and welcome to the regular meeting of city council city of violand Tuesday March 12th 2024 at 6:30 p.m. here here pres even we have us the rosi safety patrols they're going to come up and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and we'll have a few pictures taken by the parents after wsg alleg United States of America and to the [Music] [Music] than thanks thanks for not cursing or anything that's good appreciate [Applause] that [Laughter] thanks oh just take out the council members thank you thank you rossie thank you on December 13th 2023 by the city clerk in the following manner posting written notice on the official bulletin board in the lobby of City Hall providing written notice to the offices of the Daily Journal and the Press of Atlantic City and filing written notice in the office of the city clerk of the city of Island and at this time chair entertains a motion that the 2024 minutes of the pre-meeting conference and the regular meeting of February 27th and the work session of March 5th be approved as submitted I second is there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr franchis skini yes Mr Spinelli yes Mr Vargas Dr Arthur yes Madam President we have uh the CFO and the mayor of the city of vand and the CFO staff to um give the budget presentation at this time t Team [Music] it you are hi mayor how are you we were last week missed it I mean two weeks ago uh very very close very close you you you complete me thank you you're welcome may you should use a microphone there why don't you use the handheld might be easier thank you do you have enough yeah I can back up a little bit can everyone hear in the back there we go thank you they can move up hi t all right so we are going to display this PowerPoint this evening for you to go over some of the uh workups of this year's uh Municipal budget and I have uh our CFO sual desera here to assist Yolanda is here as well thank you and Norita hi honey thank you so whenever you're ready we can move into uh the first slide so here is the um distribution of our tax dollars for this current fiscal and calendar year and as you can see uh the breakdown between the municipal Services the school board the county and of course the little ping section there is the library you'll notice a interesting number there and that's the County's percentage around just under hovering under 40% um of what it is so that number has actually come down a little bit of our contribution but don't be confused and you'll see a little bit later in this slide that the actual increase to the county of our Revenue has gone up uh where the percentage has gone down which is a good thing CU some of the Cities in the county are pulling their load however with our successes um we've been contributing even more again we're just shy of 50 million now currently but you can see the breakdown of the services that are provided by each entity um in there as well can move on the uh history of our assessed valuations here in the city of Island and you'll notice in the Years um previous to 2016 you remember the city had its reval um but we only went back to 16 and moved forward where we had uh settled the um tax appeals and so forth and where we had some real variations over those several years and and losses of uh tax revenue to where we are today that we have a significant increase and was one of the largest increases overall impactfully in the city's history um collecting those revenues from 23 to 24 this is just the slide showing that we provide each year to show the operating surpluses that we use in the budget um between the fund balance um and you can notice obviously the just a smidge off of where we were from 23 to 24 and the corresponding numbers as well the history of our fund balance here for the city as you can see has steadily increased over a number of years uh from 16 all the way through 2023 our fancy curtains in the slide good job ladies we're going to go into the accomplishments that uh were completed and achieved last year obviously the groundbreaking on the new Firehouse is one of our big significant ones we will be completing this obviously as we have with respect to uh the Police Department EMS Department um and some of the things we're going to be accomplishing this year with public works as well but you can see that's a great drone shot uh over there and of course the actual groundbreaking on the firehouse our uh our new puppies that we've added into the mix here our employees uh number one was Wednesday which is our emotional support dog which has been making lots of visits throughout the school district lately as well um as a number of other stops and has been very well received by all and then of course our new um arson dog radiant uh which is now operated by um Mr McMahon who's doing a great job so far and it's incredible the amount of training that uh the K9 has gone through uh for fire school and to become a certified arson dog something that is much needed for our investigations here where our team here in the city of island is deployed quite often especially with the county and deputy chief chaalia who's been the chief investigator for arsons for a number of years and this is going to be a great tool and Phil um was anxious to take this opportunity on and and really has done a great job with it as well you can see here um a couple before and after shots of the municipal complex here at City Hall with some of the improvements that we've made to the exterior um with the parking with the landscape and uh the fencing the new sidewalks uh we were able to do um a number of things in housee uh a lot of gratitude goes out to director Lily from the utility for assisting and helping this project stay on track with the contractors because this was a a big task where the building had not been maintained um in correctly in our opinion in a number of years and now has become a warmer friendlier environment a very welcoming environment and there's not a meeting that happens here and that goes on without someone commenting on how beautiful it is to come to the municipal complex now and uh it makes us so proud of of what we've been able to accomplish and showcasing this because it is the flagship building in the city uh and all the new businesses come in here all the people people soliciting to do business with the city and the comments are are all uniform it's a big it's a wow factor every single time and something else it's notable with this is a lot of the lighting improvements that have been made the city hall and that people have missed we're coming out of meetings at night now whether it's planning or zoning or Recreation or environmental you name it people can come out and it's easy to see it's well lit um there's no question on