##VIDEO ID:9GqEdSxjr3A## I call to order the meeting of the mayor and Council the bur of River Edge M uh uh November 14 2024 regular meeting 7M River Edge library and virtually on Zoom I ask for a moment of Silent reflection as our country uh passes the torch through election from one elected official to another peacefully in uh in its progress and pray that um that all those who are elected will continue to work hard for the public that have elected them council president I to the of the United States of America and to the repic for it stands nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all let me make a correction The Pledge was led by councilwoman Hoffman thank you councilwoman okay statement of compliance with the open public meeting act this meeting complies with the open public meeting act by notification on January 11 2024 of this location date and time enter the town news and the record and by posting of the same on the municipal bulletin board and the B website and following notice of the same with the municipal clerk Madam clerk Madam Deputy clerk roll call please Council here counc president monen here councilwoman here councilwoman Larry here Council Benson here councilman glass here mayor here I'd like to take a moment of personal privilege unless there is an objection is there objection I'd like to congratulate councilwoman um um I was gonna say it and then I got I got frighten marari glana I was afraid I would say wrong on her uh reelection uh is not official but since there was nobody running against us and there is thousands of votes congratulations and councilwoman pretty darwal okay I got it uh who is sitting at the deis uh as she acclimates herself to her role which will become official later on this November and uh the election that is as councilwoman elect not yet councilwoman elect uh and then uh official as a councilwoman uh January and in fact we're having the reorg on January 6 6th so um we hope the public can attend to that okay um could I have um a motion and a second to promote class two officer Shan Mastro Pierro to the position of patrol officer so move second roll call please Council woman kman yes council president mon yes councilwoman canella yes councilwoman yes councilman Benson yes councilman Glen yes the chief and uh officer uh Mastro Pierro please come right over there could I have all of our officers present stand behind them if that's possible and anyone from her his family would like to come up we hope there might a few and the reason we're having one stand here is because this is on YouTube you will and then we'll put it on uh It Go on the Riveredge uh YouTube page as well as on the mayor of Riveredge page so who do you have with you who we might call up and embarrass my mom and my dad all right so you g to raise your right hand your parents could stand here if one of you can hold the Bible or both and if you could put your hand on the Bible now I'm going to tilt you this way I'm G to ask you step this way and chief I'm going to ask you to come forward and uh witness this okay job yeah but those officers over there are not on the camera so let's have you [Music] move all right all right okay so Sean congratulations please repeat after me I state your name I sha Shapiro do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution that will support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey that I will bear true faith that I will bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the saying to the saying and to the government and to the government established in the United States established in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people I state your name I shash Shapiro do solemnly swear do solemly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully impartially impartially and justly and justly perform all the duties perform all the duties as a patrol patrol officer as a patrol officer of the River Edge Police Department of the River Edge Police Department to the best of my ability to the best of my ability shall help me God shall help me God John I Chief so Chief um calling you to say a few words sure so uh officer massier is our first SLO to to get promoted to regular officer so he's he's already known very well by the uh by the officers in the department and by many people in the community um it's a program we started last year and we're excited about it because it's doing exactly what we want to do we get to know the officer the officer gets to know us and when there's an opening available then we're able to move that officer to a regular position that's exactly what we did and um there's just's not a negative thing about showing that has been said by anybody and uh we're really happy to have him as part of the family we're honored to have him uh Chief if you could for the Public's benefit just explain what slo2 means sure so last year uh I presented to the mayor and Council about um starting a program with SLO 2 which is special law enforcement officer Class 2 these are officers that basically work part-time per DM they don't receive um benefits and we can plug them in to do different things um they cost savings for certain things and um they're they become like a farm team for us also uh and if they don't work out we can release them with a lot more ease than if they were a regular officer regular officers are just that that's what that's what we all are we're called regular officers there's SLO one slo2 slo3 and then regular officers so um again we're excited about it um he one of two officers hired as a slo2 and he did exactly what we uh were hoping to do if and what we needed him we had an officer to move up right away it's cost savings also because often they're replacing somebody or filling in the space for somebody and that um helps to save on overon greatly and that's exactly what um officer mass per will doing for these last two months we're down an officer in Patrol so that is uh it's important for us to plug that in otherwise we putting other officers at a higher rate much higher rate excellent uh I'd like to say for the public and for all present that the Riveredge Police Department I think is the best police department Bergen County if not in New Jersey and United States our uh community policing model has been I think exemplary and um our officers all of them represent the quintessential police officer in working with the public and protecting the public and enforcing our laws and especially under the leadership of Chief Walker