e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e good good good evening welcome to the township of Springfield County of union state of New Jersey meeting for May 14th 2024 this meeting is being held in accordance with the public laws of 1975 chapter 231 and adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a notice sent to the Star Ledger the local source and posted the main lobby of the municipal building and on Township website please join us for the Pledge of Allegiance led by American Legion Post 2 to8 Vice Commander David Penna United States America the stands one nation God indivisible jice for all please remaining please remain standing for a moment of silence for our soldiers overseas and at hommes thank you roll call Mayor Weber here Deputy Mayor laer present committee men capis committee man Huber here committee man Kaiser here all right [Music] um all municipal offices will be closed Monday May 27th in observance of Memorial Day all municipal offices closed Monday May 27th for Memorial Day join us at Veterans Park to honor our veterans on Memorial Day May 27th at 10: a.m. in case of rain the ceremony will be held at the Jonathan Dayton High School auditorium we have Wednesday May 15th from 5:00 to 7:00 that is 5:00 p.m. to 7: p.m. pizza with police um join the Springfield Police Department and your neighbors for an evening of conversation and free pizza so uh stop by TD pizza for pizza with the police Wednesday May 15th the farmers market starts on Monday May 20th from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in front of the library Monday May 20th Farmers Market all right garbage collection garbage collection will increase to twice a week starting the week of Memorial Day through Labor day garbage will be collected Monday and Thursday or Tuesday and Friday depending on your day you're your your regular day stays the same and you pick up one day so that is starting the week of Memorial Day just because I have to ask we're talking the 28th right all right starting the 28 starting the 28th with that we're not going to have an extra pickup because it's a memorial de correct so you so so Monday does lose their extra pickup because there's no pickup on Memorial Day so we do start the 28th which is Tuesday with that I'm going to go to uh no let me get some other things done with um Springfield pool is opening Memorial Day weekend we're going to be ready for that we're all set I will brief you shortly okay we're in the process of still working but it's looking like will be okay hang tight for that one pride month flag raising Friday May 31st at 4:30 at the Comm uh Chism community center that is Friday May 31st 4:30 pride month flag raising um all right let's go on to a proclamation for where is she there she is to Elizabeth J fritsen president of the first aid Squad to designate the week of May 19th to May 25th as Emergency Services week take it away Deputy Mayor okay whereas Emergency Medical Services is a vital public service and whereas the members of Emergency Medical Service teams are already ready to provide life-saving care to those in need 24 hours a day 7 days a week and whereas access to Quality Emergency Care dramatically improves the survival and Recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury whereas Emergency Medical Services System consists of Emergency Physicians emergency nurses emergency medical technicians paramedics firefighters police officers Educators administrators and others who are on the front lines selflessly and tirelessly responding to all in need whereas the Springfield first aid Squad is celebrating 75 years of providing continuous Emergency Medical Services to the residents of Springfield and those passing through our borders beginning in 1949 to the present whereas a 75th anniversary celebration will be held on Saturday June 1st 2024 in the township marking this Monumental achievement whereas the members of Emergency Medical Service teams whether career or volunteer engage in thousands of hours of specialized training continuing education to enhance their life-saving skills and whereas our Township relies not only upon the members of our Springfield first aid Squad but also the generosity of those residents and businesses that provide financial support to fund EMS equipment operations and training whereas it is appropriate to recognize the value and accomplishments of all Emergency Medical Services System by designating Emergency Medical Service week now therefore I him Chris Weber mayor of the township of Springfield on behalf of the township committee do hereby proclaim the week of May 19 to 25 2024 as Emergency Medical Services week in the township of Springfield with the theme honoring our past forget forgetting out and forgetting our past honoring our past for forging our future I'm sorry words are hard and encourage the community to observe this week with appropriate programs ceremonies and activities and to support the efforts of the first aid Squad and consider membership to this vital organization okay let's come on up and let's get it I'm going yeah [Applause] Chris stand up oh you are the table [Applause] thank this one Ste one of them off the desk take this yeah take one off the desk would you go smile L I probably don't need a microphone so uh on behalf of the Springfield first a squad I want to thank the uh mayor committee for this Hon that you do for us um every year really appreciate it violating our organization in particular uh this year we're celebrating as you all know 75 years and that is a in March of in March of 1949 our organization was founded by probably got Services they operated um for a short time out of home and they had an ambulance which folks looks more like a purse than an ambulance that we all know today um I I don't know if they're I want people in the audience to hear uh outside to hear you okay I'm sorry it's it doesn't work that's yeah that that that that'll pick it up you're standing here holding now the whole time hello so uh again they operated out of a home in Springfield for a couple of years because we didn't have a building um and as you know it today right across the street at number 10 North triet through the generous generosity of um very talented residents I might add um Carpenters uh different trades people in town donated their time and their efforts to help us make the home that we have now um 75 years later at 10 nor rivet so obviously squad has changed a lot emergency medic Medical Services has certainly changed a lot there was no CPR back in those days there were no paramedics um there were just as we have today a group of volunteer dedicated residents of Springfield that care and want to provide Emergency Medical Services for uh those in need in the township and those passing through our borders so um I would encourage everybody to come to our June 1st celebration of our 75 years it's going to be a great event from 10:00 a.m. to 3 P.M right in front of the squad house and the uh Township's front uh lawn and um meet our members see our facility see our ambulance and we've come a long way because was we started out with one ambulance in somebody's house driveway and now we have three ambulances and a first responder vehicle so um again our members are fully trained EMTs we started out with 13 or 15 back in 1949 we have 70 EMTs now 70 it's huge um and these are volunteers that take care of their neighbor because they want to and because they have the skill and because they have the dedication to the organization so um I also want to mention that we have a blood drive on Friday from 1:30 to 7:30 at Chisum and I would encourage everybody to uh you know give blood on Friday and come to our event on June 1st and again thank you again mayor and Council for supporting us for 75 years thank you thank thank you I just have a quick question for you we have 70 EMTs we're we're still willing we're taking people if they they want to volunteer correct absolutely all right so anybody out there if if you're um wishing to volunteer for the Springfield first aid Squad we are still taking people so we would appreciate it if you'd uh head on over and sign up back go back to the beginning proclamations yep all right we have another Proclamation today couldn't pronounce the word forging but here goes nothing uh whereas amyotropic lateral sclerosis ALS known by many as Lou Garrick's disease is a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease in which a person's brain loss brain loses connection with muscles slowly taking away their ability to walk talk eat and eventually breathe and whereas every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS and someone passes away from ALS and whereas on average patients diagnosed with ALS only survive 2 to 5 Years From the time of diagnosis and whereas ALS has no cure and whereas people who have served in the military are more likely to develop ALS and die from the disease than those with no history of military service and whereas