e okay good evening everyone we are on the record today is Wednesday the 26th day of June 2024 this is a regular meeting of the Jersey City municipal Council we had a scheduled 6 PM start the clock on my cell phone is showing 606 p.m. May I have a roll call for the commencement of this meeting council person rickley here council person priner here council person bajano will be out for this meeting council person Cay here council person Solomon here council person Gilmore presid council person Dees she won't be here but give Tracy a minute she got a set up we can't do nothing without the record okay yeah you call us again just give me a second we're just going to finish setting up is there anyone here for black music month that's accepting the resolution okay can you see Erica please just going to check in with her thank you you congratulations to everyone that's here okay people that's what e e e take a bre okay we're going to begin I promise we are this time can we please close the back door thank you okay good evening everyone we are on the record today is Wednesday the 26th day of June 2024 this is a regular meeting of the Jersey City municipal Council we had a scheduled 6 p.m. start and the clock of my cell phone is showing 6:11 p.m. May I have a roll call for the commencement of this meeting council person Ridley here council person priner here council person bosano will be out council person s here council person Solomon here council person Gilmore present council person de out oh she'll she'll be out for you yeah okay council person zes will be out for this meeting as well council person Rivera here council president Waterman here okay I have seven council members present at 6 11 p.m. can we kindly raise for a moment of silence please John hanelin Senior please remain standing as we salute to the flag hey on behalf of council president Waterman and the members of the municipal Council in accordance with the New Jersey public laws of 1975 chapter 231 the open Public's meeting act also known as the Sunshine Law adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by posting on the bulletin board of the first floor City Hall the annual notice which is the scheduled of meetings and caucuses of the municipal Council for the calendar year 2024 and filed in the office of the city clerk on Thursday November 30th 20 23 in addition at the time of his preparation the agenda of this meeting was similarly disseminated on Friday June 21st 20124 at 2:17 p.m. to the mayor Municipal Council business administrator Corporation Council and the local newspapers and posted on the city's website so I can certify as to the total compliance with the Sunshine Law okay um I need a motion to add items 10.65 resolution 24- 538 and item 10.66 resolution 24- 539 councilman SLE with the uh motion thank you second Solomon second thank you very much okay motion to add items 10.65 and 10.66 motion made by council person C second by council person Solomon council person Ridley I council person Prince AR I council person Cay hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore council person Dees oh sorry she's going to be out and council person Rivera hi council president Waterman hi okay the items are approved 70 to add items 10.65 and 10.66 to this G we're going to move on to our first reading ordinances I believe I me I have to I have to amend she's GNA go down okay um so item number 3.1 city ordinance 24- 056 is an ordinance of the municipal Council the city of Jersey City adopting amendments to the Journal Square 2060 Redevelopment plan regarding inclusions of a mandatory affordable housing requirement along with updates to some bulk signage and use standards council members we are taking a uh no we're going to that's right into the record now item 3.2 ordinance 24- 057 is an ordinance of the municipal Council of the city of Jersey City adopting amendments to the Lewis uh Munos Marian Boulevard Redevelopment plan regarding use and bulk standards to District Two of the Redevelopment plan and other Associated standards we are making an amendment to this item um council person Solomon if you can read it into the record please sure so um for RDP section 3B um 1 B3 E1 um we're adding two sections um and they read section six the developer shall construct an abutment to support a 15t wide Trail bridge across Manila Avenue and section 7 the developer shall include subjacent and lateral support at an elevation compatible with all applicable Highway and Street design standards for future installation of Light Rail trolley on block one and Trail and then if I scroll down in section e Community benefits the word approved is being deleted and replaced with the word determined that um just to add the reasons therefore this is um it's not changing the substance of the recommendation it's just to clarify what's expected and a clerical change I can add um yeah just um similar what John said but uh the basis for the three changes is to provide Clarity on the developer obligations and the city's responsibilities regarding the buildout of the embankment um and the section clarifies the developer's obligation to construct an abutment to support a 15ot wide Trail bridge across Manilla the second addition clarifies the developer's obligation to build subjacent lateral support at an elevation that would allow for possible late rail or trolley service on block one and the change from the word approved to determine clarifies as the city's role in deciding when the bicycle pedestrian bridge shall be constructed in option C in the RDP okay um motion to amend item 3.2 ordinance 24- 057 is made person Solomon do I have a second second by council person SLE motion to amend item 3.2 ordinance 24- 057 made by council person Solomon seconded by council person s council person Ridley I council person priner I council person I council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I council person Rivera I council president Waterman okay motion to amend item 3.2 ordinance 24- 057 is um approved 70 item 3.3 ordinance 24-58 an ordinance authorizing the acquisition by purchase or condem condemnation of a portion of private easement located between City Block 9905 lot 9 and portion of block 9906 lot one that trans versus the Brunswick community garden item 3.4 ordinance 24059 and ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles in traffic article 9 parking for the disabled of the Jersey city code designating a reserved parking space at various locations throughout the city okay council members we are voting on items 3.1 through 3.4 including item 3.2 as amended council person britley I for introduction council person preri I for introduction council person s um I wanted to say I for introduction and also want to read out something on behalf of councilman boano um so the councilman councilman boano has worked with the planning and Law Department on the um the plan that you see the 2060 Redevelopment plan and he does plan to make amendments he has in Council Bano plans to make amendments to the plan to accommodate the different interested Community groups and as per the advice of tonight from the law department and uh interested parties the city council is going to be voting I for introducing the 2060 Redevelopment plan that came back from the planning board um councilman boano will seek to have these amendments to his affordable housing plan made for the next count city council meeting on July 10th and he looks forward to reviewing the Amendments with the council in between the meetings uh and that with that I say vote I for all thank you council person C council person Solomon I Council Gilmore I for introduction council person Rivera I council president wman I for introduction okay items 3.1 through 3.4 including item 3.2 as amended have been introduced 70 we are on to our second reading ordinances okay item 4.1 city ordinance 24- 047 is a bond ordinance provided for various 2024 Capital Acquisitions and improvements by and in the city of Jersey City in the County of Hudson state of New Jersey appropriating 60 million therefore and authorizing issuance of 57 million bonds or notices of the city to finance part of the cost thereof this is a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing to be heard motion second by S motion made by council person Rivera seconded by council person Cay to close the public hearing on ordinance 24-4 seven okay the motion to close public hearing council person Ridley I council person Prince I council person Cay I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi council person Rivera hi so uh president Waterman hi okay motion to close public hearing on this ordinance 24- 047 carries 70 for final adoption for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24- 047 council person Ridley uh council person priner person S I vote I council person Solomon icil person Gilmore I council person Rivera council president Waterman okay city ordinance 24047 is adopted 70 a item 4.2 city ordinance 24- 049 ordinance amend chapter 188 housing accommodations and affordable housing compliance this is a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing to be heard motion second by Sate motion made by council person Riva by council person C motion to close the public hearing on ordinance 24- 049 council person Ridley I council person Prince I council person Cay I council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I council person Rivera I council president Waterman okay to close a public hearing on 2 ordinance 24- 049 is 70 for final consideration and Adoption of ordinance 24- 049 council person Ridley I council person Prince I council person s hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi council person Rivera hi president Waterman hi okay city ordinance 24- 049 is adopted 70 item 4.3 an ordinance supplement uh I'm sorry item 4.3 city ordinance 24-50 and ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles in traffic Article 2 traffic regulations Section 3 32-a prohibited right turns on red signal to prohibit terms on right at all times along Montgomery Street this is a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing to be heard motion by SLE second by motion made by council person C seconded by council president Waterman on the motion to close public hearing on ordinance 24- 050 council person brittley I council person priner I council person s hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I'm going to um obstain on this but um I do uh hope that traffic will put these new signs up this is I'm sorry council person this is just for the public hearing portion oh excuse me I council person Rivera um I council president Waterman I okay motion to close the public hearing on ordinance 24- 050 70 for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24-5 Z council person rley I council person Prince AR I council person bajano not here council person SLE hi council person Solomon hi council person and I'm going to up steain um and I just hope traffic uh can get something out um in header time just to advise people there no longer you're going to be able to turn on the entire um Montgomery so it's a ple the blocks from Bergen all the way down here here um I just hope that they put out sufficient amount of notice so people can know council person Dees is not here as well council person Rivera council president Waterman hi okay so with this ordinance city ordinance 24-50 we have um 60 one with Council uh person bajano and de Dees out and council person Gilmore upating and the the city ordinance 24-50 is still adopted than folks okay uh item 4.4 City ordinance 24- 051 in ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic Article 2 traffic regulations amending section 332-94 05 1 motion made by council person Waterman second by council person Cay on the motion to close a public hearing on city ordinance 24- 051 council person Ridley council person priner Hi council person bajano he's not he's gonna be out for the whole me so much I will remember council person I council person Solomon I council person Gore I council person De Jesus out council person Rivera I council president Waterman I okay so 70 motion carries to close public hearing on city ordinance 24- 051 he for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24- 051 council person brittley I council person Prince I council person out council person s want to thank the department of infrastructure and um director Barker Patel and uh director Jen Wong uh from traffic and Engineering for bringing this um we've had people several people that have almost died at that intersection so these stop signs will be a welcome safety addition to that th that street those streets um and with that I vote I council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I council person De Jesus Al council person Rivera I council president Waterman I okay city ordinance 24- 051 is adopted 70 item 4.5 city ordinance 24- 052 an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles in traffic Article 2 traffic regulations amending section second second made by council person Rivera on the motion to close public hearing on ordinance 24- 052 council person Ridley I Council uh council person priner I council person Bano is person s IC person Solomon I council person Gilmore I council person Dees hi council person Rivera hi council president Waterman hi okay motion carries 70 to close the public hearing on ordinance 24- 052 for final consideration and Adoption of ordinance 24- 052 council person Ridley hi council person prer just want to thank our traffic and infrastructure Division and department for continuing to work on the oh toolbox for traffic calming with this intersection and also to councilman Gilmore for partnering for additional Community meetings to make sure everybody's voice was heard I thank you council person bajano is out council person Cay icil person Solomon hi council person Gilmore well I um I just want to say thank you to um traffick and engineer I know the community uh we would like to have seen um a light at the intersection um but given the results of the study and I guess the financial capacity of the compromise was to stop always at all in all directions um so in light of all Al I thank you council person Dees is out council person Rivera I council president Waterman I okay city ordinance 24- 052 is adopted 70 item 4.6 city ordinance 24- 053 an ordinance of the municipal Council adopting amendments to the Greenville industrial Redevelopment plan to create the lyen Avenue East remediation and Improvement bonus this is a public hearing on ordinance 24- 053 any member of the public wishing to be heard motion second by S sorry motion made by council person Rivera second council person CLE to close the public hearing on 24- 053 council person Ridley I council person Prince AR I council person bosano is out council person Cay icil person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees