Frenchtown Council introduces bond ordinances to fund generators, park and road work; budget cap bank set for public hearing

Frenchtown Borough Council on April 7 introduced a package of bond ordinances to pay for local infrastructure projects and moved the borough’s 2025 budget process forward.

The council introduced Bond Ordinance 9-30, appropriating $170,700 to install a permanent backup generator at the sewer pump station on Creek Road, after noting the borough currently relies on a portable generator during outages. Council then introduced Bond Ordinance 9-31, a $189,700 measure to add a backup generator at the Department of Public Works facility; the council said the DPW project benefits from a $150,000 appropriation secured by Senator Turner.

Officials also introduced Bond Ordinance 9-32, a $125,000 appropriation (with a $75,000 grant contribution) for capital improvements at Frenchtown Borough Park, and Bond Ordinance 9-33, a $775,000 package of roadway projects that the borough said will rebuild Lower 7th Street, extend paving through 12th Street on Harrison, and cover additional grant-funded work on South Washington Street, River Road and Front Street. All four ordinances were introduced for first reading; the council set public hearings for May 7 at 7 p.m. in borough hall.

Separately, the council introduced Ordinance 9-34, the calendar-year 2025 ordinance to exceed municipal budget appropriation limits and establish a cap bank. The mayor and finance staff said the cap bank is a routine budgeting tool to preserve flexibility for future years. The borough’s chief financial officer said staff will meet with the budget committee and the council agreed to schedule a special meeting for mid-April to review budget reductions and the draft document.

All introduced ordinances were approved for introduction by roll call. The council scheduled public hearings on the introduced ordinances for May 7 at 7 p.m. and asked staff to post hearing notices.