securing access to new therapies durable medical equipment and communication Technologies is a vital importance to people living with ALS and whereas clinical trials play a pivotal role in evaluating new treatments enhancing quality of life and fostering assistive Technologies for those living with ALS and whereas we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Ice Bucket Challenge through a renewed commitment to G aniz public awareness and support funding leading to significant investments in ALS research and whereas the ALS Association as the largest philanthropic funer of ALS research globally has committed over $154 million to support more than 550 projects across the United States and 18 other countries and whereas our commitment to accelerating the pace of Discovery remains unwavering fueled by the hope that one day a ALS will be a livable disease for everyone everywhere until we can cure it whereas ALS Awareness Month increases the Public's awareness of people with als's dire circumstance and acknowledges the terrible impact this disease has not only on the person but on his or her family and the community and recognizes the research being done to eradicate this disease now therefore guess it's me I Deputy Mayor Harris la on behalf of the township committee do hereby proclaim the month of May 2024 as ALS awareness month I call on Americans to join in in supporting ALS research advocating for increased funding and standing in solidarity with those affected by this Relentless disease is there anybody who's here for ALS support okay moving on hope hopefully we we uh make some advances in that medical we are going to go on now to H Jewish American Heritage Month whereas Jewish immigrants to America ever since their first arrival to our Shores in the 16th century have played a central role in the creation growth freedom prosperity and strength of the United States of America and whereas the biblical and contemporary history of the Jewish people and the enduring values of the Jewish faith were vital sources of inspiration for the founding of the United States and the Civil Rights Movement America's Global Leadership and the cause of Freedom America's commitment to social justice and many of our country's most Central tenants and whereas Jewish American heritage month is a month to celebrate the contributions Jewish Americans have made to America's history society and culture for over 350 years and whereas for 42 years every president of the United States has declared a period of time for celebrating the contributions to the United States of the Jewish community's history Heritage culture and since 2006 the month of May has been declared by by the president to be Jewish American heritage month pursuant to the bipartisan resolutions of Congress and whereas we are reminded that vibrant culture of Jewish people has not always been embraced in a country where diversity should be cherished and protected Jewish communities continue to deal with hostility hatred and narrow-mindedness and whereas Jewish Americans have been a critical part of American History greatly impacting the cultural economic and intellectual advancement of all people even while in the face of discrimination and University they have shaped our nation and have helped steer the course of history now therefore it be it proclaimed that I Chris Weber mayor of the township of Springfield on behalf of the township committee do hereby Proclaim that may 2024 as Jewish American Heritage Month all right let's sign that put your work today I just I can't read thank you you all right we're going to go into we're going to go into K introduction of the master plan if I'm looking at this right um yeah uh let's go into the introduction of the master plan where do we go you want to announce that the website is up and the questionnaire is there to be answer yeah um all the old past Master plans are also listed there and any questions you might have wait just say that again I don't think I have anything on it okay I'm going for memory yeah that's what I'm looking for right now hold on well the questionnaire is up for for citizens to comment on all the old Master plans that we could find are up there Mike found one from 1964 I think it was actually today so those will be if they're not up the link will be active for the ones that we could find also um let me uh go into that I'm trying to think what else was on there any question that you might have there's a there's kind of a um a question and an answer on there for you if you have a question about the master plan everything's pretty much answered on the site so I think what you want wanted to do is encourage people to go in and do that survey that's on there it's open until help me out Chris was it that's one um end of July I'm looking for all of it right now so in the next few weeks people will start to see uh we'll have a web page right a landing page yes that they'll be able to go to uh there'll be a walkth through uh and instructions and details and talking about the master plan and what it entails and how the public can help us right and anything that's additional will be uploaded to that page and we'll have a number of meetings yes since then we can remind everybody every week all right so we should have it up and running um by this by tomorrow yes all right we should have it up and running by tomorrow the master plan is done every 10 years yes all right since I think we went back to 196 64 I think we found went back to 64 now you're not going to have access to all of those plans online but you will have access to I think the last three or four of them yes at least yeah at least the last three and what happens is you'll be able to see what the objectives were 30 years ago where we've come each 10 years it shapes the land use policy for Springfield and it shapes the goals objectives that we as a community want want to achieve what makes this one different than any other master plan we does we've done is this is the first time we have your input right there is going to be a full series of drop- down questions they are very easy you just check them um the the these questions will ask everything these questions will ask how you feel Springfield is going how how it's gone for the last 10 years um Rank and order of importance we have Pro I think we have 10 topics on there that we we want you to click on and drag to rank in order of importance and we really want everybody to be involved in this again because this is the first time that the public has had input on this this is going to be a bit different than anything else I don't know if anybody's ever actually seen a previous master plan I had no idea it existed until I got up here and I looked at the one that was done uh only a few years earlier um I I do think that we have come pretty far since the last one in terms of development of the township and in in terms of um amenities for our residents and and a a better quality of life but there's always room to improve on everything so please take a look at it I I will make a big enough deal of it on all social media sites with the website when it is announced to come off um or I should say to that it's uh available for access it will be on the township website and everybody will be able to see that so be on the lookout for it within the next day I do want to go back to um the Memorial Day Parade real quick there will be a marching band they are as always looking for any kids who want to decorate their bikes ride down Mountain Avenue must wear their helmets but we're looking for um resident participation there's going to be a a cane University trolley for vetetans and seniors if you have a special interest car collector car antique car and you want to be in the parade there is a spot for you in the parade just uh come come early I think you have to be there by 9:00 and they start lining you up around Chism Center come on in you could be in the parade and show the town off with your car your motorcycle and then you get to walk with us yeah you get to walk with us that's no nobody's going to show up if you say that uh Springfield Springfield Elks at the end does uh have hot dogs and drinks waiting at the end of the parade room I just want to catch on that real quick and I wanted to hit on the pride month flag raising on May 31st one more time it will be at the community Chisum Community Center rainers shine there will be um speakers performers info tables crafts DJ music dancing giveaways rainbow IES if you haven't been to one stop by it it's it's probably one of my favorite events that Springfield has um lot of Happiness there and just a lot of good vibes going on there so May 31st Township of Springfield flag raising for pride month I'm going to skip the pool stuff because I know that's going to be in our administrator report so right now we're going to go to public comment on agenda items only public comment on agenda item only there is any public comment come on step up and I do not see any