##VIDEO ID:x-x8n3yRV1I## I call to order this reorganization meeting of the township Committee of the township of Morris this Thursday January 2nd 2025 the time is now 7:02 this meeting is being held in accordance with the open public meeting act an adequate notice of this meeting has been provided as required by law specifically notice of this meeting was emailed to the Daily Record and Morris newsby on January 4th 2024 and posted on the township of Morris website the agenda and resolutions for this meeting are available at www.mm morw docomond Agenda Center certain portions of this meeting may be closed to the public for the purpose of personnel Andor other matters as outlined in the Sunshine Law the organization meeting is primarily ceremonial in nature and therefore there will be no public comment notice to members of the governing body and Township staff any use of electronic devices during this meeting shall be used solely for the purpose of Township business it is my pleasure to introduce Reverend father Thomas Fallon pastor of St Thomas Moore Roman Catholic Church who will lead us in invocation this evening father happy New Year everybody God's presence and our governance entrusted to us therein the very presence of God heavly father we hum come before you seeking wisdom for our local government officials and cover body School boards legislative bodies everyone driving to steer public into the right direction we are gr we are grateful for these servants taking up the stewardship for the good of all father you are the source of justice and peace and the end of our task here bless us and keep us and we do all things under your guid hand may it be evident in every decision made gr us steadfastness and respect for all as we continue to serve the community to which you've entrusted us we ask this in your name amen amen thank you Father will everyone please rise to the pledge of Al Allegiance which will be led by Township administrator Tim Quinn after the Pledge of Allegiance please remain standing for a moment of silence I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all I would ask that you remain standing um with the governing body to take us time to remember and honor the victims and survivors of the New Orleans terrorist attack our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragedy thank you the next item of business is the swearing in ceremony of the committee members Donna J giglia and Mark J JY I will now read the statement of determination from the November 5th 2024 general election certifying the election of Donna giglia and Mark JY to serve a three-year term on the township committee statement of determination a statement of determination of the board of canvassers relative to an election held in the township of Morris County of Morris and state of New Jersey for the election of certain Municipal officers for the municipality on the 5th day of November 2024 the said board does determine that at the set election Mark JY for Township committee for three years and Donna griglia for Township committee for three years was or were duly elected to the office and for the term above set forth I now invite Mr jori to come forward accompanied by Township attorney Jared caner who will administrate the administer the oath of office this evening joining Mr JY are his wife Kelly and their son Leo who will be holding the Bible for the ceremony Mark swear that you will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey bear faith and allegiance to the Saint the governments established in the United States and in this state and the authority people so help you I do I Mark I Mark you Solly swear doly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully and partially justly and partially and justly perform all the duties perform all the duties of the position of the position of Committee Member of the tach Morris of Committee Member of the tach Morris according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God [Applause] yeah yeah next I'd like to welcome Miss giglia to step forward for her oath of office she will be joined by her granddaughter Caroline who will hold the Bible for this occasion you swear that you will support theed stes and theit of the state of newey Fai to the as government established in the United States and in this St people so help you yes I Donna Jia I Donna jlia do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully and partially and justly and partially and justly perform all the duties perform all the duties of the position of the position of Committee Member of the of the township Committee of the township of moris of Committee Member of the township Committee of the township of mors according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God [Applause] [Music] you [Music] I'll now proceed with the roll call Mr gazelle here miss griglia here Mr dorfy here Mr janata here Mr ravit here we will now entertain nominations for the position of Mayor may I have a motion um Madam clerk I'll nominate committee woman Donna grigia for mayor of 2025 is there a second I second the motion are there any other nominations I'll make commission we close the uh nominations seeing none we will proceed a roll call vote Mr gazelle yes Mr dorfy yes Mr janata yes Mr aitz yes Miss griglia yes congratulations may glia [Applause] this evening mayor Gia's granddaughter romley will hold the Bible for the oath of office which will be administ administered by Township attorney jar