is out council person Rivera council president water okay motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24- 053 is 70 for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24- 053 council person I council person princer I council person bajano is out council person Cay I council person s i council person Gilmore I council person deesis Al council person Rivera council president Waterman a for final consideration and Adoption of this ordinance 7even that is 70 it the ordinance is adopted um item 4.7 city ordinance 24-54 an ordinance authorizing the sale of certain easen and property ownership rights in city property located at block 287 lot 5 and block 149 lot n on the tax maps of the town of Carney to the New Jersey Department of Transportation for 1, 98,000 subject to the city's rights to continued use and maintenance of its water line this is a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing to be heard motion okay motion made by council president Waterman second Vice council person SLE second by council person s on the motion to close public um hearing on ordinance 24- 054 council person Ridley council person priner I council person bajano is out council person c i council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore to close the public hearing Gilmore Gilmore she's talking to all yes I council person Dees is not here council person Rivera I council president Waterman okay motion to close public hearing on city ordinance 24- 054 70 for final consideration and Adoption of ordinance 24-54 council person Ridley I council person priner I council person bajano is not here council person Cay I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees is not here council person Rivera council president Waterman okay city ordinance number 24-54 is adopted 70 item item 4.8 city ordinance 24- 055 and ordinance amending chapter 218 multiple dwelling Section 1 uniform security service and section 1.1 security service for seniors in housing for the disabled mandatory of the Jersey City Municipal Code this is a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing to motion second isolate motion to P close the public hearing on city ordinance 24- 055 made by council person wman second by council person s council person rley I council person Prince AR I council person bajano is not here council person c i council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees is not here council person Rivera hi council president Waterman hi okay motion to close public hearing on city ordinance 24- 055 is 70 for final consideration and Adoption of ordinance 24-0 55 council person Ridley I council person preri I council person bajano is not here council person CLE hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Rivera hi council president Waterman hi okay city ordinance number 24-55 is adopted 70 okay we're done with the second reading ordinances going to move on to the public hearing of the 2024-25 historic downtown Sid assessment role and budget there any member of the public wishing to be heard motion second motion made by council person SLE seconded by Council Persona okayy to close the public hearing on the Sid for uh Historic downtown council person Ridley hi council person Prince hi council person B is not here council person CLE hi council person Solomon council person Gilmore I council person Dees is not here council person Rivera president thank you council president Waterman hi to close the public hearing on the Sid for historic downtown is 70 now I'm going to defer to items 10.2 resolution 24485 through 10 uh items 10.2 resolutions 24- 495 and items item 10.66 resolution 24539 these are all of the um recipients for the black music month we're going to yeah Erica she's Erica's gonna re we got we gota vote we got to vote first we got to vote to defer wait a minute Erica we got to vote to defer okay so motion to defer made by council person Gilmore yes may I have a second second by council person C yep a motion to defer to these items council person britley I council person Prince I council person bosano is not here council person Cay I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore IC person the is not here council person Rivera hi council president Waterman I he so the resolutions are approved 7 Z deferred we deferred them Amanda now we got to vote on them okay don't worry you'll get through it okay so I am going to take a vote now on these resolutions then we can hand them out to the recipients okay so we have items 10.12 resolution 24485 through items 10.22 resolution 24495 and item 10.66 resolution 24- 539 council person Ridley uh I'd like to congratulate all the recipients of the awards for black music month um this is a great time to acknowledge all of your uh success in the music industry um not only just here being representatives of Jersey City but in general your contribution to music and to black music so we appreciate you we honor you and congratulations with that I vote I you council person Ridley council person council person Prince I just want to say congratulations and thank you all for sharing in your talent with Jersey City and um the rest of the nation quite honestly um it is an honor to um acknowledge Your Excellence in your respective crafts so congratulations I vot I council person s just want to congratulate all the recipients and honores um your contributions to music um are not be understated and you know you guys don't get your flowers and today we have to give you your flowers and they're due and so much of our culture in America you know takes and takes and takes from Black Culture and we never actually acknowledge the root of like who the movers and shakers really are and today we're honoring them with that I vote I council person Solomon I want to thank my colleagues for bringing the resolution forward and thank all of you for the incredible music uh you performed and uh so glad for black music month we're here to celebrate all the work you do for Jersey City so I very proudly vote I council person Gilmore um well it's such an honor for me to highlight all you individuals who made a huge contribution um DB I went to school with um it's been very in inspiral excuse me inspirational since we were younger um DJ P dub you already know all the mixtapes and everything just great DJ whiz Gerald Austin deil X posy uh cool ray uh fun fact I always wanted to be a rapper listen to cool ray um thankfully I didn't make it because I'm here now um but thank you for a contribution uh Paul Kaiser Susie Q one of my best friends just a extraordinary person extraordinary Talent um Mr Bass as well sherea J um I don't know if I could say this uh my grammar school Crush I don't know if my wife gonna be mad but that was my grammar school Crush um My Brother Sam black whom also I went to school with uh Mr Low Cash man where's low at seen Lo in here thank you so much man Lo's been like a mentor to me as well so thank you uh DJ wimpy too so thank all of y'all for y' contributions man we really appreciate it I v i council person Rivera from from one musician to another you guys are amazing and inspirational music is 100% medicine and you guys make it happen you guys soothe when people need it the most I proudly vote I council president Waterman I want to say congratulations to all the honores um black music month was created because it was forgotten about they have forgotten about black music and so it was so important that people spearheaded to remind people when you really um understand music and the uh the origin of it black music inspired so many inspired so many and so today we are celebrating all of your talent um all that you have been through um because music is inspirational it's healing and not only that music is a language and so with with that I proudly vote I thing going off um so we can normally we allow um people two to three minutes but in light of it being so many people we will we'll invite everyone up if you guys can be brief as possible as it relates to your thank yous to whoever supported you doing your Endeavor in your career um so I guess if everyone could come up Erica Erica you want to call him at I just need to recap the vote I just need to finish the vote and then we can do that for sure um so uh just give me a second so items 10.12 resolution 24485 through items 10.22 resolution 24- 495 as well as item 10.66 resolution resolution 24539 are approved 70 so we have 10.12 resolution 10.12 24- 485 a resolution recognizing Justin dbii hall for his exceptional contributions to the music industry and cultural landscape of Jersey City in honor of black music M Justin good I get to talk I want to appreciate y'all for this this is well deserved feel like I got oh this an extra one yeah I could have gave that to my mother hey yo I want to thank y'all for inviting me for this this is B zerve very thankful for it I be feeling like the city don't be caring about us a lot so being that I got this is it really hit home I feel good about that one more thing I got to say is DB week and around the corner y have a blessed day got resolution 10.13 24-4 86 a resolution recognizing Michael djp dub Tucker for his outstanding contributions to the music and cultural heritage of Jersey City in honor of black music month djp dub I just want to thank everybody what's D you forgot your thing D oh say want to thank the councilman Jersey City everybody that has something to do with my career thank you and if all the artists could stick around so we could take a group picture out of the way at the end or in the in the hallway resolution 10.14 a resolution recognizing Donald DJ whiz Davis for his outstanding contributions to the music and cultural heritage of Jersey City in honor of black music month Donald DJ whz first of all I'd like to thank the council and everyone involved with uh this really giving me this award and doing this for over 45 years of my life long time and to get this now really means a lot most of all I want to thank my family my girl Shalon Wilson she does a lot a whole lot love you babe and uh all the recipients out there you know black music will live on when we're all going I just want youall to know that God bless take resolution 10.15 the resolution recognizing Gerald Austin for his extraordinary contributions to the music industry his unwavering commitment to community service and his exemplary role as an artist and humanitarian recognizing him as a cherished and influential figure in Jersey City and Beyond so um Gerald couldn't be here today and we have a a family and friend accepting his award oh Esther Whitney obviously I am not uh Gerald ALS I was about to say Pastor the laws you and uh if I were ever to receive a resolution will be for the worst singer but uh as his pastor and on his behalf we do say thank you he would have loved to be here tonight he's at another celebration his wedding anniversary so we applaud him for that as well 10.16 a resolution recognizing double X posi for their outstanding contributions and for representing double X FY for their outstanding contributions to hip hop and for representing the spirit and resilience of Jersey City on the global stage recognizing their achievements and lasting impact on the music industry and the community double XI well I'm not I just want to say thank you to the city council first uh I want to say a special shout out to educational Gilmore I like that he always used to sing my record to me my man it's a little special for me today I had a brother my brother a member my brother remember ofx Pary started it with me from day one ran colan and he just passed from cancer recently this is a award that I know he would really appreciate we put in a lot of hard work for this as well as being a part of the first rap rou to bring hip hop to Jersey City that's the sweet slick and slide crew they are The Originators the group who bought rap to Jersey City so all of us today come from that I also want to give a shout out to my daughter she in the building she getting award too so that makes it super official for me uh I don't want to hold up to my time I could go on and on for days but I appreciate the war and we love hip hop and it's what we'll do until the day we die I want to let my man my money say can you can you state your name for the record please excuse me your name for the record my name is raych Sugar Ray of the double XP and I just want to admit one more thing not being the only rap group in the history of Jersey City have a number one record on the Billboard charts that's not easy to do to be number one y'all not on a rap billboard it's not easy to do everybody can make a hit can you be number one so I'mma take it like this I'm uh my money that's my name far as hip hop but my real name is Marshall Heath Jr um me and Ray been together from day one we got 35 years in this business and we still doing it and uh I just want to give thanks to my family and friends you know and uh also I'm getting a little emotional because my boy BK like bace said it's not here anymore so not for him to be here but his family is and uh not to do shows again with this guy after 35 years is tough but uh we gonna hold it down we gonna hold it down for Jersey City the state of New Jersey and uh thank you City Hall for having us appreciate it hello my name is karesa I'm U speaking on behalf of uh the Coleman family BK um Brian passed away on April 29th of this year he battled 15 years of cancer he was a stage two time stage four cancer survivor he would have we I wish he was here but he's here with us and he would have been so appreciative to receive this today so we love you Brian God bless you and for his extraordinary contributions we have resolution 10.17 24490 fort ordinary contributions to the cultural and social fabric of Jersey City recognizing his pioneering leadership steadfast commitment to the community and outstanding achievements and Legacy in Jersey City and beyond my uncle Mr Paul Kaiser I don't know what to say I guess I'm the old one here going back uh over 50 years I remember when I was at R University on campus a good friend I think all of you know all of all of you know of him uh Cliff Perkins came down and I wrote and produced this song called that's the way it's got to be body and soul when I wrote that here then then working with uh Jimmy Brisco and the Beavers The Weather Girls The Three Degrees um so many acts and I want to thank uh I'm not from the rap world but I want to thank Rick Ross for sampling my songs ghost face for sampling my songs Charis Gambino for sampling my songs so many people sampled all my hits that I did and I'm really thankful I want to thank my family that's here like to thank my lovely wife Diane who's here and my uh children um Eleanor Wanda Jasmine uh Lawrence Sonia Ashley did I fet somebody there all okay all oh and my grand daughter Monique she's here too and my and my brother-in-law Willie Teresa