I'm we making this announcement in compliance with the open public meetings act chapter 231 Public Law 1975 laws of the state of New Jersey the Bor clerk has prepared to schedule the meetings of the governing body of the Bor of Kenworth for the year 2024 the bur clerk has posted a true copy of the schedule on the Bolton board located at the front entrance of bur Hall and is mail true copies of this schedule to the local source to store Ledger and the home News Tribune and is maintaining a copy of the schedule in her office during the year 2024 accordingly the notice requirements of the open public meetings act have been satisfied in regard to this meeting please stand for the salute to the flag aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible liberty and justice for all roll call Madam clerk mayor carich here councilman Bo here councilman fistral here councilwoman Gard pno here councilman moral here councilman scarice here councilman Zimmerman here is there a motion to adopt resolution number 2024-the Department motion second roll call councilman Bole here yes councilman fella yes councilwoman gardana pno yes councilman moral strong yes councilman SC yes councilman Zimmerman yes I will now administer the oath of office of those newly promoted to rank to the rank of Sergeant Travis DZ and Brian Pickton and Ryan Kernan just a Wonder well we'll have them coming out Travis first and then Brian yeah no I was sit right there Travis first yep hi Travis do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution that I will support the Constitution of the United states of the United States and bear true faith and bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established and to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people I do further I do further solemnly swear solemly swear that I will Faithfully that will faithfully impartially impartially and justly and justly perform the duties perform the duties of countor police department sergeant of countor police department sergeant according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God congratulations conratulations Ladi gentlemen Travis has been with us about 9 years uh he's been in Detroit was a disfa with us before he started he's been with us for 9 years Travis uh if you've noticed our department has gotten very young very quickly and Travis is one of those guys who's the next Generations of leaders among our department he's one of our uh first aid uh trainers and coordinators he's our defensive tactics trainer and uh for the past what 3 years you've been the PBA president almost to almost two two years president and I'm happy to say even as an old delegate I'm happy to see coming over to decided stable so uh I'd like to specifically acknowledge his wife Christine where my little buddy and Son Lincoln I want to thank you for loaning your dad out to us I want to recognize his mom Lisa who's here tonight uh I'm excited for Travis to take over soon to be Lieutenant Pastor Squad uh and I look forward to him uh to the Future to where we're going in this in this department ladies and gentlemen Sergeant trais I'm going to keep this real simple um first of all I want to thank my wife and my family everybody was here thank you so much for for coming out really means a lot to me from driving 10 hours to driving 3 hours uh thank you guys so much Chief thank you so much for the opportunity I really look forward to Leading the squad mayor and councel thank you guys so much for for this and I really appreciate it everybody else is here thank you uh let's just get back to work I Brian P hi Brian p to Solomon swear that I will support the Constitution that I will support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and bear true faith and bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established and to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in the state and in the state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people I do further I do further solemnly swear solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will Faithfully impartially impart and justly and justly perform the duties perform the duties of kennworth police department sergeant of kennworth police department Sergeant according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me gu so help me gu congratulations oh go ladies and gentlemen Sergeant Brian p a 20y year veteran of the kwor police department uh this one is special for me Brian go back the long way with me he was one of the guys who work with me in the squad when I was a sergeant and honestly as a sergeant he one of those guys should been ask for more as a as a as a as a sergeant he was a guy went out there did everything he needed him to do whether was right dickets make a rest talk to the people in town do the community policing about the time I got promot and he was put into the schools and honestly when they when they came up with the the definition of the school resource officer Brian is what we were looking for he is literally perfect in that in that job when I tell you the relationships that he's made between the students the administrators the teachers the parents and all our Community Partners over there it's been unbelievable and I think it's a testament how many I see teachers here I see administrators I see students in the back that are here to see him get promoted that speaks volumes for uh he's going to be taking over our detective Bureau uh he's got a tough task ahead of him but honestly he's up for the task I can't think of anybody who's more worthy for that job I want to acknowledge his wife Elise his kids uh Jake and Courtney here Jake and courtne here his family his brothers here and I especially want to acknowledge his mom and dad who are here just two of the nicest people on the planet and I'm blessed to have them here L and gent ladies and gentlemen Sergeant Brian thank you everybody I appreciate it I first want to thank Chief Seuss for that those kind words mayor and cancel thank you for the privilege to become a sergeant um to my David Bry family I love you I'm going to miss you you guys are a great team it was a great run continue but in different capacity thank you so much um I want to thank my brother for being here obviously my wife Alisa ja Courtney uh so many friends and family like there students here that I absolutely adore and love families of those students secretarial staff you guys have all been tremendous and You Know instrumental in the success I've had in the school um I would like to single out two people of maybe cour you can help Mom and Dad stand up a little bit pleas stand up I can tell you without them the let 50 three years of my life I wouldn't be here so if you want to have direct any Applause please direct towards them thank you so much I Ryan I Ryan youly swear swear and I will support the Constitution I will support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and bear true faith and bear true faith and Allegiance and Al to the Saints to the Saints and to the governments established and to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in under the authority the author I do further I do further solemnly swear solemnly swear that I will Faithfully I will faithfully impartially impartially and justly and justly perform the duties perform the duties of countor police department sergeant of countor police department Sergeant according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me so help me go congrat good job PR s ladies and gentlemen this is a this is a special promotion too and I'd be remiss I want to apologize to Sergeant bills that I didn't mention before his grandfather was korth police officer retired back in 1977 and I'm Mis for forgetting to mention that but I want to mention that now because Ryan is a third generation police officer for Kor PD his grandfather was a captain for korth PD his father was a lieutenant and ran now so to pin the sergeant F on his chest is incredibly special to me uh was another guy who worked with me back in the day when I was a sergeant um he has a special gift of making your day better when he's working to day is better you smile more you laugh a little bit more and the drudgery that you go through