adequate notice of this meeting was provided and published in the Asbury Park Press and the Ocean Star on January 17 2025 Copies of the agenda were provided to the newspaper posted on public bulletin boards in the township website Madam Clerk can we have a roll call councilman Albanese here
Councilwoman Pontterero here Councilwoman D Young here Councilman Fineman here Councilwoman Travers Vice President Mikino here President Amberino here Thank you I'd like to ask everybody to rise for a salute to the flag pledge
of allegiance and a moment of silence I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all
Please be seated Is there a motion in a second for the minutes from the March 25th meeting motion Second Roll call Councilman Albaneseise yes Councilwoman Ponttoarero yes Councilwoman D Young Yes Councilman Fineman Yes Vice President Mikino Yes
President Amberino Yes Thank you We have a presentation this evening Uh Mayor Crate is going to be a couple of minute late So I will invite Council President Derk Accino to the podium to speak to the presentation I'd like to invite Colleen Van Ripper up
to the uh podium as well Vaniper Van Riper Thank you I stand corrected Thank you very much Uh it's National Library Week this week So we've prepared a proclamation to recognize that I'd like to read from
that here and then give Colleen a couple of moments to speak on behalf of National Library Week Uh so whereas libraries spark creativity fuel imagination inspire lifelong learning and offer a space where individuals of
all ages can explore new ideas and new possibilities And libraries serve as a vibrant community hub connecting people with knowledge technology and resources while fostering civic engagement and critical thinking Libraries provide free and
equitable access to books digital tools and innovation programming ensuring that all individuals regardless of their background have the support they need to learn connect and thrive Libraries partner with schools businesses and organizations connecting the dots to
maximize resources increase efficiency and expand access to essential services strengthening the entire community Libraries play a critical role in the economic development by providing resources and support for job seekers small businesses and entrepreneurs alike
thus contributing to the local prosperity Libraries nurture young minds through story times steam programs and literacy initiatives while protecting the rights to explore without censorship And our community is fortunate to be
home to the brick branch of the Ocean County Library with a dedicated staff who provide welcoming spaces that inspire and are continually expanding their resources to adapt to our changing world to meet the needs of part uh patrons and libraries librarians library
workers and our own friends of the library will be celebrating National Library Week with its theme drawn to the library So now therefore I on behalf of Mayor Lisa Crra Council President Derek Ambersino in the county of Ocean the
state of New Jersey do hereby proclaim the week of April 6 through April 12th of 2025 to be National Library Week in the Township of Brick and I encourage all residents to visit our libraries My family does so extensively Explore its resources and celebrate all the ways
that the library draws us together as a community Congratulations I won't take up much time because the proclamation really does say it all We're not just books We're really here for the community Anybody can come in at any time for anything they need if they have no other safe space Children come
in for story time teens volunteer there and then that leads them to having careers or go to school we're really just so much more than what it appears And at a time where libraries don't seem to be valued as much I think that we are still valued here in Brick So I really
appreciate you guys for that And I just want to remind you we are a county system So you can go to any of our 21 counties We all work together but we just happen to be the best branch in the system Thank you so much Congratulations [Applause]
Thank you so much [Applause] Okay moving forward with our agenda There are a couple of budget presentations this evening I'd first like to uh invite the police department up uh to see a presentation by David
Forester Chief David Forester Good evening I'm pleased to present the 2025 budget for the Department of Public Safety Our mission is vital protecting the safety and well-being of every member of our community Our department plays a crucial role in delivering
essential services including police operations communication services class one special law enforcement officers emergency management crossing guards and impactful community focused programs like police cadetses the DARE initiative not even
once program community emergency response team and neighborhood watch Our greatest asset is our dedicated team of 228 employees We have 146 sworn officers 24 full-time and two part-time
communication operators 17 crossing guards 19 class one special police officers one civilian deputy emergency management coordinator one radio technician one fleet maintenance
worker 17 full-time and five part-time civilian staff staffed in police records and administration ative functions Together this team handled 103,369 calls for service in
2024 an impressive 6937 call increase over the prior year This achievement reflects the hard work and commitment of our staff during the busiest year in the department's history I am pleased with our 2024 operating
results Since becoming chief in 2023 I worked with department leaders and have implemented organizational changes that better allocated our resources to keep costs down In the past two years total police expenses were
2,192,644 under budget all while our department answered 8,500 more calls for service These outcomes highlight our ability to do more with less an achievement we are proud of We are a busy police department filled with employees dedicated to Brick
Township Let's now review the budget and highlight significant changes The first area we will discuss is the main police budget The salaries of our civilian administrative personnel are also included in this line item This year we
are requesting 23,950,400 for regular salaries and $1,150,000 for overtime In 2024 we budgeted 22,420,000 and spent 21,932,566 on regular salaries and
budgeted 1,150,000 and spent 1,9,000 on overtime In total salaries and overtime were $628,227 under budget reflecting a 12%
savings in overtime Although I do not anticipate a significant increase in overtime spending this year I need to plan for unforeseen situations The police supervision and command staff will continue to be conscientious of the need to reduce and keep overtime cost
under budget For the past two years I am happy to report that we have managed to keep overtime costs 16% under budget and remained 1.6 million under budget in salaries and overtime We will look to continue that practice for years to
come The police general operating budget includes uniforms firearms equipment training accreditation cadetses boat and bike equipment and radio repair expenses In 2024 we expended $39,000
$39,690 $5,459 under budget This year we are asking for $330,850 an increase of 15,700 from what we budgeted last year to address rising costs for critical items such as ammunition radio system
and infrastructure and service plans bulletproof vests with outer carriers and cameras throughout the town The next area is class one special law enforcement officers We currently have 19 class one special officers who
perform year-round parking enforcement traffic details booking officers municipal court security officers and security for in-person township meetings such as the board of adjustment planning board and council meetings
In 2025 we are requesting $345,000 in salaries which is $22,948 more dollars than we spent in 2024 and 12,000 in overtime This additional expense will cover the cost
of training new officers One other line item in the class one special law enforcement officers budget is for uniforms and equipment In 2025 we are requesting 10,500 in anticipation of hiring additional officers bringing us to a
full complement of 25 The next area we will discuss is the communication operators dispatchers It should be noted that last year we expended $164,000 less in salaries and overtime
costs than what we budgeted for This year we are requesting 1,920,000 for salaries in anticipation of hiring additional dispatchers and allocating $220,000 for overtime for operating expenses which
mainly covers training costs which we are asking for $6,100 which re remains consistent with 2024 The next budget is emergency management Last year we budgeted $67,100 for OEM salaries This year we
will be allocating $71,000 It should be noted that a portion of the salary is paid for by grant monies which are received at different times throughout the year We will be allocating $500 for the OEM overtime budget The only other item in
the OEM budget is $500 for training which will remain the same as it was in 2024 The next budget is police vehicles These monies are used to replace aging vehicles which are used by the patrol division In most cases the older patrol
vehicles which are still serviceable are repurposed in non-p patrol units within the department In 2024 we budgeted $425,750 and spent $424,500 For 2025 the requested amount is $428,250 Lastly I will discuss crossing
guards Last year we budgeted $557,000 in crossing guard salaries and spent $510,500 which is $47,000 under budget In 2025 we are asking for
$520,000 to be budgeted for salaries and $5,000 for overtime which remains the same as it was in 2024 It should be noted that during the summer months there are approximately 30 seasonal crossing guards employed For the operating budget we are asking for
13,200 for uniforms and safety equipment such as traffic vest jackets lighted batons and cones In closing I would like to thank the mayor council members and the business administrator for their support Your partnership ensures that we continue to
lead as one of the nation's finest public safety departments I also want to thank the officers in my department who work tirelessly to protect and provide outstanding service to our community Thank you Thank you Chief Forester Going to open it up to the council for
questions for the chief Seeing none it's open to public for questions on this budget presentation Mr Fidelli it's not your first rodeo My son told me "Whatever you do don't piss off the police chief."