where cars are no one feels unsafe and that's extremely important because we want that warm welcoming environment the switch to the LED lighting and the type of lighting that they use has really been magnificent and I know when I leave sometimes late at night and you see uh those lights it is really it's great it's lit up and it's almost reminds you of like a a baseball stadium to a degree so a lot of Thanks goes out to him and to the team there for really spearheading this and um it's really helped showcase these improvements as well Public Works crew for uh the Avenue we've uh put together something here and a lot of people again have taken notice of this um down the downtown Corridor these folks have been dedicated to that and now also into the industrial park where they started in February um cleaning preparing the streets keeping things going during snow removal trash uh different events it's been incredible and uh under the leadership of director near and his head supervisor there Alex Gomez they've done a tremendous job in really getting things under control they've added to that crew another member which has made that team stronger and you know of course we want to continue to keep things clean downtown but also in the industrial park which ends up getting a lot of litter by accident or by default because there's so many trucks in and out of there every single day it's really made a noticeable difference I've had a number of businesses comment to say in all the years we've been here and all the money we've invested in industrial park we've never seen anybody come down here as as often lately as you're doing what's going on so I've been explaining to those businesses what our Focus has been and how important it is for us to continue to do that and that we want to really give back value to them as they are truly the largest tax base here in the city of Island and they deserve that we've dedicated Crews during snow removal down there to make sure that mil road is completely clear uh and salted as necessary they've noticed that over the last five years or so because you know when we get snow we get it and it's never easy it's always back to back to back somehow or it's always super cold or we get nothing but when you have it you want to make sure that these folks can get in and out of there their employees can get in and out of there because there are thousands of people that work there let alone the deliveries that take place so I've gotten a lot of positive feedback over the last 30 days or so from um some folks now noticing saying gez a few years ago you really implemented a great job with the contractors coming in here and doing the roads for snow and now you've done this we can't thank you enough and I said well no we can't thank you enough so our city of Island mobile app was launched um this past year which we've had um a number of downloads on and the thing has been working incredibly um it's been a very successful venture to get into it's been great pushing out information and knowledge to our folks it's a way to connect again with the Next Generation and keeping them informed and those in Our Generations that want to be informed and have a little bit of Savvy when it comes to technology um we've been able to do a number of things with paying bills and getting notifications to people about um rabes clinics uh vaccinations um license and inspections our employee spotlights uh general information to contact the city departments potholes you name it they've been able to really communicate and we're really happy frankly thrilled to see what's been happening with the development of the app and some of the things that we've done to improve upon it since its implementation and we do encourage everyone to go to either the Google Play store or the Apple Store to download the app the more the merrier and the easier we can get information pushed out to you so our commercials and our advertisement um that we've worked so hard on um over the last couple years in marketing the city and helping us Rebrand has been incredible this is a great commercial keying in on um what our businesses do what our utilities do and how it's added to the quality of life here and the uh upgrades to the infrastructure here and the development frankly these commercials have been a huge hit um we've marketed in certain areas specifically the city I know a number of you have heard this year in and year out but we're getting the feedback we're getting the hits we're seeing what's happening the visitors to the website we can track this with the analytics that go out and a lot of people are saying oh I saw this commercial on TV or I'll get a a text message or an email or something wow this looks really great or wow I'm really proud of my hometown I don't live in violent anymore but I live wherever and I happen to see this commercial hit and it's incredible to see the improvements to the city I want to come back and see or I'm going to come through town can I have can I meet with you and see you and absolutely so people come in and they look and they're like it's amazing then they come in and see City Hall and how amazing City Hall looks and all the improvements to the different departments and and what's been happening and it's been tremendous for us um to show the successes of the city and the commercials are so well done that they've been targeted in certain areas we use obviously TV placements we also use social media placements um as well that are strategic um not this past Super Bowl well we did this Super Bowl but the Super Bowl previous as we all know um you know our hometown son Isaiah Pacho was in the Super Bowl we targeted the Kansas City area and the surrounding areas with these commercials and obviously placing them on social media is very reasonable and it's not an overwhelming cost and I can't tell you how many people saw the commercials and looked at that and said wow and we got a flood of comments from people from you know the central the country to the west of the country saying I can't believe that this is something there your town looks so beautiful what information can can you send us then we direct them right to our website and it catches them again so the marketing has worked very well our branding has been great I remember a number of years ago going back8 nine 10 years ago when you first Googled violent it was a lot of negativity you don't see that now um it's overwhelming with the successes the press releases of what we've been able to accomplish together and where we're going with The Branding of the city so I'm very proud of what our public relations team has done um and our partner together amongst ourselves and the utilities for pushing these um advertisements and we've