##VIDEO ID:47fXUgevJ_s## e e forward them to my attention and I will uh as I have in the past I will I will quickly uh address them really don't have a question for you Chief um I just want to thank you and your department for always being there um I ring your phone many a times and you are always there uh thank you for coming tonight to assure this the residents that this is a safe community that we all need to do our part and help and with especially with these traffic violations and also being alert around your homes um thank you very very much I know it means a lot to me as a resident and I'm sure it means a lot to the residents of Rutherford thank thank you very much sir thank you anyone else Council thank you mayor thank you police chief I really appreciate all the work that you're doing on the uh question of the home invasion quickly I'm sure everything is being done that you can do I just had a question about you said it was a criminal enter Enterprise involving minors but the people running it are probably adults so can any I'm sure the answer is no but can any more be done to investigate or try to figure out who is actually running the criminal Enterprises or work with other police departments to do that so we we agree uh it's definitely adults uh coordinating this um I think with the new legislation in place if we have some penalties with teeth for these juveniles obviously we don't need to be putting them away for extended periods of time but we also don't need to be kicking them out the door before the reports are done I think with that in place we'll be able to get some more cooperation from the juveniles uh to be able to get us in the right direction the collaboration that we do on a state level with our County State um and even our federal Partners in reference to these crimes um is tremendous uh I run the corat meetings uh which is the Route 21 corridor from Newark to Patterson all the agencies um meet monthly to discuss crime Trends and and how to fight them and good things come out of those meetings we are um we are getting there I I think um like I said the big part here was a um getting the legislation in place that was a big step the next step and the remaining step is on the Judiciary end we need the judges to to really Le Levy just common sense penalties here and uh I think everything will come together at that point anybody else seeing none thank you Chief um mayor I know what you've been doing I appreciate what you've been doing I know what the guys and the girls have been doing so yeah you've you it's a good place there we got a really uh good crewk thank you Merry Christmas Merry Christmas to you uh we'll move on now to the uh changes to the proposed agenda missing yes we'll be adding a resolution on consent resolution number 282 cancellation of an outstanding check on page two under correspondence we'll be adding the notification from the CFO the notice of Award of note from a previous authorized debt and also under correspondence will be adding the planning board advisory of the master plan review from their meeting of December 19th 2024 that's all I have thank you anybody from the council see none we have a motion motion motion by Council Robertson second second second by councilman Guzman any questions or comments see n may have a roll call council president McOwen yes Council B Roberson yes Council Guzman yes Council Del con yes Council quatron yes councilman Copley yes thank you we're going to move on to the hearing of citizens anyone from the public wishing to speak please step forward um state your name and address and keep your comments in five minutes or less please and please speak into the microphone thanks my name is Anthony Pereira I live on 134 bford Avenue I'm here today to speak on my behalf of um Tattooing in the city of Rutherford uh my wife and I burrow of Rutherford uh my wife and I have ran uh Arcana tattoo for the last three years and I'm here with the opportunity to offer body art tattooing to Rutherford I've been a tattoo artist for the last 15 years and I would just like to have my craft closer to home to my wife and kids thank you thank you anybody else from the public wishing to speak please state your name and address and keep your comments a five minutes or less please we do um hi my name is Patrick dma I'm actually a resident of Woodridge uh I'm here with my colleague uh Chris Noel um we're here as uh part of Bergen County complete streets we're doing advocacy work on uh pedestrian and cyclist safety around the county could you speak more into the microphone please sorry uh is that better yeah um we we're here doing advocacy on a pedestrian and cycle of safety um I can't help but uh just um have noted the comments from the police chief on traffic violations and how that's a problem uh a lot of our advocacy work is around Street design and how that can improve uh the overall health of a town and improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists it also has the added benefit of cutting down on traffic violations in many cases um so my understanding is that you guys have a pedestrian uh safety Advisory Board um so our what we are here um requesting is we have a a letter that we're asking towns to sign on to in order to encourage the county to adopt a complete streets policy because we understand that a lot of roads that run through towns are actually owned by the county and thus you guys don't have a lot of control over that so what a policy like this would do is require them to at least take into consideration pedest and uh the safety of other Road users not just drivers whenever they have to repave or redesign a road um wouldn't actually require any any of those any um of those ultimate recommendations or or decisions be made specifically one way or the other but it would at least require them to consider that um so uh there are a lot of benefits to complete streets that I could uh go through some of them but uh just a few would be number one safety for uh other Road users um it improves congestion by enabling trips uh that don't require a car um it reduces pollution their economic benefits in the form of increased sales for local businesses because the fact of the matter is people buy things not Cars um we are obviously dealing with climate crisis the mitigation um so that the mitigation benefits that you can get in the form of reduced pavement for parking lots in the form of of um better uh more active modes of transportation all of that uh reduces the heat effect from asphalt it also reduces flooding um there are uh a lot of budget benefits that come from it in the form of not have not only not having to repave as much roadway there's also uh the fact that land use becomes a lot more efficient and you get a much better tax base because parking lots don't really pay l lot in taxes um there's also health and financial benefits uh citizens are happier and healthier both mentally and physically generally speaking when uh micromobility walking and Transit are more accessible for folks and also the cost of owning a car is roughly about $10,000 a year so even if this only enables a household to go from three cars to two or two cars to one that can be a lot of savings for residents so it's our hope that um we can maybe we uh include you guys as sign on to our letter and uh we are currently hoping to uh push the the county is currently in the process of developing a complete treats policy we're looking to um sort of just give them as much of a push as we can so thank you for your time thank you uh you know how this works we all everyone speaks and then we'll respond to you but we are first time okay but we are actually undertaking a lot of what you're talking about so we I'll let the council address you when the time comes anybody else from the public wishing to speak okay yes hello hi um yeah my name is Chris no that's uh Nell and um I live at 2100 Lynwood Avenue in Fort Lee so you know I I'm am here with Pat tonight um we are both co-founders of Bergen County complete streets and I'm a founder of uh Safe Streets Fort Lee so we've been going uh there might be overlap with what Pat said um uh we've been going to Town Council meetings and Bergen County Commissioner meetings for at least a year now and we've been urging the county to adopt a complete and green streets policy that would apply to the county roads um and we as Pat mentioned we learned recently that Bergen County is developing well uh a local Safety Action Plan with North Jersey transportation and planning Authority and part of that as part of that they're developing a complete and green streets policy um and that would apply to County Roads and so really um you know we've been talking with uh with people in in various organizations like NJ bike uh and pedestrian uh Coalition and Lisa Lee with Easy Ride um and you know learning as much as we can and what we've learned is that towns really need to do everything they can as soon as possible to position themselves to to get access to money grant money and support/ approval from the county in dealing with County Roads um that the local Safety Action Plan and the compete and green streets policy are expected to be uh released sometime we heard uh this fall but it seemed maybe maybe the spring or a summer so obviously you know we would love to share what more of what we know with with you um and I saw that Rutherford has a complete streets policy from 2011 so I was wondering if you've updated it yet or if we've been working on updating it um in Fort Lee some Fort Lee High School students and I uh got Fort Lee to update their policy recently and uh they agreed to form a pedestrian safety advisory committee as well which um that's what I wanted to ask about to um it seemed that uh there there may be one here in in Rutherford but I couldn't really find much information about it and it seemed that uh councilman Guzman might be involved with it so we definitely want to talk talk with you about it um yeah shortly uh we have the three worst Road segments in in the county when it comes to crashes involving vehicles and pedestrians so that's kind of what how you know I got involved and why I'm so uh concerned about it but really um you know we want to learn about what you're doing here in Rutherford already and also uh we we're trying to establish relationships with Advocates um and other elected officials around the county so that we could support each other learn from each other um and I've already connected with a couple of people from from the Leonia pedestrian safety and transportation advisory committee so we're starting to build you know hopefully a coalition um and I don't know if you've had dealings with the County engineering department uh already but from from what we've heard from County Commissioners and other elected officials there seems to be reluctance to make meaningful changes to the county roads um and so you know that's that's kind of like why we want to build uh these relationships and a coalition so also you know we're asking that you consider endorsing the letter that Pat mentioned um we shared it with you earlier today and we are constantly updating I'm in receed of it okay excellent excellent um uh yeah and so you know we we just want to kind of um keep the pressure on the county and and uh build relationships as as we go along so yeah thank you very much for your