the May 6 2024 meeting of the township committee the notice requirements provided for in the open public meetings act have been satisfied notice of this meeting was properly given by transmission to the Asbury Park Press and the two River times and by posting at the Middletown Township Municipal Building and filing with the Township Clerk all on January 11th 2024 committee man Clark committee woman cratz here committee men brino here Deputy Mayor hiel here mayor Perry here please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge ALG to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice at this time I'd like to ask for a moment of silence to honor the troops serving worldwide defending our constitutions freedoms and way of life thank you first item on our agenda tonight we have a presentation recognizing May 2024's Jewish American Heritage Month in the township of Middletown at this time I would like to invite Jewish Federation in the heart of New Jersey Representatives Susan Antman and Dan rosette to join May Perry at the front of the room good evening everybody um I uh got to got to meet Dan a couple of months back um he called me up after my trip to Israel back in uh I guess late January early February this year and I got to go out to uh I spent 48 Hours on the ground in Israel five hours sleeping and and if you can do an Israel trip in 48 hours it's it's pretty good I feel like uh I I didn't know when I had signed up for that was going to be it but uh but I got to talk to Dan and obviously um we are at a moment in history where we can either stand up against hate and violence uh against a people uh a peaceful people that have been persecuted for thousands of years um or you can remain silent um and when I went to Israel uh I went to educate myself and to understand truly on the ground what was happening um to speak to the families to understand what cultural ideals and Innovations is ultimately the word that the Israeli people were were going through because unless you're there you really don't know and can't understand and and most importantly [Music] appreciate the fact that this is a country of 9 million people roughly the same Geographic size as the state of New Jersey um and in one day 1,200 people were killed and are kidnapped um in in just a single moment of time and when I was there I got to travel all all throughout the country um flying into Tel Aviv going down as far south as ofakim um going out to Jerusalem seeing um so many beautiful aspects of a great country and the thing that struck me the most and the most under reported Unknown about Israel is how large the Muslim population is in Israel Muslim Israelis living there in peace with their fellow Jewish Israeli citizens and I thought to myself I'm I'm sitting in a hotel in Jerusalem just yards from the West Bank basically um where you can see the um you can see the uh crossover points of the border and in that that moment those 48 hours that I was there have stuck with me struck me upset me both in terms of anger and in terms of sadness it it changed my outlook on a lot of things by only being there for 48 hours and every person that I have been able to talk to about this whether they're from the Jewish Federation um as as an entity or just anyone that would listen to me talk about it I as as a as a as an American as as someone who's Catholic you you just you don't appreciate the history and and what is happening in that New Jersey of the Middle East basically um the fact that you can travel from border to border in just a few hours the fact that there it's it's the same size population but the one thing that struck me the most was I sat down with the mayor of ofakim and who I believe his town lost more people on that day than any other town and I said well mayor said to to him and the whole team that was there I said you know Middletown lost more people on 9911 than any other municipality outside of New York City and as the translator was translating what I was saying back to him you could see the emotion fill through his body you could see him him feel what I was what I had said and I felt at that moment this kinship between the two of us even though neither of us were speaking the same langu language we were speaking the same language we were speaking the language of humanity we were speaking the language of what it means to be a citizen this world and how to live in peace regardless of whether or not you're 12,000 miles away or not and that is a moment that you know my wife wasn't too thrilled that I was traveling to Israel in the middle of a war which was I guess a fair point I'm not going to tell her that but it's a fair point but it's but it's something but it's something that I will never forget for the rest of my life and I look I I cannot wait because it's not if it's when I go back to Israel I'm going to spend a little bit more time but I truly believe that we are put on this Earth to experience things not just through travels but through interactions with other people whether you speak that same language or not you speak that of humanity and you can get that feeling and when I presented the mayor of ofakim with the flag that had flown over this building in the aftermath of October 7th again that language barrier was non-existent because we were just two people two Mayors sitting there understanding that both of us had gone through both of our towns had gone through