Feb 20, 2025 Township Committee

[00:00:07]

OH, SORRY. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. MEETING CALL TO ORDER. THIS IS THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE

[Call to Order ]

ARNE. NOTICE OF MEETING IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT. ADEQUATE NOTICE OF THIS MEETING WAS PROVIDED ON JANUARY 10TH, 2025 TO THE COURIER NEWS AND THE STAR LEDGER. POSTED ON THE MUNICIPAL BULLETIN BOARD AND FILED WITH THE TOWNSHIP CLERK. SALUTE TO THE FLAG. PLEASE JOIN US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. AT THIS MOMENT, I'M GOING TO ASK. WE

[1. Oath of Office – Township Committee Member for the Unexpired Term to December 31, 2025 ]

OKAY. LET ME REST IN PEACE. TOWNSHIP ATTORNEY WILL SPEAK AT THIS MOMENT. THANK YOU. MAYOR.

AS THE PUBLIC IS AWARE, WE HAD A MEMBER OF THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE THAT HAD RESIGNED WITHIN THE LAST YEAR OR OF HER TENURE. THE PROCESS FOR THAT WOULD BE TO APPOINT SOMEBODY UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR, UNTIL THE EXPIRATION OF THAT TERM. WE ARE NOW WITHIN THE TIME PERIOD FOR THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TO MAKE THAT APPOINTMENT. AND YOU CAN MAKE YOUR NOMINATIONS FROM THE DAIS. AND, YOU KNOW, SECOND, MAKE A MOTION. SECOND, CONFIRM. AND THEN YOU WOULD VOTE ON THAT PERSON. OKAY. I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE MIKE MARTIN SECOND. ARE THERE ANY FURTHER NOMINATIONS FOR THE OFFICE OF TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBER? IF NOT. OH, SORRY. OH, NO, I'M SORRY MAYOR.

YOU WOULD VOTE ON THE NOMINATIONS AS THEY COME. IF THAT PERSON IS CONFIRMED, YOU WOULD NOT MOVE ON TO. OH, I'M. I'M SORRY. OKAY. AT THIS. NO. THAT'S FINE. AT THIS POINT. THIS WILL THEN ROLL CALL A ROLL CALL. COULD I HAVE A ROLL CALL? COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD.

YES. DEPUTY MAYOR BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR SINGH. YES. OKAY. IS MR. MARTIN HERE TO TAKE OATH OF OFFICE? AN OATH OF OFFICE? YES. I THINK HE'S. YOU CAN ASK HIM. YOU CAN. YOU CAN STEP UP. OKAY.

SURE. OKAY. YEAH. THANK PICTURE. I DIDN'T WANT TO. OH, YOU WANT TO HOLD THE BIBLE, SIR? YEAH. THAT'S YOUR RIGHT. THEN YOUR LEFT HAND ON THE BIBLE AND THEN REPEAT AFTER ME. I, MIKE MARTIN. ALL RIGHT. I, MIKE MARTIN, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. THAT I WILL SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY AND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. THAT I WILL BEAR TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME, THAT I WILL BEAR TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME. AND TO THE GOVERNMENTS ESTABLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE GOVERNMENTS ESTABLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES, AND IN THIS STATE AND IN THIS STATE UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE PEOPLE. UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE PEOPLE. AND I WILL FAITHFULLY AND I WILL FAITHFULLY DO PARTIALLY AND PARTIALLY AND JUSTLY AND JUSTLY PERFORM ALL THE DUTIES, PERFORM ALL THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE, MEMBER OF THE OFFICE OF TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBER, ACCORDING TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, ACCORDING TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. SO HELP ME GOD. SO HELP ME GOD. CONGRATULATIONS.

SO THIS. IS JUST TAKE A MOMENT AND THEN JOIN TO CLOSE. OKAY. YEAH. HE KNOWS HIS JOB. YOU

[00:05:14]

OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SORRY. THANK YOU. OKAY. WE NOW HAVE A PROCLAMATION

[2. Proclamation – Recognizing Eagle Scouts Frederick Allen, Akarsh Gokina, Jensen Lin and Ethan Shlossberg ]

WHEREAS FREDERICK ALLEN AKAASH, GALKINA JENSEN LYNN AND ETHAN SCHULTZBERG OF TROOP 46 HAVE ATTAINED THE RANK OF EAGLE SCOUT WITH THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. AND WHEREAS THE STANDARD ESTABLISHED FOR THIS HONOR ARE HIGH AND VERY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. AND WHEREAS THOSE WHO HAVE WORKED DILIGENTLY TO ACHIEVE THIS RANK HAVE EXHIBITED EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP AND A DEEP COMMITMENT TO THEIR COMMUNITY. AND WHEREAS FREDERICK ALLEN'S RENOVATIONS TO THE REAR DECKING AND STAIRS AT THE GRIGGSTOWN SCHOOL IS AN OUTSTANDING AND INNOVATIVE USE OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES, ENSURING SAFE AND SECURE BUILDING ACCESS FOR VISITORS ALONG WITH IMPROVED ESTHETICS. WHEREAS CRUSH INITIATIVE AND COLLABORATION WITH THE TOWNSHIP FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE CALLERY PEAR TREE AND INVASIVE SPECIES, AND THE INSTALLATION OF INTERPRETIVE LANGUAGE SIGNAGE THROUGHOUT HOBLER PARK IS AN OUTSTANDING, INNOVATIVE USE OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES, PROTECTING LOCAL ECOLOGIES AND NATIVE PLANTS, ALONG WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PARK WETLANDS. EXPLANATION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BAT BOXES THROUGHOUT THE PARK, AND DETAILS OF THE TREE REMOVAL PROJECT TO VISITORS OF THE PARK. WHEREAS JENSEN LIN'S INSTALLATION OF THE UPDATED SIGNAGE FOR THE SOCCER FIELDS AT MILL POND PARK IS AN OUTSTANDING USE OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES, PROVIDING FIELD IDENTIFICATION AND NOTIFICATION FOR WHEN THE FIELDS ARE OPEN OR CLOSED DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS, INCLUDING A MECHANISM PERMITTING ONLY TOWNSHIP PERSONNEL TO CHANGE THE SIGNAGE. WHEREAS ETHAN SCHULTZ CONSTRUCTION AND INSTALLATION OF A COLONY HOUSING FOR THE PURPLE MARTEN AT THE WATERSHED INSTITUTE IS AN OUTSTANDING, INNOVATIVE USE OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES SUPPORTING THE PRESERVATION OF BIRD POPULATION BY PROVIDING A SAFE HAVEN, UTILIZING A SOLAR POWERED SONGBIRD MAGNET TO ATTRACT THE BIRDS TO THE COLONY, AS WELL AS OFFERING VISITORS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST WELL-LOVED SONGBIRDS. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED AT THIS 20TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2025, THAT IT'S WITH GREAT PRIDE, THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY, COUNTY OF SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY, HEREBY EXTENDS SINCERE CONGRATULATIONS TO FREDERICK ELLEN JENSEN LIN AND ETHAN SCHWARTZBERG ON THE MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT AND OFFER BEST WISHES FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IF THE SCOUTS COULD JOIN THE MAYOR IN FRONT OF THE DAIS FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE PROCLAMATION. WELCOME, WELCOME.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW. IT'S OKAY. THANK YOU. SHOULD I TAKE THE PICTURE OF YOU? YEAH. THANK YOU. SO. I THINK YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO. SAY. OH. THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU. A LOT TO. WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLOSE? YES. SO. THIS IS PERFECT. I'M JUST GOING TO HAVE YOU LOOK HERE

[00:10:14]

GREAT. IS THAT.

