December 7, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9 Franklin Lakes Anti-snow dumping ordinance receives approval by Frank J. McMahon An ordinance recently adopted by the Franklin Lakes Council has amended the section of the borough code on unlawful acts to prohibit snow removers from depositing snow on public or other private properties. Under the new ordinance, it will be unlawful for the operator of any snowplow or other snow removal equipment that is clearing accumulated snow on private property to deposit (or cause to be deposited) that snow on any public road, street, or highway, or on public property, or on private property other than the property on which the snow had accumulated. The operator of any snowplow or other snow removal equipment who fails to comply with the provisions of this section could be fined $250 for the first offense, and $500 for each subsequent offense. The borough council had delayed the introduction of this ordinance because the state legislature passed a new law in August. That law, the “Anti-Snow Dumping Act,” prohibits commercial snowplow operators on private property from depositing snow on public roads, streets, and highways, or on public lands. That law became effective Aug. 18, and the borough council thought it might preempt the ordinance being considered for Franklin Lakes. Borough Attorney Richard Lustgarten advised the governing body that the borough’s ordinance would not be preempted by the state law. A public hearing on the borough’s new ordinance was held at the Nov. 10 council meeting. The governing body unanimously adopted the measure after there were no comments from the public. The section of the code containing the new snow dumping ordinance also lists other acts of putting things on public roadways that are considered unlawful. The ordinance includes throwing or spilling any dirt, sand, ashes, gravel, brick, stones, wastepaper, or other similar loose material on any borough road; mixing any dry or wet concrete, cement, or plaster of any kind or description upon the surface of any borough road; spilling any turpentine, kerosene, gasoline, petroleum, lubricating oil, or other highly inflammable oils or their volatile products, or allowing any such fluids to escape upon the surface of any borough road, or to operate any tank trucks or other vehicle from which any such fluids are permitted to escape. That section of the code also prohibits placing any permanent or temporary obstruction on any borough road; burning leaves or any other material on any borough road; filling or loading any truck or motor vehicle with dirt, sand, gravel, earth, stones, rock, fill or other materials higher at any point than the lowest of the four (continued on page 29) Boy Scout Troop 34 of Franklin Lakes is holding its annual Christmas Tree Sale on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The sale is held at the Franklin Lakes United Methodist Boy Scouts sponsor Christmas Tree Sale Church at 454 Pulis Avenue. The Scouts are selling nursery-grown Christmas trees, wreaths, and roping for the holiday season and will assist shoppers with the selection and loading of trees.