something so tragic so unbelievable that we just bonded in just a few moments um but what we are seeing Dan and I have talked about this what we are seeing on college campuses what we are seeing in demonstrations across this country of an anti-American anti-semitic um uproar uh is really concerning and really troubling and I don't think of any other way other than to shine a spotlight and it just so happens that today is Holocaust Remembrance Day and to be able and the coincidence or the intent that our Township committee meeting fell on this day we had discussed it and I hadn't even realized that it was going to fall on the same day until earlier today the fact that it did only furthers exactly what I just said that we can either stand up up and speak out or we could sit back and be partially responsible because we didn't I I'm not going to sit back and allow for anti-American and anti-semitic rhetoric to bleed into the borders of this town and I'm going to call it out in every other town so um what I hope that we can do is we recognize the fact that may is Jewish American heritage month is only Propel the mission of the Jewish Federation of the Jewish people and the impact that they have not just on Middletown but on the state of New Jersey um New Jersey has has to be top five top two in terms of populations of Jewish people outside of Israel and uh it is our duty to to ensure that we're carrying that message of of love and support for our Jewish neighbors so um I didn't intend Susan or Dan to go on for that long it just struck me in the moment so but I'm I'm grateful that both of you are here representing the Jewish Federation and we do have a proclamation which I believe is the first time the town has ever done so um in designating May 2024 as Jewish American heritage month so um I just I I I never read all the where ases but I do want to to just say a few of them it says whereas less than a century ago approximately 6 million Jews were murdered Ed during the Holocaust and this year May 6 is recognized as Holocaust Remembrance Day in the United States to pay tribute to all those lives lost and whereas although decades have since passed Jewish Americans and people of Jewish descent continue to face anti-Semitism despite the adversity that they have faced they bravely continue to follow their beliefs and values and whereas Middletown Township strives to be a place where people of Jewish descent can feel safe and celebrated Jewish Americans are part of the success story of our nation and our Township and our and they are an established and vital component of the neighborhoods in which we live play and work now therefore I mayor Tony Perry and the Middletown Township committee to hereby Proclaim May 2024 and every May going forward as Jewish American Heritage Month in the township of Middletown thank you for everything that you do thank of course say a few words again nothing plans ahead of time first I want to thank you for your caring your thoughtfulness and for associating Jewish heritage month with Federation in the heart of New Jersey we're a nonprofit We represent Mammoth County and middle sex County residents and our goal is so similar to everything that you all do our goal is just to make everybody's life stronger safer and sweeter and um I think that our missions are aligned and we very much appreciate apprciate this I also know that may is um Asian-American you know Heritage and uh Pacific Islanders and older Americans and for sure a month where we honor you know the military where people gave their lives to serve us and our community to make a world a better place so for you doing this for us you're the only municipality who's recognizing us like this um and I don't have words that could really Express the appreciation for this um except to say thank you today's my birthday and I us for a better birthday in terms of knowing that got too KN that honestly I'm part of a a really caring Community um and you know I will also remember this so thank you very very much for this off the I'll just say um to know that we have an uh the town all of you you sir um just makes me sleep a little bit better um it's been a tough uh you know eight months or so um it's been a tough five years also with anti-Semitism but um it's it's a good thing to have allies and and you are all are our Ally and there's anything we can do um to work with you on anything uh to serve your town please any call me up let me know do it we'll be there for you thank we State you know next year Inus I hope that's the case for you and for many of you join us thank you thank you very much appr Happy Birthday thanks all of you okay ready okay next we have a presentation recognizing May 2024 is mental health awareness month in the township of M at this time I'd like to invite Middletown High School South student Piper Wyman to join my Perry at the front of the room you want the whole team come up just my support I love it your support group you know doesn't me this is mental health awareness month right oh absolutely okay that was beautifully coordinated for support group so um for those of you who uh were here last year and might have uh might have been here Piper came to me I maybe in my office hours right where we just scheduled a meeting and to discuss that this young lady had a an idea and was the most motivated person I have ever that has ever come to my office about something was like