recently. I would like to advise all those present that notice of this regular meeting of July 22nd, 2026 has been provided to the public in accordance with the provisions of the open public meeting act of the state of New Jersey. Notice in of time and place of this meeting has been
included in the annual notice of meetings which was posted and filed with the city clerk and with the Bergen record and Asbury Press. An additional notice of time and place was posted and filed with the city clerk and was forwarded to the Bergen record and star ledger on July 20th, 2026. The regular
meeting of the municipal city council of the city of Bayon is now in session. Miss Medina, please call the role. >> Mr. Patino. >> Mr. Gilling. Hi, >> Mr. Perry. >> Hi, >> Miss Somnia.
>> Lama, I'm sorry. >> And Miss Geski Rodriguez >> here. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance to the standy for all. Okay. So, currently we have no
ordinances up for hearing. So, we will go straight to the public comment. And our first speaker is Miss Hend Henderson. >> Hi, Kathleen Henderson, 88 West 6 Street, Bayon. I'm here to discuss the
um TNR program that is supposed to be uh started. It is critical that it be started now. We are overrun with feral cats and kittens. We cannot handle all of the
calls we're getting. I am with Bon Feral Cat Foundation. The other rescue is Fana. We are inundated with calls. We don't have foster homes. We don't have resources. We're doing the best we can getting these cats spayed and neutered.
We have kittens out there with bad eye problems, upper respiratory. We need help. We need help now. Please. This was a promise made by Mayor Nadski, all of you up there. And I understand
that there are many important things related to the city and the budget and the departments. I understand that this has been going on for a long time. We cannot wait. A meeting needs to be set up with us. Whatever is necessary, it needs to be started now. Please, we
can't handle it anymore. We have no animal control. Where is animal control? You call them, there's no response. We have sick, dying animals out there. We can't We can't do this alone. We don't have the funds. We're We were all
volunteers. We work. We don't have the money. We don't have the resources. You guys have to step up, please, and help us now. Thank you. >> Thank you, [applause] >> Mr. Garcia.
>> Not here. She's >> Miss Pastorino. Um Joe Pastrino 74 West 46th Street. Okay. I'd like to um the council to address the following issues. Number one, amendments to the redevelopment
plans are appearing on city agendas with no explanation of what they are for. The amendment allowing a data center at the property on New Hook Road was listed with no mention whatsoever of a data center. There was no way for the public to know what was being voted on that
night. There's another one on the agenda tonight. This should I feel this should be illegal. It is undemocratic. Going forward, there needs to be an explanation on the agenda and a link to the full text of the amendment, ordinance, financial agreement or
redevelopment plan because we also should not have to depend on the presentations alone as they have been incomplete. Number two, a redevelopment plan rewrites the zoning and allows for tax abatements. These are big deals and
once they're passed, the residents have little recourse. Often the residents find out about a plan for the first time when it appears on a city agenda. At this point, it's presented as a full-blown redevelopment plan. The residents are given little time to
respond before it's voted on. And the only way for resident to see what is being proposed is to Oprah a plan they didn't know about. We have been told on several occasions that plans and this applies to parks as well as well were worked on by the city for two years or
more with the implication that it's unreasonable for us to ask for changes. The reality is the developers have direct access to the administration and the city's resources for years while the public is kept in the dark. resources
the public pays for. I would like the council to look into public input into projects from the moment a proposal is brought to the city. One way to implement this is for the council to pass an ordinance requiring a minimum amount of real public hearings in the
neighborhoods where a redevelopment plan or a park will be considered. The first meeting being when it is first proposed to the city. Number three, every single redevelopment plan uses a quote cherrypicked from a 1998
resolution. The quote declares the entire city in need of rehabilitation. This needs to be repealed. They use this one line taken out of context as a justification for rewriting the zoning and receiving tax abatements for their
projects simply because they're building in Bayon. This resolution is from over a quarter of a century ago. The statement lifted from it is demonstrabably false at this point. Resolutions are not ordinances. Therefore, they are not
laws. And yet, it is quoted as if it is binding for all time. Furthermore, the actual resolution, which I have a copy of, I have copy for each of you. If you can take it, if not, I will email it. Furthermore, the actual resolution was for the purpose of allowing five-year
tax abatements to incentivize home and property improvements where they might otherwise not be possible due to issues like fixed incomes. It states as a quote number one priority the rehabilitation
and preservation of existing housing inventory and the incentive is shortterm. The way this resolution has been used does not at all follow its stated intent. This has opened the door for developers to get huge tax abatements, avoid the current zoning,
ignore the character of the neighborhoods, and it's time to close this door, and for the city to reclaim its authority along with the zoning board. Finally, I'm asking for our council to look into passing a resolution or ordinance that requires all projects, both buildings and parks,
to prioritize the environment and officially acknowledge the need to address the climate crisis we are enduring. New buildings add heat, hard surfaces add noise, water runoff, mental stress, added residents and warehouses bring added traffic and air pollution,
and overt tax the aging infrastructure. Very little is required of the builders to mitigate any of this. It's not sustainable. The administration needs to acknowledge the climate crisis. This could take various forms starting with requiring actual green space around
these buildings and especially in our parks. Our parks are being paved completely. Larger setbacks, more permeable surfaces, and so on. If builders only want to meet the minimums of what is legally required, let them build within the zoning and pay their
full taxes. So, I'm asking you to please look into this and return with some answers in the near future. Thank you. >> Thank you, [applause] >> Mr. Reignal. Micro Signal 42 West 23rd. Congratulations to you all and I know you're going to make all Bayon citizens
