##VIDEO ID:P7k97Qnj7do## all really I didn't know that's nice yeah yeah is okay everyone if we can find our seats silence our cell phones close the side and back doors I greatly appreciate it again can we find our seats silence our cell phones we're about to get started okay good evening everyone we are on the record today is Wednesday the 11th day of December in the year 2024 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 6:17 p.m. and we have a roll call for the commencement of this meeting council person Ridley yeah and our birthday girl Council woman Prince ner yeah happy 5 she's probably going to be a little upset that I said that we are gonna sing to her I just don't know when we're gonna do that okay council person bajano yeah council person SLE here council person Solomon here council person Gilmore president council person Dees here council person Riva will not be present for tonight's meeting he's is attending to his wife who had some serious surgery done so he has to be uh honey Todo list so he is going to be home taking care of his beautiful wife and now last but not least council president Waterman here we have eight council members in attendance at 6:17 p.m. can we kindly rise for a moment of silence please this Scotland Brown Bailey Janice Adams Darnell Carr Veronica Brad Cunningham Desa Bell Lamar mcnight Daryl mcnight Vel Jamal Jeter God bless all of their families on behalf of council president wman and members of the municipal Council in accordance with New Jersey public laws of 1975 chapter 231 the open public meetings act also known as the Sunshine Law adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by the posting on the bulletin board of the first floor of City Hall the annual notice which is the schedule of meetings and caucuses of the 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 December 6th 2024 at 3:22 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 council members as discussed at the caucus before we move on to our regular agenda there are two items that need to be added to the agenda as disc discussed at the caucus first item is 10.33 resolution 24- 902 which is a resolution in support of the collecting bargaining rights of all healthc care workers in Jersey City and all of Hudson County and calling upon Hudson County Hospital LLC to recognize the labor unions representing the employees of all hospitals they currently own Andor operate and they may own or operate in the future and the second item is it 10.34 resolution 24- 903 is a resolution to cancel taxes on block 64 lot 1.03 and block 6005 lot 13.01 also known as Cole Street Park due to an erroneous assessment council members I need a motion to add items 10.33 and 10.34 to the agenda motion made by council president wman may I have a second second second by the birthday council person priner on the motion to add items 10.33 and 10.34 to the agenda council person Ridley I council person priner Hi council person bajano Hi council person Cai I have to abstain for uh 10:33 uh 10:34 I okay thank you council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi council person Dees and council president Waterman okay item 10.33 is added to the agenda by a vote of 701 with council person Cay abstaining and item 10.34 is added to agenda 8 zero both with council person Rivera absent okay on to our first reading ordinances which is only one item 3.1 city ordinance 24-17 is an ordinance amending the Westside Avenue Redevelopment plan expanding allowed uses in the LOF residential district council members I'm going to be taking the sole vote on the whole first uh reading ordinance item 3.1 count council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi council person bana hi council person SLE hi for introduction council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees and council president wman item 3.1 is introduced 80 with council person Rivera absent on to our second reading ordinances first second reading ordinance item 4.1 city ordinance 24-105 is an ordinance authorizing the city of Jersey City to execute a sublease between provot Square Performing Arts Company Inc and the New Jersey Sympathy for the purpose for providing cultural enriching experiences to the Jersey City community Through the Arts 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 just give me one second Phil hey Philip Carrington go ahead Phil oh okay yeah my my name is Phil Carrington I want to be very clear I understand clearly what this ordinance is saying question you I have a question I've asked a question before and I was almost insulted by councilman soy in regards to this ordinance or law or code are these laws made for everybody in Jersey City black people as well as white people the question could have been answered that these laws are made for everyone but you offend me saying that well stick to the issue there is a yes you did the last time I'm very clear so Le yes counsel you directly yes so what I'm seeing here I'm this is a cultural business that is being dealt with and an ordinance is made for them I've made questions before on the same kind of issue and got IGN Lord and so it is extremely important for me to answer that question a whole lot leads to that what do I mean looking back and right respect back to two weeks ago or last time I was here I raised an issue where it appears that laws were made for other people or other organization Phil not to interrupt you but you got to stick to the ordinance otherwise you can wait for your three minutes you can come up and you can discuss what you're discussing I'm clear the question remains are these laws this or any laws made for everybody in the city of Jersey I was going farro field I'm quite sure but the question remains is this law and any law made for everybody in the city of Jersy city that is the question and that's on the issue please answer the question you can say that question or answer that question on the record you don't need anything El you have your attorneys it's a question of law are these laws made for everybody in the city of jerse City you have your attorneys from the word Ator meaning officer of the Court they can speak on the record that's my question okay this is still a public hearing on city ordinance thank you uh still a public hearing on city ordinance 24-105 any member of the public still wishing to be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record motion was made by council president Wardman may I have a second second to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-105 seconded by council person SLE on the motion council person Ridley I council person priner hi council person Bano hi council person SLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person thees and council president wman motion carries 80 with council person Riva abson to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-105 for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24-105 council person Ridley I council person priner I council person Bano I council person SLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees and council president wman city ordinance 24-105 is adopted 80 with council person Riva absent on to our last second reading yes before we do 4.2 I do have questions to Corporation Council and Law Department okay okay um so has um with regard to issuing this tax abatement has the um person requesting it or the entity requesting it provided all the requisite paperwork to the city uh no councilwoman the tax assessor's office is still waiting on documentation okay um and knowing that the current tax abatement expires in November of next year and knowing that with the hmfa um affordability controls will they still have an opportunity to get the paperwork to the board moving forward to make sure that we maintain affordability controls yes yes okay um knowing that information I'm going to make a request to table 4.2 after public comment I I second well can let's let's go through with the actual ordinance first and then we can make the motion after the public hearing okay all right so with that being said item 4.2 City the ordinance 24-16 is an ordinance approving a 30-year tax exemption for the Birchwood at famon hotel block 16301 lot 42 pursuant to the New Jersey housing and mortgage Finance Act of 1983 as amended and supplemented njsa 55 col 14 K-1 exec and the rules prated under njac 5 colon 80-1 exact 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 before you do so just give me one moment so I can adjust the camera it's only on you okay and I would just ask if you can state your name and spell your name for the record for our court reporter my name is Joe Harkins or Joseph Harkins I am a resident of Jersey City want my address to no okay may I speak now you can I am Joe Harkins 91 years old a third generation citizen of Jersey City and a resident of the Fairmont Hotel apartments for almost 30 years that is the property under question I am asking that the the city council carry the proposed ordinance 24106 for study and reconsideration for the following reasons one I question the justification of the 30-year pilot because this land has landlord has already had 30 years of landlord of of tax abatement but under pilot that is about to expire and during which it has done nothing in the way of Capital Improvements to the property using that benefit even May M has been neglected as is evident from the conditions of the hallway there are apartments that have had not been painted or recarpeted in 30 years there are broken toilets and of course there are broken elevators now they want the tax money and tax abatement to do whatever they declined to do for all those years with their own money the wording of the audience makes it clear that the benefit of the proposed ordinance ordinance is quote I'm quoting from the from the ordinance make the property more attractive to investors needed to finance the product the project in other words in plain language it's a gift the ordinance and the narrative document intended to support the ordinance makes it clear that the landlord intends to exercise the right to remove senior residents from their Apartments without compensation for the disruption or the loss of whatever personal property or expense that may have to be stored or abandoned all this without comparable with a guarantee explicitly excluded of a comparable apartment within the property or even within Jersey City there is no guarantee that the temporary apartment will be of comparable quality or expense or convenience there is no stipulation as to how long this displacement may be allowed further a resident who has been evicted is not guaranteed a return to the same apartment and the document makes it plain that that not that is not promised this entire scheme is in blatant violation of the letter and the intent of New Jersey law regarding eviction those laws clearly State 19 reasons why a judge May order evictions none of those rules include the convenience of a landlord during or Renovations in the real world all of those disruptions are unusually negotiated obviously this landlord is uncomfortable with that process I respectfully ask that the city council carry this motion while the issues are recognized and given respect regarding the use of public money to approve the quality of private Ben property for the benefit of investors thank you Joe this is still a public hearing and I see Philip Carrington directly on the issue I hope I'm correct the last time that hope I'm correct in terms of the address when you first got the tax AB batment years ago they had a million dollars and a million dollars back 203 years was a lot of money today is not that much money but it hadn't an endowment they ran through that endowment $1 million in 20 years and now they're back here again asking for another tax abatement the question is what kind of improvement and what benefit to taxpayers are we going to get out of this or can you give us an explanation as to briefly as to why another 30-year tax abatement is needed to be given to them them and the YMCA all had an endowment of a million doll and they blew through it no one can give an account for it question is what is the purpose for additional 30 years back that abatement I know you're not going to answer let it linger you this is still a public hearing and I see Gina Davon Gina Davidson Gina uh g n a da a v i s o n um this abatement on Project appears to benefit the current lowincome senior residents of Fairmont Birchwood Apartments however I actually read Mr Harkin's open letter in JC times I recommend that other folks look it up and read it as well um asking for this ordinance to be tabled thank you councilwoman Prince Ary for your comments as well uh until further details can be specified apparently many of the existing issues in the building are not listed explicitly on the current project plans that this abatement would offset we especially want to ensure that this project is not providing Fairmont Birchwood LLC with an Avenue to rid the building of low-income housing or to increase rent prices following renovation the plans state that there will be renovations to apartments for current residents while said residents are moved to other open apartments in the building at the cost of Fairmont Birchwood this is very disruptive the abatement also states the purpose of Renovations are to quote unquote attract tenants why do they need to attract tenants new tenants if the building is fully inhabited why do they need to attract tenants when there are plenty of seniors in our city in need of low-income housing another purpose of the abatement is to attract investors who would fund additional