[CALL TO ORDER]
          [00:00:07]
          MEETING. CALL TO ORDER. THIS IS THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE. 
          CALLED TO ORDER AT 701. ROLL CALL PLEASE. MAYOR SINGH HERE. DEPUTY MAYOR BARRAGAN HERE. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR TODD, COMMITTEE MEMBER ON HERE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN HERE. 
          HERE. OKAY. CAN YOU HEAR ME? NOTICE OF MEETING IN 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. WE START WITH 
          [1. Proclamation – Township’s Monarch Pledge ]
THE PROCLAMATION TOWNSHIP'S MONARCH PLEDGE. THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION'S MAYORS MONARCH PLEDGE IS A NATIONAL INITIATIVE THAT ENCOURAGES MUNICIPALITIES TO TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION TO SUPPORT THE RESTORATION OF THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY THROUGH HABITAT CREATION, HABITAT CREATION, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT PROJECTS. THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS PARTICIPATION IN THE PLEDGE AS IT DIRECTLY ALIGNS WITH THE COMMISSION'S ONGOING INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A POLLINATOR GARDEN AND PLANT NATIVE PLANTINGS WITHIN THE STORMWATER BASINS AT THE MUNICIPAL CENTER. I BELIEVE WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE HERE FROM THE MONARCH PLEDGE, I BELIEVE MALINI AND JIM. SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING TO THE THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE 
          [2. Consent Agenda ]
TOWNSHIP CONSENT AGENDA. ALL MATTERS LISTED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ROUTINE AND WILL BE ENACTED BY ONE MOTION. THERE WILL BE NO SEPARATE DISCUSSIONS OF THESE ITEMS. IF DISCUSSION IS DESIRED, THAT ITEM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA AND CONSIDERED SEPARATELY. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE? MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE CONSENT AGENDA RESOLUTIONS 20 6-4-1 31 TO RESOLUTIONS 20 6-4-1 33. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. YES. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. YES. DEPUTY MAYOR BERRIGAN. YES. MAYOR SINGH. YES. APPROVAL OF 
          [3. Approval of Minutes]
MINUTES. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 31ST, 2026. SO MOVED SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE EXECUTIVE SESSION MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 31ST, 2026. SO MOVED SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 34. PAYMENT 
          [4. Resolution #26-4-134 – Payment of Bills]
OF BILLS POSTED. YES. OKAY. LET'S. HERE WE GO. ALL RIGHT. YOU WILL SEE ON PAGE ONE WE HAVE OUR HEALTH INSURANCE PAYMENT OF 217 MIKE IF YOU CAN GET THE. YEAH. THANK YOU MIKE. 
          ON PAGE ONE YOU'LL SEE OUR CENTRAL JERSEY HEALTH INSURANCE FUND. THAT'S OUR PAYMENT FOR OUR HEALTH BENEFITS FOR MAY. THAT'S $217,337. WE ALSO HAVE ALLIED CONSTRUCTION GROUP STAGE TWO FLOOD PROTECTION ON PAGE ONE, 70,000 $970,947. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE ON PAGE TWO, SORRY, PAGE PAGE SIX, PACK TWO. THIS IS RELATED TO THE PIKE PROJECT 719,006 $719,069.05. OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 34. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. 
          [5. Township Committee Reports ]
DEPUTY MAYOR BERRIGAN. MAYOR SINGH. YES. WE'LL START WITH THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE REPORTS AND WE'LL START WITH COMMITTEEMAN MARTIN. OKAY. WE HAD TWO EXCELLENT MEETINGS LAST WEEK WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, THIS WEEK WITH SHADE TREE. WE DISCUSSED A 
          [00:05:06]
VARIETY OF THINGS, AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO ARBOR DAY ON NEXT FRIDAY, THE 24TH, AND I WILL BE AT V E S FOR THE CEREMONY AND INTERACTION WITH THE WITH SCHOOL KIDS THAT DAY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. OTHER THAN THAT ROUTINE. AND SO THAT'S IT FOR ME. THANK YOU. 
          COMMITTEE ON. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. AG COMMITTEE DID NOT MEET LAST WEEK OR LAST MEETING OR THIS UPCOMING DUE TO, YOU KNOW, THE THE SPRING SEASON AND EVERYBODY IS BUSY GROWING OUR FOOD FOR US, WHICH IS GREATLY APPRECIATED TO OUR FARMERS. SO THEY ARE THEY HAVE NOT MET. AND THERE WASN'T ANYTHING THAT WAS CRUCIAL IN MEETING. SO AND THEN THE EDC, WE TALKED ABOUT RESTAURANT WEEK AND RESTAURANT WEEK IS GOING TO BE FROM 7TH SEPTEMBER 14TH TO SEPTEMBER 20TH, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING TOWARDS THAT FOR THE NEXT FEW MEETINGS. AND THEN THERE'S A THERE'S A LOT THAT MELISSA ALLIANCE DOES, BUT JUST WANT TO JUST MENTION ABOUT ONE THAT I WILL BRING UP TO MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE. AND BECAUSE THERE WAS A VERY SERIOUS AND HORRIFIC INCIDENT REGARDING JUVENILES IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND I PRAY FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES ALSO, MAYBE THE MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE CAN LOOK INTO PROVIDING MORE EDUCATION FOR INTERNET SAFETY OR ONLINE SECURITY. SO I WILL BRING THAT UP FOR OUR NEXT MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE MEETING. BESIDES THAT, I'M DONE WITH MY REPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND COMMITTEEWOMAN TODD, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. THE BOARD OF HEALTH AND THE OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE HAD THEIR REGULAR MEETINGS, AND I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO WHAT IS ALREADY ON THE AGENDA. THANK YOU. THANKS. SO, VETERANS, THE VETERANS COMMITTEE MET A LOT OF THE PLANNING BEHIND OUR ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY EVENT CEREMONY. YOU KNOW, THE WE ARE FINALIZING THE BACKUP LOCATION. I KNOW THE IN CASE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, POOR WEATHER, WE CANNOT USE THE MUNICIPAL CENTER BECAUSE IT'S BEING PREPARED FOR EARLY VOTING. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE AUTO KAUFFMAN CENTER AS A BACKUP. WE WILL USE NIXLE AND THE WEBSITE AND OUR, YOU KNOW, ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION CHANNELS. THAT CHANGES. BUT IF NOT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE AT 9 A.M. AT THE AT THE VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK ON MEMORIAL DAY. WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMBER OF CITIES AT TOWN TOWNS THAT HAVE THESE HOMETOWN HEROES. SO YOU DRIVE THROUGH THE DOWNTOWNS AND THEY HAVE LIKE PICTURES OF DIFFERENT VETERANS THAT CAME FROM THE TOWN. WE'RE TRYING TO START, YOU KNOW, WORKING TOWARDS THE INITIATIVE TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, BUILD THAT OUT FOR MONTGOMERY. YOU KNOW, THERE'S A COUPLE OF AREAS OF INTEREST. SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE, YOU KNOW, GIVING EVERYONE AN UPDATE ON HOW THEY'RE PROGRESSING. TODAY IS THE CULMINATION OF THE ENTIRE, YOU KNOW, FIRST QUARTER'S WORTH, THE WORK OF THE THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. SO I SEE A LOT OF FAMILIAR FACES WHO I KNOW WHO ARE INTERESTED TO HEAR ABOUT THAT. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT DISCUSSION AND EVERYONE'S CONTINUED ENGAGEMENT. AND YESTERDAY WE ALSO HAD A REVOLUTIONARY 250 MEETING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE DISCUSSION WAS LIKE AROUND FUNDRAISING. SO THERE'S THAT PROBABLY COME OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE PUBLICLY AS WE LOOK AT TRYING TO HAVE THE TOWN AND OUR BUSINESSES SELF-FUND SOME OF THE GREAT INITIATIVES THAT WE WANT TO HAVE FOR THIS YEAR AND MOVING FORWARD. SO, ALL RIGHT. AND THEN LANDMARKS MEETS NEXT WEEK. SO NO UPDATE THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DEPUTY MAYOR. ACTUALLY, I'LL SEGUE ON THE SAME BECAUSE I'M ON THE RECREATION COMMITTEE AND THERE WAS AN UPDATE ON THE PARADE AND THE FIREWORKS EVENT FOR THE TWO 50TH. THERE'S JOINT FUNDRAISING EFFORTS WITH THE RECREATION COMMITTEE AND THE REV 250 AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AS WELL AS BUSINESSES WHO WANT TO MAKE A DONATION, CAN REACH OUT TO OUR RECREATION COMMITTEE AND THEY WILL BE TAKING DONATIONS. AND THERE IS WAYS TO SPONSOR AND HAVE YOUR NAME ON A PLAQUE. SO I ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO LOOK INTO THAT. AND THAT'S AT THE RECREATION COMMITTEE AND THE JOINT FUNDRAISING FOR 250, WHICH IS THIS YEAR, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS, WE'RE CELEBRATING AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY. 
          CRICKET PITCH WAS DISCUSSED. THERE IS A NEW SCHEDULE NOW. THERE ARE 12 TIME SLOTS WITH THE ADDITION OF NEW CLAY PITCH AT VAN HORN PARK. WHEREAS PRIOR THERE WAS ONLY TWO TEAMS EACH WEEKEND, SO NOW THERE'S 12 TIME SLOTS WILL HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE. RECREATION COMMITTEE DISCUSSED SPRING FLING, WHICH IS ON MAY 16TH. THEN WE ALSO DISCUSSED AT THE RECREATION THE MAYOR'S WELLNESS TEAM RUN FOR THE ROTARY. ANY MONEY THAT IS RAISED BY THE MAYOR'S WELLNESS 
          [00:10:03]
TEAM WILL BE DONATED TO THE FOOD PANTRY THIS YEAR. I BELIEVE LAST YEAR WE DONATED IT TO EMS AND THIS YEAR WE'LL BE DONATING IT TO MONTGOMERY FOOD PANTRY. AND WE ALSO HAD A DISCUSSION ON THE SOCCER FIELDS. THERE WERE SOME RESIDENTS CONCERNS REGARDING THE FIELDS, AND THE RECREATION DIRECTOR IS LOOKING INTO HOW WE CAN SOLVE THAT. GAZEBO WAS ALSO DISCUSSED AND THAT IT REQUIRES REPAIRS AND THE QUOTES THAT THE RECREATION COMMITTEE HAS RECEIVED. I'M SORRY, THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT HAS RECEIVED ARE AROUND $31,000. SO THESE WERE DISCUSSIONS AT THE RECREATION COMMITTEE. I ATTENDED THE OPENING DAY AT MONTGOMERY BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL GOT TO THROW THE FIRST PITCH ACCORDING TO THE COACHES AND THE PARENTS AND THE KIDS, I DID REALLY WELL. I THINK THEY WERE JUST BEING NICE. BUT THEN I ALSO HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE EASTER SERVICE AT THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH IN TOWN AND HAD A MEETING WITH THE FAITH LEADERS. AND I THINK THIS IS A COALITION WHICH IS GOING TO BE LED BY SAMIRA GHANI, WHO'S HERE IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. AND PLEASE LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, SHARING MORE INFORMATION ON THAT. WE HAVE UPCOMING EVENTS. FITNESS FESTIVAL IS THIS SATURDAY AT PRINCETON FITNESS. MAYOR'S WELLNESS CAMPAIGN WILL BE JOINING OVER THERE. AND I BELIEVE THERE IS LINE DANCING AND I'M PART OF THE LINE DANCING, SO I JUST HOPE IT'S GOOD. TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING IS ON APRIL 30TH. THIS IS AT 7 P.M. PAYMENT OF BILLS, ORDINANCE, INTRODUCTION AND ANY OTHER 
          [6. Administrator’s Report ]
MATTERS OF BUSINESS. AND THAT'S ALL FOR MY REPORT. AND I THINK I'LL ASK THE ADMINISTRATOR FOR HER REPORT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. I'LL TRY AND BE BRIEF BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE OUR BUDGET PRESENTATION COMING UP, BUT THE TRANSPORTATION SURVEY, LAST CALL, APRIL 24TH. 
          IT'S CLOSING. WE WANT TO PROMOTE THE FRIDAY SENIOR SHOPPING BUS THAT WE HAVE THAT TAKES SENIORS TO DO ERRANDS AND FOOD SHOPPING, DPW YARD. WE'VE BEEN PROMOTING THAT THE YARD WILL BE CLOSED BEGINNING APRIL 20TH FOR A SEWER LINE THAT'S BEING PUT IN. SO PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES OR CERTAINLY CALL CALL THE DPW. THEY'LL BE OPERATING WITH LIMITED ACCESS AND YOU'LL SEE TRUCKS PARKED IN DIFFERENT PLACES AND EQUIPMENT PARKED IN DIFFERENT PLACES. IT'S A PERIOD OF 2 TO 12 WEEKS, 12 WEEKS. THE ANY YOUTH LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT OVER THE SUMMER? OUR WRECKING CREW SUMMER CAMP IS HIRING COUNSELORS AND YOU CAN GO TO OUR WEBSITE OR OUR E-BULLETIN TO FIND THOSE APPLICATIONS. SOMERSET COUNTY HAS A YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM AS WELL, AND THOSE. YOU APPLY WITH A CERTAIN WISH OF A TYPE OF JOB. IF YOU'RE AN ENGINEERING OR IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PUBLIC SERVICE. 
          AND THOSE APPLICATIONS ARE DUE MAY 4TH, AND YOU MIGHT BE PLACED AT AN EMPLOYMENT LOCATION SOMEWHERE IN SOMERSET COUNTY. BUT IT'S A GREAT PROGRAM. WE'VE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF HAVING INTERNS THROUGH THAT PROGRAM AS WELL. APRIL 20TH, SENIOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT'S BEING BUILT HERE ON THE PROPERTY, THAT 100% SENIOR PROJECT. THE PRELIMINARY APPLICATIONS ARE DUE, SO PLEASE SHARE THAT WITH ANYONE THAT YOU KNOW THAT MAY BE INTERESTED IN THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT APPLICATION IN ON TIME BECAUSE THAT PROCESS IS THROUGH A STATE PROCESS AND IT'S A LOTTERY SYSTEM. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED GETS THEIR PRELIMINARY APPLICATION IN ON TIME. THE PLANNING BOARD ON APRIL 27TH WILL BE HAVING A KIND OF AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING. ALL THE PUBLIC IS INVITED. IT'S ABOUT THE 23 ORCHARD ROAD REDEVELOPMENT PLANNING PROCESS. SO IF YOU REMEMBER, IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR, THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE DIRECTED THE PLANNING BOARD TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER IT WAS AN AREA IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT. THAT STUDY WAS DONE. AND MORE RECENTLY, THE PLANNING BOARD REVIEWED THAT AND DEEMED THAT IT WAS AN AREA. THERE'S A STATE CRITERIA FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING LAW IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, AND THAT IT DID MEET THAT. THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE HAS A RESOLUTION ON TONIGHT ACCEPTING THOSE REPORTS AND THEN DIRECTING THE PLANNING BOARD TO DO THE NEXT PROCESS. IT'S A WHOLE PROCESS THAT'S OUTLINED BY THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. EVERY TOWN HAS TO FOLLOW THAT. SO THE MEETING ON THE 27TH WILL BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROCESS, THE GOALS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN, WHY WE'RE DOING IT, AND BE ABLE TO GET PLANNING BOARD FEEDBACK AND AND COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AS THE PROCESS PROGRESSES. NO ACTION WILL BE TAKEN THAT NIGHT. IT'S INFORMATIONAL FEEDBACK, BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS. AND THE LAST THING I JUST WANTED TO MENTION IN HARLINGEN ON ROUTE 206, YOU MAY SEE A DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GOING UP. IT'S A ROUND THREE. SO THAT'S OUR PRIOR ROUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENT, IF YOU REMEMBER. 
          AND IF YOU'VE BEEN TO ANY OF OUR PRESENTATIONS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS A STATE LAW GOING ON 40 PLUS YEARS. THE PRIOR ROUND RAN FROM 1999 TO 2025. SO THIS IS ONE OF THE LAST ONE OF THE 
          [00:15:09]
LAST FEW PROJECTS BEING BUILT FROM THAT PRIOR ROUND. IT'S 36 TOWNHOMES AND 18 APARTMENTS, WHICH INCLUDE THE AFFORDABLE COMPONENT TO IT. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT, PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. I KNOW SOME OF THE NEIGHBORS HAVE BEEN REACHING OUT WITH SOME QUESTIONS. WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE. THIS IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM WHERE THE CHROUSER SHOPPING CENTER IS. OKAY. AND HOW MANY YEARS AGO WAS THAT APPROVED? IT WAS, I THINK OFFICIALLY, OFFICIALLY, IT'S IT'S HAD MANY ITERATIONS OF APPROVAL, BUT IT'S BEEN IN OUR ROUND THREE PLAN FROM THE BEGINNING. SO I WOULD SAY 2007, 2008, 2000. AND THEN IT IT'S CARRIED INTO WE'VE AMENDED THAT ROUND THREE PLAN MANY TIMES, BUT I THINK IT RECEIVED IT'S THIS CURRENT APPROVAL FROM THE PLANNING BOARD IN OH FOUR, 2024, MAYBE 2023. NOT SURE IT'D BE GREAT IF WE CAN HAVE TOWNSHIP ATTORNEY. I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT THE LAST AMENDMENT TO THE ZONING PLAN, I WAS SITTING UP HERE ALREADY, SO I COULD TELL YOU THAT THAT AMENDMENT WAS THE RESULT OF THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE AT THE TIME, WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AFFORDABLE WEREN'T SEGREGATED AND PLACED BY THEMSELVES. SO IT REQUIRED THE INCLUSIONARY PART OF THE APARTMENTS TO HAVE BOTH MARKET AND AFFORDABLE. AND AGAIN, 11 OF THOSE AFFORDABLE UNITS. OKAY. I THINK I JUST WAS TRYING TO BRING THE ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THIS WAS 2007, AND HERE WE ARE IN 2026. RIGHT? AND THAT ONE WAS ALSO IN THE 2018 COURT APPROVED PLAN. IT WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN THERE AS 
          [8. Presentation – Check for 2026 Capital Improvements Program (Legislative Grants-in-Aid) Grants ]
WELL. SO IT GOES WAY BACK. OKAY. AND NOW WE HAVE A PRESENTATION CHECK FOR 2026 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS. WE HAVE A LEGISLATIVE GRANT. AND THEN OF COURSE WE HAVE THE CONGRESSIONAL GRANT AS WELL. AND WE WOULD ASK CONGRESSWOMAN BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN COULDN'T BE HERE, BUT WE ARE WELCOMING JORDAN LEWIS HERE. THANK YOU, JORDAN, FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU EVERYONE. JORDAN, YOU MAY WANT TO COME CLOSER TO. I'M SO SORRY WITH THIS. IT DOESN'T. 
          PEOPLE ARE WATCHING ONLINE, SO IT DOESN'T. THANK YOU EVERYONE. THE CONGRESSWOMAN COULD NOT MAKE IT HERE TODAY. SHE'S STILL IN DC. AS YOU KNOW, WE ARE WRAPPING UP WITH APPROPRIATIONS AND GLAD TO BE HERE ON HER BEHALF. THE CONGRESSWOMAN HAS WORKED VERY HARD AND WELL WITH MAYOR SINGH AND THE COMMITTEE, AND THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO DO THE REVITALIZATION FOR THIS COMMUNITY CENTER THAT'S GOING TO HELP OUT WITH THE SENIORS AND ALSO ALL THE INITIATIVES THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE HERE. AND CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN. YEAH, WE DO LIKE THAT $850,000 CHECK. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING THE CHECK. RIGHT. PLEASE THANK THE CONGRESSWOMAN FOR HER CONTINUED SUPPORT OF MONTGOMERY. WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THEN I GUESS WE DO HAVE A CHECK HERE FROM OUR STATE PARTNERS FROM ASSEMBLYWOMAN MICHELLE AND FROM ROY FEINMAN. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE, WHICH IS A 500,000, AGAIN FOR OUR COMMUNITY CENTER AND SENIOR CENTER. AND THEN YESTERDAY, MAYBE I'LL ASK COMMITTEEWOMAN COMMITTEEWOMAN TO SPEAK ABOUT THE ONE THAT WAS AT THE COUNTY THAT YOU BROUGHT THE CHECK FOR US. THAT CHECK IS THERE AS WELL. THE CULTURAL AND HERITAGE COMMISSION JUST IF YOU WANT TO JUST MENTION THE AMOUNT AND. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. SO THIS WEEK WE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE A CHECK FROM THE SOMERSET COUNTY AS PART OF THE CULTURAL AND HERITAGE COMMISSION. AND IT WAS QUITE AN EVENT BECAUSE THERE WERE SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS AND TOWNSHIPS THAT RECEIVED MONEY FOR THEIR HISTORICAL PRESERVATION PROJECTS. AND I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT ALTHOUGH I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY, I THINK IT'S 14,000, $14,473 SOMETHING CENTS. WE GOT THE BIGGEST CHECK, AND WE'RE GOING TO USE THAT TO BRING HISTORY ALIVE IN MONTGOMERY, TO CREATE SOME WAYFINDING FOR SOME OF THE HISTORICAL LOCATIONS HERE IN MONTGOMERY. SO IT WAS EXCITING TO RECEIVE THE MONEY. IT WAS EXCITING TO BE THE LAST ONE TO RECEIVE THE CHECK BECAUSE THEY DID GO IN ORDER. AND I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED THAT WE HAVE THIS MONEY TO PUT TOWARDS OUR HISTORICAL RECOGNITION. THANK YOU. FANTASTIC. THAT THAT IS GREAT. HAVING THESE CHECKS IS 
          [9. 2026 Municipal Budget Presentation – CFO, Michael Pitts]
ALWAYS A HELP. AND AFTER THIS, WE ARE GOING NOW TO THE 2026 MUNICIPAL BUDGET PRESENTATION. 
          OUR CFO, MICHAEL PITTS. CAN I MAKE SOME COMMENTS FIRST TO MAKE? YES. CAN I JUST GO AHEAD. 
          THE THE BFAC, WHICH IS OUR BUSINESS AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. SORRY. AND DEPUTY MAYOR HAS BEEN REALLY INVOLVED AND HE HAS A FEW COMMENTS. AND I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO'S HERE 
          [00:20:03]
TO TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET AND GIVE US ANY FEEDBACK. WE'RE ALL AND I'M VERY THANKFUL TO EVERYBODY WHO'S HERE TO TALK TO US. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING THE MEETING. SO I'LL GET OUR DEPUTY MAYOR TO SAY A FEW WORDS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE'LL HAVE OUR CFO PRESENT THE BUDGET. I'M ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, REALLY WANT TO THANK EVERYONE. I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN MY TENURE, THIS IS THE THE MOST AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME TO IN PERSON FOR THE BUDGET HEARING. 