very proud that you're there. >> Thank you. >> Now, I'm here to talk about the amendment to the Peninsula Harbor Station North redevelopment plan for the property located city block 660.01,
lot one. It's referred to as P-25-024. At the planning board meeting of July 14, 26, the board approved changing the property from residential to commercial recreational use and non-industrial,
paid commercial recreational use. I know the city council will have a public hearing on this matter at its August 12th meeting. I'm here just to give you some of my thoughts on this matter. This is the last piece of property that
the city owns on the matby. To the north of this, the port authority owns the property and the D holds it as a protected wetland. This land should be a city park just to
buffer the huge development that has taken place on the matby and to protect this wetland. Right now, this property is a pathway out to the UPS warehouse off of the 40th Street next to Costco. About 60
employees use this dirt path to get to work. At Tuesday's meeting, Mr. Okconor said the city's been working on this for a long time to clear this land for recreation. I agree. We should have more re
recreation out there, like free recreation. a kayak launch on the south side near the ferry station for water recreation. They cleared the way for a new beer garden. Why not free wildflower trails
on this 10 acres of property that's already being used by nature? Bald eagles, osprey, great blue herand, black frown night herand, great herand, green herand, Baltimore orals, orchard orioles. Numerous song birds use it
nesting area during the summer. In a winter, a variety of duck species also stay there. It's a harbor for them. I could go on. The citizens of Bayon should be able to enjoy this great open space that the city owns. It's 10 acres that should be
for the citizens to enjoy at their leisure. There are already plans for a waterfront walkway to run from Wei Hawin to the tip of Bayon, New Jersey. This could be part of this walkway. The south waterfront walkway is great.
The teardrop monument is great. now finish the job and close off the northwest end of the mpby with the 10acre park with the good walkway and path into the warehouse district and a place where bay owned wildlife can
thrive. I don't know how many of you have been through this area, but I'd love to be happy and to give you a tour and some more of my ideas. Thank you. Have a good evening. >> Thank you. [applause] Miss Olstein.
That's my bad handwriting that messed you up. It's Diane Stein. Sorry. And I'm from 100 Avenue G. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. I am excited that our new mayor and council have identified the master plan as a priority. Creating a master plan for
Bayon creates an opportunity for community engagement. It's clear from the election earlier this year that many residents of Bayon have concerns about transparency in city operations and in how the process of development in Bayon has been conducted. [snorts] Mayor Nidroski has voiced her commitment to
getting community input and we thank her for that as well as the council. Selecting a consultant to work on this project is key. It's been reported that a request for proposals will be issued soon. While we clearly need assistance from architects and planners to complete
the master plan, it must be emphasized that the role of the consultant is to operationalize the desires of the residents of Bayon. We cannot outsource our vision of our city and allow the consultants to own the plan. It must be clear in the RFP, the consultant's job
is to help us come up with a way to implement residents priorities. There's a process that I strongly urge Bon to adopt. Participatory urban planning is a process that reinvisions how a plan is developed. Instead of looking at the citizens at the city's
residents as an audience or a recipient of the plan, it puts the residents squarely into the planning process. There are a number of tools available to guide this process and I can provide them if there's interest in it. Simply asking for suggestions from residents does not qualify as true participation.
In fact, stopping there can be harmful. I would say there's no quicker path to a disillusioned and disengaged community than asking for suggestions and then leaving all of the power in the hands of the professionals to decide what action to take. Participatory planning is a true shared process. It specifically
cautions against stopping with informing and consulting which it labels non-participation and tokenism and defines true citizen power as being a partnership and having delegated power. The master plan will provide guidance for years to come. To truly respond to
the concerns that Bon voiced during the election, it must include the following principles. The desires of the community must be solicited directly from them and addressed in the plan. Again, strategies for this can be found in some tools that I could provide if it's helpful. The plan must be broad enough to include a
way to address concerns that we don't specifically see right now. By this I mean that while I strongly support a position of no data centers, we didn't see that 10 years ago, right? We didn't see data centers coming. We must take that concern and break it down into its components to be applied more broadly.
Examples of what should be in the plan include no environmental assaults on our residents, protection of wildlife and natural habitats. We simply don't know what lies ahead and we must be prepared to protect protect against development that does not benefit the community. Needs of specific subgroups in our
community must be addressed. The disabled, the elderly, special consideration near schools as needed, and racial equity are a few examples of what we need to look at when we develop this plan. The plan must include the ability to update conditions. Um [snorts] Jill just spoke about a
resolution that's being used from a quarter of a century ago. That's a great example of it. The plan must be able to update. I'm specifically thinking of s seemingly unplanned development that has increased traffic and congestion exponentially in some areas. As conditions within the city change, those
changes should be reflected in the plan. The plan should be written in plain language to make it accessible to everyone as an ongoing resource. In addition to using plain language, we should consider printing it in other languages if they are needed. An enforcement mechanism should be clearly
outlined within the plan. An annual evaluation of how the plan is working and whether specific areas need further attention should be conducted by soliciting input from Bayon residents. I look forward to working with the city officials and my fellow residents on this plan and I thank you for your time.
