on YouTube. I actually don't feel that difficult this changing which is Yeah, but this is far more dangerous. Now I gota Are you ready? I'm ready.
Recording in progress. All right. Welcome back to the public session of our township committee meeting for Tuesday, October 14th, 2025. I would like to invite everyone to please stand for the flag salute to the flag of the United States of
America and to the stands nationy andice for all. First of all, I would like to thank uh the Chattam Township Volunteer Police I'm sorry, let me start over. First of all, I want to thank the Chattam Township Volunteer Fire
Department for a great party on Saturday. Despite the rain, a lot of people came out from near and far to celebrate their 100th birthday. Um, and really enjoyed the museum. It was really incredible and I just want to say congratulations to everyone that was involved. It was really a wonderful celebration.
I would also like to take a moment to honor Tommy Corbin, a friend and a neighbor who passed away on September 27th. He was a senior at Chadam High School and a lifelong resident of Chadam. He had a kind and gentle spirit and was
generous with his time and thoughtfulness. My son was friends with Tommy and said, "Um, you weren't just a great friend, Tommy. You were an incredible human being." And I'm wearing my angel boots tonight. Um, there will be an open house
celebration of Tommy's life on Sunday, October 26th from 1 to 4:00 p.m. with remarks and remembrance at 1:30 at the Chattam Township Fire Department. Please and family in your thoughts and hearts and memory of Tommy. Spread some
kindness. Thank you. Now we will move on to the hearing the first hearing of citizens. Uh Mr. Lante, will you please read the guidance? Sure. Members of the public are now welcome to come up to the microphone to address the township committee. This is
an opportunity for any member of the public to be heard about issues which are not topics scheduled for public hearing public hearings tonight. Those present may step up to the microphone to be heard. If you're watching via Zoom, uh you may speak during any of the public comment sessions by following the
Zoom instructions to raise your hand. Whether in person or online, when you are recognized to speak, please mind the following procedures. Please say your name, spell your last name, and give the name of your street. You do not need to give your street number. All public comments will be limited to three
minutes. Rather than use any of your time answering the questions, the township committee will wait until you finish speaking before responding. There are two public comment sessions on tonight's agenda. Each member of the public will be limited to one comment of up to three minutes during each public
comment period. Written comments submitted to the township clerk before 3 p.m. today will be read during the public comment sessions. Written comments are subject to the same guidelines as oral comments. Duplicative written comments may be summarized rather than read in full according to
guidelines issued by the New Jersey Division of Local Government Services. Uh we did not receive any written comments for tonight's meeting and I do not have any attendees on Zoom. Okay, great. Then we can close the hearing of citizens
and move on to our resolutions. Uh we have one resolution tonight, resolution 2025-18 authorizing the planning services. Mr. Shahani, would you like to give us a little bit of background on that? Yes, thank you, Mayor. Um, uh, this
resolution, uh, is being asked for for you to consider this evening, although it's a workshop meeting. Um, the reason we are considering a resolution tonight is just because of the timesensitive nature of of this and not wanting to delay things uh any further if we don't if we don't need to and it can be
avoided. As you know, we did go out to bid for snow plowing services. We have uh third party uh that supplements our DPW for a number of years, supplements our DPW in the event that there are excess snowfalls that require additional
uh help to make sure that the roads are are clear and safe. Uh unfortunately, well, that contract has expired and so we have to go back out to bid. We did go out to bid. Unfortunately, nobody picked up the bids, let alone even responded to the bids. So, uh we are in a situation
where we have to authorize rebid. Uh and that's what we're planning on doing with this. We're making even more of a concerted effort to market the bids this time, be more proactive, uh, and, uh, consider advertising additional papers than we've done before, uh, in addition to talking
to contractors, uh, that the county and other municipalities use to encourage them to pick up our bids and consider bidding. But in order to do so, we need to authorize. Thank you very much. asking for a motion.
Is there a motion related to resolution 2025-18? To adopt resolution 2025-18. I'll second. Mr. El Perowitz, yes. Mrs. Ewald, yes. Mr. McHugh, yes.
