##VIDEO ID:xNpWu71_kPo## Oh yeah talk about you want to leave you want or okay everyone if we can find our seats silence our cell phones close the side doors and back doors I'd greatly appreciate it we're about to get started he good evening everyone we are on the record today is Thursday the 14th day of November in the year 2024 this is a regular meeting of the Jersey City municipal Council we had a scheduled 6 PM start the clock on my cell phone is showing 6:05 PM may we have a roll call for the commencement of this meeting council person Ridley here council person priner here council person bajano council person SLE here council person Solomon it's not here yet oh there he is he's here council person Gilmore presid council person Dees here council person rera here and council president wman we have nine council members in attendance at 60 5 p.m. can we kindly rise for a moment of silence please uh my student Cheyenne mmud and Cecilia aroyo shalanda Goodman thank you very much on behalf of council president Waterman and the members of the minicipal council in accordance with New Jersey public laws of 1975 chapter 231 the public meetings act also known as the Sunshine Law adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by the posting on a bulletin board of the first floor City Hall the annual notice which is a scheduled of meetings and caucuses of the municipal Council for the calendar year 2024 and filed the the office of the city clerk on Thursday November 30th 2023 in addition at its time of its preparation the agenda of this meeting was similarly disseminated on Friday November 8th 2024 at at 4:12 p.m. to the mayor min Council business administrative Corporation Council and the local newspapers and posted on the city's website so I can certify as to our total compliance with the Sunshine Law okay council members at the caucus we did speak of adding a couple of items and before we move on forward with the agenda those items I'm going to need a motion to add items 10.29 10.30 and 10.31 29 resolution 24-8 34 is a resolution honoring the life and service of shalanda Goodman 10.30 resolution 24- 835 is a resolution authorizing the business administrator to execute a discharge of mortgage encumbering 341 Union Street Jersey City New Jersey 07304 also known as block 20501 lot 42 formerly known as block 1758 lot 94 and 10.31 resolution 24836 is a resolution honoring Shane d n do for his heroic actions council members I need a motion to add items 10.29 30 and 31 to the agenda motion second motion was made by council person Rivera seconded by council person SLE on the motion to add items 10.29 through 10.31 council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi council person Bano hi council person Cay hi council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I council person Dees council person Rivera I and council president wman motion carries 90 to add items 10.29 through 10.31 to the agenda all right so that being said council members may I have a motion to defer to items 10.12 10.29 and 10.31 motion motion was made by council person Cay may I have a second second second by council person Rea on the motion to defer to items 10.12 10.29 and 10.31 council person Ridley I council person Prince AR hi council person bana hi council person CLE hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi council person Dees council person rera Hi and council president wman motion carries 90 to defer to items 10.12 29 and 31 council president would you like to do them in order okay so the first resolution um is resolution 24-87 and it's a resolution appointing medelia Rus as the poet lorett for the city of Jersey City we always have those premature collaps before we actually vote but we appreciate it don't don't get me wrong but we want to save the big clapping from when we vote on it um so with that being said council members will take the vote and then we'll ask uh her to come up and uh maybe site some poetry for us so council person Ridley so uh Molita you know that um you are a wonderful um resident in w a you are there anytime we have anything going on in the community so your commitment to this city Beyond even you just being a poet is something that is um to be noted right so to have someone that we know does so much whether it is poetry whether it is setting up at the trunk or treat and doing activities with the kids or whether it is the work that you're doing on a daily basis with your husband providing affordable houses here in the city you are big asset to this city it is wonderful to see um you up for this appointment as a poet uh laurate for the city knowing how much you care about this city and how much you care about its people and also knowing how great of a poet you are right so I proudly vote I I'm very proud of you and just thank you for all that you do thank you very much council person priner so so Molita first off congratulations it is very welld deserved um and the time that we've spent together working on the arts and culture trust fund it's been a pleasure getting to know you getting to know the art that you do getting to know your advocacy um it is very well deserved I'm so happy for you and I'm so happy that you take the time to share your time and your talents with the broader Jersey City community so I proudly vote on thank you council person Bano Lita I proudly as Mira said Denise I proudly vote I and welcome aboard council person Cay I proudly vote I and I want to thank you for enriching the city of Jersey City with your talents and I look forward to hearing you drop a few bars stanzas you know whatever your specialty is bye thank you council person Solomon Mita the last time I saw you was teaching kids poetry at Triangle Park so it's a beautiful passion and we can't wait to uh spread your gift across all of Jersey City so I proudly vote I council person Gilmore hey Malia um I just first and foremost want to thank you for all that you do in the city um it is truly a breath and fresh air to see people actually care about and do for other so I thank you for that I thank your family um for helping you out as you help us out I'm also a poet so from one poet to another congratulations I Pro v i you may want to put him to that test council person Dees council person your mic is not sorry I before a poetry slam contest between the both of you if we have time Mellie thank you for your contributions we all serve Jersey City in different ways and your creativity and your poetry is absolutely beautiful and uplifts us all so thank you and I vote I thank you council person rer Melita you're just top of the line I mean uh I I I can't say much about it hope Emily is watching and streamlining this you know uh but uh I 100% vote I very well deserved thank you and Council president wman Mal congratulations um thank you for being who you are compassionate caring committed and you definitely have coverage you always step in when no one else wants to so I proudly vote ey congratulations I I I think we all stood and started clapping so you can collect yourself a little bit Melinda so let me recap the vote so we can I can proudly say resolution 24- 817 has been approved unanimously 90 congratulations okay not to put you on the spot but if you would like to come up and say a few words no pressure thank you thank you city council all of you every single one of you thank you Jersey City art and culture medalia the Jersey City Arts Council and the committee that reviewed the applications and selected me for the privilege to serve this city that I love so much but this is a joyful occasion and I remember the books the little books that teach you how to write right that's how we got here how did I write how did I begin to write it was with a little book A is for apple A is for w [Laughter] day J is for Joy thank you on behalf of my 12-year-old self who wrote about the Holocaust after reading the Diary of Anne Frank and was deeply concerned for our world and other children yet she hoped and believed in something better I still do thank you on behalf of my adolescent self who poured her heart out onto her marble notebooks she Gras grappled with her reality as an immigrant as the daughter of Roberto and Blanca rhas two hardworking people she wished to understand the world around her and dreamed of telling their story that of fortitude ude resilience and unconditional love thank you on behalf of the young adult self who began to stand in her power in her words in her voice with the Relentless encouragement of her Mentor Ed Juna her Mentor is what scientist Albert Zen Georgie describes as why water water is life's matter water is the Matrix water is the mother water is the medium there is no life without water Eddie helped reshape my life I be came my present self T is for Teacher thank you on behalf of my present self the mother the teacher who so wants for every little child in this city to inherit the wisdom the peace the power gifted onto Us by the art of poetry I am the teacher who taught this craft to the children at Barack Obama school in Greenville and Maris High School the one who thought she had something to give but it was them instead who gave her Insight in their poems the children they described the life they were born into while some documented blissfulness others in their writing admitted many other things feeling defeated hiding underneath the covers after their hearing bullets in our neighborhood saving what was left of school lunches because that would be their only meal taking the long way home because on their street corner they were offered what they were warned to stay away from some had forgotten how to dream much less how to articulate them I can only hope that this is the one thing I managed to teach them te is for them thank you on behalf of those who are still struggling for their voices to be heard let us remember them let us help them like the women and families at the York Street project again when I walked in to teach the women there I thought I had something to impart I I brought my lesson plans and art supplies and we got to work but it was they who had something to teach me after the first day of class ended I rushed to my car gried the steering wheel and came undone in the middle of my weepings I wondered how do they carry all that they carry inside their chest in their hearts while I taught them how to stitch a handmade book how to dig deep and arrange words on a page they taught me resilience they taught me how to go on Ellis for love thank you on behalf of those who have loved me into being think about that loved me into being the people who are here today my friends my past teachers mrca Ellen Garvey and neck Prince Simmons sister Ste and in particular my high school guidance counselor Mr nual he guided me towards higher educ ation and more importantly he guided me towards a higher self higher power F is for family thank you on behalf of my family when I do community work it's work away from time away from them but they don't care because they are just like me my sister Audra my sister it they are warriors of light my husband Jean who has taught me the greatest lesson the Jesuit mantra for others for others for others for others it is he who embodies selflessness balance pure joy in the act of giving Jean okono my daughter whose heart is quiet and calm and that is perhaps the greatest superpower Stillness in the midst of chaos we need that now now more than ever thank you on behalf of my family of poets for we as writers are called upon to do the impossible to say what can't be said and yet we foolishly try thank you on behalf of this city our Jersey City and for the work that you you do each and every day it's difficult because some days you use your voice too you say yes others boo no some days you say no others scream yes and yet you go on you serve whether you are thanked or not in the end we are all the same the politician the little children the teacher the student the mother the Father the lunch lady the janitor The Scholar the artist The Poet the lawyer the crossing guard the stenographer the security guard the constituents from W A B C D E F G for at large A is for apple a gift for a teacher A is for w a Denise Ridley all we want is to see be seen loved understood at the very least heard and that is what poetry is at its Essence it attempts to do that bring us closer to those most basic needs brings us closer to the person next to us who on the surface may seem different at times indifferent poetry is at its best attempts to Enlighten us unite us everyone from the northern borders situated at the Jersey City Heights to the southern city City Line blending into Bon the hometown of my childhood where I learned to write P is for poet most certainly it is P is for poet for this reason the significance of this moment is not lost on me I stand here today ready to Embrace this honor with the fierce love with the respect it truly truly deserves but I do not stand alone I stand with the devotion and the power of the salt of the earth the people you people Roberto Vanessa Maya Johnny Marcus Caroline Jeff Margaret Claire all of you too many to mention this whole row here and those over there I stand Here With You W is for we we are not alone you are not alone I'm here to serve with you thank you thank you okay so on to our next resolution that we deferred to which is item 20 excuse me item 10.29 resolution 24834 it's a resolution honoring the life and service of Shala Goodman councilman uh Gilmore would you like to read it into the record yes awarded to shalanda Goodman whereas shelanda Goodman was born on August 4th 1968 in Jersey City where she was raised and educated attending ps20 2 school from which she graduated in 1982 followed by Lincoln High School graduating in 1986 whereas shalanda served the city of Jersey City for over 18 years in the Department of Public Safety Division of school traffic guard beginning on February 21st 2006 whereas in her role as school traffic guard working 10 months per year under the School Board of Education schedule shelanda discriminate oh excuse me shalanda demonstrated commitment to safety and well-being of students and Community alike whereas shalanda contribution to Jersey City reflect her dedication to her hometown and a legacy service of future Generations whereas shelanda passed away on October 26 2004 excuse me 2024 leaving behind a lasting impact on her community and the people she serve now therefore be resolved by the Council of the city of Jersey City as followed on this 14th day of November the city council expresses deep appreciation for shala's Good Men years of service dedication to the city of Jersey City and extend the heartfelt condolences to her family friends all whom were touched by her life and her work hey council members I'm going taking a vote on resolution 24-8 34 council person Ridley uh I just like to say uh offer condolences to the family and also just say how important and how impactful our crossing guards are um you know when you work with children every day you really create a bond with them and a bond with their families um and you become important an important part of their lives anybody that's working with our our school age children they remember you they remember those faces and I know she definitely made an impact on all of the faces that passed her way um we received some calls from different residents asking if something was going to be done so I'm glad to see this and just to know that her Legacy lives on and so with that I vote I council person Prince so I I offer my condolences to the family um it's always hard to lose a loved one but when you are sad when you miss them hold in your heart the the Legacy that they've left here in Jersey City all the lives that they have touched in small and big ways because sometimes when you're a kid and you're having a bad day and you meet somebody that's an adult and they you trust them and they say just that one thing that makes them better might not mean anything at the time but that has a Las impact so with that again thank you um for sharing her with us I vote I you council person Bano my condolences to the family and I vote I thank you council person s just want to offer my sincerest and deepest condolences to the family and we're just grateful for her contributions to the community um being a crossing guard is literally putting your life on the line for the future of this city and um they are really indispensable we need them when they're at when they are not there we as Council people receive so many calls they are the eyes and ears of the community they know where the kids are going what they're doing and it's really uh a great sadness uh to have her pass but we want to extend a huge thank you for the service that she did for the city of Jersey City and with that I vot I thank you council person Solomon yeah I extend my condolences to miss Goodman's family and friends I see Miss Gordon in the audience we were speaking on Sunday about Miss Goodman and the extraordinary presence she had at ps220 PS22 and how beloved she was so we appreciate everything she did for Jersey City and I proudly vote I you want person Gilmore yes so again to the family I see her daughters over there um condolences again it is extremely hard to lose someone let alone um a mother but I wholeheartedly believe that our sole purpose of living is to leave the world better than it was when we encountered it so she served her purpose while she was here um going to the balloon release so so many people so many different age group ethnic backgrounds just the love was just pouring out on pure display um then at the funeral standing room only so you see how much of a lasting impact she left on that Community I even spoke with some young lady she's 20 something now and she said she remember when she was in grammar school and shelanda would cross her across the street um so it's it's very important for kids to have that confidence in people to get them from point A to point B in a safe Manner and again thank you to the family for sharing your loved one with us because I know it was times where her shift was over and she stayed extra time making sure those babies got where they needed to go um so we thank you guys for sharing uh with us and my condolences again I proudly vote I thank you council person Dees I'm so sorry for your loss not just for the community but for your families please know your mom and whoever she is to you sitting out there she will be looking down on you and hopefully Jersey City continuing to watch and cross us all well so I proudly vote I person Riva so my sincerest condolences and uh