Tag: Village of Ridgewood Ordinance 3-19

Ridgewood NJ, During last week’s Village Council Work Session, Mayor Paul Aronsohn publicly announced his plan to begin enforcing certain provisions of Village Ordinance 3-19 (“Manner of Addressing the Council”), specifically those sections that prohibit: 1) persons from addressing any remark or question to a specific Council member and 2) remarks that are either personally abusive or offensive.

Here’s the complete version of 3-19 as posted on the Village’s web site.

Read it before you go to the podium and comply while you’re up there, otherwise Aronsohn might personally give you the hook.

§ 3-19Manner of addressing Council.[Amended 1-11-1994 by Ord. No. 2442]

A. Persons other than Council members may be permitted to address the Council in the proper order of business. A person present may, upon recognition by the Chair, be heard either upon ordinances upon second reading or at the time of petitions and oral communications from the public and at such other times as the Council may, by majority vote of those present, specifically permit. No person shall address any remark or question to any specific Council member, nor shall any person be permitted to address the Chair while a motion is pending. A Council member may, through the Chair, respond to any communication or address received pursuant to this section.

B. Except upon consent of the Council, by the majority vote of those present, each person addressing the Council pursuant to this section shall be required to limit his remarks to five minutes and shall at no time engage in any personally offensive or abusive remarks. On a hearing on ordinances on second reading, a person who has previously addressed the Council on the issue may be permitted a period of no more than an additional five minutes, after all others desirous of speaking on the issue have had an opportunity to do so, provided the comments of the speaker are not repetitive. The Chair shall call any speaker to order who violates any provision of this section.