##VIDEO ID:1kq7Ufy1fmo## welcome to the township council meeting Monday September 9th 2024 this meeting is now called to order please all rise to suit to the flag PL ALG to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Madame clerk at this time please read the statement of public notice take notice that adequate notice of this meeting has been provided in accordance with njs 10 col 4-8 and njsa 10 4-10 as follows a notice of the meeting was primally posted on the Bolton board at the municipal building building located at 225 Main Street Little Falls New Jersey on January 4th 2024 a copy of the notice was sent to the north Jersey Harold new and news and the record on that same date additionally a copy of the notice was filled in the office of the Township Clerk on said date a link and a telephone number to join the meeting virtually can be accessed on our Township website at www.j.com electronic Provisions have been established for the public to participate during the public comment portion of the meeting thank you at this time please call the RO council member Patel pres council member Murphy pres council member habetz council member V Sherry pres council president scoa pres mayor danam Anam thank you council president this evening to kick off the night before we get into our master plan presentation and our proclamations we have an individual who has been instrumental in assisting our EMS program here in town who is being promoted to crew chief as a result of a former crew chief uh resigning for employment in another town in another capacity entirely uh as an inspector uh we wish her well and at this time we invite up to the front of the room EMT philp wil so that he can be sworn in as our EMT Crew Chief and receive his Insignia and I'm gonna ask our other EMT crew chief Miss Greco to join us up here for this raise your right hand I Philip will hi do solemnly swear do solemly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and that I will bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same say and to the governments established in the United States and to the governments established in the United States and in this state and in the state under the authority of the people the authority of the people so help me go so help I be further Sol swear I fur swear that I will impartially I will impartially and justly and justly perform all of the duties perform all of the duties of emsie according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me go so help congratulations thank sir sign right here and I'll present you with your Insignia to be warn with your uniform congratulations thank you thank [Music] happy thank you this time we're going to be calling up our Township planner we have three proclamations that go ahead of the plan this even that's okay go ahead mayor thank you coun president the very first Proclamation we have this evening is our National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Proclamation and it reads whereas September is known around the United States as National Suicide Prevention awareness month and is intended to help promote awareness surrounding each of the suicide prevention resources available to us and our community and whereas Suicidal Thoughts can affect anyone regardless of age gender race orientation income level religion or background and whereas according to the CDC each year more than 41,000 people die by Suicide and whereas suicide is the tenth leading cause of death among adults in the US and second leading cause of death among people age 10 to 24 and whereas every member of our community should understand that throughout life struggles we all need the occasional reminder that we are all silently fighting our own battles and whereas I encourage all residents to take the time to inquire as to the well-being of their family friends and neighbors to genuinely convey their appreciation for them which may go a long way in helping someone realize that suicide is not the answer and now therefore be it resolved that I mayor James Belford Damiano on behalf of the Little Falls Township council do hereby proclaim the month of September 20124 as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in the township of Little Falls and up next this evening we have a second Proclamation recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month and it reads whereas Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the rich cultural traditions and honor the significant achievements of our Hispanic and Latino American communities and whereas Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority group in the country and make valuable contributions to the Commonwealth and business industry government education The Sciences arts and faith and whereas Hispanic and Latino Americans have made enormous contri contributions to our diverse Society by sharing their talents culture traditions and their deep connection to family values and the commitment to Faith and a desire to live the American dream and whereas we honor Hispanic Americans and their many contributions with strengthen our society as a whole now therefore be it resolved that I mayor James bord Damiano on behalf of the Little Falls Township council do hereby Proclaim September 15th through October 15 2024 as Hispanic heritage month in the township of little fs and last but not least this evening we have a Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Proclamation and in honor of reading this I'm going to ask cor to join me here in the front of the room whose nephew Liam as many of us know here in littlefalls passed away about a year ago and we remember him and everything and all of the joy that Liam brought to all of us in this community as we read this Proclamation and it reads whereas Childhood Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease children and one in 285 children in the United States will be diagnosed by their 20th birthday and whereas 46 children per day or 16790 children per year are diagnosed with cancer in the US and there are approximately 40,000 children on active treatment at any given time and whereas the average age of diagnosis is 6 years old compared to 66 years old for adults cancer diagnosis and 80% of Childhood cancer patients are diagnosed late and with medic itic disease and whereas on average there have been a 6% increase in the incidences per year since the mid 1970s resulting in an overall incident increase of 24% over the last 40 years and whereas two-thirds of Childhood cancer patients will have chronic health conditions as a result of their treatment toxicity with one quarter being classified as severe to life-threaten and whereas approximately one half of Childhood Cancer families rate the associated Financial toxicity due to out-of-pocket expenses as considerable to to severe and in the last 20 years only four new drugs have been approved by the FBA FDA to specifically treat Childhood Cancer and whereas the National Cancer Institute recognizes the unique research needs of Childhood Cancer and the associated needs of increased funding to carry out this and hundred hundreds of nonprofit organizations at the local and National level including the American Childhood Cancer organization and helping children with cancer and their families cope through educational emotional and financial support and whereas researchers and Health Care Professionals work diligently dedicating their expertise to treat and cure children with cancer and whereas too many children are affected by this deadly disease and more must be done to raise the awareness and find a cure and now therefore be it resolved that I mayor James belr Damiana on behalf of the Little Falls Township council do hereby proclaim the month of September 202 4 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the township of Little Falls cor thanks for being here Cor good okay at this time we're going to have our master plan presentation this plan has been worked on for quite a lengthy long time our presenter Sam is going to go through the program and we'll take some questions after the presentation thank president good evening my name is sanan and I'm the township planner so um we have the presentation if we could get that started please thank you so this draft master plan um it's been a yearlong process and before we begin I'd like to give uh next slide please um I would like to give an overview of what is a master plan um so the master plan is a guiding document for multidisciplinary planning and uh the in the state of New Jersey the municipal land use law provides stipulations regarding how the master planning process is conducted uh by law it must be updated every 10 years and and the last time a comprehensive plan was prepared for in Little Falls was in 2002 but it was reexamined um in 2008 2013 2021 and last year where it was recognized that there was a need for a comprehensive master plan um as for the municipal land use law goals and objectives and land use are mandatory and the rest are optional but given the different um I would say the inter relationship between us different different elements it was essential to prepare five out of the 13 elements that are um that are stipulated as for the municipal land use law so we we have the mandatory land use plan element circulation plan element Economic Development sustainability and open space element um the land use plan element and the housing plan which was prepared um as per the third round um requirements are the two which provide a policy framework for adoption um as for the land use law the master plan is adopted by the planning board um but based on the recommendations um it provides a policy framework where the governing body May adopt ordinances um next slide please so um as I mentioned earlier it has been a a little over a year actually uh but a let's say a yearlong pro um process and we've had regular meetings so we first had a subcomittee meeting which had members of the um Township