seems to be a little bit better Ryan and Su to be uh Lieutenant Mike scelo were involved in an incident a couple years ago where they received the 2 200 Club award uh where they disarmed a suspect and pulled a gun on him in the middle of the boulevard roll around them in the middle of the boulevard disarmed him it's a situation where deadly force could have been used and they disarmed the guy and safely and peacefully without any injuries W effect in rest they received the 200 Club award which is the highest honor you can receive in Union County and he's been in the detective Bureau for the last couple years does a tremendous job for me he's in our Firearms unit knows the Firearms inside and out he's going to be sorely missed in that unit by me especially cuz I got to have somebody new now to go get lunch with he's a tremendous guy he's a tremendous leader I'm looking forward to him taking over retiring Glenn sandles Sergeant sand platoon uh and he's another guy that I'm looking forward to he's got 20 years of experience 12 with us and I'm looking forward to him moving forward in this department L ladies and gentlemen Sergeant Brian C anybody in this room for taking the time to be here and I'm proud to serve the citizens of pen as the third generation police officer I love to thank my wife for standing by me to the good and B and may coun for the opportunity to continue on hi Michael SC Michael SC wholy swear swear that all support the Constitution that all support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and their true faith and their true faith and aliance and aliance to the sa to the St and to the government establish and to this government's established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people I do further I do further Solly swear Solly swear Faithfully that I faithfully impartially impartially and justly and justly perform the duties perform the duties of countor police department Lieutenant of K Police Department Lieutenant according to the best of my ability according to the best of my abilities so help me God so help me God conrat L you want to take this back so they could hear me gentlemen before I start on mik again I'm remiss I'm a little nervous here tonight myself too to mention Ryan's wife Jamie their daughter Sam and Brandon who are here tonight we appreciate how much time that uh you allow your husband and dead to be away from you with us and I uh I apologize for not mentioning uh Lieutenant Mike yell the 20-year veteran of our department I'll be honest we go back uh quite a away here when I was a captain and even now as a chief Mike has historically been always one of my first calls in the morning one of my last calls to day I'm sure he's tired of here seeing my number pop up but it does um Mike is one of the best cops we got in this department between him and a who were making a lieutenant they're two of the best cops that we got and they're going to be taking over our Patrol Division and we couldn't be have two better guys to train and Mentor the young guys that we have coming up uh Mike was a sergeant for a long time he's been in the detective Bureau for 8 years about 8 years now does a phenomenal job I could bore you guys until about midnight with all the responsibilities that Mike has and like I said he was involved in that incident with Ryan Kern a couple years ago we received a 200 Club award for disarming and armed suspect it's a big deal mik break top it's funny every Monday morning he comes in my office and sits down and tells me about whatever whatever sporting event they had over the weekend might have been hockey might have been basketball might have been softball might have been baseball as great a cop as Mike is do anything he's better at being a father being a dead is something I really admire about him uh he's going to be taken over to aide in uh in Patrol I want to specifically acknowledge his wife Megan uh his kids Claire Peter ni uh and his mom is a retired detective out of Rosel I know how proud I am I can only imagine how proud they are than and gentlemen Lieutenant Mike stand so one thing you don't teach in the police academy is public speaking so here we are so I'm going give my best shot first off i' like to thank than the kids my mother uh so I was raised in a in a in a police household so uh she raising me to do this job so here I am uh mayor and counsel thank you for this opportunity uh CH Chief Fred Su thank you so much um I just want to take this second to congratulate our new sergeants and I'll say this this before I uh wrap it up I'm going to be real quick I just want to pass this on Le from the front right lead from the front get your hands dirty get in there get next to them get dirty with them push the part is no wrestle with the suspect all right get your hands dirty they'll respect they'll respect more for it all right so thank you for this opportunity appreciate it so this way you see on camera there we go all right I Edward Pastor I Edward Pastor do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution that I will support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and bear true faith and bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and to the government's established and to the government's established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people I do further I do further solemnly swear solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully impartially impartially and justly and justly perform the duties perform the duties of kennworth police department Lieutenant of kennworth police department Lieutenant according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God congratulations left congratulations congratulations Lieutenant Pastor been with us about 17 years he's started his career over in Kane which not ironically is where Sergeant C started his career over in Kane so want to blame anybody for bur like I said I I think an awful lot of of Eddie between Eddie and Mike I think the two of the best cops we have on this department again I have to uh to be remiss and forgetting to mention that Mike was a member of user and SWAT as Eddie is a member of user and SWAT and I see a couple guys here uh from SWAT appreciate them coming to uh to show support to our guy uh Eddie is going to be opposite Mike taking over the uh uh the as side of uh the control division he spent time as a sergeant he's been a detective uh and again just like Mike one of the things I really admire about Eddie is I talk to him about his kids about the the wrestling whatever events his kids have he's at everything he's at everything that that they we do in town he gives a lot of his time to his kids to his family to his community and like Mike if he's anything better as a cop is being a family man and that's something I truly admire about him I like to acknowledge his wife Justine his kids Eddie Henry and Victoria and I know they're here somewhere his parents again are two of the best people that I know a wonderful family and you guys should be proud of he an also H great family man ladies and gentlemen Lieutenant Eddie P I just want to uh start by saying uh thank you to every one of you for being here um without you as residents and uh people supporting us this department wouldn't be what it is um we are fortunate and lucky because if you go around to other ceremonies and promotion uh events uh there's nothing like this all right korth is a special special place and we're forever grateful of that as as officers that certain people here I want to just thank the chief um mayor of the council police committee uh everything you've done for us um and me personally uh forever grateful for that um my family my wife my children my parents my siblings had a huge Network my friends my co-workers um without you guys man this this town wouldn't be what it is so keep keep keep uh keep going you know um I'm just really really fortunate tonight that uh the chief put my badge on tonight he can tell you about the back story you know my wife was very nervous about that believe there from last time all right but but uh thank you all and uh and let's get to work and uh you know I'm now the old guy we're one of the old guys here we're a very young department but