Mar 19, 2026 Township Committee

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READY. MICS ARE LIVE. DID YOU DID. YOU DIDN'T GO TO VIETNAM. YOU DID. OH, GREAT. MEETING.

[CALL TO ORDER]

NOTICE OF MEETING AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT. ADEQUATE NOTICE OF THIS MEETING WAS PROVIDED ON JANUARY 12TH, 2026 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. OKAY. PRESENTATION. SOLAR PANELS AT

[1. Presentation – Solar Panels at Township-owned Properties – Talva Energy ]

WELL, IT'S COMING UP. I'LL JUST DO A QUICK RECAP. YEAH. PLEASE DO. WHAT'S THAT? I SAID PLEASE DO. THANK YOU. YES. SO ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, 12 ENERGY WAS CONTRACTED BY THE THE TOWNSHIP TO DO A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A VARIETY OF THE BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES TO SEE WHERE SOLAR ENERGY WOULD MAKE THE MOST SENSE, WHERE IT WOULD WORK, WHERE IT WOULDN'T WORK.

SO WE DID THAT. AND THEN ROUGHLY A FEW MONTHS AGO, WE WERE ASKED TO OH, THANKS.

ROUGHLY A FEW MONTHS AGO, WE WERE ASKED TO UPDATE THAT STUDY IN WHICH WE DID. AND A FEW WEEKS AGO, I CAME BACK AND PRESENTED A VERY A SMALL PORTION OF THAT. IN TURN, WE WERE ASKED TO COME BACK AND PRESENT EVERYTHING THAT WE SAW MOST. MOSTLY EVERYTHING THAT WE THAT WE LOOKED AT. SO HERE I AM TODAY. SO TO THAT POINT, I WILL JUST MOVE THIS ALONG. WE LOOKED AT THIS LAST TIME. THESE ARE JUST SOME REFERENCES AS WE WERE ASKED TO PUT UP THEIR DIFFERENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS, MUNICIPAL UTILITY AUTHORITIES AND TOWNSHIPS. WE WORK WITH AND HAVE WORKED WITH. SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN LOOKING AT THE SITES. THE SITES INCLUDED. THE FOCAL POINT OF. WHAT YOU'LL SEE HERE ARE THE OF THE SITES ARE THE MUNICIPAL OFFICES, THE SKILLMAN WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AND THE OXBRIDGE PUMP STATION. WE DID LOOK AT TWO WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS AND TWO PUMP STATIONS. THE ANALYSIS FOR THOSE WERE BOTH VERY SIMILAR IN IN SYSTEM SIZE AND FINANCIALS.

SO WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF ONE EACH HERE TODAY. AND THE MUNICIPAL OFFICES HAS A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS IN WHICH YOU COULD MOVE FORWARD WITH. WE LOOKED AT THE ELECTRICAL USAGE.

WE LOOKED AT THE SITES, THEIR ELECTRIC CHARACTERISTICS, THE THE VOLTAGE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR, YOUR SERVICE COMING IN. WE ANALYZED, YOU KNOW, TOOK ALL THE INCENTIVES, ALL OF THE FINANCES INTO CONSIDERATION, PROVIDED FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. ONE ITEM THAT CAME UP SINCE THAT ORIGINAL STUDY WAS DONE, THE STATE RELEASED A REMOTE NET METERING PROGRAM FOR MUNICIPAL ENTITIES ONLY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHICH IS WHICH IS GREAT. ONE CHANGE I ACTUALLY, SINCE TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN I SAID THAT NON-EXPORT SITES THAT WEREN'T ALLOWED TO EXPORT, WHICH WE CALL NON-EXPORT SITES, WERE IN JEOPARDY OF NOT BEING ABLE TO MONETIZE SRECS. RIGHT. SHREK IS THE SOLAR RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATE THAT THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY HAS. JUST LAST WEEK WE HAD AN EMAIL FROM THE BPU ABOUT PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE BEING BUILT THAT ARE NON-EXPORT SAYING THAT IT LOOKS LIKE THEY WILL CHANGE THEIR MIND AND ALLOW THOSE SITES TO OBTAIN SRECS. THAT'S STILL NOT FINAL, BUT THERE'S A STRAW PROPOSAL OUT ABOUT THE TOPIC OR COMING OUT SOON, IN WHICH THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE INDUSTRY WILL HAVE A SAY, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OPINIONS AND THEN THE BPU. I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THE BPU CHANGES THAT. AGAIN, WHEN THEY REACH OUT TO SAY ON THEIR OWN TO SAY SOMETHING, IT'S USUALLY BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT. SO THAT DOES PUT ONE MORE OPTION BACK ON THE TABLE. SO THE EVER CHANGING, YOU KNOW, INCENTIVES, POLICIES, INTERCONNECTION, UTILITY RULES THAT WE DEAL WITH EVERY DAY, EVERY WEEK, EVERY, EVERY YEAR IN ALL OUR PROJECTS, THEY, THEY CHANGE OFTEN. SO NEVERTHELESS, THAT'S ONE UPDATE TO THE NON-EXPORT SITUATION AT THIS TIME. ADAM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION. IS THAT BECAUSE OF GOVERNOR SHERYL'S FOCUS ON ENERGY AND SHE'S, YOU KNOW, COULD BE. OKAY, I HAVE NO IDEA. WE WE TAKE WHAT WE GET. WE DON'T ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS. WE TRY NOT TO. I UNDERSTAND, I DO, BUT YEAH, IT VERY WELL MAY BE. BUT, YOU KNOW, IRONICALLY, THEY FIRST SAID YOU COULDN'T DO THAT IN JANUARY AND NOW THEY'RE SAYING YOU CAN DO IT IN MARCH. SO. OKAY, I DON'T KNOW. YEAH. SO THAT'S A SUMMARY THERE. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, TO THAT POINT, EVERY UTILITY IN NEW JERSEY HAS A DISTRIBUTION CIRCUIT OVERVIEW

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YEP. AND FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS AS WE GO. JUST MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER. SO THEN THIS IS THE FINANCIAL ANALYSIS, THE FINANCIAL PROFORMA. WE IN AN OWNERSHIP MODEL, YOU WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTAIN COMPONENT REPLACEMENTS AS WELL AS OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.

SO THOSE ARE FACTORED IN. YOUR OUT OF POCKET COST WOULD BE 1.8 MILLION. THAT WOULD YOU WOULD PAY YOURSELF BACK IN ROUGHLY SEVEN YEARS. THAT'S PAID BACK THROUGH THE FEDERAL INVESTMENT TAX CREDIT OR THE DIRECT PAYMENT OF THAT TAX CREDIT. THE CORRECT VALUE, WHICH IS SPREAD OUT OVER 15 YEARS, AND THE VALUE OF SOLAR, WHICH IS YOUR ELECTRICITY SAVINGS. LET'S JUST SAY $3,000 PER YEAR, $3,000 PER YEAR IN OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS IS AN ESTIMATE RIGHT NOW. SO THAT USUALLY THERE'S, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY YOU DON'T HAVE THAT. I DIDN'T PENCIL IT IN UNTIL YEAR FIVE, YEAR ONE THROUGH FIVE. YOU WILL HAVE AN INSTALLATION WARRANTY FROM YOUR INSTALLER. ADAM, COULD YOU PULL THE MIC A LITTLE CLOSER TO YOU? YEP.

SORRY. YEAH, JUST MAKING SURE THAT YEAH. SO YEAH, YEARS ONE THROUGH FIVE, YOU WILL BE UNDER INSTALLATION WARRANTY. SO TYPICALLY YOU DON'T NEED MUCH OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE BECAUSE YOUR INSTALLER WILL BE MONITORING THE SYSTEM. AND ONCE IT'S UP AND RUNNING, THERE ARE VERY LITTLE ISSUES. SO YEAR FIVE WE STARTED IT AND YOU COULD PLAY WITH THESE NUMBERS A LITTLE BIT. THESE ARE ESTIMATES. BUT YEAH, TWO TRUCK ROLLS A YEAR, YOU KNOW ONE BEFORE THE WINTER, ONE AT THE END OF THE WINTER. AND THEN AT YEAR TEN, IT COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM YEAR 10 TO 15 THAT THE INVERTERS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. BUT WE MARKED IT IN HERE AT YEAR TEN. THAT'S USUALLY YOU GET A TEN YEAR WARRANTY. THEY COULD GO LONGER, BUT TYPICALLY TEN TO YEAR, 10 TO 15 YEAR INVERTERS WILL GO OKAY. SO THIS IS THE OWNERSHIP MODEL. THIS IS THE OWNERSHIP MODEL FOR THE CARPORT ONLY. OKAY. JUST THE CARPORT. OKAY. IS THIS IS THE LEASE MODEL. SO I HAVE A, I HAVE A PPA MODEL FOR. SO THE REASON WHY, AND I'LL GO OVER ALL THE, THE, YOU KNOW, SCENARIOS AT THE END, IT IS GOING TO BE TOUGH TO GET A PPA FOR A NON-EXPORT CARPORT. OKAY. YOU MAY BE ABLE TO ALONE. YOU'D GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND IT WOULD BE A VERY.

IT WOULDN'T BE THAT COMPETITIVE OF A PROCESS. FROM WHAT WE SEE, 1 OR 2 PROPOSERS MAY PROPOSE THE RATE. WOULDN'T BE THAT LOW. IT WOULD PROBABLY BE CLOSE TO WHAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY PAYING FOR. JUST A CARPORT. THAT'S NON-EXPORT. OKAY. SO YEAH, THIS IS A SUMMARY OF WHAT I JUST HIT ON THERE. ANY QUESTIONS? FEEL FREE TO ASK. WE DIDN'T SEE THIS LAST TIME BECAUSE YOU WERE YOU WERE CORRECT. REALLY FOCUSED ON PPA. LAST TIME I WAS FOCUSED ON THE PPA SCENARIO, WHICH WAS DISCUSSED BETWEEN THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT WE WERE WORKING FOR. RIGHT? IT WASN'T THE COUNCIL, IT WAS THE THE FACILITIES GUYS, THE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR, THE, YOU KNOW, THEY AFTER REVIEWING ALL THIS INTERNALLY, WE WERE TOLD TO JUST PRESENT THE REMOTE NET

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YEAH. SO THESE ARE THE OTHER OTHER OPTIONS I BELIEVE YOU ASKED FOR TO, YOU KNOW, TO SEE.

SO YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, MAKE A FULL DECISION. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT. SO I JUST WENT TO THE ROOF MOUNT HERE. SO IT IS, IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP BY, I THINK MOST OF THE FACILITIES DEPARTMENT THAT THEY'RE NOT EXCITED ABOUT A ROOF ARRAY. THERE ARE LEAKS ON THIS ROOF.

RIGHT. SURE. THAT COULD BE REMEDIED. AND AND WE DO PUT SOLAR ON ROOFS ALL THE TIME.

