[Music] [Music] okay at this time I will call this meeting to order Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker uh presid commissioner bodc here commissioner delis for pres commissioner granados here commissioner Kowalski here commissioner Mirabella commissioner Williams here Vice chairwoman Leon here and chairwoman pal mudad here let that record reflect you have eight Commissioners present for this evening's regular meeting thank you cler of the board please lead us in prayer and salute to the flag humbly we ask God The Giver of peace and lover of Charity to give the entire family of Nations true agreement with his will and to Grant the light of his Spirit on all who work for justice and peace amen I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the repu for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all Clerk of the board please read the statement of compliance with the open public meetings act chair wishes to announce that pursuant to the requirements and New Jersey statutes annotated title 10 chapter 4 section 10 of the open public meetings act adequate notice of this meeting of the board of County commissioners of the county of Union has been given by mailing the annual meeting schedule for the year 2024 along with periodic changes necessitated by circumstance to the newspapers circulating within the county of Union who are designated to receive such notice and by posting the annual meeting scheduled for year 2024 in the administration building and further by filing the annual meeting schedule for the year 2024 with the office of the county CL thank you may I have a motion to approve the communications so move second second um thank you a motion was made by commissioner Williams and was seconded by Vice chairwoman Leon Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker I commissioner bodc I commissioner delis for yes but I abstain from this is for the um Communications only sorry yes uh commissioner granados hi commissioner Kowalski yes commissioner Williams I Vice chairwoman Leon I and chairwoman palmary mudad I uh chair you have eight votes in the affirmative on all of the communications thank you um may I have a motion to approve the minutes of the Wednesday February 7th agenda and regular set regular meeting and uh Wednesday February 21st 2024 agenda setting and regular meeting so move second uh a motion was made by commissioner Williams and was seconded by commissioner bodak Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker I commissioner bodc I commissioner delis for I with the exception of the February 21st meeting abstain not present commissioner grados hi commissioner Kowski yes commissioner William I Vice chairwoman Leon I and chairwoman palmary mudad I uh chair you have eight votes in the affirmative on the um minutes of the February 7 agenda setting session and regular meeting you have seven votes in the affirmative with one exstension on the meeting minutes of the February 21st agenda and regular meeting thank you the meeting is now open to the public for the purpose of commenting on resolutions being offered for adoption and or on any governmental issue that a member of the public feels may be of concern kindly state your name and town of residence for the record and if speaking on a resolution on the agenda please note that the resolution number to which you are referring to and adhere to the 5 minute time limit l l good evening chair and Ladies and Gentlemen of the council and various golden nuggets Bruce Patterson gar New Jersey uh reso 247 is $165,000 Consulting and paper shuffling expenditures to h2m Architects for the county courthouse this is way too vague and needs a lot more detail for the public to understand exactly what work is targeted uh in in fact I guess what's what's happening to the $25 million Courthouse stair project that appears to be stalled uh reso 248 is a $300,000 wow number to liyo management for solar engineering at Galloping Hill Golf Course and that doesn't even include any construction th this upfront money makes it appear to be a huge project coming up covering acres has anyone done a cost benefit study of what this project is about and our last solar program back in 2011 just as the county Watchers predicted back then went bust with subsequent lawsuits and the county and Town's losing money uh sustainability I you know is fine for me but uh practicality must be exercised so we need a lot more detail on what this is about uh reso 262 is giving $800,000 in paperwork uh in to architectural services to USA Architects and related to Warren ano ice rink uh somebody did talk about that before but but I'm just wondering in the budget presentation we just saw this wasn't even mentioned it seems to be a a very large project something to around $8 million from what I understand and nothing was mentioned in the budget on that uh reso 263 is awarding what you call preconstruction Management Services for the Warren ano uh rink to mass construction $121,000 I'll tell you in 40 Years of my construction Contracting and management I've never heard of the term preconstruction Management Services ever uh what I do understand is that there always is profound incompetence and abuse when it comes to construction of Union County and its construction arm the ucia enough to recognize uh this is this is possibly a tax money abuse I don't know the question is what does this money entail and why can't somebody inside our government do it uh reso 264 is the Ashbrook Clubhouse reso uh to Grove construction $4.1 million uh we spent mul Millions just years ago for a brand new Clubhouse