##VIDEO ID:PPAJLPkH_s4## good morning everyone happy New Year this is a meeting of the township committee our annual reorganization meeting January 5th 2025 the no requirements provided for in the open public meetings act have been satisfied notice of this meeting was properly given by transmission to the Asbury Park Press in the two of her times and by posting at the Middletown Township minicipal building and filing with the Township Clerk on December 5th 2024 committee man Clark here committee man hiel here committee woman Katz here committee man Perry here commit man sen brino here at this time I'd like to read the certification of the general election Middletown Mammoth County New Jersey statement of determination this statement of determination of the board of County canvassers relative to the election held on County of Mammoth on the 5th day of November 2024 for the election of Middletown Township member of the township committee full term we had Michael Morris 13,81 and Tony Perry 26574 votes the board has determined that at said election the following person was duly elected Tony Perry certified by Eileen Keane chair Board of Elections and attested by Christine gono hanin Mammoth County Clerk at this time we have the swearing in of committee m member Tony Perry at this time I'd also like to invite County Commissioner director Thomas arnone to please come forward to minister the oath of office to Tony Perry Tony's walking up I I just want to wish everybody a a happy New Year in Middletown and of course all of our emergency services for the fine job you do on behalf of of the Commissioners where Ross and Nick are here along with our sheriff and our County Clerk and and our legislators um I have to thank you over and over again for running such an efficient well-run town and it's led by you great leaders here in the town there so thank you for making mmed County um it's the 53 towns that make M County the best County to live in and obviously Middletown being our largest can't thank you it's a lot lately it's good they're getting bigger every time what you looking pretty short my dad's in the hospital gr he's probably getting out he's probably saying come pick me up we'll make this F here we go I state your name I Tony Perry do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support that I will support the Constitution of the United States the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and allegiance to the same and to the governments established and to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully to faithfully and partially and partially and justly perform and justly perform all the duties all the duties of the township of Committee of the township committee according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God Grant was smiling so we just went ready one two thank you s we switch feat at this time we have the Pledge of Allegiance we'll be led by Mammoth County Clerk Christine gonald hanin you please come forward thank you so much and happy New Year everyone congratulations mayor and the township committee please join me in a salute to our flag the greatest symbol of Freedom around the world iedge God Bless America and God bless the township of MD this time I just like to take a quick moment of silence to honor the troops serving worldwide defending our constitutions freedoms and way of life thank thank you at this time we have our invocation led by father Jeff Kegley of St Mary Mother of go God Church please come forward let us pray if we bow our heads gracious and eternal God we come before you today as a community United in purpose seeking your blessing upon this reorganization meeting of the Middletown Township committee as we witness the swear and in of Tony perus as mayor we give thanks for his willingness to serve and Le Lord we ask you to fill this room with your presence guiding every decision and discussion with wisdom integrity and a shared vision for the common good bless this committee with Clarity of thought compassion for the people they represent and steadfast commitment to Justice fairness and peace we entrust this day in all the proceedings to your pray confident of your guidance of love we pray through Christ Our Lord amen next item on today's agenda we have the appointment of the township attorney at this time it is necessary to appoint the township attorney and Professional Services contract the proposed award is in the name of Brian M Nelson esire and SPO Harrison and Nelson LLC we have resolution number uh 25-01 resolution appointing the township attorney motion make a motion to appoint Mr Nelson to continue to represent as he's done a great job and certainly is is one of the top tier attorneys representing municipalities not just across New Jersey but across the country and honored to make a motion for him to continue to represent us here in Clark yes yes sanino yes H yes Perry yes motion carries to uh adopt resolution 25-01 at this time we at this time it is necessary for the township committee to elect a mayor for 2025 I would like to to uh ask the township committee for an offering an offering I'd like to make a motion oh one one one moment did we talk about that we did we did I'd like to make a motion for my uh dear friend my colleague uh Tony Perry to service for another year here second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes committee man SED brino yes committee man hell yes committee man Perry yes motion carries congratulations mayor at this time it is necessary for the township committee to elect a deputy mayor for 2025 may we have a motion notice how she didn't ask for an offering for deputy mayor uh make a motion to appoint my my dear friend Rick hiel to serve as deputy mayor of Middletown Township for 2025 second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes committee man s bro yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes and I didn't look at his wife Kelly while I made that nomination because I was afraid of what was going to happen my vote is yes okay