          SO THAT'S GREAT. WE WANT THE ENGAGEMENT. WE WANT TO HEAR THE FEEDBACK, WE WANT THE QUESTIONS WE WANT EVERYONE TO HEAR DIRECTLY, AND THEN WE CAN FOLLOW, YOU KNOW, TAKE QUESTIONS HERE TODAY OR FOLLOW UP OVER, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT COUPLE OF MEETINGS. I, I'M NOT GOING TO STEAL ANY OF MICHAEL'S THUNDER BECAUSE HE, HE CAN PRESENT THIS A LOT BETTER THAN I CAN, BUT I DO, YOU KNOW, BRING UP LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'VE OVER, I'VE DONE CORPORATE FINANCE BUDGETING FOR OVER 20 YEARS. AND, YOU KNOW, I REALLY STRONGLY BELIEVE IN FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE. AND I KNOW THIS ENTIRE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE DOES NOT JUST IN THE SHORT TERM, BUT ALSO FROM THE LONG TERM PERSPECTIVE. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S VERY INTERESTING THAT THERE'S BEEN A TON OF HEADLINES IN THE NEWS, YOU KNOW, OVER THIS YEAR ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO NAME ANY NAMES, BUT TOWN'S SCHOOL BOARDS THAT ARE IN DEFICITS THAT ARE GOING TO THE STATE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO SELL PROPERTY IN ORDER TO MEET THEIR BUDGET DEFICITS, TAKING A LOT OF SHORTCUTS. AND I'M REALLY PROUD THAT THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN IN MONTGOMERY. AND I'M POSITIVE THAT WE ARE NEVER GOING TO LET THAT HAPPEN HERE. SO I'M JUST REALLY GLAD WE'RE NOT IN THAT POSITION BECAUSE WE WE DO MAKE THE RIGHT, NECESSARY INVESTMENTS IN THIS TOWNSHIP. AND I THINK THAT'S WHY WE HAVE ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO LIVE IN NEW JERSEY. BUT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF KEY THINGS THAT I'D LIKE TO FOCUS ON. ONE IS JUST AS A REMINDER FOR EVERYBODY, AND THIS IS BECAUSE IT COMES UP A LOT. YOU KNOW, WE ONLY HAVE RESPONSIBILITY OR AND AUTHORITY TO VOTE ON THE MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS FOR TAXES. THAT'S LESS THAN 15% OF YOUR TOTAL TAXES THAT RESIDENTS PAY. IN MONTGOMERY SCHOOLS, ABOUT TWO THIRDS, A LITTLE OVER TWO THIRDS. THE COUNTY IS A LITTLE BIT MORE IN US. THERE'S FIRE DEPARTMENTS. SO I JUST REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT AS WE TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW TODAY, IT'S JUST THE MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS, THE ADMINISTRATION, POLICE, DPW, ETC. SO I JUST REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S A VERY SMALL PIECE OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S NOT MATERIAL, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S KIND OF LEVEL SET ON THAT. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. I DO WANT TO SAY THAT AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND NOT JUST THIS PROCESS THIS YEAR, BUT AT LEAST WHAT I HAVE HEARD LIKE SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. THIS IS, I THINK MY FOURTH YEAR ON THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE, REALLY TRY TO ENSURE THAT WHAT WE HEAR FROM THE RESIDENTS ARE REFLECTED IN THESE BUDGETS AND THOSE THOSE DECISIONS AND THOSE VALUES DO IMPACT, YOU KNOW, THE REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE OR DON'T HAVE, AS WELL AS THE EXPENSES THAT WE INCUR WE HAVE TO INVEST BEHIND. I'M JUST GOING TO NAME A COUPLE OF THINGS, BECAUSE I THINK THEY SHOULD RESONATE WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE. I THINK THERE'S A BIG FOCUS ON MINIMIZING DEVELOPMENT. PEOPLE ARE REALLY HAPPY WITH THE WAY MONTGOMERY IS IN OTHER TOWNSHIPS. DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, DRIVES RATABLES TAX REVENUES. IT'S BEEN VERY CLEAR WHERE PEOPLE KIND OF STAND ON THAT. IT WAS VERY CLEAR ALL THROUGHOUT LAST YEAR THAT THE TOWNSHIP OR THE MAJORITY OF THE RESIDENTS WANTED US TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE EXTENSION OF CONTROLS, TO REALLY MEET OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND MINIMIZING DEVELOPMENT ON THAT. NO CANNABIS PRETTY CLEAR. THAT'S HOW I FEEL. THAT IS A WAY THAT A LOT OF TOWNS ARE MANAGING THEIR BUDGETS AND DISPENSARIES, DISPENSARIES, YOU KNOW, ALL ACROSS THE TOWN. I DON'T THINK WE WANT THAT IN MONTGOMERY. BUT I'VE ALSO HEARD IS NO CUTS TO EMERGENCY SERVICES, NO CUTS. ABSOLUTELY. IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER LIKE FRONTLINES. SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE HAVE IN OUR BUDGET TODAY THAT'S GOING TO BE PROPOSED. MAXIMIZE SHARED SERVICES. YOU KNOW, WE WE HAVE ADDED SHARED SERVICES. 
          AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, SHARED SERVICES, BUT ONLY SHARED SERVICES THAT CREATE VALUE FOR MONTGOMERY BECAUSE THERE ARE OFFERS THAT COME TO MONTGOMERY THAT DON'T MAKE THAT, THAT DON'T MAKE FINANCIAL SENSE. AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO A SHARED SERVICE JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE'S ASKING US TO DO THAT HARD LINE ON ALL HEADCOUNT, RIGHT? WE'VE HAD HARD DISCUSSIONS ACROSS THE BOARD. THERE ARE NEEDS ACROSS ALL THE GROUPS. I THINK THERE IS ONLY ONE HEADCOUNT THAT'S BEING ADDED AND THAT IS FULLY FUNDED THROUGH FEES, NOT FEES THAT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH CODE FEES FROM, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT. THAT HAS TO HAPPEN. 
          OTHER THAN THAT, THERE'S NO AND EVERYONE'S ASKING FOR ROLES AND A LOT OF THINGS ARE ACTUALLY REALLY NEEDED. BUT BASED ON WHERE WE'VE SEEN WHERE NUMBERS ROLL UP, LIKE WE ARE ASKING EVERY DEPARTMENT TO BECOME, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT, TO DEVELOP MORE EFFICIENCIES AND TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY TO DO MORE WITH WHAT THEY HAVE TODAY. AND ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE ALSO, YOU KNOW, REALLY TAKING OUR TIME, BEING VERY DELIBERATE OVER EVERY BACKFILL OF HEADCOUNT. SO JUST BECAUSE A ROLE OPENS OR SOMEONE RETIRES DOESN'T MEAN THAT, YEP. POST IT ONLINE AND BACKFILL SOMEONE. WE'RE FORCING EVERYONE TO REALLY HAVE HARD CONVERSATIONS. THEY NEED A ROLE. 
          IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE WE CAN DO WITH THAT ROLE? AND THAT IS GOING TO, ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN'T 
          [00:25:01]
TAKEN DOWN ANY HEADCOUNT, THAT KIND OF DISCIPLINE IS GOING TO HELP, YOU KNOW, BUILD SURPLUS, PROVIDE CUSHIONS. YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. EVERYONE'S PAYING THE HIGHER OIL PRICES. WE KNOW THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME RISKS AROUND, YOU KNOW, SOME OPERATING EXPENSES. BUT THAT KIND OF DISCIPLINE ALLOWS US TO TAKE, YOU KNOW, TAKE ON THAT BUFFER SO THAT WE'RE NOT COMING BACK AND ASKING FOR MORE MONEY FROM OUR RESIDENTS. AND I THINK THE FINAL PIECE IS PROTECTING OUR TRIPLE A BOND RATING. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CONTINUE TO COMMAND, YOU KNOW, THE BEST, YOU KNOW, LOWEST INTEREST RATES FOR THE LONG TERM INVESTMENTS THAT WE MAKE. AND THAT REALLY HELPS US, YOU KNOW, IN THE LONG TERM. SO, YOU KNOW, IN CLOSING, YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE THE MAYOR AND I, YOU KNOW, FEEL THAT THIS PROPOSED BUDGET THAT WE HAVE REVIEWED, WE'VE ALIGNED ON AS PART OF THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, YOU KNOW, IS A RESPONSIBLE, A TRANSPARENT AND A FINANCIALLY DISCIPLINED BUDGET THAT DOES REFLECTS ALL THOSE VALUES AMIDST A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HEADWINDS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH, WHICH MICHAEL WILL GO THROUGH IN MORE DETAIL. SO I'M REALLY EXCITED. 
          YOU MAY NOT BELIEVE ME. I REALLY AM REALLY EXCITED TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE WANT TO HEAR THE FEEDBACK. WE WANT TO HAVE YOUR QUESTIONS. THEY MAY NOT GET ANSWERED TODAY, BUT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET ANSWERS SO THAT THIS COMES OUT AS A AS A COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT BUDGET. AND THANK YOU, YOU KNOW, FOR FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT TODAY. AND AS WE GO THROUGH THIS BUDGET PROCESS, AS WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN MONTGOMERY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DEPUTY MAYOR AND MICHAEL PITTS, THE FLOOR IS YOURS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, VINCE, FOR STEALING MY THUNDER. APPRECIATE IT. NOW, I'M ONLY KIDDING. FIRST OFF, LIKE VINCE SAYS, I'LL REITERATE THAT THIS IS WHAT MOST OF OUR MEETINGS SHOULD BE, ESPECIALLY THE BUDGET MEETING. I. I SAY IT EVERY YEAR, YOU KNOW, IT'S YOUR MONEY. WE'RE ASKING A LOT FROM YOU, SO YOU SHOULD HAVE A SAY. 
          YOU SHOULD HAVE A VOICE. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND WHAT'S GOING INTO YOUR BUDGET. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I LIKE TO DO WITH MY PRESENTATIONS IS BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT, LIKE VINCE MENTIONED, AND PROVIDE A LOT OF DETAIL. I LIKE MY PRESENTATIONS TO ANSWER A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THEY'RE EVEN ASKED. HAS ANYBODY SHOW OF HANDS NOT GOVERNING BODY? ANYBODY BEEN TO MY BUDGET PRESENTATION BEFORE? RIGHT. 
          VERY DETAILED. THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE EVEN MORE DETAILED. I ADDED A FEW MORE SLIDES DUE TO SOME CIRCUMSTANCES. BUT BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE THAT. WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME NOT JUST ON THIS PRESENTATION, BUT ON THE BUDGET PROCESS ITSELF. ALL RIGHT. SO MAYOR AND COMMITTEE. AMERICAN COMMITTEE, THANK YOU SO MUCH, ALL OF YOU. THE SUPPORT THROUGH THIS BUDGET PROCESS, WE HAVE PLENTY OF MEETINGS WITH THE FACT THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE WITH THE MAYOR AND DEPUTY MAYOR, WE HAD A COUPLE OF RESIDENTS THERE, JULIUS AND KENT. AGAIN, THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR TIME. I DEFINITELY WANT TO THANK THE DEPARTMENT HEADS. WE'VE BEEN VERY LEAN THE PAST FEW YEARS ON OUR OTHER EXPENSES UNDER DISCRETIONARY SPENDING, WE HAD OVER $400,000, ALMOST THREE, 50, 400 OF ASKS THIS YEAR FROM OTHER EXPENSES. WE CUT THAT DOWN TO OUR DISCRETIONARY SPENDING TO ZERO INCREASE. IS IT SUSTAINABLE YEAR OVER YEAR? IT'S NOT. LET'S BE HONEST. IT'S NOT. BUT WE'LL GO OVER THAT IN A FEW MINUTES REGARDLESS. DEPARTMENT HEADS, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. RIGHT? POLICE, DPW, PLANNING, ENGINEERING, CLERK, HEALTH, RECREATION, SEWER, ALL THOSE DEPARTMENTS. ANYBODY I MISSED. HEALTH HAS BEEN GREAT IN TERMS OF GRANTS AND SHARED SERVICES, WHICH YOU'LL SEE. SO THEY'VE BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB ENGINEERING, GREAT JOB WITH THE GRANTS THAT THEY'VE BEEN GETTING. SO AGAIN, DEPARTMENT HEADS HAVE BEEN GREAT THROUGH THIS PROCESS. BUT JUST IN TERMS OF OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET MANY DEPARTMENTS LIKE YOU HAVE IN MONTGOMERY FINANCE DEPARTMENT. THE REASON I'M ABLE TO DO SO MUCH, DO A COUPLE OF SHARED SERVICES IS BECAUSE THEY DO THE HARD WORK. SO THANK YOU TO TO MY FINANCE STAFF. SO LET'S LET'S GET STARTED. YOU KNOW, WE'LL GET STARTED WITH THE BASICS. NEW SLIDE. THIS HASN'T BEEN IN HERE BEFORE. SO AGAIN, JUST SO EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS, EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT A BUDGET IS. BUT IN CASE YOU DON'T, IT'S BASICALLY OUR FINANCIAL PLAN. 
          JUST LIKE EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A BUDGET IN THEIR HOME. WE HAVE A BUDGET HERE IN THE TOWNSHIP. 
          IT'S PLANNING, IT'S A PLAN, A FINANCIAL PLAN. AND HOW WE THE MONEY THAT WE RECEIVE, HOW WE EXPECT TO SPEND IT, YOU KNOW, IT MATTERS BECAUSE IT DIRECTLY IMPACTS YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE. 
          FROM ROAD REPAIRS TO SNOW REMOVAL, TO MAINTAINING YOUR PARKS, AND TO ENSURING POLICE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES ARE THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM. SO AGAIN, BUDGET IS VERY IMPORTANT IN ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE. UNDERSTANDING YOUR TAX BILL, RIGHT? VINCE MENTIONED IT BEFORE. WE'RE A SMALL PORTION OF YOUR TAX BILL. YOU GOT YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AT 66.94%. AND AGAIN, THIS IS RELATED TO LAST YEAR'S NUMBERS. IT'LL CHANGE NOT MATERIAL BUT IT'LL CHANGE FOR 2026. AND WHEN WE HAVE THOSE NUMBERS WE'LL UPDATE THEM AS WELL. SOMERSET COUNTY IS ABOUT 16.71% WHERE THEY GET THAT THAT ORANGE RED. I'M COLORBLIND. SO WHATEVER COLOR YOU SEE THAT DIFFERENT COLOR, THAT'S US. WE'RE THAT 13.75%. WE HAVE THE FIRE DISTRICT AT 1.47%. AND THEN OPEN SPACE IS FOR CENSUS, THAT 1.13%, $0.04 SET BY ORDINANCE. SO AGAIN, 
          [00:30:04]
EVEN THOUGH WE'RE A SMALL PERCENT OF YOUR BUDGET, WE DO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. WE TRY TO MINIMIZE ANY, YOU KNOW, INCREASE AND MAKE THAT ANY INCREASE WE HAVE MAKE IT MATTER. 
          SO WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR TAX BILL IN SEPTEMBER, RIGHT, WE SEND OUT THE BILLS IN USUALLY END OF AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER ON THE TOP RIGHT HAND OF YOUR BILL, IT'S GOING TO HAVE THE BREAKOUT OF ALL THE ENTITIES THAT YOUR TAXES GO TO. AND YOU'RE GOING TO BASICALLY SEE THIS BREAKOUT AGAIN. YOU'RE GOING TO BRING THE TAXES TO US. WE PAY WHETHER YOU COME IN PERSON, WHETHER YOU MAIL IT, WHETHER YOU DO IT ONLINE, WE COLLECT FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD, WE COLLECT FOR THE COUNTY, WE COLLECT FOR THE FIRE DISTRICT. WE COLLECT, WE COLLECT ALL OF IT. BUT WE JUST GET TO KEEP THAT, THAT THAT 13.75%. AND WE ALSO HAVE THE 1.13% FOR OPEN SPACE. BUT REALLY OUR 13.75% IS THE ONE THAT WE CAN ADJUST GOING UP AND DOWN. NOT TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE OVER OUR HEAD, BUT IF YOU'RE A VISUAL LEARNER, HERE YOU GO. ANOTHER, ANOTHER GRAPH FOR YOU, ANOTHER PIE CHART JUST TO SHOW YOU THE SLICE OF THE PIE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD GETS COMPARED TO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE GETS. ALL RIGHT, SO THIS NEXT SLIDE COMING UP NEXT IS A NEW SLIDE. AND AGAIN, I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE PUT IT IN A LITTLE EARLIER, BUT I'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. I'M NOT GOING TO USE ANY RESIDENTS NAMES. BUT AGAIN, WE HAD I'M GOING TO SAY MRS. SMITH COMMON NAME CAME UP TO US AND SAYS, MR. PITTS, EVERYONE IN MONTGOMERY IS SO POLITE. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, MR. PITTS. 
          MR. PITTS, YOU KNOW, WHY DO WE HAVE THE HIGHEST MUNICIPAL TAX? AND I'M LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? AND SHE'S LIKE, YEAH, SHE SHOWED ME A DOCUMENT THAT HAD US AT THE HIGHEST, AND THEN I HAD THREE OTHER ONES UNDERNEATH US, WHICH AGAIN, UNDERSTOOD WHERE THAT WAS COMING FROM BASED ON THAT, THAT THAT INFORMATION, IT LOOKED LIKE WE WERE VERY HIGH. THEN AGAIN, I GOT MR. NORTH COMING THE NEXT DAY. WHY ARE MY TAXES SO HIGH, MR. PITTS? WHY IS THE MUNICIPAL TAX RATE SO HIGH AT $0.48? AND AGAIN SHOWED ME THAT SAME THING. SO AGAIN, I HAD TO ADD THIS SLIDE. AND I LOVE THIS SLIDE BECAUSE WE ARE NOT. WHEN YOU LOOK AT COMPARED TO THE 21 MUNICIPALITIES IN SOMERSET COUNTY, WE'RE NOT THE HIGHEST. WE'RE NOT THE LOWEST. WE'RE LITERALLY RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE RIGHT WHERE WE SHOULD BE. THERE'S TEN ABOVE US, TEN BELOW US. WE'RE AT THAT $0.48. AND THIS IS YOUR MUNICIPAL TAX RATE. SO AND I THINK THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SLIDE THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GET FAMILIAR WITH. RIGHT. FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, VERY LOW, NORTH PLAINFIELD, VERY HIGH. MONTGOMERY RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. 
          WE'RE AT THAT $0.48 RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. AGAIN, THAT'S THE PORTION. THAT'S A MUNICIPAL TAX RATE. THE ONE WE CONTROL. NEXT SLIDE IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WHAT PART OF YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL, LIKE OUR 13.75%. WHAT DOES THAT COMPARE TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES? RIGHT. AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE THIRD LOWEST IN THE COUNTY. OUR PERCENT THAT WE COLLECT OF YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL. AND AGAIN, I KNOW PEOPLE ARE TAKING VIDEOS AND PICTURES. THIS WILL ALL BE ONLINE AS WELL. SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GET IT THERE. BUT WE'RE THE THIRD LOWEST IN SOMERSET COUNTY. WE'RE 13.75% OF YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL COMES TO US AGAIN. BRIDGEWATER'S BELOW US, FRANKLIN'S BELOW US. BUT THEN JUST ABOUT EVERY OTHER MUNICIPALITY, THEIR MUNICIPAL PORTION IS A HIGHER SHARE THAN THAN WHAT WE TAKE OUT OF YOUR FULL OUT OF ALL YOUR TAXES. SO AGAIN, THIS IS AN EYE OPENER THAT A LOT OF RESIDENTS DON'T KNOW THAT, AND RIGHTFULLY SO. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT. IT'S MY JOB TO EDUCATE EVERYONE TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION. AGAIN, THIS IS FROM THE 2025 SOMERSET COUNTY ABSTRACT OF RATABLES. 
          YOU JUST TAKE THE MUNICIPAL PORTION OF THE TAX RATE BY THE TOTAL TAX RATE, AND THAT'S WHERE YOU GET ALL YOUR NUMBERS. AGAIN, I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. THE THIRD LOWEST IN SOMERSET COUNTY. SO LET'S START TALKING ABOUT THE BUDGET PROCESS FROM START TO FINISH. 
          THIS IS NOT A SEVERAL DAY PROCESS, SEVERAL WEEK PROCESS. THIS IS A SEVERAL MONTH PROCESS. 
          WE START IN SEPTEMBER. WE HAVE OUR BUDGET REFRESHER WITH ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS. FROM THERE, WE START GOING OVER THEIR BUDGET REQUESTS. HAVING DEPARTMENT HEADS, LORI AND I START MEETING WITH DEPARTMENTS, HAVING OUR MEETING, TRYING TO CUT DOWN THEIR BUDGETS TO GET READY TO MEET WITH THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. DURING THAT PROCESS, OUR ASSESSOR GETS OUR TOWNSHIP VALUATION, OUR RATABLES, AND YOU'LL SEE HOW THAT PLAYS, WHAT VARIABLE THAT PLAYS IN CALCULATING YOUR TAX RATE. SO WE GET THAT NUMBER. WHEN WE HAVE ALL THAT, WE START MEETING WITH THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. EVERY DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETS WITH THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. WE GO OVER THEIR BUDGET LITERALLY LINE BY LINE. WE GO OVER THEIR BUDGET. THEY HAVE TO JUSTIFY ANY INCREASES. AGAIN THIS YEAR. OUR DISCRETIONARY SPENDING NO INCREASE HEADCOUNT, NO INCREASES OTHER THAN CONSTRUCTION CODES, WHICH YOU'LL SEE WHEN I GO INTO MORE DETAIL ABOUT THAT. AFTER ALL THOSE MEETINGS, THEY START IN JANUARY, ALMOST WEEKLY. FROM JANUARY UP UNTIL NOW, MARCH WAS A COUPLE OF TIMES, THREE TIMES, I THINK TWO, THREE TIMES. BUT STARTING JANUARY HAVE MULTIPLE MEETINGS ON THE ON THE BUDGET WITH DEPARTMENT HEADS. ONCE WE'RE DONE MEETING WITH THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, THEN THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE STARTS MEETING AND STARTS FORMULATING A BUDGET THAT THEY FEEL IS A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE PLAN NOT ONLY FOR THE RESIDENTS, BUT IN TERMS OF FUTURE BUDGETS 
          [00:35:03]
AS WELL. YOU DON'T WANT TO PUT YOUR BACKS AGAINST THE CORNERS LIKE SOME MUNICIPALITIES DO, WHERE THEY START USING ONE TIME REVENUES JUST TO DECREASE TAXES ONE YEAR, THEN THAT NEXT YEAR, THAT ONE TIME REVENUE IS GONE. AND YOU HAVE TO FIND THAT REPLACE THAT REVENUE WITH EITHER RAISING TAXES OR MAKING SOME DRASTIC CUTS FROM THERE. AFTER BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS, WE'RE HERE AT THE INTRODUCTION. WE'LL ADVERTISE, I BELIEVE, TOMORROW, AND THEN WE'LL MAY 14TH. WE'LL HAVE OUR BUDGET HEARING. IF ALL GOES WELL, OUR BUDGET ADOPTS IT. 
          SO THAT IS OUR BUDGET PROCESS. NOTHING'S CHANGED FROM THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. A LITTLE HIGH LEVEL VIEW OF OUR. CAN I JUST MENTION SOMETHING? I THINK IT'S IF YOU GO BACK TO THE LAST, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, VERY DIFFERENT THAN LIKE THE STATE, ETC. LIKE WE ARE STATUTORY REQUIRED A NUMBER ONE, I THINK WE HAVE TO ADOPT OUR BUDGET BY LIKE JUNE 1ST OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO WE ARE BUILDING IN TIME TO PRESENT THIS, MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S AMPLE TIME FOR FEEDBACK. THE TOWNSHIP'S ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A MONTH IN BETWEEN. WHEN WE PRESENT SOMETHING, IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE PRESENTING NOW AND WE'RE APPROVING IT NOW. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE TONIGHT. THERE'S ANOTHER MEETING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WHERE THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES AND OBVIOUSLY THOSE THERE'S PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE BUDGET. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING RIGHT NOW, TENTATIVELY PLANNING TO TRY TO APPROVE IT. SO A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR FEEDBACK, REVIEW, ETC. THANK YOU. CORRECT. TODAY WE'RE JUST INTRODUCING IT. 
          THE BUDGET HEARING AND BUDGET ADOPTION 28 DAYS LATER, JUST ABOUT 20 DAYS LATER, A MAY 14TH, JUST HIGH LEVEL VIEW. AGAIN, WE'RE GOING TO GO INTO MUCH MORE DETAIL IN A FEW MINUTES. 
