##VIDEO ID:FQsYOAQy-hg## okay everyone we are not ready yet but we're almost there so if we can um silence our cell phones close the doors side doors back doors I greatly appreciate it we are going to be getting started momentarily okay good evening everyone we are on the record today is Tuesday the 26th day of November this is a regular meeting of the Jersey City municipal Council we had a scheduled 6 p.m. start the clock on my cell phone is showing 6:05 p.m may we have a roll call for the commencement of this meeting council person Ridley here council person priner here council person Bano council person SLE here council person Solomon council person Gilmore council person de here council person Riva will be absent correct council president yes okay and council president Waterman we have eight council members in attendance at 6:05 PM may we kindly rise for a moment of silence please thank you very much on behalf of council president Waterman and the members of the municipal Council in accordance with New Jersey Public Law of 1975 chapter 231 the open public meetings act also known as the Sunshine Law adequate notice of this meeting has been provided on the posting on the bulletin board of the first floor City Hall the annual notice which is the scheduled of meetings and caucuses of Municipal Council for the calendar year 2024 and filed in the office of the city clerk on Thursday November 30th 2023 in addition at its time of its preparation the agenda of this meeting was similarly disseminated on Friday November 22nd 2024 at 5:05 p.m. to the mayor Municipal Council business administrator Corporation Council and the local newspapers and posted on the city's website so I can certify as to our total compliance with the Sunshine Law okay getting right on to our first readings item 3.1 city ordinance 24-105 is an ordinance authorizing the city of Jersey City to execute a sublease between provos Square Performing Arts Company Inc and the New Jersey Sympathy for the purpose of providing culturally enriching experiences to the Jersey City community Through the Arts item 3.2 city ordinance 24-16 is an ordinance approving a 30-year tax exemption for Birchwood at font Hotel block 16301 lot 42 pursuant to the New Jersey housing and mortgage Finance Act of 1983 as amended and supplemented njsa 55 col 14k 1 exec and the rules pregated under njac 5 col 80.1 EXC council members going to be taking vote on items 3.1 and 3.2 council person Ridley I for introduction council person Prince AR hi for introduction council person bajano I council person Cay I for introduction council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I for introduction council person J for intruction and council president wman items 3.1 and 3.2 are introduced 80 with council person rera absent on to our second reading ordinances first second reading ordinance item 4.1 city ordinance 24-100 is an ordinance of the city of Jersey City and the county of Hudson the state of New Jersey providing for a special emergency appropriation in the amount of 9 million to fund contractually requ IR ired Severance liabilities resulting from retirement of employees of the city this is a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record motion second motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-0 excuse me-100 was made by council president Waterman seconded by council person selay on the motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-100 council person Ridley hi council person priner council person Bano hi council person SLE hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees I and council president wman Hi motion carries 80 with council person Rivera absent for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24-100 council person Ridley hi council person priner council person bajano Hi council person CLE I council person Solomon just briefly other than during the co year I've voted no every time we do these uh understand uh why the city is doing it however these should be budgeted in the annual budget um we end up adding costs to our future years uh by doing this and uh we have to pay interest so we end up paying more so I vote no okay council person Gilmore hi council person Dees hi and council president wman hi okay city ordinance 24-100 is adopted 71 with council person Solomon voting no and council person Rivera absent on to our next second reading ordinance item 4.2 city ordinance 24-11 is an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic article 9 parking for the disabled of the Jersey city code designated Reserve parking space at various locations throughout the city a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing to be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record motion second motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-11 was made by council president Waterman seconded by council person CLE on the motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-11 council person Ridley I council person priner Hi council person bajana Hi council person CLE hi council person Sal hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees hi and council president Warman hi motion carries 80 the close of public hearing on city ordinance 24-11 with council person Rivera absent for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24-11 council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi council person budano Hi council person soai Hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi council person the J hi and council president Waterman hi city ordinance 24-11 is adopted 0 with council person Rivera absent on to our next second reading ordinance item 4.3 city ordinance 24-12 is an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic article 7 metered parking section 332-4800 zones to amend the zone four and metered parking districts along Columbus Drive between Warren and Washington streets this is a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing to be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record motion second motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-12 was made by council president Waterman seconded by council person Cay on the motion to close a public hearing on city ordinance 24-12 council person person Ridley I council person priner I council person bana hi council person SLE hi council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I council person Dees I and council president Waterman I motion carries 80 with council person Rivera absent to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-12 for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24-12 council person Ridley I council person Prince I council person Bano I council person SLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person thees I and council president wman I city ordinance 24-12 is adopted 80 with council person Riva absent on to our last second reading ordinance item 4.4 city ordinance 24-13 is an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic a 8 permit parking amending section 332 d589 on Princeton Avenue this is a public hearing on this ordinance any member of the public wishing to be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record motion second motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-13 was made by council president Waterman seconded by council person CLE on the motion to close a public hearing on city ordinance 24-1 103 council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi council person Bano hi council person CLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees I and council president Wardman hi motion carries 80 with council person Riva absent to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24103 for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24-13 council person r I council person priner I council person Bano I council person SLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi council person thees Hi and council president wman Hi city ordinance 24-13 is adopted 80 with council person Rivera absent we are now going on to our public speakers please pay close attention to your agenda there I'll be calling the number and the first name of the individual with that being said 5.1 lever I do not see her she's not here 5.2 Gina good evening Gina Davidson Ward F I emailed all of you regarding regarding items 10.17 and 10.18 resolutions 24853 and 24854 these are for contracts with Tomahawk strategic solutions to provide SWAT type Weaponry to the Jersey City police department this includes bolt action rifles sniper equipment including quote deathgrip infinite tripods silencers and night vision goggles all in excessive quantities on Monday director sh claimed that this upgraded equipment is now required to maintain a compliant Tier 1 Tactical Team so this is not actually required for all Municipal police departments rather it is required to maintain the status of our ESU I would argue that we need traffic enforcement I would argue that we need a return to community policing we do not need to continue to support this ESU group we've seen ESU deployed at peaceful rallies and marches in this city as an intimidation tactic we've also seen ESU deployed to Andrew Washington's home in August of 2023 and it was Stefan gante of of ESU who murdered Andrew Washington if directors Shay and kirce were so concerned about requirements and recommendations for police departments they would be respecting numerous calls from the New Jersey attorney general to implement the arriv together program attorney general directive number 20 20244 deter determines that tasers and other non-deadly tools should be focused on at the very least tonight I'm asking you all to vote down 10.18 which is again 24- 854 according to a paper out of the Rucker's Journey Journal of Law and public policy the use of night vision technology greatly increases the risk to our fourth amendment rights being violated this of course leads to overturn sentences and large settl payments why should we take this risk that resolution is not for replacing existing uh equipment I want to end by thanking councilman boiano and councilman Gilmore for your support I was really impressed impressed councilman boano with your powerful stance to get director Shay and kir to actually follow through in creating a dialogue with Council about the state of policing in this city it needs to happen and it's embarrassing that it hasn't happened yet that's exactly the type of energy we need I'm not sure why the city felt the need to disrespect Miss Andy on the record instead of taking some accountability and mo of helping us move forward on this but long story short this Administration has not done enough to bring Jersey City police leadership together with Council or with the people the state of policing in our city is shameful does not serve the residents and does not serve our officers who get up every day to try to protect and serve thank you our next speaker 5.3 Tina don't see Tina 5.4 Edward it's not here next 5.5 Caren not here 5.6 Samuel Samuel is here good see you Sam good evening city council and city council president my name is Sam Ortiz if you seen me before on behalf of Bergen fiette Community uh city council member I'm encouraging to underscore the critical role of traffic enforcement plays an insuring of the safety of our community effective traffic enforcement measured not only deter reckless driving behaviors such as speeding on the driving on the influence but also fostter cultural accountability among all Road users a well- enforced traffic system significantly reduced to the likelihood of the accident thereby safeguarding the life of pedestrian cyclist and motor motorists alike additionally consistent enforcement can enhance public confidence in our city commitment for safety encourag all reasonable travel choices I urge you to consider the vital importance