EVERYONE'S GOING TO SCREEN? ON THIS. CAN YOU THAT. YES. SORRY. YES. NOW WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION BY EAGLE SCOUT FOR AN EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT BY DANIEL LEOPOLD. HELLO. MY NAME IS DANIEL LEOPOLD, AND I'M PRESENTING TO GET APPROVAL FOR MY EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT. AFTER I GOT IT APPROVED BY THE SHADE TREE COMMITTEE. SO MY EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT WOULD BE TO RENOVATE ONE OF THE SECTIONS OF THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP ARBORETUM IN A SECTION OF MONTGOMERY PARK, AS SEEN THERE ON THE SATELLITE IMAGE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. BASICALLY, IN THIS SECTION OF THE ARBORETUM, THERE'S AZALEAS, WHICH ARE A TYPE OF NATIVE PLANT THAT COMMONLY FOUND IN THIS AREA. AND I THINK IT'S A REALLY BEAUTIFUL PLACE. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE FENCING AND THE GROUND COVER THAT HAS BEEN PLANTED NEEDS SOME WORK. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE FENCING IS MADE OUT OF DECAYED BAMBOO, WHICH NOT ONLY DOESN'T KEEP THE DEER OUT, BUT ALSO DOESN'T LOOK VERY NICE I THINK. SO MY PROJECT WOULD BE TO RENOVATE THAT WITH WELDED WIRE FENCING TO NOT ONLY HELP KEEP THE DEER OUT. AS SEEN THERE ON THE LEFT, BUT ALSO TO ADD IN NATIVE GROUND COVER SUCH AS THOSE PLANTS LISTED THERE, IN ORDER TO ALSO IMPROVE THE APPEARANCE OF THE PLACE, BUT ALSO TO HELP KEEP THE GROUND FULL OF NUTRIENTS AND TO MAKE THE PLANTS GROW BETTER IN THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENT. SO WITH THAT, I THINK THAT'S IT. AND THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU GO? IF YOU GO. YEAH. ANY QUESTIONS ON THE. SORRY. NO I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA. THANK YOU. AGAIN WE REALLY PROUD OF THE WORK THAT THE SCOUTS DO IN THE TOWNSHIP AND WE APPRECIATE IT. I KNOW LARRY KOPLIK AND THE COMMITTEE HAVE APPROVED IT. IT'S A WORTHWHILE PROJECT. SO THANK YOU. YEAH. AS WELL AS THE PARKS AND REC HAVE APPROVED IT AS WELL. OH, PARKS AND REC APPROVED IT AS WELL. JOHN, GREGOR AND LAUREN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. AT THIS TIME, WE'LL HAVE A PRESENTATION BY THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. REACCREDITATION HEALTH OFFICER JIVANJI PATEL. HELLO, COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I'M JUST HERE TODAY TO TALK TO YOU AND GIVE YOU A BRIEFING ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH, NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH ACCREDITATION. THE BOARD OF HEALTH. AT THE LAST BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING, THEY PASSED A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SEEKING NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH REACCREDITATION. AND THEY HAD ALSO REQUESTED A CALL TO ACTION TO TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TO ALSO EITHER THROUGH RESOLUTION PASS SUPPORT FOR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO PURSUE NATIONAL ACCREDITATION. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS. THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY ONE OF SIX HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN NEW JERSEY THAT'S NATIONALLY ACCREDITED. YOU KNOW, WE'RE OUT OF 104 LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE. WE WERE THE ONE OF THE FIRST THREE IN THE STATE TO BECOME INITIALLY ACCREDITED. AND THERE'S TREMENDOUS VALUE IN BEING NATIONALLY ACCREDITED. ACCREDITATION HOLDS US TO HIGHER NATIONAL STANDARDS. IT ENABLES US TO FOCUS ON QUALITY, CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, ENSURE WE HAVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES TO EVALUATE OURSELVES ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS. IT ALLOWS US TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT AND COLLECT DATA AND INFORMATION IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT EASY FOR US TO SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY, WITH THE DECISION MAKERS LIKE YOURSELVES, AND IT HELPS US BETTER PREPARE OURSELVES WHEN THERE ARE EMERGENCIES. AND, YOU KNOW, BEING NATIONALLY ACCREDITED, WE RIGHT BEFORE OR RIGHT AROUND WHEN COVID STARTED REALLY HELPED US IN GETTING OUR

[00:15:05]

[3. Presentation – Eagle Scout Project, Daniel Leopold ]

[4. Presentation – Finance Update, CFO, Michael Pitts ]

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS MICHAEL PITTS. THANK YOU, MAYOR TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE FOR HAVING ME HERE. WE'LL GO THROUGH A FEW ITEMS THAT I FEEL ARE RELATIVELY IMPORTANT. FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025. A LITTLE SUMMARY OF WHAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS, OF COURSE, THE FIRST QUARTER PROPERTY TAX BILLS, WHICH ARE DUE. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND. SENIOR ASSISTANCE BUDGET TRANSFERS IN THE FIRST QUARTER. OUR ANNUAL DEBT STATEMENT. AUDITORS, WE WON'T TOUCH UPON OUR AUDITORS, BUT OUR AUDITORS WERE HERE IN JANUARY LOOKING OVER SOME OF OUR FINANCIALS, GETTING OUR STATEMENTS READY. THOSE SHOULD BE OUT WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE, WHICH WE'RE INTRODUCING LATER IN THIS MEETING. AND OF COURSE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE BIGGEST TOPIC, THE BUDGET. PREPARATIONS FOR 2025 BUDGET PREPARATIONS. FIRST OFF, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, THE FIRST QUARTER PROPERTY TAXES WERE DUE ON FEBRUARY 1ST. THE GRACE PERIOD ENDED ON FEBRUARY 10TH. SO IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN YOUR PROPERTY TAXES IN, MAKE SURE THOSE ARE IN. A LOT OF THINGS, SOME OF THE THINGS WE'D LIKE TO MENTION TO OUR RESIDENTS IS WHEN WE RECEIVE TAXES IN THE TAX OFFICE, IF YOU SEND THEM BY MAIL, IT'S NOT WHEN IT WAS POSTMARKED, IT'S ACTUALLY WHEN OUR OFFICE RECEIVES IT. SO YOU CAN MAKE SURE THAT YOU SEND IT. YOU CAN SEND IT IN THE MAIL. MAKE SURE YOU SEND IT, YOU KNOW, IN ADVANCE. ALSO WE HAVE THIS QUESTION. WE GET THIS QUESTION A LOT. WE ARE NOT. THE TAX COLLECTORS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO WAIVE INTEREST. I MEAN, IF THERE'S A CALCULATION MISTAKE WHICH AGAIN IT'S AUTOMATED SO THERE'S NOT A MISTAKE. BUT IF WE DO IF WE HAVE AN ERROR ON OUR

[00:20:03]

AGAIN THIS WILL ALL BE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE. BUT FOR RESIDENTS WHO QUALIFY YOU KNOW THIS IS THIS IS A GREAT PROPERTY RELIEF PROGRAM. BUDGET TRANSFERS THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE YEAR.