          BUT JUST TO SHOW EVERYONE OUR COST DRIVERS AND HOW MANY OF THESE INCREASES ARE JUST OUT OF OUR CONTROL. HEALTH INSURANCE, REGARDLESS IF YOU'RE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, PUBLIC SECTOR, THE STATE, THE SCHOOL BOARD, EVERYONE IS FEELING INCREASE IN HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS. OUR HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS INCREASE $266,000. POLICE SALARIES INCREASED ABOUT A LITTLE OVER 5%, $260,000. AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT AS WELL. EVERYONE ELSE'S SALARIES INCREASED $145,000 IN TOTAL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT INCREASED 143,000. THAT'S A WASH. WE HAVE A CAPITAL ITEM REVENUE THAT'S INCREASING A ONE TIME REVENUE. BUT REGARDLESS, THAT'S INCREASING $143,000, THAT EXPENSE INCREASING ABOUT A PERCENT $100,000. UTILITIES ARE UP $79,000. PAYROLL TAXES, PENSIONS. SO JUST JUST THOSE EIGHT LINE ITEMS ALONE ARE INCREASING 1 MILLION, $60,000 OUT OF ALL THE INCREASES OF THE $1.1 MILLION. AND AGAIN, WE'LL GET INTO MORE DETAILS. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO INCREASE IN OUR DISCRETIONARY SPENDING THIS YEAR. 2026 BUDGET SNAPSHOT. YOU KNOW, OUR TOWNSHIP RATABLES, THIS IS THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE PROPERTY IN THE TOWNSHIP, WHICH FORMS THE BASE FOR HOW TAXES ARE CALCULATED. THAT'S DOWN $5.6 MILLION. IT'S DOWN TO $4,045,323,938. THAT IS DOWN DUE TO SOME APPEALS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON THAT THAT WENT ON AND ALSO DEALS WITH OUR RATIO AS WELL, DROPPED A LITTLE AS AS IT HAS BEEN THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME DROPPED $1,651. IT WENT FROM 507,000 TO $505,749, AND AGAIN, THAT DEALS WITH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD ABOUT FOUR PROPERTIES GET OFF THE BOOKS FOR BLUE ACRES. WE HAD A COUPLE OF EXEMPTIONS AS WELL. AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME VALUE DECREASED $1,651, AND OUR TAX RATE INCREASED FROM $0.48 TO $0.51. AND AGAIN, NEXT COUPLE OF SLIDES YOU'LL SEE HOW THIS ALL MAKES SENSE. ALL RIGHT. THIS SLIDE IS IMPORTANT. IT KIND OF SHOWS THE IMPACT THE MUNICIPAL TAX RATE AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER. RIGHT. THE ESTIMATED TAX AS WE SAID, INCREASED FROM $0.48 TO $0.50. THAT'S A 2.1 CENT INCREASE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS. 
          THAT'S A $98 INCREASE ON THE AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME $98.74. BUT WHEN YOU TRULY BREAK IT DOWN EVEN FURTHER, THAT'S $8.23 MONTHLY INCREASE ON THE AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME, THE TAX RATE INCREASE WAS 4.39% AND THE TAX ON THE AVERAGE SYSTEM OF $505,000 INCREASED FROM 2435 TO 2534. AGAIN, THAT'S THAT $90 INCREASE. AGAIN, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE WHEN YOU BREAK IT DOWN ON A MONTHLY BASIS, IT'S $8.23 MORE THAT THE AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME WILL BE PAYING COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR. AND AGAIN, THIS IS FOR MUNICIPAL SERVICES, YOUR EVERYDAY MUNICIPAL SERVICES. ALL RIGHT. I LOVE THIS SLIDE. EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW HOW TO CALCULATE THE TAX RATE, CALCULATE THE INCREASE IN TAXES AND CALCULATE JUST THE TAXES ON THEIR OWN HOME. SO I'D 
          [00:40:02]
LIKE TO GIVE A STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO CALCULATE IT. TO CALCULATE THE TAX RATE, YOU TAKE THE TAX LEVY THAT $20 MILLION $20,270,000. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING RESIDENTS, RESIDENTS TO CONTINUE OUR OPERATIONS. WE NEED $20.2 MILLION. YOU DIVIDE THAT BY THAT THAT RATE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THAT OUR ASSESSOR GIVES US. WHEN YOU MULTIPLY THAT BY 100, YOU GET THAT THAT $0.50, 50.1 CENTS. AGAIN THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME ROUNDING THERE. BUT THAT'S HOW YOU CALCULATE YOUR TAX RATE. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT RIGHT. 
          THE HIGHER YOUR RATES ARE THE LOWER THE TAX RATE. THE LOWER THE RATE. THE HIGHER THE TAX RATE. THE CALCULATE THE TAX ON THE AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME. YOU TAKE THE AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME VALUE OF $505,000. MULTIPLY IT BY THE TAX RATE, DIVIDE BY 100. AND THERE'S YOUR 2026 MUNICIPAL TAX. AGAIN YOU CAN DO THAT ON YOUR OWN HOME. IF YOU TAKE THE YOUR ASSESSED VALUE ON YOUR OWN HOME AND DO THIS CALCULATION, MULTIPLY IT BY 0.501 DIVIDED BY 100. YOU'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS. AND AGAIN IT'S YOUR ASSESSED VALUE, NOT YOUR MARKET VALUE. RIGHT. I KNOW MARKET VALUES ARE MUCH HIGHER RIGHT NOW THAN ASSESSED VALUE. SOME ASSESSED VALUES. IF YOU WANT TO FIND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO YEARS, THEN YOU TAKE LAST YEAR'S ASSESSED VALUE, MULTIPLY IT BY LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE DIVIDED BY 100. YOU GET LAST YEAR'S MUNICIPAL TAX. YOU TAKE THE DIFFERENCE. YOU GET THAT $98.74. YOU DIVIDE THAT BY 12 MONTHS OR 12 MONTHS. IN A YEAR, YOU GET THE $8.23 MORE THAT THE AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME WILL BE PAYING THIS YEAR. I INITIALLY LIKED THE SLIDE, BUT THE MORE I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT THE COUPLE THE LAST FEW DAYS, I MEAN, IT'S A GOOD VISUAL SLIDE, BUT IT DOESN'T. AGAIN, I'M NOT TOO FOND OF IT. BUT REGARDLESS, THIS THIS IS RELATED TO YOUR TAX RATE. THE PAST SIX YEARS, IT'S INCREASED 2.9%. JUST TO SHOW YOU HOW OUR TAX RATE HAS BEEN GRADUALLY INCREASING, I COMPARED IT TO INFLATION. AGAIN, IT'S NOT A VERY GOOD COMPARISON. THAT'S WHY I LIKE IT. BUT JUST SO YOU KNOW, INFLATION ANNUALLY FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS HAS BEEN RIGHT AROUND 3.9 CLOSE TO 4%. 
          SO AGAIN WE'VE BEEN BELOW INFLATION BUT ACTUALLY HAVE SOME BETTER SLIDES WITH BETTER COMPARISON REGARDING OUR ACTUAL BUDGET VERSUS INFLATION. CAN I CAN I JUST SAY SOMETHING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THIS IS A, A METRIC THAT, YOU KNOW, I TAKE REALLY SERIOUSLY. IT'S REALLY LIKE, HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THAT INFLATION IS REAL? IT'S, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY, WE ALL LIVE THROUGH IT. AND WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BRING IN BUDGETS THAT ARE MANAGING UNDER THE COST INFLATION. THAT MEANS PEOPLE ARE CUTTING AND FINDING WAYS TO DRIVE EFFICIENCY. THIS PARTICULAR YEAR. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME UNIQUE ITEMS WE SAW, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE PENSIONS. YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD A FAIR AND EQUITABLE CONTRACT FOR POLICE THAT WAS APPROVED BY BOTH SIDES. THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, YEAR OVER YEAR. AND A COUPLE OF OTHER ITEMS ARE, YOU KNOW, NON-DISCRETIONARY ARE DRIVING UP OUR COSTS. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE MAKING THE HARD DECISION OF KEEPING DISCRETIONARY COSTS FLAT. BUT THAT DOES GET US TO A, YOU KNOW, INFLATION AS OF RIGHT NOW ARE PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, PUT A WAGER OF ANYONE THAT BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES, THAT INFLATION WILL PROBABLY GROW MUCH HIGHER THAN THE THAN THE TAX RATE THAT WE'RE. AND WE'LL MANAGE AROUND THAT BY JUST, YOU KNOW, WANT TO BRING THAT UP THAT THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING. WE WILL MAKE SURE WE MANAGE AROUND THIS BUDGET, EVEN WITH WHATEVER'S GOING ON ON THE MACRO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO SO I LIKE THIS SLIDE RIGHT HERE. SO IT'S COMPARING THIS IS OUR CORE BUDGET. I LIKE TO CALL IT A CORE BUDGET. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOP, IF YOU JUST LOOK AT IT AT A FACE VALUE, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR BUDGET DOCUMENT, IT'S GOING TO SHOW OUR 2026 BUDGET AT 34.7 MILLION VERSUS OUR 2025 BUDGET OF 35.6 MILLION. AND YOU'LL BE LIKE, OH MY GOODNESS, THEY DECREASE THEIR BUDGET. THAT'S NOT TRUE. THAT RELATES TO GRANTS. SO WHEN IT COMES TO GRANTS AND MUNICIPAL ACCOUNTING, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTING IS WHATEVER YOU PUT IN THE REVENUE SIDE, YOU PUT IN THE EXPENSE SIDE. UNLESS THERE'S A MATCHING GRANT, WHICH WE DON'T HAVE ANY. SO IT'S A NET NEUTRAL. AND THOSE GRANTS FLUCTUATE SO MUCH YEAR TO YEAR. SO WHEN YOU'RE COMPARING BUDGETS, YOU WANT TO COMPARE YOUR BUDGET WITHOUT THE GRANT. SO I LIKE TO CALL THAT THE CORE CORE BUDGET. THANK YOU FOR THAT $850,000 GRANT. BY THE WAY, PLEASE CONVEY OUR THANKS TO CONGRESSWOMAN BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN. THANK YOU. SO OUR CORE BUDGET INCREASED 3.49% THIS YEAR FROM 31.7 MILLION TO 32.8 MILLION. AGAIN, IT'S THAT 1.1 MILLION WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. AND WE'LL GO INTO MORE DETAIL IN A FEW MINUTES. BUT AGAIN, THAT'S THAT'S WHY I LIKE TO COMPARE INFLATION THIS AS WELL. 
          AGAIN, WE WERE AT 3.49% OUR INCREASE. AND THAT'S INCLUDING DEBT PRINCIPAL. AND WHEN YOU'RE WHEN YOU'RE COMPARING IT TO INFLATION, YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T HAVE DEBT PRINCIPAL. BUT REGARDLESS, EVEN WITH THAT DEBT PRINCIPAL INCREASE, WE'RE STILL UNDER THAT THAT 3.94% INFLATION. 
          SO AS VINCE MENTIONED, THIS IS A GOOD METRICS TO TAKE A LOOK AT HOW OUR APPROPRIATIONS, OUR 
          [00:45:04]
BUDGET, OUR EXPENSES ARE INCREASING, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT IMMUNE TO INFLATION, UNFORTUNATELY AMOUNT TO BE RAISED BY TAXES. I'LL TALK ABOUT AGAIN LAST YEAR. 
          WE'RE AT 19.4. THIS YEAR WE'RE AT 20.2. THIS IS THE AMOUNT WE'RE ASKING RESIDENTS RESIDENTS WE NEED 20.2 MILLION ALMOST 20.3 MILLION FOR YOU. AND WE'LL GO OVER THAT WHEN WE GO OVER REVENUES. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MUNICIPAL BUDGETING THERE'S TWO TYPES OF CAPS. 
          THERE'S THE LEVY CAP AND THERE'S THE APPROPRIATION CAP. THE LEVY CAP BASICALLY SAYS, I'M GOING BACK ONE SLIDE. YOU CAN'T RAISE THIS AMOUNT OVER TWO PRO OVER 2% COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEAR, UNLESS IT'S RELATED TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS, SUCH AS DEBT SERVICE PENSIONS. 
          IT'S RIGHT IN THAT SECOND PARAGRAPH, EMERGENCIES AND WHATNOT. IF YOU RAISE YOUR TAX LEVY BY OVER 2%, AS LONG AS IT'S RELATED TO THOSE EXCEPTIONS, YOU'RE FINE. IF NOT, YOU GOT TO KEEP IT TO THAT 2%. YOU DO HAVE THREE YEARS WORTH OF CAP BANKS, MEANING IF WE'RE ALLOWED TO RAISE OUR TAXES AGAIN, I'M GOING TO USE EASY NUMBERS $10 AND WE ONLY RAISE IT $5. THAT EXTRA $5 YOU CAN CARRY OVER FOR THREE YEARS IN A CAP BANK AND USE IT TO GO OVER THAT LEVY CAP IF NEEDED. SO THAT'S THAT'S YOUR LEVY CAP. THAT ONE'S KIND OF, I GUESS, EASIER TO UNDERSTAND. THE APPROPRIATION CAP IS DEALS SPECIFICALLY WITH THE APPROPRIATIONS. IT DOESN'T DEAL WITH THE TAX RATE. IT DOESN'T DEAL WITH THE TAX LEVY. IT DEALS WITH YOUR CERTAIN EXPENSES. THERE'S TWO TYPES OF EXPENSES IN GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING. THERE'S YOUR INSIDE THE CAP, WHICH IS A MAJORITY OF YOUR EXPENSES. IT'S YOUR SALARY AND WAGES AND ALL OF YOUR OTHER EXPENSES LIKE UTILITIES, STATIONERY, SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, UNIFORMS, TRAINING, A PORTION OF YOUR MOST OF YOUR PENSIONS, A PORTION OF YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE, YOUR EMPLOYER TAXES, UNEMPLOYMENT, ALL OF THAT FALLS INSIDE THE CAP. THEN YOU HAVE YOUR OUTSIDE THE CAP, WHICH AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE IT'S YOUR DEBT SERVICE. CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, RESERVE FUND COLLECTED TAXES. SO THERE'S CERTAIN OUTSIDE THE CAP EXPENSES THAT YOU CAN RAISE AS MUCH AS NEEDED. FOR EXAMPLE, DEBT SERVICE. THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE A CAP ON DEBT SERVICE BECAUSE IF THERE WAS A CAP AND YOU COULDN'T RAISE IT, THEY DON'T WANT MUNICIPALITIES DEFAULTING ON THEIR DEBT, RIGHT? SO CERTAIN CERTAIN EXPENSES ARE OUTSIDE THE CAP. SO WHAT THIS LAW STATES IS YOU CAN'T RAISE THOSE INSIDE THE CAP APPROPRIATIONS BY 2.5% OR THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT, WHICHEVER IS LOWER. BUT YOU ARE ALLOWED TO PASS AN ORDINANCE, WHICH JUST ABOUT EVERY MUNICIPALITY DOES AS A BUDGETING TOOL THAT ALLOWS YOU TO RAISE THEM TO 3.5%. IF YOU DON'T GO UP TO THAT 3.5%, SAME THING. THERE'S A TWO YEAR CAP, INC. YOU CAN CARRY IT OVER FOR TWO YEARS, AND THEN YOU CAN USE IT IN A FUTURE YEAR TO RAISE THOSE APPROPRIATIONS OVER THAT, THAT CAPEX CAP BANK THRESHOLD. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF THE LIMITATIONS WE HAVE WHEN IT COMES TO GOVERNMENT BUDGETING. YOU GUYS CAN READ THROUGH THOSE SLIDES. I'M NOT GOING TO JUST SUMMARIZE THEM ALL AGAIN BEFORE WE GET INTO THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF THE BUDGET, LET'S TALK ABOUT MONTGOMERY'S CHARACTERISTICS AGAIN. YOU KNOW WHAT'S MONTGOMERY'S CHARACTER? WHY DO RESIDENTS MOVE TO MONTGOMERY, RIGHT. WE GOT GREAT SCHOOL SYSTEMS. WE HAVE TOP NOTCH PUBLIC SAFETY. WE HAVE A LOT OF OPEN SPACE. WE'RE NOT OVER COMMERCIALIZED AGAIN. WE DON'T HAVE A SOME SUSPECT RETAIL. AND THE REASON I MENTIONED THAT IS ALL OF THAT HINDERS OUR REVENUE GROWTH, OUR REVENUE POTENTIAL. SO AGAIN, OPEN SPACE PRESERVATION. IT'S AMAZING. IF YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, 39% OF MONTGOMERY'S OPEN SPACE, 8000 ACRES IS OPEN SPACE. AND THAT IS MONTGOMERY'S CHARACTERISTIC. THAT'S ONE OF THE VALUES OF MONTGOMERY LIMITED. DENSE TOWNHOMES PRESERVE GREEN SPACE AND NATURAL BEAUTY. THAT'S WHAT MAKES MONTGOMERY MONTGOMERY, RIGHT? WE HAVE NO CANNABIS BUSINESSES FOR VARIOUS REASONS, AND WE DON'T HAVE WE'RE NOT OVER COMMERCIALIZED. WE DON'T HAVE REALLY ANY WAREHOUSES. WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S FEWER TRUCKS ON THE ROAD, LESS TRAFFIC, AND RETAINS THE TOWN'S CHARACTER. MONTGOMERY VALUES QUALITY OF LIFE OVER MAXIMIZING TAX REVENUE. SO WHEN WE GO TALK ABOUT REVENUES IN A COUPLE OF SLIDES, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE OUR BIGGEST REVENUE IS HEAVILY RELIANT ON, ON, ON RESIDENTS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF COMMERCIAL, WE HAVE A LOT OF OPEN SPACE. WE DON'T HAVE CERTAIN TAXES THAT THAT THE BUSINESSES THAT WOULD BRING IN SOME MORE REVENUE, BUT THAT THAT THAT'S FOR A PURPOSE. SO LET'S NOW GET INTO THE REVENUES. 
          WHAT ARE REVENUES COME FROM? HERE'S OUR, OUR, THIS, THIS SLIDE SHOWS YOU OUR MAIN SOURCES OF REVENUE, JUST LIKE ANY MUNICIPALITY AMOUNT TO BE RAISED BY TAXES IS YOUR BIGGEST SOURCE OF REVENUE. THAT'S UP $836,000. AGAIN, WE SPOKE ABOUT THAT 90 MILLION LAST YEAR, 20 MILLION THIS YEAR 20.2 MILLION THIS YEAR. THE WAY YOU COME UP WITH THAT, THAT TAX NUMBER IS BASICALLY YOU TAKE ALL YOUR NON-TAX REVENUE AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR NON-TAX 
          [00:50:05]
REVENUE AND YOUR APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE YEAR. THAT'S BASICALLY YOUR, YOUR TAX LEVY, YOUR AMOUNT TO BE RAISED BY TAXES, SURPLUS, VERY IMPORTANT SURPLUS IS ONE OF OUR LARGEST RESERVES THAT UNFORTUNATELY, WE, I DON'T WANT TO SAY BEEN OVER UTILIZING, BUT WE'RE NOT REGENERATING THE AMOUNT THAT WE USED TO. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'RE DECREASING THE USE OF OUR SURPLUS BY $200,000. I'LL EXPLAIN AND TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SURPLUS ON ITS OWN SLIDES, GRANTS. LIKE I SAID, IT FLUCTUATES. WE ARE AT 3.9 MILLION LAST YEAR. WE'RE AT 1.9 MILLION THIS YEAR. BUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, IF YOU COME TO THE MEETINGS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE RESOLUTIONS CALLED CHAPTER 159 RESOLUTIONS THAT BASICALLY SAYS, HEY, WE JUST RECEIVED A GRANT AND WE WANT TO AMEND THE BUDGET AND PUT IT IN, IN, IN THE, THE GRANT LINE ITEM. SO BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, THIS $1.9 MILLION, WHO KNOWS, COULD BE UP TO THAT 3.9 MILLION WINK WINK. WE'LL GET UP TO 3.9 MILLION BY THE END OF THE YEAR. JORDAN FEELS THE PRESSURE. YOU GOT ME STATE STATE AID. THIS IS A ONE TIME INCREASE THAT WE'RE OFFSETTING WITH THE ONE TIME EXPENSE INCREASE. THIS WAS A RESERVE STATE AID THAT WE GOT A YEAR AGO. IT'S BEEN SAVING OUR RESERVES. WE HAVE TO SPEND IT. 
          AND INSTEAD OF AGAIN, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. YOU DON'T WANT TO USE ONE TIME, LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, REVENUE LIKE THIS IS A ONE TIME, IT'S $136,000 INCREASE. IT'S A ONE TIME REVENUE. NEXT YEAR IT'S GONE. YOU DON'T WANT TO USE IT ON, ON SAY, HEY, WE HAVE $136. LET'S DECREASE TAXES BY $136,000. BECAUSE IF YOU DO THAT NEXT YEAR, WHEN THAT $136,000 IS GONE, YOU EITHER HAVE TO NOW RAISE THE TAXES FOR ANOTHER $136,000 TO FILL IT WITH THE OTHER EXPENSES THAT COME, COME, COME WITH IT. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EXPENSES, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT LINE ITEM INCREASING. I THINK I SAID $140,000. SO IT'S ALMOST A WASH. INTEREST ON INVESTMENTS. YOU KNOW, WE DECREASE IT SLIGHTLY JUST TO ROUND THAT NUMBER OUT. BUT WE WILL HAVE TO START REDUCING OUR RELIANCE ON IT JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE THAT THAT INVESTS IN SAFE INVESTMENTS, RIGHT? MUNICIPALITIES. WE CAN'T INVEST IN STOCKS, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. RIGHT? CDS AND WHATNOT. JUST THE RATES AND BANKS WILL START DECREASING. SO WE WILL START HAVE TO REDUCE THAT, THAT AMOUNT. THAT'S SOMETHING THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE DID DISCUSS THIS YEAR. UNIFORM CONSTRUCTION CODE. AGAIN YOU SAW THAT THEY HAVE THAT. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT THEY'RE GETTING A HEADCOUNT. BUT WE'RE ALSO INCREASING THEIR REVENUE. THAT HEADCOUNT IS GOING TO GENERATE MORE REVENUE THAN THE EXPENSE THAT THAT THAT IT'S GOING TO COST US FOR THAT EMPLOYEE. SO WE'RE INCREASING THAT LINE ITEM BY $100,000. FEES AND PERMITS WILL STAY THE SAME. LEASES HAVE INCREASED BECAUSE OF CELL TOWER. WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE BENEFITS AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO TO CREATE NEW STREAMS OF REVENUE, SHARED SERVICES. SAME THING. WE HAVE A SLIDE ON THAT INCREASE BECAUSE OF NEW SHARED SERVICES. AGAIN, DO OUR BEST TO INCREASE OUR OUR OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUES TO REDUCE THE BURDEN ON THE TAXPAYERS. BUT WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES TO DO THAT. 
          INTEREST ON TAXES THE SAME AND COURT FEES. THIS IS WHAT WE GET FROM. YOU KNOW, WHEN THE POLICE WROTE A TICKET, WE GET YOU KNOW, WE GET THE FINES FROM THERE. IT WAS DOWN THIS YEAR AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL BE UP NEXT YEAR AGAIN. FOR THE VISUAL LEARNERS LIKE MYSELF HERE, YOU CAN SEE THAT. YEP, YEP. IT SHOWS YOU WHERE OUR REVENUE COMES FROM. OUR LARGEST 158% COMES FROM TAXES. YOU GOT 15% FROM SURPLUS SMALL OVER HERE, 6% FROM GRANTS. AND THE REST YOU'LL SEE THIS ONE 2%. SO AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE LIMITED SOURCES OF REVENUE. HAVE WE TALKED ABOUT THE MAKEUP OF MONTGOMERY, THE CHARACTERISTIC OF MONTGOMERY. 
          HENCE IT LEADS TO PROPERTY TAXES TRULY BEING A BIG SOURCE OF OUR REVENUE. SO MICHAEL, THAT'S 58% IS INCLUDED HOMEOWNERS AS WELL AS BUSINESS PROPERTY TAX. CORRECT. SO DO YOU KNOW THE PERCENTAGE OF THIS? YEAH. YES. GREAT. GREAT QUESTION, BY THE WAY. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR TAX DUPLICATE, ANYTHING CLASSIFIED UNDER CLASS FOUR IS CONSIDERED COMMERCIAL. 