time thank you sir anybody else from the public wishing to speak Mr Wilson Frank Wilson 171 montro ZF Rutherford first uh Merry Christmas uh Happy K Quanza uh and all the rest of the holidays that are coming up um I forgot the one now uh Happy Hanukkah um first thing I'm here is um uh we got a leaflet in a mail regard regards to promoting the smoke shop um mayor I dropped it off in your office um that's a conglomerate now I looked it up it's legal leaf and if I look on it online I mean it has a thing where it says flower and pre-rolls I don't know we had a pot shop in town okay I thought this was non pot but on their website it says flowers three rolls it look that looks like pot to me so I don't know what what they can and cannot sell in there um that's up to you to find out what's going on um I looked at the newsletter that came out from the mayor's office in regards to the tattoo parlor coming up um and I agree with the mayor that we need to have uh second hearings first hearings hearings of citizens appears that you're going to put down a ordinance today without having a second reading you got an ordinance today to change the ordinance so you can allow tattoo shops but I don't see a second reading on on today's agenda where I agree with the mayor the Los came out saying that that's coming up today that when's the second reading going to be so but what but it's not on the agenda where I looked for it but it's not there so so um it it it's again I don't know what the push is and I'll direct this to you they'll take it personal on anything I say but what is your idea of transforming Rutherford I brought this because this is 1990 what Rutherford used to be okay this is what we were okay in 1990 this is what we were now all of a sudden we want 11 story buildings alcohol pot shops tattoo parar do you have a red light district you plan on sliding in somewhere that we don't know about I mean this is getting out of control if you want to turn this to Hoboken stay in Hoboken I came from Hudson County I came from Hoboken I came from Jersey City I came from North berer Union City Guttenberg the whole night yards if I wanted to stay there and rest of the resid that came from there we would have stayed there so I don't know what the force is today is that I looked at the mayor's letter that came out and you couldn't table this till January we tried it with the pot dispensaries to slide it in real quick and now we're doing this again real quick yeah you did don't get don't give me that the look you TR you you you you tabled it the the second one that you tried to put in the second one remember the when when when you took the the the the town thing back we were going to vote for it okay I must must be me I I wasn't here so again what what is our vision now for Rutherford so can you all tell me as a group what do you plan to turn Rutherford in it used to look like this okay I don't know what your vision is to turn it but can you give me a heads up of where you plan to go if you want to make this Hoboken so I can put my my place up for sale and get out of here within a year or two because I don't want to be in Hudson County again and it appears that's where we're headed I could be wrong I could be right but how come how come all of these things seem to be you the one who keeps putting them out there the the the change of this the other one is it you that's driving all this again nothing personal just just I got nothing against you personally this is strictly you're you're my representative on Council what is your vision please tell me what's your fiveyear plan but again I'll be done uh thanks again happy holidays but again I'd like to know what your plans are for the next five years so I know to get out of here and you'll probably want me out of here so again thank you thank you sir anybody else from the public wishing to speak hi Rich Muller 143 Silver Street uh Mr Wilson brought something up I I started something a couple times on social media in the last couple months about the about the shop um which is now uh what's the new name again te Leaf yeah legal Leaf thank you so can we get some clarification exactly what is and is not allowed to be sold in that shop because Mr Wilson brought up the uh pre-rolls in flowers when I saw that that's I thought that was Cannabis and as I understand it that's not legal in this town okay can we get some clarification on what is and what isn't legal please uh we'll speak after everybody else speaks Mr leche Dennis Ley 228 Prospect Place and Le um I'm going to apologize for some of the repetitiveness now uh because some of it's been said but I want to be clear that this is not a negative indictment for this couple uh I applaud them for their success I I think that they obviously shown that they're hard workers I understand a bit more convenience for them and a more convenience for them to share here but what convenience is that to R aians how does Rutherford benefit from that this is more about why or why not we pack the town you all ask for our votes to represent us other 4ans so why not find out what we want represented first yes I believe if you don't move forward you do fall behind but what defines moving forward and at what potential cost I watch the December 9th meeting and will address a few statements you all made and I will summarize people move into this town for what we do have not what might be coming leford continues to have challenges to its uniqueness and things like issues that are brought out forward by councilman Matt kley it always seems to be rushed to get through it seems others given short notice and with time to decide this seemed obvious to me on several occasions on items he tries to push please don't take this as me picking on you councilman but yes clearly on some of the methods in trying to get things done can any of you tell me what research you have done with the people of town any can any council member mayor business administrator confirm that they had enough info and in enough time before that last meeting did any did any people have two weeks a month or even a few days to Rie I know the councilman likeed to throw out big numbers and how it would be relate financially I'd say where for the record those big numbers in the past had been exaggerated and had little to no impact for bord what other towns might have might might have or might not have it might have accepted by their respective citizens is fine however for example if you put the same space where where the gentleman wants to put his wife's business how does that help Rel what the additional taxes do we get is already a business that's operating first the cannabis shop or pot shop or Le legal Leaf uh which was voted down by the citizens in a in a referendum but it's pushed again for another last minute change change and it was voted on yes until some of you had a chance to talk to additional Rel aians to find out and change your vote so that's what I'm asking for to think this over again and possibly change your vote the reason this was done was because several council members who had heard about this and the referendum was then changed to not be voted on again why not check a little deeper with a little larger population of the citizens for what they want in town let me be clear I have no nothing against tattoos I have several family members that have them I have nothing as rather having tattoos I have nothing as preventing this gentleman from having a shop but why here in Rutherford he's got a successful shop elsewhere councilman asked what one Council woman one I think it was M gra clone said what do we not already know about to not answer the question did you ask anybody in town maybe that's what we didn't know about maybe you didn't know what the the we 4ans wanted or didn't want don't you consider responsibility to be informed on these things before making decisions I don't know if this is an item for a ballot referendum or not but if the vote if you put it on and the voters voted down so be it if they vote for it so be it with further com communication either more with a little further communication the residents will still be okay I would trust you all would I would trust you all would be worthy enough to look a little deeper and reach out to this if pass without proper knowledge is it possible if can be reversed could it cause future issues why would anyone want to oppose the store what harm would it cause just another store for example I don't own a gun I have friends that own guns I will fight for everybody's right to have a gun I don't want a gun store in town either I don't know the president I don't know the procedure sometime something like this whether it has to be put on referendum or not but I would certainly hope so it is something we need to know more about Mr leer you're coming up on your five okay there something we need to know more about and it's the reason to table this I would ask you to rethink your thoughts on this before you pass it on this referendum or put it on a referendum thank you thank you anybody else from the public wishing to speak good evening my name is David Valente I'm from Rutherford I live on 26 Highfield Lane I've been a RF resident since 1986 8887 I actually graduated with Council Bowen back in 1990 and um I'm here today to talk a little bit about and voice my opinion as it relates to uh the legal Leaf shop that is in town and the fact that there's concern around the shop offering different products that we as Citizens voted that they should not be offering that we did not want to have in town and that maybe there needs to be a potential oversight of their products and what they're offering and who they're offering so that we can make sure we're not circumventing the will of our citizens because we don't want those types of things in town so I appreciate you hearing my thank you sir anybody else from the public wishing to speak seeing none seeing none I'm going to uh close it to the public and open up for so my name is Paula Pereira live at 134 bford and I'm the owner of Arcana tattoo um I just want to say that I appreciate everybody's comments and concerns about our tattoo shop and one of the reasons that we feel so strongly to continue to expand their shop is because we do find that it benefits other local businesses and we also support plenty of events that are happening in town for instance we supported uh the veterans and also supporting scholarships for high school students um aunt and I also speak at several high schools to different children about how to make their artistic careers into successful careers so this isn't really just something that we're doing for us but we really try to impact and look forward to see how we can benefit the town in every way that we can for the Bureau of Rutherford so um again I appreciate everybody's outlook on this and even though ant does have a successful shop in another town we really want to make this a family run business for not just everybody in our family but our kids come to work with us as well and they see us working hard so um this has been a dream of ours and we specifically chose Rutherford to not only live here but to also run our business here as well thank you thank you anybody else from the public wishing to speak seeing none I'm going to close it to the public and now open it up for any Council comment councilman thank you mayor um first