staff uh we had our prior administrator our current administrator James Di Maria uh who's a part of the subcommittee we also had representation from the planning board where we had our board chair our board attorney a part of the subcommittee as well as the mayor and uh the council president so um we've had uh we used to have regular uh subcommittee meetings where we dis um discuss this vet out um different um uh data uh we uh conducted an online survey because it was very essential to get public input so we had an online survey we conducted three Community uh workshops uh the first Workshop was in actually end of September 2023 the second one uh followed uh a month later and the final one was end of November December we also conducted interviews with the different department heads and uh Consultants to get their input and um there were working sessions with the master plan subcommittee where we discuss the different elements and then finally here we are at the D draft plan review session uh we met with the planning board on uh last Thursday and this is the second draft review with you the township Council next slide please so as I mentioned um earlier we had a community engagement public participation um we had this public input. comom website where we had an online survey and um I have included everything in the appendices but just to to give you a brief overview of this um you know 63% people thought resiliency was very important quality of public education was the next important thing people Express concerns about traffic and congestion um and condition of parks and recreational facilities and um people felt it was important to revitalize the downtown uh which is very similar to our own analysis but it's nice to hear that uh feedback as well next slide please so this these there were 420 survey participants there were 26,000 responses comments and um we also tried to uh ascertain who was responding so 93% were residents 3% of the population owned a business but lived in the township as well while the remaining 4% of the respondents were in the other um category so we ask next slide please so we asked people why Little Falls so 38% said they found a home they liked um the next 37% said they have been living in the township for more than 20 years uh some said it's close to family and friends character of community quality of life next slide please so in any Master planning process we examine how the population has changed so demographic an analysis is very important and we looked at you know because Montclair State is a part of um is within the jurisdiction so um it was important to also look at the H cohort um so the population shows a gradual increase um very expected during the 50s and 60s postor War Baby Boomers um and then it fell down a little during the 70s and 8s to uh gradually increase we also looked more during the pandemic time the past 13 years and you can see that St you know uh steep uh decrease which can be obviously attributed to the students who moved out and uh we also looked at the forecast of population and uh the regional uh planning organization the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority forecast the population to increase to about 16,600 in 2050 which is like keeping up with the past like a very gradual increase uh next slide please it's as I mentioned uh to you before that H Cort is very important um you know because not just the number of people but you also need to know what the characteristic is and typically mimicking the the country it is a reverse pyramid where it is an aging population so we also looked at Generations um what's in the silent generation that's 80 plus the Baby Boomers that are eight in gen xers like myself are also aging so we tried to look at all of that and found that uh 27% of the population belong to the Gen z um which again can be attributed to the students living in the town 24% are gen xers age 45 to 59 24% are Baby Boomers and uh only 19% were Millennials which is typically lower than the rest of the country um and there's a a small percentage 3% about 80 which is the silent generation and um equally smaller percent under the age of five so as you can see from the graph it's an aging population we also looked at the racial composition and income um and found it somewhat diverse but majority 78.9% um identified belonging to um being uh racially being white with others belonging to um one or more races um and we also looked at the income and as you all know it's um higher than the median income at a county level and state level as well uh next slide please so as I mentioned in a master plan goals and objectives are extremely important and um the land use so we have goals and objectives for each each plan element and the land use plan element uh set forth major goals with uh objectives which are described in detail on page 33 of this plan but um you have neighborhoods established neighborhoods and those need to be maintained preserved and enhanced um it's equally important to create an attractive environment that encourages positive ratables and enhances the quality of life as you'll see as we move along this presentation of what is the land use composition in in this Township then to build upon existing efforts to promote Transit oriented development in appropriate areas of the town the town is blessed you have three B major bus routes have a train station um to expand opportunities uh for mix development along business corridors um to continue to ensure that zoning uh districts and Ord um uh districts and regulations and land uses aligned with the Township's goals and to promote measures that allow the township to be more resilient and uh be able to lessen potential damage from current and Future Extreme weather events now these goals were developed based upon the review of the prior planning documents the existing condition analysis and the public input in fact they they were vetted with the master plan sub committee but also vetted at the third uh Community Workshop uh in December next slide please so I write land use issues and I don't mean issues in a negative connotation but more about the existing conditions in the township and um you know so some of the things that were identified during the master planning process was right revitalizing the New York Pon Corridor re development to promote economic development of revitalizing the downtown um in the downtown a lot of residents responded that there are relatively limited types of commercial uses so whatever you could do to have a more diverse um blend of businesses um is also um contributes to the economic health of a municipality um one of the things we also noticed and um the planning board is well aware of this because we have so many applications there was this need to amend zoning boundaries to better reflect existing um uh existing uses and to uh eliminate split zoning um and as you all know there are flood Hazard areas along the Pake and the pecman so um again these are just a few of them but these are again as I mentioned um they were based upon the input obtained from various Township staff cons consultants and the different public me uh engagement mechanisms that we adopted and of course our own analysis uh we've been your planner for over for a very long time so have that institutional knowledge about this Township next slide please so as I mentioned um as for our property data 72.4% um is residential property we've examined the residential property and um some of the things ID we identified was the need to rezone some Residential Properties that are in the B1 zone or I Zone that would better suited uh based on the characteristics um and to amend zoning boundaries excuse me to follow property lines and eliminate spit Zone blots next slide please so we also asked the in our survey what are the future housing types and um 83% said single family uh there was a in 43% expressed more of senior housing 57% expressed um tow houses and I would also remind everyone that the multif family housing that has been created Mo um mostly it is based on the state's affordable housing mandates that we need to comply with so that's also important to um uh keep in the back of your mind um next slide please we also looked at the commercial and business district and 16% of other acreage as so the New Jersey uh land use mapping has this um land uses identified is from 2015 it's it's not we compar that with the data um property tax data and you know mon dat is identified as commercial but we know it's not it's institutional so it's important to look at the data holistically um and some of the things uh some of the things that we noted was that um to review and Revise Code to allow for popular and modern uses like for example the current zoning permits uh cell phone exchange which is an obsolete use um it's also important to update the zoning code to allow for medical uses and um uh another thing Route 46 Corridor it's important to have uses that reflect the Modern Age of uses along Highway commercial zones to revise and uh to review and revise quotes to revitalize commercial corridors along Main Street and route 23 nework p uh pton Turnpike next slide please climate change vulnerability assessment is um extremely important um this is mandated uh the governor passed a bill in February 2021 requiring every land use plan to have an extensive study of climate change and vulnerability um every county has a hazard mitigation plan which served as a foundation for us to do our analysis and and some of the main vulnerability issues and recommendations and it's I'm sure you all are familiar with was nothing nothing no big surprises here but I just want to quickly um talk about the main highlights one of it was to work with P County and neighboring municipalities to stabilize the river beds along the pekman to continue upgrading the water Distributing piping system to work on mitigation measures to limit the chance of blood damage to the uh Township