Chief and thank you so much and officers thank you so much thank you may mind taking a quick picture for yeah oh sure okay thank you all right here we go everybody all right that's it there you go thank you coun all right at this point uh I'd like a motion in second to open to comments on any item on the agenda could I have a motion in second second all in favor please say I I any opposed any exstension hearing uh that is oh for all of you who are present you are more than welcome to stay and watch but this is a little dry uh is there there is no one remotely is there anyone present who'd like to ask a question about the agenda seeing none could I have a motion in second to close to the public on any item the agenda second all in favor please say I I very good uh there are monthly reports there are six of them uh land use board historic commission Library board tax collector reports they are or the most current reports if any member of the public would like to see or read them they need only contact the deputy Clerk and we will get you a copy first reading ordinances motion that the following ordinance be introduced and passed on the first reading and setting no December 9th 2024 at 7M or as soon thereafter as the matter can be heard as the date and time of the re Library as a place and zoom as a virtual platform of the um hearing on said ordinance ordinance 2424 an ordinance amending and supplementing the revised General ordinance of the burough River Edge chapter 400 vehicles and traffic could I have a motion in a second second um Miss appella if you could as our business administrator explain what we hope to achieve with this ordinance yes it covers many um parts of the our traffic code it updates the hours of prohibition of overnight parking of trucks on any burough streets it prohibits the overnight parking of vehicles registered as a taxi limo omnius Medallion or dealer it updates the distances of prohibited parking on bogert road it updates the distances of No Stopping or standing on bit Road and add stop signs at Mercer and laf Avenue all right so so this is the first hearing which means it's not open to the public the public is getting a look at it it is certainly on our website um and it is published uh in different news uh newspapers correct it would be published in the record in the record so um it's up to the council now uh we are open for uh debate comment or inquiry is there debate comment or inquir I just have a question for the public um is it is it say to assume that um somehow the residents around these streets would be informed of these ordinance and will they be maybe signs on the street that actually alert of that uh present so Chief if you could uh come forward for a moment um how is this propagated to the public other than uh by the actions of the council and the buau in publication do the police officers take a role in this so there's signage the signs much of this is just updating distances and things like that and there's also uh for the overnight um you know it'll be published stop signs are stop signs so if you see a stop sign it's it's there um but there is you know like many things we we will have discretion you know so if it's a resident that let's say the resident normally Parts within 25 ft of the corner which would be legal without a stop sign and new officers see that car and they go all right they live there they could put a warning on it you know um to give them and we won't do that continuously but there is the discretion there to uh and usually once you do that then the neighbors so not a ticket but a warning and all it could be it it depends on the circumstances if it's it's egregious you're right on top of the stop sign that's not even 25 ft so you know and the commercial vehicles uh is the same thing that could be a warning um and if somebody gets a ticket and they come to court you know we work well with the court to discuss you know know uh educating them and they could get a break that's up to the judge in the end but um we we work well with the judge thank you Chief any other inquiry while the chief is here thank you Chief uh is there any debate hearing none uh all in favor please say I any opposed any exstension okay our second reading is um is a uh item item number nine on our agenda second reading and hearing ordinance the following ordinance published here within was first read by the title only on October 28th 2024 and posted on the bulletin board outside the clerk's office ordinance 24-23 an ordinance appropriating $350,000 from the general Capital fund balance for the undertaking of renovations to and FES for earing for the public uh Municipal Building could I have a motion second to open to the public second all in favor please say I uh Miss appella as our business administrator could you please uh help the public understand what we hope to achieve here yes we are um funding an additional $350,000 um for the burough Hall project including um the purchase of furniture and fing cabinets a high density mobile storage system for the building department and this is using Capital surplus funds otherwise known as fund balance which means we are not incurring new debt to finance um this portion of the project okay uh I see participants one but I don't see anybody there oh that's just us that's just us yeah okay since there is no one physically present or remotely present I will call for a motion and second to close to the public all in favor please say I okay could I have a motion in a second to adopt ordinance 24-23 moved second it has been moved and second it is open for debate inquiry or comment is there debate inquiry or comment hearing none I call the roll yes yes yes yes yes yes okay we move to resolutions 24- 323 to 24- 333 before I ask for a motion in second is there any uh MO is there anyone on who' like to call for a separate vote on any of these uh resolutions I just had a question about one all right go ahead um 24- 332 were we doing rentals previously for the DPW yes okay okay any other inquiry no i' just like to thank um M alella for the information she provided to us regarding resolutions in advents of the meeting excellent very welcome anytime yes uh RBA Miss aella is uh outstanding at keeping the council informed and and answering questions and being available um we are very lucky to have her um oh no it's true uh okay could I have a motion in second question question go ahead um on um 24 329 I didn't see an amount is it gonna be the same amount that it was previously