I guarantee you we uh we're in the right right right here with these guys that that work underneath of us than Eddie was a little nervous and he didn't want to bring it up but he wanted me to mention it he is now officially the highest ranking poish officer just back everyone's on I Paul campelli I Paul Kelli do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution that I will support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and bear true faith and bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people I do further I do further solemnly swear solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully impartially impartially and justly and justly perform the duties perform the duties of kennworth police department Captain Kenworth Police Department Captain according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God congratulations sorry lose it thank you can't even hold the pen we have to fill to I'll put this in my pocket Captain Captain the moans the last of the guys along with me who came on the job in the '90s everybody else is in the 2000s and I go back a long way uh we worked in the last 26 years together probably spent the first 10 12 years in the same squats working together uh Paul is what we were referred to as a Swiss Army knif in the uh in the police department uh there's not a job he can't do he's done everything through his career he's been the sergeant he's been the lieutenant he's been the traffic Lieutenant he's been the admin Lieutenant he's been the the the dispatch coordinator the the doc coordinator again I can with how many things have we dump on him but one of the things I truly admire about Paul is every day he comes in work he stops to my office and he says boss what do you need what can I do for you he goes about his day trying to make my day easier and my life better and that's something I truly admire about him uh he's going to be taking over the administrative uh Captain role or the captain's role both going to be running the day-to-day operations Department uh again we have a lot of good young officers on this job and I'm so proud of the Command Staff that we had have to leave this department going forward uh I want to recognize his wife Christine and I think it's tremendously admirable his son flew in tonight just for this promotion and uh son Anthony his daughter Nina are here uh and I think that's what it's all about and when I hear some of the guys getting choked up this is special because your families are here your families involved and this is the time to PFF out your chest and be proud of what you've accomplished ladies and gentlemen Captain p camp now thank you uh look like to take the time to thank the council I really appreciate the opportunity to continue serving B korth in capacity of Captain going to thank you FR Seuss putting faith in me to continue to do what I do uh most my I sunlu today I can't thank my family enough for the support that they've given me throughout the years talking about family you're all my family street street talking over I know everybody thank you for your support I love you all thank you to my blood family for being here and like to other guys I can un like other guys I can call for a half hour I'm not going to do that to you thank you so much and I I appreciate continue to serve thank you ladies and gent this conclud the uh promotion aspect of the meeting tonight I want to thank everybody who's here it's wonderful to see so many people here to support our guys this is a tremendous moment and like I said to see these guys get emotional it shows me how much they care how much they care about their families I don't expect them to put the police department first it shouldn't even be in the top grade the family is what's what's first and foremost and I'm I'm so proud of these guys for how they feel about their families the communities this department we'd like to invite everybody back to the VFW at 60 South 21st Street on behalf of the police department and the k pbaa we're going to be serving some Michael freshman and uh cake and coffee everybody's invited back please be advised the meeting is going to continue I would ask everybody who's leaving to go over to to the service to file out kind of quickly but before you leave uh mayor kovich uh I'd like to thank you members of the bur burrow Council governing body I want to thank you for your continued support and encouragement for this department last week you gave me three three new men tonight you gave me six promotions you've consistently given us the tools the equipment we need to keep this great Community safe in the difficult time the mayor and I were on a podcast today with uh with Bill spia and it's one of the things we mentioned that we can't do our jobs without the support of you guys and we're blessed to have you guys and have the support and encouragement of this governing body so from the bottom of my heart and our officers and our families thank you thank you okay it is um it's uh with great pride and uh an honor uh to recognize individuals whose dedication and hard work has significantly contributed to korth's success it's my honor to present the employe of the year and the volunteer of the Year Awards for 2023 for whatever reason we didn't do this last year and that bothered me so I thought I would pick two uh volunteers of the year and two employees of the year so the first employee uh the employee of the year is Lisa wood and Dominic Lor today I'm going to sit you can have a seat seat for a minute because I'm I have things to read because you're not getting away that easy come up front no come up front come up front cuz I do have an award for you yeah today we recognize Lisa wood and Dominic Lor as employees of the year in doing so we not only celebrate their individual accomplishments but also acknowledge the collective effort and teamwork that has made this achievement possible their dedication hard work and commitment to Excellence serve as an inspiration to us all thank you both for your exceptional contributions and congratulations on this well-deserved honor in case anyone is not aware in early 2023 the bir received a grant for $250,000 from the Union County for for the senior center this money was awarded to replace the roof replace the boiler and two air conditioning units and install a bottle Filling Station this was more complex because we had to find certified vendors and ensure that all the work was complete and paid within 6 months of receiving this grant these projects were fully complete and well under budget within a few months with approximately $100,000 remaining Lisa and Dominic worked together to identify other needs within the senior center these projects had to conform to the allowable uses of the Grant and still had to be completed and paid for within that original six-month time frame together they were able to identify the kitchen replacement with new appliances cabinets and countertops a second bottle filling station four air purifiers a professional coffee maker a new steam table and other accessories for the center the most impressive part of this effort aside from the fact that they were able to get it done is that it was outside of their normal responsibilities they did this by still getting their daily work done not once did they say they wouldn't help or they didn't have time Lisa I would be be remiss if I I didn't mention you or the reason we were awarded this Grant from the time you heard about the grand opportunity you made sure everyone knew you sent reminders to keep us on schedule and to get the application in Lisa's contributions extended far beyond her exceptional work with the grant she is truly an ex exemplary employee with the wealth of knowledge spending in various areas Lisa is always willing to lend a helping hand or share her expertise with others her genuine kindness and willingness to go above and beyond for her colleagues and for our community are truly commendable Lisa's love for our town shines through in everything she does and her unwavering dedication to doing what is the in the best interest of the Barrow is an inspiration for us all Lisa your contributions have made a lasting impact on kennworth our community and for that I