okay yes I know next month what you [Music] [Music] don't minutes Jason was there iine [Music] you know I can't long yeah that's the one she w [Music] do you really you get my email I just give you one last chance [Music] out well I Smart Way I'm going work [Music] up all three [Music] that is crazy rep wor good how's your daugh do it yeah oh [Music] nice no no that's all right [Music] app thank you we all [Music] did we're all here okay start United States for it stands one nation God indivisible liy and jusice for all I wish to announce that 48 hour notice is required under the open public meetings Act is emailed to the Asbury Park press the co-star and the new coaster on December the 7th of 2023 that a copy has been placed on the bulletin board in the B office and that a copy has been filed with the municipal clerk as a courtesy to the public this meeting may be attended via Zoom if for any reason the zoom portion of this meeting fails or is disconnected the inperson meeting will continue and action can and will be taken providing that there isn't that there is a quorum Mr Noble here Mr gboi here M Mahoney here Mr Weber here mayor Fox here okay uh welcome everybody to our 2024 reorganization meeting Happy New Year hope everybody had a good holiday uh I want to First Express my thanks to OEM DPW and police department and administration for their attention to the storm in the last couple of days um it got a lot of hype and um deservedly so we always want to be overprepared but I think we faar very well through the storm uh it seems like a pattern's developing we've got a couple of storms on the horizon but uh so far so good so I just wanted to take a minute to thank um those groups for coordinating and working as a team uh the first thing we are going to do tonight is we have a proclamation um that is somewhere where did it go it's over here okay uh that we want to present to um somebody who has been uh working and down but very nice nice rapper uh somebody who's been working as a volunteer in the burrow for many many many years 50 plus years and uh we have Proclamation uh he will I want to make sure I uh Rory asked me to make sure people understood that he wasn't retiring retiring he was just retiring from a portion of his responsibility so I'll read this Proclamation and then we have a think we have a presentation I think we have St or not okay so this is um this is honoring ly Christensen for his volunteer service Roy is the most uh the most understated doesn't want any attention guid I know so it's uh this is probably kill a stand here so uh whereas ly Christenson as a lifelong resident with burough Bradley Beach joined the fire department in 197 2 and whereas after several years serving as a line officer of the membership elected Mr Christensen in the position of chief of the department in 1986 and whereas Mr Christensen in his current day remains a life member and ex-chief in good standing with 52 years of uninterrupted loyal service to the community and whereas Mr Christensen currently serves as a fire apparatus driver and for several decades he has consist consistently maintain uh an excellent response percentage of the Bradley Beach Fire Department responding in calls each day and night and whereas Mr Christenson shall retire from the fire line on January 11th 2024 after 52 years of dedication to The Bradley Beach Fire Department and we'll conclude with a final drive of the pumper truck throughout the town on his final day which is tomorrow uh now therefore be it resolved this Proclamation is being awarded to recognize Mr Christensen Mr christenson's loyal and dedicated commitment to the volunteer fire Services of this community Mr christensen's selfless service and Devotion to the burrow and well-being of its residents has had a valuable effect on the safety and allow of his co- volunteers and the community Through The Years we look forward to Mr christensen's continued contributions to the Bradley Beach Fire Department dated January 10th 2024 [Music] Roy I'm glad Bry is staying on because he runs the best fish fry in the county but I will I will say um just personally Roy um I've been in a pinch more than once in last few years for a facility or I need something and uh I've called Roy more than once and uh he's just been extremely helpful and receptive and he really always just responds in a great way so uh I really appreciate Roy and uh um I guess the other little factoid about Roy is tomorrow is Roy's birthday yeah so uh we wish you a happy birthday too and Hopey the big 80 so uh so you driving around today or tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow okay early in the day okay all right well again we we very much appreciate everything always done and I think we have a um a resolution yes resolution 20244 approving the Bradley Beach Fire Department to donate outdated fire department bunker gear and helmet to retiring member L Christensen so maybe um as each I'll make a motion to approve and maybe I can get a council person to each council person to come down and we'll take a picture with Roy and group as you come down the stairs you can vote I'll make a motion to approve resolution 2024 D4 202 24-4 do I have a second sorry yes okay going to take a picture I didn't guess here goes the picture Mr uh mrzi yes M Mahoney yes Mr Weber yes mayor Fox yes you should feel honored Roy we really get a unanimous vote so we do get everybody down here I'm in the back I'm always in the back yeah you should be in the middle I'll go no I'm ask asking you to come you guys too big smile y good job we got the professional did you have a professional