>> Thank you, >> Miss Reick. Hi, good evening. Um, Jenneric, uh, 128 West 55th Street. Um, first, congratulations to the new city council members. Um, I look forward to working together on issues around town. Um, one
of the issues that is of concern is data centers. Um, I'm very glad to see the ban on data centers ordinance being introduced tonight. The data centers are the reason I started being involved in organizing more people to come to these meetings. So, I'm very proud to see that we were heard and listened to. Um,
another issue is having true community input into the new master plan coming up. We need to have a master plan that is valuing the residents input on all levels and not just put on a back burner. This plan will shape how Bayon grows for the next 10 years. So, every perspective needs to be considered. The
world changes so fast in just 10 years. So it's imperative to not look just at present- day problems but issues that can arise in the near and distant future as well. That being the negative and positive effects that the previous master plan produced, climate change effects, increased environmental
protections, population increase, etc. There is already a strain on our power grid, water lines, and the lack of parking and additional air and noise pollution. Bayion is a three-mile town that is already at its limit and the proper consideration of research is not being implemented for it to remain
stable. There needs to be more transparency and open discussions with the community. Also, thank you for live streaming the this city council city council meeting. It's greatly appreciated and one more step towards transparency in Bayon. I would also like to see town town hall meetings
implemented in Bayon even after the master plan is completed. Sorry. [laughter] I hope with the new administration coming that the mayor and the city council will evaluate new developments and do something about it so it stops impacting Bon as a whole. This is something that shouldn't be ignored and
be brushed off so easily. This is Bon's future we're talking about. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Just a note for the public, the live streaming is just not for now. This is our go forward to ensure that we're being accessible and transparent even for those who cannot be here. So I just
wanted to make a quick note on that. So just so everybody understands that that's our go forward process. [applause] >> Miss Hillyard. Sorry. >> Hi. I'm Patricia Hillyard, 42 West 23rd
Street. I'm uh chairperson of the Hudson County Group of the New Jersey chapter of the Sierra Club. and I'm here tonight with some information that I would like to present to you. Uh Sierra Club is not opposed to data centers because they can
be useful. They can be useful for medical research. They can be useful for all kinds of uh issues and problems we're dealing with in our society. AI and data centers can be used to uh go
through testing of contaminants in water. It has a lot of pro positive uses. So we don't really oppose data centers and technology. But we feel that big tech needs to be
held accountable and responsible. They cannot take all the water in a community so that farmers cannot irrigate their crops. They cannot take all the water in a community that the people can't even take a shower because all the water is going to cool down. Big
tech. Okay. They cannot uh run up the electric bill so that people are impoverished and cannot afford electricity in their homes. Okay, we need to hold big tech accountable. So what the Sierra Club suggests is that we
have c certain ordinances and whatnot to balance and control because this is technology. This is our future. We all save uh photos on the on the cloud. That's part of the data centers. That's part of big tech. We like using it. It's
efficient when it works right. And um you know we need to be masters of our own creations, our own technologies. So that is what Sierra Club wants to do. Hold big tech responsible. So what I've done here is I've printed out some of the basic information that we've come up
with and also a draft possible ordinance uh about data centers. and I'd like to present it to the city clerk and you can distribute it to everyone else. And I hope that you consider some of these things when you pass your ordinance about data centers. Thank you.
>> Thank you, >> Mr. Denega. Mr. Pleasure seeing you all here. Um I'm I'm concerned because I live >> Darlene Denega 38 Kelly Parkway. Um I live on a part a block that has six
apartment houses, very little parking, and there's a lot of garages and a lot of um people that own homes that they can park. What I'm concerned about is people taking two parking spots. There's so few and they park in the middle of the block
where two people could park. And I was going to ask you if you could put white lines, you know, and so people can't do that and if they should have a large like truck or something, then they would be allowed to take the two spots up. It's just something to consider. That's
all. >> Absolutely. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Algari. Um, [clears throat] good evening. Uh, my name is Omar Algari and I live at 100 Avenue G. I am pleased with the mayor's
recent decision to finally live stream our city council meetings through YouTube. This change is long overdue and will help working families stay informed about what what's happening in our local government. Providing remote access is an important step toward allowing more
residents to hear about the decisions and changes affecting their neighborhoods. It is also a positive step toward building the transparency our city truly needs. I would also like to mention that expanding remote access and public participation was a policy I
supported and I'm glad to see the city moving in this direction. While I while I strongly support this decision, I respectfully ask the mayor and council to take it one step further by allowing residents attending online to participate in the public comment
portion of the meeting. This would give senior citizens, homebound residents, working families, and others who cannot physically attend the meetings an opportunity to have their voices heard. Residents should not be excluded from public participation simply because they
are not they are unable to appear in person. I urge the mayor and council to consider this additional step so that more balon residents can participate in the decisions that affect their daily lives. Thank you for your time and attention. >> Thank you
[applause] >> Mr. Keith Galant 25 East 23rd. Congratulations everybody. Um I'm just so happy that there's so many more people here um engaging. There's a few quick things. Um the issue of coming up