am truly grateful to you congratulations Dominic Beyond Dominic's remarkable contributions to the grant his willingness to lend a helping hand whatever need whenever needed sets him apart as a truly exceptional employee whether it's stepping in to fill a crucial role at the senior center especially when we we had no director or adjusting his personal schedule to ensure the success of community events like the tree lighting in December Dominic consistently goes above and beyond the Call of Duty in honoring Dominic today we not only recog recogniz his individual achievements but also celebrate the spirit of service dedication and community that he embodies congratulations Dominic now I'll give where the we're we're going to thank you someday for all pi thank you congratulations conat congratulations okay we have uh two volunteers of the year Shirley Boon Maxwell and Ray Morrow recognizing outstanding volunteers is crucial for flustering community Community engagement and appreciation tonight we honor two individuals that have helped to make korth a better place sh Shirley Bo and Maxwell where is she all the way in the back come on up front Shirley come sit in the front it is my honor to present this volunteer of the Year award to Shirley B and Maxwell for her exceptional work with the municipal Alliance and the canorth Historical Society Shirley embodies a true Spirit of volunteerism self ly giving her time energy and talents to better our community her involvement with both the municipal Alliance and the kennworth Historical Society exemplifies her deep commitment to preserving Our Heritage and promoting the well-being of our residents what surely sets apart is not only her passion for service but also her remarkable organizational skills and creativity she appreciate approaches every task with enthusiasm and a can do attitude inspiring those around her to strive for excellence whether it's coordinating events managing projects or spearheading initiatives she does so with unwavering dedication and professionalism but Charli's impact goes beyond her impressive organizational skills she brings a unique perspective and creativity to everything she does infusing each product with fresh ideas and innovative solutions her creativity has elevated our community programs and and events making them more engaging and more inclusive for all moreover Shirley is a pleasure to work with so sweet her positive attitude collaborative spirit and genuine kindness have endeared her to all who have had the privilege of working alongside her today as we honor Shirley as volunteer of the Year let us not only celebrate her individual achievements but also recognize the profound impact that volunteers like her have on our have on our burrow surely your dedication passion and creativity are an inspiration to all of us thank thank you for your selfless service and unwavering commitment to our community congratulations Ray it is my honor to present this volunteer the award Year award to Ray Morrow for her exceptional contributions as a volunteer EMT with the cworth rescue squad Ray's Journey with the cworth rescue squad is a testament to her remarkable dedication and passion for serving others at the young age of 16 she joined as a Cadet and since then she has become an indispensable member of the korth fire and rescue department for well over six years Ry has selfishly devoted herself to the service of our community responding to countless medical emergencies and providing critical care for those in need what truly sets Ray apart is not only her unwavering commitment but also her remarkable skill and bravery in the face of adversity she has responded to over a thousand medical calls ranging from broken bones to life-threatening situations including CPR saves and Swift interventions on patients with critical injuries Ray's quick thinking and decisive actions have undoubtedly saved lives and brought Comfort to those in their darkest moments in addition to her remarkable achievements as an EMT Ray has also Al taken on the role as Rescue Squad Lieutenant demonstrating her leadership and dedication to the betterment of our department her tireless efforts and unwavering commitment to Excellence serve as an inspiration to all of us embodying the true Spirit of volunteerism and community service today as we honor Rey for her extraordinary contributions I also want to express our heartfelt gratitude for her selflessness and and dedication to the well-being of everyone in our community Ray your unwavering commitment your bravery and your compassion have a profound difference in the lives of countless individuals and for that I am extremely grateful to you congratulations okay y L picture all right take a sip of water everyone's going to the party at the BFW should we take the council meeting finish the meeting at the BFW is there a motion to accept and approve the following uh council meeting minutes of uh February 7 20124 motion second roll call Council m Bo yes councilman finr yes councilwoman Garda pno yes councilman moral yes councilman scur yes councilman Zimmerman yes okay weed a a letter from dorothia Kack I just wanted to read uh inform you that the uh passing of Michael Yenko has passed away and he was a historian in CR uh in kennworth I'm sorry um February 28 2024 I just want to read his um little bit of his obituary uh Michael robbert Yenko um who lived a life devoted to serving others leaving a legacy of kindness and unwavering commitment to his faith country family and students born in New York New Jersey in 19 1929 Michael was the youngest of five children the son of the late Valentine and Lena Yenko first generation Austrian and German IM immigrants growing up he attended St an's Elementary School um and wean wanic High School where he developed a deep appreciation for education and service after completing High School Michael enlisted in the United States Army and was active in the occupation of the Japan 24th division 19th Infantry regimen under General Douglas MacArthur during the time of the Japanese emperor this commitment to Public Service remained steadfast through his life after his service in the military Michael continued his call to public service service as an educator this led him to pursue Higher Learning at Sean Hall ruter Harvard College and Morton school at the University of Pennsylvania he divided his time across New Jersey Pennsylvania nurturing relationship ships with both sides of his family while pursuing his academic and professional Endeavors Michael who had a profound love for American history and elevated stories of many unsung heroes he was an author uh Penning seven books that illustrated The Bravery and sacrifices of historical figures particularly those of the Revolutionary War his writings not only celebrated herois own but also served as a testament to the importance of understanding and honoring our past he was also an exceptional artist and illustrator enjoying drawing and historical figures and featured books dedicated over 40 years to teaching history economics at yion high school he left an enduring impact on countless students he served as a teacher as a supervisor of social studies from six grade 6 through 12 he also served as the school's tennis coach leading the team in two state championships he also served as both the Union Township and Union County Historical societies and had a particular love of the cordwell parsonage in which he helped to maintain and give tours along with informational speeches to Young students from around the state he also served as treasurer of the township of Union Historical Society Michael was a proud member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of whiy American Legion um finding camarad purpose in these organizations and he was also a historian here in kennworth as Michael's life is celebrated his legacy of faith and public service service continues to inspire all of those who had the privilege of knowing him way may he rest in peace and send my deepest sympathy to his family okay I'd like to move on to the finance report councilman Finn Estrella uh thank you mayor um Monday this past Monday evening the finance committee together and sat down with our two CFOs Jill good and Ken