THE STATE ALLOWS MUNICIPALITIES TO HAVE BUDGET TRANSFERS FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WHATEVER'S LEFT OVER IN OUR 2024 BUDGET. LET'S SAY WE RECEIVE AN INVOICE RELATED TO 2024 FOR I'M USING AN EXAMPLE. OUR DPW DEPARTMENT, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH FUNDS IN THEIR BUDGET BECAUSE THEY SPENT IN 2024. IF THERE'S MONEY IN THE POLICE BUDGET, WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO A BUDGET TRANSFER INTO THAT OTHER DEPARTMENT. AGAIN, IT'S NET ZERO ON THE BUDGET. NO IMPACT ON THE BUDGET. IT'S JUST MOVING IT FROM LINE ITEM TO LINE ITEM. THE STATE ALLOWS US TO DO THIS THE FIRST QUARTER OF EVERY YEAR. WE HAVEN'T DONE ANY YET THIS YEAR. THERE MIGHT BE ONE IN MARCH, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE THERE HAVE BEEN NO BUDGET TRANSFERS. ANOTHER IMPORTANT DOCUMENT FOR THE TOWNSHIP IS OUR ANNUAL DEBT STATEMENT. THIS IS A DUE BY JANUARY 31ST OF EACH YEAR. THIS SUMMARIZES THE DEBT THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS COMPARED TO ITS EQUALIZED VALUATION PER STATE LAW. THE DEBT LIMIT IS 3.5% OF THE AVERAGE EQUALIZATION OVER THREE YEARS. WE'RE AT 0.657%. SO AGAIN, WE'RE WAY BELOW THAT 3.5% MAX. AND WE WOULD NEVER GET TO THAT MAX BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD IT. BUT JUST TO SHOW YOU, WELL, WHERE WE'RE AT, WHERE IT STANDS TODAY, I KNOW THAT'S A VERY VALUABLE DOCUMENT. IT SHOWS ALL YOUR ALL OUR DEBT AGAIN, THAT CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE. SO THE ORDINANCE I'LL SPEAK ABOUT THIS NOW THE ORDINANCE THAT WE WILL BE INTRODUCING THIS YEAR. IT'S AN ORDINANCE THAT WE INTRODUCE AND ADOPT EVERY YEAR. IT'S CALLED THE APPROPRIATION CAP ORDINANCE. APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE. THE STATE ALLOWS YOU TO RAISE CERTAIN EXPENSES, CERTAIN APPROPRIATIONS IN YOUR BUDGET BY 2.5%. WE CALL THOSE INSIDE THE CAP APPROPRIATIONS. AND I LISTED THE INSIDE THE CAP APPROPRIATIONS AND SALARY AND WAGES AND MANY OF YOUR OPERATING EXPENSES, SUCH AS STATIONERY, EQUIPMENT, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, ADVERTISING, UNIFORMS, PENSION, HEALTH INSURANCE, ALL OF THAT FALLS IN THE INSIDE THE CAP. OUTSIDE THE CAP, APPROPRIATIONS EXPENSES ARE YOUR DEBT, YOUR CAPITAL. YOUR RESERVE. FOR UNCOLLECTED TAXES, ANY EMERGENCIES YOU HAVE GRANTS THOSE YOU CAN RAISE AS MUCH AS AS NEEDED. THE INSIDE THE CAP. YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE 2.5%. BUT IF YOU PASS AN ORDINANCE, WHICH WE DO EVERY YEAR, YOU CAN RAISE IT UP TO 3.5%. IT DOESN'T MEAN YOUR TAXES ARE GOING TO INCREASE BY 3.5%, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE FORMULATING YOUR BUDGET, THERE'S MANY VARIABLES. IF YOUR REVENUES GOING UP AND YOU'RE INSIDE, THE CAP IS GOING TO 3.5%, BUT YOU'RE OUTSIDE, THE CAP IS DECREASING.

AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO ALL IMPACT THAT FINAL NUMBER. SO THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION WHENEVER WE INTRODUCE THIS ORDINANCE. INDIVIDUALS THINK OR RESIDENTS THINK THAT AGAIN RIGHTFULLY SO THAT OUR MY TAX IS GOING TO INCREASE 3.5%. NOT NECESSARILY. AGAIN, THIS IS A BUDGETING TOOL.

IT ONLY RELATES TO THOSE INSIDE THE CAP APPROPRIATIONS. RIGHT. THERE'S THAT 2% TAX LEVY WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT DURING MY BUDGET PRESENTATION EVERY YEAR. THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. THAT'S THE ACTUAL AMOUNT YOU CAN RAISE BY TAXATION. THAT'S A DIFFERENT CAP. THIS IS JUST STRICTLY YOUR INSIDE THE CAP APPROPRIATIONS. SO THAT'S THE ORDINANCE THAT WE'LL BE INTRODUCING SHORTLY.

AND AGAIN WE'LL TALK ABOUT THIS DURING MY BUDGET PRESENTATION. BUT THIS IS AGAIN A BUDGETING TOOL THAT'S NOT ALWAYS USED. I MEAN WE ALWAYS ADOPT IT, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN WE ALWAYS BRING OUR

[00:25:03]

AGAIN. LAST YEAR WAS WAS IN SINGLE DIGITS. IT WAS WAY LOW. I'D HAVE TO LOOK BACK BUT IT 18%. WE HAVEN'T SEEN THIS KIND OF INCREASE. AND AGAIN USUALLY YOU SEE IT WITH THE STATE HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN. BUT WHEN YOU'RE IN A JOINT HEALTH INSURANCE FUND YOU DON'T USUALLY SEE THIS. BUT NOW ALL HEALTH INSURANCE FUNDS ARE SEEING IT REGARDLESS IF YOU'RE IN THE STATE, REGARDLESS IF YOU'RE IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE FUND, EVERYBODY'S SEEING INCREASES DUE TO THE HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS. LIABILITY INSURANCE INCREASED 6%, ABOUT $50,000. POLICE PENSIONS INCREASED 10.2%. THAT'S ANOTHER $133,000. AGAIN, RIGHT OFF THE BAT BEFORE US DOING ANYTHING ELSE. ELECTRICITY. I'M SURE EVERYBODY HEARD ELECTRICITY COSTS ARE GOING TO GO UP. THAT'S ABOUT 15%. DEBT IS GOING UP 3%. THAT'S ABOUT 160,000. SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT US STARTING 750,000 INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR'S BUDGET. JUST ON THESE ITEMS ALONE. NOT EVEN TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION ALL OF OUR LARGEST, ALL OF OUR SALARY EXPENSES, WHICH IS OUR LARGEST EXPENSE. THOSE INCREASES. RIGHT. WE HAVE CONTRACTUAL INCREASES. WE HAVE OUR REGULAR INCREASES, NOT TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION ALL OF OUR OTHER UTILITIES GOING UP, ALL OF OUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, MATERIALS GOING UP DUE TO INFLATION. WE'RE AT $750,000. PUT THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE. LAST YEAR, OUR BUDGET, WHEN YOU INCLUDE THESE EXPENSES PLUS EVERYTHING ELSE WAS INCREASED