AND THERE YOU KNOW, THERE ARE WAYS TO GO ABOUT THAT SAFELY. AND WHAT WAS THE, I GUESS THE REASON FOR NOT DOING IT WHEN THE BUILDING WAS FIRST CONSTRUCTED? DOES ANYONE KNOW THE HISTORY OF THAT? WE JUST WEREN'T READY TO GO FORWARD WITH SOLAR WHEN THE BUILDING WAS CONSTRUCTED. I THINK IT WAS COST PROHIBITIVE AT THE TIME. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY HAD TAKEN OUT OF THE BID, BUT WE WE DID NOT CONSTRUCT THE BUILDING THAT WAS SOMERSET COUNTY IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY. SO I I'M NOT I MIGHT NOT KNOW EXACTLY THE ANSWER. OKAY. THE REASONING WAS ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION. DID YOU WANT TO JUST COME TO THE PODIUM AND THAT. GRACE. GREG, IN THE END, YOU WILL COME. OKAY. SO FOR THE ROOF MOUNTED SYSTEM, WE WOULD WORK WITH THE ROOFING MANUFACTURER TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SLIP SHEET PENETRATION PENETRATION REQUIREMENTS ARE MET. SO THE WARRANTY STAYS IN PLACE. THERE WOULD BE A PRE AND POST SOLAR INSPECTION BY THE ROOF MANUFACTURER. THEY WOULD HAVE TO AND THEY SHOULD BE DOING THIS FOR YOU ANYWAY. FIX WHATEVER ISSUES THERE ARE UNDER WARRANTY WITH YOUR ROOF BEFORE YOU PUT SOLAR ON IT. NEVERTHELESS, THIS IS A SMALLER SYSTEM SIZE ABOUT 250 KW ALL ON THE ROOF, WHAT WE CALL A BALLASTED ARRAY, WHICH MEANS THAT THE PANELS ARE ON A RACK, WHICH IS BALLASTED DOWN BY BALLAST BLOCKS, SO IT REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF PENETRATIONS NEEDED. PROBABLY WON'T ELIMINATE IT, BUT IT WOULD REDUCE IT. ALL THAT ENGINEERING WOULD BE DONE BEFORE ANY SYSTEM WOULD BE INSTALLED. SO THIS PRODUCES 320,000 KILOWATT HOURS A YEAR, YEAR ONE. AND IT OFFSETS 33% OF THIS BUILDING'S LOAD. AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SLIDE, I DID ALSO WANT TO JUST MENTION JEFF BIRKELAND, OUR DPW DIRECTOR, WASN'T ABLE TO BE HERE TONIGHT, BUT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF MAINTENANCE THAT GOES ON IN OUR ROOF MOUNTED HVAC SYSTEMS WITH FILTERS THAT NEED TO BE CHANGED. SO SOME OF THESE MIGHT BE HAD WOULD HAVE TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE PLAN TO FACILITATE THAT WORK THAT THAT HAPPENS UP ON THE ROOF AND THE ROOM THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO DO THAT. SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING YOU THAT. YEAH, THIS IS THE MOST YOU COULD PROBABLY GET UP THERE. WE DO. WE DO INCORPORATE SETBACKS AROUND EQUIPMENT ALREADY, AS YOU CAN SEE. BUT YEAH, YOU MIGHT THERE MAY BE THERE MAY NEED TO BE SOME MORE. SO THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE HERE BECAUSE ROOF ARRAYS COST LESS THAN CARPORTS. THERE'S LESS STEEL, THERE'S LESS CONSTRUCTION. THE PAYBACK IS SHORTER AT 5.4 YEARS. YOU KNOW, YOU OWN THE SYSTEM. IT'S THERE. YEAH. SO THE ROOF YOU WOULD PROBABLY IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T LAST 30 YEARS UP THERE. YOU'D BE YOU'D NEED TO REPLACE YOUR ROOF 20 TO 25 YEARS. SO THIS MAY IN THEORY BE CUT SHORT RIGHT AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE 20 YEAR MARK HERE, IF THAT ROOF IS ALREADY A FEW YEARS OLD, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE CUMULATIVE CASH FLOW BASED ON THE SAME FACTORS. OKAY. AND THEN YEP, A SUMMARY HERE, 5.4 YEARS BEFORE YOU PAY YOURSELF BACK. AND THEN OVER THE COURSE OF 30 YEARS, YOU WOULD HAVE PUT IN YOUR BETWEEN THE SAVINGS AND SREC VALUE AND, AND TAX CREDIT, 1.7 MILLION. SO WE LOOKED AT TWO WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS. BOTH WERE VERY SIMILAR IN SIZE. I JUST FIGURED SUMMARIZE THEM. I'LL SHOW ONE AS AN EXAMPLE. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHY THESE WERE DECIDED AGAINST, BUT ESSENTIALLY WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS, IT WAS DECIDED WE DIDN'T WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE. BUT THESE ARE ALL ROOF ARRAYS, I BELIEVE. AND THE OTHER SITE WAS PINEBROOK. SO PINEBROOK AND SKILLMAN BOTH HAD A ROOF ARRAY VERY SIMILAR TO THIS. I THINK PINEBROOK WAS A LITTLE BIT SMALLER IN SIZE, BUT THE NUMBERS LOOK VERY SIMILAR. THIS IS BEHIND THE METER TIED INTO THE BUILDING. SO THIS THIS ROOF RIGHT HERE IS 150 KW PRODUCES ROUGHLY 170,000 KILOWATT HOURS A YEAR AND OFFSETS 26% OF THE FACILITY'S LOAD. AND SIMILAR BUT A LITTLE BIT LONGER PAYBACK HERE FOR. THAT SYSTEM. SIX, SEVEN YEARS, SIX YEARS. YOU

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HERE'S THE PUMP STATION. THE PUMP STATION. THIS OFFSETS 100% OF THE USE, WHICH IS NICE. JUST SO JUST A SMALL ARRAY RIGHT THERE WOULD OFFSET ALL OF THE USE. THIS WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD OF AN INSTALLATION THAN THE RIVERSIDE PUMP STATION. THE RIVERSIDE PUMP STATION WOULD HAVE, WOULD HAVE HAD TO CLEAR SOME DEAD TREES AND DO SOME GRADING IF THAT ONE WERE TO WORK. BUT IT WAS ALMOST THE SAME SIZE, SAME FINANCIALS. SO WE JUST DECIDED TO SHOW YOU ONE OF THEM. THIS ONE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT EASIER TO INSTALL THAN THAN THE RIVERSIDE BECAUSE THE LANDS ALREADY GRADED AND CLEARED AND ACTUALLY FENCED IN TOO. SO 96 KW, DC 121,400 KILOWATT HOURS A YEAR OFFSETS ALL OF THE USE. SO PAYBACK 6.7 YEARS. WHEN YOU DO A GROUND ARRAY, YOU HAVE A LOWER VALUE FOR IT. HENCE THE LONGER PAYBACK FOR THIS ONE AND THE OTHER PUMP STATION. AND YOU KNOW, RELATIVE NUMBERS ACROSS THE BOARD AS THE OTHER OWNERSHIP MODELS. SO THOSE PROJECTS ALONE, YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO COMPARE TO A PPA BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU JUST DO ONE OF THOSE, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET A PPA PROVIDER. YOU VERY WELL MAY NOT. IT COULD BE OKAY. BUT IF YOU COMBINED ALL OF THEM, YOU COULD THAT WAS NEVER DISCUSSED. AND THAT THAT COULD BE AN OPTION THAT'S NOT INCLUDED HERE. BUT REALLY, IF YOU'RE GOING WITH THE PPA, THE REMOTE NET METERED OPTION IS IS GOING TO BE MUCH MORE VALUABLE FOR YOU UNLESS YOU DIDN'T WANT TO USE THAT SPACE THAT'S PROJECTED THERE. AND JUST TO TOUCH ON THAT BEFORE I, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE NUMBERS HERE ARE ALL WHAT WE JUST SAW JUST IN SUMMARY, ANY QUESTIONS? NO. OKAY, SO HERE IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT LAST TIME, RIGHT? SO COMPARE ALL OF THAT TO THESE AGAIN. SO THIS IS REMOTE NET METERED GROUND AND CARPORT AT THE MUNICIPAL OFFICES. I'LL SHOW YOU BOTH A PPA MODEL AND A OWNERSHIP MODEL HERE TO COMPARE APPLES TO APPLES, CARPORT AND GROUND. I JUST I GOT IN A LITTLE BIT EARLY AND WALKED BACK THERE BEFORE THE MEETING. AND YOU KNOW, THE ARRAY ON THE LEFT IS, YOU KNOW, COMPLETELY WOULD BE WITHOUT CHANGING ANYTHING ON SITE, COMPLETELY OUT OF THE EYE OF ANYONE DRIVING DOWN. 206 RIGHT. YOU WOULDN'T SEE THAT AT ALL, FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, MAYBE IN THE WINTER A LITTLE BIT, BUT NEVERTHELESS, THAT LOOKS LIKE IT WOULD BE PRETTY TUCKED IN THE CARPORT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ALREADY. WE KNOW THAT THE TOWNSHIP IS INTERESTED IN THAT. AND THEN THE UPPER ARRAY ON THE RIGHT, I THINK THERE WERE ABOUT ONE TREE THAT WOULD NEED TO BE CLEARED IN ORDER TO PUT THAT THERE. WE MAY PULL IT BACK. YOU KNOW, AFTER MORE ENGINEERING IS DONE, IT MAY SHIFT AROUND A LITTLE BIT TO GO FURTHER AWAY FROM THAT TREE LINE TO REDUCE SHADING. BUT AGAIN, TO THAT POINT, YEAH, THE THERE COULD ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT. AND THEY'RE OFTEN ARE WITH LARGE GROUND ARRAYS, A ROW OF EVERGREEN TREES OF SOME SORT TO, YOU KNOW, ACT AS A BLINDER TO THOSE WHO ARE DRIVING BY. THEY MAY NOT KNOW IT'S THERE, BUT IN NEW JERSEY, IN THIS AREA, WE DRIVE BY GROUND TO RAISE ALL THE TIME, RIGHT? WE SEE THEM EVERYWHERE. IF SOMEBODY THINKS TWICE, THEY MAY THINK SOMETHING OF IT. OTHERWISE THEY'RE JUST ALMOST AN AFTERTHOUGHT. SO WE DID HAVE THAT, AND WE MAY WANT TO PULL THAT ALSO BACK A LITTLE BIT, DEPENDING ON THE ENGINEERING AND WHERE YOU WANT IT FROM THE EDGE OF THE PARKING LOT THERE. I THINK WE GAVE IT A GOOD 20 FOOT BUFFER. BUT NEVERTHELESS, YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S THE WAY THAT THAT ARRAY IS LAID OUT. SO IN THIS INSTANCE, RIGHT, WE TALKED ABOUT TYING IN OR I SAY TYING IN LIKE THE TYING INTO THE TO THE GRID ON THE NORTH END WHERE THAT. THREE PHASE LINE, IT'S NOT HITTING ANY OPEN SPACE.

