The Board of Commissioners added amendment to current local ordinance at the Tuesday, Oct. 10 meeting in Borough Hall.
At their Tuesday, Oct. 10 meeting, borough commissioners voted to approve an amendment to an ordinance on second reading that urges Haddonfield residents and businesses to comply with the brush, landscaping and rubbish placement ordinance by issuing citations instead of fixed fines for repeat offenders.
As more leaves begin to fall, the goal is to minimize the number of residents raking their leaves into gutters and on streets. The amendment states those with a subsequent offense within a five-year period will require a municipal court appearance; the fine will be in the court’s discretion.
Fixed fined tickets are $50, and repeat offenders will be issued a citation and must appear before a judge in court.
Commissioner John Moscatelli said, according to the current ordinance, all debris must be placed closest to the curb without being in the street or blocking the sidewalk.
Moscatelli explained that both this year and last, the insert placed in residents’ tax bills clearly outlines that citations would be issued instead of warnings.
“What we have found in prior years is that issuing warnings had no effect and we had lots of repeat offenders,” he said.
In other news:
• Commissioners passed an ordinance on second reading giving the borough the authority to oversee and finance the restoration of abandoned properties with the intention of selling them back into the market. They are hoping this approach will be successful as seen in Collingswood.
“Collingswood has had good success,” Moscatelli said. “Certainly our hope is that a lot of our property owners, which are generally banks, will move on their own and we won’t have to take possession of any of these properties, but if we do, we will be prepared in the next budget year.”
• Commissioners also passed an ordinance on second reading stating the borough has put in temporary permit parking at Haddonfield Memorial High school while it is under construction
• Butch Brees, Hadrosaurus Park curator, made an appearance to discuss Dinosaur Month and encourage residents to participate in the amenities Haddonfield has to offer, such as the Haddonfield dinosaur discovery site.
• The next commissioners meeting is scheduled to be held at Borough Hall, Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
