveries. Councilman Ramos sponsored that ordinance, and Councilman Kelly seconded it; Councilman Silva, who worked on the draft, said the new rule should give police “another tool in your toolbox” to address unsafe delivery behavior and make sidewalks safer for pedestrians. The ordinance passed on first reading and is scheduled for public hearing and second reading on May 7.

The council also adopted an ordinance appropriating $1,445,000 as the city’s allocable share of capital improvement projects for the Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties (the regional wastewater authority). Council members and staff described the appropriation as the local portion to pay for joint‑meeting improvements carried out after storms and explained the item in response to a resident question. Councilman Ramos summarized that the funds pay Newark’s portion for improvements that protect treatment plants and downstream water quality.