at this time we have the mayor's address um at this time as the new mayor presents the address for the coming year 2025 I'm sorry excuse me I'm running so far um I'd like to invite former assemblyman Jack chedell please come forward for the oath of office for mayor Tony Perry for I st I Tony Perry swear swear theti of the United States of the United States and theti of the state of New Jersey and of statey and I'll bear true Fai and I will and the the the government established and the government established in the united states in the United States and in under the authority of people the authority of the people I I swear and I swear and all the DU of all the duties of Mayor May the best my my e hey at this time it is necessary for the township committee to swear uh excuse me for the swearing in of deputy mayor hell I'd like to invite Mammoth County Sheriff Shan golden to please come forward all e e oh [Music] your conratulations P thank you thank yeah okay at this time we will um have the mayor's address for 2020 happy New Year everyone it is wonderful to see all of you here today I I want to thank all of you for coming all of our volunteers father Jeff I want to thank you coming in uh once again this year and and providing us with that invocation uh asseman go thank you for coming uh Madame clerk director Sheriff thank you all for coming uh and and joining us in part of this program I know commissioner litra is here commissioner dero assemblywoman Flynn assemblyman scharfenberger is here our surrogate Moren R is here um so I want to thank you all it's my honor to welcome you here today for Middletown's annual reorganization meeting and I'm deeply humbled and truly honored by the trust placed in Me by the township committee and the people of Middletown to continue serving as your mayor now you've entrusted me with the opportunity to build Upon Our shared accomplishments and I'm fully committed to ensuring that Middletown remains a place of opportunity of promise and of possibility a town where our best days are ahead of us because Middletown is more than a town it is an idea it embodies the best of the American Spirit that shining city on a hill where hard work patriotism and a community shape the lives of all who call it home because in Middletown we celebrate what we have achieved and the boundless possibilities that lie ahead to all of my colleagues on the township committee I'm honored to serve alongside of you because together we are charged with the solemn responsibility of protecting and preserving the values that have made Middletown great the accomplishments that we celebrate today would not have been possible without their dedication and you all exemplify the spirit of service and the power of collaboration so thank you all to my dear friend Deputy Mayor Rick kyel thank you for your dedication and service to Middletown time and again you've shown a deep commitment to our community and the willingness to shoulder the responsibilities that come with that leadership I'm truly thankful and grateful for your partnership and your unwavering support because together we have worked to make a real difference for the residents we serve and for that I'm profoundly thankful Deputy Mayor thank you my friend now as we begin a new year Middletown stands at the Forefront of New Jersey as a community United in purpose and envision and we have chosen a path that prioritizes the preservation of our great town protecting our residents and elevating the quality of life for all who call it home nearly four years ago the residents of Middletown answered the call to protect our Open Spaces casting their votes overwhelmingly in favor of preserving the natural beauty that defines our town and as stewards of this trust we are committed to Swift and decisive action this past year Middletown witnessed why this investment was so critical we acquired 17 acres of land behind River Plaza School in an effort to ensure that we preserve this beautiful landscape while while simultaneously providing students parents and pedestrians a better route along hover Avenue we unveiled our newest playground at McMahon Park a testament to the power of community and to the boundless potential of compassion now this remarkable project was brought to life with the help of Ruckers Alum Eric Legrand and with the incredible support of local families the zimmermans the Owens and most importantly my dear friend Mato who is here with us today Matteo's story inspired this playground you see Matteo's mom walked into the Old Town Hall not to seek a handout or ask for sympathy but with a simple heartfelt goal to give her little boy a moment of joy and a childhood memory that he could cherish her courage and her determination reminded me of the true purpose of public service that's to listen to act and to to create opportunities for every family to thrive on the day we cut the ribbon for the state-of-the-art playground I saw Mato surrounded by a community that came together to make this moment possible and it was in that instant watching his and their joy that I was reminded of the profound impact that we can have when we lead with heart and purpose that moment reaffirmed why we do this work not just to build projects but to build memories possibilities and a brighter future for every single child in Middletown and I thank you for that thank you with that increased investment Middletown opened its first dog park at Tindle we showed off our skills at our brand new skate park at kungl and when the Conover beacon in Leonardo faced the threat of Fading Into history we chose a different path we restored this cherished Landmark allowing its light to shine once more maybe not to guide ships but to reignite the pride in our Rich Heritage now as we speak all of Middletown's basketball courts are currently being resurfaced and every single one of our tennis courts is scheduled to be resurfaced in 2025 preserving open space is not just about land it is the lifeblood of our community and let me be clear While others in Trenton