RIGHT. PARDON? IT'S NOT IT'S NOT TOUCHING OPEN SPACE. YEAH. AS PER YOUR OPEN WE ARE NOT TOUCHING THE OPEN SPACE RIGHT NOW. NO, THE THERE IS SOME THOUGHT THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO IF YOU WANTED, BUT I THINK YOU HAVE ENOUGH ROOM HERE. SO WHERE IS THE OPEN SPACE? IS IT JUST

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SO THERE WAS A PRE WHEN WE PURCHASED THE PROPERTY, WHEN THE COUNTY PURCHASED THE PROPERTY, THERE'S A PREEXISTING KIND OF SLIVER OF CONSERVATION EASEMENT THAT RUNS FROM THE TOP OF THE, THE, THE PROPERTY ALL THE WAY DOWN. AND THAT THE, THE EDGE OF THIS SOLAR ARRAY ON THE 206 SIDE MEETS WHERE THAT EASEMENT WOULD BE. AND THEN FOLLOWING THE CURSOR DOWN. AND THEN AS YOU GO TO THE RIGHT, THERE IS A PIE SHAPED PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT THE TOWNSHIP OWNED FROM WHEN CONVATEC WAS HERE, AND IT'S ON OUR GREEN ACRES INVENTORY. SO THERE'S TWO TWO TYPES OF OPEN SPACE. BUT THE QUESTION WAS, ONE, I CAN'T REMEMBER. THERE WAS A TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBER WHO HAD MENTIONED THAT SOMEONE AT THE COUNTY HAD MENTIONED ABOUT SOLAR PANELS PERMITTED IN OPEN SPACE. WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO VERIFY THAT. SO WE'RE NOT PROPOSING ANY PANELS IN THE DEED RESTRICTED, YOU KNOW, OR GREEN ACRES AREAS. BUT ADAM HAD REFERENCED JUST THAT QUESTION HAD COME UP. IF WE COULD LOOK INTO THAT. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET AN ANSWER YET ON THAT. YEAH, THAT WOULD BE MORE WORK INVOLVED IN THAT THAN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE DOING JUST YET. WOULD IT BE DESIRED. I DON'T KNOW IF IT SHOULD. I MEAN, FROM OUR END I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THE. YEAH. NO, I THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. OKAY. YEAH. RIGHT. YEAH. AS OF NOW WE'RE STAYING OFF THE OPEN SPACE AND THAT'S GOOD UNLESS ANYONE SAYS OTHERWISE. THAT'S THE PLAN, RIGHT? SO, SO HERE ARE SOME PICTURES THAT ACTUALLY, LAURA, YOU PROVIDED EARLIER OF THE GOOGLE EARTH IMAGES FROM THE ROAD FROM 2006. AND OBVIOUSLY IT LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENT IN THE SPRING OR SUMMER THAN IT DOES RIGHT NOW. BUT THAT'S TRUE. YOU KNOW, JUST I THINK THERE WAS A QUESTION OF WHERE THE CARPORT WOULD BE AND IF IT WOULD IMPACT THE, THE, THE, THE ESTHETICS OF THE BUILDING. SO THIS IS A VIEW OF THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING, WHICH THE CARPORT IS BEHIND THE FRONT OF THE. SO IT'S NOT IMPACTING THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING BECAUSE I, I THINK THAT WOULD BE A CONCERN TO GO BACK ONE SLIDE. RIGHT. YOU WOULDN'T. YEAH. THE WAY IT IS, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SEE A PIECE OF THE. YES. IT'S IT'S LITERALLY NOT SEEN FROM THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING. IT'S IT'S ALL IN THE BACK. OKAY. RIGHT. THAT IMAGE WAS WAS FROM RIGHT HERE. SO YOU WOULDN'T SEE ANYTHING FROM THAT, THAT SIDE COULD FROM OVER HERE. WHAT WOULD YOU SEE FROM 206. PARDON.

WHAT WOULD YOU SEE FROM 206. I BELIEVE THIS IS THE IMAGE FROM 206. RIGHT. SO THESE ARE THE IMAGES FROM 206. SO YOU COULD SEE WHERE THE PARKING ARRAY IS AT THE BACK OF THE BUILDING.

THAT WOULD HAVE A CARPORT OVER IT. AND THEN IN THE TOP LEFT, YOU CAN SEE SORT OF THE UPPER FIELD, AND IT WOULD BE UP AGAINST THOSE TREES, THOSE TREES OVER THERE. YEAH. OKAY.

SO WE HAVE AGAINST THOSE TREES. AND THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CARPORT, YOU COULD PLANT SOME EVERGREENS THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, SHADE BLOCK IT FROM, FROM THE VIEW. THAT'S VERY COMMON. I NOT FOR NOTHING. YOU'LL PUT A BUNCH OF EVERGREENS UP AND A HANDFUL OF THEM WILL PROBABLY DIE THE FIRST YEAR. RIGHT. AND THEN YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND DO THEM AGAIN. WE'VE ALL SEEN THAT.

BUT YEAH, IT'S PRETTY COMMON. SO I THINK, YEAH, LOOKING AT THESE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE IMAGES? NO THANK YOU. OKAY. SO THIS IS THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE TO OWN AND OPERATE THAT THAT SIZE ARRAY, RIGHT. WHICH IS PRETTY LARGE. YOU KNOW, KEEP IN MIND, YOU COULD SCALE IT BACK. YOU COULD DO JUST THE GROUND. YOU COULD DO IN THEORY, JUST THE CARPORT, BUT THAT WOULD BE A LONG, A LONG RUN WHERE SOME OF THE GROUND IN THE CARPORT, BUT THIS IS ALL THE GROUND IN THE CARPORT OUT OF POCKET, 6.7 MILLION. TO FEDERAL TAX CREDIT OF 30% OF THAT, ROUGHLY $10,000 PER YEAR OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS AND $300,000 INVERTER REPLACEMENT AT YEAR TEN PAY BACK IN JUST UNDER SIX YEARS. SO YOUR SREC VALUES FOR 15 YEARS. VALUE OF SOLAR, WHICH IS YOUR ELECTRICITY SAVINGS OFF, OFFSETTING 11.5 CENTS TO $0.00, YOU WOULD STILL BE PAYING KW CHARGES, DEMAND CHARGES TO THE UTILITY, BUT ALL OF YOUR KILOWATT HOUR CHARGES BE REDUCED TO ZERO FOR THE AMOUNT OF SOLAR THAT'S BEING PRODUCED.

AND THAT'S A LOT MORE SOLAR THAN YOU NEED HERE. SO I BELIEVE, AND I FORGOT TO I THINK WE HAD IT IN THE LAST SLIDE, BUT NOT THIS ONE. I THINK THAT OFFSETS ROUGHLY 60% OF THE ENTIRE TOWN'S ELECTRICITY USE. SO ALL THE BUILDINGS, ALL THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS, PUMPS, POLICE STATIONS, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT WE WERE GIVEN TO LOOK AT

[00:25:05]

AND IS THERE AN OPTION TO SELL IT BACK? SO ESSENTIALLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN THIS PROGRAM IS YOUR REMOTE NET METERING. SO YOU'RE TAKING ALL THAT ELECTRICITY. IT'S ALL GOING BACK TO THE GRID. NONE OF THAT IS BEING USED. AND THEN THE UTILITY IS ALLOWING YOU TO CREDIT ALL OF YOUR OTHER ACCOUNTS WITH. I SEE, SO IT'S, IT'S A BETTER VALUE TO DO IT THIS WAY THAN TO SELL IT BACK. UNLESS YOU WERE A DEVELOPER AND YOU WERE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, BUILD A COMMUNITY SOLAR ARRAY. AND THAT'S, THERE'S A NEW PROGRAM OUT NOW FOR COMMUNITY SOLAR, BUT I BELIEVE IT DOESN'T ALLOW FOR GROUND ARRAYS. IT'S IT'S FOR ROOF, CARPORT, OR FLOATING ARRAYS ONLY, BUT OKAY. SO THAT THAT'S AT LEAST GIVES US SOME IDEA AS TO WHAT MAKES SENSE. YEAH. OKAY. THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, IN THEORY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO REPLACE ANYTHING UNDER THE SOLAR. YOU LEAVE IT THERE ON THE, ON THE RACK AND, AND ON THE CARPORT FOR 30 YEARS. PLACE THE INVERTER ONCE IN A WHILE AND YOU MAKE $19 MILLION IN THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S AFTER YOU OFFSET YOUR 6.7. SO MAKES IT'S A, YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL STREAM OF REVENUE. OKAY. AND THAT DOES THAT 19.4 MILLION INCLUDE THE, THE ELECTRICITY SAVINGS THAT YOU GET FROM. OKAY. CORRECT. AND THERE ARE SOME ASSUMPTIONS BUILT IN ON THAT. SO IT'S LIKE VERSUS A VERY HIGH RATE START. YEAH. RIGHT NOW YOU'RE PAYING AND IT JUST JUMPED. SO WHEN WE DID THE STUDY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, I THINK IT WAS $0.09. NOW YOU'RE PAYING 11.5 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR. YOUR KW CHARGES JUMPED EVEN HIGHER THAN THAT. AND THAT'S WHERE THE UTILITY REALLY HITS YOU. I'LL GET TO MAYBE A POINT ON THAT AFTER IN A LITTLE BIT. BUT ANYWAY, YEAH, WE HAVE RIGHT NOW A UTILITY, AN ASSUMED UTILITY RATE ESCALATOR OF 3%. SO WE'RE ASSUMING THAT 11.5 IS GOING TO GO UP 3% EVERY YEAR. FIVE YEARS AGO, I WOULD HAVE SAID IT'S A 2% OR ONE AND A HALF. TODAY, SOMEONE COULD ARGUE IT'S A 5% BECAUSE THE ELECTRICITY PRICES AND ENERGY PRICES ARE JUST GOING CRAZY. SO THIS COULD BE, SORRY, THE VALUE OF SOLAR, WHICH IS YOUR ELECTRICITY SAVINGS GOES UP EVERY YEAR BECAUSE WE'RE ASSUMING YOUR ELECTRIC RATES WILL GO UP EVERY YEAR TOO. OH THAT'S TRUE. SO YOU CAN TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT. THAT'S AN ASSUMPTION WILL HAPPEN. YEAH. THE WAY WE ARE. AND YOU KNOW, WITH THE PPA OPTION, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT 4.8 MILLION AFTER 30 YEARS. RIGHT. WELL THAT'S FIVE YEARS ACTUALLY. SO SO I'LL GO TO THAT ONE NEXT. OKAY. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IN NEW JERSEY, A PUBLIC ENTITY IS ONLY ALLOWED TO SIGN UP FOR A 15 YEAR PPA TERM. THAT'S RIGHT. YOU CAN EXTEND IT TYPICALLY TWO FIVE YEAR ADDITIONAL TERMS. SO YOU COULD GO OUT TO 25. BUT THAT'S NOT WE DON'T PROJECT THAT IN THEORY. YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO THE MATH HERE TO A DEGREE BECAUSE IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD. SO IF YOU WERE TO GO, I MEAN, IF YOU GO OUT TO 30 YEARS AND, AND YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY DOUBLING IT, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD BE LOOKING AT JUST UNDER 10 MILLION IN SAVINGS VERSUS 1919 AS COMPARED TO 19. YEAH. OKAY. SO IN THE PPA MODEL, YOU DON'T PUT ANY MONEY DOWN. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO REPLACE THE INVERTERS. YOU GET A, YOU KNOW, YOU RUN AN RFP INSTEAD OF A BID.

AND WE'RE ESTIMATING A PPA RATE IS STARTING AT $0.05. OH, WAIT, SO WE HAVE I'M SORRY. YEAH, $0.05 A KILOWATT HOUR. AND THAT DOES HAVE A PPA ESCALATOR BUILT IN HERE OF 1.5%, AS YOU SEE IN THE UPPER LEFT RIGHT. SO YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU RUN THE RFP, YOU MAY GET LOWER BIDS WITH HIGHER ESCALATORS OR YOU MAY GET HIGHER HIGHER KILOWATT HOUR RATES WITH ZERO ESCALATORS. AND SOMETIMES THE, THE, THE OWNERSHIP MODEL INCLUDED THE COST OF THE EQUIPMENT AND MAINTENANCE AS WELL. RIGHT? CORRECT. YEAH. AND THE OWNERSHIP MODEL, YOU HAVE TO COME OUT WITH THE INITIAL COST. YOU HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET THAT $7 MILLION. YEAH. AND YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THE OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE. AND YOU KNOW, TO, TO JEFF'S POINT, HE'S GOT TO GO IN AND MOW IT. YES. I THINK JEFF IS WORRIED ABOUT THAT PORTION TOO. YEAH. THE COST OF THE MAINTENANCE INCLUDED IN THE MODEL IN PPA IT IS. YES. BUT IN THE NO IN THE OWNERSHIP MODEL. YEAH. I THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN MARTIN'S Q. YEAH I THINK SO. RIGHT. YEAH.