[00:30:06]

WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND THAT'S THAT'S ALL I HAD FOR THE FINANCE PRESENTATION. YEAH I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT. YOU KNOW I'VE BEEN ON THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. I THINK THIS IS MY THIRD YEAR NOW. AND I THINK WE REALLY HAVE WORKED REALLY HARD. AND I SAY THIS, YOU KNOW, AS A TEAM, YOU KNOW, THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, THE TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATOR DEPARTMENT HEADS AT ALL LEVELS. I'VE BEEN REALLY PROUD TO BE ABLE TO, TO MAKE NECESSARY INVESTMENTS. YOU KNOW, LIKE LAST YEAR, WE INCREASED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT BY TWO OFFICERS. AND WE STILL WERE ABLE TO KIND OF MANAGE THINGS TO BELOW THE RATE OF INFLATION. I THINK WHAT I'M WHAT I'M SEEING AND I KNOW WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS, YOU KNOW, AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'RE YOU KNOW, WE'RE SHARING THIS WITH THE PUBLIC IS A LOT OF THOSE UNCONTROLLABLES ARE REALLY STARTING TO COME IN.

AND SO JUST A LOT OF HARD DECISIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MADE. ACROSS ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE THE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, INVESTMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE, YOU KNOW, THAT QUALITY, THAT GREAT QUALITY OF LIFE THAT WE HAVE HERE IN MONTGOMERY. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'LL CONTINUE BEING TRANSPARENT THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. THESE BUDGET FINANCE COMMITTEES CONTINUE, MEETINGS CONTINUE TO HAPPEN. AND, YOU KNOW, I DEDICATED TO MAKING SURE WE PROVIDE REGULAR UPDATES. YOU KNOW WHAT? BEFORE YOU KNOW, MICHAEL PRESENTS THE, YOU KNOW, THE DRAFT BUDGET TO THE TOWNSHIP. YEAH. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? NO, I JUST WANTED TO ADD TO THAT THAT REALLY AT MONTGOMERY, AS THE DEPUTY MAYOR SAID, EVERYTHING IS TRANSPARENT. IF THE PEOPLE WANT TO TALK TO OUR CFO, THEY ARE WELCOME TO REACH OUT. AND OF COURSE, WE'LL HAVE PUBLIC MEETINGS AND PEOPLE CAN COME AND SPEAK. BUT I THINK THAT IS ONE THING THAT THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE REALLY PRIDES ITSELF ON, TO BE ACCESSIBLE AND BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS GOING ON. SO NOTHING IS DONE ANY, ANY IN A VACUUM. IT'S ALL DISCUSSED AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MICHAEL. THANK YOU. SIR.

OKAY. PUBLIC COMMENTARY. IT'S TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO ADDRESS

[6. Public Comment ]

START THE TIMER. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS MEETING IS BEING RECORDED. I KNOW LAST TIME I MADE SOME UNWANTED COMMENTS AMONGST YOU GUYS AND THEN COINCIDENTALLY, THERE WAS NO RECORDING IN THE MEETING OR NO AUDIO EVEN THOUGH THE LIVE STREAM WAS WORKING. CAN SOMEONE CONFIRM? I BELIEVE IT IS WORKING RIGHT? LISA, THE MICROPHONES ARE WORKING. SO YES, EVEN LAST TIME THE MICROPHONES WERE WORKING RIGHT, BUT THERE WAS NO LIVE STREAM. THE LIVE STREAM WAS WORKING. AND THEN YOU GUYS ARE TELLING ME THERE'S NO RECORDING. IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S THE MICROPHONES WERE NOT WORKING, BUT WE'RE CONFIRMING THAT, YES, EVERYTHING IS WORKING. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO SPELL YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD, IF YOU DON'T MIND. OKAY. WHEN WILL MY TIMER START? THE TIME IS STARTING. NOW. YOU CAN GIVE YOUR NAME. MY NAME IS AHMAD RAJWANI R M A N. I'M HERE TO SPEAK AGAINST POLICE MISCONDUCT. I KNOW LAST TIME I CAME HERE AND SPOKE AGAINST POLICE MISCONDUCT. MAYOR, YOU ACTUALLY TOLD ME I NEED TO BE POLITE. SOMEONE ELSE SAID YOU CAN'T ADDRESS PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM. AND THEN I EXERCISE MY FIRST AMENDMENT. SO IT'S CRAZY FOR YOU TO COME HERE AND SAY YOU BELIEVE IN TRANSPARENCY AND ALL THIS. I MEAN, WHAT, YOU'RE A REAL ESTATE AGENT IN THIS TOWN, AND YOU'RE THE PLANNING BOARD DEVELOPER. AND AS PER OUR CITY

[00:35:06]

THEY KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, UNFORTUNATELY. AND I KNOW OUR LAST MAYOR WHO RESIGNED, SHE DROPPED THE FITNESS STANDARDS FOR THE POLICE. SHE DROPPED THE COLLEGE REQUIREMENT. SHE DROPPED THE WRITTEN EXAM. SHE DROPPED EVERYTHING FOR ALL THESE NEW DI HIRES, WHICH IN MY OPINION, JUST SUCK. AND RECENTLY, YOU GUYS TOLD ME THERE WAS NO RECORDING OF WHAT I SAID. AND THEN WHEN I MADE A COMMENT ON YOUR GUYS'S INSTAGRAM AT IN MONTGOMERY, NEW JERSEY, AN OFFICIAL TOWNSHIP PAGE, WHICH SHOULD BE A PUBLIC FORUM, I MADE A COMMENT ON A POST WITH SILVIO AND HIS NEWEST DI HIRES, AND YOU GUYS DELETED THE COMMENTS AND RESTRICTED ALL THE COMMENTS THAT THAT'S JUST UNCONSTITUTIONAL. I'M SURE AS AN ATTORNEY, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT THAT VIOLATES THE FIRST FIRST AMENDMENT, RIGHT? OKAY. GUESS NOT. SO I THINK THAT'S RIDICULOUS. I THINK YOU GUYS ARE ALL CORRUPT. AND THEN LET'S TALK ABOUT THE POLICE WE HAVE HERE. WHEN I MADE COMMENTS LAST TIME ABOUT CONNOR STANDING RIGHT THERE WITH THAT LITTLE SMUG FACE ABOUT DISABLING JANINE SANTI AT 89 MILES AN HOUR IN A 35 MILE SCHOOL ZONE, RESPONDING TO AN ADDRESS THAT MADE 135 FALSE CALLS TO THE TOWNSHIP, I WAS SILENCED. I MADE A COMMENT ON INSTAGRAM, I WAS BLOCKED, I WAS RESTRICTED. ANY COMMENTS? ANY OF YOU GUYS CAN GO ON THAT PAGE. GO. GO TO THE POST WITH PIPER, FORD, SILVIO AND THE OTHER FEMALE HIRE AND YOU CAN'T MAKE A COMMENT. I MEAN, IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT WE CAN'T EXERCISE OUR FIRST AMENDMENT. THEN THEY'RE TELLING ME THERE'S A RECORDING MALFUNCTION. I MEAN, ALL YOU GUYS ARE CORRUPT. ALL YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO GET EXPOSED, ESPECIALLY LISA. SHE MAKES $120,000 A YEAR. SHE CAN'T DO HER JOB PROPERLY. IT'S RIDICULOUS. SHE MAKES $115,000 A YEAR, BUT HAD TO SETTLE FOR $1.5 MILLION OF OUR TAX MONEY. YET WE'RE INCREASING THE PENSIONS, WHAT, 10.2%? WHY DON'T WE TAKE $1.5 MILLION OUT OF HIS PENSION? IT'LL TAKE HIM 15 YEARS TO MAKE THAT KIND OF MONEY TO PAY. THAT 150,000 WILL TAKE ABOUT 15 YEARS TO INCUR $1.5 MILLION. BUT YET OUR TAX MONEY, WE CAN JUST THROW THAT AWAY. RIGHT. AND HE HAS AN ONGOING LAWSUIT FROM JOANNA FOR BATTERY, FALSE IMPRISONMENT, ALL THIS CRAZY, DISGUSTING STUFF.