and all the family anybody in my family I miss of my my name s and so I'm really I'm really thankful the music been good to me and I'm still doing it uh in my career I had over 30 hit records and so uh God's been good to me and I want to thank the city of uh uh Jersey City for doing this and right behind you the Gregory Park Towers for 10 years that's where I had my office at and you know doing all the songs and the hits so thank you I hope I didn't forget anyone if it if I did it wasn't on purpose okay God bless you next we have resolution 10.18 24- 491 for her outstanding contributions to music entrepreneurship community and recognizing her as a powerful force and invaluable asset to the cultural landscape of Jersey City Miss Susie Q hi uh first of all thank you guys thank Council for having me here I'm not the best public speaker but I'm going to try my best um I I've been able to lend my voice to um the landscape of Jersey City since the tender age of uh 16 officially um I've traveled the world um met a lot of people I've again graced a lot of stages but if it were not for God my family and my tribe and my mom my dad could not be here today um and your support your support um I would not be who I am and you know who I can become you know futuristically so um again thank you and to the council team thanks for having me God bless you s next we have resolution 10.19 resolution 24- 492 for his outstanding contributions to music education his unwavering dedication to his students and his remarkable achievements in the field of vocal performance in honor of black music month Mr Kendall J Bass um first off thank you to the council thank you Council mcore I really appreciate it um I love to say that I am a resident of Jersey City born here raised here and it's a blessing to be able to give everything that I learned in this city and give back to where I came from and I usually don't talk much I usually do all of my talking to the students but one thing I can truly say is if it wasn't for the tutelage of my family thank God for my family love you guys um and especially my mother who I know is watching over me if it wasn't for the toage of that and the learning of all of the musicians and the amazing people around me I would not be able to be the educator I am so I tell you everyone here even old young if he's anything your voice is powerful use your voice and we have to give into these children and I'm blessed and honored to be able to just serve the children and make them a better version of what we all are today so thank you than next we have resolution 1020 24493 for her outstanding contributions to music dance fashion and the Arts recognizing her achievements dedication and positive impact that she's had on the community of Jersey City and Beyond Mr Rea J oh my gosh thank you so much for this I'm 100% on it I appreciate this so much my supporters and all my friends and family um they know how I love my city and as far as I go around this world I will always W my hood y already know but um I'm very appreciative and also thank you very much for my brand new baby boy you know he's a new part of my life so he inspires me and my music and my art and so I'm just great very grateful for him and to the Creator I mean y'all already know God God God God I can't say it enough God God God God thank you so much thank you King I appreciate you Jersey City say there we go we got three more y'all it's a good day this next one is resolution 10.21 resolution 24- 494 for his outstanding contributions to the musical and cultural heritage of Jersey City and his unwavering dedication to his craft and Community we honor Mr Sam blett uh first of all thank the city thank the council giving us the opportunity U coming for I'm from man you don't make the city all so I'm just happy to be here um do it for the land I do it for us I do it for Jersey City so it's one for Jersey City resolution .22 24495 for his significant contributions to the music and entertainment Industries recognizing his dedication creativity and the positive impact he has had on the community of Jersey City and Beyond Mr lowash y'all know who it is no I just want to thank God my for my mother and my father that made this right here me and they was able to give me something that money can't buy you know what I'm saying you can't buy this type of cool this type of Swag or or the belief and the KN and to know that I know what I know I think you to education before I read this last one I just want to invite everybody to come join us at the music networking mixer immediately following this meeting at the factory we'll be there till midnight with uh music by DJ whiz who just got honored today resolution last but certainly not least resolution 10.66 resolution 24- 539 for his outstanding cont contributions to the music industry and his unwavering commitment to Excellence recognizing him as a true legend and an invaluable asset to the Jersey City Community we honor DJ wimpy B I'd like to thank the councel I mean I really don't talk really well without the music behind me but uh i' like to thank y'all for acknowledging me for something that I'm very passionate about for so many years I mean me and whiz go back so far like 79 1980 playing music if anybody knew that we was out here putting our Footprints real deep in the cement out here in these streets playing music for every event possible I just want to thank y'all for acknowledging me man because to me music is Passion music is infinite and I live by that man I'm very passionate about my craft and I like to thank the council for acknowledging me and I really appreciate this I really do thank you so much congratulations to everyone again if you want big round of applause if you um planning to leave you can um move at this moment before we continue the meeting did you guys want to do a picture in here or in the Rotunda okay if all the artists had come to the front we're going to do a group shot right here can you bring them back from the rotanda all the musicians just the artists just the honores yeah if all the honores could come back to the front if you're leaving out don't be know she was one of my favorite teachers but she's uh I about the old one that t that F yeah all honores could they come to the front all honores could you come to the front honores to the front thank you come on good spots feed them every picture thank you hey who are you what [Music] I we're done now I'm running right behind you okay thank you good okay I will because it's black music month I'mma say I ain't got to go home but no but we do need to adjourn back to business so everybody can go into the Rotunda okay guys guys we have to start EXC yes okay guys okay Erica ER all right thank you go celebrate yeah thank you thank you thank you deorum deorum everyone wa minute they they going out they know decorum they know decorum no my mic is not loud I know yeah they know theorum everybody's just excited that's all thank you thank you hey that's what I said we couldn't till one come back yeah we got we got one more thank you Erica soon as she close the door alrighty here we go thank you Erica thank you we're going to move on to the public speaking portion of our meeting our first public speaker for tonight Tina NS she's not here Tina is not here okay on to 5.2 Stefan no 5.3 Moren Moren Moren Crowley I'm sorry did you call my name Steven G I did I did sorry can I still speak council president go ahead because we I know you probably didn't hear it the noise go ahead uh thank you for the time to speak U the embankment preservation Coalition supports the passage of these amendments to the lisis Mano Marin Redevelopment plan as a means to reaching settlement concerning blocks one through eight of the harith branch rail line as the zoning amount amendments outline the development of block one of the embankment from Marin Boulevard to Manila Avenue can only take place when the conveyance of the remaining embankment blocks 2 through six and portions of blocks seven or and eight are conveyed to the city the Amendments outline public benefits on block one which include a 30ft public right of way the entire length of the block a grand staircase and public elevator providing direct access to the RightWay for pedestrians two restrooms and support stanions for future Bridges across Marin and Manila the Amendments also outline strict historic preservation guidelines designed to preserve the Western embankment wall on block one and two uh I'm sorry U embankment wall on block one and two adjacent walls running running East together with the Sixth Street embankment Redevelopment plan already passed by Council these plans will mitigate adverse effects to Historic resources preserving intact most of the embankment for the historically compatible purposes of Open Space Trail and possible future light rail these amendments to block one represent what we hope is a successful compromise that will avoid years more of litigation what we need now is for the llc's to agree to reasonable terms that guarantee the conveyance of the remaining embankment Parcels to the city the goal is to be back in front of this Council by the end of summer for your approval of a settlement agreement that would make this Redevelopment plan and our vision for the Sixth Street embankment a reality the Coalition appreciates having a seat at the table and we will continue to work with the parties so that these zoning guidelines result in the creation of a project we can all be proud of uh we thank councilman Solomon the planning department the legal department and the albanes organization for their work in bringing this solution forward thank you for the time thank you that clock that right okay Moren hello I'm I'm also talking about the amend amendments to the Marin plan on behalf of the embankment Coalition I would like to thank this Council for your support and also recognize the long-term support of our City's Mayors and councils and administrative departments especially law planning and infrastructure for what started as a Grassroots preservation and conservation initiative we would especially like to thank councilman Solomon for his coordination of efforts to settle longstanding legal matters when the embankment Coalition organized 26 years ago historic preservation and open space were not the very top priorities for a city attempting to deal with the wreckage left by departing railroads the intervening decades have only provided overwhelming evidence that the hamus branch and Bank must be preserved the site now hosts a natural Forest that oxygenates and cools the air as we certainly noticed in the present Heatwave it's sequesters carbon and storm water in a flood plane it provides the promise of an off-road longdistance route enabling Walkers and bicyclists to get through the city safely and now with the option in this plan that will be pursued by the developer the city will also add a sizable amount of affordable housing to these public benefits enacting this plan is an important step toward securing the site and we thank you for being responsive to the public need to do so and I must say that I'm looking forward if we get the settlement to having the sort of celebratory night that we've just enjoyed here thank you that's the truth Moren it's been a long journey Michael good evening I'm Mike armman the chairman of the affordable housing task force of joural square Community Association tonight is a big night for us thank you Council for the first reading this evening thank and Absentia Rich boano for all the work he has done I want to come comment on two items uh councilman s talked about discussions that you're going to be having in the next two weeks regarding minor changes in what you've uh done a first reading on specifically to eliminate at least temporarily two districts from coverage uh this is a minor move in terms of paperwork it's four lines and 13 Pages it's a minor move in terms of the importance of what you've done tonight and it actually brings uh coverage back to conformance with uh what the council resolution had back in um April we support this because covering districts one3 five s and8 is the right way to go these days in Journal Square these are the five most heavily developing areas and remember the goal of this is to have develop include affordable housing you go first to where it's happening uh the other two districts that are proposed for looking at later do not have the same level of development the second item I want to talk about I want to be clear this is not councilman bojano speaking this is Journal Square speaking uh we are a community group rather than uh member of government we are asking tonight and will continue to ask publicly for the next two weeks that the creativity of this city government is utilized to have a final vote on this amendment on the uh 10th of July uh here's our problem for the last two years as the as this has happened many properties have been approved by the development planning process without any affordable housing if you do not vote on July SE 10th for the final version uh you probably delay till September you have another two months in which other properties will be submitted to the development process that will be grandfathered so we plead with the Ingenuity that you can find of State go of city government to find stay legal but to find some way of having a final vote on July 10th thank you very much again for all of your support Nick Rivera evening Jersey City Council Members my name is Nick Rivera I live in Jersey City with my wife meline and my two kids Nathaniel and Madison I was raised here myself so I've been in the city my entire life and I've seen a lot of changes I've seen the luxury highrises going up and the rents going up with them lately things have gotten especially hard for Working Families like mine when I found out the luxury landlords like Equity residential have been using algorithms to set their rents it made sense rents have gone through the roof even if the software isn't being used to set all the rents in Jersey City it may be affecting rents across the board my rent also has almost double since I moved here no one should have to choose between paying their rent and supporting their children and their families the landlords that squeeze renters and potentially violate antitrust laws and this process are the same landlords they squeeze Jersey city workers like me my wife and I both used to work as conures at an equity Residential Building at 131 deadly I worked hard to provide the residents of that building with the luxury experience that they are paying so much rent for yet I was excluded from sharing in that Prosperity that I contributed to when I tried to organize my co-workers to ask for decent standards at work and job stability meline and I were both fired all I did was deliver a petition to equity which was supported by 32bj I hope we all get our jobs back