During the meeting, the testimony of Anuk D, a former resident and a healthcare professional, highlighted a critical situation involving a 20 to 25-minute wait for an ambulance after a fall at the pre-K at the Nature Center. This account instigated a broader discussion on the emergency medical services provided in Tenafly. The captain of the Tenafly ambulance corps defended the volunteer agency’s response times, while another resident expressed shock and anger, citing industry standards for response times. A resident suggested a systematic postmortem to understand the causes of the delay and proposed an enhanced dispatching system where calls would be escalated to surrounding towns if no response occurred within a specified timeframe.

The council assured residents that a postmortem was in progress and invited concerned parties to a future meeting with the police chief to discuss the dispatching process.

The budget outlined an increase in surplus, assessed values, total debt service, and pension costs, along with day-to-day cost of living increases. A council member inquired about the borough’s credit rating and the capacity for additional debt, prompting the auditor to caution about the growing debt service and to emphasize the importance of managing debt within the statutory cap. The discussion also touched upon leveraging low interest rates for borrowing.

The council moved on to public improvement conversations, focusing on the allocation of funds from the open space fund for the purchase and placement of 12 benches. Clarifications were sought regarding the specific locations for these benches, some of which were to replace existing ones. This raised questions on the procurement details, such as the types of benches and their intended locations.

Ordinances introduced during the meeting included 24-10, addressing flooding issues by permitting residents to construct garages below grade; 24-11, concerning police salaries; 24-12, amending bus stops; and 24-13, involving the removal of taxi spots.

Further updates provided by council members included a report on the Board of Adjustment meeting, the distribution of tick repellent sprays at the library, and the success of a trash cleanup initiative. The dedication ceremony for the Elizabeth Handy Andy railroad station was also announced.