          AND THAT MAKES UP ABOUT 2.2% OF OUR BASE. SO OUT OF OUR NEARLY 808,000 TAX LINE ITEMS WE HAVE WE HAVE ABOUT 170, 180 THAT ARE COMMERCIAL. AND I BELIEVE IF YOU LOOK AT THAT FROM A COUNTY PERSPECTIVE, WE'RE ACTUALLY THE SECOND LOWEST. I THINK BERNARD'S IS FIRST. THEY'RE LIKE, THEY GOT TO BE JUST UNDER 2%. AND THEN THEN WE'RE US. SO AGAIN, IT KIND OF SHOWS YOU THE MAKEUP OF MONTGOMERY, HEAVILY RESIDENTIAL FOCUSED. BUT THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND I THINK THAT'S THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE AS WELL. ALL RIGHT. THIS KIND OF SHOWS THE USE OF SURPLUS AND HOW IT'S BEEN IMPACTING OUR OUR BALANCE OF SURPLUS. SO THE BLUE LINE SHOWS YOU HOW MUCH SURPLUS WE'VE BEEN PUTTING IN THE BUDGET. LAST YEAR WE TOPPED OUT AT 5.3 MILLION. THAT'S THE MOST WE'VE PUT IN THE BUDGET IN OVER TEN YEARS. 5.3 MILLION IS A LOT OF MONEY. WE DIDN'T REGENERATE THAT. WE ONLY REGENERATED ABOUT 4.8 THOUSAND. SO RIGHT THERE WE JUST DRAINED A BIG PART OF OUR 
          [00:55:05]
SURPLUS, WHICH IS WHY. AND AGAIN, WE KIND OF KNEW GOING IN LAST YEAR THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO START REDUCING IT. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO START REDUCING IT EVERY YEAR, IDEALLY THAT THAT THAT GREAT, I GUESS HAPPY MEDIUM IS AROUND 4.7 MILLION. SO WE'RE GOING TO SLOWLY START REDUCING IT BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE IN 2026, NOT COMING UP. GET UP THERE. 
          YEAH. OUR ENDING BALANCE AFTER WE USE 5.1 MILLION THIS YEAR, IT'S THE LOWEST SINCE 2019. 
          WE'RE AT $3.7 MILLION. NEXT YEAR. I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THE NEXT THREE YEARS, EVEN WITH US REDUCING THE USE OF SURPLUS, MOST LIKELY THAT'S GOING TO DECREASE. AND THAT'S A LITTLE CONCERNING BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE MOODY'S CREDIT RATING REALLY LOOKS AT OUR SURPLUS OUR RESERVE. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THE HUGE ASSETS WE HAD. THE GREATEST ASSET WE HAD WHEN IT WHEN IT CAME TO GETTING THAT TRIPLE A RATING. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS A GREAT, GREAT DIAGRAM CHART. SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE MORE SURPLUS WE USE THE BALANCE AT THE END OF THE YEAR OR AT THE BEGINNING, THE BALANCE LEFT OVER IT IS REDUCED EVEN MORE. SO IT'S A GOOD CORRELATION SHOWS YOU THE CORRELATION BY USAGE TO ENDING BALANCE. MICHAEL, MAYBE IF I COULD ADD A FEW WORDS ON THIS. THIS WAS A, THIS WAS A REALLY TOUGH ONE IN THE DISCUSSION BECAUSE THE EASIEST THING TO DO WOULD BE USE UP MORE, MORE SURPLUS, TAKE THE TAX RATE DOWN. 
          AND WE HAD A LOT OF DEBATE ON THIS. YEAH. YOU KNOW, WHICH WAY SHOULD WE GO? HOW DO PEOPLE FEEL. I ALSO DID SOME ADDITIONAL RESEARCH. AND YOU THERE ARE A LOT OF TOWNS THAT DID THAT, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TAKING OUT THEIR SURPLUS. TAKE THE SURPLUS. EVERYONE'S HAPPY. 
          LOWER TAX RATES, MAYBE NO TAX RATES AND THEN THE SURPLUS ZERO. AND THEN AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS? AND THEN ALL SUDDEN, YOU KNOW, YOU YOU RUN OUT OF MONEY, YOU KNOW, AND THEN AND NOW YOU REFERENDUMS ARE COMING FOR TEN, 15% INCREASES OR, OR YOU'RE CUTTING SERVICES. AND SO WHILE, YOU KNOW, WE WISH WE COULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, DONE THAT HIGHER NUMBER, WE, WE FELT LIKE THAT STARTING NOW, LIKE TAKING IT DOWN FOR THE FIRST YEAR IS THE RIGHT STEP. OBVIOUSLY, I DON'T THINK ANY OF US ARE SATISFIED AT 3.7. WE ALSO HOPE THAT WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S NEW RATABLES COMING IN STARTING NEXT YEAR. AND SO WE HOPE THAT BETWEEN THE NEW RATABLES AND MANAGING OUR EXPENSES, WE CAN ACTUALLY ALSO CONTINUE START, YOU KNOW, SELF-FUNDING SOME OF THE SURPLUS. BUT THIS IS A I'M JUST BEING HONEST. IT'S REALLY A TOUGH ONE. YOU KNOW, WE WERE LIKE BACK AND FORTH ON DO WE, DO WE TAKE SOME OF THIS, WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR. AND WE FELT LIKE WE HAD TO AT LEAST CHIP AWAY AT, YOU KNOW, THIS DEPENDENCY ON THE SURPLUS. YEAH. 
          WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE OUR TRIPLE A BONDING. SO, YOU KNOW, TO REPLENISH OUR, OUR SURPLUSES, YOU KNOW, CLOSE TO 4 MILLION AS POSSIBLE IS, IS A PRIORITY IN THE, IN THE FUTURE. CORRECT. 
          YOU CAN ONLY ARTIFICIALLY AGAIN, THERE'S SOME MUNICIPALITIES THAT HAVE LOW TAX RATE, EXTREMELY LOW TAX RATE FOR THREE, FOUR YEARS, ARTIFICIALLY KEEPING IT LOW WITH AGAIN, I CONSIDER THIS A ONE TIME REVENUE UNLESS YOU'RE ABLE TO REGENERATE SURPLUS EVERY YEAR. 
          THAT'S WHY I THINK THAT 4.7 NUMBER IF WE CAN DROP OUR SURPLUS EVENTUALLY DOWN TO THAT. 
          4.74.6 I'M CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN REGENERATE THAT EVERY YEAR AND THAT THAT RESERVE WON'T DEPLETE. BUT IF YOU'RE USING MORE SURPLUS CONTINUOUSLY JUST TO KEEP TAX RATE DOWN AND YOU'RE NOT REGENERATING IT, THAT'S ARTIFICIALLY, ARTIFICIALLY KEEPING YOUR TAX RATE DOWN WITH ONE TIME REVENUES. AND THAT ALWAYS ENDS IN A BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD SITUATION. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE PROJECTED OUT IF WE KEPT THIS PACE, LET'S SAY WE KEPT IT AT 5.3 MILLION BY 2030, WE'D BE WE'D BE OUT OF OUR SURPLUS. AND WE WOULD PROBABLY AND NUMBER ONE, LOSE OUT. WE PROBABLY LOSE OUR OUR TRIPLE A IN TWO YEARS AND PROBABLY BE UNDER FISCAL DISTRESS AGAIN BY THE FOURTH OR FIFTH YEAR. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT AGAIN, WE HAVE BEEN HEAVILY RELYING ON IT, RIGHT. WE HAD SOME TOUGH TIMES WITH COVID WITH EVERYTHING AFTER COVID, TRYING TO GET THE RESIDENTS THROUGH IT. BUT THERE COMES A TIME AND A POINT WHERE THIS WILL DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD IF WE TRY TO KEEP THIS BALANCE. SO THAT WAS A DECISION WE MADE. AND THAT'S KIND OF THE PLAN THAT AND AGAIN, WE'LL WE'LL PIVOT EVERY YEAR. WE'LL SEE WHAT WE REGENERATE. WE'LL SEE WHAT THE INFLATION NUMBERS LOOK LIKE. WE'LL SEE IF HEALTH BENEFITS PREMIUMS, EXPENSES ARE GOING UP THE WAY THEY ARE. AND THEN WE'LL DECIDE. SORRY, JUST SO WE CAN KEEP, YOU KNOW, ON SURPLUS, THE WAY YOU REGENERATE SURPLUS, THE TWO MAJOR WAYS YOU GENERATE SURPLUS IS IF YOU ANTICIPATE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF REVENUE AND YOU RECEIVE MORE THAN THAT REVENUE, THAT EXTRA REVENUE, OF COURSE, GOES INTO SURPLUS. THAT'S ONE. SAME GOES WITH EXPENSES. IF YOU SAY IF YOU PUT IF WE HAVE ANTICIPATE X AMOUNT EXPENSES IN OUR BUDGET, BUT WE ONLY SPEND, YOU KNOW, HALF OF IT OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, THAT EXTRA HELPS REGENERATE THAT SURPLUS. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THE PAST FEW YEARS, SINCE OUR DISCRETIONARY 
          [01:00:04]
SPENDING HASN'T REALLY BEEN INCREASING, BUT INFLATION HAS ANY CUSHION. WE HAD THAT USED TO FALL INTO SURPLUS NOW IS GETTING EATEN AWAY. SO YES, WE'RE NOT RAISING OUR DISCRETIONARY SPENDING, BUT INFLATION IS EATING ANY LITTLE CUSHION WE HAD. AND THAT CUSHION USED TO FALL INTO OUR SURPLUS AND HELP REGENERATE IT. THAT'S WHY YOU SEE OUR REGENERATION OF SURPLUS NOT BEING AT THE LEVELS OF THE PAST. SO KEEP THAT, KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL AS WE GO THROUGH OUR BUDGETS. IMPORTANCE OF A HEALTHY SURPLUS. AGAIN, RAINY DAY PROTECTION. IF, IF WE HAVE SURPLUS AND EMERGENCY HAPPENS, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO OUT FOR A NOTE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WE'LL HAVE THE FUNDS IN HAND WITHOUT HAVING A GO GO TO YOU. 
          BUDGETING REVENUE HELPS ABSORB A PORTION OF THE RISING COSTS LIKE IT HAS BEEN THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND THERE'LL ALWAYS WILL BE AS LONG AS WE MANAGE IT PROPERLY, WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE A REVENUE LINE ITEM CALLED SURPLUS AS LONG AS WE MANAGE IT PROPERLY AND WE GET IT TO THE PROPER LEVEL. SO THAT ABSORBS RISING COSTS. WITHOUT IT, WE'D HAVE TO FIND SOME OTHER SOURCE OF REVENUE. AND FINALLY, AGAIN, OUR TRIPLE A BOND RATING. YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR CREDIT RATING LATER. THIS IS A RESERVE THAT THAT'S THE FIRST THING THAT MOODY'S THE CREDIT RATING CREDIT AGENCY MOODY'S LOOKS AT. HEY HOW DO YOU RESERVES LOOK. ALRIGHT. 
          THEY WENT DOWN A YEAR. WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN DOING THE PAST TWO YEARS. WAIT A MINUTE. THE PAST FEW YEARS, NOT ONLY HAVE THEY BEEN GOING DOWN, BUT YOU HAVEN'T ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY. 
          YOU HAVEN'T PIVOTED TO TRY TO MITIGATE THESE. SO THEY'LL AT LEAST BE ABLE TO SEE THIS YEAR THAT, HEY, LOOK, YES, THE RESERVE WENT DOWN, BUT AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE USING LESS THIS YEAR AND THEY HAVE A PLAN TO TO GET BACK ON TRACK. GRANT AGAIN 1.9 MILLION. I'M NOT GOING TO GO THROUGH THEM. ALL THE LARGE ONES AGAIN, THE $850,000 WE HAD DOT GRANT A $537,000. AND AGAIN, HEALTH EVERY YEAR THEY GET HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THIS YEAR WAS $373,000, AS WELL AS, AGAIN, OPIATE GRANTS AND WHATNOT. SO AGAIN, 1.9, BY THE END OF THE YEAR, IT WILL BE HIGHER. TALKING ABOUT NEW SOURCES OF REVENUE, WE DO WHAT WE CAN, RIGHT? WE HAVE EXISTING CELL TOWERS AT THE BASEBALL FIELDS THAT GENERATE ABOUT $200,000 EVERY YEAR. WE HAVE THIS MUNICIPAL ONE THAT WE JUST BUILT, THAT WE BID IT OUT AND IT JUST GOT BUILT. THAT GIVES US $41,000 ANNUALLY. AND THEN ONCE IT GETS SOME CELL PROVIDERS ON THE TOWER STARTING THE SECOND PROVIDER, WE'LL GET 30% OF THE REVENUE SHARE. WHEN IT COMES TO CHERRY VALLEY. WE JUST WENT OUT TO BID FOR THAT. WE AWARDED THAT. SO LATER THIS YEAR WE WILL START SEEING THAT REVENUE AS WELL. SO AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO GENERATE RECURRING REVENUE TO REDUCE RELIANCE ON TAXES. AND AGAIN THAT'S THE KEY WORD REOCCURRING REVENUE. ONE TIME REVENUES ARE GREAT, BUT REOCCURRING IS WHAT'S NEEDED TO FIX ANY STRUCTURAL GAP WE MIGHT HAVE IN THE BUDGET. AND WHAT REVENUE WILL THE THE PROMENADE CREATE? THE. AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO CHANGE, BUT THE MUNICIPAL SHARE WILL BE. 200 SOMETHING THOUSAND 200, 300,000. THAT'S THE MUNICIPAL SHARE. MUNICIPAL PORTION. AGAIN, I CAN I HAVE TO LOOK. AND AGAIN, THOSE NUMBERS COULD DRASTICALLY CHANGE DEPENDING ON WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. BUT THAT'S HOW MUCH WE'RE EXPECTING. BUT AGAIN, THINK ABOUT THAT. 
          THE PROMENADE BIG PROJECT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? 200, 300,000, EVEN 350, LET'S SAY THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT EVEN HEALTH INSURANCE AND POLICE SALARIES RIGHT THERE. IT EATS UP. SO AGAIN, JUST TAKE THAT INTO PERSPECTIVE. BUT AGAIN, GREAT QUESTION. ANOTHER SOURCE OF REVENUE THAT IS KIND OF OUTSIDE THE BOX THINKING HEALTH SHARED SERVICES. IT'S GOING TO BE HIGHER THAN 40. WE ONLY ANTICIPATED 40, BUT IT'LL BE ALMOST DOUBLE. THAT'LL BE 60 TO 80. I THINK IF WE'RE AGGRESSIVE, IT ALL DEPENDS ON HOW MANY HOURS THEY PUT INTO THE OTHER TOWNS FINANCES SERVICE. WE JUST GOT TEWKSBURY LATE LAST YEAR. SO AGAIN THAT INCREASED THE FINANCING SERVICE AND NOW IT'S PEAPACK-GLADSTONE AND TEWKSBURY TOWNSHIP FOR A TOTAL OF 260 PLUS THOUSAND IN REVENUE. REGARDING SHARED SERVICES, MAYBE I CAN. YEP. 
          IT'S JUST A QUICK I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE BECAUSE THE SHARED SERVICES TOPIC COMES OUT A LOT, AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT CHALLENGE THAT WE GET BACK FROM THE COMMUNITIES. YOU KNOW, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY I KNOW MAYOR KEENAN'S HERE. YOU KNOW, SHE, SHE HELPED LEAD TO REALLY DO AN EVALUATION OF A LOT OF OUR SHARED SERVICES. AND WE, WE ACTUALLY KIND OF DISCONNECT A COUPLE OF THEM BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T CREATING VALUE. AND THE ONES THAT WE'VE ADDED, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A THOROUGH KIND OF FINANCIAL VETTING AND WE SAID, YES, IT'S CLEAN VALUES AND, AND, YOU KNOW, NOT ADDING ANY IMPACT TO THE, TO THE TOWNSHIP. BUT I WISH THESE NUMBERS WERE LIKE MILLIONS. I THINK THE TRUTH IS, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHILE THEY CREATE VALUE, IT'S NOT A SILVER BULLET FOR A LOT OF CHALLENGES. I WILL SAY WE'RE NOT GOING TO STOP LOOKING AT SHARED SERVICES. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE LOOKING AT IT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE BOARD MEMBERS OF THE OF THE SCHOOL BOARD ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT 
          [01:05:01]
CAN WE DO TOGETHER? BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING WE'LL CONTINUE WORKING, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO I MEAN, I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO GIVE US LIKE $1 MILLION, YOU KNOW, IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS OR EVEN THE NEXT 4 OR 5 YEARS ALSO, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT SHARE SERVICES THAT WE'RE SENDING OUR SERVICES OUTWARDS, YOU KNOW, COMPARING THOSE AND JUST FINDING OTHER OPTIONS IF POSSIBLE. YEAH. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. SO THIS IS, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE WE'RE AT THE BUDGET DOESN'T MEAN LIKE THE EFFORT STOP. AND I WANT TO COMMEND YOU, MIKE, ON IDENTIFYING OTHER SHARED SERVICES OVER THE LAST, YOU KNOW, 12 MONTHS THAT'S GOING TO HELP US OUT. BUT I JUST I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO SEE, HEY, THE MAGNITUDE OR THE LACK OF MAGNITUDE, YOU KNOW, AS WE LOOK AT THE OVERALL BUDGETS, RIGHT? ALTHOUGH THIS IS, YOU KNOW, AVOIDING US, YOU KNOW, OTHER TAXES ARE MAKING OTHER CUTS. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, LET'S START TALKING ABOUT OUR EXPENSES. WE WENT OVER THIS ALREADY COST DRIVERS OUR CURRENT FUND. THIS IS OUR MAJOR EXPENSES SALARY AND WAGES. THAT'S ABOUT 33% OF OUR BUDGET, WHICH YOU'LL SEE NEXT SLIDE. AFTER THAT IS OUR DEBT SERVICE. THEN PENSIONS. THERE COMES OUR HEALTH INSURANCE AT 2.3 MILLION RESERVE FUND COLLECTED TAXES IS BASICALLY ALMOST LIKE BAD DEBT EXPENSE. THERE'S GOING TO BE CERTAIN TAXPAYERS THAT DON'T PAY. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE CASH FLOW. SO WE DO HAVE A RESERVE FUND ATTACHED TO 1.4 MILLION UTILITIES, 1.7 SOCIAL SECURITY, VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND SO ON. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, IT'LL TRULY SHOW YOU WHERE OUR EXPENSES REALLY LIE. AGAIN, DEBTS AT 18%, SALARIES ARE AT 33%. JUST AGAIN, MUNICIPALITY SALARIES ARE GOING TO BE THE LARGEST PIECE OF THE PIE. FROM THERE YOU HAVE PENSIONS, 7%, HEALTH INSURANCE 7%, AND THEN OTHER EXPENSES. A LOT OF THAT IS OUR OUR DEPARTMENT EXPENSES. THAT'S ONLY 10% OF THE PIE. SO TALKING ABOUT SALARIES, RIGHT? WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE LARGEST PIECE OF THE PIE, 33%. THIS SLIDE KIND OF SHOWS IT NOT KIND OF IT SHOWS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NON POLICE AND POLICE HOURS OVER TIME. LISTEN, WE HAVE ONE OF THE SAFEST COMMUNITIES IN NEW JERSEY. WE'RE CONSISTENTLY RANKED. BUT AGAIN THAT THAT COMES WITH A PRICE POINT. IF YOU LOOK AT 2020 TO 2026, OUR NON-POLICE SALARIES INCREASED A NOMINAL AMOUNT 0.64%. THAT'S THAT'S SIX YEARS FROM 6 MILLION TO 6.3 MILLION. POLICE SALARIES WENT FROM 3.9 MILLION, ALMOST THREE 4 MILLION TO 5.3 MILLION, 33% OVER 5% INCREASE. BUT THAT IS WHAT YOU SEE IN MUNICIPALITIES WITH POLICE, HIGHEST PAID EMPLOYEES, HIGH SALARIES, WHATEVER THE MARKET VALUE DICTATES THAT THAT KIND OF IS UNFORTUNATELY THE WAY IT WORKS. BUT AGAIN, MONTGOMERY IS ONE OF THE SAFEST COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE. IT'S ONE OF THE VALUES THAT I THINK THE RESIDENTS APPRECIATE. AND LIKE, LIKE THE DEPUTY MAYOR MENTIONED, THAT'S ONE OF THE THE TALKING POINTS THAT I THINK A LOT OF THE RESIDENTS SAID, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE THING WE DON'T WANT TO TOUCH. AGAIN, PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, IT DOES PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE THOUGH. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THE SALARIES LARGEST EXPENSE. THOSE THOSE HAVE BEEN THE INCREASES OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS. AND MAYBE IF I COULD JUST ADD SOME, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANT TO PROVIDE KIND OF TRANSPARENCY SO THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S REALLY DRIVING, YOU KNOW, OUR BUDGET, RIGHT? AND, AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, DISCUSSIONS, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR WITH THE, THE, WITH OUR, SOME OF OUR UNION NEGOTIATIONS. BUT THIS IS REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S REQUIRED, I THINK, NUMBER ONE, TO KEEP OUR TOWN SAFE. SO IN, IN THIS POLICE SALARIES WAS THE FIRST TWO INCREASES IN THE POLICE FORCE IN 15 YEARS. THIS TOWN HAS CHANGED A LOT IN 15 YEARS. SO I THINK IT WAS, YOU KNOW, REALLY NEEDED. AND WE ALSO BROUGHT IN SOME ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A, YOU KNOW, WHAT I CONSIDER WAS A SUCCESSFUL BUDGET NEGOTIATION. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE INVEST. SO WE BRING IN THE BEST POLICE TALENT INTO MONTGOMERY. AND, YOU KNOW, EVEN AS WE THINK RIGHT NOW, LIKE WHERE WE'VE BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS, WHERE WE'VE HAD MULTIPLE VACANT POSITIONS, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE SOON, IF NOT ALREADY LIKE A VACANT POSITION FOR FROM A RETIREMENT. SO IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE ABLE TO ATTRACT POLICE OFFICERS, YOU KNOW, AT THE ENTRY LEVELS, BUT ALSO POLICE OFFICERS WHO ARE LOOKING TO COME FROM OTHER TOWNSHIPS, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE ALREADY TRAINED AND WHO CAN PLUG IN. AND I THINK THIS IS THE INVESTMENT REQUIRED TO KEEP, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN SAFE. RIGHT. 
          SO AND I THINK PBN NEGOTIATIONS, I THINK THERE WERE PEOPLE, NOT AS MANY PEOPLE, BUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE PD HAD ASKED US FOR 5% RAISE IN THEIR SALARIES. AND IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT NEGOTIATION. YOU MAY HAVE READ IT IN THE NEWSPAPER, BUT WE HELD THE LINE AT 3.75. SO YES, WE REALLY VALUE WHAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOES FOR US. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE KNEW WE HAD TO BALANCE THE BUDGET AND KEEP, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE RESIDENTS AS WELL IN MIND. 