Deputy Mayor Roland, yes. Motion passes. Thank you. Now we will move on to our reports. Mr. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Under administration, uh we are considering uh or you will have to consider three
resolutions at the next meeting. One of them is to authorize award for the purchase of playground equipment for Nash Field. Uh the playground there, uh that's the playground that you've reviewed. We've discussed that a previous meeting. So, we're hoping that resolution for uh later this month. Any
questions on that? Uh I don't remind me. grant funds. Does that cover 100%? Not 100%. Uh I believe it's 80%. Don't quote me on that. I believe it's 80% match required. I'm sorry. 80% with a 20% match required.
Oh, okay. Thank you. And it would be coming from open space. Okay. Uh no questions there. Moving forward, uh the resolution for uh authorizing RFQS for 2026 professional services. That's something we do every year uh
around this time of year. So the RFQS will be pretty much same as they've been the last few years unless you feel like we need to change them. Uh please let me know. I will include with the next packet all you know the basics of what those are but those are for all of our professionals uh legal counsel
engineering planning uh financial services bond uh council things like that. uh all those professionals for the boards uh we would authorize RFQ receive them so that way come January for reorg uh you would be able to make those
appointments under what's known as the fair and open process in accordance with the states law uh states uh public contracts law and paytoplay laws. Any questions on those? Okay. and then uh resolution hopefully
for the next meeting of updating our employee handbook. Uh you'll have that draft as we discussed in the executive session. Uh this is something that we do every two years uh in order to maintain compliance with our joint insurance fund requirements. Uh it helps us ensure that
we're taking advantage of a lower deductible and some other cost savings approaches, but it's also best practices. Uh nothing too uh significant is being changed on employee handbook at this time around other than just making sure that there's updates with state and
federal laws. Thank you. Any questions there? Uh colony pool survey results. I'll have those to you for the next workshop meeting. I haven't had a chance to fully digest all those survey results. We close that at the end of September. Uh so we open it usually right when the
season ends. We open up the survey and it closes at the end of the month. We members to participate. We did get some good participation with good feedback. So, uh I just want to review that, put that in a format that's also counts some
of the the feedback, the ratings and different uh uh categories along with giving you all the written comments. So, that will be available for next month. And then finally, under administration is the best practices inventory. Uh that
is a survey that the state sends us every year. Uh it changes every year. They ask us uh a lot of questions. Some of them are known as scored questions and some are unscored questions. Uh the scored questions are used to evaluate if we're following the law uh following
best practices and uh understanding how we operate uh from a fiscal and just sort of administrative human resources all those different aspects and they base our state aid on that. So if we've got uh enough yeses and right hand and
you know the right number of uh yeses that they require then we get 100% of our funding. Uh if not they can dock you on it. And then the unscored per portion gives you an idea of what will be scored in the coming years. So they you know I
always tell people you know we should do these things because they will come back later on and say okay we gave you a heads up start implementing them. uh that's their way of of tipping their hat on what's going to be uh next, but we are well above the minimum for 100%
funding. So, we're good there. The one thing in the best practice inventory I'll I'll point out for you is that um the state of New Jersey adopted a lead law but it's to ensure that municipalities uh are taking proactive efforts to make
sure that properties before built before a certain year are being inspected and uh you know those results those those uh inspections are being reported to the state through a portal. So, uh, in the coming months, we will be, uh, I'll be
providing you guys with a proposal on, uh, how to handle that because we do have some homes that meet that criteria built before a certain time frame and do need to have inspections. Uh, so, uh, exploring what of our what our options are. We've looked at over, you know,
since the law was implemented and they gave us a grace period and kind of all this thing, looked at other ways. Some towns have inhouse staff that do it. you know, might be somebody in the construction office, might be somebody in their land development or engineering or even their health department. Uh, unfortunately, we don't have the
resources to do that. And so, what they did, a lot of towns didn't either, uh, or the expertise, you know, uh, to do all these inspections and connect to their portal and do the reporting. So, they amended the law to allow for towns to retain a third party to do this for
you as well. So that's what we're looking at and I'll have some more information for you guys on that in the coming months to consider that option. The so that inspection for whatever the age of the homes are it's not an option.