of dedicated resources to the traffic enforcements in our ongoing effort to mote to promote Public Safety number two I also ENC encourage to emphasize the critical importance of infrastructure safety and ongoing effort to monitorize and upgrade the street traffic conditions as Urban population continue to grow this demand of our transportation system increased correspondently ensuring the infrastructure not only adequate but also import imperative to preventing accident and promoting a wellbeing of all Ro users a safe and well-maintained infrastructure lays the groundwork of successful implementation of modern traffic solution such as smart traffic lights and improve public transit system investing our safety measur not will ultimately enhance the traffic laws reduce congestion and contribute to be more sustainable Urban environment I urge all shake shake shakeh holders to prioritize infrastructure safety as we move forward addressing their inevitable challenge posed by mon mod tration number three and finally 30 seconds ction guards I urge an attention pressing concern regarding the safety of our school school traffic guards and digly perform their duties adid increasing aggressive driving behaviors we all ask if you truly cared about Tron guards please protect them we need more protection to deal with aggressive driving on a daily basis of these traffic without the traffic enforcement thank you your time is up sorry thank you our next speaker 5.7 Ashley good evening council members I'm Ashley swiggett a resident of Ward F who walks my children to school I bike to work and I am a car owner and I drive in this city and I'm here speaking tonight to request additional traffic calming measures be added to the south to North Avenues between communa and Montgomery specifically on monello Avenue over the 10 years that I've lived in WF I've seen a tremendous development that has happened in Bergen Lafayette with the much needed development comes an increase in cars and traffic with this much needed development sorry that paired with the decrease in traffic enforcement has led to significant increase in reckless driving behaviors I often see people driving through red lights not stopping at stop signs even in front of the elementary schools while children are being dismissed there are tire marks of someone doing donuts at the intersection of monacell and Harrison from Monday night and there are two ways that we can achieve more orderly traffic patterns through enforcement which we've heard a couple of times tonight as well as infrastructure INF structure is a 247 solution that incre increases pedestrian safety and visibility with daylighting Corner bump outs raised crosswalks protected bike Lanes narrow roads to slow drivers while providing cyclists a safe space to bike which hopefully encourages use of alternate forms of transportation and that's the infrastructure that Bergen Lafayette deserves and I want to address a familiar complaint which is that these Solutions have the potential to eliminate parking spaces there are 3,160 new units under construction and approved to be built in Bergen lafette alone with more proposals that come weekly the loss of what amounts to be a handful of parking spaces becomes obsolete when there are thousands of new units which bring new cars new people parking and driving in our neighborhood so now is the time to build the infrastructure that we need and I hope that we prioritize the infrastructure required for traffic calming in Bergen Lafayette to support the growth that is coming to the neighborhood thank you thank you our next speaker 5.8 Tony is Tony here no okay next speaker 5.9 share no next speaker 5.10 Danielle good evening Danielle DMO w c council members and thank you for the opportunity to speak yet again before we head into Thanksgiving I want to start by reaffirming my solidarity with the tenant support side towers and my continued support for the heights bike lane both are vital issues for our community however tonight I must once again speak up for the Legacy trees of Jersey City trees that face dead threats while we continue to delay meaningful protections I understand that the amendment to chapter 321 is scheduled to be reintroduced on December 11th my question is why the delay trees are being cut down every day by property owners who do not care about their value to our environment health and Community every day we wait more of our canopy is lost and with it the legacy of Jersey of Jersey City's green spaces I also want to address the reduction in the notification requirement for tree removal which now applies to both private and Street trees by reducing the notification area from 200 feet to adjoining properties on all sides with no distinction between developers and private residents lot size or tree size this change severely impacts neighborhood awareness I understand the legal intent to treat private and Street trees similarly but this change is a perfect example of an unintended consequence consider this scenario a tree tree faces a highway on one side who then would be notified of its removal under this rule the adjoining properties that might mean just one or two people leaving an entire neighborhood in the dark a tree like that could disappear before the broader Community even knows it's under threat does lack of transparency is a huge blow to the collective awareness needed to preserve our tree canopy by weakening notification requirements we are not streamlining the process we are silencing the voices of those who care most about these trees I urge the council to take this into account as we move forward toward as we move toward we introducing the amendment our trees are irreplaceable and the protection cannot wait I ask for a commitment to Stronger notifications and immediate action to safeguard the Legacy trees that make Jersey City a livable SU stainable home for all of us thank you thank you our next speaker 5.11 