Mr Joma and Mr null thank you for coming out um I'm the current uh liaison for the Green Team I also it looks like I will be the future liaison for the Green Team although that hasn't been official yet but um we do have a um a complete streets policy as you said and interestingly the chair of the Green Team reached out to me at the end about a month ago about the fact that ours hasn't been revised since about 2011 um and I've already met with our burrow administrator to talk about what we may need to do to to um follow the evolution of of those policies so um I appreciate you bringing it up but we we do we are already looking at it and our Green Team um I don't know if you've reached out to them but they are very active um in many of the issues that you've raised um for rer they're very robust um committee that we have and they do a lot for the town so um with regards to the Bergen County complete streets um efforts I I I do think as you probably researched many of our thorough fars are County Roads so um I I can't speak specifically I did receive your correspondence today as well via email so I I can't tell you that I gave it a good look to know where I stand on your specific letter but that is an effort that we have um supported and continue to support um and as you said our chief just uh pointed to the fact that pedestrian safety is really important so um I'm happy for you to reach out to me directly if you want to connect with the Green Team and and talk about their efforts and see um while they're not a part of the government they are not a commission they're a committee they may be interested in understanding your efforts um to the extent you have a coalition you may want to talk to them as well um okay um I will let the uh burough administrator or whomever the mayor thinks is appropriate speak to the legal Leaf issue because that is something that um although I did vote to have the referendum go to the ballot again for a variety of reasons I won't repeat here I am very concerned about the advertising done by legal leaf and I do think it's it's really important for our community community to understand that they are being monitored and what they are and are not allowed to sell it's disappointing that anyone thinks that we somehow have pulled the wool over your eyes um that when when we said that a cannabis shop was not going in Rutherford right now we meant it that business is already in existence and what they're doing with regards to their advertising is very disappointing especially because no one up here that supported cannabis being brought to Rutherford ever supported it being brought to Park Avenue so um um I again I know our B administrator has done a lot of work to get the right information on that so I'm sure he'll speak to it um whenever the mayor thinks that's appropriate um with regards to the tattoo issue um I guess I I want to be clear there's nothing about this that has not happened in accordance with the way things are supposed to be brought to the community um I remain very very concerned and confused about why the community thinks they need to weigh in on this other than the fact that is other I I know I'm going to explain why I say that I know you look shocked tattoo shops historically have been Associated um rightly and wrongly with um certain elements of people that I guess were saying we don't want in Rutherford there is absolutely no evidence that that is accurate that there is no evidence that allowing Anthony Pereira to do artistic Tattooing in his um shop here in Rutherford will impact anyone here from crime perspective from a reputational perspective and I think the ma uh the police chief had even confirmed for councilman kley that there's absolutely no correlation between crime and the existence of tattoo shops in in our in any in any municipality so I I do remain confused about why the community thinks they should weigh in about this business as opposed to any other business I I I really do I if we put on referendum every time someone wanted an own open a business that someone someone else didn't like people would not be able to have individually owned businesses in this community so um I I assume the concern is as Mr Wilson said is that we're somehow evolving a red light district um none of that is happening none of that has happened um we've given liquor licenses to community to to restaurants that have asked for it there are no 11-story buildings since I've lived in Rutherford since 2017 the only building that has gone up is the Parker the only one yet we are still saddled with everyone saying we are overdeveloped and that we're turning us into Hoboken or wherever um I appreciate the mayor's thoughts in the newsletter I read it but there is no evidence that this has been done secretly that this has been done outside if you want the answerers someone asked were all my questions at answered Mr Ley they were I don't want a gun shop here either but to compare a gun shop to a tattoo parlor for me is really quite astonishing um no one is endangering our community by opening a tattoo parlor and and if I don't have the statistics on that I'm happy to hear them but yes selling guns is is something that can kill you giving someone an artistic tattoo is not so I'm trying to really understand that that correlation um again these are business people who are looking to open a business in the same way we have her our like ninth Italian restaurant opening on Park Avenue venue no one is saying we have too many Italian restaurants let's do a referendum so um at this point that's where I stand on it I'm sorry that the community thinks they should weigh in on this I'm happy to hear why um because again the statistics do not bear out that this is at all an issue or a business that is going to endanger us is going to compromise the value of our homes it's none of that is is true but I'm happy to hear it as to why it is um it is getting its second read tonight that is always what happens with an ordinance and everyone gets to speak to it this is no different than how we've always done any other uh piece of legislation that we're passing that's it anybody else from the council wishing to speak councilman thank you sir uh I'll just briefly touch on a the general list of subjects um rather than addressing each individual name uh first and foremost as far as the two shop Mr Wilson you know I hold you in high regard you always BR really fantastic you know research and and counterarguments to the the floor um this is purely uh I started this effort four years ago we at the time made a concession to allow for the cosmetic tattooing and Miss Pereira has been open and operating successfully for three years the amazing thing is when people in over the last month have come to me I was in the shade tree commission meeting they're like oh I hear tattoo shops are coming well we we've had one for 3 years and they were like what I didn't even hear anything about it it's it's because that's how businesses work they come and go people open them up they operate successfully and we go on with our merry lives um this is no different right the difference between a cosmetic tattoo license and an artistic is effectively just a state level designation it's pure just language the tools are the same the materials are the same the chairs are the same the space is the same and the pereira's open a beautiful sunwash spotlike tattoo parlor just above Mason Cellar right above a daycare center 50 yards from St Mary's and they've been open and Opera ratio they have two young children right Mr Pereira would not like would rather not commute to Harrison New Jersey every day and spend more time with his family I can relate to that when we saw them at their three-year anniversary Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting alongside the mayor and the council president we offered our ability to help this is what this is has begotten all right so again there is no shame in any of this okay uh as far as the legal Leaf uh shop as a proponent of the Cannabis effort over the course of several years now I was even disheartened to see that transition from the C City smoke shop into the new one they have the ability to circumvent um some of the state level restrictions now whether or not they are selling uh actual product against our designation against the state's will in that I could not speak to that I do know they sell products similar to what you could find on the shelves at Forest are right Delta 8 Delta 9 infused you know uh candies and drinks and sodas and all that sort of stuff I did reach out to councilman Guzman and the chief of police upon a couple of citizens concerns and it was relayed to me that most of these manufacturers of these products sued the state to prevent us from restricting them we basically have no teeth to be able to regulate what is sold out of a shop like that um I was of the mindset I was hoping and I wanted to dig a Little Deeper but again I've kind of since the second referendum question things I've washed my hands of this subject um for the sake of just moving forward and doing other good work however my question is and this is something purely for a future discussion um if we had a zoning ordinance restricting Canabis laced products to the north side Route 17 as I intended two years ago when I brought this up would that give us any teeth to keep it off Park G right so again just putting that question out into the ether according to the state level lawsuit there really isn't much we can do other than check on them and make sure they aren't selling the product listed on their website where they are able to sell it in other municipalities which allow it um again much digger deeping I don't know if the burough administrator can speak to that or the chief of police um but that is where my information level stands currently thank you thank you anybody El for the council okay so I just want to thank Anthony and Paula for coming out um you are entrepreneurs in our town and I look up to you and I appreciate the hard work that you've put into your business and um anyone that chooses to open a business in Rutherford is someone I admire so um I hope you get your wish tonight and um hopefully the Bor administrator can answer the question on legal leave thank you thank you anybody else councilwoman council president Sor thank you mayor um uh thank you for your comments tonight about uh the your Pursuit regarding Bergen County and um The Pedestrian safety advisory work that you're doing I I did read your email thank you for sending and including that to all of us um and I I believe the councilwoman um is has this well in hand at this point and I I trust she will be following up with you um and I I look forward to following up with the county as well with regard to their action or commitment to this process um so thank you for bringing that to our attention um with regard to Legal Leaf um is that what it's called right um I am profoundly disappointed in the um the information that was circulated in this community it is my understanding it was not intended to be sent out to us um intention or other it was done um you know it is a very a very touchy topic uh the burough and many of us up here have been contacted by families um with children concerns young adults with vaping and issues and really just profound disappointment in what the work is that