public comment on agenda items only and we do not have any email on agenda items only so we'll move out of that and go straight to our administrator Report with Mr John Biga thank you Mr Mayor um I was at the pool twice today the bond coding has been put down so the last step now is the Diamond Plastering that'll be done in the next day and a half or so so we should be ready to start filling weather permitting in the next couple of days it will only take us one day to fill with the aid of the fire department and um we should be we should be good to open for Memorial Day but I will keep you informed again depending on how the weather goes so how many gallons of water does it take a lot do we know I would have to ask I would have to ask Mike disco he would have the cool fact to find out it's it's huge what's interesting is when you see the pool and it's totally empty you realize how big it is and and they were in there today we had to replace or repair one of the hydrostatic valves we found a leak in the pool and that's what was causing it the valve wasn't closing in the deep end so water runs out so when we had the pool totally emptied we're able to get down there and take care of that so we should be in good shape they put all the tilers brand new tile all around the water line there's new tile and racing Lanes there's targets where the racing Lanes like if you look ahead and you're swimming there's tile on the wall you can aim at all of the joints have been regrouted and the bond coating was put down today and there's 160,000 gallons of water in a pool I just remembered that because Mr betra let me know that so if you put a garden hose in it it takes us a little while so with the help of a hydrant in the fire department one day we'll have it filled so that's the goal so we're on we're in good shape pretty much on the pool again we're down to the the last piece which is a Plastering so they'll have a crew of either 14 or 20 out there working on it and if need be they work on the weekend so we should be we should be good to go uh let's touch on there's nothing new to report on Scotty yet uh our planner and myself are still talking to him we're not satisfied with where we are so we're not bringing it to this committee until they get to a point where we're happy with it and to present it to you guys so we're holding off on that we had a meeting yesterday for about two hours on the Gomes project up the street this was all of our side their side and all the lawyers were involved um we still have issues but we are making progress calwell now if you look the sidewalk if you look inside the fence he's got probably at least half of the sidewalk the pavers are in they put the stone dust down today they were working on a balance of the sidewalk you got about an 18inch spot on if you look at the sidewalk from mors Avenue on the curb side he had to replace some curbing plus there's about 18 Ines left they've got to figure out what they're going to put in there it's too narrow for grass you're just going to end up it's going to die it's just going to be a mess so we're trying to figure out what needs to go there that would look neat and permanent so we're working on that on Center Street you see that the brick and the stone is going up that's making good progress uh they also we have a meeting schedule this week with them to talk about Center Street the parking if you're remember the drawings they had granted them angle parking on Center Street so we do want to meet with them and start discussing the steps on how that's going to go what's got to happen there the electric JC pel come out and move one electric pole the poles that are left I believe all Verizon is on those poles not actually electric but they do need at some point to be moved they're not in the way they're not sto in us but somewhere down the road they do need to be moved because the angle parking I think it's going to end up hitting the poles so that needs to be done we still have an awful lot of work to do there it's moving along but it's it's a huge project and it's just taking longer than I think any of us would ever want so that's where we are on goms let me touch on a couple other things our DPW by the way was up to pool all day cutting all the grass trimming everything putting mulch down etc etc so that's being worked on so in conjunction with the pool itself we should have everything ready to roll we're we're concentrating right now on our parks and other properties as far as cutting cleaning up that type of thing all the sports fields and other Recreation uh parks and fields are being worked on also Hometown hero banners will go up like they always do prior to Memorial Day and are up through Veterans Day Veterans Park is scheduled for new plantings by the Gazebo maintenance continues on the pool we're doing that on a daily basis uh we have scheduled 27 New trees to be planted this month filing a filling resident requests any Resident that would like a tree can apply online for the fall planting we've got a little bit of problem with drainage there's a sewer pipeline over on between Tucker and Hobart that's got to be fixed next to Henshaw Park uh we do not expect that to impact local traffic pscg is upgrading main along with new residential service uh and there's various streets that they're working on should you see them or you have any question you may call them um let me see if I do have their number if not it was posted up on our website and Facebook please go on and look if you're concerned about anything you can dial them directly they'll tell you exactly what they're doing so they were on Garden oval today doing that work uh we are applying for a NG NJ doot Grant that's due July 1st and we're planning on doing Diamond Road and Lawrence uh I will let you know after July 1 if we're successful and what we get oh we did we did actually put in additional crossing guard up by Mars Avenue because we went to the court and we said if that project had been done in a reasonable time frame we wouldn't be concerned but since it's dragged on so long that's such a tough spot if you if you look at that you've got calwell people trying to cross there you got two spots on Mars Avenue trying to cross towards Caldwell we just felt it was too much for one crossing guard the developer is paying for that additional crossing guard the township is not other than that I think that that's all I had at the moment if anyone has any questions or comments I'd be happy to answer seeing none thank you Mr Mayor done okay going to move on to minutes okay okay Mr Mayor I would like to approve the regular meeting minutes of April 30th and the special meeting minutes of May 6th as emailed second all in favor I I good job going to move on to new new businesses uh new business ordinances second reading there are none first readings ordin 20246 this ordinance amends chapter 29 of the township code to add Provisions regulating the storage of salt and other solid DIC materials on private property Mr Mayor ordinance 2024 06 is read by Madam clerk to publication on local Source May 23rd 2024 final hearing on June 11th 20 24 second okay let's move on to discussion on here um we do this all the time no this is a requirement by D that we have to do now okay so that's why it's it's something additional we have to approve something additional because of the new regulations has okay and this is this is not for for actually for us this is for private landscapers and private um yeah and I don't know if that covers anything as far as us putting down salt any storage that we don't store it we generally just load it in our trucks and we put it down we don't store any salt here it's up in the Quarry doesn't apply to to the town town has its own its own this is does apply to Residents this is a regulation that we are placing on private citizens and companies correct both residential and Commercial um and it governs the storage of salt and other solid deicing materials cool yeah any other questions no we're good okay roll call committee man Huber yes committee man Kaiser yes Deputy Mayor laer yes mayor Weber yes ordinance 20 24-7 this ordinance amends Provisions in chapter 7 of the township code regarding certain streets for stopping or standing is prohibited During certain hours Mr Mayor is your Madam clerk 20 24-7 publication in the local Source May 23rd 2024 the final hearing on June 11th 2024 second can we get a can we get somebody to just run through just yeah yours right chief scho Stever Chief just one thing before um we get science printed or whatever it is they might be changing different times school's going to be letting out let's check with them first you know because I know they're switching a lot of things around in the school I want to make sure you know we don't go out and buy the science and all of a sudden there's a big to do about it thank you okay any questions on anything no nope all right pretty self-explanatory on that one there there's an you know no parking roll