swear support the constition United States States Solly swear solemly swear that I will Faithfully that I will Faithfully partially and justly partially and justly perform all duties perform all the duties of the position of the position of Mayor of the pat Committee of the pat Morris of Mayor of the tangent comme of the tangent of Mars according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God [Applause] thank you okay wait there I read nomination for mayor page four aren't we doing we decided thank you all very much next we will open the floor for nominations for the position of deputy mayor of the township committee may I have a motion mayor I'd like to make a motion thank you I'd like to nominate my friend to my left deputy mayor for Deputy Mayor Jeff grelle for the year 2025 is there a second I second the motion thank you are are there any other nominations for Deputy Mayor seeing none Madame clerk please call the role Mr ravitz yes Mr janata yes Mr dorfy yes Mr gazelle I think so yes and mayor Gia yes congratulations Mr grel the oath of office will be administered by attorney Jared caner Deputy mayor's grael will be sworn into the office this evening his son Jacob will hold the Bible and he will be accompanied by Mr grell's partner Eva [Laughter] [Applause] Jeffrey I will faithfully and partially and justly and partially and justly perform all the duties perform all the duties of the position mayor mayor of the committee of [Applause] congratulations Jeff at this time I would like to recognize our dignitaries that are here and I'd like to start with Bethany Miller on behalf of Representative congresswoman Mikey Cheryl I would like to recognize assemblywoman Aura Dunn from the 25th legislative [Applause] district and assemblyman Christian baranco I'd also like to recognize former mayor Kathy Wilson in the back row county commissioner Christine Meyer Municipal governing body members Nathan umbre umbriac the council president from moristown and Justin Strickland from the chattan barl council and also like to recognize Chad lenau from the Mars toown Mars Township Public Library thank you so much I also have one more I would like to recognize Mary nolles from elect New Jersey women appreciate you all coming out to [Applause] me before we before I begin my remarks I would like to offer on behalf of the township committee we would like to offer our condolences to Rabbi Mo hon on the passing of his wife Pearl we stand with our Jewish Neighbors on remembering her as a beloved member of the community I want to begin was saying thank you to so many of you to my husband David who's here in the audience your dedication for more than 43 years has always guided me in the right direction when I hesitated to take on a new role you asked the right question so my answer would always be yes and your judgment has never been wrong to my children Julie Pete Danny and Jeff thank you for making the decisions in my life a little easier and teaching me as a parent to ensure that sympathy that empathy and understanding would prove to be the most important aspect of almost every decision I had to make to my seven grandchildren there's not a day goes by that you have not been able to put a smile on my face and make me realize whatever challenge was presented I could handle it to have my granddaughters Caroline and romaly who stood with me tonight as I was sworn in this is a very special memory that I will always cherish hopefully they will remember this and as young women choose to continue a pathway where hope and kindness volunteerism and caring acceptance and understanding guide the decisions they make to my fellow committee members thank you is not enough to express how grateful I am for your work and dedication each one of you contributes to our shared effort to advance our goals for the community every day a special thank you to my running mate committee M jori for helping run a successful albeit easier campaign with the help of all the volunteers who continue to work for us while steadfastly working as hard as they could for so many others running for office your work was not in vain all contributors to the Democratic process regardless of party play such a key role in our democracy we must never lose faith in the people's right to choose our leaders and work towards the common goals that unite us at every level of government many thanks to our mors Township professionals administrator Tim Quinn Township Clerk Suzanne Walsh to our Township attorney Jared caner and all of the employees in every Department who keep Mars Township thriving our volunteer committees are filled with dedicated residents who bring their expertise to share and provide solutions to the very issues they see and experience throughout our town I would also like to acknowledge the surrounding municipalities mayor's group that I am part of and the relationship we continue to build to work together on solving the concerns we share that affect all of us throughout mors County but most importantly I would like to recognize all the res presidents of our community for your continued support we are blessed to be part of such a great place place with so many distinct neighborhoods each with a character all their own I also want to acknowledge those communities grieving those affected by the terrorist attacks in new New Orleans and Las Vegas and those who have lost loved ones in the plain crashes in South Korea and Kazakhstan it is during these times of inconceivable