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Long Hill carries amended tree‑removal ordinance to May 27; committee previews chicken and garbage ordinance changes
Summary
The Committee amended and carried an extensive Tree Removal and Protection ordinance (Chapter XXIII) to the May 27 meeting, reviewed proposed changes to a chicken ordinance (including a rooster prohibition and revised setbacks), and discussed garbage‑can enforcement and local infrastructure updates.
The Long Hill Township Committee on May 13 amended and carried Ordinance 584‑26 — a comprehensive Tree Removal and Protection ordinance that would replace Chapter XXIII of the Township Code — to the Committee's May 27 meeting for further review.
Committee members recorded the full ordinance text in the minutes. The draft ordinance sets a Tree Conservation Officer (the public works manager or designee), requires Tree Removal Permits for many removals, establishes exempt categories (for example: limited small removals on single‑family lots, emergency removal of fallen trees, utility removals and trees within cemeteries), requires landscape plans for major projects, and sets a replacement schedule tied to the removed tree's diameter at breast height (DBH). The ordinance also creates a Township Tree Trust Fund to accept in‑lieu payments for replacement plantings, prescribes fees and penalties (including fines and replanting requirements) and authorizes enforcement actions and appeals procedures through the Shade Tree Commission and, ultimately, the Township Committee.
Committeeman Verlezza moved to amend and carry the ordinance to May 27; Deputy Mayor Dorsi seconded. The minutes state the Committee approved the carry by roll call and recorded that a member of the public (Charles Arentowicz) asked for clarification on the ordinance's status and received staff clarification. The minutes include detailed appendices: a recommended street tree list (Appendix A), an invasive species list (Appendix B) and a "Big Tree"/Landmark Tree list (Appendix C) with mapped locations and caliper measurements.
Also on the agenda were proposed revisions to the township's chicken ordinance. Attorney Pidgeon described proposed changes that would adjust setback requirements and prohibit roosters; the Committee plans to introduce that ordinance at the May 27 meeting. When a resident, Michael Pavlo, asked whether paying a penalty would allow him to keep a rooster after receiving a notice, Attorney Pidgeon said enforcement would treat each day that the rooster remains as a separate violation subject to a new fine.
The Committee also discussed a suggested garbage‑can ordinance amendment after a complaint about a resident leaving a can in the street; Mayor Piserchia said the Committee plans to introduce garbage‑can rules at the May 27 meeting. Administrator Bahr provided project updates on milling, paving and phases of an NJAW expansion project and noted inter‑county coordination on White Bridge Road.
The Committee retained the tree ordinance for further review rather than voting final action; the public hearing and final adoption will be handled at future meetings after additional staff and Shade Tree Commission review.
What happens next: the Committee will reconvene on May 27 for public hearings on the introduced ordinances (including the tree ordinance carry and the proposed chicken ordinance). The minutes instruct staff to circulate the amended ordinance text and related materials to the Shade Tree Commission ahead of that hearing.