I'll try I'll try not to do that I appreciate it I'm outnumbered 4 to1 tonight Okay I'm a keeper of numbers and and one of one of the numbers I look at didn't add up So I'll throw that
out You list 228 employees but when I add up what's there that comes up to 233 So I'm just curious as to which one I got wrong Yeah maybe including part some parts Huh they might have been
including some part- timerrs Well I I I added up the part- timerrs because there's seven So that doesn't make the numbers anyway It's ju just what could you tell me which numbers are right yeah I can You know what i'll uh I'll get back to you I'll look up I'll check the
system Sometimes what it is is a lot of times people could retire they leave and this this number I did probably get it from a month ago It's off by five Yeah Uh this my second question certainly a big increase in
numbers is that incoming calls that that 103,000 that's the calls that come in Yeah So EMT police and everything else is not necessarily what you respond to just all calls that came into the dispatcher And my uh last question
was there any major events this year this past year that required significant overtime actually no I ran the numbers There really there wasn't We didn't have any kind of any large scale events Okay You're not pissed at me are you no
not at all Okay Thank you Thank you Mr Finelli Are there any other questions from the public mr Mariana Bob Um so we are um we saved over $2 million as far as
uh spend expenditure from the last year's budget is what you said for the past two years Past two years Um so we're on like a 2% increase again more or less for this year for the budget or no
it's It's 2 Yeah 2.55 is the number that I have 2% 2 and a half% Um just want to double check My numbers aren't so good tonight
Right So as far as um Bricktown going I see a lot of uh more calls like you're saying a lot more incidents happening especially uh accidents on Brick Boulevard and stuff like that Would it be better if we had more patrolmen on
the road to kind of add into our uh into the um employees for the patrolman at this time or not oh yeah No absolutely Obvious Yeah Right More officers that we have um more help the better right so
what about plate readers how many do we have two One We have we have quite a few Oh we do Uh yeah On uh on our vehicles and throughout the town Okay So on the budget that he's um 2.55
I'm just thinking if we had more patrolmen on the road as far as this goes Our town's getting bigger and bigger and bigger We're starting to get more and more problems more and more riff raft in the town So these guys are out on the road doing their job but
there's not enough of them sometimes that you know everybody goes on a call and then we have an accident somewhere You know it's just that there's I feel there's not enough patrolman on the road I'm thinking that we maybe should up you know get a few more officers on the road
You know not many but just a few Um I would I would say that we're adequately staffed but it could it obviously can't hurt to have more officers I would agree with you there And Bob not to take away from your point but I don't know that our town is getting bigger and bigger I don't think we've had a population No
there's not a population But the problem is we're starting to get a lot more incidents of you know drugs and stuff like that coming into Bricktown You know it's just if we had more guys on there more detectives I guess watching over you know trying to help
these guys Maybe the equipment some of the equipment you guys could do like the guns and stuff upgrade them for them you know help them out as far as with the uh red dot site So these guys you know feel more protected and they're more accurate and stuff like that I'm just trying to
help these guys because I feel the brick police need a lot more than what we give them Um not to have anybody in the family on the police force or nothing but a lot of guys coached in sports and stuff and they're kind of like uh
needing a little bit more too Um I would always say that the the mayor and the council and business administrative have always been very supportive of the police department right as far as uh resources they've always accommodated anything that we've asked or requested U they've never denied denied us those
things Mhm Um so as far as that I definitely wouldn't say that our resources we have great re we have very good resources in the town but I'm just uh trying to slow down as far as accidents go and
stuff like that Put a couple more guys on maybe you know and have them patrol especially Route 70 over there It's it's every other day you getting somebody that's crashing you know It's just more and more and more you know So I'm just trying to put a word in I appreciate the
comments Thank you I appreciate it Are there any other questions from public seeing none close public Thank you very much Chiefs Thank you The next presentation we'll have is uh an overall administration presented by
our business administrator Joanne Bergen Locked them in On behalf of all the department and division heads represented in this report thanks to our mayor and members of the township council for your ongoing support I will go through the division budgets that are included under administration There are 12 budgets and
hundreds of line line items So thanks for your patience I'll start with administration which includes four full-time employees We're also the front line for all inperson and telephone inquiries that come to the township We also track and ensure followup on all email inquiries that come through the
website Staff also handled 16,981 phone calls in 2024 Public relations marketing and special events are also handled by administration including monitoring and updating of the township's website and social media sites including Facebook and Instagram preparation and
dissemination of press releases and oversight of Bricktown Brick Township's PEG channel BTV We have won several awards for our efforts to keep the public informed Staff also manages the buy and brick program which continues to grow and benefit our taxpayers There was
567 $640,000 buy and brick sales which is dollars processed in 2024 Resident tax savings in that same year was $35,000 uh46 with 58 participating businesses Administration also manages constituent
relations and publications such as advertisement promotional materials event flyers and any other publications as needed administration manages the design and creation of our recreation brochure and senior booklet reducing the overall cost by bringing this work in-house Our public information officer
sends out weekly email newsletters and designs the annual print newsletter that is mailed to every home in Brick Township Administration also provides support to municipal boards and commissions Next areas I'll discuss our mayor's office and council The office of the mayor includes our mayor one
full-time staff member and a part-time secretary Mayor Crate is full-time She maintains office hours throughout the day and into the evening each week Her active schedule includes regular meetings with groups and organizations within town and she hosts many initiatives to engage the public such as
the very popular mayor's minutes and create conversations The mayor's student advisory committee continues to engage young adults in activities and through the Bricktownship Teen Center a place for teens to connect with peers and mentors in a safe positive environment We are excited to announce a grand opening of the regrant opening of the
teen center on Tuesday April 15th at 6 pm All are welcome Through the student advisory committee staff also plan special events including the longest table hero awards senior prom brick birthday party and we also coordinate the Trader Cove concert series In
addition there are numerous teen center special events throughout the school year including milkshakes with the mayor a pi day celebration and work with the township PBA on wrapping gifts as part of the toys for tots program The mayor readily accepts all invitations to speak at adult communities social service
organizations schools businesses and wherever else she is invi invited She promotes the town's interest and advocates for our needs at the state and federal level Mayor's office salary and wage budget remain flat The operating budget decreased by 2.9% based on actual expenditures in
2024 Terms of the council's budget the salary and wage budget remains flat The operating budget for the council totals 1,675 dollars The council budget includes items like conferences flowers for special events plaques name plates letterhead business cards presentation folders publications and miscellaneous
office supplies Council offices comprised of seven council members and a part-time secretary The council meets twice monthly for their meetings and in 2024 they adopted 450 resolutions and 14 ordinances Council members are very active in strategic planning and have working subcommittees including business
of finance recreation land use public works and public safety They regularly intend and represent the township at a variety of community events and activities The operating budget for the council totals $1,675 which is down 1% from last year Council budget includes items like
conferences flowers for special events so on and so forth As I previously mentioned next report is for our purchasing department The office of purchasing and contracting is a division within the department of administration and finance It's the responsibility of the division of purchasing and contracting to conduct all purchasing
the acquisition of all goods and services in accordance with the applicable laws of the state of New Jersey More specifically NJSA48-11-1 the local public's contracts law In 2024 this office processed 43345 purchase orders 30 bids for goods