rec center and DPW facility to ensure that critical facilities have backup generators and to develop a debris management plan next slide please so based on all these analysis um we developed um key uh recommendations these are the key recommendations everything is given in detail in the actual master plan recommendation section um but um first was to review existing land use patterns and their compatibility with the zoning map and to make zoning boundary changes so this is one of the many um and we uh put that under different categories General residential so that way it's a very we tried to organize it um as as clearly as possible and these recommendations are the ones that really give the foundation for any potential uh ordinance changes um so so uh we also put forth recommendations to update zoning port to remove outdated uses and create definitions for popular commercial uses to amend and clarify sign Lang uh not sign language I'm sorry sign regulations uh to evaluate the potential to permit mixed use development along nework p and Turn Pike and this uh recommendation came based on the numerous use friend applications um and that in land use planning is a sign that your existing zoning is not functioning or working um to amend bulk uh requirements to Spore growth and economic development in the downtown area and to mitigate flood Hazard and any natural hazards by implementing infrastructure projects so next slide please so circulation so um in in in the world of land use planning and master planning um land use and circulation go hand in hand um land uses um bring with them different levels of traffic and parking requirements and vice versa so it's important to study circulation as well and these are the few major goals with numerous um numerous um objectives um but they are first to provide a safe and efficient transportation system to encourage multimodal Mobility so all modes Beyond just par um third is to enhance connections to key locations throughout the township next slide please so um I I have this highlighted but it's described in great detail in in the actual document but uh how little false travels so in that we analyze basically the different modes of transportation um the roadway jurisdiction uh we looked at the data what is the preferred uh choice of um travel for the township residents we looked at the public transportation we looked at the functional uh classification of the rules and all of this requirement is again as for the municipal land use law um we also looked at traffic um circulation where we studied issues of congestion ident ified uh Focus inter um intersections which is not very diff I don't think it's anything new here because I'm sure all of you are aware but what we did is it makes us understand what improvements are necessary um we also uh once again looked at opportunities for bicycling and walking because the communities around you have those so it's important to have Regional connections um which what we try to do in this master plan is not prepare it in a silo and uh prepare it as a living document and that each of these different um uh elements are interconnected like for example um whatever recommendations are in the circulation are important when you look at it from a sustainability point of view Economic Development point of view and also in the point of view of open space and Recreation opportunities for the township resident um we looked at streetscape guidelines and when I said that um all of these are interconnected the point I'm trying to make here is that when you look at streetscape guidelines you look at opportunities to um have safety um kind of infrastructure that you could do um sidewalk improvements and the town has already started these efforts you see those changes in um uh along Main Street Etc so it it's just recognizing that and uh continuing these efforts um we also studied Downtown parking um to just have a clear understanding and and um set forth uh recommend um funding opportunities and um set forth the recommendations um next slide please so when asked um at at the survey 83% uh rank traffic and congestion as an important uh point and 75% ranked uh bicycle and pedestrian safety as important so that goes back to the analysis that we found um which is and the recommendations that we're setting forth um in the next uh slide um so these are the key recommendations um everything else is on page 110 onwards but um first to as you all know that major roads are under the county or State's jurisdiction so we're recommending to continue working with the county and state Partners on Transportation measures that can help alleviate any kind of congestion in and around Township uh to improve pedestrian safety on Main Street through infrastructure improvements and to implement safety enhancements in Street scap design when Capital Improvements for roadways are needed and to include guidelines in Redevelopment plans that improve walking and biking conditions between the areas and key Town destinations to ensure that the township has adequate infrastructure for existing and projected growth in EV and we've been doing that through the development application process as well um and as everyone knows that um since 2021 it's mandated to have EV um infrastructure for different parking areas and then finally to just um recommendations regarding parking parking management strategies in the downtown area so moving on to Economic Development so Economic Development all of this is um extremely um it's it's not an again I'm repeating myself but economic development is an essential aspect of any a Town's um physical health and vitality um so um we are recommending to continue to enhance the downtown area as the Civic and economic heart of the township to continue to seek stable high quality ratables that also reflect favorably upon the image and identity of the township and to create a mutually beneficial relationship between Little Falls and Montclair State I mean it's it it has major land hold holding in in in this town so we've given uh very specific like objectives in on page 115 but this is just an um overview uh next slide please so we asked as I mentioned again we asked people did our own analysis and these are the prior um these are the few um issues a lack of commercial acre compared to residential use as I mentioned what the data shows um there are some underutilized properties along the commercial Corridor and you know traditional downtown there's also increased competition from e-commerce retailers so um and uh one of the things was to create attractive downtowns with walkable amenities which actually um if you look at towns which are known for their Vitality that's an essential Factor uh next slide please so in terms of improving Economic Development um we asked people um through our public Workshop as well as our survey what would they like to use more of 63% of people said variety of restaurants some uh the next was a variety of retail stores um there was a lot of um there was a lot of uh interest in having Community Gap Gathering spaces cultural facilities public artwork and um as I mentioned to the planning board and I'm repeating myself here is uh we do have the bones for that kind of uh vital uh downtown especially given the greenway that is so right in the middle of uh our downtown so it kind of um echoed what our analysis was telling as well so which was good um next slide please so these are the key Economic Development recommendations and um I I'm just highlighting the major ones the rest of it is actually there in in the in the planets um in the plan I I just wanted to show page 132 but one was um every town to create an identity um one of the recommendations was to develop a creative placemaking strategy that highlights the unique character with plac making it's us through signage through banners Etc and I know that there is um there's a signage uh there's a banner along the light post in um on um Main Street but the recommendation is to continue developing that um also to continue monitoring uh Mac macro uh economic Trends particularly focusing on what are the trends in retail and office so that way you continue to have um vital businesses in your town um also to review regulatory incentives to encourage new mix use commercial opportunities in appropriate areas of the township to review the zoning regulations for the Route 46 Corridor which I mention to ensure that this area continues to meet the modern demands of the highway commercial Corridor um to encourage public improvements where it's visible uh feasible and to utilize pedestrian safety improvements along Main Street which again as I mentioned it it creates that image and it creates it's it's um uh it's a very good Economic Development tool um next slide please so sustainability has now a focus in in our state um and these are the few goals where it's to implement policies that work towards uh achieving local and State climate change goals to continue to improve the town's residency and sustainability and to encourage the use of renewable energy um resources next slide please so in terms of sustainability um some of the these are the key um issues that we recognize potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by promoting Energy Efficiency alternative and use um the governor had adopted um in 2019 the energy master plan so it's very much in uh uh in concurrence with what's happening at a state level as well um for adoption then adoption of smart growth principles and electric uh vehicle infrastructure which we're already doing in the town but continue doing that to reduce Greenhouse emissions vehicle miles traveled um increasing frequency and intensity of flooding and rainfall prompts the need for greater storm water management efforts and when I said to you uh that all these different uh master plan elements are interconnected that goes back to um what I mentioned about having green infrastructure as a part of streetscape