we are going to get this done um she now has an office here at Town Hall but Piper um who's now a senior yep and is headed off to San Diego State University next year um did an amazing walk last year that left the Middletown Art Center um and it was a walk that Rick and I could handle um last year I no a walk from the Middletown Art Center last year to right here at Town Hall in the parking lot and and the beauty of it uh beyond what it what it represented and what it was raising money for was the young people that were there the young people that were involved um that was the the great part that they were all standing up for not only as friends of yours but as supporters of the cause that you were fighting for and um the the walk for 2024 is rapidly approaching um now I could steal all the Thunder but that would not be able to give you let you see how impressive Piper is so Piper uh the floor is yours to let all Middletown know about your event this year thank you uh first I want to start off by thanking mayor Perry for giving me the opportunity to do this for the second year this would absolutely not be possible without you um I want to thank everyone else who has continued to show support and partake in being the difference um this year here be the difference is going to be on Sunday May 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and like mayor Perry said we begin at the megal toown art center and we walk all the way here to town hall where there's going to be an event um and it's mainly going to be different types of tables and organizations um that you can learn about all of the money donated um and raise is donated directly to the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention uh they have different chap and um each chapter is designated by the state so I will be donating all of our funds to the New Jersey chapter last year um the walk was more of a success than I could have ever imagined uh with nearly 220 Walkers I raised $11,000 and thank you yes all of the money was donated directly to the American Foundation and it was an entire just utter success I couldn't have ever imagined it to go as well as it did and with that being said this year my goal has only showed me that I can strive for more and more and more and so that's why I'm trying to advertise and promote be the difference as much as possible whether you donate whether you show up whether you share it absolutely anything makes a difference and I truly would appreciate anything that could be done so thank you all for taking your time to listen today and I hope to see you guys on May 19th excellent job um th this is a a great walk I encourage every Middletown resident to to take part in some way shape or form um be there to move Rick down the street a little bit faster uh he slowed me down last year um but uh but you know to to see um High School students do this is is really the big impact see high school students come come together and uh the one part of this Proclamation that I do want to read out loud it says suicide has reached every part of this world including Middletown and students from high schools north and south are coming together for the be the difference Community walk for suicide awareness and prevention on Sunday May 19th beginning at 10: a.m. at the Middletown art center and ending at Town Hall and we encourage every resident to visit the be the difference Instagram account for more information the reason I bring that up is because Piper showed me something that I was not aware of that you could do on Instagram today um so I felt very bad about myself um so but it's was a sucess all right Kev thank you all yeah but um Piper you're doing an amazing job um I I only hope that the the next group of students at High School North and South pick this up um hopefully that's the transition plan um as you transition out to San Diego State University in your college days um but many big things to come from you many big things to come from the be the difference group and we're grateful to have you in middl toown so thank you so much thank you yes absolutely There You Go Old Pro one two three two three thank you okay I just want to pass out some flyers while I'm up here um so you guys can take them home to your family or just put them on your fridge anything just share it um so that you guys have all of the details there's a QR code that you can scan of course and it will bring you directly to our website um and you can learn more about see the difference and why it was started and you can also sign up online or just donate so scan the QR code and sign up thanks Piper great job I think I that can help us sign up yeah the Q the the QR code is there for your convenience Rick you you take your phone out you scan that little QR code and off you go he said he needs Laura's help to to get to that all right um okay ready Karen sure I just have a few proclamations to read for the record first we have a proclamation recognizing May 5th through 11th 2024 as Municipal clerks week a proclamation recognizing May 2024 as older Americans month in the township of Middletown a proclamation recognizing May 2024 is Buddy poppy month in the township of Middletown a proclamation recognizing May 1st through the 7th 2024 is Elks youth week in the township of Middletown and last a proclamation recognizing May 11 through the 17th 2024 is Police Week in the township of Middletown just before