##VIDEO ID:1b4fpUTmVg4## we e e e e e e e e [Music] away e e e e that e e e e I know it's okay e e e e e e e e e they decid 66 okay I remember I remember not sure this is good evening I'd like to call the November 12th 2024 bur council meeting to order will the clerk please read the open public meeting meeting statement adequate notice of this meeting has been provided as required under chapter 231 Public Law 1975 specifying the time date and location by posting a copy of the notice on the municipal building Municipal website providing a copy of the annual notice scheduled to the official newspaper of the bur and is on file in the clerk's office will the clerk please call the role council president rolinski here councilman Collins here councilman moo here councilman pans here councilman Potter here councilman Zam Brana here mayor Murray pres B Attorney Peter venola B engineer Mike mlen pres B administrator Fred Carr B clerk Monica Orlando here will everyone please stand for a moment of silence which will be followed by the salute to flag United States of America the rep for it stands one nation God indivisible liy and justice for [Music] all so tonight we have two presentations we have one from miltown historic preservation committee all right good evening I am randy Ruth chair of the miltown historic preservation committee and I'm here tonight to present to the council the committee's biannual obligation outlined by ordinance here is an outline of what is to come upcoming events moving the raron River Railroad Freight station which will focus on the history of the proposed site location derailments and moving the station over the years the process of moving the station with an emphasis on on the needs broader ideas for the site location and closing thoughts so first would be the upcoming events this year middle sex County and preservation New Jersey began a collaboration that incorporates County municipalities to host various preservation themed events these events have been ongoing throughout the county since the spring the general idea is to facilitate historic preservation conversations across communities and for the different Advocates involved to learn from each other the events are intended to be attended by any and all people interested in the topic not limited to preservation Advocates otherwise concerned citizens and public officials you are welcome to attend the two events being held in Midtown at the senior center on Saturday November 30th from 10: to 12 titled historic preservation Master planning and Tuesday December 10th from 7: to 8:30 p.m. titled preservation Demolition and adaptive reuse RSVP is appreciated but not required anyone interested can go to preservation nj.org or hopefully we can get these links on the miltown historic preservation page of the website in the near future the history of the site on Washington Avenue is definitely unique and interesting but I'll keep the subject matter to this Millennium the site in question was known as block 60 lot 5.06 and was about 14.01 acres of land going all the way out to the Lawrence Brook the map on the lower right on the slide highlights the area and does include the subdivided block 5.06 to where the sub sub station is currently located based on articles in the home News Tribune from 2001 support of this track was for senior Howen and was given by many locals while then middlex County free County Freeholder director David B Crable supported preservation of the land through condemnation only baseball fields were approved at the site but somehow miltown or the local municipality was obligated to get the funds for this to be uh for this to happen records show that at the same time in the fall of 2001 mcia took property through condemnation this displaced nine out of 10 businesses with the exception of the miltown ice cream Depot the names of these businesses can be read on on the slide if you wish it was reported in May of 2002 the buildings were slated to be cleared miltown historical society and miltown uh miltown environmental groups wanted to preserve the buildings for a nature center then mayor mayor Gloria Bradford and Council were hesitant to send a letter in support of this action to preserve the structures because there was a concern expressed that the taxpayer should not should not pay for it putting this into context later in September 2002 then running for Council current councilman John Collins said he was in support of a local open space tax equal to about $15 per household annually this would have helped fund open space throughout miltown the question on the ballot for the tax was voted down 1099 no to 1049 yes the following year it was asked again and did not pass by a greater margin I think it was something around 2third of the people voted no uh no for this U this added tax this may explain why the miltown historic preservation committee was formed a few years later in December of 2006 two years later former uh mayor and County Director D David krael passed passed away suddenly along with with his passing I suspect any Grand plans for the site went went along with him moving towards some more recent history at a burough council meeting on April 11th 2016 Tom Reynolds and kenura from the Ron River railroad Historical Society discussed the funds raised for the movement of the Ron River Railroad Station and its restoration they came to discuss the placement and anticipated Cooperative effort in the resolution and movement of the rail station with the council then mayor steber and Mr mclen address address plans in in the process and suggesting a meeting with the gentleman to discuss the the plans moving forward in 2017 CME Prov provided tree ing plans associated with the electric utility flood mitigation plan just to be clear I believe this was associated with the subdivided block 5.06 2 where the substation is located just looking at the timing on July 9th 2018 by resolution title 18-1 198 Council then approved the relocation of the station and later that month the burough administrator received a letter of support from the middlex county from middlex County for for a tap Grant to help fund the station relocation this grant is not offered every year and does have have criteria that that at the time it is assumed were met so you know all you know is the station even capable of being moved you know what what all the details associated with that that's why the grant was was applied for the grant was not awarded and I'm not sure why I believe this may have been the reason that in 20 9 formal architectural drawings were produced by a local architect so you know you don't get the grant because you don't have formal drawing architectural drawings and things like that would make sense was anything else left out I don't know in late 2023 a detailed report was was compiled by the committee this committee miltown historic preservation committee to have a holistic piece of of information for reference in moving the station while it should be updated it is still valid and should only really be updated when there is more input by the various parties involved so what do we need now we need a more detailed plan and the Midtown Historical Society preservation committee and the Ron River Railroad Historical Society have done this to the best of their capacity the next step is to have significant input from the council and community on what they see for the space it is currently 13.04 Acres of open space that is underutilized and can be a greater asset for the community at large not just miltown we need updated support from the council and a commitment from the mayor to help this project move forward the commit the commitment to the project will show the county what they need to help support the burrow and its residents the initial ideas for the site included tree plantings as provided from CME and some paths which were which were great but much of what was planned has not come to fruition including a detailed Loop in the back of the tree planting this might be because we don't have a local open space tax but but the county does so we as in not just this committee but really all of us in whether it be the council and um even you know the administrators really need to come up with an idea of what this space can be realistically what we've updated is renderings of the train station being in its final location these were done to help spark this Vision with the community and buau officials here's an overhead view View and update of what this location can have including but not limited to a brick pathway that would be used for fundraising a pollinator Garden wider crushed stone pathways a nature trail to the Lawrence Brook and a pathway to to potentially a boat or kayak launch so how do we do this the simple answer is Green Acres funding while these grants are matching and can be combined to degre decrease the final costs there are particular funding programs like the incentive grants for completely inclusive playgrounds the deadline for any of this funding is about 3 months from now public engagement is also a requirement for the funding so the buau could hold an engagement event to nail down what what it is the community really wants while also as zero interest loans are available uh and and can be combined with the incentive grants for completely inclusive play playgrounds and will be compe however they will become competitive in 2025 this is the last year to get this grant where 75% of the costs are covered and we're not competing with anybody so come next year if we want to have an inclusive playground we're going to have to be competing with other communities throughout the state of New Jersey so now's kind of the low hanging fruit there are question and answer meetings on November 25th and December 18th that the applicant hopefully the buau in part should attend if if we want any any of this funding which can help create value in a space that once had 10 businesses paying burrow taxes that created community and provided value to the residents in closing we must provide prioritize education and Outreach to engage the community while fostering ideas and ensuring every voice is heard let's renew a value uh let's renew a valued Community Asset saved by public demand including the two buildings that were already saved at on this space secure grants to Pro to support our underfunded parks in open space and develop inclusive playgrounds possibly while funding is still easily accessible these actions can move swiftly potentially by next year finally let's support the local business by improving Park facilities encouraging seasonal recreational Ventures and potential business opportunities that can be enjoyed by Everyone by working together we can keep miltown the greatest little town in all the land thank you for your time does the council have any questions just one question Randy thank you uh so much for that detailed explanation the the two days that you uh mentioned the 25th of November and the 18th of December RSV RSVP is to preservation nj.org uh yes okay thank you thanks for quoting me Randy you can never have enough parks to Recreation you know so that's the way I feel so yeah I have two uh questions um I know when I went to the county um it's probably two months maybe it's three months ago now uh they had asked for uh three separate uh quotes for the foundation's uh contractor quotes for pricing um we can discuss that offline but that's what they're they're looking for uh other than that they really didn't seem to have a problem they were just looking for the additional quotes uh I know there was the one uh but they they were looking for two additional uh for that um the other question I had was who is going to be doing the Grant application well to answer the first question um there's sort of kind of two quotes with a third one conceptually floating around so the first one would have been Brown and Glenn that's the one that has the most solid numbers however in the uh detailed report that was put together there was another company called wolfen Suns they're a nationally renowned company known for moving historic structures uh some basic conversations were had with them on uh over the phone last year and we'll just say that they could come out if things got serious enough to give a formal quote um but I anticipate that to be more than what you know the current the local numbers suggest now the third vendor uh it's been kicked around that potentially uh talking to another local Mason Contractor to to get that done would be would be feasible I know in the past it's come up in front of other councils you know who's qualified the you know the the qualif applications to move a bill I don't know if you have any prerequisites you know or if the county does um because I know anybody or it's been presented in the past that well anybody can say they can move something it doesn't mean that they're necessarily qualified so uh if there's no particular qualifications I'm sure we can work move forward with getting two additional bids okay yeah and it's more more so about the foundation uh plans uh that's what they're really looking for versus the move I think the move is the easier of the two um you know