so what exactly is this extra $4 million for uh number 272 approving a waiver for residency requirement for the Department of Human Services who what and what title is about this person uh I don't know why can't we hire within reso 274 is giving uh oh this one edman always likes is giving Taylor Law Firm $10,000 concerning State Licensing at rolds Cornerstone and it's just an expensive comment County finance director BBY Taylor making $300,000 and even more money going to her husband Taylor's Law Firm neither of them living in Union County uh someone must pay for their newly constructed 1.4 million home in Wong and I guess it's the Union County taxpayers uh comments the uh budget video presentation I'm sure took a lot of pressure off of the department heads that they would have to show up and explain their expenditures but and stream streamlining is sometimes good but it removed the face-to-face opportunities to have the Commissioners actually question or complement the heads you know this appears to be non-transparency at best uh we should have live comparison of of the uh annual salary and wages and overtime uh revenues increasing decreasing miscellaneous expenditures explained by the department heads for the public this is missing this is right up there with the reduction a couple years ago from two five minute public comment periods down to only one five minute public common period which I'm never happy about so anyway the county and its apparent questionable practices are slowly disappearing behind a closed door to avoid any public scrutiny thank you seeing no one else I will formally close this portion of the meeting and ask um Rick Matas to come forward for yeah 247 and 248 23 I'll 264 thank you chair thank you uh resolution 247 is for planning services for the uni County Courthouse complex um there's a lot of changes going on in our in our County complex um and uh there's potential growth with the Judiciary so this firm is going to be looking at uh the different departments the different buildings that we have and try to do some uh future planning for us uh resolution 248 is for solar panels um at gallopin Hill Golf Course um it is meent to install solar panels over the entire parking um parking lot that will be able to power the entire building and potentially even the training center thank you thank you he comes up okay um director uh Durban Drake for number 263 um so for 262 and 263 they're both for the indoor skate center um 2 there's no questions for 262 a comment you can SK comment okay yeah 263 is um preconstruction Management Services for same thank you um and County Manager could you please uh respond to number 264 sure for uh the lowest speed through uh fix the deficient construction that's being litigated thank you thank you and director Anderson number 272 through you chairwoman um the Human Services because of covid we have been faced with a lot of um retirements and increased need of vacancies to fill our positions we in professional positions we will give preference for County residents always first but we're looking for the best and qualified to come in and work within the Department of Human Services and that's why we really appreciate the Commissioners considering um opening the waiver to get the best but this does not cover our unionized um organized collective bargaining contracts this is for professional employees to come in and work within the county thank you thank you you uh and with that I will ask for a motion to adopt resolutions 224-247 through hi commissioner delis for hi commissioner granados hi with the exception of 2024-25 obain commissioner Kowski yes commissioner Williams I Vice chairwoman Leon I and chairwoman pal mudad I chair you have eight votes in the affirmative on all resolutions with the exception of resolution 2024 d255 we have seven votes in the affirmative and one exstension thank you uh at this time we will have commissioner uh comments uh and I will start with commissioner Kowalski thank you chair um the UN County Board of Elections reminds voters who plan to change their party affiliation that they must do so by April 10th in order to participate in their new Pary primary election on June 4th any unaffiliated voter who has opted to receive a vote by mail ballot for all future elections or for the June 4th primary must declare their party by May 28th 2024 to receive their vote by mail ballot through the mail so you can call the Board of Elections at 908 527 4123 to confirm your party affiliation voters who do business with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission Office sometimes change their party affiliation without realizing it or noticing it so um you can check with the Board of Elections at that phone number 527 4123 the April 10th deadline does not apply to voters who are currently unaffiliated they may declare their party at the polls during early voting from May 29th through June 2nd or on Election Day primary day June 4th and voting will take place in June at the regular polling locations which can be found on the election board website or by calling the election board and we also have a secured ballot Dropbox for the Westfield School Board election and that's located at the Fraser building in 300 North Avenue East in Westfield that's right across the street from the Westfield Diner and we'll be open for this election for voters wishing to return their mail and ballot in the Dropbox so for all Union County Board of Elections information you can look online at our website ucnj.org ucboe for Union County Board of Elections or call the election board and