you all rise and [Music] Jo United States of [Music] America the notice requirements of the open public meetings act have been satisfied with respect to this meeting of the mayor and Council of the B Glen Ridge specifically the time date and location were included in the meeting notice hosted in the municipal building and sent to the official newspapers of the Township in M paper Len's voice the mon times and the Star Ledger additionally the agenda for this meeting is has been posted on the official GL Ridge B website the agenda and public handouts for this meeting can be viewed online at www. Glenridge nj.org the public comment here will be held in the order is listed on the meeting agenda and instructions on how the comment V be provided at the appropriate time pleas yes Mr Mayor councelor man here hes here Le here La here Meer here Maro here mayor Patrick is pres Mr may we have a for thank you but this time I'd like to hear a motion to improve the minutes of our last regular schedule meeting on November 13th 20 23 I'll make a motion to approve the minutes thank you may have a second please I'll second thank you any discussion seeing none pleas yes Mr mayor council stand H Le i w hi Meer hi Mara I five eyes one extension the motion carries thank you uh rhy communication there are no rec um I have no comments this evening so this time we will uh take comments from the public wishes to be heard please come up if you wish be heard give us your name and address good evening my name is sh I on stre BL Rich um my husband and I moved here in 2020 as the pandemic hit and we were so pleased to see theora in the front of the Town Hall that year a little girl wrote a letter decided to put that's wonderful but we would also like to see in Christian town would mean a lot to my family um my my son's just made their confirmation and that's really the symbol of CH for us so I get into consideration possible I don't know there's one storage I don't know youve ever had one um but I do have to go on me page and up a collection okay so we we do have a manora and we also have the word Joy with the the scene of the crush integrated into that and that all goes up next week right I was I was looking for actually the the Christian symbol of christas and that word Joy is is that symbol no no I was looking for a nativity scene to to S being Jesus and that's what's in that Joy not the same thing a manora is a religious symbol AS uh a crash uh a nativity scene that that symbolizes Christmas to Christians the word Joy doesn't I think you was saying but within the joy within the joy is that that seems integrated into the word okay I was looking for separate right so that's what we have so you you just have the word Joy with ativity you printed on it it's no it's like integrated so like the shapes like in the word oh might be might be I think it's a whole the whole scene is within the I didn't even to do separate yeah so you on uh it's complicated I think we have something yeah the feeling is that we've we've been thoughtful about addressing u a VAR a number of different religious right um representations during the U uh Christmas season if you will and so we we we feel we've we we've provided for Christian as well as Jewish as well as [Music] other non denominational approaches you know we really we recognize that we have to be inclusive but at the same time we also want to be thoughtful I respectfully disagree because you have a separate manora I think you should have a separate iny okay did we do we feel we have covered that with the words joy and with the presentation within the wording of the actual symbols of the nativity scene of the crush that's how that's how well it really has we haven't really rolled it out yet I mean I think it's we really haven't turned it on I think if you come it's this Sunday I think at 5:00 Christmas tree lighting the tree lighting the tree lighting and then we'll have and those those will all be out by Joy will be it'll all be out there so why don't you take a look then on Sunday consider this at some point or this is what it is we believe we have a the situation that inclusive and it takes care of right thank you so much thank you anybody else seeing any one um we will now suspend the regular border of business for the cdbg he uh this is the second and final public hearing of two required public hearings for the community block vment Grant thank you mayor this is our second hearing Community Development block grant money is federal funds that are distributed throughout the Consortium that the burough is a part of those funds are used to for projects either in low moderate income census track areas which we have none or they're also used to um eliminate barriers to create um accessible areas for example an ada8 bathroom a building elevator we use the funds and what the buau is proposing as our application is to use those funds for the Ada ramps when we pave a road that's the concrete ramps at the corners they have to be ADA Compliant we're going to be requesting $40,000 in funding of Community Development block rant Awards to install um Ada ramps we'd be using those if we are granted the uh project we'd be using that money on Sherman and Baldwin and Sherman and what's what where's ret I'm sorry no no Sher ocean no no Sherman the two streets right by the hospital I can't remember the oh Laurel Laurel okay Laurel or halfway I'm sorry half way half the way so we'd be using those that that money on partnering with the dot funds the two funds would be put together for improving that roadway so that is our application we have no other application before the burrow at our next meeting We'll be asking you to rank the applications this is the only application you even receive of and it's for the burrow for $40,000 for Ada grants we usually receive about 36 to $40,000 uh year and funds and every now and