Full Notification

Here is the latest Take Five briefing from the April 5, 2022 meeting of the Mayor and Borough Council.

1. Sustainability Minute: Sustainable Highland Park Chairperson Tina Weishaus reminded residents and businesses that the statewide Plastic Pollution Reduction Act will go into effect on Tuesday, May 4, 2022. At that time, plastic bags will no longer be available at point-of-sale and paper bags may only be distributed in stores less than 2,500 square feet. Sustainable Highland Park will be giving out free reusable bags at the Borough’s in-person Earth Day Fest on Sunday, May 1^st on No. 3^rd Avenue during the Highland Park Spring Street Fair.

2. Town Tables: The Mayor and Council members acknowledged the importance of the downtown Town Tables to so many of our residents. The Borough will be completing the required engineering and design work needed to secure a permit from the NJDOT to make the spaces permanent. In the meantime, the Borough will be partnering with Main Street Highland Park and our local businesses to bring much-needed improvements to the existing outdoor seating areas on So. 3rd and No. 4th Avenues as well as at the Welkovits pavilion on Raritan Avenue.

3. Talk with a Cop: As part of the Police Department’s ongoing efforts to build and strengthen its relationships with the Highland Park community, they have established walk-in hours with its Community Policing Officer, Brian O’Mara, at the Community Center from 5 to 6 PM on the following Tuesdays: April 12, April 26, May 3, and May 21.  Residents are encouraged to stop by, meet Officer O’Mara, and ask questions or discuss any topic.

4. Ordinance Introductions: Three ordinances were introduced during the Council meeting: CAP Rate Exception Ordinance, amendments to the wrecker license ordinance, and amendments to the boards, committees, and commissions ordinance. Public hearings on each of these ordinances will be held on Tuesday, April 19^th at 7:00 p.m. prior to a vote.

5. Introduction of Borough & MSHP Budgets: The 2022 Municipal Budget was introduced and presented by the Borough Administration; the presentation slides can be viewed here. The Main Street Highland Park (MSHP) Budget was also introduced. Public hearings on both budgets will be held on Tuesday, May 3^rd at 7:00 p.m. prior to a vote.

If you’re interested in watching the April 5^th Council meeting, go to HPTV’S Youtube channel where the meeting will be posted in its entirety. The next meeting of Council is scheduled for Tuesday, April 19^th.