CORRECT. SO I JUST WENT BACK AND YEAH, THE COST OF MAINTAINING, WHICH IS THE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE, IT'S AN ESTIMATE. RIGHT. AND IT WILL FLUCTUATE OVER THE YEARS TOO.

IT MAY GO UP OVER TIME. IT MAY BE LOWER TO START OUT, BUT THE WAY THAT THE SPREADSHEET I USE

[00:30:01]

YEAH. SO YES, FINANCIAL SUMMARIES OF BOTH. SO THIS IS THE PPA YEAR ONE SAVINGS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, NO MONEY DOWN AFTER ITS OPERATIONAL. YOU SAVE 100, $250,000 IN YEAR ONE. SO STILL A GOOD DEAL. NO PERFORMANCE AND MAINTENANCE RISK 15 YEAR TERM UPFRONT. AND THAT RATE MAY BE LOWER TOO. WE ARE SEEING PRETTY AGGRESSIVE PPA RATES RIGHT NOW. SO. SO.

SOLAR IMPLEMENTATION PATHWAYS HERE. THERE'S SOME DIFFERENT FACTORS. YOU KNOW IF YOU WENT WITH THE OWNERSHIP VERSUS PPA MODEL, ONE OF THE BIG ONE. I MEAN, SO WE AGAIN, MY, MY FIRM PROVIDES THAT CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION WORK. WE DON'T INSTALL THESE SYSTEMS. WE DO INSTALL THEM. BUT FOR, FOR PUBLIC, WHEN WE WORK IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, WHICH WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE COMPANY EIGHT YEARS AGO, WE ACT IN THIS ROLE. SO WE WOULD BE YOUR PARTNER IN EITHER SCENARIO FOR A DIRECT OWNERSHIP MODEL, WE WOULD DO THE ENGINEERING FIRST AND THEN RUN THE BID, RIGHT? WE DO A FULL 90% BID SET. SO ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL, GEOTECHNICAL, STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING PUT THAT BID PACKAGE TOGETHER, MAKE SURE IT'S AS TIGHT AS IT CAN BE AND BID IT OUT RIGHT IN A RFP FOR PPA SCENARIO, WE DON'T DO THAT ENGINEERING THE ENTITY THAT'S GOING TO END UP OWNING IT DOES. SO YOU RUN THE RFP, YOU AWARD THE TO THE WINNING PROPOSER, AND THEN THEY DO THE ENGINEERING AND START THE CONSTRUCTION AFTER THAT. SO THAT'S THE BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO. THERE ARE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, FEES FOR US TYPICALLY.

AND I DO HAVE THE THE ENGINEERING COSTS BUILT INTO THOSE OWNERSHIP MODELS. SO IT'S BUILT INTO THAT. BUT YEAH, THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, HOW WE FIGURE THAT OUT TO MOVE FORWARD IS, IS ANOTHER STEP IN THE OWNERSHIP MODEL. AS FOR THE PPA MODEL, IT'S A, IT'S A LIGHTER LIFT, BUT STILL A LOT OF WORK TO RUN THAT PROCESS. SO YEAH, JUST SOME SUMMARIES HERE. YOU KNOW, WHAT WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT TOO MUCH ARE THE INDIVIDUAL BEHIND THE METER SITES. SO BEING THAT THEY'RE ALL EITHER SMALL OR THEY HAVE NON-EXPORT REQUIRE RESTRICTIONS INDIVIDUALLY THEY DON'T, YOU WOULDN'T GET A PPA FOR THEM IF YOU WERE SURE YOU WANTED TO PUT SOLAR ON ALL OF THOSE COMBINED. THEY, THEY COULD MAKE SENSE FOR A PPA INSTEAD OF DOING THE REMOTE NET METERED PPA. SO IT'D BE ALL BEHIND THE PPA. YOUR RATE WOULD PROBABLY BE EVEN HIGHER AND YOU'RE SAVING, YOU KNOW, YOUR OVERALL SIZE WOULD BE LOWER, MUCH, MUCH SMALLER THAN THE WHAT WE JUST SHOWED YOU FOR THE PPA MODEL. RIGHT? THAT WAS ABOUT. THANK YOU. ADAM.

I THINK THIS REALLY IS A GOOD EXPLANATION. I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING OUT THERE IN IN YOUR FIELD WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES? IS PPA MORE POPULAR BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THE UPKEEP, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY ANOTHER COST FOR THE MUNICIPALITY? GREAT QUESTION. WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS, IT'S MUCH MORE POPULAR. OKAY. BUT I DO HAVE A FEW SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE OWNING AND GOING THROUGH THE BID PROCESS THEMSELVES, BUT SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND K-12, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S MOSTLY BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO GO OUT FOR A REFERENDUM TO, TO GET APPROVAL OR, OR HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE CAPITAL RESERVES ON HAND AS OPPOSED TO MUNICIPALITIES AND EVEN COMMUNITY COLLEGES ARE DOING MORE OWNERSHIP. WE'VE SEEN TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT DIRECT PAYMENT OF THE TAX CREDIT WHILE IT'S STILL THERE, BECAUSE THAT THAT'S WHAT AND THAT CHANGED WITH THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, RIGHT? TYPICALLY UP UNTIL FOUR YEARS AGO, ALMOST ALL PUBLIC ENTITIES WENT WITH THE PPA ROUTE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T MONETIZE THE TAX CREDIT, RIGHT? YOU DON'T PAY TAXES, YOU DON'T GET A TAX CREDIT. BUT WITH THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, IT ALLOWED FOR PUBLIC ENTITIES TO GET A DIRECT PAYMENT OF THAT TAX CREDIT. SO SINCE THEN, MORE AND MORE MUNICIPALITIES ESPECIALLY HAVE BEEN GOING WITH THE OWNERSHIP MODEL. AND ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, THEY LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, THEY SAY, GREAT, YOU KNOW, AFTER FIVE YEARS, IT'S MONEY IN OUR POCKET. IT'S SAVINGS. IT'S, YOU KNOW, MORE PROGRAMS FOR THE TOWN AND SCHOOLS. BECAUSE I MEAN, IN THEORY, YOU GUYS COULD GO OUT TO BOND FOR THE FUNDS.

[00:35:05]

THE AVAILABILITY OF CAPACITY IN THERE MAY DECREASE OR IT MAY GO AWAY IN A FEW WEEKS, IN A FEW MONTHS, IN A FEW YEARS. SO, ADAM, BASICALLY YOU'RE SAYING THAT OUR TIMELINE SHOULD BE A LITTLE FASTER THAN FLOW PLUS THE TAX CREDIT. YEAH, THAT, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IF YOU'RE GOING TO OWN THE TAX CREDIT, THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE, RIGHT? SO IF YOU START YOUR PROJECT BEFORE JULY OF THIS YEAR, STARTING, IT MEANS YOU COULD SPEND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OR YOU COULD PURCHASE MATERIAL. YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO START THE CONSTRUCTION. YOU'LL HAVE UNTIL THE END OF 2030 TO TURN IT ON TO GET THAT FULL TAX CREDIT. IF YOU STARTED AFTER JULY, YOU HAVE TILL THE END OF 2027, SO YOU HAVE A YEAR AND A HALF IF YOU WAIT TO TURN IT ON.

SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO THE OWNERSHIP MODEL RIGHT, THEN YOU WANT TO MOVE QUICKLY. OKAY, WE GET IT. WE WE APPRECIATE THE THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU'RE WELCOME. ALRIGHT. AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE FOR A MINUTE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? A QUESTION. YEAH, I WANTED TO SAY YEAH, YOU CAN OPEN FOR PUBLIC. YEAH. OKAY. SO I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND HAVE WITH MY SPIEL FOR THAT. SO JUST, JUST FOR THIS ITEM. OKAY, JUST OPENING FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE SOLAR ENERGY PROJECT. IF ANYBODY HAS A COMMENT, PLEASE COME ON DOWN, GREG. JUST FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS GREG KAGANOVICH. I AM A LONG TERM RESIDENT OF THE TOWNSHIP, AND I HAVE BEEN ON THE COMMITTEE WHO BASICALLY REDESIGNED THE BUILDING. AND I'M ALSO THE PERSON WHO PROPOSED TO HAVE SOLAR PANELS ON THE ROOF. OKAY. AND AT THAT TIME, WE WERE ASSURED THAT THE CONSTRUCTION WILL DONE WILL BE DONE IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE ROOF WILL BE WILL EASILY ACCEPT SOLAR PANEL. WE ASK, WHY CAN'T WE PUT THEM RIGHT AWAY DURING THE CONSTRUCTION? AND WE WERE EXPLAINED THAT THESE ARE DIFFERENT KIND OF DIFFERENT POTS OF MONEY. ONE IS ON BASED ON THE GRANT AND AND THEY CANNOT BE MIXED. SO IT WILL BE MUCH BETTER TO BUILD THE BUILDING FIRST AND PUT THE SOLAR PANELS AFTER THAT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. AS LORI SAID, THERE ARE SOME STUFF ON THE ROOF THAT WOULD PREVENT

[00:40:01]

AND I WOULD JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS ENOUGH WORK ROOM FOR THE WORKERS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. SO NOT REMOVING ANYTHING. SO THAT CAN BE ARRANGED, RIGHT? I WAS JUST SAYING THAT MAYBE ALL OF THE PANELS THAT WE'RE SHOWING ON THE ROOF, SOME OF THEM MAY NEED TO BE REMOVED SO THAT WE CAN ACCESS. BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IT'S, AS THEY SAY, NEGOTIABLE. AND YES, THAT'S THE ONLY THING. I WAS JUST BRINGING IT UP AS A POINT. SO THIS IS, THIS WAS THE ORIGINAL IDEA. WE DEFINITELY DIDN'T HAVE WHEN PROPOSING THAT SOLAR POWER PLANT IN MIND, ESPECIALLY IN THE AREA OF OPEN SPACE, ESPECIALLY IF IT NEEDED TO REMOVE ANY TREES. AND AS FAR AS THE LARGE PROJECT IS CONCERNED, PART OF THE PANELS IS IN FRONT OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT GREENERY EXTENDS THE LIFE OF PEOPLE.