done so many you know we've advertised through Economic Development we advertise through utilities we advertise quality of life and and of course all the growth and these are the topics that people want want to see and want to hit and now the interesting thing is we've had several businesses come in and we've started off presentations with our commercial Clips we've we've shortened them up a little bit so they're not quite as long there's several of them that'll run in a reel and we give a background in history of the city as they're watching this on a reel and it's they're amazed so and these are international companies that are locating here now and or expanding their headquarters that are currently here in the industrial park our new trash trucks so trash is always a Hot Topic and frankly I'm probably going to jinx us but I haven't heard a whole lot of complaints right now I don't want to hear anything from you Mr franchis Kini um but we own our Fleet again um and working together through our various departments um and our utilities and everyone coming together we've been able to control our destiny so we don't end up in a pickle again like we did last time and these trucks have been running great they've been very successful and they've been very well received by the community people are saying wow that's a new design to a trash truck I've never seen a cab that big wow they're able to hold three or four people working and wow the logo looks great over there and oh this is the company that's operating it yes so we've done another thing in securing our future and making sure we are controlling our own destiny if um we ever have an issue and we decide we need to move on or a contractor gets too expensive or we have any kind of problem like we've had in the past um it just takes a little bit of time to sort it out but Pro with proper planning we can achieve all things we've continued our commitment to recruitment for police fire and EMS with fire it continues to be on the career path and on the volunteer path I'm on the radio several times a month having some conversations with um different hosts and talking about the recruitment our mobile app has pushed out recruitment for all departments and frankly it's it's nice to say that we've been able to um start to recruit some First Responders again it was challenging for a period in time there people have you know really shied away from different careers in public service now we're starting to see things change a little bit and we hope that pendulin continues to swing back the other way but we will continue our commitment to recruitment of the finest Personnel here to add to our first responder teams and continue to keep our residents as safe as possible special events is that [Music] Barbie and spelli in the middle um as you can see [Laughter] we we've uh had a number of special events we've added for quality of life here in the city um we've we've really been fortunate our special events coordinator Miss Santiago has done a great job in coming up with some creative ideas uh to do some things and uh some of the stuff with movie Nights has been very well received by the community and so many people there's been an outpouring and uh she's had a way of getting things done with her volunteers and making these events successful of course we had a PCO parade for his Super Bowl run which was a big event we've had the concert series at champetra Park uh which included a number of outside bands and of course buddy cavalo as well but you can see we've had uh you know the Eagles um tribute band and of course a journey Tribute Band as well and a number of things that are continuing to go we're going to continue with special events through the city uh we're coordinating with some special events and things happening with the senior center again under the direction New Direction there as well and keeping things together and and having some Harmony um and I'm very very happy and very grateful with the performance of the team because we've been able to really start touching upon different um things that people like in different interests this coming weekend on Friday night we have our first ever karaoke night um that's being hosted at um Eastland in their banquet room how many performers Shea so we have 20 performers and 300 guests and and and wow so you have 300 and they're going to be in attendance because we're capped out there with fire code I'm sure and a couple hundred more that wanted to attend another great job and another great outside the box idea we we talk daily about different events and different things and it's great to have someone concentrating on that for the city so thank you very much for that um and I'm looking forward to seeing the entertainment um on Friday night and if anyone else is attending I'm sure we're going to have some good laughs and I'm sure we're going to see some good talent um I can assure you that I will not be singing so please do not be afraid I don't know Paul might get up there you never know but a lot more special events to come and some surprises I am sure that we are in store for this year so 2024 upcoming projects so the demolition of the former ice house over there is finally coming to fruition we're getting very close now and getting that um awful building and I'll say it down and getting that site repurposed um pretty in the very near future and um you can go to the next one the uh old plant um is actively being worked for its demolition which is multiple administrations overdue according to the Department of Environmental Protection um it's this has been a an arduous task in getting there um director Lily and his team have done a great job over there and getting this thing worked on there's been a number of of uh potential um pitfalls that they been able to avoid and get this done and get us back on track environmentally here um it's a shame because we looked at a lot of ways to try to preserve this building and do some different things but it was ultimately a decision that was difficult but had to be made um there were a number of uh potential environmental impacts there and now that will will be addressed and that site will definitely be repurposed in the future our Cheston Avenue safety redesign project which is an uh ongoing ever going process uh we've been working diligently with engineering we've been working with our federal Partners um in regards to the design here this has been um a number of planning sessions in where we've made changes where we've had been allowed some input not as much as I would have liked but you know when you're dealing with Grant monies and the federal government they have a lot of constraints that they they handcuff you with however we're we're probably I'm going