then we're able to capture money that's been returned to the cdbg fund from projects that weren't executed by other towns and um use that money in in Glen Ridge they know that we're a town that gets things done quickly and where Eric was able to grab some additional funds this year um again using that same money for the concrete ramps that concludes our presentation tonight mayor thank you at this time reinstate the regular a of business uh coun man um just a brief report out uh from the finance and administration committee thank you Mike for doing an update on the budget here to date and I know several residents have been um in contact about the water bills and that uh has all been cleared up and we should see those water bills uh smooth out and the revenue hit um which will be uh helpful to uh make our budget uh predictions for the year end so I just wanted to note that and thank everyone for their patience um as we worked through that so I have uh resolution 16 4-23 uh to be resolved for the following claims uh be approved and warrants be drawn for the same as listed in the resolution and this Au also authorizes the payroll for the employees of grund for the pay dat of December 1 2023 I move the resolution you heard the resolution May a second please I'll second thank you uh any discussion seeing none turn please call Ro yes Mr Mayor councelor NIS hi Hughes hi Le hi ra hi Meer hi Mara hi the motion carries thank Mr Mayor I have ordinance number 1799 for final reading an ordinance establishing titles for employees of the Bureau of Glend rdge represented by PBA local 58 and fixing maximum salaries and other compensations uh for these titles Mr Mayor this is a state for the record that this ordinance has been published and posted in accordance with the statute I declare the meeting open for discussion of this ordinance and only this ordinance this being the time and place for the public hearing would anyone the public wish to be heard with no comments forthcoming I declare this public hearing close Mr Mayor I move that this ordinance be finally passed May second I'll second mayor thank you um you've heard the motion of council person mans uh seconded by council person Hughes who heard R yes Mr Mayor counselor's man I Hughes I Le I law I Meer I laa I six eyes know knes as ordinance is adopted thank you um sorry Mr Mayor I have ordinance number oh wait sorry Mr Mayor yes I have ordinance number 1800 the final reading um an ordinance establishing for employees of the buau of Glenridge represented by PBA local 58a and fixing maximum salaries and other compensations for these titles Mr Mayor this is to State for the record that this ordinance has been published both in accordance to stat I declare the meeting open for discussion of this ordinance and only this ordinance this being the time in place for the public hearing who any member of public already heard with no comments forth coming on this clar this public hearing closed Mr Mayor I move that this ordinates be finally passed May second I'll second thank you D you have heard the motion of council person Vance seconded by Council personz will please call roll yes Mr Mayor councilor s i Hugh hi Le I law hi Mayer hi laa I have six eyes know as this ordinance as adoped thank you uh Mr Mayor I have ordinance number 1801 for final reading an ordinance establishing titles for nonunion and other employees of the Bureau of Cl rage and fixing the 2024 maximum annual salaries and other compensations for these titles Mr Mayor this is the state to the rec that this ordinance has been published and posted in accordance with the statute I declare the meeting open for discussion of this ordinance and only this ordinance this being the time and place for the public hearing anybody from the public wish be heard with no F further comments forthcoming I declare this public hearing closed Mr may I move that this ordinance be finally passed May a second please I'll second thank you um you have heard the motion of council person Man seconded by council person mayor will CL please call roll yes Mr Mayor counselor Lance hi Hughes hi Le hi law hi Mayer hi Mara hi sixin ised thank you and finally I have resolution number 16523 um it resolved that um the Council of B of glenbridge War um be drawn for an overpayment of tax um for the address listed um in the resolution and the amount um and that the homeowner will be that refund um I move the resolution you heard the resolution May a second please a second thank you uh any discussion see none will approve please call R yes Mr Mayor councelor man I Hugh I Le I la hi Meer hi Mara hi six hour no need the motion carries thank you I have thank you councelor Hughes mayor quickly we we've had a number of emails regarding uh the intersection of Clark Street and Hillside Avenue uh we're going to be taking a hard look at that over the next uh couple of weeks uh prior to the public safety meeting on it's the 11th of December um it's likely that we'll get another traffic study done will ask the traffic engineer to take a look at it uh there's been a couple of accidents in the uh in the area it is on our radar screen if you will and so we'll be taking over that s very good and otherwise thank you uh councel M uh Mr may I have no formal report this evening but um I I do want to say a couple of words about the Ashton filter 8K uh that happened over the on on Thanksgiving uh was a wonderful event there were a record number of Runners this time they've got up to 4,000 uh which is the first um honestly it just boggles the mind to think of 4,000 people uh running in a town with 2300 households um but it all came out came off without a hitch um through the tremendous uh well boiled uh work of the uh public works department the the police department um keeping order arranging everything and um have to also thank the the Montclair fire department