good okay I'd like to call the order the uh May 1st 2024 regular session meeting of L pacan Township uh we have a moment of pray prayer [Music] please salute to flight United States of America to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible liy and Justice adequate notice of this meeting has been provided indicating the time and place of the meeting and accordance with chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975 by advertising a notice in the Star Ledger and the express Time Warren County Zone and by posting a copy on the bulletin board in the municipal building roll call best please yes councilman here councilman Marinelli here Council M here council president here here wait would you uh summarize executive session please yeah the township Council met an executive session where it discussed the following privileged matters uh Personnel for clerk's office C cfo's office Personnel Police Department hiring process Personnel Employee policy manual education assistant training policies update and holiday policy attorney client privilege matter for EMS update attorney client privilege for court update attor attorney client privilege plumbing subco subcode inspector shared services and attorney client privilege block 102 lot 6.01 tax matter uh minutes from the executive session will be released as such time as the council deems no public har will come from it um I'm going to ask for a motion for uh the following an offer letter to be uh sent out for the CFO office for a purchasing agent I'll make that motion off second Council B yes Council Marinelli yes Council mqu yes council president yes may yes uh another motion for uh the clerk's office Deputy municipal clerk I'll make that motion second can you talk in the mic please yes thank you car yes councilman Marinelli yes Council M yes council president yes yes and a motion for an offer letter for the clerk's office for keyboard and clerk I'll make the motion second coun yes counc Marinelli yes Council mcqu yes council president yes mayor right yes no that's it okay old business number one minutes approv executive and regular sessions for March 26 2024 and April 3rd 2024 could I have a motion in a second please make a motion second roll call V yes counc B Caro yes choun Marin Al yes councilman MC yes council president PLO yes mayor R yes number two ordinance number 24-7 second reading in public hearing to amend chapter uh that 10 12 what is it yeah of the revised General ordinance chapter 243 zoning and land use and article 23 General regulations Section 60 A1 to permit non-intensive residential expansion need a motion and a second to hold a public hearing please motion second all in favor I anyone comments from the public [Music] Bob Bruce 11 HT wrad I I know what this is about because I went to the uh planning board meeting and witnessed the discussion amongst the planning board explaining it so uh maybe want to explain to people that don't have that knowledge of what [Music] happened yeah can get CL yeah so technically in our zoning ordinance if some and I'll just use an example so if somebody uh has an existing home and they want to say put a dormer up on their second floor you know they would typically have to come to the zoning officer and be denied and have to come to the zoning Court of adjustment because it it's an expand it's looks like an expansion of a structure you could probably you explain me I wasn't going to steal your thunder but if you'd like me to I can speak to it so go ahead certainly so um well if any of the public members of the public as Beth indicated you know if if and this is specifically for residential not intensifying residential expansion so this was s sort of um the zoning officer had had proposed and suggested this this revision to the zoning ordinance and basically the idea is to reduce the burden uh on residents who would like to have a as explained here you know or as indicated non- intensifying resent residential expansion so basically what that means is that you're not making any non-compliant setbacks worse by what you're constructing that you're able to expand your home or your roof line uh or build an addition of course in accordance with all the other zoning regulations but if you're not you know constructing it outside of the building setbacks you can expand your non non-conforming home within the existing building um on envelope on the lot and not have to come before the zoning board and get a survey and file you know applications before the board and go through the process of approval so it stream streamlines that process if you want to do a small addition on the rear of your home that would be fully conforming with zoning uh other than the fact that maybe you know your home is on an undersized lot in the zone so that would make that easier that was the intention there to make it easier for residents to do those types of expansions improvements to their homes and not have to go through the rigorous yeah process with the board so hopefully that sort of makes sense anyone else any other comments seeing none motion second to close the public hearing motion second all in favor I I motion and second to adopt this ordinance motion second roll call yes councilman B Caro yes councilman Marinelli yes councilman yes council president yes right yes ordinance number 24-8 second reading and public hearing to established position of purchasing agent um can I have a motion a second to hold the public uh hearing please motion second all in favor I comments from public seeing none motion to second to close the public hearing motion second all in favor I I motion second to adopt this ordinance motion second R call that yes councilman Caro yes counc Marinelli yes councilman mcqu yes council president yes yes ordinance number 24-9 second reading and public hearing to amend chapter 35 entitled Deputy clerk to remove tender uh motion and second to hold a public hearing Mo second I mean