good morning and welcome to the bmin township committee meeting this is our end of year meeting on December 28th 2023 recognize that we have a quorum of Township committee joining me in person in town hall is committee man Stevenson committee woman moresi joining by Zoom is committee hickey committee woman Fernandez has an excuse us absence M Ray may we please have the open public meetings act statement yes mayor adequate notice of this meeting of the township committee was sent to The Courier News Somerville Bernardsville news whiy and to all subscribers and post at the Township Municipal Building on January 10th 2023 and also December 19th 2023 great thank you please joining me in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy okay we've got a gray Misty Thursday that was preceded by a very rainy overnight understand we still have a couple roads um might be under water right now but U dpw's got them closed off we'll head to public comments Miss Ray do we have any members of the public participating via phone or Zoom we do not mayor we do not have any members of the public in attendance at Town Hall so we will proceed approval of minutes we have none to approve um periton Ral we have none introduction of ordinances we have none we do have one one ordinance for public hearing that ordinance is ordinance number 2023 022 and ordinance amending section 2-11 entitled Police Department amending the police off duty employment rates so I'll take a motion to open the public hearing for ordinance number 2023 022 so second all in favor thank you okay so um some quick background this is the off-duty police rates uh that are charged to users of uh police services when there are uh utility work uh primarily it's going to be utility work uh or any other event that requires uh please to um deploy traffic control associated with construction or um large events this rate has not been changed in years years and years and years um in discussions with the people ba um there was a request to update the off-duty rate to make it consistent with uh surrounding municipalities and when U we asked Robin to go look at comparison where we are and where surrounding towns are um the recommendation that the township committee made was to um make the changes we did discuss that with PBA we advised them what the new rates would be and there was um consensus there so with PBA and the township committee seem to have um the appetite to make the changes after years of not having those changes so the new rate that it's proposed uh for off-duty employment is $90 an hour with a 4H hour minimum and we will also will be increasing our administrative fee which um just so everyone knows all the off duty police rates I'm sorry off-duty police job requests are funneled through the township they involve the use of uh Township um staff to uh coordinate with the applicant and coordinate with police and also that there are uh Municipal equipment being used for those opportunity rates such as vehicles and gas and everything else so we're also increasing the per hour uh Fe for the off duty police rate to $35 now so that's $9 uh for the officer and $35 an hour for um the municipal administrative fee m Ray did I miss anything associated with this ordinance no mayor any committee comments or questions no none from Renee Colin nope you covered a minut okay well I will open the hearing for public comments regarding ordinance 2023 022 and there's still no one in attendance here and no one participating via Zoom that's correct or telephone so I'll take a motion to close a public hearing so moved second all in favor I and we can take a motion to approve ordinance number 2023 022 Z Moote second all I'm sorry roll call vote Please Mr Stevenson hi Mr hickey hi Miss moresi hi and mayor Jacobs I thank you thank you the ordinance has been approved we have one two three four five six seven items on the consent agend these are items of the routine nature however any Township Committee Member can request that one or any of them or all of them Comm be pulled off for individual [Music] consideration nope Rene says None she's good Doug all good Doug's good with consent Jenna Colin you good with the consent Jenna all good take a motion to approve the seven resolutions on the consent agenda second roll call vote Please Mr Stevenson hi Mr hickey I miss moresi hi and mayor Jacobs hi thank you thank you we have one item not on the consent agenda this is resolution 2023 192 and establishes the 2024 bulky waste disposal fees and schedule so who wants to walk us through the new proposed rate for bulky waste we have uh DPW director Kevin Murray here do you want this or Robin sure why don't you go ahead so over the past six years we have an average of a total cost to the township After we receive the payments for the bul tickets so $14,597 a year is what still cost us on top of the dumpsters we're not looking for a Net Zero cost because we still utilize do from C functions all of our Parks trash and ends up in there uh but we're trying to bring the Gap so with that we're proposing doing an average of $20 per ticket so almost be double for if you were to buy the first one through four but currently the way that it's scheduled is if you were to buy six tickets in a year it would cost you $70 what our proposal is you can either buy $20 a ticket up to six tickets a year for 120 or if you were to buy a bulk and buy all six at once it' be $100 for year so it would really only be a $30 additional cost if you were to purchase all six tickets up front we have not raised the rate since 2010 our costs continue to go up each year now this year is pretty low year which is