whether it's Crane or you know how it's moved over um to put on its final resting place but I think the the key thing is the foundations Foundation plan quotes or what the count Foundation plan quotes specifically okay then I'm sure we can come that and um the other question I'm sorry oh that's okay um who's going to be filling out the Grant application well it would be anticipated that it would be some sort of municipality I mean if the municipality is applying ideally for example for the inclusive playgrounds and I'm I'm only hanging you know any any word on that because you know something like that doesn't need to necessarily go in this location it could go somewhere else within the community I think it's kind of low hanging fruit um but depending on who applies for those types of Grants you're in a different bracket in terms of the maximum dollar amount so for if miltown were to apply I think that would make the most sense because that sends a signal to the county and the county can kind of pick up whatever slack there is whereas I think where it currently stands that the county doesn't have their head entirely wrapped around the picture as to why a nonprofit wouldn't be able to to apply for these it I think that it comes down to uh not only capacity but also commitment so you know it would be very challenging for a nonprofit within the community to basically sign up a municipality when it kind of makes sense for the municipality to you know do all the checks and balances internally than it is for an outside group to do it so I would hope that the miltown would apply for the grant right just just like with the tap grants in the in the past where CME had applied for them essentially so if not you know somebody in the burough Administration uh potentially you know the engineer whatever appropriate party has deem necessary okay excellent so have you received the three quotes for the foundation councilman Collins microphone please I'm sorry did we Bry have we received the three quotes for the foundation so the quotes the current quotes that were received were were from a local contractor to both build a foundation and move it with mobilization costs it's kind of a package deal that the whole price tag and I I think uh the burough engineer could have tested this when you have one company doing all the work the the price when you break it down you know the pieces end up costing less you know when you when you do it as a package um those exact dollars need to be re-examined because of inflation uh and then there was another quote that was put together mostly by the moving company cuz that's where the bulk dollar bulk of the dollars were where they had said well you know we want to put down a foundation we can put it down but they their prices seemed to be quite a bit higher so to short answer is no there are not three existing current Foundation uh proposals but I think those are pretty easy to obtain at this point Randy if I could just jump in and remind you that if the burrow is going to be doing anything there are certain requirements we have it can't just be a local contractor especially depending on the dollar amount of the project so that's something else that we have to consider it can't just be anybody and do you have an idea of what the threshold is or what that criteria looks like uh we could talk offline about it okay thank you I think it's like 17,000 is it Monica uh well there's a lot of factors that come into play into play there's a lack of a qpa right now uh what's going into the project do they have a BRC I mean there's there's a whole host of things that we'll have to look at so yes we need a number of quotes but it has to be a number of from quotes microphone please I am talking into the microphone it has to be a number of quotes um from people who can actually do the work responsible contractors is what we call it is is there a union requirement uh that I I am not a qpa so that is something like I said we'll probably have to eventually talk to the borrow attorney about and uh and see exactly what it is but there are requirements we can't just go to our local whoever so I mean we can if they meet the requirements but do you happen to have a list of uh contractors that may have done masonry work for the burrow in the past so I think that I think the council needs to first step back and say regardless of the number that's provided how are we going to pay for the big dog in the in the in the fight is how we going to pay for it the intent is good the idea is good the philosophy is good but at the end of the day we can't hire anybody to do anything unless we have the money to do it and right now unless I've missed something I don't know where it is Randy I I assume your fundraising is is ongoing how much money do you have microphone please how much how much how much money do you have as far as with the fundraising efforts I'm not aware of all the funds that are within the various accounts that the Historical Society is holding but it's 20s probably $25,000 or or greater there was an influx in in funding that came in uh last year uh through donations and I think it kind of started dying down because we we were looking for and continue to look for commitment from the bureau and I think it you know some people were like what's going on and we say you know so we're trying to get back back on board to basically do more more fundraising because it's been a long time and I think some people have uh donated and not seen much well Mo most of the money would would come from Grants that's the idea yeah and and hopefully there a lot of the money would come from Grants through Green Acres specifically I mean that's it is preserved open space that's where the bulk of the money can can come from uh and I think things can get very creative depending on what the vision is for for the council I there are ways in which for example that the money can be just as many of you know through Albert Avenue you know there's money can kind of be moved from a from a pathway and be shifted for things that are associated uh components of the project so it's not necessarily to get funding specifically to move the train station itself the idea is to utilize the existing funding to let's say improve the parking lot bring more people there such as maybe with a playground or what have you and improve the park facilities and really the the train station is a only a component of the broader broader scope of work that would involve uh more beautification well the site I I appreciate I appreciate the effort I don't know if anyone here has been to the train station it's in terrible shape because I have gone over and investigated so it's going to need a lot of work once it gets if it gets over there yeah there's actually been quite a bit of work to help preserve that building um I don't know if you're aware of it but there was the roof that was damaged that was that was repaired I don't think a lot of people know about that but in fact the the roof was repaired with um uh sa uh sa Lumber so everything's actually dimensionally and historically appropriate I don't know if anybody would even be able to necessarily Spot the Difference which is uh a feet that uh you know nobody specifically asked for but they knew that it needed to be done as as correctly as possible and I think they took the the long the long road to get there to do the preservation uh that they did within the past few years so the the work is a lot of it I think is is cosmetic at this point um and the interior apparently is in very good shape from what I hear and the people that I've talked to who have had access while yes the exterior is a little rough but you know using appropri paint it's you know it's the size of a trailer I it's not it's not a lot of square footage Randy are you guys planning to do the train show again or because they used to raise a lot of money with that for the I'm not I'm not aware of all the efforts that the Historical Society takes on or the raron River Railroad Historical Society because they're technically based out of Pennsylvania but the um I know that if there is an event that the train show can can be there to raise funds they they'll be there thank you all right thank you you getting feedback move up this is just louder for some reason tonight work next we have the environment Al commission not sure how to use this guess this button yeah it's yeah you hit the arrow to the right okay my name is Barbara Wright I'm the vice chair of the miltown environmental commission we're a volunteer group of residents established by the buau council to provote environmental ecological and natural resources planning and programs there are seven members and two alternates a lot of us are here today and uh we serve an advisory role to the governing body and and we just want you to know don't hesitate to reach out for us for any advice issues or ordinances that come up because we have expertise and resources that we could help you with let's see how this goes maybe this button that's okay Monica I'll figure it out there you go all right so um we promote the health and safety of miltown residents we advise the brail Council and planning board we have a member of our is on the planning board we advocate for open space planning and preservation investigate environmental and natural resource issues inform residents on environmental matters and develop and maintain an inventory of Natural Resources uh that's part of the master plan I don't think it's been updated lately so that's something that needs to get done and I that's a pretty big job I hear okay so I want to tell you about some of the projects that we've done uh a big thing big outreach program we have that each year is Earth Day and this year we had 100 people come out to help clean up miltown uh we work with the recreation department with the DPW on this uh we had a great uh day kaying thanks to Frank and uh and the DPW say thank them very much for their help there were 20 informational tables a lot of people came we had music games kaying uh the live music this year was was was paid for by us as volunteers it would be interested to see if we could get a little bit more money into our budget and we had a dog free cycling event where people donated items that they didn't need and other pet owners could come and and take things that other me other residents were finished using this was Doug orac he came from middle sex County the man on the left to speak to us about Lenny lenapi Indians and you can see Lawrence Brook Watershed was there other environmental groups uh rescued by Lacy did a project it was a lot of fun it's a beautiful day and we'd like more participation we'd like to make it a bigger event if we could we had also had a a pollinator Garden planning meeting um woman from Coldwell Jane I forget her last name what it okay okay and and she's a also on an environmental commission and and she does pollinator Gardens up in Coldwell New Jersey and they have like a whole pollinator pathway uh we they have multiple Gardens and tons of volunteers and she gave us a lot of advice about the the plants to use and and how to organize people to get volunteers it was a great great uh meeting at the library and well attended one of the things that I'm proud of in is our pollinator Garden at mil Pond Park we have a lot of help from the DPW because it is the park and and they help us do some maintenance there and uh we grow beautiful plants that help the butterflies we have an informational kiosk DPW helped us move an old kiosk and we've refreshed it and here's some of the DPW guys cleaning up a little bit they bringing some big machines to help bushhog it and those are some other ladies who volunteered uh to take down some of the invasives another project we'd like to work on is the swamin nature cabin where we'd love to have a nature set swamin Log Cabin where we'd love to have a nature center you can see the work that um marel did on the building there we're restoring the the chimney uh replac some of the mortar in there and she's done a lot of work on the log the logs treating the logs cleaning them oh this is Christopher Street where we uh we wrote a letter trying to advise miltown about uh the project this is actually how steep the slope is back there I I took a hike and and took some pictures and and of course you know our one of our goals is to preserve open space in miltown Christopher Street uh would be problem if it was developed because of the caused flooding and and so any developer would need to comply with this our slope ordinance in town uh we also presented at miltown day and uh provided information and education on local plants and animals that's my luna moth that I grew and on the right slide um gave out some pollinator seeds to kids it was great working with miltown on miltown day getting getting exposure to people getting people involved this is a new project that uh we're working on miltown received a $10,000 grant grant from I think it's is the BPU and uh so it's to help plan for future development of local community energy plans that align with the goals and strategies in New Jersey's energy master plan so we met with Fred car this past week and and