Ridgewood council approves package of ordinances and awards tree‑watering contract amid public concerns over hybrid access and field‑fee rules

The Ridgewood Village Council on June 10 completed a broad slate of business: it introduced multiple ordinances for July public hearings, adopted two ordinances on second reading, approved two consent agendas, and awarded a rebid contract for tree‑watering services after a lone bid was received.

Votes and motions: the meeting adopted consent blocks covering resolutions 26‑157 through 26‑163 and 26‑164 through 26‑178 by single roll‑call votes. On ordinances, the council moved first readings for several measures — including amendments to land‑use conditional‑use standards, taxi and limousine insurance/license rules, elevator fire‑service key standardization, and fee enumerations — and set July 15, 2026 as the public hearing date for those introductions. The council also held second‑reading hearings and adopted ordinance 4097 (police‑department fees) and ordinance 4098 (fees for use of fields by sports camps) on final reading; both measures passed by unanimous votes.

Contract award: council considered two resolutions taken separately after Mayor Vaganos recused himself. The council awarded the rebid tree‑irrigation/ tree‑watering services contract to Downre Service Company Inc., 65 Royal Avenue, Hawthorne, N.J., in an amount not to exceed $11,936. The manager reported funds are certified available in accounts cited during the meeting; council approved the award by roll call.

Public concerns and clarifications: the field‑fee ordinance prompted audience questions about how the village will verify the resident‑percentage thresholds the ordinance uses to classify groups (classifications C, D and E). One resident asked, “who is going to verify that the percentages for those groups…is accurate?” Council members and staff said recognized groups must submit a checklist, indemnification and a roster to Parks & Recreation; staff will verify the membership rosters when processing applications, and references to Board of Education properties were deleted from the ordinance so the village is updating rates only on properties it controls.

Another recurring theme in public comment was hybrid access. Resident Denise Lima told the council that without the meeting’s full ‘‘sunshine binder’’ remote participants are often limited: “we’re just in listen mode if we don’t have the sunshine binder,” she said, arguing that hybrid access currently limits meaningful participation for remote residents. Council members and staff replied that the ordinance texts and many documents are available online, that the sunshine binder contains deliberative backup that is not always posted in full for work sessions, and that staff will try to respond to outstanding resident questions offline. Councilors also described hybrid access as an accessibility measure for residents who cannot attend in person.

Why it matters: the package of ordinances and the tree‑watering contract set near‑term rules and services for village operations — from field‑use fees to emergency capital for a reassessment — while public comment highlighted demands for clearer digital access to meeting materials and better notice for special sessions.

What’s next: the introduced ordinances are scheduled for public hearings on July 15; the tree‑watering contractor anticipates mobilizing the week following the award and will water newly planted residential and downtown trees through November.