Glen Ridge Advances Tree Removal Permit Rules as Council Adopts $150,000 Equipment Spending Plan
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Glen Ridge officials introduced a new ordinance that would require permits for removing or replacing trees on private property, a move designed to comply with new state environmental rules from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Ordinance 18-11 passed its first reading and will now be sent out for official publication ahead of a future public hearing; it would carry an application fee of $1,100 per required replacement tree, with $100 of that held in escrow for two years. Alongside it, the Council introduced Ordinance 18-12, which sets new rules for storing road salt and other deicing materials on borough-owned or operated properties, in line with state mandates. Officials said single- and two-family homes would be exempt and that the rule is expected to affect few, if any, properties in town. That ordinance also passed first reading and will move toward publication and a public hearing at a later date.
In other business, the Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 18-10, appropriating $150,000 in previously budgeted capital funds for new Public Works and Public Safety vehicles and equipment; no members of the public spoke at the hearing. The borough also learned it will receive a $200,000 state grant from the Department of Transportation to resurface Ridgewood and Maple Streets. Officials also flagged a school-adjacent property at 675–699 Bloomfield Avenue and 14 Stage Street as a likely future redevelopment area, after receiving a letter and a flood hazard area verification application tied to the site.
The Council unanimously approved pay for adult school crossing guards at $18.50 an hour for the coming school year running September 2024 through June 2025, with officials noting the guard ranks are now fully staffed with extras being trained. Members also discussed flash flooding from a high-intensity overnight storm, praising Public Works and police for their cleanup response, and noted no power outages or downed trees resulted. The Bureau received a letter from the president of Freeman Gardens asking officials to reconsider their choice of cobblestone gutter material, though specific reasons were not detailed publicly. The Council also announced that, following a completed traffic study, a four-way stop and speed humps will be installed at Forest Avenue and Sunset Avenue as part of a 2025 project rather than immediately.
Routine business included a unanimously approved refund for a resident's property tax overpayment, a unanimously renewed agreement with the Township of Bloomfield's Board of Health for public health services, and unanimous approval of raffle licenses, including 50/50 raffles, for a Bnai Or school event scheduled for October 21, 2024 at the Country Club on Ridgewood Avenue. Councilor Moody praised a "popup party in the Glen" community event as a success, crediting Councilor Hughes for the idea and thanking organizers including Jim Charles, police, DPW staff, and Mike for pulling it together on short notice. The Town Administrator also presented a plan to install flashing LED stop signs and additional school-ahead signage around the borough ahead of the school year. Separately, the municipal clerk reminded residents that college-bound students can request vote-by-mail applications to have ballots sent to their college addresses, noting several residents have already done so.
What to watch
- Public hearings on the new tree removal permitting ordinance and the private-property salt storage ordinance, both pending statutory publication.
- Installation of the four-way stop and speed humps at Forest Avenue and Sunset Avenue, planned as a 2025 project.