renovation why are investors needed if the project already provides adequate funding for the basic maintenance renovation that is genuinely needed more importantly why hasn't this maintenance already been done there may well be reasonable answers to these questions but until then your constituents asked that we consider tabling this ordinance further it has been requested that Council and the City open a dialogue with the current residents of Fairmont Birchwood to make sure we are putting resources in the right place and holding these real estate businesses accountable thank you thank you this is still a public hearing I see lever bring the mic down to you Le bur you okay all right you know a shame when us I'm 76 years old I've been fighting for tax abatement for 50 years I sit on the affordable house for the county of Hudson County I used to go to Washington DC for affordable H housing and tax baat and stuff we let people get out of hand with this and abuse it and use it in the wrong perspective it's not benefiting the people that need it this man had this for 30 years and then this is the best he can keep this property up not paying tax abatement and then didn't want another 30 years where somebody else in this city can use it and need it I did two project here the W building the Fred Martin building we did it with grant money tax batement and the buildings look up to par it's no way that this man need to be doing what he doing and asking what he want the building should be paid off and the building with no pay no taxes on it it should have been kept up it's a disgrace y'all don't let this get by please because there's too much on that area that needs to be upgraded when they took the women's wine the men's wine all that and we got shelters around there that need b a nice building went up that fairm Avenue affordable we need stuff like it's too much going on in this city right now and it's too much homeless I can call every day uh the Web building now is the cities building it's affordable it's under it's under the Housing Authority we need help to do better for our people in this city we can't let people like this take advantage this is being taken advantage of and it's not feir to the community not feir to y'all to let these people get over like that when people 30 years and he can't keep his apartment building up that he's asking for another 30 year tax batement it's not fair to people that need this tax batement we got to do better we got to watch the door thank you this is still a public hearing on ordinance 24-16 any other member of the public wishing to be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record okay thank you uh Mia skanga am I too close all right now you're good um I've been here since 1983 so I was here during the shler administration when the Fairmont Hotel which was abandoned at that time for decades and owned by the city of Jersey City through I guess a tax sale and granted they did get lowincome housing tax credits to help I mean it was a complete jut gut job it was just you know the walls and stuff and they also got it was a federal historic Rehabilitation tax credits but my recollection is that we were a little astounded that it CAU cost on average $170,000 to renovate each unit now that's an average there are Studios to two bedrooms but for the most part they're one bedrooms in 1993 994 $170,000 was a lot of money you know for a one-bedroom renovation and I also recollect that we put in a lot of Jersey City taxpayer money into that building and then I heard later that I think after 20 years the title of the building went over to ingerman Brad ingerman who was a huge supporter of the shutler administration huge so here we are they got a 30-year batment starting in 1995 which expires next year they pay on average now $1,681 per unit per year I take a look at rent control buildings that on average they're mostly a 100 years old right and they've got 100 year old elevators and need lots of work they pay double this double this and they're not getting money from Jersey City Government whatever to renovate so I say to myself enough is enough already um as other people have have said and it's in the ordinance that Brad ingerman in related entities have entered into an agreement of sale it's right in the ordinance so here we are using Jersey City taxpayers money so that Brad ingr can walk away making tens of millions of dollars on this building by getting another 30-year tax abatement just make it a rent control building their assessment will be it won't be Market but it'll be better than what we're getting now and forget the 30-year tax abatement they've had one and one is enough we can continue this philosophy of making the developers rich and the middle class poor and that's all because of these outrageous tax property tax bills in the city of Jersey City thank you thank you this still a public hearing and I see Tina hey guys yeah just read part of it but I know that we definitely don't need that 30-year taxes and people are still talking about the French Museum about that tax resent I know that um right now we definitely need housing um jery Walker I uh work for him and um we've been getting approved for the young people on the Block and in our community TR but we don't have enough Apartments all the rent is 25 and 35 and 15 so to see that happen I know then whoever is doing these um 30 years taxes they're not working in the community they not walking around they don't know exactly what's going in Warf well you need to be having a meeting with them and show them around our community and let them know that um this should not be approved because we still need help in our community right now maybe we'll get some of our Corners back because right now the guys are asking for help they are asking for apartment because we made that safe spot spot right there but now we need for y'all to do your job do the right job and let us grow too as a community stop letting these people come in here and they grow and they stay here for 10 years and take their money and pack up and leave and we don't get to see them no more and we still out here walking around still asking for help for help for help please make a different decision let's go in a new year with a different for our community let's change our community right now we making history right now let's do something different we don't need that 30 years taxes up let's go y'all do something different thank you this is still a public hearing on city ordinance 24-16 any member of the public wishing to be heard come on up state your name for the record Kevin Weller so I would say a few things um don't we really became aware of this tonight so I'm doing some quick research and it's an all too familiar story um tax abatement for 30 years starting in around 1995 sounds a lot like Portside Towers West um and East when our tax abatement ran out 30 years I got a 35 and a half% rent increase over $1,500 per month so we know what happens in situations like that one thing that's interesting that I think maybe nobody in this room even knows we all know that there really isn't a rent control database in the city right but what we may not realize is there's the the opposite in the city that we do have we actually have a definitive database of all of the properties that have asked for a rent control exemption isn't that interesting guess which building is not on that list this building this building is very likely subject to rent control and it has very likely always been since the beginning and we know a lot about how to deal with rent control buildings that have been rent control since 1995 now of course I'm not an attorney but if you table this it'll give us a chance to look into this see if I'm right but I'm looking at the database right now and this building is not listed so I think there's a very good chance that even his 6% increase he just recently received is likely illegal and that they have additional protections if their building is in fact subject to rent control I think we should be allowed the time to investigate I think we can get the answer in less than a week and we would be willing to help them for free thank you you oh this is still a public hearing on city ordinance 24-16 any member of the public still wishing to be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record good evening is Jake EOS j a k e p r oos K Jake um yeah I think I'll just make this brief I I agree with the other speakers who are coming up here asking city council to table this vote I think in particular this is important on the backs of this city council voting to give the Kushner developers a massive tax abatement with a Pompa do vote that was uh just recently passed through these very Halls so I think it's really important that we have the public have some more time to understand uh what's going on here and have a little bit more robust discussion tonight so agree with other folks who are speaking uh against an immediate passage of this and let's say will discuss more and have more things come to light thank you you still the public hearing and I see our next speaker thanks Sean Jessica bran um just to add to what Kevin was saying I read your offed show and I appreciate you sending that in um he had a section where he wrote that Fairmount claims exemption from rent control and I heard one of the other speakers say that it had been an abandoned building um and you probably know there was a 19 1998 um ordinance that allowed some of those buildings to be uh rent controlled automatically it sounds like those conditions weren't meant for this building because it was already being leased in 95 before the 98 situation happened with the abandoned building run control so just for clarity I do think it's really important to say that if the landlord is asserting it's exempt and we don't have evidence that they've ever submitted proper paperwork to the city to validate that exemption this is probably not exempt from run control and that confounds um going forward with this ordinance you don't get 60 years of tax abatements and sidestep rent control thank you thank you this still a public hearing on city ordinance 24-16 any member of the public we shouldn't be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record my name is Karen vop okay um I just want to quickly say something because if I understood that correct they're paying a th000 per year about a thousand per year for in taxes that would mean per unit that would mean that that we are paying like 14 to 15 times as much I mean I'm just a little astonished about that number and I'm pretty sure other people when they hear it will um will think the same so please think about I'm in a small shoe box as well so it's not like pretty rich or something uh so please think about that when you vote about this thank you you this is still a public hearing on city ordinance 24-16 any member of the public still wishing to be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record motion second motion to close a public hearing on city ordinance 24-16 was made by council president Waterman seconded by council person B aano on the motion to close a public hearing on city ordinance 24-16 council person Ridley I council person Prince AR I council person Bano I council person SLE I council person Solomon council person Gilmore hi council person Dees and council president wman motion carries 80 with council person Rivera absent to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24-16 council person Prince AR would you like to make the motion to table ordinance um 24-16 and I second okay so let me just get that stated for the record we have a motion to table city ordinance 24-16 after the close of the public hearing was made by council person Prince Ary birthday girl and seconded by council person bajano on the motion to table city ordinance 24-1 6 after the close of the public hearing council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi council person Bano hi council person SLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees and council president wman motion carries 80 with council person Rivera absent to table city ordinance 24-16 after the close of the public hearing keep the Clapping up because you know what we're going to do right now we're going to sing Happy Birthday to council person miror priner are we ready we ready happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday dear council president Prince happy birthday to you that your birthday than everybody and Sean if yeah I don't know everyone I appreciate it I don't know if that was her best birthday gift or not probably not Joe Hawkins okay all right if we're leaving please leave quietly if we're staying let's pay close attention to the agenda I'm going to be calling the number and the first name of the individual with that being said our first Speaker 5.1 L Council I never been so proud of you to table this what you table tonight I've been out here in this city over 50 years working on stuff like this you did a good job tonight keep it up don't let people take advantage of this city and that's what he's trying try to do and it's not fair to bring this stuff to you guys it's not not now this is Christmas time people need somewhere to live they need shelter we don't we don't need people taking advantage on I do stuff in this community and I see the need I just gave out like I told you 500 coats boots turkeys I'm getting ready to do some toys it it's not it's not right there so much need in our community keep up the work you guys are doing especially in a time like now when we need housing so bad I'm trying to get developers to take old Montgomery