[Music] I [Music] oh a [Music] oh [Music] n [Music] good evening and welcome to the May 6 2024 public council meeting can I have roll call please Council misseri here councilwoman migga here councilman zazali absent Deputy Mayor scavage here mayor Peterson here adequate notice of this meeting was duly provided to the Verona Cedar Grove times and the Star Ledger by email and published in an annual schedule of meetings on December 14th 2023 filed with the Township Clerk and posted on the public bulletin board in the municipal building in accordance with the open public meetings act um item uh two May flag salute oh I'm sorry can we rise for the flag salute please to the FL of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all sorry I was getting ahead of myself um item two is extraordinary business of the township Council um Sean is this your person that just walked in are they here yet yes okay yeah okay perfect all right good evening everyone um we have been trying to coordinate this state for how many months like it feels like five six something a long time back and forth back and forth we've been going so welcome so um you know I'm happy that we finally made it here tonight to be able to um honor Tommy and of course his family um I'm just going to say a few words and then I have a few things to give you Tommy um Today We Gather here in Cedar Grove to celebrate an extraordinary individual a HomeTown hero whose impact extends far beyond the confines of our beloved Township we are here to honor Tommy DeVito a Giants player whose Journey embodies the spirit of resilience determination and community on behalf of myself and the council it gives us immense pleasure to stand before you today and recognize Tommy for his remarkable achievements both on and off the field now I must confess I am not only here as mayor of Cedar Grove but also as a fellow football Enthusiast who shares a passion for the game unfortunately I have been a Jets fan my whole life and like other Jets fans I watched with baited breath as our hope soared during that fateful Monday night game the excitement was palpable the anticipation electric and then like a sudden gust exting extinguishing a flame it was over and then but it missed the disappointment there emerged a shining Beacon of Hope Tommy DeVito and the Giants so you helped you helped our our poor souls out Tommy you not only brought glory to the Giants but you also captured the hearts of countless Jets fans including myself your skill your determination your unwavering tenacity these qualities were evident every time you stepped onto that field but it wasn't just your onfield prowess that endeared you to us it was your off field Persona your humility and your genuine love for your community indeed Tommy you have become a symbol of Pride for Cedar Grove a testament to the values of hard work dedication and perseverance that Define our town and so it is with great pleasure that I present you with this Proclamation which I'll get to in a minute and appreciation um for all that you have achieved additionally I'm honored to present you with a key to the city which I'll do in a minute a symbol of our enduring gratitude for your role as a true ambassador of Cedar Grove Tommy as you continue your journey remember that Cedar Grove will always be your home you are part of the fabric of this community and wherever life may take you know that you will always be welcomed back with open arms congrat congratulations Tommy to your whole family to everyone around you and may your future be filled with continued success both on and off the field so I have a proclamation for you if you want to come up here Tommy and I'm just going to read this to you whereas today the township of Cedar Grove takes great pride honoring in its Native Son Thomas Tommy DeVito Jr whereas Thomas DeVito Jr attended Don bosow Preparatory High School in Ramsey New Jersey where he continued his football career as a quarterback as a junior the Ironman led the school to a 9-3 record with a non-public group four state championship in 2015 and whereas Tommy was ranked the number eight Pro style quarterback in the class of 2017 by 247 Sports and declined several other college officer offers to play at Syracuse while at Syracuse a sociology major set a School record by attempting 212 passes without an interception he remains the top 10 in Syracuse history in completion percentage passer rating passing yards per game touchdown passes completions and passing yards and whereas at the University of Illinois Tommy started 13 games during the 2022 season he held career highs in completions passing yard completion percentage passing efficiency rushing touchdowns and setting the Illinois program record and Nebraska's Memorial Stadium record for completion percentage and whereas Thomas deito Jr began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants he was placed on the practice squad in August 2023 and quickly excelled to the active roster in October 2023 after the starting quarterbacks were injured he gained momentum on the field winning three straight starts and whereas on December 13th 2023 Thomas deito Jr was named the NFC offensive player of the week for his glorious performance during the Giants thrilling 24-22 Victory against the Green Bay Packers in MetLife Stadium the New York Giants football quarterback has proven that to really excel in anyone's sport a person must demonstrate in addition to a great deal of natural ability an outstanding Spirit of dedication enthusiasm and hard work and whereas Thomas DeVito embraced his chosen career with the compassion energy and humility that exemplifies a true professional the residents of Cedar Grove are proud of his rise to success and impressed by his decision to remain in his family's home he has earned respect