AND WHEN I SEND AN EMAIL TO SILVIO, BET HE DOESN'T RESPOND. I ASKED HIM FOR A PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT ALL THIS. NO RESPONSE. WHEN I ASKED LISA ABOUT WHY I'M BEING BLOCKED FROM THE TOWNSHIP COMMENT, SHE JUST DOESN'T RESPOND. SHE TRIES TO JUST GIVE THESE BS ANSWERS. AND THEN I CLEARLY SAID, WHY CAN NO ONE MAKE A COMMENT ON THIS POST? I'M ASKING YOU GUYS TODAY, WHY ARE WE INCREASING POLICE PENSIONS IF WE'RE GOING TO PROTECT OFFICERS LIKE THIS? HOW IS HE NOT IN JAIL? HE PRACTICALLY KILLED THE LADY AND NOW HE HAS MORE MORE LAWSUITS AGAINST HIM. AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT HIM? I THINK IT'S DISGUSTING. I THINK IT'S DISGUSTING THAT YOU GUYS AREN'T TRANSPARENT ENOUGH TO POST THE RECORDING, BECAUSE YOU DON'T LIKE WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. AND THE CITY ATTORNEY, OBVIOUSLY SHE HAS NOTHING TO SAY. SHE JUST LOOKS DOWN AND SAYS, YEAH, YOU KNOW, YOUR THREE MINUTES OF INTEREST IF THE MAYOR. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. YOUR THREE MINUTES ARE OVER PERFECTLY FINE. SO I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU GUYS DON'T EDIT ME OUT OF THE MINUTES AND SILENCE ME LIKE YOU TRIED DOING. YOU GUYS ARE DISGUSTING. YOU GUYS ARE ALL COWARDS. SYLVIA, THAT'S A COWARD. TAKE YOUR SEAT. YOUR THREE MINUTES ARE OVER. TAKE YOUR SEAT. I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND WE MAKE A RECESS. OH. OH, WHAT DO YOU. HAVE A PREFERENCE? YOU CANNOT BE IN A MEETING AND SPEAKING WITHOUT PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU'RE DONE. THANK YOU. ORDINANCES. OH. ANYBODY ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? YEAH. I'M. I'LL BE DEAD. I'LL BE DEAD IF YOU CAN SPELL YOUR NAME. FIRST NAME, LAST NAME. K A N U R I. OKAY. WE NEED TO RAISE THE MICROPHONE. YOU'RE KIND OF TALL. YEAH. SO ONE THING I WANT TO NOTE IS JUST AT THE END OF A LOT OF YOUR MEETINGS, YOU GUYS HAVE YOUR EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A PRIVATE MEETING. AND THEN LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE AGENDA FROM TWO WEEKS AGO, THE THIRD POINT FOR THAT RESOLUTION WAS THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE WILL RETURN TO REGULAR SESSION AFTER THAT MEETING AND CAN TAKE FURTHER ACTION. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I KNOW THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE DOESN'T DO THIS VERY OFTEN, BECAUSE THIS EXECUTIVE MEETING CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM LIKE 5 TO 30 MINUTES. NO ONE REALLY KNOWS. AND I JUST FEEL LIKE THERE'S NO POINT TOWARDS HAVING THIS. IT JUST MAKES ME, AS A PERSON WHO TRIES TO ATTEND THESE MEETINGS AND ATTEND ALL THE TOWNSHIP MEETINGS I CAN TO LEARN WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE COMMUNITY OR JUST TALKING ABOUT TRANSPARENCY. JUST THE IDEA THAT AFTER THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION, WHICH NO ONE'S STAYING HERE DURING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS HOW LONG IT IS, AND THEY'RE JUST SITTING HERE FOR MAYBE 20 MINUTES JUST WAITING FOR YOU GUYS TO COME OUT. AND THEN THE IDEA THAT AFTER THAT THERE CAN STILL BE PUBLIC ACTION TAKEN THAT DOESN'T

[00:40:01]

ANYONE ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY. ORDINANCES, INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING ORDINANCE

[7. Ordinance #25-1749 – An Ordinance of the Township of Montgomery, Somerset County, New Jersey to Exceed the Municipal Budget Appropriation Limits Providing for a 3.5% “Cap” for the 2025 Budget and to Establish a Cap Bank Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:4-45.15 – Introduction/First Reading ]

ANN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. ABSTAIN. DEPUTY MAYOR. BARRIGAN. YES. MAYOR. SING. YES. ORDINANCES. PUBLIC HEARING. FINAL ADOPTION. THERE

[Items 8 - 12]

YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. DEPUTY MAYOR. BARRIGAN.

[13. Resolution #25-2-87 – Authorizing Appointments, Promotions ]

AUTHORIZING APPOINTMENTS. PROMOTIONS. YES, MAYOR. WE HAVE THREE INDIVIDUALS HERE. THE FIRST ONE IS JOSEPH LEE OR I.T. DIRECTOR, WHO IS REPLACING CARL, WHO WAS A FORMER I.T. DIRECTOR.

WENT TO ANOTHER ORGANIZATION. JOSEPH LEE IS ACTUALLY HERE. JOE. STAND UP. COME ON. YES.

COME ON. HEY, WHY DON'T YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF? YEAH. IF YOU WANT TO COME TO THE PODIUM, PLEASE. PUT YOU ON THE SPOT. SORRY. NO PRESSURE. GOOD EVENING. MAYOR. MEMBERS OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY. IT'S A GREAT PLEASURE THAT I TAKE OVER THE ROLE OF THIS I.T. DIRECTOR HERE IN THIS TOWNSHIP. I HAVE BEEN IN THE IT FIELD FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS. WITH THE LAST 16.5 YEARS BEING IN EDUCATION. SO I COME TO MONTGOMERY WITH SOME GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF HOW STATE GOVERNMENT IS RUN, HOW IT WORKS. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, AND I'M REALLY HAPPY TO BE HERE AND LOOKING TO MOVE FORWARD. AND HOPEFULLY IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS I'LL BE STANDING HERE WITH A PRESENTATION UPDATING YOU ON WHAT'S GOING ON. THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE THAT. I KNOW YOU CAME IN, YOU KNOW, AND THE WEBSITE. AND THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF STUFF THAT IS GOING ON. WE APPRECIATE YOU, YOU KNOW, GETTING INTO IT RIGHT AWAY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M HERE. THANK YOU. NEXT EMPLOYEE IS PAUL LUCIA. LUCIA. THIS WAS SOME A POSITION COMING OUT OF THE OPEN SPACE TRUST. SO IT'S NOT IMPACTING THE BUDGET. IT'S OPEN SPACE TRUST IS SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. A CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP TECHNICIAN FOR PROBABLY PRE-COVID. SO WE'RE FINALLY GETTING AROUND TO IT. THE LAST POSITION IS MICHAEL GRECO PROMOTED TO BUILDING MAINTENANCE FOREMAN. HE'S REPLACING RICH DIETRICH, WHO WAS PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR WHEN JEFF BERKLAND TOOK OVER FOR ART VELANA AS PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR.

