Howell Council Extends Outdoor Business Fee Waiver Into 2021

HOWELL, NJ - The Howell Township Council will renew a fee waiver through September 2021 for local establishments amid the continuing pandemic.

At a virtual Dec. 8 meeting, Township Business Administrator Brian Geoghegan announced that over a dozen emails from the public were sent to the council requesting that the council waive permits relating to fees associated with outdoor dining and retail.

“I really think that we should extend that to our businesses in town. Everybody is struggling,” Mayor Theresa Berger said.

In May, an initial council resolution granted the Howell Township Director of Land Use broad discretion in issuing permits to businesses seeking relief from fees pertaining to sidewalk sales, outdoor dining and related signage.

The resolution expires Dec. 31 of this year.

“We had about 12-15 residents emailed the same thing. In speaking to each of us collectively, everyone’s on board with that, so I don’t foresee any issue with that,” said Geoghegan.

“A suggestion would be [to] wait until September until we revisit it again, maybe for the winter because things have changed, but I concur. I think we need to help our small businesses and I think it’s a great idea,” said councilwoman Pamela Richmond.

Deputy Mayor Evelyn O'Donnell called September 2021 a “solid date” to revisit the situation.

To view the meeting resolutions, click here.

To watch a recording of the Dec. 8 council meeting, click here.