seek to overcrowd our communities and hand developers free rain Middletown will not yield we will not yield we will stand firm in our fight against overdevelopment defending the character and the Integrity of our town this past election you the residents voted decisively yet again to make further investments in preserving our beautiful landscapes enhancing our recreational facilities and safe regarding historical sites that tell the story of our past this vote was not just a policy decision it was a statement of values it was a declaration that in Middletown we honor our heritage while embracing our future these investments will ensure that our children can explore the same Trails enjoy the same parks and Marvel at the historic landmarks that we hold dear together we are proving that progress and preservation are not mutually exclusive they are two sides of the same coin working hand inand for a stronger Community now last year despite Middletown proudly celebrating its 360th birthday a milestone few communities can claim we experienced a series of exciting and meaningful first that added to our Township's Rich history in our efforts to connect with and celebrate the unique voices of our community we launched locally sourced Middletown's very own podcast through engaging conversations with small business owners comedians historians locally sourced has become a platform for showcasing the people and the stories that make Middletown a vibrant place to live I swore in Middletown's first female judge Susan Clark who has been a fantastic addition to the bench bringing wisdom integrity and a fair hand to our municipal court and of course we accomplished something that Alana had long awaited and begged for and many of our residents did and it was finally bringing Trader Joe's to Middletown I asked if she was going to vote for me in that next election I'm still not clear on that answer now this exciting addition strengthens our local economy it underscores why Middletown continues to be an attractive place to open a business we also looked ahead to our nation's future while honoring its pass by launching the America 250 initiative to commemorate the 250th birthday of the United States of America now Middletown is proud to help lead the way along with the county in bringing this Monumental Milestone ensuring that we play a large role a meaningful role in honoring America's enduring spirit and Legacy Middletown and Mammoth County have served as Leaders planning for this historical event and thanks to the leadership of director Arnon and clerk hanlin I am very excited to share that Middletown will be home to the County's largest celebration and parade and as one of the old America's oldest towns it is fitting that we play a central role in celebrating that history director clerk thank you very much for everything you've done and finally Middletown had the extraordinary honor of welcoming a once in a-lifetime Opportunity the commissioning of the USS New Jersey a Virginia class nuclear submarine and the Navy's Firepower for freedom much like the state she is named after the USS New Jersey embodies strength resilience and an unwavering commitment to Excellence I extend my deepest gratitude to Captain stepen Halley and the exceptional crew aboard the USS New Jersey their dedication and service not only Safeguard our nation but also contribute to preserving peace across the globe Middletown is profoundly proud to be part of this historic chapter in our nation's defense now in a world where Public Safety often feels like an afterthought Middletown is standing Resolute to ensure that the security and well-being of our residents is well guarded across the state and Nation misguided bail reform laws have created challenges for communities prioritizing bureaucracy over and expediency over the fundamental right to safety because here in Middletown we refuse to allow these policies to undermine the rule of law the very Foundation of a thriving and stable community we believe that safety is not a privilege it is a Cornerstone upon what which families build their lives businesses grow and communities Prosper that's why Middletown in partnership with with our Sheriff Shan golden has taken a firm stand against policies that prioritize revolving doors of Justice over accountability we recognize that True Justice must balance compassion with common sense and we remain committed to advocating for changes that put the needs of our residents first this commitment is not just rhetoric it's about action working hand inand with our dedicated police officers and first responders we have implemented measures that reinforce Public Safety and Empower our law enforcement Community to do what they must and do what they do best protect and serve these brave men and women are the unsung heroes of our town responding to emergencies with courage and professionalism and we are proud to support their efforts with the resources and the respect that they deserve through proactive policing Community engagement and Partnerships with local organizations we are ensuring that Middletown remains a place where families can feel secure in their homes where children can play freely in their neighborhoods and where businesses can thrive in a safe and stable environment our residents know that their leaders prioritize safety not as a talking point but as a core responsibility some of those Talking Heads that have crippled our law enforcement enjoy that safety here in Middletown despite their two-faced and failed public policies but let me tell you what sets Middletown apart just isn't our uh policies it's our people in Middletown service just isn't encourag it is a way of life think of the volunteer firefighters who run towards danger when others run away think of the EMS Crews who bring comfort and Care in moments of Crisis these men and women are not just Heroes they are the lifeblood of our community and we as a town are committed to honoring their sacrifices we are investing in programs that encourage volunteerism