Glen Ridge Council adopts $15.7 million 2020 budget by teleconference, settles Baldwin Street water dispute with builder

Meeting by teleconference for the first time because of the pandemic, the Council formally adopted the Borough's 2020 municipal budget, totaling $15,721,023.94 in general appropriations with $12,234,318.51 to be raised through local property taxes. Resolution 60-20 approved the budget as prepared, following a resolution (59-20) allowing it to be read by title only, and the budget was slated for publication in the April 2 edition of the Glen Ridge Paper. Notably, when the Council took up approval of the minutes from the March 9 regular meeting earlier in the session, Councilors Hughes and Lisovicz abstained rather than voting to approve them, while Murphy, Mans and Law voted aye (Councilor Morrow was absent).

In a separate, more consequential vote, the Council adopted Resolution 64-20 resolving a long-running water-allocation dispute connected to the settlement of the 2015 Baldwin Street "builder's remedy" lawsuit brought by Glen Ridge Developers, LLC. Under the settlement amendment, the Borough is authorized to seek up to 125 million gallons of water annually from the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, while the developer building the 110-unit Baldwin Street project (including 17 affordable units) agreed to pay the Borough a one-time $600,000 lump sum for water allocation costs, plus separate sewer connection ($121,800), water connection ($101,500) and planner ($10,800) fees, with the lump-sum payment due within 90 days of the project receiving its certificate of occupancy and permanent financing.

The Council also gave final adoption to Ordinance No. 1731, the Flood Damage Control Regulations ordinance, following a public hearing at which no one spoke, and created a Storm Recovery Trust Fund (Resolution 62-20) to hold storm-related revenue under state law. Routine items included approval of a tax overpayment refund and a raffle license for the Linden Avenue Home & School Association, explicitly conditioned on compliance with COVID-19 executive orders.

What to watch

• The 2020 budget is to be published in the April 2, 2020 Glen Ridge Paper
• The Baldwin Street settlement amendment's $600,000 builder payment is due within 90 days of the development receiving its certificate of occupancy and permanent financing