all in favor please all um uh ments for the public seeing none Motion in second to close the public hearing motion second all in favor I I motion and second to adopt this ordinance motion second R call yes Council yes Council Marinelli yes Council Quade yesc president yes yes new business Recreation Grant pickle ball courts um all authorized to advertise the project for public bids I have a motion a second please motion second roll call councilman belaro yes councilman Marinelli yes councilman yes council president yes yes temporary trailers uh discuss a change to the ordinance to allow temporary trailer for certain circumstances there'll be no action taken tonight we just want to bring it up so So currently our zoning ordinance doesn't allow trailers except for when there is a new development and they put a temporary trailer on uh the property uh we were certain circumstance came up which made us think about changing our ordinance because if some if a home had a fire and you know the residents couldn't live in their home because it needed to be you know uh remodeled or reconstructed uh not all the time could they go to a hotel or somewhere else to live so if they would be able to put a temporary trailer on their property so that they had some sort of housing that would be one reason why we would think we would we would want something like that okay so so what are we going to do look into that and then come back y something up prepare something and yeah we can introduce it greate that that would be a good okay number three ordinance number 24-10 first reading to amend revise supplement chapter 172 to include schedule for placement and storage of Refuge containers on collection day I have a motion and second a motion second roll call Beth yes councilman valaro yes councilman Marinelli yes councilman mcade yes council president Leo yes right yes New Jersey do Grant application for 2025 Aid due July 1st 2020 or 20 2024 right so every year around this time we get notification of you know grants that are going to become available for for different things bike paths roads um you know um Recreation Recreation so we always apply you know during this time uh so we just put it on the agenda so that uh our Engineers will uh you know the lead and get that done for us all right can I have a motion second motion second roll call Beth yeah councilman B Caro yes councilman Marinelli yes councilman qu yes council president PLO yes right yes and I would uh think that uh Adam will take a look at that and make some suggestions to us as to what you know what project might be good candidates right okay sure sure thank you great all right consent agenda um 1 to 12 anybody want to remove anything or change anything in there if not could have a motion in a second please motion second R call councilman B Caro yes councilman Marinelli yesc yes presid yes yes Council reports Rich mayor I just uh on behalf of myself and council president poo and councilman VC Caro this month's rent leveling board meeting has been changed to the 23rd of May uh due to a scheduling issue on May 16th just want to let the public know that uh we as a board continue to encourage residents of breakley Park specifically to come forward with issues that they interpret as violations of the ordinance we will again uh do our very best to to investigate and resolve issues such as the inappropriate increases above the percentage caps just wanted to bring that to the Public's attention I'm good uh for the Earth Day cleanup I'd like to thank all the volunteers who came out and helped clean up special thanks to Robert George for organizing the event and considering some of the things that I found during the cleanup I think we need to put some more no littering signs throughout town okay um other comment I had was the V level being postponed to the 23rd that's all for now thank you uh I just have a few things um I'm getting a lot of phone calls lately been getting a lot of phone calls for brakeley garden uh Park tenants not having hot water um young lady called me the other day and I guess they didn't have hot water for three days so I asked Beth and you said they were taking care of it right uh yes uh so we notified our construction official uh we did talk to our assemblyman Dao he was concerned they were going to make some calls down to the Department of Community Affairs um and see what they could do you know to you know help uh Rectify this situation okay great um I also received a phone call from a lady this morning um complaining I guess I don't know if she was complaining or she wants to know if she could walk her dog in in the park without a leash so um I asked Brian leaks if we had signs in the park and pretty sure we could there was no dogs allowed in the park so there is signs that says no dogs and so if there's a problem they need to call the police department maybe have them check it out so but as of now you can't um and that's all I have so um report from the engineer Adam yes thank you Mr Mayor um just to give an update on a number of projects uh that are ongoing uh we currently have three projects uh road projects and uh two road projects I'm sorry one two road projects and one sidewalk project uh two of which that recently been uh we've received authorization from ngj doot uh to um enter into the construction phase and work with the contractors to Begin work those three projects I mentioned uh earlier that were awarded uh in at the March and April Council meetings are the Jade Lane improvements project Belleview Road improvements uh we're calling phase two it's is the remainder of Belleview Road and then finally uh just in the last week or two we received authorization of a Ward and construction uh to begin the work on the upper badier Road sidewalk project um so we anticipate the projects I've spoken to the contractor it's the same contractor that won all three bids uh on those projects they will be working on Belleview