Council considers code
to replace cleared trees
BY LARRY RAMER
Staff Writer
MARLBORO — The Township Council is considering adopting a shade tree ordinance that would allow the town to more easily replace uprooted trees.
During the council’s Sept. 25 meeting, Township Engineer Bill Schultz reported that builders currently have to pay $250 into an account for each tree they uproot. However, Schultz said he was not sure if a mechanism existed that allowed anyone in town to access and use the money for buying new trees.
A shade tree ordinance adopted by the town could address this problem, Township Attorney Ron Gordon replied.
Councilman Paul Kovalski, who has spearheaded the effort to enact a shade tree ordinance, said officials in some towns have hired certified tree experts on a consultant basis to evaluate trees. If Marlboro chooses to retain a tree expert, one of that person’s roles could be to decide which trees the town should make a special effort to protect, Kovalski said. The town could also set higher fees for more valuable trees, the councilman added.
Raising another concern, Schultz said some property owners who do not have to pay the tree replacement fee because they claim to be farmers quickly begin using their property for residential or commercial purposes.
"Maybe we should have a requirement that if you clear-cut the land for farming, you’ll have to farm it for 10 years," Kovalski responded.
Gordon provided council members with information describing shade tree ordinances in other towns, and Kovalski asked members of the council to contact him with any questions or comments they have about the matter.
In a separate issue, the council ratified the settlement of its voting system reapportionment lawsuit against the Freehold Regional High School District, which contested the weight of Marlboro’s vote on the FRHSD Board of Education. Under the terms of the settlement, the vote of Marlboro’s representative will increase from 1.4 to 1.6 points in the board’s nine-point voting system.
Marlboro also received a $35,000 payment from the state as compensation for a portion of the legal fees the town spent in its lawsuit against the FRHSD.
Apparently, the $40,000 that the council appropriated for the law firm of Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland, Perretti on Aug. 14 was primarily used to compensate the firm for preparing a six-page consent order that set out the terms of the settlement and for negotiating the terms of the $35,000 payment from the state.
Representing the firm, attorney Lance Kalik said he believed the bulk of his firm’s work on the FRHSD case since mid-August has focused on these two matters.
The council also unanimously approved a $1.75 million bond ordinance that will be used to pay for a new pool and other improvements at the Marlboro Swim Club, off Gordons Corner Road.