and praise from colleagues the community and fans alike and now therefore be it proclaimed that the governing body of the township of Cedar Grove do hereby congratulate and salute Native Son Thomas Tommy DeVito Jr and extend best wishes to him for continued success so and this is this is a key to the city that we do not do often but really felt that Tommy really embodied everything that that symbolizes and I meant it what I said no matter where you go hopefully you'll stay with New York forever but you know how that goes but hopefully always know that Cedar Grove is your home and that is for you I apprciate so congratulations you're welcome if you guys want to say word if your family wants to come up whatever you guys we could take some pictures but why don't you guys say a few words yeah real quick just thank you to everybody thank you to all you guys everybody that came obviously born and raised here in this small town uh a lot of friends a lot of family now um so many memories and I continue to be the ambassador and everything that needs to be for this town anything you guys would ever need thank you let me know and I'm here for you thank you so much [Applause] you know when you get into the agent business you always you know you try to find someone that you're compatible with um Tommy obviously his his Heritage is so important and that's been the roots to all his dreams um he's so proud to be from Ceda Grove uh you know that's his makeup and it's a testament to his mom Lexi his dad Tommy his brother Max how they raised him in the core values um and not ever forgetting where you came from um it's just so humbling for to me to see my client be honored the first um because there's so many future maybe Tommy deitos out there in Cedar Grove that are going to use him as a source of inspiration as the poster dog for the underdog uh poster boy for the underdog and uh I'm just so uh so happy for him getting what he deserves but like Sinatra said The Best Is Yet To Come uh and he is ultra focused and uh hopefully the next Stop's going to be hosting that Lombardi trophy uh someday but congratulations Tommy want to do a few picks up here okay do you want do and I want to say sorry Carrie thank you and and the board for seeing the value in this and honoring him congratulations Tomy push this excuse my back have to get Lin it too I Haven how about one two three uh Carrie gotta say [Laughter] Giants Lexi thank you so much Lincoln's in there don't worry [Laughter] sure thank you thank youy someone [Applause] what it said mayoun I ordered a friend came this big like well I guess I'm just going sorry you're so welcome oh my pleasure so nice to see you well he's special it's all good a thank you all good I did he declined because he lives in Montclair so he couldn't make it according to the papers thank you good job thank you you're very welcome yep nice to meet you nice to meet you guys nice to meet youed thank you so much nice to meet you than you you want to give opportunity yep it's a long meeting a long save thank you so much you're welcome we'll see you soon yeah okay very good oh okay she just walked out oh she's right over there I think she walked out really thanks guys thank you so much good job here we should get Kate Harwick a okay for our next meeting didn't even realize I wor the right color you did all right hold on thank you Dale okay thank you everyone um we kind of have a long meeting ahead so we'll just dig in item three is approval of minutes to consider approval of minutes of regular public meeting April 1st 2024 do I have a motion make a motion to approve thank you second thank you roll call please Council misseri yes councilwoman M yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes item four is a public hearing a is to consider adoption of pending ordinance number 24-9 an ordinance amending chapter 259 of the township of the code of the township of Cedar Grove entitled water do I have a motion mayor I'm sorry do I sorry you open for okay um the meeting is now open to this item and this item only anyone wishing to be heard seeing none I will close that and do I have a motion uh mayor I move for the adoption of pending ordinance number 24- 930 to be published in the Verona Ceder of times as a pass ordinance to take effect as prescribed by law second thank you roll call please Council misser yes Council Mig yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes Item B is to consider adoption of pending ordinance number 24931 an ordinance amending chapter 217 of the code of the township of Cedar Grove entitled sores the meeting is now open to anyone wishing to be heard on this item seeing none I will close that do I have a motion may I move for the adoption of pending ordinance 24- 931 to be published in the Verona City Grove times as a passed ordinance to take effect as prescribed by law thank you do I have a second second thank you roll call please Council misseri yes Council woman M yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes item C is to consider adoption of pending ordinance number 24- 932 Bond ordinance authorizing various General improvements in and for the township of cedar Grove in the county of Essex New Jersey appropriating $1,894 310 therefore and authorizing the issuance of $1 milon 799,000 Bond or note to finance part of the cost thereof the meeting is now open to be heard on anything people wishing to be heard on this item only seeing none I will close that do I have a motion I move for the ad adoption of pending Bond ordinance 24- 932 to be published in the Verona of times as a pass ordinance to take effect as prescribed by law thank you do I have a second second thank you roll call please Council misseri yes Council yes Deputy Mayor scav yes mayor Peterson yes item D is to consider adoption of pending