creating incentives to ensure that these vital Services Thrive and celebrate the extraordinary individuals who answer the call to serve because in Middletown we don't wait for someone else to step up we take that responsibility on ourselves in 2024 the township committee and I proudly announced the Middletown volunteer incentive program a meaningful initiative designed to support the dedicated emergency First Responders who selflessly leave their kitchen tables their jobs and often their beds at night to assist their neighbors in need this program offers eligible volunteers a $500 property tax rebate it waves specific Municipal fees for construction and parking permits and provides forgivable $110,000 loans for firsttime home buyers these initiatives reflect our unwavering commitment to recognizing and supporting the extraordinary individuals who serve our community with courage and dedication and for that they deserve a big round of applause thanks to my friend John Ducker I wanted to give you a glimpse of the incredible effort our Volunteer Fire EMS and OEM teams provide Middletown our fire depart Department responded to nearly 1,750 calls an average of nearly five per day total ing more than 25,000 hours of volunteer service our volunteer EMS Crews were dispatched to 2,135 calls dedicating nearly 5,000 hours of service to the community in total our volunteers contributed 3,149 hours to incident response protecting our Community Helping our neighbors and providing the critical support needed during challenging times that extraordinary effort doesn't just deserve our thanks it demands our heartfelt gratitude these volunteers exemplify the very best of Middletown and their commitment reminds us of the power of community service and dedication to fellow men thank you all very much for everything that you do now the position of Mayor is not done alone and I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt thanks to my family the foundation that makes everything I do possible it is because of their love their understanding and their constant support that gives me strength to serve as your mayor with the dedication and focus that this role demands to my wife Alana I couldn't do this job without your love and I'm just lucky to have it back so thank you now Reagan Grant and Kennedy while they may be too young to fully understand what this all means one day they will understand why they spent their childhood running around town hall I have to acknowledge my parents my sister and one very important person who couldn't be here my brother Luke I am today C carrying the challenge coin he just gave me right before he left for his final Marine deployment just a few days ago to okanawa Japan in defense of the Liberties that we are all demonstrating and enjoying here in this room today to say that this job doesn't take away from the family would be untrue but I cannot and I will not sit idly by and watch from the sidelines everything I have shared today is made possible by an exceptional team that brings the projects and initiatives to life our Administration is filled with dedicated professionals who work hard and their expertise I am privileged to witness every day I want to especially thank our administrator Tony mkin tante for all he's done in the seven years that I've now been the mayor Tony thank you for your your leadership and your help to the guy who tries to keep me out of trouble and who often tells me to stop talking up on the deis Brian Nelson our Township attorney Brian you wouldn't know it but he kicks me under the table I don't know our clerk Heidi pelik thank you for everything that you do keeping the township committee and our meetings going thank you Heidi our CFO Colleen lap who pinches those purses tighter than anybody else Colleen thank you for everything that you do our Public Works director Ted Maloney the guy I probably call the most and tell him we got to get this done but Ted thank you for everything that you did in the back our Recreation director Janet delet I want to thank all of them and so many others who go above and beyond our to serve our community it is because of their tireless commitment that ensures Middletown continues to be a place to thrive thank you all very much for everything that you do thank you now I need to extend a special thank you to two individuals that I very much depend on Laura Madison Shannon Miller for keeping me in line that's not in my speech but I'm adding it their guidance support and dedication are invaluable and I could not do this job without their help so thank you both very much to our Communications team that makes us look good tara Raven Giana thank you for setting a standard of Excellence through your efforts you ensure in today's day and age in particular that our residents stay informed engaged and connected showcasing how government can and should serve its people and your work is inte integral to the success of Middletown so thank you all very much there you are Tara I didn't see you so I want to leave you with this today I asked you to join me in embracing a new frontier for Middletown a frontier not defined by Borders or boundaries but by Limitless potential within our community and ourselves this Frontier challenges us to dream bigger to work harder and to strive further it is the frontier of opportunity where every family can build a brighter future for every child to reach Greater Heights and for every neighbor who can contribute to the boundless potential that Middletown holds it is a call to action that asks us to step forward not with hesitation but with conviction ready to shape a future that is as bold as it is promising this journey will not be for the hesitant or the indifferent it demands courage and determination and an unwavering belief that in what we can achieve together it calls on each of us to rise above the ordinary to push beyond what seems possible and to build a middlet town that inspires future generations to say that this is where greatness was forged so let us March forward