they do in that store and just uh a very serious skepticism about their commitment I am not here to say whether or not they are following the rules I've never actually walked in there I choose not to um I don't even want to give the um I would never even want somebody to have a second thought that I was supporting what's happening there uh but it is their right to have that business it's also my right not to frequent it um but I am profoundly disappointed that for whatever their reason marketing bad oversight whatever I thought it was an incredibly poor taste especially in this community knowing full well how the residents have been speaking out against it so for those of you who come tonight to ask I'm sure Bob will give us uh or oh Chief okay chief will give us uh an update but um I I I Echo many of your frustration and sentiment um with regard to uh the ordinance that's up tonight uh you know I'm going to save some of my questions more for the attorneys for the legal process but only one thing I do um I don't know that I necessarily agree specifically with the word choices I I I do realize that the reason why uh people are questioning the process is because it is currently not allowed right that's why we have an amendment for an ordinance it's because legally it is currently not allowed if it was very much like the number of Italian restaurant we have right once somebody once it's a permitted use as many that wants to come can come there is no ability to restrict it and so I just wanted to clarify at least from my perspective and certainly I'll I'll open that to the attorneys if if I'm not stating that correctly but that is why this is an ordinance or requested Amendment for an ordinance um it is about um permitting usage moving forward um and and certainly for what the prayers have shared with us that they wish to do and for any other business that chooses to come here under that permitted usage just like any other business once they're permitted to do so in Rutherford um and so that is that's just my interpretation and so um I do I appreciate both for and against when people find time especially on December 23rd uh I was actually asked I I thought this was worth saying to my colleagues I was asked if we purposely made tonight a meeting to disengage the community from participating in and I shared with them that government's always working so here we are and we're glad to have as many people with us as came out so thank you very much thank you thank you anyone else councilman thank you very much mayor um sorry about that uh Patrick and uh Chris thank you very much for coming out thank you for taking interest in Rutherford much appreciated um I am the liaison to the police department as well as uh pedestrian safety I did receive your email thank you very much for sending in um I will be reading it more in depth in depth and uh also sitting down with our borrow administrator to get his opinion on uh some of the information that you have shared with us um but uh you do have my email address now we can definitely connect um and I'd love to hear more about what you are trying to help push here get through the through the county so again thank you very much for your efforts uh regarding legal Leaf I'm I think my Council colleagues have uh said it pretty uh described what has happened pretty well here um and we're going to wait for additional comments from I believe our police chief um my only comment here is when you're spending money in your business you know what you're putting on your literature because you want to bang for the buck there this was a in my opinion it looks like it was some type of deception here to get people's attentions hey we got products okay and really not mentioning much more about the products on their Le other than pictorial pictographs there and whatever they want to call them but at the end of the day I think that it was a pure deception of what of that sending that type of flyer out to all of our residents it was improper but that's my opinion um regarding the tattoo parlor I think I've made my comments uh during the last meeting and I'm going to uh reserve the rest of my comments for my vote thank you thank you um before we move on first off I'm quite offended by the council about all the tiny restaurant comments you know um I would now ask the police chief to come forward and speak to the um the marijuana par thing mhone microphone so in reference to uh legal Leaf which was once Sin City it's not a cannabis retail shop so um those restrictions that we saw during the discussion of cannabis shops such as the signs and what can be uh displayed they don't pertain to the smoke shop um they're not not selling cannabis they're selling derivatives of it that are not regulated um in this state as cannabis is but if you to go in there and look at it it looks exactly like cannabis it smells exactly like cannabis but um here in New Jersey if it looks like a duck and it walks like a duck it's not a duck so um but is it Italian we will uh you know they they are restricted in what they can sell in reference to uh not selling any cannabis products um Vape products are very limited in in what they can sell they are subject to random inspection which we have had there um the previous shop were issued some summonses in reference to uh Vape products um and we'll will continue to to listen to our residents complaints they bring bring issues to us we will investigate them and if they are found to be selling cannabis they they will be uh charged accordingly but right now we don't have um any evidence that says they're selling cannabis from the shop Mr May thank you that's it thank you mam Chief thanks Bob thank you mayor uh just want to add one more thing to that uh discussion as soon as we saw the advertisement uh reach everyone's mailbox we reached out to our County health inspector uh who paid a visit to the legal Leaf shop and inspected every product in their in their store and everything was found to be compliant with state law uh but as the chief said there are challenges with uh those types of products as I understand it it's and by no means am I an expert on this at all but I think it's a a form of hemp uh that has a level of THC that's very very low that is the hucog enic uh chemical that's found in marijuana uh that very small percentage is found in this hemp or whatever th uh Delta whatever it's called nowadays and that is the types of products that are are being sold at this facility so uh those those are not under the same regulations as cannabis are um so what is being sold in there is a is a compliant product as as the law currently reads thank you bu okay we're going to move on now there's a hearing at the end um consent items thank you mayor all items authorized to be consent by the council will be enacted by one motion these items are routine in nature motion I have a motion by the council president may have a second second second by Council Roberson as it's your night tonight um any c Council comment see mayor roll call council president mcowan yes Council Big Robertson yes councilman Gman yes councilman Del con yes counil Quon yes counil kley yes thank you council president thank you mayor first I'd like to accept uh I'd like to make a motion to accept the resignation of police officer Matthew van djk effective December 30 2024 motion motion by the council president may have a second second second by Council councilman guz any questions or comments by the council seeing none I would only add that Matt spendy value and great police officer for the burough of Rutherford and we are all going to miss him as one of our best thank you council president mcowan yes counc beg Roberson yes coun kman yes counc Del con yes counc quadron yes C kley yes thank you next I'd like to authorize the Rutherford Golden Age Club to use the the shuttle on March 26 2025 to American Dream wall and on April 30 2025 to The Brownstone in motion motion by council president I'm sorry they're all on consent we don't have to go through them they're consent items that's okay no that was me item yep eight sorry about that everyone resolution number 279 formally adopting a policy for displays on burrow owned property motion I have a motion by the council president may have a second second second by councilwoman quatron any questions or comments see none may roll call council president mcowan yes counc B Robertson yes coun McMan yes coun Del con yes counc yes coun cley yes okay we have a couple disc discussion items I'm going to start with the bur administrator change meeting date uh yes thank you mayor yes uh we are requesting uh to change the uh date and times for the previously approved uh adjourned and reorganization meeting that was scheduled for January 4th at 11:00 11:30 and 12:00 respectively to January 3rd which will be a Friday night uh 5:30 for the adjourn meeting and 6:00 pm for the reorganization meeting would that be acceptable to the council may have a motion motion motion by council president may have a second second second by councilman Guzman any questions or comments see none M roll call council president McAn yes counc B Roberson yesc McMan yes Del con yes coun CL yes coun yes next we're going to have the authoriz authorized for attorney to prepare a resolution regarding the process for introducing ordinances Bob uh thank you mayor so that that re this discussion is more of asking uh to formalize a bit of a process we had uh in previous years uh you know had a little bit of discussion on policy related uh issues uh C C legislation certain laws that were very uh you non-routine in nature and the discussion used to be had at a meeting such as this and then if the council supported it uh direct the bur attorney to to enact or prepare a draft uh ordinance to uh to be heard at the next meeting um during covid and you know things just kind of got a little looser uh kind of got away from that and you know we've kind of had the Bur attorney doing stuff on the on the Fly and just kind of want to tighten our own little house up here a little bit uh just to make sure everyone's on the same page so everyone knows what the bur attorney is working on uh so that's hence the uh the request to move on in next year and you know every year moving forward that we're all on the same page that we're all aware of what the bur attorney is working on what I'm working on we don't want uh stuff being worked on if necessarily not supported um you know we all have valuable time uh and we have a lot going on and I want make sure that things that the bur attorney is working on is stuff that is stuff that we really really want to consider uh not asking for ordinances related to handicap parking spaces you that's kind of routine U but stuff that's really changing the policy and stuff that's going to Garner public you know uh comments on the stuff that we need to make sure we're on the same page on so that's the thought process behind that mayor yes um so thank you Bob for the overview um this was something that we as Bob mentioned we tried to um start in implementing in uh response to several different things some from the public comment about um making sure they understood the discussions that were being had before we move things into ordinances because they become law um also an opportunity which is uh stemmed from conversations particularly last year about about making sure