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Council grants mayor authority to waive five-year street‑opening moratorium amid customer‑service debate
Summary
The Lambertville City Council adopted ordinance 26‑2025 to let the mayor approve waivers to the five‑year moratorium on utility openings after paving, citing customer‑service and procedural safeguards; residents raised concerns about concentrating the authority in one official.
The Lambertville City Council voted to adopt ordinance 26‑2025, giving the mayor the authority to waive the five‑year moratorium that limits new utility openings on streets recently repaved.
Advocates on the council and staff said the change is intended to prevent unnecessary delay for homeowners and contractors who face timing constraints. The mayor said the step is largely administrative and will continue to require review by technical staff: the city engineer and public works director must sign off and a maintenance bond guaranteeing repairs for two years will still be required.
The ordinance drew pushback from several public commenters. John Towns of Hancock Street argued that “giving a single individual autonomy to make decision that can affect the entire city structure would be foolish,” urging the council not to remove collective oversight. Judy Gleason said she was surprised the waiver could be used “exclusively” and recommended clearer intermediate steps so homeowners are not left without information before a decision is made.
Council members and staff responded that the practical review process—engineer approval, public‑works review and a posted maintenance bond—remains unchanged and that the mayor’s ability to act is intended to be a convenience to avoid waiting for a council meeting. The mayor characterized the change as a pragmatic customer‑service matter that can be revised if it does not function as intended.
On a voice vote the council approved the ordinance on second reading. The council also agreed to monitor the new process and revisit the ordinance if problems arise.