SO IT'S JUST A REPLACEMENT POSITION. THOSE ARE THE THREE EMPLOYEES IN THIS RESOLUTION.

OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? I JUST I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ASKED BY THE ONE OF THE RESIDENTS, I BELIEVE, ON THE SHADE TREE COMMITTEE. SO, PAUL, AT ONE POINT WE WERE APPOINTING ARBORIST. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT WAS JUST PRE-COVID AND THEN IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. SO ARE WE SAYING PAUL WOULD BE DOING SOME OF THAT WORK AS WELL? CORRECT. THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE FOR THE TIME BEING. YES. OKAY. OKAY. JUST MAKING SURE. SO WE CAN HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THE SHADE TREE COMMITTEE AS WELL. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 5-2 87. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD.

[00:45:02]

[14. Resolution #25-2-88 – Authorizing Appointment of Michael Krupsky as Construction Official and Fire Subcode Official ]

ROY ALSO HELD THE TITLE OF FIRE MARSHAL. SO WE WILL BE LOOKING FOR THAT POSITION AS WELL. BUT RIGHT NOW WE WOULD LIKE TO PROMOTE MICHAEL KRUPSKI TO CONSTRUCTION CODE CONSTRUCTION OFFICIAL AND FIRE SUPPORT OFFICIAL. OKAY. THANK YOU. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 5-2 88. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. YES.

COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. ABSTAIN. DEPUTY MAYOR. BARRAGAN.

[15. Resolution #25-2-89 – Authorizing Award of Contract to Motorola Solutions, Inc. for First Responder Radios Through New Jersey State Contract ]

COMMITTEE MEMBER ON. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN.

[16. Resolution #25-2-90 – Authorizing the Purchase of Electricity Supply Services for Public Use on an Online Auction Website ]

YES. THIS IS RELATED TO OUR BOROUGH HALL AND OUR OTHER MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. THIS ISN'T RELATED TO RESIDENTS. WHEN WE PROCURE OUR ELECTRICITY. THAT IS DONE THROUGH AN AUCTION. YOU KNOW, OUR TWO YEAR WINDOW IS UP, SO THE AUCTION IS COME UP, UP AGAIN. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GO OUT FOR AUCTION. IT DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THE AUCTION, BUT THIS JUST GIVES US PERMISSION TO GO OUT TO THE ONLINE AUCTION TO GET RATES FOR ELECTRICITY. OKAY. THANK YOU.

ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 5-2 90. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. DEPUTY MAYOR. BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR. SINGH. YES. RESOLUTION 20 5-2 91.

[17. Resolution #25-2-91 – Authorizing the Purchase of One Ford F-550 Mason Dump Truck Through the Morris County Cooperative Pricing System ]

YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. ABSTAIN. DEPUTY MAYOR.

BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR. SINGH. YES. APPROVAL OF MINUTES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 16TH, 2025. SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? I MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES OF JANUARY 27TH, 2025. SO MOVED.

[18. Approval of Minutes ]

[19. Resolution #25-2-92 – Payment of Bills – Posted ]

[00:50:04]

COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. STAIN. DEPUTY MAYOR. BARRAGAN.

[20. Correspondence ]

THE COORDINATORS ARE APPOINTED BY THE OEM COORDINATOR. THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE APPOINTS THE OEM COORDINATOR. SO THIS IS A FORMALITY THAT WE NEED TO APPROVE THESE APPOINTMENTS BY RESOLUTION, SO THAT THE COORDINATOR CAN GET THAT RESOLUTION TO THE COUNTY. THE THERE WAS A RESOLUTION LATER IN THE MEETING AGENDA TO CONSIDER THAT FOR APPROVAL. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND SOMERSET COUNTY BOARD OF TAXATION STATE APPROVAL ORDER OF REVALUATION. AND MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP. DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO THAT, VINCE OR. SO JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE BACKGROUND, WE DID RECEIVE FROM THE SOMERSET COUNTY BOARD OF TAXATION THE APPROVAL OF THE ORDER OF REVALUATION THAT DEPUTY MAYOR BERRIGAN DID SPEAK ABOUT AT THE LAST MEETING. THIS IS JUST THE FORMAL NOTIFICATION THAT THE STATE DID APPROVE THAT ORDER. SO IF YOU WANT TO TAKE OVER, I'LL JUST ADD. YEAH, IT'S A VERY CONSISTENT TO MY THIS MY COMMENTS THAT AGAIN SECOND MEETING IN JANUARY. AGAIN I JUST REALLY WANT TO REITERATE AND I'LL ASK, YOU KNOW, MIKE, MIKE, OUR CFO, TO CONFIRM THAT THERE'S NO IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS. THIS YEAR, NEXT YEAR, THIS IS A MULTI YEAR PROCESS. SO I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GET CONCERNED AT THIS MOMENT. AND WE WILL BE MAKING SURE THAT WE ROLL OUT, YOU KNOW, FOR FULL COMMUNICATIONS PROCESS TO THE COMMUNITY. AGAIN I JUST REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE THAT THERE IS NO IMPACT FROM THIS, YOU KNOW, FROM THIS DOCUMENT AND THIS ASSESSMENT THAT HAPPENED OVER A MULTI-YEAR PERIOD, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEAR TERM. OKAY.

MIKE, DID YOU WANT TO SAY ANYTHING TO THAT? YEAH. THAT'S CORRECT. IT IS A MULTI-YEAR PROCESS. WE JUST MET WITH THE COUNTY LAST MONTH. AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO TAKE A COUPLE OF YEARS TO GET US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE. BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT GOING TO IMPACT THIS YEAR. THANK YOU.

[21. Resolution #25-2-93 – Authorizing 2025 Appointments of Deputy OEM Coordinators in the Office of Emergency Management ]

DASH TWO. DASH 92. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. JUST FOR THE RECORD, IT'S 93. JUST CORRECT THE RESOLUTION NUMBER. JUST WANT TO CORRECT. IT'S NUMBER 9393. COMMITTEE MEMBER ON. OKAY. DID YOU DID YOU MOTION. I'M SORRY. NO, I WAS JUST LIKE, OKAY, MAYBE I'LL JUST SAY IT'S ACTUALLY MOTION 25 TO DASH TWO. DASH 93. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE.

COMMITTEE MEMBER. ALLEN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN.