we had enough time for members on the Das to understand everyone's perspectives to be able to uh participate in the process um and so uh that was part of it as well um and as you were mentioning Bob just I'm saying this more for public awareness um sometimes there are ideas that are happening that are moving very quickly and so the reaction is when you're trying to get it on um on the agenda is to talk to our professionals sometimes it's our attorneys it's our engineer it's it's whomever um and so this process would um do two things one it would ensure that everyone on the deis is made aware of something that's potentially moving forward so that they can either do their due diligence or ask their questions on the record so that it's noted um and also to make sure that we have everyone's uh thoughts and buyin P sometimes it changes is the perspective of where we're going it also makes it more transparent and that was something uh particularly during development that was asked for of us uh that they could hear those conversations more robustly here um and so hopefully that will um enable us to do that as well um and then and then finally it's about um ensuring that our professionals you know that's that you talk about where's your taxpayer money go your taxpayer money goes to the professionals who protect all of us as taxpayers and residents of Rutherford to ensure that we are conducting business legally and that we are protecting the entity of the burrow um and so that um there's lots of business that goes on in the day-to-day work and this is to ensure that um we're not jumping ahead of other business that may already be in the pipeline that is equally or more important um and so this was something that I I did ask um for this to move forward it was also something that had spoken with councilwoman uh quatron about uh last year and something I know that she supported moving forward um and so really this is more about being transparent with all of you on the dasas and so that this way there's a very clear line um of information what we're looking into what we're asking the burough attorneys to draft if in fact we're asking them to draft something and then there's the two meetings in an ordinance that takes place so that essentially it it elongates the process a little bit but I think it it Fosters a more transparent process thank you mayor thank you council president anybody else from the public I mean I'm sorry from the council Council yes thank you mayor thank you councilwoman um yes this idea to bring this back this lion item that existed preo uh stemmed originated from a conversation between the council president and me last year and just to come up with a more deliberative transparent process uh for when we bring ordinances to the public and to vote and just so the public knows um the customary way we have been doing it before La this year is that there was an there is a meeting an agenda meeting that's a private meeting that happens the Wednesday usually the Wednesday before the council meeting and it involves the buau administrator potentially the burough attorney often the mayor and a council person or two that has an ordinance that they and an idea that they want to bring forward and there's debate and discussion often at that meeting but not everyone not all council members are involved and the public isn't invited and so then from that if everybody agrees to put it on the agenda it goes on the agenda it goes to a public agenda on Thursday it's released to the public usually and so the public has a few days to think about it to respond if they want to write directly to the council and to the mayor and then you know they can come to the the mayor and council meeting that Monday but that Monday may be that we're voting on it already it may be that it's up for a vote and it's very hard to influence us once we've thought about it and and it's already up for a vote makes it more difficult to have your voice heard so this this process would allow us to have a discussion debate um before on anything like like the bureau administrat said that is significant or potentially controversial at all we'd have a debate and discussion and then we would put off a vote until the next session and so I if if we decide to go forward if it makes sense to go forward and that debate and discussion can lead us to amending our thinking to can have US influence each other and can let the public weigh in on these important items so I think um there's nothing nefarious I don't believe there's anything nefarious or self self-dealing going on in any of these agenda meetings but I think this just makes the the process more open and more transparent and more deliberative and just as an example on the topic that's up tonight one of the topics that's up tonight on the tattoo parlor I am in support I have said this in the previous meetings that I think this is an artistic Enterprise I think the uh the business owners are very admirable I don't think there's anything negative that's brought to the community at all just the opposite but I would have liked a a process where we could have debated and discussed it for one meeting without voting and then vote the next meeting that's that's the process I want but we we had been doing it informally for the past year but now I would like to formalize it with a council president so thank you very much thank you anybody else seeing Council thank you sir uh I'm in full favor of this idea just from the ground up uh I do have some concerns just based on experience right so one of the things I've noticed and especially with my colleagues who are attorneys is they want to see things in writing they want to understand how that language is going to work itself out I myself am a bit more of a you know kind of creative I can you know spitball and and this this could be get that and that could be get that but my attorney based colleagues have always said well do you have something in writing just yet so what the only thing I would like to suggest or maybe perhaps make a part of this process as we move forward to find a nice path forward here is either a uh generate a three-person subcommittee um to kind of flesh out the exact process um or to allow for there to be a a piece of writing or some something along the lines where there is that kind of concrete this is what it could look like now I understand the point of this is to avoid redundancies and work that perhaps might get voted down um but again I'll refer to my colleagues who are attorneys how they would prefer to see or hear that upon discussion so just to take for instance the tattoo discussion this was on the agenda a month prior to first read but I had nothing to show it was it was merely just an idea and all I was saying was we just wanted to include Class 8 but there is yet to be a bunch of the bureau attorney work done yet because we weren't there right and so I had asked I had requested that we flesh it out in writing so that my colleagues could review and take a look look at it so again just a for instance in terms of where we can where we can kind of make that process a little bit more iron cloud and again in full support of it I'm all for having these discussions uh before the public and you know with our colleagues so I don't have to make six different phone calls that kind of thing uh which is the current process so um that's my two cents thank you thank you so now what I'd like to do is I'd like to ask for a motion to have the bur buau attorneys prepare something to put forward to the council so we can start working on this motion motion by council president may have a second second second by councilman quatron any questions or comments by the council seeing none may oh thank you U my only my only question and comment there what what would be the directive to the bureau attorneys for this process are we are we weighing in or we just they're going to come to us with an outline come to us with an outline and then we we weigh in and okay till till we all agree on something nothing gets done great just want it on the record thank you yeah May a uh vote council president McAn yes Council B Roberson yes councilman Gman yes counc Del con yes Council Mone yes Council mle yes okay now before we move to the council members and committee assignment reports I think you guys want to go home so I'm going to do my appointments first um Regina masag would like to uh conditionally appoint to as a rord police officer in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey civil service commission effective January 13 2025 I'd ask for Council consent motion motion by council president may have a second second second by councilman Guzman any questions or comments for the council saying none may have a roll call council president McAn yes counc B Roberson yes counc Desman yes C Del con yes C clut yes C kley [Applause] yes next up Robert jtz I'd like to conditionally appoint to the Rutherford uh as a Rutherford police officer in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey civil service Serv commission effective January 13 2025 motion I'd ask the C may have a second second second my Council Guzman any any questions or comments seeing none may R council president mcowan yes counc beg Roberson yes counc Gman yes Del con yes Clon yes counc kley yes we're going to take a two second recess so you guys can get out of here trust me I know Sandy she doesn't want to stay congratulations all right so now we're all right now we're going to move on to the council member committee and L on reports counc president have nothing to report thank you all right we'll move on good evening mayor sorry about that okay first of all I just want to congratulate our two newest uh members uh to the Rutherford Police Department for um Chief I know he's out there I'm sure he's going to listen back to this I just want to thank him and the men and women of the Rutherford uh police department for their out standing work um and the fact that he came this evening to address the concerns that were being shared by residents um through fear and and information is power and so I'm so grateful he is so responsive and I encourage members of the community to reach out to him if more is needed um and really uh on top of the fact of just wanting to wish this community a beautiful holiday season and a wonderful Joy uh joyous New Year's I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge my Council colleague Maria beg Roberson um tonight is Maria's last official meeting with us before the signed dine meeting which is the end of the business of the year um I've had the immense pleasure of serving with Maria for six years um she has been a force from the minute she decided she wanted to do this and been up here and advocating what many members of the public may not be aware of while being a public servant Maria went back and got her Doctorate in Education she is taken on a very high-powered position which causes her to travel and I know that that most certainly had a great deal to do with her decision to continue in her service but most importantly she's very proud of her family and her husband Matt who's here tonight her two beautiful children and the fact that she has represented this burrow very very well um but really represented her family well and she has been a um a Shining Light to the young women of this community um she