MAYOR AND COUNCIL
REGULAR MINUTES
September 23, 2025 7:00 P.M.
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CALL TO ORDER
SALUTE TO COLORS
Mayor Wronko invited all those present to stand in a salute to the colors.
MAYOR’S STATEMENT AS TO COMPLIANCE WITH P.L. 1975
Adequate Notice of this Meeting has been provided according to the Open Public Meetings Act, Assembly Bill 1030. Notice of this Meeting was included in the Annual Meeting Notice sent to the New Jersey Herald and the Daily Record on January 8, 2025, and was placed on the Official Bulletin Board in the Municipal Building.
In the event the Mayor and Council have not addressed all items on this Agenda by 10:00 PM and they are of the opinion that they cannot complete the Agenda in a reasonable time period, the Mayor and Council may exercise their option to continue this meeting at an agreed to date, time and place. Please turn off all cell phones for the duration of this Meeting.
ROLL CALL
Council Members:
Councilman Riccardi – present
Councilman Thornton – present
Councilman Romano – present
Councilman Wachterhauser – present
Councilman Simpson – present
Councilman Zampino – present
Mayor Wronko – present
CITIZEN’S TO BE HEARD
Mayor Wronko opened the meeting to the public after advising attendees that there is a five (5) minute time limit for each speaker.
Paula Zeliff-Murphy stated she is here tonight representing the Shade Tree Commission. The Shade Tree Commission holds an annual indoor seminar and this year the seminar is being held on Tuesday, October 7th, at 7:00pm at the municipal building. The Borough Forester will be presenting information on how insects affect trees. Anyone with a concern about a tree of their own will have the opportunity to ask the forester about their specific tree. The Shade Tree Commission will be conducting a hazardous tree inventory in the near future. Administrator McNeilly asked Ms. Zeliff-Murphy to email the information to him and he will send out an announcement. Administrator McNeilly stated the Shade Tree Commission received a grant in 2024 to conduct the hazardous tree inventory and the grant is still being finalized. The grant is for $9,000. It has been a very long time since the last inventory was done. Trees along the roadways, parks, trails, and street trees will be included in the inventory. They will look at location, condition, size and canopy. There is an in-kind match with this grant and the Shade Tree Commission has been working very hard on this project. Mayor Wronko stated this is great for the community to learn because there are always so many questions regarding trees.
Seeing no one further from the public wishing to speak, Mayor Wronko closed the public portion of the meeting.
MINUTES FOR APPROVAL
Mayor Wronko read aloud the list of minutes being presented for approval:
August 12, 2025 Work Session & Agenda Meeting & Closed Session
August 26, 2025 Business Meeting
On motion by Councilman Riccardi, seconded by Councilman Thornton and carried by a majority voice vote, the minutes were approved. Councilman Simpson abstained from the minutes of August 26, 2025.
CORRESPONDENCE (List Attached)
On motion by Councilman Romano, seconded by Councilman Wachterhauser and unanimously carried by voice vote, the list of correspondence was accepted and ordered placed on file.
COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS
Public Safety – Councilman Wachterhauser/Councilman Riccardi
(Police, Fire, Ambulance, Court & Violations Bureau, Emergency Management)
Councilman Wachterhauser stated a brief meeting was held with Stanhope Fire Chief Ellicott and 2nd Assistant Chief Bookspan regarding some issues that the Fire Department wanted to discuss. The Fire Department will be submitting items for purchase during next years budget. They would also like to conduct more bucket drops they are looking for new ideas for recruitment and ways to retain people on the Fire Department.
Councilman Wachterhauser stated he and Councilman Riccardi are also planning to meet with the Ambulance Squad. That date has not been set as yet.
Councilman Wachterhauser stated the Police Department for the month of August reported 293 calls for service and 112 of those calls were motor vehicle stops.
Councilman Wachterhauser stated the Fire Department for the month of August reported 6 calls for service, 4 mutual aid calls, 3 drills and 16 special details for a total of 149.5 volunteer hours.
