The mayor and council of the Borough of Fair Lawn met Jan. 7 for their annual reorganization meeting and adopted four consent agendas that together included resolutions, professional-service appointments and reappointments to municipal boards and committees.

The action came after brief council remarks welcoming the new year and recognition of volunteers. Council member Salinas said the community should “continue working together to make our community even better,” and she thanked Fair Lawn Main Street for a shop-local campaign. Mayor Ratensbeck also praised volunteers and noted the borough’s recent sustainability efforts, including tree plantings and events tied to Fair Lawn’s 100th anniversary.

Nut graf: The meeting followed the statutory notice requirements under the Open Public Meetings Act and centered on housekeeping business typical of reorganization sessions — passage of bundled consent agenda resolutions and appointments to advisory boards — rather than new policy debates.

Council action and votes

The council opened the meeting with a recorded roll call. The governing body passed Consent Agenda 1 (resolutions 1–12), Consent Agenda 2 (resolutions 13–25, professional services), Consent Agenda 3 (resolutions 26–41, functions of government) and Consent Agenda 4 (resolutions 42–72, appointments) by roll call. The clerk read each consent-agenda passage aloud and the motions to adopt were moved and seconded; roll-call votes were recorded as unanimous among those present.

Votes at a glance

- Consent Agenda 1 (Resolutions 1–12): Adopted (roll call: Council member Salinas — yes; Council member Krauss — yes; Deputy Mayor Cottone — yes; Deputy Mayor Reinex — yes; Mayor Ratensbeck — yes). Motion to adopt moved and seconded (movers not specified in the transcript). Outcome: approved.

- Consent Agenda 2 (Resolutions 13–25, professional services): Adopted (same recorded yes votes). Outcome: approved.

- Consent Agenda 3 (Resolutions 26–41, functions of government): Adopted (same recorded yes votes). Outcome: approved.

- Consent Agenda 4 (Resolutions 42–72, appointments): Adopted (same recorded yes votes). Outcome: approved.

Public comment and acknowledgments

During the public-comment period, Andrea Piazza thanked the council for appointing her firm as municipal engineer, saying, “It's been a pleasure to serve the governing body, and I look forward to continuing to serve our community in 2025.” Resident Reina Valenzuela and others offered thanks to council members and staff for recent efforts including a land-acknowledgement ceremony and tree-planting work. Mayor Ratensbeck noted the recent fire on Fair Lawn Avenue and congratulated business owner Moe Barrow on plans to reopen.

Context and next steps

The meeting was procedural and brief: the mayor and council used reorganization time to confirm committees and municipal appointments and to express New Year remarks. No new ordinances or policy debates were introduced on the record. Follow-up items referenced in comments (for example, volunteers’ continuing work and upcoming native-blooms event on Feb. 9) are matters for future meeting agendas or administrative action by borough staff.

Ending: The meeting adjourned after the consent items and public comments were concluded.