fortunate but we're still averaging almost $15,000 a year cost our average of the last six years of funds received in selling tickets is 58 $5,800 so with the potential of almost doubling that we could look at our net cost on average hopefully drop down to the $9,000 range which I think is fair for our utilization of dumpsters uh for Public Works functions and any any other Township activity you know I I I'll add that I've been working with Kevin over this for some time this is not just a number that was a throw of a dart and tried to really drill down on you know like you said Bridging the Gap and and blending the users who are you know utilizing the service versus you know the municipal Gap that we have in our budget and look I mean I know that just speaking with folks it's a service that people absolutely love and it's not like you have to use it it's there if you want it and even at the price that Kevin's talking about it's a huge discount from going to get a dumpster or you know your own dumpster or getting up one of those like bags you know bagots from waste management or whatever so it's still a great service that we provide the township at a low cost it just helps us out in terms of the back end and and uh making our budget meet so this is 's effort trying to button down you know loose ends on his budget where you know money's leaking out the side door so to speak where we're not really tracking it um so it's a way to get on top of his budget too so I I fully support his efforts and commend him for the uh thought that he put into this so I just have a quick question about the um the fee rate so it says $100 for six visits for maximum of six visits per year or $20 per visit per minut maximum of six visits um so so first question is how often are we seeing people or um addresses properties right um using it more than six times a year yeah I can speak to that if you don't mind um so right now last year we had 246 users out of the municipality and they were averaging about 2.4 visits so the average person comes 2.4 times so um so I'm just wondering about the the the maximum of six visits um is is multiple or or super frequent uses is that an issue because it seems like we're just not going to be able to enforce that right so the maximum we do it on the sale of the tickets so we would we would document if you if you know Stevenson were to come in and he were to buy you know four tickets we would know he bought four tickets in January and then when he comes back in July because he needs two more you can only get two more um it's based off of the 12- month cycle not necessarily a calendar year so this way it's not fair where someone were to come in October and buy a ticket and it expires in December hey correct me if I'm wrong Kevin was part of the reason for having a maximum to prevent a commercial operation it's prior to my time okay because I was I was some of the complaints I was hearing you know John is that some some folks were taking Liberty shall we say oh yeah see the landscapers landscapers are coming they're they took someone's fence down and we don't know if that fence came from bedm or somewhere else and they're just that's right filling up the dumpster with I mean I've seen it with I I'm using fencing but it really could be just about anything else yeah so commercial users are actually prohibited from using the um the dump I know but you will have some of the large lots that come in multiple times throughout the year so I think the six was really I mean I I'll tell you I've seen I've seen commercial Vehicles well these are branded um landscape pickups and they might have a trailer and they're here routinely um I don't you know a they might be doing both um composting and bringing other stuff so it maybe we need just need a little clarification so are landscapers who are either Bedminster businesses Bedminster residents or servicing Bedminster properties can they use the um Leaf grass Rush uh composting typically no we try not to now there are the the rare occasions where a resident will call in and say hey I don't have a pick up that I have my landscape do and occasionally we'll make you know exceptions for the residents for that um but we don't want to make it a free thrw me we spent almost $30,000 in Hub ring last year or thir this year 2023 so that's also something that we need to look at long term that's not the bul waste side it's the vegetable waste right our recycling tonage grain is no longer covering the cost to grind us so you turn M on that issue the and I'm sorry we're up in a tangent here the the dead ash trees that we' been taking out throughout the township is that even qualify for M do you want to repurpose a lot of it yeah lot of would yes a lot of it did okay it was it was ground up okay those the the ash board are only attacking the ash now who knows what happens when you know all the ashs are dead and gone and what they're going to transition to next but in the meantime you a lot of our wood did come from that okay but you know we spent almost $30,000 like I said in Tu grinding which is a huge outline typically it's anywhere between 10 and 16,000 so we did it twice this year you know it's real dollar Kevin's Department you know yeah I'm just I'm just looking at you know the maximum um you know for those rare instances where someone's use it more do a bulky ways drop off more than six times I mean you gota you got a lot ofy you got a lot of bulky waste if you need it more than six times um that may be in the ordinance problem Che no just say that the township committee can set all rules and regulations um by resolution as needed so I think that's what