listen uh school safety officers traffic crossing guards are extremely important you know and I really do believe that God places people like that in strategic places so that they can impact a lot of these kids growing up in this world and just by the language that's being used up here and the love that your mom is getting I mean that Community there was blessed the entire time that she was there you guys should be extremely proud of her I 100% vote eye on this thank you and council president Waterman my condolences to you um when we come in life we have a purpose and sometime we don't understand it but our purpose to um impact other people lives and children are our future and I'm quite sure your mom impacts so many children um that needed someone to talk to her smile Crossing them and for that it's a lot you know so often crossing guards don't get to do that's due to them or the honor that they deserve but your mom was special in the community and her name will never be forgotten so with that I proudly vote on it does take a village and your mother was a part of that Village that helped raise kids God bless you City resolution 24- 834 is approved unanimously 90 my my condolences to the family and uh thank you so much for her years of dedicated service to the city of Jersey City and Heaven has definitely gained another Angel yes hey Sean if we can ask one of of the daughters if y'all would like to come up just say a few words or one of the friends or family members no pressure no pressure I know it's a hard thing to do but um it looks like we have someone a volunteer to come up so y'all could come and stand with them too why don't you do that councilman she has a lot of support behind her so yes if you can just lower the mic and then just introduce yourself so we can have your name for the record hi I'm the oldest daughters of shalanda shawanda Goodman and I just want to say thank you thank you my mother was that Crossing God thank y'all so much hi my name is Charlie Tyler I'm the best friend one of the sister friends Shanda is my god daughter I adopted her now even though I didn't want to but I did shalanda was the spirit that will never ever be forgotten and us growing up in laf yet together we bonded it's about 10 of us but we are so tightnit that one thing that these girls would never have to worry about is their mother memory going to fade or us not being there for them and thank you to the city of Jersey City for doing this for her thank you okay let me tell you about shalanda I give out post this time of year I ride by H Horner on the I need some coat for these kids and dict is what she did I've been giving out coat for 20 years and this young lady will stop me and get coach for these kids in 22 school she catch me coming or call me that's the person that I love to get back and she got a beautiful family thank you all hello um she was a real nice person she help anybody I don't care she used to get people present for their birthday something nobody was do but it's God in heaven and I know she there looking down her family that excuse me we just need we just need your name oh Larry m thank you line hello I'm Jen for frasia I just want talk like she can can you just state your name again I'm sorry jifa Fraser okay I love aunt shalanda and I'm going to miss her dearly and only thing I know she was the crossing guard that had a Entourage cuz everybody was with her she was so lovable I don't know nobody that wasn't at that corner with her even when I walked to the store I sit there and I'm like Auntie ain't you off she like yeah I'm just going to still wait and see more kids come always a good person and I'm going miss her barely thank you thank you very much good evening my name is leand and I'm a sister friend to shaland Goodman and her last days in the hospital shalanda was worried more about the children she was worrying about someone making sure that it was a crossing guard or a police officer on her corner while she was in the hospital just to make sure these kids were safe because that's all she did was worry about those kids crossing and their parents getting them across safely so I just thank her for her service that she had within the cross and Garden City of Jersey City thank you you have prank okay back come on you thank you [Music] okay and then Dr na if you want to come up to the podium right on to our next and last resolution that we defer to it's item 10.31 resolution 24- 836 it's a resolution honoring Shane D Nadu for his heroic actions council person Solomon would you like to read it into the record absolutely before I start dror just tell me how you pronounce your last name I want to make sure you don't have to just Dr Shane Shane is fine Al righty but I do I do I do I do okay um so it's resolution honoring Dr Shane Naidu for his heroic actions whereas Dr Shane a distinguished Emergency Physician demonstrated remarkable courage skill and dedication during the New Jersey half marathon in 5K at Newport where he saved the life of a fellow Runner who experienced a critical cardiac event administering Emergency Medical Aid and advanced cardiac life support then accompanied the individual to the hospital ensuring that she was stable and then returned to finish the race himself and whereas Dr n his quick thinking and medical expertise were crucial in averting a tragedy exemplifying his commitment to the well-being of others both in and out of his professional practice and whereas the doctor was born in New York New Jersey raised in Irvington and Edison and attended Local Schools before pursuing his undergraduate education at HRA and where as the doctor furthered his medical training at Ross University Medical School where he specialized an emergency medicine and whereas throughout his career Dr Naidu has exhibited exceptional leadership serving as president of the Ross University Emergency Medical Association senior medical resident at Brookdale University Hospital and actively mentoring Future healthc Care Professionals through various public speaking engagements and guest lecturing and whereas a doctor is a proud first generation American whose family HS from Trinidad and Tobago and he draws strength from his diverse cultural heritage while making meaningful contributions to the community of Jersey City where he now calls home now therefore be it resolved that the city council hereby honors and recommends commends Dr Shane D natu for his heroic efforts during the NYC runs New Jersey half marathon at 5K at Newport his outstanding contributions to the field of emergency medicine and his dedication to improving the health and well-being of the people of New Jersey before we allow you to speak dror we're going to take a vote on the resolution so we can get a bigger Applause after we hopefully approve it so with that being said council members are going to be taking a vote on resolution 24- 836 council person Ridley oh thank you for uh your heroic actions you know uh being quick on feet and thinking and thinking on time and being available um is not something that comes easily right so for you to be there at that moment um was critical and so what you did was not a small feat even though it might be something you do all the time it's not something that everybody can do so we thank you for being there being in the right place at the right time and having that skill set to make sure that you are helping to save lives so thank you very much I vote I CC person priner so doctor thank you for taking care of others and doing the things that doctors do and do very well we're very lucky to have residents like you who are willing to step in and act right and and at that important critical time you know you have you know put a blessing on another family so with that blessings upon you and yours I V ey council person Bano doctor thank you for what you did and I vote I counc the person's toay I hear there's an opening with the Justice League or The Avengers I think you should uh sign up for them um because it takes a really special human being uh a special person to really jump into action when they sense distress and save someone's life and just remain cool and calm in the really The Madness of a half marathon just like everyone running around you it's like imag it looks like Lion King when uh was you know in there um and then you came back and finished the race which was like incredible like that takes some special fortitude your secret is safe with us your superpowers with that I proudly vote I we now know that all heroes don't wear capes council person Solomon they were Runners bimps yeah so I was joking is is both saving a life and running a half Marathon or beyond my expertise and you did both of them in one day um but we just wanted to to share your story right it's it's a great Act of heroism and and the broader story right of growing up in New Jersey becoming a doctor using your education to save people's lives and to make our city and our state a better place and so it just it's it's a really you you did a wonderful wonderful thing that day and you've done wonderful things your whole life and this is just a story to celebrate so we excited that we get to do it and proudly vote I council person Gilmore sure I don't know what's going on now um I just want to I'm here for a parking permit I'm pretty sure a parking permit oh we we we not we're hard on parking perit around here we did a lot but I'm not sure we can do that you can't get that you better get your cape um no I just want to um truly thank you for your service um I always like to see people for me right I always say the best indicator of good character is not necess necessarily what someone could do for themselves right because it's your ownness to yourself to put yourself in the best positions to succeed but when you step out of that realm to care for others you could have minded your business but you did a good de and we commend you for that so I proudly vote a council person Dees I hope that that is the most eventful thing to happen to you this year it must have been a scare but thank you for thinking so quickly on your feet um and thank you for what you do doctor I about I coun person r i mean doc emergency medicine is is second nature to you so what happened that day I mean you know it's something that you would do any time you do it all the time and uh it's remarkable you know I'm sure that that family uh says they owe you everything and you say no that was just my job but listen thank you so much because like the councilman said you didn't have to do that but your your teaching instincts forced you to do that and thank you for that I vote I thank you and council president Waterman thank you for um just being in the right place at the right time to Save a Life you didn't anticipated that but your skill set was there and I'm quite sure the other person truly appreciate you we appreciate you because a life would save so thank you and with that I proudly vote I resolution 24- 836 is approved unanimously 90 all right doctor we're gonna put you on the spot let you say a few words sure sure uh so first and foremost just so you all know uh the person whose life was involved uh Crystal Reinhold she's an absolutely incredible person incredible spirit and she is doing 100% okay she's back to running yeah that is incredible um I have had the opportunity to meet her you know her significant other her kids I've went to actually she teaches in Elizabeth High School she's a gym teacher there and I've went to a few of their fundraising events since then and it's just such an incredible thing to see the impact that she has in community and you know how she carries herself and then you know her family members and friends come up to me and say thank you for what I did um and you know like the the council president said it is in my nature I'd like to think I was blessed enough for a significant amount of training and education and for some people a job is over when they clock out for some people a job is is over when they you know sign out for the day and hang up their their uniform uh but for me given why I went into this field how I went into this field and the upbringing that I've had the job's never over if I ever see someone in need and help I hope that I'm there to do something to be able to intervene because we never know if it's going to be our family member our friend someone who can impact the community in a much bigger way someone who can impact the world in a much bigger way and um I don't do this for gratitude I don't do this for thanks I don't do this for you know any of this incredible recognition but if it does inspire one other person to do something outside of themselves to do something bigger than to them to themselves and to realize that you can do more than you think that is the biggest piece of thanks and appreciation that I can get so thank you all for today thank you all my family everyone thank you all going stay right there doc because they're gonna take a nice picture with you thank you so thank you [Laughter] so so thank you very much ISAC Isaac you got it appreciate it okay now we're going to go back to our regularly scheduling programming yeah in a second there's only one all right Council members if you would allow me to read the first readings into the record and I'll start item 3.1 city ordinance 24-10 is an ordinance of the city of Jersey City in the county of Hudson state of New Jersey providing for a special emergency appropriation in the amount of $9 million to fund contractually required Severance liabilities resulting from the retirement of employees of the city item 3.2 city ordinance 24-11 is an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic article 9 parking for the disabled of the Jersey city code designating a reserve parking space at various locations throughout the city item 3.3 city ordinance 24102 is an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic article 8 metered parking section 33248 pointb designation of parking spaces and section 33258 parking regulations in residential zones to amend the Zone 4 and metered parking districts along Christopher Columbus Drive between Warren Street and Washington Street item 3.4 city ordinance 24-13 is an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic article 8 permit parking amending section 332-5800 least item 3.5 city ordinance 24-104 is an ordinance amending and supplementing chapter 69 special Improvement districts implementing article 8 Cultural Arts Special Improvement districts of the Jersey City Municipal Code uh Sean can I uh say something sure I have a paper in front of me it says Sean Gallagher reads it into the record are you going to read this into the record or I I I don't have that in front of me and I all right well well then I'll read okay first of all I consider a slap in the face to all the residents in Ward SE Focus focusing on things Pompa do instead of community uh creation of more uh which was going to create more taxes businesses have gone out of business because of the property tax increases longtime property owners are bleeding from the over taxation family-owned businesses cannot take anymore or taxation all the Indian businesses and property owners are upset if you pass this you you you all need to explain it to them this is double taxation it said the city should do a Citywide tourism District that just deals with the Arts and entertainment that's more appropriate and it appears all art organizations in all of Jersey City you read the front page of the uh Jersey Journal today it says businesses pay additional Levy to fund Arts District go through Journal Square and see the businesses they're all either going going out of business or closing uh they can't afford to stay in business anymore the homeowners of Journal Square are truly upset about this and it's going to affect them and it's going to affect everybody in the city because they're going to have to raise taxes to pay for this and it enough is enough and I'm asking that to be withdrawn we sit down with the city sit down with the council people and get this fully explained and also I have a letter from the Journal Square Sid which wants this postponed we had a meeting this morning with all the businessmen in Journal Square and most of them are quite upset about this and I'm not going to read this whole letter but I think I'm asking that this I'm asking for a motion to withdraw this tonight until further discussion and further issues are solved Joe come on come and explain so just before we entertain that motion by the councilman we're going to have Joe bom come up and explain uh more detail what the ordinance does uh thank you council president council members um so we were here at at the Caucus meeting recently to talk about the introduction of this special improvement district ordinance uh we took away from that meeting and some subsequent conversations including with uh members of your staff Council and we tweaked significantly uh the ordinance that is now in front of you today and we did it in a way that we believe addresses some of the concerns you just expressed in particular the classification of properties that would be subject to the special improvement district would be excluded from that list would be properties that are rent controlled that was there before properties where multif family of four or less exempt properties and more recently uh properties of assessed values of $4 million or less the effect of that change is the properties that will be subject to the tax which was originally 500 approximately when I was here with you last time is now about 100 or 95 I think in specifically so we believe that we've begun to address the concerns about some of the small businesses some of the smaller properties um and have set a new list of properties that will be subject to the tax again this is just the introduction I think we've purposely planned to do this in December all of the property owners are going to be impacted by this tax will get a notice and have the opportunity to come back and speak to you at a public hearing so we're asking you uh we heard what you said we changed the impacted property properties significantly we attempted to address some of the concerns about the smaller businesses for example we think we now have a list that's much more manageable and importantly um because I know this is uh matters to us the piloted properties in this District are not exempt so if you currently are the beneficiary of a pilot for example you will still have to pay this special improvement district so we pick up a properties that now currently um enjoy a pilot but we'll have to pay the