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Highlands council advances bond ordinance, schedules public hearings and adopts audit resolutions
Summary
The Highlands Borough Council passed multiple ordinances on first reading and adopted audit-related resolutions at its July 17 meeting. The council introduced a $2.51 million bond ordinance, scheduled hearings for August, and adopted its annual audit certification and corrective action plan.
The Highlands Borough Council advanced several measures on first reading and adopted audit resolutions during its regular meeting Wednesday.
Council members introduced bond ordinance O26-17, which appropriates $2,513,635 for various capital improvements and authorizes $1,920,129 in bonds and notes to finance part of the costs. Council scheduled a public hearing on the ordinance for Aug. 19, 2026. The council did not detail all specific projects in the ordinance during the introduction; staff said they would offer an outline of planned improvements before the public hearing.
The council also passed three other ordinances on first reading and set public hearings for Aug. 19: O26-18, designating restrictive parking in front of residences occupied by persons with disabilities; O26-19, removing a restricted parking space at the request of a resident who no longer drives; and O26-20, which amends the Central Business District redevelopment plan to redefine the first floor in flood-prone areas so that residential uses are allowed above grade where appropriate. The presenter said the redevelopment-plan change defers to state and federal flood-elevation definitions rather than hard-coding specific elevations in the borough ordinance.
Council adopted resolution R26-150 certifying the annual municipal audit and R26-151 adopting the audit’s corrective action plan. According to the presenter, council members had reviewed audit findings and the recommended steps; the corrective action plan was adopted to address those recommendations.
The clerk read an extensive consent agenda that included awards of professional services contracts (stormwater and sewer mapping), acceptance and release of performance guarantees for 49 Miller Street, a shared-services agreement with Monmouth County for digital tax maps (iTaxMap), bill payments and a short-term tax-payment exemption through Sept. 1, 2026. The consent agenda passed by motion.
Approval of the June 17, 2026 meeting minutes passed with one abstention: Council member Cervantes declared an abstention during the roll call for that item. The council then moved to an executive session later in the evening to discuss real-property matters under the Open Public Meetings Act; no formal action was taken in executive session, the clerk said.
What’s next: Public hearings for the ordinances are scheduled for Aug. 19, 2026. The council indicated staff will provide additional project details in advance of those hearings.