Phillip I don't see Phillip next 5.12 Kevin not here 5.13 Retta not here 5.14 Jessica not here 5.15 mark good evening city council while it's always nice to see you I'd love to get these evenings back but until action's taken I got no alternative but to be here I'm still on the theme that I began almost 12 months ago the security of Portside Towers on June 26 5 months ago today ordinance 24-55 was approved by this Council and was signed by the mayor the next day this ordinance amended and clarified Municipal Code 28-1 uniform security service for un multiple dwellings what's happened since then well three months ago I heard from the city's legal department that the office of Code Compliance is the department responsible for enforcement of 28-1 which incorporates the uniform Security Service mandate we've had a few incidents in the last month just last Friday there was an incident in our lobby involving two non-residents multiple police if eight were called to the scene where was our mandated uniform security nowhere pid's been in violation of Municipal Code since August the 15th 2015 when their exemption expired another disturbing incident was a death threat on November the 5th from the occupant of a car at the very south end of Washington Street to one of our tenants the police were called and took a report of this incident many of us have witnessed what sure looked like drug deals going on down at the southern end of Washington Street by the Korean War Memorial but threatening to kill one of our tenants is new to me Washington Street is supposed to be Chained and locked at 8:00 pm. by Portside security that's ordinance 07153 section 7e but we don't have the mandated uniform security to do this un th the street is not chained as required port side has been in violation since August August 15th 2015 that's approximately 10,000 violations um assuming $2,000 a day that's $20 million for the city's coffers we need Joe Barrow director of co-compliance to step up and inforce code 28-1 because Portside does not have the two mandated uniform security guards does not lock the south end of Washington Street from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. as is required and has no current exemption from the Security Service rules in 28-1 please help us get the director of Code Compliance to step up then I can stop talking about this at council meeting after council meeting and we'll all have a little peace thank you thank you you our next speaker 5.16 Shannon not here thank you next speaker 5.7 tenu thank you next speaker 5.18 Aaron not here thank you next speaker 5.19 Daniel thank you 5.20 Alexandra thank you next speaker 5.21 Jessica I ran from Portside got off work late okay tonight this Council and the Jersey City Corporation Council are being provided with an initial log of 27 2,730 violations of Jersey City's uniform security ordinance at Portside Towers in the Korean War Memorial you know what I'm G to take five seconds and breathe spanning just the past 17 months this 130 page Log represents three violations per day one for each building and one for the memorial these documented incidents only scratch the surface as we're still validating how far back these violations extend tonight's potential violation related to the Korean War Memorial which would trigger at 800m isn't even included in this log though given there was no uniform security present in either building as we left for this meeting it's likely the violation count will increase by one more before tomorrow last time we stood here Michelle hirs warned it wasn't a matter of if but when another emergency would occur days ago that prediction proved tragically accurate when a badly injured woman sought refuge in our building she staggered in and left blood stains on our walls and Floors as she fled her attacker who then entered our lobby through the unlocked front door I was there our night cers did their best trying to protect her in the back office but there was no uniform security present as required by law I remained in the lobby until at least eight police officers arrived during this time residents walked past Blood on the floor and a points there was no staff in the lobby at all even as the attacker who was covered in the blood of the woman he assaulted moved freely throughout our lobby the equity residential employees handled an impossible POS situation as best they could they were amazing but they should never have been put in that that position the law requires uniform security precisely to prevent such dangerous scenarios Madam president you've taken action from this Das before when presented with clear evidence of violations that threaten Public Safety these security violations are not subject to any ongoing violation I'm sorry uh litigation they are a violation the clear log of long-term ongoing violations is now in your hands both our residents and Equity Zone employees were put at risk I respectfully ask you to direct the legal and bu business administration teams to address these lifethreatening ordinance violations immediately we don't need to wait for someone to die before there's action on violations that are thoroughly documented thank you thank you our next speaker 5.22 Christopher Christopher here oh next speaker 5.23 danillo here next speaker 5.24 Sonia next speaker 5.25 Drew not here 5.26 Suzanne not here 5.27 Douglas at the last city council meeting I heard speaker after speaker ask for help not about rent control or the related litigation but about very basic city ordinances concerning resident safety the help they wanted they were begging for you and the city to Simply enforce existing ordinances requiring 24-hour uniform security in both buildings at Portside towers and affecting the K Korean War Memorial and requiring a resident superintendent in each building a few of you listened attentively but no action seems to have been taken to cause Equity residential to obey the ordinances