here and stating your name and address and having it be livereamed, I think is a safety and security issue, particularly when it comes to the double standard of safety. Um, when it comes to women, I think, you know, back in the day when this stuff wasn't on the
internet or being livereamed, I think it's a little weird that somebody has to come up, particularly a woman, and say her name and her address so the whole world can see it live. So, we sign up and we put our names and address on that list. That should be
good enough. Okay. So, this to me is definitely an archaic custom and it should be addressed just from a safety issue. Um, Tommy, the lines on Broadway for parking fix the problem. People know where to park. They're not taking up two
spaces. So, I think overall we need to think about um how to expand that type of um you know program on on some of the other streets, trials, pilots, whatever. Um it works. Um, last week to Mike uh
Mike's uh comment, the planning board meeting last week, there was a discussion about the parcel that Mike was talking about, the city- owned parcel over by Costco and Bay 151. Um, first I want to thank Miriam Salama for um suggesting that when this parcel
comes before the city, the industrial use gets uh rescended. Um, I think that is a very wise decision because the city engineer could not define exactly what industrial meant um to all of us who were sitting there asking about it. Um,
but there's a larger issue here. Um, and the issue is that when Bon owns a parcel of land that is already known to be prone to flooding, um, city hall has a higher responsibility than simply saying, "Well, we complied with state regulations." Um compliance is the
floor. It is it is the floor of what your what your behavior should accommodate. Um good public steward stewardship uh should be the measurable goal. During the meeting, I asked the engineer a very basic question. If every building that can be constructed on that parcel is required to have its elevation
raised with fill, where do the displaced flood waters go? His response was essentially that the water would naturally drain into the harbor as it does today. But that answer raises an obvious question. If the water naturally drains into the harbor today with no issue, then why is the parcel
already prone to flooding? And why would future buildings need to be elevated constructed on top of fill in the first place? Um, then I asked why for every cubic yard of fill added to the site, a retention
basin could not be required to help manage the displaced flood water. Or better yet, why not require a specific retention basin size that governs the allowable building footprint and limits how much displacement any future
development can create. The response was again that the city would be in compliance with state regulations. So I asked a more I asked more important questions. Why is the city simply not doing more or choosing not to do more or can it do more? And and the answer was
nothing. There's nothing stopping the city from doing more than the basic floor of what state regulations say it it should do. Um I think floodprone land requires more scrutiny, not less. When the city owns the land, the standard
should not be the least it can legally get away with. Um, residents residents deserve more than minimum compliance. We deserve better responsible planning. We deserve real flood mitigation. And by the way um for all of us who who were in
the city on Saturday um [laughter] that storm came through and um it should be enough evidence all the evidence we need um to show that flood control particularly on this parcel of land while we watch manholes being blown up
blown up through uh you know rainwaters and fl and flooding um really needs to be thought about. Thank you. >> Thank you. That was the last of our speakers. We'll now be moving on to the agenda. >> Maline, yes.
>> I think there's somebody >> I have no problem allowing additional people. >> Okay. >> Good evening. How are you? >> Good evening. >> You relaxing from vacation? [laughter] All right. Tom Slurry, 8 West Grant
Street. Couple of couple of issues. Not bad. Viola, we got to get on top of them. That storm on Saturday, Sycamore Road, Colonial Drive. Two feet of water in people's basements because
Viola has a a generator that they have to go and physically turn it on to pump water out to the harbor. They did it during Hurricane Sandy back in the day. Joe Dory wanted a pump station there, generators. Nothing
happened. Now they got a generator. Now they they got to go there physically turn it on. So Viola screwed that up. Uh other issues that people were talking about is the other elephant in the room, the project that New Jersey Transit is
wants to build on the east side of 34th Street on the other side of near near the roadway 169. Uh that mess was given to us by the last administration. That was in the talks for two years. It was passed. They sat
on it. Now New Jersey Transit, they're in the process of losing their grants. So they have to build on it now before they lose it. So now supposedly they have a developer that's going to come and start doing their work. But the tax abatements in this town, if
the contractors or the developers, and I know there's some in this room, if they're not going to build right away, within the first year, pull their tax abatements. Why are we giving it to them for 30 years? They're going to hold on to it for 40 year 30 years or 29 years, and on the 30th year, they're going to
start building on it. You got 1888 on First Street. We have probably three or four groundbreings every me. So they were supposed to start building on it. That's what 6 months ago. They're still waiting. Nothing's going on down
there. You got projects. You got the one on chosen few and Goldberg Drive. The Gupta Group who's partners with KRE on that property supposed to do 4,500 units and residential.
Nothing's going on. If he's not going to do nothing with it, pull his tax abatement. He also is running a parking lot for trucks and for this for the cruise ship. Are we getting money for that for his parking taxes on that parking lot?
This is what we got to find out. This guy's this guy's pulling the sheet over our eyes. But meanwhile, he has probably a 30-year tax abatement that the last administration gave. We got to we got to crack down on these guys. I know there's, like I said, I know there's developers here and I don't
care. I'm looking after our money. Why? They're going to sit on a tax abatement for 30 years and then not do nothing and then then they don't have to pay the tax abatement yet till they start breaking ground. If they're not going to break ground already, don't give it to them. This the way you have to do it.
And the uh everybody's talking about the database process. Sharon is firm on her feet saying no to the data center. >> So I don't care what stuff you have. It's bull crap. There's chemicals that are going to come out of that building if it goes on fire.