special improvement district so we feel like we've addressed some of the concerns raised in the Caucus meeting um and we would look for you to continue to move the process Along by introducing it uh I'm sorry but until we sit down as I said I met with the business people this morning uh nothing has been explained to them nothing has been explained to me and I find it an insult as being the council person from w c and I think the city owes me an apology I want this delayed I like and so we sit down with the business business people sit down with some of the residents that are really annoyed with what's going on and as I said you look at the front page of the Jersey Journal today uh it's quite different than from what you're saying Hey Joe I want this Joe I just I just have one thing to say as it relates to this um you spoke at LMS on Monday and from excuse me Tuesday and from Tuesday today is Thursday you've removed 400 properties right um and that gets to my point why it is always important to consider the people who the change is going to effect um I really hate the notion of introducing then going to negotia and change the terms I prefer to engage the community on the front end let them have their say and then come up with a comprehensive plan rather than hey let's do this and then later on we can tweak and do all that um so I just I just ask that just afford the council person who represent that war the opportunity to meet the people that the tax is going to affect and I mean I don't know what's going to come of it but I'm just saying in in the letter of common decency and showing respect to homeowners and individuals in the area well the benefit of of this process in this case is every one of those are going to get us a notice directly to them about this uh tax as opposed to what we otherwise do like a and I think we're also committed to some Outreach in the meantime but every one of those Property Owners is going to get a specific notice sent to them directly to advise them of this so we're going to be individually ident notifying property owners are going to have to pay this tax another and also by the way I think you understand until the the corporations is set up and the budget is set and the tax is established which then of course comes back to you the council like every other said there is there is no tax so once it's set up until the budget is established and then that Sid presents to you a a budget and then you set a tax um again you'll be back they'll be back to this governing body next year I I do have a question you you mentioned about the notification and that that's also part of the um requirements to establish a special improvement district but usually there are stakeholder meetings in advance of um a public comment period I know when we were setting up the legislation for the special improvement district along Westside Avenue that was part of the process that we had to fulfill in advance of that so I think that if these notices are going out you should just automatically set a time for a stakeholder meeting I know it says in the ordinance it's not planning to come back to council until at least December 11 but I still think that there is a little bit of work that that needs to be done to make sure that people understand process also to I you know have received a lot of concerns about people getting double assessed and things like that and I've gone through what's been sent through but I just I feel like there's there like that that initial step should be part of your plan and not just have them come back to public comments yeah I think that's that's we're intending to do that right uh John and I'll certainly be available to for all those Community meetings so the introduction tonight if proceedes will be the what will prompt the noticing requirement and the shareholder meetings that's kind of that's what we do we put it on the record as a first reading so that it's established the noticing requirements go out the meetings are set up and we won't bring it back until that's satisfied now John this should be pulled tonight for tonight and also this is not a regular Sid according to the meeting this morning we had they're calling this a municipal Sid which doesn't follow the regulations and rules of regular SIDS tonight this should be pulled they have to sit down with the people from Ward SE the business people and this has to be explained and this is just another form of Taxation on the businesses youf I was going to ask if if it's pulled tonight is there a noticing requirement or is the noticing requirement because now it's on the agenda corre and we could delay it for a later date yeah the notice following triggered by the first correct okay the only you say it you say it oh yeah no what the notice requirement to the property owners that would be impacted by the tax is triggered uh by the introduction of the ordinance all right would somebody second it well I mean I in in light of in light of all of these uncertainties I'll second um councilman Ban's uh motion to to table Rich no so withdraw so councilman Bano mtion made a motion to withdraw item 3.5 City ordance 24-104 from the agenda and I have a second from council person Gilmore on the motion to withdraw item 3.5 city ordinance 24-104 from the agenda council person Ridley um I get withdrawing but then my concern is then are we are there going to be meeting when once this is withdrawn like if we're only saying we're going to notify the impacted properties once we introduce then when is this conversation going to happen or or is this just going to magically come back before us again and still nobody has spoken to each other so for that reason I'm going to vote to not withdraw and to introduce but I think that we do need to sit down with councilman Bano and those Journal Square neighborhood associations I do appreciate the changes specifically um you know doing four Residential Properties or more so that gets out the little property owner um but I also have questions because some of the questions that I asked uh number-wise said that this kind of shakes out to maybe about $10 per unit a month which is good for smaller buildings but for the skyscrapers just like we have a limit can we maybe have a a increase for those larger buildings compared to some of our smaller Property Owners so I think there's a lot of things that um we want to discuss and we want to put some input in so I'm going to vote to not withdraw so we can start those conversations but I don't think it should come back until those conversations are had a community meeting is had and somebody sits down with councilman boriana thank you Council council person Prince Ary so so having been part of a legislative process for this I have a little bit of experience in how these things go this is a slightly different model than what was set up for Westside partners ship um I am going to vote no to withd draw I think that if it's the introduction is the trigger that gets the process started that's fine but I do agree that it should absolutely not come back until all of the boxes have been checked with regard to understanding the model of assessment for the council to understand because some are linear Square footed some are based on sides of building and the like we we need to know this as a council before we have any of those conversations um I think that there also needs to be some conversation about whether or not this Sid model is appropriate I do know that there have been other suggestions to do with tourism Improvement Zone that might not be appropriate for this but there are going to be other businesses that will benefit from this Cultural Center including hotels downtown including people who run different businesses in and around the area so there might be an opportunity to um to take a look at just another model to make sure that this is the right one moving forward um I also agree that there needs to be a very thorough and robust conversation with the councilman with the Journal Square Sid with the other buildings that may be in this before any of this comes back to council um so yeah I will I will vote no to withdraw council person Bano I vote Yes to withdraw it and I'm telling you there's going to be repercussions about this because it's ticking off an awful lot of people not only in Ward se but throughout the city people are tired of the taxes people are tired of what's going on and as I said this is not a regular Sid this is a municipal Sid which is a joke and I'm disappointed in the both of you for saying no council person SLE I am prepared to start discussions and those discussions only happen until this is introduced so I'm going to vote no on the withdrawal I do respect you councilman boano and I think that a substantive conversation needs to be had and we shouldn't see it again until those conversations with the community are had and that all the questions of the council and the community are satisfied um and with that I vote no on the withdrawal council person Solomon yes council person Gilmore um I think I need a little Clarity from legal cuz I'm perplexed at this moment because I know we just went through this extension with the oh my God what's say down it Exchange Place and they came to us before like they came to the council people in the community before we got to this juncture so I guess legal is it different with the expansion versus adding a new one yeah initially um they have to be noticed 10 days before the second reading when we're creating it uh there is a different budgetary process and for the expansion it's actually listed out but I could probably yeah if you by by so in a case the budget the the Management Corporation proposes a budget to you uh um which then you can either approve or change depending on whether you change it by certain percentages you you would have to have a public hearing so I'm I'm not familiar with that I wasn't there but I believe what happened was that was the budget which starts from this m does begin there and come to you and also my last Point um councilman boano said this would be a municipal Sid can you not sure it's true or if Al so you don't know if that well I mean this is modeled off of the every other special improvement district in New Jersey and Jersey City so I'm not I don't understand the question to be able to understand why it's different yeah men this morning Municipal Sid which I don't even understand they don't understand but it doesn't have the same Authority and rules as regular SIDS and let me tell you something as far as I'm concerned Redevelopment should get out of the city so you you you don't know the difference but you don't even if that's this is just a regular Sid yeah it was modeled for example we looked at Westside to do the bylaws I made some tweaks um and and why can't in and and why can't this establishment become a part of the Sid that's already there what warrants a new creation of the Sid well it's a bigger footprint um so more properties that are outside the existing Journal Square um is one of the main reasons is also I think a different mix of uses that are included um and you can clearly the law is that you can have overlapping or more than one Sid yeah I mean I in light of everything there's a lot of uncertainty a lot of confusion um so I'll I'll vote I to to withdraw it so I I I one thing I think that's important to understand is if we we want to have meetings with the stakeholders but the stakeholders that'll be most effective are ones that have to pay the tax and the benefit of introducing and then sending those notices we we will I telling the exact people who have to pay the tax about it as opposed to stakeholder meetings where you may or may not know who's going to be paying the tax so there is value to the process we're using I'm not sure that I wasn't here for the other processes but there is a value to because we may get feedback from the the we expect to get feedback from the exact people who are going to have to pay the tax you can't just do a due diligence even though it's not required just to get the stakehold I just don't understand what's the rationale by it have to be introduced for you to contact the people these are the same people they're not going to change locations once the first read pass like you know who those affective properties are right here yeah that's we can't do a do dilig like I mean I don't know I vote to withdraw it like I said it's just too much uncertainty yeah council person de I'm going about no but as you can see there's a lot of gaps in our understanding and a lot of questions so we should introduce this but it should be a while before this comes back to a second read and in that time we should be provided the information that we're asking and all of those stakeholders should be involved any meetings though should be co-hosted by the councilman he shouldn't just be invited but his entire office is very involved with the business owners there I know he would like to join and and host to lead those conversations and to educate us but as the other Council people uh stated this does need to trigger the convo so we should introduce it it should take a while before it comes back I understand council person R yeah will know the table but uh like everybody's saying you know we need to Kickstart it you know so we can start the conversation but just don't bring it back if if no if if all parties are not satisfied just don't bring it back because you're going to get this and council president wman I vote no to um don't table it but I want the public to understand this is this is not a final vote what they telling us is that if we vote no not to table it what will happen and then we vote Yes for it to go forward then it will trigger notices to go to the people to let the people know that this is coming that their voices need to be heard what they want what they do not want that is what we doing now this is not the law yet we just voting to pretty much trigger it so people could be notified that they need to be at the table to have this conversation all right you brought up the word taxes a couple of times people are sick and tired of taxes in this city our property taxes have gone up business taxes have gone up businesses are closing and Redevelopment agency has done nothing to help the businesses in Journal Square you've done nothing but encourage these buildings to destroy neighborhoods and I'm sorry that these people voted no not to withdraw this because what you did was wrong you didn't come to us in the neighborhood you didn't go to the business people and believe me people are not going to forget this go ahead Sean go ahead Sean don't y motion motion to withdraw item 3.5 city ordinance 24-104 from the agenda is defeated 36 voting in the affirmative is council person bajano Solomon and Gilmore it is defeated 36 so council members I'm going to be taking a vote for introduction on items 3.1 through 3.5 again that's 3.1 through 3.5 council person Ridley I for introduction council person priner introduction council person bajano no on 3.5 and once again I'll say this is a disgrace I vote Yes on the others no shouting please shouting council person bana you voted no on 3.5 and I on all the rest yes thank you council person s i for introduction council person Solomon no on 3.1 and no on 3.5 and then I on 3.2 3.3 and 3.4 got it council person Gilmore I can't hear you no on 3.5 I for introduction on one two and three and four okay council person Dees hi for introduction council person Riva hi and council president wman I for introduction okay if I can just recap item 3. 1 is introduced 81 with council person Solomon voting no items 3.2 to 3.4 introduced unanimously 90 item 3.5 is introduced 63 with council members bajano Solomon and Gilmore voting no okay on to our second reading ordinance item 4.1 city ordinance 24- 099 is an ordinance authorizing certain temporary and permanent easements to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in connection with the rebuild by Design Hudson River Project consisting of work for storm water separation utility relocation P pile driving sheet piling and installation of hard structures such as floor wall flood walls excuse me and Deployable gates at various locations on Jersey Avenue Grove Street Marin Boulevard and 18th Street 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 Mo second motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24- 099 was made by council person Rivera seconded by council person Cay on the motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24- 099 council person Ridley I council person Prince AR hi council person bajano council person SLE I council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I council person Dees council person Reber hi and council president Waterman motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 24- 099 is approved unanimously 90 for final consideration and Adoption of city ordinance 24- 099 council person Ridley I council person priner council person bajano council person Cay hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi council person Dees council person Ribera hi and council president Waterman city ordinance 24- 099 is adopted unanimously 90 before we get to our public hearing um request for public hearing I think there's a couple of council members that have to leave um be and before they do that I would like to take their vote on claims and addendums number one and the resolutions that were not uh voted on earlier so I believe it's council person rera that you need to leave yes and um I'm I mean I'll vote now Sean because I think um in an eight o'clock hour I will have to leave but I I'll vote now okay and if we can have the Press stop taking pictures they put bad pictures of me up so we can ask them to refrain from taking pictures do you do you want the press to just take your good side yes time I look in the paper always look like I ain't doing what I was supposed to be doing listen they did a cartoon drawing in the Jersey Journal did you see that yeah I see that that was pretty good all right so with that being said council members uh Gilmore and Rivera your vote on well we'll take it one at a time Council MC Gilmore your vote on claims and addendum number one I council person Rivera I okay on resolutions 10.1 through 10.14 with the exception of 10.3 which has been withdrawn is that correct by the administration thank you okay council person Gilmore I council person Rivera hi I didn't hear you hi sorry all right items 10.15 through 10.25 council person Gilmore 10:15 to 1025 I council person Rivera I and for the balance of the resolutions 10.26 through 