Road first their intention is to begin Belleview Road in the next couple weeks followed by Jade Lane improvements and then uh finally once school is out and we get through all the uh administrative uh paperwork with uh working with Beth and the dot to start that sidewalk project on Upper beler Road uh on both sides of the of the high school entry driveway so that's going to be sort of the next um few months in town we'll have those projects ongoing um the next project which the the um Council has authorized to go out to bid on we are in the process of preparing the plans for the pickle ball Courts at the park under the uh last year's um Recreation grant that we received from the state um so the intention there is that we'll be ready in a position to advertise the project for bids by the end of the month um you'll be a few weeks to get receive bids and then we'll work through the process uh you know through the grant process to receive authorization for award and then construction so hopefully in the next few months we'll see some movement on that project you know breaking ground on that project and moving that along um I don't know mayor if you wanted an update on the overall Park project well certainly so on the overall Park improvements um we do have as we've indicated previously we do have um you the overall Park conceptual plan has been finalized the architectural plans have been finalized for the various structures and you know work is currently ongoing continuing with the township B Bond Council on the funding uh mechanisms for that project um and also um we've also filed an application uh for funding uh with Congressman kean's office so I know that's an ongoing process as well to obtain funding for the construction of all the improvements that were contemplated and presented to the public um at past Council meetings um I believe that was all I had okay great all right uh report from the chief of police chief thank you mayor council um start off with uh this month's traffic report uh police department saw a total of 161 traffic stops and out of those stopped 43% of those were issued a traffic summons and 36% of those issu traffic summons were tractor trailer drivers so we continue our efforts we're out there making motor vehicle stops trying to uh uh alleviate the tractor trailer traffic coming through um I I have been seeing um progress in in that regard so hopefully words getting out there but um officers are doing a good job with that um with u with regards to the OEM office we uh we've been continuing to work on the Fox Farm Road project that um back in July we had a devastating storm that uh took out a lot of the infrastructure up there on Fox Farm Road is with regards to the the roadway um we're getting to uh the end or nearing the end of final application and hopefully uh you we'll get awarded um some some monies to to make those repairs shortly um I've been working with Adam and and Paul both to uh to keep that progress moving so uh hopefully that keeps Pace great that's my report thank you all right uh report from the fire [Applause] chief mayor council uh the fire department last month responded to 26 calls our average response time was 7 minutes average duration uh was 27 minutes uh for the year to date we responded to 80 calls uh same time period uh last year was 67 so it's an increase of 19% from last year that's all I have and uh I heard you on the radio stop and tracked trailers there so I appreciate that y we right there all right report from mems C good evening just a quick rundown the numbers for the month of April uh in the month of April filbur emergency Squad ran 448 calls of which 116 were in Lil pong Township which makes up about 26% of our call volum that's all I have for you great thank you thank you all right uh approval of Department reports motion second all in favor I approval of payment of bills motion second Lo yes Council car yes councilman marelli yes coun M yes president yes may yes public comment anyone wait one second that's all right excuse me uh Bob Bruce 11 H TR um I'm presuming um the resolution and support of Senate number bill number 725 concerning unlawful occupancy of the dwellings and supplementing title to receive New Jersey state statutes is what might uh commonly be thought of as a squatter uh law and putting some teeth behind being able to enforce squaders on site correct thank you it's a good idea um uh I got the answer on a recreation Grant uh thank you uh Mr Winski for uh explaining that that was in fact Grand money that's being put towards there uh uh thank you for the discussion of the the temporary trailers and the explanation of that because again you know we don't know what that is until we get to ask or you get to explain uh the last question basically is a resolution authoriz and colleges to perform design work on the industrial Connector Road Project I'm presuming that that is being paid for from part of your initial 1.3 or thereabouts million dollar fund so that's basically money we already have in Pocket to continue that design process okay uh and then uh I guess my comment being as it is is that uh mayor right uh on your first meeting here you continued the process that uh chairing as first meeting as mayor uh you continued the process that Mr Mayor maguchi had of allowing uh for um public comments on agenda items only and uh and then the separate public comment at the end um is it my understanding that uh there's no more public comment on agenda items only and if not uh can you explain to what benefit how does that benefit the public how does that benefit you uh I don't know that you know it seemed like it enabled us like I said I was very glad to hear temporary trais and Recreation Grant you know uh but it would have been nice to to know about that especially on a consent agenda items before they uh they did it so I'll leave it to you the only thing we did we went around and we checked checked with uh other