and services 23 professional services requests for proposals 12 capital bid projects one competitive contract 18 purchases over the bid threshold eight national cooperative purchases and 17 formal quotes The above tasks were accomplished by an office staff of three
The office also oversees the central receiving mail room which includes one additional staff member He has processed approximately 51,000 pieces of mail plus delivery of approximately 13,000 pieces of mail to the post office for bulk mail projects such as tax delinquent notices
He delivers mails packages and supplies throughout the municipal complex and all off-site location and manages essential receiving and stock room Postage encompasses 92.95% of the operating budget This line item includes postage for all departments and divisions
outgoing mail property tax bills homestead benefit adjusted bills for the second quarter estimated third quarter final tax bills and added omiss omitted assessment tax bills Delinquent tax notices mailed after each quarter tax sale notices post tax year income statements mailed every January Chapter
75 tax assessment notifications that are mailed every January A township newsletter that's mailed to every resident in town Beach badges via registered mail when requested and paid for by the purchaser Certified and registered mail regular priority and overnight postage Additional line items
in the operating budget is 3500 for conferences and education All staff members are certified in the area of public procurement through Rucker's educational program and one is also certified through the state as a qualified purchasing agent These certifications are required to be maintained through continuing education
by attending conferences and seminars The $1,245 budgeted for dues includes membership for Stafford Township Cooperative Pricing System Governmental Purchasing Association of New Jersey and the Southern Jersey chapter of the National Institute of Governmental
Purchasing for every staff member and one membership to the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing Memberships in these associations also provide discounted prices for seminars and conferences as well as a resource for bid specifications and pertinent purchasing information Another line item
is store room supplies at 2500 This office purchases and stocks frequently requested office materials and supplies requested by all departments Items are purchased off the state county and Stafford Township cooperative pricing system contracts On a quarterly basis the purchases are totaled and charged
back to each department's budget Human resources is next The HR department manages all township employees There are currently 431 full-time and 165 part-time seasonal During the summer months they coordinate all hiring and employee management for the
approximately 150 additional summertime employees They create and institute HR policies and maintain compliance with state and federal laws HR handles all employee training including safety the employee assistance program and other workplace trainings All health benefits
are handled by human resources They coordinate with our brokers for contract proposals renewals rate changes fee submission and compliance with federal guidelines They handle required reporting as well as resolving claims issues HR staff process all liability claims with our insurance company They
ensure compliance with safety regulations and vendor insurance HR reviews injuries accidents and incidents to evaluate for cause and act to prevent further occurrences Highlights and accomplishments from 2024 include continued development of UKG which is
our payroll and HR system creation and implementation of a hands-on driver training continued medical claim oversight instituting an annual training schedule plan implemented annual emergency evacuation drills and began individual orientation sessions for all
full-time hires Projects for 2025 include continued adjustments to UKG horizon oversight specialized supervised training updating employee policies and completing bianual anti-harass harassment training The next department for discussion is the office of the
township clerk Clerk's office is comprised of four full-time and one part-time staff members The township clerk and assistant township clerk hold registered municipal clerk certifications Every staff member is a notary public and two are fluent in English and Spanish This office also
includes a secretary for the council The division of archives also falls under the clerk The township's clerk off clerk's office issued almost 1500 licenses permits and services in 2024 totaling 328,911.19 and 156 dog and cat licenses
totaling 20,579 The Office of Vital Statistics which includes all records of births deaths and marriages issued over 4,000 certificates and 441 marriage applications totaling $48,280 Additionally they collected
15,682 in tourism fees and processed 1,880 OPER requests Some other functions the staff performs but do not charge a fee for includes the 136 landlord registrations that were done 2717 do not knock registrations and
notoriization of documents In addition they handled over 7,000 phone calls The office organizes and works annual events such as elections and the rabies clinic The Division of Archives which manages and preserves township records has a staff of three full-time employees an
archivist who holds state and federal records management certifications and two clerks A third clerk is assigned to police records but is working on a large police scanning project The archives division manages 1.2 million files in 26 databases To date they have scanned over
9.2 million pages of documents since 2006 including scanning work performed by an outside vendor They also received authorization and destroyed 5,670 pounds of records and received 218 boxes from various departments For 2025
they will continue with digital im imaging as well as train and prepare for disaster recovery The operating budget for the clerk's office including archives totals $31,200 Advertising which is for all departments and codification of the township code being the largest line
items Legislation is what drives those two line items The council adopted a resolution urging state leaders to pass legislation that will authorize municipalities to publish legal notices on the government's official website which if passed will save the township almost $10,000 annually The archivist
would like to take on another major back filing imaging project this year and an estimated cost of $5,000 The project will include payroll records dating from the 1980s and prior which would free up space on the compact storage unit We do not have the resources to do this project in house
and we have secured a contract with NJ office systems who is on state contract Brick Township has 55,960 registered voters in 57 election districts The operating budget for elections is the printing and mailing of the sample ballots for the primary
election A service that is provided by the county clerk but the township is bill for the this budget request is $12,000 for this election which is the same as last year There is not a salary line item associated with this budget Next is code enforcement property
maintenance rental inspections Code enforcement property maintenance and rental inspections is provided by the division of inspections The purpose of the township's property maintenance code is to protect the quality of life for our residents and ensure property owners provide safe housing when their units are rented The code enforcement main
number responded to 6,926 calls in 2024 Our code enforcement staff includes three full-time inspectors and one full-time staff member who handles all rental certificate inspections and reinspections One code enforcement officer works in manaloping through a
shared service agreement The township is fully reimbured for those costs One code enforcement officer does investigation during weekend hours and the code enforcement officers share evening shifts for light pollution and short-term rental complaints The idea is for code enforcement to be accessible
and available for weekend complaints which as you can imagine occur frequently Saturday code enforcement hours do not generate overtime One of our inspectors has a flexible schedule that allows him to work on a Saturday In 2024 code enforcement performed 3,272
inspections including 1,30 rental inspections Code enforcement also issued 807 rental certificates In accordance with the new state law code enforcement is also now performing visual inspections for lead paint in homes and rental units constructed on or before
1978 The inspectors also investigate properties based on complaints or spot checks of known problem properties Based on their investigations code enforcement officers issued 1,965 violation warnings in 2024 Of those violations 238 resulted in
summones being issued or approximately 12% of all violations issued Summones issued for rental violations either renting without a rental certificate overcrowding or violating the short-term rental ordinance account for 30% of all summones In the past we utilize an
outside company to reg register properties that were vacant or where foreclosure action had been brought whether vacant or not The company had been providing the service for the township no longer provides this service This past year was our first full year tracking this information inhouse The
township processed 173 registrations The total fees collected was $98,600 The state now requires the township to collect proof of liability insurance from every business and many rental units In Brick this state requirement is accomplished by requiring
a mercantile license for all those required to show proof of insurance The process started slowly as we needed to educate many businesses about the new state regulation In 2024 we issued 429 merkantile licenses and collected
