BOONTON — The Boonton Mayor and Town Council will hold public hearings Monday, September 21, on three ordinances introduced at the September 8 meeting: new requirements for Knox-Box rapid entry boxes on commercial buildings, a fee schedule for nuisance and false fire alarms, and changes to the town’s snow parking prohibition.
A closed session on litigation begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the open public meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. The meeting is held in person and livestreamed on Zoom. No action may be taken in closed session. Click here to view the agenda.
Residents may comment in person or in writing. Written comments must include the name, address, and phone number of the author and may be emailed to Town Clerk Elizabeth Bonsiewich at [email protected] with the subject line “Public Comment” at least eight hours before the meeting. Mailed comments must be received by 4:00 p.m. the day before the meeting. All public comments are limited to three minutes.
Ordinance 24-26: Knox-Box Requirements
The ordinance replaces Section 27-6 of the town code and requires an Underwriters Laboratories-listed Knox-Box on the exterior of certain structures so the Fire Department can enter during emergencies without forced entry. Boxes would be required on:
- New commercial and industrial buildings, within 120 days of the certificate of occupancy.
- Existing commercial and industrial buildings with automatic fire detection or suppression systems, within 120 days of notification by the Fire Official.
- Commercial buildings undergoing improvements that require Planning Board or Zoning Board approval, before a final certificate of occupancy is issued.
- Multifamily residential buildings with restricted access, locked common entrances, or common corridors, within 120 days of notification by the Fire Official.
- Any other structure where the Fire Official determines a box is necessary.
Property owners would pay for the purchase, installation, and maintenance of the boxes, which must stay clear of snow, ice, landscaping, and signage. Owners must notify the Fire Official immediately when a lock is changed or access credentials change and place updated keys in the box within 24 hours. Noncompliant owners would receive a written notice of violation with a 30-day correction period, or a shorter period for high-hazard occupancies. Access to the town’s master keys would be limited to Boonton Fire Department officers, the Knox-Box program administrator, the Fire Official, and licensed fire inspectors working under the Fire Official.
Ordinance 25-26: Nuisance and False Fire Alarms
The ordinance sets response fees for alarm activations that do not involve an actual emergency, calculated over a rolling 12-month period:
- Commercial, industrial, and multifamily residential properties: a warning for the first and second false alarms, $500 for the third, $750 for the fourth, and $1,000 for the fifth and each one after.
- Owner-occupied one- and two-family homes: a warning for the first three false alarms, $100 for the fourth, $250 for the fifth, and $500 for the sixth and each one after.
Alarm users required to have a fire alarm system, or who voluntarily maintain a monitored system, would have to register with the Bureau of Fire Prevention within 60 days of the ordinance taking effect and list at least two emergency contacts who can reach the property within 30 minutes. Testing without advance notice to Morris County dispatch, the Bureau of Fire Prevention, and the monitoring company counts as a false alarm and can carry a separate penalty of up to $500. Resetting an active alarm before the Fire Department arrives carries a penalty of up to $500, and intentionally causing a false alarm carries a municipal penalty of up to $200 in addition to any state charges. Fees can be appealed to the Fire Official within 15 days of the billing notice.
Ordinance 26-26: Snow Parking
The ordinance amends Section 201-29 of the parking code, listed for public hearing and proposed adoption. Parking on any public street would be unlawful between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. when at least three inches of snow covers the streets, as measured by the Boonton Police Department’s shift commander at Town Hall. The prohibition stays in force for eight hours after the precipitation ends. Licensed physicians and visiting nurses making professional calls are exempt, as are county, state, and federal roads: Main Street, West Main Street, Myrtle Avenue, Washington Street, and Boonton Avenue. Any violation requires a court appearance and a penalty of not less than $100.
Consent Agenda (Resolutions 26-231 through 26-238)
- Approve the September 8 regular meeting minutes and payment of vouchers.
- Set fees for next summer’s Parks and Recreation Youth Summer Camp Program for Boonton children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Full-day camp, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., is $180 per week with early enrollment and $215 per week with late enrollment. Before Camp Care, 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., is $65 per week with early enrollment and $75 per week with late enrollment. An additional day, available only after the registration deadline and if space allows, is $60 per day. Early enrollment applications are due by 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, and there are no sibling discounts.
- Appoint Mark Wrobel to the Planning Board as a Class III member, with a term expiring December 31, and to the Boonton Green Team.
- Authorize the purchase of two self-contained breathing apparatus sets and six air cylinders for the Fire Department from New Jersey Fire Equipment Company through the Bergen County cooperative contract, at a cost not to exceed $28,971.52.
- Approve an additional $23,802.20 to Tilcon New York, Inc. for the town’s road paving program through the Morris County Cooperative Pricing Council Contract 6C, due to fuel and asphalt price adjustments.
- Authorize the online sale of a surplus Seagrave custom pumper fire truck through GovDeals, with a starting bid of $35,000.
New Business (Introductions)
- Ordinance 23-26 (title only) amends Chapter 300 of the town code to regulate rooming and boarding houses, including cooperative sober living residences and group homes.
- Ordinance 27-26 (title only) amends Chapter 300 to modify the expedited waiver of site plan review process and set minimum standards for residential units in the B-1 District.
The agenda also includes committee and liaison reports, council, administrator, and town attorney comments, and a public portion of the meeting before adjournment.
