Politics & Government

Mayor, Council got Nothing 'Official' from Zoning Board on Surprise Vote

The Mayor and Council held a meeting Wednesday evening and the issue of Tuesday's Zoning Board vote was barely addressed. That may turn out to be a positive for the Borough.

The New Milford Zoning Board met Tuesday evening and continued to hear from the Borough’s traffic consultant on the matter of traffic and safety related to the proposed development of the United Water property.

Just before the meeting adjourned, a vote was presented to the board, and passed 3-1, in favor of the Borough conducting their own traffic study and safety evaluation

Joe Loonam, the Zoning Board member who initiated the vote, cited time as a main reason why they needed to vote Tuesday. With the holidays coming up, it was feared that an accurate traffic count could not be conducted.

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The Mayor and Council need to vote on whether or not they are in agreement and come up with a plan for funding. Luckily for all parties, the Mayor and Council were meeting Wednesday, the very next evening.

The discussion of the zoning board vote came up more than three hours into the meeting and was discussed for less than 30 seconds. During the public portion of the meeting, a concerned resident raised the issue. The video above contains the entire discussion that took place.

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“I have not received anything official from the Zoning Board,” said Mayor Ann Subrizi. "I believe that there are some legal ramifications that have to be researched before it comes to us. It’s not an adversarial situation. I just have not received anything official yet.”

This may appear to be a sign of miscommunication, but the two bodies may have done the best thing for the borough by not rushing into things. 

Zoning Board Attorney Scott Sproviero seemed a bit discouraged about the vote on Tuesday evening. Not in regard to the subject being voted upon, but in regard to not having had the opportunity to research the consequences of such a move.

Click here to watch the video of the vote.

Should the zoning board have presented the results of their vote to the Mayor and Council immediately? Or do you feel that it was wise to leave the issue aside while the zoning board’s attorney has an opportunity to review the possibilities?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below. 


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