$10,720 The property maintenance board is an active body that meets every six or eight weeks Their work remains essential as the township works to ensure the property maintenance code is followed both for safety reasons and the overall aesthetics of our neighborhoods Our staff works diligently to prepare
cases to be presented to the board provide testimony make factual findings and then implement the board's orders Individuals that respond to code enforcement violation or respond to orders of the municipal court judge generally are not summoned to appear before the property maintenance board It
is primarily used when individuals have failed to respond to violation notices issued by code enforcement officers The board heard 11 cases in 2024 and facilitated one demolition of an abandoned dilapidated structure on a dare drive The state has now mandated
that dwellings been built before 1978 that are rented for longer than six months must be inspected for lead hazards Brick would only need to conduct visual inspections However the law does have triggers that would require additional testing and or remediation
Properties are required to be registered with the state like large apartment complexes are exempt as they are already checked for lead by the state We conducted 255 inspections in 2024 Next is our finance department which consists of five full-time
employees two of whom are dedicated to payroll The finance department creates and signs all purchase orders 400 4345 were created in 2024 and checks 3,192 in claims and manuals were created in 2024 Creates the current temporary
and adopted and capital fund budgets Posts budget at the beginning of the year and does all transfers and closeout procedures at year end Creating all pertinent resolutions to process all agrees receivable to tax reports ties general ledger appropriations and reserves to budget reports balances all
inter funds and keeps a cash flow analysis monthly and ties all cash receipts and dispersements in entry Excel books to posted reports They send out the W9's and the W2s at year end They keep a township fixed asset inventory that is added to or deleted from as needed They create cancellation
resolutions for grants They create chapter 159s as needed and enters all new grants into Edmonds At this time there are 71 open grants They analyze money in the capital budget to keep track of when a band sale is needed and when needed to roll into bonds create
supplemental debt statements create cancellation resolutions when needed inputs capital chargebacks creates and signs all certificates of availability of funds and enters all new capital ordinance into Edmonds At this time there are 39 open ordinances Perform 42
bank reconciliations monthly analyzed 947 open escrow accounts Analyze 171 electric accounts 59 water sewer accounts 24 natural gas accounts and 32 telecommunications accounts monthly All aspects of payroll processing They
implement payroll into UKG Make changes to employees files that will need to be reflected in salary and wage such as increases longevity steps etc healthare contributions pensions direct deposit information court subpoena garnishments etc Township has kept its double A3
Moody rating on all of its bond which is long-term financing and M1G1 on short-term financing Next up is data processing In 2024 the IT department worked on completed the following projects They replaced the sound system in the courtroom as well as the cameras
and v video recording system used for council meetings installed four large presentation TVs in the courtroom in place of the projector Installed security cameras in the four senior services buses Installed additional cameras at Bayside Park Beach 3 the EMS building on Lanes Mill Road and the
Aurora Senior Center Installed VPN firewall appliances at the parks department and the EMS station on Lanes Mill Road for secure connections back to town hall They replaced and deployed 57 computers laptops and tablets seven printers 10 cell phones and 60 new
monitors and TVs They migrated bless you the police office scheduling system to their online cloud-hosted solution They blocked and filtered out over 800,000 malicious emails in 2024 keeping our network and computer safe from cyber security threats They fielded
2,827 health desk tickets 2,826 of those were mine No I'm kidding For 2025 we plan to go live with the redesign website www.bickenj.gov upgrade our 911 system deploy new modules to the police Tyler systems
including emergency networking for patient care charting shield force and the pri fire prevention mobile Continued deployment of additional cameras at Civic Plaza the parks department Ocean Beach 1 Pinewood Park Cedar Bridge Manner Park Jumpoint Sports Complex and Town Hall Install two additional service
to expand storage and backup for the police body cameras Install and replace HyperV failover cluster server used by the police department Install a new wide format scanner and archives Replace deploy over 50 new desktop computers and more than 50 laptops Replace UPS battery
backup systems in the IT department and phone room which supply power to 90% of all servers and networking equipment Begin running wire and setting up a network PCs phones Wi-Fi door access control and security cameras for the new operations building behind town hall
replace all of our Wi-Fi access points at Town Hall DPW and Civic Plaza Data processing operating budget increased 3.5% as a direct result of costs associated with maintenance and support contracts for various equipment and software The next report covers both tax
collector and tax assessor Tax collector's 2025 request is $56,570 which is an increase of $3,180 from a 2024 budget request This increase is primarily due to the rising printing and supply costs During 2024
the tax collector's office collected more than 279 million in payments through their the office more than 2.5 million in cash 121 million in checks and 155 million in electronic payments In addition to regular collection staff
sent out nearly 9,600 delinquent notices completed more than 3,700 senior tax freeze applications handle more than 14,700 phone calls and processed $34,000 in tax appeals The tax assessor's office with a staff of five oversees almost
32,000 residential over 800 commercial and over,00 exempt properties with a total assessed value of over 11.3 billion Last year they placed more than 50 million of added assessment value on our tax list Part of
their responsibilities include not only maintaining a record of specifics about a property but also monitoring all deed recordings to asssure that any changes in ownership are made in our public record implementing tax map changes variance reports for the planning board meetings and defense of state and county
tax appeals are also in within the duties of the tax assessor's office Brick Township has approximately 2,300 residents receiving senior citizen or veteran property tax deductions which the assessor's office manages on behalf of the division of taxation on a yearly
basis The tax assessor's office also maintains the records correspondence approvals and denials denials of over 100 exempt properties in addition to almost 250 disabled veteran exemptions Now on to brick senior services The senior service office staff
is staffed with four full-time outreach workers two part-time employees and one program director Their main focus is providing advocacy information and assistance applying to various state benefits service programs Staff conducts in-person evaluations in the office or
at someone's home to determine eligibility for these social service programs Full-time staff are certified state health insurance counselors providing counseling on Medicare issues In 2024 we served 1,489 meals at a new second congregate
site located at the Brick Housing Authority Meals were supplied by Meals on Wheels along with 3,200 meals at our senior center location We are projecting 3,000 meals for 2025 In 2024 the center hosted a new musical connections program coordinated
with caregiver volunteers of Central Jersey to bridge generational gaps through music Staff also added a dancing feet class which is taught by volunteers who instruct residents in all forms of ballroom dancing The senior center's new diialysis program that began in 2024 has
continued to expand There is one dedicated bus driver and an attendant for those clients in need We currently serve 14 clients that receive dialysis three days a week Outreach services served a record number 1,077 requests for assistance as well as reoccurring
assessments for almost 30 brick households receiving meals on wheels The senior center was fortunate enough to receive $26,500 in donations from members to offset costs and were awarded $17500 $170,500 in grant funding through
the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders to support our program The last report is for the municipal court The brick municipal court is one of the largest of the 33 municipal courts in Ocean County Annual filings for 2024 were 10,320 which is a decrease from 2023 of
554 filings This number consists of filings not only from the Brook Police Department but also the state police the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office the Division of Fish and Wildlife Department of Weights and Measures the Marine Police Animal Control Code Enforcement Zoning Building and Private Citizens for
any incidents occurring within the jurisdiction of Brick Township Court sessions are held every Monday Wednesday and Thursday at 9 and 11 Currently the first and third Wednesday the second or fourth Thursday and the second Monday of each month are in person court sessions All other sessions are virtual via the
Zoom platform In addition we hold an in-person mediation session on the second Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m The second Monday 9:30 a.m court session is in person for code enforcement violations only The current staff consists of the court administrator two deputy court
