WESTWOOD—The mayor and council meet Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Municipal Complex, 101 Washington Ave., with a 7:30 p.m. closed session and an 8 p.m. public session, per the posted agenda. From our reading of the agenda, this one is a classic end-of-year Westwood meeting — a mix of quality-of-life, downtown rules-of-the-road, and nuts-and-bolts operations.
Behind closed doors
Council is slated to enter executive session under Resolution 25-313, with closed discussions listed on:
- Personnel matters involving the Parking Utility, Tax Collector, and Board of Health (Rice notices issued)
- Professional services matters involving attorney and engineer appointments
- A policy change discussion (listed under attorney-client privilege)
- Affordable housing litigation (listed under attorney-client privilege)
A moment for the long-haul volunteers
Before the legislative items, council plans to recognize Jaymee Hodges, Daniel O’Brien, and William Quinn with Certificates of Achievement from the New Jersey New York Volunteer Fire Association marking 50 years of service. (We most recently spoke with Quinn for a feature many people have said they enjoyed.)
Two ordinances up for adoption
Two ordinances are on the agenda for final action — one aimed at park safety, the other at downtown policy:
- Ordinance 25-28: Authorizes $17,000 from the borough’s Recreation Trust Fund for cameras at Brookside Park. Expect this to land in the familiar territory of deterrence, documentation, and how the borough balances safety with privacy.
- Ordinance 25-29: Amends §195-118 for the CBD/SPE Central Business District/Special Pedestrian Environment District — a mouthful, but basically a downtown zoning adjustment that can matter a lot depending on what uses are being clarified or reshaped.
Consent agenda: small items with real-world impact
- Bill list and statement of cash
- Salary adjustments for two parking enforcement officers
- Agreement for TreeKeeper 8 (tree-management software) and authorization for a Community Forestry Management Plan — the unglamorous infrastructure behind street trees, pruning priorities, and risk management
- Authorization to begin the hiring process for a full-time administrative assistant
- Hiring of a DPW laborer
- An interlocal agreement with Paramus for 9-1-1 emergency telephone services — the kind of operational decision most people never think about until the moment they absolutely need it
- Funding tied to Center Avenue North parking lot electrical work (conduit/wiring and trenching)
- 2025 budget transfers and appropriation transfers
- An agreement with Rapid Pump & Meter Service Company
- Funding to Matrix New World Engineering tied to the Westvale Pump Track project
Discussion, perhaps in public comment, may turn to the tenuous health of the borough’s beloved European Copper Beech at Veterans Park, which earlier this year snagged Champion & Heritage Tree status from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
Agenda subject to change.