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Council urges state, county action after floods tied to Riser's Ditch maintenance
Summary
Councilman Robert Bing said the borough's flooding is driven by lack of maintenance of Riser's Ditch and asked the mayor and council to reissue letters to state legislators; Mayor Ron Kistner said he had heard from Assemblywoman Lisa Swain and proposed a town hall. The council discussed regional assistance but took no immediate formal action beyond correspondence.
Councilman Robert Bing told the Borough of Hasbrouck Heights Mayor and Council on Aug. 20 that "the major cause of the flooding in town is the issue with maintenance of the Riser's Ditch," and urged the governing body to press state and county officials for help.
Bing said the borough has repeatedly contacted state elected officials — naming Senator Joseph Lagana, Assemblyman Chris Tully and Assemblywoman Lisa Swain — and that Bergen County previously promised to look into the problem but has not followed up. He asked the council to reissue letters to state officials seeking a response and additional assistance for drainage maintenance.
Mayor Ron Kistner said he had heard from Assemblywoman Swain and proposed holding a town hall in the coming weeks to discuss the issue with residents and elected officials. Council members stressed the need for "regional help in addition to what our Borough / Public Works Department already does in preventative maintenance." No motion to pursue litigation or binding intergovernmental action was made at the meeting.
Why it matters: Council members described repeated, localized flooding during recent storms that required coordinated emergency responses by the police, fire and public works departments. Councilman Bing linked those incidents to the condition of Riser's Ditch and framed the issue as outside the borough's sole authority, arguing for state or county intervention.
What was said and what happens next: The council agreed to reissue letters to the named state legislators and the mayor proposed a town-hall format for further discussion; no funding request or deadline was adopted at the Aug. 20 meeting. The borough's public works department continues routine maintenance and emergency response; any additional regional action will depend on responses from the state or county representatives contacted by the borough.
At the meeting, council members repeatedly thanked first responders and public works staff for flood response and called attention to continuing recruitment needs for the volunteer fire department. The borough will report any follow-up from state or county officials at subsequent meetings.