10.31 have abstain from 26 um I on arrest so abstaining on 10.26 and I on the rest and council person Reber hi and uh Sean before we go uh the reason why you know we're leaving we had a uh we're going to a funeral of one of the uh Latino matriarchs of downtown Jersey City her name is Cecilia aroyo 98 years old she was a big part of uh the Latin movement that was Jersey City downtown Jersey City so you know we definitely have to go pay the respect the family is expecting us to be there so thank you condolences to the family thank you all right so we're going to our public request for a hearing please play pay close attention to your agenda I'm going to be calling the number and the first name of the speak speakers so if you would be kind enough to indulge me with that so our first Speaker 5.1 lever Le hold on hold on hold on one second ready nope now I am okay a good good evening and councel I wish you guys would think about the young lady the crossing guard from holiday Johnson if we can name that block that street as her that corner cuz she's been on that corner a long time in this type of year when I rise like I said she catch me a l you have any coats that's left over cuz I give out new stuff she said I know some kids in 22 they don't have a coat you know so people like her is hard to find out here today so we give honor and pleas to a young lady like that and if we can do something so the the family can appreciate her living and not in vain the stuff that she did on that corner was amazing and the kids love and she kept in order she seen about them in school and everything and I've been giving out coach about 30 years and people like her grew up knowing what I did do and continue do this one is in her name and we try to help the needy and not the greedy so my heart is full what I had to say tonight I can't say y'all have a blessed one thank you Le our next speaker 5.2 Tina Tina what she's busy she's she's coming in use her public comment withina come on you know how it goes here you comeing every council meeting could have pass you by okay Justice for Drew I want to thank every I want to invite everyone to my ribbon cutting can I pass this to you yes I take it so I want to invite everyone to my ribbon cutting my ribbon cutting I just want to thank um education of Gore ever since I met him when he told me to start using my voice I have been using my voice for the community and it feel good I thank God that we are definitely making history here in Jersey City I want to thank for Jerry education of Gilmore Steve from housing Jeff dub and my family for 28 years of me doing what I was doing for the community um I want to thank them for sticking by me and believing that one day we will have a safe space for Community treasure and they'll be able to come out and shop for free and I don't have to worry about continuing to doing out my car and then out my house I think that was a blessing um I want to cry but I don't want to cry because um this was a long time coming education of Gore you know because you actually left out of your spot when you was doing election so I would be able to use your spot so this means so much to me again I like to say I'm not even from here I'm from Alabama so to see for me to care for another community and to come out there to do it it's a blessing and to see that I do have people behind me who really believe that our community could change and do better That's Another Blessing I just wanted to say for the people who come in charge of next year for election I want y'all to please please just look out for nonprofits and and work with them because we can work together it's definitely a relief of you working with nonprofits cuz we could definitely let you know what's going on in the community it's actually a bigger help I don't know if y'all know I'm the Outreach for Education Gore and jery Walker and they can let you know I definitely come back to let you know what's going on in the community so I don't have nothing bad to say to y'all today I just want to invite y'all to my ribon cutting thank you guys thank you our next speaker 5.3 Edward for Drew I'm little under the weather this is the night before my 40th birthday um but this is very important to me obviously uh so we had an election and um I resist obviously I'm disappointed uh wholeheartedly right uh I resist and um you know if it takes me putting my body on the front line then so be it you know tonight this is example of me putting my voice on the front line right to voice my displeasure and my dissatisfaction with this body like overall the mayor's Administration continues to fail us and some of you help him it's more than unfair it's unjust you tell us you love us you tell us you'll lead us you'll tell us oh we'll be better just vote for me my vision for the city we can do better but in return what do we get you smack Us in the face the most you've done for us is add more police to our streets the most of mayor has done is add more police to our streets we're overp policed where I live there's not enough housing all the social ills you can see them exacerbated in my community there's no help coming from this place we're segregated where I live it's black and brown that's right and just because there are black and brown members on this Council that doesn't mean that you're still allies that you'll do the best for even your own community and that's not right and it's not right and it's not right and it's not right and until things get in order you'll be seeing me this is a t-shirt I've been wearing all year for about what 18 months now last August Andrew Washington was murdered by the Jersey City police department and there's so much work being done to try to bring a Humane policy to our city a Humane delivery of services where in the end we're not taken away in the end when we're not taken away please tell me what have you done to help bring Public Safety officials to the table what have you done thank you our next speaker 5.4 jaier resing of the heights um I hope you're doing well um just wanted to read a quote to you that it was said by your boss uh mayor Philip but we continue to promote sustainable and active transportation we have developed a plan to significantly increase the number of people in our city who travel by bike so this is a master plan we're we're requesting you know really we need to change the conversation it's not about bike Lanes Mr Bano um you said in 2017 that bikes were the weight of the future sir but then um you know sorry about that but then we hear recordings on the last Co is meeting nor bik LS Manhattan you're already sir putting you know putting a roadblock so maybe we need to do a better job or talking about soft rri what does that mean you know what is investment when we put a bike Lan what does that do for your for your for the city right it's good for for pedestrians it's safety safe safety for the neighborhoods the cars would slow down in fact you know the roads here are pretty bad so the traffic will slow down so just soft Roi not not your typical returnal investment here's what we're going to do here's what we're going to get in return that's not what's happening here we're talking about human life right so just please consider that sir if there anything you need you know ask this group that are here behind us um to have a session talk about the master bike plan how is that going to help the city how it's going to help you I know you're concerned about you know who you represent but I think that we need to change the conversation it's not about bike Lanes get bikes off the roads into a protected bike lane I tell you you drive your car you want to get bikes off the road they're also un you know they're they're basically scared of their lives so let's just make sure that put them you know get them off the road if you're concerned about that get him off the road into protected bik Lane that's it it's about safety Mr C it's all about passion sir it's all about leadership I really think that your um re-election coming up is great I saw your letter is awesome but zero about bike Lanes so let's let's be passionate about this you know maybe we have a conversation with Mr Bano about Hey listen may this may maybe this is good for for Jersey City as a whole right we want to create more neighborhood neighborhoods that are safe we want to make sure that people go to the park and kids are you know riding their bikes and and I want you to know we need to get out of our bubble okay okay you ride cars you're really on just bubble and you're just not really understanding the people are traveling by bike is a really really inexpensive way to travel and and everybody's doing that so uh and you know you see people on the highight just it's really crazy so as a biker I'm going to tell you right now it's not about bike lane it's about safety sir it's about safety for both for the car I don't want my cars to get scratched by a bike because they they ran a red light or whatever no let's just change the conversation let's make this about safety neighborhood safety pedestrian thank you very much thank you our next speaker 5.5 Gina good evening Gina Davidson Ward F first I want to thank Council people Solomon and Cay for attending the people's rally on November 9th thank you especially to councilman Solomon for your strong words the people are proud to have you as a Jersey city mayor candidate for 2025 next I want to urge you all to vote Yes on item 10.3 resolution 24-18 Stacy Flanigan and her shelter director Mark Burns continue to serve the city's animals with Excellence let's continue to give them exactly what they need my next topic I'd like to bring up on October 30th the Department of Public Safety requested this council's approval for yet another contract with Tomahawk strategic Solutions this was to continue providing training to Jersey City police department seven of you voted to release our tax dollars to pay for this contract two of you did not and I thank councilman Gilmore and council president Waterman for your exstension director sheay has repeatedly disrespected this Council and the people's demand for transparency and accountability he and the rest of the administration have continued to ignore our repeated questions about mental health response and DS escalation training if jcpd was truly trained in quote situational awareness and deescalation as quoted from the tomahawk website then Andrew Washington would not have been murdered in his home in August of 2023 Amy I'd like you to pay attention please and stop shopping or whatever it is that you're doing up there thank you if this Council cared about what went wrong to result in the violent death of one of its residents you would be taking real action we're sick of the performative Antics stop rubber stamping director Shay's budget stop rubber stamping the public safety contracts and expenditures you stop the flow of money I guarantee they will show up to the table if y'all don't work as one nothing gets done on this issue in the future I urge you to follow the example of your council president of the people's Champion councilman Gilmore councilman boano I'd like to personally invite you to join in here I know you care deeply about the Jersey City police department and as council president Waterman said last week the needs of the city have changed since you are on the force we need your advocacy more than ever councilwoman preri you asked questions about Community participation and visibility in the Jersey City Police Department training sessions excellent questions and you got no answer and yet you voted to release funds for this contract please use your power we need to do more Justice for Drew thank you for your time our next speaker 5.6 Danielle good evening I'm here to underscore the urgency of making the Manhattan Avenue and Franklin Street demonstration project permanent before we lose the 670,000 New Jersey Department of Transportation Bikeway grants which now has just a six-month extension it's November 14th 2024 and despite months of discussion there's still no bike lane the community needs immediate Clarity on the next steps and a concrete timeline for action as this delay is jeopardizing the Project's future if an ordinance is required why hasn't it been drafted and move forward please confirm that all funding remains dedicated solely to this Project's intended purpose the need for safe infrastructure is urgent recently a pedestrian was hit at the intersection of Hutton and Palisade Avenue by a left turning car despite reports the the intersection sign remains down until residents take care of it a clear sign of unacceptable upkeep in 5 years this Corridor has seen 11 crashes seven of which involved pedestrians or cyclists Federal Highway Administration guidelines recommend protected bike Lanes as a critical safety measure and yet this project remains only a demonstration I also stand with the tenants of Portside Towers who extend these meetings bi-weekly to demand solutions for their own safety concerns only to see minimal action their quality of life like ours depends on decisive action from this Council as a Jersey City public school teacher I am used to repeating myself so I will do so again I urge you now to act secure this funding honor the VIS zero executive order and make Jersey City safer more accessible and sustainable for all thank you for your time and consideration our next speaker 5.7 Amry good evening Council and community members and Marina zaro Jersey City together Public Health Public Safety Committee and Our Lady of soro's Parish Ward F we have been coming to the council and before the administration since 2021 to implore you to add a behavioral health response program to the police action in mental health or addiction crisis an act of social justice we come before you tonight with tremendous sadness our country is about to go into a period of time where social justice is very low or non-existence on the priority list we applaud Jersey City having our poet laurate here this evening but we're sad to think how many Mela rasas will be for POS L removed from our country we assure you our work in the social justice area in public health and Public Safety is about to get harder but we assure you we are not going to quit we will act to see in Jersey City the very effective rollout of the antiviolence Coalition SE Brooks Washington behavioral response program and Jersey City Zone arrive together program we will work hard to see it done effectively despite any push back by Administration or Public Safety Division or anyone here who doesn't think this is the right way to go for the city we also are going to act to make sure $1.2 million budgeted a while ago by Jersey City will actually get deployed to see a gold standard a state-of-the-art program at in 911 behavioral response a program that will honor the memory the legacy of Drew Washington and any others who are so challenged in this city thank you our next speaker 5.8 Bianca 5.8 Bianca not here next 5.9 Sarah no next 5.10 Jesus no next 5.1 mark good evening even I live in West New York but I come to Jersey City often uh I've been here to help fight for Liberty State Park and to fight against uh the turnpike extension um going to ask for you to bear with me while I connect the dots here for a couple of moments first of all Mr Mayor I'd like to thank I'd like to thank you for your ad advocacy at Liberty State Park and continuing to promote its use for recreational purposes hypothetical here I think it's fair to say that you would not advocate for diverting land in Lincoln Park for non-recreational purposes and I'd expect the rest of the council would stand with you given that green spaces are so vital to our residents I'd like to call your attention to bradoock park in North Bergen like Lincoln Park it is a County Park in an overburdened Community the mayor of North Bergen and the Hudson County Commissioners are proceeding with permanently diverting a section of the park to build a public preschool for the sole use of residents of North Bergen so why should building a school in a county park in North Bergen be of concern to Jersey City first of all County tax revenue is being contributed to the project which means that Jersey City residents are helping fund the project aren't your taxes high enough without this misuse of funding millions of County tax dollars have been spent so far and more will likely be needed second if this project continues to move forward it sets a precedent that future administrations in Jersey City and in towns across the state will leverage to take away our precious recreational spaces schools don't belong in Parks County or otherwise in town should fully fund their own school projects North Bergen's kids deserve quality preschools but not at the expense of Hudson County residents I have a draft re resolution that opposes the bradoock park diversion that I'd like to ask the mayor and city council to adopt so I'm here tonight asking if any of you will sponsor this and work with me so that we can bring this to the vote at a future meeting and for the public for anyone that's interested in this issue I'd ask that you reach out to me at the following email address no Schoolin bradic park atgmailcom again it's no school in brck park gmail.com thank you very much for your time this evening thank you our next speaker 5.12 Ethel E's not here okay thank you next speaker 5.13 Kevin hi hello Madam president and city council first I want to sincerely thank Madame President and this Council for always making it clear our right to speak before you has been permitted without interference tonight we are making a sincere attempt to reduce the need for having as many speakers at city council while also taking greater care about how we express ourselves even though the first amendment gives us rights which are protected yet I do understand the First Amendment doesn't control for effectiveness of communication so from that perspective we're attempting an adjust you're doing this because we are here for results not to hear ourselves talk or to annoy you if all goes well fewer of us will speak here before you at the next council meeting I would like for you to silence Us by helping us you have always had the power to take away our talking points we won't talk about ordinance violations the city acts on understand that today is a step in that direction which may not be yet perfect but I hope you will recognize the intent and our effort overall a clear distinction between what is related to litigation and off limits versus what is not and therefore addressable should help all of us improve our interactions