undaunted by the difficulties ahead inspired by the example of those who came before us and driven by a shared determination to keep Middletown a model for what communities across this great nation can achieve this is our moment this is our moment to write the next chapter in Middletown story a chapter of perseverance of opportunity and of boundless potential so let us achieve it together thank you God bless you and God bless the great state of New Jersey and the United States of America that thank you all very much I know I know I know I didn't wasn't going to tell you I's been out of shape because I took all the drer stats out of his speech and I put them into mine hey he put me on the email at this time the deputy mayor will uh present his speech for 2025 good morning again happy New Year everyone since 2018 it's hard to see what the glasses forward since 2018 I've been following this guy been taking all my comments and uh make the speech is very hard for me one day one day I will be first so all right first I would like to thank my colleagues shook her head now it's happening after today on first I would like to thank my colleagues for entrusting me with the responsibility to serve once again as deputy mayor this has been an amazing honor to serve this town in which I grew up in I would like to also congratulate my dear friend colleague on his recent election I look forward to serving alongside him and congratulations Tony once again I would also like to thank him for outstanding service as mayor when I tell you I should re I should rethink this thought here when I tell you we got the best we really do no it's good as is okay all right this committee appreciates the hard work and your dedication Tony gives every day I would also like to thank the governing body it is perfectly aligned to continue amazing things thank you Kim Kevin Ryan and Tony thank you thank you Sheriff sha golden once again for swearing me in means a lot to me I did notice my son was definitely taller than you now so really appreciate that there Jackie got them next I would like to thank my family for always being by my side we started coming to this annual reorganization almost 15 years ago when I was sworn in his fire chief which is my one child my son jack and now I sit here with three kids I want to thank them for all their support over the years and thank my wife Kelly and also I want to thank uh Jack Lyla and Valerie for always being there and supporting me in everything we do I also want to thank my mother and father sitting in the front row here uh Happy Anniversary 51 years today can't forget my mother-in-law hopefully she's uh watching uh from somewhere warm she's always quick to lend a hand and that's much appreciated thank you Judy now to come to some business as always report our volunteer stats I'm going to just brief everyone on one thing that John didn't tell to Tony once again we have the best volunteers I mean look at the crowd in the back they can't even fit in this place now every year there's more and more which is just an amazing thing uh this year our our fire department uh responded to about 20% more calls than last year that's that's over 200 calls more than the last 10 years so the the past year was came in at uh roughly 1469 and this year was 1745 I don't know what that is I'm going to talk to the Chiefs about that later on but it's just amazing the job that you guys do uh EMS all the time that you guys put in just an amazing amount of time just want to give a a um a hand for all that this town is truly blessed to have them and this committee cannot be more grateful for what they do thank you again next Tony didn't steal is for me I report on our roads I am pleased to say we paid more more roads this year than we did last year this is a big pet peeve of many residents in this town Mr fi's there in the background he always ask about the roads we uh we accomplished about 12 miles of Paving this year I want to thank Ted and team for pushing to get this done I know it's a task pushing utilities and everyone else to get this accomplished at a good price so thank you Ted I would also like to touch on the park Renovations as the mayor mentioned earlier I look at our Parks look at what's going on around here we we haven't seen as much construction on our Parks um our Open Spaces things are just truly amazing of what's happening there Janet thank you for uh pushing that thank you and your team for pushing that forward and and continuing that in closing this committee is nothing without all the employees we have and I want to make sure I personally thank everyone I know there's a lot of everyone that does this all behind the scenes but without them this doesn't happen so thank you everyone happy Near You everyone at this time we have um our next item on the agenda is a resolution appointing the newly elected officers of the Middletown Township Fire Department for a full year term of one year that's resolution 25-2 may I have a motion second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes committee man sen brino yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt resolution 25-2 at this time I'd like to invite fire chief Anthony Fetti please come forward with your family congratulations I Anthony Fetti do solemnly swear swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States I support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey constition of State in Judy and that I will bear true faith and that I will bear true faith and Allegiance and algi to the Saint to the sa and to the governments established in the United States to the government establish in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear do swear to Faithfully to faithfully impartially impartially and justly perform and justly perform all of the duties all the of fire chief of Chief according to the best of my ability so help you God so you congratulations chief e h at this time I'd like to invite Deputy fire chief Daniel P ell to please come forward with your family I Daniel Kelly