equipment John I think you're on timer goes again we can all do dance have to come back when that we'll be ready I suppose the equipment will be delivered to Roy or he's going to pick it up well he's got one more answer lock as you can see a bunch of Roy's uh colleagues are here toor Roy um a it's a great occasion so thanks again okay um we start with the regular meeting uh I don't know if the does the Fire Group you want to stick around or you guys want to you don't have [Music] to okay uh we'll start the number six on the agenda organiz organization of May bur Council uh we're going to nominate uh for council president for 2024 in 20245 uh nomination of uh current council president president and now 2024 council president uh janov so I'll make a motion to Nomine J Noble's counc president second Mr Noble absolutely Mr I am very honored to extend James Council presidencies and I vote Yes M Mahoney happily yes Mr Weber yes may yes congratulations congratulations okay um uh next on the agenda is um 2024 Council a on assignments I'll just read them read down them by each one of those uh Fletch Lake commission Council Weber s Lake commission Council toi recation Comm mayor Fox qu commission mayor Fox Library board trustees mayor Fox uh environmental commission councilwoman Mahoney shry commission there are two Council woman denov and councilman Weber uh Arts Council mayor Fox Board of Education Council woman denov L Council woman bom Lis Council and fire Ms Council uh okay so we'll now move to vo I I have to share some information I had asked mayor Fox to continue to reappoint me to the tourism and and he said no multiple times and I need to share some information from the tourism director um and I in the past year I've worked with the commission and we've made great strides to follow our tourism ordinance more accurately and despite the mayor recently forming an anonymous committee to change it and when the mayor informed me that he planned this change just two days ago I was very surprised and quite disappointed and when I asked the mayor to reconsider his decision multiple times to replace me only after one year each time he refused um I informed the tourism director Amy Hall that this change would be announced at the council meeting tonight and she expressed tremendous concern and then told me about an employment complaint against the mayor for harassment and retaliation in her complaint she stated during this time my job has been threatened and I feel great anxiety we losing my job Miss Hall further informed me that she recently filed a notice of tort and um I realized then that the mayor's effort to appoint herself into this role can only make matters worse himself into this role make can only make matters worse as regards to potential L litigation for the burough and I asked Miss Hall if it would be okay for me to share this information at the counc meeting tonight and she gave me permission to do so she's very worried that the mayor is not respecting her harassment and retaliation claim and she's hoping that by making this public he will stop attempting to intimidate her I tried many times to avoid this but unfortunately I was told that it's not up for negotiation it's you can't request to be on the Tourism Committee it's the mayor's appointment and I'm and I'm sorry to Amy and I'm sorry to the commission that's all I have to say thank you I'll give a brief comment this meeting is really for um reorganizations so I hope you don't get into a whole set of discussions but um my rationale around that was a couple things number one um we do have some work to do from a legislative perspective I've been in contact with the Senate and assembly members I'm having a meeting Friday with somebody uh a legislative person from the Senate to look at our ordinance we did have somebody a couple of people look at our ordinance and we do have some improvements that we have to make in our ordinance uh I um shared that with uh council president U denoble I guess about a month or so ago and uh said I think we should form a small group to deal with that and her response was that uh I don't think we need to do that let's Let It Ride for a year um I don't think we if we see something that needs to be improved I think we need to improve it so uh I was willing to take that on as something that we can improve um all the other um items that you mentioned are unfortunate but um I think they'll work themselves through so thank you for that Mr Mayor I comments to if I can just the issue here is not that there's work to do legislating changes to the tourism the issue here is the comfor of the director with you being the liaison would you consider simply making another person presumably council president tour that's all been asked and I was that I answered the question so is the same answer now okay and I'd like to also I'd also like to comment because problem was what you just heard the mayor say you know I want to get something done and the inference at least that I heard was that he was suggesting M Den was not willing or is unable to get things done no he' say that okay it sounded like that to me perhaps the audience didn't hear it that way but specifically when you said I I told her we needed changes and we didn't wanted a small committee and she apparently was not supportive of your suggestion of a small committee you then decided you should make yourself the tourism director um I'm not the tourism director I tourism liaison yes um I want to say on behalf of Miss bovo that during her first year as the tourism leison she's been a champion of the tourism commission she's only been on