[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6066451,"mediaKeyId","3174431-399b4b95895c1bdb97f7c84d78981a5c","parentId",3174431,"title","Votes at a glance: council action items from April 15, 2025 meeting","audioSeconds",183,"startMs",3697000,"endMs",3880000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3174431-399b4b95895c1bdb97f7c84d78981a5c&start=3697&end=3880","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3174431-399b4b95895c1bdb97f7c84d78981a5c/thumbnail_3697000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6066451/Clifton/Passaic-County/New-Jersey/Votes-at-a-glance-council-action-items-from-April-15-2025-meeting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066451-6a55953bf718665a7c13edeb0b3b3acf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138508&Signature=dR5dtAKfvzaeTnSSqJoJZ5RvXAmEOuuach9~KpSzNP13MSfTly8bCSPI8FvBy0TYT1L4k4tV-83w56WG4xWVaXWEAdgZ-AgZJoQMJjiJZREVWpuk~KhWT5KWzsR2-xaw3DAo6w1LaGkqRXDx2gntHjIxXWFZ809VhSog2yQI6IZHHNJUU2KtrhD2lAwj9KLKnEbkfayuAbiZkdJMP02zFqZqxPHNKc842lDrwM0MYIcNSxNItF6lxyJrRhM78rDO0AZGNDGuVbFbFaz8ID3PPrqStS2DIdIrfJukCSN399RAKWAiS28bJs7wfDow4kn10VfwcMlMs00M-rSDgneY7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Clifton City NJ","date","2025-04-15T00:00:00Z","article","At its April 15 meeting the Clifton Municipal Council took a series of largely procedural votes on ordinances, contracts and procurement. Below are the notable actions the council recorded in open session, summarized for quick reference.

Key votes and outcomes

- Ordinance 7986 (first reading): Amendment to Chapter 3.75 (sewer user charges). Vote: recorded 6 yes, 1 no on first reading. (First reading only; further hearings required.)

- Ordinance 7987 (first reading): Adds supervisory titles/compensation for senior citizen outreach/referral program. Vote: recorded as carried by council (unanimous on first reading). (First reading; final adoption still pending.)

- Ordinance 7988 (first reading): Adds public works miscellaneous equipment rental fees (first reading motion carried; fees subsequently discussed in follow-up agenda work). (First reading; text to be published and returned for later vote.)

- Resolution: Appointment of interim city manager (Gary DeMarzo). Motion carried; see separate article for details.

- Contracts and procurements: Council approved routine procurement items and awards where staff certified funds were available. Several items were tabled or held for closed-session review where objections or pending claims were noted (for example: Clifton City Hall campus watermain extension and related contracts were held for further discussion in executive session because an apparent low-bidder objection had been filed).

- Budget/Professional services: The council considered a $12,500 contract with Phoenix Advisors for budget analysis; members disagreed about outsourcing given a pending shortfall. (Result: motion failed on a recorded vote.)

- Other approvals: The council approved a variety of smaller operational items (equipment rentals, repairs to restrooms, procurement awards, tax-exempt veteran filings and community festival items) during the business portion of the meeting. Several items were moved in a grouped vote; members asked staff to provide clearer line-item funding sources in future packets.