um design so all of this is interconnected is point I'm trying to make here uh moving on uh so next slide please so these are the key sustainability recommendations um again they're described in great detail in the plan but um I'm just going to uh highlight the main um uh ones uh key cons to consider opportunities to implement green storm water infrastructure and streets and capital Improvement projects we're very mindful of the fact that we want this document to be a a living document so it's more about when it's cost effective we you know so that's a that's a key concern and we've also mentioned the different funding um sources that are available um in the section prior to the recommendations uh we also talk about to consider further Energy Efficiency improvements at uh the municipal facilities to identify opportunities to install additional EV stations and Municipal own parking lots and perhaps at the high school parking lot to incentivize the use of lead building practices for new development to work with utility company to replace existing speed Hees with downward facing LED lights and to update the Township's storm waterer management plan and with that we come to the last um master plan element which is open space and Recreation um so next slide please so open space and Recreation um we identified a few goals with numerous objectives underneath that and one is to enhance existing parks and open space properties uh to create create connections between existing parts to form an open space Network which I as I mentioned it goes back to the circulation element we we spoke about Regional connections and how it's important to have that opportunity for the townships uh residents recreational purposes and even as a mode of travel too to utilize strategic strategic open space acquisition in environmentally sensitive areas so next slide please so we uh we interviewed uh in our department heads um interview we also interviewed uh the Township's uh Recreation Direct ctor we spoke to the prior administrator um and um so just to ident and then did our own analysis to identify open space and Recreation issues there are in parks there are limited restrooms parking spaces Lighting in few of the Township parks other places it's impossible to put like sakki which is of less than an acre um I'm I'm identifying just one but but basically just to make a point um to improving walking biking connections to existing Township parks and Open Spaces to improve facilities to support a range of Ages and abilities so when we do this demographic analysis we're looking at all of that so that it helps us as we are developing these different master plan elements and um U utilizing uh buyout properties in the senc areas potential future open space so uh these are the few points and then next slide please so again um these uh the recommendations are under different categories uh General Parks uh but these are the key ones um so one is to implement facility and open space uh improvements um to add roadway signage as Trail Crossings which uh is The Pedestrian safety concern which goes back to what I mentioned at the when I was talking about the circulation plan plan to explore potential options for implementing the cinec open space enhancement plan um for the parcels in the cinec neighborhood to continue to work cooperatively with County and state agencies to implement flood mitigation measures were available and applicable of course and to upgrade the rec center and food check restrooms to be ADA Compliant and then finally we've uh highlighted upgrades to the various parking facilities um which goes back uh to our next uh slide our last slide so what are the next steps so um I we pres uh the planning board Township Council um we presented to the plan planning board and um are presenting to you tonight and we'll incorporate all the comments and the revisions will be made based upon the feedback this year and then uh baring and any major changes to this plan uh will adopted uh at the October the planning gr and this is um this is my presentation thank you thank you I'll we'll entertain questions and comments from the days president if I may councilman Murphy well if you don't mind just pull that slide back up if you don't mind going back to the question on uh future let just see a picture of it it was future housing types okay sure was toward the beginning may have to back out again yeah yeah it's um it is uh before yeah before that before be land use right right there we go yeah okay uh michan this this data was taken from the survey correct that is correct all right because I'm I'm looking at the survey now um and I'm hoping this is an error hoping it's an error um where we have like example uh townhouse you have 57% strongly approve uh approve and then we have 22% disapproved strongly disapproved however on the survey that's coming off the uh website and off the master plan that we received it has a different number so it has see your townhouse 38 strongly approved approve and then 47% disapproved strongly disapproved so it appears the numbers are correct that whatever is displaying on this presentation let me uh I I have actually checked these numbers um when I did this presentation for the planning board I actually went through the numb so I'm really um what page are you looking uh on the if I I'll tell you what it is on the survey it's 11 of 34 page 11 of 34 of the survey okay that's 83 if you see single family house is 83 and then eight that's correct then you get to like tow houses and you have 5722 and then on the survey it's let's see 38 uh strongly approve approv 47% disapprove strongly disapprove I I no that is an error I apologize I'll make that okay it looks like there's a couple wrong there too like multif family mixed use they all seem to be incorrect so I just wanted to point that out because I know this was presented to the planning board on this previous Thursday too so this is being disseminated to the public I just want to make sure that the you know the numbers are correct and that the data that we using is right but that's not um it's not in I I don't believe it's anywhere in the master plan but thank you so much I'll take look at it and um Rectify if there's anywhere it's because I remember personally checking it so I'm I'm really yeah it was just something that stuck out I noticed it right right away so I just want to bring that to your attention hope we could correct that and correct the record definitely but it's page 11 yeah it's 11 of 34 on the survey yeah yep I I have to go back and check because I know I wrote went through everything uh before I sent it out for the planning board so I don't know where that error is coming from got it I got to check that myself okay and if there is indeed an error I'll be happy to make that change yeah just because on the on the survey those are the numbers that are shown in the survey correct on the website so I just want to make sure those uh reflect the correct ones okay um another quick comment too and there's a couple things here uh and going through the master plan um and one of the statistics you said tonight was that 83% overall felt traffic was an issue um one of the questions on the survey as well was what do you think of the major challenges related to the new construction Little Falls and the number one answer was 76% traffic um when I looked at the master plan and I went through it um and and I'll give you an example in the land use section about four and a half pages were dedicated to parking um that was uh something that you know this Council approved the parking lot to uh include additional 4050 spaces these past few months um so that is something we're addressing and so when we look at um traffic there was about I don't know a column and couple sentences dedicated to that so you know it doesn't seem to be correlating to what the resident feel are the major concerns um you know we look at four and a half pages for parking a parking study done yet when we look at traffic the number one issue there only seems to be about a column really a couple short paragraphs addressing that um so you know and and again I didn't see any traffic studies done or anything that would correlate to that so my ask would be that you know we spend a little bit more time addressing some of the issues uh maybe expanding on that a little bit more seeing exactly what we can come up with um I know we talk about development we talk about flooding um want to look at some of the proposed osed Redevelopment areas uh couple of those most of them seem to be in flood zones um so my ask would be that we could just go back and maybe revamp the draft a little bit and and take a look at you know what the residents are recommending and you know where could we take it um so that's a good point you raise and I have an answer for that as well that um the parking study was done by a um specialist uh traffic as for the municipal land use law and there's plenty of case law and our attorney can correct me if I'm wrong traffic is always a perception um no master plan po has traffic study done so nor nor did this master plan do that however in terms of traffic circulation we did look at what people's um what people were talking about their um concerns about traffic we did look at that we got the frash data from the police um the raw data doesn't get presented did here um we look at the main points of it but I just want to assar any concerns that you have that we did overlooked it that's absolutely inaccurate we went through a thorough study um and also um the reason why I pointed out that 426 people which is about 3% of the entire population uh or residents um uh took this survey so whenever any technal document gets analyzed we look at it holistically so you know I've been doing this for 30 years land use planning every planning board meeting you come and people will say oh the traffic the traffic traffic is always a perception um I'm not saying so that's