it for one year ladies and gentlemen so to move her off after one year to me especially a very productive year is a slap in the face um she fought hard to develop appropriate practices and controls that ensure that our commission is operating according to our tourism ordinance previously there were many inconsistencies in how the commission operated this was not always the commission's fault and fact in many cases the mayor himself instructed employees to overrule our laws and he inappropriately directed Staffing and event management during 2023 council president denoble fought to restore the proper functioning of the tourism commission and I personally sitting right here criticized the illegal payments made from the tourism trust that were authorized by the mayor so in my mind this goes beyond M uh Paul's complaint harass been complaint as well as she spiled the notice of Court which means she has the potential to sue the bur she she also expressed that she wanted this to be known publicly because she does not believe the mayor is she believes he's disingenuous in his desire to work with her as a liaison to the tourism commission so no one wants to start the year in in a note like this M Den Noble struggled with this she told me earlier today she really didn't want to make this announcement she made it on behalf of Miss Hall and the reason I'm backing her up is because she's done a wonderful job in year one as the tourism director brought a lot of inappropriate behaviors to light has corrected a lot of those and the response that our mayor has given is that I can do the job going forward better and that I that is wrong and that is likely to put us the the burrow at greater liability thank you C okay let's move to the next mayor yes I feel that these comments are have everything to do with reorganization so I I take enage with thinking in your comment that these comments have nothing to do with reorganization that you know we should just flatl through this um I think this needs to be considered very carefully and that's what I want on record thank you okay uh number seven on the agenda approval minutes uh want to make a motion to approve December 6 2023 uh counil business meeting minut second second Mr no yes Mr yes m m yes Mr Weber yes mayor fo yes I want to make a motion to approve the December 6 2023 executive session meeting second Mr no yes Mr K yes Mr Mahoney and Miss Mahoney yes yes may five yes uh January make a motion to approve January 4th 2024 special council meeting minutes uh make a motion to second second I would just like to State for the record I made the corrections that councilman gzi and councilman Weber pointed out to me last night um I'm sorry who did who did the second for thank you uh Mr Noble ni John Amica yes thank you uh Mr gub yes M Mahone yes Mr Weber yes and mayor fo yes uh okay uh public comments pertaining to the 110 agenda items only uh 5 minute limited single any questions on agenda okay we will move to uh the next item which is uh two uh three communications the acting B administrator 90day appointment the appointments memo on yearly terms the appointment memo on various um we uh we have so moving into resolutions we had excuse me um mayor point of order um I know that we're doing this 90-day appointment memo for meredi DeMarco and I'm sure a lot of people are confused why this is happening and if we could just take a moment and have Greg Canon if you could just bring everybody up to date why this is getting done again or how it's getting done I that's a very it's a very complicated de question um so obviously this before judge English although there's not like a technical state from the court you know I think it's best for the mayor and councel to just do nothing until judge English decides like we did last time um as I've mentioned before I think that regardless it's my opinion that regardless of what judge English decides is a hold over in this position um by virtue of being appointed under the pr ordinance before it was changed and so the mayor and Council would have to agree in any event to change that position so um so have any objection to the mayor putting his position in writing with this memo but I'm I'm just not sure what the effect if any is I understand so we're basically in a holding patter until the the judge decides which is February 6 correct yeah I mean I have a hard time saying that this is necessary but I also have time tell the mayor he wants to put his position ready they we do that too so but as far as Mer's position nothing is changing by virtue of this memo or not as far as I understand it thank you thank you okay um we um we agreed over the last few days to move a number of items from the individual to the consent agenda um I'll read through the consent agenda items that are we previously listed and I'll add those others after that document wasn't done yet I apologize in advance that if I um trip over myself on a few of these I left my notes from this particular thing you read what we have for cons agenda it right now uh well if you'd like to yeah good few minutes to get the we opport to speak on the agenda he announced public comments yeah the mayor announced public comments I maybe we we'll be through this hopefully part portion of the agenda pretty quick you can just go to public comments May you're put everything together I'm sorry you're putting everything together there you need a motion to amend the consent agenda yeah oh yeah I'm sorry right so I'll make a motion to um to on the consent agend uh to uh a motion 2024 22 23 24 256 37 31 33 34 35 36 37 39 from the individual to the cons those roll