          SO IT WAS A TOUGH NEGOTIATIONS, BUT WE, I THINK, GOT THE RIGHT PLACE. AND, YOU KNOW, AS THE 
          [01:10:05]
DEPUTY MAYOR HAS MENTIONED, SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE ALSO IN THOSE NEGOTIATIONS MADE SURE THAT IT'S NOT 5%, IT'S 3.75. SO JUST THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE NOT THERE FOR MOST OF OUR MEETINGS, BUT IT'S JUST TO GIVE PERSPECTIVE SINCE EVERYBODY'S HERE TODAY. GO AHEAD MIKE. THANK YOU. SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN DOING, YOU KNOW, LAURA'S BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB WITH THIS DEPARTMENT HEADS IS, YOU KNOW, MAINTAINING, YOU KNOW, SAME SERVICES WHILE CONTROLLING OUR STAFFING LEVELS. THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN TRULY ANYTIME SOMEBODY LEAVES, WE TRULY BEEN LOOKING AT THAT POSITION AND TRYING TO SEE, HEY, NUMBER ONE, IS THAT POSITION NEEDED? CAN THE WORK BE OFFLOADED TO SOMETHING SOMEONE ELSE OR NUMBER TWO, DOES IT HAVE TO BE A FULL TIME? RIGHT? AS YOU KNOW, FULL TIME. YOU HAVE FULL TIME HOURS, YOU HAVE BENEFITS, YOU HAVE PENSIONS, YOU HAVE DEFERRED COMPENSATION. PLAN ALL OF THAT PART TIME OR LESS HOURS. NONE OF THOSE BENEFITS FOR THE MOST PART. SO, YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH SOME OF THE STUFF WE'VE BEEN DOING THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WHICH RELATES TO THAT LAST SLIDE TO KEEP OUR, OUR, OUR SALARY COSTS DOWN IS FINANCE. WE HAD A FULL TIMER RETIRE. WE CHANGED THAT INTO A PART TIMER, AND WE EVEN DECREASED THAT A LITTLE MORE THIS YEAR. STARTING IN JUNE, OUR TAX WE HAD OUR TAX ASSESSOR RETIRE. HIS ASSESSMENT, HIS HIS ASSISTANT TOOK OVER, BUT WE HAD HER FULL TIME POSITION TURNED INTO PART TIME. AGAIN, SAVINGS ON BENEFITS AND HOURS, FIRE PREVENTION, SAME THING TWO FULL TIME. WE HAVE TWO FULL TIME AND ONE PART TIME. NOW IT'S ONE FULL TIME. TWO PART TIME PLANNING. A FULL TIME POSITION WAS NOT REPLACED. ADMINISTRATION. A PART TIME POSITION IS NOT REPLACED. RECEPTION PART TIME POSITION NOT REPLACED. AGAIN, YOU SAW THAT LIMITED STAFFING INCREASES INCREASED GROWTH SINCE INCREASED SINCE 2020. SO I REALLY LIKE THIS SLIDE. IN THE PAST I USED TO JUST SKIP THROUGH IT AND TELL YOU, HEY, YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE POST IT, IT SHOWS YOU YOUR BUDGET LINE ITEM, THE TOP ONE. BUT AGAIN, I WANT TO LOOK AT YOU SHOULD FOCUS ON OUR CORE BUDGET. IT SHOWS YOU WHERE WE WERE IN 2020 AT 27.6 MILLION VERSUS WHERE WE ARE THIS YEAR AT 32.8 MILLION. THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF OF 3.1% INCREASE. AND THAT'S AGAIN, OUR OUR BUDGET, OUR EXPENSES, RIGHT? REVENUES, EXPENSES. BUT WE'RE FOCUSING ON EXPENSES 3.1% PER YEAR. WHILE INFLATION HAS BEEN 3.9 AND FOUR. AND AGAIN, THIS NUMBER, IF I TAKE OUT DEBT WILL BE MUCH LOWER THAN THAT. THAT DEBT INCREASE AS WELL WOULD MOST LIKELY BE LOWER THAN THAT. BUT AGAIN, WE'RE STILL UNDER INFLATION. SO IT'S IT'S A VERY INTERESTING SLIDE THAT, YOU KNOW, I DO NOW LIKE TO FOCUS ON A LITTLE MORE. SO LET'S LOOK AT OUR DEPARTMENTS. WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH EVERY DEPARTMENT JUST LIKE EVERY DEPARTMENT HAD TO GO THROUGH US, GO THROUGH THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE. AND WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IS 0% O'S, OTHER EXPENSES, S W SALARY AND WAGES. 
          YOU'RE JUST GOING TO SEE THE ONLY. YEAH. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE ANY OE INCREASES, POLICE SALARY SALARY WAGES. WE TALKED ABOUT THAT 260,005% DPW SALARY AND WAGES HEALTH SALARY AND WAGES. REC SALARY. AGAIN GO THROUGH GO THROUGH EACH LINE ITEM. NOTHING'S INCREASING EXCEPT SALARY AND WAGES. WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME DECREASES IN SALARY WAGES AS WELL. YOU KNOW, WE HAD A PORTION OF OUR RECEPTION, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT RECEPTION SALARY IN THERE THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO NOT GOING TO FILL. SO WE TOOK THAT OUT OF PART TIME PLANNING AND ZONING, $10,000 DECREASE IN THEIR SALARY, WAGE, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, NO INCREASED SALARY WAGE NO INCREASE. OTHER EXPENSES, FIRE PREVENTION, SALARY, WAGES. AGAIN, YOU GO THROUGH ALL OF OUR MAJOR DEPARTMENTS AND THEN YOU GO THROUGH EVEN SOME SMALLER ONES. I THINK THESE ARE ALL OF THEM. EXCUSE ME. IT'S 0% ON THEIR DISCRETIONARY SPENDING. WE TALK ABOUT INSURANCES. 
          EMPLOYEE GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE INCREASED 266,000. THAT'S 11.52%. I THINK IT WAS A LITTLE HIGHER. WE USED SOME OF OUR CUSHION IN THERE TO SOFTEN THE BLOW. BUT AGAIN, WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU JUST ARE SLIGHTLY DEPLETING SURPLUS. BUT AGAIN WE'RE AT WE'RE AT $266,000. 
          WORKER'S COMP IS UP 5%, $14,000. AND FOR US, THAT'S THE POLICE PENSION. YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A SAVING GRACE THIS YEAR. THAT DIDN'T INCREASE. WE EXPECT IT TO INCREASE NEXT YEAR OR THE YEAR AFTER. AND IT'S GOING TO BE A DECENT SIZE INCREASE BECAUSE THEY'RE USUALLY TWO YEARS BEHIND ON BILLING. SO THIS IS GOING TO HAVE THEIR NEW CONTRACT. SO EXPECT US YOU KNOW OVER $100,000 INCREASE ONE OF THESE NEXT TWO YEARS. THE PURSE IS THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT SYSTEM. THAT'S A NON-POLICE QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS WHO GO IN THE PENSION. THAT WAS AN INCREASE MANAGEABLE 2.73% CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND. THAT $143,000 IS COMING OUT NEXT YEAR. BUT SO IS THAT REVENUE OF STATE AID THAT WE INCREASED BY 136, $137,000 DEBT. IS THAT 100,000? WE TALKED ABOUT 1.68% RESERVE FOR UNCOLLECTED TAXES, 0%. 
          THERE'S NOT MUCH IN THIS BUDGET OTHER THAN SALARY AND WAGES. AND THEN ON NON-DISCRETIONARY 
          [01:15:04]
COST INCREASES, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO DISCRETIONARY. EXPENSES, IT'S GOING TO BE VERY TOUGH TO TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN SERVICES AND DO 0% YEAR OVER YEAR OVER YEAR. EVENTUALLY, IT'S JUST GOING TO BLOW UP IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET, I MEAN, OR A DEPARTMENT'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE. SO AGAIN, WE'RE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON IT. AND EVERY YEAR WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. BUT THIS IS NOT A REALISTIC TREND. TALK ABOUT THAT SOME OTHER WAYS THAT WE'VE BEEN SAVING TAXPAYER DOLLARS THROUGH SOME SMART DECISIONS. NUMBER ONE, EVEN BEFORE MY TIME, WE SWITCHED FROM THE STATE HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN. ANYONE WHO'S BEEN READING ABOUT THE STATE HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN, IT'S IN A DEATH SPIRAL. THEY HAVE 30% INCREASES EVERY YEAR, 30 PLUS PERCENT INCREASES. WE'RE IN A HEALTH INSURANCE FUND. YOU SAW THAT INCREASE OF 11%, ALMOST 12%. WE'RE SAVING. AND THIS IS CONSERVATIVE. BY BEING IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE FUND, WE'RE SAVING $1 MILLION A YEAR. AND THAT'S BEING CONSERVATIVE. IT'S PROBABLY CLOSER TO 1.3, 1.5. BY BEING IN THE HEALTH INSURANCE FUND, WE ALSO OFFER HEALTH BENEFIT WAIVERS. IF YOU AN EMPLOYEE DECIDES TO GET HEALTH INSURANCE FROM, YOU KNOW, THEIR SPOUSE'S EMPLOYER, THEY CAN GET PAID UP TO $5,000. THAT SAVES US AGAIN, CONSERVATIVE AMOUNT BASED ON THE 32 EMPLOYEES, DEPENDING ON WHAT KIND OF PLAN THEY TOOK, THAT'S AT LEAST A $900,000 SAVINGS BECAUSE WE OFFER THAT PLAN ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES, RIGHT? WE OUTSOURCE THAT. WE'RE ABOUT $170,000 IN SAVINGS AND COURT SHARED SERVICES WITH HILLSBORO. AGAIN, CONSERVATIVE 275, PROBABLY CLOSER TO THREE. 325 YOU KNOW, JUST THOSE FOUR ALONE, THAT'S $2.3 MILLION IN ANNUAL SAVINGS AND COST AVOIDANCE. IN ADDITION TO THE LARGER COST SAVING INITIATIVES, WE'RE ALSO FOCUSED ON SOME OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES. NUMBER ONE, REDUCING OVERTIME THROUGH SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS AND NUMBER TWO, TRAINING EFFICIENCIES. 
          WE'RE TRANSITIONING TO MORE WEB BASED TRAINING TO REDUCE TRAVEL TIME, TRAVEL COSTS AND TRAINING COSTS. YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH THESE MIGHT BE SMALL, THEY ADD UP OVER TIME, RIGHT? THESE MEASURES HELP LIMIT FUTURE COST INCREASES AND REDUCE BUDGET PRESSURE, SOMETHING THAT MANY PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW OR JUST DON'T. AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THE BUDGET, BUT WE DO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR EMS AND WE HAVE A COUPLE EMS MEMBERS HERE. 
          RAISE YOUR HANDS. A ROUND OF APPLAUSE, EVERYONE FOR THEIR SERVICE. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EMS, CID AND ALL THOSE GUYS, MIKE AND ALL OF THEM. WE MEET ANNUALLY A COUPLE OF TIMES, ACTUALLY MORE THAN ONCE A YEAR. WE JUST MET A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AS WELL. WE GIVE THEM AN ANNUAL SUPPORT OF $80,000. WE ALSO OPERATE VEHICLE. THE MAINTENANCE ANNUALLY WE HAD, WE GIVE THEM SOME FUEL SAVINGS AS WELL FOR THEIR VEHICLES. AND WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE. WE SECURED $410,000 THROUGH REDEVELOPER AGREEMENTS FOR EQUIPMENT FOR THEM. VOLUNTEER EMS AVOIDS THE NEED FOR A FULL TIME PAID SERVICE, SAVING SIGNIFICANT TAXPAYER DOLLARS. THEY HAD OVER 1600 CALLS I THINK, LAST YEAR, AND THEIR AVERAGE RESPONSE TIME DURING THE DAY WAS TEN MINUTES. 
          AND AT NIGHT, 11.5 MINUTES, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHICH IS AMAZING. AND YOU DON'T APPRECIATE IT UNTIL YOU HAVE TO CALL AND YOU NEED THEM, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. I'VE HAD THAT AT HOME FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS A COUPLE YEARS AGO. AND WHEN THEY COME AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S JUST LIKE, ALRIGHT, BURDENS OFF YOUR BACK, YOU KNOW, PROFESSIONALS ARE HERE. SO IT'S TRULY THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU GUYS DO. IF YOU CAN DONATE, YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S UP THERE JUST YOU CAN SCAN TO DONATE. THEY HAVE PAMPHLETS, YOU CAN GO TO THEIR SITE OR YOU CAN VOLUNTEER AS WELL. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU. AND, AND MICHAEL, I'LL JUST TAKE A MINUTE. 
          SOMETIMES RESIDENTS DO FORGET THAT OTHER TOWNS AROUND US DO PAY FOR THE EMS. SO AS HILLSBORO HAS CONTRACTED WITH ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON. SO THAT WOULD BE MONEY THAT WOULD COME OUT OF THE BUDGET TO PAY FOR IT. SO FOR US, WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO OUR EMS AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WITHIN MONTGOMERY WHO MAKE TIME DAY AND NIGHT TO HELP A RESIDENT IN NEED. I THINK THAT IS AMAZING AND ANYBODY WHO HAS EXTRA TIME, PLEASE VOLUNTEER AT THE EMS. WE WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MICHAEL, FOR PLUGGING THAT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE 115, I THINK INDIVIDUALS, RIGHT, WHO VOLUNTEER IN EMS. THAT'S I, I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I HEARD THAT THAT'S, THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE GIVING A LOT OF THEIR TIME FOR TRAINING TO PAY FOR CLOTHING AND, AND, YOU KNOW, GET THEIR CERTIFICATIONS AND TO GET UP AT THREE IN THE MORNING TO OPERATE AN AMBULANCE. SO THE ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO IN TERMS OF DONATION LOCALLY IS TO GIVE TO THE EMS. AND, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M, I FEEL GOOD WHEN I, WHEN I DO THAT AND EVERYONE SHOULD. SO THANK YOU, SYD. THANK YOU, THANK YOU MIKE. GOING ON TO OUR 
          [01:20:07]
DEBT. DEBT INCREASED AGAIN ABOUT 1%, $100,000. YOU SEE OUR PRINCIPAL INCREASED $68,000. 
          OUR BOND INTEREST $32,000 BOND PRINCIPAL, 68,000 BOND INTEREST, $32,000 AND THEN A MINIMAL INCREASE ON NOTE INTEREST IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY. THAT IS OUR ANNUAL PAYMENT FOR THIS BUILDING, INCLUDING LIBRARY. AGAIN, WE PAY FOR THAT LIBRARY, RIGHT? IT'S COUNTY LIBRARY, BUT WE PAY FOR IT HERE. THAT IS. MICHAEL JUST IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE REALIZE THAT WE ARE STILL PAYING FOR THIS BUILDING. SOMEONE DID TELL ME THAT. OH, WHY IS THAT STILL SHOWING UP? I'M LIKE, YEAH, BECAUSE WE'RE STILL PAYING FOR THIS BUILDING. YEAH, WE'LL BE PAYING FOR IT, I THINK UNTIL 2055, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO REALLY, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THIS SLIDE FOR MANY MORE YEARS. THIS IS ALL OF OUR DEBT RIGHT NOW, OUR BONDS. THAT'S OUR PERMANENT FINANCING. 
          WE'VE ACTUALLY GONE OUT TO THE MARKET 31 MILLION. THESE ARE NOTES THAT WE HAVE BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES A 5 MILLION DEBT AUTHORIZED BY NON ISSUED. THAT'S A 2024 CAPITAL PROJECTS 2025 CAPITAL PROJECTS. WHAT THAT IS IS EVERY YEAR AFTER OUR BUDGET IS ADOPTED, WE HAVE A CAPITAL PLAN. WE'LL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WILL BE IN THERE THIS YEAR, ASSUMING THIS GOES THROUGH IN NEXT MONTH. BUT WE DO BOND ORDINANCE. ONCE WE DO BOND ORDINANCE, THAT BOND ORDINANCE FALLS UNDER THIS CATEGORY. DEBT AUTHORIZED BUT NOT ISSUED. IT'S AUTHORIZED BY BY THE GOVERNING BODY VIA BOND ORDINANCE. BUT WE HAVEN'T ISSUED ANY FINANCING, ANY NOTES OR ANY BONDS. SO 2024, 2025, WE STILL HAVEN'T GONE OUT TO THE FOR FINANCING IMPROVEMENT AUTHORITY LOANS. THIS IS THE MUNICIPAL COMPLEX AND INCLUDING THE LIBRARY, $31.5 MILLION. AND THEN WE WE DO HAVE THE LEASE PURCHASE AGREEMENT WITH THEM FOR POLICE VEHICLES, $113,000 GOING TO OUR CREDIT RATING. AGAIN, LOWER BORROWING COSTS, BETTER INTEREST RATES ON BIG PROJECTS, WHICH MEANS MORE MONEY GOING TOWARDS PROJECTS AND THE RESIDENTS AS OPPOSED TO THE BANK FINANCIAL STABILITY GUARANTEE. WE'RE NOT JUST SAYING WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE, RIGHT? MOODY'S IS SAYING, HEY, FINANCIALLY YOU'RE IN ELITE SHAPE COMPARED TO SOME OTHER MUNICIPALITIES. AND AGAIN, FISCALLY STRONG TOWNS ATTRACT INVESTMENTS AND SUPPORT PROPERTY VALUES. ONLY APPROXIMATELY 25 MUNICIPALITIES OUT OF THE 564 HAVE THAT HIGHEST RATING OF TRIPLE A, SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE MONTGOMERY RESIDENTS SHOULD BE PROUD OF. AND AGAIN, FINANCIALLY, IT'S SAVES US HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. AND IF IT'S A LONG TERM LOAN, IT COULD BE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO WANT TO TRY TO HOLD ON TO. AND I THINK, MICHAEL, THAT 25 MUNICIPALITIES OUT OF 564 MUNICIPALITIES IS, IS HUGE. PEOPLE FORGET THAT WE'RE ONE OF 25 ONLY WITH THAT TRIPLE A. SO THAT'S HUGE AND GREAT WORK. BY THE BY UN THANK YOU MAYOR. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. 
          THIS IS MOODY'S. THE TRIPLE A RATING REFLECTS THE TOWNSHIP'S LARGE TAX BASE WITH ABOVE AVERAGE RESIDENT INCOME AND WEALTH CONSISTENT OPERATING SURPLUSES. AGAIN THEY SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED OUR SURPLUS AND STRONG FINANCIAL POSITION. THE RATING ALSO INCORPORATES THE TOWNSHIP'S MODEST DEBT BURDEN FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE. THERE ARE NONE BECAUSE TRIPLE A IS THE HIGHEST. WHAT CAN LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE? MATERIAL DETERIORATION OF THE TAX BASE AND RESIDENT WEALTH AND INCOME, OR SUSTAINED DECLINES IN RESERVES AND LIQUIDITY, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE TO STOP THAT BLEEDING OR STOP THAT LEAK IN THE THE SURPLUS BUCKET. SO WE MENTIONED CAPITAL PROJECTS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR CAPITAL BUDGET, IT'S OUR LARGE TICKET ITEMS LIKE ROADS WILL BE OUR LARGEST CAPITAL ITEM EVERY YEAR. 
          ROADS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN, BUT WE PUT WE HAVE A CAPITAL BUDGET AND EVENTUALLY WE'LL GO OUT TO DEBT FREE. SO THIS $100,000 FOR POLICE, FOR EXAMPLE, IT'S NOT IN THE OPERATING BUDGET, IT'S IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET. WE'LL DO A BOND ORDINANCE IN THE FUTURE SAYING, HEY, THESE ARE THE ITEMS THAT WE'RE GOING TO GO OUT TO DEBT FOR CAPITAL ITEMS. POLICE THIS YEAR STAY THE SAME AS LAST YEAR, 100, 100,000, 300. IT TAKES CARE OF SUV RADAR EQUIPMENT, SOME AMMO, SOME COMPUTERS FOR THEIR VEHICLES, CAMERAS FOR THE VEHICLES, AND AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER. IT. THEY. WE HAVE SOME OUTDATED SERVERS THAT NEED TO BE UPGRADED. ALSO. COMPUTERS AND NETWORK UPGRADE UPDATES. GIS. THERE ARE CAD BASED MAP. IT'S 20,000 I THINK FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. ENGINEERING. AGAIN, THIS IS THIS IS THE INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR. LAST YEAR THEY RECEIVED ABOUT ONE POINT. IT'S SLIPPING. BUT THIS YEAR WE DECIDED I THINK IT WAS 1.4. DO YOU REMEMBER RIGHT ABOUT 1.4 THIS YEAR WE INCREASED TO 1.9. OUR ROADS. WE DO HAVE TO PAY A LITTLE MORE ATTENTION TO THEM BECAUSE IF WE KEEP DOING THAT, THAT 1.2, 1.4 MILLION, WE'RE NEVER GOING TO CATCH UP. EVEN AT 1.9. I MEAN, ENGINEERING CAME IN WITH A $7 
          [01:25:03]
MILLION CAPITAL BUDGET REQUEST, WHICH IT'S AGAIN, WE JUST CAN'T DO. SO AGAIN, WE BROUGHT UP TO 1.9. WE'LL ADJUST EVERY YEAR. RECREATION LUBE IS LIGHT IMPROVEMENTS AND OTHER PARK IMPROVEMENTS. USUALLY WE DO $30,000 FOR OTHER PARK IMPROVEMENTS, BUT THE SLIDES ARE ABOUT 100 PARKS, 75,000 EQUIPMENT, SAME AS LAST YEAR. BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS 50,000 FOR IMPROVEMENTS LIKE LAST YEAR, OEM 10,000 LIKE LAST YEAR, AND CODE 12,000 FOR SOME COMPUTERS AND IPADS THAT THEY NEED. WITH ALL THIS BUSY WORK THAT THEY'RE GETTING DPW, A TRAILER AND A DUMP TRUCK AND STREET BEFORE I PASS IT OVER TO DPW TO TALK ABOUT THE THE TRAILER AND THEIR WORKING CONDITIONS, STREETS AND ROADS. EVERY YEAR WE DO IN-HOUSE PAVING. WE GIVE THEM $500,000. SO THEY'RE GETTING THAT $500,000 THIS YEAR. AND WE HAVE WITH US RIGHT NOW JEFF BROOKLYN, OUR DPW DIRECTOR, A RESIDENT, KNOWS ALL ABOUT MONTGOMERY. HE'S GOING TO JUST BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT THE DPW REQUEST THAT HE BROUGHT TO THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO FUND. NEXT SLIDE. YEAH, YEAH. THANK YOU MICHAEL. SO SORRY. ONE INTEREST WE HAVE THIS YEAR IN REPLACING AT PUBLIC WORKS YARD IS THE PICTURE ABOVE THERE. THE LOCKER ROOM. AS FAR AS WE KNOW, IT'S OVER 40 YEARS OLD. WHEN I HAD STARTED IT WAS TWO OFFICES. 
          IT WAS THE PARK'S. AND THE OTHER SIDE WAS THE ROADS OFFICE. ALL THE INVESTIGATION THAT I COULD DO AS FAR AS HOW OLD IT WAS, IT WAS OVER 40 YEARS OLD. WE HAVE 1983 ON THERE. AND THEN I FOUND OUT SOMEBODY SAID, I THINK WE BOUGHT THAT USED IN 1983. SO IF YOU SPECIFICALLY LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TRAILER, THE WHOLE BOTTOM PART OF IT IS JUST FALLING OUT FROM BENEATH IT. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF ISSUES AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, RODENT CONTROL WITH IT. THE EMPLOYEES USE THIS OBVIOUSLY FOR THEIR LOCKER, YOU KNOW, THEIR PERSONAL ITEMS, ESPECIALLY IN LIKE LONG SNOWSTORMS, THEY BRING IN EXTRA CLOTHING AND SO FORTH. AND THEY, THEY KEEP IT IN THERE. YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT ONE. JUST A COUPLE MORE PICTURES. ONE OF THE INSIDE YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WE HAVE HAD MULTIPLE REPAIRS TO THE DOOR. 
          AND AS YOU ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT SLIDE, WE'VE HAD TO PATCH THE FLOOR WHERE IT'S. THE WOOD IS ACTUALLY GOTTEN TOO THIN TO EVEN WALK ON. SO LIKE I SAID, THIS IS, THIS IS KIND OF A DIRE SITUATION WHERE WE NEED TO UPGRADE THIS. IT'S DEFINITELY IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN SOON WITH THIS, WITH THIS TRAILER. YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE FOR THAT. SO YEAH, THAT WOULD BE THE ORIGINAL MUNICIPAL BUILDING UP FRONT, WHICH THEY CURRENTLY USE AS THEIR BREAK ROOM LUNCHROOM. AND ALSO THERE IS ALSO TWO BATHROOMS IN THERE. WE'RE STILL ACTIVELY PURSUING GRANTS TO REFURBISH AND UPGRADE THAT THAT BUILDING. BUT THE NEW TRAILER THAT WE ARE REQUESTING WILL HAVE BATHROOMS IN IT AND THE LOCKER ROOM, AS WELL AS A LAUNCH AREA FOR IT. SO. YOU AND THEN THERE'S THE PICTURE OF THE, THE ORIGINAL MUNICIPAL BUILDING RIGHT THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU JEFF. RIGHT. IN TERMS OF THE CURRENT FUND, AGAIN, WE'RE WRAPPING UP THE CURRENT FUND BUDGET. AGAIN, THE PIE CHART 66.94%, SCHOOL BOARD COUNTY, 16.71%, FIRE DISTRICTS 1.47% AND THEN 13%, 0.75 MUNICIPALITY AND 1.13% OPEN SPACE. AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT THE LARGEST PIECE OF THE PIE, WE GO ABOUT IT AS IF WE ARE THE LARGEST PIECE OF THE PIE. AS YOU SAW, THE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH THE PAST FEW YEARS, THE NEW SOURCES OF REVENUE TRYING TA IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ENSURE THAT, AGAIN, WHEN WE DO BUDGETS. 
