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Residents praise responders after storms and urge preparedness; public reminded of 'Skip the Stuff' law
Summary
During public comment residents recounted outage experiences, praised first responders and visiting utility crews, proposed a resident storm-preparedness committee, and reminded the council that New Jersey's 'Skip the Stuff' single-use plastic rule takes effect Aug. 1.
Residents used the public-comment period to describe storm impacts, thank first responders and visiting utility crews, and raise proposals for improved community preparedness. Multiple speakers praised police, fire and volunteer responders for long shifts during outages and described seeing out-of-state utility crews traveling long distances to assist restoration.
Alan Swanson, who identified himself with his address, reminded listeners that a state law effective Aug. 1 (commonly known as "Skip the Stuff") will limit automatic single-use utensils/utensils distribution for carryout orders and urged restaurants and residents to be educated about the change. "When you order food… you need to specify if you want the single-use plastic utensils," Swanson said, adding that the law will change default behaviors for pickup and delivery.
Ben Desetta proposed forming a resident committee to improve storm readiness and volunteered to help organize neighbors. Council members directed residents to use the borough action line and noted plans to map stormwater infrastructure and expand public outreach (including a quarterly newsletter and an adopt-a-drain program). The council closed public comment and moved to formal action items.