they'll be happy to answer your questions and I would also like to add my thanks to uh all there our department heads our County staff the county manager and Deputy County manager and the fiscal committee for uh an outstanding job on putting a budget together every year uh prices of everything are going up and we and you you did a good job of of uh handling the Myriad of things that need to be done at the at the lowest possible cost so thank you and that's it thank you commissioner Baker thank you um in honor of uh Autism Awareness Month uh the Union County Board of Commissioners and the City of raway invite children with autism and other sensory sensitivities to Jeff boer's big bubble Bonanza a thrilling sensory friendly show for all ages as part of our sensory friendly theater series The Crowd favorite event will be coming to UC Pac on Sunday April the 14th at 1:00 tickets are $8 per person and can be purchased at the uh upup pac.org sensory hyphen friendly theater or by calling the upack box office at 732 499 8226 and uh we hope to see uh all of you there uh I understand it is it is a tremendous uh event um and it's it's been appreciated by all of those uh young children that that that attend uh they have loads of fun and U so we hope that uh County residents uh do participate in this event um so hope to see all of you there thank you thank you commissioner Williams thank you uh so last week we announced a significant reduction in long-term debt by tens of millions of dollars showcasing our commitment to responsible fiscal policies and diligent stewardship of taxpayer resources according to New Jersey mandates counties must adhere to a maximum net debt limit in 2013 Union County's net debt was 87% of equalized assessed value decreasing to 57% by the close of 2023 representing a commendable 10-year reduction of 34% to 46.57 million the majority of this debt reduction has been achieved since 20 2018 reflecting recent years focused efforts on financial sustainability Union County's average equalized assessed value has experienced a substantial growth over the same 10-year period rising from 66.2 billion in 2013 to an impressive 9125 bli million dollar indicating economic vitality and effective fiscal management Union County has maintained a AAA Bond rating for several years reaffirmed by Moody's investor services in 20123 underscoring its strong financial position through 2024 and Beyond a rating of the Triple A is the highest a County government can achieve reflecting the County's strong finan financial performance and tri AAA Bond rating attributed to operating efficiency and conservative budgeting practices County Manager finance department and colleagues on the board of County Commissioners have played key roles in achieving these results I'm really proud of the County's ability to deliver and continue to deliver these outcomes and uh I extend my gratitude to all involved thank you chairwoman thank you commissioner Williams commissioner granados thank you very much chair and recognition of Autism Awareness Month the county of Union will like to announce that the county courthouse will be lit up blue on April 2nd for autism awareness day and also announced that our annual autism acceptance celebration will be host on Saturday April 20th from 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Montana Park in the city of Elizabeth our rate date has been scheduled for April 27th the event will bring together many residents from across the county including live DJ games and late Refreshments children are encouraged to addess up in their favorite superhero costume this is a free outdoor event but pre-registration is required please register by calling 908 527 4781 or visit ucnj.org opds sn- additionally I like to make a mention that in honor of Autism Awareness Month we're in to continue providing additional events to encourage our residents to learn more about autism and those families who are affected by individuals and friends who have autism more additional services from the Department of Human Services thank you chair thank you commissioner bodak yes chairwoman we would like to announce the first free household hazardous waste event for the 2024 season which will be held on Saturday April 6th from 9:00 a.m. to 2: p.m. at the Union County votch West Police Academy Lot located at 1776 ritton Road in Scotch Plains there will be ample signage on site to guide residents to the event all Union County residents are welcome to participate the household hazardous waste events provides Union County residents with a free environmentally safe way to dispose of outdated or unwanted household items Union County's household hazardous waste events are dropped off only and contact free participants should load items in their trunk or other area that can be easily accessed by staff there participants must remain in their vehicle while staff at the site unloads their waste items only materials in original or labeled containers will be accepted no containers larger than five gallons will be accepted for a complete list of the acceptable materials and information about all the Union County Recycling programs please please visit https sluc nj.org recycling slh household d-w slash the household hazardous waste collection event will be held rain or shine for Union County residents only not for businesses proof of Union County residency is required for more information please call the recycling hotline at 90865 4 9889 Madam chairman I also had the opportunity dur the past month to tour our educational facilities at the Union County vocational school and Union