administrators four additional full-time staff members and one part-timer 19,321 is being requested for our 2025 operating expense budget This bless you This is a 1,844 decrease from last year This
concludes my report Any members of the council or public that would like to go into more detail on these budgets are welcome to make an appointment with my office Thank you all again for your support and special thanks for the department and division heads who work so well serving the public Thank you
very much Miss Bergen Tada I'm going to open up to council for questions on the administration budget presentation Seeing none close council I will open up to the public for questions on these presentations Mr Finelli
you I got no warning about What i didn't get any warning from my son about you Oh well that's cuz he doesn't know me You think a couple of quick questions Sure Um last year your presentation was seven and a half pages This time it's
nine Are you getting paid by the page no Oh if you were I'd say you're worth it But okay A thank you You heard how many items decreased from last year Well I know it was one and a half more pages Uh a question
on it's you said that the um tax office helped fill out 3,700 senior freeze applications Is that actually the application or is that just proving that um they paid their taxes no they so
whether it's senior services or the tax collector's office they help them fill out the application Okay that requirement to prove that you paid your taxes is no longer a requirement Okay I don't know why but also if you do it again this year that one application as I mentioned last time is going to be for
all three programs Good Right Senior freeze U anchor program and the state of New Jersey Good Mr Finelli you're right They actually have at the senior center walk-in Wednesdays for the seniors if they would need help filling everything
in All they have to do is uh give them a call or walk in and the senior services have cleared their books on Wednesdays to help fill everything out As an old person thank you I can tell you that I did it myself and it's relatively easy
if you read the directions and you have your state income tax there It tells you what line to go to to put it in So you can do it But thank you for helping everybody A lot of money on the table there A lot of money Okay Hey my last real question
Um in your presentation talking about the town council okay you mentioned $1675 which is on the whole budget and on sheet 12 but there's also an entry under council for
$57,50 Uh one might be salary and wage That's salary and wage 5750 is the salary and wage budget The operating budget is so what is that for a part-time secretary um so uh the council receives salaries
council receives stipens and they also have a secretary I was not aware I was aware that the council could take medical benefits but I was not aware of a stipen There is a stipen and when did that come
into play how much here the whole time I've been here it wasn't newly introduced in the 11 years I've been here I can tell you it's been in place since at least 2000 and probably before that Huh Can you tell me what it is council president is different from the
council members I I honestly don't recall the amount Seems like it's $57,000 across all seven people in the secretary Right But the council president stipen is slightly higher than sorry I mean in total for all in total That's correct Yes I've I've never I've
never heard anything about a stipen All I've ever heard is that council people can take medical benefits if they want it So there is a stipen I would imagine that it's been in every budget presentation for the last 11 years And I'll say that excuse me probably for the
last 25 years municipality that I'm aware of gives a a stipen to council members And nobody wants to tell me what it is I think it's like 7,000 a year Okay And and that's in this line item It's in the 57,000
Um yes And actually that would just be the council people because the council secretary is charged with the clerk's office Well even though it says that the that the secretary is part-time part of a Part of her time would not be budgeted
to the council Yes No the part-time secretary is charged there That's correct Okay And if the council was taking medical benefits would that also be in here would that be somewhere else no that's this is just a salary Just for salary Yeah Okay Surprise surprise
Um I can tell you if I understood your comment I've never seen in any budget in any budget presentation and I've got the last five of them any mention of stipens for the council There's never been anything in the presentation Just like
there's nothing in the presentation this one all it talks is about this the $1,600 That was a very well-kept secret If I could just I'm here almost every meeting Nobody goes into the budget more than I do Vic I do the um budget
presentation for the township clerk and the council every year and I don't include any salary or wages for any for my department or the that's added when it gets to me So we we talk about variations when we talk about this report So we talk about what's changed and why If something has stayed flat
which is buzzer has stayed flat We generally don't mention it's not always mentioned We we try to bring out highs and lows and what's changed so that we could track that But there's hundreds and hundreds of line items Do you want me to give the number for every single one no Okay That's why I ask questions
Yes That's how I learn things That's why I read this I can tell you never heard it Okay Are there any other questions from the public seeing none close public Thank you Miss Bergen You're welcome
Can now move on to the consent agenda All matters listed under item consent agenda will be enacted by the one motion in the form listed below If discussion is desired on any item this item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered separately
Item 61 authorize acceptance of 2024 audit Councilwoman D Young Thank you This resolution authorizes the acceptance of the 2024 audit There were no findings in this audit which reflects the hard work and acumen of our chief financial officer and the finance
department staff Thank you Thank you Item 62 authorized receipt of bids collision repairs and vehicle painting Vice President Makina Thank you This resolution authorizes the receipt of bid for collision repairs and vehicle painting The bid is not only used for
accidents but also for reconditioning the body of normal wear and tear Thank you Thank you 63 Authorize rejection of bids and rebid purchase and delivery of various doors Councilman Fineman Thank you so much
Council President This resolution authorizes the rejection of bids and the rebid for the purchase and delivery of various doors Bid notices were provided to eight prospective biders from our biders list and five of which picked up bid packages Two were received neither
of which were acceptable Therefore we will rebid with the expectation that a qualified bidder will submit with all the necessary paperwork Thank you Thank you very much Item 64 authorized award of contract through Bergen County Cooperative Pricing System renewal of
large town enterprise license spatial data logic Vice President Mikino Thank you This resolution authorizes the award of a contract to SHI International Somerset for a large for a large town enterprise
license for up to 100 users The license is a program called spatial data logic known as SDL which is used for the building department to log and track permits and code enforcement violations Our inspectors and code enforcement
officers use SDL while out in the field and automatically log updates and documentation so that we can get the paperwork started as soon as the inspector the inspection is complete Thank you Thank you Item 65 Authorize award of contract through Stafford
Township Cooperative Automotive Parts Supplies and Repairs for Vehicles Councilwoman Ponttoerrera Thank you Council President This resolution authorizes an award of contracts for automotive parts supplies and repairs
for vehicles to 16 different vendors who are participating in the Stafford Township Cooperative Pricing System Thank you Thank you Item 66 authorize award of contract purchase and delivery of 50 DMR portable radios for recreation
department Councilman Fineman Thank you Council President This resolution authorizes an award of contract to PMC wireless has in the amount of $98,883.32 for the purchase and delivery of 50 DMR portable radios for the
recreation beach and marina This radio upgrade is needed as the current equipment is outdated and cannot be repaired The project is funded in the 2025 capital budget Thank you Thank you Item 67 Authorize award of contract Brick Township Senior Service Center
site improvements Councilwoman D Young This resolution authorizes an award of contract to Earl Asphalt of Farmingdale in the amount of $440,213.13 for parking lot improvements at the Brick Township Senior Services site on Aurora Place The project
generally consists of parking lot reconstruction Improvements include mill and overlay of parking stalls full depth pavement restoration of access aisles driveway entrance upgrades enhanced accessibility to the senior center striping fencing and utility
improvements Bid notices were provided to 79 prospective biders from our biders list and 10 requested bid packages Six bids were received with Earl being the lowest respons response responsible bidder Thank you Item 68 authorized
waiver of section 110-5 of the township code allowing dogs at the farmers market Councilman Albanese Thank you Council President This resolution allows dog owners to bring their canine companions with them to farmers market held each Saturday from May through September at