          I LIKE TO SAY THIS ALL THE TIME. WHEN YOU DO A BUDGET, I DON'T WANT TO HAVE A LOW INCREASE THIS YEAR, LOW INCREASE NEXT YEAR, THEN HIT, HIT HIT A HIT THE RESIDENTS UP WITH AN 8% INCREASE. RIGHT. THERE WAS A TOWN THAT HAD 0% FOR FOUR YEARS IN A ROW. THEN THEY COME OUT WITH A 50% INCREASE. AND AGAIN, RESIDENTS ARE LIKE, WHAT'S GOING ON? EVEN THOUGH IF YOU AVERAGE, YOU'RE OUT. YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, BUT STILL, THAT'S NOT YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THOSE PEAKS AND VALLEYS. IF ANYTHING, YOU WANT TO SEE THAT STEADY, PREDICTABLE INFLATIONARY INCREASE. BUT LIKE I SAID, WE'RE NOT IMMUNE TO INFLATION, BUT WE DO TRULY DO OUR BEST TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT OVERBURDENSOME TO THE RESIDENTS. SO IN THIS CHART, $8.23 ON 
          [01:30:03]
AVERAGE WOULD BE THE HOUSEHOLD INCREASES PER MONTH. AND IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL INCREASES THAT YOU SEE DRASTICALLY, IT'S FROM THIS PIE CHART EXCLUDING THE MUNICIPAL CORRECT. ON AVERAGE ASSESSED HOME, YOU'LL SEE AN $8.23 MONTH INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR, MONTHLY INCREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR. CORRECT. OKAY. LET'S LET'S WE HAVE JIM COSGROVE HERE OR WHO HAS THE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND HISTORY ABOUT OUR SEWER SYSTEM TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHERE WE STARTED, WHERE WE ARE, WHY WE'RE DIFFERENT, AND SO ON. THERE'S ABOUT 5 OR 6 SLIDES. AND MICHAEL, TO BE CLEAR, THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS FROM RESIDENTS ABOUT OUR SEWER. SO THIS IS MORE OF AN EXPLANATION. OKAY. YES. SO ARE WE DONE WITH THE THE OR IS IT CONTINUATION I GOT AFTER JIM'S DONE, I GOT LIKE FIVE MORE SLIDES AND WE'RE DONE. SO WE'RE JUST REALLY THEY JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE SEWER FIRST. GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. YOU MAY WANT TO GET THE MIC CLOSER. OKAY. I GUESS SINCE I'VE WORKED FOR MONTGOMERY FOR ABOUT 35 YEARS, THEY DECIDED I'M THE GUY TO TALK ABOUT ABOUT WASTEWATER TREATMENT. I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF HOW MANY CHANGES THERE HAVE BEEN IN IN THE TOWNSHIP WITH RESPECT TO WASTEWATER OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES. WHEN I FIRST STARTED WORKING FOR THE TOWNSHIP IN THE EARLY 1990S, THERE WERE A LOT OF TREATMENT PLANS HERE. BY 2010, THERE WERE EIGHT WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN TOWN. NOW, YOU MAY SAY TO YOURSELF, WHY WOULD A MUNICIPALITY THAT'S AS SMALL, RELATIVELY SPEAKING, POPULATION WISE TO MANY MUNICIPALITIES? WHY WOULD THEY HAVE ALL THESE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS? THE REASON WAS THE ORIGINAL THOUGHT WAS THAT GROWTH COULD BE CONTROLLED BY REQUIRING DEVELOPERS TO HANDLE THEIR OWN WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT. AND SO WHAT YOU HAD IS WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS BEING BUILT TO SERVE SOMETIMES INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENTS. SO IN 2010, THE FAR LEFT SIDE OF THIS SLIDE, THERE WERE EIGHT WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS IN TOWN. THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE REALIZED AT THE TIME THAT THIS WAS A VERY INEFFICIENT WAY OF DEALING WITH WASTEWATER. AND ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE INITIALLY, IT WASN'T THAT BAD BECAUSE THE DEVELOPERS WERE PAYING FOR THESE NEW WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS THAT WERE BEING BEING BUILT. BUT THEN OVER TIME, AS THE TREATMENT PLANTS BEGAN TO AGE, IT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE TO KEEP UP WITH THEM. SO OVER TIME, SOME OF THOSE TREATMENT PLANTS WERE CONSOLIDATED INTO OTHER TREATMENT PLANTS. SO BY THE TIME YOU GOT TO 2020 THAT WE WERE DOWN TO FOUR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS. SO HALF OF WHAT THERE WERE JUST A DECADE BEFORE THAT. AND THERE'S ONE MORE TREATMENT PLANT THAT COULD BE CONSOLIDATED AND MAYBE BY 2030 OR A LITTLE AFTER THAT, WE MAY BE DOWN TO THREE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS. SOME OF THE TREATMENT WELL, THE THREE THAT ARE REMAINING ARE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER SO MUCH THAT IT WOULD BE VERY INEFFICIENT TO TRY TO GET THE WASTEWATER FROM ANY OF THOSE FINAL 3 TO 1 OF THE OTHER ONES. IT'S JUST VERY, VERY COSTLY. SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF, OF THE HISTORY OF THE, OF, OF THE TREATMENT PLANTS, THE FOUR THAT ARE REMAINING ARE SHOWN ON THIS MAP HERE. CHERRY VALLEY TREATMENT PLANT OBVIOUSLY SERVES THE CHERRY VALLEY DEVELOPMENT, SKILLMAN VILLAGE TREATMENT PLANT. THAT'S THE OLD NPDC PROPERTY THAT'S SERVING THE SCHOOLS AND THE TAPESTRY DEVELOPMENT. FOR EXAMPLE. NOW THE PIKE BROOK TREATMENT PLANT SERVING THE NORTHEAST SECTION OF THE TOWN AND THE STAGE TWO TREATMENT PLANT. ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT THERE IS IS VERY CLOSE TO ROCKY HILL AND RIGHT ON RIVER ROAD. WHEN YOU'RE GOING ON RIVER ROAD TOWARDS ROUTE 27. SO THOSE ARE THE FOUR THAT ARE REMAINING. HERE ARE PICTURES OF THEM JUST NOTING RIGHT NOW, THE PIKE BROOK TREATMENT PLAN IS GOING THROUGH AN EXPANSION. 
          IT'S PRESENTLY RATED FOR 670,000 GALLONS A DAY. AND WITH THE EXPANSION, IT'S GOING UP TO 829,000 GALLONS A DAY. THAT EXPANSION IS BEING DONE FOR TWO REASONS. ONE IS TO ACCOMMODATE SOME OF THE GROWTH THAT'S OCCURRED IN THAT AREA, AND THE OTHER IS THE CARRIER FOUNDATION RECENTLY ABANDONED THEIR WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AND IS NOW CONNECTED TO THE PIKE BROOK TREATMENT PLANT. MONTGOMERY IS RECEIVING REVENUE ON AN ONGOING BASIS FROM CARRIER FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT, AND THEY ALSO GOT A NICE CONNECTION FEE FROM 
          [01:35:02]
CARRIER FOR THAT AS WELL. SO THAT HELPED WITH THE COST FOR THE EXPANSION. AND I'M CALLING AN EXPANSION, BUT IT'S ALSO AN UPGRADE TO THE TREATMENT PROCESS. THERE ARE NEW EFFLUENT LIMITATIONS THAT ARE GOING TO BECOME EFFECTIVE IN APRIL OF 2027 THAT REQUIRE MORE ADVANCED TREATMENT THAN WHAT IS PRESENTLY REQUIRED. THAT'S IN THE NEW JERSEY DEP PERMIT FOR THAT FACILITY. SO THAT UPGRADE, WHETHER AN EXPANSION WAS REQUIRED OR NOT, THE TOWN WOULD HAVE BEEN REQUIRED TO UPGRADE THAT TREATMENT PLANT AND ENHANCE THE LEVEL OF TREATMENT. 
          THE RIGHT SIDE IS THE SKILLMAN VILLAGE TREATMENT PLANT. THAT TREATMENT PLANT HISTORICALLY WAS WAS VERY UNDERSIZED. NOW, WITH SOME OF THE NEW DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA AND THE SCHOOLS THAT WERE CONSTRUCTED IN THAT AREA, FLOWS ARE UP MUCH MORE. AND THEN IF YOU GO TO THE LOWER LEFT IS THE CHERRY VALLEY PLANT. THAT PLANT IS, I STILL THINK OF IT AS AS ONE OF THE NEWER PLANTS, BUT IT'S OVER 30 YEARS OLD NOW. SO THAT'S SHOWING ITS AGE, I THINK WOULD BE FAIR TO SAY. THE RUNNING JOKE WAS. THANKFULLY THIS PICTURE IS FROM FAR AWAY, SO ONE OF THE THOUGHTS THAT THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS HAD HERE IS, YOU KNOW, IT IT WOULD BE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO, TO IMPROVE THAT TREATMENT PLAN, ESSENTIALLY REBUILD IT. AND SO THAT'S WHY THIS IS THE, THE OTHER TREATMENT PLANT, THAT FINAL TREATMENT PLANT THAT WE THINK WE CAN ABANDON, CONVERT IT TO A PUMP STATION AND PUMP THE WASTEWATER TO THE SKILLMAN VILLAGE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT. THE OTHER THING I SHOULD MENTION IS, AS MONTGOMERY HAS CONSOLIDATED TREATMENT PLANS, THE WATER QUALITY OF WHAT'S BEING DISCHARGED TO MONTGOMERY STREAMS HAS BEEN IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY BECAUSE NORMALLY WHEN YOU TAKE A TREATMENT PLAN OFFLINE, IT'S ONE OF THE OLDER TREATMENT PLANTS THAT'S NOT PERFORMING AS WELL AS SOME OF THE NEWER ONES. TWO OF THE FOUR TREATMENT PLANTS IN MONTGOMERY ARE MEMBRANE BIOREACTOR SYSTEMS, WHICH ARE A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF TREATMENT AMONG THE BEST IN THE STATE. AND THEN FINALLY, THE STAGE TWO PLAN JUST WENT THROUGH A MAJOR UPGRADE. THE STAGE TWO PLAN HAD A REAL PROBLEM WITH FLOODING OVER THE YEARS. THE PLANT GOT TOTALLY WIPED OUT IN SEVERAL FLOODS OVER MY CAREER, CERTAINLY. AND SO AS PART OF AN UPGRADE TO THE PLANT, NOT ONLY WAS THE TREATMENT PROCESS IMPROVED, BUT ALSO A FLOOD WALL WAS BUILT AROUND THE TREATMENT PLANT. SO NOW IN A FLOOD, WHEN THE MILLSTONE RIVER FLOODS IN THE FUTURE, THE TREATMENT PLANT WILL NOT GET DAMAGED. MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGE OCCURRED AT THAT TREATMENT PLANT OVER THE YEARS. I HAVE A QUESTION. THE DOES THE WATER SIT ON TOP? IS IT STANDING IN CERTAIN AREAS OR IS IT CONSTANT, CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING? IT'S MOVING, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S MOVING SLOW ENOUGH SO YOU CAN'T SEE IT. SEE THAT IT'S MOVING VERY, VERY WELL. AND YOU KNOW, I'M NOT TOO FAMILIAR WITH WASTEWATER TREATMENT, BUT I DO KNOW LIKE NATURAL TREATMENT OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, DUCKWEED AND, AND DUCKWEED IS A FAST ABSORBING PLANT THAT GETS, TAKES OUT NITRATES AND NITRITES. HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED INTO SOMETHING LIKE THAT OR WE HAVE LOOKED INTO IT. THAT WOULD WORK FOR VERY SMALL SYSTEMS. BUT WHEN YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF GALLONS A DAY THAT YOU HAVE TO TREAT, IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO USE A NATURAL PROCESS LIKE THAT. BUT FOR, FOR INSTANCE, THE WATERSHED INSTITUTE LOOKED INTO SOMETHING LIKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY FOR THE WASTEWATER FROM THEIR THEIR FACILITY. BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MAYBE A THOUSAND GALLONS A DAY THAT'S HAVING TO BE TREATED. AND I'M ASSUMING SIMILARLY, LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE GIANT BIODIGESTERS THAT PRODUCE METHANE GAS, I GUESS VERY SIMILAR. IT'S JUST TOO MUCH, TOO MUCH FLOW TO, TO HANDLE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I HAVE CLIENTS THAT HAVE THAT KIND OF A PROCESS. IT'S ACTUALLY THE OPPOSITE. NORMALLY WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE SYSTEMS THAT VERY LARGE FACILITIES, BECAUSE IN ORDER TO GENERATE ENOUGH METHANE TO MAKE IT WORTHWHILE TO DO IT, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD IT PER PER GALLON OF, OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT, IT WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE AT THIS KIND OF A SIZE. AND A LOT OF THOSE DIGESTS, A LOT OF THOSE DIGESTERS, THE METHANE IS USED FOR LIKE POWERING GENERATORS AND OR FOR POWERING LIKE BOILERS OR WHATNOT OR PART OF THE PROCESS. SO THEY BECOME SELF-SUSTAINING WHEN THEY HAVE THAT KIND OF SETUP. LIKE JIM ALLUDED TO, PLANTS OF THIS SIZE WOULDN'T, WOULDN'T INCORPORATE THAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT. I JUST THINK IT WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT IF YOU CAN DIVERT SOME OF THAT TO A BIODIGESTER 
          [01:40:04]
SO THAT IT CAN RUN THE PLANT ON SELF-SUSTAINED ENERGY. I'M JUST CURIOUS, DURING HURRICANE SANDY, MORRIS COUNTY JOINT VENTURE WAS IN THAT POSITION WHERE THEIR DIGESTERS, THEY LOST ALL POWER FROM THE UTILITY SIDE OF IT, AND THEIR DIGESTERS RAN THE PLANTS FOR THREE DAYS. YEAH, YEAH. BUT THAT'S A MUCH LARGER FACILITY. SURE. NEXT TWO SLIDES, CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS. YOU KIND OF TALKED ABOUT THEM. DO YOU WANT TO SKIM THESE OR WHAT? OR ARE YOU GOOD AT THESE? NO. I'M GOOD. OKAY. YEAH. WE TALKED ABOUT THE STAGE TWO PIPE BROKE AND THEN FUTURE PROJECTS. 
          CHERRY VALLEY COST IMPACTS. OH, THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT'S VERY RELATIVELY SPEAKING, IT'S MORE EXPENSIVE TO TREAT WASTEWATER IN MONTGOMERY THAN IT IS IN A LOT OF PLACES. SO WHY IS THAT? PART OF THE REASON IS THAT THE STREAMS THAT RUN THROUGH MONTGOMERY ARE RELATIVELY SMALL. BECAUSE THEY'RE SMALL. THE EFFLUENT LIMITS FOR THOSE TREATMENT PLANTS ARE VERY STRINGENT BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF DILUTION. SO YOU END UP WITH THESE STRINGENT EFFLUENT LIMITS IN THE PERMIT. THOSE STRINGENT EFFLUENT LIMITS REQUIRE ADVANCED TREATMENT, AND THE ADVANCED TREATMENT ENDS UP COSTING MORE. SO THAT'S A HUGE PART OF WHY WASTEWATER COSTS MORE, MAYBE PER GALLON, IF YOU THINK OF IT THAT WAY, TO TREAT IN MONTGOMERY THAN IT MAY AT A LARGE REGIONAL FACILITY. NOW, THAT SAID, I SHOULD MENTION, YEARS AGO WE DID AN ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE WOULD BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE WAYS FOR MONTGOMERY TO HANDLE THIS. AND ONE OF THOSE WAYS WOULD BE TO GO TO A REGIONAL FACILITY. WHEN WE LOOKED AT THAT, THE COST WAS ABSOLUTELY ASTRONOMICAL. IN SOME CASES, THE REGIONAL AUTHORITY WASN'T WILLING TO TAKE IT ANYWAY. BUT BUT THE COSTS WERE JUST GIGANTIC TO DO IT BECAUSE THE DISTANCE TO GET THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT. IN SOME CASES, THE DISTANCE, IF YOU LOOKED AT A MAP, MAY NOT LOOK THAT SIGNIFICANT FOR, FOR INSTANCE, THERE ARE SEWERS IN HILLSBORO NOT FAR AWAY, BUT THOSE SEWERS ARE NOT LONG AND LARGE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE THE ADDITIONAL FLOW. SO WHEN YOU STARTED CALCULATING INCREASING PIPE SIZES, ADDING PUMP STATIONS, PAYING FOR THE TREATMENT AT THAT OUTSIDE AGENCY, THE COSTS WERE FAR, FAR MORE. SO I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT JUST TO TO GET THAT THROUGH. THE OTHER THING IS IT'S MIND BLOWING WHEN YOU SEE HOW CONSTRUCTION COSTS HAVE INCREASED SINCE COVID AND THE WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT FIELD, I WAS INVOLVED IN A SMALL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT LOCALLY, NOT IN MONTGOMERY RECENTLY THAT NEEDED TO BE UPGRADED VERY SMALL, LIKE 300,000 GALLONS A DAY, SMALLER THAN MOST OF THE MONTGOMERY FACILITIES. AND JUST BEFORE COVID, WE ESTIMATED THE COST FOR THAT WOULD BE MAYBE $7 MILLION. THE BIDS CAME BACK FOR THAT FACILITY AFTER COVID AT 18 MILLION. SO IT'S MIND BLOWING TO SEE THE WAY COSTS HAVE CHANGED SINCE COVID ON THESE KINDS OF THINGS. AND I LOOKED THIS UP RECENTLY BECAUSE I WAS SO SHOCKED AT THE BIDS WE WERE GETTING FOR THESE KINDS OF SYSTEMS AND HOW MUCH MONEY IT WAS. AND SURE ENOUGH, WHEN I LOOKED ENGINEERING NEWS-RECORD, WHICH FOLLOWS CONSTRUCTION COSTS VERY CAREFULLY, SHOWED A 70% INCREASE IN MATERIAL IN THE MATERIAL PRICE INDEX, WHICH ARE THINGS LIKE PUMPS AND TANKS AND, AND PIPES AND THINGS LIKE THAT THAT YOU NEED FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT SINCE 2020. AND THE FEDERAL RESERVE PRICE INDEX FOR MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT IS UP 59% SINCE 2020. SO IT'S EXPENSIVE WHEN YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THESE FACILITIES. GO AHEAD. 
          MARK, THAT LAST SLIDE. I TOUCHED ON SOME OF THIS ALREADY, BUT THERE'S AN IMPORTANT ASPECT TO THE SITUATION YOU HAVE IN MONTGOMERY, WHICH IS YOU'RE IN CONTROL OF YOUR OWN DESTINY HERE. SO YES, IT COSTS MORE TO TREAT THE WASTEWATER THAT DOES IN SOME OTHER PLACES, BUT YOU GET SOME ADVANTAGES BECAUSE OF THAT. YOU'RE YOU HAVE THE LOCAL CONTROL. YOU HAVE COST STABILITY BECAUSE YOU MAKE THE DECISIONS. YOU FIGURE OUT WHEN IT MIGHT BE BEST TO DO CERTAIN PROJECTS AND YOU WEAVE IT INTO THE BUDGET. YOU KEEP THE REVENUE. SOME OF THE COSTS OF THE SALARIES FOR FOR THE STAFF IN THE TOWNSHIP ARE PAID FOR THROUGH THE SEWER FEES. SO YOU KEEP THAT ALL IN IN HOUSE AND YOU KNOW, YOU'RE MAINTAINING THE INFRASTRUCTURE AS YOU SEE IT SHOULD BE MAINTAINED. SO THERE THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO THAT. SO I WANTED TO JUST, YOU 
          [01:45:04]
KNOW, IT'S NOT ALWAYS ONLY ABOUT MONEY IN THIS CASE. THE IRONY IS THAT IF YOU TRIED TO DO A REGIONAL APPROACH, IT WOULD ACTUALLY COST MUCH MORE BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION GEOGRAPHICALLY. YOU MENTIONED ABOUT FOR LOCATIONS, POSSIBLY GOING DOWN TO THREE LOCATIONS WITH THE THREE FACILITIES, BE ADEQUATE ENOUGH FOR THAT WATER FLOW. BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THERE'S, I BELIEVE, FOUR ACCESS POINTS, RIGHT, TO DISCHARGE WATER. SO THEN IT WOULD ONLY BE THREE ACCESS POINTS. IS THAT WOULD THAT BE A CONCERN? DO YOU MEAN FROM A DISCHARGE PERSPECTIVE? DISCHARGE. YES. WE MANY YEARS AGO SAW THAT THIS MAY BE A SMART THING TO DO. AND SO AT THE SKILLMAN VILLAGE TREATMENT PLANT, WE NEGOTIATED WITH DEP TO GET EFFLUENT LIMITS AT TWO DIFFERENT FLOWS THE EXISTING TREATMENT PLANT FLOW AND AN EXPANDED TREATMENT PLAN FLOW, SO THAT IF WE WANTED TO BRING WASTEWATER FROM CHERRY VALLEY, WHICH WAS THE THOUGHT AT THE TIME, WHICH I STILL THINK MAKES SENSE INTO SKILLMAN VILLAGE, THAT THE PERMIT WOULD BE ALL SET. WE WOULD ALREADY BE PERMITTED TO DISCHARGE THAT EXTRA WATER. AS IT TURNS OUT, THERE IS CAPACITY AT SKILLMAN VILLAGE RIGHT NOW WITHOUT AN EXPANSION TO TAKE IN THE CHERRY VALLEY FLOW. SO WE DON'T EVEN NEED THAT ADDED PERMIT YET. BUT AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, IT LIKELY WILL BE NECESSARY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU JIM. THANK YOU JIM. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR JIM? NO. OKAY. GO ON TO SEWER. LAST YEAR THE SEWER BUDGET WAS 8,258,000. 
          IT'S UP 3.5% 279,000 TO 8,537,000. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE APPROPRIATIONS THE BIGGEST INCREASES HERE IS DEBT SERVICE 83,000. RIGHT. THAT'S STAGE TWO. DEBT IS COMING. IT'S COMING ON BOARD. SALARY AND WAGES IS UP 55,000 PLANT OPERATIONS, ESPECIALLY UTILITIES. WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT UTILITIES, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CHEMICAL PRICES HAVE JUST BEEN JUST SHOOTING THROUGH THE ROOF. THE THE PRICES, IT'S INCREASED $115,000, ALMOST 160,000 OTHER EXPENSES. AGAIN, MINIMAL AMOUNT, 5500. LIABILITY INSURANCE 5000. AND THEN WE HAVE SOME DECREASES PENSIONS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT. LEGAL IS THE SAME FOR AN INCREASE OF $279,000. AGAIN, THIS IS OUR ANNUAL CAPITAL THAT THAT THE SEWER DOES COLLECTION SYSTEM, PIPELINING, SUBMERSIBLE PUMP MAINTENANCE, REPAIRS, MAINTENANCE, REHABILITATION. BUT AGAIN, THEY DO HAVE THE THE PIKE BROOK UPGRADE GOING ON RIGHT NOW AS WELL. BUT THAT'S ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF IN PREVIOUS YEARS. CAPITAL. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SEWER RATE THIS YEAR, BASE FEE IS STAYING AT 288. THE USAGE FEE, EVEN THOUGH EXPENSES ARE GOING UP, 3.5% USAGE IS GOING UP. THE USAGE FEE IS ONLY GOING UP 2% FROM 15.65 TO 15.96%. AND AGAIN, I'VE I LOVE LOOKING AT THE HISTORY BECAUSE GOING BACK TO 2000, 16, TEN YEARS, YOU KNOW, THE BASE RATES INCREASED LESS THAN 1% A YEAR. USAGE FEE HAS ONLY INCREASED 2% A YEAR. AND AGAIN, SAME THING WITH SEWER INFLATION BELOW BELOW INFLATION RATES. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, JIM DESCRIBED IT PERFECTLY ABOUT OUR OPERATIONS, THE COST OF THEM. AND I THINK WE HAVE BEEN DOING A GOOD JOB IN BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEM. AND HOPEFULLY WITH THESE NEW PLANTS COMING ON BOARD OUR THESE NEW UPGRADES AND CONSOLIDATIONS, IT'LL EVENTUALLY SAVE US SOME COSTS AS WELL. NEXT AGAIN, TODAY WE HAVE A BUDGET PRESENTATION. INTRODUCTION. MAY 14TH IS THE PUBLIC HEARING. WE TAKE QUESTIONS AND IF ALL GOES WELL, WE CAN ALSO DO THE ADOPTION. 
          BUT JUST BECAUSE I MENTIONED THIS ALL THE TIME, JUST BECAUSE IT SAYS PUBLIC HEARING ON MAY 14TH, IT DOESN'T MEAN IF YOU IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, YOU CAN'T ASK IT BEFORE THAT. YOU CAN COME MEET WITH ME WITH YOU IF YOU WANT. AGAIN, I LOVE TALKING BUDGETS. I'M A NERD LIKE THAT. 