What’s next: Several items passed on first readings and will return for final adoption (ordinances). Items held for closed-session consideration will be returned after the council’s confidential discussions; the council also directed staff to return a clarified capital/funding schedule for several capital items that were discussed without a clear funding certification.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting 4.15.25","oneSentenceSummary","The Clifton Municipal Council considered ordinances, contracts and routine items; this roundup lists recorded votes and next steps on several matters the council addressed with little or no discussion.","taxTitle","Clifton , Passaic County, New Jersey","taxId",2755,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6066456,"Council appoints Gary DeMarzo as interim city manager; sets budget work as immediate priority",148,9252000,9400000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3174431-399b4b95895c1bdb97f7c84d78981a5c&start=9252&end=9400","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3174431-399b4b95895c1bdb97f7c84d78981a5c/thumbnail_9252000.jpg","/articles/6066456/Clifton/Passaic-County/New-Jersey/Council-appoints-Gary-DeMarzo-as-interim-city-manager-sets-budget-work-as-immediate-priority","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066456-7a31ae0f5ff394da4d53191d71b33f46/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138508&Signature=JQ-XYaOF2E5zKiqC0I~tVD8vsdEcz14LRSV3zGSOFbPZ6~1Blh0X4rpqzEnus2VvAIcJGntwbWhOPRMa1JVVVLS1IFW2437oT~9YhDvO5FpT1eUzTOrED4AU7jOClHgxp11M5i6L8dHVhaiycWUg8BtWa74lOx1CZ0LjUREHIk9Z6cHwNtQPL4b25fsowhDuBI3IIMwMt46LtpklXh4pDnReVL73QyEtCPLc8A0NS66pZmvQxMBANRoqaWrRvaOHISm~PFBnc0SCIX5x0O3ulY~9k6HMnPDr82FB7~3bCPo-Jz6Jz9oRaaljDoW4~MK45mhXcwSw4FgjZxX~xHDGkA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Clifton Municipal Council approved a resolution appointing Gary DeMarzo as interim city manager, effective April 16. The appointment came shortly after the mayor introduced the resolution and followed a brief roll call.

Lede: Councilors voted to install DeMarzo on an interim basis and authorized him to begin work immediately, with the budget identified as his first priority.

Nut graf: With the city facing a budget shortfall and multiple ongoing personnel and contract matters, council members said they expect the interim manager to provide steady administration, bring clarity to outstanding negotiations and lead work on the adopted budget timetable.

DeMarzo told the council he would work with department heads, focus first on the budget and coordinate legal and finance support to move outstanding matters forward. The appointment resolution indicated an hourly rate and specified that the interim appointment would remain effective until the council acts further.

Ending: Councilors welcomed DeMarzo and directed staff to prioritize budget briefings and to present a schedule for the manager’s initial work items and meetings with department directors.","The Clifton Municipal Council appointed Gary DeMarzo as interim city manager effective April 16 and charged him with focusing on the municipal budget; council also signaled staff collaboration with legal and finance during the transition.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6066461,"Clifton council denies entertainment license for La Habana 59 after hours, noise and parking concerns",8024,38000,8062000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3174431-399b4b95895c1bdb97f7c84d78981a5c&start=38&end=8062","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3174431-399b4b95895c1bdb97f7c84d78981a5c/thumbnail_38000.jpg","/articles/6066461/Clifton/Passaic-County/New-Jersey/Clifton-council-denies-entertainment-license-for-La-Habana-59-after-hours-noise-and-parking-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6066461-bf0005fbbe8824514eec9a220768b98d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138508&Signature=MOW3foNJkM4q-ZJJjKFNWZ97nAO99jSIoznUgyteyKzeJ~I3lhsrjRkhH2HCr5J-ZXGCHZkaFnlfGmjZAsGfUiNwec0kinFdmofGcoaM4YXD15po7iv272XPWWeRmTaCBaaBaxQpXsKLd6DLdLodZRkf97CNKZTBEt7KugnPqT4Mw5Bq~NY~twPpxlhG7yXJ3ktHkwBTCwa~Vw~OtCSHRkO~iK83juWkZ8qhobmbgFII2yXTCmn-vl4sZhmt9UXGFWXNwlAFYrSqzCbhZwcZADohRlpkZkydWS4DHADbkoM5T-iCVHkcILfkGcDsFV7OKfwvFD6Qu8OB9KH2MaVzKA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Clifton Municipal Council voted to deny an application for an entertainment license for La Habana 59, a proposed Cuban restaurant and live-music venue, after more than two hours of testimony from the applicant, his attorney and more than a dozen neighbors and business owners.