has never shied away from voicing her opinion um I'm going to miss that immensely I'm going to miss our phone calls when we're talking each other off the ledge sometimes um and often for being a voice of truth to me so thank you Maria for that and um so mayor uh a huge loss for us um and and for the burrow in representation um but I know that the person who um has been granted the honor to sit in that chair I believe he will continue the the good Legacy of doing the good work and so thank you Maria for your outstanding commitment to our borrow thank you and councilwoman Roberson you're going to go last today councilman gizman I was hoping you'd say that man thank you um I'd like to congratulate Regina uh Regina masle and Robert zimet on their conditional appointments as police officers tonight I'm very happy to see uh see them come aboard and uh get in the mix of being great police officers with the rest of their colleagues I also like to thank police officer Matthew van djk for his 12 years of service and I wish him the very best in his next Endeavor um my Council colleague uh Maria wow you're going to be missed you uh been a great friend a great advocate for the P for the for the residents of Rutherford there are big shoes there to fill we are definitely going to be missing you your approach your amazing beautiful voice how you make everything sound so amazing to the public you're really going to be missed and uh I cannot thank you for your friendship your guidance throughout the years and uh I know you're not moving out of town so I'm not going to get weep eyed up here but you're definitely going to be missed I wish you all the best thank you thank you Council and Del K thank you mayor um I have nothing for my committee reports um I too just want to wish uh councilman B Roberson well um Maria and I actually met on my porch um in 2020 in the height of the pandemic uh we share a mutual friend who we both adore that thought um there were some things we could be talking about and we did and it was a hard conversation for many reasons none of which having to do with me or Maria but um the grace and intelligence that she brought to my porch that day actually is what got me to start watching uh mayor and Council meetings believe it or not um you know I I started watching them on zoom and I will say that um Maria was always a standout for me as someone that wasn't what I'll call an easy yes um which I think is exactly what public service should be so um she is someone that I admire I don't know that the community knows how much work she has done in the county and with our higher level officials on really really important projects um and at the very heart of it her professional work is is also super important um to our our state and the nation at large um as she works in education and bringing really important educational programming to those communities that need it most so um I certainly will miss um her grace her steadfastness her stick toi iness um and I trust that and hope that perhaps this isn't the end of the public service line for uh Maria Matt don't be mad I just mean some at some point maybe you know um so I do wish you well I do know that I will see plenty of you we have a date to learn maang together in the not too distant future so I will at least have that but thank you for your service um you truly are the epitome of a public servant and I admire you greatly thank you thank you councilwoman councilwoman quatron thank you mayor I have nothing on my committee assignments but I also want to say something to my Council colleague uh Maria beg Robinson I just want to thank you for your courageous principled independent leadership um public service is a privilege and an honor and we're lucky to be here and be able to make decisions for our community but it's also it also can be very ugly and very challenging and I think you've gone through many challenges in your groundbreaking work on this counc and you were you were very courageous and you took independent votes you took votes that you were the only one saying no when maybe no needed to be said and I think that's extremely hard to do in this field in this profession and you have to deal with a blowback potentially with your colleagues and balance that with what the community wants I think you were always able to make that that very principal decision really think things through in a highly intelligent and insightful way and I don't I think that's unfortunately too rare so we're going to miss it on the council and thank you so much for being an inspiration to me and others thank you Council counil M coku thank you sir uh two things briefly uh first and foremost uh due to the reorganization of next year I will be stepping down as fire commissioner and I want to take a brief moment to just thank uh former Chiefs Dennis Gentile Tom twist Tom Riser MOS Darvy for your kindness tutelage friendship as we we pulled some really amazing things together uh on behalf of our department over the last four years uh it was intimidating work to get started and Dennis I will always have to you to thank for taking me under your wing and getting me acclimated uh I could be not be more proud of this department all the men and women and your families because as I've said from the very beginning taking on that responsibility that no one does that job alone and I would like you to know and think that I will there for you no matter what if you need anything whatsoever we are turning over the reain so very formidable councilwoman quatron um I will be there for her to support her as she transitions alongside councilwoman Del R con um but each and every one of you are still welcome to reach out and I thank you for that and I thank you for your service uh in closing councilwoman B Roberson there is not a more intelligent and elegant and graceful person that I can honestly say have ever I've ever come across profession it it has been a Wonder to watch you work I want to thank both you and Matt for welcoming Carissa and I into the fold and and all the events and being a friendly face and a warm smile uh as we transitioned ourselves four years ago into the role thank you for everything you've done everything you've taught me and I wish you all the best in your next Endeavor thank you I literally have nothing to say okay I have a lot to say so I'll say okay so um and and I wrote it down so I'm going to read it okay so as I sit here before you today serving um on my last day under raford burough Council I find myself reflecting on what has been an incredibly life-altering experience when I fin first joined this Council I never could have imagined the immense growth I would undergo both personally and professionally nor the relationships I would build with each of you and the residents of this amazing town it's been an honor to serve you in these years we've made some remarkable strides together I was proud to start the tradition of the raising of the pride flag in our town and meaningful gesture that stands as a testament to Rutherford's commitment to inclusivity and support for the lgbtq plus Community I partnered with assemblyman share to support um businesses and residents as they navigated the complex and often uncertain landscape of cannabis legalization I brought first friends of New Jersey and New York to Rutherford where we discussed how we could support displaced immigrants I also brought Mom's demand action to our town where we discussed gun safety and we made June gun safety awareness month with our wear orange Proclamation I also organized the naming of Alonzo Cisco Way in honor of the first black councilman in our town and we've also had fun along the way organizing the doggy PA raid which was a joyous occasion for everyone involved but as I reflect on my time here I can't help but think about some of the tough yet essential decisions we faced together one issue that stood out was development and particularly the discussions around the Williams Center the debate about what to do without that space was one that stirred passions and divided residents I'm proud of the work we did even as we navigated the complexities and even though it wasn't always easy I think we all walked away knowing we were doing the best we could to serve the residents of Rutherford through it all I've Loved serving this town it's been one of the most rewarding parts of my life and I'm I'm deeply thankful to the council and to all of you for making this experience truly awesome and I want to take a moment to thank each of you Frank nunziato your love for Rutherford is evident in everything you do you'll never make a decision that hurts this town and you vision for Rutherford continues to shape the way our town looks feels and thrives I am proud to have served alongside you Stephanie Macwan thank you for your leadership your experience your heart as Council presidents you've navigated us through tough situations with Grace and you've always guided us with wisdom your leadership has been a Cornerstone of our success Ray Guzman my running mate and friend thank you for your unwavering support and for being there for me three years ago when we decided to run together and for always being there when I needed a partner in this journey Matt kley your passion for this town and your expertise in marketing and design has been invaluable you bring a unique perspective to the table that helps us understand the heart of every issue and I admire the work you've done to influence our vision for Rutherford Susan you have such a deep passion for veterans in the elderly and it shines through and I'm grateful for your unwavering dedication you also desire process and discussion which will make the council even better Christie I've always admired the way you approach every decision with careful research and determination to be well informed your FOC focus and commitment to the issues that matter to our town have always been an inspiration and Bob our borrow administrator thank you for being the calm in the storm for your leveled approach to every matter that comes before us you're always there to talk through the pros and cons and to guide us and I've appreciated that more than words can express and Missy thank you for the skillful way in which you move us along during meeting and for the way in which you manage us that is not an easy task and you do it with such Grace and professionalism and I also want to thank Kim B goian for her work as our communication lead you have always helped me think about the scenarios when planning you've always helped me think about the good and bad you're just such a thoughtful person and I thank you and to all our colleagues and the residents of Rutherford thank you it's been an incredible honor to serve and and I look forward to seeing all the amazing things we'll continue to do together in the future thank [Applause] you you want to say anything M it was it's it's been a wild ride I didn't know what she was getting into and um you guys have all obviously family and supported us and you know we're Amazed by Maria and this is you know we'll be glad to have her a little bit more but um this is a woman that is committed to helping people that need to be helped I don't think stop thank you Matt [Applause] um we do have letters of Correspondence that can be found in oh wait I'm sorry next I I have uh two more appointments Dominic Ferry uh C3 