garden and do that over don't tear them brick buildings down redo them we need people somewhere to live in this city and I thank you you all got to keep up the good work don't don't don't let people take advantage of our city it's not right and I pray that you guys have a blessed holiday I'm going through some things so I'm not talking that much tonight God bless you and have a happy and blessed holiday happy holiday happy holidays God bless Le bur all right our next speaker 5.2 Edward I was surprised to learn that this is the last meeting of the year because I thought that there would be one more but there's not so uh but anyhow there are a few things I want to say as far as crime goes and public safety for the Year where are we on deescalation tactics with the police and how they respond to everything that they do in this city they come like gangsters they come like Mobsters they come with their swap Vehicles millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars for their materials and they just usually it ends up bad where are we with the deescalation tactics for this police force although the mayor is an our Ally this body can still use what Authority you have to bring pressure okay and let our Public Safety officials know that the community is unhappy they're undeserving right and their uh authorities and their um roles and Leadership and that's just how it is I read recently is it reported that this city and Hoboken among other cities received the passing grade right with this lgbtq plus assessment I just want to let you know that recently I was just reaching out because I identify in the Spectrum this city doesn't spend enough resources to make sure that there's a pride or that there's anything lgbtqia and any other the ward what is going on how I was I was shocked because you know everything is concentrated in Ward e right as far as business as far as lifestyle where are you in F where are you in a where is investment for LGBT like what we can have a conversation about that we should have a conversation about that because where's the representation lies and garbage okay also it was very nice to see a few of our Representatives out at the grand opening for Community Treasures but the main thing is putting your money where your mouth is okay that organization serves people who are desperate and in need many of you are out of touch and it would be the best thing you can do is to sit down with her and organizations like hers to figure out what it is that desperate people need from people like you and Andrew Washington the antiviolence Coalition is moving and we're moving I'm a part of that group we're moving all we need from you is support and happy New Year our next speaker 5.3 Tina Justice for Drew Justice for Drew again as e said I want to thank all of y'all for coming to the ribon cut and like that really touched me I really didn't think y'all was coming especially to see that my mayor wasn't there to see that we really did something good in our community that hurted me and then the mayor from nor cor I'm like get the what he called us like um I can't make it but I'mma send somebody I was like yo that's what's up you don't get stuff like that and that's what I mean as we need leaders like that that was so dope for him to do that um I respect that um education of Gore I respect you for asking me to talk at your campaign because I didn't have no $55,000 to speak I didn't have $1,000 you took me as me for me to tell the truth what going in our community so I respect you for that because no one ever did that usually people don't do that they look for people for a check I don't have fun I wanted to tell people the truth what is going on in our community and what we doing in our community and for you Steve Jerry Walker Jay dub all of y'all to come together to give our community in war f a safe spot I love that our community is moaning right now I just put it for our cousin in them to let them know if they need to come to our spot and moan if anybody need any tea if anybody need to talk we are open to do that and that's what we need that's all we needed we just needed a safe spot to let y'all know yes some of us don't know how to read some of us don't know how to fill out application some of us didn't get educated of how to go out there and fill out for apartment that was me so see that for me to go back in my community and let them know how I live and how I'm able to come from out the was my bathroom was outside yo I used to walk to my bathroom yo I couldn't read or write I came up here when I was 13 I showed them I Came From The Bottom from where the councilman now working for the commissioner it show you it's people out there that believe in you so I'm running for anybody that's out there walking that community and doing the right thing that didn't have to wait for 28 years to get the permission to get a little spot to do something different we doing with the right one guy next year guys y'all make sure y'all look in your community who's doing the right way so we don't have to be sitting on here on Wednesday cuz y'all my family happy Christmas and happy holiday because every Wednesday I'm up here doing the same thing for over and over and over so I'mma say it again y'all Justice for drill our next speaker 5.4 Gina good evening again again Gina Davidson WF thank you all for voting correctly on ordinance 4-2 we really appreciate your support it's wonderful when you all come together for your residents I would like to start this end of the year meeting by thanking the Department of Health and Human Services for a truly amazing year in transforming animal animal rescue and Care in our city Stacy Flanigan and her team Paul Bell and Boer ACO director Mark Burns miss Emily pal Palmer and the rest of our friends at Jersey City Animal Care and Control have made such a big difference this year they have collaborated and supported the work of small independent rescue organizations like mine helping with those with boots on the ground who are out on the streets of Jersey City every day and just this week 21 Neighborhood Cats were spayed or neutered and vaccinated against rabies and distemper four of those 21 were from my organization and my closest partnering organiz iation we were out at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday in that 20s something degree weather and we appreciate the support of our friends um at the ACO office speaking of if anybody here needs winter shelters to help keep the cats on their block from freezing to death this season you know where to find me moving on to the topic of police brutality and over policing in Jersey City I sent all of you a list of questions for the meeting you had to today with public safety director Shay most importantly questions about how jcpd plans to reform their approach to Mental Health crisis intervention especially after the shooting death of Andrew Washington I'd like to use the remaining time here at the podium to get your reaction council president Waterman and anyone else who would like to chime in regarding these open questions about the militar militarization of our local police and the failure to implement arrive together we we had a meeting today I I'm not going to go into details but I'll say it was the first question that we had asked was about arri together in the implementation and the response you know post Andrew Washington and the uh director for Public Safety did agree to meet with NJ together to discuss that so that was an ask that we put forth and um he obliged so um if a formal request can be put through and if you want to CC any of the council members to send that to the director um or send it to the council person we bump it up we can have that meeting oh thank you thank you so much councilman s Justice for Drew thank you our next speaker 5.5 Karen hi in Thanksgiving week I was on the list to speak but I didn't get to do so because with the p Council having an extremely short agenda I didn't make it through security on time I'd like to thank councilman Solomon and councilwoman Prince aray for following up regarding this and I urge you all to change the rules so that those that are present get to speak if anything as last person I will continue VI a letter on this topic since I only three minutes when I moved to Jersey City I live next to Burks behind the tunnel diner for those too young or new here that's now across from Home Depot next to the gas station and behind the hotel much has changed but what hasn't is that from that area you still need to walk or bike to most parts of the city because there is no means of public transportation the Vias the Via system or the Via system fills in parts of that Gap but certainly has its limitations and it's not a 247 option having more bike Lanes means having more options to get places quicker I bike everywhere because I have been doing it since age three and I'm quite used to it that said drivers in this city tend to have no patience with bike riders so protected bike lanes are a must I urge you to use the grand money you have for the Heights and to build more bike Lanes in every uh Ward even City Vehicles do not accept that the streets isn't their playground last month I was met with a street sweeper and its driver who thought it necessary to smash the white delineators and park sideway in the bike Lane right when I was turning into it that's why I have a torn meniscus I will continue letter on this topic since I have not much time left in January we will have a new president one who has proven in his term that he will do everything to make the lives of immigrants especially those new to the country miserable I warned you about this when you pass the ordinance that includes rules for delivery people on ebikes only councilman councilwoman rley seem to understand what was at stake I urge you to reconsider the parts of the ordinance that are of concern I will be back in 20125 I wish uh to recap on um 20 24 because I've been here quite a few times Justice for Drew I would also like hope that you do something for these people of the for side building at this I believe because I I know them on first their first names I never met these people before I wish you all happy holidays but especially those who pay attention when people speak thank you you our next speaker 5.6 Jake good evening once again uh yeah my name is Jake F Rose I'm a resident in the Heights and I'm here to support uh the bike lane as well I'm I'm a teacher at Hudson County Community College now and almost every single day on my commute I've biked uh to and from work um and the conditions are just absolutely atrocious on the roads um and so this would be a a small step in helping improve the infrastructure even bigger than a small step in improving the infrastructure for for cyclists but but beyond that I mean it's a layup that we already have you know over half a million dollars in Grant or excuse me half uh yeah half a million dollars in grant funding um to make sure that we can get this infrastructure established and it's really important in a bigger uh scheme that we move away from car Reliant roads to safer streets for kids and pedestrians and cyclists and yes drivers too because calmer traffic is going to impact safety for everyone including uh drivers who do need to rely on their cars still um so longterm this is going to save us uh all of us residents here headaches around limited parking the cost of car expenses and tragic accidents when we make steps like this bike lane would make um and it means in the longer term project too means investment in mass transit Beyond bike Lanes Alone um and it means that mass transit that works for working people uh because uh this this is one part of a much broader puzzle that I'm really glad that like JC safer streets Safe Streets and complete streets are all working together uh to put together um and lastly I'll just say that bike Lanes have demonstrated uh really good benefits in other cities um in Jersey City here benefits for the small business Community too it's not going to box people out of going to those shops but it can really benefit them as well um so that's what I want to share on the bike Lans but with with a minute left I do want to say that my former work was with 1199 SEIU organizing healthcare workers and so it would I would be remiss to not shout out my union siblings from HP here today who are fighting against uh Hudson Regional Health uh and their lack of uh commitment to recognize unions um that are standing unions uh at CarePoint hospitals um and so you know I live up the street from Christ Hospital uh and it would be a disgrace if we as a city council did not as a city did not stand to make sure uh that we were on the side of union workers um from from Christ to ALS also Bon Hoboken sakas even outside of our city um so that's what I'll say as my time is ending uh as always enforce 260 Justice for Drew and happy holidays to everyone here thanks our next speaker 5.7 Tony hi Tony barelli vice president by JC um I am here to again express my and our strong support for the aformentioned uh protected bike lane project in the Heights you know uh a couple of weekends ago I and we and in fact some people in this room um did something that unfortunately we did again here tonight which is remember more people killed on our streets in traffic uh that observance was the international the world day of remembrance for victims of traffic violence and as we do every as I've been doing for over a decade uh we uh bike JC particular installed ghost bikes the white bicycles uh as memorials to people specifically who are killed on bikes and um we one thing I noticed we actually had