loss and sorrow that we need to come together and show our support for those communities we also need to join together and show that acts meant to divide us and create fear and Terror will be met with unity support and courage so many of you here in this room in our community demonstrate this courage every day our First Responders fire and EMS our law enforcement our doctors and nurses and all of our public servants I was taught by my father that public service is an act of Courage because you're always putting your community Members First you are working to unify even when others are trying to divide you stand up for the members of your community by creating process and procedures that work for everyone and make improvements that benefit everyone you Advocate and listen to your residents especially when they don't agree with you serving your community is courageous and many times it forces you to make decis to make a decision for the greater good that will have repercussions for a certain few 2024 proved to be a year filled with exciting new starts on projects like the Collinsville playground and the Red Bulls training facility the opening of new businesses at the Mars Marketplace the award-winning Southgate Parkway project the excitement of securing Jean Street for a new community center and a senior bus for the future infrastructure improvements throughout the entire Community with more sidewalks safer intersections looking into more bike paths and cleaning up and providing more walking trails along with our seniors who now have an extensive site for resources and they Contin continue to look at better ways of communication and expanding services to fight especially against isolation and loneliness two things that also affect our veterans that we're working towards helping to resolve the collaboration between our communities has also proven to get more people out and involved increasing our attendance at so many of our events especially those like Mars Township in motion collaborative community outreach in 2024 included coffee with the mayor coffee with a cup sessions for our seniors run by our health department as well as our senior citizens advisory committee our Economic Development advisory boards focus on creating tools for small business to thrive and our environmental commission and transportation advisory committees setting up at the winter Farmers Market to bring res to bring residents in to discuss their feedback and increase our reach as we look to 2025 there is no doubt we still have challenges ahead we will continue to keep you up to dat on our progress with affordable housing needs the impacts of climate change on our community especially with flooding and storm water management incorporating our complete streets policy in new infrastructure Improvement projects and ensuring safety on our roads is a priority for all users renewing our commitment to Greener energy and our environmental objectives balancing our budget to continue to provide everything you need without burdening our residents with additional costs and providing all the fun activities through our parks and wreck programs our concerts Sports pools and all the other summer events we run for those of all ages as mayor and a part of mental health awareness I am going to be working on putting together a children's sports program in collaboration with some professional sports groups and their Foundation members to help provide kids with activities to get them out and moving and away from so much screen time the adverse effects of kids dropping out of Sports at very early ages even at our recreational levels leav them without some of the most valuable lessons for health and wellness that are hard to achieve later on I pledge to work to serve every member of our community as your mayor alongside my fellow Comm men contributing so much of their time to advance the success of the township we do not always agree and the dialogue on the deas during our most recent meetings is an example of the transparency and openness we want to continue to share with the public our team will never stop our commitment to serving our community and speaking of service I want to end with some inspiration from President Jimmy Carter who among all his accomplishments his service to community was his greatest he never forgot about his community in Plains Georgia he never stopped supporting them even after holding the highest office in the country he did even more he worked countless hours to build homes and those homes built communities we are so blessed in mors Township and may we never take for granted the roof over our head the clean water from our about the acceptance of inclusion among our neighbors and the safety we feel on a daily basis so I want to leave our community with this quote from President Carter I have learned that our greatest blessings come when we are able to improve the lives of others and this is especially true when those others are in need thank you and God bless you all [Applause] the next item on the agenda is commentary from each Township Committee Member and we'll start with Committee Member SAA janata thank you mayor G and congratulations on your being sworn in as well as uh Deputy Mayor Jeff Griselle and a Committee Member mark chy it has now been a year since I was sworn in as a member of this Township committee and in this one year I have learned a lot and was helped by my fellow committee members as well as the administrator