Long Hill committee carries advisory-committee overhaul and townwide tree ordinance to May 13 after public comment

Deputy Mayor Dorsi and members of the Long Hill Township Committee on April 22 moved two major ordinances to a May 13 public hearing date following public comment on both measures.

The first, Ordinance 585-26, would repeal the existing Recreation Advisory Committee and the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee and replace them with a single framework under a new Section 2-30 governing advisory committees and ad hoc committees. The draft ordinance makes the committees explicitly advisory — ‘‘an advisory committee, unlike a statutory board or commission, has no executive or administrative powers or duties with respect to the operation of the Township,’’ — and sets out duties, appointment terms, and limits on communications and contracting authority.

The second, Ordinance 584-26, is a comprehensive Tree Removal and Protection ordinance that would re-title Chapter XXIII of the Township Code and add tree-related standards to the Land Use Ordinance. The draft ordinance frames its purpose as preserving the Township’s tree stock and minimizing the environmental and stormwater impacts associated with indiscriminate tree removal. Key provisions in the draft include: designation of a Tree Conservation Officer (the Shade Tree Commission chair or designee); permit requirements for many removals; a clear exemption list (including limited residential removals, emergency removals of fallen trees, and utility work); a tree-replacement schedule tied to removed tree diameter; a Township Tree Trust Fund for in-lieu contributions; and civil penalties and stop-work authority for unpermitted removals.

Deputy Mayor Dorsi opened the meeting’s public comment period after the Committee resumed open session at 7:31 p.m. Several residents urged the Committee to clarify elements of the proposals before adoption. Charles Arentowicz said he was displeased that the ordinances were being pushed; Dennis Sandow flagged what he described as the proposed ordinance’s omission of a liaison role to certain boards; Carol Prasa said she submitted written comments and asked the Committee to consider adjustments to the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee. Multiple residents offered to assist (Larry Fast noted prior service as HPAC chair) and one attendee said they would submit formal comments by email (Fred Hunt).

Committee members did not vote to adopt either ordinance on April 22; instead they carried both measures to the May 13 Township Committee meeting to allow further public review and formal hearing. The Committee’s procedural motion to carry Ordinance 585-26 and the motion to carry Ordinance 584-26 were recorded without additional amendments at this session.

What happens next: both measures will appear on the Township Committee agenda for May 13, with an opportunity for public hearing and final action. The draft tree ordinance includes several technical and administrative provisions — permits, replacement formulas, enforcement fines, and an option to contribute to a Tree Trust Fund — that could affect homeowners, developers and utility operators; the advisory-committee rewrite would change how the Township organizes volunteer advice on recreation, preservation and open-space matters.

The meeting record shows the Committee carried the ordinances to allow more time for public input; the Committee did not adopt either ordinance on April 22.