a little bit of an easier time we we travel by bike on that day as you might imagine uh but we got to use the new and newish uh protected bike Lanes on mallerie and Duncan and we thank uh Council m remember priner for her uh work on those projects got a little safer uh got around a little easier but when we got to Duncan at 440 we installed one for a young lady killed about 10 years ago there and something felt off strange mean more than the Som occasion and I only later realized it was the very first time that I had ever installed a ghost bike essentially on a protected bike lane that that lane wasn't there 10 years ago when that crash happened it's new um but uh a lot of us thought about that uh as we wrote around uh you're all smart people I I don't think I have to tell you what that implies to me and I hope that you'll keep that in mind very firmly uh when discussing for future protected bike Lanes um with the rest of my time I do want to mention that uh we understand the department of infrastructure which is in charge of protected by Clan projects will be appearing here uh I think on the 19th to talk about their budget for 2025 uh I and we strongly urge you to dedicate uh sufficient uh City resources to their work um there there are very few things that um that please people in a city more than the work of infrastructure sometimes of Paving streets and that sort of thing most people like that but uh it just so happens that that they save people's lives too all the time uh I know there were a lot of things that they would like to do all over this city not just for bikes but for safer Street for uh better stet including for drivers so I I we urge you to fund them uh as much as you possibly can thank you happy holidays you our next speaker 5.8 Danielle good evening Danielle dma Ward C and lifelong resident of Jersey City good evening council members City officials and fellow residents tonight I want to address a theme that consistently emerges in the conversations we have here and across our neighborhoods enforcement whether it's issues related to Port site Towers tree preservation or traffic concerns the root problem often comes down to how effectively or ineffectively existing laws and regul are enforced take Portside towers as an example residents have brought up concerns about living conditions tenant rights and Property Management accountability while regulations may exist to protect tenants enforcement of those protections is where things break down it's not enough to have good laws on paper if they're not consistently upheld in practice we see the same pattern with the protection of our Urban Tree canopy after much effort in AB of we are in the process of updating ordinances to better protect our trees but without diligent enforcement developers and Property Owners can and often do circumvent those rules mature trees are cut down and the community suffers the long-term consequences enforcement ensures that our environmental goals aren't just aspirations but realities traffic and pedestrian safety is another critical area speed limits crosswalks and bike Lanes mean little if drivers disregard them without consequence when enforcement is lacking our streets become dangerous for everyone drivers cyclists and pedestrians alike what we need is a city-wide commitment to enforcement that matches the strength of our ordinances this means better resource allocation more Personnel dedicated to oversight and holding those in violation accountable without this we leave residents feeling unheard and frustrated believing that even when they follow the process and raise their voices nothing changes I urge the council to prioritize not just the creation of thoughtful policy but also the mechanisms that ensure its enforcement this is the only way we can build a community where people feel safe heard and respected thank you and have a beautiful holiday you our next speaker 5.9 an hi I'm an Aton um thanks so much for holding this meeting and allowing us to talk it's really exciting um yeah I'm here in support of the protected bike lane on Manhattan EV and Franklin EV in Jersey City Heights um I live there in fact I live one block from Manhattan a and when the demonstration project was there and the bike lane was up it was amazing it was so fantastic I could ride my bike and feel safe and not feel like I'm being mowed down by a car the whole time I'm riding my bike um my dream is to be able to ride my bike with my daughter I have a three-year-old I would love to ride with her on the back and I want to ride her to daycare it's a simple dream but it's extremely achievable because my daycare is on the other end of Franklin so when the bike lane there I could literally ride from my house along Manhattan until it gets to Franklin and then carry on to the daycare there's four daycares on Palisade right there at that intersection also it connects a bunch of public parks um and it's fully funded so it's kind of just an obvious slam dunk um I mean what I witnessed when it was up is that it calmed traffic down the intersection that's right there where persing field is is a really busy field like the neighborhood uses that field there are families there's people walking dogs there's people with strollers I see multi-generational families where there's elderly folks who are walking slower and that intersection is completely insane it seems like people maybe get mad earlier on and then they suddenly feel like oh I can drive and then they drive crazy right past the park it's super dangerous so having a one-way Street there was actually pretty uh useful separate from the bike lane but the Lane connects the heights to Hoboken so that you can ride a PATH train to get to Manhattan um the second I ride my bike and I get to hobok and I feel safe when I'm in the Heights not so much by the every time I ride my bike if I get to downtown I feel safe it seems absurd to me to live in a neighborhood where I don't feel safe riding a bike um I don't know I don't know what else to say about it it's so obvious to me but the fact that it's somehow not obvious to this Council makes me just a little confused um I know there was a survey there's some angry people who drive cars who didn't want the bike lane honestly I think that a neighborhood where there are angry people driving cars is the exact neighborhood where you need a protected bike lane we need protection from the angry people who are driving the cars it makes me upset to think about it because I ride my bike all the time and um honestly when I read the comments of people online who were Furious about psychist I felt like moving but my time is up please support the bike line Thank you thank you our next speaker 5.10 Ryan good evening Council been a little while Ryan you want to just raise that mic for you there you go once again good evening Council it's good to be back here it's been a little while I wanted to come back and speak tonight because after all this is the last meeting of the year or in other words this is the last meeting before 2025 which as we all know is going to be a fairly intense election year our state will be electing a new governor our city in Jersey City will be electing a new mayor which not only means that next year is going to be incredibly interesting it also means that many lawmakers across this state including members of this body only have one more year left of being in guaranteed office so to that end I want to encourage all of you to continue to be bold and continue to pass policies which place an emphasis on helping members of our middle and working class because at the end of the day these folks are still deeply struggling and frankly I think that the story of the middle class and the details relating to to their don't get discussed often enough I think it's a story that gets lost in The Fray of our political discourse so in that light I think there's a lot of value in me reiterating the state of the middle class because ultimately the numbers on that front are quite troubling in fact the data shows us very clearly that over the past 50 years with each passing decade the conditions for the middle class have gotten worse and worse as time has gone on the cost of living has never stopped Rising meanwhile our wages remain stagnant and then in order to keep up with the rising cost of living people have begun working multiple jobs they are putting in longer hours at the jobs they currently hold they're saving less they're taking on significantly longer debt and the kicker there is that all of that extra stuff is being done simply to maintain the same standard of living that was enjoyed 50 years ago then when people try to explain why that's happening they often blame things things like globalization or technology replacing jobs artificial intelligence whatever none of that matters because none of those factors tell the full story and the proof comes when you look at every other Advanced economy around the world and you see that they are all subject to those same forces yet and still their middle classes are much better off than America's so ultimately what really differentiates Us in the United States is our policies and our laws that we have in place and that brings me to my point back home here to tonight it is upon every member at every level of government to do everything that they can to pass policies which focus on and help members of our middle and working class so at the end of the day my message is once again to encourage this members of this body to do just that even into 2025 even into an election year which will inevitably complicate things bottom line just keep going with that I do say I'm out of time uh thank you for the opportunity to speak merry Christmas happy Hanukkah thank you next year thank you our next speaker 5.11 David hi members of the council I'm here because I want the Manhattan Avenue Franklin Street Bike Lane to be built my name is David I'm a resident of Ward C I live right on Franklin Street with my spouse and our young daughter and I hope to be there for a very long time I walk often I ride the bus I ride a bike both alone and with my daughter in a trailer behind me when the bike lane demonstration project was in place literally on my doorstep all of these modes of transportation were easier and more importantly safer with ps8 right on Franklin Street numerous daycare centers and playgrounds around the corner there's a real need for traffic calming on the corridor every morning I count four of my children's pre- classmates who arrive with their parents via bike my daughter rides her balance bike there and when the lanee was was in place she used it every day it's not just cyclists who will tell you that safety is needed in the area though having frin Street designated as a one-way reduced interactions between cars and people also I take exception to comments made by my own councilman in the Jersey Journal this fall Mr bajano said quote the people in that area do not want any bike Lanes councilwoman that's false I know as well as you do how many people have written letters of support for the bike lane to the city council I believe you all have those letters I know how many of those were my neighbors in the heights I haven't seen a single person here all year speaking to the council in opposition to the bike lane I'm asking the council to bring forward a resolution to build the permanent protected bike lane which is already funded and to stop acting in defference to an imagined majority who favor the status quo real people are here asking you to do your jobs to use the money we already have to keep children in the Heights safe from reckless drivers thanks thank you our next speaker 5.12 Ivon zon here no next speaker 5.13 Gil no okay next 5.14 Amory I didn't see Amory tonight not here okay thank you next speaker 5.15 Danielle hey guys do you need to know my name Sean no you're good I am here today to address the lack of leadership from the director of safety Public Safety James Shay and director mood I'm here tonight as a mother a resident and board member of My Block Association I have lived on the west side of Jersey City all of my life and it is extremely disheartening to see what it has become the area is a complete mess and it is a breeding ground for crime and Chaos it is unacceptable that we are left unattended and unprotected I come here tonight to share some examples of dangerous situations that should never be normalized in any neighborhood in this city every morning when I'm taking my 5-year-old to school we play a dangerous game of Frogger just across the street for almost 2 years I have been emailing for a crossing guard on the corner of jwi Avenue we have two different schools on the two corners the one crossing guard has been out on leave and was never replaced so now two corners are left unattended the safety of our children should be a top priority and yet it seems the department has failed to recognize the importance of having a crossing guard in place to ensure the safety of our students councilwoman Prince I thank you for all of your efforts and you fighting for the residents to change this I know how frustrated must be for you to receive no answers from the police department and director Shay we have known issues on a particular Corner in our neighborhood that has gone unresolved for years and the community has begged for police patrol and still nothing when we do receive Patrol the officers are sitting in their cars on their phone with just the lights on wash and issues occur this includes grown men peeing while we have children leaving school blocking the sidewalks from sitting on crates drinking beers and not to