Councilman Wachterhauser stated the Ambulance Squad for the month of July reported 31 calls and 1 out of town call. They made 13 trips to the hospital. Travelled 452 miles and had 393 hours and 20 minutes of volunteer hours. For the month of August, the Ambulance Squad reported 41 calls and 4 out of town calls. They made 19 trips to the hospital. They travelled 584 miles and had 215 hours and 49 minutes of volunteer hours.
Councilman Wachterhauser stated the Sussex County Fire Marshal for the month of August reported 5 inspections with 16 notices of violations being issued to various businesses.
Councilman Wachterhauser stated the Zoning and Code Enforcement Officer issued 3 notices of violation for the month of August. Previous notices were followed up.
Finance & Administration – Councilman Romano/Councilman Thornton
Councilman Romano stated the tax collections for the month of August totaled $3,334,263.57 and the year to date total is $10,263,364.31. Approximately 94% of the third quarter taxes have been collected. The collections are only 4/10ths behind last years collection percentage. Collections are doing fine.
Councilman Romano stated the water collections for the month of August totaled $15,391.29 and the year to date total is $412,233.18. The sewer collections for the month of August totaled $20,166.45 and the year to date total is $555,146.69. The Borough is solvent.
Community Development – Councilman Zampino/Councilman Simpson
Councilman Zampino stated over the past few weeks he has spoken with several residents with regard to the Braille Trail and the condition of the trail. Councilman Zampino stated he walked the trail this morning. Most of the trail resides in Mt. Olive but many Stanhope residents utilize the trail. From the incline plane out to Continental Drive, the state has done a large amount of clearing. There is a minimum of a 10 foot right away and most areas have a 20-30 foot right of way. This is a nice wide berth for people to walk and ride bikes. There are no obstacles, branches or obstructions and no trash, other than a few tires which he noticed in the canal which will have to be removed. The residents he spoke with are very pleased with the condition of the trail. Councilman Zampino took pictures of the trail and shared those with the governing body.
Municipal Infrastructure – Councilman Thornton/Councilman Romano
(Water Distribution, Sewer Collection System, Road Construction & Maintenance, Buildings & Grounds)
Councilman Thornton stated he had no report this evening.
Information Technology – Councilman Riccardi/Councilman Wachterhauser
Councilman Riccardi stated he and the Administrator met with DeskPro yesterday. The set up was done for the initial emails and work flow. The office personnel have received their logins. There are training videos which will be shared with everyone. The next step is to change out the contact form on the website and to set up the email forwarding. Councilman Riccardi suggested that any emails received in the office should be forwarded into the DeskPro email or manually enter a ticket so real data can be placed into the program. Councilman Riccardi stated he has the input code for the website. Administrator McNeilly stated the Deputy Clerk has already contacted the website designer, Nicole, to let her know this update would be forthcoming. Administrator McNeilly stated there are 9 people to be set up on the system. Mayor Wronko asked if the system is user friendly. Councilman Riccardi stated once the set up is complete for everyone it should be fairly simple to utilize.
Councilman Thornton asked if the council members will have access to the DeskPro system. Councilman Riccardi stated the council will only have access to the reporting which, for example, will indicate the number of infrastructure tickets that were opened and closed but there will not be access to the actual case. More licensing would have to be purchased to include the council. Councilman Thornton stated he is of the opinion that when this was discussed over a year ago that the intent was to include the council. The reason for implementing the program was brought about due to a complaint a resident had and none of the council had known about it. Councilman Riccardi stated a report can be set up which would contain all of that information. Administrator McNeilly stated the governing body will not have the specifics of an issue but they will be informed of issues that were opened and closed and how long it took. The council will be able to see whose basket has not been taken care of. Councilman Riccardi stated there are several options for creating various reports. Councilman Thornton stated the purpose was to keep the council informed about any complaints or issues so that if they are approached by a resident they know what is happening. Mayor Wronko stated he is of the opinion the program can be programmed to provide this information.
Boards/Commissions – Councilman Simpson/Councilman Zampino
Councilman Simpson stated that the Recreation Committee will have a stand at the HSA Fall Festival. They will be handing out apple cider donuts.
Councilman Wachterhauser asked if a Nixle message could be sent out regarding the Fall Festival. Councilman Wachterhauser stated he will forward the information to the Administrator as soon as he receives it.