and most importantly results while our intent has always been to do the right thing we are tenants and tenant Advocates and clearly none of us are acting as lawyers as you can see I'm wearing a shirt that says as much and yes the uh sign in front of me says the same thing those three pens being distributed right now to everyone in this room they say it too perhaps it seems like Overkill but I've learned that even the most obvious things sometimes need emphasis at our rent leveling Board hearing the largest in Jersey City history the landlord's attorney tried to dismiss my testimony by emphasizing that I was not trained as an expert he was right about my training while lawyers need extensive training to Opus gate clear ordinance language the truth just requires basic reading skills the law says what it says when simple language needs complex explanations we have to ask why when chairman kopo directly asked me are you an attorney I responded simply I'm not my only legal education consists of a single course on rent control ironically taught by Dina henden the Jersey City Times noted that I operate quote without any legal training while explaining rent control laws throughout the hearing I was seated behind our attorney marada who handled the legal presentation and examinations simple truths don't require complex explanations thank you very much our next speaker 5.14 Jessica thank you our next speaker 5.15 Tom good evening Council PR uh council members I'm a resident at Portside Towers addressing ongoing violations of chapter 28-1 which requires each multiple dwelling over 100 units to have its own 247 uniform form security guard two separate buildings are operating without required security 155 Washington Street with 297 units 100 Warren Street with 230 units each building independently exceeds the 100 unit threshold and requires its own security guard for many years both buildings have operated without this required security despite multiple appearances by concerned tenants before this Council under chapter 1-25 each day constitutes a separate violation for each building at maximum penalties of $2,000 per violation that's $4,000 in possible daily penalties for the two bildings combined additionally ordinance 7-1 153 section 70 specifically requires ports side's uniform security Personnel to secure the Korean War Memorial access between 8:00 pm and 8:00 am daily without any security guards this Duty goes unfulfilled we regularly observe drug deals during hours when access should be restricted this dangerous situation combined with the lack of required building security creates an alarming safety risk for our community we've maintained a detailed log of observed violations since June 1st 2022 which we will submit to the council this evening I respectfully request the council take two specific actions tonight one direct housing preservation or Jersey City Code Compliance to inspect both buildings this week and issue separate violations for each building require to require housing preservation or Jersey City Code Compliance to report back to this Council within two weeks on compliance status for both buildings over 1,000 residents have waited two years for en enforcement of these clear legal requirements the ordinances are unambiguous each building needs its own security guard each day without enforcement puts more residents at risk thank you for your attention to these serious ongoing violations thank you our next speaker 5.16 Daniel good evening City Council Members tonight I'd like to address something that's really important to me and that's the suggestion by some uh City Representatives that us uh ports side tenants should speak less at these meetings as my fellow tenant Uh Kevin alluded to and I agree um but but only when our silence means issues have been resolved rather than having been ignored we all want shorter meetings we all want fewer speakers we all want to spend our evenings else where I would love to be home right now watching Impractical Jokers but I'm here and there's only one way that we can achieve this goal that is to address the systematic issues that bring us here consider what brings us to the podium documented violations that persist without enforcement clear requirements that remain unmet and basic protections that exist on paper but not in practice we followed every proper Channel as requested by the law and by several of you personally we've documented violations methodically we've reported Through official processes we've provided evidence systematically and we've waited patiently for Action yet when enforcement fails when violations continue when documentation goes unnoticed what choice do we have but to come here and speak the right to petition government isn't just about being heard but it's about achieving redress of grievances when we document violations of clear ordinances and nothing changes we haven't achieved redress we've only been heard we don't want to be here speaking endlessly and but we want to speak effectively we don't want to return to every single council meeting for years on end as we have we want to report success stories back to our loved ones at Portside who cook us dinner bring our children to bed call their moms need to be finish something for work and and they can't be here with us we stand here for all of these people and we don't want to have to repeat ourselves week after week after week we want to celebrate progress the path to Shorter meetings isn't through silence but rather through action enforce one ordinance fully address one violation completely resolve one issue permanently then move on to the next that is how we reduce public comment naturally that's how we shorten these meetings meaningfully and that's how we all spend less time here and more time living Our Lives we are ready whenever you are Pi an issue and enforce it fully watch us celebrate that progress and move constructively to the next challenge thank you for your time our next speaker 5.17 brandan good evening counil let's Jazz things up with a quick game of a quick game of one of my favorite games I I play when I'm teaching kids on weekends Simon says I hope you know the rules to this game but to be on a safe side if Simon Says something you do it if I say something you don't do it for example if Simon Says pass poorly plan tax abatements you do it if I say spend the funds on doing literally anything else you don't do it so let us begin Simon Says write clear ordinances regarding uniform security you did that Simon Says document violations of those ordinances we did that Simon Says provide evidence through proper channels well we did that Simon Says enforce the requirements nope didn't happen at last the game is over we all lost see that's the funny thing about this game we're playing most everyone here knows the rules some of you on this count Council actually voted for them but right when it gets down to enforcing said rules suddenly nothing happens and now here's where the our fun game differs from the playground version or the one I teach on weekends and Municipal governance Simon Says inforce isn't an option it isn't a game it's a legal requirement I'm not a lawyer I'm just a son of two wheny ordinances say shall provide uniform security that's not a suggestion when code say must maintain proper posting that's not a recommendation when laws passed by this Council say required to comply that's not a hint so perhaps it's time to stop playing games because while we're stuck in this bizarre round of Municipal Simon Says real safety concerns will continue to go unanswered if you would like proof please read the Jersey City sub subreddit as security concerns are posted there more often than the police blotter requirements will go unenforced real people face real consequences Let's us stop playing games and start enforcing the ordinance that was passed by most of this very Council here's my own experience with the lack of uniform Security in our building about two weeks ago I was coming home rather late night my phone had died so I was worried that the door might be locked and I'd be sitting there for 45 minutes until until the door man/ security guard had returned from walking his rounds fortunately for me at least the door as I approached the building building the security our door man/ security guard SL every other job in the building was not there he was busy walking around unfortunately for everyone else in our apartment the doors were wide open so anyone at all could just walk right in there was no buzzer there was nothing just an empty desk letting you go right in this is what our building's been reduced to we don't have anyone actually watching the doors at 1: or 2 in the morning and the latest I've seen is 4:00 a.m. there's nobody there how was that with Andy's ordinances thank you for your time our next speaker 5.18 Jessica good evening city council so I'll be candid with you tonight as a neuroscientist and a tenant I'm trained to understand complex information and I've been speaking here for over two years about one simple issue the lack of enforcement of our local ordinances some suggest that tenants like me who learn our rights are somehow practicing law without a license but nothing could be further from the truth when I read our ordinance our ordinance your ordinance 26-3 I'm not giving legal advice I'm exercising my fundamental right as a citizen to understand the laws that govern my home when I share official documents about registration requirements I'm not practicing law I'm engaging in protected speech about public information think about it does a driver practice law by reading traffic regulations does a restaurant owner practice law by understanding Health codes does a parent practice law by learning about school policies does a scientist practice law by reading chemical safety regulations of course not and neither do tenants who study housing ordinances and help each other to understand housing ordinances what we do is simple we read we research we share public documents we support each other in understanding our rights and more importantly we know the difference between sharing information and giving legal advice when we need legal guidance we turn to licensed attorneys when we need legal representation we hire qualified lawyers but understanding our rights that's not just allowed it's essential it's critical to democracy James Madison said at best knowledge will forever govern ignorance and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge provides we will not be silenced by those who confuse citizen advocacy with legal practice my right to understand and discuss the laws affecting my home our homes is a Cornerstone of civic participation and after many speeches here I remain committed to upholding that right thank you our next speaker 5.19 Joel good evening council members this is a story about a neighboring City neighbors helping neighbors a bright light on Election Day N days ago Grassroots organized successfully turned back a seemingly unbeatable attempt by a landlord lobbying group to gut hoboken's rent Control ordinances as you should know a previous attempt was narrowly defeated in response lobbyists cloaked a referendum as for affordable housing and nearly steamrolled hob boken city council to pass a quote compromise ordinance this would have taken approximately 100 units at $2,500 each to a fund to to generate affordable housing 100 units becoming deregulated for one unit to become affordable a local Grassroots organization contacted us and we provided support and bodies to Canvas and commit the council convinced the council to defeat their compromise and leave the referendum to the will of the people in the face of a multi-million multi-million dollar campaign by the landlord Grassroots organizers mobilized opposition and we helped canvas Hoboken the referendum was defeated by a three: one margin this goes to show that camouflaging efforts to gut rent control as pro-a affordable housing will not fool alert knowledgeable and motivated citizenry thank you our next speaker 5.20 Alexandra evening Council let me tell you a story a tale of two buildings identical in every way except for one crucial difference how their cities handled ordinance enforcement in the first city when tenants reported missing emergency conts and no on-site superintendent officials acted swiftly they documented violations issued clear directives and followed through with the enforcement when problems persisted their Council investigated promptly within months the issues were resolved but in the Second City well that's where our story takes a different turn there the same violations were reported the same documentation was provided the same photos were taken but month after month year after year nothing changed in the first building tenants knew exactly who to call in emergencies because the information was properly posted and updated in the second they faced a maze of outdated contacts and departed staff members in the first building maintenance issues were addressed promptly because a superintendent lived on site as required in the second simple repairs dragged on for weeks while tenants tried to navigate an everchanging cast of off-site personnel the moral of the story enforcement delays don't just create paperwork problems they create compounding issues that affect real people's lives when basic requirements go unenforced the impact multiplies over time this isn't just a story it's a reflection of choices we face right now and it's a reflection on as you have heard previously my personal real life situation when my apartment was set on fire and flooded with black water which building story will we choose to emulate which ending will we write the power to choose lies with this Council the power to investigate the power to ensure enforcement the power to write a better ending to this tale thank you thank you our next speaker 5.21 David good evening Council you David Wilson David Wilson okay yeah there's a lot of us out there um good evening Council evening Dave uh last week's president election has had me thinking a lot about Community um what we need from communities what communities can do for ourselves um which is going to be a big one um and where communities need to work together with government and the image came to me of a bridge a bridge that connects the community's needs on one side and government action on the other side this bridge is built from a lot of things public comment documentation civic participation and when this bridge is strong both sides Thrive and when the bridge weakens both sides suffer today our bridge in Jersey City is under strain not from too much traffic but from too little maintenance each documented violation that goes un addressed weakens a support beam each failure that continues chips away at the foundation and each call for enforcement that goes unanswered creates another crack in this structure we don't want this bridge to fail we can't have this bridge fail we're here with tools to repair it we have detailed documentation specific ordinance citations clear evidence of violations we're not here to tear anything down we're here to strengthen the very infrastructure that makes local government work but a bridge only functions when both sides engage we've brought the materials we've identified the structural issues we followed every proper procedure and now we need your help to complete these repairs together we can rebuild this bridge and make it stronger than ever the alternative is to watch as public trust erodes bit by bit piece by piece until the gap between Community needs and government action becomes too to cross the choice is yours you can help us strengthen this bridge of public discourse or watch it slowly crumble under the weight of unenforced ordinances and unaddressed violations thank you thank you our next speaker 5.22 Sonia good evening councilor um today I want to tell you about some of our friends back home who have no clue why we are here they don't understand why we live in the United States of America in which a convicted felon can run for office and win they don't understand how that is even possible and I have a very hard time explaining it to them honestly I was so naive that I thought that even his first race would be over when he said and I apologize for quoting the president elect you can grab them by the I certainly thought it was over when he cheated with a porn star on his wife while she was pregnant and paid the porn star campaign money to keep her quiet I thought it was over when the FBI found classified material in his golden but rotten bathroom in MA Lago I thought it was over when people found out that he paid $750 in federal income taxes total in 2017 what does that have to do with Jersey City with all it has everything to do with Jersey City because of two things it shows what someone can get away with when a whole machine looks the other way how absolutely safe bad players like our landlord Equity residential feel because alternative facts are a thing and no one will be will come after them for breaking the law it shows what happens on the long run human rights become forgotten families become forgotten people become forgotten this is one thing um that if there's one thing that is good about coming here it's that I have explanations for my friends back home I'm now able to tell them that for two years it has not been possible for us to get existing laws enforced with a Democratic mayor that people in this country feel betrayed insulted humiliated and completely fooled I can tell them that this one this is one of the reasons why we will have Trump back in the White House their next question is often why we even care that answer is easy we know firsthand how dictator dictatorships evolve one first step is not to enforce existing laws the next step is to alter laws another one is to get rid of checks and balances and another one is to gag people and the media and take away their freedom of speech and their ability to educate the public about what's going on I don't need to tell you that we've seen all of this happening to us in our city not once multiple times that is why we care and that is why we are not going anywhere until our rights until we get our rights and until democracy is fully restored that's right it's not a reality not fully a reality right now I once again implore you to do your job you were elected for who knows how long are a thing in this country our next speaker 5.23 danillo good evening it's been more than two years now so much has happened when we started our initiative I try to imagine how this will play