Madison council adopts police vests and utility-meter ordinances; introduces water-rate, parking and filming measures

The Borough of Madison council adopted two ordinances on second reading and set hearings for three more on first reading.

On second reading, the council adopted Ordinance 37-2025, appropriating funds from the General Capital Improvement Fund to purchase bulletproof vests for the police department. The motion carried on a roll-call vote.

The council also adopted Ordinance 38-2025 to appropriate $250,000 from the Electric Utility Capital Improvement Fund to purchase utility meters and accessories. During the hearing, a discrepancy in the ordinance title and body (the title and packet referenced $250,000 while a read passage noted $200,000) was clarified; councilmembers confirmed the correct appropriation is $250,000 before adopting the ordinance by roll call.

Council then introduced three ordinances for first reading and set a public hearing date of Wednesday, September 24: Ordinance 39-2025 (amending Chapter 190 — water — to authorize revisions to water rates and service fees), Ordinance 40-2025 (appropriating $26,000 from General Capital Improvement Fund for a new automated parking-enforcement vehicle and related software upgrades), and Ordinance 41-2025 (amending Chapter 98 to regulate commercial filming in the borough).

Why it matters: The adopted ordinances provide police equipment and electric-utility meters and the introduced ordinances address water-rate structure, parking enforcement technology and commercial filming rules — items that affect municipal operations and residents' daily experience. All adopted ordinances were approved by roll call; the introduced ordinances will return for second reading on September 24.