Winward Beach Park Dogs are allowed in township parks as long as they are leashed and their owners clean up after them as needed However the Banshell area at Winward Beach is considered a beach area where dogs are not allowed This will be the third year that dogs are
allowed Thank you Moving on to item 69 9A is a performance bond release for block 100 lots 34 and 37 B is a performance bond release for block 1308.02 lot 11 Thank you Madam Clerk 610
10A is 100% DAV widow of veteran deduction at block 1429 lot one Thank you Miss Bergen This ends the consent agenda I will now look for a motion and a second on the consent agenda only Motion second Open to council for
questions Seeing none closed council I'm going to open it up to the public for questions on these resolutions only Seeing none closed public Roll call please Councilman Albany yes Councilwoman Ponttoro yes Councilwoman D Young yes Councilman Fineman yes Vice
President Minino yes President Amberino yes Thank you Item 11 bill resolution Be it resolved by the Township Council of the Township of Brick that the following bills be paid and that the mayor and clerk be and are hereby authorized to draw orders on the treasurer for the amounts of the same Computer bill
resolution in the amount of 14,522,8716 Thank you Is there a motion in a second motion Second Open to council for questions on the computer bill resolution Seeing none close council Open to public for questions on the computer bill resolution
only Seeing none close public Roll call Councilman Albanese Councilwoman Pontterrero Yes Councilwoman D Young Yes Councilman Fineman yes Vice President Makino yes President Amberino yes Thank you Item 612 Be it resolved by the
township council of the township of brick that the following bills be paid and that the mayor and clerk be and are hereby authorized to draw orders on the treasurer for the amounts of the same manual bill resolution in the amount of $2,29,49241 Thank you Is there a motion and a second
motion Second Open to council for questions Seeing none close council Open a public for questions on the manual bill resolution Seeing none close public Roll call Councilman Albanese yes Councilwoman
Fontterero yes Councilwoman D Young yes Councilman Feman yes Vice President Mipino yes President Ambersino yes Move on to item number seven Bond ordinance providing for various improvements and acquisitions in and by the Township of Brick in the County of
Ocean state of New Jersey appropriating $2,72,12 Therefore and authorizing the issuance of $2,566,912 in bonds or notes of the township to finance part of the cost thereof There's going to be four ordinances here
for various lifespans The explanation will cover all four of them essentially Councilwoman De Young thank you The 2025 capital budget totals $10 million At the outset the total request for capital funds exceeded $20
million but the department heads worked hard to back into manageable numbers Highlights of the 2020 25 capital budget include a refurbished ambulance and portable radios for EMS replacement of the bodywn camera system that is nearing the end of its life cycle ballistic
shields a patrol supervisor vehicle solar powered speed signs and portable light tower for the police department consoles and renovation of dispatch center at the police department for our dispatchers a bucket truck an HBAC replacement at Civic Plaza for buildings
and grounds a sidearm garbage truck a Ford F250 with a plow for the Department of Public Works new radios for recreation beef and ca beach and camp staff a new jet jet ski for beach and tractor for moving boat trailers for
Traders Cove Marina resurfacing of the safety surface at Arrowhead Park and a Toro Grandmaster mower for parks Also this is a one-year this is year one of the DPW site renovation which has been discussed at the public works committee
Permit plans were funded in 2024 This is a multi-year project that will be funded through a separate bond ordinance The total for this year is $2.2 million In this year we will be replacing all fuel tanks doing the site
work and designing the building Thank you Thank you Councilwoman D Young Is there a motion in a second on this ordinance motion Thank you Open to council for questions Seeing none close council Open
up public for questions on this ordinance the 5year lifespan Seeing none close public Roll call please Councilman Albanese Yes Councilwoman Ponttorero yes Councilwoman D Young yes Councilman Feman yes Vice President Mikino yes President Amberino
yes Item 72 bond ordinance providing for various capital improvements and acquisitions in and by the township of brick in the county of Ocean State of New Jersey appropriating $465,500 therefore and authorizing the
issuance of $442,225 in bonds or notes of the township to finance part of the cost thereof Thank you If this supports the same capital budget previously explained is there a motion and a second from the council motion Second Thank you Open to council for
questions Seeing none close council Open to public Seeing none close public Roll call please Councilman Albanese yes Councilwoman Ponttorero yes Councilwoman D Young yes Councilman Fineman yes Vice President Mikino yes President
Ambersonino yes Item 73 bond ordinance providing for various capital improvements and acquisitions ined by the township of brick in the county of Ocean State of New Jersey appropriating 4,221,488 therefore and authorizing the issuance of
4,10,413 in bonds or notes of the township to finance part of the cost thereof Thank you Same thing 10-year lifespan Is there a motion and a second motion Second Open to council for questions Seeing none closed council open to
public for questions Seeing none closed public Roll call Councilman Albanese Yes Councilwoman Pontterero yes Councilwoman D Young yes Councilman Feineman yes Vice President Makino yes President Amberino yes Item 74 bond ordinance providing for
various capital improvements and acquisitions in and by the township of brick in the county of Ocean State of New Jersey appropriating $2,611,000 therefore and authorizing the issuance of $2,480,450 in bonds or notes of the township to finance part of the costs
thereof Thank you Same thing 15-year life Motion and second from the council Motion second Open to council for questions Seeing none close council Open to the public for questions on this ordinance Seeing none closed public Roll
call Councilman Albanese Yes Councilwoman Pontterrero yes Councilwoman D Young yes Councilman Feman yes Vice President Makino yes President Ambroino yes All right moving on to item 75 An ordinance of the township of Breick County of Ocean state
of New Jersey amending chapter 145-6 of the township code to extend the storefront revitalization program and the waiver of fees for the construction to promote the renovation of existing vacant commercial structures Thank you I'd like to open the floor or give the floor to Madame Mayor Crate
Thank you In July 2017 and again in 2019 and 2022 the council renewed an ordinance waving fees for business owners who renovate an existing vacant commercial property The program started in 2015 to encourage businesses to come
to brick and occupy vacant storefronts In this ordinance the township is encouraging any new businesses looking to fill any vacant commercial space under 5,000 square feet that has been vacant for at least a year to open for
business All township permit fees are waved to encourage the startup The business and finance committee has recommended renewing the ordinance which expired The renewal extends the waiver through December 31st 2025 In total more than 30 new businesses
have opened and taken advantage of this program Businesses from bakeries to yoga studios and florists have opened in locations that were previously vacant Thank you Thank you Thank you Madam Mayor Is there a motion in a second motion Open a council for
questions Seeing none open to the public for questions on this ordinance Mr Bacon Good evening My name is Charlie Bacon 366 in Kokus Drive Uh good evening mayor council and administration I do actually
have a couple questions about this and a couple comments As the mayor pointed out this ordinance has been around since uh 2025 And I kind of you know I'm a business owner and I know a lot of people that are business owners and kind
of look at fees is kind of like that's part of doing business That's a startup cost coming into a town And most businesses look at coming into town how long is it going to take us to get through the process of building Some towns are easier sometimes they're
harder and they look at that as an aspect You look at demographics I'm going to come come into a town If I have a business that's tailored more for seniors then I'm going to look at a town like brick maybe over a few other towns So the questions I had and I actually
had this back when I spoke in front of this uh this body back in August of 23 was there's a comment in the ordinance that says we've determined u that the waiver of the fee has successfully encouraged property owners
So when I hear the word encouraged uh you have you uh mayor you mentioned 30 businesses have come in Did they come in solely because of this do we have that statistic and how much of tax dollars are spent on this year-over-year
we've got 10 years now of this So I feel that before this is approved there should be some type of proof that somebody came into this town specifically because we waved a fee And when I was looking at businesses or my
own business going through multiple towns in Ocean and Mammoth County uh the fee to come into the town for a building or a commercial fit out didn't enter my mind at all So I'd like to know out of those what's the tax dollars that
we've incurred over the 10 years or at least in the last year and do these 30 businesses do we have some statistics that they came into the town specifically because you're going to wave a $500 $1,000 fee and if not I would recommend if we don't have those