out turns out I have very limited imagination so let's look back on some of what happened in these two years First Amendment violations our comments on mayor fulop's social media accounts get systematically deleted or blocked we have a mountain of evidence to prove that at fup state of the city in 23 and 24 we got harassed and intimidated we were not allowed to peacefully hold these very signs as granted under the First Amendment and more specific under the sunshine act building issues other speaker mentioned some selected aspects with our buildings let me add to that just some from the list of our apartment since 2019 our floor wall windows are damaged by a leak that was not fixed for 4 years building management confirmed in writing that they will do nothing about M that means we pay our premium luxury apartment rent and cannot fully use and enjoy our home we have no hot water in our washing machine since 23 Equity wants more confirmed in writing they will do nothing about it and the city is not helping either multiple secet click fix tickets from April to August August failer to maintain service petition opened in September while initially answered are now without response for weeks and months but there's more last year people dropped from our from above onto our Terrace can you imagine how it feels when suddenly people stare at you standing on your own Terrace unannounced after that surprise same Terrace was blocked from use for almost 4 months for facet inspections again Equity confirmed in writing there was no compensation all that while mayor fulop collects Millions for a super pack from billionaire landlords and investors and claims in the media he cares about tenants he has not even felt the need to follow one of our many invitations to discuss our issues ever this all paints a very clear picture why Equity residential can sit on such a high horse there is a documented pattern of violations being observed but not enforced this pattern requires Council oversight that's you it it um it is not only a suggestion to start an investigation but mandatory by law and I asked many times before over the last two years and I ask again will you start to investigate one zero nothing as always our next speaker 5.24 Tara good evening Council as you know I care deeply about this city my ancestor helped build this city and very probably this building paid for by Jersey City taxpayers it matters deeply to me how tax money is spent and that's why tonight I want to address the hidden costs of non- enforcement costs that impact every taxpayer in Jersey City let's examine the economics of systematic nonin enforcement when basic requirements go un enforced each violation spawns a Cascade of costs initial inspections lead to reinspection reinspection lead to more documentation more documentation leads to increased administrative overhead and through it all taxpayers foot the bill not once but repeatedly for the same violations consider security requirements under chapter 28-1 when uniform security requirements go un enforced emergency Services faced increased calls police resources are diverted to preventable incidents City staff process repeated violation reports the legal department handles escalating complaints each step multiplies the costs to our city but the real economic toll comes from The Compound Effect one unenforced violation leads to multiple administrative actions those actions require increased staff resources those resources demand larger budgets and those budgets require more taxpayer funding it's a spiral of waste that could be prevented with initial enforcement let me be specific about the waste when inspectors document violations but can't enforce them we pay twice when staff process the same complaints repeatedly we pay twice when legal reviews the same issues multiple times we pay twice when Emergency Services respond to preval incidents we all pay this isn't abstract economics it's our tax dollars at work or rather at waste every dollar spent reinspect known violations is a dollar we can't spend on Parks infrastructure or public services every hour spent processing repeated complaints is an hour we can't spend improving our city the solution is straightforward enforce requirements the first time stop paying twice for the same violations start investing in prevention rather than endless reaction Council this isn't about compliance this isn't just about compliance it's about responsible use of public resources the fiscally responsible path is clear enforce requirements fully the first time and then this costly cycle of Perpetual reaction thank you our next speaker 5.25 Suzanne good evening Council after our last meeting and after countless pleas help I was thinking about our path forward from my point of view this path forward is actually quite simple enforce existing ordinances systematically and you'll hear less from us systematically this isn't a complex equation we come here because issues go unaddressed we speak because violations continue we return because enforcement fails but trust me none of us want to spend our evenings here week after week I'd much rather be home with my dog and my fiance after a long day in the office but I have to be here let's take uniform security as an example the ordinance is clear buildings over 100 units require 247 uniform security we've documented the violations we've provided evidence through proper channels we've followed every procedure the other night I myself walked in Freely no one was there could easily go up in the elevators if someone's door is left open by accident they can just walk right and I mean we're waiting for something terrible to possibly happen from my point of view it's even more important than do process that you understand why we need uniform security we have open doors as I just said at the Korean War Memorial and at the gym we have found non-residents in our washrooms and Lobby areas our garage is not fully secured pedestrians can easily gain access to the garage often the key fa blocks don't work which means that once someone is in the garage they have access to our buildings too yet here we are still asking for basic enforcement of an unambiguous requirement this isn't about anything complex or controversial it's about enforcing an existing ordinance that this Council has already passed if this simple clear requirement was enforced we wouldn't need to speak about it again we could move on to other issues you could move on to other issues they might not even be here the enforcement system could focus on other priorities instead said non- enforcement creates a cycle we document violations we report them nothing changes so we come back we speak again the cycle continues but there's a better way enforce one ordinance fully show that the system works demonstrate that when we provide documentation through proper channels action follows start with security requirements they are clear they are documented they're straightforward to verify once that's resolved we can move methodically through other violations one by one that's how we reduce public comment not by limiting speech but by addressing its cause not by silencing voices but by resolving the issues that comp compel us to speak we're ready to work with you we've already we're ready to proceed systematically we're ready to celebrate each resolution and move forward constructively the choice is yours enforce existing ordinances and watch public comment decrease naturally continue non- enforcement and will continue exercising our right to document thank you our next speaker 5.26 Drew good evening council tonight marks more than two years of city council speeches by our group Michelle and Kevin first spoke on November 9th 2022 and as a group we have never missed one meeting not one I want to take a moment and say how inspired I I am by the group behind me thank you all for shaping the future of our community at Portside and across Jersey City let's not forget that we're talking about our homes here we all feel a need a need to be safe in our homes it's a fundamental human need and I therefore want to address the enforcement mechanisms available to address ongoing security violations at both buildings chapter 26-7 specifically defines inadequate security as a form of tenant harassment this isn't just about missing guards it's about systematic reduction in required services affecting over a th residents our rent includes ordinance mandated Security Services we're not receiving chapter 26-7 F provides a clear remedy rent reductions when required Services aren't provided I'll repeat that again chapter 2 607f provides a clear remedy rent reductions when required Services aren't provided the Bureau of rent leveling has authority to implement these reductions until compliance is achieved the violations stack up across multiple departments housing preservation chapter 28-1 violations for each building rent leveling chapter 26-7 harassment violations Public Safety ordinance 7153 Memorial security violations I respectfully request the council direct specific actions through proper channels first request the Bureau of rent leveling investigate these violations under 260 chapter 26-7 and Implement appropriate rent reductions second direct housing preservation and Jersey City Code Compliance to coordinate with the Bureau of rent leveling on documentation of missing required services and thirdly request a joint report from both departments to council within two weeks on enforcement progress each day these violations continue residents pay for Security Services we don't receive while facing increased safety risks the ordinance provides multiple enforcement pass through appropriate departments we need these departments directed to act thank you for your attention to enforcing these vital protections and a happy anniversary to my people even though it may be a sad one our next speaker 5.27 Shannon good evening Council uh as a nurse who works with women to bring life into the world I get to be with people during one of the most if not the most beautiful moment of their lives I feel lucky and proud that I work with mostly healthy patients and that the majority of all births I support go as planned but what if something doesn't go as planned if there's an emergency in my job we absolutely have to plan for emergencies to do otherwise would cost the lives of mothers and babies and that's why tonight I want to talk about how outdated emergency information put our lives at risk in ways that weren't possible even 10 years ago and that would never even be possible in any facility I've ever lived and worked in so consider what happens in a modern emergency response when someone calls 911 dispatchers immediately access digital databases they need current building information they need accurate contact details they need upto-date superintendent names and most importantly they need correct phone numbers that actually work but here is the deadly scary reality when emergency contacts are outdated when superintendent information isn't posted when building access details are wrong digital systems amplify these failures in an age where every second counts and I we mean that literally every second does count outdated information doesn't just delay responses it can make response impossible this isn't theoretical when director Richardson inspected our building he saw firsthand emergency contacts from 2014 superintendents who left years ago phone numbers that no longer work our First Responders deserve better our community deserves better the impact extends Beyond individual emergencies uh modern Emergency Management Systems share data Citywide fire department's pre-plan responses based on building information police rely on accurate contact details for Rapid access EMTs depend on current superintendent information uh to reach patients quickly when these systems fail they fail catastrophically so picture it like really please give me a moment and picture it firefighters trying to reach a building contact who left eight years ago visualize please attempting to access a building with outdated security think about EMTs delayed because superintendent information doesn't match reality chapter 260 requires current information for a reason our Emergency Services deserve better than digital dead ends thank you thank you our next speaker 5.28 David David M next speaker 5.29 cruy good evening Council my name is kti Gandhi I'm a resident at bside tars and a mother of two wonderful boys tonight is the first time I'm speaking to you I came here because I can't stand my worries and concerns anymore in addressing the public safety crisis created by the absence of the required security at both of our buildings at bside TS I hope to find Swift support and help from my city Administration you must know that impact of these violations extend beyond our 30,000 residents to the Korean War Memorial which stands as a tribute to those who serve this country each night the memorial access should be secured by uniformed security personnel as required by the ordinance 07-13 instead the area has become a magnet for drug activity during hours when it should be secured we all have safety concerns not only have we been denied the contact information for our super in violation of 26-3 J as we've mentioned before to you multiple times but when there are emergencies response responders arrive to find no security Personnel to assist with the building access or guide them to emergencies children walking their dogs at night even with their parents are at risk given the activity in areas that should be closed to public elderly residents are afraid to be outside after 8:00 p.m. precisely when the area should be secured and safe for our community the human cost is significant over 50 Children living in our buildings numerously Elder and disabled residents over thousand residents at at risk I respectively I respectfully request the council to take two specific actions one direct Public Safety to document Memorial security violations and report findings to council within two weeks second require housing preservation or court compliance to coordinate with Public Safety on enforcement every day without enforcement means another day our children elderly neighbors and the Veterans Memorial remain unpr protected the required security isn't a luxury it's a vital Public Safety requirement being ignored thank you for your time to this urgent matter thank you our next speaker 530 Mark good evening city council it's nice to see you again but of course if the city would take action you wouldn't have to listen to me anymore we both win anyway I'm back on a theme I began some 11 months ago security of Portside Towers I'd like to thank each and every member of the council and the city's legal department for the ordinance passed in June that amended and clarified Jersey City Municipal Code 28-1 uniform security service for multiple dwellings but what has happened since then well 3 months ago I heard from the city's legal department that after talking to the city's business administrator the city Department responsible for enforcement of 2181 including uniform security service is the office of Code Compliance we had a few incidents recently the last one was 10 days ago late at night and it was a death threat from one of from the occupant of a car at the south end of Washington Street to one of our tenants there's a formal police report of this incident Washington Street supposed to be Chained and locked at 8:00 p.m. by port side security but we don't have the mandated uniform security to do this and thus the street is not chained as required by Jersey City law we need Joe Barrow director of Code Compliance to step up an enforce municipal code 2181 because Portside does not have the two mandated uniform security guards does not block the south end of Washington Street from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. as required by the ordinance and has no current exemptions from the security service rules in 28-1 please help us get the director of Code Compliance to step up then I can stop talking about this at council meeting after council meeting and we'll all have a little relief thank you our next speaker 5.31 Barbara good evening Council just made it here after my Spanish lesson and it's been a long day I'm tired I want to keep it short and simple tonight when I remind you that under njsa 469 a-36 this Council has both the power and duty to investigate systemic failures in ordinance enforcement law explicitly States you may investigate systemic non- enforcement review administrative decisions examine compliance processes investigate Public Safety impacts these just aren't just options they're core responsibilities under the fogner act and systemic non- enforcement creates Public Safety risks this Council has a duty to act and why does it matter because enforcement failures don't just violate individual ordinances they undermine the entire system of protections this Council has established we urge you to exercise your statutory Authority and investigate these systemic failures the tools exist The Authority exists the duty exists thank you our next speaker 5.32 Michelle you could please put down your phones I'd appreciate it tonight after hearing from our community I'm here to underscore something deceptively simple the legal requirement for building superintendence in Jersey City not rank control not certificates just the basic requirement that someone needs to be there when things go wrong on on August 7th I personally witnessed the consequences of this violation a fire broke out at Portside Towers caused by an equity management employee I should note and hundreds of residents faced a terrifying reality no superintendant we didn't know we don't know where he lives we didn't well he does not not there anymore we didn't have his apartment number we don't have his phone number no on-site emergency contact no one with knowledge of our Building Systems to coordinate with First Responders the law isn't complex here Jersey city ordinance 254-4565 4- 45 b28 explicitly mandates that the superintendent live on premises the requirements go further under 254-4237 Fire precious minutes were lost because there was no one with intimate knowledge to contact the super and make sure things were going as they should so council members after hearing multiple voices tonight on both building superintendence and security requirements I'm asking for four specific actions order an immediate inspection of both Towers issue violations for every Staffing breach both superintendent and security mandate each building have its own