collection system operated for 2025 at the annual rate of $4,500 I'd ask for Council consent motion I have motion by councilman Del con may have a second second second by councilman quat any questions or comments see I'm there roll call council president McAn yes CC big Roberson yes counc Gman yes coun Del con yes councilman Clon yes Council cley yes next up I have the recreational seasonal staff from memb attached I'd ask for Council consent motion motion by council president M second second second by Council Del con any questions or comments see none M roll call council president mwan yes counc big Roberson yes counc Gman yes counc Del con yes Council C yes councilman kley yes thank you we do have letters of Correspondence that can be found in the clerk's office uh now we have the second hearing of citizens that's you Mary Alice meller uh 143 silven Street I should have spoke earlier because I feel like we're beating a dead horse but the thing with the legal Leaf I'm most concerned about is speaking as a mom because the advertisement clearly is towards children it's got the Grinch on it it's got the little dog and I just think it's it's kind of sick and what other future sales are they going to have for other holidays and what other advertisements and I know it specifically says 21 and over but we kind of have firsthand that they are selling to underage children and uh administrator talked about the thca levels and it's very low these children they're they're it's like grape candy to that so they're eating it and eating and eating it and health it's there's nothing good that is coming out of this place so it's just another thing I think for the police department to have to worry about too but my main concern is the children because it's just it clearly that's who they're going after so thank you thank you anybody else from the public wishing to speak Frank Wilson 171 Monro Rutherford uh first I didn't say it before but I'll say it now uh councilman Robertson I was there at your coming in party I seem to be at your going out farewell so I want to wish you all the best and much success leaving here um in regards to uh the ordinances that we're talking about uh the folks that want to put the shop in seem to be nice people put to council woman McGowan's point of view once you open up Pandora's Box you can't close it um as we see now with the pot shop that the door is open and others may swing in if the door swings open without any provisions for tattoo pilers you may get a Park Avenue full of 5 six s same way we always complained about the nail salons pizzer and everything else you open up the door without any fail safes um the next person may not be a good person can't say who you're going to get but when you start voting on these things you got to consider the long-term effects of what else is there afterwards that's my only concern is is that what else are we going to have sitting on Park Avenue once you open up the door uh I was sitting here looking at a thing that that we still only can have I think one vending machine one video machine in in a place that's an ordinance that one video machine allowed when I had a store here in town I could I couldn't put I could only put one in hasn't changed in 30 years so just just a thing in hindsight um Council Mone the thing I was referring to was the Redevelopment plan for the Williams Center where it had seven stories with a Atrium on top and we were all discussing 11 stories that becoming it and taking away the parking across the street it's nothing near now but if you go back to 2122 you'll see the Redevelopment plan in regards to the exercise building but again I wish you the best have a merry holiday and uh thank you all thank you Mr Wilson anybody else from the public wishing to speak on second read seeing none my statement what you sure B administrator I just want to clear a little something up I wasn't referencing a low percentage as a way to justify it I was just giving an example of how it's comparison to cannabis I wasn't by no means minimiz in the percentage at all don't want that out there um so yeah I truly understand where you're coming from with this thank you um seeing we have no ordinances on first read we're going to move to Second read council president thank you mayor um on second reading this evening is the amending the business insurance registration fee Missy can you please read the ordinance by title only in order to amend chapter 48 of the burrow code entitled Insurance I'd like to make a motion to move that the ordinance be passed on second reading and advertis according to law thank you I have a motion may I have a second second second by councilman Del con any questions or comments seeing none may have a roll call oh I'm sorry um I'm now gonna as this is on second read I'll open up for any publicans comment seeing nothing from the public I'll open up for any Council comment see nothing from the council I'd ask from a vote council president mwan yes Council beg Roberson yes Council Gman yes Del yes yes C Copley yes thank you uh next up we have um councilman kley thank you sir uh first up we are int on second read we have the rent control board this is basically reupping the rent control control for another two years and adding two alternate members um Missy could you read the ordinance by title only please an ordinance to amend chapter 83a the bur code of the bur weord entitled R control thank you I make a motion to move that the ordinance be passed on second reading and advertis according to law I have a motion by councilman kley may have a second second second by councilman Guzman we'll Now open up to the public for any comment seeing none from the public we back up to the council seeing none may I have a vote Council pres McAn yes counc Roberson yes Council McMan yesc con yes counc CL yes counc meley yes uh thank you all uh second up for the evening uh we have the uh tattoo ordinance B effectively we're just allowing for class eight artistic tattoos into the list of allowable businesses under our zoning uh Missy could you read the ordinance by title only please and ordinance to amend chapter 131 of the burrow code of the bur of wetherford entitle zoning thank you uh make a motion to move that the ordinance be passed on second reading and advertised according to law I have a motion by councilman kle may have a second second second by councilman Del con I'll now open this up to the public for any uh comment seeing nothing from the public I'll open up for the council comment seeing nothing from the council may have a vote oh council president I'm sorry thank you mayor um I have a question with regard to the recommendations that were made by the planning board um there feedback was given to us um I was not present at their meeting so I read the um the comments um that were given to us and there were questions about um the allowability where we have it just for second floor allowing it for first floor use also um I believe that was a recommendation that was made um and also um I had it highlighted I should have just read it I'm sorry um there was also concerns about ADA compliance with it being on the second floor and so my question is has there been any consideration about the inclusion of that information um do we believe that that to be Germain if we're looking at a law and secondly if so what what is what is the feedback from our attorneys um specific to that I I don't know how that goes we don't have to take their recommendations but I do think that if this is something that's moving forward we need to be thinking very seriously about the implication of how the law is written specific um to the Ada issues that were raised and and for it only being on the second floor and allowing for first floor so I was just curious um Bob it I don't I don't know actually mayor I don't know who would navigate this conversation if it's Bob or the attorneys or you I'm I'm just asking it because I saw it in the statement I also read that uh bo do you have any comments on this yes I read the comments from the uh planning board as the uh mayor and Council know the U ordinances that have to do with zoning are sent to the planning board for their review essentially their charge is to determine whether or not the ordinance proposed ordinance is consistent with our master plan now I've read the comments and I don't see any comment in there that talks about whether or not it's consistent with the master plan but they did make other comments which the board which the council may consider as I recall those comments one was about um fashioning our ordinance to be in line with that which was proposed in Linhurst I took a look at the Linhurst ordinance and I don't believe the Linhurst ordinances um has any value and I'll tell you why L ordinance essentially says this tattoo parlors or tattoo studios whatever you want to call them are a conditional use in the zone that they put Lum in and so a conditional use has to have conditions so I looked at the conditions and the conditions are number one you have to have a licens and number two you can't have a criminal record well you can operate a tattoo parlor without a license so making it a conditional use essentially does nothing because the license is a prerequisite to operating The Establishment and the state essentially has preempted the towns in this regard about who can operate so if the state doesn't prohibit you from operating a tattoo studio with a criminal record then the can't either so there's no sense in having a conditional use because the two the one condition is is almost dup duplicative of what you need anyway to operate you can't operate a tattoo as parlor without a license and the conviction is preempted by the state so I don't recom I don't have um much to say about that um provision the issue about the Ada is you know it's this is a policy decision that was presented to me when we drafted it that he wanted to make it uh to the second floor and it's a legitimate concern Ada issues um but if you wanted to amend the ordinance to provide for to remove the condition just say that permitted in those zones you could do so but it's going to require having the ordinance reintroduced on first read and that's um I think the best legal uh opinion I can give you on this issue unless you had a specific question um we're good if I may sir um so in speaking that condition came up at the planning board meeting Mr Pereira and I were both present um Mr Pera spoke to the fact that the tattoo industry itself relies heavily on appointment based um business so when it comes to ADA Compliant while the shop is currently you know the the width of the stairwell and whatnot they don't have an elevator that concern would apply to any business within Rutherford that is a second story without an elevator and such uh what Mr Pereira enlightened me and uh the planning board too is the fact that because this is appointment based most of their Ada um clientele tend to call ahead and make appropriate um appointments so maybe they'll borrow time in a a fellow uh a friend's chair um over in Wallington or similar that is on a first floor ground available or they can travel to see uh that particular CL so this again to the similar uh I'm just going to use this reference here to answer Mr Wilson's question as well this business industry is self-regulating right it's not like nail salons