mention known drunk dealing and physical fights crime prevention means being proactive and having cops notice things not sit in a car waiting to be called to figure out what happened directors Shay and Moody have failed to deliver on any requests made to this issue maybe the ba can clarify the line of communication what will it take a tragedy why do we wait for something tragic to happen just on Sunday evening we had a fatal shooting where everyone heard the gunshots and a person passed away when I was a teacher and had a coworker whose students weren't performing well and didn't follow protocol her contract was not renewed and she was let go immediately because she was not protecting and serving her students I urged the city council and this Administration to hold director Shay and director money accountable for the lack of leadership and to take immediate action to address the issues on the west side and our entire city our community deserves better Jersey city deserves better and it's time for change thank you thank you our next speaker 5.16 William William L not here next 5.17 Phillip once again Phil car looking back conr to respect to the last memb was here I pointed out that I requested to have a festival on Martin Luther King Drive on July 23rd 2022 it was approved and then Myer mysteriously been found that car was involved it was ultimately denied I also give you a demonstration that there's an organization called R the block was approved in June that deny me in July and then approve another organization these two organizations are affiliated with the city of Jersey City I say that the there was a letter written saying that we do not block the city of uh block the street of Marther K because it's a busy bus route and close proximity of course as I explain to you the block of the two different organizations and deny me all on the same place course the other one called Angie Kier it was the same exact block and Street and so tonight I bring documents to back it up because people has the tendency not to agree or approve statements made by black people so here's a a a a a document this is a permit a street blocking permit it says July the 23rd 2022 for me my organization of course my name is not here it says Chocolate City when they found out they brought the barricades by the way but when the found apparently I was involved they came the day before or the same day and take the barricades up so if the attorney have this document in their hands it was in their hands in their package for a motion for summary judgment this document was in their package for the attorney then to say it did not it does not happened or we make reference to let it does not occur they're just simply lying because a lie has to be a record knowing the truth or KN and then saying something completely different I mean it got so ridiculous that I also had a license of course that was also dismissed as well and the attorney was saying in front of the Jud July the 19th that that I it was not issued it was denied I was not entitled to it why while at the same time the license here was in her package so that's not misinformation that is not willfully false that's an outright lie I see there's three or four attorneys was on this in the uh certification it has uh Marx it has Britney Murray it had uh goer three or four so you cannot make these statements and then try to explain to people that there is something else thank you Phil our next speaker 5.18 Kevin good evening council members I apologize if I'm a bit Rusty given I missed my chance to speak before you last time I am glad to be here early enough to speak tonight at the last council meeting only four of us were here in time for public comment the agenda seemed to move faster than ever and by the time public speaking began most of us hadn't yet arrived we were very disappointed we cleared our evenings some hired babysitters and others rushed straight from from work without even having dinner all to share what we prepared with care and hope when we missed that chance it was frustrating upsetting even but we respected the rules as we always do we don't have to like them but we follow them so I ask when will the consistently Bad actors in this city those who ignore the ordinances and laws without consequences be held to the same standard take our lay and Lord Equity residential that disregard rules complain about due process and continue to operate as if the laws don't apply to them but let me remind everyone due process does not require this city to ignore plain evidence of non-compliance as we close out the year before this Council for the third time I'm struck by how familiar this all feels in December 2022 we stood here after receiving pledges of support from several of you in December 2023 we had just won a unanimous rent leveling board determination yet here we are a full year into litigation still waiting for enforcement of ordinances unrelated to litigation the reason for the inaction may change but the results are always the same aren't they we still have no 247 uniform Security even though a mother begged this Council when a bullet pierced her son's bedroom window we still have no resident superintendent in either building as this ordinance requires the sideways landlord identity certificate remains posted with no phone number for any human being living in the state of New Jersey and no resident superintendent listed the Korean War Memorial remains unsecured even last meeting with just our four speakers we shared the horrifying story of a bleeding woman seeking refuge in her Lobby while her attacker roamed freely represented years of documented violations and still nothing maybe the city sent a letter but Equity hasn't moved an inch the ordinance allows for daily fines by failing to enforce it the city effectively endorses these conditions and signals to landlords across Jersey City they can do the same thing you waited out the tenants of 100 Montgomery one of their regular speakers is now homeless we've had Portside Tower speakers stand here who are now homeless too please help our next speaker 5.19 Eric good evening Council mayor phip is running for governor tonight I'm here to tell you why New Jersey should be running away from him consider Portside Towers just one property in our city two years of documented violations two years of ignored ordinances two years of C certificates masquerading as compliance two years of a mayor's office watching blood stain Lobby floors while required Securities T missing and mandated superintendents live hours away if this is what happens under mayor Philip's watch in one building imagine this pattern multiplied across an entire States if he can't ensure basic safety ordinances are enforced in Jersey City how can he protect 10 million New Jersey residents this isn't about politics it's about patterns when a mayor allows meaningless certificates to substitute for actual security there's a pattern when his administration accepts fictional addresses for supposedly resident superintendents that's a pattern when his office watches violation after violation accumulate without enforcement that's a pattern and paren predicts performance to those to those on this Council who aspired to be our next mayor you watch this unfold you've heard near nearly 800 speeches documenting violations you've seen the photos read the reports witness the consequence es your oversight of this systematic failure is now part of your record too the question isn't just whether mayor Philip is ready to govern New Jersey it's whether anyone who's overseen this systematic erosion of safety requirements is ready to govern Jersey City if you can't protect residents in one building you can protect them in a city if you can't enforce ordinance in Jersey City you can't enforce laws in New Jersey if you tolerate fiction as  hair you will accept it everywhere so yes while mayor FIP runs for Governor New Jerseys should run the other way for those of you running for mayor or for your seat at this Council what are you running for if you won't help us if you were were in our issues wouldn't you been to run to someone else thank you our next speaker 5.20 Jessica Council people thank you for being here this evening tonight I'm going to share with you a letter from the office of the mayor of Hoboken written on December 6th 20124 and a quote dear Marine View Plaza residents please accept accept this correspondence as confirmation that the mayor's office and city council are aware that during the Thanksgiving holiday and again over the past 24 hours many of you have received notice of an approximately 10% rent increase from your landlord Marine View Plaza MVP it is the city's position that MVPs sorry it's very distracting with him speaking there um it is the city's position that M that vp's action in this regard is in violation of the city's rent Control ordinances I'm sorry excuse me could you please stop laughing and speaking while I'm trying to speak as is my right it's extremely distracting and disrespectful okay but yes this is business thank you okay we can assure you that this Administration and city council will do everything in its power to help those impacted address the situation in fact MVP will be served with a summons for defying Hoboken Ren Control ordinances as your elected officials we will continue to stand up to the property owner blatant attempts to enrich their pockets at the expense of our residents we recognize that this is a complicated topic particularly for residents who are unsure what their rights are and how to respond to the rent increased notices to help answer any questions you may have we have arranged for an in-person meeting with hoboken's tenant advocate Andrew soial aspire to take place on Wednesday December 11th at 7M in Hoboken city council chambers at City Hall address is given and even how where to find it please also note that this meeting is limited to current attendants of Marine View Plaza and we encourage any MVP resident with questions to attend as always hoboken's tenant Advocate services are free of charge to you here's some additional information that may be useful according hoboken's rent control regulations which thankfully were upheld through recent rent control referendum in November a property owner is permitted to raise rents and rent controlled units that have been registered with the city by 5% or the Consumer Price Index whichever is less the CPI in January is 4% it's important too it's important to note that the MVP owners have not yet registered their property with hoboken's rent control office therefore bolded assuming the city's position that rent control applies the failure would prevent MVP from issuing any rent creases I'd like to note again this is from the mayor and the council MVP was previously governed under rental regulations as dictated thank thank you to be continued our next speaker 5.21 David thank you next speaker 5.22 Mark continuing MVP was previously governed under rental regulations dictated by the New Jersey housing Mortgage and Finance Finance Association hmfa however when the property owners paid off their mortgage with hmfa the rules and regulations pertaining to rent then became subject to the city of hoboken's rent Control Ordinance the mayor's office has been in direct contact with executive director of hmfa and various legal and housing experts and they acknowledge and agree that the rules pertaining to rent in Marin View Plaza are now the sole direct discretion of the city of Hoboken and our rank control rules MVP has provided the city a proposed plan to convert the rental units in MVP to owner occupied Condos for those residents who wish to purchase their units besides the conversion of rent controlled units to owner occupied condos being impermissible according to City law we also felt this ill-conceived proposal would have eroded important rent control protections for the large majority of residents and thus could not support it the city is also investigating the reports that mvp is refusing to rent certain units in both MVP buildings and May in fact be attempting to sell them and convert them into condos according to city law a practice of leaving units vacant intentionally also known as warehousing is not permitted in addition as stated above city law does not permit the conversion of rental units into condos the city will aggressively pursue any and all avenues to enforce these laws we thank you for your patience and remain committed to protecting and supporting all of the residents of Marine View Plaza sincerely Ravi Bala mayor James Doyle council president Emily Jabor at large council member Joe Quintero at large council member poor president asano first World Council Tiffany fiser second ward council M Michael Russo third W Council Ruben Ramos fourth W Council and Phil Cohen fifth W council member thank you our next speaker 5.23 Aaron Erin just follow along the agenda you'll see your name apologies right good evening council members it's been a while hope you're all doing well Equity residential touts Portside towers as a place that offers its residents luxury and what they call remarkable living Equity residential also just received an award called residential leader in the light given to Real Estate Investors who demonstrate leadership in implementing sustainable and socially responsible investment and operating practices good governance and transparency I'm not going to insult anyone's intelligence by pointing out the insane irony in this but I will remind us all that Equity who is supposed to be a beacon of light in the world of corporate responsibility loves to keep its tenants suffering in the dark