it is it is yeah yeah it's in the lease agreement so you have to scroll down got it okay got it it went up 42 okay yeah so pretty much the same then okay yeah a nominal increase okay all right sorry about that thanks right any other inquiries seeing none I ask for a motion in second for 243 d uh 24- 323 to 24- 333 so move second all in favor please say I I could I have our uh finance and budget chair Council cofin reading to the record 24- 334 and one member of the budget committee second it when she has completed this task payment of bills at a regular meeting of Mayor and Council of the Bureau of Riveredge County of Bergen state of New Jersey held on November 14 2024 be it resolved that the mayor and council at the Bureau of rivered approved the following expenditures current fund 8,587 63133 General Capital fund $875,000 50 Grant fund $1,276 Animal Control $6 trust other $ 14,247 2016 open space $15 payroll $2,979 24 unemployment trust $2,862 developers escro $1,564 43 Recreation trust $468 157 second all in favor please I'm sorry this is not debatable all in favor please say I I any oppose any exstension all right new business uh resolution supporting resolution New Jersey Miss appella um I will defer to councilman Benson as the liaison for the historic reservation commission this speak to this thank you uh yeah the historic uh commission has been asking me what do we plan to do for the Cong 50th iary and I don't think we have a lot right now so um Eric Modell who's on the historic commission went out and he's very uh very much a proponent of of preparing us for this he found a um a an organization that's sponsored by the state that is working with the various communities to help facilitate the 250th anniversary celebrations um you know developing new Partnerships programs events it's it's a lot there and um one of the things that we have to do if we want to partake of these resources is to uh is to pass a resolution uh creating a new committee uh to focus on the 250th anniversary so uh Eric Mell has agreed to head up that committee and put it together um so I thought it would be great for us to kind of let this committee get going and and and and Eric will take it from there and and start uh you know preparing for the 250th so um councilman uh it is the it's the um prerogative of the council as a whole to appoint people to the committee uh I can't think of any reason why they wouldn't appoint Eric sure but he's he he has no official status until the council appoints him understand but um after we uh if you want you can make them uh you can um speak to the council president and uh and we can uh we can maybe put it on as a motion but that committee would probably start in January or should it yeah yeah so um so but we can we can have a discussion um start identifying members start identifying that's that's what Eric would like to be involved in to identify members he he his vision is it's going to be cross the community so maybe somebody from the schools from police somebody from the histor commission so that would be a conversation you'd have with the council president uh and my myself and um and and we can we can do that um um as soon as this resolution passes and uh we can have it all set up for the reorganization meeting in January perfect excellent excellent also I should tell the council that in relation to this uh I am going to the league of municipality convention and I will be taking classes just on this okay so get me make sure I am up to speed on on it so that's one of the classes will be taking okay anything else Council that's it thank you all right good um any other new business any old business all right could I have a motion and second to open to the public for any comments so moved second all in favor please say I I again there is no member of the public presence so now can I have motion second to close to the public move second all in favor okay uh so at this point uh I'd like uh to turn the floor for a second to uh our newly elected um quasa elected it's not official yet because uh it hasn't been certified yet uh councilwoman Jala and councilwoman marari is there anything you'd like to say address the public um take a brief minute or so if you'd like to do that if not of course you will have an opportunity officially on um on January 6th when you are uh sworn in for uh for a second term and sworn in for a first term yes uh thank you mayor I want to say thank you to all the residents of that voted for being uh pretty and supported us in this uh election thank you everyone we will try to do to work hard and do our best um to uh make this community better thank you pretty anything you'd like to say at this time I know uh you may not at this moment but if if you'd like to you can thank you mayor and thank youil and thank you to the river residents uh it's been um I'm just thankful the election part is over and I'm waiting for January in a new uh in a new Ro great great we look forward to seeing you on the 25th and then on December 9th uh unofficially here uh with us on the de uh and uh and then of course officially with your own seat on uh on the six which will be very exciting you're welcome uh any other member of uh Council like to offer a comment or uh make a comment all right um uh I'd like to congratulate all those who uh won office uh in November uh we've already congratulated the council but I'd like to uh just say um the Commissioners uh uh tanelli and zor great job uh the sheriff uh curon great job congratulations I know they have worked very hard for the people of this County and they will continue uh I'd like to also congratulate um let me see um Congressman Josh SC Heimer and uh Senator elect Andy Kim uh Congressman Jo go Josh has done a phenomenal job for us in the Congress and Andy Kim has done phenomenal job for south southern New Jersey uh and now I think he'll do a great job for the whole state I'm leaving somebody out am I leaving out I got everybody okay and of course we wish uh pres uh president Trump uh another term uh leading our country uh wish him well all right so um could I have a motion in second to go into close session 24- 335 resolution to enter into Clos session Personnel njsa 10 colon 4-12 B8 Police Department so moved next all in favor please say I I we will be adjourning for the evening we will not be returning so could uh I have a motion to adjourn the public meeting uh for November 14th regular meeting so move second all in favor please say I I all right good happy thanks