good evening we'd like to call this meeting to order please adequate oh excuse me adequate notice of this meeting was provided and published in the Asbury Park Press and the ocean star on February 16th 2024 copies of the agenda were provided to the newspaper posted on public bulletin boards in the township website thank you can we get a roll call councilman Albany here councilwoman pontorero councilwoman D young here councilman feeman here councilwoman Travers here VI president amberino here president minikino here thank you thank you like everybody to rise to salute the flag and a moment a Sil please flag United States of America thank you Madam clerk you accept the reports please yes of course thank you I had a motion in a second of for the minutes uh March 12th please motion roll call councilman albanes councilwoman D young yes councilman Fineman yes councilwoman Travers yes vice president ambino yes president minikino yes thank you now I'd like to invite the mayor up front we have a couple presentations thank you good even good evening everyone uh if I could kindly have Alexi maesi from the Ocean County Library come on up from the brick Branch we are going to take a moment to honor our Librarians for National Library week which is taking place April 7th through the 13th and just a reminder um know I've said this every year since I've been on Council and now as mayor I spent a good deal of my life being a librarian as a school librarian I loved it it's such an important job and I'm happy to be here to celebrate with you so I'm going to share the proclamation with everyone libraries offer the opportunity for everyone to connect learn new skills and pursue their passions no matter where they are in life's journey libraries have long served as trusted institutions striving to ensure Equitable access to information and services for all members of the community regardless of race ethnicity Creed ability sexual orientation gender identity or socioeconomic status libraries continue to adapt to the everchanging needs of their communities developing and expanding collections programs and services that are as diverse as the population they serve libraries are accessible and inclusive places that promote a sense of local connection advancing understanding Civic engagement and shared Community goals libraries play a a critical role in the economic development by providing resources and support for job Seekers small businesses and entrepreneurs thus contributing to the local prosperity libraries are an essential and fundamental institution working to improve Society protect the right to education and literacy and promote the free exchange of information and ideas for all our community is fortunate to be home to The Brick branch of the Ocean County Library with a hardworking staff who help to provide opportunities to connect and are continually expanding their resources to adapt to our changing world to meet the needs of their patrons therefore uh libraries Librarians Library workers and our own friends of the library will be celebrating National Library week and I Lisa crate mayor of the township of brick in the county of ocean in the state of New Jersey do hereby proclaim the week of April 7th through the 13th 2024 to be National Library week and I invite everyone in Brick Township to celebrate that week with us so thank you so much for all that you do what's good for you oh wait hold on thank you I surely okay we have a second Proclamation that we would like to uh present as well for March 2024 and I'd like to invite Wyatt her the board president president of the Ocean County Meals on Wheels program to join me for this Proclamation as well so we have March 2024 is me is uh Meals on Wheels of Ocean County month on March 22nd 1972 president Richard Nixon signed into law a measure that amended the ultra Americans Act of 1965 to include a national public private nutrition program for individuals 60 and older for over 50 years this law has supported our nation's seniors and helped to fund community-based organizations such as Meals on Wheels of Ocean County and is still the only Federal program designed to meet the nutritional and social needs of our older adults Meals on Wheels of Ocean County provides nutrition nutritious meals both through home delivery and at Community cafes throughout Ocean County and helps older residents maintain their health and Independence in 2023 Meals on Wheels of Ocean County served over 240,000 meals including over 35,000 delivered to Brick Township residents and over 1700 served at Community Cafe at the brick Senior Center the senior population is increasing substantially and action is needed now to support local Meals on Wheels programs through federal state and local funding donations and raising awareness to ensure these vital Services can continue to be delivered for years to come Meals on Wheels programs from across the country are joining together for this save lunch Pro campaign this march to celebrate their Collective success and to generate the support needed to ensure these critical programs can continue to address food insecurity and malnutrition combat social isolation and loneliness enable Independence and improve health outcomes and I just want to say that I had the opportunity this week to particip or last week I should say to participate in the mayor's uh Meals on Wheels day and it was really a pleasure to go around our drivers for this Pro for this program are phenomenal and when we talk about combating that social isolation that is a huge part of some of our seniors day is having those uh Meals on Wheels drivers come in say hello see how they're doing check on them uh and have a little conversation so it was just such a pleasure so I just want to thank you for that and C declare that uh I Lisa crate mayor of the township of brick in the uh County of ocean in the state of New Jersey do hereby Proclaim march to be Meals on Wheels of Ocean County month and thank you so much for all that you do thank [Applause] you thank you madam mayor and and so she went out with our drivers on a freezing cold day by the way it was not a warm day so day the week so that just shows her dedication I also want to thank the council and frankly the citizens of brick because brick has always been very supportive of senior citizens and and you know you heard the numbers talked about and she talked about her drivers so let me just say Andy's had has been with us for 15 years Glenn's been 15 years Paul's been 12 the new guy Robbie's been with us for only three that's the new guy you know but we're really proud because they do take an interest when people see their you you saw that they see the face and I hear this from everybody who's been on these trips the face of that driver they light up because that's maybe the only social socialization they're getting for that week is those delivered meals to their homes so we're really appreciated I know you talked about the numbers so it's significant what happens and and I also want to um to thank Zelma and her entire crew because you know brick is home to one of our five community centers um and she has been it's been a great partnership because brick again takes care of it they've had the senior center they're built the new facility all you know redid the new facility whatever but they're helpful with the transportation because yes people who can't get out but people who can get out it's so important that you know they might not be able to drive but they can get together and sit at a table with other people and have a meal and chat a little bit so I think that's important and I'm just going to close with a couple stats but and you talked