The motion before the council sought to deny the entertainment license application for the property at the former Chengdu/Shenzhou restaurant. Supporters of the application said the business would operate as a family restaurant with limited live entertainment; neighbors said the proposal would function as a nightclub and resurrect the problems long associated with a closed nearby venue known as Pub 46.

Why it matters: Council members and public speakers described repeated, long-running problems in the neighborhood—noise late at night, people loitering and urinating, spilled trash and vehicles parked in residential streets. Several speakers said those problems persisted for years while Pub 46 operated, and they argued the La Habana proposal shared the same features that produced those problems: live music until late hours, dancing and service that shifts to primarily alcohol after 11:30 p.m.

The applicant, Pedro Ordonez, said he plans a Cuban restaurant with music three nights a week, a small dance floor and a kitchen that would close roughly at 11:30 p.m. He told the council he intends to use decibel meters and to direct performers to keep volumes low. Ordonez told the council he expects food-to-beverage revenue around 55/45, estimated seating between 148 and 156 (applicant also stated an interior configuration that would seat about 40 in certain calculations) and said he contracts valet service for busy nights.

Opponents included multiple residents who live within a few dozen feet of the restaurant’s rear fence, owners of neighboring businesses and an attorney representing a neighboring property owner. They cited direct experience with Pub 46-era impacts—trash, threats, late-night altercations, property damage and repeated calls to police—and said the La Habana plan would invite similar outcomes. “This is another nightmare waiting to happen,” one long-time neighbor told the council.

Legal context: An attorney representing neighbors cited an Appellate Division decision involving Pub 46 that treated a superficially similar operation as a nightclub, not a restaurant, and warned that issuing an entertainment license could circumvent land-use rules controlled by the Planning/Zoning boards. Council legal staff confirmed the municipal zoning code does not define “nightclub” and that community tolerance for live entertainment can trigger land‑use questions that are more appropriately addressed by the Board of Adjustment.

Council response and decision: Councilors pressed the applicant on specifics—sound insulation plans, the size and amplification of performing groups (the applicant proposed a maximum of three musicians on peak nights), parking counts and the plan to keep a kitchen door closed during music. Several council members said the applicant’s plans were incomplete; others said the neighborhood’s injury from prior venues weighed heavily. After debate the council voted on a motion to deny the entertainment license application; the motion to deny carried. Council members also directed staff to draft an ordinance change to require neighbor notification for new and renewal entertainment licenses and to tighten the renewal process so residents receive notice and an opportunity to be heard.

What the council heard in detail: Residents who said they lived within roughly 15–50 feet of the building’s rear door described repeated episodes of loud bass, people leaving at 1–3 a.m., urine odors near fences and property damage. The applicant described programming as a solo singer and small ensembles on limited nights; he said music would be stopped before closing and that he would use sound meters and insulation where feasible. Council members questioned the applicant’s timeline for hiring sound engineers and finalizing interior soundproofing.

Next steps: The council ordered staff to propose an ordinance to require neighborhood notification for both new and renewal entertainment licenses (council direction referenced a 200-foot notice practice used for zoning variances) and to publish clearer rules for how renewals are handled in areas with quality-of-life complaints. The denial of the license is subject to whatever legal remedies the applicant or neighbors pursue.

Ending: The item drew the largest public turnout of the evening and at times turned emotional as residents described years of hardship. The council’s denial leaves the applicant able to pursue other routes—including a zoning-board application—if he chooses, but it also prompted the council to promise changes to notification rules so residents receive earlier notice of similar proposals.","The City of Clifton denied a request for an entertainment license for La Habana 59 after residents and council members raised persistent concerns about noise, late hours, parking overflow and zoning precedent tied to a prior nightclub case.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: council action items from April 15, 2025 meeting

Council appoints Gary DeMarzo as interim city manager; sets budget work as immediate priority

Clifton council denies entertainment license for La Habana 59 after hours, noise and parking concerns