>> That's why we need to make >> All right. But there's a thing there's things there. There's there's stuff that's in that building that's going to cause health health issues to everybody and it's the going to be the loudest building in the town. So, thank you. >> I think Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> [applause] >> We can There's another gentleman. Maline >> after him. It's fine. Yeah, absolutely. >> You're welcome. >> How you doing? >> This is my first time up here. I'm uh a little nervous, but I want to talk about
these bikes, all these motorized bikes. It's getting a little dangerous for me to drive around Bayon because you guys, even though they posted this here, they're not being enforced. I call police headquarters, they don't have a straight answer for me. Uh they say call the traffic department. Call the traffic
department, they don't give you a straight answer. Ask a cop. Everybody's giving me a different story. So what is being done about these ebikes running around without uh they say you got they have to be registered, insured, but you know what? Nobody's making an effort to
I see mo uh police officers out there. Uh these kids, they're all driving around like crazy and they're not getting pulled over. Last night I had a a knee bike going down my block with three kids on it. They ran into a car and a guy tried to stop him and the kid
says f the guy says I'm going to call the cops. Kid says f you. And he took off with three bike with three kids on a bike. I got hit already three times that ran into my pickup. And you know what? No insurance. Put a scratch on my truck and take off. So who's going to pay for
that? Are these police officers going to enforce this? So, who enforces this here? >> The the bon police. And excuse me, the the bon police. When when you're done, if you would >> I don't think there's being enforced cuz I think what they should do is when they see an ebike, pull them over. You got a
registration or insurance? No. Then give them a fine. Maybe once the parents get a that they got to pay for that fine, maybe they they'll stop doing us. This got to get enforced. It's getting dangerous to drive in Bon. The other
thing is also uh I like to know are these all these buildings highrises? I think somebody was talking about them. I'm not that good at my hearing is a little bad, but are they tax exempt? Yes or no? All these highrises going up in bail.
Are they tax exempt? >> I I'm okay answering that because I think this is a really big topic for city of B. So we can explain a little bit high level of the abatement and tax exempt. Are you okay doing that? Yeah, we're going to explain it. It's a very big topic. I know we don't usually do this back and forth, but I want to be
transparent and start answering some questions when we can. So, let I'm gonna allow Andrew, our our business administrator, to explain for you if that's okay. Is that okay with you or would you rather wait? >> So, you know, I can't hear too good. I forgot my herinade at home. So, I know what you really said. But the question
was, are they yes or no? >> Some are some receive what's called a financial agreement or a payment in le of taxes. So now I hear that they're tax exempt for 20 to 25 30 years. Is that true? >> They're they're not exempt. Most of them
pay conventional property taxes on the improvement. Some of them receive what's called a pilot agreement or a financial agreement. That means it's a payment in lie of taxes. So they pay a percentage of their gross revenue or their their gross revenue. >> Okay. >> So some are and some aren't.
>> Okay. Just so you know, I'm 80 years old. Thank you. >> I got my social security. My social security goes into the taxes. Uh my tax I see $200 $300 a year. I could see this year they went up $788
one year. From last year to this year almost $800 all in one shot. So my tax went up from 14 to 15,000. So uh six I'm 80 65. I don't think we
should be paying that kind of taxes. All these people moving in from out of town, their kids are going to school, not paying for their education. That's what's going on. Okay. Um, [snorts] also
I have something else here. Yeah, that was it. Uh, this is mainly what I came up here for. I think that this should be enforced >> because it is a again another very there's a lot of important things. I want to be clear. I just we do have
Chief Scurbo. Um Chief, would you mind covering >> Can I ask a question in reference to that? >> Can would you mind if we just let Chief Scerbo just in case it answers it? Um I know this is a little bit different, but we're we're trying something new here to make sure we address when we can. So
just bear with us. Okay. Thank you, Chief. >> [laughter] >> I didn't do it. >> You're okay. >> Hey. >> Okay. Your traffic. >> I'm the chief. >> Huh? >> I'm the chief. >> Chief. Okay. So, maybe you can give me a
straight answer. >> Thank you. >> The state law just went into effect Sunday. >> Wow. >> That's four days ago. >> Not to interrupt. Not to interrupt you. Excuse me. >> Where are you going to? the first uh was at about just about the end of uh uh June they told me the 1 of July it's
going to take effect then they told me >> 16th July 19th July 19th so that being said >> we going to enforce it nothing has been enforced >> we have been enforcing it when we can when we come across violations the officers are instructed to stop the ebikes it's often difficult to stop them
because they're very elusive sometimes and we're not going to chase them >> so prior to that >> we went on a campaign of education and aware, education and awareness to inform the public of the upcoming change in the law and the ebike riders. So that's what
we did and now we start enforcing it. >> Well, I don't know about that. I tell you why. I I actually see >> Thank you, Chief. >> I actually see bikes go right in front of an officer, break it on the sidewalk or going in and out and police officer
not not pull them over. So, I know I I understand you don't have to chase them, but right in front of the the cop, they don't want to see him. >> Um, I know you had a question. We have one more gentleman in the back that wants to speak, but your questions relative to the ebike. Yeah. Go ahead. It's okay. >> I just Does it go for the scooters, the
electric scooters as well? >> Yes. >> Yes. Also, >> ebikes, electric, anything. >> Yes. >> Also, there was uh something else. She just brought it to my attention. I was told by a couple uh police officers and like
I said I get different story they they're telling me that the scooters now or ebikes or whatever before this came in effect we used to ride even myself right alongside the car and you know the that are parked and other cars go