to say a number of of six or eight months off from probably seeing a final design and probably a little bit further past that with being out to bid on the project but we are meeting every timeline and every deadline they ask for uh just a lot of bureaucracy when you're dealing with multiple layers of government and what I mean by that is it it's not as expeditious as we are at the municipal level so the feds in the state take a little bit longer but this is going to be um have a little more input from us and hopefully we can make some more educated changes on this to continue the improvements to the corridor But ultimately it's about um the safety of the corridor and the repaving of a badly needed stretch of roadway the 810 uh Billiards um franchise is coming in here in T vient and it's going to be up on dely drive it's going to be an exciting uh change over to the old uh Avalon Tile building and was once American Appliance for those of us that remember it back then and we're really excited for that a lot of Thanks goes into the planning department with Kathy Hicks and Ryan Headley because they' worked with me hand inand on finding ways to really make this site conform and work with parking and drainage and they were very creative um in order to keep this really self-contained on that lot and we're extremely excited that they are going to be um up and running before we know it and again another business owner that is very happy with their experience in Violin has decided to take this on and open this as another business here in the city of Island because they've been very happy with how they've been received and treated here so a lot of Thanks goes into our team and our staff because they've taken our vision um between myself and Council to really move forward into a business friendly environment here the film studio um in the old land is Marketplace so this is a little bit of a rendition um or a rendering of what the uh xer will eventually look like uh films are already being made here in the city of Island um I've been told that another film is starting in April um here that is being filmed and we're moving in the right direction and you know creating another little industry inside of our various Industries you know we always talk about diversity in um our ethnicities here in the city of Island but sometimes we Overlook the diversity in the business crowd we have a little bit of everything and we've had Vision where we've touched our toes in the water with things like this like film and and different film marketing and it's been very creative um the way these folks have been involved I've learned a lot more about the film industry than I ever thought I would um and you know it's it's a very interesting business a very Cutthroat business and we're very happy that people have chosen our area to do certain films um and others have been put out for input and have you know not been um as well received and they've taken you know um the message and social media has been great for that because they've been able to get a lot of feedback in all directions they've been able to pick up some cast members and some extras um um to act in these films and a lot of people have really you know fulfilled their their dream of getting onto the big screen I won't name anybody in particular but um yes so this industry is going well they're renting the marketplace um so it's another source of jobs it's going to be a source of of Revenue and um you know back on the tax roles again in the future which is going to be great as well and happy to see a redesign for another staple on top of Landis Avenue as you've noticed there's been a number of projects where people have taken advantage of project beautify to beautify their buildings and again we're seeing the you know the Renaissance here on the Avenue so this is great we will um we are definitely looking forward to probably late fall I'm going to assume maybe early winter of this year the completion of the new station 6 the career station here on the Boulevard and we are um I encourage anyone who hasn't gone past that to drive by and check the location out things are are are moving in a in a great Direction contractors are working hard the construction management team is doing a great job and again um you know team work on this too you know we looked at this um under director Lily's um agreeance to work with the water utility they've helped to extend their training hydrant here and do some things that were cost savings measures in the construction and time saving measures um at this as well so it's it's great to see the teams working together internally um for the Department this is a long long overdue building our Jake Park this is the latest rendering of uh the Jake Park concept which is going to be our all-inclusive Park so not just special needs but all uh levels of adaptability and physical being and a sensory area as well uh we just had a call this evening before tonight's hearing here on the budget and presentation and this was a very good call um that we were held up uh by the state a little bit which is of no surprise but they've worked through that hurdle and we um are moving forward and we are hopeful to be out to bid within the next month or so on the project for its construction to start I'm anxiously awaiting that because this is going to be a wonderful component in addition to our community and a significant addition to quality of life here um for folks with disabilities and without H the golf course always a topic right so uh the constru of trout National which is um well underway and is um going to be an incredible addition to this community not just from the standpoint of having a worldclass golf course here that is designed by one of the greatest golfers in history along with you know an ownership uh interest with the ruga family and Mike Trout who and his wife Jessica as well um have been involved in this so you have multiple Superstars here who would have ever thought in our day and age that we would have something like this in the city of Island and you know what a lot of Thanks goes to council and a lot of Thanks goes to our team internally and frankly a lot of thanks to the public that have supported us to keep us and put us in office because without all of you this wouldn't be happening here you would not have the Superstar athletes investing hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars into the area this is a complete Testament to our business friendly environment and what we've been able to accomplish so we're very proud of them what they're doing not to mention the amount jobs this is going to create um in another industry you're going to have a major addition to the hospitality industry here in the city