Warren introduced a $1,140,160 trail ordinance and pushed the third quarter tax deadline to August 24
Ordinance 26-22 appropriates $1,140,160 for the Dealaman Nature Trail and Pond, half of it a state grant. Resolution 2026-200 moved the tax grace period because the county tax board certified the rate late.
At its July 16, 2026 meeting the Warren Township Committee introduced Ordinance 26-22, appropriating $1,140,160 for improvements to the Dealaman Nature Trail and Pond, of which $570,080 is a matching grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Garden State Preservation Trust. The same meeting adopted Resolution 2026-200, extending the third quarter property tax grace period to Monday August 24, 2026, because certification of the tax rate by the County Tax Board was delayed. Interest on late payments is charged back to August 1. Ordinances 26-20 on filming and 26-21 on fire prevention fees were up for adoption and now appear on the township's adopted ordinance list.
The tax deadline, and why it moved
This is the item with a date on it, so it goes first.
Third quarter property taxes are payable August 1, 2026. Resolution 2026-200 extends the grace period to Monday August 24, 2026. Payments received after that date accrue interest back to August 1, not from August 24.
The resolution cites N.J.S.A. 54:4-64(4), which provides that the third installment is not subject to interest until the later of August 1 or the twenty fifth calendar day after the tax bill was mailed. Certification of the tax rate by the County Tax Board was delayed, which delayed the bills. When bills go out late, the statute moves the interest date automatically. The township is recording what the law already requires rather than granting an extension at its discretion.
The part people miss is the back dating of interest. Paying on August 25 does not cost you one day of interest. It costs you twenty five.
The trail ordinance
Ordinance 26-22 passed first reading, appropriating $1,140,160 for improvements to the Dealaman Nature Trail and Pond.
The funding structure is a fifty fifty match.
The ordinance recites the sequence. The township applied under Resolution 2026-074, originally in the amount of $1,147,160. By letter to Mayor Shaun Fine dated June 2, 2026, the NJDEP and the Garden State Preservation Trust approved the application with a matching grant of $570,080 under Green Acres Project Number 1820-26-009.
The township's match comes from the Warren Township Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, account 6-03-286-56-2401. That is a dedicated fund, so the local half does not draw on the operating budget.
Section 5 carries an important condition: the grant funded $570,080 portion is effective only after approval of the applicable legislative appropriation. The award letter is a commitment. The state appropriation is what releases the money.
The introduction vote count is not verified, because July 16 minutes were not posted as of this writing.
Two ordinances adopted
Ordinance 26-20 amends Chapter 4 Licensing-General to add a new Section 4-19 Filming, establishing regulations consistent with New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission Film Ready requirements. The substance:
- Defines Major Motion Pictures to include films financed or distributed by major studios, or with a budget of at least $20,000,000
- Requires a permit from the Township Clerk, with application and fee submitted at least 4 business days before filming
- Exempts news filming, personal hand held family filming, wedding photography of one to two hours duration, and filming performed entirely on private property without use of public property
- Allows fee waivers for bona fide students and for filming sponsored by the township, the Board of Education or township emergency services
Ordinance 26-21 amends Chapter 10 Fire Prevention, Section 10-8.7, Additional Required Inspections and Fees. Committeeman Daniel Croson noted in June that these fees had been unchanged for roughly 15 years.
Both now appear on the township's 2026 Adopted Ordinances page. Adoption vote counts and the specific new fire prevention fee amounts are not verified.
The rest of the consent agenda
Four grant and donation insertions, which is how a municipality books outside money into an adopted budget mid year.
| Resolution | Item | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-195 | State Hazardous Waste 2023 Recycling Tonnage Grant | $10,210.20 |
| 2026-196 | Donations to the Mayor's Wellness Campaign | $1,150.00 |
| 2026-197 | State Alcohol Education, Rehabilitation and Enforcement Fund | $2,975.05 |
| 2026-203 | Change Order 1, Mountainview Road Improvements Phase I | not stated |
Resolution 2026-188 certified the annual audit.
Executive session under Resolution 2026-186 covered three matters: land acquisition at Block 56, Lot 11.01, litigation described as Bridgewater-Middlebrook, and litigation described as Affordable Housing. Executive session subjects are disclosed by category in the resolution, and the substance is not public.
Recognitions
The meeting recognized Malanga Farms and Temple Har Shalom, each for 50 years of service to the community, under the township's Milestone Businesses and Organizations program. It also recognized the Class of 2026 Summer Internship Program interns and the Environmental Commission. Intern names are not verified.
What to watch
Ordinance 26-22 goes to public hearing and second reading at the next regular meeting, Thursday August 20. That is a $1.14 million appropriation, half of it contingent on a state appropriation that has not yet been approved. It is the item to follow.
- Township of Warren, Township Committee Agenda with full ordinance and resolution texts, July 16, 2026. https://www.warrennj.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_07162026-994
- Township of Warren, Ordinances Pending Adoption. https://warrennj.org/331/Ordinances-Pending-Adoption
- Township of Warren, 2026 Adopted Ordinances. https://www.warrennj.org/618/2026-Adopted-Ordinances