through. Now they're telling me that these scooters or ebikes have to ride in the middle of the street just like a car. They have to obey car laws. Is that right? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> So, if I ride a bike myself, I can I have to ride right in the middle of the
street, not in the side. >> I'm going to I I think this is we can probably get you some really good information. It's been posted. Chief, would you mind like >> Yeah, Chief Chief will answer some more of your concerns because it's it's just went into effect and and we are all
behind it. So, he's going to answer some more of your concerns and your questions. >> You know that you can't go on a sidewalk. You can't ride in a sidewalk, but you got to drive in the middle of the street. >> Well, the chief is going to get more specific because there are certain categories and chief is going to cover that with you so you understand
completely. Okay. >> Thank you. >> You're very welcome. And the gentleman Thank you. Uh, I want to apologize. I I didn't know it was rescheduled, so I came late. And, um, thank you for letting me speak. Um, my name is Roberto
Bentort. Uh, I live in 49 East 18th Street and I am a public housing resident and I'm here tonight to let people know living in public housing, this this new administration needs to hear us and remember that we're a part of Bayon, too. I'm not blaming the
administration for appointments or problems that happened before it took office, but every new administration has a responsibility to look at what it inherited. Ask questions and make sure that people are serving the public are doing their
jobs properly. The BA housing authority serves some of the most vulnerable people in our city. It houses senior citizens, families with low income, people living in fixed incomes, and residents with physical and developmental or mental health disabilities. These are people who may
not have the money or for attorneys, and they may not have the political connections. Some may have trouble speaking up for themselves. Some may be afraid that complaining could affect their housing. These residents should not be treated like secondclass citizens
because because they are poor, elderly, disabled, dependent on public housing. Public housing is not a favor for the people who live there. It is their home, their safety, and the roof over their family's heads. New Jersey law says that the municipal housing authority has seven commissioners. Five are appointed
by the municipal governing body. One is appro one is appointed by the mayor. One is appointed by the New Jersey commissioner of community affairs. That means the bayon munic municipal government has a role in choosing six of the seven commissioners responsible for
overseeing the public housing authority. The appointment power must must not be not must not mean something. The board of commissioners cannot be a group of simply meets and approves what is placed in front of it and then go home. These meetings are not social gatherings.
These commissioners are responsible for homes, safety, rights, dignity, and treatment of some of the most vulnerable ven residents in Bayon. The chair, vice chair, and every commissioner should be asking questions on how tenant grievances are handled, who reviews
complaints against employees or management or how disability accommodation requests are reviewed. Are tenants receiving clear and timely answers? Are written policies being followed? Are employees communicate communicating professionally? Is council
advising the board or is council controlling what the board and public are allowed to hear? No public agency should become one person show. No single employee, administrator, security officer, security official or attorney should be in control of every complaint,
every request for information or every message that reaches the commissioners. when everything must pass through the same person or a small group of people that creates appearance of gatekeeping. It prevents the board from hearing directly from his residents and is supposed to serve. It also makes it
harder to determine whether complaints are being reviewed fairly and independently. Council has an important job, but council does not replace the board. Management does not replace the board. The commissioners are supposed to provide independent oversight. They should not simply receive one side of
situations and accept it without asking questions. The housing authority is not a private business operating behind closed doors. Its commissioners are public officials. Its employees serve the public. Its leadership must follow federal law, state law, housing
regulations, written pol written policies, disability protections, and basic standards of fairness. Residents are expected to follow every lease rule, deadline, policy, and procedure. The same level of responsibility must apply to the authority. Accountability cannot
only move in one direction. When a tenant makes a mistake, there may be serious consequences. When the housing authority makes a mistake, there also must be fair system to identify it, correct it, and prevent it from happening again. This is not an attack.
This is what accountability means. And when when proper safeguards fail for for one senior, one disabled resident or one low-income income family, every vulnerable tenant should be concerned. If the system can't ignore one person because that person does not have money,
influence, or legal help, then the same thing could happen to anyone else tomorrow. I respectfully ask his new administration and request a real public report from the public housing authority. Who appointed who, which commissioner? When does each term expire? How often does each commissioner
attend meetings? What training have they received? How many grievances have been filed and how are they tracked? How are disability requests handled? How are complaints about employees, leadership, councils reviewed? And what steps does
this board does the board take to make sure information is not being blocked or controlled before it reaches the commissioners? I believe this new administration has an opportunity to bring a greater transparency and accountability to Bayon but the fresh start must include the
Bayong including people who live in the Bayong housing authority. I'm not asking the city the city to take over the housing authority. I'm asking to decide individual dis not asking to advise individual disputes. I'm asking you to look I'm asking you to ask questions.