ENGINEER’S REPORT
Mayor Wronko invited the Borough Engineer, Eric Keller, to come forward to give his report.
Main Street Milling & Resurfacing Local Aid Project – Eric Keller, Borough Engineer, stated the plans for the Main Street Milling & Resurfacing Local Aid Project have been approved by the NJDOT. This award has items that are covered by the co-op and some that are not, which require going out to bid. All of the awards have to happen at the same time. Mr. Keller stated he has worked in coordination with the Borough Attorney and the Administrator on the bid. Typically the council would be asked for their concurrence, but there was no time to do so with this bid. Mr. Keller stated he will be attending the first council meeting in October to provide the results of the public bid which is for the sidewalk, driveway apron and crosswalk portion of the project including detectable warning crosswalk pads at Bell’s Mansion on the Main Street side. Mr. Keller stated he has reached out to two contractors who have done work in the Borough previously and they will be submitting bids. They are Cifelli and Portofino. Mr. Keller stated he has received an updated schedule from Tilcon and they are scheduled to begin work the week of October 20th. This will be the week after the council meeting awarding the project. Mr. Keller will put together the language, following what was done last year, to make sure this moves through smoothly. Mr. Keller has coordinated with the Administrator with regard to NJ Natural Gas. There are a few service requests outstanding which have to be completed by mid October. If they are not done by then, they will not be getting done. Administrator McNeilly stated it has been a long time since Main Street was last paved. This will be a major disruption. The milling is slated to occur on Monday or Tuesday which means they will be paving on recycling or garbage day. This will also affect the school bus pick up and drop off out front. This will only be for one day and then it will be over. Administrator McNeilly stated door to door flyers will be distributed and a Nixle message will be sent. Mr. Keller stated the DPW will be on board for traffic control. Main Street has a deadline to be met or the Borough will lose the grant funding. Administrator McNeilly stated the leaf machine can be run through before the work begins. Blue Diamond will be notified.
Sunset Avenue/Ridge Road/Overhill Road Milling & Resurfacing – Mr. Keller stated Sunset Avenue, Ridge Road and Overhill Road are scheduled to be milled and paved the week of October 20th, after Main Street is completed. The funding for this project is being partially funded using the remaining USEPA fund of approximately $45,000 from the water system project because we came in under budget. The work plan was written with regard to paving so the EPA is allowing the Borough to use the funds for this purpose.
Water Tower Grant Documents – Mr. Keller stated he and Administrator McNeilly spoke with our alternate HUD representative regarding the water tower grant. Administrator McNeilly stated Mr. Keller needed to be added to the system to access the front end to enter information required. Hopefully, Mr. Keller will be added by tomorrow so that the timelines and budget can be entered. Mr. Keller stated this grant will require an environmental review. This is not something that was known about prior to this call. Mr. Keller stated he just received the regulations today. There are no wetlands on the property. It is not in a flood hazard area. This has been Borough property forever so there would be no contamination issues. Proposals are ready for geotechnical work and Mr. Kellers’s firm will do the preliminary engineering design. Once the new tank is installed, the old tank will have to be removed. There is no way to make the system work with the two tanks. Administrator McNeilly stated, because the tank was rehabilitated in 2014, the service was completely removed and therefore there are no lead issues at all on that tower. Mr. Keller stated the two ground reservoirs will remain. They feed the lower pressure zone. The tower is for the upper part of the system. Councilman Wachterhauser asked if this will be done in two or three years. Mr. Keller stated the goal is to go to bid this time next year. The grant funding does come with requirements. HUD and DEP approvals are required. This is not an allocation issue, which is a good thing, but it is a permitting issue because we are adding a structure and a facility to it. Right now the existing water tank is undersized. Councilman Wachterhauser asked if the new tank has to be designed or is it pre-engineered. Administrator McNeilly stated it is pre-engineered and will be a smaller version of the one located in Wharton. Mr. Keller stated the tanks come in fixed sizes. The preliminary calculations indicate the Borough needs a 260,000 gallon tank but the tanks do not come in that size so the next size up is 300,000 gallons. Administrator McNeilly stated the tank will be placed as high as possible from the ground. Mr. Keller stated the existing tank is not large enough or high enough, which is why there are pressure problems in the upper zone.