a local or somewhat local Highland Park uh advisers on energy and so if we if we do this we we can apply for if we come up with a plan through the buau and and public Outreach gives public input we can uh apply for an additional Grant of $250,000 to help help miltown improve our energy plan so are our goals our new goals we like to continue working with the bureau to identify and preserve green spaces in town we'd like to have a little bit bigger and better Earth Day this next coming year we need to update our natural resources inventory like I said it's been a long time partner with the bureau on energy Grant apply for a larger subsequent Grant create d new Dynamic signage for our pollinator Garden kiosk improve the Washington Avenue open space that Randy was just talking about with those Gardens and Pathways I'd like to put in another uh well improve the pollinator Garden that is there because it needs an update and I'd like to work on that with whoever advis Planning and Zoning on environmental concerns and pursue more opportunities for Education Outreach reach out to more people get more people involved on on sustainability topics so the environmental commission strengthens the Community by working with the burough to tackle local environmental challenges our Outreach gives residents the opportunity to help enrich miltown and have a positive impact on our local environment and uh right now we're working with a budget of $900 a year and most of it goes to pay our state dues to the association of New Jersey environmental commissions so that doesn't give us like hardly any money we need to like buy a tablecloth when we have events and just little things maybe able to sponsor uh more I don't know some more things at the uh at our Earth Day with a larger budget we'd be able to increase our programs Outreach and impact and that's it thank you our activities and Community engagement rely heavily on the support and Trust of many including mayor Murray buau Council buau employees DPW and our fellow residents we truly enjoy what we do we're grateful for your involvement and there's a link to our website ouro website and and and then a zoom link for anyone who wants to come to meetings our meetings are open to the public of course and and we have had a lot of residents show up if they have an interest on a certain issue like when when w becomes a a topic of discussion a lot of people show up at the meeting and ask what we can do all right any questions I guess not okay all right thank you you thank you now is the time for public comment limited to the resolutions on the agenda if you wish to speak please step up to the microphone state your name and address for the record again this is the public portion limited to the comments only on the resolutions listed on the agenda at this time there will be a 5-minute time limit as set forth by the rules of council if someone raises their hand please come to the microphone and state your name and address for the record seeing no one I will close public comments all right the meeting uh the minutes for October 15th regular council meeting are on the agenda for approval are there any comments or Corrections this is the ones that were it was pulled from uh last meeting um for council president rinsky's comments can I have a motion to accept the minutes as type second I have a motion made by councilman Potter second by councilman Collins um all in favor any opposed okay thank you uh the minutes for the October 28th 2024 regular meeting are on the agenda for approval are there any comments or Corrections no may I have a motion to accept the minutes as typed so move second I have a motion made by councilman Potter second by councilman Collins uh all in favor I any opposed okay thank you thank you uh the minutes for the October 28th executive session are on the agenda for approval are there any comments or corrections may I have a motion to accept am minutes as typed so moved second have motion made by councilman Potter seconded by councilman Collins all in favor I any opposed okay thank you council president are you abstaining from that one as well okay thank you authorizing payments of Municipal obligations next on the agenda we have the authorized payments of Municipal obligations that will the clerk please read resolution by title resolution 2024-25 authorizing the payment of bills claims and statements against the burrow of miltown in the total amount of 9524 $497 37 you have heard the reading in this resolution are there any questions yes Mr Mayor I a question on U page 11 it says PF k o Conor Davies LLP it the total is 33,000 for the municipal audit is that correct that's that is correct sir that's the balance from the audit that was completed by PFO Connor just last month and the council approved all of that they didn't Billet until they completed the audit this is approved last year if you will by when we hired them as the auditor but we don't pay them until they complete the audit I see and there was a u on page 12 there's Roth rosin Mandel and stum that's labor that's a labor attorney that's another $2,854 that's all I got may I have a motion in a second please so moved second I have a motion made by councilman Potter seconded by councilman Collins will a clerk please call the rooll council president rolinski Hi councilman Collins hi councilman Mana hi councilman pansy councilman Potter I councilman Zam Brana no okay a consent resolution has been prepared for the resolutions listed on the agenda all matters listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine in nature and having been reviewed by burrow Council will be enacted on in one motion any items may be removed from the consent agenda at the request of any council member if so removed will be treated on as a separate matter any items requiring expenditures are supported by certification of funds if any member of the council wants any resolution acted upon individually please give me the resolution number and it will be pulled from the consent resolution so I didn't get a copy of 304 you don't have 304 is that what you said let me see maybe it's over here here 305 304 sorry you can give it to me is anybody else missing [Applause] for you are and on your at your spot the day it should be the updated 305 that an email was sent out by Fred just updating the number do you want 304 pulled councilman no no thanks I'm just looking I just I don't know how I didn't get this one was probably all the papers I got here no I don't have any problem okay we look um so we're not pulling have a motion make a motion these resolutions be adopted I didn't read the resolution sorry consent resolution I need to read the resolution my apology whereas pursuant to the rules of council the council May establish a consent agenda for any regular or special meetings upon certain conditions and whereas each of the following resolutions to be presented before the burough council at its October 28th correction November 12th 2024 regular meeting appear to have the unanimous approval of all members of the burough Council IL 2024-25 through 2024-25 now therefore be resolved by the burrow Council of the burrow of miltown that each of the above listed resolutions be approved and adopted by the burrow council with the same legal effect as though each were read into entired at the November 12th 2024 regular meeting and adopted by separate vote you have heard the reading of this consent resolution what your pleasure now I make a make a motion that these resolutions be adopted second I have a motion made by councilman Potter seconded by councilman Collins will the clerk please call the role council president rolinski Hi councilman colins councilman moo councilman pansy councilman Potter councilman Zam Brana I we have reports from elected officials council president rinsky uh not much to report we have an executive session later on be discussing further uh stipulations regarding Fort Avenue and uh we sent out to uh the members of the finance committee a proposed solution for the water race yet to hear any sort of response from them that's all I have okay thank you councilman Collins well thank you Mr Mayor I have uh the electric and the water uh report from the electric Department department members responded to a house with half power the service was Service drop was burned out and subsequently replaced a tractor Trail ahead a utility pole and snapped in the Home Depot parking lot department members responded to the emergency and assisted with the setting of a new pole in repairs a pole transfer with a new Transformer was completed on Crestwood Drive to replace an old pole with with damage due to rot primary wires were transferred to a new pole on Violet terrrace improvements in the area were ongoing a Service drop was replaced on Albert Avenue to accommodate a new electrical service to a home an LED retrofit kit was installed in a post at the burrow Hall various exterior lights were Rel lamped a parking lot light was repaired and the library trees were trimmed to improve the lighting situation in the parking lot eight street lights were repaired one street light was replaced with energy efficient LED line clearance was performed on Violet Terrace Senior Center parking lot in South Moes area three electrical meters were replaced three utility trucks were needed emergency hydraulic repairs and were out of service one has been returned to active service one goes out for repair next week various work orders from billing departments were issued and assisted with discrepancies were encountered and that's the electrical report I'll give it the Water Report along with the daily work orders daily pump checks the water department and Sewer department has reported the following the Ford Avenue industrial complex had a water main break that they were responsible for and they had made all required repairs there was a water main break on ryers Lane October 20th South Brunswick had a sewer main break that affected North Brook Drive South brunck is working to cooperate with all federal and state and local agencies to meet the cleanup REM remediation requirements hydrant flushing was completed for the year and that concludes my report Mr Mayor thank you councilman M okay regarding the uh Rec committee uh the uh youth fall soccer tennis flag football and multiports had a great fall season uh with exceptional weather to do that in uh we look forward to seeing everyone in the spring the adult co-ed s full League uh had a successful season uh they had a great turnout for the championship on October 23rd and they're also planning a spring season late fall soccer clinics will begin on Thursday November 14th at Parkview school it's two days from now the children in the fresh theater arts program will be putting on their end of season production on Tuesday November 19th at the Joyce Kilmer school youth basketball registration is now open and the registration deadline is January 3rd we always welcome volunteer coaches and the program will start on Janu January 25th on Friday December 6th we will have our annual holiday tree lighting ceremony the elementary drawing program began on Friday November 8th at the senior center and there was a nice number of registers registration for all of the adult winter programs will be opening next week uh please be sure to visit the recreation web page uh to familiarize yourself with upcoming programs and new activities along with park locations to register for any of the programs uh the registration link is on the website I could say it but no one's going to write it down uh please help us to continue to make Midtown Recreation a community in motion the library also has some upcoming events uh Wednesday November 13th there's a drop in play at 10:30 a.m. and after school tween book club at 3 p.m. the craft corner on Thursday no November 14th at 3 p.m. we'll be making Thanksgiving treats on Saturday November 16th there will be crocheting at 11:00 a.m. a drop in craft at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday November 20th Saturday November 23rd at 11:00 a.m. scoes and scales a Hands-On presentation of some of the reptiles that call New Jersey home uh registration is required for that Monday November 25th adult yoga at 9:15 registration is also required for that the library book club meets on Monday November 25th at 6 p.m. additionally and uh quite important I think for November and Thanksgiving the library is having a food drive please bring non- perishable food items with un unexpired dates to the library by Tuesday November 26th the items will be delivered to the Aldersgate Outreach Community Center in East Brunswick uh the library like to thank you for your help in that matter uh if anybody has a hard time transporting something wants to donate something uh wants to even simply donate funds to be to help them procure things to donate uh the library can help with that my email is also on the site I'd be happy to help uh I will mention it was expressed to me by some volunteers that rather than uh buying an Eclectic mix of 10 different items a food pantry uh moves much more efficiently with a bulk of you know a bunch of cans of this or boxes of rice it makes it easier to