about it in your 98% of the people with so they get surveyed afterwards nobody ever agrees to 98% 98% they feel more independent living receiving Meals on Wheels 94 said they're eating a better balanced meal because of Meals on Wheels um 88 feel less lonely because of Meals on Wheels and this is an interesting one and not self-reported an actual 64% of people who are in our program um have less doctor's visits and less hospitalizations so the few dollars we you know we do to take care of seniors actually has not only just in their quality of life but actually their physical expenses for hospital visits so I just want to thank the citizens the mayor and the council for all you do to support us each and every day thank you so much yes and we're going to take a picture now oh going hold this for all right what do you want here be over here so we're not get this thing way thank you so much thanks all right thank you next we have a couple of budget presentations he put the mic in front of you does that mean you're going first I think so before you guys got here all right so the first presentation is from the uh Public Work Director Steve C Kowski yeah kovski I say it right was I close uh yeah kovski yeah all right it works thank you sir all right thank you for this opportunity to present a brief overview of the Department of Public Works which includes the road crew solid waste collection recycling buildings and grounds and vehicle maintenance sanitation the sanitation department makes more than 2.7 million stops per year to Residents homes in 2023 we collected 38,4 127 tons of solid waste salary and wage budget for sanitation has decreased 2. 8% as a reduction in overtime costs and the operating budget increased by 99.3% based on actual expenditures from 2023 the sanitation department is proud to serve our residents and take great pride in serving Brick Township the Township's recycling program resulted in 7,168 tons of single stream recycling in 2023 in addition 11,240 cubic yards of brush and 8,920 cubic yards of of leaves were collected our utility crew otherwise known as a road crew does an outstanding job year round along with all the drainage repairs and Replacements the crew also fills potholes fixes sink holes seals cracks in the street the salary and wage budget for the utility crew is included in the sanitation budget the operating budget for the utility crew decreased 11.5% this year as reduction to outside contractors contractor budget to be more in line with the actual expenditures the 10 employees on the allpurpose crew do everything they fill in when sanitation needs drivers operate the street sweeper and the jet vac and complete necessary drainage projects they also take care of Township parking lots and our public beaches and immediately respond as needed for brush and tree removal following weather events in 2023 in-house construction completed the renovation of the new senior EMS building on a rower Drive in the past in the past few weeks they have begun work on the new speci speci operations buildings building here at town hall for police and EMS the work of the in-house construction crew has sign significantly saved the Township's cost compared to hiring outside contractors the employees on This Crew complete a significant list of projects that would cost significantly more to Outsource the building and grounds crew ensure the functionality of all Township properties including Town Hall DPW Civic Plaza the senior CER Haven Farms and EMS building the building and ground salary and wage budget increased by 7% with increased overtime cost the operating budget decreased 3% in this budget variances are more common and are based on the year's projects at hand vehicle maintenance includes seven exceptional mechanics two supervisors and a shopkeeper they service more than 300 vehicles for the township including all sanitation trucks dump trucks plows and Sanders police vehicles ambulance boats and also all of our heavy equipment the salary and wage budget for vehicle maintenance increased 10% with increased overtime costs and the operating budget increased 3.6% this amount is also subject to fluctuation based on the fleet and needed repairs the township Shine Shop has two staff maners me members who manufacture and install hundreds of signs annually they also Mark Township vehicles and are responsible for striping Township facilities as needed last but not least are the professional and knowledgeable office staff that operate the call center at DPW the call center consists of four exceptional employees who answered who answered 87,000 and2 calls in 2023 from residents and assisted them with their request again I would like to thank the mayor Lisa crate the council and administration for their continued support it matters and it makes a difference thank you thank you there any questions for this gentleman from the public yes sir uh just one question um I don't know if I heard right you recycling tonnage for the year 7,168 tons tons yep that's down from 9,647 tons last year is there a reason why we're getting less recyclable people just aren't recycling as much and we're also rejecting a lot of loads because people are contaminating them which would contamine the entire load so we are rejecting a lot of recycling on the at the curb if it's got plastic and other things in it that ruin the whole entire um truck fold when we get to the lamp fill do do we get do we get a lot of I I know I see that myself people you drive by you see the plastic bag on top of the can so you just automatically reject the whole can we don't pick it up and we either we're notified sometimes by the resident calling us yelling why wasn't my can picked up we make some phone calls we find out why so you know we're really going to work hard on continuing to educate people of what's not allowed in the cans and what is and we'll continue to do that and Hope For Less times that we have to reject picking it up but don't don't you get them next month I mean they take the bags out what are they going to do with recycles other than put them in the garbage right and that's probably what's happening because they can't be bothered to go through the can that's full of trash and take things out I'm just I was just thinking 2,000 tons over off nine is a significant [Music] amount you're hired thank you see if you say that at the end of the meeting thank you anybody else from public seeing none close public thank you very much our next presentation is from uh Rec department is Dan selo I'd like to start by first taking the time to express my gratitude to Mayor crate council president Vince M minikino and vice president amberino members of the council and administration on behalf of the recreation staff I am pleased to present our 2024 budget the mission of the recreation department is to enhance overall physical and recreational needs of the public by promoting quality of life to its residents through fun family events and variety of activities and programs for all ages Recreation staff Prides ourselves on creating positive recreational programs through coaching teaching and mentoring our goal as a staff is to create a small community field with a large community presence to elevate the social cultural and physical well-being of our citizens of Brick Township in 2024 our Recreation Department is excited to launch new programs and events we are bringing back our National Kid day to parks on Saturday May 18th this activity fil day is for children in grades K through three and a parent who will hop on a bus and visit five of our Township newly renovated parks with activities and special events planned at each Park we are also