it's not going to be nine of them on Park Avenue if you look at the statistics in my presentation from uh two weeks ago there's going to be one per every 15 to 18,000 residents that's effectively how it works you look at Monclair Linhurst Wallington everybody around us it's exactly how it works it's it's just it is a trade in based industry you are required to put in the work to get those licenses that the burough attorney referred to um so yes most of the considerations I actually was speaking with councilwoman KRON uh at the start of this meeting um she had some questions about that as well I am all for them we would like to work with you and incoming Council elect John ero who has uh some great experience in zoning uh down in Atlantic City to get his input and opinion uh but for the short term to your point this ordinance has we have it written uh to the planning board's Point uh is acceptable uh to allow for the pereiras to move forward in expanding their business currently thank you council president I don't I don't know that I necessarily disagree with a lot of what was just shared except and again I I feel like we're like constantly saying this and it's awful because you're sitting in the front row so it's not directed at you right but this is a law that's going to permit any other business from coming so we know who you are I don't know who the other people could be sitting that can come here so respectfully I I'm I'm I feel like I'm repeating myself I'm just going to say it on the record because there was no willingness last time but I'm going to say it again if if the if the comment could be made that we can come back and revisit this in the next meeting then I don't understand why we're just not getting it right the first time and it's not a matter of trying to punish you quite the contrary it's trying to it's trying to protect the burrow to make sure that we have a law that is clear if if in fact as I thought I read it that the planning board members their their suggestion back to us was why just make it second floor if you're saying second it should be first somebody should have the opportunity to open a business there whether or not I personally agree with that I respect the the position of the planning board and so if that's even something that's being discussed here that we're saying that we we are acknowledging that the ordinance as written does not take into consideration another business opening not the one we you know again we keep talking about it being this person's business but we're not amend we're not giving them a license we are creating an amendment to an ordinance for anyone to open so I just I I just want to encourage us one more time I'm going to put it on the record I appreciate we're trying to get this done but I want us if we're doing this I would prefer for us to get it right so I'm I'm just kindly asking that we take the time that needs to happen make the Amendments take the considerations in I thought the feedback from the planning board was actually quite good um if that is how we're doing this I I would just appreciate the consideration for us to be responsive and to actually put the ordinance properly forward so that any business that wants to open in the burrow has clear guidance on how to move forward that's my request okay Council mcle would you entertain that request no sir not at this time thank you may I just ask a question of the burough attorney mayor please hi um I I guess as it stands now for many of our businesses just so for my understanding there isn't an ADA compliance requirement for the second floor businesses of other type businesses is that right which is a whole other issue by the way that but but I I want I'm trying to distinction I'm trying to define the distinction for the planning board because this is may not be an understanding of everyone in the community the planning board approved this ordinance for the purposes that they are tasked with approving it and my understanding is they unanimously approved it so these are comments or suggestions as to things that we could consider but I just want to be clear the planning board approved the ordinance I I don't know so much uh councilwoman I don't know so much that they approved it as they didn't say anything about the master plan oh because I thought to the master plan maybe I'm I mean they they they they voted on it some support for it there was some support that would be a conditional use which I've already spoken about which I wouldn't support as a conditional use I wouldn't encourage but they um they didn't directly opine about whether or not I'm looking at their comments again about whether or not the um the use was consistent with the master plan so you know they they didn't tell us it wasn't so there you know there's nothing uh coming back to the board saying that it's not consistent with the master plan I understand okay that's helpful and I guess then I and I and I think that my maybe I'm a bit jaded from from being an attorney that a law is rarely written the first time in a way that is um not requiring some change or analysis um so I'm worried that we're searching for the per perfect in compromise of the good and I think when it comes to um ordinances like this where we where we do happen to have a Community member waiting on being able to expand their business that um we can sort of implement the good and then strive for the perfect um I I again would be very surprised and and I've been wrong plenty of times if we get a sea of tattoo shops starting to open in Rutherford I think what I said the last time I I I still stand by one there's not enough real estate I I know people that want to open a bookstore that can't find a place to put it in Rutherford um and two um I I think that the the competitive nature of this business um people travel to other states to get tattoos with artists that they they desire to be tattooed by so I don't think that there's going to be um a competitive desire to come to Rutherford um but when it comes to the law one thing I do feel strongly about is that um it is it is fluid and I do think that um amending an ordinance is not an an acknowledgement that you're getting it wrong it's just an acknowledgement that you've you've given it more thought so thank you both I just wanted to make sure I understood thank you anybody else before we vote mayor I just just for clarification um I think the the conversation or at least my understanding of the reading as it's been interpreted to me that the ADA compliance was less about making somebody have to have an elevator the question that came up around ADA compliance was the fact that this ordinance restricts it to being on the second floor and the I believe um uh oh my good uh his name is escaping me uh Jeff Jordan was it Jeff I think it was Jeff Jordan who spoke about asking I I think that's who and forgive me if that's not who it's attributed to but spoke about well if it's good enough to be on the second floor why can't they be on the first floor and so this is this is what I'm actually I I'm I'm I'm just I'm a little perplexed that if the goal is to enable us to en bless you if the goal is to enable the community to open this business because that's really the conversation it's not giving out someone a license we are enabling our community to have permitted use to open a business if we're saying that then why wouldn't we want that language to be inclusive and to be operational versus what I'm I'm feeling like I'm hearing and forgive me if I'm misinterpreting that we're doing it because we don't want to stop somebody from opening their business and then we'll come back and revisit it and then we can see if we want to add that language to me if we're talking about it right now that means we're all aware there's there's no culpable deniability there's no moment where someone can say I didn't think of that cuz we are in fact talking about it so I again I'm just one of six but I I'm just we got feedback it was actually really good feedback I'm I'm kind of stunned that we're not we're not doing the right thing by it okay I'm going to move it forward for a vote now can have a motion sorry Kev a roll call council president mwan no coun B Roberson yes councilman Gman no counc dely con yes councilman cutro yes councilman kley yes okay I'm going to veto this this at this time um as there's too many people asking too many questions and I see no reason why the uh burough attorney U couldn't have more time if we just made a friendly amendment to this it would have been so much either the council has the authority to override me in 30 days I will have my letter to the clerk's office tomorrow mayor can I forgive me mayor I'm just um I'm just asking for clarification from the burough attorney that that's a proper process it's my first experience so I'm just asking just to make sure we're on the sure first I've ever heard that can we have an explanation sir just gave you my explanation there's the planning board the Ada I mean we could have just taken the time like I asked and originally last time to um to wait um now that I got the planning board's information back and the Ada question has come up and Jeff Jordan has brought up some good points I going to veto this and you guys can override me in 30 days I'll have my letter to the clerk as to my explanation by tomorrow Bo can you please send the council the ordinance that gives the mayor the authority to veto I thought his only Powers were quing a riot so thank you uh councilwoman Del re con you have ordinances um I have an ordinance amending responsibilities for the sprinkler systems in the burrow right of way just as a reminder this is an ordinance that gives the buau um it shifts responsibility if we have home owners or property owners that put their sprinkler systems in the burrow thorough fair and then the the sprinkler systems get damaged um that it gives the burrow some recourse Missy can you please um read the ordinance by title only in orders to end chapter 120 of the burrow of cowford bur of ruford entitled trees and shy thank you I'd like to make a motion to move that the ordinance be passed on second reading and advertised according to law I have a motion on second read can I have a second please second second by council president U Now open up for the public for any public comment for this subject and this subject matter only seeing none I'll Now open up for the council seeing none can I have a roll call council president McAn yes counc big Roberson yes counc Gman yes counc Del con yes Council Clon yes M cley yes next thank you um I have a mo um an ordinance amending chapter 107a of the municipal storm water Control Ordinance uh Missy will you please read the ordinance by title only in orders to amend and revise chapter 107a storm water management control state of of the burough code of the bur of Rutherford thank you I'd like to move that the ordinance be passed on second reading and advertised according to law I have a motion may have a second second second by council president I'll Now open up to the public for any public comment see none I'll open up for any Council comment seeing none may have a roll call council president McOwen yes counc B Roberson yes counc MC Gman yes counc de con yes counc clro yes cley yes and now entertain a motion to adjourn motion motion by councilman Roberson all in favor I thank you