##VIDEO ID:1WmcELChAUw## it's all right do heer to be called Josh or Joshua I doo but saw he wrote it Joshua agenda or your agenda where's Emily do you have any idea [Applause] good evening everyone I would like to advise all those present that notice of this meeting has been provided to the public in accordance with the provisions of the open public meeting act and that notice was published in the Jersey Journal City website copies provided the record to norstar lend also placed on a bulletin board in the lobby of City Hall written objections if any shall be made to the city clerk um actually since we have the privilege of having Commander John KY here I think you should lead us in the pledge I'm leading you now you all got to say it I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you I'm available every other council meeting Mr con here Mr Doyle pres M fiser here Mr Jabor here Mr President Zano presid Mr Cano pres Mr Ramos Mr Russo present president Gan Tino here um Mr finina I'd like to have a moment of s Ence actually um we lost police officer retired police officer Richard kosing this week would you lead us amen amen um Commander Carrie and Josh I know you are here um since you're here if you just want to quickly tell us while you're here so you don't have to stay all evening and thank you for being here thank you for us uh being here tonight we're doing a little event next week and we'd like to tell you about it uh Josh is uh leading it running the show so I'll turn it over to Josh thank you thank you folks I appreciate letting me speak tonight uh I just wanted to talk to you all for a few minutes about what we have going on uh about our event it's a follow-up event from an event that we did last year uh we called it Ruck the river Ruck the river is an event that we did to raise money for an organization called Badger 6 Badger 6 is an organization I'm involved with uh it's comprised of people who were the first people in Afghanistan after 911 I don't know if any of you have seen the movie 12 strong uh and read books about the early days but excuse me my friends were the first ones who were there so when 9/11 happened I'm going to go back for a second and kind of bring you back to the beginning of the war right after the events of 911 two to three or 4 days afterwards when we here in Hoboken were standing and trembling and feeling the pain of having lost friends and family members all from our area and feeling a tremendous amount of in unsure an unsure feeling of what was to come next and who was to avenge what was going to happen at the same time there were a few folks quietly preparing to go into Afghanistan and nobody knew that at all and in fact before that a few of my friends had been there before and had contacts that they had made and alliances that had they had formed before these events but for the actions that were to take place for us to be successful in those early days in Afghanistan we had to rely on partners and our partners in one specific area in Northern Afghan an area called Jo John province which is a land bridge to an area called or a land bridge to usbekistan which would have been a main area to bring in Supply and support to our soldiers in Afghanistan had to be secured first and to do so with the heavy presence of al-Qaeda and the Taliban the CIA and the Special Operations Community devised a plan with the people that we had contacts with before to assist us in going after those folks the folks here sitting in the front row their family members were instrumental in helping us we would not have succeeded had we not have had the help of their family members and so many others from those early days unlike a lot of other people that have come to this country these people have done a lot for this country before they ever came and it was never their intention to come to America they did exactly what we we asked them to do they stood by us they took a leap of faith and they fought side by side and they died and they were wounded critically that affected them the rest of their lives but they never asked to come to America they tried to build their country this gentleman right here he was a diplomat this woman right here is a diamond in a rough she's a gynecologist a gynecologist from Afghanistan and their brother and sister are lawyers they're all on Taliban death lists to include every other family that we support that we're trying to get to the United States now the families that were not on the initial evacuation got held up and they had to be moved to other countries in the adjacent areas we Supply money to those families to keep them safe until they're able to come to America what we're doing next Saturday is raising money again to provide for these families until they can come here we are at the whim of the state department so there's no telling when these families will come so they need to be provided for until they come I'm telling you this because it's not any one person's responsibility to backfill what our government won't do but in Hoboken here we were greatly affected by the events of 911 and if you look over there every single day that skyline looks different than it did on September 10th 2001 And when everybody was on bended kn crying it was these folks that stood by us so what I'm asking you right now and everybody in here and everybody in Hoboken is just to take a leap of faith like they did for us and support our mission we're going to do a ruck march on the river you can come you can walk you can jog you can just hang out the registration is $30 all that money goes to support these families while they're in waiting it's a noble Mission and I just ask for your support so I just want to say thank you and uh God Bless America and God bless these folks thank you thank you thank you very much Josh I don't I'm not sure that you said the date it's September 28th September 28th at what time 10 a.m we're starting in pi sorry that's okay we're going to start in pi and we'll go up the riverfront we'll come back there'll be a few speeches the other thing is you're going to get to meet a few folks that you were never meant to meet the people well I like to call the First Responders from the other side the people that were there that you've never heard of before you should never know what they look like they'll be there and I just think it's a good opportunity for people I'm 45 myself and I think that a lot of you here are around the same age we have a really strong memory of 9/11 and although the younger people have forgotten about it it profoundly shaped my life as did all my my brothers and sisters over here so I I would hope that some people that really remember how it felt that day will stand by us next Saturday so thank a week from Saturday it's a week from Saturday sorry to September 28th at 10: a.m. okay website yeah and the the website that we have is Hoboken Ruck the river it's on the back side of our American Legion page and you can access you can log in right there you can sign up you can make a donation uh we're going to have live music afterwards at the legion all day we have uh refreshments and just a lot of fun and then again you'll get a chance to interface with these folks and see people that really played a real big time role in changing American history and world history you know I'd like to say that people like this are American history wrapped up in a human form all right this really is that like someday your grandchildren will read about people like this in history books you'll see a picture of US soldiers sitting on Horseback in the middle of nowhere in Afghanistan and that will be what ties it to that the statue down at the World Trade Center the America's response statue that statue is modeled after people from their neighborhood that horse that that Air Force Power rescan was riding that they used in that statue that was a horse that was given by their folks to our folks I'm just saying we need to do the right thing because there's one more thing I got to say to you there's a saying in Afghanistan and they always attribute attribute it to a mid-level Taliban commander in 2002 I don't think that a mid-level 2002 Taliban Commander had a lot of foresite but if it he did say this it's a pretty profound statement the statement was the American generals have all the watches but we have all the time and they were right they waited us out they had all the time but maybe I can amend that for a second the Taliban has stolen the watches and now we're running out of time and I need your help so help me please thank you thank you thank you so much for coming this evening thank you again thank you [Applause] are they gonna speak oh I don't know are they speaking did you I'm sorry did you want to speak they'll speak they'll speak next week excellent we will uh we work up to that but uh you will see these folks next week and and there will be other folks that'll be there next week that are here already that we've gotten here and the most important folks are are still me to come and some of the earlier folks they're really important as well see you next week thank you thank you you're good excuse me hearing on an ordinance amending chapter 19071 entitled municipally managed electric vehicle charging to add alter charging stations to the west side of Washington Street north of 14th Street Patricia did you want to speak on this Manny thank you council president uh council president uh I would just like to ask a question and I'm sure that um you may have answered some of the the the um concerns in the last meeting but um I would like to know have you cleared up all the um questions that were um admitted the last meeting between the council members um I did watch the meeting um I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend but I'm sure you were you were giddy with um excitement that uh poor Manny was uh unable to attend um but could you uh help members of public understand or get a little more um information on what you decided upon And in regards to what was asked by um council member Fischer um also council president I know this is again might sound like minutia but it's not um members of the public would like to also understand in these um charging stations members of the public are interested to know who is responsible for the maintenance and um how is it that the city um gains any revenue from these charging stations due to the fact that they are um the cause for eliminating precious parking um Space in Hoboken uh you know these are some of the questions that members of the public would like to see if they could understand um this evening uh being that it was kind of vague um in the last meeting and um it might even it might even be prudent for b704 as well council president so and I see that I I still have time so I'm just going to um I guess yield back if you can answer the question thank you thank you wait there's another person Mary Andrea [Music] Mary Andre 1599 street I was curious about this myself I know these are additional ones uh north of 14th street but the two that went in on Washington in the middle of the block I think they're between Sixth and fth um I asked them what they were actually because they look different from the ones down on Newark right near the old um um not CVS the