Ridgewood October 10, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Residents send ordinance back to drawing board by John Koster Ridgewood residents Boyd Loving and Roger Wiegand were the leaders of the group that sent the proposed leaf ordinance back to the drawing board last week, but they were backed by several other citizens. “As it stands now, I believe there are certain sections of this ordinance that you are not going to be able to enforce because they are vague,” Loving told the Ridgewood Village Council. Robert A. Briedis, a long-time resident, was among the first to state that some parts of the ordinance were confusing and some might not be possible. He argued, among other things, that the worst leaf accumulation problems take place on the smaller streets, yet those streets specifically cited as non-leaf accumulation areas were mostly larger streets with no seasonal problems. Briedis argued that the ordinance should be reviewed before it is adopted to make it more practical. The council agreed to take that action after a half-dozen residents concurred that different parts of the ordinance either seemed impractical or were difficult to understand. Wiegand noted that violators could face minimum fines of $200 and maximum fines of $1,000, and have liens placed on their properties. He said that this seemed too steep a price if Ridgewood, rather than the residents, failed to comply with schedules for leaf collection. Wiegand said it would be good to have a leaf enforcement law on the books. “There are a number of specifics....that will make it difficult for you to enforce it,” Loving concurred. Municipal officials tried to defend the ordinance as written, but the residents ultimately convinced Mayor Paul Aronsohn to suggest that the introduction be held until the Oct. 13 public meeting. Last week’s hearing took place at a special public meeting with the obvious intention of getting the leaf ordinance in place as quickly as possible. The one-page notice inserted in the tax bills made one point with which no one disagreed: No brush, including branches and trimmings, will be collected during the leaf season. Branches, twigs, and shrubs mixed with the fallen leaves frequently clog the two vacuum trucks that pick up the leaves, yet as even Briedis noted, some residents seem to wait for the leaf season rather than tying the branches in three-foot bundles as they should. The ordinance as drafted also stated, “All leaves are to be placed directly in the street (except in areas noted below) not more than seven days prior to scheduled collection date. Leaves must be placed in the street prior to the start of your collection date. Once a street has been collected, the next collection date then applies. “The following locations have no leaves in the street nor are sidewalks to be blocked: Linwood Avenue, East Ridgewood Avenue, North Van Dien Avenue, Pleasant Avenue (both North & South), Maple Avenue (both North & South), Glen Avenue (both East & West) Ackerman Avenue, Godwin Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, and North Monroe Street. “Leaves must not be placed within 10 feet of a catch basis at any time per NJDEP and Land Use Regulations. “Leaves placed out after the start date of your area collection will be in violation and a summons will be issued requiring a court appearance.” The ordinance draft noted that schedule changes might be made and urged residents to request telephone notification. Loving noted that at least one municipal line refuses to accept telephone messages, and some others never grant access to a person, only an answering machine. “We need to get it straightened out so that you don’t make a call and get a message that says ‘We don’t accept voice mail,’” Loving told the council. Police reports (continued from previous page) the home. The victim reported jewelry missing. Police reported that a burglar also struck between 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 25 and 9 a.m. on Sept. 26 by entering a Gateway Road residence through an unlocked door. Computer equipment was stolen and cash was taken from a purse. Chief Ward urged that residents ensure that all doors, windows, and vehicles are locked and that expensive items are not visible from outside homes or vehicles.