bun ordinance number 24- 933 Bond ordinance authorizing various water utility improvements in and for the township of cedar in the county of Essex New Jersey appropriating $1.1 million therefore and authorizing the issuance of $1 Milli 45,000 bonds or notes to finance part of the cost thereof the meeting is opened to this portion anyone wish to be heard seeing none I will close that and ask for a motion please uh mayor I move for the adoption of pending Bond ordinance number 24- 933 to be published in the Verona Cedar Grove times as a pass ordinance to take effect as prescribed by law thank you do I have a second second thank you roll call please councilman misseri yes Council womana yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes item e is a consider adoption of pending Bond ordinance number 24- 934 Bond ordinance authorizing various sore utility improvements in and for the township of Cedar Grove in the county of esex New Jersey appropriating $200,000 therefore and authorizing the issuance of $200,000 Bond bonds or notes to finance part of the cost thereof uh the meeting is open to item e seeing none I will close that and do I have a motion may I move for the adoption of pending ordinance of pending Bond ordinance 24- 934 to be published in the Verona C Grove times as a passed ordinance to take effect as prescribed by law thank you do I have a second second thank you roll call please councilman misseri yes Council woman m yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor yes item five the meeting is now open to residents of the township wishing to be heard on any item on the agenda anyone none moving on to reports of Township officials I will start with the township manager good evening Mr Z good evening mayor a few items to report on uh first last week the township received revised Shoring calculations for the North End Firehouse um the contractor uh wanted to take a different approach to Shoring the aqueduct that was subsequently approved by Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority as well as the township engineer um we are now hoping that this work will continue uh sometime over the next week um and obviously we're going to continue to monitor that but it is you know good to report that it will be moving along uh the other items I have are that the little FS Road basketball courts are nearing completion the leveling course has been applied last week now the contractor is waiting for the weather to reach 55° at a constant uh stad uh when there's no rain also so that the courts will be painted and striped uh once that's done the courts will be closed for 24 hours so no one can go on them but that project will be marked as complete and done in time for people to enjoy the use of them over the summer uh I want to just uh commend our Our First Responders for a bad accident that happened a few weeks ago the tractor trailer going into the medicine shop in Noor I saw you there uh police Rescue Squad monair ambulance unit fire department DPW and a lot of surrounding agencies came to uh help us out and that was a really we got very lucky a lot of people uh were not hurt uh we got very lucky that's what I say and I I do owe thanks to our First Responders uh who were there and and stayed there for the majority of the day the last item I have aside from other items I have on the agenda just a few events taking place in the township Junior firefighter day is taking place on Sunday May 19th at uh noon at Community Park this is a great event that's a big hit every year um the more day cedo fire department memorial service is taking place at 10:00 a.m. on Monday May 27th outside Town Hall after that at 11 a.m. the township barbecue will take place at community park and then uh Clean Sweep day is Saturday June 1st um also at Town Hall I believe that's at 9:00 a.m. and then I have a few other items I will comment on through the uh rest of the meeting May okay thank you um Madam clerk good evening good evening mayor members of council my office will be open for late night voter registration on May 14th and I have the assistance of girl TR Girl Scout Troop 20278 who will assist me as well as um learn as much as they can about voter registration and hopefully receive their voter registration Ben oh that's great nice to hear good thank you and our Township attorney good evening good evening Madam mayor and members of the council uh I have no report for this evening okay thank you um report to the council I'm actually going to start tonight not that I ever usually do that but I had a couple things um I also wanted to speak about the accident that happened um a couple weeks ago uh this accident happened to be right at the top of my street at the pharmacy where we go all the time my father-in-law is there all the time I was there the day before um to ammin and his daughter Margaret who are vital part of the community um he donates all the Naran to the Rescue Squad um Margaret was very involved in the chamber years ago she has an acupuncture business um I run by there almost every day and the amount of people that I always see outside of there I can't stop thinking about to your point of how this could have been so much worse how how someone didn't get killed is just by the grace of God so um I also want to commend all of our um emergency services that came out the police were were there fire department rescue squad all of our mutual Aid agencies were there and it was one of those things that when you look at and it it is a disaster scene um and Steve was there everybody was there it was just unbelievable so thank God no one got hurt great job done by all Mr zelly way to handle it as our Township manager um it was just a lot and I am grateful every day that um no one got seriously injured and look looking forward to the mean