call committe man Huber yes committeeman Kaiser yes Deputy Mayor laer yes mayor Weber yes are we U going back to parking are we going to have um parking next year years up in the parking lot with Ruby because there because I mean I spoke to the I spoke to um Rachel Goldberg and she said she was not interested in taking that up why because because it was very limited on my street sweeper can't doesn't sweep because the park in front of my house I'm just I'm saying you know Day stuff there clog up the street they clog up up the street yeah yeah I'm just saying if we can give them five spaces or eight spaces I mean they're not supposed to even drive to school I'm not I don't know I don't know seniors can drive right correct seniors are the only ones that can drive this has been an issue my oldest graduated in 12 and it's been an issue since then it's probably forever going to I think it's been probably an issue since long before long before then yeah I just I know I didn't know we we talked about it yeah there they're actually not supposed to drive to school it's the senior privilege of of of of being able to drive to school but we won't let our kids go out and get lunch but we give them parking privileges well I will tell you from from my perspective I have a problem with them clogging up Ruby because then we cannot get any work done no no I cannot get in there I agree the trucks can't get in there they went in there a few weeks ago I think they got stuck because they could not turn around because kids were parked all over the place and that was the end of that so and and I agree with you if you're on Rose your block is clogged up at that point so we'll leave this in the school's hand hopefully they they they take care of it all right uh we did a roll call on that one all right next ordinance please ordinance 202 24-8 this ordinance amends the land use provisions of chapter 35 of the Township Code Mr Mayor as read by Madam clerk um ordinance 20 2408 um publication of local Source May 23rd a final hearing on June 11th uh June 11th I will second that can we get a uh yeah yeah can we get explanation on that one from it's just to clear up some language in our zoning actually Craig do you want to I can expand upon it a little bit it generally deals with um the schools and quasi public uses so parochial schools and private schools and for the most part it's it changes under our land use code it changes the use from a from a a permitted use to a conditional what principal permitted use to a conditional use in a variety of the of the zones so we're making we're making our zoning a little bit more restrictive correct up for and up for you know zoning or planning board approval as needed correct cool okay um roll call committee man Huber yes Deputy Mayor laer yes commit man Kaiser yes mayor Weber yes well I think it's my turn all right we're going to go on to we'll see where we at why at the whole meeting and now oh the municipal budget yeah he is on M Kaiser and CFO Sherry you want me to dim the lights o that's a good Podium yeah I like that one better [Music] actually not on it's like mariana rivera coming in Aran Riv so I I think I have it down to a science almost now and and I do like the Rivera uh so so everybody um it's our favorite time of the year it is uh the time when we adopt our budget and I think we're just two weeks backed up than our usual adoption date because uh somebody unfortunately had a ation um but this year is uh of course 2024 and for everybody who doesn't know I'm Alex Kaiser I'm Township committee and I've uh led the budget committee for the past six years uh uh on here uh I think I've served with every single one up here they keep they keep unfortunately leaving me I I hope it's not me uh uh but I keep getting a different partner each year and this year's partner on the subcommittee was uh Deputy Mayor Harris laer so thank you for your service uh this year uh the budget committee uh uh main task is is forming uh the municipal budget uh each year and that's of course in coordination with our business administrator John and our uh uh CFO uh uh Diane so the so everybody knows the process it starts a few months from now uh last November I I think early November John Diane and myself met with each department head in the township to form our budget and during that time we not only hear from the needs of each department head and and and figure out uh uh do they actually need that and how can they get by but we form our priorities of the township and uh we set out basically our principles and and and our guidelines and and and and very simple almost every year I think we do have the same main objectives that we try to accomplish we we never want to cut everybody's service we want to maintain levels of service and make sure that each and every resident is getting uh uh uh their value back for what they pay in taxes we continue to ensure that our infrastructure is improved on and and and not only maintained but improved and that could be from roads uh that's a a lot of it is is is roads and sidewalks and Curbing and drainage but it's our our our sore infrastructure too uh uh when I came here six years ago with uh Chris Weber I think we came with a mandate uh to reduce our long-term debt and now we're on two administrations two CFOs in that time and we have had a strong uh uh desire to eliminate our our past debt and make sure that we're a paying our bills but making sure that we're not burdening a future Township committee uh uh uh with a financial burden on their back uh and making sure that future taxpayers aren't paying uh uh in the long run we want to always control our expenditures making sure that we're not spending above our means and and lastly because we all up here pay in some way or not whether you're a renter or you're a a property owner we want to limit our tax increase no one likes paying taxes but we understand that we're part of a community and a society that needs to function and we have to pay pay some in order to make sure that our our community functions and so we understand that that every tax dollar spent we make sure that we're trying to spend it as uh as frugally as possible because it is all of our money we're all part of this Township this year uh every year six years doing this hey it it always seems you have good years bad years but trust me every year you're always in a a rock in a hard place to try to to try to meet our needs and and and this year especially uh uh while we're no longer in the covid necessarily years we still had a lot of priorities that we had to meet or or or bills that had to be paid uh uh not to Bo for everybody and I think we've talked about it all year but uh uh uh case in point is our 911 system we were part of a dispatch uh uh shared Service uh that included New Providence uh Milburn uh uh uh Springfield and uh uh unfortunately uh that kind of became unaffordable for everybody New Providence left to go back to the Union County as a shared service and ultimately became too unaffordable for us to stay in part of that old 911 system well we had to transition back to Union County it took a little bit more money up front so we had to meet that obligation this year but we'll transition to a more affordable shared service in future years we just talked about a Master Plan update right uh and and what that does well that's a guide book uh or a Playbook you want to say for development in the future uh uh decade and and and allows our Township not only this Administration and guide it uh uh in how much development we can do environmental sustainability how we prioritize how we meet our goals of affordable housing for our community well that needs to be done in a master plan master plan committee meets with the planning board a few Representatives up here and and some really hardworking and in intelligent planners and Engineers that guide us and and and give us recommendations that Master Plan takes some money we had to put out money for that in this year's budget that we might not normally have to do in other years uh uh we understand that in the 21st century and what we're facing things are constantly changing a Workforce is constantly changing and and and one that is is is is making sure that we have the right employees uh uh for the township I think it's a pretty decent economy uh the Biden the Biden economy and we understand that an employee Market well we have to compete to get those same good employees that we want leading our departments it takes money to pay them so it's making sure that we're prioritizing and and understanding that uh we have uh money set aside to attract the best and competent employees to help lead our Township we had a priority to refurbish the pool after many years uh uh we finally made a payment into that to resurface it which will hopefully last us a decade right 15 15 years more than a decade uh uh uh and we had to pay for that this year that's not a payment that we've had to do any other year and lastly of