Walgreens um I was just curious because they do take up parking spaces and I don't understand why they would be on Washington Street why they would not be on other side streets or other areas like gas stations were always at the perimeter of a town because I I mean not everyone has an electric vehicle also the electric vehicles were taking a long time to charge over at the one on Newark my understanding is these work faster um but the still the two that are right next to each other it does take a chunk of parking out what is the logic in putting them on Washington Street to have them sit there with the cars when people could be parking we have a lot of problems with parking in this town because everything is being taken away and I don't understand the rationale and who decided that because it's an isore for one to have the them sitting there I know cars park there but you have a use of cars parking there so I don't know how many are there going to be in this town he had a good question who's maintaining them what benefit do we get out of it I'm not getting a benefit out of it but it is robbing parking spaces so before we get all too green on us uh we I don't even know how much these things cost so I I'd like to know just how many there are and why they're on Washington Street and how long it takes to charge a a car I don't know who to ask that to or who can answer that question but you as a board who have voed it you should be able to answer those questions thank you thank you I can answer some of it we have no other members of the public signed up to speak on motion close public portion all in favor oh do you want to speak on this yeah no I have you come on okay motion to close portion motion motion second all in favor I Council woman fish so um just to let to address both Manny and Mary's um comments so uh at the last meeting I had asked to delay this one one meeting only because I just wanted to know exactly where it was um we have a lot going on as you know in the North End including rebuild by Design and I just needed to like like confirm where it was that was it we confirmed I met with Greg frenesy who's our head of Transportation Planning uh and it's fine this location specifically to address um Mary these are um these These are locations like these are in metered parking putting it on a resident side street taking up like resident parking um or putting it in a place where residents Etc are more apt to park was what we didn't want to do um but there's definitely a need and an interest um in across hobok and and in the second ward uh for highspeed Chargers these are really highspeed Chargers these will charge a a complete engine my understanding is within 20 minutes and they're set up to um you pay for the full charge and there's penalties if they stay longer than a full charge the price goes up dramatically so there's incentives for the cars to leave and have turnover so these are on Washington near businesses in a business district in an area um that has really really high residential density so probably almost an even greater chance of having residents have um electric vehicles just because we have so much residential density um in the area the one thing that is important is these are charging during the day overnight it's resident parking so it's just a day charging but it would be overnight resident parking so we have we'll have that um good tradeoff um I think we answered the I can't I can't speak to maybe the oh just one quick thing we we do have the longer ones um for people uh we don't I don't think we're doing as many of those anymore the goal is to do these highspeed ones we're not paying anything for these highspeed These are um the cost is being borne by the company my understand the company's my understanding and they're generating revenues from fees we're getting revenues from fees they're also getting advertising revenues to um in in the panels to offset the costs and Caleb did I say anything wrong I said it right okay but I know in the second W everyone's been asking for these and I'm super excited that we finally found a great location for them uh and I'm perfectly fine on Washington between 14th and 15th thank you Mr finina call the vote Mr con hi Mr Dole hi M Fisher yes Mr Jabor yes Mr President Mr oh he's got a you you're on a delay Joe he's got it Mr Ramos he's got it Mr Russo he should turn that hi president gtino yes hearing onor Nord amending article one chapter 46 of the Hoboken code en Tire to lease agreen oh excuse me this one is being carried 699 that that yes carried b seven 03 hearing on an ordinance amending chapter 192-in titled parking for persons with dis actually this is also going to be carried okay hearing on an ordinance b704 an ordinance amending chapter 190 d71 entitled municipally managed electric vehicle chargings to add Volta charging stations to the east side of Jackson Street at 7th in Jackson Street Resort resiliency Paul Manny Rivera cair thank you we have no other members of the public to speak public portion all in favor I council members Mr finina call the vote Mr con hi hi Mr Doyle hi M fiser yes Mr Jabor yes Mr President xano hi Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos hi Mr Russo hi president gtino yes hearing on an ordance b705 Nance amending chapter 141 entitled garages and lots public chapter 141a entitled parking permits and chapter 190 entitled vehicles and traffic to update the parking utilities fee schedule Manny Rivera saler thank you again council president um very quickly council president I just again um I Heard a discussion in last meeting I would just like to know where did we settle on the parking or is this also for the parking on Sundays for businesses um I don't know if this was last um meeting or is it on this because I tried to print this out um I just don't understand all of the numbers and the rates um that are going up and is it that for um permit parkings for the residents can you um elaborate a little bit on uh again the price points of the uh permits and the changes uh council president it would be um behooving for members of the public to understand especially those who have vehicles and um struggle um paying the rates and then also struggle to find a parking because it's not guaranteed and I i' appreciate next time if the mic could be a little higher thank you council president I you back oh sorry about that we have no other members of the public signed up to speak motion to close public portion motion all in favor could um I think you were asking about Sunday parking and it we made it just Washington Street correct yep that it's just Washington Street any council members yes yeah could you just lay out the the changes in this fee schedule that's the only all all this ordinance does is change from I think it was originally written as the entire business district to now stre all right I just wanted to make sure there was nothing else in there thank you yeah I not sure we needed all 29 pages of the ordinance to reflect a sentence and a half of I just want to make sure you read it but I don't think I need to underline Mr finina call vote Mr con I Mr doy hi M fer yes Mr javor yes Mr pres Zano hi Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos Mr Russo no president Jee Tino yes uh up to the consent agenda usually it's 9: I know just keep moving so what things that are carried or pulled um isn't it public comment no on agenda items no it it will be but yes we're going to pull first okay I just want to make sure that anything that's new no I think that's all clear okay Patricia waiters resolutions resolution or any agenda items yep any any okay with the with respect to except except for first reading no this second and final reading b705 is this increas in our residential fees is what I was trying to explain our $50 is not going up no our residential fee schedule stays the same all right so on Washington Street when you increase on Sunday it won't infect affect or impact us with the $50 cuz before nothing to do with our residential permit okay thank you cuz we went from 15 to 50 right after an election I just want that on the record and and I'm here even though you pulled it the blue eyes you pulled it off the agend and carrying it to October 9th I know it's on the agenda I just wanted to place it on the record I was in support of that and I hope you guys pulling it so you could come up with better language so he can sign his lease and please y'all stop interrupting me I'm trying to collect my chain the door here oh the legal fee oh Mr Doyle A3 it just says a contract between the city of Hoboken and Brenda I can't even pronounce her other name AKA Brenda star is she a star or a celebrity and what do she get in this contract for she's going to perform at the Spring Festival she's a musician mus oh and the city got to pay her fee yeah thank you thank you and kenstar I'm sorry I'm getting there I'm getting like Manny I better stop um P page two A1 and A2 I'm glad to see that's on agenda tonight and I'm in full support of that but I want to ask you what happened to the project is it part of this that was supposed to take place on the pier you guys just pulled that off correct okay and at a later date or I'm not sure okay just thanks for these two tonight and could we reconsider the peer thank you thank you Manny Rivera cair make it a little too high Emily did you raise it not usually my job how's that thank you this is fine I appreciate it council president councel censorship was just a minor thing of looking down uh council president um to start off it's consent agenda so I know I have uh seven but I'm going to try to be quick um first uh again in the petition and Communications I would like to um as a member of the public and I'm sure many other members of the public um unite in thanking um Mr um uh Feliciano Santos uh in his dedicated um work to our city for 36 years and his retirement wish him good luck I'm sure you all would do that as well I'm sure you did um now I would like to do consent agenda of course um A1 and A2 um Jessa I'm sure they're going to be people here who are be uh going to come up and and discuss it or speak on it um yes I am in favor of course of the Arts but I would also like again as I always say I'm not too happy with the first amount but I would like to see a mural someday as soon as possible um for the uh Lenny lped um tribe of hobokin as well as um the communities who helped Hoboken um become what it is uh in the past uh which mean would mean a lot to these communities whether they be uh Hispanic or Italian Irish German there are many many many um that I could U mention so uh I will continue um as well as ca3 ca3 council president I'm also in favor um this is from coming from the shat Tre commission but I would like to see if if presidental council could um at least exort um the shry commission to ask Mr cowi to please um make the report as soon as possible and to let members of the public um have access to it and to understand uh how are trees uh their conditions and how many because that is very important if you uh visit the shade tree commission meeting it is um kind of interesting but that's if you like trees and foliage uh such as myself so I'm a big fan of trees uh that was uh a joke an internal joke anyway I will continue so