can you repeat those before somebody said Okay okay so the resolutions that the mayor is um making a motion to move to the consent agenda from the individual list resolution 20 24-22 23 25 26 27 31 33 35 36 37 39 so so I have a couple questions one I was let the impression from the email exes we had that we had 34 on the consent agenda is that not correct the fair share housing attorney I stated here before I had did I'm so sorry yes it is I I stay okay and then I thought Mr Mayor maybe we had disagree but uh Erica did not read 24 if I'm correct I read 24 you did I did I I'd like to Erica what did you have you're moving that to consent also mayor I had that motion to sorry okay yes so just a correct so I'd like to make a motion that we remove 24 from this consent agenda and leave individual yeah I mean I don't know we have put it on and then I take it off or no just we'll make the motion for 22 23 25 through 27 31 33 through 37 and 39 yeah yeah so that's the motion yes so I was second to that motion second uh Mr Noble yes Mr guzi yes M Mahoney yes Mr Weber yes mayor Fox yes so before you start reading the consent agenda uh um er I also like the motion to withdrawal of 2024 38 that was the we can do that when we get to the you want to read through these give a few minutes okay so I'm just going to read through the regular consent agenda uh resolutions here and then you'll I'll pick it up yeah okay so 20246 establishing depositories for funds received by the burrow 20247 establishing change funds for 2024 20248 establishing petty cash funds for 2024 202 24-9 designates a cash management plan for the deposit of all monies received by the burrow 20 24-10 designation of newspapers and internet websites for the burrow of Bradley Beach 20241 authorizing the bur Council to donate to 24 adult season badges to various Bradley Beach nonprofit organizations 202 24-12 approving the tax assessor to act as agent for the burrow for the purposes of filing and settling tax appeals up to $20,000 on behalf of the tax district for the for the 2022 tax year I think that should be 2023 I'm sorry um 202 24-13 establishes the gra period for delinquent tax payments for 2024 2024-25 2024-25 2024-25 d117 authorizing the cancel the cancellation of taxx and Sewer payments under and or over the amount of $10 20248 authorizing contracts with approved State contractors for the Contracting units pursuant to njsa 4A col 11-12 a through December 31st of 2024 approving the police department to donate Surplus special police utility pants to The Bradley Beach food pantry and the Jersey Shore Rescue Mission 20 24-20 approval of a lean Redemption refund for 605 Mammoth Avenue in the amount of $3,748 194 202 24-21 approval of a lean Redemption refund for 511 fth Avenue in the amount of $96,000 8045 mayor okay uh I have about a dozen so I'm sorry I'm GNA do that I was getting that ready while she was reading okay 20422 authorizing execution of a shared service agreement with the bur ofar Services 2024 23 the authorization of morg discharge on block 46 22 20242 uh bur prosecuted professional foot for 2024 that's Shamy law 2024 26 bur public defender Professional Service that's starky uh sty Kelly starky Kelly and Kelli um 2024 17 2024 27 alternate burrow public defender professional service appointment law 2024 31 the bur cont Council Professional Services appointment for 2024 to Ron cin and Mello 2024 33 Council Professional Services appointment for 2024 to Dorth Paxon LLC 2024 34 fair share housing attorney Professional Service 2024 law 2024 35 uh B engineer professional service24 CME 2024 37 B planner professional service appointment for 2024 toak uh 2439 Financial Consultant professional service appointment for 2024 to I'm sorry Mr Mayor quick discussion because I have two questions and I also would like to make a motion to my quick questions the ones you just read through uh 33 the B Council you read the formal name but I just want confirmation please that Megan Bennett would remain Bond councel new firm she's been with a new firm it is a what happened uh middle of last year was they merged with another firm and we made a resolution at that point to putor company and she repr and then in 36 um the engineering Consulting pod of yeah I didn't I did miss I'm sorry so sorry I okay so that pod is um apologies h2m CME cuse RB and I'm sorry okay great good pick up I I that's all over the place um I also would like discussion so I imagine I'm going to have the motion to move these out of the consent agenda but I'd like discussion on 202 24-6 the establishing depositories 202 24-10 and 20248 so can we which one do that efficiently which one six 10 designation of newspapers uh and 18 authorizing contracts just like discussion on this SE can you just discuss that can we just disc yeah we can just want to make sure there's not an issue with them right they might be yes actually one I have an issue with other two are more clarifications right can we do the discussion first and then sure we need all right yeah I just had a question about 11 uh resolution of4 yep um I know this is routine we do this every year we do this by resolution but my question then is when we give I think the eth grade class they all get Beach badges they get Junior badges do we do resolution for that CU I don't think we have ever done that I don't think that was ever done prior to the one time it was done so I'm just like if it's if we have to do a resolution and give away two badges and then we give like 25 badges to this so I'm just wondering know I know I wasn't aware of it being done prior to when it was the badges to the eighth