Blum we hashed out some numbers uh those guys uh crudos to them the CFOs they really came through and found some places where we were able to struggle and grab money to help fix this fix that without um too much being or if anything being cut as far as Personnel wise or any services um however there was a service that needs to be cut and because of the cap on the levy on the uh budget uh we've decided that we're going only have one bulk pick up uh that's better than laying off an individual or cutting any other service that would be a dire need in town but it's just something I had you know something had to give and if uh Jill or Ken you want to explain a little bit more how we arrived to that but unfortunately that's you know just the way it is and we've heard from DPW who's using trucks from 1992 which on its last leg and they're borrowing trucks from the the county and the 996 is the youngest one so that one's on its way out so they're in a dire need of a truck the fire department needs Hook and Ladder and it's It's just tough to figure out where we can allocate funds um but kudos to the CFOs they're um they did a great job and they're still continuing and hopefully uh I think by the end of two weeks and about a couple of weeks we should have something that's all I have there thank you councilman Department of Public Works councilman Bole thank you mayor uh the DPW responded to two sewer emergencies for a total of 6 hours uh we had two snow events with 11 staff members each getting 9 hours of overtime uh DPW public message board has been relocated to the corner of Sharon and Aven 14th Street for better visibility um cans and bottel will be picked up Tuesday March 12th and cardboard T Tuesday March 19th um and I just want to say Dom Tom still here Tom thank you for everything congratulations uh you've been there since Melissa started playing softball and she both of the girls were little we've been there for everything for me and for Christen I appreciate it that's it thank you uh Department of Public Safety councilman Zimmerman thank you mayor I have the report from Chief Seuss for the month of February for the month of J February C Police Department responded to 871 calls for service and there were 150 115 911 calls for the month there were a total of 40 hours overtime primarily for scheduled Patrol overtime dispatch overtime 24 hours detective Bureau 4 hours and Union County Emergency Response Team overtime 4 hours the C Police Department completed 74 hours of training for the month which included rifle instructor training SWAT user which is the Union County Emergency Response Team the arrive training kart police department also issued 150 traffic summonses for the month there were three sick days used for the month and no sick occurrences and there were also no on the job injuries reported for the month of February February was a fairly tame month for the C Police Department compared two previous months coward Police Department units had three reported shopliftings from the acne and a half dozen thefts for Motor Vehicles just remember to please lock your cars our detectives are also investigating a serious assault at the post office and a steady stream of internet-based frauds that usually begin with a fishing email unfortunately we had one that that struck close to home this month for an employee here so please if anything looks out of place with an email asking for money gift cards don't believe it it's probably a fishing scam and they're going to rip you off and there's very little the police can usually do with them so if you're in doubt please call our Police Department our detective Bureau and they can look into it make sure it's legitimate before you make any donations like that Chief Seuss went on to say residents are advised not to respond to any emails that seem suspect and to contact the police department if they're unsure just like I said and with the recent promotions going into effect after this meeting residents will notice several changes to to the kenor police department in the near future our current school resource officer detective Brian pikon was promoted to Sergeant and will be taking over the detective Bureau and officer Brett Byron will be assigned as our new school resource officer starting on Monday March 11th also patrolman Leo Philipe will be reassigned to the detective Bureau to take over for Detective Ryan kernin who is promoted to Sergeant and will be returning to patrol as a sergeon lieutenants Michael scanniello and Edward passer will be taking over the patrol Commander spots and Captain Campanelli and Sergeant dilts will also begin new roles Captain Campanelli as the Patrol Captain and Sergeant DTS I'm not sure where he's going to be assigned by the chief at this point but they will a new role also there's been a lot of change and turnover but Chief Seuss would like to commend the governing body for their unwavering support and commitment to the police department and the safety of our town just also um I would like to just put out a couple things about they're having a parade in Union this weekend the uh annual uh St Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday and at 10:30 a.m. the police department the fire department and the veteran Center are going to March and the PBA tribe of stilts has extended an invitation to the mayor and Council if you would like to more with the PBA the fire department and the uh Veteran Center no later than 10:30 a.m. the mustard point is at the veteran Center in their parkam and uh you can March in the parade with the with those groups as one big group also I'd like to congratulate the employees of the Year Charlie Bo and Maxwell on a job well done she's doing a great job with the alliance still and she does a great job at the uh since taking over to senior citizens and I'm proud that that she got this award much deserved surely also Ray morrow at the fire department I know she stepped out but I know when I worked alongside her as the chief during covid she worked hard when people were afraid of Co and people were afraid to touch and deal with people that had covid she was on the front lines going into houses and dealing with people firsthand and put her life at Great risk when a lot of people were dying back in 2020 mhm also Dominic lur and Lisa wood congratulations on your employee of the year um I know you both do a lot of great work I know Dominic at the DPW I see it firsthand and at the senior citizens and they're always happy that you're there at their beckoning call sometimes to uh from cleaning up chairs I've helped you a couple times with that in tables to anything and Lisa I know you are a hard worker trying to Crunch the budget for our town and lessen the blow to the taxpayers and I know it's an not an easy job I I've dealt and worked with you as a chief of police and also as a councilman and sometimes it's really tough like we said with this you know they brought tonight the bulk waste and there's no money for the second bulk waste this year in our budget but I know if there's a way Lisa Ken and Jill always find a way and I salute you for that and last but not least I'd like to uh extend congratulations to Captain Paul Campanelli on his promotion to Captain Lieutenant Michael scanniello and Lieutenant Edward Pastor on their promotions to tenant Sergeant Travis DS um Sergeant Brian pton and Sergeant Ryan kernin they're all going to do a great job I have true faith in all of them and they're all committed to the Kenworth burrow and they're not going to let us down so congratulations to all of them on a job well done up to this point and a bright future thank you thank you councilman planning zoning councilman Morrow thank you mayor uh Light report tonight um there's been no change in anything on the planning board we haven't met yet since the last meeting a couple weeks ago so uh more to come on that and Cindy's been on vacation so I don't have my life lined into the department telling me all the great things I need to tell you so I'll save that for next time we'll report on Janu uh excuse me February uh but I would also like to Echo everything that councilman Zimmerman said we had a beautiful night tonight really we had promotions we saw Awards