um in finance F1 F2 of course salute and I am in favor again because these are uh Revenue that's coming in but I would also like to know especially in F2 when you receive uh these monies how and where do they get allocated to how will the public have access to it I'm sure it's perhaps through the courts um when mandated but um it would be interesting to know and council president um I'm also going to ask for P3 PS2 those are the amounts definitely T1 is very important that um members of the public know why or pardon me not why um the amount not to exceed in this auction is it favorable for the city to continue with this and this amount how much more will revenue does the city get that is very important at the offset of that amount uh I always ask it every year when it comes up but I think I don't get an answer unless I got to go back to the YouTube and find out and then ft and council president that would be it and I guess I think I'm under the time but if if any of those jot it down by any one of you council members um I would please ask you to either pull it out ask a question on it elaborate on it it would be greatly appreciated for members of the public and I you back council president thank you Liz nadoo she actually am good evening everyone my name is lizen doy I'm the chair of the hobok and art advisory committee and an artist and art teacher I'm a property owner and have lived in Hogan since 1979 I'm here tonight to commend the council for taking under consideration the public art proposals of Jason Saget and Alvin pedit Mr Mr Saget's career is well recognized his photographs are beautifully composed and colored they are Hoboken focused and add to the VIS visual richness of our environment his gorgeous mural will enhance the historic imposing entryway of City Hall it will make this important building even more inviting and memorable Mr pettit's work is quite well known particularly in the New York metropolitan area his most notable recent achievement is the contract for the Harriet Tubman Monument in Philadelphia this is an extraordinary achievement for an artist the acquisition of his work would be an incredible honor for this city no matter the subject the fact that he is proposing to create a monument to the former hobok and Resident civil rights activist and humanitarian Mara P Johnson is I believe an extraordinary opportunity Mara is an icon a hero someone long overdue for veneration and honors to approve Mr pettit's Beautiful sculpture will bring multiple accolades to Hoboken we will be luded for having the first and only sculpture of Mara we will be applauded for having such a beautiful work of art and we will attract many new visitors to Hoboken to pay homage to Marsha and her historic unprecedented and courageous work Mara P Johnson literally laid her life on the line multiple times to save the lives of others in the lgbtq plus community we in Hoboken can add to her Legacy by helping Mr Pettit make this incredible work of art in her honor I must now add a comment on the location of this piece we on the Arts advisory committee believe Marsha belongs at the northwest corner of Stevens park because this was her neighborhood she lived at one Marine View Plaza and woried at St Peter and Paul Church she was is a devout Catholic and frequent devotee at the Statue of the Virgin Mary this corner will afford the best view of the monument to oncoming motorists and pedestrians they will see her in all her glory and she will be completely visible from all sides not hidden into a deeper corner of the park this is the location will that will honor her great life in the best possible way the feeling that green space will be encroached upon is a valid concern I too as a city dweller have concerns about losing any green space however I walk past Stevens almost every day and I have never seen anyone use that corner of the park for Passive recreation no one picnics no one lounges or sunbathes or plays in that corner of the park it is always empty we KN we do not believe the monument will infringe on or curtail anyone's enjoyment of the natural beauty of the park however we do not want the location to delay the start of this project the process of creating a bronze Monument of this size will take up to at least a year and during that time a reassessment of her placement in Stevens Park is amable to the artist in closing I want to remind City Council Members I've said this multiple times I want to remind you that art works by placing relevant and beautiful pieces of art throughout our city we attract visitors these visitors generate Revenue that Revenue enriches Hoboken in obvious ways but also in multiple undefined and invisible quality of life augmentations art not only creates business it heals revives inspires and enlivens people cities that Embrace beautiful public art think Paris Venice Barcelona New York City Jersey City have vibrant thriving exciting economies and happier more engaged residents in short cities with beautiful public art are cities where I'm I'm finishing the majority of people are happy and contented to live thank you again for considering these exceptional artist work let us not miss these amazing opportunities I believe we will reget it regret it if we do please vote a resounding yes on both these projects tonight thank you thank [Applause] you Katherine Williams it'll go on its own good evening uh my name is Katherine Williams I'm a Hoboken resident property owner parent frequent user of Stevens Park and co-chair of the lgbtq plus Pride advisory committee that was established in Hoboken this year by executive order at the last council meeting where the issue of the proposed Marsha P Johnson statue in Stevens Park was considered um the members of the public who attended to speak in support of the statute myself included were told that there weren't concerns about it it appears that since that time perhaps some concerns about the statute's placement have Arisen resulting in an amended resolution to prioritize but not make a final decision on placement in Stevens Park in my capacity as co-chair of hobokin lgbtq plus Pride advisory committee I want to convey the committee's strong support for approving the resolution and for placing the statue in Stevens Park as recommended by the art committee from an educational and historical perspective that placement just makes sense the park is across the street from the building where Miss Johnson found a home here where she worshiped placing the statue in the park will also provide visibility and accessibility to outof town visitors and affirm hoboken's Pride that Marsha P Johnson is a part of our City's history my request and my invitation to you and to anyone in this room is that if there are concerns standing in the way of making a final decision on the statue's placement we get them out in the open and work to resolve them as soon as possible here's why I think that's so important and I want to be clear that now I'm speaking on my own behalf if we don't discuss concerns transparently and commit to a place where Miss Johnson's statue will be actually erected members of the lgbtq plus community in Hoboken and the friends and neighbors and family members who love them are going to be left wondering whether the concerns arise from transphobia this isn't a hypothetical issue this is what many people in the city are feeling right now and I hope you'll take a moment to reflect with me about why it might seem reasonable for folks to wonder if transphobia is playing a role I wonder if you're listening to me instead of being on your phone to give one example 20 24 is the fifth year in a row that is breaking records for anti-trans legislation being introduced in state legislatures with 658 bills introduced nationally already including eight that are under consideration here in New Jersey the effect of these legislative proposals whether they pass or not and some of them do pass is to tell members of the trans Community we don't want you here we don't want to see you we we don't want to acknowledge Your Existence we don't want you to remind us of your existence you are not welcome that's a message that's getting louder and louder in our state and others in my experience however that's not the message that most people here in hobok can want to send my family which claims a lot of the letters in the lgbtq plus acronym among our identities has been proud to call Hoboken home for almost 18 years because we have more or less felt welcome here Koken isn't perfect that's part of why the pride advisory committee has a role but as Citizens we can rightly be proud of our City's strong record supporting the civil rights of members of the lgbtq plus Community which is only possible because of the leadership of many of you and others in this room here today I hope that we are equally proud that Marsha P Johnson one of the pioneers of that Civil Rights Movement found our city and more specifically the area around Stevens Park a place to call home in the last year years of her life is there a better way to express that Pride than by placing the statue honoring her in the park that sits right outside her home where would it be more appropriate to place the statue and why these aren't rhetorical questions I'm genuinely curious and if people have concerns about or objections to placing the statue in Stevens Park let's have a discussion and let's include representation from The Pride advisory committee in that discussion because understanding those concerns is part of what the committee is here for I'd invite anyone who has thoughts about this to to reach out to me or another member of the committee I hope very much that this amendment to the to the resolution isn't a matter of the fear or discomfort of a few getting in the way of something that so many in our community want to celebrate and I hope that as a community we can address any concerns transparently so that there are no delays in putting up the statue and affirming in a tangible and enduring way pook's commitment to welcoming all members of the lgbtq plus Community thank you thank [Applause] you Alvin Pettis oh oh that's amazing they'll move it no yeah don't touch it no don't touch it don't touch it don't touch it okay don't move it all right you may be a sculptor but you can't fix I got you um thanks for having me here tonight um so yeah my name is Alvin ped I'm a sculptor in Jersey City resident of Jersey City for quite a while now and um the reason why I feel that this project is important because I feel representation is important and in my representation is important in my art I always try to get involved in projects that hopefully can bring a voice to those that have historically been unheard and that may be whether it's the African-American Community whether it's immigrants whether it's something in this case the LGBT community I think this particular project sums all a lot of that up in one figure and I'm very anxious to hopefully have an opportunity to bring this to the city of Hoboken and just elaborating on what Liz so eloquently said as far as the location goes um I didn't know it was going to be a controversial issue because the location seem so perfect and anybody that would have an issue you'd have to look at the work and that the individual did