HILLSDALE —The Hillsdale Borough Council has called an emergency meeting for Tuesday, March 18 at 4 p.m. to discuss a possible settlement with recently terminated Police Chief Sean Smith ahead of a scheduled disciplinary hearing.
According to a resolution issued by the borough, the closed-session meeting was called without the usual 48-hour public notice, citing urgency under the Open Public Meetings Act (N.J.S.A. 10:4-9). The borough states that settlement terms were unexpectedly presented on March 18, leaving no time to meet standard notice requirements before the hearing set for March 20.
The meeting, which will be held on Zoom [link], requires a three-quarters majority vote of council members present to proceed under emergency provisions of the law. While members of the public can participate in the open portions of the meeting, they will not be able to access the closed session where the settlement will be discussed.
Smith was terminated by the borough ahead of the scheduled March 20 hearing. The nature of the disciplinary charges has not been publicly disclosed. The emergency meeting seeks to determine whether a settlement agreement can be reached before the formal proceedings. Based on the resolution, Smith has been terminated, but the March 20 disciplinary hearing is still scheduled.
The resolution states that delaying the discussion until the next regularly scheduled council meeting could cause “substantial harm to the public interest” due to the need to resolve the disciplinary matter in a timely manner. The borough also cited scheduling conflicts as a reason a delay is not feasible.
The borough has posted notice of the meeting online and notified local media, including Pascack Press. The meeting agenda and relevant documents are available on the borough’s website under the “Government/Agendas & Minutes” section.
Residents who wish to attend can do so via Zoom using Meeting ID: 894 566 4822 and Passcode: 07642, or by dialing +1 929-205-6099.
For updates on this developing story, visit Pascack Press.