happened with the six there was some abuse being done and so yeah I mean do we want to like say that more than six can be granted on an ad hoc basis depending on I would just make it you know either increase the rate for over six or just leave it at 20 for 20 per each visit over six I'm I mean because it it it's already prohibited to commercial so I mean in the crazi here we had another um we had a flood event a couple weeks ago right we had a flood event not as bad today right um you know typically what we do when we have one of the flooding situations is you know we open it up put the fees put the um the tickets off to the side and just you know we understand come on in um but there there could be you know I'll look at my situation and and I'm just you know you get a power outage your something all right okay so you got to clean out all the junk in your G in your uh basement then you have another one then you have another one then you go insane then you go insane yes so um so that's why I look I've never come close to using at six visits per year usually I end up without you know paying for the four and not using it or or just having one um little hole in it um I think the frequency that you're going to see anyone using at six or more is probably remote but I I just think that having it in the resolution that it's a hard Max a I don't want to put you uh any of the DPW guys in position of having to enforce that or anyone at the front desk having to come oh you used it six times you you don't get just doesn't seem like we should push situation if sixes seems arbitrary and if we also um and perhaps what we should focus on is enforcement of the non the enforcement of the prohibition for commercial users and if we focus on that then then I really don't care how many times the resident uses it right and I speak for you but in our discussions the idea of having a Max cap was was recognition that this is sort of a lost leader for us and to not give the idea that that in perpetuity folks you know come on have to come on down have at it you know this is a loss for us but your point is well taken that for the or two folks that really do need it and use it why not I mean what's the harm so yeah and look for me I I've got an old pickup truck and one of the reasons I have an old rusty pickup truck is that you know to accumulate stuff accumulate waste and then bring it down on bulky waste day but I've also seen people come down in their cars yeah in a sedan yeah and pull out like you know one thing and like they can't do what I can do is I can whole pickup load and just dump it um so i' I'd be okay with just making that change um 100 for six visits for maximum of six visits per year and then do either the 20 per visit if it's going to be you know one offs or $20 or or you can make it $30 per visit over six times hey mayor my only my only concern is is there an opportunity for an unscrupulous contractor to go buy these tickets through a resident use an unmarked van or pickup truck because Guess what at 20 or 30 bucks a pop it's cheaper than what they would normally have to pay to dispose of construction waste which as I know R can tell you litters the dumpsters in the Hills as becoming more and more of a problem so I'm just concerned is somebody going to have the opportunity to gain the system I think Kevin mentioned before doing something like on an individual case basis where people exceed the six so we can make an assessment I just want to prevent any contractor even though it's Pro prohibited commercial use somebody gave in the system and taken advantage of us well I think it's it's we got to come up with a better way of enforcing the prohibition for commercial users right this is meant for uh Bedminster residents who need the service um how so how do we enforce that better that that's it's a double EDG sword May because there's been times where we've turned somebody lay on a Saturday and then Monday we're picking the garbage up really so it's easier for me to take the dump guard and let them Dum because otherwise we're going to pick it up and we're losing that any and then we're spending spending time we we've had times where there's been a lot of construction River Road l across where it's been a problem where you've turned somebody away and it's very similar product to amazing incredible it's it's unfortunate so that's why we we advertise new commercial vehicles but you know I feel like at times it's easier just to you know they're there with a resident saying yes this is my stff and that's typically how my my request is you know yes you as long as you come down with your landscaper I'll let you dump your your your construction that bre that's that's fine um and and to Colin's point the the ticket is actually vehicle specific right so yes it's you know someone's going to rent a vehicle a contractor is going to rent a vehicle and it's not doesn't line up and it doesn't line up with the address then they should be turned away and there's people that have you know they'll they'll buy a ticket with their you know with their savann and they show up with a U-Haul yeah like a small U-Haul Van once again do let the residence on or I well right and and then if they're sitting there I pick it up on river right and and by the way so i' I've seen that as well so I've seen we're someone like who's CLE who's a beder resident and they get a trailer and they're coming they're coming down but you know is that really any different than you know having a pickup truck right because it's maybe easier for them to get their stuff down with a trailer yeah or going to you know Home Depot and renting a pickup right