and from our research on Marsha P Johnson she helped the poor helped feed the hungry helped the um sick and the ill so by even Church standards I don't know about anybody that would have an issue against the work that that individual did with that being said the location that we looked at originally sits like on the I it is the northwest corner of Stevens I believe yeah and um the reason that location is very ideal is because you have incoming traffic from both Hudson Street Hudson Avenue or Street whichever one it is as well as Fifth Avenue going this way so cars can actually is very visible in both directions coming and actually the landscape and that's side of the park actually is elevated just naturally it's got like a slightly natural Mound there that gives it somewhat of a natural stage that would look so beautiful having the figure right there prominent where you can see it even from down if you're walking towards from Fifth Avenue so as I said I hope you all consider having this uh having me do this Monument I'm very um feel fortunate to be able to bring this to Hoboken if it if that's the way it goes and I look forward to doing this I consider this to be a fun project I don't get super excited about every project I do nor do I accept every project that make come my way but in this particular one I would be very honored and have to have the opportunity to bring this to the city of hoken so I really hope the council considers this tonight thank you very much thank you Stephanie Mills Emily got it nice sorry okay I'm multitasking here good evening no Pride for some of us without liberation for all of us this quote is featured in the mara P Johnson community room at the Hudson prize Center my name is Stephanie Mills my pronouns are she her and I'm the director of Youth Services for Hudson prize Center also known as HPC I am here today on behalf of HPC to illustrate our support with creating a monument that honors a Trailblazer in Stevens Park a Trailblazer who lived right here in Hoboken I am aware that some people don't understand why we need this monument and I would like to take this time to share a few stats from the Trevor projects 2024 US national survey on mental health of lgbtq plus young people trigger warning I am going to mention suicide 52% of trans men have considered suicide in the past year 47% of trans women have considered suicide in the past year 43% of non-binary and gender queer young adults have considered suicide in the past year we can really use something to celebrate about this is one of the many reasons why we need to honor Marsha P Johnson in a space where our community desires Stevens Park while I didn't have the privilege of meeting Miss Mara P Johnson I have benefited from her advocacy and today I stand here to Advocate on behalf of her Legacy Mara P Johnson is a part of my history and I want to remind you she's a part of your history and our history and we should honor her right here in step's park baby thank you thank you she spoke we have no other members of the yes you can I forgot to mention before I just to reiterate also what I think Liz made a point about is that regardless of the location I mean that's an AR I mean that's the conversation can can be further had but it will take about a minimal of 6 months or seven months worth of sculpting just with this project and then it has to go into bronze which can actually take another five to six months on average so we're looking about a year and some change in just from the process alone so even if there is some conversation that be further had as far as the location hopefully it doesn't hold up the process tonight cuz the sooner we get started all that can the location can be figured out once while while it's going on so just want to bring that technical as point to you guys thank you m Migdalia oh just said something about the drainage issue which actually that goes back to the fact that it does sit on a slight elevation in that area would actually be good too because if there is any kind of flooding or anything like that it doesn't necessarily it won't it won't settle in that area so we looked at that and kind of chose that particular location very carefully thank you mcdal thank you thank you good evening Council uh my name is mcdal Pagano I'm a resident of one Marine View Plaza and I did uh email you a letter uh today but I just wanted to read it out loud to everyone uh in case you hadn't gotten a chance to see it uh so dear members of the Hoboken city council I am writing to express my support for the proposal to place a statue of Marsha P Johnson and Hoboken as a pioneering lgbtq activist and beloved member of our community Mara P Johnson's Legacy is one that deserves to be honored and remembered Mara P Johnson was a Trailblazer in the fight for lgbtq rights and a founding member of the gay Liberation Front she was an activist for the transgender individuals and established starhouse a shelter for homeless gay and trans youth Mara P Johnson was HIV positive and Her diagnosis led her to care for those who were also living with the AIDS virus her courage and advocacy during the Stonewall Uprising and her ongoing efforts to support marginalized communities have left the inevitable mark on History she was known as the mayor of Christopher Street and a monument of her was commissioned by the public Arts campaign in New York City and placed near Stonewall in 2019 Governor Cuomo announced that East River State Park would be renamed after Marsha P Johnson and the current governor Kathy hokel is creating a new gateway to the park in Mara P Johnson 's distinctive flower crown Mara chose to live in Hoboken or chose Hoboken as her home for the final 12 years of her life specifically one Marine mup Plaza in the picture above which you can't see but I have as part of your email uh in the picture above you can see the blue colored door familiar to all the apartments in the building so you not it's Mar view Hoboken was an integral part of Marsha P Johnson's history it is where she felt safe secure and accepted a refuge from the gay bashings that the LGBT community at the time had to endure a statue here in Hoboken in her honor would not only celebrate her contributions but also serve as a powerful symbol of hoboken's commitment to diversity inclusion and social justice it would provide a place for a reflection and inspiration for residents and visitors alike reminding us of the importance of standing up for equality and human rights in my opinion the proposed location Stevens Park is fitting as it is directly across the street from one Marine View Plaza where she lived the park is a place where people gather and enjoy the beauty of our city the statue would enhance the Park's culture and historical significance making it a landmark that residents can take pride in this location to me just makes the most sense and it's the connection I urge the Hoboken city council to approve the installation of the Marsha P Johnson statue and to consider the Steven's Park location as its home as New York City has paid tribute to her this tribute will ensure that her Legacy continues to inspire the future generations and that her contributions to our society are never forgotten Council people let's do the right thing and bring Mara P Johnson home thank [Applause] you we have no other members of the public signed up to speak motion to close public portion motion second all in favor I council members on agenda items we pull um A1 any other council members what was pulled I'm sorry A1 thank you F1 and F2 P4 P4 a44 all right Mr finina call the vote on everything except A1 A4 F1 F2 and P4 Mr con I Mr Dole hi M Fisher yes Mr Jabor yes president Zano I Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos hi Mr Russo hi president Gan Tino oh yes that's fine I won't be reading it A1 resolution he meant P4 Okay resolution awarding a contract to Alvin Pettit in the amount of $250,000 for a sculpture of Mara P Johnson at Stevens park by the Hoboken public art program um before we before you speak I just want for clarity for people that showed up tonight when this was not on the agenda this morning it was not any member of the city council that had removed it it was the administration and we collectively put it back on the agenda so if your feeling was anyone up here pull this from the agenda that is unfactual councilwoman javor that's not my understanding but I'd rather talk about the merits of this art project if possible um thank you I just want we talked about transparency during all of this so I wanted to ensure there was transparency that's and that's why I'm being transparent that that was not my understanding of how councilman I'm sorry Mr lore who told you to pull this from the agenda I apologize for putting you on the spot but thank you council president I just want to be clear that was at the request of councilman pres Zano so I just I want to put that out there so councilman pres Zano does not have the ability to pull something he does not sponsor he made that request to the chief of staff and that's how that happened so so the chief of staff I'm glad it's back on we're all back we're all happy it's back on that's how that happened thank you so I would like to thank all of the members of the public who came and spoke in support of this um really incredible project um and to be honored by having the artist here is really um what a special thingk thank you for being here and speaking on your motivation and your inspiration with this project um I'd like to thank Liz as chair of the Arts committee um and Katherine as chair co-chair of the pride committee I have the pleasure of serving on that committee with you um and this is something that we've been talking about within that committee because um what's especially important about this statue and its placement as advised by the Arts committee is that it is a celebration of a life that was overlooked and ignored and frankly attacked I think over the course of history um by the time 2020 rolled around Time Magazine did proper Justice to her Legacy and named Marsha P Johnson one of the top most 100 influential women in the country and what an incredible Accolade for someone who was a resident of our city and that is something that we should be proud of but right now we need to be even more proud of that and even more vocal about that because this is a time to the point that was brought up uh by the public during remarks that the trans Community is more under attack now through legislative proposals but also through violence um and as you may know as part of Mom's demain Action Gun Violence is something that is very important to me this particular Community the black women trans Community is the most targeted and endangered community in the entire country when it comes to gun violence because three out of four deaths that happen to Black trans women is at the end of a gun this is a cross-section of so many important issues that this city needs to be talking about and we need to be celebrating the legacy of someone who accomplished so much in the face of so many challenges so I understand that there have been some concerns I would like to just be on the record to say that I think that this location is in is significant it was specific it speaks to