Shop is open right P I think they are open somehow he yeah he is open so they are open for business if anyone needs anything um Arbor Day was last Monday we had the pleasure of honoring long-term resident Mr Ron San Filippo who was a past mayor and also served as the president of the Board of Education um he had reached out concerned that Brookdale Avenue really had no more trees left so we decided that would be a great place to hold Arbor Day this year we had the Boy Scouts Girl Scouts um couple people that donated from various businesses in town and we planted six trees on Brookdale Avenue and thanks to the DPW and everyone else who attended that and I just wanted to give a huge congratulations to Dale on receiving the Joel Popkin president's Award of Excellence for her um appreciation of her Timeless dedication to the municipal clerks associate of New Jersey I have to say Dale you are amazing amazing you are a gift to us you do such a great job um I cherish you I really do so thank you for all you do so I just didn't want anyone else to steal that in case they had it so I went first cuz I never get to go first anyway I gave myself that Indulgence tonight um so that's all I have I get another tour of Mayor I'm going to remember this Pete used to do it yeah I know but I was like I'm still on a a page from the Pete Playbook tonight so anyway that's all I have but um I will start with C great how am I going to follow that now sorry congratulations Dale we'll start there congratulations Tommy DeVito that was a very nice you know event and and mayor great job with uh with getting that together and having it here uh I know that's something we've been working on for a while and I know the focus has been his success but really one thing as a graduate of donbosco and being a resident and Heritage and everything else just his impact on the kids in the community is is so huge and it's nice to see that so it's great that we have that here in town and it was it was really wonderful that they came here and spent so much time they were here for like 20 minutes before we started yeah so uh we want to thank them for being patient um I also wanted to encourage I asked our uh clerk today there's still time to sign up for Clean Sweep yes I think we got another week May 13th and I know this is now our 33rd right this is our 33rd attempt at this right so um last year we had so many people that volunteered we had St Catherine's we had the you know the students that needed to uh to give some time so I just want to encourage everybody this is a great opportunity to come out uh let's see what else I had the other item I actually had a question for Mr zakeli and comment first the uh the accident and the way you managed it and keeping us informed what what the people don't know is that we get information immediately and it's so important because the council members this is not our full-time job and we're not in Cedar Grove all the time when things like this happen so having that information immediately and being able to deal with you know the residents who contact us first is so crucial to what we do for the town so we appreciate that you constantly keep us informed and updated all the time uh when we're in town and when we're not in town it's very very critical for us the question I had and more for the residents pscg how are we doing with the project I know it's it's been you know an ongoing uh war zone out there but what can you tell the residents I really uh through you mer psng has been um at least on the side streets I want to say near in completion uh with the majority of their main work um I believe the service work follows in tandem with that um but as you will see tonight uh councilman one of the items on our agenda is to enter into a contract with the Mars County cooperative for Paving streets um this goes to your your uh about fixing the trench work um we're already starting to talk about what streets we're going to do for 25 in conjunction with PNG um I spoke with someone at the dot today to try to get uh the southern leg of um 23 switched to daytime work um because as the council may be aware they are replacing a gas main along Route 23 and at night there's a shift uh in the lanes um there's less traffic but now they're starting to get in towards the residential area of 23 where houses on Yorkshire Devonshire shriber back up to that area uh Rose Terrace um so if the do will permit and I think they they will I'm going to try to see if they could allow at least two days of daytime construction there so those residents aren't Disturbed um but other than that PS is is working well with us and I do anticipate hopefully having their GS 240 map complete rather soon uh and then we can follow through with the paving they're going to pave their end we'll pave ours and then we'll have a lot of smooth streets for us to snow plow that's great thank you that's all I have here than sure uh councilwoman MGA good evening good evening well you guys kind of blew my report got congratul I just did owe everything congratulations to Dale thank you and mayor you did a great job at um orber day I thought that was very nicely it very nicely done um honoring Mr San Filippo and we had our Scouts there the DPW the family the trees look great and a shout out to just of March development for the donation and also a thank you to Tony and mercy who was our coordinator for Arbor Day um I also attended two community events autism uh acceptance day it's here right here at Town Hall and the craft fair at United Presbyterian Church both events were well attended I enjoyed seeing many people from our community coming out and engaging and supporting one another and a big shout out to the police department and the fire department they were at both events you know they they really do a great