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Route 183/Route 206 Resurfacing Project – Administrator McNeilly stated he received notice that the state will be resurfacing Route 183 in the near future. The state thermoplast the crosswalks and the turn lanes on Route 183 yesterday. The area of construction is from Route 80 in Netcong to just past Dell Road in Stanhope. This work will take place Monday through Saturday from 8:00pm to 6:00am. The state anticipates work to start in mid October. A Nixle message will be sent out closer to the date of construction. This will be a very noisy project and is out of Stanhope’s jurisdiction and/or control.
2025 Best Practices Survey – Administrator McNeilly stated the Best Practices Survey is due. There are two pages with questions regarding electric vehicles. The state wants the municipalities to have electric dump trucks. That works well in south Jersey but not here with the cold and having to push snow. The survey must be completed and the score has to be at least 32 out of the 60 questions in order to maintain the funding. The Borough has never lost funding from this survey. Administrator McNeilly will be working with the CFO to complete the survey which will then be distributed to the governing body by October 17th. The Best Practices Survey will be placed on the October 28th meeting agenda for Council Discussion. The survey must be filed on October 24th. The Best Practices Survey was just received but the state needs it back to get the results to the Treasury to determine the funding distribution. The survey used to be sent to the municipalities in July. When the council discusses the survey on October 28th, the survey will already have been filed. Councilman Riccardi stated with the last survey anything that was not applicable to the Borough was left off. Administrator McNeilly stated the Borough does not score 100 points. It is difficult now to write N/A because the state weighs hard on those responses. There are some N/A’s and some No’s.
Andover Joint Court – Administrator McNeilly provided an update on the Andover Joint Court. Back in early spring, one of the municipalities, Fredon Township, withdrew from the shared service. Another municipality, Hampton Township, is exiting at the end of the year. Andover Township is in discussions with another town to encourage them to join the shared service. This does not affect Stanhope’s costs as our agreement will not be renewed until the end of 2028. There may be some modifications needed to the courtroom in the future. Councilman Riccardi asked where the towns that have left are going. Administrator McNeilly stated Fredon Township moved to Newton and Hampton Township will move to Frankford Township which was always a better fit for them.
Police Chief Crossing Guard Request – Administrator McNeilly stated the Police Chief, from a management standpoint, is of the opinion that adding the additional time versus extra money works best for the crossing guards.
Fire Department – Administrator McNeilly stated a closeout notice was received from NJ PEOSH stating that the open issues from the inspection have been satisfied and the matter is now closed.
Budget 106 Timeline – Administrator McNeilly stated the 2026 Budget timeline is as follows: Budget and Capital memo have been distributed; Budget and Capital Requests will be presented to the Governing Body on October 28th; the Proposed 2026 Budget Discussion is scheduled for October 28th and November 12th; The Tax Assessor and Borough Auditor Presentations are scheduled for December 9th.
Finance Committee Meeting – Administrator McNeilly stated he would like to schedule a Finance Committee Meeting for this Friday morning or midday relative to the Construction Department.
Electronic Message Board – Councilman Riccardi asked what type of condition the electronic message board sign is in. Administrator McNeilly stated it is completely dead. Councilman Riccardi asked if it can be replaced. Councilman Wachterhauser stated there are smarter, smaller ones available now. Administrator McNeilly stated the boards through the state contract are $25,000 – $30,000.
Well Pump – Councilman Wachterhauser asked if there is an update on the well repair. Administrator McNeilly stated there is no update at this time. The pump is still out for repair.
Construction Secretary – Councilman Wachterhauser asked if there is an update on the Construction Secretary position. Administrator McNeilly stated this is the reason for the meeting being scheduled with the Finance Committee.