of Island not just what we have in the hotel industry um or in the food and beverage industry that we have here this will be a lot different because as many know this complex is going to contain a number of things um as well as not just a golf course so we're very very excited for this to continue we are very grateful for the ruga family and the trout family for U making this commitment again to the city of Island and it's a not just a blessing but it's an honor um on how they feel about how we've worked with them and how our team has treated them so our timeline uh the introduction of the budget obviously today um public hearing will be held on April 9th amendments if needed much to Keith's dismay if there's an amendment so we don't want those right Keith and then the adoption of course um that evening as well I will turn this back to council now if there are any questions Anthony do you know the estimated uh amount of jobs coming from the trout Golf Course did they give you an estimate no not yet um but there's there's an expectation because that's not just going to be a golf course obviously it's going to be a golf course it's going to be a restaurant multia actually going to have some SP there's going to be number of buses's CER talking about proposing to be constructed um stop me if I'm too far ahead and there's nothing something should um some obious I would suspect you're going to be hundreds of jobs Bas what they can do restaurants they're going to have is on site so you're going to have St main you're haveing St not to mention you know construction job already in special contractors Pro course you have better part of probably 50 people yeah talking about IND Fause as and right and are there any outside businesses like thinking about staging outside the arena of the golf course yes cannot particular however there are a number of businesses that are looking to loc in that Corridor and bring their employee B and they're not necessarily in town of relocate specifically because of that and the interesting thing is I can say they're all different types of professionals um so all white col buiness related so far one of which matter of fact the 55 interchange there the overpass is being redone at the right time that's complete great assist for to get off 55 and on the main road thatc City LA like that redesign of burns Avenue that be completed um do you know if M airport is revving up for this too they are yeah um they've already seen an increase in umies yeah that'll be great beer sell sales to right beer right glass to right therey and and to the public you know as we SE now you do have a G private course that's being built but you also have a public portion of a course that's being built and I know Paul's recently had a conversation by July holded that public part of the course public course John actually mentioned that today for public course will be maintain much everything that they've done has been quity without question and they've proven that right thank you or in in so I've had a number of meetings in New Jersey Transit um we've called to a number of associations that are looking to um come in here create I'm going to have a meeting coming upch I off to of my head in regards some of the folks at Hard Rock how they want to get their employees there years ago buses would pick up and then drop off where they pick up down on the expressway they everybody haven't done that a long time it's very difficult for Local 54 down there to get their udes and I'm sure that there's somebody us figures better than I yes number inquiries on the transportation Jersey trans opening and realizing again we coming from this area down and frankly they're afraid because they think that the casinos do their private transportation because New Jersey Transit hasn't kept up on the routes like they wanted to and it made the stops not as frequent to help the casino workers no really I don't know if it was a CO thing or it was pre I think it was pre-co yeah um but yeah doc so it's great to hear it because all the things that are happening I think all it does continue to thanks as long there's no more Insurance businesses going to be brought up here right no more what insurance businesses is that we're good I'm planning on uh having an AED [Laughter] store yeah we shock you right there you only Ron yeah it N More mons to go bu anything else quitter no further questions regarding budget at this time taxes uh my wife does um they going up they saying the same not sure yet have a guess I think it's going to go up slightly that's my guess last slide what none just for you r that is thank you just for you my wife's going to be happy she won't have to pay as much taxes appreciate that that's his birthday present right City but no um we have no Municipal tax increase coming in this budget a lot of hard work um wanted to this budget this has been another very very challenging year and I know we say that every year but it seems like every year it's getting worse at the state level um you know they just don't level the playing field for all of us you know sou Jersey gets dumped on constantly um and you know a lot of folks not all fol but a lot of towns in the share of from the state they got a lot of additionals through the state and we don't see that however PR accomplish this is of course partnership with you know how we do things with our utilities we are very comfortable in where we are now had a long road to recover from you that original one slides in 2016 um you know when we were coming off of council and what was happening budg then and just the um fiscal irresponsibility at that time um the administrations going back or n years and I heard a lot a lot of things but at time counil fin chance have more I don't think we ever expect anything I know I that start out of that I don't think anyone thought we were going to see the inflation that we saw in this country that's awful yeah uh so the school tax that did that increase the not I'm going to now they have a cap right and then right and then it comes to us or is that that doesn't Happ anymore so their budget has to go outside the C and go out they have to go out shot down yes that happened to us once correct I I don't see them goings don't yes deed cut for no reason I was U yeah I think I may have been president that was a little over $500,000 if I recall yeah and that 500,000 onuc budget went out deated come back city council and we Bal the budget at scho figed everything we massive cut St out ofwhere no job correct no job L you're right no service L nothing signicance right and the city council it was was a half million resp we don't know right so it was a very irresponsible move on their part because um we weren't really increasing anything it