y um as long as they're a Bedminster resident uh in situation I think it's a little bit different if it's going to be a non Bedminster resident who can't show either proof of residency and the card yeah they got to go that's why you know we request that the resident comes down so yeah I've had a couple you know where there for the Estates the farm hands would come down I said as long as you come with them right and you show your driver's license we're fine I'm okay with that that's I think it's a reasonable accommodation for the resident try to do Case by Case by case unfortunately you can't just have a blanket policy because you know everybody kind of needs a little help here and there you know we try to make that you know as easy as possible but I'm not just going to allow some lpaper to show up and like oh it's coming from you know you know 1250 you know Hillside half where oh the resident needs to come with you right we need to make prior accommodations for them see fair to me but if we wanted to you know just make it $20 a ticket for above give that too we could always revisit this if we see somebody starting to take advantage of it that's what I was it's a resolution so we can always revisit say now we're going to cap it back to six or or we do an audit and say you know Mrs Smith came 25 times you know let's look in what is Mrs Smith up to right so yeah just kind of work in progress I I'm okay so where are we at now I like the 6400 I think buying a okay 6 for 100 Costco deal we call it um you buy them bulk and you get a little bit of a discount and then we can go to $20 a ticket after that I still think we're we're we're Bridging the Gap and that's really what all I'm looking to do with this so would it be a minimum so if you're going to use it only two times a year are you paying $100 or you can you do you sell the option of paying you can pay $20 each okay if you think oh I'm only going to come twice it's $20 each or if you know you're going to have a a busy year and you're you know 100 for six 100 for six so it's 100 for six 42 or $20 per visit and then scratch out for maximum of six visits right you want to scratch out maximum of six yeah see how it if we get that everything else stays the same so it's 20 bucks pop or 100 for six boom period no Ma so the only thing you're deleting would be the dash or maximum of six visits per year correct most people end up like I said the average was 2.4 visits per year I think that's right we're just take a look and see how it goes and that way actually we could probably far it out folks that are abusing it right just simply by number of uses so what's going on why you using which frally keeps it about per resident or per household anyway so we can see how you're actually used each year L you ever rent out your uh your uh Jeep for folks to go to the B I've offered believe I've offered you I've offered Colin yeah you offered me it cost me 25 bucks I don't it's only 20 bucks to drop who else offered you making a v trying to think does that make me a commercial user then getting money for it okay with that change Colin you good with that change yeah I'm good as long as we keep an eye on those who SE the six if there are any I'm good Renee what do you what do you think folks from the hills um you know who don't have a truck um but they need to get rid of you know something that they can't throw into when the dumpsters well now they can because the tops are up the rats can carry the rats can carry rat my neighborhood we don't have dumpsters we don't we have a a garbage container so that's even worse right I couldn't put for for me to get rid of let's a piece of furniture I have to call the garbage guys and tell them that they're going to pick that up and pay an extra 10 or 20 bucks whatever they say they pick it up so this would be nice okay I just have a question about Electronics because we take electronics down there right separated and there's no fee for electronics you just got to put it in a separate pile okay and we're going to keep it no no fee okay that's electronics and metal we don't charge for and vegetative waste oh vegetative waste okay no charge oh I realize there was no charge for electronics no uh depending on the the environment sometimes we can pay on it sometimes we for no cost so okay with that change take a res a motion to approve resolution 20231 192 so move second all in favor I'm Sor roll call please Mr Stevenson I Mr hickey I miss moresi I and mayor Jacobs I thank you what's that we have a member of the public I noticed you're too late too late yell out by Janine take a motion to approve the bill list pending review of individual invoices second roll call vote Please Mr Stevenson I Mr hickey I miss moraski I and mayor Jacobs hi thank you have no new business for consideration we have no old business on the agenda we do not have an executive session so we can quickly go through tent committee comments and adjourn for the year committe men Stevenson thank you mayor just uh Happy New Year to everybody have a safe Happy New Year's weekend and SK after for next year committee man hickey uh the same just wishing everybody a healthy and happy 2024 thank you commit women meski just want to say thank you to everybody at Town Hall they make our job so much easier and a Happy New Year to everybody great thank you and just um hope everyone had a great Christmas um best wishes for the new year as comman Stevenson said um be safe and healthy um New Year certainly on top of that and with that take a motion to adjourn so move second all in favor I all right we'll see you at rorg January 4th thank you good night good night good morning