let's talk about security while visiting my daughter and son-in-law I sometimes walk their dog late in the evening I have observed suspicous ious activity going on in the Korean War Memorial parking area the same parking area that should be secured by Portside Tower security after 8:00 p.m. and chained off of course it is not secured because the required uniform security at Portside Towers simply doesn't exist in my experience what I was seeing as suspicious activity as all the Hallmarks of drug dealing and prostitution just last week I was also present in the public Lobby of Portside East late in the evening when an injured and bloody woman was brought into the building her attacker was close behind the night coners was forced to make the impossible choice of remaining at his post at the front desk or taking the injured woman to Safety in the back office the choice made was to help the injured woman I watched as residents walk past the blood on the lobby floor completely unaware of the danger posed by the attacker the attacker only left once he was aware that law enforcement had been called day after day and night after night the Portside Tower's buildings remain unprotected even though city ordinances require Equity residential to staff the uniform security positions at 77 I have Liv long enough to know that sometimes tragedy can only be understood in hindsight this time you all have both the responsibility and the ability to do something before that tragedy happens thank you our next speaker 5.28 tar our next speaker 5.29 Brendan and our next speaker 5.30 Michelle now yesterday Equity residential announced that they've received Nar reit's 2024 leaderin the light award for and I quote sustainable and socially responsible investment and operating practices good governance and transparency let that sink in for a minute an award for transparency to a company that for decades has failed to provide legally required landlord identity information an award for good governance to a company that ignores a unanimous rent leveling board determination an award for social responsibility to a company that left a bleeding woman vulnerable in their Lobby last week because they refused to provide required uniform security that photograph you have in front of of you that blood is from Somebody's Daughter sister mother Aunt it could have been your child your sister or mother we have no uniform security Kyle hendris their vice president of sustainability proudly announced they're focused on integrating sustainability principles into their business strategy well Mr Hendrick I invite you to visit Portside where your company's idea of sustain stainability means sustaining a pattern of ordinance violations that puts lives at risk you claim to create communities where people thrive but how exactly do people thrive without required resident superintendence without mandated 247 uniform security without basic compliance with local safety ordinances and without adherence to rent control laws this award celebrates equity's environmental friendliness but what about their human friendliness what about the blood that stained our lobby floor last week what about the August 7th fire where we had no superintendent to coordinate with First Responders their press release boasted about attracting affluent long-term renters perhaps that explains their contempt for rent control it doesn't fit their business model of Limitless profit at the expense of human safety and dignity I ask this Council to take three specific specific actions one pass a resolution condemning Equity residential's ongoing violations of Jersey city ordinances 2A forward documentation of their violations to nar's board of directors and to B request the immediate revocation of this award based on equity's demonstrated pattern of disregarding local laws and engendering their residents narit claims their award Rec recognizes Superior and sustained practices well at port side we certainly experienced Equity sustained practices thank you thank you our next speaker 5.31 Pavel hi everyone I'm I'm pav I learned about this meeting from the uh bike JC advocacy group so uh they they sent an email saying that there's a bike lane in the that may or may not be constructed uh depending on where the funds are directed so I came to say a few words in support of bike Lanes uh I have lived in Jersey City for eight and a half years I live in the Bergen Lafayette area uh close to the Barry Lane Park I ride a bike so I am a software engineer I work in Manhattan so sometimes I bike to work I uh leave the bike at the Grove Street Station uh I also have a son who's 6 years old turning seven soon he learned biking this year so sometimes I bike with him to his school which is PS number three on Grand Street uh and uh I to me it really makes a difference whether a street has a bike lane or not because I feel safer my son certainly feels safer when there is a bike lane um and it it's it's just better for everyone if if we're on a bike lane not on the sidewalk or sharing the lane with with the cars so also I had an accident last year uh I was taking my son to his school he was in front of me in the attached seat and uh we were weaving our way through the cars on Bright Street which doesn't have a bike lane and someone sitting in their car open the door and hit me on the knee um I sustained a a torn meniscus luckily I can walk without limping but I mean I should feel lucky that you know I can walk and that I'm alive because you you've seen all those uh white bikes around Jersey City so people definitely die in accident and so overall I understand that there is a a tension between car drivers and cyclists I'm a car driver myself but I do believe that having bike Lanes uh leads to a better future for everybody including car drivers and pedestrians thank you so much thank you our next speaker 5.32 Ryan is Ryan here no next speaker 5.33 Erica good evening City Council