looking forward to expanding our programming with more art classes and after a popular demand the senior prom is back after taking a brief uh you know with the co uh our very popular program was the senior prom which our high school seniors help out with our uh Township seniors and uh we're excited to bring this back in 2023 and 2024 our staff is also making some changes in our girls youth softball program that will ultimately make the much the game much enjoyable for our young athletes these changes were made by a joint effort of volunteer coaches and recreational staff we're also continuing a handful of programs that were successful last as new programs they are intro to track and field uh our preschool summer camp wrestling clinics softball clinics pickle ball clinics and variety Challenger League activities at the recreational department we are thrilled to be able to continue offering our community such wonderful programs and events we have a Summer full of very of special events that we hope everyone can attend the Summerfest concert series will be kicking off the 4th of July with epic firework performance futuring [Music] TransAm 2024 marks our 10th year anniversary for our Farmers Market there will be a lot of fun activities throughout the season on each Saturday through the summer at Winward Beach overall the recreation department budget increased 133% which includes Staffing and operating budget Recreation also supervise our beach operations at Ocean Beach 1 2 and 3 our our seasonal Beach staff includes 65 lifeguards and 20 badge Checkers we expect to have 45 returning lifeguards who are recognize it for being one of the best trained lifu staff on Jersey Shore between these guards bad Checkers and crossing guards we will once again be able to provide our beach goers with a clean safe and well-managed Beach Trader coar and park had yet another successful season this summer we will have all 120 boat slips rented again we also had 133 boats on our winter storage um which is up from 2022 and the boat ramp generated $56,950 in Revenue which was an increase of 10% from last year this year we will keep delivering the best Services programs and planning the special events that improve the lives of our community my entire staff has done a fantastic job in keeping our mission statement true to its word again none of this would be possible without their extraordinary work and a special thanks to Mayor crate the council and our business administrator for all your support we're looking forward to yet another great year thank you sir any questions from the public for this gentleman seeing none thank you we have one more presentation it's for Parks uh Robert Burns good evening on behalf of the parks department I'd like to take a moment to thank mayor crate Council President minino and Vice President Ambrosia and the council and business administrator for their continued leadership I am pleased to present the parks department budget for 2024 the parks department is a division under Department of Public Works our 18 full-time employees two part-time and additional seasonal employees oversee the parks the Township parks Sports Fields grounds and all Township facilities the employees maintain 20 parts Parks 10 basketball courts eight tennis courts five pickle ball courts three botchy courts one skate park one bike and scooter park three horseshoe pits three football fields 15 soccer fields two Cornhole game areas six miles of bike trail and 22 softball and baseball fields we are also responsible for all the playground and picnic area maintenance and repairs we maintain our Sports field including a 40 acre Sports Complex Le at Drum Point this complex is consistently recognized as one of the best in the state this year we are renovating Mard Point Park the T do fishing pier at Winward Beach and all the walking paths at Winward Beach the salary and wage budget remains relatively flat however the overall budget increase was only 3% we continue to take on more responsibility in the efforts to decrease the use of outside contractors we currently manage over 200 25 irrigation zones with 2,500 plus sprinkler heads there are 147 Acres of grass fields maintained by the parks department there are also many intersections roadsides detention basins maintained by the parks department in addition we maintain all Township owned properties such as Town Hall Civic Plaza cultural art center we recently took on additional grounds and maintenance and irrigation at the new Senior Center EMS building on a drive one of our most timeconsuming tasks is our annual fall and spring leaf collection this process process takes approximately 10 weeks into fall beginning at the end of October until the second week in January then immediately move immediately sorry about that we immediately move into Christmas tree collection for three weeks spring leaf collection begins in April for approximately 3 weeks throughout the year we pick up brush leaves deliver and repair Township issued automated cans and and complete tax Lans issued by the township code enforcement department outside of our daily maintenance of all the above mentioned areas we also oversee Lake management fertilization program solar field maintenance synthetic field cleaning this year we will continue to be responsible for the windward Beach maintenance the parks department also plays a key role in all Township events whether it's a tournament at drump Point Summerfest or Farmers Market we assist in any way needed to make sure all events run smoothly the department continues to take on more responsibility as we move forward in the renovation of our Parks we look forward to the challenge and will continue to work hard keeping them safe and enjoyable for all of the brick residents on behalf of the parks department and employees I would again like to thank mayor crate Township Council and administration for their continued support and efforts thank you very much thank you sir any questions for this gentleman seeing none thank you thank you gentlemen thanks okay this brings us to uh 41 ordinance on first reading Cape uh cap R ordinance please calendar year 2024 ordinance to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits and to establish a cap Bank njsa 4A col 44514 thank you and there's no public hearing on this ordinance tonight on first reading um councilman ambero please thank you council president this ordinance allows the township to establish a cap bank for future use the ordinance allows for increases for Budget Appropriations and allows the township to bank any unused monetary room the cap Bank ordinance allows the township to increase budget Appropriations by 3 and a half% over the prior year Appropriations and to bank any unused appropriation room for the next two succeeding years this ordinance is simply precautionary it is not funded through a tax increase since it is only used in subsequent years should we need to fund a one-time expenditure the monies available by this cap rate index ordinance may be used to offset costs of any future disasters and the need for any future emergency appropriation we aren't generating cash we are creating the ability to raise money future in the future should we need it if the funds are not not needed in the succeeding two years the bank is simply dissolved thank you thank you I had a motion in a second please motion second thank you open to councel seeing none Clos Council roll call councilman albanes yes councilwoman D young yes councilman feineman yes councilwoman Travers yes vice president ambrin yes president minikino yes thank you thank you this brings us to um resolution 51 introduction of 2024 Municipal budget mayor