I Daniel Kelly do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey constitution of the state of New JY and that I will bear true faith faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established and to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people and I do swear to faithfully impartially impartially and justly perform all of the duties of Deputy fire chief chief according to the best of my ability to the best of my ability help you guys congratulations what e at this time I'd like to invite first assistant fire chief Kevin Mory to please come forward I think she I Kevin morsy I Kevin morr do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States United States you know normally I switch it up a little bit so they never know all right so we got the United States out of the way all right and the constitution of the state of New Jersey constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith I will bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established and to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in the state and in the state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully to faithfully impartially impartially and justly perform and justly perform all the duties of all the duties of first assistant fire chief first assistant fire CH according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help you God so help you God congratulations you know Kevin first time I got sworn in I forgot my own name couldn't oh sorry Lor yeah I know I was mentioning U folks earlier and uh I I know Senator o scanland thank you very much for for being here and our prosecutor Ray Santiago thank at this time I'd like to invite second assistant fire CH Jacob Lawrence III please come forward with your family I always love when Jake comes up because room comes up too I the only thing I'm concerned about is that there's a fire while we're all standing so so first first reorder gota be the center move down okay I Jacob Lawrence II I Jacob Lawrence I thir do solemnly swear solemnly 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 and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith faith and I will be true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments established to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully to faithfully and partially and partially and justly perform justly perform all of the duties of all of the duties of second assistant fire chief second assistant fire chief according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help you God so help you God congratul she's looking so we got the adults have to get their yeah we got to get a registered to vote come this time I'd like to invite her assistant fire chief James abis to please come forward with your family I James abis I James abis do solemnly swear do 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 and the constitution of the state New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and allegiance to the same and to the governments established and to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in the state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully to faithfully impartially impartially and justly perform and justly perform all all of the duties of all of the duties of third assistant fire chief third assistant fire chief according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help you God so help me go congratulations conat great our next item on today's agenda we have the appointment of the township of Middletown Emergency Medical Services Department we have a resolution 25-3 appointing the newly elected officers of the Middletown first a squad for a full term of one year expiring December 31st 2025 may we have a motion motion second commit M Clark yes committee woman prant yes committee sen bro yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt resolution 25-3 at this time I'd like to invite em Chief Marco Fernandez to please come forward with your family I Marco Fernandez I Marco Fernandez do solemnly swear do solemnly 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 the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith I will bear fa and Allegiance and allegiance to the Saints to the Saints and to the governments established to the government established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully to faithfully and partially imp partially and justly perform and justly perform all of the duties all the duties of EMS chief of EMS Chief according to the best of my ability according to the best of my so help you God so you congratulations congrat ready no this time I'd like to invite EMS stany chiefy gold can your family please come forward many times I said how many times is this for you he goes same as you I Floyd Goldstein I Floyd gold do L swear Solly 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 and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and I will bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the Saint to the same and to the government's established and the government established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this St under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully to faithfully impartially impartially and justly perform and justly perform all the duties all the duties of EMS Deputy Chief of EMS deputy chief according to the best of my ability according to the best so help you guys congratulations fortunately I don't have to tell you the procedure here Floyd you've done L of tce [Music] at this time I'd like to invite EMS assistant chief Craig Schwarz to please come forward with your family good ready to go I Craig Schwarz I Craig Schwarz do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States I'll support Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey constition of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the Saint to the Saint and to the governments established the government establish in the united states in the United States and in this state and in State