Tim Quinn I was also helped by the township professionals and the volunteer members of the various committees like environmental transportation and historic preservation some items that I had wanted were not competed as of yet but I'm confident that we will get a tree ordinance and storm order management ordinance and if you haven't noticed we have native plants placed in front of town hall which is which is going to be an allseason event and we look to have more native plants in other Township facilities as well as different parts of town hall and the environmental commission will also assist in some of that as well as look into composting Dark Skies initiatives again promoting native plants and the Do Not plant list and the revising the site plan reviews as well as developing an environmental resource inventory or ER which is going to be used for our upcoming master plan revision due in a couple of years and we help be helped hopefully by the highlands Council which we have the possibility of joining joining soon and as uh you watched these committee meeting hearings I'll continue to highlight historical events in places of the township and of the region and we'll also plan for 2026 celebrations and commemorations starting this year since 2026 will Mark the semi semi Quint Centennial the 200 anniversary 250th anniversary of the Nations founding New Jersey would be a major contributor in the celebrations and many municipalities are expected to participate moris Township will definitely be an honored role play an honored role since the Continental Army stayed here twice in fact the first time was on these very grounds and speaking of historical events I just recently watched the biopic of Bob Dylan and at the very beginning if you haven't watched it Dylan is visiting his Idol Woody Guthrie at Greystone Hospital located not near not far from here while I was watching it it was a missed opportunity to film at the actual site where the where greatstone was with its imposing Victorian architecture which would have looked great on film but alas it was knocked down about a decade ago and that hurts my historic preservation heart right there the township has Mars Township has many such locations that can be used by film studios and New Jersey's film film ready initiative has been encouraging many movie studios to film here the state is geographically compact with v variety of looks in in a short space in a short space there's also tremendous Studio production infrastructure if you don't know they're building studios in Bon and in Sandy Hook and this and theyve also been encouraging loal loal municipalities to upload photos of sites both public and private to their state-run database where Studios can then produce the photos and to see fit if they fit there they can be worked in any future project of theirs and now the township has been the site for movies and TV shows and commercials but so far as this has been done informally film the film ready initiative will make it more formal and we will look to begin this process in the coming year also in 2026 is the FIFA World Cup of soccer or football the finals and some preliminary games will be held at MetLife Stadium the plan is for 39 days of activity Statewide and their work along with the 20 250th anniversary celebrations now this is a great opportunity for moris Township since the Red Bulls training facility would be used for one of the teams to practice plus many local small businesses can be involved in the effort and not everyone will be who arriving will have be have able to have tickets to the game so they'll find from other venues to watch it watch it so there's a lot of potential for us here and remember what happens in 2026 begins this year so but I must also Rec note the recent tragic advents in the very the new year that that cannot be ignored although local Township issues take precedence we are affected by events that happen both near and abroad our hearts go out to those in New Orleans and Las Vegas and we also acknowledge law enforcement for both Federal to local in their continuing preventive measurements both known and unknown which includes the recent arrest of a bomb maker in Virginia as just one example the motives of these perpetrators may not be fully known but hatred of others is definitely a key component we are a diverse and pluralistic Nation some may think that this is a weakness but I think this is a strength we have gotten along with each other for quite a while our Township is as an example mirrors the country in its diversity for example Mor school district is well known for being one of the most diverse and successful school districts in the nation we differ in many ways in race religion ethnicity and ideology but by living in close proximity with each other we have the chance to avoid being in isolated silos we offer ourselves as a window for others to see our cultures and ourselves in turn we are allowed to see through the windows of others in this way we are able to at minimum tolerate and respect each other what that this lesson is learned by many across our land thank you mayor thank you committee man janata committee man JY thank you mayor uh good evening everyone happy New Year um serving Mars Township has been and continues to be one of the great honors of my life and I am grateful for the trust I've earned from my neighbor from our neighbors to serve another three years on this governing body with everyone up here on this day as