why we also look at the data to identify what are the concerns what are the intersections that are um are of concern another thing also with traffic is these are State highways or County Roads which are connecting from one end to the other so in terms of traffic that's something unfortunately as there are public roads you cannot control is why we also talking about the township working with um with the state um and the county to address any kind of um dangerous or dangerous is a strong word but you know challenging intersection does that answer question it does I just think that you know and again I'm not saying that it's not being addressed I just think that we can do a little bit thorough to to maybe address this a little bit more to see exactly you know I I understand and that's why I wanted to make it very clear that um we looked at it Curr it's not that it's not been um looked at thoroughly and out of all of that we're trying to make sense where it is readable and gets onto the next step of having um you you know recommendations which can be implemented by the township does that make sense what I yeah it does again I just think that you know we could expand a little bit you know on that thank you Council any other questions that's it for right now president are there any questions or comments from the concerning master plan Council pel thank you council president this might just be my lack of experience so my first master plan um there was a lot of focus on the transient Village district and I understand little false is unique in the sense that we do have access to train station and the bus routes and things of that nature although there is recommendations to cap density and like limit the amount of town homes right no other zoning ordinances really addressed in terms of like height or setbacks and things of that nature and I think my concern is that although we've tried to become a transient Village and according to the report our application wasn't improved even to date the majority of residents are driving to work only I believe it was 88.7% or yeah 8.7% of the residents that are using public transportation so why are we still continuing to develop in order to attract more people but they're not using public transportation they're driving I I can I can answer that um first off if you look at areas recommended uh for change to go back to all the different um you know or ordinances if you go back we we're looking at the local land use Trends we're looking at the future land use guide um when we're talking about public transit right you have a public transit you have your CBD district which is your downtown which is accessible I think that is a very good um like I said good bones in your Township okay um whether people are using if you go back to that analysis we've also mentioned that um it it talks about people using the car but a lot of times people drive and park to a train station or park to some other place and take a uh take a bus and that's why the sensus data that's the only data available I'm going to I'm going to point you to that direction um exactly what we said uh let me see no I I know it was yeah around page 82 right counc I think I could help shed some additional light on this the term Transit Village is simply how a particular section of town is zoned or the title that we've applied to it it doesn't necessarily mean that the intention is to increase the number of people using public transportation no different than the r1a Zone than the light industrial Zone uh than the medium density Zone it's just zoned uh with the title Transit Village and that goes back to when they redid the zoning map and broke the town up into sections I think it was 2016 before I was before I was even mayor and we just kept the same names associated with each of those zones great but with naming those zones trans it like starting off as Transit Village there's different zoning requirements which afford increased height structures for example so it's not just it's called the transit Village and there's things that come with it correct there's a medium density Zone there's a central business district there's several that that have the title Transit villains but it doesn't mean that that is again we were denied Transit Village designation by NJ Transit no I understand that but what I'm saying is that even though we were denied that designation when correct me if I'm wrong when it was renamed these certain specific zones with those zones came requirements that are different than other zones to when it comes to building are you suggesting that we just eliminate the transit Village before Central business district and eliminate Transit Village before the uh medium Zone and just call it medium density or Central business district or the various Zone my question didn't have to do with what it's zoned as I was trying to understand why there is some focus on increasing that area when the data shows that no one's really utilizing public transportation so there's not in fact there's now density caps and limitations in a Zone where none previously existed so by doing so we're decreasing the density in zones and on page 59 we're actually talking about that to update Transit Village District ordinance to cap density and include sidewalk widths um and we actually also recognize that Amendment to the tvr2 zone to restore the r1b Zone um uh on the western side of Union Avenue so um and then also to amend the tbmd zone to permit town homes and reduce the maximum dwell units and um we are also amending the TV CBD Zone to prohibit underground parking and I also want to point to to you and everyone in the council that we do have some of these sites which are part of our affordable housing plan so we cannot make a blanket um you know like change but we are trying and absolutely work to reduce any kind of perception of impact by reducing the density capping density but no master plan puts in that number uh a master plan is more of a policy framework should you the governing body decide then there would be an ordinance in place stipulating the number is your question answered or yeah okay does any council members have any questions or comments from the de I I have a question in part of the master plan and in a certain section of town it's uh was um was mentioned that we'd have uh possibility of duplexes coming in can you talk about that definitely so um I I just get bear with me for a second let me quickly grab that so when we talking about duplexes what there are certain areas of the township which have single family homes and um what duplexes does is it okay um so the it's on P 60 we talk about duplexes because we are saying that the community um has been impacted by major major flooding events and furthermore with the ifp the Inland flood protection role it's becoming more and more difficult there are existing single family houses that um you know that have fallen into a state of disrepair so in order to bring those houses back on to the tax role and uh we're recommending that um certain um single family residential permits duplexes on appropriately size lot so I want to make it very clear that um having that duplex um we are recommending having design standards or actual resoning the different ways you could do it you could permit them as uh conditional uses in a residential Zone um you could put into design standards because if you look at the last sentence um we saying last but one and the last sentence that um we are saying that the township may want to revise ordinance standards to permit du flexes on lot say for having a minimum lot size of 10,000 so the goal here is to not get say a 5,000 foot lot and have two duplexes at 2500 you have to have appropriate parking you have to have enough of um o enough of um pervious surfaces is Green Space um so we also saying so we're saying that it's recommended that they specify language permitting uh duplexes only in certain pertinent um areas of the town which are especially affected by the you know by the flood and we're saying that this will provide it's my analysis that an incentive for homeowners or developers to raise their um houses um to comply with the BFB uh because a lot of times it's expensive to do that um and to comp uh and also to avoid properties falling into disrepair but however it's important that you maintain the residential character of the neighborhood um so we are uh recommending that you uh have designed standards to ensure that the duplexes do not detract from but continue to complement the single family to maintain the character of R and again I want to make it very clear to you the governing body that all these are our recommendations it's up to you finally what of these different recommendations you think or you would want to have a legislation which actually would Implement these but we do this analysis and we take a look at um look at it and U you know make recommendation are there any other questions comments from the days okay at this time Sam I'd ask you if you could take a seat here because we're going to ask the public to come up and speak speak if you could take a seat next to the chief um Sam if you could take a seat next to the chief you could use that microphone to answer questions thank you is there anyone here in the uh government chambers that would like to speak specifically on the master plan you could come up Sir you just announce your name you don't need to announce your address d school um it's strange I came here to talk about the new residence that uh citizens of Little Falls because uh my street was once acquired sir again I'm GNA preference if you have questions about the master plan we'll entertain that the other questions will come under public comment the tow houses they don't have much yard for those people okay they don't have much uh parking spots they have maybe one driveway for one car sir again come sir excuse me again if there's a question about the master plan you're you're