thank you okay good evening everyone good evening council president minikino Council vice president amberino members of the council and residents of Brick Township I stand before you tonight to present my proposed Municipal budget for 2024 this budget is the culmination of months of hard work by the Township's Financial team as well as the result of many years of instilling a philosophy of fiscal responsibility an effort that has produced undeniable results and created what we consider to be one of the most efficiently run and fiscally conservative Municipal governments in Ocean County this budget also reflects the cost that comes with exceptional services and programs that I am deeply proud of serving all residents from the very young to our active aging seniors tonight I present a municipal budget that funds the services that the residents of Brick Township rely on and deserve and ensures that they continue uninterrupted this budget prioritizes The Brick Township Police Department dispatchers special police officers and amts that work 24 hours a day seven days a week to keep our community safe the brick senior services and Senior Center that provides our older residents with essential services and life enhancing programs our public works department and the services they provide including sanitation and recycling collection leaf collection Street Maintenance and more it funds the maintenance of our beautiful parks and recreational facilities it funds the brick Farmers Market Summerfest Trader Cove Concert Series and other community events it funds our beautiful ocean beaches it funds every service provided to the citizens of our community by the municipal government in crafting this year's budget our objective was clear to provide a budget that funds these services and programs while adhering to the conservative fiscal principles and policies that have guided this government government since 2014 to that end I am proud to say that this year's $17 million budget has increased only 1.9% from last year this modest increase is a testament to this administration's commitment to fiscal responsibility and running an efficient and effective municipal government when I look back on 2023 I can attest to the Great accomplishments we have experienced on behalf of our residents and we will build upon those successes in 2024 brick Township's Public Safety needs are always a priority and we are committed to a full roster in our Police Department special police dispatchers and the MTS the most we have ever had in the history of our town part of our commitment to them is the equipment and Facilities they need to function efficiently within the coming weeks we will be hosting the grand opening of the new EMS home on Aurora Place this state-of-the-art building is just the start within the next few months we will have another grand opening this one for the Special Operations building here at Town Hall this new facility will serve both EMS and our Police Department giving both of them the space and support they need to be prepared and ready to serve our residents no matter when the call or need as the year unfolds we will be working with the board of fire Commissioners to develop plans for a public safety building on the Barrier Island this facility will house the Fire Department EMS and police including our summer crossing guards and will be manned 247 all year long in 2023 Brick Township became the only Municipal municipality in Ocean County to offer dialysis transportation for our seniors we launched the service for one reason because it was the single biggest need that our seniors Str struggled with many were not able to receive much needed dialysis simply because of transportation problems the township has removed those barriers and now both buses have full ridership every day of the week so much so we have a third bus coming to make sure no brick senior goes without dialysis because of lack of Transportation like me you surely see our senior buses all over town doctor's appointments grocery shopping Pharmacy trips and special events like the farmers market we serve our seniors unlike any other municipality in Ocean County and we're not stopping there brick Senior Services moved to its new home on Aurora Place in October of 2023 in addition to the dialysis Transportation program launched the Community Cafe and nutrition program we also began a community lunch program at The Brick Housing Authority with a focus on providing a well-balanced hot meal to our most vulnerable able residents living at the Housing Authority this is being funded by a grant through the American Recovery Act we expect to serve approximately 2,000 meals through this program in 2024 we will be applying for Grants to expand our community lunch program throughout areas of town so that more of our seniors have access to a hot meal served by a supportive staff the senior parking lot at Aurora Place will also be paved and ADA Compliant doors will be installed using Township cdbg funds the rock stars that are the crew of at Public Works will continue to get the equipment and support they need to serve our residents in 2024 we will be working hard on a master plan at the facility on Ridge Road this new facility were will ensure that they have room and most updated equipment to do their jobs and will include space for our building and ground scw as well as the construction of a vehicle wash station a state mandated service that we currently have to contract out for building one of our own will ensure 247 access and will ultimately save us money supporting the building department to be bet to better serve our residents is a priority in 2023 they issued close to 5,000 building permits which doesn't include engineering and Zoning permits they work hard to turn around permit applications after a thorough review and as 2024 develops we are honored to have the been the only municipality in Ocean County to have been awarded a $5 million Grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection climate Solutions grant for marshin res restoration this grant is part of an $8 million project that includes dredging several areas throughout town and then using those dredge materials for Marshland restoration this will be a tremendous step forward in addressing persisting flooding in low-lying areas of Brick Township the mayor's open space saver committee has been hard at work and in 2023 celebrated a huge Victory with the acquisition of Bretton Woods property on Mana looking Road this 31 Acre Site was acquired with participation and support from the Ocean County lands trust the township is now protecting this property from what would have been a 59 home subdivision it will remain open space which greatly benefits all of the residents of Brick Township and we are working hard on a few other properties we feel should be a priority for open space acquisition and look forward to sharing more updates with you throughout the year in 2023 we celebrated the grand opening of the completely refurbished cedarbridge Manor Park and the Township's only bike and scooter park at jumpo Sports Complex furthering our commitment to have facilities for a wide variety of interests including pickle ball skateboarding dog parks and More in 2024 we hope to to break ground on our next Park project Mard Point Park and refurbish the safety surface at Fredy Park brick has always been well known for its comprehensive family centered events and activities in the coming year you will see a lot of activity and excitement at Lounge 270 a place for our teens and young adults to connect and Thrive the return of the Beloved senior prom where High School seniors escort and enjoy time with