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Residents press council on EV charger safety and whether new garages should house chargers indoors
Summary
During public comment residents asked whether EV chargers in parking garages should be required to be outdoors and whether owners should carry fire-suppression blankets; Fire Captain Brian Wlodowski said blankets are harder to use than extinguishers and the CFO said he would follow up on debt and bonding questions after the meeting.
Residents used the public-comment portion of the April 21 special budget meeting to raise safety questions about electric vehicle chargers and forthcoming developments.
Resident Elliott Sommer asked whether owners of EV chargers could be required to own fire-retardant blankets to suppress fires in parking garages. Fire Captain Brian Wlodowski responded: "The blankets are more difficult to use than fire extinguishers to suppress fires." Resident Doreen Custode asked whether a proposed development at the former Green Brook Country Club planned to install EV chargers inside parking garages and whether future EV installations should be placed outdoors rather than indoors.
Chief Financial Officer Rich Mondelli said he would provide follow-up information after the meeting and noted "the Borough's debt was at 0.67% at the end of 2025." The council did not adopt any changes to building or fire-code policy at the meeting; the comments were received for staff follow-up.