I'm asking you to make sure that the commissioners understand the serious and responsibility placed in their hands. The Bayon Housing must be a separate public agency, but its residents are not separate from Bayon. We are residents. We are neighbors. We are seniors. We are parents, children, and people living
with disabilities. We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fair treatment, open government, responsible leadership, transparency, and accountability. Please do not allow us please do not allow allow the most vulnerable people to be overlooked in Bayon. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Yeah, Maline, there's another. >> Yep, it's okay. >> Quick. My name is Joan Pasarello. I'm at 25 Country Village Court. Uh, first, congratulations on your election. I look forward to supporting your efforts and
encourage encouraging others to come to the meetings. Um, I I did prepare a letter for everybody rather than going through all my comments and suggestions. So, if I can leave it with you and you could take a look and respond, that'd be great. But one one item I did want to
bring up since this gentleman said about the developers, um, you don't I don't know if you can answer it or not at this time, but many developers here uh are using the public parking areas to develop. They're blocks
off like 20th Street, Avenue E and 47th Street, Avenue E and 19th Street, uh Prospect Avenue and 22nd Street. Are they uh charged at all for uh taking over this public parking spaces?
I know in Jersey City and Hoboken they do get charged, but do they do in Bayon? Do we re do we get any money for those for them taking over th those spaces? Yes, >> we do. >> Yes. >> Okay. Very good. That's all I needed to know. >> Yeah. And as we go through this process
as a new administration, new council, we'll learn more and we'll share more and we'll make sure we're transparent about those things as well. >> Right. Okay. >> Because it's great to know that they're going to pay us something back for their request for a tax. >> And you can leave the papers in Maline because we'll also look at them. Yeah.
Thank you. >> Thank you. Moving forward, an ordinance for introduction. It is a bond ordinance in amending in part bond ordinance number 022-10
adopted on March 16, 2022 providing for various 2022 capital improvements in order to decrease the appropriation therefore by $250,000 for a total appropriation of $17,825,000 authorizing in and by the city of Bayon
in the county of Hudson, New Jersey. and a resolution moved by council member Perry fixing Wednesday, August 12th at 6 PM in the Dorothy Harrington Council Chambers. There's a time and place for public hearing and final passage. Miss Salama, will you second?
>> I second. >> And on the resolution for introduction, Mr. Perry, Mr. Patino, I'm sorry, at order. >> I, >> Mr. Gillan, hi. >> Mr. Perry, I >> Mr. Lama.
>> Hi, >> Miss Rodriguez. I >> O2 is a capital ordinance [snorts] amending in part capital ordinance 025-25 adopted on April 16, 2025 and providing
for the construction of and improvements to the portion of the Hudson River walkway waterfront walkway in the portion of the city of known as pi the peninsula to decrease the appropriations therefore by $187,320
for a total appropriation of 3,312,680 authorized in and by the city of Bayon in the county of Hudson, New Jersey, and a resolution moved by council member Batino fixing Wednesday, August 12th at 6 p.m. in the Dorothy E. Harrington council chambers as a time and place for a public hearing and second reading.
Miss Salama, will you second? >> Second. >> And on the resolution, Mr. Patino, >> I. >> Mr. Gillan, >> I. >> Mr. Perry, >> I. >> Mr. Lama >> I >> Miss Rodriguez >> I
>> 03 is an ordinance of the city of Bayon County of Hudson, New Jersey amending the redevelopment plan for the peninsula at Bayon Harbor Station North for the property known as block 660.01 lot one and a resolution moved by council member
Salama fixing Wednesday August 12th at 6 p.m. in the Dorothy Harrington Council Chambers as a time and place for public hearing and final passes. Miss Rodriguez, will you second? I'll second >> on the resolution. Mr. >> uh Maline, I'm sorry. Madam President, if I could, uh we just need to hear the
this was referred to the planning board. Um and uh there were recommendations from the planning board. So I believe Director Leanzi is here to give an overview for the governing body's consideration of those recommendations. >> Yep. Thank you. >> Apologies for breaking in. >> No, it's fine. This is good. Thank you.
>> Good evening. The plan before you, Brian Slow from Clark Kaitton Hints is the city planner who suggested there be four changes and those changes are to remove the industrial and distribution uses as
permitted uses. In addition, any ancillary usage usage such as parking, the bulk requirements and of course the definitions will be removed as well. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome.
So on the resolution for introduction Mr. Patino >> I >> Mr. Gillan >> I >> Mr. Perry >> I >> Mr. Salama >> I >> Miss Rodriguez >> I
>> Madam President could I just just to be clear for the record so that um you incorporated the changes of the planning board. Um I know Miss Salama that was a point point for you as a member of the planning board. So the the plan that was introduced uh reflected the removal of
the industrial uses and the warehousing uses just to be clear. >> Thank you. >> I also wanted to add that um this is just changing the use. Um so when a project comes in there will be a
different discussion and different questions to be asked. Moving on. O4 is an ordinance amending and supplementing the revised general ordinances of the city of Bayon chapter 33 planning and development regulations
and the resolution moved by council member Salama fixing Wednesday August 12th at 6 p.m. in the Dart E. Harrington Council Chambers as a time and place for public hearing and final passage. Mr. Gillan, will you second? >> I'll second. >> On the resolution, Mr. Patino, >> I. >> Mr. Gillan,
>> I. >> Mr. Perry >> I. >> Miss Salama >> I. >> Miss Rodriguez. >> I'm going to vote I, but I do want to make a small statement on this. This is uh this is one of the things we definitely wanted to prioritize. It's really important to the community. We understand there's two sides to every
story. Um our goal here is to protect the city and protect the residents. And you know, there's time and place for everything, right? Um but I know that there's been a lot of work behind this to ensuring it does cover. And I know Councilwoman Salama had mentioned adding some other things. So there is some
amendment. There's we can amend this, right? We're going to think about the future. We're not just going to live in the current present. Um and I know that's been a hot topic. So I vote I on this. Five is an ordinance of the city of Bayon amending and supplementing the
revised general ordinances chapter 7 traffic and a resolution moved by the council president fixing Wednesday August 12th at 6 p.m. Dart E. Harrington Council Chambers as a time and place for a public hearing and final passage. Mama, will you second?