but that doesn't change how hard the past 11 months have been we have yet to still find new jobs we're still struggling and we are very behind on our bills I don't want to leave Jersey City I would be almost heartbreaking after just turning 42 and being here my entire life I don't expect to be anywhere else but sometimes the thought does cross my mind it's been harder to have a decent life here as a residential worker it is our hard work that has made all this luxury development possible and we are struggling to make ends meet even when we work multiple jobs luxury landlords have shown no respect for the working people of Jersey City who keep this city running and keep this city going they're making billions of dollars every year as they keep putting up rents taking advantage not just of workers or also of the residents your time is out okay okay um just about done no no get done three minutes is it thank you everyone I really appreciate you having me here thank you marabel marabel hello I'll be reading a translated testimony in English once Marell delivers her testimony in Spanish thank you for your patience Al res in for good evening good evening Jersey City Council Members my name is marel Barista I live in 88 Van van rapen Street neighborhood of Jersey City with my husband and three kids I've lived there for over 10 years my husband and I both work full-time but we barely getting by it's impossible to keep up with the rent increase we have been faced with in this city yearly rent has gone up by $60 it seems like everything is going up except for our wages and rent setting technology is making everything so much worse I work as a porter at 100 Warren a luxury rental building in Jersey City owned by Equity residential some of the apartments in the building cost 5,000 a month that's it that's it I don't need everybody to talk go ahead yeah thank you thank you I have worked there for two years and I still get paid minimum wage I have no meaningful benefits this feels like an insult I know Equity is only able to charge such such high rents because of how hard my co-workers and I work to keep building clean to keep building the clean and secure after paying my rent my family is left with only $200 to buy food and other Essentials with we live paycheck to paycheck I will get another job to support my family but I have to take care of my kids and I can afford child child care I already spend five hours a week traveling to and from work and $60 on travel all I want is to be able to afford and have a decent life for my family in the city I work in thank you for taking the time to understand what my life is like I hope you will stand with us and support our fight for a better life for all Jersey City residents thank you thank you Albert Albert 5.7 Albert he's not here no hey uh leverne she left too yeah she oh no l is right there no God bless you all I'm a person who fights for affordable housing and it's a disgrace that we going through what this PE baby has said about working hard paying their rent and I keep trying to explain to people the different levels of affordable housing work force housing it's a big difference and they go by different scill I used to go to Trenton then the Washington I should be on the affordable housing commission and we fought but things like this we got to do better work better I did two affordable housing and I didn't make money out of it but at night I told the developers that thought they robbed me I sleep good at night knowing that I know in each one of them buildings the Web building now belongs the Housing Authority the Fred Martin buildings that 80 people got somewhere to live that's affordable in this city it's getting rough around here that's why I do what I do people think I work in this building I got 10 phone numbers in my phone right now that people work me to help them to get Apartments to get vouches we got to do better it's rough it's rough that's why come here and this is what I do when I work with young people I'm getting ready to start my camping to week this year I got so many people sending their kids because they can't even afford a $25 reservation P at some of these camps everything I do is free I don't get Grand money for what I do people like this man here gini Plumbing now the Chevrolet p on Garfield ask Chevrolet he's putting five of my children on a pay 40 hours at $15 an hour gini Plumb is putting seven I don't get no money I raise my money with developers and and and and lawyers for developers and out here in these streets I don't get a dime for over 30 years what I do I give back brand new Coastal Macy school supplies summer camp EIC school programs this thing ain't about me it's about doing God's work helping out people in this city ain't nothing personal with me I don't come down here that to be coming down here God said feed the hungry cloth the naked give shelter to the poor this is my walk this is my work it ain't about no with Washington it's about the people of this city Gina Gina Davidson WF good evening as always I want to thank the council for their time and attention I'm here tonight to show support for item 10.23 resolution 24- 496 topic of Housing and cost of living this is the resolution calling for a ban of the use of algorithmic systems to set price and supply of rental units a ban on essentially creating a virtual monopoly in this city for our uh land owners what this Tech technology does is that it optimizes profits for landlords these algorithms and Technology like it can be manipulative and are being shown to push costs upward for residents coming from Tech I will continue to remind you all that technology is not a Panacea it replicates and sometimes magnifies inequalities that exist because of human issues issues of racism and inequality are propagated and promoted through algorithmic use and AI until we find ways to fix this we need ex to use Extreme Caution and this call for legislation of acceptable use of these these types of algorithms is a perfect example of what we should be doing so I want to thank council person James Solomon and his office for this resolution and urge you all to vote Yes on item 10.23 thank you I'm also here tonight as a uh to remind us that it has been 10 months since Jersey City police department murdered Andrew Washington in his home during a mental health crisis the last word from director Shay and from the city remains we wish it had ended differently it's been 10 months show us it seems to me we continue to increase the volume of enforcement in the city but not the quality there's no real trff Traffic Safety no community policing no real deescalation training and no accountability I do not feel safe in this city and I do not feel like my neighbors are safe thank you for hearing my concerns yet again thank you Donna 5.10 is Donna Donna dorgan um good evening council members my name is Donna dorgan and I reside here in Jersey City New Jersey and I'm here to uh speak out against ordinance 24- 057 uh regarding the embankment you know my my son played uh Little League at the Roberto Clemente field on six stre as a child and uh I understand that this plan is going to authorize the construction of probably a 50 story Hotel highrise across the street from this Little League field so the past few weeks I've been talking with some of my colleagues who live in other communities and asked them do you think that your municipality would authorize the construction of a 5050 story hotel in highrise 30 feet away from the Little League fields in your towns and the response to this question is usually shock and disbelief that this sort of development is even being considered maybe maybe it's because in some of these communities they value their children and uh want to make sure that they have adequate Recreation I don't think that this plan which calls for the development of another highrise with high income luxury housing across the street from a little leag field where children are supposed to be playing with inadequate parking and more traffic is really a good solution I understand that this has been going on for a number of years but I I really don't think that this is a good settlement so I'm asking that you vote against it thank you Kevin Weller evening good evening so first like to uh start off by talking about this uh resolution in connection with real page it's uh first of all something I obviously wholeheartedly agree and I'm glad that you guys are doing this I'm sure you'll pass it it makes sense but I'm I'm sort of in a unique position here and actually we all are maybe even more so than you may realize related to Real Page Real Page has some very large lawsuits class action lawsuits that preceded the Department of Justice um briefs statements of interest and statements of support related to the tenants I filed one of the largest real estate lawsuits in the history of this country last year April 7th which is the real page Anti-Trust and class action lawsuit I filed that I'm standing here watching this Council likely will pass a resolution because this pricing practice is likely very illegal and there's a criminal probe in fact there was recently an FBI raid in Georgia related to this criminal probe and yet while we're passing this resolution this Administration her a conversation I just had with director Richardson this morning by phone is allowing so far they haven't done it yet hopefully they won't um is considering to allow Real Page a price fixing inflated rents from 2012 to 2016 leading up to what was supposed to be the recalculation of what the rent should have been in 2016 so here we're in a situation where apparently the city is contemplating how to let a real page inflated rent um exceed the rent control ignore the ordinance chapter 26-1 which defines the legal base rent which is the rent as it was on January 11th 1983 plus only those authorized increases thereafter we understand the look back period that we were awarded by the board is only six years to 2016 and the damages are from then forward we're fine with that we're fine with that at this stage obviously we're fighting in court for something else but related to that sixe look back related to the damages that should be calculated from 2016 all the way forward to present is supposed to be and the board said it and the transcripts reflect the board never mentioned the word re um roll back they never mentioned rolling back rents you can read the transcript they said they ordered a recalculation and the lawyer for the city at the board hearing said to what the rents should have been in 2016 that's different than rolling back to Illegal rents thank you Kevin thank you Tara Tara there like to say thank you to uh councilman Solomon again for sponsoring resolution 24496 and in the encouragement of the adoption of the resolution like to point out that on October 15 2023 I was quoted a two-bedroom apartment at 70 green 998 sare ft at 4,500 $25 today a nearly identical apartment only one floor up is listed at 5,475 $950 more 21% increase within 35 weeks one would think that a price increase like that must have been brought on by necessary repairs major infrastructure or luxury amenity upgrades it wasn't Equity residential 70 Green Apartment Complex still willfully neglects essential infrastructure maintenance that threatens personal safety and ability to produce an income for oneself by allowing the intrusion of non- tenants squatting in common areas failing to provide basic security locks at public access points and uniform security guards failing to maintain HVAC and fire hazard and Safety Systems ignoring state agency and local building code violation fees and of course still has persistent elevator failures that trap tenants and elevator cars without air conditioning for extended periods of times on days like today and 95° heat what could possibly justify Equity residential raising such massive increases and asking rents in such a short period traditionally rental prop property values were constrained by the rental income they could bring in government sponsored entities only wrote mortgages on multif family properties that could generate rental income equivalent to 1.25 times the cost of servicing that debt Banks lent funds to investors looking to renovate apartment buildings in popular areas under the assumption that they'd be able to increase rents but only if Underwriters assume the landlords would achieve a 1.25 debt service coverage ratio required to finance into an agency loan by the time the loan matured however Real Page has proven that landlords can grow their rental Revenue without making any improvements whatsoever Real Page baked in Eternal rent hyperinflation into the forecasting math of multif family housing fueling a dramatic plunge and underwriting stand standards and the attendant rise and valuations that line the pockets of every manner of real estate Speculator in 2021 and 2022 a performance report of more than 200 Commercial Real Estate debt portfolios compiled by a small fund manager and obtained by American Prospect magazine show that only three funds were eaing out enough rent Revenue to cover 60% of their Debt Service with some generating less than 30% of the income required to cover their interest payments insidiously when these those certain mortgage payments started to Skyrocket in 2022 and land hord should have by conventional Mar Market logic been jumping to fill empty Apartments re thank you Jessica Jessica Jessica Roso w I can't believe I'm here I was here for every month for meetings I missed time with my kids to be here yall know my kids because they were here many times we came to advocate for your constituents life got in the way and I wasn't able to be here for a while I hated not being here but I thought it was okay because it's not my job to be here it's yours I felt so Cal confident that you would do the right thing I cannot believe I had to come back I can't believe mayor phip has the audacity to frame a campaign for governor which centers on affordable housing will he ignores gas lights and censors his constituents who are actively fighting abuse by corporate landlords in direct violation of his City's laws I'm curious how many times has Philip been here how has he acknowledged and addressed the plight of his constituents and to the council and the rent leveling board it's not my job to be here it is yours where is our recal where is our protection under the law what's happening to countless others just like us and more than that to those who don't have a voice like ours how do you have the capacity to run for higher office when you cannot and deliberately choose not to deliver in the job that you currently have thank you thank you Brandon Brandon Cohen before I again I would like to finish reading Tera um Tera Smith speech because frankly it's it's a good speech our rents are not Rising because of Capital Improvements of in or necessary infrastructure