By John Burton
FAIR HAVEN — The Borough Council is expected to introduce two ordinances at its Monday night meeting that would overhaul the tree preservation regulations, which has been the source of lengthy and heated debate for years.
The ordinances expected to be introduced with council approval this evening would repeal an existing measure and offer a new, revised version for consideration.
The present ordinance outlines how many trees a property owner could remove and under what circumstances as well as what kind the trees would have to be replaced. The measure has a way for the property owner to appeal the decision.
The issue was brought to a head more than two years ago, when a homebuilder looking to develop a property challenged the ordinance. That also showed a divide among the all-Republican council, with members breaking down between those supporting the ordinance as a means of preserving the residential community, and those who saw it as an unconstitutional government infringement on private property.
The council has discussed on a number of occasions in the past what should be done, but seemed unable to reach a consensus, winding up tabling it or sending it back to the borough attorney for revisions.