store makes it easier to count inventory and also to deliver um all those things are just useful uh in helping in helping a good thing be more good or more efficient and add it uh the friends of the Billtown Public Library will be having a silent auction starting on Saturday November 16th through Saturday November 23rd during the library hours the last bid will be at 1: p.m. at 11:23 please call the library at 732 247 2270 if you have any questions uh that concludes my report I do appreciate all the great things that the library and the rec department gives this town uh wish we could do more for them thank you thank you councilman pansy we start off with the U miltown Senior Center highlights um our upcoming bus trips for the end of November include Tuesday November 19th there's a trip to Delicious Orchards bus will leave at 9:30 a.m. additionally we have a trip to Cracker Barrel on Monday November 25th the bus will also leave the senior center at 9:30 please remember register as soon as possible as the bus can only fit 10 people as with any activities events please sign up on the bulletin board in the senior center or contact Debbie at Duty Milltown bor.com the VNA nurse will be here on Tuesday November 19th from 12: to 300 p.m. please sign up on the bulletin board if you would like to meet with her new participants are always welcome the senior center will be closed November 28th and 29th for Thanksgiving and we will not be delivering meals on wheels on those days additionally if you know anyone that is interested in receiving Meals on Wheels please contact Debbie at 732 296 0681 and finally upcoming presentations for December include a question and answer discussion with the honorable George Murray on Wednesday December 4th at 1:30 additionally we will also have a presentation by Kenneth for camman PC on Wills living wills and estate planning Monday December 9th at 12:30 and uh this is the DPW report Saturday was a touch of truck event at the library and the mef's trunk Retreat which was a big success the kids enjoyed sitting in the truck and we handed out candy cups and pencils bought with clean Community Grant funds leaf bags are now available at the DPW building Monday through Friday from 8: to 3: this Saturday the second from it's passed 8 to noon five bundle limit per address November has several Chang to the garbage collection schedule no no garbage collection on Tuesday November 6th which is passed it will be picked up November 7th um okay I'm going to finish with this um the recycling um thank you Russ for your input uh the Thursday recycling for the 27th will be rescheduled for Saturday the the 30th and this concludes my report thank you councilman Potter thank you Mr Mayor from the miltown police department dep for the month of October the police responded to 1,371 calls for service during this period the police conducted 91 radar details in numerous locations made 427 motor vehicle stops and investigated 27 motor vehicle accidents 11 arrests were made with school in session residents are reminded to watch for children walking and riding their bikes to and from school please pay extra attention when driving through intersections and crosswalks miltown residents may have noticed an increase in lowspeed vehicles or lsvs on local roads here are some key facts to keep in mind regarding their use lsvs are only permitted on roads with a speed limit of 25 M an hour or less lsvs are not allowed on Main Street or other roads where the speed limit ex it it goes exceeds 25 M hour to ensure road safety fees must comply with federal and state safety standards be registered with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and carry valid insurance the operator of the lsv must have a valid driver's license and any child restraint must be you used to comply with the same standards as traditional vehic passenger vehicles lsvs are subject to the same traffic laws as other Motor Vehicles this includes potential penalties for traffic VI violations DUIs or DWIs if operated Under the Influence please remember that LS fees are designed for low-speed short distance travel following these guidelines ensures safe integration of these vehicles within our community and also uh miltown nixel service will expire on November 19th to register for our new alert system please text the word miltown to 3827 and stay tuned tuned for additional details on this new service from the miltown fire department there were a total of 30 incidents for the month of October which included 18 fire calls three drills one meeting four special assignments and four work details on October 17th a live fire training exercise was conducted at the middle sex County fire academy and members are needed candidates that are interested in joining the miltown fire department are encouraged to stop down by the firehouse on Monday evening at 6:30 or email join mtown fire gmail.com from the miltown rescue squad in October a total of 126 service calls were recorded year-to date the cumulative number of service calls stands at 986 during October the miltown rescue squad provided ambulance support for several key events including miltown fire department's live burn ruers football games the haunted Riverwalk trunk Retreat and the Fall Festival at the the library this month the miltown rescue squad proudly celebrates their 88th anniversary additionally they honored dedicated service of their members with the following years of service and Mr Mayor I'd like to announce these individuals uh for 25 years of service John blackm for 15 years of service Kevin hipo and Kyle raffy 10 years of service Ashley ham Anna Johnson Laura mcnolty and Ian paga five years of service Ahmad muhammd Jonathan Schwartz and Emily Sullivan and oneyear service Sarah berer Pierre esek Demi cell Joyce Hannah Evelyn nwin Katie parades Jerry Reeves Lily Schneider Steve shreer Naomi shanana shre takar Janine Viola and Harrison zakowski and to Kyle blackm for receiving the r Winslow Bron Memorial Ward please join me in a round of applause for these members receiving their memorial and the Midtown Rescue Squad is seeking new talent to enjoy their ranks they are currently accepting applications for their winter onboarding process individuals interested in joining the rescue squad or becoming an EMT should email recruitment at miltown rescu squad. org applications for January 2025 must be submitted by December 10th for any billing questions or concerns please contact their billing partner Cornerstone Cornerstone their services are also acceptable through the rescue squad's website please do not contact the miltown police department regarding billing inquiries and finally Mr Mayor for the miltown 4th of July save the date the miltown 4th of July committee invites you to join us Saturday March 22nd at the American Legion Post 25 for annual C celebrity B tender event mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details and that concludes my reports thank you councilman Zim uh thank you Mr Mayor before I uh start my reports councilman Potter is that the only way to sign up for civic plus what you just said um right now yes I think there's more information on the website correct Monica yes so there's a link on the website if they also want to sign AIC yep um so our environmental commission our next meeting is Wednesday uh the 27th 7 :30 p.m. via Zoom uh thank you to Barbara and the rest of the environmental commission members who are here tonight for the presentation uh our Board of Health meeting the next one is Tuesday uh November 26th that is at 6:30 p.m. in person in the back conference room our um revitalization advisory committee meeting tonight was uh postponed and will be rescheduled to December uh look for that on the second Tuesday in December which I believe is the 10th 7:30 via zoom and our human Relations Committee um uh Zoom call was obviously not held because it was on the same night as election that will also be postponed and will be held on the first Tuesday of uh December which is the 3rd um again 7:00 p.m. via zoom and that concludes my reports thank you uh reports from burough professionals Attorney Peter venola no report Mr May bur engineer yes Mr Mayor just a short report tonight to talk about North Brook Drive we have uh I think good news for you we've completed the plans and specification bid documents and they've been submitted to Department of Transportation the uh cost estimates within our original projected numbers we've included uh bid uh deletion items in the event that bids received or higher than funds permit and we're pleased to also report that njd has also approved the plans so we're in a position to recommend that you uh authorize us to advertise subject to review with the uh Public Works uh committee and your Public Work Director uh we're moving this one at a fast pace because the uh Grant conditions are uh pending so um so what we would ask tonight is that you authorize to advertise subject to uh the review of the two committees or the Public Works committee and the Public Works director can we do that by General yay nay I would ask the attorney I mean essentially it's going to be a a resolution from the floor um to authorize for bid I mean it's going to be a standard resolution I will work on it with Miss Orlando tomorrow um you know that you guys are going to introduce on the floor I guess not necessarily how we want to typically do business but if is that something has to be done tonight I can't wait until the next meeting Mike if if the resolution is a has to be prepared in writing we can wait to the next meeting yeah I yeah I agree with I prefer to do it that I prefer to do that way nice and clean yeah we we just got this good news we thought we'd come tonight and uh I'll throw it on the agenda for the next meeting excellent thank you uh reports B administrator I have no report sir B cler I would like to start by thanking all of my amazing poll workers for a smooth why does it happen when I start talking that means he's gone away oh cuz he hung up all right I'll start again I would like to thank all of my amazing poll workers for a smooth and successful general election uh November 5th it was a very long day um but everybody handles it with Greece and worked very well together we had a lot of new pole workers so I'd like to thank the new pole workers that came and worked for me this year I hope that you return for primary uh I'd like to thank the voters that came out we had pretty record numbers this year uh for this particular election um everybody was kind to my pole workers everybody was patient with the few glitches that we had so thank you to everybody who came out to vote and if you are interested in being a poll worker for me in 2025 you can stop in my office for an application or you can go on the clerk's website under elections complete an application and email it to me uh the only other thing I want to talk about was uh Vital Statistics which falls under my office this year to date through October 31st my office has processed 35 marriage license applications for happy couples that reside in miltown as far as certified death certificates last year for the entire year of 2023 the office processed 5 46 we amended the fee structure in February so my office up until October 31st of this year we have processed 1,079 certified death certificates almost doubling our numbers from last year I would also like to remind anyone that's interested in volunteering for the boards and committees in town to submit a citizen leadership application we have some vacancies that will be uh up for reappointment or appointment in January at the reorganization meeting by Council and mayor I have applications in my office and they can also be found on the website our reorganization meeting is January 6 2025 so I ask that if you are interested to please have your application into my office by the end of the month so I can disseminate them for mayor and counsel to go through and that is all I have for tonight thank you um does any member of council have any old business to bring before Council yes um I have some things to say about the water rates and also lid line replacement I've been looking into the water and sewer rates of various towns some larger some incomparable uh comparable to ours uh to our community I realize the timing is late yet I would have liked to have had Workshop meetings where we as a group could have hashed out Solutions we could have had council members like myself and others find Solutions together instead of separately I've researched other towns to find out how they worked in their water systems and I have a lot of information um however the minimum uh water usage is UN unlike ours um there's a program in North Brunswick that um they have a tiered system also but they have a senior utility discount SL credit applied annually is a $250 tax deduction the criteria is that they must be 67 years of age reside at the address have the same water um have the water bill in their name and have a new Ami meter for residents with sprinkler or irrigation systems for their lawns there's a secondary irrigation meter that is not subject to sewer charges it's an Innovative way of relieving the some of the pain