Politics & Government
Standby Generators OK'd for Sparta Homes
Ordinance gets by town council with superstorm Sandy outages serving as a backdrop.
The Sparta Township Council peaceably approved an ordinance that allows homeowners to install standby generators on their property.
The generators became an issue after Superstorm Sandy when large segments of the township lost power for a week or more.
The ordinance sparked a debate two weeks ago between Deputy Mayor Molly Whilesmith and Councilman Jerry Murphy. Whilesmith insisted the ordinance include a statement that temporary generators were not included in the new rules.
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But Murphy said then the phrase “portable generators” was not included in the ordinance because the rules would only apply to standby generators, an issue that would be made clear when the resident picked up the application for a generator.
The council voted on the ordinance that had been returned from the planning board after its review.
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A standby generator is a permanent structure and can range in cost from $2,000 to more than $10,000. Installation of such a generator requires planning board approval.
A portable generator is small enough to be carried by one or more persons and can cost between $200 and $1,000. No permit is required to operate a portable generator.
The proposed standby generator ordinance calls for five foot set-backs from a side or rear yard; they can not be installed in a front yard; can not exceed 20 kilowatts; and maintenance operations can only take place between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays.