dedicated onsite superintendent and the required uniform security guard establish daily penalties until full compliance is achieved on both issues like Kevin said earlier tonight you have the power to silence Us by helping us you've heard compelling testimony about missing security guards and absent superintendence these issues are both ensuring basic safety requirements are met the next emergency isn't a question of wh if but when that fire was your warning shot these requirements exist because past tragedies taught us they save lives our next speaker 5.33 Phillip good evening my name is Phil Carrington I have an opening statement here to whom it may concern and this is in reference to a letter that was written to me uh the letter was a response to my request or question I made a an application to have a festival in July 2022 on Marther King Drive it was denied then I get a letter responding to that denial the letter say that the reason why you were denied to have a festival between Oak Street and Mar Luther K and Union is because Mar Luther K Drive is a busy bus route and we don't like to block a bus route additionally it's close proximately to Sydney's c um Center a home and that's what that's the two reasons black St is on true and the reason why I decided to read it on the Bring It On The Record here is because the Law Department more than once refer to that as facts so when the letter was written it can be categorized then as untrue or willfully false when the LA a lawyer stand up in front of a judge and say that that is a fact at that point I say they're lying or Liars why I say that here's the facts when they deny me in July 202 22 from H the festival in June 15 days earlier they have approved Rock the block for the same F kind the festival with a larger crowd 15 days earlier that was in June in August 2022 they approved Angie magnite Angie Kier to have a festival on Oak and Martin Luther King come on June is proof July this black man is disapproved August and he was proof it is just not true so I'm just kindly asking that person to retract that letter and if the Law Department dare to come back to court using that as fact I'm going to continue to call them a lying and Liars you can do what you want to do these just just the facts you cannot say anything other than that June you approve same Martin Luther King's D July you see you're not going to block it and then August they' been blocked several times after that it was block again in June 2023 it was block again in June 2024 but for 2022 from this black man who owns Six PR property on that same cannot use it but for other folks from rler block and whomever else something's wrong and so again the open letter to me concern please retract that letter good night our next speaker 5.34 Peter good evening counselors and attendees my name is Peter saser and unlike the David Wilson I'm probably the only one um I'm a systems engineer and I'm new to Jersey City my wife and I have recently been spending a lot more time here since the arrival of our first granddaughter de Destiny and we're now looking for a place of our own here in Ward e certainly you could say Destiny is the reason we're here in Jersey City and Destiny brings me here tonight as we stroller Destiny around downtown getting to know the city I've been impressed by the quaint row houses tightly gritted streets and treelined walks try city has everything density and enable 20,000 people per square mile walkability fine grain amenities commuter trains heavy Transit use and high active mode share 57% of commuters protected cycle Lanes though apparently we need at least one more um numerous work from home employees like me about 20% and high average incomes but we also have many cars so many poorly parked cars so many noisy cars and so many badly driven cars we very much desire for these streets to be safe for Destiny as she grows for her to walk or bike to school to wander and play with friends and to enjoy experiencing the town with her friend her parents today the streets are not safe enough and surely it's time past time really to do more we know it's hard for elected officials to balance expectations of various factions to make costly changes in concrete to calm or divert streets to and traffic to deliberately inconvenience some drivers and when needed to confront those who cause hazards but this is necessary to properly serve the majority who do not much drive by managing the minority who do what do we need to do we need to better daylight our neighborhood intersections so Walkers are visible we need to provide dedicated parking spaces for deliveries trades and ride shares so these do not fill the crosswalks and to charge adequately for parking privileges to manage demand and then to enforce the laws for such collectively we've got to make sound decisions and take meaningful actions to improve Street safety and I know these may be initially unpopular so those of us committed to saor streets need to Lobby our our fellow citizens and um our electeds and support you as you undertake this work I'm certainly willing to do so for those determined to drive universally there are literally thousands of cities and suburbs in the US that are committed to cars for the few places like Jersey City with infrastructure attributes to readily become a safely walkable home for those who do desire not to much drive we should be able to make it so this is the low car majority here already Let's help our city focus on our strengths and make the most of these rare but highly attractive merits thank you thank you our next speaker 5.35 El forer here next 5.36 beus time and for listening to us we're here for the he bike lane and I'm bringing messages from the letters that you've received maybe you haven't had a chance to see them all nego says I will appeal on a more personal level as a resident of Franklin Street I'm not a cyclist my main form of moving around is by car however as much as I can I try to avoid driving around town and relay re rely on walking or public transportation the Manhattan Franklin bike lane projects the first protected bike lane in the Heights seemed to be the start of building a network that would provide a different way to reach downtown or perhaps Journal Square it probably wouldn't translate to a sudden influx of bike commuters since it's just a small distance but it would have planted the seeds for better connectivity with the other neighborhoods after all you have to start somewhere putting the biking infrastructure aside side as a resident directly on the street the new one-way Arrangement and narro translated in a stretch much safer and quiet than what it is now driving around was also not an issue as there are plenty of side streets to choose from once more I urge the council and City to not squander this opportunity and make some meaningful change for the betterment of residents Emily says as a constituent resident around the corner from Franklin Avenue and mom to a toddler who would like to attend ps8 one day I'm writing to urge you to permanently implement the Manhattan Avenue and Franklin Street project as a public health professional at Columbia University we must invest in safe active transport routes for our health and for the health of our planet Brian shared as a constituent father and individual that loved my son utilizing the temporary bike lane I'm writing to urge you to permanently implement the Manhattan and avenue street demonstration before the impending expiration of the grant money Erin says I want to further add my voice to the conversation and say that I'm a pedestrian on Central Avenue and Manhattan avue every single day and I have never felt more safe at the intersection than when the 30-day bike Lane pilot was running it improves our community immensely and I hope you do the necessary work to save the Grant and implement the bike Lanes Hannah says I have lived in Jersey City for a few years small potatoes in the grand scheme of things but each year my love for this city and its vibrant diverse culture has only deepened my biggest draw has been the ability to explore without a car and although I'm not an avid biker I was so excited to buy my first bike since College in order to continue exploring this amazing City I never City biked in New York beyond the Riverside Park because I was terrified of being hit by a car since 2020 three close friends and family members have been critically injured by cars making illegal turns while they were on a bike or walking crosswalk so far Jersey city has proved highly accessible for getting around by bike whether to get the only doctor's appointment my insurance would cover thank you our next speaker 5.37 Colin good evening Council two months ago a video by the New Jersey State Association of chiefs of police address the purposeful reduction of traffic enforcement at the height of the covid pandemic and the tragic loss of life that resulted from it if you don't mind please listen uh to those words directly Rel Tois behaviors resulted in more serious crashes throughout New Jersey in 2020 that's not me saying it that's our own police around the state 3 months ago 29-year-old TJ Alva left his fiance's home on an electric Kick Scooter to get coffee he never came home he was killed by an NJ Transit bus that ran a red light we will commemorate him and others we have lost lost the traffic crashes this Sunday during World day of remembrance for traffic victims while the department of infrastructure has done great work redesigning streets for safety that is not enough and it takes time just look at how long it's taking to get one block of protected bike lane in the Heights we have a culture of lawlessness and unaccountability on our streets people do not feel safe outside of their cars in our community local businesses suffer when neighbors don't feel safe on the street we need traffic enforcement now if you were throwing your hands excuse me if you were throwing your hands up and going look Colin I'm trying to help out but Public Safety is not returning my CS you're not doing enough it's past time for you to take action New Jersey law states the council May remove department heads for cause after hearing that's directly quoted from the law you have the power council do your part to save lives and use that power to protect us thank you our next speaker 5.38 Ivonne Ivon here next speaker 5.39 I don't see Jermaine next speaker 5.40 Jean no next speaker 5.41 Norm yes good evening pop back here we go um good evening council members Wheels spinning gears clicking bells ringing I'm not going to compete with the poet laureate don't worry um uh but I do want you to raise your hand anyone here too raise your hand if you care about your fellow neighbors friends families and fellow Jersey Jersey City residents okay we're on the same page and that's a good place to start I want to make three points tonight number one regarding and this is all in regards to the Manhattan Avenue and Franklin Street by Lan begin with the end in mind your constituents and families and neighbors they really deserve the best absolutely the best they deserve access to the best parts of the city they deserve access to Liberty State Park and they deserve access to the Essex Hudson Greenway which will span from Jersey City all the way to Monclair yes realistically it's 10 to 15 years away I don't know if any of you heard about the njde um Greenway open house that they had in New York last night but their plans are deeply impressive you also care about the the health outcomes of your constituents you know that Jersey City is defined by njde as an OBC an overburdened Community certainly in Bloomfield where I live there are places in a lot of Bloomfield is also defined as an overburdened community so begin with the end in mind wheel spinning gears clicking bells ringing built for the future because this bike lane $670,000 is a drop in the bucket but it will provide access for your economy and your visitors let's keep in mind what's coming up in 2026 the FIFA World Cup and regionally communities are planning for that this be a part of it I know that I read news about City bike expanding to the South um and and in southern Jersey City Greenville really building up their stations this bike lane needs to be a part of that and finally utilize this funding don't leave this money on the table because Jersey City your residents your constituents everyone in this room can benefit from that deep investment in your city's future in your constituency's future thank thank you our next speaker 5.42 Claire um I want to start off by saying that I have lived in Jersey City my entire life I'm a proud McNair academic graduate um and I can't imagine any other place really being my home um I've never spoken at a meeting before but I'm here tonight because it's become clear to me that the city council believes that it's an exaggeration when pedestrians and cyclists come here and say that they feel unsafe on their streets just look at the proposed protected bike lane in the Heights hundreds of heights residents have signed their pledge to support it because it will increase our neighborhood safety and yet we have no bike lane uh this means that when I travel either on foot or bike from my home to the Western Slope I can't just enjoy my neighborhood I'm on knowing that every intersection I encounter there might be drivers who are putting my life in danger I personally identify as a confident and experienced cyclist and Walker um and even I hesitate to take to our streets I've ridden my bike down Summit Avenue at 20 M hour and been passed within inches and yelled at for being on the road uh I've been in the middle of a crosswalk along Central and had drivers going so fast that they had to Swerve into the opposing Lane to avoid r running me over um I've been on crutches multiple times and had to make my way around illegally parked cars which are blocking curb cuts on pal Estate Avenue um this is the status quo and what myself and clearly many many other Jersey City residents deal with every single day we are stuck in a habit of disregarding systemic dangerous behaviors whether it be driving over the speed limit on Kennedy or running red lights on nework I understand that traffic crime is difficult to handle it happens often instantaneously and I guarantee almost everyone here has been a culprit of it but to me that's no excuse for not tackling it we need tangible traffic enforcement measures that keep all of our road users safe if you claim to be for the people be for the people not just for the cars that they drive thank you thank you our next speaker 5.43 Tony thank you Tony burelli a Jersey City resident for 27 years literally in the shadow of Dickinson High School vice president of bike JC and I'm here to support the already funded protected bike lane proposal on Manhattan and Franklin but you knew that months ago right here I addressed this body and I said that the loved ones of people slaughtered on our streets have repeatedly told me usually on world day of remembrance for victims of traffic violence every November they've repeatedly told me never to stop fighting for proven safety measures that can prevent the deaths of more people in the way their loved ones were killed including protected by CL and I told you we'd never stop fighting because it's the right thing to do but also because we've promised these people that we never would now world day of remembrance as you uh may hear more about is happening this Sunday again starting at 11:00 a.m. at Westside near Stevens the site of the last fatal crash I invite all of you to attend some of the still grieving loved ones may also if not we know how to reach them and in case you would like to talk with them now I've heard and read members of this body say that their constituents are Furious and fed up with the proliferation of bike Lanes in the city and the proposal on Manhattan in Franklin I think it might be useful if any of you who oppose this project were to meet these grief stricken people face to face either Sunday or at some other communion time and explain to them why you believe that any concerns of your constituents justify blocking measures proven resoundingly around the world to prevent the kind of deaths they are still mourning why the fury of a delayed driver should somehow morally balance out the fury of people whose loved ones have had their lives truly destroyed hope to see you Sunday thank you our next speaker 5.44 Karen yes good evening Karen Nelson um every day I feel like I risk my life just leaving my front door uh a great example unfortunately was tonight I was uh riding my bike down Central Avenue to come here and as a car is parking on the opposing side of traffic a car cuts in front of them and I have uh headlights right in front of my face it just so happened I believe that the car was pulling into the precin parking and told me hey relax you're fine education needs to occur six years ago I had a fractured skull and a broken hand because of a bike accident I don't want it to happen again I want people to take it serious that we are cyclists we're drivers we're Walkers I'm not saying get rid of cars I own a car but we need to educate people that everybody has the right to live in this city um streets of interest to me that are a major concern Patterson plank Manhattan Central lav Summit JFK I live in the Heights on the Western Slope I have no safe way to get to work there's no bike lane that continues I know that we're trying and there's some Visions downtown that we can see but I go to a bike lane and it stops IT dumps me on to 13 n that's crazy right am I supposed to take the sidewalk to be safe to upset pedest the speed limit is 25 M an hour and every day I get yelled at and honked because I am going to work just like everybody else is I am also an educator and every day I spend time telling people and showing them the right way to do things and try to make them better participants into our society we need more to be done people may oppose it but I would argue every day we need enforcement and we need education some of the issues are cars that are not properly licensed in New Jersey it states that you have to have two license plates I see paper license plates I see fake license plates I see fronts that do not go with the car this needs to be inforced I think we need to take all these little baby steps to make my life safe and to make everybody else's life safe our next speaker 5.45 John hi name's John tanu and I live in Jersey City on a street with bike Lanes thank you counselor Solomon and I walk in my community I walk I bike I take transit and yes I drive