of the quarterly utility bills uh I'm looking for options instead of being out of the loop and and expected to go along I do my homework which is why I was elected and I take my job seriously as others do here also um I also looked into uh NJ American water and Lead leadline service replacement which is um coming up here on July 22nd 202 2021 Governor Murphy signed an assembly bill 50 343 into laww requiring investor owned public Community water systems such as American Water to submit a proposal to the Board of Public Utilities to recoup the recoup the cost of lead service line Replacements from its customers in its monthly utility bill is there something we can consider here we have over 2400 residences Here Is it feasible to set up some sort of financing here with and water bills quarterly could we help some of our residents with a lead lining who may not have the wherewithal to pay the fees involved are there options this is going to be a financial burden for many residents I'm looking for some way to ease the pain that's that's it for uh old business yeah I'm I'm a little concerned about this uh budget transfer that we did in the uh the sewer it is sewer disposal from New Brunswick to 105 from the meeting last meeting yeah last meeting and I I was looking I took a further look at and you said there was a cash shortage Fred on the 28th of October so I don't remember uh saying that we had a cash shortage what I said that we needed to do we need to enact budget transfers to pay the bills come one November okay so as I mentioned uh back then uh we have a very tight budget okay and that the finance officer and I work rather diligently to transfer money within the accounts of the burrow to to be able to meet our obligations and one of those recommendations in the Water Utility Fund was to make those transfers you can't move we don't you know within the water to current current to water those are all within the water fund do you know when that's getting transferred back to do we mean are we going to transfer the money back no sir we're not you because last meting you said we could still transfer back if you had money in some other budget line but I can tell you right now and here today we don't have that money and we will probably if I wanted to bet anybody in this room money which I don't have uh we're going to have another budget transfer probably on the meeting of the 25th uh if as Joe's working through the budget for the rest of this year I I kind of don't understand that you have a shortage of money on the 28th and you said it's due the 1 but taxes come in so how can you have a shortage of cash so so you have a shortage of the taxes come in but you have a shortage in the budget line okay we forast the taxes okay and we've collected those and they have come in okay but we forecasted those in our budget which we passed on the 31st of julyin those budget lines there were shortfalls okay on un foreseen circumstances that required us to move money around uh in the budget U the the money that we receive from the current fund which is taxes okay uh is good but the I think the question that you have which I don't have in front of me um is transfer in the water utility that's correct okay the water utility is separate accounting system yes sir so how come you chose the water instead of the electric because the water account had this there this you know again there's a shortage in water I don't understand why would you tap that pardon P why would you take the money from water instead of electric again within the budget line sir we had the money available in water to pay the bills but there isn't there a surplus in electric again without that in front of me and without you know going back over to the conversation that you know Joe and I had which frankly I forgotten I can't answer why we didn't take it from Electric and we took it from water to pay the water bills you can't use electric money to pay water bills you must take water money to pay water bills but we took this the money here we put the money from the sewer into the salaries in water in water in so so I went from salary the Surplus in uh in water sorry in water and it went into salaries in water in the water department yes sir you had some significant salary increases in the water department so it went from paying sewer disposal fees anticipated sewer disposal fees cor Brunswick to paying the anticipated increase in the salary cost that was provided by the coun within the same so we didn't touch the water Surplus is that correct I'm sorry sir you didn't take the regular Surplus that accurs every year into next year's budget we no we didn't this the current money that's in we haven't generated a surplus yet we won't generate a surplus so the Surplus in whatever budget line will not be available so we talk about Surplus in a municipal budget whatever money is left over of unappropriated or unspent Appropriations in 2024 will not be available for the municipal use till 202 6 okay so all of next spring okay as I like to pick on my friends in CME you know because they're across because they're across the Das I can pick on Peter too people then all of a sudden wake up councilman in January and go oh my goodness we forgot to build the Burl last year okay so these bills come in in January and February okay from the pre privious previous year that we pay using the previous year's money then when the then on the 31st of March we cut it off whatever money is now left in the previous year's budget water electric Andor current basically is stagnant and then those appropriation reserves laps into the next year's budget so any money that we would talk about Surplus that we would realize in next year 202's budget actually came from money that was left over in 202 3 in the current fund it's always a year behind correct sir U and as and as as we all know you know we have I mean tonight's Bill list has 80 checks on it okay um and a pretty good stack of purchase orders and like you explained prior that we have to pay the bills when we get them yes sir so you know I will tell you that in the event that something had happened tonight okay where we had been unable to approve the bill list we would have mailed the checks tomorrow anyway I'd have sent everybody an email because we're obligated to pay our bills and the bill list would have been on the conversation for the next council meeting because you know we have vendors who need to be paid or they're going to quit answering the phone when we ask them to do work I see thanks FR anytime sir um old business I appreciate um councilman pansy's efforts and looking into what other towns do uh I would like to point out that North Brunswick doeses have the ability to add separate meters because their water source is not the city of New Brunswick the city of New Brunswick charges us for every gallon we use and that equates to every gallon they charge us for sewage disposal most often we have an inii problem in town in which more sewage goes to New Brunswick than we buy in water so we're actually getting a deal but because of that it's virtually impossible to say we can not charge you for sewage when you are purchasing water because every gallon we buy we have to pay for that in water and pay for that in sewer that's the agreement we have with the city of New Bruns um the part about the senior discount is certainly interesting and and worth looking into um I know for folks who do have limited funds there is the senior freeze which we talked about earlier this year which you can apply to the burrow and try to get your taxes Frozen as well um and avoid future increases in your taxes if you fall under a certain threshold of income from the previous year um for the past month or so I've worked on a revised water sewer plan um we didn't like the idea of covering all of the operating costs with the minimum fees to make sure we could pay the bills so we went in the other direction which would be to take our total operating costs and divide it by the number of gallons we sell on average that came out to about $30 per thousand gallons I requested the information for all the Billings that we sent out in the past 12 months from our finance department and uh utility billing department calculated a new rate based on that and it came out to about the $30 per th000 gallons from that we tried to say well how many folks are low-end users meaning they don't even use the 7,500 came up with another number that's divisible by three because we bill for 3 months at a time and that came to 4,500 gallons so the concept was you build a 4,500 as your minimum usage and anything more than that would be build at the $30 per th000 gallons that means the low-end users are paying somewhere around $180 per uh per quarter um I'd have to double check my numbers I don't have them fresh on my head uh and then after that anything more would be about $30 per thousand gallons but that's the way the numbers work out we have uh I discussed this thoroughly with councilman moo as he seemed overly interested we sent it out to members of the finance committee both councilman Potter and councilman Collins I have yet to receive a response from from them in the past month um and then I know councilman moo has reached out to both councilman posnanski and councilman zambrana in this regard as well to find out their thoughts on this approach um I spoke to the CFO last night and uh we did not pass those over to him yet because quite frankly after we did the first one and he ran numbers over weekends and holidays to try and get us a budget and then no one even bothered to introduce or adopt um we didn't want to spin his wheels wasting time on something that in theory the council wasn't behind so again here we are asking in theory does that approach make sense to the members of council so that the CFO can run these numbers make a determination on if it does in fact cover the cost of operating the system and move on from there uh in perspective currently we charge around 8 I believe per thousand gallons and uh $10 per th000 gallons for sewage about $8 per th000 gallons for water when I talk about the $30 that is because our water sewer funds are essentially co-mingled operating that department the staff covers both Water and Sewer so when we talk and say $30 per thousand gallons that would include the sewage cost as well so that's where we are more than happy to send it out again and hopefully elicit some response response of an opinion from the remainder of council and uh introduce something because again if we don't have it introduced and adopted before December 31st of this year the $150 additional charge would remain on for water usage beginning January 1 through March so for the folks who were aggravated that that didn't have a sunset Clause failure to adopt at the last time put that in place for another 3 months months which is water usage through December if we don't adopt before water usage in January well it's going to stay because that's how we make sure the money is there for the burrow to operate thank councilman I I contacted Mr Zang and I asked if I could talk to him about the water rates and he said he was working with someone else and he had nothing to say to me and I'm not on finance and I'm not in utilities but I but I need to to answer to people because people are contacting me angry with me even though you know I I voted against but angry with me but what I'm doing to them I have people contacting friends contacting my wife and I I I want to know how I should vote here and I'm not asking you to tell me so I'm trying to find out as much as I can I've looked in I have at least five towns that I've researched and I'm trying to find out how they came up with what they came up with and I know they're all different I need to know when I vote I need to know what I'm voting for because we we have to get this right we can't just get it we have have to get it right so I I appreciate your research and I know you've done a lot and I will say that some towns actually look at your winter usage for sewage and they say okay that's what we're going to bill you um those towns operate a little different than we are not just in their billing perspective but on how they have to pay for their sewage disposal and how they have to pay for their water purchase allows them that flexibility other municipalities are a lot larger so they can afford to charge residents less and Commercial more un fortunately in this town we don't have that many commercial businesses to charge an exorbitant amount of money or else quite frankly similar to Acme uh from what we've heard you know it was the electric rates and the water rates that that they decided it wasn't worth maintaining that facility as well as you know was Acme doing well financially um so these are all um there's a wide variety of ways to approach it but we have to look at what's best for miltown and makes the most sense for miltown uh I was late tonight because I was actually at a a uh engineering conference up in Massachusetts where we talk about water repairs for uh water systems and for sewer systems I and I where sewers are missing top of the pipe or the bottom half of the pipe and the discussion