when I say dark I mean literally several incidents have happened in paulus Hook lately that make me afraid to walk my dog alone at night I should be able to see my apartment building as a safe haven from the outside but I can't because Portside will not comply with the law that requires a uniform security guard to staff the lobby at all times so I had was supposed to deliver this two weeks so at that point I had just learned about an extremely disturbing event that happened recently in the East Tower apparently right outside the building a man hit his girlfriend in the face hard enough that she was bleeding significantly she entered the East Tower seeking protection and was guided to the back office Le leaving the lobby unstaffed and completely open to the outside as it always seems to be this gave the man the opportunity to walk inside the building and tried to find the woman he attacked thankfully Kevin was there to help and another night concierge came out from the back to block the man's access to add insult to literal injury another tenant was threatened with bodily harm when they requested a late night trespasser in the Korean War Memorial parking lot turned down their loud music this would never have happened if the uniform security had closed the park as legally required reminder there's no uniform security to do it I want to know just how much bad PR does Equity need until it takes meaningful action the Optics are so so bad right now that it had to win an award that's the equivalent of a kindergarten participation trophy it means nothing I want to say another thing some residents have also witnessed other instances of men hitting their female Partners openly in our neighborhood by not instituting Security in our buildings per the law you are sending the message that safety for Jersey City residents men and women alike is not a priority fires flood bullet holes fighting outside the building and now this remarkable living indeed thank you our next speaker 5.24 Joel good evening Council let me take you on a journey through time through two years of evolving excuses for inaction two years of hearing council members telling us November 22 we hear you we'll help you December 22 just follow the administrative process March 23 let the rent leveling board decide June 23 the courts will handle this September 23 don't mention anything in litigation November 23 Focus only on non-litigation issues today still no enforcement no security no resident superintendence notice the pattern with each passing month the ex excuses evolve but the violations remain constant the path to Justice keeps getting longer but the distance to actual inforcement as we've heard elsewhere never seems to shrink two years ago we were told that we need just need to document violations we've now documented over 2700 violations of of the uniform security requirement alone and that's just since June 2022 we're told to follow proper channels we followed every channel imaginable we were told to P be patient with the process and that process has been paid for with blood literally on the lobby floor just last week couple weeks ago each new excuse comes wrapped in the language of procedure dressed in the clothing of process masked in the mystery of Municipal mechanics but strip away these layers and what remains a simple truth laws without enforcement are just paper your laws ordinances without an action are just words your words but no action remember when this Council chamber heard about the August fire the response was let the process work the first time we reported missing security follow the proper channels we did we amend we helped you amend the ordinance and still we have no security earlier this week at 6:00 I came to I came down to the front desk to collect a package the uh the desk was unoccupied I waited for more than 15 minutes for the concierge to come back he was upstairs helping a resident with a heating issue no superintendent no uniform security to man the desk while he was gone during that time time multiple delivery folks for for food came in and were went upstairs without being checked not acceptable violations don't evolve they multiply danger doesn't diminish without delay risk doesn't respect process what will be today's new excuse or perhaps just perhaps today could be different today could be the day when action replaces excuses when enfor exceeds supersedes Evolution when protection outweighs process please understand and remember while excuses evolve consequences remain constant thank you our next speaker 5.25 Daniel today today I wanted to discuss something that occurred in our building just a few weeks ago so the Friday before Thanksgiving on November 22nd I left town and I returned 2 days later on Sunday November 24th uh my wife actually did not come with me so she stayed home at our home in Portside towers and I was horrified to learn that on Friday November 22nd while my wife was all alone in our apartment a non-resident who had just attacked a young woman to the point where she was bleeding entered our lobby downstairs through the front door which was unlocked with no security or staff on the scene to attack this woman more after she had come in to um try to avoid him and it really freaks me out that nothing was stopping this attacker from going going upstairs to my apartment where my wife was all alone now ordinance 24- 055 was adopted unanimously by this Council on June 26 2024 and signed by both council president joyy Waterman the same day and by mayor Steven fup the following day that ordinance amended chapter 218 Section 1 of the Jersey City municipal code and specifies quote every owner or agent of an owner of a multiple dwelling of 100 or more dwelling units shall furnish a minimum of one uniform security guard for each Residential Building in the property or Community upon its premises 24 hours a day 7 days a week the owner or agent of the multiple dwelling shall post conspicuous signage inside the common areas and entrance points of the building that shall provide the direct on-site contact information of the uniform security guards present for the purposes of this chapter a uniform security guard shall consist of a licensed New Jersey security guard as specified in njsa 13 col 55A hired for the purpose purpose of protection of per persons or property real or personal from injury or harm that wears a particular set of clothes that clearly indicates them as a security guard end quote so you all signed this into law with us present here to protect us so why is there no uniform security present and why was an attacker able to enter my building when my wife was all alone is it going to take a tragedy to get a law that you all voted on unanimously ly enforced you know I very often come home late at night with the front door of our building wide open and with no staff present I I don't understand why there's a law that you all agreed to adopt and to sign into law that's not being enforced and nothing's being done about it and it's putting our safety at stake so please please do something about it thank you our next speaker 5.26 Anna thank you our next speaker 5.27 Alexandra next speaker 5.28 Carol good evening Council uh tonight I've brought an empty chair to these Chambers and let me tell you what it represents this chair could be filled by the uniform security guard who should be protecting Portside Towers right now but is it could be filled by the resident superintendent who should live on site but doesn't it could be filled by the victim who escaped to our lobby but found no security present to help it could be filled by the night concierge who had to choose between staying at the desk or hiding a bleeding woman because no security guard was there to help it could be filled by the elderly resident who needs immediate assistant but gets hold music instead it could be filled by the parent who must shepher their child pass an unlocked front door unsure of who or what might come through it could be filled by the veteran who deserves to see the Korean War Memorial treated with dignity but instead sees it become a hub for drug deals and other dangers at night because no security is there to secure the site it could be filled by someone who used to live at Portside but is now homeless displaced by Rising rents and unlivable conditions that this city has failed to prevent this empty chair represents every missing protection every ignored ordinance every unenforced law it represents the gap between what's required and what's provided between what's promised and what's delivered between what's certified and what's real you have the power to fill this chair to require the presence of every protection these laws demand to mandate the security these ordinances require to enforce the safety these residents deserve until you do this chair remains empty like the security post after hours like our superintendent's apartment like our promises of protection the question isn't who should fill this chair the law already answers that the question is who will ensure it gets filled thank you next speaker 5.29 Barbara evening council members I'll keep this simple because it shouldn't be complicated Jersey city ordinances require basic protections for tenants talking about a resident superintendent uniform security proper emergency contact information these are not optional they are the law in a Portside Towers none of these requirements are being met no resident superintendent no 247 uniform Security contact information P posted on our buildings doesn't even list a local human being these are not minor oversights they're violations that put lives at risk last month a bleeding woman sought help in our lobby there was no security guard to protect her or the residents trying to help the city has the tools to fix this daily F fines are allowed under the ordinance they can be enforced right now but instead these violations are ignored and nothing changes if landlords like Equity residential can break the law without consequences what message does that send to them it says keep going nothing will happen DET tenant says your safety doesn't matter council members we are asking for Action use the tools you already have enforce the rules that protect us these are basic rights not luxuries thank you you our next speaker 530 Sonia good evening Council as you heard there was a headline recently that Equity resident has been awarded NES 24 leader in the light award for the residential sector that did not come to uh to us as a surprise Yes you heard right no surprise we've learned that this is that it is advisable to educate before someone can say something like look it can't be that bad Equity even wins Awards so here's a little background I did a quick survey with a couple of people quite a few of those I've asked have been somehow involved in industry Awards best place to work university rankings and such of those who have been involved in the decision making process about if their employer or company should take part 100% came to the conclusion that these awards are meaningless 100% of those who still took part that's right still because not everything that doesn't make any sense is not done we know that by now have submitted data that is self-reported input meaning an intern copies a few descriptive sentences from the diversity and inclusion programs internet page into the field that asks about how inclusive the workplace is so far about the general as you can see often very doubtful method methods of these Awards now to equity's residential Awards nite's methodology was not very transparent to me but what I got from a quick search is that the article about the award references equities report on responsibility and how resident engagement is covered on three pages of 75 interesting right because the award is about I quote implementing sustainable and socially responsible investment and operating practices good governance and transparency anyway resident engagement is mattered in an let's say Innovative way namely by reporting on what's important to Res such as sustainability but not mentioning one score about their satisfaction with what Equity provides reporting residents sustainability engagement instead of equities reporting that 90.5% of the residents who attended an event on property liked that event that's funnier than judging a bottle by its label bottle of wine by its SL not reporting any net promoter scores as they are I quote no longer an accurate measure of true resident satisfaction that is my favorite as our companies we know regard this as the only true measure of customer satisfaction and loyalty instead Equity says renewal rates remain I quote high at about 55% which means half of the people don't renew why I'm asking this little section shows clearly what that the are about Optics more about reality our next speaker 5.31 danillo good evening before I get back to the award let me start with some numbers um 20 90 3 229 20 that's the number of days we have only two out of three elevators working in the West Tower 90 Dees that's what Equity considers sufficient for a hygienic hot wash 35% less than what it should it be as per CDC guidelines 3 minutes that's how long it takes to even get hot water in our kitchen on top of that we flush gallons of water down the toil at every time as they have no control like modern ones have many of them leak permanently and waste water constantly 229 Apartments have currently only two elevators and are wasting thousands of gallons of water every day in the West Tower alone and that in light of a severe Thro and related water conserv conservation advisory which we just overcome now and as you know and