New Milford Council adds new member

DAN TOTTEN

New Milford Borough Council opened 2018 on Tuesday, Jan. 2 with a reorganization meeting.
Rick Ainey was re-elected as president; with Teri Gulick as the council’s vice president.
Meeting days and times remain the same for 2018, continuing on the first and third Thursdays of the month, 7 p.m. at the borough building.
A vacancy on council was filled with the appointment of Dan Totten to the seat. Totten also serves as the borough’s emergency management coordinator.
He was sworn into office by Mayor Scott Smith.
The following appointments were also made by council:
Municipal Authority (5 years): Chris Allen, Steve Firneczi;
Zoning Hearing Board (3 years); Joyce Cobb;
Recreation board (5 years): Donna Cosmello, two seats remain available.
In the regular business meeting, council discussed potential code violation complaints in regard to a property in the borough.
Council also accepted the 2017 annual junkyard permit issued in late December.
Codes officer Greg Sheer recommended making the permit effective through 2018.
Council, however, acted to accept and permit, and authorized the issuance of a permit for this year and waived the fee.
As work on the updated zoning ordinance winds down, council is planning to hold town meetings so residents will be aware of changes in the ordinance.
The borough signed on to continue part-time police coverage with Great Bend Borough. The hourly rate increased from $33 to $36 for the contract term.