grade class are private donation yeah they private donation yeah okay so we don't need resolution no that answers my question that's awesome all my very nice okay so then my my I think quick question on six uh establishing depositor for funds received by the bur you we list and I know this is a standard thing we I've seen this before myself but we list PNC bank Carney Federal Bank Provident Bank and United Roosevelt Bank savings bank as depositories for all funds but but I guess my question as the council person is how you know who decides how we allocate funds to these SP Banks uh has any analysis been done to suggest that we're allocating them in a in a cost effective manner maximizing you know whatever fees minimizing fees maximizing their margins if you will and also the issue that is always raised are we adequately U supporting local banks and I think in terms of caring in particular so has there been an analysis done that says why we have these particular for banks now has been started um making sure that we're putting the correct funds in we can get the most out of um for example you know One Bank might offer us to pay for our payroll fees if we go through them for payroll so those are constantly being analyzed um but so the answer is yes but um again I think the last time it was done so I believe I was still on Council was um probably the fall of this year so I think we need to you know probably be looking back probably mid year prob again because so the anal was s and false that's something that could be shared with the council I don't think I've ever seen it and do you want me yes I canm that all right thank you I we can pursue this further later but at a minimum I just want to make sure I understood the underlying logic behind it in uh let's jump to 18 because that's a quick one 10 I do have more significant questions um 18 I'm sorry no 18 questions 10 and the newspapers yes um I was confused by this because I think of the noses that you place as being newspapers and there's language in here for mjlm well a couple things that is one also yes but the uh the new workor Star lger do that make sense that we that that would be a paper I very rarely use that paper but just in case in the event that I would need to it's a backup so it's in the resolution I very rarely use it yeah because we use weekly um in a lot of cases if we have some inter advertise something and I'm under a Time CR that's one of my that would be one of my go-to back but I hardly ever use it no okay so that's good my my concern is more that the residents hardly ever uses so if we did have a quick shift and you needed to okay well legally I have to announce things in papers and would be papers that are used within the state or the county so okay honestly just you know saying what I think that that concerns me the point of this notice is to make sure we get notice to the residents and the residents don't read The nework Star Ledger then maybe we need to come up with an alternative for and maybe that's where the uh where internet website comes in we it is on I do Post everything to the website now that it's not just for the residents and sometimes we're advertising something because we want somebody Far and Beyond the to know like a concession that wouldn't be bad to put that in Star Legend because maybe some far away from here so I'm just saying it's not just the resident I mean you're po about the residence is good no John I the language says the publication of advertisements and notices required by law to be published by and that stuff is posted on the website as well I mean the residents see it when I post the agendas that go with a special meeting that notice is in there no I understand what you're saying Erica and I don't mean to at all argue with you I'm just simply saying for purposes of satisfying notices required by law I personally that notice by law is also posted on the website is I'm trying to tell you okay that's good that's it it's kind of not worded that way it's worded that the nework Star Ledger is designated for these notices and then it continues and says advertisements for not for notices may be publish in either one of one or all of the name papers or on the njlm website or on the bur internet and the ores concern me and I'm not blaming you I'm just saying I to me it's unclear because these ores read to me as if it be instead of these newspapers yeah that's not your intention I'm just I don't know Mr Canada were you involved in all drafting this particular resolution no I would say that it has to be f because it's largely dependent upon what she's advertising okay that's fair so there's only two daily papers in here so if you need something to advertise sometimes you need to advertise in two newspapers like a sanitation contract has to be advertised in two newspapers so about advertisements honestly but I am worried about timely notification to the public of um what's the word uh notice the 48 hour notice my my usual papers are the new poster and the postar no I know the website if that Park if that said that here I'd be fine but it's not saying but there are times I do have to use the Star Ledger if we are going to have some kind of a special meeting and I got short notice and get it in the paper I I have like by La I have to get that in the paper I don't have a choice so Erica the issue is not what is done it's how this is worded and I would ask that like one just ask a question I'm going to solution here New Jersey League of municipalities what type of things do we put do we ever send to that that I put in there because at times we do Post employment ads and I fig