Remains the Same how do we afford all of these repairs and another big topic on there was the lead Services because it's not just New Jersey it's all the other states that have Leed services and they're still trying to figure out how the state mandates and the mandates by the federal government saying you have to rip it out how do the towns pay for it when they don't have the money and just like uh miltown differs from North Brunswick all the towns differ on who owns the pipes in the street whether it's the resident that owns his service or whether it stops at the curb or the whole way if the town owns a portion of it and where to come up with the money uh when this first came around a few years ago we floated the idea of perhaps the burrow just take out a bond pay an independent contractor put it out to bid and have all those Services replaced and for those residents because it is their property put it on to them as a tax lean offering them the ability to pay it off as we would be paying off the bond with a similar interest rate and should they determine to sell the house at some point well that money's would become due but to try and ease that $122,000 cost to throw a round number at it for replacing a water service try to ease that so a resident doesn't have to come with it right away all good ideas but you know I think right now more so than even the lead service which the last uh water sewer rate ordinance had included in it was a requirement to replace it beforehand um we need to focus on the rates because while people are mad about these very high water bills the bills that folks are getting now are the same dollars per gallon that we've been charging for The Last 5 Years the only difference is there's an added 100 $150 on it that was used to make up the budget and since we knew an additional increase would be required leaving that on so that even if this body does absolutely nothing and doesn't change anything we still have the monies available to pay the bills and operate the borrow that's where we are today so uh cki if I make you know in my conversations with Joe about you know members of council calling him and asking questions and things like that this is a mayor and Council conversation about what the water rates could be just like you know I am not I'm hesitant to say I think you should do this I think you should do that okay this is a math conversation and the council by the rules of your own Council has set up a finance subcommittee and the mayor and the council president made it very very clear that if you have a an idea it has to go to the finance subcommittee who then brings it to the council be it the utility committee which is the finance committee or whomever okay so those are the rules of council said by council at the reorganization meeting and that's why Joe and I aren't going to weigh into it because when we do that you know somebody gets upset so it's not going to happen and I and I'll add to that and just say that you know um councilman moo had reached out with with some inquiries and and and some suggestions and and I'm open to ideas I'm open to talk about this but he has been the only one to present a plan or a concept of a plan and work through it with me and then together we've tried to push this out to the rest of council especially the finance committee who would make the determination of what's acceptable and then introduce it to the rest of council unfortunately the finance committee um has been quite inactive and that's the truth of it the whole goal is just to initiate a conversation because looking at it the One Way didn't work and it was expressed to me that there are good reasons and valid reasons why the other one didn't go through and I get it so in uh in a continued effort that uh it's just looking for a conversation and everybody says that doesn't suck we send it over to Jo Zang or somebody does not me but if we could get uh Council to go that doesn't suck as a plan I think that would be a valid time to enlist the aid of of the professional because a lot of conversations just want to narrow it down just uh quite literally little tired of talking about it okay so everyone's going to have their opportunity next council meeting because I requested that Mr zanga be here for next council meeting and so come with your ideas uh because we're going to sit and have a working meeting to get through the rates good so we're actually going to we're going to sit and we're going to work through what the minimum rate should be the the minimum gallon usage right now it's currently at 7500 gallons um whether we make it 35 45 55 whatever that number is and then we're going to work on the structure of what we should be looking at so this way it's all of Council in front of every one to decide what it is so we could stop playing these games with nobody's responding nobody wants to talk nobody wants it everybody has their own ideas next meeting is going to be everyone's idea so Mr Zang is going to be here we're going to work through it and we're going to figure it out so we can move forward with this because it's been going on too long so just be prepared for next council meeting to bring your ideas um so we All Work It Out Mr Mayor thank you I was going to ask for a workshop microphone please um I want to thank uh the mayor for what he just said because it's it's Direction I wanted to go and he's already on job on the job so I appreciate that and if I may remember that the determination of our water rate is a complex mathematical thing it's not where we walk in and say hey if we do 4500 and a base rate of X and 3500 Bill Joe can pull out his calculator and go that'll work it doesn't work that fast it's a lot of work involved once we hit those numbers so if there's the finance committee and amongst yourselves all this conversation going back and forth and you're narrowing the focus it'll be a lot easier when we have our council meeting if we've narrowed that down but this isn't as simple it's putting $4,500 4500 gallons base rate free if you will and $30 after that into your pocket calculator hitting the button and saying congratulations you've now paid the bills correct now just keep in mind this is approximate there's about uh 810 low water users so that's tier one it's approximate right so we have um about 20 single uh double family units uh two three family units 72 commercial two industrial and 7 114 residential out of that uh we have about 97 to 100 people that use a th000 gallons or less um so that's administrative uh singles um vacant prop seniors vacant properties all that that are th000 gallons or less is about a 100 so just keep that in mind um I'll send an email out um afterwards so everyone could get a feel for what we're looking at uh I was going to print it out the spreadsheet was too much to to hand out tonight um another thing I would like to uh address is the leadline connection fees to the water mains which um Mr Carr brought that up past two meetings um so we do want to address that and we want to address the fees associated with that because we do we do have an issue with that but also what falls in line with that is the um the water main replacement project um so please if you may sure mayor in accordance to our authorization we contacted uh uh a firm that uh was on a co-op for meter replacement meter and that name of the company's core in Maine they had been doing some work with the burrow I have brought with me will caros from Office who worked on that I'm going to ask him to go through some of the details some of the benefits to the meter program and some of the things that uh um will will come up about uh one of the things that I think you're rightly uh had suggested by doing the meter program you also now can require the contractor to determine the type of service coming in the house and that's another thing that'll be able to go really how many do galvanized and Lead service do we have anymore um it's uh over the years mtown has surpris this Reva Avenue for example had all copper when we changed the water lines over there or the services so you just don't know but with this process and that's 100% because someone said well how do you know that the meter from the meter out to the street is exactly galvanized and what's it from this curb stop to the to the waterline you can only know so much from inside the house but it's a pretty good bet that that's the type of meter r at to the main so we'll just go through the highlights as to what's involved sure good evening everyone so the the first benefit improved meter accuracy of course new meters uh should be more ACC accurate than the old existing meters second benefit reduce water loss and improve Leak Detection the modern uh water meters include Advanced capabilities to to monitor low flows and uh leak detection in Services third benefit operational cost savings uh and efficiency the modern water meter streamline meter reading and data collection through software integration so the automated data collection minimizes the need for manual meter readings fourth benefit is reduced uh meter maintenance of course the new meter should require less maintenance than the uh old existing meters is there a uh life expectancy of the newer meters uh versus you know I know the old meters they they slow down after you know X number of years yes so I could I could tell you they're they're warranteed for 20 years excellent um so and that's the anticipated battery life as well 20 years so tonight by authorizing that uh contract to uh the buau will uh prepare the necessary purchase order to energize uh cor main which was due coincidentally on the 13th so my compliment tonight that we got that done uh one thing I will note that we continue to request njde for determination of financing for these water uh service Replacements right now there is low interest interest loans which we reported on earlier there has not been a program adopted yet where any town or all towns can go through and have that this principal forgiveness uh that when we've contacted them they said well it's related to the the um income levels in the town milon doesn't necessarily warrant right now that level but I think that the the cry from most towns in the state are are similar to yours and they're trying to get the state to finance this so um I will will keep you posted if we hear obviously you're going to hear right away but right now all we can really get for meltdown is low interest loans which are you know there's some benefit and that turns out to be a grant but it's not as if it's total principal forgiveness um Mike while you're while you're speaking uh my phone cut out as I was coming in the front door there and and you were you were giving your report um what are where are we with the uh Albert Avenue Park project Albert's bids come in on Friday thank you and I do have one more additional question with that the 20-year battery life um so the replacement of that um what's the approximate cost and how is that done is that done through our water utility department or we would uh suggest if possible that your own technicians do those Replacements uh if that's uh an issue then that'll have to be addressed in over the next 15 20 years to replace the batteries but these things uh you know these are not uh they're powered by batteries now it's much different different world that it used to be sure so thank you um so Mike why have you talking um so I spoke with Mr mclone about this uh and Mr councilman Potter uh previously about the the we reached out to the county about the speed limit on Main Street about lowering the speed limit uh they responded with some uh requirements and requests of their own so uh um we need to perform a um speed study and Mr mlen if you could please U share with the rest of the council what that is going to entail certainly so um and it's funny we have another town in the county with similar requests they want to try and reduce the speed limit in their downtown area and uh I think that the response that we've received from the county in multiple years of these types of things they're not against it they basically have asked now for a more detailed engineering report and that would be contingent upon hopefully your Police Department would be able to do speed zone surveys with their equipment inous which I think they can uh and then basically they require an engineers's report to to support the proposal so it's not a heavy lift it's something that uh uh can be done and and we don't see it as a problem where you getting that but they did require these certain engineering reports have to be done and manual uniform traffic control devices supports that uh report and I think that's really what they're following okay thank you um is that it for old business okay I would close Old business is there any new business uh before Council Mike well we got you here about that what uh microphone I'm sorry Mike well we got here talking about the low interest loans now would the residents have to go through the state to get that or through the town well no we would suggest that if it was your desire that you do it usly put a project together and they give them the option to use that lowers LA from the