good afternoon and happy New Year my name is Lewis mhof clerk to the board of board to the County Commissioners and I would like to welcome you and thank you on behalf of the pay County uh commissioner ERS for attending this afternoon's 187th reorganization meeting being held today on T on Wednesday January 3rd 2024 at 12: noon ladies and gentlemen the noce requirements of the open public meetings law has been satisfied with respect to this meeting specifying the time date and location filed with the county clerk and posted in admin administration building and published in both the Herald news and the Bergen record on December 26 2023 in accordance with the provisions of the law I am pleased to introduce this afternoon's masters of Ceremonies Matthew P Jordan Esquire administrator for the county of P thank you leis if we could all stand for the Pledge of Allegiance the invocation by Father Ryan and a moment of silence to remember all the women men and women who have died while serving the United States armed forces and all have died from covid-19 especially the 2,278 residents of County the United States of America theice how come Pat isn't doing this today I'm just curious I got oh you it was late it was about time lord as we end this year and begin a new new one we realize that this past one has not been the best let us leave behind our Harden Hearts our judgmental attitudes our lack of forgiveness our bitterness and all those things which separate us from you and one another send your holy spirit to guide us that we might begin this new year with an openness to you and your will and all the good you put before us let us also see all the good that is in those around us we ask this through Christ Our Lord amen and P our director I just you thanked me last time for coming I want to thank you and and everyone up there you're you really are a good group of people and I wouldn't say that if I didn't mean it you're all good good good people especially Terry especi we have to reinforce that Terry thank you if we could just remain standing for a moment of silence thank you next I am uh pleased to introduce the honorable Judge Rudolph filco the uh assignment judge for the Pake Vis visages um I knew when uh judge filco was put into this role that our great working relationship with the Judiciary would continue and and it has under his leadership um so judge I'll turn it over to you for state of the courts thank you Matt hello everybody it's nice to be here welcome um I wanted to uh begin my remarks today with um just a very brief history of what we've seen over the last few months in the court um and also some well-deserved uh thank yous and gratitude I took over this position as assignment judge here seven months ago upon judge Capella's retirement um judge cacella had the position for 10 years so he was a tough act to follow after my first two months uh we received a new trial court administrator Melanie ning who's here today at that time we also received a new um Family Division manager Joe Wright we have a new family presiding judge as of June 1st Yolanda adrianzen upstairs we have a new Civil Division presiding judge Darren delsardo who took over from Judge Brogan who retired in September and as of yesterday we now have a new Civil Division manager Jamie Brogan who took over for Glend deasio who retired in December we have a new operations manager Kim Camina she took over in July and we are in the process of replacing our Ombudsman Jun Zer who retired as well and no November we're down about 50 staff employees and last but not least we are currently down eight judges out of our complement of 27 that's a lot um and we're going to be down nine which is even more um in February at the end of February when judge Marin has mandatory retirement at 70 so the reason I point all that out all that good news is to simply show how much change we've seen here at P County Visage uh since I've taken over in seven seven months ago um it really is unprecedented I've been around here either as a practicing attorney or as a judge now for my entire professional career for the most part and I don't ever remember that much change happening in that short period of time but I will say that uh I'm proud of our judges our managers our staff they've worked extremely hard to keep to keep um our ship afloat they all deserve a big thank you for their dedication and efforts um there are a lot of other thank yous and I just wanted to highlight um some of those uh as well without the unwavering help and the assistance from all of you here who run Pake County our job over the last seven months would have been much more difficult thank you Matt Jordan um as County Administrator um Matt's been there for us whenever we need help we met right away as soon as I took over he and I are sort of in the same boat here uh new to our jobs I think we have a really good uh relationship and anything that I need uh Matt's right there for so thank you uh for that M I want to thank sheriff bernick and I'm glad he's here today and his officers they've been amazing um immediate daily assistance anything we need to to keep this Visage safe um every day and Sheriff your people are always there for us so I want to thank you for your assistance just as an example um of what the sheriff's department deals with each day in 20122 we had uh 364,000 total entries come through the courthouse doors each year 364,000 in 2022 which is just over 30,000 a month in 2023 we had 531 total entries through our doors and quite frankly that was as of October 31st so I didn't get the current number but it's obviously more than that because it's about 53,000 per month so if I were to add another 100,000 you're talking about 630 640,000 people coming through our doors uh on an annual basis 53 a month that's a lot and I just point that out because we couldn't handle any of that without the sheriff's department they're at the doors they're doing everything that they need to to make sure that we're safe and that everybody who comes here um is being screened appropriately and um I want to thank the sheriff for that but I think those numbers I know when I saw