our senior citizens um and back by popular demand the second annual longest table event of course we expect a banner year of Summerfest concert series kicking off on the 4th of July as well as many special activities as we enjoy the 10th year of our beloved Farmers Market we have the best beaches on the Jersey Shore and award-winning Parks programs and services these are the things our annual Municipal budget does for our town and for our residents this year's budget does require us to ask a little more from our community in the form of a slight increase in the municipal tax rate that equates to an annual increase of just over $98 per year for the median home in Brick Township one of our fiscal priorities has been the reduction of the Township's debt on January 1st 2014 the township debt stood at over $68 million this was after a decade that saw the debt grow by over 86 million I'm proud to say that last year we were able to eliminate $3.7 million from the Township's debt which reduced the overall debt on January 1st of this year to just over 125 million this is a reduction of 25% more than 43 million from that high order Mark of 168 million this equates to roughly $572 for every single resident of Brick Township eliminated again this debt reduction is the result of sticking to conservative fiscal principles and prioritizing projects and Equipment purchases and doing them as fiscally responsibly as possible before I close I'd like to thank our business administrator Joanne Bergen and Chief Financial Officer Moren lafy Berg for their outstanding work on this budget a municipal budget requires months of preparation a great deal of hard work attention and compromise their patience diligence and understanding were integral to the process and I extend my warmest thanks to them I look forward to working with both of them for many years to come with that this budget is now in the hands of our Township Council for their review and ultimately its adoption I am confident that as you review this budget you will see that it is fiscally conservative lean and responsible and I continue to look to I look continue to uh look forward to working with all of you to have our town have that Big Town a big town with a small town field to the residents of Brick Township I pledge to you that we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that your hard-earned property tax salaries are being used and managed wisely we are all aware of the responsibility and obligations we have to you we are committed to continuing the work of the past decade and creating an efficient responsible transparent and accountable municipal government thank you for providing me with this opportunity to to address you and the citizens of Brick Township and let us all continue to work together to make Brick Township the best place to live work and raise a family thank you thank you mayor and this brings us to our consent agenda well we're gonna um take a motion for the introduction of the budget first okay motion and a second motion second roll call hold on who made the second um d d thank you councilman albanes yes councilwoman D young yes councilman Fineman yes councilwoman Travers yes vice president amberino yes president minino yes thank you now yep thank you this brings us to our consent agend we have our budget hearing advertised for different all matters listed under item consent agenda will be enacted by one Motion in the form listed below if discussion is desired on any item this item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered separately thank you 61 please authorized certif uh certification of compliance with us equal opportunities Employment Commission councilman albanes please thank you council president this resolution certifies compliance with the United States equal employment opportunity commissions enforcement guidance on consideration of arrest and conviction records employment decisions under title seven of the Civil Rights Act 1964 this is a requirement by the division of local government services as a part of the 2024 Municipal budget submission thank you sir uh 62 please authorized budget transfer this resolution authorizes budget appropriation transfers as needed for year end these transfers do not increase our overall Municipal budget in any way we are moving funds from one account to another 63 please authorized submission submission of strategic plan for the brick Municipal Alliance Grant fiscal year 20125 councilwoman Travers thank you council president this resolution authorizes submission of a strategic plan for the brick Municipal Alliance Grant fiscal year 2025 in the amount of drug enforcement and demand reduction Grant of 2,773 cash match of $ 5,443 an in kind match of $1,329 75 thank you thank you 64 authorized receipt of bids operation of food truck at Brick Beach 3 councilman fan thank you council president this resolution authorizes the receipt of bids for the operation of a food truck at Brick Beach 3 during the summer months due to repairs of the concession stand this contract will be a one-year contract for the operation of a food truck at brick Beach 3 commence in May of 2024 the township went out for bids previously and none were received thank you thank you 65 please authorized receipt of bids Traders Co Traders Cove dredge program this resolution authorizes the receed of bid for dredging at Traders Cove this project will dread the dock area where the township rents boat slips this much needed project will help make areas more navigable six authorize Award of contract and rebid Summerfest food truck vendor vendors councilman amberino uh thank you council president this resolution authorizes an award of contract for Summerfest food truck vendors in different categories including category one which is hot food that goes to Big Blue Wrap and Roll of Pine Beach category two grilled and fried items being awarded to Delano food service of Long Valley category 4 is specialty going to Highway 2 Ohana of Lavalette category four again specialty food to John and Debbie O's concession of Tom's River category four specialty to Little Caesars of Tom's River and category three ice cream to you scream ice cream of brick the township is rebidding this contract in the hopes of getting additional vendors thank you thank you 67 please authorize member participation in the mammoth ocean Educational Services Commission councilwoman D young thank you this resolution authorizes the township to participate in the mammoth ocean Educational Service Commission purchasing Cooperative a Cooperative pricing system municipalities can use for the purchase of goods and services this particular Co-op is most helpful to our buildings and grounds crew for needed HVAC work in Township buildings thank you 68 authorized close out change order number one roadway improvements to Laurel Hurst phase three councilman Fineman please thank you council president this resolution authorizes closeout change order number one for the roadway improvements to Laurel Hurst Phase 2 contract with Earl Asal asphalt company the change order decreases the contract by $364 67 thank you thank you 69 authorize Award of contract affordable housing Council councilwoman D young please this resolution authorizes the execution of a contract for affordable housing council with a pool of professionals including mamero law Woodbury pashman Stein Walder Hayden hell skinsky hollenbach Little Falls the law office of Marco DeStefano Union these professionals will be added to our current pool of firms previously awarded a contract on January 2nd 20124 thank you 610 please authorize waiver of section 11-5 of the township code allowing dogs at the farmers