COUNCIL DISCUSSION
Refund Municipal Portion of Handgun Carry Permit Fee – Mayor Wronko stated at a previous meeting a discussion was held regarding a refund for the municipal portion of a handgun carry permit fee. At that time, it was decided to ask the Borough Attorney for input and the governing body wanted to continue the discussion with Attorney Ursula Leo present. Mayor Wronko stated Attorney Leo is here this evening and asked the council if they had any questions regarding the information Attorney Leo had provided. Councilman Riccardi thanked Attorney Leo for answering the questions he had asked previously. Councilman Riccardi read a section of law regarding what the $150.00 “shall” be retained for and “shall” be used for and in his opinion the word “shall” in these types of documents means it is mandatory. Councilman Riccardi asked Attorney Leo if this is the case here. Attorney Leo stated her reading of the passage is “the amount retained by the municipality shall be used” and in this case this is about refunding and not collecting in general so by refunding it, there is nothing retained that “shall be”. Councilman Riccardi stated in the event that a decision is made to refund the fee, then the cost of the investigation required would fall to the Borough’s budget. Attorney Leo confirmed this. Councilman Riccardi stated, just based on this alone, he knows it does not cost the Police Department nothing to do the investigation, and in his opinion it is not appropriate for the Borough to subsidize the applicants. Councilman Zampino stated it was his understanding, from his time working in law enforcement, that the processing of applications for firearms was part of an officer’s or detective’s normal routine which they would be working on. It is not as if they are working overtime hours to do this which would affect the budget. Councilman Zampino stated he is of the opinion that using the permit fee to cover the cost of the investigation would not be any different than the normal daily routine. Councilman Riccardi stated more people are going to be submitting applications and just from a time standpoint it will take the department more time to process the applications. Councilman Thornton stated he was of the understanding that the Police Department has an outside agency that does the fingerprinting and background checks and the department is charged for that service. Councilman Wachterhauser and Councilman Zampino stated they are of the opinion that everything is done online now through a third party and the State Police. Councilman Wachterhauser asked Administrator McNeilly if he could consult with the Police Chief, who signs off on the applications, for his input. Councilman Wachterhauser is of the opinion that the $150.00 fee was an arbitrary number the state picked and if there are costs incurred, then perhaps a portion of the fee could be refunded. Discussion took place regarding the process to conduct the investigation, fingerprinting and the process also includes an interview with the applicant. Mayor Wronko asked to consult with the Chief to have him provide exactly what is done during the investigation process.
Councilman Romano stated he is of the opinion this is going further than it needs to. In the email from Attorney Leo, this is a political decision for us, and we are talking about pennies on the dollar. The fact is that this governing body does not refund fees for anything. We never have and we do not normally create a specific class of people that we refund money to, unless it is mandated by state statute, such as the veteran’s tax deduction. This could be opening Pandora’s Box. Other groups may come forward and want to have the same arrangement. Councilman Romano stated he is not in favor of opening Pandora’s Box. Councilman Wachterhauser stated he is of the opinion that arbitrary fees are not charged for anything else. Councilman Thornton stated this is not a Stanhope resident issue which was brought to us by a Stanhope resident or by a complaint. This is about less than two percent of the residents who we represent which are affected by this. At the last meeting we sat here wrenching our hands about $4,000 to participate in the shoreline goose addling and now we are talking about giving out more money again for people who are not complaining. Councilman Thornton stated he does not understand the relevance of this. Councilman Wachterhauser stated he is of the opinion we are not giving out money, we just are not charging them. Councilman Thornton stated, as Councilman Riccardi pointed out, there are expenses incurred to process the applications just like there is for construction permits. If it was not for the fact that the mayor received an email and a gentleman from another town spoke at the last meeting, we would not be discussing this. There are no Stanhope residents here complaining about having to pay for a concealed gun permit. Why are we cherry picking who to give money back to? Councilman Wachterhauser stated he is of the opinion this is not cherry picking. This is an arbitrary fee that the Borough is imposing on residents. Several Councilman all at once stated it is not the Borough doing this. It is the state imposing the fee. Councilman Wachterhauser disagreed and stated that the state decided the $150.00 but the Borough can decide against it. So, in essence we are deciding on it. If we can back out of it, and we choose not to, then we are choosing to stay along with it. If the state decided what could be charged for a construction permit and the Borough chose to go above that, because we could, that could be arbitrary. There are set fees and there is an inspector to go to the house and a secretary to process the paperwork, the DCA is involved and there is more to the backend of the process. Getting fingerprints done takes just a few minutes and everything is now digital. Background checks are done through E-Agent, which takes moments. The $150.00 fee may not be an applicable amount. Councilman Thornton reiterated that less than 2% of the residents affected by this, none of the residents are complaining. Councilman Zampino stated we do not need to wait for a complaint to discuss an issue. Mayor Wronko stated sometimes there are people who come in and complain who represent less than the 2% and we listen to their issues. Mayor Wronko suggested tabling this issue until someone brings it to their attention and he stated that Councilman Thornton has brought forth a very good point. Mayor Wronko stated he is supportive of anything that supports the 2nd Amendment, but if our residents are not complaining about it, then we do not need to worry about it at this time. Councilman Thornton stated Attorney Leo’s recommendation says that this could be setting a precedent which could cause future problems. This governing body has always said no when there is potential for litigation. Administrator McNeilly suggested having the Police Chief present if the subject is discussed again in the future. Mayor Wronko agreed that, if this is brought forth again, bringing all the information together to make the best decision possible would be the best idea.