her life in Hoboken and it is important and I hope that as this moves forward we continue to support that at the recommendation of the Arts Council and by the folks in this room thank you for your advocacy and thank you for speaking in support of this project thank you other council members council president no I will so I first of all I think you know as a couple people have reached out to us um everyone supports this uh statue like that's never been an issue and I think people are excited for all the reasons um that everyone's articulated that all the reasons uh councilman jaor um just articulated about the history of of and historical significance of this person um you know to a community that's been underrepresented I think people feel very proud uh I know my Council colleagues feel proud that you know and we've learned along the way I think we're all really excited um the only and and I don't think anyone thinks it's going to be anywhere other than Stevens's park right it's going to be in Stevens Park it's it's not a question of if if if it's going to suddenly move to the back of Hoboken or anything um but like everything we do in Hoboken um especially around our public space we usually have public meetings where we inform publicly all the people that use our public space and we talk about where's the best location right we have limited resources in Hoboken and although a specific location of something whether it's a jungle gym a statue or anything we usually involve members of a lot of groups within the public so a small group has decided this location and as more people have raised their hand saying well you know what we grass area we use for whatever you know I know um M or uh Liz and doy mentioned she doesn't often see people there but we have people that have reached out and have said we use that um grassy area so this is just this is just a we're going to have a discussion about where within the park and it may be exactly this location but other than a small group of people the rest weren't weren't kind of brought into the conversation about the best location that's it it shouldn't stop your process I I imagine we're voting 90 tonight um one question I do have actually I'd asked uh director Gonzalez but she's um directed me to our Corporation councel um Brian so when we typically make changes to a park like a use change we have a whole process where we have to to you know give 30 days notice have a hearing you know have designs Etc what' you say any right and did we do that for this or do we need to do that um for this that involves more members of the public to just see it and talk about the proposed location we had a public and did that did that satisfy it I'm sorry I'm not sure I mean we we we had a public hearing where there's a presentation of the location of this on in the PowerPoint that was shared with the public and there was discussion at the meeting of location about the water I actually I I think for clarity I don't think this requires the same kind of meeting I understand what you're talking about if you're taking a passive area and you're turning into a playground I believe we have to have three meetings three public meetings but this is not I wouldn't say this in my opinion is changing use all right well anyway yeah I don't remember it to be honest with you I mean former councilman Cunningham really pushed to have that ordinance passed but it was change of use I remember that I don't know because there were times that we talked about just like astr Turf as opposed to gr yeah right even like pruning trees and trimming trees and moving trees like moving trees I would just look at it to make sure that's it okay that's it but anyway I know we'll all support it and we're all excited mhm councilman Cohen thank you council president uh first uh as a council member who serves on the Arts advisory committee I want to thank the members of the Arts advisory committee uh they have worked hard on this uh this has been about five months where this application has been hanging around uh I want to thank the artist for his patience with this he is an accomplished uh artist who has many people who would like to do commissions for them a lot of entities that would like to and he mentioned that this was a fun project for him so maybe that's why he's been so indulgent of us but I want to thank you for your patience uh and for letting this process play out in a way uh where we've gotten to this point where we're poised to approve this contract for you and as councilwoman Fischer said I think that it's likely to be a unanimous vote reflecting the fact that we want this to go forward we want this to be done but I I I do want to caution against micromanaging our Arts committee uh this is a committee of people who are Arts professionals who are dedicated volunteers who worked hard on these issues they put in a lot of time and a lot of thought this was not an application that was made lately uh it went through the administration through an exhaustive process uh that was done by the mayor who approved this project and this uh this sculpture that was done by the mayor's office uh and it was done in close coordination with the Arts advisory committee so I want to thank all the members of the Arts advisory committee I also think that this is a great way for us to shed light on the life and the legacy of Marsha P Johnson uh I'm hoping that this will be in a prominent location the resolution was changed uh originally it had said that it would be in the northwest corner that's where it was in the Public Presentation when we had this now it says that it's prioritizing the location of Stevens Park but it does not require it I hope that the testimony that we've heard tonight from the people who knew or loved or respected the legacy of Marsha P Johnson who lived in Marine View who uh worshiped and sought solace in the halls of St Peters and Paul as a parishioner there uh will find it in their hearts to see that this is uh an ideal location to have an elevated location in that park across from where she lived her life is a fitting Legacy for her so I I think it's fine to have a discussion and and to talk to people about that but I think the more people learn about this the more people will recognize the wisdom of the Arts committee and the decisions that they made we did hear from the public with respect to the Waterfront sculpture at the other uh meeting a few months ago and uh you know it was sort of a different hearing but the decision was made by the Arts committee to to not go forward with respect to that sculpture uh I think we should do the opposite of that tonight I think we should go forward full steam ahead and educate the public about Life and Legacy and heart of Mara P Johnson and share that with our children and make that a historic part of our community for years to come I want to thank Alvin Pettit uh for his work and his partner on this effort and we look forward to a completed sculpture that we can share with our community thank you thank you Mr finina call the vote Mr con I Mr dorl I M Fisher yes Mr Jabor yes Mr President xano hi Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos hi Mr Russo hi president gtino yes all right F1 F1 uh council president F1 and F2 uh same questions I had at our let me just read them really quickly yep um I'm just going to read both of them if you're okay with us voting on them together F1 resolution inserting a special item of Revenue into the calendar year 2024 Municipal budget to include include the $858 N received from the New Jersey courts Administrative Office of the Courts for Municipal Court alcohol education rehab and enforcement fund and F2 resolution inserting a special item of Revenue into the calendar year 2024 Municipal budget to include the $573 received from the Department of Health and Human Services Council on alcoh alcoholism and drug abuse for July 1st 2022 to July 30th 2023 Municipal Alliance Grant yes councilman thank you council president uh same question uh director as our last meeting timing on this and a reminder of the others so that you could send me all those dates when they were received oh yeah I'm my bad on that uh this one I see from the health department was forwarded to Finance on September 11th that's the municipal Alliance One I will get back to on the other one give me one second no problem you could do it offline no big deal J thank you thank you council president thank you good Bina call the vote Mr con I F1 and F2 yes F1 and F2 Mr con I Mr Doyle I Mr fiser yes Mr javor yes Mr President Tano I Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos hi Mr Russo hi president Gan Tino yes P4 resolution awarding a contract to mata's Nursery in the amount of $ 41,9 7669 for the purchase of land landscape equipment it's me yeah it's me um is is director Aus still here hi um so are these I I I looked up the blowers we've had conversations with director Gonzalez in the past about amending our ordinances to prohibit um gas powerered blowers and gas powerered Landscaping um not only our own purchase of them but also um change our rfps and require our landscaping companies to eliminate them and go to some sort of alternative um energy are these gas powered ones they are and the reason for that is because the commercial industry standards are not quite there for the needs that we require in our Parks so every time that we are replacing equipment first thing we do is assess if there's any electric options available so that the electric ones are considered first but in the event that they are not we will still go with the next best option for the maintenance of our Parks okay what's the life cycle of these in other words do you have a sense whether you know they need to be replaced every five years so that it really depends on the use but we are looking at at least eight to 10 years on these yeah i' I'd like to just see an alternative that even if it's not the best form or even if we just use something different like rakes um other than gas powered these gas powered blowers that are just disruptive to people in the Parks people walking around they're they burn terrible energy so I'm going to be a no on this tonight and I I think Monclair just adopted an ordinance Banning them not to say we have to be like Monir and I believe I I attempted to do it a few years ago but ran into the issue where how is the city yeah going I think Monclair was related to their residential use and or their um contract residential contracted landscape companies they were Banning also I think because mon Clair had a problem with the enforcement on the hours of operation that landscape companies were starting work so this is specific to our city owned equipment that we operate during our City hours I mean I would have an issue doing something just for residents that we weren't going to follow yeah you know like it's okay for the city but not for you the RS are we do have them and they are utilized when when needed but to maintain a a park multiple parks at once to have the man we don't have the manpower to break the leaves when we have leaves all over but I will gladly consider all the electric options first what about P2 and P3 we're talking about utility tractors and the gas weed whacker versus a a street sweeper