market councilwoman Travers thank you council president this resolution was reviewed and approved by the council's recreation committee it allows dog owners to bring their canine companions with them to the farmers market held each Saturday from May through September at Winward Beach Park dogs are allowed in Township parks as long as they're leashed and their owners clean up after them as needed however the bans shell area at Windward Beach is considered a Beach area where dogs are not allowed over the years responsible dog owners have expressed dismay at not being allowed to be to bring their dogs to the market and our staff requested the committee consider this exemption last year was the first year dogs were allowed and the change went very well thank you thank you 611 please authorize amending Beach rules and regulations to prohibit canopies and Tents on Ocean Beach's 2024 summer season councilman albanes thank you council president this resolution amends the beach rules to ban canopies and tents at bricks public beaches this summer The Army Corps of engine Beach rep punishment project will not be completed this summer and does not have an anticipated start date therefore with limited space on the beach the Township's Recreation committee is in favor of this resolution to ensure all beachgoers have the ability to enjoy the beach with less intrusive intrusion from canopies intense thank you sir 612 please authorize installation of bus shelter highway 88 westbound between Jack Martin bullevard and Laurel Brook Drive midblock 50 feet west of the Walgreens councilman amberino thank you council president this resolution authorizes the township to request a new bus shelter on State Highway 88 between Jack Martin Boulevard and Laurel Brook Drive this is on property owned by Walgreens the resolution authorizes the township to request permission from Walgreens to allow New Jersey transit to complete the installation of the bus shelter thank you thank you 613 please authorized special events permit grand opening big belly bagel councilwoman di young this resolution authorizes a special event permit for a grand opening event at Big Belly's Bagels on drump Point Road the grand opening celebration will take place from 9:00 a.m. to noon on April 2nd thank you 614 614a is an inspection fund release for Block 1149 lot 5 leod's Old World Market thank you 615 615a tax over payment for the year 2024 of block 383.51 27 and 15b is tax over payment for the year 2023 at block 889 Lot 4 thank you this brings us to the end of the consent agenda can I get a motion and a second please motion second open to council seeing none Clos Council open to public for the questions on the resolutions only Mr sluk I'm just presuming a fact that the budget isn't part of this consent agenda right even though it's a resolution okay wanted to make sure I had a question but no big deal uh this one how many people get on the bus at at the Walmart thing with there's two driveways going in and out Walmart and Walgreens and the other one that we have to have a bus shelter there what we get one a day no 100 a day how many how about how many people I don't have spec specific number but when we talk about seniors and residents that use those bus stations we've had actual requests from the senior center for bus station for bus Center oh okay CU people use that I hardly see anybody there ever it might be during a time that you're not driving by right and I could no I'm not driving by I'm going into the driveways and that's right between the two driveways the Walgreen and the wart there's a sidewalk there right now as well yeah side Sidewalk area there so we would we would be we have to get permission from Walgreens to to put it in behind the sidewalk mhm not in front of the sidewalk there not enough room there no it would have to be behind Okay I just looked I'm saying boy that's putting it between two driveways that do a lot of traffic and uh you know just well it's not safe for people to just stand there either no it's not safe either way even have a stop there shelter yeah they shouldn't have to stop further down the road they wouldn't have that problem either way newey where it is is dangerous either way okay thank you thank you yes sir did you say we couldn't ask questions on number five no no what second no we can't ask questions no that's we're going to take questions is at the budget hearing which is the second week in April second meeting in April that's when we're doing the budget hearing well this is a resolution it's on tonight it's agenda it's not an ordinance on the first reading it's a resolution so why can't we ask questions it's not on the consent agenda it's not on the consent agenda so on the second meeting in April you can ask your questions that's the hearing item 13 I I just happen to read that thing because it's in my neighborhood an item two says all other businesses in that complex have to be closed during the N the 9 to 12 is is that true and and do you enforce that I the the businesses are closed on Tuesdays in that shopping center except for except for the bagel shop or all those businesses are closed or are you making them closed no we're not making them closed they are closed okay so that's that's just for that one particular grand opening yes cuz it sounds like when you do a grand opening everybody has to be closed no no well they're only having the grand opening on that Tuesday April 2nd on that one day but all those businesses Chinese restaurants pizza place everybody else until the pizza place opens at 4:00 I think that day okay so all the other ones are closed normally right okay and just one other question about the uh the tents and things at the beach how how much of the beach did we lose percentage wise and and you think this is going to impact attendance uh well that's a moving Target on almost a daily basis how much sand that we've lost because it it's just a constant e and flow but the repen punishment's not here to give us the beach that we need to allow for these canopies and Tents that's clear 10% 20% 30% I'm I can estimated it for you do you think this is going to cause a loss in Revenue people can't put up there no I have no idea how many go up whether it's 110 or 100 personally a lot yeah people can still have their umbrellas and stuff it's just that they cannot have the giant canopy I understand that that's what I'm saying how many these canopies are normally there on that a lot so it could impact your Revenue no it impacts the amount of space that people will be able to use the beach no it might impact the people that say if I can't put up my canopy I'm not going okay thank you yes sir uh I want to ask a question on the ordinance on the second reading for the uh police department enforcement what's title 39 of the motor vehicle regulations we didn't get there yet sir you didn't get there yet no sir okay thank you anybody else from public please yes sir my my question is about the uh dredging uh trasers Cove when was the last time that was dredged out approximate maybe five years ago I believe years guess somewhere in there so I've called the town several times um we live on a natural waterway in Brick uh off of manokan road so we have the uh couple easements that dredg in we just had the bridge done down down the road a little bit uh on Old Hooper the sill is just filling in that whole area so the whole neighborhood has boats there and it seems that everything else is getting dredged except for our area which now we have an huge Island right in the middle of the waterway that boats cannot go in or out so in the mayor's uh budget comment she talked about the $5 million D Grant right and that