state so the town has to go through the state together yeah they're they're not the ibank is not set up to do individuals yet okay okay so be a barrow project that you would basically get reimbursed from on the portion of that was the loone interest thanks u i I'll add to the comment there um I had a resident reach out recently who was looking to replace their service it was uh I don't recall if it was lead or if it was just corroded and and full with Gunk um they were informed by the burrow employees that there was a fee of about $2,500 for a new connection um obviously this Resident was quite concerned about that because in their eyes this is not a new connection this is replacement of an existing uh we did dig up the statute on that and the statute actually states that if you are an existing customer and you've been paying your bill and utilizing it for the past however many years and within the last year you've occupied the residents that if you are replacing there is no additional reconnection or um or uh new connection fee however I think it would be pertinent for this body to look at it and say that obviously there's some inspection costs that the burrow is borne for processing these and we should probably consider uh a nominal fee for that um unfortunately for that Resident he was on something of a main roadway and uh he had some police traffic control costs that he was willing to accept quite unfortunate but he was willing to accept the cost because they would have to close the road in order for him to uh have the work performed so just a little FYI for anyone else out there who might be scared councilman if he goes into his existing tap it is no charge but if he Taps a new hole into the water main that's there is a cost associated with that but if he's just using the same tap or the same saddle this no foul but if it's a new new saddle new tap we're currently having a resident going around with the mayor and I in construction in that regard that's the conversation I've had a couple times about waving that new connection fee the new tap fee for existing users who are replacing their leadline pipes because really at the end of the day it is no good to replace your service line to an existing saddle into the water M which is a lead pipe as a resident who just did it up on F Avenue interesting pictures looks like an alien buried under the dirt with four lead lines going out from the from the main but they're all replaced and that individual actually walked up paid the fee no issues so uh Mr Veno and I have been communicating uh because of this resident uh making us aware of it so Mr venol is actually um we're going to be working on uh getting something together but I won't speak for Mr venol yeah I can I just need to know the council wants to do it and I can prepare a you know an amendment to your ordinance to make it so that residents who are replacing their lead service lines who need to tap the main again don't get charged that fee yep but that's just some direction I need to it has my support because we want to encourage people to do these Replacements instead of understood it would just be an additional cost over and above the actual cost of doing the work do you need would you like that now I think I got a lot of people nodding their heads as as I spoke so I'm going to go with yeah put it together and if I'm wrong then I'm wrong and if I just add Mr Mayor those lead connections called lead Goose necks and they're in the main because obviously you could not make a connection to the main in the old days we didn't have things like we have Curb stops and corporations now the other thing is the galvanized Mains also Services also have the lead goose neck because that's the way they attach to me so that's a pretty a pretty common situation and hence the reason why galvanized Services were added to the lead service line replacement so uh the amended ordinance would it state for any replacement or would it specifically State lead because if it's stating lead we should include the galvanized as well yeah um we would be leting galvanized in light of the fact that that's what mandate is from State and what about for a resident who may have a burst service and the old tap location is no good on the main I would need someone to tell me what you want to do I I I would make the recommendation that if someone is has one service coming off of the main for their property and they're going to abandon that service and install a new one for that property not adding an additional but the grand total of services we have in the town Remains the Same I would say that the fa fee should be waved for that as well so any service replacement yeah because I I I believe the intent of a service connection fee is that the burrow has made significant investment in maintaining and operating a water system for X number of years so the fee is supposed to be basically your cost of Entry to join our system and so therefore if you're already in the system and you've been paying the fees all along why should we be charging you again fair enough everyone here like I'm just drafting it I'm not a legislator I'm just the guy add the legisl I'll do the legislation you do the you write it seems like I'm seeing some nods down on the left side yeah we good over here on the right yeah there you go residents are burdened with this expense I mean they got to give them a break yes all right I'd like to close new business um open to the public the public comment portion of the meeting is to allow the public to bring to the council's attention their com their concerns or comments the council will respect the Public's Time by refraining from any comment until the speaker is finished it should further be noted that the public comment portion of our meeting is not structured as a question and answer session please state your name and address for the record when you come to the podium just a reminder that under the rules of council individuals wish to speak during their public input part of the meeting shall be limited to 5 minutes and then may after other speakers have finished be allowed to speak for a second 5 minute period good evening everybody only need five minutes actually only two minutes everybody I'm sure they want to go home so good evening Mr mayor council everybody here everybody at home uh my name is pasal Paras candelo and I'm here to announce this fundraiser that myself my partner Gio and Jessica sponsoring for our local PBA 338 all information is on local pp33 Facebook page and I want to thank you uh chairman and council president RIS for his help U for everything he doing and as well chairman um Mar that is not here um for their help and their support and also the American Legion Post 25 for opening that doors for us the fundraiser will be on the 1123 which is 11 days away it's from 11: to 10 where will be have plenty of food made by Al Pizzeria the uh DJ Ron kikan is one way entertainment Ron has played a countless occasion um for me Family Restaurant for best 26 years fantastic DJ so please bring your dancing shoes it's going to be a fun night we'll have a few and we go home everything will be fine uh a few items will be uh we're going to have a salent auction a few items but we're going to have a 50/50 raffle uh for who interested please join us in supporting our logo PPA 338 this is a great event uh to thank the police officers for where all they do Keep Us Safe Streets clean and as uh councilman said before 1700 calls I think they answered and 11 arrests they keep us pretty safe so Hy must support them and time for our ads if anybody's interested in a journal the deadline is in few days 11:15 so if anybody's interested professionals I understand rki and Mar reach out to you guys if you guys are interested would be much appreciated for any tickets information uh you can purchase tickets all the way up to 11:22 which is the night before only because we got to make the food and we got to figure things out and I for all this she can contact myself at 73 2763 9895 or you could stop at the pizzeria or Lieutenant Carmen Del Lorenzo 732 407 7341 or stop at the police station for any information we look forward to seeing you and if anybody's got any questions please say it now cuz I'm going to get out of here you guys want to go home everybody wants to go home any questions Pasqual you you mentioned uh pre-sales but will they be selling tickets at the door as well no there will be we're going to try to do it before that okay because for the food okay because I've had people come and ask me are they they can you purchase at the door it's better if you they purchase the night before understood but yeah if need to be I mean 5 10 tickets it's one thing but if you 50 people going to buy that door we don't have enough food y I don't want to look bad I don't blame you I don't blame you always make more than yep thank you though thank you for your comments thank you everybody Mr mayor council thank you guys thank you everybody have a good night thank you good night hello good evening D Milburn 12 dment I'm Excuse the um Council rinsky because I was really trying to listen to all the information so you might have already answered the question when you were talking about the minimum of of 150 extra charge for the water bill is that just for one quarter or is that moving forward for every quarter that was put in place in uh June right for usage starting July August September uh with the goal to be removed with the adoption of new rates uh because new rates were not adopted before the beginning of October that rate stays in place at $150 for the next quarter for the next quarter yep and it will remain in place until new rates are adopted until they ad reason for that is because the old rates will not generate sufficient revenue for us to operate the burrow next year okay so this is this was a safety net okay so um I'm wondering so it sounds like the next council meeting will be very important as you're going to come forth with your plans I'm wondering that's you know how can we let the public know like so that the public is aware that's a very important meeting for the public to attend to hear your ideas and I'm sure you would like to probably hear um what their thoughts are is there any way I mean through our new Niel announcements or on our message boards can we invite the public can we let can we inform them that this is going to happen because not everyone is watching this meeting tonight and I think it's better to have more information than for people to be surprised later can we somehow announce to you know I know it's too expensive to send mailings we know that's expensive how can we let the public know that you're having a special meeting I believe the new system does allow for these sort of alerts to go out to Residents um in fact once councilman Potter said it there in his report I was in the car and I at a red light yeah texted uh was it 438 276 that is correct um and got myself signed up so I would recommend everyone text mil 4 38 276 so I don't know how you can uh but that would be a start I think to sign out FR 3827 382 before you'll get a different T 3 8276 also could we possibly could we possibly use your message boards I was just going to say yeah and we should put both that and and uh the meeting the council meeting date on the message board out front the council meeting date is always on the message board out front yeah I mean like no I mean specifically this is a this is an issue that affects every single resident and business owner that you will be discussing the increase or the search charges whatever you call it in water rates this is your chance miltown to come out and to get a little bit understanding why this is happening and I'm not I'm not saying this because I'm opposed to it there might be some things out of our control but I feel like it's better the devil you know so if we could somehow get this message out and you also be discussing the lead pipe Replacements and the low interest loans also as part of that meeting next month or next meeting he didn't direct it I directed it oh you directed that I directed it is that the time that that people who have concerns about we're discuss the water rates okay how we're going to resolve that next meeting I understand discussion whether we discuss the lead line um don't know if that's going to come up okay but it's mainly about the water rate rates and how right what the minimums are to we that's going to be the topic and also if if um residents sometimes they will uh come to environmental commission meetings and they'll ask specifically about the lead pipes who should we direct those who should they be talking to directly if they have questions about the lead pipeline should they be calling the water uh we could try to get you that answer yeah so ma'am in the letter that was sent by the burrow there's a email and a phone number for Don Herman the water superintendent that's who they should call Don is the man with the water okay thank you so much okay that's it and congratulations uh to councilman Potter and to miss Payne and thank you for your service councilman rinsky and um congratulations to the new three board members too thank you