if it's gas powered is the street sweeper gas powered yes that why does it happen why wouldn't be we have we have a bunch of new equipment that's not gas powered so we do we do have so why wouldn't we get a street sweeper that is not gas powered the street sweeper that's being replaced right now is currently out of search so we're down to one sweeper right now so to get that um you know the parts and back in service it's not cost effective rather than get a sweeper that we know is reliable for our city uh maintenance that we do on the streets right now but we there's no electric sweep street sweepers out there electric vehicle Sweet street sweepers sorry um perhaps there are and and these are things that we can continue to look into but I the ones that we use and that we need is the one that's on the agenda for tonight anyone else thank you Mr finina call the vote Mr con is it both no because I didn't pull I for some reason I was electric M fiser no Mr Jabor yes president Zano hi Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos hi Mr Russo I president gtino yes ordinance for introduction Lord Council I was going to call you council president thank you it's about the only thing he hasn't served in right uh councilwoman mayor Fischer you wanted to remove ordinance number two well I I think I just want to clarify ordinance number two is for first reading um has me as the sponsor I'm not the sponsor of it this is the Restriction of the hours in the Parks um I think uh Jerry indicated that online it actually shows councilman quino as a sponsor this is just an error so um I just want to clarify that I don't know if councilman quino wants to remove it I would be supportive of moving removing it from the agenda council president I I supportive as well I did have one question on payroll if you don't mind can we make a motion a motion U director since the budget's passed have there been any other raises given out other than contractual ones yes are any of those raises above and beyond what are salary ordinances no will they become above and beyond or are they still within the limit I know my ceiling I'm sorry I don't go above my ceiling well that's good could you let me know what the positions were that were given raises sure actually can you email them to the entire Council sure yeah Mike shouldn't just get the yeah we should all have fun with that not just you absolutely I totally agree all right Mr fin wait did you was there a motion can I do that I can make a motion a table well we're not on that one yet okay we're on number one did we vote on number one no no we uh introduction on an ordinance amending chapter 192-in for persons with disabilities add and remove Reserve parking spaces M frina call the vote Mr con hi Mr Doyle i m fiser yes Mr Jabor yes Mr President Zano hi Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos hi Mr Russo I president gtino yes ordinance for introduction ordinance amending chapter second vote on no motion to table on the motion to table Yeah call a vote on the motion to table motion to table Mr con no EXC me no Mr Doyle no M fiser yes Mr Jabor no Mr President Zano I Mr Cano no Mr Ramos hi Mr Russo this is the table yes no to table president Geno yes okay uh the ordinance we move it forward now right no no now we have to vote on the ordinance call the vote on the ordinance Mr Pina yes council president on the ordinance Mr con before we vote I believe there have been some changes to the hours with respect to this ordinance there have and I'd like them to be shared with the council so that we know what we're voting on because there are questions about the hour so if they could be it's a good point I do have questions about the hour so that's fine I just like to know I just like to you know maybe director Freeman could just go through what what the current hours would be in this ordinance because they're different from what they were were origin changes to the current hours are correct yeah what are the changes to the current hours so the the Genesis of this ordinance is is twofold one is to get uniformity in all of our Parks because they warrant so as we update signs to ensure that all of our parks are aligned in the same hours the other part that is probably even more pressing is there's been an increased demand and request for Public Safety presence in the Parks and the Police Department Public Safety department have asked us to to create that uniformity so they know when things are open and when they aren't and that resilience city park is the same as Church Square Park and things like that so I just want to update um the latest hours that are being proposed for first reading um General park hours and dog parks will remain the same that's 5:00 a.m. to 10: p.m. um courts and Fields will be 7:00 a.m. to 10 pm. um Community Gardens will be 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and playgrounds will be this is a kind of a two-part one it is 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. General hours but from May to October it will be 7:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. like the kids can't thank you thank you D director I have a question about the times proposed here specific to the concerns that I brought up in the past when we were trying to alleviate some concerns at Church Square Park and we were told that we couldn't get an officer to open and close a gate we couldn't get a city member a city staff member to do that so it kind of goes along the same kind of thought process here so why is it now that we're looking at it and and we're willing to kind of make those shifts so that we could have people opening and closing playgrounds and Parks when we weren't able to do that then when we had concerns about the dog runs early in the morning or late at night I don't think the concerns around the dog park were opening and closing them the concerns around the the concern there was yeah they totally were you you had asked for us to open them later and I think there was a concern around 5:00 a.m. being too early and I think there was concern about people being able to walk their dogs before they go to work so those hours remained 5 a.m. to 10: p.m. that was only a small portion of that conversation um if you remember it was also late nights when there were people in the dog runs because we didn't have the ability to close them after hours and that was a that was a that was a big concern actually and the response that I got from the administration was that we don't have staff at those hours to open and close the dog run but those those are the hours right now is 10 p.m. that those hours are not changing as what is currently on the books councilman he's he's completely aware of that I think he's just saying in the past we said we didn't have the ability to shut to have a uh someone from the city an employee go and lock the gate and someone to go and open the gate and all of a sudden now we do but regardless of all that I think we should just call the vote that's fine miss finina Mr con I Mr Doyle i m fiser no Mr Jabor yes Mr presentano no Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos no Mr Russo no president gtino no okay ordinance fails introduction the next one we have is an ordinance amending chapter 190-popular Fourth Street Garden Street Fifth Street Garden Street 9th Street Garden Street 12th Street Park Avenue and 9th Street and Willow Avenue on Second Street please call the vote Mr finina Mr con hi Mr Doyle hi M fiser yes Mr Jabor yes Mr President Zano hi Mr cero hi Ramos hi Mr Russo hi president Chino yes an ordance for introduction ordance of the city of Hoboken Hudson County Banning the use of Gil faet and Hoboken in Hoboken City Limits please call the vote Mr Pina Mr con I Mr Doyle I Mr fiser yes Mr Jabor yes Mr President Jano actually sorry I Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos hi Mr Russo hi president gtino yes we'll fix it if it is we voted on it's all right again say it off oh yes actually can I see the ordinance really quick which one this one we just voted on yeah number four uh councilman Doyle there would you miss a comma no this punctuation no the title says to prohibit the use of glyphosate on public property and then the ordinance says Pro prohibiting the use on private property and then it again here says public property so it's kind of confusing so it it's every everything should be private and public public and private property do we have to revote on it yeah okay so anytime it says public or private yeah otherwise we'd have to go back to First reading if we're changing it you know you can't drink it can't use it Jim public speaker list is that good enough sign it was that I think it just went back yep Corporation Council is that fine if we just revote on it anytime it says public or private it means both public and private am next thank you Mr fer recall the vote M as amended Mr con I Mr Doyle i m fiser yes me yes Mr javor yes Mr presentano hi Mr guo hi Mr Ramos hi Mr Russ I president Geno yes public portion oh new business yes single just read the emergency resolution just you can read the title you're out it okay well there is no title oh resolution of the city council of the city of Hoboken authorizing an urgent item to be included on the agenda after the deadline set forth in the of the council rules procedure does everyone know what this is on Mr finina call the vote Mr con I just the emergency yeah I Mr Doyle I M Fisher yes Mr Jabor yes Mr President Jano hi Mr Cano hi Ramos hi Mr Russo hi president Geno yes resolution and support of Hoboken University Medical Center and calling for Hudson County and state leaders to support its Financial restructuring as long-term stability Mr Kina call the vote Mr con you hold on I okay that's okay we'll vote and then she can okay Mr con I Mr do hi M fiser yes Mr Jabor yes Mr President Jano hi Mr Cano hi Mr Ramos Mr Russo hi president junor Tino yes councilwoman you just wanted to make a quick comment on that yeah um so there's been a lot in the Press lately about the financial strugg struggles of care point which is three hospitals B uh CHR hospital and Hoboken um just wanted to clarify uh or provide a little bit of color we're going to get um some updates next week um these H this hospital system is uh having Financial struggles having everything to do with a prior owner that just left it with a bunch of debt and massive ground leases um they announced Friday um that they're they're looking into restructuring and um notices that are required by the Department of Labor were sent out to all employees um but I just wanted to mention uh you know this this resolution is um for the council to provide unanimous support and really call on our County and state officials to do as much as possible to stabilize these hospitals um we know that they are we know that every you know mayor the county executive um and the Department of Health is doing everything they can to keep these stable um these hospitals are still operating um they are uh operating safely um you know they had 300 people this weekend um through their emergency um uh Department uh more than they had this time last year um they are one of these are safety net hospitals um in our uh our area and we just want to support them and we are you know