NEW BUSINESS
CONSENT AGENDA (All items listed on the Consent Agenda are considered routine by the Borough Council and were enacted by one motion of the Borough Council with no separate discussion.)
Resolution 156-25 RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE BOROUGH OF STANHOPE APPROVING SOCIAL AFFAIR PERMIT
WHEREAS, Musconetcong Post #278 American Legion has filed an application for a Social Affair Permit for an event to be held on October 4, 2025; and
WHEREAS, the submitted application form is complete in all respects, fees have been paid and the application has been properly reviewed and approved by the Chief of Police;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Stanhope do hereby approve the Social Affair Permit for the Musconetcong Post #278 American Legion for their event to be held on October 4, 2025.
Resolution 157-25 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING STANHOPE HOSE CO. #1 TO CONDUCT A BUCKET DROP
WHEREAS, Stanhope Hose Company No. 1 has indicated a desire to hold a “Bucket Drop”on September 27, 2025, within the hours of 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, at the intersection of Sparta Road and Brooklyn Road, and on October 18, 2025 within the hours of 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the intersection of Sparta Road and Brooklyn Road; and
WHEREAS, should the weather be inclement on September 27, 2025, the following rain date and time will be utilized instead, at the same locations: September 28, 2025 within the hours of 11:00 am to 5:00 pm; and
WHEREAS, Fire Department personnel are to be stationed at the above-mentioned locations and all collections shall be done in a manner as to not impede the flow of traffic at any time, pursuant to the Traffic Safety Plan; and
WHEREAS, the Borough directs the Chief of Police to sign the NJDOT application for a charitable solicitation permit and to monitor compliance of the Traffic Safety Plan as necessary; and
WHEREAS, Fire Department members shall wear safety vests and traffic safety setup shall conform with the “Manual on Uniform Traffic Control”; and
WHEREAS, N.J.A.C. 16:40-3.1 et seq. requires charitable organizations to obtain approval of the Commissioner of Transportation before soliciting contributions within State highways and County Commissioners approval for county highways.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Stanhope, in the County of Sussex, State of New Jersey hereby approves the Stanhope Hose Company No. 1’s request to hold a “Bucket Drop” on September 27, 2025, within the hours of 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, at the intersection of Sparta Road and Brooklyn Road, and on October 18, 2025 within the hours of 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the intersection of Sparta Road and Brooklyn Road and a rain date of September 28, 2025 within the hours of 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at the same location, per the Traffic Safety Plan and subject to obtaining approval of the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners and a charitable solicitation permit from the New Jersey State Department of Transportation.
Resolution 158-25 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MINIMUM OF ONE AND ONE-HALF HOURS OF PAY OF CROSSING GUARDS FOR EACH DETAIL
WHEREAS, the Borough of Stanhope provides crossing guards during school days throughout the Borough under the supervision of the Chief of Police; and
WHEREAS, the crossing guards are compensated as set forth in Borough Ordinance 2025-16, at a rate of $17.00 to $20.00 per hour; and
WHEREAS, the Chief of Police has requested that crossing guards be paid a minimum of one and one-half (1.5) hours for each crossing guard detail.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Stanhope that, effective October 1, 2025, crossing guards shall receive a minimum of one and one-half (1.5) hours compensation for each crossing guard detail.