was just yeah but it's now for us we've had years our in times like this I'm I'm very proud the Pres what we're presently in economically here because we have increased Services we've um increased police we've increased fire we've increased the MS we B equipment that so long for the size of the city and have on the resid and we've been able to do so by help and also helping the community significantly in so many different ways um and comfortable we talked about this we looked at it we looked at it several ways and we were really comfortable this you know that's the big thing people think responsibility cutting it know it's knowing when to spend money and when not right it's a combination sometimes you need to take a penny here and there sometimes that we'll see what next year's impact has you inflation still real you know we think we're going to see some effects we just know what they are but it's not fair to taxer in Pocket what is that very hard on this working with the L that we've done that and I'm proud to say contracts we had our department work with us our Chiefs that work with us personally as well as our director and chief you know for their assistance we've done a lot to maintain our police department and staff without losing people because we were losing people a lot we've been able to work that out I want to thank the PBA they work with the city year on the impact they of MERS signic they worked with us as well to the city is that right Greg yep H says your time is up [Laughter] can you make sure you notate that pleas my wife's going to be upset [Laughter] now fudos sta they put in long days and weekends I called her Sunday and said what are you crazy and uh so they they put in they put in the hours to get the where it's at uh and uh a miracle for thank you thank you thank [Applause] you than Council you know work together team it's we' really come a long way a lot I know you can see when you go to the city you know all of us Liv here for a very long time imprs I can't do what I get done here without all you my decision process know sometimes haveed you know in in accomplishing what we've accomplished in this day in each a budg like this of tax not having increase being able to balance it all the challenges that Trenton throws our way is incredible um but I want you to be proud every time you go around the city and you see something because all to not have to worry about that kind of stuff I know the resents feel that and the businesses feel that and and that's important because it is a a very good vibe going throughout the city right now and people are continuing to talk about it and they see it and it's great because sometimes the most unsuspecting people come up to and say something a couple of our Public Works guys tell me recently that they've had citizens stop a traffic light some what a great job they're doing they've never had that and it's incredible and I'm very grateful for that I get a lot of different messages social through oursite the app need just running people in theore or church this is great this is great now this doesn't say everything we do is perfect there's a lot of Tri there but I appreciate it you my sincere gratitude counil indulging me trting know our team and very for our directors because they really work hard at getting a lot of things done budget and also they're more of a hey what you got I want you communicating with each other every single day and feel that basically listen a great and we go and you know the clerk's office has done fantastic Jobing a lot of information and getting a lot of information because the more successful we are the more we do the more you get bothered for how in the world could this be happening I'm sorry after presenting this Bu you're probably going to get a lot more you know I appreciate all what you guys do um because I know it's it's arous TK I think the clerk's office is um uh very underestimated in in the city you and and the team get a lot and I know there's a lot going on every single day um you know it's time sensitive soate thank you for the acknowledgement I'm getting out of here here thank you thank you mayor thank thank you finance department good job public comment provides an opportunity for members of the public to inform the governing body about their viws governing body prescribes the city council's bylaws and the New Jersey statutes on open public meetings when engaging during public comment as such each individual shall have a 5 minute limit to comment cannot yield time to another individual may only approach the podium once during public comment for any one topic vulgar offensive language is prohibited and city council will not engage in dialogue with the public during this time the governing body maintains model courtesy and respect and requires members of the public to do the same at this time is there anyone in the public who wishes to be heard no one pki I have ordinance number 2024-the plans for the city of Island analyst city clerk which is ready for a public hearing here attains a motion that ordinance number 20 24-13 be taken up for a public hearing and open to the public for a discussion so move second Mr aosta yes Mr franchis skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes is anyone in the audience who wishes to be heard on ordinance number 20 24-13 no one Chan contains a motion that the public hearing on ordinance number 202 24-13 be closed so move second Mr aosta yes Mr Francis keini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes chair entertains a motion that ordinance number 20 24-13 be taken up for a final reading and adopted according to law so move second is is there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr Francis skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes ordinance number 202 24-13 an ordinance to amend and supplement ordinance number eight which establish the classification and compensation plans for the city of Island analyst city clerk this ordinance is adopted Mr patoski please submit ordinance number 20 24-13 to the mayor for his approval or disapproval approval yes thank you you're welcome I have ordinance number 20244 in ordinance to amend and supplement ordinance number eight which establish the classification and compensation plans for the city of vland Omnibus operator which is ready for a public hearing here ands a motion that ordinance number 20 24-14 be taken up for a public hearing and open to the public for a discussion so move second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes is there anyone in the audience who wishes to be heard on ordinance number 20 24-14 no one chair entertains a motion that the public hearing on ordinance number 202 24-14 be closed so move