SOLAR PANELS CAN ARE NOT IN THAT CATEGORY. PUTTING SOLAR PANELS IN FRONT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. IT WOULD BE AN INSULT TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO LIVE THERE. THEY WERE NOT ASKED, DO YOU SEE ANY SOLAR PANELS IN THE DEVELOPMENT THAT ARE BEING BUILT? NO, BECAUSE NO ONE WOULD BUY HOUSES OUT THERE. PEOPLE PUT THINGS ON THE ROOF BECAUSE NO ONE SEES THEM. I THINK IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR ME BASED ON THE PRESENTATION, BECAUSE I MISSED SOME OF IT BECAUSE OF OF ACOUSTICS OF THE BUILDING TO COMMENT ON THE THE FINANCIAL, FINANCIAL PART OF THE THING. BUT I WOULD BE WILLING TO DO THAT IF I CAN SEE THE PLANS. AND WE'LL MAKE SURE WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A SLIDE SHOW THAT ADAM HAS. AND. HOWEVER, I THINK THE PREFER FOR ME, THE PREFERRED WAY OF DEALING WITH THAT WOULD BE STILL PUTTING THEM ON A ROOF, MAYBE AUGMENTED BY SOME PANELS IN THE AREA WHERE THERE IS THERE'S ENTRANCE TO POLICE BECAUSE THE POLICE WANTS TO BE COVERED FROM THE OUTSIDE. I REMEMBER YOU MENTIONED IT MANY, MANY TIMES EVERY MEETING YOU HAD WITH THE POLICE, THEY SAID, WE DON'T WANT TO BE EXPOSED TO THOSE. WE DON'T WANT TO BE EXPOSED TO TOXIC. SO AND NOT MORE OF THAT. I DON'T KNOW PEOPLE. MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING. I KNOW THAT THE BIGGER THE PANEL, THE BIGGER THE SYSTEM, MORE MONEY WE WOULD SAVE. BUT MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING AND PEOPLE MOVE TO MONTGOMERY AND SPEND A LOT OF MONEY MOVING IT BECAUSE IT'S AN EXPENSIVE PLACE AND THEY DON'T REALLY WANT AN INDUSTRIAL INSTALLATIONS IN IT. OKAY, SO THAT BRINGS ME TO ANOTHER POINT. WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO, I THINK YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR PUBLIC INPUT. WHAT PEOPLE THINK MAYBE I'M WRONG. MAYBE PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE EVERYTHING COVERED WITH THE SOLAR PANELS. I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T, SO THAT WOULD BE WE BE MY APPEAL TO YOU AND DON'T PUT THEM IN FRONT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. BECAUSE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, IT'S A NO NO. OKAY. WE HEAR YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, GREG, FOR YOUR COMMENT, I APPRECIATE IT. GREAT. OKAY. OH, BY THE WAY, I AM NOT AGAINST SOLAR PANELS. I WAS WITH THE SOLAR PANELS SINCE THE DAY THEY WERE INVENTED. MY FIRST BOSS IN THIS COUNTRY BUILT THE FIRST SOLAR PANEL IN THE WORLD THAT EXISTED. SO THAT'S PRESENT AT THAT TIME. SO I'M ALL FOR IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, GREG. GREG. OKAY. CONSENT

[2. Consent Agenda]

[00:45:04]

MAYOR SINGH. YES. OKAY. SECOND. APPROVAL OF MINUTES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REGULAR

[3. Approval of Minutes]

[4. Resolution #26-3-115 – Payment of Bills ]

[5. Township Committee Reports]

SO GOOD. THANKS. OKAY, COMMITTEEWOMAN. YES. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I DON'T HAVE ANY UPDATES ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH. I MEAN, WHAT COULD FOLLOW THE GIANT CONE? I'M SAD THAT THE LAST TIME I GET TO SAY THAT. AND ON BEHALF OF THE OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE, I JUST WANT TO COMMENT THAT I KNOW THAT WE HAD A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE POTENTIAL ACQUISITION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS PROPERTY, LAST TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING, AS WELL AS AT THE LAST COUPLE OF OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE MEETINGS. AND I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT I THINK OUR ATTORNEY ALSO POINTED THIS OUT. THIS IS A VERY, VERY EARLY STAGE OF DISCUSSING THIS ACQUISITION. NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE BECAUSE WE DO NOT OWN THE PROPERTY. TOWNSHIP DOES NOT OWN THE PROPERTY. SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S A DESIRE FOR TRANSPARENCY ON BOTH SIDES, BOTH FROM THE COMMITTEE AND FROM THE PUBLIC. AND THAT WAS THE REASON WHY WE DID THE INITIAL PRESENTATION. SO BY NO MEANS IS THAT THE LAST TIME THAT THIS WILL BE DISCUSSED, OR THE LAST TIME THAT BOTH THE OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE AND THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE INPUT INTO THIS EARLY STAGE OF ACQUISITION.

AND THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AS FAR AS MY REPORT IS CONCERNED, I THINK WE HAD A COUPLE I WAS IN A MEETING THIS MORNING FOR THE MAYOR'S WELLNESS. IT WAS GREAT TO MEET SOME OTHER MAYORS AND DISCUSS WHAT TOWNS ARE DOING. THE AMAZING THING THAT I FIND IS EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT CONNECTIONS AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS, AND I THINK WE DO THAT WELL IN MONTGOMERY. ANOTHER TOPIC THAT CAME UP IN THAT MEETING WAS MENTAL HEALTH.

THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN, ESPECIALLY ABOUT CYBERBULLYING. AND THE MAYOR OF WATCHUNG EXPLAINED THAT THEY WERE DOING AN INITIATIVE ON CYBERBULLYING. AND I HOPE DEVANSHI PATEL, OUR HEALTH OFFICER, WILL FIND OUT WHAT THAT IS AND WE WILL TRY AND DO SOMETHING SIMILAR. THERE IS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT, I BELIEVE, WHO'S WRITTEN A BOOK. I THINK IT'S CALLED SASHA AND CYBER BULLYING, THAT SASHA IS HER NAME AND WOULD BE INTERESTING IF WE CAN HAVE THAT.

MAYBE AT ONE OF OUR READINGS ON THE MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE, PUT THAT TOGETHER. ANOTHER MEETING

[00:50:03]

WE WERE THERE. OUR ADMINISTRATOR, DEVANG PATEL, OUR HEALTH OFFICER, AND SHERRY CRUZ PLANNING. AND WHO ELSE WAS THERE? EMILY. JUST TRYING TO REMEMBER EVERYBODY. AND WE'LL HAVE SOME MORE INFORMATION. I THINK WE HAVE A PRESENTATION. WE WERE ONE OF THE SIX TOWNS THAT WAS SELECTED TO BE PART OF PLAN FOR HEALTH, AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT HONOR TO BE SELECTED. AND THIS IS WITH RUTGERS BLOUSTEIN SCHOOL OF PLANNING. SO THAT'S BASICALLY

[6. Administrator’s Report ]

RESIDENTS CAN REPORT POTHOLES ON COUNTY MAINTAINED ROADS BY EMAILING THE SOMERSET COUNTY ROADS DEPARTMENT AT ROAD D I V AT CO DOT, SOMERSET, NJ, US SOMERSET COUNTY ROADS INCLUDE ALL THE ROADS AND SKILLMAN PARK ROUTES. 518 AND THERE'S A WHOLE SLEW OF THEM. 533 601602604605, 630 AND 632 IF PEOPLE CALL THE DPW, TERRY MISTRETTA WILL HELP NAVIGATE AND PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, PASS IT ALONG TO THE COUNTY ON THEIR BEHALF. SO BUT THAT WAS HAPPY THAT THEY'RE DOING THAT RIGHT NOW. THE LOCAL ASPHALT PLANT IS OPENING IN APRIL, I BELIEVE. SO WE'RE TRAVELING A LITTLE BIT OF A DISTANCE TO GET THE MATERIAL THAT WE NEED, BUT WE'RE MAKING THOSE TRIPS AND FILLING THE POTHOLES. WE'RE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 100 AND 200 POTHOLES THAT WE FILLED. SO AND I MEAN, YOU KNOW, KUDOS TO THE, TO EVERYBODY AT PUBLIC WORKS. THE 206 IS WHAT WE ARE HEARING A LOT ABOUT. IS THAT HAPPENING AS WELL. SO WE DID HEAR FROM D O T AND J D O T AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE STARTING. WE'RE LOOKING FOR A DATE OF WHEN THE START. THE START OF THE WORK WILL BE. BUT FROM BRIDGE POINT NORTH TO THE TO THE TOWNSHIP LINE, D O T WILL BE RE RESURFACING THE ROUTE 206, THE STATE HIGHWAY. SO THAT WILL COVER THE. THE BIG AREA AT SUNSET. YEAH. SUNSET. YEAH. THAT'S I THINK WHERE A LOT OF PARENTS ARE DRIVING TO, TO SCHOOLS. WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM TO COME OUT AND TAKE CARE OF IT AHEAD OF THIS. BUT IN THE IN THE FORESEEABLE CLOSE TO THE FUTURE, WE'LL BE SEEING MORE WORK ON 206 BY D.O.T. YEAH. OUR PUBLIC I THINK OUR PUBLIC WORKS HAVE ADDRESSED THE LOCAL ROADS EVEN BETTER THAN THE COUNTY AND THE STATE. OH 100% I'VE OBSERVED. GOOD JOB. YEAH. WE'VE BEEN GETTING SOME INQUIRIES ABOUT SENIOR CURBSIDE PICKUP PROGRAM. AND WILL THAT BE HAPPENING? WE HAD MENTIONED THAT WE DO INTEND TO RUN THE PROGRAM AGAIN THIS YEAR FOR SENIORS. IT'LL BE THE SAME AS LAST YEAR. SO REGISTRATION WILL BEGIN IN JULY AND PICKUP WILL BE IN AUGUST ACCORDING TO THE PICKUP ZONES, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR IS WE DO NOT INTEND TO LIMIT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SENIOR HOUSEHOLDS. LAST YEAR WE STARTED IT FIRST YEAR AS A PILOT PROGRAM. I THINK WE WERE AROUND 100. WE KIND OF TOOK A FEW EXTRA THAT, YOU KNOW, HAD CALLED NO PROBLEMS BEING ABLE TO HANDLE THAT. SO WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, OPEN IT UP TO ALL THIS. NO, NO LIMIT THIS YEAR. OH, THAT SOUNDS REALLY GOOD. AND WHAT CAN THEY HAVE OUTSIDE FOR PICKUP. THAT'S I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO ASK. OH I'M SO SORRY.

TO TWO PIECES. I REALLY DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY. I JUST WANT TO ASK BECAUSE I'M SURE, YES, MORE INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED. I JUST WANTED TO ASK BECAUSE I'M SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE WONDERING WHAT CAN I PUT OUTSIDE? YES, YES, THE PUBLIC WORKS YARD, WE'RE GOING TO START MAY MAKING THIS KNOWN TO THE COMMUNITY. SO THERE'S DUE TO A SEWER MAIN CONSTRUCTION LINE THAT'S GOING THROUGH THE PUBLIC WORKS YARD. AND THAT ADDRESS IS 12 HARLINGEN ROAD.

THE THE YARD WILL TEMPORARILY CLOSE TO THE PUBLIC FROM ABOUT APRIL 20TH TO APPROXIMATELY JULY 20TH. SO IT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME DURING THIS TIME. THE CONTAINER FACILITY, WHICH IS REALLY WHERE THE PUBLIC IS USING OUR. AND THE LARGE CONTAINERS FOR THE RECYCLING MATERIALS WILL BE CLOSED. SO THERE WILL BE NO RECYCLING BLUE BIN PICKUP AS WELL. SO HOWEVER, AND WE KNOW THIS IS DURING SPRING CLEANING TIME WHEN OUR, OUR, YOUR CONVENIENCE CENTER IS USED A LOT ON OUR WEBSITE. THERE ARE INFORMATION ABOUT POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVES FOR RECYCLING AND DISPOSAL OF THOSE MATERIALS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO DIRECT THE

[00:55:04]

IT'S ALL THE INFORMATION IS ON THE WEBSITE, BUT THE NUMBER IS (908) 231-7115, AND THEY WILL PICK YOU UP AND TAKE YOU TO. WE NOW HAVE MULTIPLE SHOPPING. WE HAD SHOPRITE FOR MANY YEARS. WE HAVE SHARJAH NOW AND WHOLE FOODS WILL BE INCLUDED. SO ALL THREE OF THE FOOD SHOPPING STORES ARE INCLUDED IN OUR AGREEMENT WITH SOMERSET COUNTY. SOMERSET COUNTY ACTUALLY DREW OUR ATTENTION TO IT WHEN WE WERE UPDATING FOR 2026, AND THEY SAID, WE HEARD THAT YOU HAVE ANOTHER SHOP, YOU HAVE TWO MORE SHOPPING CENTERS, FOOD STORES COMING IN. DO YOU WANT TO ADD THEM? SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ALL THE OPTIONS AFFORDED TO OUR RESIDENTS. AND ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE FOOD SHOPPING. IT'S ALSO IF YOU HAVE TO RUN ANY OTHER KINDS OF CVS. SO YEAH, SO MONTGOMERY PLACE HAS CVS, WHICH IS A BIG DESTINATION. MONTGOMERY SHOPPING CENTER HAS A HARDWARE STORE. SO, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT ERRANDS THAT THEY MIGHT NEED TO RUN. AND SO THAT'S, WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO PROMOTE THAT. IN OTHER GOOD NEWS, THE HEATER ARRIVED AND HAS BEEN REPLACED AT ADAM KAUFMAN JUST IN TIME FOR SPRING. THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. BUT IN TIME FOR SPRING BECAUSE THEY REALLY WENT THROUGH A TOUGH TIME. SO SO THAT'S GOOD. NOW WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT.