we move on Karen it is Clerk's week Municipal Clerk's week and I I just want to say on behalf of the entire Township committee up here and the staff honest to God you and Heidi do an unbelievable job our clerk's office is hands down one of the best anywhere in the state of New Jersey from passports to to Imaging to putting the agendas together to researching things you both and and the entire Clerk's team do an amazing job and and I really thank you as as mayor and on behalf of the township committee and everybody else thank you for everything that you do thank you and it's an honor to serve and work with all of you thank you okay next item on tonight's agenda we have public hearings on proposed ordinances first ordinance is 2024 3412 and ordinates delegating authority to the township of Middletown sewage Authority relating to the inspection and enforcement of regulations governing grease traps and interceptors I expect a lot of public comments on this one any member of the public wishing to speak on public ordinance number 224-3123 [Laughter] committee woman cratz yes committee man sen brino yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion passes to approve this ordin on second final reading next ordinance on tonight's agenda for public hearing is ordinance 2024 3413 an ordinance amending chapters 24-20 of the code of the township of Middletown reducing New Jersey Transit commuter parking lot fees to mitigate the extraordinary New Jersey Transit Fair increase any member of the public wishing to speak on public ordinance number [Music] 224-3131 cratz yes committee men s Marina yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion passes to approve this ordinance on second and final reading next item on tonight's agenda we have the introduction of proposed ordinances first is 2024 3414 and ordinance amending chapter 24-8 of the code of the township of Middletown governing fire prevention local business registration fees motion to introduce second committee woman Katz yes committee men sen brino yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to pass this ordin on first reading with a public hearing to be held May 20th 2024 next we have 2024 3415 a bond ordinance providing an appropriation of $1,100,000 for acquisition of property by and for the township of Middletown in the county of Mammoth New Jersey and authorizing the issuance of 1 million 45,000 in bonds or notes of the township for financing part of the appropriation motion to introduce second committee woman cretz yes committee man sen brino yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to pass this ordinance on first reading with the public hearing to be held May 20th 2024 at this time I would like to ask the township committee to adopt a consent agenda that would include resolutions 24-16 through 24-1 164 motion to approve the consent agenda second committee woman Katz yes committee man sen brino yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to approve consent agenda next we have Township committee comments all right committee sen brino thank you mayor I hold my comments till the next meeting all right committee woman Katz I'll do the same mayor thank you okay Deputy Mayor same here mayor all right um with that I'll open it up for public comment um actually right just before that I just want to say thank you to the township committee um and thank you to everyone uh on the staff level uh back to you know the clerk's team again who handles the parking uh to be able to get the parking fees reduced in the time in which we were able to get that done that ordinance written Brian thank you for that getting getting the talking about the fees and the reduction in those fees with Colleen um and the team Tony for his credit and and certainly in leading the charge uh a after those uh fees NJ Transit Fair fees were introduced and passed by the New Jersey Transit board without any audits without any type of discussion for it to unanimously happen up in Newark with with relatively little information prior um this is at least a small uh help for the commuters of Middletown and and certainly I'm sure we'll go a long way uh as soon as they are implemented so I want to thank everybody for for getting that done with that being said I'll yeah Tom um the item on your agenda on your consent agenda um it's our um annual cdbg and we we are required to ask any public comments on that just okay all right uh so resolution 24-15 6 a resolution is that the one you're talking about ton uh yes uh 24156 a resolution authorizing the submission of the 2024 action plan pursuant to the requirements of federal regulations 24- CFR part 91 any member of the public wishing to make a public comment okay seeing no member of the public moving forward I'll go back uh Aaron and we'll just do a separate vote for 24-1 156 seeing that there's no member of the public stepping forward for comment motion to approve second no I was waiting for the second okay committee woman CRZ yes committee man s bro yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to pass R resolution 24-16 all right with that being said any member of the public wishing to make a public comment seeing no member of the public stepping forward move to close the public portion and adjourn second committee woman Katz yes committee man srino yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adjourn have a great night everybody thank you all