          SO COME VISIT. WE CAN, WE CAN DISCUSS IT. I CAN ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS. IF NOT, YOU WANT TO COME TO THE PUBLIC MEETING AND DO IT THERE. THAT'S FINE WITH ME AS WELL. BUT AGAIN, I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT'S YOUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO TALK BUDGET. AGAIN, THIS IS I THINK IT'S NOW ALMOST AN HOUR AND A HALF. THIS WAS A RECORD, I LOVE IT. YEAH. THAT'S GOING TO BE EVERY YEAR NOW. THANK YOU. IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS. THANK YOU MIKE. QUESTIONS. I THINK THAT WAS AMAZING. I'D LIKE TO REITERATE THAT WE'RE THE THIRD LOWEST MUNICIPAL BUDGET MUNICIPAL BUDGET IN THE COUNTY. AND WE'RE STILL OPERATING VERY EFFICIENTLY. AND I BELIEVE THAT'S DUE TO AMAZING STAFF. YOU KNOW, THE CULTURE AND SACRIFICE THAT OUR STAFF HAS DONE FOR OUR TOWN IS, IS VERY APPRECIATED AND COMMENDABLE. AND AND THEY REALLY OBTAIN A LOT OF GRANTS. AND, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THAT'S MONTGOMERY SUPERPOWER. LIKE I SAID, IN 
          [01:50:03]
OTHER COMMITTEE MEETINGS, THEY DO AN AMAZING JOB WITH, WITH CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY AND, AND GETTING ADDITIONAL GRANTS. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO OUR STAFF. AND I THINK YOU GUYS DO AN AMAZING JOB. YEAH. IF I COULD JUST ADD REAL QUICK, YOU KNOW, I, I, YOU KNOW, TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS OF THE BUDGET AND DO SOME ANALYSIS COMPARED TO 52 OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AROUND NEW JERSEY, USING PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA THAT ANYONE CAN ACCESS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS, THAT JUST THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE THAT DATABASE BASED ON THE OFFICIAL BUDGET SUBMISSIONS OF DIFFERENT TOWNS AND MUNICIPALITIES, IS REALLY A GREAT THING, A GREAT TOOL FOR ANYONE WHO'S CURIOUS AND ANALYTICAL AND INTERESTED. 
          YOU CAN JUST GO AND TAKE A LOOK. AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY WE HAVE THE. THE OVERARCHING TAKEAWAY FOR ME WAS A LOT OF DISCIPLINE AND, AND CARE. AND THAT YOU HEARD HERE TONIGHT. BUT THIS IS GOING BACK FOUR, FIVE, SIX YEARS NOW. AND YOU KNOW, MAYOR KEENAN IS HERE. SO I JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR OVERSEEING THAT WHEN YOU WERE HERE. AND IT'S A IT'S A IT'S A TESTIMONY FOR ME COMING IN NEW NOW, I'M HAVING BEEN HERE FOR JUST OVER A YEAR. YOU KNOW, I NEEDED TO KNOW FOR MYSELF, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT THAT SITUATION WAS. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, I, I GOT INTO SOME, SOME REALLY IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, DETAILS THAT LIKE I SAID, OVERALL, IT, IT'S A VERY POSITIVE STORY OF FISCAL DISCIPLINE, CARE PRIORITIZING. YOU HEARD IT HERE TONIGHT, I THINK PERFECTLY THINKING THROUGH THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, NOT SKIMPING ON WHERE NEEDS EXIST AND BEING UPFRONT ABOUT THE THE NEED FOR INCREASES. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT THE, THE JERSEY CITIES WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE MAYOR BRAGGED ABOUT NOT INCREASING TAXES, BUT THEN NOW THEY'RE IN A $250 MILLION HOLE AND THEY'RE BEGGING MONEY FROM THE STATE FOR MONEY. SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE WAY THAT THE THE DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE HERE OVER THE LAST FIVE, SIX YEARS HAVE NOT ALLOWED SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO HAPPEN. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, THE 4.3% THIS YEAR IS IT'S, IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THE 2.9 LAST YEAR, BUT IT'S ALSO VERY DISCIPLINED. AND I CHALLENGED MICHAEL WHEN I MET WITH HIM FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF AS WELL ON WHERE HOW THAT 4.3% MIGHT BE ABLE TO COME DOWN. BUT YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE JUST DIDN'T SEE IT. AND, AND MY ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THE SAME, THAT THEY'RE JUST VERY LITTLE ELSE TO CUT AND TO, TO, TO REMOVE THAT WOULD, WOULD TAKE AWAY NEEDED SERVICES, NEEDED REAL NEEDS OF PEOPLE THAT THEN YOU WOULD START TO SEE THINGS LIKE PERMITS NOT GETTING, YOU KNOW, APPROVED AS, AS YOU KNOW, IN A TIMELY MANNER. OTHER THINGS ROADS, SAFETY, SAFETY, OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT, INSPECTING RESTAURANTS, MAKING SURE OUR FOOD IS SAFE, OUR POLICE, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE THINGS, THE SEWER ARE TAKEN FOR GRANTED. 
          YOU KNOW, LET'S FACE IT, A LOT OF WHAT'S IN THIS MUNICIPAL BUDGET ARE THINGS ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY AND HEALTH THAT ARE OFTEN JUST TAKEN FOR GRANTED. SO I, I THINK WE'RE RIGHT WHERE WE NEED TO BE. SO THANK YOU. EXCUSE ME. I WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT, THAT I'M THE FIRST ONE TO SAY THAT MY SKILL SET DOES NOT ENCOMPASS FINANCE. SO IN ADDITION TO COMMENDING YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK EVERY YEAR, I APPRECIATE HOW CLEARLY YOU'RE ABLE TO EXPLAIN THIS BUDGET TO PEOPLE LIKE ME SO THAT I ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON. IT'S VERY CLEAR. IT'S AS CONCISE AS IT COULD BE. AND THE POSITIONS THAT YOU EXPLAINED MAKE SENSE TO ME. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU. AND ON BEHALF OF EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT UNDERSTAND FINANCE, WE APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU. IT'S GREAT JOB. MICHAEL. YEAH. MICHAEL. AGAIN, BEAUTIFULLY DONE AS USUAL. AND I THINK I GET A CHANCE TO TALK TO MANY MAYORS WHEN WE HAVE MAYORS CONFERENCE. YOUR NAME IS SOMETHING IF WHEN WE SAY OUR CFO IS MICHAEL PITTS, THEY'RE LIKE, OH, YOU HAVE ONE OF THE BEST CFOS. SO MICHAEL, THANK YOU. GOOD JOB ON THAT. I JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, TOUCH ON THE TRIPLE A BOND RATING AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS WHEN WE ARE OUT THERE GETTING, YOU KNOW, LOANS. AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE DO FORGET THAT SOMETIMES, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT RESERVES AND DEPLETED RESERVES, BECAUSE I THINK WHEN YOU BRING UP A PLACE LIKE JERSEY CITY, WHICH WAS JUST MENTIONED ON THE DAY, IS THAT'S $250 MILLION DEFICIT BECAUSE THEY JUST DEPLETED THEIR RESERVES. SO MICHAEL MAKES SURE THAT HE LETS US KNOW WHAT WHAT IS IMPORTANT, HOW WE CAN KEEP THIS TOWNSHIP RUNNING 
          [01:55:01]
FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORT AND BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE AS WELL. MANY HOURS ARE SPENT GOING OVER EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE DEPARTMENTS COME AND YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY, WE JUST CAN'T GIVE YOU THE MONEY. AND IT FEELS BAD BECAUSE MANY OF THEM REALLY NEED THAT MONEY. BUT YES, WE KNOW THE RESIDENTS WANT US TO BE MAKING SURE THAT IT'S BALANCED AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE HERE TO DO. SO THANK YOU AGAIN, MICHAEL, FOR PRESENTING, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY WHO'S PUT IN THE EFFORT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT HERE. YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, SAT THROUGH THIS WHOLE THING AND APPRECIATE YOU. YOU COMING IN AND LISTENING TO US. OKAY. AND HERE 
          [10. Resolution #26-4-135 - 2026 Municipal Budget Introduction  ]
WE GO. RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 35 2026. MUNICIPAL BUDGET INTRODUCTION. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 35 SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. 
          MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ALLEN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. DEPUTY MAYOR 
          [11. Public Comment ]
BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR SINGH YES. PUBLIC COMMENT. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO ADDRESS THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE ON MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE TOWNSHIP WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES PER PERSON. IF COMMENTS ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE ALREADY STATED, PLEASE INDICATE YOUR SUPPORT OR YOUR OPPOSITION GROUPS ARE ASKED TO SELECT A SPOKESPERSON. ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO ADDRESS THE COMMITTEE? YEAH, PLEASE COME ON, YOU'RE ALREADY UP. PLEASE COME. 
          YEAH. GO AHEAD. YOU CAN USE THIS MIC RIGHT HERE OR WHATEVER FEELS COMFORTABLE. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, JUST SAY YOUR NAME AND SPELL YOUR LAST NAME SO LISA CAN PUT IT IN THE RECORD. 
          SURE. THANK YOU EVERYONE. MY NAME IS RAJ RAJ, THE LAST NAME IS K O L T U R. CAN YOU PULL THE MIC DOWN A LITTLE BIT? PULL THE MIC. OKAY. IS THIS GOOD? THAT'S BETTER. THANK YOU. 
          PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING A DETAILED SUMMARY, MIKE. AGAIN, I'M RAJ, I'M RESIDENT OF MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP THIS EVENING ON BEHALF OF MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS. I'M SUBMITTING A PETITION SIGNED BY MORE THAN 500 RESIDENTS REGARDING THE PROPOSED 2026 MUNICIPAL BUDGET. THIS WAS BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT WE SAW. PROPOSED BUDGET ON MARCH 24TH MEETING. BASED ON THAT, WE PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER JUST TO JUST TO SUMMARIZE, I THINK MIKE SHARED SOME OF THE THINGS WHICH ADDRESSES SOME OF THEM, BUT I'LL HIGHLIGHT WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO PROPOSE AND SEE IF THAT'S FEASIBLE. RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT PROPERTY TAXES GOING UP. AGAIN, WITH THAT CONTEXT IN MIND, WE RESPECTFULLY ASK THE MAYOR AND TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS FOR THE 2026 BUDGET. FIRST ONE REDUCE DISCRETIONARY, DISCRETIONARY AND CONTROLLABLE SPENDING BY 10% ACROSS THE BOARD. THIS I MEAN, ACCORDING TO THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE RAN, AT LEAST IT'S ABOUT $1 MILLION. THE NEXT ONE IS, I THINK, MIKE, YOU KIND OF MENTIONED ABOUT TEMPORARY HIRING FREEZE. I WOULD IMAGINE IT WOULD SAVE AROUND ABOUT 1.1 TO 1.3 MILLION, IF THAT'S TRUE, WHICH MEANS ALL THE EXISTING OPEN POSITIONS SHOULD NOT BE FILLED DURING THE 2020 BUDGET YEAR. THERE'S A TIME LIMITED MEASURE, NOT A STRUCTURAL CHANGE, BUT IT AVOIDS ADDING FIXED PAYROLL COSTS DURING PERIOD OF BUDGET CONSTRAINT, ESPECIALLY BOTH THE PAYROLL AS WELL AS THE BENEFITS. AND THANK YOU FOR GOING THROUGH THE SEWER, BECAUSE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS OF SEWER, MONTGOMERY IS ON THE TOP MOST COMPARED TO ANY OTHER. AND I COME FROM NORTH BRUNSWICK AND IT WAS LIKE THREE TIMES. BUT AGAIN, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS IF WE COULD, IT'S JUST A REQUEST. PAUSE. NEW SEWER CAPITAL PROJECTS IN 2026, WHICH IS GOING TO ESTIMATE SAVINGS ABOUT 1.1 TO 1.3 MILLION TAKE TAKING ON ADDITIONAL LONG TERM SEWER DEBT IN A DIFFICULT BUDGET YEAR WARRANTS RECONSIDERATION. A ONE YEAR PAUSE WOULD ALLOW THE TOWNSHIP TO STABILIZE COSTS AND REASSESS PROJECT PRIORITIZATION WITHOUT PERMANENT IMPACT. IN PARALLEL, THE TOWNSHIP SHOULD CONSIDER A SHIFT TO FLAT RATE SEWER BILLING, A MODEL ALREADY IN USE IN SEVERAL NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITIES. MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP BILLS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING AT NEARLY DOUBLE AND IN SOME CASES MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT RESIDENTS IN NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITIES PAY. THE LAST POINT IS, I THINK THE. IT'S IT'S MORE EVALUATING A RESIDENTIAL PERMIT SHARING ARRANGEMENT WITH HILLSBOROUGH TOWNSHIP. THE IDEA WAS, AGAIN, IT'S MORE MANUAL. THE PAIN THAT RESIDENTS GO THROUGH IN GETTING PERMITS IS COMPARATIVELY LIKE ACROSS THE BOARD. IT'S MUCH MORE ESPECIALLY THE RESIDENT OWNER DRIVEN CONSTRUCTION OR EVEN LIKE ANY ANY CONTRACTOR DRIVEN. IT'S IT'S BEYOND IT'S MUCH MORE DIFFICULT IN MONTGOMERY COMPARED TO OTHERS, OTHER DISTRICTS. AND THIS WOULD 
          [02:00:02]
PROBABLY ALSO ESTIMATED NET BENEFIT COST NEUTRAL TO RAJ. I HOPE YOU'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE. YEAH GO AHEAD. OKAY, JUST JUST SUMMARY. LAST ONE THING WITH AGAIN, WE'VE CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTED HERE IN TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE AND INTEND TO CONTINUE THAT SUPPORT THROUGHOUT RESPONSIBLE PROPERTY TAX AND SEWER COST REDUCTION EFFORTS. AND WITH THE COST RAISING, WITH THE COST OF LIVING AND PROPERTY REASSESSMENT IN THE HORIZON, RESIDENTS ARE SEEKING AT LEAST 3 MILLION IN COST REDUCTIONS IN THE 2026 BUDGET TO HELP EASE PRESSURE ON PROPERTY TAXES AND SEWER BILLS. SO AND AGAIN, WE DEEPLY CARE ABOUT MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP AND SHARE A COMMON GOAL OF KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY AFFORDABLE, EFFICIENT, AND WELL MANAGED FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE RESIDENTS. I DO HAVE A COPY OF THIS WITH THE PETITION AND THE SIGNED WITH THIS. EVERYONE SIGNED AS WELL. OKAY, IF YOU CAN LEAVE IT WITH LISA, OUR CLERK, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. PUT IT. GIVE IT. YEAH, GIVE IT TO LISA. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR RESPECTFUL AND NICELY DONE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANYONE ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? ALL. YEAH. MY NAME IS NANCY CASTELLANO. YEAH. 
          A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF MONTGOMERY. I'VE BEEN HERE FOR OVER 26 YEARS. I WAS BLOCKED FROM COMMENTING ON THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE AFTER ASKING A QUESTION, AND I WAS REQUESTING THAT MAILING ADDRESS THIS DIRECTLY. OKAY. MY QUESTION WAS STRAIGHTFORWARD. I WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS GRANT. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THESE TYPES OF GRANTS ARE OFTEN ROUTINE, WITH MANY MUNICIPALITIES RECEIVING FUNDS EACH YEAR. FOR EXAMPLE, MONTGOMERY IS RECEIVING, I THINK, APPROXIMATELY 1.9 MILLION RIGHT THIS YEAR, WHICH IS ABOUT 1.6 MILLION LESS THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. GIVEN THE STATE PROGRAM OFTEN DISTRIBUTES FUND BROADLY. I WAS SIMPLY ASKING WHAT SPECIFIC DISTINCTION MONTGOMERY AWARDS AND WHAT WAS MADE, WHAT IT MADE IT NOTEWORTHY. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT MANY STATE GRANTS ARE DESIGNED TO DISTRIBUTE FUNDS BROADLY, AND IN MOST CASES, MUNICIPALITIES THAT APPLY RECEIVE FUNDING. FOR EXAMPLE, IN ONE OF THE NJ DOT PROGRAM, ALL 537 MUNICIPALITIES THAT APPLIED WERE AWARDED THE FUNDS. SINCE NEW JERSEY ALLOTS OVER 150 MILLION ANNUALLY IN MUNICIPAL AID AND TOWNS APPLY EACH YEAR AS A PART OF THE REGULAR OPERATION, I WAS SIMPLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DISTINGUISHES MONTGOMERY'S RESULT AND WHAT WAS NOTEWORTHY HERE. INSTEAD OF RECEIVING AN ANSWER, I WAS BLOCKED. I WAS BLOCKED FROM THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE. THIS IS THE MOST SERIOUS CONCERN. THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE IS A PUBLIC FACING GOVERNMENT PLATFORM UNDER ESTABLISHED LEGAL PRINCIPLE. GOVERNMENT RUN COMMUNICATION CHANNELS CANNOT SELECTIVELY BLOCK RESIDENTS BASED ON THE VIEWPOINTS. THE ACLU AND MULTIPLE COURT RULINGS HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT SUCH ACTIONS CAN RAISE FIRST AMENDMENT CONCERNS. SELECTIVE BLOCKING EXPOSES THE TOWNSHIP TO POTENTIAL LEGAL CHALLENGE. I AM HERE, THEREFORE ASKING ME SAYING WHY WAS I BLOCKED? IS THERE A DEFINED DURATION FOR SUCH BLOCKS OR THE PROCESS FOR REVIEW? WHAT'S SPECIFIC ABOUT MY COMMENT TRIGGERED THIS ACTION. HOW ARE RESIDENTS EXPECTED TO ASK QUESTIONS IF THEY CANNOT ATTEND MEETINGS IN PERSON? AND ANOTHER QUESTION WHO MANAGES THE TOWNSHIP'S WEBSITE AND COMMUNICATIONS? I HAVE EXTRA THREE MINUTES FROM RON LASER. SORRY, THAT'S NOT HOW THAT WORKS. I THINK THAT'S HOW IT WAS LAST TIME, BUT OKAY. NO, I WAS OKAY. NO, I'VE BEEN SITTING. I'D LIKE TO JUST ASK YOU A QUESTION. WHEN YOU'RE SAYING EXCUSE ME, I'M ASKING THEM. YOUR YOUR TIME IS OVER, ACTUALLY. SO I'M EXTENDING IT BY ASKING YOU A QUESTION I CANNOT ASK YOU. AND YOU CAN SIT DOWN IF YOU WOULD LIKE, BUT I THINK IT'S BETTER TO ANSWER THIS. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THE TOWNSHIP WEBSITE? BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A LOT SORRY, TOWNSHIP FACEBOOK SITE. WE DO HAVE. DON'T YOU HAVE A FACEBOOK SITE? NOT FOR COMMENTS. NO, NO, THERE IS COMMENTS THERE. YES. 
          MY COMMENT WAS REMOVED. COULD WE JUST HAVE THIS ONCE EVERYBODY'S IN THE AND YOU'LL 
          [02:05:01]
GET BACK. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND NEXT, AS I SAID, I HAVE BEEN THREE MINUTES OVER TWO HOURS. IF THIS IS OUR TOWNSHIP, I'VE BEEN A 26 YEAR RESIDENT ANOTHER MINUTE. I ALSO WANT TO KNOW WHERE IN THE LOT DO YOU HAVE THAT IT'S EXACTLY HOW MANY. THREE MINUTES. IS THAT RIGHT IN THE AGENDA? PARDON? IT IS A POLICY AND IT'S STATED STRAIGHT IN THE AGENDA. 
          AND THE MAYOR ANNOUNCES IT BEFORE EVERY PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION. SO THAT'S WHAT I'M ASKING IS FOR EVERY TIME A PERSON HAS TO COME HERE, IF THEY ARE BLOCKED ON THE FACEBOOK, YOU CANNOT BLOCK SOMEBODY ON A FACEBOOK WEBSITE. I CAN SEND YOU THE PAPERWORK AND I'LL SEND IT TO YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANYONE ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? PLEASE? COME ON. PRESS THE BUTTON. OKAY. CAN YOU HEAR ME? MIC ON. YOU MAY WANT TO PULL THE MIC JUST A LITTLE HIGHER. YEAH, A LITTLE HIGHER. THANK YOU. OKAY. IS THAT BETTER? YES. OKAY, GREAT. 
          MY NAME IS SIDDHARTH SARAN. I'M THE PRESIDENT OF MONTGOMERY M'S. SO ON BEHALF OF MONTGOMERY M'S, I WANT TO EXPRESS MY DEEP APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE FOR THE DONATION THAT THE TOWNSHIP GIVES TO MONTGOMERY M'S. MANY MORE OF MY COLLEAGUES WERE GOING TO BE HERE, BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY ANSWERING CALLS. SO IN THE IN THE COUPLE OF HOURS THAT WE'VE BEEN HERE, WE'VE ACTUALLY RECEIVED TWO CALLS, ONE OF WHICH WAS A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT, AND THE OTHER WAS A 88 YEAR OLD PERSON HAVING DIFFICULTY BREATHING. SO THEY'RE ATTENDING TO THAT PATIENT SO THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO BE HERE. BUT WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE THE THE DONATION YOU GIVE US. AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS IT MANY TIMES. BUT I WANTED TO DO IT IN A PUBLIC FORUM OVER HERE. I ALSO WANTED TO SAY THAT WE WORK VERY HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY DOLLAR OF THE DONATION THAT WE RECEIVE IS VERY WELL SPENT. SO JUST AS AN EXAMPLE. OUR VOLUNTEERS, ABOUT 115 OF THEM IN AGGREGATE, CONTRIBUTE ANYWHERE FROM 32,000 TO 34,000 VOLUNTEER HOURS. THAT'S AMAZING. THAT'S WONDERFUL. AND THANK YOU. SO THEY SO THEY VOLUNTEER THIS TIME. THEN WE HAVE ABOUT SEVEN VEHICLES THAT WE MAINTAIN EIGHT, EIGHT VEHICLES THAT WE MAINTAIN. AND WE HAVE ALL THE OTHER EXPENSES THAT EVERY, EVERYBODY ELSE HAS, YOU KNOW, LIKE MAINTAINING THE VEHICLE'S INSURANCE, MEDICAL EXPENSES, ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS, ALL OF WHICH ARE INFLATING AT RIDICULOUS DOUBLE DIGIT NUMBERS. 
          SO, SO WE OPERATE IN A VERY LEAN FASHION. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW WE OPERATE. YOU KNOW, WHEN WHEN A VOLUNTEER JOINS THE ORGANIZATION, WE SAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US. NOW WE EXPECT YOU TO BUY YOUR UNIFORM, WHICH IS ABOUT $250. WE EXPECT YOU TO GO TO EMT CLASS AND BUY YOUR BOOK, WHICH IS $400. RIGHT? SO THE MOMENT YOU'VE STEPPED INTO MONTGOMERY, YOU MUST BECOME AN EMT. YOU'VE ALREADY SPENT $650, RIGHT? AND YET PEOPLE ARE DEDICATED AND THEY ARE WORKING VERY HARD AND THEY'RE OFFERING THEIR BEST. AND THE WAY WE DETERMINE THAT IS BECAUSE, ONE, THEY'RE SAVING LIVES. TWO, WE ARE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST SQUADS IN THE STATE. YES, THAT'S. EVERYBODY IN MONTGOMERY BENEFITS BY THAT. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, OUR SERVICE TO. TO OUR PATIENTS WHO ARE MOSTLY FROM MONTGOMERY IS FREE. 