good evening Richard Ryan 6 South Main Street um I understand that there's another executive session this evening with regard to Fort Avenue I'm going to ask a question um really to see if the information that I received is accurate um if you can't provide that to me then I understand um maybe in two weeks we'll know um my understanding is that the middle sex County Board of Commissioners has taken steps to um remove themselves from the prior commitment to the project on Ford Avenue is that accurate at this point this is pending litigation r that I am not going to discuss in an open session unfortunately okay thank you um so uh one more thing it's uh November 12th and I'm curious if mayor any members of council are curious about the situation that I've been involved in with my neighbor for the past year I'm wondering if anybody would like an update thank you so December 13th last year is when this really began um it had been going on before that but December 13th was essentially the day where uh my neighbor and myself were told by representatives of St Pauls that we were out of luck it's November 12th a year later they've not been to court yet for their two violations there's some good reasons for that I suspect and some that I suspect have different sort of motives behind them most recently was last Thursday and apparently the session was set up for uh pre-trial confirmation that all the discovery and paperwork was in order because it couldn't be heard because the burrow employee who would have been required to participate was on vacation it was postponed once before because the same employee um was at of work for a small period of time um if we recall the first violation didn't even come until I believe it was March the next violation came shortly thereafter and the first court date was supposed to to be the first week in June and that's when they um chose to be represented by legal council and so it was moved off a month from that scheduled date which put it to July and in July the attorney representing St Paul's um asked for an extension that's the right language based on Gathering Discovery so it was supposed to come before the court in August and the attorney stood right here in August and said um though the burrow has been very helpful to us with regard to providing certain information and documents um that she was still exploring cases law and got a 45 day extension okay so all summer and all fall to do Discovery I thought that this past Thursday was going to finally be the day where it would be heard and um hopefully put to rest but as much as I didn't have any faith in the church doing the right thing I'm not certain I have any faith in the burrow doing the right thing so the new date is December 5th we'll see what happens December 5th but I continue to get questions from people that are interested uh including employees of the burrow and elected official that's why I'm sharing this information here this evening um it's not such a leap to think that because there's a for sale sign in front of that property that there's not some sort of decision that's been made here let's just sit tight and see what happens if he sells his house or not and then will the matter be swept away I'm not going anywhere until this thing is resolved thank you okay I will close audience comments are there any uh Council comments is there anyone from Council that would like to bring anything up at this time yes although I may be warned first I'd like to thank microphone pleas Council I'd like to thank Mr Ryan for coming and uh I won't talk about the facility up the street but I am disgusted I'm embarrassed and I'm ashamed thank you thank you for coming um since yesterday was Veterans Day I'd like to talk about that I'd like to thank and honor our military veterans such as our ba Fred Carr Chief Johnson Mike Dennis George G and others from town I'd like to thank the American Legion and Ron Dixon and the VFW for giving our great veterans a place to feel at home en join camaraderie with their brothers and sisters the American Military has served to protect our country from our founding through all of our conflicts and Wars we sleep easily at night and enjoy our lives due to the sup supremely trained and loving watchful eye of the Patriotic service men and women in the course of our shared history millions of American soldiers have had the courage and fortitude to hold the line on tyranny protecting Freedom both here and abroad Veterans Day Armistice Day or Remembrance Day is a holiday set aside to remember the anniversary of the end of World War I this was war to end all wars major hostilities formally ended at the 11th Hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 the Armistice with Germany went into effect thus ending World War I on this solemn day we duly honor our veterans past and present especially those lost to history may they never be forgotten and U I have two other small things to say um I'd like to introduce something here tonight it's um called the pillar of light it's an honor for uh outstanding Midtown residents I plan to write a resolution for an award to be called a pillar of light to be given to a citizen who has been selfless and proven to be a shining Beacon of light in our great town the focus will be on those that give or have given Untold hours for our neighbors this will be a proclamation with a small gift and an opportunity for the recipient to speak if they desire to do so so the award is to recognize those amongst us who ask for nothing yet give so much I'm hoping the volunteer spirit is enhanced by recognition here hopefully this this earned award will be awarded on quarterly or bimonthly schedule to be determined and I hope this award will be appreciated by our community and we'll move forward uh lastly I'd like to make a motion here tonight to have one council meeting for the month of December in the past 20 years there have been less than a handful of meetings in December so honoring Spirit of Christmas season I suggest one meeting giving time for those here to spend their precious time with family and friends now I'd like to formally make a motion no I'll second that motion okay you have take a vote correct Mr M well let me let me just add something real quick um we spoke earlier about the rate ordinance so if we're going to have a work session at the next meeting that means if we go to one meeting in December there is only one meeting left to introduce a rate ordinance which means therefore it cannot be adopted because it's an ordinance and you need your introduction followed by adoption at minimum two weeks later um it can't be adopted before December 31st and if you can't adopt it before December 31st the rates that we currently have including the $150 SE charge stays in effect for use January February March which isn't the worst thing in the world because the burrow will have plenty of money and we can kick the can further down but that is why I'm a I'm a no on this simply because if we don't have rates introduced at the next meeting and adopted by the first meeting in December that second meeting in December would be required in order to adopt those rates I understand that and if the rates aren't introduced in the first meeting in December then hell if we can't get things done in a couple months then what's the point of doing one two days before Christmas so I think it I think it needs to be determined based on the work that we have ahead of us for that second meeting and and right now would be a little premature he's got a motion on the floor we have a motion and a second on the floor you have to well I mean there's there's a motion in a second to do something but there's no resolution so I mean at this point we're it's it's more of a are we going to take action to do what I would say do it at the next meeting because it doesn't have to happen in advance I mean you're you're going to make you're going to make a decision on whether or not you're going to have one meeting in December that can happen at your next meeting you don't have an item alternatively if the council wants to um create a resolution uh you know verbally that would do that we can do that as well like we were going to do with Mr mclin's bid resolution earlier this evening and correct me if I'm wrong Mr Veno didn't they have a meeting on December 27th uh last year he was the 26th 26th okay uh December 26th uh to uh Force some stuff through uh prior to reorg uh they approved I just say I think I think it was appointing the new Jeff um so I mean it was something that I believe needed to happen before the end of the year otherwise I don't think they would have had that meeting so there there was a meeting on the 26th yes thank you sure so I mean at this point you know you've got a motion in a second in order to do this uh by a uh resolution that doesn't exist yet but that'll be drafted a resolution to be drafted later to you say one meeting but you don't identify the meeting so are you canceling a meeting or you changing the meeting dates to be one meeting that's a date we need to know that's the so we've kind of got a a motion that's not really fully formed he wants to change the meeting to the December 16th meaning one meeting for I need him to say that because it's his motion it's his motion well that's that's my intent microphone say that okay that's my intent I understand that to for the a water bill to pass it needs two meetings understood so it's so the motion as as revised is a motion to consolidate your two meetings on the what are we at the 23rd and the 9 to a meeting on the 16th the singular meeting yes and councilman Collins You're seconding that that's correct okay under the parlamentary procedure that's that's a big word it is so Mr Mayor I think at this point you would ask the clerk to call the rooll would the clerk please call the rooll could you just clarify we're voting on two me but one on the 16th instead of we're still going to have two meetings but no you were voting on a singular meeting cancel you're essentially taking your T you're revising your calendar okay to have a singular meeting in December on the 16th and the meeting on the 9th and the 23rd will both be no longer on your calendar is everybody clear on that before I call the well I have I have a question if we work on the water rates next week is it possible or next meeting is it possible to have water rates that we can vote on next meeting no not this is why I've been asking the finance committee to please respond and to get together but people skipped meetings because we're preparing for an election all right then up so with the clerk please call the all council president rolinski no councilman Collins I councilman moo no councilman Potter no councilman zamb Brana I Council yeah I'm sorry councilman pansy I mayor Murray for the tie no that's correct just for the record if we don't have rates to introduce at the 1 December meeting and we don't have any actual work that needs to be accomplished on 23rd we can cancel it at that point we can cancel at that point we cancel it if we get it done right yes you don't get it done just like we did in Prior years was that a resolution for executive session uh no was there any more Council comments yes I just want to say one thing Mr Mayor uh to everybody I'm deeply honored and grateful grateful for your trust and reelected me to miltown burough Council serving this wonderful Community is a privilege and I'm committed to working hard to continue to make miltown the best it can be I will take the time to listen work collaboratively and keep you engaged as we tackle the projects that matter most to our town I'm honored to continue to work work alongside my fellow council members mayor and professionals and excited to welcome my running mate Pat Payne to join us in serving miltown starting in January thank you than you once again for this incredible opportunity to serve and I'd also like to thank Monica and her team on a very long but successful day on Election Day thank you any more Council comments you get that no okay like to close Council comments um my only comments is I would like to uh thank all veterans for their service wish them a happy uh belated Veterans Day for yesterday um will the clerk please read resolution 22436 whereas the open public meetings ACT public law 1975 chapter 231 permits the exclusion of the public from a meeting in certain circumstances and whereas this public body is of the opinion that such circumstances presently exist and whereas the governing body wishes to discuss litigation whereas minutes will be kept and once the matter involving the confidentiality of the above no longer requires that confidentiality than the minut can be made public now therefore be resolved by the burrow Council of the burrow of miltown County of middlex state of New Jersey at the public be excluded from this meeting May I have a motion in a second please so second I have a motion made by council president revolinski second by councilman Potter um will clerk please call the rooll council president revolinski councilman call councilman Mo councilman panski councilman Potter councilman Zam BR I okay we're going to uh enter into executive session