tonight uh thank you to all of our neighbors and residents for allowing me to represent you on the township committee for another three years thank you to our dedicated campaign volunteers and supporters who have not only made 2024 possible but many many years before that possible as well for for me and Donna and other members of this governing body who are on this stas uh I'd like to thank um mayor giglia for your hard work in the campaign last year and for your hard work leading the town ship last year Donna has proven herself to Be an Effective leader and Powerful advocate for Mars Township and I'm grateful that she will continue serving us as mayor for another year I'd like to thank my family for their continued support of me serving Mars Township especially my wife Kelly and my nine-month-old Leo uh my parents Barbara and John my brother JT my sister Alexandra my brother-in-law Jimmy my nephews Christopher Tommy and James and my uncle Johnny uh for always supporting me uh whether they're at home or far away down uh in Maryland where where some of the family lives I'll be honest having a new addition at home and fulfilling my add my commitments here in the township has been a little challenging over the past year uh and I'm beyond grateful and thankful for my wife Kelly for supporting me in my Endeavors and helping uh work on behalf of our residents here in town hall um and trying to figure out how we juggle our various Pursuits and figure out our new work schedules further I'd like to thank the my colleagues on this day both elected and our Township staff for working with me over the past year as my schedule continues being flux Jeff Bud Jared Tim Sue and CA thank you for all of your hard work and for working with me as I figured this out thank you to our Township staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes throughout the year serving our residents who don't often get acknowledged we have a lot of great people who work not only here in town hall but at the DPW but at the police department and the firehouses um um across the township who do so much for our residents that some people have never met before uh thank you to them I'd also like to recognize a few former committee members for their support and advice over the past several years uh mayor Kathy Wilson mayor Peter manuso and committee woman Tara ol oliv oore uh thank you for the three of them for all of their support lastly I wanted to thank the firefighters from my second home of 15 years in counting from Hillside Hose Company for their brutal honesty and of opinion over any decision I've ever made in town hall sometimes the brutal honest truth is a little bit refreshing um as I look to the next three years the commitment I made six years ago when I was first sworn in I think still holds true today and that's that I will do everything I can to ensure our kids have the same great experience growing up in Mars Township that I was afforded back in the day this promise has taken a whole new meaning to me with a with the new baby at home over the next three years I'll continue to support worthwhile public projects like building our community center so that families kids and seniors have a great place to enjoy and come together I'll continue to support crafting and passing responsible budgets to ensure our residents have stable tax rate uh I'll continue to work to find Outside funding sources to help pay for our public projects whether they're from the federal state federal or state governments or other partners like those going towards our senior bus and those helping fund the Collinsville playground construction project I'll continue to support our First Responders to make sure that that not only not only that not they not only remain safe but so too to our neighbors in our neighborhoods and I'll continue to support funding services for our residents that they rely which they rely on throughout the year while finding opportunities to save us money 20225 is sure to be another challenging year but I am confident that the members of this governing body and our dedicated Township staff will continue to to deliver for our residents in Mars Township with that mayor I'll yeld back thank you thank you committeeman JY and just before I move on uh to committee rabbits for those young ones in the audience if you do have to go please feel free I know for them this probably gets a little bit well there goes half the AUD much but um thank you guys for being here I know you have a a ride to get back home back down to Fair heaven so drive safe and thank you love you all with that I will turn it over to committee man rabits and here and thank you mayor here I was just about to say it's so great to be up here on the de and actually talking to a room full of people too all too often we are talking to thin air so thank you all and and and and God bless um I just want to say good evening friends and and family and neighbors Happy New Year to you all I hope you all had a joyous holiday season whatever you C celebrated and however you celebrated it uh congratulations to Donna giglia on her election win and being appointed as mayor and to Jeff grelle on his appointment as deputy mayor uh congratulations to uh committee M Gori on his uh election win also uh the residents of Mars Township are indeed fortunate to have such dedicated people representing them and I think I can safely speak for this team up here on the deas that we look forward to working in Serv in