course like I always said we have to make meet our our bills and and we always want to pay our obligations you never want to be a debtor so our tax breakdown I think everybody has heard it maybe before but if you haven't uh uh your Township dollar every dollar that you pay to the Township in taxes uh uh we only get to keep about 32 cents so about a third of every dollar you pay in taxes is actually spent by the township the rest we collect and remit to the to the school board which is about half of it and and credit to the school board and the superintendent I think we have outstand standing schools in our community and I think we're all very proud of them but that's a vast majority of your tax dollars a little less goes to the county and a small sliver goes to the library which is State mandated funding uh uh I I won't necessarily stay on that that's that's all your taxes uh but your your tax bill so our Municipal budget this year uh is is $4.6 million uh a little more than .6 million But ultimately what does that mean to you as a taxpayer well that's about $96 increase on your Township portion uh for the average assessed home and and certainly no one likes to see an increase uh but I think everybody understands the pressures that we're facing both inflationary uh and and and costs of goods and what we had to meet our demands are I think uh uh no one likes to see a tax increase but I do I think this uh is a fair increase uh uh uh and meets our demands uh as as a year but ultimately hey I can run you line by line what does the budget do but I think this year we wanted to highlight where does that money go and and and and what do you get for that money and and the certain departments that certainly spended and and we have a bunch of departments from a Township Clerk an Administration a court uh we have a great building department engineering uh collector and assessor but a vast majority of that money is spent on on on on four departments most notably our Public Safety our police our fire Then followed our DPW and and ultimately in in wreck so I think we want to just highlight those departments and and and what you're getting for that and and and a lot of that money spent in each those departments is is Manpower uh uh salaries and benefits and and and pension because hey to to run a police fire in DPW you need you need bodies and and our police force how incredible are police force you know they respond to 13,000 calls a year service calls a department which was started I think in 1925 uh uh uh and about eight officers in in the early 20s to today uh which we now have a a a force of 43 officers I think a handful of support staff and all led by Chief cook and I think thank you Chief remarkable job every single day keeping us safe those 43 full-time officers uh uh not only respond to calls of whatever emergency that you may have in the community and ultimately hopefully you never have to rely on them they do also a bunch the police force has accredited for four times in a row four accreditations not every force in the state meets four accreditations is that correct very few ultimately do so that's a credit to you Chief and to your leadership team that works tirelessly every day uh to meet the needs of our community they host uh uh in the community a vast majority of events just this week they're going to do a pizza event uh uh to ensure that our community pleasing and and and build a relationship with everybody in the community uh from Pizza nights uh to Coffee mornings uh to helping with toy drives and local events and Charities throughout the year the police are there and those 43 officers Keep Us Safe every day and I think when you compare our our statistics uh to neighboring community uh uh were certainly on the up and up and one of the safest communities in Union County and the area so that's where your money is going your your money isn't going to invest in a police force to keep everybody safe and respond to our other Public Safety department not to leave our firemen out that do an amazing job keeping us safe a department which started even earlier than our police force a volunteer force that started in 1906 and over 100 years later uh have a full-time uh uh a squad of 26 firefighters uh that respond not only to to to fires and and and vehic uh emergencies making sure that three Highways 78 24 and 22 right the vast majority of uh response by our our department keeping everybody safe uh uh they do life-saving work in addition they are helping the community every single day but also even saving a cat so our firefighters are in our community and and are with us a lot of them are our neighbors and even if they're not directly residents of the township they're part of our family and that's where your investment goes to ensure that we have a full-time fire department unlike other communities but that is greatly needed to keep uh our Township of 17,500 residents safe every single day and where we probably don't see uh uh uh you might see our police and fire or our DPW is just as important and and and probably something that you interact with even more so right from picking up leaves in the fall removing snow in the winter uh maintaining our ball fields in the spring and summer improving our Municipal roadways and sidewalks and infrastructure and parks and and maintaining the the the buildings we have right we have a not only a town hall right everybody knows we have a town hall but a community center a fire department uh a couple garages for DPW and have lately over the last few years helped uh uh led the effort uh uh to improve our infrastructure and our and our sore water so that the leaks aren't happening we're maintaining roads I think this year we had over half a dozen we had a little over a dozen roads were were were paved prior years uh we were in the 20s I think 20 last year 21 the year before so we continue to maintain our roads and and repair our infrastructure and that's from the hard work of DPW in addition picking up leaves collecting your G garbage uh uh the things that everybody relies on and basic necessities uh uh uh that that you need to live in our community so that's your tax dollars at work and lastly a recreation department which I think is is is just one of the best up there in the counties a a w Department that not only deals with uh little leagues and Senior programs but activities for all adults there's there's I think even tonight there might be a a men's uh uh basketball league or a hockey league or pickle ball right it's it's a wreck department and one thing that people look at in a community when moving here is is definitely probably schools is number one and and affordability but but looking for a strong wreck department incentivizes individuals uh to move to a community and I think our rec department uh uh does a tremendous job in it's investment of your tax dollars that make sure that our facilities are topnotch and we continue to offer programming from every age uh uh in our Township from our littlest uh residents to our oldest and and just to highlight what they've done this year alone uh improvements to tennis courts on Henshaw Park uh resurfacing of the pool was was was led by our recck department uh uh improvements to Alvin Park in Schism parks off ball continues Irwin Park had improvements and notably a a new scoreboard for Ruby Park that we can all be proud of and and proud that our High School varsity uh uh baseball team plays there so that's a highlight and it's not only an asset to the community to have great uh uh great Fields but it's what everybody sees that comes to our community one of our neighboring communities I'll I'll I'll highlight a Livingston councilman his son was was uh was playing uh travel ball and was here in town and I got a text one day saying hey you have a hell of a Ballfield so it's noticed and it's a uh uh uh any Improvement that we do uh reflects to everybody and ultimately maybe brings some more residents to Springfield when they see how well things are being maintain and I can go on and on about that's your Investments but we do have a changing landscape and where we'll ultimately bring in uh a a new day for Springfield and and and and new priorities and I think I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about Redevelopment and ultimately this will hopefully bring in uh we know that it will bring in new Revenue to the Township in future Years hopefully offsetting burdens of the taxpayers but the administration uh and this Township Comm has prioritized making sure that we're breathing new life into our downtown and there are four projects which are currently uh either completed or in development we we know them as garden homes or church mall or moris AV uh uh our saxs property uh and those were all done through what is a payment in Le of taxes a pilot program uh that ultimately will bring in 95% uh of Revenue uh to the township directly 5% goes to the county but those pilot payments when they start to kick in some later