repairs and wage inflation they are rising to cover the gambling losses of equity residential and all manner of large corporate corporate REITs now folks I did not come here tonight with prepared speech I'm sorry my grandfather died this morning and I'm still grieving so let's go let's don't give your apologies let's actually deal deal with this apologies for my keep it under we won't have profanity okay we can go on to the next speaker apologize that's one thing we're not going to tolerate profanity we respect you guys we allow y'all to say what you say there's no need to curse at us okay so you need to apologize you really do I'm I'm sorry for my language thank you I I come here right now to speak about the the rank this process right now we're being told to rent go is going to be recalculated on 2016 which we have established repeatedly is an illegal rate and while this is happening we almost nothing has happened we've been told we've been given some assurances that almost always are lies and we come here every two weeks to speak to you and listen to corporate council's answers as they are looking for Ties on their computers and browsing other things that do not matter or pertain to their roles right now they are scrolling on their cellular phones and looking on their gaming laptop I look forward to what one to one day seeing you guys at a new job interviewing explaining how you spent your time looking for ties and failing to protect your constituents goodbye thank you drew here no okay uh Shannon good evening council members and fellow residents I'm here tonight to address a critical issue the urgent need for proper implementation of the rent leveling board's October 19th 2023 decision the board's ruling was clear and unanimous as we know our rents must be recalculated not simply rolled back this isn't a matter of interpretation it's a binding decision that must be followed to the letter so let's talk about and be Crystal Clear what this means the recalculation must start from January 11th 1983 or the first occupancy thereafter as clearly defined in section 26-1 of the ordinance and then it must only include increases allowed under all subsections of section 23-3 this means considering factors like proper notifications rent roll registrations and landlord identif identification disclosures the recalculation cannot simply use 2016 rents as a starting point because those rents were already illegal and using them would perpetuate years of violations we have heard concerning rumors that the bureau might be considering shortcuts that would benefit landlords at the expense of tenants so let me be clear any recalculation that doesn't follow the ordinance to the is not just wrong it's illegal we're also demanding immediate enforcement action the landlord has been on notice since at least March 19th 2024 when director Richardson sent a letter clearly outlining the potential for fines and even imprisonment for continued violations yet illegal increases continue each day of non-compliance is a separate offense under the ordinance the potential find are they're staggering potentially millions of dollars however this isn't just about that money it's about accountability and respect for laws so we call on you our representatives to take immediate action as follows please ensure that the bureau conducts a proper ordinance compliant recalculation number two issue summons for all identified violations as director richens says indicated would happen and three conduct thorough investigation into the landlord's practices across all not just our but all of their Jersey City properties the Integrity of our rent control system is at stake we're not asking for special treatment we never have been asking for special treatment we're demanding that the laws that are on the books be followed thank you Joel members of the city council over the many meetings we have attended you the members of the city council have bemoaned the lack of enforcement of myriad ordinances including traffic issues such as bicycles motorized bicycles parking safety and crosswalks Etc the failures to file payroll taxes costing the city millions of dollars and close to my heart some of you have also raised the issue of the failure to enforce chapter 260 you've also claimed that you feel for us and have done all that you were able to council members you have failed to exercise one of the most significant powers and requirements of your job that of investigating the administration and its Department's efforts or lack thereof to enforce Jersey City's ordinances if you continue to rely on legal advice from corporate counsel I strongly suggest that you are not receiving full advice secure independent legal advice president Waterman as you have announced your candidacy for mayor we appreciate your commitment to affordable housing and prevention of homelessness while enforcement of rent control was not included we hope that you focus will extend to the this critical matter of enforcement of all Jersey city ordinances not just against minor ities or the powerless but most critically against moneyed interests that have perverted Jersey City politics for decades if not centuries enforce the ordinances please enforce 260 Corporation Council it has been two weeks and we did not receive the promised rent recalculations why not another delaying tactic a realization that sham recalculations would expose the administration to continued public ridicule this has gone far enough thank you Jessica Jessica BR good evening city council um I'm here to talk talk about the same fundamental issue that everybody else has been the lack of transparency and accountability in our rent control uh calculations and increases and so for many of us over the years we've been charged rents without understanding really how they were calculated and we now know that algorithm driven price fixing will intensify this issue and it's not just frustrating it's illegal and a direct violation of our rights as tenants and our rent Control Ordinance here in Jersey City so let's look at the fact you've heard some of the details from other speakers but there are sections in 260 that require landlords to provide tenants with the names and rents of all previous tenants for the last 12 months so you know if your rent being offered is within the allowable increase range uh that hasn't happened we know that landlords must register rent roles with the rent leveling Bureau to qualify for any increases period that has we've seen no evidence of compliance nor have I believe you asked for it section 9 e requires detailed rep roll submissions on official forms um like moving dates prior attendant information Etc no no compliance is happening so this systemic non-compliance isn't just a technicality it's robbed us of our ability to verify the legality of our rents and has led to years of overcharges so a comprehensive audit of all rent records from 1998 to the present is really needed we're asking for you to do that if the landlord can't provide those records the bureau must use its power under the ordin to determine legal base rent using available information and the ordinance does provide multiple options for this and we know public information is available about those base rents from 1998 full disclosure of all missing rent registrations and rent roll information to tenants needs to happen an investigation into why these violations were allowed to persist for so long without enforcement action needs to happen implementation of a system to ensure ongoing compliance with all registration and disclosure requirements actually occurs we know that this isn't happening happening systematically you started in 2019 to track this councilman Solomon and I know council president Waterman you were involved as well but clearly it hit the brakes we can do this in the age of information sharing and Discovery to our city officials overall you know I'm really we need to enforce our laws and our these requirements rigorously and to tenants including those here but those online who are we know are watching demand this information you have a right to it it's not just your right and it's crucial to maintain the Integrity of our rent control system and a final thought when the city opposed our tenants intervention into the current federal case between equity in Jersey City I was initially shocked now I know it was all a ploy to ensure proper rents will never be known if the city has anything to do with it fortunately we tenants are organized and legally empowered and we will prevail thank you Mark good evening city council um first I'd like to thank you the city's legal department and John mckin in particular for the work on ordinance 2455 pass today clarifying the issue of what is a uniform security guard for a multiple dwelling yay in addition to thanking you I have two comments uh the changes do clarify the meaning of a uniform security guard there's no obvious way within these changes that a landlord could continue to claim that a concierge doubles as a uniform security guard second the other change is allow for the input of tenants and tenants associations into the process when ex exemption or renewal of exemption is requested that's great for us it used to be only the landlord had input now it's much more of a Level Playing Field thank you now on to something a little more contentious perhaps um how about the rent recalculation for Portside Towers 200 days ago the rent leveling board issued a written order specifying a rent recalculation going back to 2016 it's been dragging to say the least two weeks ago on June the 12th council person Cay asked the corporation's acting Council when the recalculation will be complete Britney Murray said two weeks that's today now at two weeks on where is my recalculation in August 2022 I submitted my original illegal rent petition in November 2023 the rent leveling board made a decision in June 2024 now there's nothing I followed the process I gave the landlord tenant office everything they asked for when they asked for it I presented evidence and along with 39 others we presented evidence to this Council in a rather extended session as you probably remember so where is my recalculation I followed the process for two years near enough and we're still waiting thank you Anna no okay Daniel imagine a kid getting bullied at school every day the bully takes the kid's lunch money the kid goes to the teacher for help and the teacher says I'll look into it months go by the bully is still taking the kid's lunch money the kid comes back to the teacher and asks uh hello can you do more the teacher then sends a letter to the bully asking him to stop taking the kid's lunch money and does nothing else then the kid goes to the principal and asks can you look into why the teacher isn't helping or can you just do something the principal says nothing the kid goes to the principal every other week Wednesday evenings at 8:05 8:10 p.m. occasionally the principal says he'll do something but he never does now in this story us residents are the kids Equity residential is the bully the office of landlord tenant relations is the teacher and the is many of you council members and acting corporate Council Britney Murray and instead of our lunch money it's thousands of dollars corporate Council Murray when council member Gilmore questioned ulass city council meeting on what can be done about Equity continuing to raise rents despite the fact that they're out of compliance with 260 you told him that it goes on a Case by case basis so each individual has to file an illegal rent petition many of us residents have submitted illegal rent petitions the first one was submitted in Spring of 2022 and when we submit an illegal rent petition that goes to the office of landlord tenant relations they are the ones who are in charge of the calculations that have taken eight months it makes no logical sense for each of us to file an illegal rent petition we've established that the office of landlord tenant relations are the ones dropping the ball here they know what's going on and the reason they haven't taken any action is not because of a lack of illegal rent petitions in my opinion in my opinion it's because they don't want our building to be rent controlled because if they did we wouldn't have to keep coming here week after week it's become apparent that there's a web of corruption in the city council members I ask you do you want to be a part of this web of corruption when you look back 10 20 30 years down the line when you're retired and everyone's for Forten about this has forgotten about this evening do you want to look back then and think yeah I enabled the bully that's it thank you aarin Aaron Kent good evening council members my name is Aaron Kent I was thrilled to read the article in the Hudson County view which said that most of the members of this Council support a resolution to ban the use of real page and any software that artificially inflates rent councilman Solomon was quoted as saying it's no secret that rents across the country especially right here in Jersey City are at untenable Highs but to know that this housing crisis was in part artificially created that landlords and developers are essentially colluding to jackup rent prices for everyone else is a slap in the face I really appreciate these words and I thank councilman Solomon for leading the charge but when you've listened to our pleas every two weeks since I don't know November 20122 I only got involved last year only to give little to no real tangible support saying it's a slap in the face is just essentially lip service I want to make it clear that I'm addressing the city council as a government body not Council uh Solomon in particular we appreciate any support in this matter even if it's generalized beyond our specific situation at Portside to Jersey City and the state of New Jersey as a whole however this entire Hudson County view article reads like a Manifesto for Portside Towers tireless work for everything we have practically begged for over the course of almost two years that rent is untenable that rent is the result of unchecked abuse of power that Working Families are suffering every day trying to make ends meet that there is a housing crisis wreaking havoc on our communities that this is plain and simple predatory it is exploitation so now we can a a sensibly say that both parties agree but really all I see as I look out here is a glaring case of cognitive dissonance you say you are on our side the words in this article at least really sound that way then why don't your actions align why aren't you enforcing chapter 260 an ordinance that was literally made to protect the tenants In This Very City we know why okay then why the sudden show of force against the villains we've blatantly been calling out all along is it because things are getting just a little bit too sticky the FBI rating Real Page a bullet