statistics that we put a hold on this so that we can look at this and say if it cost us $50,000 of taxpayer dollars but we have no proof pro that it did X or Y or whatever then I don't think we should approve this until we have that
statistic But just seeing we've determined to me I think a little bit more you know statistical evidence of that So that I just wanted to make that comment I feel if we don't have it I respect you might not have it with you then I would put a hold on this until we
have that um to make that evaluation where we we have some statistical evidence on that Thank you very much Have a nice Mr Bacon You want to address that i Well I'd like to say one thing though I think in all of these instances prerequisite is that that storefront has
remained vacant for quite some time So to Mr Bacon's specific question I think a lot of these must have encouraged a business to be started when those individuals could have entered that facility at any point in the preceding 364 days
The whole point of the creation of the ordinance was to address some of the vacant storefronts that we had in town You know everybody wants all these box stores want to come in They want to build their own footprint Any kind of a chain has its own process that it does for construction But we wanted at the
time this which back 10 years ago the thought was let's fill some of these vacant storefronts because that was something we were hearing from the public Well why am I getting this new building down the street when there's all these vacant you know storefronts so the point was fill them up and make it as easy as possible for small business
owners the moms and pops that are looking for a storefront looking to move out of their um offices maybe at home or shared place into their own storefront uh it's it's a dream many of them have and we looked at it and the feedback that we got some from the store owners as they would come into the building
department was that they specifically asked before they start the process is this is this ordinance still in place um the feedback we've gotten from our zoning officer is that it's greatly appreciated and successful for me that was enough to recommend that the council consider renewing it thank you I appreciate that and Mr Bacon I don't
know that this uh makes a difference with the point that you've made but to be specific Miss Bergen this is not the taxpayer funding these but rather uh a waiver of fees that we would normally collect for each change the the dollar
amount of the permit fee that would have to be issued It's the it's the application fee Thank you very much Are there any questions from the council on Miss Bergen's answer have a quick comment Sure So I mean as a small business owner I mean I think this
is a just a great way to potentially bring in um you know bring in business I doubt there's data that would support you know a thousand% I came here specifically for the $500 savings Um you
know it's like when you go out to a restaurant are you there for the appetizer or you there for the entree you're there enjoy the meal right that's all I wanted to say about that Thank you Councilman Fineman Are there any other questions from
public about this ordinance seeing none close public Roll call please Councilman Albanese yes Councilwoman Pondero yes Councilwoman D Young absolutely Councilman Feman yes Vice President Mikino yes President
Ambersino I also vote yes Thank you Move on to section eight Item eight on the agenda public comments Please note that each person addressing the council during any section of the meeting during which public comment is permitted shall limit his or her remarks to five minutes pursuant to Bricktownship Administrative
Code section 2-33B Are there any questions mr Suca John Sluga 950 Sylvia Court Burick After correcting my letter enough times um on April 6th I wrote this letter that said "Dear Mayor Craig Council President Derek
Amazino all councilmen councilwoman as well as the residents uh workers students of brick and or basically all of Ocean County." Um the letter said "Find a place in your home your work area restaurant or school where you can view the Garden State Parkway for its
dangers its toxins and its noise." The New Jersey Turnpike Authority created toxin dangers and noise with the expansion of the Garden State Parkway almost 13 years ago and has gotten increasingly worse over time The police are the residents of
Evergreenwoods condo area brick high school primrose gardens sin village lanes mill uh school bri green brier town hall brier mill uh birchwood park and other places in brick and ocean county uh pretty much fell when they went to turn back authority on deaf ears
Um I didn't put it in here The administration worked hard trying to get something in pretty much deaf ears all most of the time uh for them also But the New Jersey turnpike Kadi finally promised Evergreenwoods condo's replacement of threes and brush that was
destroyed over the past past many years But very little if any uh was done to alleiate the toxins forced upon the residents The administration has been notified but one did not see any results from their
verbiage Uh when when they start if they start it will take years to improve the lives of the Greenwoods residents Toxins cause cancer lung disease heart disease and early deaths One must realize that air pollutant is harmful to everyone not
just the people of evergreen woods Is impacted cherry people in Cherrywood uh Brick High Primrose Garden Brian Mill S Village Lanes Mill Green Bryer Town Hall uh and other places Ambient air pollution is a major environmental health problem
affecting everyone in low and middle and high income countries and it occurs in all areas of the world not just in here United States Fast walls and increased oilage are needed on the Garden State Parkway around those areas I've mentioned before such as Evergreen Woods
and Chvywood and Lanes Mill School and Greenbryer The time to act is now not to delay the way the New Jersey Turnpike Authority always does Remember that delay is a tactic not a solution Delaying remedies are just a way delaying remedies are just a way of
denying productive actions to be taken Uh John Sila 950 Soviet court I also wrote a note because I was listening to the comments Can we get for each not each person council what the council pays
what the vice president of council pays and what the president of council pays and if the mayor is full-time now what the mayor gets paid uh you know basically for next time there's no rush you know but you know I know I know way back when somebody told me it was like
$6,500 and 8,000 for the vice president and 85 but that was years that was eight years ago when they told me that and so I know it's been updated a little bit since and I know it's been steady hasn't been steady Yeah it's it hasn't changed all those years actually in about what I
wouldn't want I wouldn't want to survive on that kind of salary I know that but again it' be nice to know what the number is It's been that way So it was like eight years ago somebody told me the numbers and I thought they were low then so now they must really be low Okay Thank you Thank you Mr Sluka I'm sure
that is public information all over the place but it nice if and that we could provide it to you and know any other comments from public man Um maybe the wrong place to do this but Drum Point Road Um somebody
told me today they're going to try to put up a 60 um town houses development over there And I'm just Drum Point Road right now is so congested I'm just bringing this up so it's it's out there The the
roads are so congested We tried to do it they tried to do it in Laurel put the light there Cherry Quay area it it failed because the u the way they designed it was just terrible Now they're trying to do it over there Can't Bricktown have any free land that you
know people could walk through like the woods or do we have to develop every single inch of property in brick i'm just trying to find out I know that this is a passion project for you Mayor Crate Do you want to speak to the degree to which we are preserving land within the count uh within the confines of our
town yeah So we can't speak to the what you're the property that you're speaking of That's actually in front of the board of adjustment uh on the 10th So if you want to speak about that that's the proper forum for that With regard to open space savings we work very diligently to do that I don't have the
numbers in front of me right now but the brick open space savers that was started by Mayor Ducey that I've carried the torch uh continuous for him as well We are actively seeking out and saving properties yearly So we just I think a couple of council meetings ago approved another property off of Maple Avenue
that we're saving that's um 2.5 acres I think Yeah So that is an active group We meet monthly We go over properties that are available We uh consistently seek grants for green acres to save those properties And we're talking about
everything from the Breton Woods property to since I've been mayor Uh we're working on the Osborneville property which is uh adjac it connects to Drum Point Sports Complex as well as another property that's there Uh I can't remember the name of that Westervelt
property It's also located there That's an combination of about five acres probably And uh we continue to search and get grants for those properties And so I know it seems like every ounce is being built on right uh but we are working as a group continuously to
conserve and protect as much land as possible and work with the county to do so Okay And back on to the trailer situation Are we making any leeway on that or is anything As soon as we have something to report we will I'll absolutely report that I just bring it up Yeah Yeah No I know Just to because