AND IF YOU'VE BEEN IN THE LOBBY, YOU'VE SEEN THE TAPE ON THE FLOOR. WE TALKED ABOUT HOW ONE OF THE PIPES COMING FROM THE BATHROOM HAS A SAG IN IT. IT'S WHETHER IT'S THROUGH INSTALLATION, IT'S NOT ANY FAULT OF THE TOWNSHIPS. I JUST WANTED TO I MEAN, WE HAVE TO REPAIR IT, RIGHT? GREG LEFT. BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO SAY THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THIS BUILDING, EVEN THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A LEAKING ROOF, RIGHT? AND THEN NOW WE HAVE TO REDO THE SEWER PIPES GOING PIPE WITH ONE PIPE. BUT IT JUST MAKES YOU THINK, RIGHT? YEAH, RIGHT. SO THE LOBBY BATHROOMS WILL BE INACCESSIBLE FROM FRIDAY, MARCH 27TH TO SUNDAY, MARCH 29TH. SO THE LIBRARY WILL BE OPEN AND FULLY ACCESSIBLE. THOSE AT THE LIBRARY THAT WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE LIBRARY BATHROOM, THEY DO HAVE ONE SINGLE BATHROOM THERE. ACCESS TO THE POLICE LOBBY WILL BE BLOCKED FROM THE MAIN ENTRANCE. SO THERE'S A SIDE ENTRANCE. THERE'S HANDICAPPED PARKING ON THE SIDE AS WELL. WE'LL HAVE IT COMPLETELY SIGNED SO PEOPLE CAN ACCESS THE FRONT LOBBY OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND THAT'LL BE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE WHERE THE ELEVATOR IS, AND ALL ACCESS IS ANTICIPATED TO BE RESTORED BY MONDAY, MARCH 30TH. AND WE WILL BE BRINGING IN A PORTA JOHN FOR THE PLAYGROUND USERS. WE HAD HAD ONE WHEN THE PLAYGROUND FIRST OPENED, AND SO WE'LL BE BRINGING THAT BACK JUST BECAUSE HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE NICE WEATHER THAT WEEK. AND PEOPLE PEOPLE DO USE THE PARK. AND SO.

AND I THINK THAT, OH, TODAY OR LATER TODAY, WE HAD MARK HERMAN, OUR TOWNSHIP ENGINEER, AND MYSELF, WE MET WITH MEMBERS OF D E, P AND THAT WAS WE BRIEFED YOU ABOUT IT LAST MEETING THAT AN UNFUNDED MANDATE ABOUT WATERSHED PLANNING, WHICH WE ARE TAKING THE LEAD TO DO A REGIONAL WATERSHED PLAN. WE GOT A GRANT FROM THE FROM ANOTHER ARM OF DEP, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.

THE MONEY DOES COME THROUGH FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH EPA, BUT THE TIMELINES WEREN'T MATCHING UP. AND THE WORK THAT WE NEEDED TO DO, WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WEREN'T JEOPARDIZING OUR GRANT FUNDS. SO WE MET WITH THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF DEP. SO BASICALLY THE SECOND IN COMMAND UNDER THE COMMISSIONER, WE MET WITH THE CHIEF OF STAFF. WE MET WITH THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER OF WATERSHED AND LAND MANAGEMENT, AND WE MET WITH THE DIRECTOR OF WATERSHED PROTECTION AND RESTORATION. AND THEY THEY WERE THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT AS WE EXPLAINED EXACTLY WHAT OUR HURDLE WAS, THAT WE NEEDED NEEDED THEM TO HELP GET OVER. BY THE END OF THE MEETING, WE WERE PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT THEY

[01:00:03]

[7. Legal Updates]

WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY STARTED TO LOOK LIKE A POTENTIAL REALITY IN THE FUTURE, TO BE ABLE TO ACQUIRE THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY FROM THE STATE, THE FIRST THING THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE SAID WAS, LET'S GET A PRESENTATION TOGETHER. LAND IS THE ONLY NONRENEWABLE RESOURCE ON EARTH.

AND SO IN THAT RESPECT, IF THERE IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE A LARGE AMOUNT OR TO ACQUIRE, MAYBE WE CAN GET IT BY A GIFT THAT WOULD BE AMAZING. TO ACQUIRE A LARGE PIECE OF PROPERTY. IT WOULD BE FOOLISH FOR THE TOWNSHIP NOT TO LOOK AT WHAT NEEDS ARE THERE IN THE TOWNSHIP AS WELL. SO THE PRESENTATION WAS MADE TO THE PUBLIC. IT WAS STATED TO BE A VERY INITIAL STAGE PRESENTATION TO RAISE THE TOPIC TO THE PUBLIC. NO DECISIONS WERE BEING MADE, NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE. AND THIS IS WHERE THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT WOULD START TO COME IN. THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT REQUIRES THAT ALL DECISIONS BE MADE IN A PUBLIC SETTING THAT IS NOTICED TO THE PUBLIC WITH OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMENT. WHAT THIS MEANS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE IS EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON THE AGENDA. THAT IS COMPLIANCE WITH THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT. THOSE ARE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE AT A PUBLIC MEETING. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC WITH OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMENT. PRESENTATIONS SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED TO BE DECISION MAKING. THEY ARE TRULY BEING DONE TO ELICIT INPUT FROM THE PUBLIC, NOT A TAX AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THINGS ARE BEING DONE IN AN OPEN AND NOTORIOUS FASHION, BECAUSE, QUITE FRANKLY, IT IS CONTRADICTORY TO BLAME THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE FOR WANTING AN INITIAL PRESENTATION TO ELICIT COMMENT FROM THE PUBLIC AND TO BRING IT UP TO THE PUBLIC AND IN THE SAME BREATH, ASSERT THAT THINGS ARE BEING DONE IN BACK ROOMS BECAUSE A PRESENTATION WAS MADE THAT HAD IDEAS WITHIN THE PRESENTATION FOR CONSIDERATION.

THAT IS HOW GOVERNMENT CAN HAPPEN IN THE OPEN. OTHERWISE, THERE'S NOTHING TO START THE CONVERSATION WITH THE PUBLIC. SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT IT IS RESOLUTIONS, IT IS ORDINANCES. IT IS VOTES THAT ARE TAKEN AT THIS DAIS THAT ARE WHAT IS COMPLYING WITH THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT, DISCUSSIONS, DELIBERATIONS. THAT'S GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND TO BRING A NOT FULLY VETTED IDEA TO THE PUBLIC SO THAT IN AN EFFORT TO BE OPEN AND TRANSPARENT BEYOND WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES. SO JUST WANTED TO GET THAT OUT THERE. IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A LEGAL EXPLANATION BECAUSE OF THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT PORTION OF IT, BUT I REALLY FIND THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE IN THIS PROCESS. HOW MUCH OF AN INFANCY OF AN IDEA THIS IS. AND IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT IN ORDER FOR THE STATE TO EVEN APPROVE THE TRANSFER OF THIS PROPERTY, IT WILL VERY LIKELY TAKE AN ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE. SO THIS IS WAY BEYOND, YOU KNOW, OR WAY BEFORE ANYBODY MAKING

[01:05:04]

LET'S DO THAT IN THE END. LORI, I'LL HAVE MY LITTLE STATEMENT AND THEN WE CAN DO SOME. THEN WE CAN GO DOWN AND HAVE PICTURES. SO I JUST HAVE A STATEMENT ON OUR LAST MEETING AS WE REVIEWED OUR 2020 2026 BUDGET AND RESPONSIBILITIES, WE ALSO REVIEWED A COMPREHENSIVE SALARY AND WAGE PLAN FOR TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES. THIS SALARY AND WAGE PLAN WAS WAS INTRODUCED BY ORDINANCE AT OUR LAST TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING. LET ME CLARIFY THAT THE ORDINANCE PASSED ONLY SETS THE MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM RANGE, INCLUDING THE NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT. THE ACTUAL SALARY IS SET LATER BY RESOLUTION. AFTER THE BUDGET IS ADOPTED. THE SALARY ADJUSTMENTS WERE DETERMINED AFTER REVIEWING COST OF LIVING CHANGES AND COMPARING COMPENSATION IN NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, HILLSBOROUGH TOWNSHIP SETS THE SALARY RANGE FOR ITS ELECTED COMMITTEE MEMBERS UP TO $10,000 PER YEAR, WHICH ALIGNS CLOSELY WITH WHAT WAS PROPOSED AGAIN PROPOSED. ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, WHICH IS A BIT HIGHER THAN WHAT WAS PROPOSED. SALARIES INCLUDE UP TO 14,000 ANNUALLY FOR THE MAYOR, 10,000 ANNUALLY FOR THE DEPUTY MAYOR AND 9000 FOR ALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS. CURRENTLY, I EARN $6,500 A YEAR AS THE MAYOR, WHILE THE DEPUTY MAYOR AND THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS EARN 4900 ANNUALLY. THE INTENT. THE INTENT IS NOT TO BENEFIT THE CURRENT COMMITTEE, BUT TO CREATE OPPORTUNITY FOR FUTURE LEADERS WHO MAY WANT TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. THESE ADJUSTMENTS SIMPLY BRING MONTGOMERY IN LINE WITH COMPARABLE MUNICIPALITIES, WHILE HELPING ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS CAN SERVE OUR COMMUNITY BY INCREASING THESE SALARIES. THE GOAL IS TO MAKE LOCAL GOVERNMENT MORE ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE, SO THAT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE IS NOT LIMITED ONLY TO THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD TO VOLUNTEER THEIR TIME TO THIS IMPORTANT ENDEAVOR. WHILE I SUPPORT THE CORE PRINCIPLE BEHIND THIS CHANGE AND BELIEVE THE COMPENSATION BETTER REFLECTS THE TIME AND THE EFFORT REQUIRED FOR THE ROLE, I PERSONALLY RECOGNIZE MY OWN PRIVILEGE AND WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING THE INCREASED SALARY THIS YEAR. DURING THE SAME MEETING WHEN THIS ORDINANCE WAS INTRODUCED, CFO MICHAEL PITTS PROVIDED AN EARLY OVERVIEW OF OUR FISCAL OUTLOOK IN THIS QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT. AGAIN, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IT WAS A QUARTERLY FINANCE REPORT.