Resolution 159-25 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING REFUND OF REDEMPTION MONIES TO OUTSIDE LIEN HOLDER
WHEREAS, at the Municipal Tax Sale held on October 30, 2024, a lien was sold on Block 11404 Lot 6, also known as 59 Linden Avenue, for 2023 delinquent sewer and water charges; and
WHEREAS, this lien which is known as Tax Sale Certificate #24-00016 was sold to Bala Partners, LLC at 0% interest and a Premium of $600.00; and
WHEREAS, Cotality, mortgagee, has effected a redemption of certificate #24-00016 in the amount of $2,277.34; and
WHEREAS, the Tax Collector certifies that the reimbursement is now required to be made for the required redemption amounts as shown below:
Redemption Amount: Outside Lien #24-00016 and Interest $2,277.34
Premium Paid by Lienholder 600.00
Total From Current Fund: $2,277.34
Total From Tax Premium Account 600.00
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Borough Council of the Borough of Stanhope, County of Sussex, State of New Jersey that the Governing Body acknowledges that Bala Partners, LLC is entitled to the redemption in the amount of $2,877.34 and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Chief Financial Officer be authorized to issue a check in the total amount of $2,877.34 for the total redemption of certificate #24-00016 payable to Bala Partners, LLC, PO Box 303, Pottersville, NJ 07979; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this Resolution be forwarded to the Borough Chief Financial Officer and the Borough Tax Collector.
On motion by Councilman Riccardi, seconded by Councilman Romano and carried by a majority of the following roll call vote, the foregoing resolutions were duly adopted. Councilman Simpson abstained from Resolution 157-25.
Roll Call:
Councilman Riccardi – yes
Councilman Thornton – yes
Councilman Romano – yes
Councilman Wachterhauser – yes
Councilman Simpson – yes (abstained #157-25)
Councilman Zampino – yes
PAYMENT OF BILLS
Resolution 160-25 RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF THE BOROUGH OF STANHOPE AUTHORIZING PAYMENT OF BILLS
WHEREAS, the Chief Finance Officer has certified that funds are available in the proper account; and
WHEREAS, the Chief Finance Officer has approved payment upon certification from the Borough Department Heads that the goods and/or services have been rendered to the Borough;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Stanhope that the current bills list, dated September 23, 2025, and on file and available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief Finance Officer and approved by the Chief Finance Officer for payment, be paid.
On motion by Councilman Romano, seconded by Councilman Zampino and unanimously carried by the following roll call vote, the foregoing resolution was duly adopted.
Roll Call:
Councilman Riccardi – yes
Councilman Thornton – yes
Councilman Romano – yes
Councilman Wachterhauser – yes
Councilman Simpson – yes
Councilman Zampino – yes
Attorney Ursula Leo stated she had no report this evening.
CITIZEN’S TO BE HEARD
Mayor Wronko opened the meeting to the public after advising attendees that there is a five (5) minute time limit for each speaker.
Dan Smith stated, with regard to the discussion about the firearm fees, he has attended several meetings and the council has spent the better part of an hour discussing a subject that affects a very small percentage of people in town. Mr. Smith stated he is of the opinion that the council should devote that amount of time on issues that would benefit more of the town, as opposed to the very small percentage of people who want concealed firearms. Mayor Wronko stated he disagrees, but Mr. Smith’s point is well taken. An hour has not been spent on the subject, but it has been discussed at a few meetings. If one person brings something to his attention, it is important to him and he values everyone’s opinion whether it is just one person or thousands. Mayor Wronko thanked Mr. Smith for his input.