I every once in a while I own a car and I do drive my car and I think we should even be having this conversation this debate at city council about putting a bike lane on one Street in Jersey City bike lanes are just a normal part of having a complete City just like having sidewalks just like having traffic lights and crosswalks and speed bumps they're a completely non- exciting part of of our normal infrastructure and the reason for that is because they just create safer streets for everyone they calm traffic they make it better and easier for people of all ages and abilities from Seniors going out to get their groceries to little kids going to school to go out for a walk make it safer for cars and for drivers to get around they calm the street and they make it a more normal place and this year I was very fortunate to be able to travel extensively uh through large parts of Europe I went and visited sevil and Granada in Spain where I saw what they've done in the last 10 20 years to make their street safer they've got bike Lanes everywhere a connected bike Network that stretches the across the entire city and they've won Global accolades I bike through that City and it actually felt really safe and so did it to walk and to drive through those City I went to pno and palmo in Sicily places that uh we have large community here in in um in America in New Jersey who came from there and they've come back and um and brought some of the ideas around building safer streets safer cities to those places and in the last few years they've gone out and built connected bike networks in pmo and paderno in Sicily in my birth country in Romania I was fortunate to to go there and I saw how those cities in a culture that was previously obsessed with cars very dangerous some of the highest death rates from Auto traffic anywhere in in Europe they've started putting in bike lanes and traffic calming there too people around the world are waking up around what it takes to make her City safer finally I was fortunate to travel to London to Paris real world-class cities like ours diverse global economic engines for their areas and they're so far ahead of where we are those are the kind of uh examples that we should be using here in Jersey City as what good looks like back to Jersey City thank you for building a protected bicycle Network downtown it's now time to extend it out to the rest of Jersey City thank you our next speaker 5.46 Patrick good evening um my name is Patrick conin um nice to see you all again haven't seen you in a while um I had the distinct honor and pleasure of serving as bike JC's president for a number of years and what's happening now reminds me of what we did years ago when we put together the campaign for Grand Street which we called the Grand Street vision and we passed that and we got our first protected bike lane on Grand Street and it's made a world of difference and other streets in downtown have added to that Network and it's grown and it's grown and it's better every time I come back here and ride my bike around I find another new bike L and it's exciting it's great and it feels safer and safer but like the gentleman said before me it seems like it's stuck downtown and I come up Newark Avenue up beside Dickinson High School I guess to the top of the hill on a really nice protected bike lane up the hill that we didn't have when I lived here and I get to the top of the hill and there's nothing it's like you just get dumped out into nothing land and nothing is safe in The Heights and this project is a great first step towards making the heights a safer place a bike and I'd really like to see it supported so i' encourage you to do that thank you very much and our last speaker 5.47 5.47 Aya good evening Aya Shermer president of bike JC and I just want to say what an honor it is to have my predecessor Patrick Conlin here tonight to speak before me I'd like to ask that all council members sitting before me tonight pause and think back to why you decided to run for public office here in Jersey City I'm sure there are many reasons for each of you but I'm willing to bet that Chief among them are a be responsible stewards of public funds and B protect the health safety and wellness of Jersey City residents if that Rings true then I have some great news there's a way to easily accomplish both of these essential duties and that is by swiftly moving forward with the Manhattan and Franklin Street Bike lanes that are fully funded were successfully piloted and have Garner garnered immense Community Support we received word earlier this week that njdot has agreed to extend the city's expiring grant funding for this project by six months which is fantastic news but now the clock is officially ticking there is no time to go back to the drawing board on this and overstudy endless alternatives to death the grant funding is use it or lose it and this particular grant program stipulates that the funding must be used to build new miles of protected bike lanes that are physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic that is it nothing else is eligible so we must build what our award-winning infrastructure department has already designed and tested or we lose the money which would be an unacceptable dereliction of your core duties mentioned earlier relatedly as others have mentioned I would like to remind you that this Sunday today is world day of remembrance an annual Global event to remember the many millions who have been killed and seriously injured on our roads and to acknowledge the suffering and of all affected victims families and communities I hope all of you will join our local ceremonies that you were each invited to there were already four fatalities on Jersey city streets through September of this year and several more since each one represents a distinct failure of this Council to protect its constituents there are already several memorials in the Heights to honor residents who perished on our streets there Peggy mcari Damen Batista Alexander Flores and elel yenz just to name a few I sure as heck do not want to build another Memorial in the Heights or anywhere protected bike lades make roads safer for all users and the heights currently has zero build these needed Lanes to protect residents health and safety and ensure that we don't lose anyone else in this horrific and totally preventable way lastly I'd like to offer my full support for the other calls for robust traffic enforcement yet again this is a critical way to protect your constituents health and safety and each day without it empowers more lawlessness on our streets thank you and I hope to see you all Sunday hey that concludes our public speaking portion of the meeting uh council person SLE would make a few statements uh thank you uh L and thank you to everyone that's spoken I care for all of you and your lives and the lives that have been lost and the lives that we will lose if we don't protect all cyclist pedestrians from you know vehicle violence it's not that I don't like cars okay I think that there should be a plethora of options out there for people that don't have cars and I just want you to know that I'm not im an immovable like object or I'm just sitting here listening usually I don't speak cuz I'm listening to you um and maybe I haven't been clear in my communications CU I might communicate to one person or another person and it you know maybe the the links aren't connecting here um as you know the engineering department requested the six-month extension from the NJ doot which was accepted right now we are waiting for the NJ doot to come back with the approval for the the engineers gave several permutations um adaptations to what the bike lane was based off of the feedback from the pilot I have not seen what what those permutations or what those adaptations will look like I have not consulted with the engineers in terms of what they look like I haven't seen it so as soon as I find out you will all find out as well I'm not trying to hide the ball I'm trying to be very matter of fact empirical transparent about everything that happens I have not delayed this project in fact if anything I I staked a lot on the line to to make sure that the bike lane master plan and the pilot does happen and I have been an ally throughout all of this I am going to commit to going to our state senators to finding out where the NJ doot is in terms of approval of the permutations of these plans I am not going to I have not rep prioritized the bike lane I am I'm in favor of having another community meeting once those plans come back as we did with the original data and feedback that we got and I think what happened there was very beautiful because a lot of you got to interact with other residents we had breakout sessions and I I felt that there was a lot of movement in terms of people that were traditionally against bike lanes that came out and they spoke one-on-one with other people who use bikes who use cars who use scooters who walk they were able to hear something outside of their own experiential base I believe that bikes should be protected and I'm committed to having a bike lane in the Heights okay and connecting it to the rest of Jersey City because it doesn't make sense yes it doesn't make sense to me that you know downtown is siloed out or we have different silos like in other Wards we need to connect them all or else it doesn't make like 139 should have a bike lane this is you know there's enough space to to have something protected there that's the state and that's something I'm also committed to pushing there needs to be one hyperloop across the whole city and I'm committed to working with the community with the council with all of you I don't want to see any of you get hurt I have personal connection to many of you and I'm committed to doing the work I'm not delaying anything I'm not trying to stop anything I'm in in fact trying to push so we get to the next step so whatever criticisms there were of the pilot that they're addressed and we come back with a refined plan and that is my feedback I hope that you know that clarifies things for you all I'm not in opposition to ban I'm in favor of us offering other modes of trans Transportation someone told me Mountain Road the other day like making that a bike lane um up Franklin through Manhattan I want to get this I want to get this done I want to have the community meeting as soon as njt do comes back I'll bring it to you okay that you and the people and everyone and we'll have that meeting and you guys have the breakout sessions and we talk and we that's what we need to do as a community and I know we can get it done if that if that's the way we we're operating from I'm not going to like shove it down people's throats I think you guys are the most effective when you're talking to your fellow like Neighbors when you're in the in the Heights and you had the breakout session I felt like people definitely were moved I had old school people come after after the bike lane uh community meeting and they came to me and they said hey like actually you know I spoke with my neighbor and I I changed my mind these are like old school born raised and I was like you know I I had um an epiphany moment I said we need we need more of these discussions so it's not just me but I think we we work to together towards that common goal and I'm committed to walking there and biking there with you okay uh and with that I'll return it back to Shaunie G all right on to our agenda any questions or comments on petitions in Communications 6.1 through 6.58 there are no officer Communications any questions or comments on reporter directors 8.1 through 8.2 hearing none going right on to our claims and addendum number one 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 hi council person Solomon hi council person more voted I earlier council person Dees council person Rivera voted I earlier and council president wman claims and addendum number one are approved unanimously 90 on to our resolutions I'm going to be taking a vote on items 10.1 through 10.14 with the exception of 10.3 which has been withdrawn council person Ridley I council person Prince AR council person Bano council person SLE I council person Solomon I council person Gilmore voted I earlier council person Dees council person Riva voted I early and council president wman items 10.1 through 10.14 with the exception of 10.3 which has been withdrawn are approved unanimously 90 on to our next set of resolutions items 10.15 through 10.25 John 10.15 either it should be tabled or amended tonight to include Wards a b and c in Ward C we have the Community College we have the Pats side building and yet they've excluded us and infrastructure can go back to the to to this project and add additional money if people are concerned about adding WS a b and c but I think this should be uh either tabled or issues added to this tonight and I find it objectionable once again to see three Wards eliminated in this project we have the buildings pathside we have the Community College we have 701 Nork Avenue and uh they don't even include Ward C or Ward b or w a so as somebody that worked on this with the administration I totally understand and other Wards uh wanting to make sure that they're included and I think we discussed it at caucus and that is the intent and if there is other unused City uh property in those Wards we need to get those uh list of properties or spaces to the ba so that we can entertain that I think he's already said that he would entertain that but furthermore um I'm the council person for w day right so clearly my um initial objective was to make sure that we're taking care of the kids and the residents in my ward now it would have been easy for me to say oh well you know if you add w e or w d this is going to slow this down I'm not responsible for them that wasn't my response because it's not about our egos it's about getting as much as we can for all the residents that live here especially our kids when we can right so yes my priority has to be w a but I've lived here all my life so every kid in this city is important to me and so we add these three spaces and these are the three spaces that we decided to start with that doesn't exclude the other three Wards we still need to look at those other three Wards and there needs to be uh additional phases and just like uh the councilman said there is some space that he's named in word c so I do ask that we look into that but I'm not in favor of holding anything up just to to satisfy that at this point I think if we have three spaces for our kids throughout the city then we need to move forward and do what's best for the children all right so council members are going to be taking vote on items 10.15 through 10.25 council person Ridley uh on 105 I've already said a lot but I just want to thank the uh Administration for helping to move this along quickly and you know as I stated let's make sure that we are moving towards getting one of these projects in every Ward and with that I will eye on all council person so just briefly on on 105 I I think this is a good first step in realizing a goal that all Council people share which is to have these spaces across the entire city to service all of our residents as a ward that was not represented initially on this list I do understand that I have some of the fewest publicly owned buildings but we'll be working with the administration and the council to make sure that at least some of the money carved out if not for shet to what it would look like at least thinking about where we have space so with that I for all council person Bano I vote no on 1015 and I hope the people of W A B and C realize they're getting screwed and once again uh city is doing something that is absolutely incorrect I vote I and the rest council person s vote I for all and just say that every child is our child in the city of Jersey City and while this is the first wave I'm committed as a council person even though I represent w d I'm committed to making sure Ward B and C and uh a and F sorry F get their get a Rec Center as well um so it's not US versus them if that if that was the case we wouldn't get anything done right like we're all here to help everyone and um I appreciate that I was part of the initial wave um and I'm committed to making sure Wards B C and F are part of the next wave as well and that we identify locations and we take substantial steps towards that that I vote I thank you council person Solomon I vote I for all council person Gilmore voted I earlier council person Dees Ian all council person Riva voted I earlier and council president Waterman I I vote I on all but I'm glad to see 10.15 come to pass um so of and you know since I'm one of the oldest one on this Council um based on the way the funding come in sometime that's how you allocate to certain Wards and so I'm confident that the other Wards will definitely receive some type of recreation center for the children I don't want people to think that we forgetting one Ward versus another sometime it's how the funding come in councilwoman um ritley she was advocating for it her park is really under construction um there's a lot going on in her Ward that's not complete so uh as the funding come in I'm confident that the other Wards will be taken care of with recreational sites I'm I'm confident that it's just how funding come in and what's you know priority at that time but all the children whether whatever Ward you live in you always can come out of the ward and go into another Ward to use the site it's not restricted just to one day I vote I thank you you item 10.15 is approved 81 with council person Bano voting no and items 10.16 through 25 are approved unanimously 90 and for the balance of our resolutions items 10.26 through 10.31 council person Ridley I for all council person priner Hi for all council person Bano council person SLE I for all council person Solomon right council person Gilmore voted I for with the exception of 10.26 he voted to abstain council person thees I on all council person Riva voted I on all and council person um council president wman okay item 10.26 is approved 801 with council person Gilmore abstaining and items 10 27 through 10.31 are approved unanimously 90 and for our magic motion to adjourn at 9:26 motion motion was made by council person Cay seconded by council president Waterman on the motion to adjourn at 9:26 pm. all council members present by acclamation please say I I we are out of here at 9:26 p.m. thank you so much everyone present and everyone watching at home remember teamwork M the DreamWork stay safe and have a great night