We have to notify them that essentially it's your home uh meets this requirement. It's for this age. There's a likelihood that lead based paint was used. Uh we're required to do an inspection. We would send them out. Not uh we would do the inspection. Uh they
would be paying for these though. We would have to as part of this process we have to introduce an ordinance that creates this mechanism because it's the notification the uh inspection there's administrative fees there's inspection fees. So uh remediation fee
well and then they have to do the remediation as well. We don't do the remediation but we know you know based off of most mostly it would be visual but there are some cases where they may need to do more than just visual but we do the inspection and advise them okay
you have to remediate it or that's that after that point we've done our and it goes on file that this home has or does not have paint and if they remediate it and we also have to environmental laws that gets noted as
well. Sorry, I I was looking at the list and I was expecting animal control. So, I didn't quite get it. What's pushing this list? Is it a state state law state law? It's an effort because there's a lot of lead based paint and it's an effort to in New Jersey and nationwide, but
because of the age of our homes uh and so they want to make sure that lead based paint is being remediated in older homes. And there's people that, you know, based off of their income levels don't have, you know, buy a property, there's lead
based paint disclosures in there, but you know, people just don't do anything about it. Okay, great. I got the paper and then that's it. And then follow up. And so, uh, there's a push in New Jersey to make sure that, uh, there's more lead based paint education, awareness, and
detection in cases where it might exist so people can then remediate and stop the uh, you know, stop based paint from continuing to be sold homes. So, I don't know. depend upon property owner right
participation okay because that's the next question no force compiance no force compliance but then when they go to sell there's because at that point now you know now you know that there's
so if you have a knockown house So uh that's coming on the horizon but that's one of the question a number of questions they asked in this survey was about that as well. So um any questions on the inventory it is a requirement that we discuss it with you that we you know bring it to your attention so you
know what we're submitting to the state because they don't want governing bodies not knowing what the you know the staff submitted uh on it. We're, you know, we're in good shape. Anything else there? Moving on. Under the clerk, uh, we will
have hopefully a resolution on animal control. Uh, probably not this year, probably, uh, January, right, Greg? Uh, that's usually something we do with the reorg. Yeah. But, uh, the animal control, uh, is expiring at the end of this year. So,
uh, Greg has been, uh, requesting quotes and doing due d We've been exploring that uh just to make sure that we can have a good recommendation for you coming up. Uh any questions on that? Is that an annual contract or multi? No. Uh it can be annual uh but we are in
a multi-year contract. Two years, right? Yes. Um for the current term, we did a two-year contract. The vendor was willing to maintain the pricing that they had from the prior term. Um and then uh we got the report from the clerk and he has an item on polling
place polling place relocation. Yes. With that um for the edification of the public as well. Um all the uh current candidates have been informed of this. Um a few weeks ago I was contacted by Corpus Christi. uh they're having an
upcoming uh roofing project and they were unsure whether or not that would be finished in time for the November general election. So, um, at that point, I contacted the, uh, superintendent of elections office to inquire about the
potential of, um, you know, moving those two districts. And um just just to be uh play it safe and be ultraconervative, we decided to um go ahead and move those two districts from Corpus Christie. It's districts three and five. We're going to
move those two districts over to Long Hill Chapel, which already serves as a polling place. Uh there's plenty of space there for the the four districts to be in one spot and plenty of parking for voters. Uh we um I'll I'll make sure that we get a a
postcard out to the affected voters. Their sample ballots will have that information when they receive it. Uh we'll put up signage and I'll make sure we get that on the website and you know, whatever means we have to get word out and um and as I said, I inform the candidates uh so that way when they're
out campaigning, they can help in that process as well. Uh any questions on that? Will there be signage at Corpus Christie? Yes. Um I will I'll make sure that we have a signed so that way anyone that doesn't read their sample ballot or get word by other means that way there
will be something to let them know where to go. You could just move it to the Presbyterian church right across the street. Uh we we need to make sure that we're using a spot that's ADA compliant and since Longill Chapel already serves as a polling place it seem easier to do it
there. Yes. Department of Justice has been cracking down on New Jersey counties to make sure that that uh polling places comply with ADA standards, which whether or not whether or not uh the Presbyterian Church would be
compliant, I don't know. But we know that Long Hill Chapel can serve as a polling place. So, yeah. So, since it's somewhere that we know we can do voting, it was, you know, simplest to just move it there. Okay. Just venient for voters.