commenting about a current development which we could hear you but if you have a question or comment specifically about the plan that was presented tonight that's the time to talk about that we okay yeah you spoke about duplex uh was that like for the empty lots in a floods no no that's not what I I spoke that there's first of I'm this is a master plan it provides a policy framework it provides recommendation it's not an ordinance okay what you're talking about parking for people that is the part of the ORD right right okay so what we right so if I may um just speak um about the duplex about duple what we are recommending certain areas of the township right which area um closer to um closer to the p uh River closer to the river like in Sak area so certain portions of ciac um so we we're recommending that In Those portions if it's appropriate to permit duplexes and the duplexes and we're not saying that those duplexes should be done it's up to the governing body if they want to adopt the ordinance or not what we are very strongly recommending is that's a suggestion we're doing because you need you know any town if the properties are completely um how should I say dilapidated or in a bad condition that's negative for everybody all of you right so what this master plan does or any master plan does is gives recommendation suggestion of what would be a good thing you know what would be a good idea um and what we are recommending is certain appropriate areas of the township where not all of the township okay um where there is that additional cost of like raising a house or what what have you now somebody has a 10,000 sare foot lot we recommending the lot sizes it if it raing the houses is good that that will help correct but to have crowd of people on top of each other we're not on top of each other we're not recommending stacking them one next to each other next to each other with the idea with the whole idea everybody needs the space that is correct I'm feeling like my space is being invaded because my street was once quiet and it's no longer quiet somebody rang my bell at two in the morning somebody thr their dog poop found the drink that's coming from the city uh that U citizen United Sarah again I I I appreciate those comments about the current but want to stay concentrated on the master plan we could take those comments on their public comment plan just want to say re question is of overcrowding in space thank you thank you for your comment is there anyone else in the governing uh coming chambers that would like to speak on the master plan this D is there someone that in our chat that would like to speak concerning the master plan okay Ally can you hear us hello hello Ally Ally Ally can you hear us now I can hear you because you needed to unmute me thank you very much right good evening okay two questions but the second one I'll wait till the general the first one is um I looked all over online is it possible for us to get a copy of the master plan so that we can review it ourselves it's on the website it's it's on the website Ally exactly the the the the um I'm sorry I looked but I didn't find it I'll look again the the various images that we've seen tonight are up there I'm sorry did she wants to know if the images that you did the present the presentation is that up there all yes everything is taken from the master plan the master plan has been on the website okay great then I'll go take a look at that and I will hold my other question till general questions thank you very much Ally um it's going to be presented at the next planning board so you're welcome to uh come or uh at that planning board to ask questions or view your or say your comments excellent thank you very much thank you D is there anyone else that would like to speak okay thank you can't see the name are you able to hear me yes yes can you announce your name please yes my name is Aaliyah I kind of a a follow-up question from Ali the portion that you are saying we can view online of the master plan is that just the PowerPoint presentation from today or the full document the full document has been posted on the website um I it it's been on since I before Labor Day um it's like 10 days or more and it'll be on until um October 3rd when we'll be presenting it to the planning Bo okay thank you and then I have a second question maybe for um president SCA um can you describe the process now moving forward because I know this is still a recommendation and then the draft would be approved or implemented would the town then create its own version of the master plan or adopt the form that h2m has provided so um the master plan uh can you hear me yes the master plan has to be prepared by a licensed professional planner such as myself um this master plan by state it's not Little Falls any but the state of New Jersey has specific requirements of how it should be written and prepared which is how this master plan has been done uh by law the planning board this review that I did was a cursory review just to keep keep the governing body uh AB breast um the actual master plan needs to be adopted by the planning board which we did a presentation to the planning board as well on Thursday and on the October 3rd meeting uh we'll make a presentation if they have any comments we'll incorporate those comments and um if they think it's uh right U if they deem it um if they beit appropriate it will probably get adopted on October 3rd do you understand the process yes and since you mentioned that it has to be developed by a licensed professional is the planning board able to request elements of the master plan be removed or added based on questions or concerns that they have or is it only developed by h2m I'm sorry ma'am could you repeat yourself please yeah sure since you mentioned that it has to be developed and written by a license professional is the planning board able to request that elements of your proposed master plan be removed or added based on any questions or concerns that they have even for example some of the data points were inaccurate can the planning board request it be adjusted or is it only and solely developed by h2m the planning board has comments the data is not developed by h2m data bases on this based on the Census Data etc etc so we present that data um but what do you mean by remove the data what do you mean by remove the data not remove the data but if they if the planning board would has a um are you saying if the planning board has a recommendation uh and they to change something yes at that time it could change if they want they want something changed they most certainly can okay thank you you're welcome is anyone else in our chat that'd like to speak okay thank you thank you for your presentation we're going to move forward can can I have a motion to open the meeting to the public for General matters and agenda items moved by councilwoman Patel second by councilman Murphy all those in favor I all those opposed motion carries Madam clerk anyone wishing to address the township Council May doces with the count through the council president it is preferred if you give your name and address for the record comments are to be limited to 3 minutes however if appropriate you may be granted additional time in the sole discretion of the council president members of the public who have joined the meeting virtually and desire to provide comment shall raise their virtual hand in the zoom application meeting moderator will cue the members of the public that wish to provide comment and the council president will recognize them in order members of the public who have joined the meeting by calling in must press star six to mute and unmute themselves and star 9 to raise their hand members of the public who have joined the meeting via the zoom application must click the reactions icon and then the raise hand icon once the process is complete we we will return to the regular order of business thank you madam clerk the floor is now open if anyone like to present come forward go ahead just state your name sir good evening um I would like to make some recommendation like I notic on some sewers like they have a big opening and some have like a bar across with some opening so no big objects could go down in the S because one day I seen uh um um not a wolf what's that other animal Fox not a fox but other one coyote coyote coyote he went down in a drain I was like what is going on here so um I would like to recommend that the uh sewer drains that have big openings in them they have the you know ones with the bars and opening you're referring to the uh SE drains that have like a window opening um and then they have a grades on the bottom is that correct yeah the the big opening that uh you know lines up with the curve curve and um also um there's some empty lots uh on both sides of my uh house from one street to the other and people are using that as like an Alleyway and whatever and it's scary late at night seeing people come uh AC cross from one street to the other and um one night at 2: in the morning I was sound as sleep and I thought I heard the Bell my bell doorbell ring in my sleep I thought wait a minute was that my doorbell I go out the window and there's some guy with a towel or blanket or something covered over his head and body and I tell him hey what do you want why you wearing my bell he doesn't say nothing he St down the steps for for my door he's standing in the middle of my front yard goes on the phone I don't know if there going to be a home invasion what's going to happen so well anyway police was able to catch up with him and um I don't feel safe there any I I I would like a fence or something put across them open Lots from one street to the other if you could put a fence there or something sir you're talking that those are lots that were once homes yeah the buyout Lots yes and um and they're and uh people are crossing because of what to go to the other side of the street to go from one street