him I was surprised and those numbers obviously are increasing now postco and going to continue to go up we're not back yet to the preco numbers and I expect that we will get there fairly soon so that number will continue to rise it will not go down I want to thank Steve orini and Joe Baker I see Steve is here um and this sounds like a thank you tour but it really is just what one of the things that I had to um become very aware of immediately upon taking this job was um some of you may be aware that um some of the buildings here are a little old um a couple of maintenance issues that we have to deal with what I'm not going to go into any detail Matt so take it easy um you know the new courthouse was uh built when I was six years old but we still call it the newe courthouse I'd love to try to rename that but my point here is this we need daily assistance almost every single day uh Heating and Air conditioning water uh leaks um it's an old Visage the buildings are old I understand that but Steve and Joe have been right there um they're available 247 Jump Right In cell phones um and their men uh immediately dispatch and and try to address as best they can what these situations are so I want to thank uh Steve and his uh group for that and finally I just want to thank uh Lou and the Commissioners uh you guys have been great Partners in my short time we have a lot of uh different events during the years that we combine our efforts on and it's always been a pleasure for me to attend those and now become a little bit more involved so I want to thank you and I look forward to um more contact and partnership throughout 2024 so thank you um I'm hoping that we're going to get some new judges this year by Nature I'm an optimist but that's what I'm hoping for um in order to plan for that uh Steve and his group and Matt and his architect and the Administration has been uh working with us on uh constructing two new courtrooms and uh they're small but they are going to be on the sixth floor of 77 Hamilton where the arbitration room is the old arbitration room so we are in the process of getting final plans we've submitted those we hope that we can come back to the Freeholder or I'm sorry the Commissioners uh at some point um probably in the spring um to try to get a final approvals to put this in but I think I'm I'm trying to find Space Matt and I have spoken about this uh the need for space both for his needs and my needs and one of those um areas is that AR room so we're going to try to accommodate two judges up there um also on the first floor of that same building um there is an old courtroom at the end of the hall opposite the front doors and we're going to turn that back into a working courtroom with a small jury box so I can accommodate jury trials in that Court as well so we're trying the best we can to to utilize the uh space that we now have um finally I just I've spent my entire life here in this County uh I grew up in West Patterson some people call it Woodland Park I'm not sure why but it's um a special place here in Pay County um I've always felt that way uh I look forward to sorry sorry [Laughter] about so did I um but I really look forward to a great uh 2024 working with all of you and continue to make p County even more special so thank you guys for having me yes uhk thank you judge and thank you for bearing with us as we have to put out a lot of those fires with the maintenance issues with the older buildings I'd also like to recognize Jonathan perah our County engineer and Andrew Thompson our County architect along with Steve and Joe are at the front lines of dealing with that stuff so so thank you both and I'd be remissed if I didn't mention Melanie she has done a fantastic job taking over for Robert Tracy and there's been no laps and our communication and working together so thank you for that Melanie and thank you Sheriff the judge stole my thunder and recognize you but you know you and I are on the phone I talk to you more than I talk to my wife sometimes so so clerk if we could have a roll call uh thank you administrator um first be for the record I would like to read for the record as the clerk of the board I am a receipt of the O of office for the County Commissioners James and Cruz for three-year terms beginning January 1st 2024 through December 31st 2026 roll call County Commissioners Bartlett here Cruz here Duffy here Gallow here James lazara here uh leapor okay um may I have nominations for the director for the year 2024 yes I'm very proud and honor to move the name and I'm proud to second that nomination are there any other nominations may I have the motion to close nominations I'll move it I'll second that roll call County uh County Commissioners Bartlett yes Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes James Lazar yes leor yes may I have a motion to vote upon the nomination for County Commissioner director once again I'm happy and proud to move name John and I'm happy to Second your motion roll call County Commissioners Bartlett yes Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes James yes Lazar yes leor congratulations uh director barley may I have the nominations for deputy director for the year 2024 I am very proud to nominee commissioner s and it's it be my honor to second that are there any other nominations I have a a motion to close the nominations motion uh roll call County Commissioners Bartlett yes Cruz Duffy yes Gallow yes James yes Lazar yes leapor yes may I have a motion to vote upon the nomination for County Commissioner deputy director once again I'm proud to nominate commissioner I'll second that as well roll call County Commissioners Bartlett yes Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes James yes lazara yes leor congratulations uh deputy director [Applause] lazara Paul should do the deputy sorry can we have uh administer the oath of allegiance to the county commissioner deputy director County Council think you're going to do that yes yes I'll hold in the middle commissioner please raise your hand and repeat after me I Cassandra lazara do solemnly swear I Cassandra lazara do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and