confident that we're going to be able to get through this financial restructuring um but just want to provide some of that color and I appreciate my colleague support on this thank you councilwoman you should you should just added the last owners ran it into the ground yes they did started with that I did but that's good that we ended with it this is this is literally a case study in why healthc care should not be privatized because you just have private you know owners that are just pull as much equity and as much profits out of the system at the expense of people that need these services and uh hopefully we won't see that happen again with this this hospital system nonprofit thank you Patricia waiters public portion hi Pat waiters 15 Church Towers um I like saying that Mike um I have a question I I think I left my agenda in the car so correct me if I'm wrong cuz I don't like coming up here not having the fact and maybe you can help me Reuben um I went to the last Housing Authority meeting and was very disappointed and again connect correct me if I'm wrong we all know that during the whole pandemic is official March 20 if I'm not sure what the dates March 20 if effective March 20 2021 they had a thing called the ppps which help you offset your rent any hardships so me being Patty and who I am for two years I've been volunteering my time free my free precious time going to court with people helping them do the paperwork reaching out to different agencies to help them with their rent so they won't lose their apartment so it increased to where they give you 24 months if you facing eviction or whatever but I did my homework I com through everything I don't like playing games with the State I almost fell out my chair Thursday and please let me be wrong to hear the Housing Authority is $8 million in a hole for rent y'all with me I hear crickets this is serious how many times y'all see me sit in this city council and talk about State money how many times did I get really upset when I see State free money going into the budgets from school board to here to wherever how many times I get upset to say don't abuse the system that's disturbing and I feel like my work went in vain cuz we looking at 470 something evictions there was days I got out my bed at 8:00 before 8 everybody in the county in the sheriff department know me by name and I stay there and wait and try to help them with courts but this government body here tonight I'm holding y'all accountable cuz y'all picked that seat for those Commissioners I brought with me my applications tonight Manny my witness I got to go it's too many for y'all to look at 13 years I've been running for the position I got them time stamped every zoning board planning board Hoboken housing I have them with me tonight I want y'all to see that that this was being overlooked when I tried to offer my services so I do it anyway the moral of the story is you put those people in the Housing Authority when you know y'all have the majority of the vote to put them there I was overlooked and ignored never got an opportunity and I helped them anyway they hurting now they need you guys help this is very serious this will be embarrassed to be on the news headline that's a lot of money and a lot of families that will become homeless had nothing to do with affordable have nothing to do that is one affordable site that we know we can afford it's being abused and it's being neglected so tonight I'm asking all of y'all and you to Corporation counsel and the Senior Chief of Staff Mr Jason help me help them let's get to the bottom of where $8 million in rents went okay guys please and if I don't got my numbers wrong right I'm sorry but y'all know I'll get the right figures down to the last 79 cent thank you have a good night thank you Manny Rivera CER he's here oh good evening Madame council president vice president these are different languages I'm sure but I'm sorry I didn't give you the head heads up to turn on the translator I think maybe councilman Russo did anyway I shall continue if I may council president braug an honorary mention Latinos Latino America thank you council president if anybody would wish to translate I will continue I'm looking at my minutes wishing everyone of Hispanic heritage a happy Hispanic Heritage Month to all the Latinos of Hispanic descent and residents of Hoboken and the county of Hudson the state of New Jersey and the great nation of the United States of America so we should appreciate this month anybody that has Latino friends invite them out or enjoy their culture is multi multi faceted and you will have a great time for sure um we share it with uh uh the Italian culture meaning the month but um that's why we're family we'll we'll we'll we'll uh salute them later in the month anyway council president I sorry I changed the the tone uh and I appreciate you uh attending um or letting me speak in that those languages by the way it was espanol and Portugues uh I would also like to say there there there certain things that I could be speaking of of course that are very important the wires that are a wonky on the uh uh polls and the sidewalks that are uneven that could kill a person uh with a disability but I'm going to save those for another another meeting um I do would like to say that I was watching because I did not attend last meeting who sorry uh but they were just a little sidebar for members of the public if you watch the meeting it's it's it's funny because there were 7 500 78 views and only 448 subscribers so I'm going to do something that uh you would not do but I'm going to say as a person that that is interested in this have um members of the public Please Subscribe and like that is a YouTuber thing again uh but those that know please subscribe let that let our our page um uh Trend so that people could see there's over 59,000 of us so come on we could build it up make it happen Hoboken and by the way I didn't mention there were 670 pages in the packet page so um that uh again who can read that but kudos to all of you who who are able to read it and and the extra that you did just now that uh members of the public were not aware of so can on two end I see that I have a minute but I want to say as always um going to change it again prev it prev means hello in Ukrainian so Sava Ukraine glory to Ukraine herim Slava glory to the heroes Madame President I continue to say these things every time I can we should always continue to send our prayers for for safety for the safety of our sister city malito Maloo in the Ukraine and to all her citizens may they promtly have peace in their country they are struggling and they're working hard for all those who speak against her that she's our enemy you are crazy and you are not an American you are a puppet of another country so please remember that when you speak against them and we also pray and continue to pray for the release of the Israeli um hostages and the Americans that are included there and as well as for all the citizens of Israel and all the the innocence of Palestine so council president and vice president Council God bless you God bless you all and God bless hoken thank you for listening thank you good night Mary Andrea don't see oh yeah I I'm Mary Andrea 159 9th Street as we all know an election is coming on November 5th back in 2013 on November 5th it was election day that same day uh there are many people that that I personally know that will not vote for the big names that are on there so I'm asking all the people out there that are going to um sit this one out to please come and vote for the public question that will be on the ballot for Hoboken I am aware that I think it's only one question and it's important and even if you don't understand it completely the vote is no the no vote is once again what we voted in 2012 and 2013 here we go again and we have Flyers out now and if you don't or haven't seen him yet I did this one too um it will look like this and there'll be other information too but on the back will be explicitly explained what the the risk of this not being voted down everybody out there has got to pay attention because like I said you've got to go out and vote on this the ballots that will go out I believe for the vote by mail or absentee ballots how they're called will be out in a week maybe if not already so it's important that everyone votes no there's a lot at stake here there's a group of of tenants the HHA as well as the Hut which are the Hudson uh United tenants with the logo is on here and we will be canvasing and being out and visible all over so please please we are trying to save rank control I personally don't care what your personal opinion is of this but I would think according to what you've all explained in the past you are on our side and I would hope that you as individuals that represent this city will speak on behalf of people like me we're a group of people that have lived here for a long time and there's some that have lived here for 10 years doesn't matter if your apartment's 3,000 or 1,000 we do not want to be forced out just for the sheerness of greed because it will go up to whatever it wants and that will continue on even if they rais it very high they can still on vacancy raise it to whatever they want even though it would fall back under rent control rent control has been in this town since 1973 there's a reason for that there are people that aren't wealthy there are people people that have come to live here to make this this home and we want to stay we're not dead yet when we die then you know you can worry about it then and it won't matter yes this Council has for years given preference to projects to Heights I've been to zoning boards as well as this council meeting and tenants are always on the bottom they're always on the bottom please put us on the top please spread out the word we would appreciate it and we will be out on the streets thank you for your time thank you Edward ree hey what's up everyone uh Edward reap from uh 732 Willow Avenue um and I wanted to talk about one of the uh uh ordinances that was done for first reading on Banning the use of glyphosate in the city I had no idea what glyphosate was and then RFK Jr talked about it in a podcast and he said it was bad and I'm I really like RFK Jr I don't agree with him on everything but I agree with him on a lot of stuff and he said glyphosate is bad and he sounded convincing when he said it on this podcast so I think it's great that you guys are Banning life is8 for that reason uh yeah and that's awesome you guys have a lovely day okay thank you aded Alex Garcia good evening Council my apologies I haven't uh attended many City Council meetings as of lately is because I'm taking evening courses on Wednesdays at school at Ruckers I paid thousands for my tuition workers tuition as an out of pocket as an out of pocket expense so therefore I budget myself thoroughly every week seven days a week with that being said the only day I had the liberty of not paying parking tolls was on Sundays was a relief not to have to worry about getting a parking ticket now not to worry if I miss five minutes from my parking app to get a $35 ticket now now it's upsetting the council passed to have paying TOS on Sundays the fact that W one and W six councils V the yes for