in the side of one of the towers and to be be honest I'm not up on the latest on that but it certainly does look shady is all of this claiming you are on our side while not actually enforcing the law is all of this to save face or is it legitimate care and a willingness to help the people you were elected to protect if it's the latter here's a little tip enforcing chapter 260 right here in Jersey City would be a Surefire way to put your money where your mouth is thank you David David Wilson good evening I live at Portside Towers it's not a big surprise and in a few days I'm going to be paying July rent I'm going to be paying an illegally high rent um the rent leveling board determined six months ago or so that my building was rent controlled and that the rents had to be recalculated um that hasn't happened in fact my rent has actually gone up there was a further illegal rent increase in April um this is a significant amount of money that is is that I'm paying every month you know um it's not a theoretical thing um two weeks ago we were told that the recalculation was going to be complete and it's not complete so setting aside the question of whether the recalculation was going to be done properly or not actually nothing has been done at all so so to date there's been zero enforcement of the board's decision um I support the proposed state law to prohibit the use of retting algorithms um having said that you know let's enforce the laws that we have now um you know you have uh you the the office of ly Li tenant uh relations is not doing their job and I don't know why they're not doing it I'm not going to ill intent to anybody um and it doesn't actually matter they're not doing it um and so you have a legal mechanism to require them to do their jobs and uh I ask you to use that and to take action now thank you thank you council president can I just provide an update before the next speaker is that okay sure sorry it's me um just very quickly um obviously the recalculations are not yet done I provided the council with the update as to where we're at I know director Richardson has been speaking to you all about where they're at we're at um five years of Base rent calculations completed we've added additional Personnel to it there was a few more people added um so they are working on it and then in terms of anybody they do not have to file an illegal rent petition director Richardson is accepting their previous lease their new lease and proof of payment and then he's going to make a determination from there so they do need to submit it I know he was speaking to some of the tenants about it already this morning Kevin he was speaking to you right because I saw the email okay so you can inform some of the tenants also the information that he needs okay okay and then I'll find out so just got additional staff legal issue right right he just got additional staff Britney he just got additional staff right okay he did yes okay what I want to make sure all right go ahead next one I just want suzan hi um I'm very you know annoyed tonight because again two weeks ago we said recalculations were happening I was told before this meeting that Richardson said they want to roll back rents to 2016 not a recalculation Brittney Murray just said they have hired people to do a recalculation it is very confusing it is very misleading and I feel lied to misled and disrespected at this point because let's review the time timeline of events I've been in this group since I think May of 2022 we had an October 19th decision that we will should be rent controlled in the East Tower and Portside Towers it is now June almost July 1st we are still at this we were also told a few months ago by Britney Murray that there was no stay in the decision made by the rent leveling Bureau and yet Portside T I'm sorry Equity has issued us continuously illegal rent they have misled new tenants existing tenants there has been no enforcement by the city to prevent any wrongdoing since October decision what kind of faith can I have that what I have just heard is actually true what are they actually doing we haven't had a meeting with the tenants I have done everything asked of me as well as everyone here respectfully I have submitted I um illegal rent petition I pay my rent every month illegal rent my renewal is apparently due in five days which is not true my rent I think is July 28th or something and when we talk about respect how is it respectful that you all are not the city is not following the law when we have followed the law ourselves what kind of respect is that for us we come here every two weeks to talk about the same thing and other evidence and and we'll follow your asks but we aren't getting that in return it is constant tactics to delay so to hear a positive update is it a positive update is it real when will we see real I have nothing real to tangible in my hand in my wallet on my my account for my rent does everyone I mean then we have few weeks ago these people on this side voting for a law firm of with a huge conflict of interests to represent the city again what kind of respect is that for this group that is trying to fight for tenants in Jersey City and in Portside Towers to have our own laws followed What kind of Investigation has happened it's been silent since we brought this up is there an investigation thank you thank you Derek Derek stack Council it's been a few weeks since uh since I last spoke um I only got involved speaking here a few months ago but uh that already feels like a pretty absurd amount of time to be coming back and repeating the same things over and over again and uh just from what I've heard in the few minutes I've been here tonight my takeaway is I need to get out of the private sector because man if I could uh just get away with saying things not following up on them and being wrong about a lot of the things I say that would be a pretty sweet gig to have anyway here's my uh here's my speech that I wrote despite the rent leveling board's clear determination our landlord continues to defy this ruling leaving tenants vulnerable and without the protections we are legally entitled to when we brought the s to the city's attention we were hopeful that Swift and decisive action would be taken the rent leveling board's review unequivocally ruled and in favor of us the tenants confirming that our landlord does not meet the exemption criteria yet despite this ruling no substantial action has been taken to compel compliance with ordinance 260 our landlord continues to ignore the law and we continue to suffer the consequences it's disheartening to hear the city and government officials speak or post on social media about their commitment to protecting renters knowing that these words have yet to translate into any meaningful action and by meaningful action I don't mean campaign speak and passing easy easily palatable popular and Toothless resolutions renters make up a significant portion of your constituents and while we appreciate the words of support we need more than just words we need action the ongoing inaction not only undermines our trust in the system but perpetuates the hardships we face every month there are clear steps that the city can take and must take to rectify the situation firstly it is imperative to find the landlord for their non-compliance with the rent Control Ordinance this not only serves as a deterrent to our bad actor landlord but sends a strong message to others that the city will not tolerate violations of tenant rights secondly an investigation should be launch we've heard that there may be one but of course no action because we need to understand what are the barriers to you know why isn't this not happening where's the where's the inaction U originating we need to hold those accountable for those for their interaction and I know that might be the hard thing to do we it's easy to do the easy things and say the right things and pass resolutions but the hard thing is to ask difficult questions to people in power and I it's not just on us to do that it's also on you guys to do that our community is counting on you the council the council has had ample time and numorous opportunities to address the issue yet we are still waiting for justice the time for Action is now our plight is not just a legal matter but a moral one we ask that you stand by your words show your commitment to renters and take necessary steps to ensure our rights are protected we urge you to act decisively and swiftly fine our landlord for the blatant disregard for the law and initiate an investigation into the lack of enforcement show us that the city council stands with us the renters not just in words but in action thank you sh tonight my speech is personal Joel and I just signed our lease renewal last week and we'll be paying more rent than we were paying when we won at the rent leveling board and yesterday marks the 2-year anniversary of when I submitted our illegal rent petition for two years I've been waiting for tangible Justice in the form of money due back to me and my family for our rent overpayments and a rent reduction back to our unit's legal rate the total overpayment since we moved to Portside is money that's been stolen from us money that my husband and I work hard to earn that money doesn't belong to anyone other than us two years and no relief and not one Jersey City public servant in this room or Beyond has chosen to step away from mediocrity that is Jersey City's business asusual back room dealings or they'll just eventually go away or we'll dangle some shiny things to distract them which I'm going to call lies such as the bogus denden investigation that took place in the dark via a closed meeting to telling us it's an 8-week period before approval of a perfectly good form that we developed to help the city enforce rank control only for it to never be mentioned by you again to City attorneys in direct der elction of their duty to answer basic questions of law hiding behind the phrases pending litigation and the real doozy of not knowing if anyone is planning litigation also the city's attorneys attempting to unethically appoint one of the mayor's political donors as outside Council to our case three unethical attempts and the last meeting four of you voted to approve the unethical resolution how are we supposed to trust you our landlord has stolen our money our landlord Lord lied in our leases my landlord has flaunted your laws right under your nose for a second time in this chamber with all due respect president Waterman I have to say that I disagree that you've done all you can do I can only believe that you're knowingly allowing yourselves to be kept in the dark and putting your faith in the hands of the city attorneys to take care of the Portside Manor but if there's anyone you should trust and listen to believe me it's us we've told you nothing but the truth president wman you're the leader of the council and you haven't stuck your neck out like you're truly willing to expose what's happening to us it was June 25th 2022 I reported to the city that my landlord is stealing from us and because not one of you has stepped up and shown true Fearless leadership Equity continues to steal from me and my family every month stop the crime that you're enabling make to today the day that you stopped participating in the duplicitous plot against us thank you Carol I I have literally nothing planned for today um just chicken scratch as everybody's been talking because it occurred to me you know we're on this what's up thread and there's some of us that feel quite a lot of anxiety about being here concerned about what they should say if they're prepared enough you know apologizing if they didn't do good enough representing us and I think that's all crazy because this isn't supposed to be some kind of performance this isn't supposed to be a presentation contest we're not supposed to be clapping and cheering you did a great speech job we're supposed to be here to like make some kind of change and I'm getting incredibly frustrated that I've been here since October and so how about this I've I've just learned that the five years of calculations have been completed so when will we receive our uh you know pay rents overpayments when will we receive those what's the timeline for that what so what what am I not asking like what's the right question that I should be asking so I can get some kind of response I think you want to know the timeline that's what she asking is a simple question we're not going to be able to answer that there's two lawsuits and I expect two more after the recalculations come out I'm not we're not the people that can give that to them there's no way to tell so but Brittney the um I think we there a lot of confusion going on here so as I understand and correct me if I'm wrong the actual process in which people will start getting money that's in the Court's Jurisdiction we're not dealing with that now correct now I guess the the bigger question which seems to be the elephant in the room so to say is are we looking to do a roll back or freeze no that's or I mean or recalculation director Richardson is doing his recalculation he has it they're able to challenge it that's all we can say and then the third thing is all of them who submit the previous lease with the new lease um and I forget it was one more item that was requested the landlord would be giv the infraction per resident who turn in these leases and things right director Richardson will review them and if it's um viable he'll he can issue a violation correct or each unit leas that's provided yeah timeline on the the review she said she couldn't she said she couldn't give the answer yeah I'm G yeah I guess oh you want to timeline but she said she couldn't give an answer something for director Rich if you want to have a chat with him about it yeah because I think in all fairness to director Richardson he's not here to answer questions directly and he's doing the actual calculations and everything um so I'm going to reach out and see if we can um set up time some type of meeting just to specifically discuss that element right there um where we start and add and how that calculation is going to look live live Malone hi everybody tonight I want to introduce my neighbors who will be speaking on their experience living at 429 Bergen Avenue while you hear their accounts I want to remind this Council that our landlord doesn't have an annual landlord registration statement nor rent control exemption on file we are looking forward to scheduling a date with the office of cod compliance to show in person what you'll hear about today thank you Council preri for helping make this happen also the speaker after me is not present thank you okay thank you so we'll move on to um Eva Smith I didn't really prepare anything and I'm not really good of a speaker so I'm actually just coming up to just speak about my experience