>> I'll second. >> And on the resolution, Mr. Patino, >> I. >> Mr. Gillan, >> I. >> Mr. Perry, >> I. >> Mr. Lama, >> I. >> Miss Rodriguez, >> I. >> Communications
is moved by the council as a whole. It is a resolution ordering the following communications to be received and filed. It covers C1 through C24. And on the communications, Mr. Patino, >> I >> Mr. Gillan, >> I
>> Mr. Perry >> I >> Miss Salama >> I >> Miss Rodriguez >> I >> officers reports is a resolution moved by the council as a whole. It orders the following officers reports to be received and filed and any resolutions
incorporated within to be adopted. It's moved by the council as a whole and on O1 and the consent for officers reports. Mr. Patino >> I >> Mr. Gilling >> I >> Mr. Perry >> I
>> Miss Salama >> I >> Miss Rodriguez >> I >> consent resolutions is also moved by the council as a whole. It orders the following resolutions to be uh adopted. It covers CR1 through CR12
and on the consent resolutions Mr. Patino >> I >> Mr. Gillan >> I >> Mr. Perry >> I >> Miss Salama >> I >> Miss Rodriguez >> I >> R1 is moved by the council president
authorizing the execution of a memorandum of understanding with the New Jersey economic development authority for participation in the film industry strategic support fund municipal infrastructure program. Mr. Perry, will
you second? I'll second >> on the resolution. Mr. Book Patino >> I. >> Mr. Gilling >> I. >> Mr. Perry >> I. >> Mr. Lama >> I. >> Miss Rodriguez. >> I'm going to vote I but I'm going to ask our business administrator to highlight
what this actually is for the public. >> Yes, Council President. So, this is an opportunity for the city of Bayon to do a million-doll project in connection with the 1888 studios. This is a program funded by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, uh the new the EDA. Um it is an opportunity as a host
city um to a major film industry partner um to do some improvements uh that are either in connection with um in reaction to the uh impact of the of the studio. Um so this opens the door to a grant
program. uh this amount a million dollars is already allocated to the city of Bayon. Uh this is just allowing us to enter into the engagement of proposing a project to them. So the next step will be putting forward a project that will improve uh the area around 1888 Studios
within the parameters of the grant. So it is a great opportunity to do some good things uh in connection with that project uh that is slated for the Texco site. >> Thank you. And R2 is moved by council member Salama
approving chapter 159 seeking permission of the division of local government services to approve the insertion of item of revenue and appropriations into the calendar 2026 budget. It's seconded by Mr. Patino
on that resolution. Mr. Patino >> I. >> Mr. Gillan >> I. >> Mr. Perry >> I. Miss Lama >> I >> Miss Rodriguez >> I >> we do have one additional item which was presented because of the deadline date
coming forward. It is an approving the submission of a grant application and authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute a grant contract with the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the project 2027 roadway improvements.
Would like to move it. >> I'll move it. I'll second. >> And on that resolution, Mr. Patino, >> I >> Mr. Gillan, >> I >> Mr. Perry, >> I >> Mr. Salama, >> hi.
>> Miss Rodriguez, >> I But I also have a comment. Um, so I know that add-ons have been again something very important the public as members of the public previously and up here representing that. Um, we will keep add-ons to an absolute minimum, but we really want to consider this a
time-sensitive resolution. Director Carter is here. Um, this is a benefit to the residents. Um, and we think that these are the important things that we would highlight, we would explain so you understand exactly what's doing, why we're doing it, and why this happened. I
think as public, we all deserve that. So, um, Director Carter, would you just, um, highlight overview why this was so important to get this in considering it was timesensitive? >> This is a My wife tells me I don't have a uh
indoor voice, so I'm usually pretty loud. Sorry about that. Um, this is a local grant that we get for street paving and it also does our handicap ramps. We apply for it every year. Um, there is a timeline on when the DOT
sends it out and it usually doesn't coincide with our meeting. So, it like I last meeting I said it may come in a little late and it did come in. So, we had to get this on. Otherwise, we'd have to call for a special meeting. So, by getting it on, we're able to apply for this grant and then the DOT will give us
money and we'll be able to pave more streets and do handicap ramps. >> Thank you. And thank you for you know as we go through this this may happen but we're really sting sticking with strict criteria to fit into this category just so again it contain consistent
transparency for the public. >> And with nothing further I'll take a motion to adjurnn. >> I'll move. >> I'll second. >> And on the motion to adjurnn Mr. Patino >> I. >> Mr. Gillan >> I.
>> Mr. Perry >> I. Miss Alama >> I >> Miss Rodriguez >> I