Carmen Pico, asked the governing body if any further discussion has occurred regarding the issue of cars speeding down New Street which was discussed a few months ago. Mr. Pico stated he had requested additional stop signs and/or speed humps for New Street. Councilman Wachterhauser stated New Street has not been readdressed. New Street is scheduled to be worked on next year and discussions regarding traffic calming and stop signs will take place at that time. Mr. Pico stated he understands that, however, there are about 9-10 children who live on the street and more than half of them ride their bicycles up and down the street. It is dangerous having people speeding down the road. If something could be done temporarily that would be helpful. There was a speed sign on the street but it has been removed. Councilman Wachterhauser stated he is the Chairperson for the Public Safety Committee and he will speak with the Police Chief to see if there are any options. Councilman Zampino stated he agrees that something needs to be done.
Mr. Pico stated the HSA Festival is this Saturday but the gas company still has all their equipment stored in the parking lot. Mayor Wronko stated when he spoke with the Little League they explained that they have an arrangement with the gas company and apparently they are allowing the storage to take place. Mayor Wronko asked Councilman Wachterhauser to follow up on that issue. Councilman Wachterhauser stated he will check into the situation. The Little League is a private organization and they have their own agreement in place with the contractor.
Administrator McNeilly stated the Borough owns two electronic speed signs. It would be nice to have one for every road but that is not an option. With school opening, it may be beneficial to place one on Sagamore Road and one on Dell Road or Delaware Avenue. The speeding drivers are all residents, driving through other residents neighborhoods at a high rate of speed, often with cell phones in hand. Rushing because they are too late for drop off or pick up. There are speeding issues with just about every street in town and 90% of it is being done by residents. New Street is a little different because it is a cut through, which is why it has the speed humps that it does. Perhaps new ones could be more aggressive or more could be added. The Borough has installed signage, tree canopies and roads have been necked down. In order to do more for the speeding issue, it would require more staff. The Borough is generally patrolled by one officer at a time, who may be covering a crossing guard station, or they are on a call. They cannot be sitting on a back road with radar. Mayor Wronko asked if the data from the electronic speed signs shows that they are working to slow people down and if so, perhaps the Borough can purchase additional signs. Administrator McNeilly stated the signs cost approximately $5,000 each. Councilman Zampino asked if temporary speed humps could be installed. Administrator McNeilly stated speed hump locations have to be determined by the Borough Engineer. Mr. Keller stated he can use more aggressive speed humps, but someone will have to field the complaints like those we received after the humps were installed on Musconetcong Road. Councilman Romano stated the speed humps worked and we did survive the complaints. Mr. Keller stated other speed humps in the Borough had to be flattened out due to complaints. Discussion took place regarding the number of residents who continually speed through the Borough. Rosemarie Maio, present in the audience, stated at the intersection near her home, if twelve people come through there, eleven do not stop. And of those eleven, they all live in Stanhope. Administrator McNeilly stated the Borough went to great lengths to slow traffic down on Sparta Road. However, three street lights have been knocked down, two houses have been hit, hydrants and mailboxes have been taken out by vehicles.
Paula Zeliff-Murphy stated at the end of Plane Street at the intersection with New Street, there is a house on the right that has a hedgerow that completely blocks the view of oncoming cars. Ms. Zeliff-Murphy asked if the hedgerow can be cut back. Councilman Wachterhauser stated he will speak to the homeowner and see what can be done. Councilman Zampino stated he has spoken with the neighbor regarding this issue in the past and he too will speak with the owner.
Seeing no one further from the public wishing to speak, Mayor Wronko closed the public portion of the meeting.
CLOSED SESSION
1. The general nature of the subject matter(s) to be discussed is as follows:
1 – Attorney-Client
2. It is anticipated at this time that the above stated subject matter(s) will be made public at the conclusion of each individual specified subject matter.
3. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
On motion by Councilman Romano, seconded by Councilman Simpson, and unanimously carried by voice vote, the foregoing resolution was adopted.
The Mayor and Council went into Closed Session at 8:01 P.M.
RETURN TO OPEN SESSION
At the conclusion of the Closed Session, the Mayor and Council reconvened the public meeting at 8:04 P.M. with all present.
ADJOURNMENT
On motion by Councilman Romano, seconded by Councilman Riccardi and unanimously carried by voice vote the meeting was adjourned at 8:04 P.M.
Approved:
Linda Chirip
Deputy Clerk for
Ellen Horak, RMC
Borough Clerk