we have spoken about it many times this is just one of many examples where Equity doesn't fulfill its promise of sustainable and Resident friendly services do you think this is one of the reasons why Equity is not publishing a net promoter score we certainly do indeed the award Sonia spoke about is just nice Optics sustainability socially responsible the reality at Port site is as ugly as it gets crying mothers and fathers because they belong to the other half of High renewal rate of 55% and can't bear the conditions anymore we heard about the woman seeking shelter in our building we heard about residents getting harassed at our property from people trespassing and playing loud music at 1:00 a.m. in the night so let me end with some more numbers 1.8 billion 4.3% 928 million 36% 1.8 billion is the cross profit of equity in 2023 an increase of 4.3% compared to 22 928 million is the net profit of equity in 23 36% above 2022 they get rich and richer By ignoring laws and regulation at the cost of our health and well-being and you have it in your hands to do something about that thank you our next speaker 5.32 Tara evening council tonight I want to talk about words and their power specifically about the dangerous Cascade of consequences that occurs when official documents diverge from observable reality according to Miriam Webster to lie means to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive but there's also another definition to create a false or misleading impression the distinction matters one implies malice the other can result from confusion incompetence or systemic failure as an equity residential tenant and fervent supporter of all members and initiatives of the Portside Towers tenants Association I've observed the deliberate nature of equity's unfolding pattern when one fall impression goes unchallenged and invites more consider what we've all heard an initial certificate of compliance despite photographed violations became a test and now I've personally seen equity's response a DCA certificate mounted sideways on a wall listing no resident superintendent and not one phone number for anyone in the United States as if mirr paper satisfies legal requirements that would be like submitting a document calling it a rent roll but leaving out most the required information both create the appearance of compliance while deliberately evading its purpose the DCA certificate claims an address at Portside towers for a superintendent who lives over an hour away and the phone number cont connects callers to hold music and overseas operators who can't summon a resident super in emergencies this pattern extends across Equity Residential Properties at 70 green My Equity residential address threats my life and ability to make an income due to repeated catastrophic flooding was a daily occurrence during the first catastrophic flooding event I experienced at 70 green my neighbor Neighbors and I learned that our resident superintendent had been dead for years no one who could find the S no one The Source nor stop the flooding was trained in his absence and even the Jersey City Fire Department struggled to bring order to the C chaos due to the lack of filing updated contact information and access to mechanical drawings when we hear about a property manager saying something like find me if you want am I supposed to be Kingo before submitting misleading paperwork they're testing boundaries will anyone varify the addresses will anyone notice the resident superintendent isn't resident at all you can't need a man mandate for Resident superintendant with non-resident names you can't satisfy emergency response requirements with overseas callers and you certainly can't protect residents with a sideways certificate full of fiction thank you for the record I am also fully aware that I am not a lawyer our next Speaker 5.33 John 5.34 Mel thank you 5.35 Brendan second evening Council last time I spoke about everyone's favorite childhood game or mine at least Simon Says tonight how sadly tonight I'm here about a different kind of game a prediction game but I have faith that you will be able to follow along you see when we say if something happens we're making a guess when we say when something happens we are stating a fact four weeks ago my friend and fellow tenant Michelle said that it wasn't if something would happen but instead when something happens when arrived mere days after she said those words rather prophetically when brought violence into our lobby when left blood stains on our walls when put Equity residential staff and my fellow tenants in danger when made residents walk past blood stains when forced our coner to hide a victim in the back office when let an attacker walk freely through our lobby and where was our UniFi required uniform security during all this in non-existence let me explain something now when doesn't care about if maybe in programming terms when will almost always happen when doesn't wait for enforcement when doesn't check if you're when ready when just happens it doesn't hesitate so here's my prediction for you when you enforce the law we stay safer when you don't well we just saw what when hat brought us let's I can't wait to see what it brings us next this isn't a game anymore when happened once I hope the next time I stand here we can flip this conversation and talk about when you enforced the ordinances you passed and throughout this cting now I have a little time left over and I promise to keep I asked the esteemed mayor fup how he would protect the um tenants as governor of New Jersey when he appears to ignore plates and issues this was on the ask me anything Reddit post today unfortunately he has not yet replied and never did please don't wait until the police until the police come they can't get there in time now to end I am also not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV I'm just a product of two of them and quite annoyed have a nice holiday thank you our next speaker 5.36 Suzanne good evening Council I stand before you tonight as a resident of Portside as you know where our safety concerns continue to grow at our buildings with over 200 units each we lack both the legally required 247 uniform security and an on-site superintendent two critical safety requirements under New Jersey Law speaking of following rules I noticed at our last council meeting how precisely the meeting procedures were followed when the public speaking portion began earlier than usual only four of our 18 registered speakers were present to R you the others accustomed to the timeline you were previously following were still making their way here leaving work early arranging Child Care coordinating their schedules to participate in our Democratic process this prompt adherence to meeting protocols brings me to my main point we need the same rigorous attention to laws designed to protect residents safety and a building of our size having no superintendent living on the premises isn't just an inconvenience it's a ser serious safety risk when emergencies occur we have no one to contact no uniform security to assist no superintendent unit number or contact information as required by law the contrast with Hoboken is striking their Council demonstrates immediate action when residents raise concerns about violations of hoboken's rent law their rapid response shows what's possible when a city prioritizing prioritizes it's residents meanwhile Portside residents continue to face challenges with both safety compliance and rent control enforcement I witnessed this Council Swift response when a resident spoke about being assaulted last meeting that showed me you care about Resident safety but at port side when pipes burst when elevators malfunction when security incidents occur who do we call why are we still unequipped with the re unequipped with the resources we are required to have as stated in the ordinance you passed does anyone here care we get zero empathy and endless runarounds in my professional life this level of negligence would result in immediate termination so I asked three straightforward questions can we ensure our buildings have the legally required 247 uniformed security can we address the lack of an on-site superintendent can we ensure all residents have access to emergency contacts as required by law these things really don't seem that hard to enforce for one thing they're not political it's putting a security guard who I'm sure we have available to work in our building your silence thus far has been deafening but remember while you're so quick to enforce rules about when we can speak we're just as determined to fight for the rules that protect our safety and rights thank you our next speaker 5.37 Jessica good evening city council um tonight I'd also want to focus on tenant safety and how critical it is for this Council to enforce the ordinance requirements that protect residents like me as someone who often and for nearly 20 years has commuted home late from work or takes my dog out for a walk late at night I know firsthand what it feels like to be concerned about safety my parents raise me to pay attention to my environment I'm always on alert I'm always looking around taking self-defense classes I'm not without awareness of dangerous surroundings but there's a park next to my building which is a huge benefit with a dog but it always has suspicious activity ongoing at night that suspicious activity I grew up on a corner where drug activity was happening all the time I know what I'm looking at it's drugs and while I try to be cautious it's unsettling to feel unsafe next to my front door in fact I've been verbally threatened before in that Park and around that Park last year on Fourth of July I was threatened when I asked somebody to you know not set Fireworks off near my dog's face so we need uniform security uniform Security in our high-rise buildings isn't just a box to check it's an essential safeguard for tenants like me this is about peace of mind and safety without it coming home after dark or walking my dog through shared spaces feels unnecessarily risky these ordinances exist because tenant safety matters yet we see Equity residential repeatedly ignoring their obligations without consequence I want to also address what it feels like to experience harassment through the absence of security when landlords or managers neglect their duty to provide a safe environment it creates a climate of fear in larger buildings that fear is Amplified because the risks are greater and in this case there's no information so if one person sees something there's no there's no one to call you like someone said before if you call the number that's listed it's the number that goes to an answering service and they basically say okay we'll call you back I've been in situations where I've waited for call backs for days so if we're talking about immediate safety issues this number is just wul insufficient in larger buildings where that fear is Amplified the lack of security is not just neglect it's an act of disregard for our well-being the same applies to the requirement for a Livin superintendent um our heater actually died last night we realized today it wasn't so bad it's 58 degrees but you know tomorrow winter is back I don't have any hope of getting that heater repaired tomorrow without a dedicated super critical maintenance issues go unresolved leaving residents to deal with our unsafe or uncomfortable conditions and it's not a minor inconvenience it's a failure to meet basic living standards the lack of enforcement has Ripple effects when landlords provide fewer services and they still charge for it it's for services unrendered thank you next speaker 5.38 Joe I think he left our next speaker 5.39 Sylvia council members I done before again and again in the last two years by now my neighbors at Portside and I are here today talking time a wave for families for work obligations and to ensure our needs are not forgetting I must remind you that we still have not onite superintending no one is available to address emergencies after office hours and even during office hours we wait two to four days for maintainance team to respond to urgency repairs our security remain at risk while the landlord install the fob entry system main many of these doesn't work and leaving our building entrance and secure despite the city ordinance require an in uniform Security in each building we have seen no progress in this front security incidents contining to increase particularly during during night hours as you have been here by now I would also like to note that our neighboring city of koven council recent took action by issuing a letter require a large building landlord to comply with their rent control regulations while we find the situation here this curreny we will not give up of our fight for safe well maintain housing happy holidays I hope you can have it better than many of us will not thank you our next speaker 5.40 carara Cara here okay next speaker 5.41 Seth no next speaker 5.40 till L Forster not here thank you next speaker 5.43 Susan okay I may speak a little longer than three minutes because I have several things you will be stopped after three minutes well then we'll start with get rid of the the Christmas tree because you can't you're not doing Quanza and you're not doing manur so you're not being correct to all the different religions bikes the bikes they don't even abide by the traffic laws but what I did come down here for was about the water compliance fees people do not understand the bills the Folia is sending out they do not understand why they're getting charged $218 because Folia claims that they can't read the meter