at 429 um I've been living in the building for five years I am a mom and I do work and it's going to get tough very soon once my lease has to be renewed um it's very high I do not mind sometimes like living in the type of building that I live in but it's a lot of problems so if you are going to continue to raise the rent there's so much in the building that is not being done I live there five years nothing's going on no repairs nothing new things are stolen windows are leaking um it's ruining like my home like it's literally causing lots of problems like AC is right underneath my window that leaks that can you know cause for like electricity to go off I do have a young son um it's it's a lot going on in the building my main concern is that it's going up my rent is just raising and raising and I felt at one point I had nothing to do or could do nothing about it until I met Liv so thankful to her I just feel like it's really it's just my main concern is it's very expensive and I'm going to start to struggle a bit and I wish that it can be controlled especially the type of building that it is like falling apart you know that's basically it thank you thank you hello everyone I'm Don Shield I'm also from 429 um and I'm also here to speak on my experience and about ordinance chapter 260 so my rent went up $175 last year and threatening to go up an additional $375 later this year because of market rate I have seen so much mess with this landlord is preposterous after signing my lease a non-smoking agreement and a parking agreement I walked into my apartment dirty cigarette butts in the kitchen sink and was told I didn't have parking because there no there were no more parking spots so I was really Bamboozled I tried to leave the place but was told I had to pay an additional $2,000 to get out of the lease plus I had to find a new tenant for them so I decided to deal with it because I could not afford to move again or pay additional $2,000 because I moved in from another state and I paid a broker's fee there's a govern government agency occupying the first floor of my building the Air Force the Army and the Navy recruitment centers who occupy half of the garage because of this it has increased the population using the tenant entrance and our amenities things like this is not fair to the tenants who live in the building because it's unknown traffic in and out of the building which means you really don't know who belongs and who doesn't just to give you some more insight into the type of building this is here's a rundown of issues we constantly have to endure packages being Stolen Bikes being cut and stolen smelling other people's bow movements through the non-working ventilation systems in the building non-working washer dryers or cooling systems damag ceilings from rainfall and I'm not on the top floor fly infestations red clover mites break-ins in my car in a private garage standing outside at 3:00 a.m. in the morning because the fire alarm randomly goes off random users roaming into the building and sleeping in the lobby and most of all the Hefty bug infestation which has ruined all my pretty appliances they told me the reason I have bugs is because I'm not home to getting exterminated and my neighbors are being exterminated and that's why I have bugs they added a water bill last year and installed water sensors on our toilets because they claim we're using too much water which is not fair because this bill is a flat rate and not based on the amount of water we use in the apartment this companies does not deserve to enforce any rent increases let alone gouging rents for tenants because they're not holding up there in the the the agreement thank you address excuse me CH this is it's part of 429 and we have inspectors going over there 429 and we have inspectors going over there okay yeah yes same she's she's she's familiar with the building I council president asked the address so I gave her an update on what we're doing on our end and Britney's gonna get with you guys right now so Daniel where oh there you go Daniel is Daniel here you there yeah hello Council uh especially councilman s and thank you for taking time tonight to listen to everyone here uh my name is Daniel my wife and I live in the Heights specifically the Western Slope where we don't have a car I'm here to ask that you make the Manhattan Franklin bike lane permanent and recommit to what the city has already promised a comprehensive bike route from the Heights on down to Greenville I've seen the city's bike master plan and it's hard to find but it looks great our city has one of the lowest vehicle ownership rates in the country 75% of households have zero to one cars that means that a super majority of us live either as my wife and I do without a car or as my neighbors Charlie and Amanda do sh in a single car which they'll both share with their daughter when she's old enough to drive in other words on any given day most of us rely on something other than a car to get around and let's face it if you don't own a car and you don't live downtown our city isn't Built For You Transit is infrequent and most of our arterial roads are dangerous on a bike we're waiting on Trenton for better Transit but we're waiting on you for bike Lanes within Jersey City my bike is how I get around and to get here tonight I had to navigate a risky Patchwork of unprotected bike lanes and roads without any bike Lanes where the vast majority of drivers respectfully share the road but where once every few months a bully tries to seriously hurt me I'm stubborn but most people aren't another neighbor who couldn't be here tonight said that back in his home country he biked everywhere but I quote I would never bike in Jersey City my wife after one run in with a road bully effectively swore off biking uh they were literally run off the road my wife has said that if we have children she wouldn't feel safe letting them bike uh I spent most of my childhood on a bike and that breaks my heart I don't think this is the kind of city that any of us wants now to be clear I don't see this as a war between cyclists and motorists as some would have you think in fact I think parking coexists beautifully with bike Lanes as it does on Columbus Drive where bike lanes are protected by Park cars instead of concrete barriers I don't own a car but I have um I don't own a car but I have a driver's license I drive and when I drive I prefer to drive separated from cyclists rather than sharing a lane with bikes weaving in and out of traffic my neighbor Charlie and amand own a car on want bike Lanes our friends Andrew and Sarah and Bergen Lafayette uh who couldn't be here tonight because of uh work in child care also own a car and asked me to tell you that they fully support the Manhattan Franklin bike lane council do you think that outside downtown our city is built fairly for people who can or don't want to drive every day if your answer is yes I challenge you to live without a car for a month or a week if your answer is an honest no what are you waiting for thank you thank you Tony thank you Tony burelli vice president of bike JC uh I'd like to thank this Council and may phips Administration for your continued and wise support of the ongoing pilot of the very first protected bike lane in the grid of the Heights neighborhood proper you have no doubt heard by now some uh Earnest yet we believe misinformed comments objecting to the project you've heard about um Anonymous groups of citizens who suddenly are concerned about chaos in our streets uh I think you're a little Aid folks uh seen keyboard Warriors hurling insults and even threats in our Direction and people standing on curbs and scowling at small children riding bikes we have a message for all of you uh should you encounter them interact with them on your travels and that is that some of them seem to think that we're going to go away that we can be brushed off discouraged outworked outlasted we can't and we won't we won't because Dirty Little Secret bike JC hasn't put in easily 50,000 hours of volunteer work all without compensation for nearly 15 years because we like bikes we do but we do it because we know that projects justlike this one save lives they save people from being violently killed sickened disabled by crashes by car exhaust by all the ills of a transportation system dominated by cars but even beyond that we literally can't stop and that's because of what happens every November and I think a lot of you are aware of this and have been there with us but we stand in what's often a sprightly freezing JIS and we install bikes and shoes painted white in memory of the people slaughtered on our streets our friends our neighbors our loved ones and standing with us are the people they left behind and those people look at us and you with haunted eyes and they make us promise never to stop if somebody arguing about their parking space has a similarly high moral ground to stand on uh I I I find that remarkable and um I I don't think that um that that's going to Prevail I I think we will because we've promised them we would always keep up this fight until it's won we won't stop and indeed we can't stop and we never will and we urge you to support us every step of the way thank you very much thank you Adrian is Adrien here good evening council members uh I'm Adrian Rosco the New Jersey political director dor for 32bj sciu and um I'd like to speak on item 10.23 on algorithmic uh rent setting monopolies um 32bj represents over 1,000 Jersey City building service workers over 1,000 of our locals members live right here in Jersey City we're currently organizing an additional uh over a th building service workers in Jersey C these residential buildings uh you just heard from two of those workers uh and they're currently attempting to organize a union in their work sites uh these workers aren't only denied decent wages and benefits by contractors hired by Jersey City's largest landlords but they're also suffering from a cost of living crisis exacerbated by the same landlords who are allegedly colluding to raise rents landlords along with property tech companies like real page and yardi are now subject to multiple lawsuits and investigations including a criminal investigation of Real Page by the department of justice major Jersey City Residential landlords like Equity residential Brookfield and Kushner real estate are defendants accused of colluding through the use of rent setting algorithms landlord set rents B based on a huge amount of centralized realtime rent data which they provide to Real Page and yardi real page Executives boast that the software allows landlords to raise rents by up to 14.5% dozens of major landlords along with prop tech companies Real Page and yardi now face high-profile lawsuits alleging centralizing pricing schemes are resulting in rent gouging the industry is charged with breaking antitrust law by combining proprietary data from wouldbe competitors and colluding to inflate rents use of the rent pricing software appears to be endemic right here in Jersey City we found data from at least 70 Jersey City buildings that's 20,500 units listed on the Real Page database suggesting that those owners shared their data to use the tool landlords named in the lawsuits include Equity residential Brookfield grey star k who all own buildings in Ward EF uh Jersey City residents pay some of the highest rents in the country uh it's long-term uh residents mostly people of color who are forced out of Jersey City by luxury development their affordability crisis is worsened uh by the portion of the housing market distored by anti-competitive forces thank you to the council and Lead sponsor Solomon for uh bringing this to council Robert thank you for this time uh my name is Robert Matthew fretz and I'm a resident of the heights specifically Manhattan a between central and Summit I'm here to speak in support of making permanent the bike lane on Manhattan and Franklin these bike Lanes have been a lightning rod for pent up frustration on everything from traffic to Paving to street sweeping these are legitimate concerns and I share many of them but they have nothing to do with these particular bike Lanes to my neighbors in the council our traffic problem is largely driven by cut through traffic our parking problem is not going to go away so long as our housing keeps getting denser and people feel they need a car if we do nothing to look to the Future it's just going to keep getting worse regardless of who is sitting on the council or serving as mayor last night there was hardly any traffic on Manhattan due to rock the block shutting down the turn to ferry to get downtown into the tunnel without a block party every night uh we are going to have to find solutions that work for locals part of our solution should be putting in the in infrastructure uh for folks like me who are physically able and would prefer to leave the car home feeling safe to do so I've been riding around the neighborhood as well as downtown for the better part of 15 years to something that makes me a new guy uh while I do Drive uh for commuting and running errands I find riding to be faster it's liberating and gets time back but for many errands uh the moment I bring uh one of my children is the moment I'm driving my own kids uh have both learned to ride over the last 14 months some of you have probably seen us using or building the bike Lanes uh we're riding to and from school or over to Riverview in general I felt safer having them ride around hobok in Union City or downtown than our own neighborhood in the Heights they're largely on sidewalks for safety and other places they in bike Lanes or side streets that don't double as drag strips now is the time for us to look to the Future and put infrastructure in place to make it safer to get around the neighborhood and the rest of Jersey City as our housing gets denser we can choose to have residents believe they need a car or we can choose to have them feel safe without one as we looked 8 to 10 years of more traffic being pushed into our neighborhood during the turnpike extension construction we can choose to have infrastructure in place now for locals to get around while our guests are stuck in traffic or we can choose to simply be gridlocked with them better infrastructure leads to more families like mine leaving the car home and not or not having one to begin with this turns into less cars and traffic and more parking at destinations I support the Manhattan and Franklin bike lanes because my kids my neighbors kids and the old guy going to work every morning with his lunch pail on his shoulder all our neighbors deserve safety when they're trying to get where they are going thank you for your time thank you Sandy Sandy jaob no um last name is Patel Divine sorry I don't know how to pronounce the first name last name is Patel no okay um colen Colin hey Council um I wanted to come to voice my