the residents of the Township in 2025 as we step into this new year and a new chapter we are reminded that each new year is more than just the changing of a calendar it's an opportunity to embrace hope Envision a brighter future and take the necessary steps to make it a reality President Jimmy Carter once said I think there's going to be a theme up here with Carter once said we must adjust to the changing time and still hold to unchanging principles these words resonate as we reflect on the past Year's challenges the world around us may shift and evolve presenting new hurdles and opportunities but it is our unyielding commitment to compassion kindness and resilience that will guide us through whatever lies ahead this year let us commit to being architects of Hope hope is not a passive emotion it is an active Force President Carter again believed in the power of community saying we choose to alleviate suffering we choose to work together for peace we can make these changes and we must these words remind us of the power we hold in our Collective hands whether through small daily acts of kindness or larger collaborative efforts each each of us has the op has the capacity to contribute to a better world let us also take a moment to appreciate the blessings of in our lives and remember those who may not be as fortunate President Carter again known for his humility once reflected my faith demands that I do whatever I can wherever I am whenever I can for as long as I can with whatever I have to make a difference this year let us adopt that spirit let us give more more love and build more bridges of understanding and empathy as we move forward in 2025 let us Revol resolve to the face the future with courage and determination together we can create a world where hope is not just a fleeting feeling but a foundation upon which we build our lives we have more in common and should ever divide us which will we will ReDiscover by talking to each other and not at each other lastly remember to be kind as you go throughout your day kind to yourselves kind to others because kindness makes a difference Happy New Year to each of you let's make this one year of Hope progress and Unity thank you and God bless America and the land that we love mayor thank you committee and rabits and as I turn to our Deputy Mayor Jeffrey grel um before you give your remarks just want to say how I'm looking forward again to serving with you and appreciate all your expertise and input that you provide and discussions that you have to help guide me in some of the decisions especially over this past year and going forward so thank you thank you mayor thank you mayor uh good uh evening neighbors and friends I'm honored so honored to be seated here on this day as representing this my fellow citizens here in moris Township this is my 12th year on the governing body here in moris Township and that spans four elected terms over 19 years from when I first started out and when I started I never had any idea that it it would last for such a long time I am truly humbled by the continuing support I get from all of you and from many members throughout the community as I said before I do not view myself as a politician but rather as a public servant a public servant representing my fellow residents here in morsh Township sitting on this governing body is one of the ways I choose to give back to my community and as a public servant it is very important for me to hear from our residents on issues that are important to them I answer every single email that I get and I have really tried to solve those issues that people are having problems with I do not ever hesitate to contact me if there's anything you would like to discuss or get my opinion on as an example of that um back in 20 8 when a group of residents along James Street requested a sidewalk down their street that blossomed into a vision of connecting those residents with moristown at one end and Guy field and ginty pool at the other end and this goal took a Great Leap Forward this past year with that beautiful multi-use pathway that we have along Southgate Parkway uh the this spring we will connect Southgate Parkway across South Street uh to new sidewalk that will be uh constructed on DWI Lane and the final connection that needs to get done is across 287 so I'm hopeful that we tackle that this year and that the long-term Vision can be complete and it's just a great example of listening to our residents and then delivering something great for our community as for this governing body of which I'm a proud me proud to be a member of I would like to First congratulate mayor Donna griger for uh her continued leadership of this body and for being reelected as our reappointed as our mayor I look forward to working with you again as a deputy mayor and growing our partnership thank you to our other committee Members Mark JY Bud rabbit St janata for their dedication to our municipality congratulations mark on your re-election very well deserved I'm looking forward to working with each and every one of you to get great things done and special projects uh that each of you will help us accomplish in the coming year I want to be clear that even though we bestow the titles of Mayor and deputy mayor each of the other committee members do a lot of work to support the town we each sit on what are called standing committees with oversight over various functional responsibilities across the municipality from Finance to police to