Members thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight tonight again I urge you to re-evaluate how Public Safety funds are being utilized particularly the ineffective and wasteful wasteful standing posts along Ocean Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive these posts have not deterred crime in fact just last night there was a shooting on Oak MLK residents have lost faith in this approach especially when officers stationed at these posts are often seen on their phones smoking cigars or even sleeping in their cars this is not the proactive policing our community deserves it's shameful standing posts fail to address the root causes of crime or to provide Dynamic coverage like on the side streets we need a shift toward mobile patrols where officers can actively Monitor and respond to incidents in real time as right now they are not allowed to move when they see crime happening 100 feet away they have to call it in and wait for somebody else to come this strategy would better utilize resources and restore trust in public safety efforts mobile units that is I also urge the council to involve the community in these decisions through through transparent accessible forums finally with my remaining time I'd like to honor Andrew Washington with a moment of silence as tomorrow he would have celebrated his birthday thank you and justice for Dr thank you our next speaker 5.34 Ro sorry I had a minute and a half left and I wanted to give it to Andrew okay thank you I didn't realize that e e e I apologize for that um 5.34 Rochelle good evening council members my name is relle Hoffman I am the co-founder and director of We Care Movement we are a community faith-based organization here in city of Jersey City I want to say thank you to councilwoman miror Prince um thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on an issue that touches the health and safety of our community the need to revise the alcohol warning signage alcohol consumption is deeply moving into our social fabric but we cannot ignore its significant health risk and societal impacts While most people are aware of the general risk of excessive alcohol use current warning signs often fall to often fail to communicate the severity and health of these dangers effectively it is time we acknowledge this Gap and take action why the current warning signage fall short the alcohol War labels and signs we see today are often outdated generalized and frankly easy to overlook there are small fonts technical language and lack of visual impact failed to grab attention or resonate emot emotionally compare this to the Stark and effective warnings we now see on tobacco products clear graphics and memorable alcohol warnings in contrast do not adequately inform consumers about health risk excessive alcohol use is linked to liver disease heart problem s mental health disorders and even cancer yet few signs emphasize these risks in a clear direct manner social impact alcohol contributes to impair driving domestic violence and other social harms these warning should be front and center not buried in fine print targeted organt certain groups such as pregnant individuals and underage consumers require specific warnings yet current signage often fails to address them clearly and prominently why we revise is why the revision is urgent every year millions of people are affected by alcohol rated harm clear and impactful warning signs can serve as a simple yet effective tool to educate the public reduce harmful consumption and potentially save lives studies show that visual visual emotionally resonic messages such as pictures of both statements are far more effective and influencing Behavior than plain tax going to try get this out what Revis signage should look like clear visual incorporate graphic Graphics or impact or images that vividly illustrate the consequences of excessive alcohol use such as damaged organs or car accidents caused by drunk driving specific warnings use concise relatable messages like alcohol use increase the risk of cancer or drinking while pregnant harms your baby prominent placement ensure the warning size are easily visible in stores bar and other points of sale not tucked away in a corner conclusion updated aloh war in signage is not about limited personal freedom it's about equi an individuals with the information they need to make INF more challenge choices thank you our next speaker 5.35 Jake it's not here our next speaker and last speaker 5.36 go Pand good evening council members and uh public um thank you for this opportunity um I'm usually I'm not a person who comes up here and talks but um I'm um uh something happened to me within the last 24 hours and I wanted to share uh in the context of um uh safety Public Safety and traffic uh safety that uh we are discussing in George City yesterday around 7:15 p.m. I had a terrifying experience on Central Avenue near boram MAV while I was crossing the street in the crosswalk a speeding K or rent or SUV came dangerously close to hitting me the driver didn't slow down and I barely managed to step out of the way in time uh out of pure shock and and fear I reflexively hit the door of the car to make them aware how close and life-threatening their behavior was what happened next was even more traumatic two adult males got out of the vehicle and assaulted me repeatedly and uh I have a small bruise here from the I was able to um um um like get away but he did hit me two times in the face and uh there is a bruise on my face the police and the ambulance were called a report has been filed I'm also very shaken to the core um as I'm standing here um and this is a mere one block away from the protected Bike Line bike lane uh that is being proposed um um so my basic point is that um in jerse city um speeding cars are not being ticketed speed check like there used to be a time if you hold a phone in your hand when you're driving you would get ticket um and