THE 2026 BUDGET WILL BE FORMALLY PRESENTED ON APRIL 16TH. BUT MICHAEL DID NOTE THAT RESIDENTS MAY SEE A TAX INCREASE DUE TO RISING COSTS OF HEALTHCARE. OUR CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS. I'M SURE THE TOWN HAS NOT FORGOTTEN THAT WE WERE IN NEGOTIATIONS, PENSIONS AND SLOWING REVENUES. TOWNSHIP LEADERSHIP IS ACTIVELY. THE TCE RIGHT HERE IS PURSUING GRANTS FROM OUR STATE, COUNTY AND FEDERAL PARTNERS. I WILL HAVE MORE TO SHARE ON THESE GRANTS AND IN THIS. AT A FUTURE MEETING. I'M SORRY. WE ARE ALSO PURSUING ALTERNATIVE FUNDING SOURCES TO REDUCE THE BURDEN ON TAXPAYERS AND ENSURE WE CAN CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE WITH OUR CRITICAL PROJECTS AND STRENGTHEN OUR FINANCIAL POSITION. AS MENTIONED, THE PROPOSED BUDGET WILL BE INTRODUCED AT THE APRIL 16TH COMMITTEE MEETING AND VOTED ON FOR ADOPTION AT THE MAY 14TH MEETING. ONCE INTRODUCED, IT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE FOR ALL RESIDENTS TO REVIEW. I ENCOURAGE AND SO DOES THE TCE WITH ME. WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO READ THROUGH THE PROPOSED BUDGET AND SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS BEFORE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON MAY 14TH. YOUR ENGAGEMENT AND YOUR FEEDBACKS ARE. FEEDBACK ARE ESSENTIAL TO SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR TOWNSHIP. THANK YOU. AT THIS POINT, WE'LL HAVE

[8. Presentation - Plan4Health NJ]

[01:10:07]

IF YOU REMEMBER, WE WE WERE THE ONLY SUBURBAN TOWN TO BE SELECTED FOR THAT PROJECT.

THERE WAS A RURAL, A SUBURBAN AND AN URBAN. AND OF THOSE THREE, WE WERE THE ONLY ONES SELECTED TO MOVE ON TO THIS ROUND. SO WE WERE STAR STUDENT IN THAT MAYOR PARTICIPATED. THE HEALTH OFFICER, MYSELF AND OUR ASSISTANT PLANNING DIRECTOR, SHERRY CRUZ. SO IT DID GO A LONG WAY. THEY WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH OUR APPLICATION. AND SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS. SO ONE OF THEIR TAGLINES, WHICH I THINK IS SO REFLECTIVE, IS HOW WE PLAN DETERMINES HOW WE LIVE. AND WE SEE THAT IN SO MANY WAYS IN TERMS OF THE IMPACTS OF SUBURBAN SPRAWL, HOW SIDE SIDEWALKS CAN CONNECT COMMUNITIES AND ENCOURAGE HEALTHY LIVING. SO PLAN FOR HEALTH NJ IS A FRAMEWORK TO INTEGRATE HEALTH EQUITY INTO LAND USE DECISION MAKING PROCESSES TO IMPROVE COMMUNITY HEALTH OUTCOMES. AND EVEN BACK WHEN WE WERE IN THE OLD BUILDING, DEVANG PATEL, OUR HEALTH OFFICER, WOULD COME ACROSS FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT INTO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND SAY, YOU KNOW, LORI, I SAW THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING ON THIS. AND DID YOU KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH.

AND IT INVOLVES HOUSING AND CLEAN WATER AND ALL THE WHOLE GAMUT. AND WE REALLY NEED TO BE WORKING TOGETHER ON THESE THINGS. AND SLOWLY WE STARTED TO DO THAT. AND SO THIS ACTUALLY FORMALIZES SOME WORK THAT THAT OUR HEALTH OFFICER AND, AND THE BOARD OF HEALTH WAS CHAMPIONING, YOU KNOW, PRIOR TO THIS EVEN COMING TO FRUITION. SO GRANT PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS LOTS OF HOOPS THAT WE JUMP THROUGH FOR THESE THINGS.

SO THESE, THIS DELIVERABLES, CHECK INS, IT'S A TIGHT TIMELINE. IT'S A ONE YEAR TIMELINE. WE HAVE TILL THE END OF MARCH NEXT YEAR. BUT SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE MAIN GOALS THAT WE WENT INTO OUR APPLICATION WITH WAS ADDRESSING MOBILITY GAPS. YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT. WE HAVE THE TRANSPORTATION SURVEY THAT'S OUT LIVE RIGHT NOW. I THINK WE'RE CLOSE TO 300 RESPONSES. WE'D LOVE THAT TO BE EVEN MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THROUGH THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROCESS, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY HAD COME OUT AND SAID, WE REALLY WANT TO BE ENGAGED AND WE WANT TO BE ENGAGED IN MASTER PLANNING TOO. SO THIS IS A VERY GOOD TIME FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. AND THIS PUBLIC HEALTH FOCUSED PLANNING THAT WE'RE WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE A PART OF. SO OUR FINAL DOCUMENTS WILL BE DUE, LIKE I SAID, MARCH OF NEXT YEAR. THE PROJECT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON WILL PRODUCE UPDATES TO OUR MASTER PLAN. AND THERE'S THREE PARTS TO THAT, THE REEXAMINATION REPORT, WHICH IS A A LOOK AT YOUR FULL MASTER PLAN DOCUMENT. AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, THE MASTER PLAN HAS SUBELEMENTS. SO THE HOUSING AND FAIR SHARE SUBELEMENT WAS JUST ADOPTED AND AMENDED BY THE PLANNING BOARD. WE HAVE A TRAFFIC CIRCULATION PLAN. WE HAVE A HISTORIC PRESERVATION ELEMENT, OPEN SPACE ELEMENT, RECREATION, COMMUNITY FACILITIES ON AND ON. SO THOSE ARE ALL LOOKED AT TO SEE WHERE WE MIGHT NEED TO UPDATE. AND THAT'S REQUIRED BY THE STATE EVERY TEN YEARS. AND THEN THAT KIND OF GIVES YOU A STATUS OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THAT AND MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGES, THE LAND USE PLAN ELEMENT. AND THAT'S FOCUSED MORE ON THE ZONING WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY, WHERE WHAT LAND USES ARE PERMITTED WHERE, AND ALSO OPPORTUNITIES FOR REDEVELOPMENT. SO THAT ELEMENT WILL BE UPDATED. AND THAT'S ALSO REQUIRED TO BE UPDATED. AND THEN SOMETHING THAT IS RELATIVELY NEW BY THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW, THE M L U L, AS WE CALL IT FOR SHORT, THAT'S THE STATE'S GUIDING LEGISLATION OF HOW EVERY MUNICIPALITY IS GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE THEIR OWN ZONING AND LAND USE. BUT YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THE OVERALL ARCHING MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW AND HOW YOU DO THAT. SO THIS CLIMATE CHANGE RELATED VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT, SOMETHING RELATIVELY NEW AND IT'LL BE A SUBSET OF THE LAND USE PLAN ELEMENT. SO THOSE ARE THE THREE

[01:15:02]

WE'LL WE'RE GOING TO CHECK DOWN THE THREE OF US. AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, BUT IT'S SORT OF HERE. HERE'S WHERE WE'RE AT AND WE'LL HAVE A TIMELINE OF HOW THESE ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN. AND WE'LL GIVE AN UPDATE TO THE PLANNING BOARD ON MONDAY NIGHT.

SOUNDS WONDERFUL. OKAY. I GUESS I'LL TAKE A PICTURE. I'LL TAKE THAT PICTURE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. CAN YOU TAKE A PICTURE? YOU'RE TAKING A PICTURE. OKAY.

YES. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. THANK YOU. THIS IS GREAT NEWS. I THINK WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT GRANTS EARLIER, THIS IS ANOTHER GRANT THAT HAS COME THROUGH. AND THIS MAKES IT EASIER FOR US TO DO SOME OF THE WORK WITHOUT GOING INTO, YOU KNOW, OUR BUDGET. OKAY. PUBLIC

[9. Public Comment]

YEAH, I'VE BEEN A LONG TIME MONTGOMERY RESIDENT, BUT TONIGHT I AM APPEARING IN A CAPACITY AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF VOTER CHOICE IN NEW JERSEY. OKAY. VOTER CHOICE NEW JERSEY IS A NONPARTISAN, NONPROFIT, YOU KNOW, VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION ADVOCATING FOR THE ADOPTION OF RANKED CHOICE VOTING, BOTH AT THE STATE LEVEL AND FOR USE IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS, BUT ALSO AT THE MUNICIPAL LEVEL. THE LAW ENABLING SUCH A CHANGE IS CALLED THE MUNICIPAL AND SCHOOL BOARD VOTING OPTIONS ACT, CURRENTLY INTRODUCED IN THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY. THAT YOU KNOW IS A PRECONDITION FOR ANY MUNICIPAL ACTION CAN BE TAKEN ON US, MAKING THE SWITCH FROM OUR CURRENT SYSTEM TO A SYSTEM THAT ENSURES, YOU KNOW, MORE PUBLIX AND MAJORITARIAN SUPPORT. BUT IN THE INTERIM, A NUMBER OF MUNICIPALITIES HAVE VOTED TO ADOPT WHAT IS CALLED A TRIGGER ORDINANCE THAT WOULD LEGALLY BIND THEM TO HOLDING A PUBLIC REFERENDUM, WHERE THE VOTING PUBLIC WOULD BY MAJORITY VOTE, ADOPT THE NEW SYSTEM OF VOTING, THE DETAILS OF WHICH DO NOT REALLY FIT INTO A THREE MINUTE PRESENTATION. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY. YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR INDIVIDUALLY ARE, HOW INDIVIDUALLY FAMILIAR YOU ARE WITH THE PROCESS RANKED CHOICE VOTING. I WOULD, HOWEVER, BE INTERESTED IN BRINGING THIS TO THE PUBLIC'S ATTENTION AND THE COMMITTEE'S ATTENTION, POSSIBLY THROUGH, YOU KNOW, GETTING ON THE AGENDA IN A FUTURE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING, BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, IN A PRIVATE CAPACITY, POTENTIALLY. I'VE SPOKEN WITH MIKE MARTIN ABOUT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS BEFOREHAND. THAT'S ALL I REALLY HAVE TONIGHT. I DO HOPE THE TOWNSHIP GIVES IT SOME THOUGHT. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE STEPS THAT CAN BE TAKEN IN LD 16 ALREADY. SOUTH BRUNSWICK AND PRINCETON HAVE PASSED THIS TRIGGER ORDINANCE. SO WE WOULD BE THE THIRD DISTRICT CONCEIVABLY, YOU KNOW, OR THIRD MUNICIPALITY RATHER IN THE DISTRICT TO ADOPT IT. AND YEAH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING. AND, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO US AND TELLING US ABOUT THIS. WE APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANYONE ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? YES. OKAY. MY NAME IS LAURETTE PRUDEN FROM

[01:20:05]

WE'RE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT AND, AND WORKING TOGETHER, SUPPORTIVE.

LORI AND HER TEAM HAS BEEN AMAZING. AND, AND THANK YOU GUYS FOR COMING TO THE NBA MEETING YESTERDAY TOO, BECAUSE I, I'M INVOLVED WITH THAT TOO. IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO HAVE THE.

OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO THE TOWNSHIP FROM THE BUSINESS OWNERS AND THE COMMUNITY. SO ANYWAY, I CAME WITH GOOD NEWS TONIGHT. YEAH. LAURA, WE APPRECIATE THE APPRECIATION.