Grant will be dredging all of the Lagoon areas that this is not a lagoon this I was told because it's a natural Waterway mhm they won't dredge it but all the runoff comes out of sore pipes and it just fills it in plus where um petmart is in that whole Little Creek there that's all filling in too there's honest to got an island the size of this room almost now at one of the where Glennwood is you know where Glenwood is yeah the boat ramp by the duck farm Bridge yeah yeah exactly they just they just redid that bridge all that dirt from them digging is filling it in and it's it's probably two feet deep now where it used to be six foot I used to be able to walk across it up to my neck now it's probably right you know right up to your knees so we asked in the past to get dredged all the you know that whole neighborhood has boats it goes to mermaid's Cove um the Marine of a American Legion y that whole area right there and it's literally an islanded County came out for the drain they ran a um um you know a robot up there to see if the pipe was actually broke because yet is a huge Island right and it just keeps on filling in filling in filling in and I have a boat lift there and I can't even get the boat down now because it's you know just filled in that much we'll see what we can find out yeah we have to we're going to have to reach out to the okay we'll have to reach out to the county and get some more information from them and our yeah and our and our engine as well okay okay all right thank you thank you anybody else please from public seeing none Clos public roll call councilman albanes councilwoman D young yes councilman fan yes councilwoman Travers yes vice president amberino yes president minikino yes thank you thank you this brings us to our computer Bill [Applause] resolution be resolved by the township Council the township of brick that the following bills be paid and that the mayor and clerk be and are hereby authorized to draw orders on the treasurer for the amounts of the same computer Bill resolution in the amount of 12, [Music] seeing none Clos public roll call councilman albanes councilwoman dong yes councilman fan yes councilwoman Travers yes just don't talk vice president amberino yes president minikino abstain teamsters and yes to the rest please okay this brings us to our manual Bill resolution be it resolved by the township Council of the township of brick that the following bills be paid and that the mayor and clerk be and are hereby authorized to draw orders on the treasure for the amounts of the same manual Bill resolution in the amount of 1,947 49161 thank you can I get a motion in a second please motion second open to council seeing none close councel open to public for questions on the manual Bill resolution seeing none close public roll call councilman albanes yes councilwoman D young yes councilman Fineman yes councilwoman Travers yes vice president amberino yes president minino yes thank you this brings us to ordinance on second reading um 71 please an ordinance of the township of brick County of ocean state of New Jersey amending the township code in section council president most statutes that pertain to motor vehicle laws and the Motor Vehicle Commission are in titled 39 of the New Jersey State's anotated when property located outside of a public right of way wants to enforce the provisions of title 39 an obligation is made to the township to include the property in the Township Code section regulations on private property the sites in this ordinance have applied to the township for inclusion in our private property enforcement areas these sites have all been inspected by the division of engineering to ensure that traffic signs and markings are properly installed in accordance with the manual on uniform traffic control devices it is important to note that while the police have the ability to enforce motor vehicle regulations the township will have no liability no liability or obligation with respect to site maintenance thank you thank you can I get a motion in a second motion thank you open to councel seeing none close councel open to public yes sir on that title 39 is that only uh piece of property in the town that request uh the police department on there it's not open to any any parcel if the people do not want it is that correct it's generally intended for commercial properties such as shoppr Kohl's Plaza those types of places that want the police to be able to write tickets if people are in there violating um traffic laws which they can't do because those plazas are considered private property without making an application to be included in title 39 that's just all I wanted a clarification thank you thank you sir anybody else in public please seeing none close public roll close councilman albanes councilwoman D young yes councilman feeman yes councilwoman Travers yes vice president amberino yes president minino yes thank you this brings us to Second reading on 72 please an ordinance of the township of brick County of ocean state of New Jersey amending the Township Code of the township of brick in chapter 86 entitled alcoholic beverages to authorize the issuance of a nonprofit theater consumption license thank you councilwoman thank you the state authorized the issuance of a plenary retail consumption license without regard to the usual population limits to a nonprofit corporation that regularly operates as an ouse movie theater or conducts musical or theatrical performances or concerts for which admission is charged this type of special license is known as a theater license the bill amending amending the law was adopted in June 2023 but the amendment but the amendment only extended to the theater license to include art housee movie theaters the theater license has been applicable to nonprofit theaters that conduct musical or theatrical performances for years under the current law to be eligible for a theater license a theater must be operated by a 501c3 nonprofit organization and have regular seating capacity of at least 50 seats and regularly conduct musical or theatrical performances or under the new law show art housee movies if the theater qualifies under the foring then it is eligible for the issuance of a theater license by the municipality subject to the following conditions alcohol may be served for the two hours immediately preceding the show during a during a show including intermission and in the 2hour period immediately following a show for theaters with capacities of 50 to 999 seats alcoholic beverages may be may only be served during the two hours following a performance no more than 15 times per year the applicant must also comply with the usual requirements such as background checks for the principles of the nonprofit this ordinances this ordinance establishes the authorization to issue a nonprofit theater license at a cost of $250 thank you thank you I a motion in a second please motion second open to councel seeing none closed councel open to public seeing none closed public roll call councilman alanes yes councilwoman D young yes councilman Fineman yes councilwoman Travers yes vice president amberino yes president minino yes thank you thank you and this brings us to public comments please note that each person addressing the council during any section of the meeting during which public comment is permitted shall limit his or her remarks to five minutes pursuant to Brick Township Administrative Code section 2-33 B thank you anyone from public yes Mr St I'm just going to read my letter so it's John sler 950 s Court sorry I spelled your name wrong that's okay may dear mayor crate March 23rd 2024 our council president vce manino all brick