now that's not the case you can stop signs are a mere suggestion right um red lights are a target practice if you see a red light is going to happen like 50 feet 100 feet from you you are rushing to beat it you you see it all over George City crosswalks are simply ignored they are just not there uh so my specific request is this is uh the Central Avenue is very wide and prone to speeding near persing field um I request for Traffic Engineers to check um and Implement speed reduction measures um whatever they like you know what let them come up with whatever the solution is but speed needs to reduce this is an important bus Corridor uh lots of kids go to the Ping field so there is a lot of food traffic back and forth uh the newly open Reservoir is right there so people go to kind of get there too so um I I like and it cannot be more apt that it is very close to the bike lane that is thank you your time is up I just uh wanted to say something you can uh goand um sorry for what happened to you I know that's W se but I just um I want to let you know that the uh driver did get a speeding ticket from I called the police earlier today and they did give him a speeding ticket and they also advised me to advise you that if you want to file a complaint for simple assault that you would go to the courthouse at 365 Summit Avenue which is the municipal courthouse and you'd be able to file a simple assault uh complaint against the the driver um and I'm really sorry for what happened to you and we should work towards making that area safer and um thank you for coming and speaking thank you thank you for doing that and uh have a good good night great that includes our public excuse me that includes our public speaking portion of the meeting took a little to get up here to be off any questions or comments on petitions and Communications item 6.1 through 6 36 hearing none any questions or comments on Comm office Communications 7.1 through 7.4 any questions or comments on report of directors 8.1 through 8.2 and on to our claims and addendum number one council members are going to be taking the vote on claims and addendum number one council person Ridley I council person priner I council person Bano hi council person SLE I council person Solomon council person Gilmore I council person Dees and council president Waterman hi claims in addendum number one are approved 8 Z with council person Rivera absent on to our resolutions council members going to be taking a vote on items 10.1 through 10.11 that's 10.1 through 10.11 council person Ridley I council person Prince AR briefly I just want to thank relle and the week hair movement for bringing the attention of updating signs um to educate our residents so they know exactly what the latest science is when it relates to um signs about drinking alcohol I wish you all the best as you move your advocacy from the local level to the state level um and best of luck we're here for you I vote I for all thank you council person Bano but oh I council person so hi council person Solomon can't hear you no and 10.1 I and the rest thank you council person Gilmore can't hear you no on 10.4 I on arrest 10.4 and I on arrest got it council person Dees hi and council president Waterman okay if I can just recap item 10.1 is approved 71 with council person Solomon voting no and council person Rivera absent item 10.2 and three are approved 80 with council person Rivera absent item 10.4 is approved 71 with council person Gilmore voting no and council person Rivera absent and items 10.5 through 10.11 are approved 80 with council person Rivera absent um the ba wants to to address the council so I'm just going to get the camera on you take it away yes Sean I just want to confirm uh as we move to the next set 10.15 will be withdrawing I did speak with Deja and she's going to provide the uh council with additional information on that mortgage charge thank you okay council members with that being said I'm taking a vote on items 10.12 through 10.21 with the exception of 10.15 which has been withdrawn council person Ridley Sean we're going where to 21 I'm I'm sorry we're going to 21 10.21 question uh for the ba because I'm a little unclear of where we landed um I know we've been having a lot of discussions around Public Safety and um councilman borano councilman Rivera asking for some meetings we said we would have an outside meeting are we going to set up a meeting with Public Safety because I think everybody has a lot of questions um I have I know a lot of officers in ESU and we know we put them in our most dangerous situation so I am going to vote I for all on this tonight but there are a number of questions from Posts that were brought up to um our tactical concerns to parking authority so are we going to have that sit down sure I initially had a uh conversation with councilman borano on his particular concerns but if the council would like to meet with Public Safety uh as a whole we just have to do that uh through Shan on a public uh Public Act uh excuse me yeah public meetings act so um this is the administration uh directing Sean to schedule a meeting with the council and whole um maybe preferably closed session before the uh next council meeting can we if we do that we would need a resolution we need a resolution wait the next meeting okay okay yeah so okay that works ah Sean in the in the mean I'm sorry in the meantime uh if the council would like to gather all their question together this way there's information available when they do meet okay council members so I'm sorry council person Ridley your vote um I for all thank you with the exception of 10.15 which has been withdrawn council person priner just to get it on the record i' also requesting this meeting I know that there have been multiple me meeting requests for myself but also other council members um so it is time we just address these issues once and for all we've received email as it relates to different