County College and I was very impressed with the programs and the dedication of the staff and teaching there to make our to help our students Excel and achieve their goals it was a great experience that concludes my report thank you commissioner dallis for M on Sunday I had of attending performance of2 Street school performing arts at our un County Performing Art Center I'd like to thank our UC for inviting us to the performance it was Tru also last week I had the chance toour the UN College of County iive facilities what I thought was most important that abley St phenomenal of students Al aess system24 it's a virtual webinar being held via zoom on Thursday April 11 from 6m 7 psych J event but prist is. disc addn Al Abal information about the 2024 alcohol awareness campaign in un County contacta alcohol and drug abuse coordinator division of individual and Family Support Services office on behavioral health and substance abuse in the services.org or you can call at 9857 4844 and finally I'd also like to um extend my congratulations to the administration for putting together a very comprehensive budget it's not easy um and I'm sure there's you know a lot a lot of moving parts and so thank you so much um I went the other way today so I'm a little thrown off County Council bruceb and thank you nothing tonight chair County Manager Ed opman no com chair uh Vice chairwoman lordis Leon thank you Vice chairwoman the UN County Board of County Commissioners are happy to announce that department of Parks and Recreation is currently hiring for the 2024 summer jobs the next job fair will be held on Saturday April 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the waren ankle Sports Center in Rosel they're in search of lifeguards for the elre pool attendance and Cashers for rway and Linden for the olre pool and Wheeler Park uh and park maintenance laborers current certification for lifeguards are preferred but they will train if needed residents must be 16 years of age and older the pay range is 1525 to 1625 an hour depending on the position residents interested can visit w www nj.org to view job descriptions and forms or call 908 868 2725 for more information in closing I would like to thank our County manager and our County staff for the phenomenal job they did putting this budget together it was great and also I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter thank you chairwoman thank you um on we've had really phenomenal programs through Union County through our our uh departments and through the municipalities during the month of March to celebrate and recognize women's History Month um and I've been fortunate to be able to go to many of them on Monday um I had the pleasure of joining my fellow female commissioner colleagues as well as our County Manager edman our Deputy County Manager Amy Wagner um a plethora of other uh employees here from the county as as well as congresswoman Mikey Cheryl um and representatives from Amazon the 102nd Calvary family Readiness group and Union College of Union County um as we did a packing event for our female um service members who are stationed overseas um that supported pack um care packages that would be sent to them throughout the entire month of March um our residents have been beyond generous in sending in different um women specific products that we uh were told were necessary and not necessarily something that people typically give and that was something that um when we were at the um Armory in Westfield back in January sending off the troops um we spoke to Danielle braa who runs the um at home family portion of of the service um components and she said that that a lot of times our female uh service members go to these other countries and although they can get some of the supplies that they need and want not everything is available so we sort of took this on and we had such a tremendous response from our residents we also had great um Partners in Amazon Union college girls helping girls period um just in making sure that that we had plenty of donations we had amazing volunteers student volunteers that came out to help package the uh boxes with us and I also and I forgot to do it on Monday but I really also wanted to thank students from our Elizabeth public schools and Girl Scout Troops from Clark Westfield kennworth and Berkeley Heights who all made personalized cards uh to be included in the care packages uh and I again I just thought that was such a great thing for them to do um to recognize these amazing wonderful women um that are serving our country in um foreign countries right now so I want to wish them all safe safety and a a safe return even though that return is not coming for quite some time um we do appreciate and thank them for all that they do um I also want to thank our department heads as well as our County Manager our Deputy County manager and our uh Director of Finance for putting together um our presentation today I think it was something that was a little different um and something that could be available for residents so that if they are curious on um the budget and what has been spent and and what is being planned for the upcoming year it will be available to them um to watch at any moment or any time that they would like to um I would also like to wish everyone a Happy Easter for those who celebrate and I can't believe we're actually going to be an April the next time we see each other so with that uh do I have a motion to adjourn some second a motion was made by commissioner delis Fort second seconded by commissioner Williams all in favor I thank you [Music] [Music]