councilman and councilwoman the people of brick and the local news reporter is and all those of Ocean County uh the residents not particularly aligned and not financially well endowed haven't gotten a lot of help from the Mayors and council members past and present but the truth still needs to be told so I'm here doing it uh the residents of Brick Township and Ocean County continue to suffer the abuse of the New Jersey temp Authority Commissioners they are dying prematurely after horrific illnesses and the hidden impact of the Garden State Parkway continues to cause illnesses and make those illnesses and conditions they have more severe vehicles are a major source of this air pollution producing about onethird of all the air pollution in the United States the smog carbon monoxide and other toxins emitted by vehicles are especially troubling because they leave tail pipes at straight levels uh where humans breathe the polluted air directly into their lungs the Garden State Parkway continues to impact the life of The Not So wealthy residents and nothing seems to ever be done citizens have brought the statistics printed in articles about autism COPD asthma uh cancers and other diseases through the council meetings for many years but and truly nothing gets done the council and mayor may not have uh the courage or to press the bureaucracy and the officials of the state to help the residents but everyone should still be aware living areas in the township were near the Gate Parkway and new housing has been built near and the impacted areas as well and this has been causing some of these prolonged illnesses a 14 to 20 foot pollution noise and safety wall along with the increase in the number of trees and brushes is needed and alongside the heavily expanded Garden State Parkway the people of Evergreen Woods Green Brier Brier Mill Lanes Mill uh brick High School Cherrywood town hall and the library breath in the toxins caused by the New Jersey time Authority Commissioners and face the grave results of the of the particulates larged into their lungs hearts and their brains hopefully the council and the mayor will do a little more to help and will have the time to address the problems associated with the Garden State Parkway hopefully the mayor and Council will not only find the time to investigate store openings Road Land and Sea projects and parades but will fight the bureaucracy of the New Jersey temp bik Authority Commissioners we will see if the council and mayor will stop step up and fight for the residents of Green Woods Green Brian Brian M Birchwood brick high and other places of Brick Township thanks again for your time a y back 220 thank you sir in the yellow yes thank you thank you um I'm Mary Buckley and I'm from 514 aelia Drive in brick um as a member of the Ocean County Senior advisory Council I'd like to really thank mayor crate and council president and the council members for all that they've been doing for seniors in Bricktown um there's one thing that I wanted to bring to your attention and I did a little bit of Investigation I contacted uh councilman albanes to find out if if we had any comfort centers here in brick um which I don't believe that we do um and for those of you don't know a comfort center is a place where for instance after Sandy um that it would be open to seniors especially but it would be open to the all the residents of Brick Township um where you would have access to electricity um a kitchen uh food and enough space to put CS down and so forth for people to stay um I think it's something that I know that they are doing that I believe they're in the process of of uh creating one in Berkeley Township and um I thought that our senior center here on Aurora Place I thought that they would have had a generator but I don't believe that they do um because usually EMS would have a generator there so there are grants available um that are from the state that are providing um money for generators uh to establish a comfort center and so I was hoping that maybe with my help uh maybe with councilman albanes or anyone else if whoever does your grants here in the administration if we could work together and see if there's a way that we could get a comfort center done and I belong to um I mean I've I've in the process of contacting like the Green Brier like a place would be would be maybe the any of the um the clubhouses for any of the Senior Communities that are big enough um it could be a firehouse it could be uh the senior center it also could be my church I've I'm talking to my church it's something that I'm going to bring up to the trustees um so I'm just wondering if this would be possibly something that you might be interested in that you think would be valuable to Brick Township um simar I she with the climate of what's Happening who knows what's going to happen when we're going to lose electricity again and uh it would provide oxygen we would be able to give have oxygen available for seniors and those that need it um thank you in fact we did apply for Grant funds for a generator at the new uh building on Aurora place so that's going to be installed the gas line is going to be installed when we pave the parking lot this spring the generator will be up and we'll be using the senior center not necessarily a code blue facility which mayor crate is looking into with her um her clergy her clergy group um but we are doing that at senior center so they will have a location for the seniors to go um that is fully gas generator like I said and they'll have a place to go to get out of the elements charge up their phone get a hot meal uh a place for a little socialization if there's a you know weather event Happening Here in Brick we're not going to apply for Grants to put generators on properties that we don't own so hopefully some of these other organizations are looking at get getting generators for their club houses okay well I know that like in I believe that in Berkeley for instance they are doing it at senior centers uh not at the senior community uh clubhouses and the township is helping with that to try to get grants so I mean there might be a possibility of being able to um you know I don't know if if I don't know the status of with grants but um to establish it at other places and if the township would help us get you know apply for a grant or no we'll help you apply for the grant but we don't install oh no I understand that but you would help apply for a grant through okay for you to apply for a grant right but you would provide us with the information and so forth that if we needed that for a grant whatever we have okay all right thank you thank you anyone else from public yes sir I'd like to address an issue that I I brought up a while back and that's the street Lighting in Bricktown it's uh old technology and very insufficient with the current situation with crime going around the whole state when you go around and look at these lights here a high press sodium is pass a it's it's not the the best thing you don't get uh the best amount of lumens or candle power out of those lights and if you have light it's going to deter any crime to a certain point uh a lot of these streets when you go on them they'll have two three some have five lights on on the uh I'm talking about out near uh St Lawrence and out going out that way um there's very very poor lighting there and I think the the township Engineers should look into that because I know they deal with uh the public utilities on the lighting because I know the township pays for the lights they pay the electric bill but you're going to have to look into see if they can upgrade that in the town because in the future we might have e