towns how they run their meetings and that's why we changed nine out of 10 places don't have it and that's why we went to the three minutes also makes the meeting go faster people don't want to come here and spend four hours to hear the same people talk over and over okay so questions as you see get answered it's it's smoother it's nicer and you know okay I I I just want to point out as I said that that was implemented when you assumed uh the role of May in the first months you Willow for that continuing uh but you know given the fact that our comment uh public comment section will be cut down to 3 minutes I mean I'm using part of if I had 3 minutes or you know usually have no more than five I mean that's was a good amount of time uh I I wouldn't have to spend it questioning things but again I got two of my four questions answered uh uh not knowing anything uh so maybe a better maybe if you can address more of the agenda items since we can it's not on there anymore so it's gone I'm asking if this Council can do what you with the discussion and the uh uh report to address items on the agenda that will no longer out to allowed to ask for without eating into the so if you could continue that uh good process I'd appreciate that thank you thank you all right anybody else yes someone's wondering no young lady young lady behind Okay poor lady if you can and if your name and add us it's J from 356 Liberty Road and that's um but I'm calling Wonder hoping that we could have some kind of help out there with the traffic it's um the the road from 57 to 519 is a 40 m hour thing um I don't think anybody can read when they're going through through we've talked to the cops a couple times and they said we can't always be there but we have little kids now new homes and people coming with little kids it's it's it's just not right I mean pulling out of your driveway you have uh pickup trucks coming around you and you're not even out on the road yet and it it because it it once they come down and they hit the bottom of the road going up to 57 they don't even stay they don't even stay for the light we're looking for the police to give us some suggestions you know hey Chief's here he hears your concerns and I'm sure he'll put people out there and check on it the guy with this shoot yep make back there okay yeah just hang loose after meeting Chief will talk to you thank you by the way Curtis still said to say hello okay you want to come up finally Don Paulis breley Garden Apartments Red School Lane on here about the water we have had water problems for who knows how long that they should have been prepared for what has happened to us because they knew there was a problem way back when we went without water from April the 11th to April 21st and all them days not a soul showed up to fix the water you had no water we had no hot water hot water okay which is no good um it got we finally got hot water on the 21st at 3:10 in the afternoon we went hold now mind you this is 96 Apartments six six buildings and we were told that they had some empty apartments and we go to them apartments and take a shower that lady told me the same thing I said that's so I said well I need a h handicap board to get in the tub I need one in the shower and I need a seat in the shower because I'm handicapped or we don't have any of that what I I would like to know I talked to Jerry Brennan the uh attorney and he said that we would have to go to beler and file a small claims against so I think you spoke about this earlier well so there are private remedies that you can do but I believe there's been uh some Township reach out to the Department of Community Affairs to and the health department to try to recogize well um why should we have to go to beler and pay to file a claim for something they did wrong to us uh um can't there be a committee and that we could instead of calling them jerks a a committee that we could call that person or people or whoever and tell them the problem and let them go after the owners instead of us having to do it because no one pays any attention we also when you call the office lots of times you get a recording leave a message you call the emergency number leave a message they never get back to you you don't hear anything now what if you called 911 wouldn't it be nice if they said leave a message instead of same thing emergency number should be answered and I think we should have yeah I heard it I think we should have someone else we can call that can speak for us to the owners these owners are terrible I I don't know how you left them in in in town so I I think so I think we've reached out if you guys want me to do it again I can reach out to the DCA the Department of Community Affairs and uh the health department and see what we can do when you buy a house you have to have it inspected and you have to have a a certificate yeah OCC thank you and why when they bought this why didn't they have to do that too or did they uh they should have had to do that but uh like I said we'll reach out to the uh Department of Community Affairs okay and if you have any problems issues like that give be a call here or there there's a form that you can I've got your number I'll call you yeah you go right to the top there's that you can complete bring it to the municipal building we do send them it's actually the management company that's the issue but we do reach out to DCA we've we've sent numerous letters to the management company well they even made us put their name on our renters insurance and I don't think that's fair neither so if if we had a fire they would collect from our insurance policy and if you didn't buy an insurance policy then you had to pay them so much every month all right we're definitely going to look into it for you all right I promise you that thank you all right anyone else seeing none motion forment motion second all in favor thank you all for coming out that's crazy that's crazy [Music] cuz they