this is absurd you guys don't even live on Washington Street you have to disregard it and gave two craps towards your constituents I live on Washington Street I didn't even get an email from my us your constituents regarding this proposal Mike thank you for always keeping us your residence in the loop with your emails to the rest of you shame on you all of you have voted yes on this on this AR taking money out of my pocket it's disgusting Jen I regret not running for councel at this point say that again I regret not running for councel you know I could have done very done so I communicate with my constituents and I highly respect all of you especially done last but not least Big Mike thank you for voting no you have been promoted by the way you're no longer an a-hole thank you thank you Evan panz did I say it wrong just so everyone knows he's from Stevens and he's the happiest student I've ever met in my life thank you council president good evening council president good evening council member MERS my name is Evan paneris and I'm the Govern oh my name is Evan paneris and I'm the government and Community committee chair of the Steven Student Government Association as a result I represent not only the Steven Student Government but also the Steven student body on anything community service or Civic engagement as a result it's to no surprise it's an absolute honor and privilege to be here tonight on behalf of the student Stevens government I have a letter that I would like to share with all of you that was unanimously supported and voted on dear Hoboken city council the Stevens Institute of Technology Student Government Association SGI would like to underscore our commitment to further building relationships with local Hoboken organizations and the Hoboken city council while also contributing to Civic engagement initiatives the Stevens sgaa represents over 4,000 students who actively contribute and participate throughout the Hoboken community over 1 half of those students and over 1,000 Stevens alumni are currently Hoboken residents spread throughout Hoboken six Wards many of these current or former students work and vote in these regions the Stevens sgaa and the other 100 student organizations have established impactful relationships with several Hoboken community service organizations such as the Hoboken Recreation Center the Hoboken food pantry and the Hoboken ambulance Corps we have hosted several successful charity initiatives such as the Toys for Tots competition where the sgaa hosted a student organization competition to raise money resulting in over 100 lowincome children receiving gifts throughout the holiday season last year we hosted a midnight run where funds and supplies were raised and directly distributed to persons experiencing homeless nness in Manhattan in the Hoboken shelter regarding Civic engagement the Stevens sgaa has partnered with the office of undergraduate student life to launch a ducks for democracy initiative where students walk to the polls on Election Day currently we are planning a community 5K to raise money for mental health where all Hoboken community members will be invited to participate in addition a Stevens alumnus created charity Quest and application that connects Steven students to Community Service Partners many student organizations actively contribute to our broader Hoboken Community for example Alpha Omega is a service organization that collaborates with Hoboken schools to teach stem skills every semester in addition the Steven sigy Epsilon chapter routinely collaborates with the Hoboken shelter and the Hoboken FunFest Fame another student organization collaborates annually with local thrift stores to advertise their clothing in fashion shows we are incredibly proud of our current Hoboken Community collaborations as the Steven Student Government we are continuously working to directly increase our Hoboken Community engagement and connect community members to the ideal student organization that can drive impact for their costs an issue on the mind of students is the cost of housing as has become an increasing concern we would like to invite you all to campus to discuss how we can increase the supply of readily available housing for the entire Hoboken Community now we would like to ask you in what ways can we best continue our dedication and commitment to serving the Hoboken community and how can we best help all of you with your Civic engagement initiatives thank you sincerely the Steven student government Administration thank you Evan thank you do you have copies of that we do yes want to give them to to um Mr lore and he can provide them to the members of the council thank you thank you very much you want to give him back the folder Jerry so that he doesn't recycle yeah I think it would I mean we can all reach out to you directly this way perfect and I know that you had talked about inviting us you know potentially inviting us to campus in small groups I'm I know I want to participate I'm sure that everyone up here would love to participate in that yes that would be awesome any Community leader would be amazing so thank you council members thank you again that's it Max Thompson Jerry I took this from Jim does he need one hi Max Thompson we viot suspensory at 628 Washington Street good evening council members have you all been getting the emails it's been about a month now I think a little bit more than a month about 5 weeks been asking our customers to send those emails we posted it on Instagram August 14th we had seen 5,500 customers in four months it's been a month since then we've seen 3,300 customers over that month so the way which we're ramping is significant business has been great our customers love us our neighbors love us these are your neighbors people that live in your ward come to us every day and they appreciate what we're doing for that Community some people can't even make it all the way down to the station they can't even make it to Village which is opening soon they appreciate how close we are and how convenient and safe we are I'm coming here today because well obviously all the messages we've been sending you I hope you're receiving them but Village is opening on Saturday which I'm sure people are excited about I just saw last night on news2 he's got a whole interview on Friday tomorrow coming out about how his journey to get this dispensary open and how the community has been so supportive obviously we've had a pretty different EXP experience uh but they are opening and they've had no issues they flyed the entire neighborhood around us with uh magnets that they put on C property I don't know if you saw them they put fake parking tickets on cards if you didn't see any of this I'm going to post about it tomorrow so you can check out on Instagram you'll see it I wish we had the resources to open in the way that they're opening I'm I'm jealous because obviously they're backed by a multi-millionaire athlete they're a multi-million dollar company operating in several States more importantly they weren't hassled The Way We Were hassled L they weren't sued we were sued I mean even if they were sued they have millions of dollars to support that lawsuit so it probably wouldn't have hurt them that much but it hurt us pretty significantly but we're still here we did it we got open and we've been really successful and we've been really safe we've been really secure all the things we heard at the time when we were trying to get through the application process here none of them happened none of them and in fact all the things that we said we going to happen have happened we've run a safe store we've actually started to eliminate some of the gry market I've had several and I mean several customers telling me where they're getting stuff illegally in this town but they're not going there anymore they're coming to us it's exactly what we said would happen I have cops coming to us to buy product I have teachers coming us to buy product I have moms coming to us to buy product and they're all happy because we're getting them what they want and helping them with their ailments helping them relax we're doing it guys we're really doing it and at this point once that dispensary gets open on Saturday I really got to ask what are you doing about it cuz I got customers coming to me now miss gtino hi I have customers coming to me now asking what what next because I emailed a month ago or two weeks ago and I didn't hear anything or they said blue eyes Mr Doyle so now they're coming asking what do you want me to do do you want me to send another email do you want me to come to a meeting and so I said well let me go talk to the council myself and see what they're doing about it so I ask you what are you doing about it and let me know so I can tell them but when that store opens on Saturday it's going to be a big Todo I bet they're going to have a big party Al's going to be there Al Harrington never met him I'll probably go meet him I wish they had done more to help us I wish they had done more to get involved in the conversation he's a big voice and the fact he's coming here is actually pretty cool but it seems toned deaf to me the way they're doing this because they didn't have to deal with any of the stuff we had to deal with we had to deal with it so they're kind of riding our wave we spent our pennies and we made it and they get the benefit I think we really have to evaluate is this situation the one you want in Hope boken cuz we're still at risk I don't know when that lawsuit is going to come out you know it could come in our favor which would be great don't we have to worry about this anymore it could go against us we have to close that day and I bet those customers of ours going to be even way more angrier than they are now so you've been getting those emails and the store is going to open on Saturday we're going to make a big deal about it we're going to make a post tomorrow and get our customers kind of involved and our suppor is involved but just know that they're asking us every day like what what now what is the council doing about it I think you still have an opening for One More dispensary right I don't know what's going on with Harmony but my understanding is there's still one slot so there's still a lot of opportunity to re-evaluate what we're doing here for the industry the Cannabis industry in Hoboken and decide are we doing it right or maybe we should make some changes I know 5 months isn't a tremendous amount of time but I I really think we've proven the point guys this is a safe business and all the things we were wored about are not happening and we've managed to Tamp down on the gray Market by providing a safe and secure environment for regulated products and I think the community really appreciates us you know we were we're neighbors Jen I see you walk around all the time I know we don't say hi to each other too much but I see you out there saying hi to everyone hopefully that'll change someday I say hi to your husband he waves to me you know hopefully one day actually should be accepted here all right guys have a good night good night we have no other members of the public signed up to speak motion to close public portion motion I motion close second I I'm in meeting we closed twice we Clos twice