Recreation all the Departments um and shortly you will hear the assignments that we will each have for the standing committees for this year in addition I hopeful that each member of this governing body will also take on a special project that will help move the community forward however the mayor in particular does does carry an increased workload on the governing body so I do want to thank uh Donna our mayor for taking that on again welcome I have a few other thank yous I'd like to make thank you to all my family for all your support through the years I was hoping that my mom was going to be here tonight to hold the Bible for me some of you might remember she had covid last year and couldn't make it and today she just returned from a a trip this afternoon and was too tired to come here so she's watching at home but I wanted to say hi Mom uh my two boys have always been uh have been through a lot of swearing ceremonies across their lifetimes and they would prefer to be skiing rather than sitting here in a me room um one of them is skiing but the other one and he's watching on Zoom but the other one is here with me and I'm so proud for him uh to be here with me I hope I have set a good example for you both as well setting example for the other young adults that we have in our town about the importance of giving back to our community it's really important for everybody and I hope it's learned at a young age I would also like to thank my partner Eva for all her support this past year and for her tolerance of all the meetings and events that I have to go to not only do I uh do this work on behalf of the residents but I serve on several other community boards that have meetings and events of their own so thank you for putting up with that uh many have sat in these in these seats across the day year before us now so I wanted to thank my past colleagues who have previous SL on this DS for their commitment to the community I've learned a lot from former mayors Peter manuso Kathleen Highland Rick Watson and Kathy Wilson all of whom still live in our community um I appreciate their dedication to our town and I wanted to thank Peter uh Kathleen Rick and Kathy especially Kathy for being with us tonight uh and I wish them well in the coming year thank you to the many volunteers that support our town on our agenda tonight we will appoint volunteer members to all our boards and committees that have seats with expiring terms all these residents who serve as volunteers on our boards and committees do a wonderful service by giving their time to make our town a better place for everyone else as they say it takes a village so thanks as well to the many volunteers across the entire town from Youth Sports to Boy Scouts to Girl Scouts and other community organizations that support us by giving back to our community each and every one of these volunteers has a huge impact on the quality of life in our town all of you are very much appreciated and I would you rem Miss if I didn't mention our mpal employees all of whom help run our town on a day-to-day basis we are lucky to live in a town that is so well-run our Administration our department heads our employees all do a great job Township administrator Tim Quinn has tremendous dedication to our town and runs a very efficient operation here thank you Tim um all our department heads are also to be commended for their dedication and all our employees we're we're just so thankful for everything you do and I wish them all well in the coming year as well uh this is uh my final year of my four uh sorry this is the final year this is the final year of my fourth threeyear term on the township committee and for those of you who are doing the math uh based on my previous comment of those 12 years being across 19 years that's because I have never held consecutive terms on this governing body I've been through many close elections and lost my fair share of them as some of you know um and then I had to step aside for personal reasons on a couple of other occasions uh but I am hopeful that I can now serve consecutive terms for the first time as my term is up at the end of 2025 and I need to run for reelection again so I'm proud to announce here tonight that I will be seeking another term on the township committee and will be filing my petition to be on the ballot later this year I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to continue to serve the the community that I cherish so much and now I'm excited to get to work here in 2025 I remind everyone that I always have residents interest in mind when I make any type of decision all of us on this day are here to work with you and for you and to make our t a great place for all of us and some of you as Mark mentioned may not agree with everything uh that we do but we really do have the general interest of our town at heart when we make every single decision up here and we will ensure that we listen to the residents going for forward as we continue to make our decisions while we had many successes in 2024 we have more opportunities ahead of us in 2025 but as the mayor stated we also have challenges before us we have a lot of uh budget challenges with increasing health insurance and other types of insurance costs Rising across the board um this governing body uh along with administrator Tim Quinn are are prepared to meet those challenges and deliver new successes for our community in the coming year so thank you again to everybody who's joined us both