          OKAY. IN CONTRAST, YOU WILL SEE THAT WE ARE AT THREE MINUTES IF YOU JUST. YEAH, IF YOU START TALKING ABOUT THAT. OKAY, SO, SO I WILL, I WILL ACCELERATE AND I WILL SAY THAT THAT IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THE TOWN WAS TO RUN A SERVICE LIKE THE ONE WE CURRENTLY RUN, THE COST WOULD CONSERVATIVELY BE OVER A MILLION AND A HALF DOLLARS, WHICH WE ARE ABLE TO DO IN A, IN A VERY LEAN WAY, THANKS TO THE DONATION PRIMARILY OF ALL THE RESIDENTS OF MONTGOMERY, THE CORPORATIONS OF MONTGOMERY, AND ALSO, OF COURSE, THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. ANYONE ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? OLIVER TARNEY, FIRST OF ALL, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE VERY INFORMATIVE AND TRANSPARENT 
          [02:10:01]
PRESENTATION. I THINK IT REALLY IS VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF, YOU KNOW, MAINTAINING OUR BOND RATING, STABLE FINANCE. SO, YOU KNOW, REALLY THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING. ON A SEPARATE NOTE, I'M CONTINUING TO WORK WITH VOTER CHOICE NEW JERSEY ON PROMOTING RANK CHOICE VOTING AT THE MUNICIPAL AND SCHOOL BOARD LEVEL. I KNOW THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF TENTATIVE BACK AND FORTH DISCUSSION AT THE PRIOR TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEETING TWO WEEKS PAST, AND I WANTED TO CHECK IN AND ASK IF THERE WAS ANY SORT OF, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY WHAT THE STATUS OF ANY, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL INFORMATIONAL MEETING WAS. I THINK WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AGAIN. OKAY. WE APPRECIATE THE BUDGET HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT AT THE MOMENT. YEAH, UNDERSTANDABLY, IT'S ELECTORAL REFORM DOESN'T HAVE A SEASON THE WAY BUDGETS DO. SO YOU KNOW I DO HAVE TO PUSH IT. 
          THANK YOU. THANKS, OLIVER. PLEASE COME UP IN THE END. YEAH. HEY GUYS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR EFFORT. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU. ALSO, AS A TAXPAYER, WE ALL STRUGGLE TO STATE YOUR NAME AND YOUR FULL NAME SO THEY CAN. MY NAME IS SUDHAKAR GOVINDARAJAN. I'M A RESIDENT OF MONTGOMERY, I GOVINDA G O V I N D A V A J H A L A. SO AS A TAXPAYER, WE ALL STRUGGLE VERY HARD TO MAKE THE MONEY. I'M SURE ALL OF YOU ALSO. SO DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO KEEP THE BUDGET AS LOW AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE BETWEEN MY SALARY AND THE MORTGAGE AND THE TAX PAYMENT AND THE BARE MINIMUM INSURANCE AND ALL THOSE THINGS, THERE IS VERY LITTLE LEFT TO RUN THE FAMILY. AND THAT IS PROBABLY THE CASE FOR MANY OF US. SO JUST BE COMPASSIONATE, EMPATHETIC TO THE COST. OUR COSTS ARE GOING UP. I'M NOT BLAMING YOU GUYS, BUT DO WHAT YOU CAN TO KEEP IT TO AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST MUCH EASIER BECAUSE WE NEED TO GIVE 120% JUST TO GIVE THE BASICS RUNNING RIGHT NOW. SO DO WHAT YOU CAN TO GIVE THE COST. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. ANYONE ELSE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT? I DON'T I DON'T HAVE A GOOD. GOOD EVENING. DEBORAH KEENAN K E E N A N. THANK YOU, MICHAEL FOR A GOOD BUDGET PRESENTATION. I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY, WHEN YOU'RE CONCERNED WITH THE BUDGET, THAT YOU ALSO GO TO THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AND GO TO THE COUNTY MEETINGS AS WELL. 
          BECAUSE AS YOU SEE, WHAT THEY DETERMINE IS THE TAX RATE IS AFFECTS OUR BOTTOM LINE HERE TOO. SO GO THERE AS WELL. IT'S IMPORTANT IT MAKES SENSE TO SHOW UP AT MEETINGS BECAUSE IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I WANT TO THANK THE PUBLIC WORKS FOR STILL PUTTING UP WITH THAT HORRENDOUS, RAT INFESTED PLACE THAT YOU'RE LIVING IN. I KNOW THAT WE HAD DONE SOME PRELIMINARY PLANS TO TO BASICALLY MOVE YOU OUT OF A FLOODWAY. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A FLOOD ZONE OR FLOODWAY, BUT I HOPE THAT THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE LOOKS AT THAT AGAIN, BECAUSE YOU NEED A BETTER HOME OUT OF THE WAY OF RISING WATERS. YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT THE PROPERTY WHERE THE SALT DOME IS AND HAD DONE A STUDY AND IT DID FIT. BUT I KNOW THAT MAY BE THERE MAY BE OTHER OPTIONS NOW TO LOOK AT. SO SORRY THAT YOU'RE STILL PUTTING UP WITH THAT IN THERE. AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK OUR WASTEWATER TREATMENT, CHRIS, AND ENCOURAGE ALL THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEES AND ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. IT IS FASCINATING TO GO THERE AND REALLY SEE HOW THIS WORKS AND KNOW THAT EVERY SINGLE ONE, ALL THREE OF THEM, ALL FOUR OF THEM ARE RUN DIFFERENTLY, THEY'RE BUILT DIFFERENTLY. AND SO THAT INCREASES COSTS. BUT IT'S SOME INCREDIBLE PROFESSIONALS THAT WE HAVE THERE. SO THANK YOU AGAIN AND PLEASE PASS MY PERSONAL THANKS ALONG. YOU GUYS WERE HEROES DURING THE RECONSTRUCTION AFTER IDA. AND I'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT YOU WERE ABLE TO DO TO GET THAT PLACE UP AND RUNNING IN FIVE DAYS. IT WAS REALLY ONE WONDERFUL FEAT. SO THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS. THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. WE ARE GOING TO BE CLOSING PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT MAYBE DID YOU WANT TO ADDRESS SOMETHING, PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WAS MADE ABOUT. OH, SURE. LORI GO AHEAD. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY. I THINK WHEN OUR RESIDENT, MISS CASALINO, HAD MADE A COMMENT ABOUT THE WEBSITE, BUT THEN LATER CLARIFIED THAT IT WAS FACEBOOK, OUR FACEBOOK PAGE IS NOT A DISCUSSION BOARD. IT COMMENTS ARE LIMITED. IT'S FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, BUT I. I WISH SHE WAS STILL HERE BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE ASKED HER FOR SOME CLARIFICATION BECAUSE THE WAY I INTERPRETED HER COMMENT WAS THAT OTHER THAN FACEBOOK, THERE ARE LIMITED WAYS THAT SHE CAN ASK THE TOWNSHIP QUESTIONS. SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY FOR THE 
          [02:15:03]
PUBLIC THAT ALL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS PHONE NUMBERS AND EMAILS ARE ON THE WEBSITE. WE RECEIVE EMAILS DAILY FROM RESIDENTS AND WE RESPOND. I BELIEVE I SAW AN EMAIL FROM MISS CASTELLANO JUST TODAY COME THROUGH TO OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT ASKING SOME QUESTIONS AND THEN RECEIVING THE INFORMATION BACK. SO THAT'S ONE METHOD, OBVIOUSLY COMING TO A MEETING, BUT NOT EVERYBODY CAN MAKE ALL THE MEETINGS. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO SOMETHING IN NEW JERSEY CALLED THE OPEN PUBLIC RECORDS ACT, WHICH ANY PERSON CAN RESPOND THROUGH OUR WEBSITE TO OUR TOWNSHIP CLERK REQUESTING ANY DOCUMENTS, ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. SO THAT'S ANOTHER OTHER ANOTHER METHOD. SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTOOD THAT. 
          AND MAYBE I MISUNDERSTOOD THE COMMENTS THAT SHE WAS MAKING, BUT I, I INTERPRETED THAT AS OTHER THAN FACEBOOK, THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY FOR HER TO, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATE WITH US. SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, WE ARE OPEN AND AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT RESIDENTS HAVE, AND THEY DO REACH US. AND A FURTHER LEGAL POSITION. FACEBOOK IS NOT A PUBLIC FORUM. 
          THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF REASONS WHY IT'S NOT. SO, YOU KNOW, I DID A QUICK LOOK. NOW PEOPLE SOMETIMES ARE ABLE TO POST, BUT YOUR POSTS AREN'T SHOWN, YOU'RE NOT BLOCKED. BUT BECAUSE IT'S NOT BEING KEPT AS A PUBLIC FORUM, IT MAY LOOK LIKE SOMEBODY MADE A COMMENT, BUT YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING BECAUSE WE HAVE IT SPECIFICALLY SET UP IN A WAY WHERE IT IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, NOT A BACK AND FORTH. OKAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING. IF I COULD ADD TO LAURA'S STATEMENTS, THE ALL THE ELECTED OFFICIALS ALSO CAN RECEIVE EMAILS AS WELL DIRECTLY AND INFORMATION ON THE WEBSITE. THAT'S RIGHT. EMAILS. AND IF SOMEONE REALLY WANTED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION, THEY CAN ALWAYS REQUEST A MEETING. YOU JUST HAVE TO REACH OUT TO LISA AND SAY, I WOULD LIKE TO LISA RIGHT THERE AND I WOULD LIKE TO MEET EITHER THE MAYOR, THE DEPUTY MAYOR OR ANYBODY ON THE TOWN COUNCIL. CAN YOU SET UP A MEETING? LISA WOULD HELP YOU DO THAT. SO THAT'S ANOTHER CHANNEL TO COME AND HAVE A CONVERSATION. THANK YOU. OKAY. ORDINANCES. 
          [12. Ordinance #26-1775 – An Ordinance Amending Chapter XII “Sewer and Water” of the Code of the Township of  Montgomery (1984) to Establish the 2026 Sewer Capacity Charges and Sewer Rates – Introduction/First Reading ]
INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING ORDINANCE 20 6-1775. AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 12 SEWER AND WATER OF THE CODE OF TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY, 1984, TO ESTABLISH THE 2026 SEWER CAPACITY CHARGES AND SEWER RATES, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY, THAT THE FOREGOING ORDINANCE BE HEREBY PASSED ON FIRST READING, AND THAT THE SAME BE PUBLISHED ACCORDING TO LAW. WITH A PUBLIC HEARING AND A VOTE SCHEDULED FOR THE MEETING OF MAY 14TH, 2026. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO INTRODUCE ORDINANCE 20 6-1774. 
          SO MOVED. SECOND ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. 
          ANNE. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. DEPUTY MAYOR BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR SINGH. YES. 
          ORDINANCES. PUBLIC HEARING. FINAL ADOPTION. THERE ARE NO ORDINANCES FOR FINAL ADOPTION 
          [13. Resolution #26-4-136 – Authorizing Montgomery Township to Conduct a Self-Examination of the 2026 Budget per  N.J.S.A. 40A:4-78b ]
RESOLUTION. RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 36. AUTHORIZING MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP TO CONDUCT A SELF-EXAMINATION OF THE 2026 BUDGET PURSUANT TO NJSA 44 DASH 78 B YES, MAYOR, THIS IS FOR OUR BUDGET. EVERY THREE YEARS, THE OUR MUNICIPAL BUDGET IS UNDER STATE REVIEW THIS YEAR. 
          WE ARE NOT UNDER STATE REVIEW. SO IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT A SELF-EXAMINATION, MEANING OUR TAX LEVY, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT OUR TAX LEVY IS IS CALCULATED PROPERLY, APPROPRIATION CAP IS CALCULATED. I CERTIFY TO THAT. AND IF WE PASS A RESOLUTION, WE'RE ALLOWED TO INTRODUCE ADOPT THE BUDGET EVENTUALLY WITHOUT HAVING A FULL STATE REVIEW. 
          AGAIN, IT'S IT'S WE DO THIS EVERY YEAR. WE'RE NOT UNDER STATE REVIEW. OKAY. THANK YOU. 
          MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 36. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. 
          YES. DEPUTY MAYOR BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR SINGH. YES. RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 37. REJECTING ALL BIDS 
          [14. Resolution #26-4-137 – Rejecting all Bids for Bid #B02-2026 – Folusiak Tract Proposed Parking Area (150 Hollow  Road also known as “Sourland View Preserve”) ]
FOR BID ZERO TWO DASH 2026 FOR LUCIC TRACT PROPOSED PARKING AREA, 150 HOLLOW ROAD, ALSO KNOWN AS SUTHERLAND VIEW PRESERVE. THANK YOU MAYOR TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE. THIS IS A BID THAT WENT OUT UNDER THE LOCAL PUBLIC CONTRACTS LAW. WHEN THE BIDS ARE EXCEED YOUR ENGINEERING ESTIMATES, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO REJECT ALL BIDS. THAT IS WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING BE DONE AFTER REVIEW OF BOTH THROUGH ENGINEERING, OPEN SPACE FINANCE AND MYSELF. AND THE PROJECT WOULD BE BID AGAIN. OH, OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 37, SO MOVED SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. 
          [02:20:01]
ANNE. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. YES. DEPUTY MAYOR BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR SINGH YES. 
          [15. Resolution #26-4-138 – Designating Lot 5.02 in Block 28001 as Shown on the Tax Map of the Township of  Montgomery (23 Orchard Road) as a Non-Condemnation Area in Need of Redevelopment Under the New Jersey  Local Redevelopment Housing Law (N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-1 et seq) ]
RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 38. DESIGNATING LOT 5.02 IN BLOCK 28 001, AS SHOWN ON THE TAX MAP OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY, 23 ORCHARD ROAD, AS A NON CONDEMNED CONDEMNATION AREA IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT UNDER THE NEW JERSEY LOCAL REDEVELOPMENT HOUSING LAW AND JSA 4812 A-1, ETC. SQUARE MAYOR. I TOUCHED A LITTLE ON MY ON THIS WITH MY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT BACK ON OCTOBER 16TH, 2025, THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED THE PLANNING BOARD TO CONDUCT THE PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PROPERTY COULD BE DESIGNATED AS A NON CONDEMNATION AREA IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT. THAT PUBLIC HEARING AT THE PLANNING BOARD TOOK PLACE ON MARCH 23RD, AND WE HAD A PRESENTATION BY THE PLANNING PLANNING BOARD'S PLANNER, MICHAEL SULLIVAN. HE RELAYED HIS FINDINGS IN THE REPORT, WHICH WAS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. THERE WAS PUBLIC COMMENT AND BOARD DISCUSSION THAT HAPPENED, AND THE BOARD AGREED WITH THE FINDINGS THAT IT IS A QUALIFIES UNDER THE STATE LOCAL. THE. THE REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING LAW AS AN AREA IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT. AND SO THIS RESOLUTION IS YOUR SUPPORT AND AGREEMENT WITH THAT RECOMMENDATION FROM THE PLANNING BOARD THAT THE STUDY AREA DOES QUALIFY AND THEN THE RESOLUTION THEN ALSO AUTHORIZES TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE, AUTHORIZES AND DIRECTS THE BOARD PLANNING BOARD TO DEVELOP A REDEVELOPMENT PLAN. NOW THAT WHAT I MENTIONED AND WHAT I REALLY WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW IS THAT ON APRIL 27TH, THE PLANNING BOARD WILL BE HAVING A MEETING, SOMEWHAT OF AN INFORMATIONAL SESSION TO TALK AGAIN ABOUT THE REDEVELOPMENT PROCESS, TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE REDEVELOPMENT GOALS FOR THE PROPERTY AS IN ANTICIPATION OF THE PLAN BEING DEVELOPED. SO OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC INPUT IN THAT PROCESS. AND WHAT'S THE DATE OF THAT? THAT IS MONDAY, APRIL 27TH. THANK YOU SO MUCH, LORI. 7:00. YEAH, IT'S OUR REGULAR PLANNING BOARD MEETING. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 38, SO MOVED SECOND ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. YES. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. DEPUTY MAYOR BERRIGAN. MAYOR SINGH. YES. ABSTAIN. 
          [16. Resolution #26-4-139 – Authorizing the Participation of Luscious Spirits, Co. at Montgomery Farmers’ Market]
RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 39. AUTHORIZING THE PARTICIPANT OF LUSCIOUS SPIRITS COMPANY AT MONTGOMERY FARMERS MARKET. LISA. SO, SO THE ANNUAL SEASONAL FARM MARKET PERMIT IS ISSUED IS A PERMIT ISSUED BY THE DIVISION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL, AND IT DOES NOT REQUIRE ENDORSEMENT BY MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES. HOWEVER, THEY DO INFORM US. LUCIA SPIRITS IS A VENDOR OF THE FARMER'S MONTGOMERY FARMER'S MARKET, AND THIS RESOLUTION AUTHORIZES THEM TO PARTICIPATE AT THE FARMER'S MARKET AND ESTABLISHES CONDITION REGARDING TASTING INDOORS AND DURING THE WINTER FARMER'S MARKET. SO BASICALLY IT'S AUTHORIZING THEM TO PARTICIPATE. THIS IS NOW FOR THE SUMMER MARKET AS WELL. IS IT? IT IS. OKAY. SO ACTUALLY THEY WERE JUST THEY APPLY FOR THE SEASONAL. IT'S CALLED A SEASONAL FARM MARKET ANNUAL PERMIT FROM THE DIVISION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL A, B, C AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S A PERMIT THAT'S ISSUED BY THE STATE. IT GIVES US THE IT INFORMS US. BUT IF YOU RECALL, I GUESS IT WAS LAST YEAR OR THE YEAR BEFORE THEY CAME BEFORE THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE, WHERE THERE WERE SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF TASTING, BECAUSE THEY ARE A DISTILLERY. 
          AND ONE OF THE CONDITIONS WAS THAT THEY DO NOT DO TASTINGS DURING OUR INDOOR FARMER'S MARKET. BUT THEY ARE THEY ARE REGULATED BY THE SAMPLE SIZES THAT THEY CAN SERVE. AND THIS IS THE SECOND I THINK THIS IS THE SECOND OR THIRD YEAR THAT THEY ARE APPLYING. SO THERE'S BEEN NO ISSUE SINCE. I THINK THE ONLY CONCERN WE HAVE HAD WE HAD AT THAT TIME WAS THAT THE PARK WAS OPENING AND WE WOULD HAVE A LOT OF KIDS, AND NOW THE PARK IS OPEN AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE HERE FOR. SO THAT. I THINK THAT WAS THE CONCERN, BUT THAT WAS MITIGATED. YEP. OKAY. 
          SO THIS IS. SO THERE THEY ARE AGAIN REQUESTING TO PARTICIPATE AT THE FARMER'S MARKET, BE A VENDOR AT THE FARMER'S MARKET FOR THIS YEAR. AND THEY DO HAVE IN FACT, THE STATE ABC PERMIT ISSUED HAS BEEN ISSUED. OKAY. AND WE CAN'T HAVE A LITTLE JUST MAKE SURE THAT WHERE THEY ARE AND WHERE THE PARK IS OR THEY, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY KEEP THEIR TABLE. IS THERE SOMETHING THAT THE MUNICIPALITY CAN DO? IT'S JUST HAVING A KIDS PARK AND LUSCIOUS SPIRITS NEXT TO IT. 
          [02:25:05]
IT'S NOT A GOOD VISUAL. YES. WELL, WE'LL REMIND WHEN WE WHEN I ISSUE, WHEN I SEND THE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING IT, I'LL JUST REMIND LAURETTE WHERE WHERE THEY'RE LOCATED ON, ON TOWNSHIP PROPERTY TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE APPRECIATE IT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DO WE HAVE THE THE AUTHORITY TO DO A HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE, YOU KNOW, THE FARMER'S MARKET, RIGHT IS WIDE, RIGHT? THERE'S THE PARK CLOSEST TO THE PARK. THE PARK FURTHEST AWAY. CAN WE KIND OF RECOMMEND, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT THEY WOULD BE PLACED AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T LIKE MOVE SOMEONE OUT OF THE WAY, BUT LIKE ON THE FAR SIDE, MAYBE IF YOU CAN MAKE A NOTE AND DOUBLE CHECK WITH THEM THAT. SURE. YEAH. JUST SO LAURETTE KNOWS THAT WE WOULD PREFER THAT THEY ARE FOR THAT. YEAH. OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 39, SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. YES. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. YES. DEPUTY MAYOR BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR SINGH. YES. 
          [17. Resolution #26-4-140 – Authorizing Outdoor Assembly Permit – Kasia Market ]
RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 40. AUTHORIZING OUTDOOR ASSEMBLY PERMIT, CASSIA MARKET. SO CASSIA MARKET HAD SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION FOR ITS ANNUAL ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SUNDAY, MAY 17TH. IT HAS BEEN REVIEWED BY ALL THE RESPECTIVE DEPARTMENTS POLICE, HEALTH AND FIRE. THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS. THEY'VE COMPLIED WITH THE REQUIREMENTS. SO IT'S FOR THE TOWNSHIP BEFORE THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE FOR APPROVAL. OKAY, WE'LL DO THAT. AND IT'S GOOD THAT IT'S ON THE 17TH BECAUSE ON MAY 16TH WE HAVE SPRING FLING. SO WE JUST CAN'T DO TWO AT THE SAME DAY. SO MAY 16TH AND NOW CASSIA ON THE 17TH. OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 40. SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. 
          MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. ABSTAIN. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. DEPUTY MAYOR 
          [18. Resolution #26-4-141 – Designating Specific Tracts of Municipally-Owned Parks and Open Spaces to be Included  in Montgomery Township’s Deer Management Program Pursuant to Chapter IX, Section 9 of the Code of the  Township of Montgomery (1984) for the Hunting Season Beginning September 2026 and Ending February 2027]
BARRAGAN. YES. MAYOR SINGH. YES. RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 41. DESIGNATING SPECIFIC TRACTS OF MUNICIPALITY, MUNICIPALLY OWNED PARKS AND OPEN SPACES TO BE INCLUDED IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP'S DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM PURSUANT TO CHAPTER NINE, SECTION NINE OF THE CODE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY, 1984 FOR THE HUNTING SEASON BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 2026 AND ENDING FEBRUARY 2027. SO THIS IS THE RESOLUTION THAT WE DESIGNATING OUR TRACTS OF LAND FOR THE NEXT SEASON'S HUNTING PROGRAM. OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 20 6-4-1 41. SO MOVED SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER. ANNE. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. DEPUTY MAYOR BARRAGAN. YES. 
          [19. Correspondence ]
MAYOR SINGH. YES. CORRESPONDENCE. LISA. I BELIEVE THEY ALREADY CAME. BUT IF YOU WANT TO JUST MENTION. CORRECT. THIS IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES THAT WE DID RECEIVE A PETITION FROM UNDERSIGNED, RESIDENTS AND TAXPAYERS OF MONTGOMERY DATED APRIL 7TH. THE PETITION TO THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND ADMINISTRATION REFORM, WHICH WAS SPOKE DURING A PUBLIC COMMENT ADDRESSED DURING. YEAH. 
          [21. Future Agenda Items ]
OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS. THERE ARE NO ITEMS. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. APRIL 30TH, 2026. CAPITAL ORDINANCE INTRODUCTION FIRST READING. MAY 14TH, 2026. 
          BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING ADOPTION MAY 14TH, 2026 SEWER RATE ORDINANCE PUBLIC HEARING ADOPTION MAY 14TH, 2026 CAPITAL ORDINANCE PUBLIC HEARING ADOPTION RESOLUTION 26 DASH FOR 
          [22. Resolution #26-4-142 Executive Session]
DASH 142 EXECUTIVE SESSION. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY OF SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY AS FOLLOWS. THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE WILL NOW CONVENE IN A CLOSED SESSION THAT WILL BE LIMITED ONLY TO THE CONSIDERATION OF ITEMS WITH RESPECT TO WHICH THE PUBLIC MAY BE EXCLUDED. PURSUANT TO SECTION SEVEN B OF THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT. THE GENERAL NATURE OF THE SUBJECTS TO BE DISCUSSED IN THIS SESSION ARE AS FOLLOWS. CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. SO CONTRACT LITIGATION D NUMBER SOML153 25. AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT PERSONNEL. TOWNSHIP CLERK REAPPOINTMENT. 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 6-4-1 42? SO MOVED. SECOND. ROLL CALL PLEASE. 
          COMMITTEE MEMBER. MARTIN. YES. COMMITTEE MEMBER ON COMMITTEE MEMBER. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. 
          THAN. WE'RE ON. GO AHEAD. OKAY. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO CLOSE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND OPEN REGULAR SESSION SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? I ADJOURNMENT. YEAH, WE 
          [02:30:10]
DID SECOND MOTION MOTION. I SAID MAY ADJOURNMENT. MAY I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? NOBODY MOV
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.