job um and they were getting to know the people our Historical Society and the friends of the library were also at the craft fair supporting Cedar Grove so it was very nice to see and that's that's about it um the Historical Society also they have some more events coming up I don't want to list them all because they're kind of out a little bit so I just encourage everybody to um pay attention to their social media okay and they'll list them all on there perfect and that's it for me thank you you're welcome deputy mayor uh good evening mayor um yeah everything that I wanted to say has but I will take a moment to congratulate Dale of course um and just one other thing on the point um that councilman misseri made about communication um there was another accident the day that two two other there were two other accidents um but just as a a real time example of um how lucky we are to have such great communication from you Mr zelli um I was on my way to the South End Spring Fling with my daughter um and I was at the corner of of Pompton and Ridge and saw that there was a car overturned and I said oh my gosh as soon as I get to South End I need to make sure I let Joe know right and as soon as I pulled into the spot there was a message from Joe already like there was a overturned car in front of the pilgrim shopping plaza so um that's just sort of a real life example of how quickly we were given information I I drove about a block and a half before I got that message from Joe because Chief I'm not texting while I'm driving just um so that was um just an example of of um how lucky we are to have that open line of communication so that we're able to answer questions cuz when I got to the Spring Fling everyone was late um and I knew what was going on I knew why and what was happening so thank you for that um another um just Kudos because he's here um Gary gray um I stopped by the garden I got there for the first time this weekend and expected to see you know kind of what we saw last year which were a lot of weeds and a lot of work to be done done and it was beautiful I like I think I pulled up a few weeds for my garden I'm like well I guess I'm done here I'm going to come back and plant next week um the work that went into making it ready for our residents um I know it's not easy I know it wasn't just a you know a snap of your fingers you're there every day um preparing for us all so thank you for that um that was a really pleasant surprise so I I'm eagerly awaiting coming uh back next weekend to plant and um I'm pretty excited that I didn't have to do as much hard labor as they did last year to get it ready so thank you to that and um also the sign looks beautiful we have a a sign at our entry way now to the community garden um and it looks it looks fantastic so thank you for that and that's that's all I have to very nice thank you yeah thank you Gary for all you go um okay moving on to consent agenda um can I take these yes um I'm going to take these together a is to consider resolution concerning approval of raffle application lies Club of Cedar Grove and B is to consider a resolution concerning approval of raffle application cooperman barnabus Medical Center do I have a motion so move thank you second thank you roll call please councilman misseri yes Council woman Miga yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes item a uh new business is to consider resolution authorizing Award of the 2024 Road overlay program through the mccpc contract number six to Riverview Paving Incorporated in an amount not to exceed $320,000 mayor if I may comment on all of the new business items uh I'll take this one first um again this is a resolution authorizing the township to enter into the Mars County cooperative priceon council's contract number six uh which retains Riverview Paving to perform the 2024 Road overlay program um the township has plac $320,000 in capital for this uh which was uh adopted tonight and after it's a stopple period the funds will hit uh the way a co-op works is that the township and other government agencies enter into a group for lack of a better word and they use their collective bargaining strength to negotiate pricing and utilize various Services provided through these cooperatives Cedar Gro is a member of many co-ops it costs nothing for us to join but we do reap the benefits of reduced contract prices uh and eliminating procedural costs associated with awarding these contracts um just as a brief aside the difference between the road overlay and a road reconstruction the road reconstruction uh focuses on driveway aprons curbing uh base coats as necessary on the overlay is more of a Mill and pave they go down to the surface if there's some base repair they will do that um but it's really a Mill and get a a Fresh coat of asphalt on top that's all I have for very good thank you for that explanation um do I have a motion so Mo thanks second thank you roll call please councilman misseri yes Council woman Miga yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peters yes Item B is to consider introduction of pending ordinance number 24- 935 an ordinance to amend Capital ordinance number 23- 909 providing funding for the various improvements for the township of Cedar Grove and appropriating 1,372 558 for such a purpose mayor through we love this ordinance because it doesn't create any debt for us uh this is amendment to a capital ordinance that the town Township introduced on April 3rd 2023 and that appropriated monies that the township was already in possession of in other words no new debt was created this ordinance sets forth the purposes of spending funds received from the American Rescue plan at the time the township had 1, 37,58736 EQ tank at the DPW $150,000 to uh construct a new water uh Source storage facility and $35,000 