being given to very well-deserving people and I want to thank you Lisa you keep my pen hand busy when it comes time for all those Harbor invoices that have to get signed every couple of weeks uh there there there's great people in this department and mayor carich how you had to single out too was beyond me so you all thank you next year is another year that's all I have tonight thank you thank you councilman um Recreation and fire councilman gree thank you mayor we'll start off with uh fire department during the month of February the fire department responded to uh 32 calls to fire uh car fires four carbon monoxide alarms 13 fire alarms one good int 10 public assist uh police department assist one medical assist uh with lift uh three motor vehicle accidents four mutual Aid responses four to Rosel Park uh two Power telephone cable line calls one smoke conditions order of smoke and one training during these inst the fire department traveled 84 miles and utiliz 137 hours uh the fire department rescue squad responded to 30 calls traveling to 112 mies utilizing 66 hours additional uh man hours utilized during the month of February include the following administrative 242 uh stien uh 1302 fire training 50 so total calls for the month 62 total miles travel for the month 296 total man hours 1797 uh also uh Captain Michael scary just mentioned tonight that he secured a grant of $40,000 for much needed fire equipment so and positive not we get to the recreation email Yeah March 6 okay um basketball's currently in the playoffs the season ends on Friday March 15th direct Department would like to thank all of the coaches for volun in their time uh the townwide Easter egg hunt is scheduled for Sunday March 21th starting at 10:00 a.m. registrations are currently open and are required the rain date for the hunt will be on Saturday March 30th at 10: a.m. the hunt will be held at Demario Park this event is for uh Kenworth residents only the age rang is from Toddlers which basically walking age to fourth grade the Middle School baseball team has been uh selected they will begin practicing soon with games to start in April Middle School track and field held an interest meeting we had roughly 25 to 30 kids show up for the meeting track meets are currently being scheduled registration is through Community pass and is open summer camp registrations are open exclusively to Kenworth residents and um Kenworth school student only uh until April 15th starting April 16th Camp registrations will open to the general public you can register through Community pass information regarding Camp will be posted on the Bor website Facebook and email will be sent out uh by the end of this week and U that's all I have the report mayor thank you councilman Education Health and Human Services uh councilwoman uh Dio perno thank you mayor the Board of Education um has on their kennworth uh schools website it's www. Kenworth schools.com if you go to the menu tab and hit referendum you'll see the timeline line of the progress of the projects going on at both locations um there's quite a bit of information on there that I thought a lot of the residents would be interested in seeing their next meeting is Monday March 11th so I have more to report on the March 20th council meeting the Board of Health didn't have anything in particular to add tonight uh but their meeting is March 21st social concerns um is really asking for food donations to the St teres directory Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10: to 12: and Wednesday 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. all caned Foods um as you know is typical and if you and toiletries quite a bit they need and if you would like and it's easier gift cards um to acne or shop right something like that but they really would like to have some things put together before Easter so if anybody body uh can bring some things over there that would be great um if you're not sure of the time you could always call the rectory uh but it's definitely Tuesday Thursday and Wednesday is the only evening the senior center has so much going on there last night we attended a time capsule opening that was discovered um by pet Drogan in the safe and it was supposed to be open in 2012 and I guess um got a little more fermented let's say so it was open last night and it was really great it was from the Girl Scout Troop 437 put there in 1987 they had letters from the Girl Scouts pictures and things like that it was really a great event a lot of the Girl Scouts were there and two of the moms from the original Girl Scouts that wrote those letters were there and I believe they're on display at the senior center if anybody wants to go and look at the pictures and read read um the letters they can do so uh as far as events there are so many events that I would strongly encourage you to call our director charlee Maxwell at 98276 1716 there are ceramic classes lunch every Monday Wednesday Friday health screening cooking matters there's a bus trip on March 16th to uh Wind Creek and definitely don't forget soups on March 21st between 6:00 and 8 all of these things you need to register for so please reach out or stop in the senior center but um I encourage you to participate in all that's going on and of course you know we offer uh Transportation if you need help getting to them from your house to the senior center or even around town to run errands uh what was the next thing Library the Li library has children's programs mostly during the day Monday Tuesdays and Wednesdays there are a few evening events and special events on March 12th 13th and 15th for the children and there are a couple of special events for adults on March 7th 11th 14th 19th and 21st again I encourage you to call the library and that number is 98276 245 one or go on the website it's kennworth library.org and everything is clearly posted there by age and and dates and times because there's a wealth of information between the library and the senior center so it's the best way to um be able to see what's going on and participate and that's all I have thank you Council you're welcome is there a motion to accept and approve committee reports motion second all in favor we have one ordinance for final adoption tonight it's ordinance number 2024-25 an ordinance amending ordinance number 2021-topcon the correct number I apologize 2024-25 D14 meetings and public participation of the municipal code of the burough of kennworth to consolidate work sessions and regular meetings see number 2024 is there a motion to open the public hearing on ordinance 2024 -04 motion second does anyone have anything to say on this ordinance and this ordinance only please come forward and state your name and address okay seeing no one is there a motion to close the public and uh close the public hearing and adopt ordinance 20244 I make the motion second roll call councilman Bo yes councilman finr yes councilwoman Jana pasero yes councilman Mora yes councilman SC yes councilman Zimmerman yes ordinance 2024-25 revising section 4 order of business of the BW is adopted at the reorganizational meeting via resolution 2024-25 make second roll call councilman boyo yes councilman finella yes councilwoman J pno yes councilman Morrow yes councilman scare yes councilman Zimmerman yes next for Council consideration is the consent agenda is there a motion to approve motion second the consent agenda consists of resolutions 20241 100 through 20244 these resolutions will be approved by one motion all items will be recorded individually in full in the minutes councilman yes councilman finella yes councilwoman Gordana pno yes councilman moral yes councilman scarice yes councilman Zimmerman yes is there a motion to open the floor to the public motion second all in favor I does anyone have anything to say for the good and wellbeing of cworth please come forward and state your name and address I sure um we had a uh the budget meeting on uh Monday yes and uh the DPW uh director brought to my attention we were discussing uh flip-flopping a few of the capital items and perhaps you could get a little update uh with the uh we had talked about perhaps uh replacing the garbage truck this year my understanding is since Monday two garbage trucks