second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas Dr Arthur yes JS a motion that ordinance number 20 24-14 be taken up for a final reading and adopted according to law so move second is there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr francini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas Dr Arthur yes ordance number 202 24-14 in ordinance to amend and supplement ordinance number eight which establish the classification and compensation plans for the city of Island Omnibus operator this ordinance is adopted Mr patoski please submit ordinance number 20 24-14 to the mayor for for his approval or disapproval thank you welcome I have ordinance number 2024-the the sale of block 591 lot 70 at private sale in accordance with njsa 48 12-13 B5 which is ready for a public hearing parent OBS a motion that ordinance number 20 24-15 be taken up for a public hearing and adopt and open to public discussion so move second Mr AA yes Mr Frances skini Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas Dr Arthur yes is there anyone in the audience who wishes to be heard on ordinance number 20 24-15 no one pains a motion that the public hearing on ordinance number 20 24-15 be closed so move second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes johs a motion at ordinance number 20 24-15 be taken up for a final reading and adopted according to law so move a second there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas Dr Arthur ordinance number 2024-the the sale of block 591 lot 70 at private sale in accordance with njsa 4A colon 12-13 B5 this ordinance is adopted Mr Petroski please submit ordinance number 20 24-15 to the mayor for his approval or disapproval yes thank you you're welcome I ordinance number 20246 ordinance amending ordinance 2004-2 as amended entitled an ordinance adopting the center city Redevelopment plan consistent with resolution 5203 of the planning board of the city of Island so is to amend block 3016 lot 17 726 East Wood Street consistent with resolution 6634 of the planning board which is ready for a public hearing here attains a motion that ordinance number 2012 24-16 be taken up for a public hearing and open to the public for a discussion so move a second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes is there anyone in the audience who wishes to be heard on ordinance number 20 24-16 no one chair entertains a motion that the public hearing on ordinance number 202 24-16 be closed so move a second Mr aosta yes Mr francini yes Mr spelli spelli pardon me Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes a attains a motion at ordinance number 20 24-16 be taken up for a final reading and adopted according to law so move second is there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr Costa yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli yes Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur ordance sum 202 24-6 ordinance amending ordinance 2004-2 as amended entitled an ordinance adopting the center city Redevelopment plan consistent with resolution 5203 of the planning board of the city of Island so is to amend block 316 lot 17 726 East Wood Street consist with resolution 6634 of the planning board this ordinance is adopted pki please submit ordinance number 20 24-6 to the mayor for his approval or disapproval yes thank you you're welcome I have ordinance number 202 24-17 ordinance amening ordinance 2004-2 as amended entitled an ordinance adopting the center city Redevelopment plan consistent with resolution 5203 of the planning board of the city of Island so as to amend block 4001 lot 25.1 27 Southeast Boulevard consistent with resolution 6633 of the planning board which is ready for a public hearing car attains a motion that ordinance number 20 24-17 be taken up for a public hearing and open to the public for a discussion so move I second Mr Acosta yes Mr Francis skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes is there anyone in the audience who wishes to be heard on ordinance number 20 24-17 no one chair entertains a motion that the public hearing on ordinance number 20241 17 be closed so move second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas Dr Arthur yes here attains a motion that ordinance number 202 24-17 be taken up for a final reading and adopted according to law so move second there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr francini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes ORD number 202 24-17 ordinance amending ordinance 2004-2 as amended entitled an ordinance adopting the center city Redevelopment plan consistent with resolution 5203 of the planning board of the city of Island so as to amend block 4001 lot 25.1 27 Southeast Boulevard consistent with resolution 6633 of the planning board this ordinance is adopted Mr patoski please submit ordinance number 20247 to the mayor for his approval or disapproval yes thank you you're welcome I have ordinance number 2024-25 be taken up for the first reading so move second Mr Costa yes Mr franchis keini Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas Dr Arthur ordinance number 24-18 an ordinance to amend and supplement ordinance number 8 which establish the classification and compensation plans for the city of vland analist trainee here entertains a motion that ordinance number 20 24-18 be passed for the first reading and that a public hearing be held on Tuesday March 26 2024 at 6:30 p.m. so move second there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr franchis skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes I have ordinance number 202 24-19 which is ready for a first reading gain a motion that ordinance number 202 24-19 be taken up for the first reading so move second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur ordinance number 202 24-19 ordinance authorizing the issuance of licenses for Amusement Games and fixing annual license fees in accordance with njac 30 colon 3- 1.5 A2 here attains a motion that ordinance number 20 24-19 be passed for first reading and that a public hearing be held on Tuesday March 26 2024 at 6:30 p.m. so move second there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes I have ordinance number 202 24-20 which is ready for a first reading here entertains a motion that ordinance number 20 24-20 be taken up for the first reading so move second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas Dr Arthur ordinance 202 24-20 Bond ordinance providing for improvements to various roads and related drainage and sidewalk improvements in and by the city of island in the county of Cumberland New Jersey appropriating $5 million therefore and authorizing the issuance of $4,750 th000 bonds or notes of the city to finance part of the cost thereof a entertains a motion that