In response to a ban on gas powered leaf blowers that will commence May through September in South Orange starting next month, the Council discussed the prospects of a similar ordinance in Livingston during its conference meeting on Monday, April 10. The Council had previously discussed this matter 16 months earlier, and determined at that time that they would not consider an ordinance until the town's own Department of Public Works employees were using electric equipment. DPW director Chris Southworth said that doing so was not viable for the department at the moment. Several landscapers were present at Monday's meeting to oppose a ban, but they and the Council were in agreement on continuing to permit gas powered equipment. Fred Kalweit of Fred's Small Engine Repair in town noted that electric blowers are "not ready for the prime time season." He said that they are too expensive, have a low runtime on batteries, and the sound diuerence is minimal compared to gas powered equipment. He also noted that the duration of the work would take longer, so the sound (the reason for the South Orange ordinance) would be greater with electric equipment. Council member Shawn Klein reiterated that until the DPW says they can use electric equipment, the town should not ask commercial businesses to do the same.
Cannabis
The Council later noted that it expected an ordinance permitting .ve classes of cannabis business to be introduced at a meeting in the near future.
Cultivator, manufacturer, wholesaler, distributor, and delivery are expected to be permitted in three areas of town. They are the Research Laboratory District, which is located south of the Livingston Mall (for this one, a new subdistrict would need to be created to keep the business away from residential areas, due to a development that is expected to be built in the area); Commercial Industrial District, which is located along Route 10 near the East Hanover border, encompassing streets including Okner Parkway and Industrial Parkway; and the Limited Industrial District, which is located behind Industrial Parkway. All of these districts have easy access to highways with minimal impacts on residents, according to the committee.
The Council also agreed to direct township manager Barry Lewis, who was absent from Monday’s meeting, to ask the cannabis subcommittee of the Planning Board to now complete a report about permitting retail and medical cannabis in town. Council member Rosy Bagolie asked that a deadline be set for the completion of the report, to ensure it will be completed quickly.
Code Enforcement
The Council also discussed potentially hiring another code enforcement official in town. Several members noted that they have fielded a variety of complaints related to code violations in Livingston, including excessive noise, improper banners, improper garbage disposal, and more. It was suggested that stricter enforcement of the township’s code would put a stop to many of these matters.