who came and helped distribute water to the uh to the runners so everyone pitched in and uh made it a wonderful event thank you Council you forgot one person to thank how's [Music] that it would not have happened without Dan Murphy as has been the case for so many years he is the driving force behind uh this event and the waterer run and uh you know it's the kind of dedication and um accomplishment that money cannot buy well money has b u I think we looked at it 3 years ago and saw that since the Inception Murphy's raised openly C for the school [Music] system it's tremendous the educational um Foundation is going to benefit tremendously by this um and of course the um the the members of the Educational Foundation um myself included uh all volunteered in this event and um made it the the smoothly Runing event that it's become been outstanding okay um C law uh nothing to report Mr Mayor thank you thank you Council mayor nothing to report this evening Mr mayor council moral thanks mayor I have uh just one item and that's ordinance number 1802 for final reading um it is an ordinance of the burough of Glen Ridge uh County of esic state of New Jersey adding chapter 12.26 which is our shade tree commission to the code of the burrow of Glen Ridge um as we mentioned when we introduced the ordinance at the November 13th meeting our current shry ordinance had a sunset Clause that required the ordinance to be reauthorized uh this ordinance affirms that reauthorization and um further the sunset Mr Mayor is to State for the record that this ordinance has been published and posted in of the statute ICL the meeting open for discussion of this ordinance and only this ordinance this being the time in place for the public hearing anybody like to with no comments forthcoming I declare this public hearing closed Mr Mayor I move that this ordinance be finally passed um and with many thanks to the volunteers that make up our Shader commission uh for all the wonderful work they do in preserving the terrific wonderful special asset of the Trees of Glen rid uh and uh thanks also to Mike and Eric uh and Bill Bartlett and the DPW team that have done such a great job in working with our shade tree commission to uh secure plant acquire plant uh and uh take take care of the trees but special thanks really to our shap tree commission five volunteers and Elizabeth Baker your chair thank you may a second please second okay um you have heard the motion of council person Morrow seconded by council person Ms please call roll yes Mr Mayor councelor St hi Hughes hi Le hi law hi Meer hi laa iin adoped at the same we take Thomas with the administrator and department and all right mayor I'm going to drag this meeting on for a little bit uh couple of things we had our best practices um survey submitted to the state um that goes through our policies and procedures for acquiring and expending funds and practices that utilized by the burre out of a score of 32 we came in at 36 if your score is below 29 points you um could be potentially boxed out of funding um but again we are at a score of 36 so I just like to congratulate our our um our CFO and all the staff for are enabling um and following our practices and letting us obtain that score on um a sad note I just like to acknowledge the passing of two people one first off Ray uh kinel Ray or big Ray was our Lamplighter in town Ray worked for 35 years for psng he was a full-time employee Ray is the kind of a person you you wish every employee was at we had his cell phone number we could call Ray up anytime and say hey do you mess the lamp over here oh my gosh and he go that's that's Patrick's house I'll be right there um you know and uh additionally he knew every lamp like a baby and he would tell you if you came out and talked to him um he would tell you about your lamp you know this one's unique because if you notice our lamps are not the same they acquired through time through as towns remov them we pick them up and deploy them in Glen Ridge so all the lamps look different if you really look at them and Ry almost knows the story of every lamp and he would tell you for example on an Outlook and essics that's a unique lamp that I think it has more more of those mantel than other lamps so again I just wanted to uh send our regards to his family we're sending flowers to the service on behalf of the burrow and just R and uh our our thoughts with this family second is uh Council former counselor uh Carolyn Ferguson passed away and um she was she was a producer at C CBS I think in her career and she she was on the council for quite some time and uh when I first came on board she was on Counsel and just sad to to hear of her passing so just wanted to acknowledge the passing of those two folks and then lastly on a happy night I just like to acknowledge the police and DPW and all the staff that came in on Thanksgiving that's a demand day we have you know they have to be here nobody likes waking up at 6:00 in the morning or 5:30 in the morning to be here so bunch of people can Shel and run around town but Public Works and here every time every Thanksgiving and they get it done and it just is uh it makes me tremendously proud that I work with everybody and when we see that event happen that's it thank you mayor thank you mayor the one thing I would add to what Mike has said is that I Carol fergon was a fmer councilman and serve Glen Ridge in that capacity as well as being on the board of education so both Carolyn and Bruce were really very dedicated volunteers to G Chief yes Mr I just one item uh we've been awarded a a grant from the New Jersey Commission of Highway and traffic safety it's going to be the drive sober get pulled over campaign it's going to start December 1st and run through January 1st of 2024 uh is there any new buiness uh commiss mayor have for us make a motion to ad all in [Music] favor