under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully faithfully impartially impartially and justly perform and justly perform all the duties of all the duties of EMS assistant chief EMS assistant chief according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help you God so help you congratulations right before we take just a 5 minute recess can we give all of our First Responders a big round of applause and thank them for their service all right Heidi I believe we're going to take a five minute recess and we'll try and keep it closer to five than 10 if you don't mind just taking your seats and we'll continue with the agenda thank you everyone Deputy Mayor Hull want to wash my hands sure ready mayor committe man Clark hey lik story good reason there's photographic evidence okay Heidi welcome back our next item on today's agenda we have an introduction of proposed ordinance 202- 3447 an ordinance implementing voter approved increase to the annual collection rate of the Middletown open space Recreation flood plane protection farmland and historic preservation trust fund after a successful overwhelming majority of Middletown residents voting in the affirmative for this at the in the last election motion to approve motion to introduce second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes committee man srino yes Deputy Mayor hbel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to pass this ordinance on first reading with a second and Final reading on January 21st 2025 at this time I'd like to ask the township committee to adopt a consent agenda which would include resolutions 25-4 through 25- 52 and removing resolution for architect of record a resolution appointing conflict Council and appointing qualified Consulting Engineers for separate vote motion to approve the consent agenda second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes committee man sen brino yes Deputy Mayor hbel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt consent agenda at this time we have resolution appointing architect of record motion to approve second committee Clark yes committee woman Katz yes committee s brino recuse deputy mayor hibell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt resolution with recusal noted at this time we have resolution appointing conflicts Council motion to approve second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes committee man s bro recuse Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt this resolution with Rec noted and we have resolution appointing qualified Consulting Engineers motion to approve second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes committee man SBO recuse Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt this resolution with recusal noted at this time we have count Township committee comments all right committee mclark um don't have a lot this morning uh first I want to congratulate you mayor uh on being sworn in for the seventh time uh your leadership and dedication of the town does not go on notice not just by the community but by uh us up here and we're better for you have been being our mayor for the last seven years uh what we've been able to learn from you and be able to do uh truly is unique so I appreciate that and uh Deputy Mayor you and I have been through uh a few different phases of our lives together uh fired Chiefs and now on the township committee and what you've taught me and the rest of us as well is invaluable uh and we appreciate your guidance your leadership and everything that comes along with it uh we I just thank you so much um thank you to our volunteers first aid fire and so forth um as the mayor and Deputy Mayor said in both of their speeches our community doesn't run without you and uh um having been part of the volunteer rank since 1994 um it's something that I hold near and dear and uh I'm just proud to see year in year out how many people we get to show up here and how many um how many uh calls that we have and the the interactions that we have 25,000 hourss of of time spent away from your family away from work away from school or otherwise uh to help out our community that's uh that's pretty remarkable and uh it's something that we should all be super proud of um um and then to all of our professionals and our staff and our department heads and um everybody in between uh you guys also keep this town running uh in a way that none of the five of us could um each one of you offer a unique um set of skills and when those skills are all put together we get the machine that is Middletown that everybody is envious of and wants to be like so thank you guys for that um and with that think I'm done thank you thank you mayor I want to Echo committeeman Clark's comments and um and congratulate you uh mayor and Deputy Mayor on your appointments this year thank you for your leadership Middletown uh the township Committee of Middletown is so confident in our leadership that we were able to read it in an article yesterday um so so thank you very much for that thank you to our volunteers you do a great job and uh certainly put Middletown on the map and uh whenever I go to other municipalities I do get the comment that committeeman Clark mentioned how do we be more like Middletown and that's and and I'm not there as a member in the governing body um but um you know people do want to want to emulate what this Township does and what we can achieve and what the volunteers can achieve and it's just great to be a part of that so happy New Year everyone look forward to working with you and representing you again for another another year mayor thank you thank you all right committee woman crets thank you Happy New Year everyone um congratulations to my good friend Tony Perry on your resounding win this past November um I am also proud to once again offer my support um as Tony and Rick continue to serve as mayor and Deputy Mayor this year I'm truly grateful for their leadership and friendship over the years and look forward to working together to make 20125 