have gone down for repair uh and he's hoping that we'll consider the uh flip-flopping and and doing a letter of intent due to that so I thought maybe he could elaborate I just found out about this a little while ago so I thought I'd bring it to your attention thank you thank so truck 26 and 24 have some minor mechanical issues 24 um is the oldest truck in the fleet but it is a warranty repair so I don't know how long it'll be down but the good news is it's not going to cost us anything extra what year is that truck it's a '92 okay so it's a warrant to repair for a previous repair that we did I'll say two weeks ago um 26 was showing signs of white smoke coming out of the exhaust which is an indication of Annie F mixing in with the engine so um I I don't know what is broken on that uh AR car mechanic will dive into it tomorrow as it happened towards the end of the day and as far as the letter of intent is concerned uh sanitation equipment corporation based in Toto New Jersey who does the manufacturing of the truck body not the chassis said who's the one who quoted us for the second truck in July or the first one the second one okay he said that he gave me a template for letter of intent that other T have used that his company will accept basically to summarize is he will hold the truck indefinitely until we get a PO if we back out of the letter intent there's a monetary fly um I think he said it was 20,000 if you back out how much is the truck $39,000 which is a 10% increase from the purchase in August of last year and it's actually a 10% increase on a cheaper chassis do we have a letter of intent ready for that truck or we s a template today and I'm going to be forwarding it over to Angela and CFOs for to review and um then I believe Jill or Ken will send it forward to the committee for approval and if you guys approve it the truck will be available to us in June with our truck that we purchase in August pending no delays is there anything we could get for the truck that we have as a turn in value even though it's very old so um you said one's a 92 what's the other one I'm sorry 96 96 okay so what we would do is we would auction those off um I would ask my committee to my finance committee or DPW Community whoever wants to to give me um a baseline of what you want the bids to start at um what do you think it's worth the 96 might be worth more um because it's it's only 4 years difference but the body is a lot different inside mechanically wise we could probably start off at 10,000 but I don't see us getting any more than 15 each to be honest with you because parts are rare so someone might just buy these trucks as part trucks even though they run and the new truck to buy it is the how do we Finance that um that's what Jill was mentioning with the flip-flopping um there were different items that I had originally put in our Capital request and in light of recent events we decided to change our approach on the capital budget and I mean I can't speak for Jill or Ken because they know the numbers way better than no I mean literally Finance it is there a deposit you paid off over four or five years according to Jill and Ken if if the numbers match up we be buying it out yeah do you want me to talk a little bit about that so what happens is every year the buau does a capital ordinance uh they solicit the Departments um they uh the finance committee usually reviews all the capital items and and creates the uh the capital ordinance um we have to put a down payment on it uh it will be a unfunded uh ordinance uh after down payment it will go into a bond anticipation no uh you after 3 years you start making pay Downs on it and when you have enough capital projects uh that are in the bond anticipation noes you would go out for a bond and you would Bond it that way over useful blind of all the projects in the in the bonds so it's typically every year I think last year was around two 2 million of capital projects I thought it was maybe a little bit under I don't know off the top of my head but but it's it's normal that every Department puts it together and you you fund them that way they can't really be absorbed in the uh in the budget the the only reason why we we're asking for a letter of intent is because the truck is currently available that they will hold it for us and since we are in dire need um we still have to do the capital ordinance that's why we we need a letter of intent for your permission um because we need at least two meetings for the ordinance and we're not done finalizing everything in there but obviously the need is there and Greg correct me for wrong it was a sourcewell contract so so yeah both both trucks are on sourcewell and the second truck that Ken's referring to we would want to letter our intent for is it was a deal that another town or company put together and then backed out during production so it's now considered a stock item it's currently in production and he's willing to sell it to the first person who's got the money and he said he can only hold it for us if we do a letter in 10 if not he could sell it out from underneath us and at the rate of cost increases and production timelines you could see another 10 or 15% if we wait till next year right and a longer build time and even this truck we're getting in July we ordered that how long ago the one that the first one we we had the PO created it was either the end of August or beginning of September of last year so it's almost it's almost a year to get a truck yeah and the truck went into production the chassis went into production in December and then it was shipped down to Alabama for manufacturing of the body in middle of January and he's anticipating sometime in June at the earliest that both trucks will be done and this uh what are we doing about avoiding our earlier order we're not to it's two different Capital years okay yeah it's get get two TR this will be 2024 and we previously joined that Co-op right we've used them before and that's why you can do a letter 10 because not violating any B laws it's item that's on a contract that we can participate source is a national Co-op so it's it's a whole nation it's a much bigger bid process so we got a much better competitive bid through source and it has everything you want on it this truck that's already in production yeah it's a 29 cubic yard body with a re rear Barrel Grabber attachment which is big for the for the guys backs and and injuries on an international chassis uh the first one we bought was a Ken withth chassis okay both are body wise are are identical so the only thing that's different is the chassis colors so this truck if we give a letter of intent will have it when July yes July or August pending no delays I mean it's in production currently right um and it's just a matter of them finishing it and then delivering it to us so we have to we're hoping to do the capital budget in uh April and adopting that in May so the we would be able to commit to it uh once the ordinance is is adopted well formally commit to it and if these two trucks are purchased that'll change the ages of the trucks to the 2024 2023 2018 and the 2010 so we'll have another several year loll of right not having to buy a garbage truck and then moving forward I'm hoping in 10 years we can do them like once every other year so it's not overwhelming for the budget are we still baring the counties yes and it's a good thing because we have two down right now right so they they loaned us a garbage truck we've been using their smaller it's single axle 18 cubic yards but if I keep it on the Wednesday Saturday route then it's close to the garage and we can dump them in our concrete bins and send it right back out again and then worry about delivering it to whatever material we're picking up delivering it to the appropriate vendor another day just so we can get the pickup stuff right okay now um this doesn't change any numbers from Monday's meeting as far as impact the possible taxpayers or no no this doesn't U this wouldn't affect the taxpayers yeah because we're sh trading right right in the trade we're actually doing uh this year's Capital to next year's is actually a little more economical to to buy the truck and and push the other items forward