Old Tappan introduces two ordinances, swears in officials and posts committee and staff appointments for 2025

During the organizational portion of the meeting the council introduced two ordinances on first reading and completed the standard oath and appointment process for the coming year.

Ordinances introduced: The council introduced ordinance 12-69-25 to set salaries, wages, and compensation for DPW officers and employees for 2025–2027; it was introduced on first reading and scheduled for final passage at a stated January public hearing. Council members asked clarifying questions and confirmed the clerk would publish the required notice.

The council also introduced ordinance 12-70-25 to amend fees for the municipal golf course. The council’s golf-course liaison reported an average fee increase of about 4.5% and said the change is intended to reflect rising operating costs and to keep the course financially sustainable. Ordinance 12-70-25 was adopted on first reading and scheduled for a final hearing as required by law.

Oaths and appointments: Mayor Thomas Gallagher administered oaths of office to re-elected and newly appointed officials, including the announcement of re-elected council president Jin Yu and the swearing-in of multiple emergency services officers: Fire Chief Charles Anders (the transcript references a “Charles Anders the 9th”) and Deputy Chief Christopher Riley were sworn in during the session. The mayor read a comprehensive list of staff appointments and board/committee memberships (planning board class members and alternates, environmental commission members, recreation commission members, library liaison, DPW foremen, municipal prosecutor and public defender, school marshals, and additional boards and committees). Several committee terms and vacancies were announced and recorded for follow-up.

What to expect next: Both introduced ordinances were scheduled for a subsequent public hearing and final vote at a later January meeting; staff and committee appointments were recorded and will be reflected in the borough’s 2025 roster. Council members noted some long terms (five-year recreation commission appointments) and suggested reviewing term lengths at a future meeting.

(Reporting note: transcript text contains multiple textual variants for place and personal names due to recording or transcription artifacts. The article uses normalized place-name spelling “Old Tappan” and the official ordinance numbers read into the record.)