support for all new protected bike Lanes uh and thank councilwoman priner and councilwoman C in particular for the newest ones on mallerie a on the west side and Manhattan and Franklin Avenues in Jersey City Heights the new Landes are great and they should be made permanent and I Echo everything the previous speaker said about density uh and getting around using Alternatives other than cars uh that's super important in a growing City that's increasingly um getting denser and denser with much new development uh bike Lanes help build sustainable walkable and bikable communities but also give you a new perspective on communities and businesses I discovered alesios while riding my my bike on Franklin the other day um protected bike lanes are more about bikes slower narrow narrower streets are better for pedestrians and drivers they promote placemaking we do not have a bike lane problem we have a traffic enforcement problem it's worth reminding that 40% of households here do not have a car it's hard for some people to who have cars to Fathom that but uh there is a large group of people here that do not use a car to get around the city I walk and bike around a lot and the problem is plain to see Public Safety in this town is frankly a disgrace people do not feel safe getting around I challenge any one of you to really reflect hard stand on the corner someday in your ward and just watch drivers our only saving grace for safe spaces has been infrastructure but we all know those improvements take a lot of time there are police officers on the street today right now stand on any corner for 20 minutes you'll see a car run a red light a stop sign text or talk while they're driving with one hand on the wheel the other hand on their phone drive 10 plus miles over the speed limit Myriad other things probably some of them are under the influence then there's 911 911 a neighbor a friend and a fellow ad was hit by an aggressive driver while on his bike he called 911 this is recent but no one picked up it was hard to get through to someone then there's parking enforcement they are just not issuing enough tickets people are double parking parking on corners and crosswalks all day long everywhere parking is illegal parking is a safety issue if you can't see the cars coming from the Corner they can't see you and you're you're at risk given the driving conditions that we see every day on the street thank you IO me my name is aoria and I'm the founder of the flow initiative evening however um speak with immense gratitude in my capacity as secretary the Jersey City Women's Advisory Board I extend my thanks to Mayor philli and council president Waterman for the support of my reappointment I'm hopeful that the council will recognize the significance of the work we have undertaken over the past two years the women's Advisory board has been setfast in its Mission not only by organizing workshops town halls and listening sessions but also by keenly analyzing the mirror of stories shared by the diverse women of Jersey City these narratives reflect a tapestry of challenges and triumphs underscoring the need for robust actionable change my own Journey has involved collaborating with the governor state legislators and numerous Community organizations to Advocate and secure the passage of six menstrual Equity bills in a single year this advocacy has fundamentally transformed landscape for women girls and individuals across New Jersey reinforcing the critical importance of policy and driving change this this brings me to seah the United Nations Convention of the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women sea offers a comprehensive framework for municipalities like Jersey City to safeguard women from discrimination and dismantle oppressive systems that obstruct their progress the women of Jersey City deserve policy not promises policies create lasting change by establishing clear guidelines and standards that shape our City's future while promises fall often short the distinction is clear programs are vital operational initiatives that address immediate needs but policies set the enduring rules and Frameworks that govern our actions and commitments the women of Jersey City have earned policies that uplift and Advance them every day not just during election Cycles or in response to crises like domestic violence women deserve more than token gestures they deserve a future where their needs are continually addressed and their voices Amplified SE doll offers this future by providing a structure to ensure ongoing support and equity the women of Jersey City need a champion someone that can advocate for them in the most influential rooms in the coming weeks the women's Advisory Board looks forward to engaging with you in advancing the next steps towards this crucial framework I also urge the council to rectify the oversight that has denied the women's Advisory Board a place on the Jersey City website for the past two years this Omission says a message that uh of our City's priorities just as the Cannabis board has a presence despite it being a volunteer Advisory Group so too should the woman's Advisory Board is the implication that we takes president of women's issues in Jersey City I trust we can work towards a positive change as this regard let us work together to create a city that women are valued supported and empowered every day thank you and good night thank you I good evening AA Shermer president of bike JC an advocacy organization working towards a safe and bike friendly Jersey City I'm here to voice my and bike JC's full support for the popup protected bike lanes that were installed earlier this month on Manhattan nav and Franklin Street these are the very first protected bike Lanes in the Heights neighborhood which is very exciting despite a growing movement for improved Street safety in this area the heights remains a critical Missing Link in the city's protected bike lane Network Manhattan and Franklin were selected for this demonstration project in accordance with the city's bicycle master plan which this Council unanimously U adopted in 2009 after much study and tremendous Community input these two streets serve as an important important East West Connection linking nearby schools Parks grocery stores and more there have been 10 crashes resulting in an injury on this very short Corridor in the last 5 years seven of which involved pedestrians and cyclists this cannot continue and this street redesign will help ensure that it doesn't not only does it give cyclists a dedicated safe space but it calms traffic speeds by narrowing the road the people who stand to benefit most from this safety project are people who you will likely never hear from perhaps because they don't speak English or because they don't have the luxury of time to come here and speak at a city council meeting but as someone deeply entrenched in Jersey City's cycling Community I can assure you that there is an enormous base of support for this project who is very appreciative of this critical first step towards a safer Heights neighborhood and a safer Jersey City and we do hope that this is just a first step next we'd like to see not only a permanent installation of this project but that It ultimately connects to a protected north south bike lane which remains another crucial hole in the Citywide network with my remaining time I'd like to do some quick myth busting about this project myth number one the project will produce Carmageddon type gridlock fact it has actually been the exact opposite uh residents along the project Corridor have seen much less traffic and even folks who were initially very skeptical are now thoroughly enjoying their newly trafficked calm streets myth number two emergency vehicles will not be able to pass through fact City officials have repeatedly observed ambulances and full-size fire trucks navigating without issue just as they do on the city's hundreds of other one-way streets and myth number three the bike lanes are empty fact this is a common misconception about active Transportation infrastructure bikes are small Nimble and extremely efficient they take up next to no space and they don't get caught in traffic so their presence doesn't always register but if you stand along these or any bike lane for maybe 10 minutes you'll see just how much use they actually get as one of the city's many car-free residents and daily bike lane users I am very grateful that we are providing safe options for clean and healthy modes of travel and I look forward to permanent implementation thank you an there an an here we are done with the public speaking portion of our meeting to our petitions and Communications six items 6.1 to 6.42 are there any questions comments a officers Communications items 7.1 and 7.2 any questions or comments of directors items 8.1 to 814 are there any questions hey um we will move on to our claims and addendum one two and three your vote for claims and addendum numbers one two and three council person Ridley I council person preri I council person bajano is not here council person Cay I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore way okay council person the G is not here council person Rivera hi council president Waterman okay um I will recap the vote once council person Gilmore comes back to the room um onto our resos I'll let John Metro speak uh yeah uh Council we're just going to pull one it's uh 1064 one of the law firm uh um resolutions we have to update the account number so it's just a clerical issue but we'll we'll resolve it by next meeting okay so we'll move on to our resolutions we're taking a vote on items 10.1 to 10.11 council person Ridley I council person priner Hi council person bajano is not here council person s hi council person Solomon hi person person the is not here council person Rivera council president Waterman uh items 10.23 to 10.26 uh council person Ridley I council person preri I council person bajano is not here council person Cay I for all council person Solomon just what number are we going to um this is 10.23 and 10.26 because we earlier voted on 10.13 to 10.22 sure on um uh I forall on 10.23 just thank you to all my colleagues uh for the co-sponsorship on this resolution and thank you to both the Portside Tower tenants and 32bj for raising this uh really really important issue um rents truly are going through the roof in Jersey City in New Jersey and across the country and what the investigations into both Real Page and other similar softwares have revealed is that billion dollar corporations are in essence creating a cartel they are sharing information with each other to artificially raise rents and then the software actually penalizes the landlords if they try to lower set set a lower rent right um and it's the absolute opposite of what a free market is it's the absolute opposite of what uh competition is supposed to bring but it is what greed brings and um it is harming lots of people through out our city and so what the hope of this resolution is is that um there's going to be legislation introduced in traton um that's the state is I think where we can take action and we want to really build momentum behind it and so uh the Hope here is that this is the first of many many municipalities that take this on um across the state of New Jersey that momentum builds in traton and then ultimately real reform is passed uh to restore you know basic uh you know fairness in the way that rents are set um so excited to to see this move forward here at the council and we'll keep kind of banging the drum on this and move forward so with that I for all thank you council person Gilmore we're voting on 10.23 to 10.26 10.23 to 10.26 yes just a three we previously voted on 10.13 to 10.22 oh okay I thank you council person Dees is not here council person Rivera I council president Waterman I okay uh items 10.23 10.26 are approved 70 council person Gilmore council person Gilmore may I have your vote for uh the addendums number one two and three please I thank you so the addendum and claims one two and three they are approved 7 Z and council person Gilmore may have your vote on items 10.1 and 10.11 10.12 was voted on earlier 10.1 through 10.11 yes please okay I thank you okay so items 10.1 to 10.11 are approved 70 okay uh on to items 10.21 uh 10.27 to 10.40 council person Ridley uh oh I'm you switching please places with me I he council person priner anytime you go on a reverse order I'm sure have no problem with council person bajano is not here council person s hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi council person Dees is not here council person Rivera where where are we going up to uh 10.27 to 1040 uh I vote I on 1028 I want to congratulate Laura Torri as the tax assessor first the female on that position Laina in that position congratulations council president Waterman okay so items 10.27 to 10.40 are approve 70 items 10.41 to 10 50 council person Ridley hi council person priner council person bajano is not here council person SLE I for all council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person de is not here council person Rivera I council president Waterman okay items 10.41 to 10.50 are approved 70 items 10.51 to 10.61 council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi for all council person bajano is not here council person SLE hi for all council person Soloman hi for allc person Gilmore hi council person Dees is not here council person Rivera I council president Waterman I okay items 10.51 to 10 61 are approved 70 um items 10.62 to 10.65 uh 10.66 was voted on earlier council person Ridley I council person priner Hi for all um oh and I'm sorry we're actually um Let me let me redo that so 10.62 to 10.65 10.66 was voted on earlier and and we are withing 1064 so council person brittley Hi council person preri Hi for all council person bajano is not here council person SLE I for all council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees is not here council person Rivera hi council president hi okay 10.62 to 106 65 with uh 1064 being withdrawn and 1066 voted on earlier these resolutions are approved 7 Z oh I just want to say you did a good job tonight young lady I know Danny is hard on you but you did a good job young thank you very much councilman you do you have a saying like to wrap it up for us or Teamwork Makes the Dream Work Amanda be yourself okay Amanda motion to adjourn second motion to adjourn made by council person Rivera seconded by council person Cay on the motion to adjourn at 9:08 PM council person Ridley hi council person preri council person bajano is not here council person SEL there's no I in team but I'm saying I tonight I council person Solomon council person Gilmore hi council person Dees is not here council person Rivera and council president Waterman okayy motion to adjourn at 9:08 p.m thank you very much and we are out of here have a good night everyone get home safe good