so it will occur less than by buying the truck and maybe one or two other items oness so that that was a positive as well just as a note for the Govern so they realize I work in another town we all know that that has privatized garage this is a huge saving to be able to do this in house that you no understand the vital part of getting this truck so that's why we presenting it quickly tonight you know we don't have the full Capital uh it's unique situation they have something available that we can hopefully get in a couple mons to make it a much better functioning so do we do we need to as a governing body do something tonight officially to vote to to do this this letter or what do we need to do so that we can save that truck before it's gone in the next day or two if you guys wanted to make a motion to do that then that would give I believe give Jill and Ken the freedom to draft or Angela whoever draft a letter of intent and send it out to the uh company this week so is everybody comfortable with doing that tonight I have to see what it looks like I I'll you the email okay yes so I think if you want to make a motion along that I'll make yeah I'll make a motion pending our attorney uh bro attorney just reviewing it and as long as he's good with the tomorrow first thing passes it on to our our finance department and and move on it I'll second that you have to come in a close session first uh for that motion we're not in Clos session we're in open public I mean in the public comments got it got it thank you Greg you're welcome thank you thank you Jill and Ken too there a couple of things procedurally that we should cover just to close out this I'll add in there okay um anyone else from the public okay seeing no one I'll close the wait one second Ken has something oh I'm sorry Ken Ken blown with Jill finance department kill we just want to Echo what has been said about Lisa she really is the glue for Kenworth and finances and we wouldn't be able to do this job without her so we do appreciate her and thank you for giving her that's awesome okay anyone else from the public okay seeing no one I'd like a motion to close the flo for public discussion second all in favor okay now now mayor we should have a motion to amend the agenda to include uh this resolution to authorize the execution of the L I'll make that motion if I can to uh amend and add that resolution to purchase or send a letter for purchase int letter of intent for the uh new garbage truck that's available that we need to act on immediately otherwise we will lose it this V is just to amend the we need a motion oh I need a second okay so a motion to agend amend the agenda second second third okay all in favor I I all right now a motion to authorize the uh execution of the L I'll make that motion attorney second approval okay yeah now all favor okay we do all right okay does anyone have anything else to add or to say for the good and Welfare of the barel mayor I do um thank you uh I think many of us on the governing body may have received an email from a resident in town the email really reminded us that our barbarians literally attacked the citizens of Israel on October 7th the email reminded us that there were hostages still in captivity over there the email really reminded us that there's families those in Kenworth that are hurting from such activities so I'm going to use this time to say end the terrorism we do not support barbarianism in the United States I can't see anywhere in the world that would unfortunately we do and I think we can all stand for peace and prosperity and I just wanted to use the time to say that so thank you m thank you yeah we hostages as soon as possible abolutely we're living in deplorable conditions can only imagine inhumane yeah exactly and then we also have to mention the consolidation of work session and the yeah we don't have we have to still do a resolution for the new the new dates right the dates are the same it's all on here I will say can I'll just explain um we had a lot going on before so um that is why we did the resolution prior to the consent agenda because um they were in line that changed we adopted the ordinance we did the change to the bylaws and then we changed the schedule later in this agenda and that's yes that's why the one I get is to make it clear to everyone that's why we did that resolution separate because it was there Wasing the subsequent action yes so um so so then uh this will commence at the next council meeting the new process it will so then I I I guess the public should know that the work sessions are no longer going to be scheduled at 6:00 p.m. and then we have new council meeting scheduled 700 p.m. 6 6 6m so it's going to be a 600 p.m. council meeting with the workshop included in the regular meeting okay so that new schedule is going to replace the other it will be advertised in two plate in two newspapers to just cover our bases because it's replacing the previous one from the reorganization meeting it will also I will update and do an amended meeting schedule for the remainder of the Year and that will be dist red to everybody and replace the existing ones that are posted on bulletin boards and so on and so forth and on the website I'm not going to reference that that other meeting is cancelled because this is now an amended schedule and that's how it's going to be on the website okay is that record I'm familiar with the resolution I drafted I know know I don't want thinking I no no I I know yeah no I know I know but that is why I didn't talk about why I did do it that way so that could get it all on this meeting just the public next week next meeting or the meeting after March 20 everything will be in effect beautiful and just so so the public knows it's going to be a streamline meeting instead of having a a two different meetings a workshop and then a regular meeting it's just going to be one meeting one uh open public session one salute to the flag it'll be one so somebody doesn't show up early and then has to wait around and and all that so it's going to be just one meeting with the workshop built into that meeting then the regular meeting uh not a regular meeting it's all one meeting and just going on from there instead of having two separate meetings starting next meeting yeah so I will um every I guess to let everyone know if you subscribe to the agenda to the calendar on the website you're going to get a lot of I know this happened in the beginning of the year because I'm going to be deleting the old ones and putting the new ones into the calendar we'll usually do them for the rest of the year so if you or someone else mentions they get a lot of meeting CH uh notifications from the website that's why um and so we'll do that as soon as possible uh tomorrow it'll be updated so that there's less confusion okay okay and our unsung maros you're aware of that too right yeah we do thank you behind behind the camera so could I just say um congratulations Lisa Dominic Shirley hiding back there and Ray who's probably enjoying a drink at the VFW and especially our six police officers who have earned their promotions um I'm really proud to be a Kenworth resident and see all the comaraderie the team playing working together last night at the senior center um Shirley and um pette saying no Greg sent the guys over set up chairs took them down you Lisa and Dominic working on your own time for for something um that's above and beyond your job description and everybody knows surely and of course that Apple doesn't fall far from the tree with the morrow family but um it's really a great burrow to live in and on the podcast today with the mayor and the chief just talking about um the bur of kennworth and they're asking what makes kennworth so different and it is that that everybody knows each other you go in and out of the store they know how you take your coffee how you like your sandwich and and um that's why people like you being being um willing to work together with your co-workers your colleagues for nothing more than it's the right thing to do so thank you all congratulations to all the police officers we're probably having a ball right now okay uh can I have a motion to adjourn motion second all in favor a good oh oh