for the improvements to Center company uh the local Bond Law requires three Essential Elements to a bonding Ordinance one is debt authorization one is fund appropriation and three three is uh purpose whenever any one of those three change uh the governing body's required to amend the ordinance because some of these projects were completed under budget because some projects are being paid for out of other funds the purpose of that ordinance is now changed thereby requiring us to now amend the original purpose of the ordinance in other words uh last year we were going to spend money on the water and sour storage facility in the EQ tank that money was paid for out of other funds so those purposes have now changed what we're proposing in this amendment is to use the $300,000 there to start the Brier Hill water main replacement that's through professional servicing of uh Serv in the the work and also planning it to go out to bid for the specs uh as the council is where there's also money appropriated in the water Capital ordinance for that project but if we could reduce some of that money that we're borrowing by using this we will do it yeah um any questions I'm happy to answer sounds great that a good explanation thank you do I have a motion second thank you roll call please councilman misseri yes Council woman migga yes Deputy Mayor SC yes mayor Peterson yes item C is to consider resolution concerning estimated tax bills this mayor this is we do this every year uh when the tax rate is not certified yet this allows the township to prepare and issue estimated tax bills for the third quarter to Residents and any adjustments will be reflected in the subsequent quarter perfect thank you do I have a motion so moves thanks second thank you roll call please Council misseri yes counc M yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes item D is to consider resolution requesting permission for the dedication by Ryder for the township of Cedar Grove for tree replacement fee in lie of tree replacement on Personnel property for the purpose of planting new trees within the township thank you mayor this is a resolution um the township recently adopted a new tree ordinance that allows for the township to collect fees that are dedicated to the sole purpose of replanting new trees within the township permission of the director of the division of local government services is required whenever revenue is not subject to reasonably accurate estimates in advance because this type of Revenue is unpredictable and uncertain this resolution requests the director's permission to allow for the dedicated purpose of taking funds from the tree ordinance putting it into the tree replacement trust fund uh which would be used just for that purpose replacing the trees this is known as a dedication by Ryder perfect thank you very much do I have a motion so move thanks second thank you roll call please councilman misseri yes councilwoman Miga yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes item e is to consider resolution amending the introduced and approved 2024 water utility budget okay mayor through you uh every three years the township is required to submit their Municipal budget to the state for state review um someone at the division of local government services goes through our budget with a fine tooth comb and they tell us what they would like to see uh and what they uh think could be better one thing I forgot to do is put the yes votes in on the first budget so we had to correct that but two other items were reflected in resolutions AE and a AE is uh an amendment to the water utility budget uh basically what happened here was our our principal payment for the bond principal was $5,000 less than what it should have been so we've increased our bond payment principle by $5,000 uh to compensate for this increase we decreased salaries and wages by 5,000 so offset each other resulting in no real change to the bottom line of the water utility budget okay um all right very good thank you do I have a motion so moved second thank you roll call please councilman misseri yes Council woman Miga yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes May Peterson yes item f is to consider resolution amending the introduced and approved 2020 for capital budget uh thank you mayor same uh the reason that this is a resolution now is because tonight uh the governing body adopted the water um bond for $1.1 million which at the time the budget was introduced wasn't considered an adopted yet so this uh resolution reflects a change in the capital budget from $0 to $1.1 million and that will be reflected in the municipal budget perfect okay thank you uh do I have a motion so moves second okay thank you roll call please councilman misseri yes Council womana yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes item nine is public hearing of the 2024 budget mayor I'm happy to speak on this if you'd like I spoke at length last time um you did I just you know again I believe I said this the last time how much work has gone into uh this budget so to see it finally get here and adopt it is it's a big day they no happier than me May a big day for Tommy DeVito but it's a big day for Jo my super today this is my super let me tell you I don't know what's more exciting right now so um a is to consider adoption of the 2024 Municipal budget do I have a motion oh I'm sorry I'm just getting so excited and ahead of myself um wait where is the one for where oh this is it okay okay um adoption of the 2024 Municipal budget resolution um whereas a Township Clerk has certified that the provision set forth in the njsa 40-4 through 81 A and B have been satisfied now there now therefore be it resolved that the township Council of the township of Cedar Grove does hereby determine that the 2024 Municipal