that I will be bear true faith and Allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and in this state and to the said and to the governments establish governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and that I will faithfully and that I will faithfully and partially and partially and justly perform and justly perform all of the duties as County Commissioner all of the duties deputy director all of the duties of the county commissioner deputy director to the best of my abilities and understanding to the best of my abilities and understanding so help me God so help me God congratulations [Applause] congratulations I signed my paper that one I have to sign sign do I here now if we could administer the oath of Allegiance for our County Commissioner director Bary open sure please raise your hand I John W Bartlett do solemnly swear I John W Bartlett do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and in this state and to the governments established in the United States and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and that I will faithfully and that I will faithfully and partially impartially and justly perform and justly perform all of the duties as County Commissioner director all of the duties as County Commissioner director to the best of my abilities and understanding to the best of my abilities and understanding so help me God so help me God congratulations [Music] take ch we'd lose them if he didn't Bo need the Cs that's too funny John your first official actors to get your stuff out of my office thank you I'm sorry get my stuff out of your office well it is your office all right I will uh save any further remarks for our ceremonial uh swearing in this evening but thank you very much to my colleagues for your faith this year and uh looking forward to working with Sandy and with all of you um can I have a motion to open the the public portion of the meeting second County Commissioners Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes James leapor yes deputy director Lazar yes director Bartlett yes so this is the part where if you've got something to say you can approach the podium please give us your name and address you'll have three minutes and everything that you do say will be part of the public record of today's meeting ready last time this year seeing no one at the podium I move to close public portion I'll second that the first time first time yeah first time Mr County Commissioners Cruz Duffy Gallow yes James leor deputy director uh Lazar yes director Bartlett yes it feels like the second time because we were just here last week just don't get so long winded up there I already skipped I already skipped my speech how much briefer do you want me to be with that I will take well first of all I need to ask uh is there uh anyone who wants any item on the consent agenda removed and voted separately okay and director for the record um the cover sheets on the agenda are misnumbered but the agenda is correct we will correct it for for um for the um after the meeting but uh the votes will correspond with what's on the agenda all right thank you thank you uh and Council any late starters or need for executive session okay in the absence of that I'll take a motion for the consent agenda items T1 rout T9 moving second County Commissioners Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes James leapor yes deputy director Lazar yes director Bartlet yes so one of the things we just did was appoint ourselves and others to a whole bunch of boards and commissions uh this is the part uh for those of you who are following along item youu uh where your honor you administer the oath of allegiance to all of us on those boards and commissions Andress so any anyone who was uh nominated uh you know who you are uh stand and raise your hand and when we get to the part of which board of commission it is just fill in the blank as applies to yourself all in one yeah all right guys as you um stand raise everybody has their right hand raised all right I'm going to read through the oath this will be for everybody at so when I get to I you obviously stay your own name not like Animal House all right ready I solemnly swear or affirm swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States support the constition of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the Constitution State of New Jersey that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same I will bear true faith aliance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and to the governments established in the United States in this St and in this St under the authority of the people under the author of the people that I will Faithfully will faithfully and partially partially and justly andly perform all the duties as commissioner Andor liazon perform all the duties as to the best of my abilities AB understanding understand congratulations to all of [Applause] you all right everybody remember to hand in your forms uh after you fill them out so that the judge can sign and confirm your Oaths uh I believe that brings us to the end of the agenda um before I ask for a uh vote to adjourn I'm going to read out the committee assignments for 2024 Administration and finance Pat leore chair John Bartlett and Sandy lazara Health and Human Services Bruce James chair Terry Duffy and Orlando Cruz Public Works Sandy lazara chair pat laor and Orlando crw Law on Public Safety Terry Duffy chair Bruce James and nicolino Gallow planning and economic Development Orlando Cruz chair John Bartlett and nicolino Gallow and the budget committee Pat laor chair John Bartlett and Sandy lazara you didn't need to be writing that down um but if you have any questions let me know that is our committee assignment and with that I'm happy to take a motion to adjourn our first meeting of the Year I'll move it I'll second it all right Lou roll call County Commissioners Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes James leor yes deputy director Lazar yes director Bartlett yes I'm looking forward to a great year with everyone and please join us this evening at Tech at 53 thank [Applause] you here