How Tenafly Makes Laws and How You Can Shape Them

When people think of the Borough, they often picture a distant system that quietly produces new rules in the background. In reality, Tenafly’s lawmaking process is much more straightforward and transparent than you’d think. If you know how the different parts of municipal legislation work in tandem, it’s incredibly easy to follow local public policy and make an impact on your community. 

Local laws in the Borough Code are often just as diverse and impactful as ones on the state and national level. Knowing how to navigate Tenafly’s legislative process gives residents one thing they don’t realize they have: real influence. 

Ordinances vs. Resolutions

Both ordinances and resolutions are legislative tools used by municipal governments. While both have a great impact on peoples’ everyday lives, they bear significant differences in purpose and execution. 

Ordinances are laws and regulations made by local governments and enforced by local means, such as the Tenafly Police Department. Municipalities use ordinances to establish laws specifically tailored to their constituents’ specific needs, priorities, and challenges. Most local governments, such as Tenafly’s Borough Hall, design ordinances to maintain order, promote growth, and better everyday life. Think of every municipality as a miniature state, but one only enforcing laws effective on a town-wide basis. 

An example of a Tenafly ordinance, found in the Borough’s Municipal Code, is the set of local regulations governing how trash, plastics, and paper must be collected and disposed of by the Department of Public Works

Resolutions, on the other hand, are formal statements that express the local government’s stance on policies and decisions. At its core, resolutions communicate intentions, commitments, and rationale to the people. A local body like Tenafly can use resolutions to give context or explanation for future laws and public policy, bridging the gap between the thought process of local government and subsequent action. 

Unlike ordinances, resolutions are non-binding and non-legislative; they communicate the administration’s viewpoint but do not directly create new laws. There are a great number of resolutions passed every year in Tenafly, with some of the most prominent ones addressing the authorization of contracts for projects, approved expenditures, and the approval of temporary budgets and their amendments. 

The Pipeline

But how are local laws actually created and passed? Furthermore, how can residents actually influence the legislation that often affects them more directly than state or federal laws? It’s actually pretty straightforward. 

Step One: Someone Has An Idea (this matters more than you’d think)

• Most ordinances begin with a Borough official, whether that be a council member, department head, the Borough Administrator, or the Borough Attorney; however, ordinary residents often raise issues to their representatives on the council, which the council may then choose to pursue. 

Step Two: First Reading

• Once the Mayor and Council agree to introduce an ordinance, it goes through a first reading, which, under state law may be by title only; this means only the name of the ordinance is read aloud.

• No debate happens here. This step is simply the “formal introduction” required by law.

Step Three: Mandatory Public Notice

• After the first reading, Tenafly must publish the ordinance and key information at least once in a publication that circulates within the Borough. 

• This notice includes the time, date, and location of the second reading and public hearing.

Step Four: Second Reading and Public Hearing

• The second reading is when an ordinance returns to the council for full consideration. Council members debate and vote on whether the proposal should become law. 

• At this second reading, the Mayor and Council also hold a public hearing, giving residents a chance to speak for or against the proposal. “Public comment" is can genuinely influence the ordinance’s final form, as council members have historically taken residents’ input into great account.

Step Five: Final Adoption Vote

• A simple majority of council members (or at least three affirmative votes) is needed to pass an ordinance.

• Once passed, the ordinance must be delivered to the Mayor to be signed (approved) or returned with objections (vetoed) within five days, and acted upon within ten. If the Mayor doesn’t act at all by the deadline, it automatically becomes law. 

• To override a Mayor’s veto, two thirds of the council must vote to pass it.

If an ordinance has to do with zoning law or land use, it must be passed through the Planning Board before the public  hearing. The Planning Board must determine whether the ordinance is consistent with the Borough’s Master Plan.

Why This Matters Right Now

Tenafly is in the middle of major discussions about:

• Town-wide infrastructure improvement

• Traffic and zoning updates

• Bringing in larger corporate tenants

• Long-term downtown revitalization

  
  

Every one of these conversations eventually becomes an ordinance, which means residents directly shape what happens next.

When you hear residents debating Starbucks coming to town or discussing development pressure, those conversations eventually turn into official actions in the form of ordinances.

The people who show up to public hearings can shape the final outcome more than they realize.

Tenafly’s Law Process Is Highly Democratic

A lot of residents feel like decisions are made behind closed doors. However, the entire process, from hearings to final votes, is public. Ordinances, a major part of the local legislative system, must be published, archived, and made accessible to residents.

Tenafly’s system is designed so that no law passes without a chance for residents to respond.

Understanding this process means understanding how Tenafly works, and how residents can play a meaningful role in shaping the community’s future.