budget shall be read by its title and declare that this condition set forth in the njsa 4A 4-8 subsections 1 a and sub and 1B have been met um the the meeting is now open to anyone who wants to be heard on anything regarding the adoption of the municipal budget excuse me may just prior to that I have some remarks made oh I'm sorry no problem um just for the public edification as per njsa 48 colon 8 sections 1 a and 1B the budget summary was published in April 25th 2024 issues of the Star Ledger and the Verona C both times the public was noticed that the complete budget was available for public inspection upon request in my office I also had notices posted in the town hall Lobby and the library indicating that copies of the budget were available for public inspection and upon request in council chambers as well as the library now as far as the statute goes it says as follows one budget resolution must be read in full unless a at least one week prior to the hearing and at the hearing a complete copy of the approved budget shall be made available for public inspection which is in the library as well as in the back of the chambers two it shall be made available to each person upon request I didn't have any requests but I said it is in the back and uh for b a resolution is passed by a majority of the full membership allowing that the budget be read by title I just wanted them the public to know what the statute met perfect thank you very much for that and we have met those okay yes we have perfect we've done it checked every box right yes so we are good okay so no one wants to be heard about the budget okay so I can I can move right I I move for the adoption of the 2024 Municipal budget second thank you roll call please no no one moved oh you just I moved it okay pardon me Jo second it that's okay okay councilman misseri yes Council woman Miga yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes Item B is to consider adoption of the 2024 solid waste collection uh District budget um so this is also public hearing which is open whereas the Township Clerk has certified that the provision set forth in the njsa 40-4 or 4th d81 A and B have been satisfied now therefore be it resolved that the township Council of the township of Cedar Grove does hereby determine that the 2024 solid waste collection District budget shall be read by its title and declare that the conditions set forth in njay 40a 4-8 subsections 1A and 1B have been met um and the like I said the uh meeting is open to anyone in the public wishing to be heard on this seeing none um I moveed for the adoption of the 2024 solid waste collection District budget does anyone second thank you roll call please Council misseri yes councila yes May scage May Peterson yes so that's good stuff right there okay item 10 is approval of bills have a lot of paperwork in front of me here thank you be resolved by the township of Cedar Grove County of EX New Jersey that the bills having been duly audited and found to be correct are hereby ordered paid and that all warrants be drawn by the treasurer in the aggregated amount of 4 mil 48,2 to30 mayor before you you consider I just want to note 300,000 of that bill list is a payment to the board of ed for their quarterly pilot obligation and 2, 899,000 $725 is a Township's quarterly tax payment owed to the county of mics thank you very much do I have a motion so moveed second thank you roll call please Council misseri yes Council woman Miga yes Deputy Mayor scavage yes mayor Peterson yes item 11 the meeting is now open to residents of the township wishing to be heard on any item honor off the agenda concerning Township business turn this around yeah good evening Kate Harwick Essex County Leon good to see you all um we have a couple of events coming up in May um on Saturday May 18th will be the electronics recycling event here in Cedar Grove at the Public Works building they'll open at 8:30 in the morning um we've recently this past weekend had our household hazardous waste collection from 8:30 to 4 it was very successful and on the same day Saturday May 18th we will also have a free event at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens which is just over the hill from Cedar Grove in Upper Mont Clair on Upper Mountain Avenue that event will be from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. it's open to all residents um the irises should be in full bloom by then um so if the weather holds out it'll be a great day um if residents are looking for other events or announcements I um encourage them to visit the County's website which is essexcounty nj.org thank you than you very much anyone else Steve come on down would be a meeting without no it wouldn't Stephen young 18 young Avenue to piggy to piggy back on uh the town manager uh announcing Junior Firefighters day uh again it's going to be down Community Park it's open for boys and girls between kindergarten through sixth grade and uh we we're having uh complimentary hot dogs and pizza donated by local CA grow businesses and bottled water so bring your little ones down and they'll go home tired wet and covered with mud okay so I hope everybody can come down and enjoy this it's getting bigger every year this is the third year I've been uh overseeing it for the Fara department and it's great and the other thing is the community garden is doing great and the person who puts a lot of work in here is sitting Gary Gray he's there six days a week Lee Peterson Joe Carter Amy Campfield ryban and I go down there too and the residents are really enjoying it it's great to see everybody living up to uh the Garden State okay thank you wonderful thank you Steve anyone else seeing none um do I have a motion to adjourn so move thank you second all in favor have roll call please we we don't need [Music] n