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Mountainside council adopts land‑use minimum lot amendment; introduces $1.1M bond ordinance and schedules budget hearing
Summary
On April 22, 2025, the Mountainside Borough Council adopted an amendment requiring subdivisions of three or more lots to have a minimum lot area of 20,000 sq ft and introduced a $1.1 million bond ordinance for infrastructure work; the council also scheduled the 2025 municipal budget hearing for May 20, 2025 and accepted an NJDOT resurfacing grant.
The Mountainside Borough Council on April 22 adopted Ordinance 1340‑2025, raising the minimum lot area for proposed subdivisions of three or more lots to 20,000 square feet. The ordinance was moved by Councilman Matejek, seconded by Councilman Dierkes, and passed on second and final reading by a 4‑0 roll call vote of Councilmen Dierkes, Matejek, Rinaldo and Councilwoman Wass.
The change amends Article 10, Section 1009(c)(5) of the Borough land‑use code and includes an instruction that adjustments be made in accordance with the code’s critical area provisions in section 1003(z). Council closed the public hearing on the ordinance after no members of the public spoke.
At the same meeting the council introduced Ordinance 1342‑2025, a bond ordinance to appropriate $1,100,000 for various infrastructure improvements including bank stabilization, sanitary and storm sewer work, curb construction or reconstruction and road reconstruction/resurfacing. The ordinance authorizes bonds or notes up to $1,045,000 with a down payment of $55,000; Councilman Dierkes moved the measure and Councilman Matejek seconded it. The bond ordinance passed on first reading and was returned for a public hearing on May 20, 2025.
Also on first reading, Council introduced Ordinance 1341‑2025 to establish a cap bank under N.J.S.A. 40A:4‑45.14, retaining $110,834.64 as an exception to final appropriations for potential use over the next two fiscal years if not appropriated in the current budget. The council likewise passed Ordinance 1343‑2025 on first reading to appropriate $218,674 for resurfacing Chapel Hill and Outlook Drive West; that project will be reimbursed by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and is scheduled for public hearing on May 20, 2025.
Separately the council approved the municipal budget notice and the Budget and Tax Resolution as introduced and set the public hearing on the 2025 budget for May 20, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting record shows unanimous roll call approval (Ayes: Dierkes, Matejek, Rinaldo, Wass) for the budget notice and for the ordinances moved on first reading.
What this means: the land‑use amendment is now adopted and will affect future multi‑lot subdivisions; the bond ordinance remains an authorization on first reading and requires final adoption after public hearing and any required further votes. The resurfacing appropriation is paired with a confirmed NJDOT reimbursement, and the budget process advances to the scheduled May 20 hearing.
The council’s packet and the ordinances state the bond ordinance’s estimated maximum bonds and notes of $1,045,000 and list $145,000 in related soft costs (engineering, legal, inspection and interest as permitted by law). The ordinances specify that any outside grants or contributions will be applied to reduce the borough’s bond authorization.
A public hearing on the introduced ordinances and the municipal budget is set for May 20, 2025, at which time members of the public may comment and the council may adopt or revise the measures as required.