to the other because there's nothing you know blocking up from doing you know it's not a Street Theater it's not an Alleyway it's just empty lots and they just go from one street to the other one street to the other and uh just scary especially at night I I don't know who's on side my house going from one street to the other well I I will suggest all the time if you feel your safety is imp Peril is to call the police right away and not to act on your own and that's why we have this police department and as you know they'll come rapidly to your home and effectively take care of the problem so right so we don't want you to be put placing yourself at Peril I'd give you that suggestion there's no need to do that um does it anyone have any comments on this mayor yeah my only comment would being you know the buyouts that were previously approved in town happened long before myself for any of these council members were were elected officials here in town uh but the one of the maybe unintended consequences or downsides for you is that once FEMA acquired the lot purchased the lot anded it over to the municipality the issue really becomes that they are open public property uh no different than uh you know walking on the on the Mars Canal or or something similar uh so they are public property they are public land I know that there are several that surround your house but somebody walking across it is not really in violation of any particular ordinance or law that we may have is that g to be allowed I mean I see that going on all over the place with all these there there's not there's not going to be no camping allowed sir I don't know I'm just you know trying to won't be no camp C I'm just trying to prevent something from happening again if you see anything that's suspicious please call the police okay all right all right thank you thank you is anyone else in the governing council chambers like to come before us miss Dupo is there okay Ally can you hear us Ally on mute go Ally can you hear us you're on mute now I can hear you yes I can thank you very much so for the record can you state your name please sure my name is Allison leitz and I live at The Mill at Little Falls and this will be quick it's very possible I miss heard something I just want to double check with regard to the National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month Proclamation uh there were a number of groups that were specifically mentioned what I don't remember hearing is probably one of the groups that's at the most risk for suicide which is lgbtq people normally our Town's very good about stuff like that did I Mis hear that in the proclamation or Miss not hearing it in the or if if I'm correct is there a reason why that subgroup wasn't included the proclamation read Suicidal Thoughts can affect anyone regardless of age gender race orientation income level religion or background done that's what I wanted to check thank you very much I appreciate that and thank you for doing a good job uh for a lot of the people who are particularly at risk in our community I'm done thank you thank you for joining us this evening uh Mr can you hear us Mr Brown Mr Bron you're on mute yeah sorry just waiting to get off mute hi guys how are you yours your name please Tom Baron 26 vont Terrace good evening good evening uh thank you for a good meeting everybody uh I was just looking for a couple of updates uh it's been a while since I asked specifically the um the traffic light at the bottom of Francisco I could see that the uh the base are there for them and I guess we're still waiting on the lights themselves um the bridge crossover for the pekman the the extension of the walk I don't know if that was uh if there's any progress there and I and I want to say part of that was also uh sidewalks on Wilmore those are the three things I was going to ask about councilman Venter it likeed up to date what's going on with the light on Francisco sure Mr brone I think I can say frustration on our part as well we continue to wait for the we've been in constant contact with the engineer myself Mr Quron our business administrator send an email each week kind of checking in on the status and we keep uh being told by the engineers there's delay I mean i' love to have this thing uh put up two years ago but unfortunately with everything that's going on we're dealing with this delay and I'm hoping it'll be soon but no update at this time in terms of timing Mr Brown on the pedestrian bridge that goes over the pekman that the county wants to build um they're looking at trying to raise that bridge a little bit higher than what was originally spec uh because the notion was uh new newer flood plane ordinances uh that now are in effect would possibly branches or trees coming down the pekman would get uh stuck under that bridge so they're looking at trying to make it higher uh and if that's the if they could do that then that bridge would probably be built as far as your questions on the sidewalks I'm not sure can you repeat that question you got mayor yeah the sidewalks that were being referred to by Mr Baron are the sidewalks along Wilmore that we received as a Federal grant for safe routes to school it was intended to connect the sidewalk from the Francisco intersection there down Wilmore up to Prospect Street uh it is something that is still in play unfortunately it is one of the very very few federal grants that the municipality receives and when when we receive a Federal grant the restrictions are almost so bous that it makes the grant not worthwhile now we have been working with the county so that this grant is worthwhile because it is about the same level uh of of reporting that's necessary for the bridge itself so the county has agreed that they will help us in the uh administration of the Grant on that level to assist us in having the work done and performed here in Little Falls to actually effectuate the grant now I say that to warn warn that the reason for this delay or I should say not to warn the reason but the the reason for the delay was because we have been warned on numerous occasions by other municipalities that these federal grants several years after the work is completed several years after you believe the project is closed several years after you believe all inspections are completed that for some reason the federal government will come back review your Grant and find that you may not have put a proper check on one piece of paper in a box that was submitted and tell you we're no longer are giving you these funds because it is like most grants one of the one of the grants that we need to fund the project for and then are subsequently reimbursed so to go through that process to complete it for the municipality to pay for it to then be uh not reimbursed for it could be an extreme you know Financial uh burden to the town so we are looking to make sure that we do everything to have the Grant effectuated and receive the reimbursement for it down the road so there is a little bit of delay it's the same delay that the bridge experienced for all of these years by not being able to find people who were uh adequately able to bid for the job because of the federal owner requirements uh but we are going to be working with the county to administer that Grant have your question answered Mr bur yes it's very hard to believe there's flaws in the federal government but uh uh I do want to say as a small business owner in town though the uh the parking at Stevens I think is is a great addition to the area uh I know it's still not completed uh but we're always happy for extra spots so uh those of us at FAL screamery thank you welcome thank you for joining us this evening St is there anyone else in the chat that like to join us okay have a motion to um to close the public comment so moved moveed by councilman Murphy second by councilman habets all those in favor I all those opposed motion carries we have items one two and three one is Storm order Control Ordinance which I think everybody knows about but we do have ordinances 1499 and 1500 that comes before this governing body concerning the light towers and the heavy Towers um and I Know Chief this comes from your department and I'd asked for the chief to weigh in as well as well as the mayor why we're entertaining to opening up the bidding process to more Towers Chief you want to give us a little insight yes council president uh I believe in the past uh my predecessor and even the township has dealt with litigation over the application process um we we in back when I first started we had two towers in town we had Schumacher and we had first class uh P's auto body and then the ordinance changed we've opened it up geographically to a certain mileage from town uh and then you know what we ended up having having by limiting it to four is we have more applications than four so um the municipal clerk unfortunately has resorted to writing numbers on pingpong balls and having a lottery with a wheel and a machine to kind of you know um make it as Fair as possible I'm of the opinion if people meet the criteria according to the ordinance as far as storage and security and they uh have to guarantee the response time and they are geographically what is it 10 miles Cynthia whatever it is they have to guarantee a certain amount of response time uh if they fit all the criteria and there's 10 people who are eligible uh we can fit 10 people into rotation uh quite frankly the way that the rotations work on a weekly basis basis we could have 52 Towers one Tower per every week for 52 weeks so I think it would just make the process a little bit more streamlined and it would create a little less aggravation for the munici thank you Chief um mayor you want mayor I recall we did have a situation where this Tower came before the governing body and we had to settle you have any you want to add on these two ordinances we we have in the past council president and and just to add to what the chief has