in the room and on Zoom I very much appreciate your participation in this meeting and I invite you back to attend all of our regular meetings throughout 2025 I hope I see some of you back here and I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2025 thank you so much thank you Deputy Mayor we will now move forward with our agenda items we have 14 resolutions on tonight's agenda Madame clerk please read resolution 0-25 through 14-25 by title only resolution 0125 establishing 13 standing committees and appointing members to same for the period of January 1 through December 31st 2025 0225 appointing construction official and subcode officials for a three-year term by the township of Committee of the township of Morris expiring December 31st 2027 0325 establishing the following appointments to positions created by Statute Andor ordinance of the township of Morris 04- 25 appointing special police officer class 3 police matron and school crossing guard for the police department of the township of Morris for the period of January 1 through December 31 2025 05- 25 appointing volunteer officer Serv for the fire department of the T of Morris for the period of January 1st through December 31st 2025 06- 25 appointing Deputy coordinators of the office of emergency management the township of Morris for the period of January 1st through December 31st 2025 07- 25 appointing Professionals for the township of Morris for the period of January 1st through December 31st 2025 08-25 establishing the 2025 Township committee meeting schedule and the 2026 reorganization meeting at the township of Morris Municipal Building 50 Woodland Avenue Morris Township New Jersey with regular meetings at 7 p.m and close session times at 5: or 5:30 as indicated 09- 25 authorizing certain public officials of the township to carry on banking matters on behalf of the town ship 10-25 authorizing cash management plan as submitted by the municipal Financial Officer 11-25 the temporary operating budget 12-25 estab establishing interest rates and penalty on delinquent taxes and sore fees tax sale costs and cancellation of small balances 13-25 authorizing claimant signatures requirement policy and 14-25 resolution authorizing the qualified purchasing agent of the township of moris to award window contracts over 175 and under the bid threshold of 44,000 thank you Madame clerk may I have a motion to approve resolution numbers 0-25 through 14-25 as a block by a single motion mayor I'd ask that we pull 0525 so I can vote uh so I can ex myself from that resolution fire department officers yep so mayor I'd like to move that we move resolutions 0125 through 0425 and then 0625 through 14-25 second Madame clerk may I have a roll call vote Mr gazelle yes Mr ravitz yes Mr JY yes Mr janata yes Mr Mayor GLE yes sorry yes now may I have a motion to approve resolution 05 d25 so moved is there a second second Madame clerk may I have a roll call vote Mr janada yes Mr gazelle yes Mr Ritz yes mayor glia yes before we conclude I would like to inv invite everybody here to stay and join us for some refreshments immediately following the meeting the benediction will now be given by Rabbi Adam Gilman from the Marist toown Jewish Center yes thank you Eternal source of wisdom Creator All We Gather tonight reflect on Morris Township's moment of renal and reorganization as this meeting ends we offer our deepest gratitude for the dedication and service of those who step forward to lead and guide our community bless those who have accepted roles respond responsibility here tonight for mayor Deputy Mayor committee members and all those who serve on boards and commissions all sorts of things for the betterment of our community grant them wisdom to discern the needs of the community courage to face challenges and the humility hear the voices of all residents may they act with fairness and compassion always seeking to common good we give thanks to the spirit of collaboration that makes this Township this town this place a place home for so many May our leaders and citizens work together in Partnership fostering greater respect kindness inclusion and dignity strengthen the bonds between neighbors and fellow residents so we all may build a community rooted in trust and shared purpose in this new year may our Township be blessed with peace and prosperity May our schools be a vibrant and safe place of learning and exploration our streets also safe and may our homes be filled with love and affirmation may we strive always to create a legacy of goodness for future Generations holding steadfast to our shared values of Justice equity and care for one another as we leave this meeting tonight let us carry with us the poost of every small Act of leadership of showing up serves and contributes to fostering of a greater Community one that we hold so may we may we move forward together committed to a vision of collaboration strengthened across yes the things that we share but also the things that divide us let us say amen amen amen thank you Rabbi Gilman the time is now 758 can I have a motion to adjourn so moved no nobody wants to adjourn no let's stay here all night all in favor I the next Township committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday January 22nd 2025 at 7 pm with the Clos session beginning at 5:30 p.m the meeting will be held in person and a courtesy Zoom link will be provided for remote viewing thank you all and thank you to all of you on Zoom please have a great night