YEAH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE APPRECIATION AND YOUR PASSION FOR THE DEFINITELY FOR THE, YOU KNOW, OUR FOOD AND ALL. I MEAN, YOU'RE ON EVERYTHING. LIKE YOU SAID, YOUR FINGER IS IN A LOT OF PIES. FARMER'S MARKET IS JUST ONE OF THEM. AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PASSION AND, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS FOR THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE AND OF COURSE, LORI AND THE STAFF.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. IT'S JUST YOU GOT TO JUST HIT IT, HIT THE PODIUM. IT JUST MOVED. YEAH. OKAY. ORDINANCES. INTRODUCTION. JUST HIT IT. LORI. LIKE THERE YOU GO. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT? NO, I KNOW, OKAY, I KNOW MORE. I WASN'T SURE. OKAY. ORDINANCES

[10. Ordinance #26-1774 – 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 2026 Budget and to Establish a Cap Bank Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:4-45.14 – Public Hearing/Final Adoption ]

[01:25:07]

THIS IS PUBLIC HEARING. IT HAS TO BE CARRIED. CORRECT. OKAY. YES. SO, MAYOR, IF YOU CAN OPEN FOR PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN WE'LL CARRY IT FOR THE NEXT MEETING. OKAY. THIS IS THE TYPE OF ORDINANCE THAT REQUIRES MORE THAN THREE VOTES. SO BECAUSE WE'RE MISSING TWO MEMBERS, WE NEED TO CARRY IT FOR THE NEXT ONE. OKAY. SO I GUESS AT THIS POINT WE'RE CARRYING IT. WELL, YOU COULD STILL YOU SHOULD STILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. OKAY. AND THEN INSTEAD OF ASKING FOR A MOTION TO ADOPT AFTER PUBLIC HEARING, YOU WOULD JUST NOTE THAT IT'S BEING CARRIED TO THE NEXT MEETING. OKAY, SO OPEN 31ST MARCH 30TH. OKAY, SO IT'S OPEN FOR PUBLIC HEARING, BUT WE ARE GOING TO BE CARRYING IT SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A FULL DAY. AS FOR MARCH 31ST MEETING, OKAY, I WON'T BE HERE ON MARCH 31ST. OH, I NEED A MAJORITY OF THE FULL MEMBERSHIP.

SO THAT'S FOUR. OH, OKAY. AS LONG AS THE OTHER FOUR, I CAN'T. OH, YOU OWE ME. OH. DO THEY ONLY HAVE THREE. AND JUST FOR THE PUBLIC IT. THAT IS A TUESDAY THAT IS NOT USUAL. BUT BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY ON THURSDAY THE MEETING IS. B WAS NOTICED FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 31ST.

THANK YOU. OKAY. MIGHT AS WELL PUT THAT OUT. YEAH, THAT'S THAT'S IMPORTANT. RESOLUTIONS

[11. Resolution #26-3-116 – Authorizing 2025 Budget Transfer #1]

HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE COMP TIME REPRESENTS A FUTURE FINANCIAL OBLIGATION TO THE TOWNSHIP, IT MUST BE PROPERLY REFLECTED WITHIN THE ACCUMULATED ABSENCES ACCOUNT. SO THIS TRANSFER REALLOCATES A PORTION OF THE UNEXPENDED POLICE SALARY AND WAGES APPROPRIATION TO THE ACCUMULATED ACCOUNT. ACCUMULATED ABSENCES ACCOUNT TO ENSURE THAT SUFFICIENT FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO COVER THE ACCRUED COMP TIME LIABILITY IF AND WHEN IT'S UTILIZED OR PAID OUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LABOR AGREEMENT, AND THIS TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE LAW, WHICH PERMITS THE TRANSFER OF UNEXPENDED BALANCES FROM THE PRIOR FISCAL YEAR. DURING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE SUCCEEDING YEAR. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE? OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-3-116, SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER.

[12. Resolution #26-3-117 – Authorizing Award of Bid #01-2026 – Lease of Public Property for Wireless Telecommunications Facility – Cherry Valley ]

[01:30:03]

OKAY. YEAH, I MEAN IT. I HAPPEN TO LIVE RIGHT IN THAT AREA WHERE THAT'S AFFECTED BY THE CELL SERVICE. SO I KNOW SOME OF THE NEIGHBORS HAVE HAVE REACHED OUT AND ASKED WHEN CAN THIS, YOU KNOW, GET GOING? SO IT'S GREAT, GREAT TO SEE THAT IT'S MOVING. THANK YOU. YEAH. NO, THIS THIS IS GREAT NEWS. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-3-117. SO MOVED SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER TAYLOR. YES.

[13. Resolution #26-3-118 – Authorizing Outdoor Assembly Permit – Princeton Show Jumping]

SHOW JUMPING. SO AS YOU RECALL LAST MEETING, THIS APPLICATION WAS SUBMITTED TO THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 19TH. AND AT LAST MEETING WE HAD. I HAD RAISED SOME CONCERNS FROM THE CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT REGARDING THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AND ANCHORING OF THE TENTS. AS OF MEETING TIME TODAY THAT HAS BEEN RESOLVED. I HAVE NO OBJECTIONS FROM HEALTH DEPARTMENT, POLICE OR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. SO THEY ARE SATISFIED WITH THE APPLICATION.

HOWEVER, PRIOR TO MEETING TIME TODAY, I HEARD FROM THE ATTORNEY WITH SOME AMENDMENTS TO THE DATES AND I'LL GO OVER THOSE. THERE WAS A NEW DATE, JULY 20TH 2ND TO JULY 26TH, THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDED. THE JULY 20TH 9TH TO AUGUST 1ST SHALL BE AUGUST 2ND, AND THERE WILL BE NO AUGUST 4TH THROUGH AUGUST 8TH MEETING. SO THAT SHALL BE REMOVED. THAT'S PER THE ATTORNEY. THIS LATE THIS AFTERNOON I RECEIVED THOSE AMENDMENTS. SO YOU'RE REVIEWING AS IS WITH THOSE DATE AMENDMENTS. SO THE RESOLUTION WILL BE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE OUTDOOR ASSEMBLY PERMIT AS AMENDED. OKAY. SO AT THIS POINT THE DATES LOOK OKAY AND WE SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO. AND I KNOW THE MAJOR CONCERN WITH THIS ONE WAS THE SAFETY. SO IF THAT HAS BEEN SATISFIED BY OUR PD AND OF COURSE BY OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AND WE CAN CONSTRUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION OF COURSE. THANK YOU. OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-3-118 WITH THE AMENDED DATES I GUESS SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE.

COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. MAYOR SINGH YES.

[14. Resolution #26-3-119 – Authorizing Execution of an Interlocal Services Agreement for Public Health Mutual Aid]

[01:35:05]

COMMITTEE MEMBER MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. MAYOR SINGH YES.

[15. Resolution #26-3-120 – Authorizing Award of Contract to Oliver Fire Protection & Security Services for Fire Suppression, Alarm Monitoring and Inspection Services ]

[17. New and Unfinished Business]

BOULDER. SO, MAYOR, WE HAD TOUCHED ON THIS FOR A FEW MEETINGS, BUT I ASKED MARY REESE, THE CHAIR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, IF SHE WANTED TO COME AND SORT OF TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE VISION THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION HAD FOR WHAT THE WHAT THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT PLAQUE MIGHT LOOK LIKE, THE SIZE OF IT. MY UNDERSTANDING, I THINK LAUREN WAS OPEN SPACE AND STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR HAD MENTIONED MAYBE IT'S ABOUT 11 BY 17 SIZE FOR THE PLAQUE. AND THEN THE BOULDER WOULD BE SUFFICIENT SO THAT IT LOOKED OKAY, NICE ON IT, BUT MARY, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. YES. MARY REESE, 19 NORFOLK WAY, SKILLMAN, NEW JERSEY, CHAIR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION. FIRST OF ALL, LAURA, I WANTED TO SAY TWO THINGS. NUMBER ONE, MARK HERRMANN ATTENDED THE WATERSHED INSTITUTE CONFERENCE AND THE DEP NEW CHIEF OF STAFF WAS THERE, AND HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE ARE SO MANY GRANTS THAT NOBODY APPLIES FOR AT THE DEP. SO MARK GOT UP AND SAID, WELL, VERY PROFESSIONALLY, ONE OF THE REASONS IS YOU MAKE IT SO DIFFICULT TO, YOU KNOW, MOVE THE PROCESS FORWARD. ONCE YOU'RE GRANTED, YOU KNOW, AN AMOUNT OF MONEY. AND HAPPILY, HE AFTERWARDS, THE CHIEF OF STAFF SAID, WOULD YOU COME OVER AND HAVE A CHAT WITH ME? AND ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER. SO I THINK HE GOT LOTS OF KUDOS FROM KUDOS. QUITE A FEW PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY MY COLLEAGUES AT THE WATERSHED. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND YOUR NEW GRANT. I WOULD SUGGEST, ALIGNS VERY CLOSELY TO OUR SUSTAINABLE JERSEY GOALS FOR SUSTAINABLE MONTGOMERY. SO AT SOME POINT, I HOPE THERE'S SOME COORDINATION BETWEEN WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABLE LIVING AND, AND THAT GRANT SEEMS TO SPEAK TO THAT VERY MUCH. SO SEVERAL YEARS AGO, OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION DECIDED TO OPEN EACH OF OUR MEETINGS WITH A LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT. AND I CAN READ IT TO YOU. IT'S NOT LONG. WE GATHER TODAY ON THE LAND OF THE LENNI LENAPE. AS WE MEET IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, LET'S ASPIRE TO SHOW APPRECIATION, RESPECT AND CONCERN FOR ALL PEOPLES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT. WE HONOR THE LENAPE AND OTHER INDIGENOUS CARETAKERS OF THESE LANDS AND WATERS. THE ELDERS WHO LIVED HERE BEFORE THE INDIGENOUS TODAY AND THE GENERATIONS TO COME. SO THAT'S THE WAY WE BEGIN EACH OF OUR MEETINGS. I AND MY PROFESSIONAL CAPACITY OFFER FOR 15 YEARS IN THE SUMMER AND ARTS INTEGRATION LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE IN PRINCETON. AND FOR SEVERAL YEARS WE'VE HAD REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE LENNI LENAPE TRIBAL NATION PRESENT. AND I ONE OF THE THINGS THEY'VE SAID TO US IS IT'S REALLY GOOD TO JUST HAVE AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT, BUT IT'S EVEN BETTER TO TAKE ACTION.

SO WE TALKED ABOUT IT IN OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND WE DECIDED, GIVEN THAT WE HAVE A NEW BUILDING ON THE HORIZON AT THAT TIME, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF WE COULD HAVE SOME REPRESENTATION OF THIS LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT IN THE BUILDING?

[01:40:01]

[18. Future Agenda Items ]

[19. Resolution #26-3-121 Executive Session]

IT IS UNKNOWN PRECISELY WHEN THE MATTER DISCUSSED IN THIS SESSION WILL BE DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY AND SETTLEMENT OF LITIGATION SHALL ONLY BE APPROVED BY THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE IN A PUBLIC SESSION. THIS RESOLUTION SHALL TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-3-1 21? SO MOVED. SECOND.

ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES.

MAYOR SINGH YES, MAYOR. I JUST WANT TO MAKE TAKE ACTION AFTER CLOSED SESSION. CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? OH, OKAY. THANK YOU. CAN YOU REPEAT THAT STATEMENT? OH, I JUST WANT TO MAKE A POINT OF ORDER THAT THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MAY, IN FACT, TAKE ACTION AFTER THE CLOSED SESSION TONIGHT. OKAY. DID YOU WANT ME TO. IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE TO MENTION HERE OR. WE ARE GOOD WITH THIS. I JUST MENTIONED IT. OH,

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.