public safety concerns and also different traffic concerns and I do agree that there is a an enormous issue with traffic enforcement across the entire city we've had it on Kennedy Boulevard a number of years ago there were a couple of crashes we worked with our police and the sheriff's department and for almost a year there were no crashes so enforcement while it's not always the answer it certainly make sure that people are on better behavior and that they're not getting away with things because they know that they can um and for I forall for the resolutions thank you council person bajo John as you know I'm having a meeting with Shay I've been with the police department for 36 years and I'm tired of a lot of the stuff going on and I want to present issues and facts and I hope the other Council people back me and when they meet with him uh share the same views as I have uh as far as these issues with the uh uh police here we need updated equipment you never know what's going to happen in today's world that's why I'll vote for them so I vote I for everything council person SLE um I'm going to vote I for all um however the issues that were raised today are significant and persistent and I agree that they need to be addressed by Public Safety we need to find a way to bring the arve together program um and I do want a motion after we're done voting for a Clos session for the December meeting at 5:00 p.m. um so just putting it on the record council person Solomon I concur with what my colleagues have said and I vote I for all council person Gilmore um I'm going to abstain on uh 17 and 18 um I think God I think as a council we really have to consider um making sure that every director is approved for reappointment every term irregardless if they were part of the last term um because this put huh wasn't approved the last go around it wasn't approved the last go around either no they wasn't we didn't approve them only the first four only the first four years though yeah that's yeah that's what I'm saying so we if we need to look at that legislation and make sure that every I would even make the argument every two years because it's like a performance review um so that way we make sure that we're holding them accountable because the residents are going to hold us accountable every day um so in in light of all that I'll I'll stain on 17 and 18 um I vote I on arrest thank you council person Dees I and council president wman Sean let me get understanding with this closed session because our next meeting is the 11th of uh December correct that's correct we would have to vote on it on that day to have a closed session no we would have to vote on it tonight in order to have a closed session on December 11th but we don't have a resolution so how can we do that to make sure we have Clos session or if not then each council person meet three at a time because uh we got to get this done the only reason I Men last meeting yeah counc president the only reason I mentioned in Clos session is because sometimes there's uh hyp sensitive information that if you want answers to and they can't say it publicly publicly right um so what we would do is motion to add a late item um by one of the council members seconded that late item would be a uh session resolution for December 11 11th at 5m okay so we'll do that right after we're done with the formal I vote I but we'll do that Sean okay I won't get I promise all right so items 10.12 through 10.14 are approved 80 with council person Rivera absent 10.15 has been withdrawn 10.16 is approved 80 with council person Rivera absent 10.17 is approved 701 with council person Gilmore abstaining and council person Rivera absent and 10.18 say vote 701 council person Gilmore abstaining and council person Rivera absent and items 10.19 through 21 are approved 80 with council person rera absent before we go to the balance motion to amend the agenda to add late item 1033 closed session uh with Public Safety at 4M 500 PM 5:00 pm December 11th 2024 so I have a motion to add give me a second before we second it motion to add resolution y it would be resolution 1033 24 869 item number 1033 which will be a closed session to be held on December 11th yes at 5:00 pm in the caucus room room 127 I believe it is and we'll have a um the motion was made by council person CLE we'll have the resolution prepared pred for tomorrow so when I republish the agenda it'll show all the details on the uh resolution that we're about to add for the Clos session so I have a motion made by council person Cay may I have a second second by council person Dees I believe on the motion to add resolution 24-8 69 item 10.33 Clos session to the agenda council person britley hi hi council person priner Hi council person bajano Hi council person s hi council person Solomon hi council person council person Dees and council president wman and this closed session is going to include and just be specific to uh a meeting with the director of the um Public Safety is that correct all righty so with that being said I'm going to take a vote on the balance of our resolutions which is going to be items 10.22 through 10.33 with the addition of the closed session resolution council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi for all council person Bano hi council person SLE I for all council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees and council president wman I items 10.22 through 10.33 are approved 80 with council person Rivera absent and may I ask the magic question a motion to adjourn at 7:10 p.m. motion motion made by council person SLE seconded I believe that was by council person Prince AR on the motion to adjourn at 7:10 p.m. all council members present by acclamation please say I we are out of here at 710 p.m. thank you so much everyone present and everyone watching at home remember Teamwork Makes the DreamWork have a Happy Thanksgiving to all have a great night stay safe anyone who is new