this year uh uh the saxs for one is million dollars a year that will be directly almost to the township uh uh uh and the general fund which will offset the the burden on the rest of taxpayers so that's why we want to continue to develop and it it it's smart development it's making sure that we're not uh uh uh building too much to to overflow the schools or put too much of a burden on our police fire and infrastructure but the right amount of building uh to bring in new residents new people to our community to our village uh to our family bringing in just the right amount of Revenue to offset everybody else and and improve our life and and ultimately bring in in new businesses that that we all can be proud of so those sets of priorities and principles are all outlined in a budget and where we allocate money towards and so that's where I think ultimately uh uh you're getting your taxpayers money and uh this year I do want to highlight we had a we had a change part of Mayor Weber decided to put together a a community advisory committee uh uh uh uh and one was a budget Review Committee and we met several times so I do want to thank all the members who served on that this year uh uh you certainly helped us look at it and and offered some some ideas maybe not Incorporated in this budget but maybe future budgets and and I think we'll continue to run run that through so in closing you know in our our Township is about 230 years old I think if my math is correct uh uh We've grown considerably from what a few maybe a thousand something residents back in the day to when we first Incorporated to our to our bustling community of 177,000 500 and growing and we continue to meet the needs we have a a budget that continues to meet the needs meet the demands uh of our day and I'm proud to work on it uh any budget is tough to work on any tax increase is tough to muster but I feel that this budget this year uh is certainly a reflection uh of our Township committee and what we prioritize and our principles and and ultimately I'm proud to have worked on it and uh uh thank you to all the department heads who worked along with us and and I'll hopefully see in a few few months uh again so with that being said I will certainly yield uh to questions and comments from the public and I'll go back up there and you can have the podium yeah flip it around or just flip it yeah no I don't there we go anybody questions from the come on up I proudly make a motion to open up the uh uh public hearing on the 2024 Municipal budget second all in favor I [Music] don't all come up at once evening everyone Bob groer 98 Washington Avenue what's that good game last night not last night you good game a general question would be about the whole tax bill obviously the $96 is just the Springfield Port when are we going to know the average income increase for the whole bill including the schools and everything that's where there's a big contention every year and people are very about it every year have a general idea no no thank thank you Mr grer for your the question certainly uh everybody's looking hey I would certainly direct any specific questions on that budget uh to the Board of Ed but I do believe Diane has the numbers yeah I know I didn't um oh uh since I messed up all the forms I was hoping she had a print out so if you stay with me [Music] do we have an approximation at least people have an idea I mean that's part of what this meeting's about yeah here you go I know it's not written in stone but just the ballpark would be good all right thank you just can I ask a question with a school budget that was voted in by people last year no they voted on a a bond uh a bond they don't vote on the uh but isn't that part of the budget this year that would be yeah that that would be an increase yeah yeah the the they the school I don't want to start talking for them but the the school board went out and and uh did a bond referendum in order to pay for certain uh HVAC improvements throughout this throughout the town yeah so that would be an increase in this year's budget okay seeing no others I'll make a motion to close the public hearing portion and and on to a vote all in favor I I don't Craig don't have to go we're on the budget we just CL that just closed the public portion yeah the hearing yeah that was just the hearing we're we're going to move on to resolution 2024-25 right no no no20 we have to do an amendment first and I'll explain the amendment uh Madame clerk would you want to read the resolution resolution 2024-25 this resolution amends the 2024 Municipal budget of the township of Springfield uh I'll make a motion second uh just so everybody's clear this is a a motion to amend uh uh what we originally submitted it it doesn't change any numbers uh but uh after conferring with certain Auditors and the state uh there was certain allocations and certain pension line items uh that just had to be moved around some weren't exactly in pers uh and there was some other small budgetary items that shouldn't have been certain light items so it moved around no uh no the the the numbers are the same it's just moving around where it's placed so kind of technical R committee men Kaiser yes Deputy Mayor laer yes committee men Huber yes mayor Weber yes now we go on to the big vote resolution 2024 130 this resolution adopts the 2024 Municipal budget of the township of Springfield I'll make a motion second committee man Kaiser uh proud to vote on my sixth budget yes deput maril aler uh I'll take a couple minutes um so first off I want to publicly thank Alex did a tremendous job on the presentation did a tremendous job in leading uh this effort I want to publicly thank our committee Chuck scato Matt Haber Jesse RAB Steven frer Greg horn Jerry Fernandez and Patrick moriello um I think this is a I think it's a really good budget I think we've done a lot here I think um there's incremental change that goes into this for instance um what what we've done you know on collective bargaining agreements uh you know making sure our employees are paid appropriately and not over raised um what we've done in terms of Public Safety uh We've terminated lifetime uh you know we've we've we've made sure that uh you know each people get 2% raises as opposed to other towns that pay six 7 8% um again I I think this is a really good budget and I proudly cast my vote in favor of it man Huber yes I just want to say it is a good budget we got a lot of good things in the contracts this year that I've been trying to for a long time John administrator put it in and it helps our town a lot with hiring new employees they have steps now they just don't come in and make almost what another guy's making after 10 years 20 years I think is a good budget I don't want to see my taxes go up but it's a fact of life what we can do about it yes mayor Weber uh yeah I I will also say a few words um last year was our sixth budget I think last year was five all right so we've been pretty consistent for the first uh four years that we've all been together and and some have been here longer but I'm just saying that the amount of time that we've been together I think one one year it was a $4 and change a month increase we we've been pretty solid last year was something that was way beyond our control and in order to show that that is why we formed or this this Finance subcommittee because we wanted people res just residents who had a financial background or some who didn't just some who pay just pay taxes pay their bills and and keep it moving we wanted them to see that there was not some kind of exorbitant um frivolous spending happening around here in the township right we promised you we were going to try to get this thing back on track we did all right the the the shock that happened last year Year we're roughly at an8 or $9 a month increase right now now what that what that gets you we didn't give away five six 7% raises we gave 2% raises 2% to police and fire for seven years okay I I had a a small little battle with somebody who confused us with Springfield Township who gave five and six% that's not us we gave 2% our DPW workers used to walk in at top pay and start at 75 or 80,000 whatever it was we initiated steps with them they now walk in at 45 55 they now walk in at 55 but they have five years of steps to get to max pay right we've done everything we could to try to get this thing under control I think that this is is uh as everybody has said as As Good As It Gets we have great Services here we have not had them interrupted the only thing that we had lost over last year was a bulk pickup that is the one thing we lost and we're looking at trying to get that back again this year if if if the because what what happens with this is is is the bulk pickup gets way on tonnage and if we're finding that in two pickups we're getting as much cost as it was in four we're going to look at going back to four but we had to do what we had to do we've switched dispatch Services we've switched health benefits