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Pompton Lakes council approves routine motions, awards contracts and hears resident concerns on garbage and trees
Summary
At its June 12 meeting, Pompton Lakes council approved minutes, bills and several ordinance introductions, moved several resolutions (including a $60,000 Willow Field grant), considered a carcass removal contract while debating DPW and police roles, and heard multiple public comments about garbage, shade tree volunteers and local hazards.
The Pompton Lakes Borough Council on June 12 completed a series of routine approvals, introduced multiple ordinances for first reading and heard several public comments raising local quality‑of‑life concerns.
Among the formal actions, council approved the May 22 meeting minutes and bills and claims. The consent agenda covered Resolutions 24‑239 through 24‑259, with Resolutions 24‑244 and 24‑252 pulled for separate discussion and Resolution 24‑258 pulled to allow abstentions by members with eligible summer hires. Resolution 24‑244 would insert $60,000 into the 2024 budget for local recreation improvement grants to support the Willow Field Improvements project; an exchange on the grant’s portability prompted a pledge to pause future applications for projects that lack implementation certainty. Resolution 24‑258 (summer hires) passed with two abstentions recorded (Councilman Bennett and Councilman Cruz).
Council also moved to award a contract for carcass and dead‑animal removal (Resolution 24‑252 / contract award). Members questioned whether the Department of Public Works could perform removals in‑house and noted state law references to police involvement when a deer dies on private property; the administrator said the contract followed local public contracts law and that officials are researching in‑house alternatives — including necessary equipment such as a freezer for storing carcasses.
Several ordinances were introduced for first reading: 24‑26 (handicap parking language for the Lincoln Avenue lot), 24‑27 (amend tree removal/protection rules for private property), and 24‑28 (regulations on planting bamboo). Council approved introductions on roll call.
Public comment was a prominent part of the meeting. Catherine Shorewood (Pine Street) urged more aggressive litter enforcement and proposed hiring a part‑time retiree paid hourly to perform street pickup; the mayor and administrator acknowledged improvement in collection but said repeat offenders persist and that the borough will explore options (including union constraints). A resident from Lambert Street delivered a lengthy tribute to Randy, chair of the Shade Tree Commission, praising his 18 years of volunteer service and urging formal recognition. Another resident reported a large fallen tree in the Hampton Lakes embankment and asked the borough to inspect it. Residents also asked questions about a Municipal Utilities Authority purchase of 279 Ramapo Street, which the mayor said the MUA bought to site a treatment plant.
Other items: the administrator reported Howard Street improvements resumed after confirming work falls outside the DuPont plume, a pre‑construction meeting for Hirschfield/Ackerman projects is set, and the borough is exploring ParkMobile to supplement the kiosks already purchased. Council agreed to proceed with a VFW‑led 'Flags for Heroes' fundraising plan for 13 flags initially, with a workshop to resolve logistics.
Next procedures: pulled resolutions and the carcass removal contract will proceed per the consent process; staff committed to follow‑up on union questions about hiring a part‑time litter pickup worker, to inspect the fallen tree reported on Hampton Lakes, and to circulate additional materials where council requested further review.