[22. New and Unfinished Business ]

THURSDAY IS A THURSDAY, THE FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH. SO WE HAVE TO REORG BETWEEN JANUARY 1ST AND THE SEVENTH. SO I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT IN YOUR MINDS TO START TO CONSIDER, TO LOOK AT THOSE DATES SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT ON THE CALENDAR. I KNOW THAT SOME MUNICIPALITIES HAVE HAVE SELECTED THEIR DATE ALREADY, BUT WE NEED TO DO THAT. YOU CAN DO IT ON JANUARY 1ST, OR YOU CAN PICK ANOTHER DAY AND IT FRIDAY THE SECOND COULD BE AN OPTION AS WELL. I SEE. YEAH.

OKAY. ANY ANY DAY FROM THE FIRST THROUGH THE TO THE SEVENTH. OKAY. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE CAN ALSO CONFIRM WHEN THE COUNTY IS DOING THE REORGANIZATION. YES, THAT'S A GOOD POINT. THEY ALREADY HAVE THEIRS, I BELIEVE. SO I'LL CONFIRM THAT. THANK YOU. YEP. THAT'S THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. TOWNSHIP SHREDDING EVENT. SO THE MONTGOMERY, THE FRIENDS OF THE MONTGOMERY FRIENDS OF OPEN SPACE HAS SENT CORRESPONDENCE. THEY'RE LOOKING TO PARTNER WITH THE TOWNSHIP ON A SHREDDING EVENT. SO THEY HAD A PROPOSED A DATE IN JULY, EITHER THE SECOND OR THIRD SATURDAY TO SHARE IN THIS EVENT. THE COST OF THE TRUCK IS ABOUT $1,200, AND THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO PARTNER WITH THE TOWNSHIP TO SHARE THE COST TO HOLD A SHREDDING EVENT FOR THE RESIDENTS. AND SO THIS IS JUST TO PUT THIS BEFORE THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING. AND THIS WAS GOING TO BE DURING ONE OF THE FARMER'S MARKETS? YES.

YES. SO I THINK COLLABORATION COLLABORATING WITH THE FARMERS FARMER'S MARKET ON THE SECOND OR THIRD SATURDAY IN JULY, WE WERE LOOKING TO AND I THINK THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF THE FACT THAT

[00:55:02]

RANGE. HOWEVER, I NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO THE ROOM BECAUSE THEY HAVE MADE THE ROOM THAT WE WOULD HAVE USED AS A GYM. SO THERE THEY ARE, OUT OF THE PICTURE. SO I HAD SUGGESTED TO THE COUNTY THAT WE LOOK AT OTTO KAUFMAN, AND I HAD A FURTHER DISCUSSION WITH MAYOR SINGH, AND I'M LOOKING INTO THE SAINT CHARLES. SAINT CHARLES. YES. TO SEE IF THAT'S A POTENTIAL, POTENTIAL SITE. BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT. OKAY. YEAH. THEY DO HAVE A BIG ROOM THAT THEY USE FOR THE BOY SCOUT EVENTS. SO MAYBE IF THEY FALL WITHIN, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

IT'S TWO IT'S TWO DISTRICTS, ABOUT 1700 VOTERS. THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS DID MAKE A SITE INSPECTION. SHOULD I KEEP GOING? OH. OH. KEEP GOING. THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS DID MAKE A SITE INSPECTION TO OTTO KAUFMAN. THEIR ONLY CONCERN WAS THE PARKING. BUT WITH EARLY VOTING AND VOTE BY MAIL, WE WE'RE. WE MAY HAVE NO CHOICE. I MAY HAVE THE OTHER. THE OTHER SUGGESTION WAS THE FIREHOUSE, BUT I DON'T THINK THE SPACE WOULD ACCOMMODATE TWO OTHER DISTRICTS WITH EIGHT MORE VOTING, YOU KNOW, EIGHT MORE POLL WORKERS AND TWO MORE MACHINES. I JUST THINK THAT ROOM IS TOO SMALL. SO PLEASE UPDATE US. I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED. THANK YOU. COMMEMORATIVE STREET SIGN. OKAY. SO A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THAT. THE VETERANS MEMORIAL COMMITTEE HAS REQUESTED TO PLACE A COMMEMORATIVE SIGN FOR A MONTGOMERY VETERAN KILLED IN ACTION. VETERAN IN VIETNAM ON, I BELIEVE, COMMUNITY DRIVE. SO THIS IS BEFORE THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE FOR CONSIDERATION. IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND THAT THEY ARE LOOKING TO. THE SIGN IS READY, AND WE'RE SEEKING PERMISSION TO INSTALL THE SIGN. WE DO NOT HAVE A POLICY. AND ATTORNEY RUBENSTEIN IS GOING TO TALK TO TALK TO THAT. SO JUST AS A GENERAL, IT'S NOT CHANGING THE ACTUAL NAME OF THE STREET. SO THERE'S NO NEED TO GET ANY KIND OF OTHER APPROVALS FROM COUNTY STATE ENTITIES, ETCETERA. THERE'S IT WOULD BE A COMMEMORATIVE SIGN UNDERNEATH THE EXISTING STREET SIGN. SO MAIL PURPOSES FOR ALL THOSE PURPOSES, IT'S STILL A COMMUNITY DRIVE, BUT IT WOULD BE STEPHEN WARNER WAY. I BELIEVE IT WAS RIGHT. OKAY. STEPHEN WARNER WAY.

AND WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT THEY, THE VETERANS MEMORIAL COMMITTEE HAS SENT WITH SOMETHING ABOUT.

STEVE WARNER. THE HE'S OUR THE ONLY MONTGOMERY RESIDENT WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. OH, OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT PROHIBITS THIS. AS THE CLERK ALLUDED TO THERE. WE DON'T HAVE A POLICY IN PLACE, BUT CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE A ONE OFF. OR WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A POLICY. WHETHER IT'S AN INCENTIVE TO HONOR OUR VETERANS OR A BROADER POLICY OR A MORE NARROW POLICY. WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT THAT IN THE FUTURE. BUT AT THE PRESENT TIME, THIS IS A REQUEST THAT'S BEING MADE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. OKAY. SO YEAH. ARE THERE ANY I GUESS, ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS? DO YOU WANT TO CARRY THE DISCUSSION? YEAH. LET'S JUST GIVE EVERYONE YOU KNOW UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING

[01:00:04]

AND YOUR SUGGESTION TO SEND A POSTCARD TO EVERY HOUSE WAS I THINK AND I'VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO SAID THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW THAT THEY HAD TO RENEW THE LICENSE EVERY YEAR. SO I THINK THAT'S THAT'S GREAT AND KUDOS TO YOU. AND OF COURSE, YOU WANT TO GET THIS. YOU KNOW, THAT NUMBER WHICH SEEMS TO BE RISING EVERY TIME WE TALK. SO THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED TO REMIND RESIDENTS THERE IS A FREE RABIES CLINIC THIS SUNDAY AT OTTO KAUFMAN COMMUNITY CENTER, 356 GILMAN ROAD, FROM NOON TO NINE TO NOON FOR FREE. RABIES. THANK YOU. LASTLY, JUST WANT TO REMIND RESIDENTS THAT THE NEW JERSEY MOTOR VEHICLE MOBILE UNIT WILL BE COMING TO THE TOWNSHIP APRIL 23RD FROM 9 TO 2. THE APPOINTMENTS OPEN ABOUT ON OR ABOUT MARCH 23RD. SO JUST WE'RE GIVING YOU A HEADS UP TO JUST WATCH FOR THE OPENINGS OF THOSE APPOINTMENTS BECAUSE THEY ARE LIMITED AND THEY ARE SET BY MOTOR VEHICLE. THE MUNICIPALITY DOESN'T REALLY HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THE NUMBER OF APPOINTMENTS THAT WE GET THAT THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND OF COURSE, IF RESIDENTS HAVE A PRE DATE THAT THEY CAN START HOPEFULLY. YEAH THAT'S WHY WE'RE KEEPING KEEP THEM. WE WILL BE PUSHING THE OUTREACH THROUGH THE PROBABLY ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE WE'LL, WE'LL PUSH OUT SOME COMMUNICATION THROUGH THE NIXLE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL MEDIA.