it and again that is why for for for me and everybody else this finance committee was so important because if somebody had an idea to build a better mouse trap bring it on we'll listen to it so I appreciate the work that everybody has done to get this accomplished I I can say that I I there's nothing that could have been done any better and I overwhelmingly am a yes on this so thank you roll call oh no we did roll we did it we're we're going to move on resolutions resolutions will be approved by consent agenda if anybody wants anything pulled get it just call it out while I read it and we'll pull it resolution 2024 d124 resolution 2024 d125 resolution 2024 d126 2024 d127 PLL pull 2024 d128 2024 d129 2024 D1 31 Mr Mayor I would like to move resolutions 124 through 126 resolutions 128 129 and 131 Deputy Mayor ler yes committee man Huber yes committee man Kaiser yes mayor Weber yes back to resolution 20241 127 this resolution is calling for a modelization of the open public record Act and the Swift passage of s 2930 a-4 45 make motion motion second all in favor call committee man Huber you want to discuss I I just I I I I feel that we I think this thing pass yesterday I'm just going to vote no so I I was going to move to table cuz if we want to move to table I'm fine with and I will gladly make the motion to move to table second that motion to table so there's been an interceding motion interven okay um committe men uh May Kaiser Deputy Mayor Kaiser uh yes to table Deputy Mayor laer yes to table Comm man Huber yes mayor Weber yes the table we're going to make things difficult for you up here today put you on the spot you succeeded I was just going to vote now all right let's go on to discussion and action items uh I'll uh make a request for the Florence M gordineer Middle School for the use of Ruby field as overflow parking for the fmg moving up ceremony on Monday June 17th 202020 2024 at 6 p.m. second all in favor I I I will also request to hold a blood drive Wednesday July 3rd 2024 from 12:30 to 10 p.m. wow that's very late at Schism Community Center Lee Adler Memorial gymnasium COI hold harmless agreement have been received I'll make a motion all in favor I please go to this blood drive um we are still trying to recover from Co the last yeah Co and the last few years of events we still have a a a huge shortage nationally on on different blood types if if you're available 10 it's 12:30 to 10 p.m. so it's it's held late to give people a chance after work to get there if you can please we'll move on to finance and pay some bills with committee mckaiser uh I'll make a motion to uh adopt payroll and invoices for the period of May 1st 2024 through May 14th 2024 in the amount of 10,411 $275 second um correspondence oh roll call we didn't roll roll call committ Kaiser uh uh yes I'll have a comment at the end yesy mayor laer Yes Man Huber May Weber yes CL oh I was just gonna say let the you guys keep then on my day back Linda is very quick on the draw for roll call so like sometimes it it it's catching up to that morine little slower more deliberate it's it's an interesting balance I kind of like it slows the slows it down slows it down Linda I'm used to trying to catch up uh all right we go to correspondence we have correspondence received from Gary HEC resigning as a member of the municipal Alliance um we did do a replacement for them today for him today yes enough said okay we are going to go first before we go to public comment on any governmental issue we do give the the the residents a chance to email a question in and we do have one right now this question is from Michael Bartos at 77 T to court in Springfield the speed it's commment end question the speeding that is taking place on Hills Avenue from South Springfield a to Route 22 is unbelievable and the same from Route 22 to South Springfield AV I would like to see a patrol car posted on such streets twice a week for a couple of hours posted here thank you for looking at this matter uh Chief do we have anything on that is there anything that we can do about speeding on South Springfield AB to Route 22 we can't we have plenty of cars can we just park a car there for 3 four hours couple days and just great you know I see you them parked around down sometimes why we just do that you just do that drop off this way you don't waste I I will I will say I always see a car right at the uh like that car dealership parking lot they always posted up there so do that what what do the what what is the costs uh of those radar not the radar signs but but the solar signs that show the speed as you're driving are those are those a lot of money yeah I can understand that actually it's Chris Weber who's testing the the the the I am I'm I'm just going to move on um public okay we're going to go on to public comment on any governmental issue any governmental issue if anybody has a public comment please come on up oh we actually have people today excellent is that's okay on up it's anything good evening my name is uh cost bot I am micophone can you hear me Perfect all right so I'm at 117 Mapes in Springfield uh couple weeks ago uh I guess some one of my lovely neighbors complained on me stating that I did not get a permit on a shed that I installed in my backyard I'm a firsttime home buyer I moved into Springfield last year so I I honestly did not know that I needed a permit to put a small shed in my backyard given that I put it in um I did not I don't know the ordinance until I got the citation uh but the distance between my property line is 3 feet uh and uh I was told by the zoning officer that it is five um I literally drove around walked around my neighborhood a lot of sheds are bam right on the property line or right next to it not even 2 feet or 1T so any any uh light that you can shed on this information or if you can help me out because you know my property is not huge you know I'm sure you guys know the lot it's I I don't have a big property so putting 5T from my property line kind of puts a shed in a very weird location in my back backyard and I'm about to have a kid and next month so and I you know I don't want this kind of stress I I I don't know who's policing me I I just kind of felt like you know it's very weird so yeah if you can yeah hold on hold on let I'm let him finish and I'm going to have you come up because that actually helps us yeah so I mean yeah they they're here to support me so I asked their guidance as well and uh they they were the ones who told me to you know see if I can come talk to you guys and if there's any way we can look at the ordinance or help me out with that yeah yeah really the only answer to that is you need to go for a variance and if it doesn't meet the setbacks we can't wave it because then we end up with an issue that we're violating our own ordinances so you would have to go before the board of adjustment and get a variance on it but that's it wouldn't look favorable that wouldn't yeah Jen Jen why don't we have General law get in touch she's happy to help walk through uh residence it's it's I wouldn't say it's not the most burdensome yeah uh uh standard application not as scary as it seems yeah so what I'll tell what it's annoying yeah no it's totally annoying what what I would tell is is somebody who came from the zoning board it's it's a form that gen law will be in touch with you about uh you don't know who the heck gen law is let's just start there after the meeting after the meeting after the meeting John will take your info and tomorrow morning I look like I would know so no you do not so after the meeting uh uh talk to our business administrator John here he'll get your info and then tomorrow morning we can have the buildings apartment follow up directly that's I think an easy fix so with so there's no way I can request a change in ordinance for that because I mean the problem we have with something like that is is the ordinance is written it it it is written there for a reason because there becomes at times certain abuses or or overuses of it we have to maintain it to protect ourselves now I I can tell you as a guy who had the have my steps done because I was 20 Ines too short of meeting a property line they take certain things into accommod in into um consideration again it is not as scary as it I know you're stressed out because right now what you're thinking is I just put a shed up what am I going on 24 in off shed you know it's not even that big and I yeah doesn't matter though yeah you're no and can I ask one question what what is is it why why 5T and why not three what what what's the big deal years ago they made down in the ordinance I I understand what's the reason behind it I I understand it's years ago but say that ordinance is probably I don't know what year that was even done look into that to answer that question couldn't tell you what the logic was at that time we'd have to dig into the i i i it's pretty standard in most municipalities just because of the other person's property line that's