another great year for Middletown congratulations also to all of our new Chiefs and to all of our First Responders Middletown is stronger and safer because of their unwavering dedication and we're forever grateful and thankful to them and to their families for the sacrifices they make each and every day for all of us this annual reorganization meeting is always a highlight for me and for all of us it gives us all the opportunity to recognize and appreciate our amazing volunteers while looking forward to what's to come so um God bless you all and here's to a successful and prosperous 2025 thank you DM Happy Year everyone uh all of you that are still here uh you you've heard enough from me but I do want to say uh all of you are being appointed either as a professional or as a volunteer and I want to thank you um for taking this oath for taking this responsibility uh and helping lead this town the five of us do not uh do this on our own uh it is the dedicated volunteers that make this all happen um so I want to thank you for taking that oath whether as a professional or or as a volunteer um and I also want to give a big round of applause and thanks um because my kids are starting to lose their minds up here um Charlie Rogers and our building maintenance crew thank you very much Charlie did a heck of a job this over this last weekend so thank you all right with that being said uh I'm going to ask all of you to uh anyone that is being appointed to a board today to please rise and I'm not going to state your name for you obviously because we'll be here for another hour um so uh when I begin I and state your name please raise there you go okay I Tony Perry do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and in this state under the authority of the people and I do swear to faithfully impartially and justly perform all of the duties of your respective office according to the best of my ability so help you God congratulations and thank you yeah MH yeah at this time I'm going to go through the um presentation book for today and if your name is called could you please come by and shake the hands of the township committee members and then you can go out to the lobby and sign your oath of office I'm going to begin with the appointments to the clean Community advisory committee Colleen lap Joseph E Maloney Valerie Robertson and Eric magio we have appointments to the community you guys can remain seated if you want yeah appointments to the Community Affairs Council Patricia ulette Thomas finegan Robert schilberg John gordano and Kevin McCormack at this time we have appointments to the community Assistance Network Ryan Clark Jessica alone Anthony Dela Tacoma Richard D benedetto Wendy mahalik father Luigi harrian John mcgreer buddy Skelly Susan Griffin and Derek dhy this time we have the appointments to the economic development committee Tony Perry Ryan Clark Gary Thompson and Jason Fox we have appointments to the environmental commission John Spinelli Carl rathen Martin Don and AJ capetto appointments to the Green Team advisory committee Richard D benedetto Janet delet Eugenio Grano Greg Landy Joseph Maloney Anthony merant tante Pat Miller and Michael Rizzo we have appointments to the Fort Hancock 21st century advisory committee Anthony merante and Kevin srino appointments to the historic preservation committee Ryan Clark Rosanne Edson Serena shriber and Elaine Hanley we have appointments to the Joint shared services and consolidation advisory committee Tony Perry Rick hybel Anthony merant tante and Sarah Weinstein and appointments to the landmarks commission Kimberly best McCabe and Roseanne Edson appointments to the library Board of Trustees Kimberly Katz Lana cook and Marian sh in appointment to the linkof senior housing Corporation Carmen Peterson appointment to the Middletown Arts Council Marine t r appointments to the Middletown Housing Authority Anthony panika Rudolph Cherney and Paul Johnson appointments to the municipal Alliance Jessica alone Barbara Amadeo Donald antonucci Margaret berelli Ricardo Cruz Michael Donlan Janine Kennedy Kimberly Katz John Maguire Erica mcke Barbara melli Tony Perry Jerry scharfenberger an Kathy strino Daniel Sullivan chrisy Tapo Craig Weber and John Warner happy New Year appointments to the navyn river municipalities committee Tony Perry and Anthony merant tante we have appointments to the open space preservation committee Janet delet Paul GLS Anthony gazon Martin Jud Karen King Anthony merant tante Tony Perry John Spinelli and Victor whims appointments to the planning board we have Roseanne Edson Kevin srino John renchler Jay bazak and Vlad buron appointment to the veteran affairs committee Dennis borgard and Robert seamer appointment to the volunteer core advisory committee Anthony panika appointments to the Middletown youth Athletics Advisory Board Michael Adamson Tiffany Betts Joseph tyy Travis Toria Tim Gibson Robert fiser Joseph GTA Joseph grao James Lennon Rick odonnell Jessica Ormsby and Matthew roen and appointments to the Zoning Board of adjustment Chris aita Martin trescott Steven Shanker and Andrew Bane should I do the professionals too okay if your name has been called if you want to go out to the lobby and sign your oath if you want to sign during the week that's fine you come to my office and we're there till 4 o'clock motion to adjourn mayor you want a motion to adjourn oh yeah that's right before we close and I'll open it up for public comment any member of the public wishing to make a public comment may do so we ask that you state your name and that you keep your comments to five minutes at four minutes I'll let you know that you have one minute remaining with that being said any member of the public wishing to make a public comment Don no all right seeing no member of the public stepping forward have a very happy New Year everybody close the public portion and adjourn second yes committee woman Katz yes committee Senate bro yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to have a great day everybody thank you all