we were told nothing's going to happen and it happened so I'm just following up on it Yep Once we have something from the committee then that that'll be reported out Absolutely All right Thank you Thank you Any other comments from the public seeing none close public Miss Bergen
Thank you I just want to thank you for bearing through the long budget presentation and uh applaud the chief on his budget presentation And I just wanted to mention one thing Our park security team is back up and running as of April 1st So uh the three park security officers will be at all our
township parks in the afternoons evenings and weekends through October 31st right after trunk or treat They stop So keep an eye out for their electric vehicles out patrolling and making sure everybody's behaving at our township parks all summer long Thank you Thank you You have to keep an eye out
because you don't hear them coming Madame Mayor very sneaky Uh yeah just a few things I want to thank Uh I I had a very busy last couple of weeks I want to thank the Chamber of Commerce who put on two career days one at Brick Memorial and one at Brick Township High School They
were very successful Uh we had a great time I get to present with other local groups like the MUA our EMS and No it wasn't our EMS I'm sorry our fire department and uh the local library It's
a nice way to get out and talk to students about career opportunities uh for them to explore and it was really a great time both at township and at Memorial So thank you to for the Chamber of Commerce for putting those together I want to congratulate all the Rudy Award
winners We had a chance to go to the final day of Wreck basketball last Saturday and we congratulate all the Rudy Award winners for each of those teams that showed up And I want to thank the women's club also for um if you drive by town hall there are pin wheels
and signage out front in honor of child abuse awareness month Uh our women's club is very active here in Brick Township and one of the things that they like to bring awareness of each year is uh child abuse awareness month and they um I we happy to host them this year for
the pinw wheels So if you drive by that's what that is in memory of and also or recognition of not memory of And uh if you're interested in getting involved with with the Women's Club please check out their Facebook page and their website Uh they're growing every
day and they're welcoming of anyone who would like to join So please check them out Thank you to Brandy and the mayor student advisory uh my students for that group that we hosted a trivia night last week at Brick Memorial and I want to
thank the families that attended It was Disney trivia I did really poorly Uh yeah I don't know a lot of Disney trivia No no I don't know Yeah but I didn't feel bad because I was teamed up with two other students and they didn't they weren't as they were just as bad as I was So there were some ringers there uh
that were really super duper Disney fans So um I don't think any of us stood a chance but thank you to those families for coming out and supporting the mayor student advisory It was a lot of fun Uh Brick Little League and Brick All-American had their opening days this weekend Despite the rain everyone came
out and it was a great time So congratulations to them on the beginning of their season I want to thank the Elks for their Americanism Awards that I was able to attend this past Sunday Uh the students each read excuse me from grades four through eight their essays on uh
patriotism and what it means to them in their community and in their country They were really well done And two of the finalists or two of the award winners are actually going uh beyond the states uh to the nationals I believe So it's very exciting They're going to be
judged in CA I mean they're not flying out there but their essays will be judged I believe somewhere in Kansas uh Kansas City maybe So congratulations to them I feel like there's a winner in the group So fingers crossed we hope to hear from them some good news Uh I was very
excited and I apologize for my delay in appearance this evening but I was very excited to attend the grand opening the official grand opening of the Manaloking Road Playhouse today I was joined by Assemblyman Kenetra along with the Chamber of Commerce and Ocean County
Tourism and we were able to officially cut the ribbon on what I think is uh going to be one of the highlight businesses here in Brick Township It is a beautiful theater They are looking to not only run our Brick Children's Community Theater through there but
other theater workshops and different programs and the space will eventually be available for rent uh so that if you have a program you'd like to host or uh if you want to show a movie uh that theater space may be available for rental as well It's a beautiful building
It's located on Manalooking Road um just about across the street from the Manalooking Ale House So you can grab some dinner and then head to a show Uh but it's really beautiful They did a fabulous job in refurbishing that building and uh I'm really excited for them Bless you whoever just sneezed Um
Brex is happening having their opening night this Friday at 5:45 Hopefully it doesn't rain We'll keep our fingers crossed That'll be at Drum Point Sports Complex if you'd like to come out and cheer the girls on We have beach sweeps this Saturday rain or shine And that takes place at 9:00 a.m at Beach One
Beach 3 and I believe there will be someone also at Winward if you'd like to do some um beach sweeping Uh head on down We will be there Uh I'll probably be at Beach Three I think Councilwoman D Young is going to be a beach one So you can meet us down there It's always a good time It's a It feels good to get
back on the beach after the whole winter Um and then our next scheduled pickup brick is Saturday the 19th the following Saturday at 10 a.m at River Riverwalk Refuge That's located on Manoloking Road just before you hit get to Vanata Woods So if you get to Van Vanata Woods you
went too far if you're heading towards the ocean And last but not least I'm very excited to announce that after a very long time of searching and reworking and painting and remodeling our Brick Township Teen Center will have
its official grand reopening this Tuesday or next Tuesday Coming up on April 15th at 6 PM we invite everyone to come out and join us You can take a tour of the facility uh see some of the programs we have offered You can meet the new facilitator Emily who will be
there as well uh to um meet some of our students and we hope to have a successful grand opening and to continue um having our teens be able to come out and use the facility uh throughout the school year So looking forward to that And are you guys done up there what are
you doing what's happening okay excellent Uh no I'm just kidding So thank you so much and I hope to see some people out the next couple Saturdays and at the ribbon cutting for the teen center Thank you Thank you Mayor Craig Mr Starky I have nothing tonight Thank
you Thank you Madam Secretary Thank you Excuse me Madam Clerk Madam Secretary Councilman Albanesey's just want to uh thank Joanne Bergen and the chief on an excellent presentation Happy Easter and God bless Councilwoman Pontterrero
I just wanted to also thank Chief Forester and our own chief burial presentations Thank you Yes Thank you Councilwoman D Young Of course I want to thank the chief and Mrs Bergen
I will see her tomorrow so she answers all of my questions I have a lot And um I just want to reiterate uh at the senior center over on Aurora they do have their walk-in Wednesdays for anybody who uh any senior that has their
blue book that want need help or want just to make sure that they're doing it correctly for their senior freeze and their anchor and everything that NJ stay everything that they put into one Um that is the every Wednesday So it's really please take advantage of it They
the outreach staff there has cleared their schedules on Wednesdays so that they are available for you And with that I want to wish everybody a happy Passover and a happy Easter And that's all I have this evening Thank you Councilman Fineman Thank you Council
President Excuse me So this is obviously you know budget time We hear a lot of big picture stuff and high dollar things Uh but I want to highlight something that one of the resolutions I read about everyone's favorite topic the doors Um so when I researched this um what
happened was the superintendent of public works Stephen Kraovski he rejected the bid because it was significantly higher from the previous contract in 2023 So I know it's a small dollar in comparison to other ventures but all of these certainly add
up and we don't want any frivolous spending at any level So it truly takes a village or in this case a town of phenomenal employees and residents working both independently as well as together uh for the common goal of
keeping our town affordable safe and fun for everyone So I just wanted to highlight that Thank you Thank you Vice President Mikino Why do I always have to follow that so I know I want to thank everybody again police for his budget uh Miss
Bergen for her budget and uh the library for coming out Um and uh happy holidays everybody Thank you Thank you And I'd also like to extend my gratitude for the budget presentations this evening Chief Forester has done a fantastic job Uh I
think he knows that he's got the support and that we prioritize supporting our local police department here in Brick Uh and Miss Bergen I noted several times throughout your budget presentation and in analyzing your budget uh the ability to continue to decrease particular items
just underscores our focus on financial responsibility here in town Uh I'd also like to wish everybody a happy Easter coming up And the last thing I'll say is that our next public meeting will be on Tuesday April 22nd so immediately after Easter at 7 p.m I will now entertain a
motion to adjurnn All in favor Meeting adjourned