why we love to hear from you know when you're done we're going to hear some other comments so thank you but stay to the end we'll get yeah yes don't don't go anywhere we'll get your info hi I'm Maria I'm across the street um Maria 114 Mapes last name Rodriguez my father is Alfredo Rodriguez he's at 121 so he shares it's like a family block yes they just moved in two years ago hey and Pua just moved in a year a year ago and like he said they're about to have a little baby and this is all stressing him out cuz he's trying to beautify his property he just moved from New York and we're trying to welcome him in to the neighborhood because we're very close the neighbors are really a great fantastic block yes it I see why why you got to move the shed no so so I know a couple of yeah like he said a lot of people have their sheds butt up against fenes he Gott from the prop line complain we don't have a problem with it if there's a variance if that has is that like where they set out send out those certified letters and everybody has to everybody within 250 ft would get notified uh and it's literally just postage stamp even go to the door everybody get everybody sign the letter saw and then turn it in yeah okay so and and when the you know when you apply for the variant there will also be a hearing same as as this where where people will be able to come up and and speak on your behalf I've done it for for my neighbors also helps a lot so don't stress and it's 20 minutes people walk you through yeah and our people will walk you through on everything you have to do and your hand he's he lives next to me across the street so we brought all the Apes with you yes just got to do it again like another few weeks you just got to get them all together again for the next year yeah so like I said it's a great neighborhood you know we have my parents have absolutely no problem with whether it's three feet or 30 feet the lots are 60 feet wide it is I mean it's a narrower lot yeah so our lots are small and you know we're cozy yeah yeah most it's a it's a fantastic block and and I come from a block I think all of us for the most part come from an area where all of our houses are 50 60 feet away from each other and so on so I've been here 14 years my par like I said my parents moved in 2021 during the pandemic and they just moved in and you know neighbors are are better than family sometimes cuz they're there for you so excellent we're here to represent them and hopefully we'll do whatever has to be done thank you okay thank you so much thank you for showing up thank for coming to meet thank you got help wonderful we will uh any other public comment on any govern come on up on any governmental issue hi um my name's uh Patricia karic my husband Steve and I live at 151 Bal Avenue um we wanted to be here tonight to just voice a concern to formally voice a concern about the ongoing sore workor and water issues that are in our neighborhood um work is repeatedly occurring on our block specifically directly in front of our property and it continues to impact Us in multiple different ways um our neighborhood including our home specifically flooded in May of 2023 due to a backup in the town sore line um it caused nearly $24,000 worth of damage to our property um the town denied responsibility saying that it was a single resident who placed something into the Town Line and caused a flood um caused the backup that it wasn't any sort of town negligence it was a single incident um dis following repeated exchanges with the town um they continued to insist that there were no waterline issues or problems that needed to be addressed we began to start keeping track of all the instances of the non-issues that were occurring um we have a list of multiple dates we started keeping track last summer we have a list of dates uh two to three times a month September October November Etc uh where issues continued to happen um unfortunately we had not done so from the entire time that we've lived in this home to show the greater evidence of this ongoing pattern and we only started to do so after being disregarded so significantly last May after this flood um we've had issues with either Road blockages for work trucks repeated sore flushing water issues within our home um on at least 10 different occasions since September Alone um this doesn't include all the additional minor instances of short-term brown Water spreaded visits from town trucks in the neighborhood disrupting traffic and usage and Passage through our neighborhood and additional water impacts directly from the water companies such as flushing um there's Perpetual flooding on our street in our backyard with any amount of rain the drainage along our street is so poor that water pools along the roadway and at the end of our driveway even when there it hasn't rained in days uh Charles cone Park is behind our street and it's nearly unusable uh after any sort of rain or instances of snow melt because the drainage is so poor in the winter ice ponds several feet in diameter at the end of our driveway along the entire length of our curb um and you know the water runoff that comes from the apartment complex and pour drainage throughout the entire neighborhood leaves water pooling so significantly on our property that we literally have Ducks swimming in it so for the town to continually say that that's a non-issue I we really beg to differ Ducks shouldn't be able to swim on your backyard um we don't have water from property so um in addition to the concerns regarding these ongoing water damages the disruption to our Day-Day life is becoming significant most recently on Tuesday May 7th workers were again present in front of our home home um it restricted access to our proper property without our consent and without any notification it was a non-emergent situation there was not an acute flood happening and it was a location we have been repeatedly told that there is nothing wrong with um they were there without any notification even the day of let alone in advanced notifications that we could have made alternative Arrangements um to exit our property to remove our cars from our driveway um my elderly mother lives with us and has mobility issues we have established routines and entry points for our household so she can come and go in a safe manner that works for her um because these trucks were blocking our property and blocking our driveway she was not able to exit the house that day she couldn't go out to ask them to move because she's not able to get out so thank goodness there wasn't an emergency um that she didn't have an appointment God forbid one of the grandkids needed her something to that effect um and you know again they did this without permission without any consent or without even just the good oldfashioned courtesy of telling us hey we need to put our trucks here can you move your cars none of that happened again the biggest frustration point to us is that we are repeatedly told that there is no issue there's no problems there's no issue yet all day May 7th and May 8th work trucks were there blocking our neighborhood the school buses weren't going through the neighborhoods couldn't get through um so we just wanted to be here to make it formally on record that despite being told told there is no issue it is extremely disruptive um we've had extensive damage in our home that it was our burden to then repair and um we're we're really hoping for some further Clarity going forward and more transparency um why there're continues to be so much work happening in our neighborhood if there's nothing wrong okay um can I answer that yeah please I'd like your name and address and of the in and my DPW director we either contact you or be out there tomorrow uh sure it's Patricia karic when we're done let's get together sure are you home during your day so you can are you home during your day gener generally not no director works you want to just write down your info and I'll after the meeting people the the work in the neighborhood um well we need to find out I don't want to I don't want to speculate okay all right phone number I'm sorry give me your phone number so you can get touch with you okay yeah we we will look into everything that you're saying and see what we can find out with it all right yeah okay um yeah because it's been like I said last May was the most significant 25 nearly $25,000 how long have you been in the house for just curious 2011 all right so you've been there for 13 years and you would say your problem started when we've always had issues with poor drainage and it's just in the past year um that it's gotten really significant okay um and obviously last May most significant okay then just hang tight after the meeting for a few minuts okay thank you all right public comment on any other governmental issue would you like to talk about Ry and the Rangers no okay without that we're I'm going to look for a motion for adjournment motion second exem all in favor I let pit meeting