but when somebody comes to check it there's nothing wrong these people are going to wind up having leans put against their house and they're going to lose their homes because people cannot read those statements I had a hard time getting those charges taken off my house was being in the middle of being rehabbed nobody was living there I did exactly what they wanted taking pictures of the meters and everything else if it wasn't for Richie borgano and Yousef soay I would still have the lean there I've spoken to different people on your on the council and they just pass me by well I'm not alone I have I'm having I'm helping other people also and I'm told that a lot of people don't even realize what's happening and these are people that cannot afford the increase of $218 a month which is over 24,000 uh sorry $2400 a year I have one friend who is she inherited a house from her parents when they passed on one person is paying $340 a month for an apartment how is she supposed to be paying $2400 a year when she's not making any money to support the house she can't afford that and this is not just one person I'm sure there's a lot of people in the city and to try to get help Folia oh we could call them 25 minutes we're on the phone waiting for somebody to pick up and then they disconnect and violia wants you to come back and call back constantly so that you could speak to somebody and then you get somebody who well that's the that's the cost so you have to take it you have to pay it well why don't you fix the wire well nobody's in the house your time is up what are you going to do about it our next speaker 5.44 adid not here next speaker 5.45 Mia is I think she left as well next speaker 5.46 Gracie will be embarrassed the papers good evening Council fear has an anatomy like a body it has layers let me dissect dissect them for you layer one the surface you come home late the lobby is empty no security guard though the law requires one the front door stands unlocked along in anyone to walk in this is the skin of fear the daily uncertainty of entering an unprotected space Layer Two deeper tissue you hear a disturbance near the Korean War Memorial the ordinance requires Portside security to Monitor and close that area at night but there is no security the disturbance grows who will respond this is the muscle of fear the growing t ion of knowing help isn't coming layer three the bones a resident receives death threats from individuals who use the memorials grounds at night they call the building hold music plays an overseas voice offers to make a note the superintendent who lives an hour away can't respond these are the bones of fear the structural weakness of failed protection layer four the vital organs a bleeding woman seeks refuge in our lobby the attacker follows no security present no resident super to coordinate response just a certificate on a wall listing people who don't live here numbers that don't reach help this is the heart of fear the lifethreatening reality of systematic non non enforcement this an anatomy of fear isn't natural it's manufactured by choice by choosing fiction over function appearance over action each layer builds upon the last each violation enables the next the missing security guard enables the memorial disturbance the absent superintendent enables delayed response the facade of compliance enables real danger we have mapped this Anatomy for you we have shown you each layer we have documented every tissue of non-compliance every bone of violation every organ of risk the question isn't whether this body of fear exists we have proved that the question is will you perform the surgery needed to exercise it because fear may have Anatomy but courage has a cure enforcement thank you thank you our next speaker 5.47 Robert Robert hold on one second Kevin is that your sign I am not an attorney good evening Jersey City Council Members asend assembled City staff and fellow residents of Jersey City my name is Robert lepine I am a resident of Ward C in the hilltop I'm not here tonight to address an issue in Ward C but I am here to speak about an issue that took placed in Ward e House of Solomon's area representation but could happen in any of the districts here in Jersey City my great-grandson attends the school 16 anex which opened in October 2021 on Washington Street between Montgomery and Columbus he is 5 years old and is in one of the kindergarten classes councilman council person Solomon you are aware of the fact that a situation took place I spoke with the with prer but there was a child that was hit by a bike a city bike on that on Tuesday November 26 at 8:31 a.m. to provide some context and clarification the child that was hit by that City bike that was riding at a high rate of speed on wet painted green asphalt bike Lanes in the wrong direction in front of a school is my great-grandson to thankfully with the supportive and quick thinking environment of the administrators at the school 16 anex First Responders EMS PE and the police were there in under 6 minutes and he was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center and found to only have a scraper or two and was shaken by the incident unfortunately in all of the confusion going on with the 30 to 40 parents dropping off their children and school administr administrators responding to the incident the city bike r wrer SLI it away and fled the scene despite my aggressive mannered words that he used after he appeared at the East precin as indicated in the police report completed for this incident and I'll say it again aggressive mannered attempts to have him stay put until jcpd arrived it is truly appalling but I'm not shocked that with the rise in taxes in Jersey City and the large increase in the budget for the Jersey City Board of Education that the hiring of school crossing guards across the city not only here at the intersections of Washington Street and Christopher Columbus and Washington Street and Montgomery Street or is that a lack is or that a that's it is that is a task of Public Safety what what I did find out in my in speaking with Priya that the one person that's at Montgomery and Washington Street has been MIA for several weeks what is it going to take to make the area safe at these two intersections someone to be M for life be killed and taken away from Lums all these students parents School administrators M time is up is to feel secure our next speaker 5.48 Salvador door is not here and the last speaker who signed up before the meeting started 5.49 Debbie thank you so much my name is Debbie White I'm the president of health professionals and to Allied employees thank you uh councilman Solomon um council president Waterman and council members who have uh become co-sponsors of the resolution um that we sent encouraging you to support the bargaining unit members of all of CarePoint as we all know CarePoint declared bankruptcy um in October not new for the CarePoint system I mean we've been through this before um we have many Union unions represented in the CarePoint System including um but not limited to because I may forget one or two there's hpae there's Jesso there's cir who are doctors there is 1199 J asks me and um again I may have forgotten one local 68 sorry um once we knew Hudson Regional was seeking to acquire the entire system as as a prospective employer we sent him an agreement we had many conversations with him sent the um Hudson Regional administrators a prospective agreement which they verbally said to us they would sign they have yet to sign a prospective agreement that would recognize our contracts that would recognize our unions that would assure job sec security for these employees who've been there all throughout the pandemic and throughout the debacle that was CarePoint um but we don't want vague promises we want written assurances that's what we need as unions and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support in holding Hudson Regional accountable to the unions and to you and to bargaining Union so again um we appreciate your support we appreciate the resolution U before you and I know it hasn't been presented as yet but thank you um there's only one speaker but I am um with all of my members from HP thank you thank you okay that will conclude a public speaking portion of the meeting right council members any questions or comments on petitions and Communications item 6.1 through 6.22 hearing none there are no office Communications nor reported directors and I'm going to go right on to our claims and addendum number one Council excuse me council members going to be taking a vote on claims and addendum number one council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi council person Bano council person SLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees hi and council president wman claims and addendum number one are approved 80 with council person Rivera absent on to our resolutions council members are going to be taking a vote on items 10.1 through 10.14 again that's 10.1 through 10.14 council person Ridley I council person Prince AR obain on 10.2 I arrest thank you council person bajano I council person CLE you said Till what uh which one 10.1 through 10.14 uh I for all thank you council person Solomon I for all council person Gilmore to 14 right Sean yes sir I council person Dees I and council president Waterman okay item 10.1 is approved 80 with council person rera absent item 10.2 is approved 701 with council person priner abstaining and items 10.3 to through 10.14 are approved 80 with council person Rivera absent on to our next set of resolutions items 10.15 through 10.25 again that's 10.15 through 10.25 council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi for all council person Bano I council person SLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I council person Dees hi and council president wman items 10.15 through 10.25 are approved 80 with council person Riva absent and on to the balance of our resolutions items 10.26 through 10.34 again 10.26 through 10.34 council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi for all council person Bano council person sle uh I'm going to vote I for all with the exception of 1033 I have to abstain on that um as a board of director for the hospital Christ Hospital not the corporate structure but um also happy birthday to Sean Gallagher his birthday is on Christmas day so we'll sing him happy birthday at the end of this so we get payback oh I opened myself up council person Solomon sure vote I for all and then just briefly in 1033 thank you to hpae for coming out uh in support of the resolution and thank you to council president and the colleagues for working on it in in a short time frame just given the last meeting before January and uh you know we just you recognized and HPA was here about a year ago and I think all of us talked about the importance of nurses and healthcare workers and so many of them are Jersey City residents and all we're simply asking for is that the union be recognized and that the contract be recognized uh those aren't uh you know I think you know very basic values and ensuring that the working folks in Jersey City uh get what they deserve so happy to have the council put on the record what we're asking HR to do and uh hope it helps uh HPA in their efforts and so with that I vote I for all thank you council person Gilmore I council person thees Hi and council president Waterman okay if I can just recap items 10.26 through 10.33 are approved 880 with council person Rivera absent item 10.33 is approved 701 council person SLE abstaining and council person Rivera absent and item 10.34 is approved 80 with council person Rivera absent Sean I just have a quick cre questions I don't know for either John or um one of the John's legal order ba as it relates to the um uniform security code in the building um um I mean I've been down there and I haven't seen him um what what if anything should should tennis 2 should we should the office be going by monitor in it like what if anything we should do as there was um a violation issued uh if we want to issue daily fines there needs to be a daily inspection a daily inspection yeah so councilman from the administrator's uh perspective what we're going to do is take a look at revamping operations to uh dedicate uh def into that because we don't want selective enforcement so we will look at numerous locations that it applies to all in one so yeah we don't want to just Target one but it it is something that we is on the books and we have to administer yes because we we have several several buildings that's having um having issues with that yes if and if be if you could update the Council on those efforts for the comprehensive enforcement that would be yeah before the next council meeting absolutely thank you well merry Christmas happy holid H to everyone enjoy your family motion motion to sing Happy Birthday to sha Gallagher I vote no oh can't you feel the love all right may we have a motion to adjourn at 8:37 p.m. motion I want to say happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy bir birthday to you happy birthday dear Sean happy birthday to you thanks so much Christmas so the motion to adjourn was made by council person Gilmore seconded by council person SLE on the motion to adjourn at 8:37 p.m. might have been 8:38 now since she's Sayang happy birthday to me by acclamation all council members present please say I hi we are out of here at 8:37 p.m. thank you so much everyone in attendance everyone watching at home remember Teamwork Makes a DreamWork merry Christmas happy New Year happy holidays to everybody and stay safe have a great night for