indicated you know in conversations with the chief we also from time to time run into issues with Towers having several subsidiaries resulting in them really being one Tower with multiple applications what that the problem that causes is that during times of emergencies when uh vehicle there's numerous vehicles on the roadways during a snowstorm the issue becomes because they are utilizing the same equipment when we're looking to get vehicles off the roadway in a rapid fashion without having our Police Department sit behind a vehicle for 45 minutes to get one vehicle off the road while we wait for a tower to respond by opening this and making it broader and having additional Towers we may be able to more rapidly have Towers come into town remove vehicles off our roadways so we can get them cleared get them back to being safe and get back to normal operations so this would also allow for a far more efficient operation by our Police Department rather than waiting sometimes for an extended period of time for Towers to respond because of the the number of of Vehicles is just not there so I think this would also help assist alleviate those types of issues because although our DPW does an outstanding job there are times when I hear how come there these vehicles weren't removed from the street or towed from the street and oftentimes it comes back to the fact that they're just were not enough tow vehicles available at our disposal to have them removed so this would also help facilitate uh the quick clean up of the roads okay well the governing body have any questions or commenting regarding uh for 1899 and 1500 okay we'll move forward have a motion to adopt resolution a which is the bill L moved by councilman habetz second by councilman Mur um sorry councilman vent Cherry I apologize roll call please council member Patel yes council member Murphy yes council member habblet council member van Cherry yes council president scova yes Madam clerk read ordinance 1498 second reading and public hearing of ordinance number 1498 an ordinance entitled storm water control ordinance thank you public hearing 1498 is now open does anyone wish to speak on 1498 seeing no one come before us to speak the public hearing on 1498 is now closed have a motion to adopt 1498 move by councilwoman Patel second by councilman Venter this is a roll call for 1498 please call the rooll council member Patel yes council member Murphy yes council member habetz council member van Cherry yes council president scova yes madame clerk please read ordinance for 99 introduction of ordinance number 1499 an ordinance entitled ordinance of the township of Little Falls in the county pay state of New Jersey regulating Towing and storing services within the township with a second reading and public hearing scheduled for October 7th 2024 thank you uh Madam uh c a roll call uh to introduce 1499 did I ask for that a motion what's that we do a motion in a second that I'm I apologize have a motion to introduce 1499 moved moved by Council Patel second by councilman Murphy can you call the role on 1499 council member Patel yes council member Murphy yes council member habetz council member van Cherry yes council president scov yes Madam clerk route 1500 introduction of ordinance number 1500 and ordinance entitled ordinance of the township of Little Falls in the county of pic New Jersey regulating heavy Towing and storage services within the township with a second reading and public hearing scheduled for October 7th 2024 thank you C have a motion to introduce 1500 so moved moved by counil Murphy second by Council haets please call the RO to introduce 1500 council member Patel yes council member Murphy yes council member havet council member van Cherry council president SCA yes coun Council Murphy want to read us off with the council discussions thank you council president I'll be uh short and sweet and the Jets are on tonight so it's going to be a depressing night so uh just real quick we have a domestic violence prevention committee meeting tomorrow night at 7 p.m like I said the last meeting we have a lot of uh lot of stuff coming up next month for domestic fance prevention month so looking forward to that uh hitting the ground running um but again short and sweet tonight councilman vent Cherry as giant fan I think Jets fans are more lucky than desp uh just a quick update for me as well uh this week on Wednesday at 6 pm at Wilmore Road Park we are going to hold our annual 911 ceremony so as a reminder everyone is welcome to attend we have a program in place so hopefully everyone can come out and just lastly I know uh Corey left a little while ago but just wanted to say thanks to uh Liam marquez's family for coming here tonight and on Friday I actually had a chance to meet up with um Liam's aunts and uncles as well as his grandmother we lit up outside uh gold for childhood uh pedi Childhood Cancer Awareness Month so we do miss our friend Liam but just thinking of him this month during a Childhood Cancer Awareness Month that's it for me thank you councilwoman habits council president uh so just some Library updates uh today mayor Damiano and I had the pleasure of doing the monthly uh noon and the no segment um that updates our residents and Library um patrons on all things Little Falls uh so tune in social media to see that and for the latest updates on their upcoming events also tomorrow the library is having their walkway uh updated uh the library will remain open to the public and curbside service will be available for everyone's convenience um the farmers Market's going strong this weekend we had pencil Works uh hosting a full art class uh we had about 20 people attend it was really great uh tonight we did um do a proclamation for a Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and this weekend we have the pleasure of having the Marquez family and Liam's warriors uh for a fundraiser they will be selling a sign supporting Childhood Cancer so please stop down at their table that will be at the market um this weekend we also kicked off our little Falls run Club um it was a great success um all skill levels are welcome the club has two different routes a one mile route and a three mile route uh this is to prepare people for our spooky Sprint which will be coming up next month on October 20th uh but it's also just to promote some Fitness and some uh social aspect uh so come on down it will be um every week at the farmers market starting uh 8:30 for stretching and 8:45 for the Run uh come down and and U meet new people and get your Fitness in and then lastly uh we have yard sale this weekend um so this weekend September 14th uh we will have the yard sale uh registration is still open at Community pass uh you can register until this Thursday the 12 uh the rain date for the gr for the yard sale will be September 15th uh so get all your stuff together I know there's always a good time for cleanout in the fall and join our yard sale thank you thank you councilwoman Patel thank you council president um just a few quick updates Thursday September 26 2024 the clipon health department is uh holding understanding memory loss at the Little Fall Civic Center starting at 10:30 registration is required it's up on the website if you have any issues always feel free to contact me um we launched the Little Falls Facebook page that will be the Link's going to be provided and sent out to everyone I'm also meeting with Scott Miller tomorrow to discuss how we're going to revamp the health department page and our little Falls Township web page and then finally working with council president scova and the health department to bring the wise program to Little Falls essentially what that is is it's an interactive program that teaches techniques and that helps seniors stay healthy communicate help them um better communicate with their doctors manage pain and things of that nature so once we're able to secure a date um I'll provide more information on that and that's all I have council president thank you councilman Matel uh September 27th Dr doc Jack Zuckerman through the senior v he's going to be hosting AR arthritis uh program if you suffer from arthritis uh you're welcome to attend please reach out to me so we could just put you on the list that's going to be at 12 o'clock pizza will be provided um and that will be at the Civic Center have a motion to open the meeting to the public for agenda items so moveed by councilwoman abs and second by councilman Ben Cherry all those in favor I all those opposed motion carries Madam clerk anyone wishing to address the township Council may do through the council president it is preferred if you give your name and address for the record comments are to be limited to 3 minutes however if appropriate you may be granted additional time in the sole discretion of the council president members of the public who have joined the meeting virtually and desire to provide comment shall raise their virtual hand in the zoom application the meeting moderator will cue the members of the public that wish to provide comment and the council president will recognize them in order members of the public who have joined the meeting by calling in must press star six to mute and unmute themselves and star N9 to raise their hand members of the public who have joined the meeting via the zoom application must click the reactions icon and then the raise hand icon once the process is complete we will return to the regular order of business thank you would anyone like to speak in the chat there's no one here that's coming forward in the council chambers have a motion to close the public comment move by councilman habits second second by councilman Venter all those in favor I all those oppos motion carries I want to thank the staff for assisting me in putting on this meeting have a motion to adjourn this meeting soov moved by councilman Murphy second by councilman Venter all those in favor all those oppos this meeting is now closed