ordinance number 20 24-20 be passed for the first reading and that a public hearing be held on Tuesday March 26 2024 at 6:30 p.m. so move second is there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr francini Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes I ordinance number 2024-25 reading here entertains a motion that ordinance number 202 24-21 be taken up for the first reading so move second Mr aosta yes Mr franchini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes ordinance number 2024-25 th000 from the capital Improvement fund for various Park improvements in and by the city of island in the county of Cumberland New Jersey a motion that ordinance number 20 24-21 be passed for the first reading and that a public hearing be held on Tuesday March 26th 2024 at 6:30 p.m. so move second there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr francini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes I have ordinance number 20 24-22 which is ready for a first reading there in aains a motion that ordinance number 202 24-22 be taken up for the first reading so move second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli yes Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes ordinance number 202 24-22 ordinance of the city of island in the county of Cumberland New Jersey appropriating $450,000 from the capital Improvement fund to supplement the $847,500 approved appropriated by Bond ordinance number 201761 finally adopted September 12th 2017 of the city for Park improvements at Bert Mill Pond and the design of the historic Footbridge here entertains a motion that ordinance number 20 24-22 be passed for the first reading and that a public hearing be held on Tuesday March 26 20 24 at 6:30 p.m. don't move second there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr francini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes I have resolution amending resolution 2023-24 a resolution authorizing the issuance of a Class 2 annual cannabis manufacturer license to wisco New Jersey LLC Clifton New Jersey to reflect their application for an annual license and not the conversion of a conditional license from the Cannabis Regulatory Commission obtains a motion at resolution number 202 2 4-110 be adopted according to law second is there any discussion by Council on this motion discussion none Mr Acosta yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli yes Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes we'll move now into the consent agenda items 2024-25 Municipal budget of the city of Island 2024-the the issuance of a mandatory supplemental change order number one to contract number c22 d141 issued to Rigs disler and Company Incorporated Cherry Hill New Jersey in the amount of $2,383 2024-the the issuance of admin supplemental change order number one to contract number c23 0114 issued to Capri Construction Company Incorporated V New Jersey in the amount of $1 15,834 202495 it's a resolution amending resolution number 2024-25 authorizing a contract for Furnishing z88 radio removal media replacement at the existing well number two water treatment facility 2024-the a Professional Services agreement with montro Environmental Solutions Incorporated Robinsville New Jersey to provide General Engineering Services for on Call support for the water utility in an amount not to exceed $ 47,800 20249 is a resolution awarding an open-end contract to Tanner Industries Incorporated Southampton Pennsylvania for the Furnishing and deliver delivery of scr reagent quality ammonia for unit 11 in Clayville 1 in the amount of 59,000 940 20249864 7,675 202499 is a resolution approving charge against various land for land clearance and authorizing said charge to become a lean upon such land and to become to be added and to become part of the taxes to be assessed and levied upon such land 2024 D100 is a resolution approving violent revolving loan funds for Z andd realy LLC or assigns 2024 101 is a resolution approving violent revolving loan funds for Saleem 2 real estate LLC or assigns 2024 102 is a resolution authorizing the cancellation of taxes for calendar year 2023 and calendar year 2024 for the reason recommended by the city of onland tax collector 202 24-13 is a resolution authorizing and directing the refund of taxes 202 24-104 is a resolution acknowledging compliance with the United States equal employment opportunity commission's enforcement guidance on the consideration of arrest and conviction records in employment decisions under title seven of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 2024-25 is a resolution providing and authorizing the payment of bills and demands against the city of irland 2024-25 annual roster of volunteers to the office of Emergency Management 2024 107 is a resolution making temporary emergency Appropriations for the calendar year 2024 pending final adoption of the calendar year 2024 budget 2024 108 is a resolution authorizing the issuance of original renewal Andor transfer taxi cab licenses for the year 2024 2024-25 is a resolution authorizing the filing of one application for funding under the fiscal year 2023 assistance to Firefighters grant program and I have the annual report for the year 2023 from the tax collector and request the report be received in filed gains a motion to approve all items on the consent agenda so move by second there any discussion by Council on this motion none Mr aosta yes Mr francini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas Dr Arthur that's all the formal business I have Madam president RI you're welcome any comments from Council at this time I want to thank uh the rosi safety patrol coming up here and doing this FL salute and I thank the administrators that came uh with them and uh that's all I have thank you councilman Acosta uh no comment this time councilman Vargas not at this time Benelli reminder that Friday night is uh the karaoke event if you're going my way happy birthday it's bir your real birthday and that's where you're taking her actually I'm taking her dinner and then we're going to the don't worry there's going to be more to that you know that I'm not going also the theater is operating they have concerts uh every Friday and Saturday pretty much and also during the week they have events in their uh upstairs uh Lounge as well as the bar downstairs is open for lunch and also want to thank the Rossy owls they saf Patrol for coming and leading Us in the Pledge of Allegiance and thanks to the mayor and the finance committee as well for their presentation else nothing further chair and attains a motion to adjourn the regular meeting so move I second Mr aosta yes Mr Frances skini yes Mr Spinelli Mr Vargas yes Dr Arthur yes thank you and have a good night