WE'LL GET THAT OUT. THANK YOU. SO. I CAN'T SPEAK RIGHT NOW. NO YOU CAN'T. OKAY. IS HE. NO.

OKAY. YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? LISA? NO. I'M DONE. OKAY. THANK YOU. WE'LL

[23. Township Committee Reports ]

I MEAN, HIS ENTIRE FAMILY. I MEAN, I'M STILL IN SHOCK. SO. IT'S HARD TO TRANSITION NEXT. SO I'M TRANSITION. SO AT COMMITTEE I WANT TO JUST SWITCH OVER. IS THE WE HAD A GUEST SPEAKER FROM AMERICAN FARMLAND AND FARMLAND TRUST. PETER CORTEZ WHO TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF FARM PRESERVATION SUPPORTING BETWEEN STATE AND OUR LOCAL COUNTY AND TOWNSHIP. THE UPCOMING EVENTS ARE APRIL 12TH FOR A STREAM CLEANUP AND APRIL 27TH OF OUR EARTH DAY FAIR. AND OUR NEXT MEETING IS MARCH 10TH AT 8:30 A.M. MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE. I WANTED TO CORRECT MYSELF LAST TIME I, I DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD A CHAIR BECAUSE I JUST STARTED MUNICIPAL LINES, BUT LORI HUFF IS OUR CHAIR. SO I'D LIKE TO CONGRATULATE HER. AND WE TALKED ABOUT HEART HEALTH MONTH. ABOUT 65% OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE DEATHS WERE RELATED TO ALCOHOL AND FOLLOWED BY OPIOIDS. OPIOIDS. SO PLEASE, YOU KNOW, BE WARY OF YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GET A HEART ATTACK FROM, YOU KNOW, ALCOHOL AND DRUGS. THE NEXT MEETING FOR MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE IS MARCH 10TH AT 7 P.M, AND THE EDC MEETINGS WE PROMOTED ABOUT WE TALKED ABOUT PROMOTING LOCAL BUSINESSES, RESTAURANT WEEK, JOB FAIR, THE SBA. WE HAVE A SEMINAR

[01:05:02]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES. LAST MEETING I GIVE AN UPDATE ON THE VETERANS MEMORIAL COMMITTEE.

NEXT WEEK WAS SCHEDULED TO HAVE OUR LANDMARKS COMMISSION, BUT THAT MEANS BEING CANCELED. I WAS JUST PROBABLY. AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, DURING THE BUDGET UPDATE, YOU KNOW, OUR BUDGET FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS HAVE KICKED OFF. SO WE JUST HAD OUR FIRST MEETING WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE ACTUALLY HAVE ANOTHER MEETING TOMORROW AFTERNOON, I BELIEVE. MAYOR. SO YEAH, I MEAN, JUST, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY PROVIDE A BETTER UPDATE WHEN WE HAVE A COUPLE MORE MEETINGS ON CALENDAR. BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF NEEDS OBVIOUSLY ACROSS THE, THE TOWN.

YOU KNOW, ALL REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE WORKING TO MAKE SURE WE, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIZE. YOU KNOW, OUR RESIDENTS, OUR EMPLOYEES. ALSO MANAGING YOU KNOW YOU KNOW THE COST IMPACTS OF, YOU KNOW, TAX RATES ETCETERA. SO WE'LL PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT BETTER UPDATE AS WE GET A COUPLE MORE UNDER OUR BELTS. I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. I WANTED TO START WITH AN EVENT WE WERE AT YESTERDAY. THAT OUR PD INITIATED AND DID WITH THE MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL. IT WAS CALLED THINK FAST INITIATIVE, AND IT WAS ABOUT FOR THE FOCUS ON THAT WAS THE JUNIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND DISTRACTED DRIVING AND IMPAIRED DRIVING. AND THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT'S BEEN DEVELOPED IN 1997.

AND THE TOPICS THAT WERE DISCUSSED WERE UNDERAGE DRINKING, TRAFFIC SAFETY, DISTRACTED DRIVING, AND THE AUDIENCE RESPONSE OF THE JUNIORS. THEY ACTUALLY WERE REALLY ENGAGED. THIS WAS A WELL THOUGHT OUT PROCESS WHERE THEY HAD A DJ, THEY HAD GAMES SO YOU COULD GET THE JUNIORS WHO USUALLY SIT IN ASSEMBLY OR, YOU KNOW, JUST LOOKING THROUGH THEIR PHONES BECAUSE THEY'RE SO BORED. BUT THIS WAS A REALLY NICE PROGRAM WHERE THEY HAD GAMES WHERE KIDS WERE WINNING AMAZON GIFT CARDS IF THEY ANSWERED SOMETHING. RIGHT. SO I IT I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR JUNIORS WILL BE GETTING THEIR LICENSES. ARE AWARE OF WHAT WHAT YOU KNOW, THE HARM OF DISTRACTED DRIVING AND IMPAIRED DRIVING. SO THAT WAS YESTERDAY AND WE WERE THERE AT 930. THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO BRING UP TO EVERYBODY WAS THAT WE HAVE BEEN TELLING ALL THE RESIDENTS THAT IF YOU'RE SEEING DRONES IN THE SKY, THAT IS FOR THE DEER POPULATION SURVEY. I THINK OUR COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT HAS PUT OUT A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THAT. AND THIS POPULATION STUDIES TO DETERMINE THE SIZE OF THE HERD THROUGHOUT THE MUNICIPALITY. SO IF YOU SEE AND, YOU KNOW, AFTER THE DRONE SITUATION WE'VE ALL HEARD IN THE PAST MONTHS, EVERYBODY'S CONCERNED. BUT THIS IS THEY'RE CONDUCTING THE STUDY AT NIGHT, USING INFRARED PHOTOGRAPHY TO COUNT DEER POPULATIONS. NOW TO FEB 25TH. SO YOU'LL STILL SEE THEM. BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE THOSE ARE THE DRONES FOR THE DEER. WE ALSO HAD OUR RECREATION COMMITTEE ON FEBRUARY MEETING ON FEBRUARY 11TH. AS YOU KNOW, THE DEPUTY MAYOR MENTIONED. AND HE. OH, OKAY. YEAH. MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, THE THERE IS DEFINITELY ACTION ON THE PLAYGROUND AND IT'S MOVING

[01:10:04]