Park Ridge council adopts bond for lead pipe replacement and updates to false-alarm and parking ordinances

At its meeting the Park Ridge Borough Council closed public hearings and adopted three ordinances: a bond ordinance to fund an initial phase of lead service line replacements, a code amendment to update repeat false-alarm penalties, and a change to the no-parking schedule affecting Madison Street.

The council adopted Ordinance 2026-016, a bond ordinance appropriating $700,000 to authorize phase 1 of the Park Ridge lead service line replacement project for the borough’s water utility and to allow issuance of bonds or bond anticipation notes to finance the work. The clerk read the ordinance by title, and staff noted that New Jersey municipalities are required to identify and replace municipal lead pipes by 2031; the ordinance targets municipal sections (including Woodcock Lake) and coordinates replacement work to avoid re-paving newly completed roads. “We are working to make sure this portion covers Park Ridge and Woodcock Lake before we do any paving for the 2026 roads, so we don’t rip them up afterward,” the clerk explained.

The council then adopted Ordinance 2026-017 to amend chapter 41-6 of the borough code regarding false alarms. The borough attorney said the ordinance increases penalties for property owners who have multiple alarms and obligates owners to repair their alarm systems; a council member noted the change was requested by the fire department and applies only to repeat offenders.

Finally, Ordinance 2026-019 amended Schedule 1A (no parking) on the recommendation of the police department to improve visibility, prohibiting parking near the exit of the James Parking Lot on Madison Street and at the corner of Market and Hawthorne.

Each ordinance was moved and seconded, roll call votes were taken with all recorded members voting yes, and the motions carried. The council directed that notices of final passage be published in the Bergen Record as required.