Council debate over JCP&L streetlights leads to one 'no' vote on bill list
Summary
Councilwoman Novak said ongoing outages and missed repairs by Jersey Central Power & Light prompted her to withhold support for the monthly bill list; she said the borough previously authorized a 30‑day repair window and should enforce it.
A routine vote on the borough’s bill list drew an objection from Councilwoman Mary Novak after public comments and resident complaints about prolonged streetlight outages.
Resident Jim Robinson had asked earlier in the meeting why the borough continued paying JCP&L when the company had not repaired streetlights, noting recent accidents he said were related to outages. Novak said the borough had passed a resolution giving JCP&L 30 days to repair lights and that the council had a mechanism to begin deductions if repairs were not completed. "If they can't take care of the lights, then we voted to start deducting, and we're still not doing it," she said, and cast the lone no vote on the bill list.
Other council members approved the consent agenda and bill list by roll call. Novak said the municipality should enforce its resolution regarding required repairs and that the borough has received multiple resident reports of extended outages.