Okay. Um construction. Uh any questions on the report? No action items there. Engineering. Um only action item is an ordinance. Uh and this is to amend an ordinance that I believe we adopted
earlier this year. Um if you recall, it was on uh flood damage prevention. It had to do with FEMA maps and and all this stuff. Um the even though we had sent it to the state uh for their review beforehand because they feed us really the data uh and they told us it was all
good and they gave us the data, they just came back to us and said, "Oh, by the way, we missed something uh and we need you to include this uh this parcel and plan number and all this stuff. So it's uh really just a technicality.
Nothing too substantive there, but you have to go through the ordinance It's literally just adding one more reference to one of our tables. Any questions on that? Okay. Uh, and any questions on the report?
Okay. Uh, finance. No, yeah, I do want to go back a second. Yeah. Uh, construction. Sorry. Um, the revenue, it's not really a question, but the revenues were looking pretty good for this early year. of
this late relative to where it is. Yeah. Okay. Um No, because we're we're way ahead of last year. Yes. It's been a very busy year in that office. Um finance. Uh no action items there. Uh
we Any questions on the report? Okay. Um And you know if you look at the report in detail especially on the uh expenditure side and the revenue side we are in good shape. We're doing well uh again a testament to the great work of
department heads and our finance department uh but also finance committee preparing very good budget over here doing very well. Um uh the other item is more just a discussion not even really discussion but for your awareness uh we had a ban
sale. We are required by law to uh notify and have that on the agenda. So Debbie did meal for you guys on that. Um one of the questions and going back to the best practices. One of the questions we answered no was relating to things like this. It was you know do you always
prepare um what's known as a statement official statement on some of these things? Uh and this was a case in which we did not. uh reason being it would have cost us more to prepare the official statement than the potential savings that we would have derived from
the benefit of marketing. Some you do an official statement you could market it and get different uh biders that will tend to give you a better rate but the cost for us to prepare a financial statement for such a low amount would have negated any savings. So that's one reason why in the best practice
checklist we answered no for something like this. But we got great rates regardless. uh police uh we will have a resolution for your consideration to purchase some cameras and networking hardware for the fiber optic loop. Uh that would be
coming out of the grant funds. This was envisioned as part of the project. Just the bulk of it was the wiring. The wiring is now done. Uh and now we have the cameras that we can purchase and the additional networking hardware that's needed to connect them all and get the system up and running. And we do have to
get this done by the end of the year. Uh because that's when the grant expires any more extensions. Hopefully we won't shut down but any questions on that?
Uh any discussion action items on the report? Sorry. When you say hopefully we won't have problems with I was thinking we're not talking about No, just the with processing things and the, you know, paperwork and request
reimbursements. But no, just everything's slowing down. You just hear over and over about how many different things are being slowed down and how many things are being uh delayed for, you know, processing or response.
Uh public works uh two resolutions, those were included in the report. I think we talked about them once before, but we'll have those on the agenda the next meeting for consideration. That's to um authorize this vendor to rebuild uh two pumps and replace a pump. Uh
those are all under the capital budget for WPC and now moving ahead to actually acquire authorize that. Any questions on those or report? Why are we building two and
replacing one. Is it what is being rebuilt and what is being uh I can get you some information. No, that's that's fine. Top of my head curiosity because of the numbers. Is it worth rebuilding? You're getting a new I think it may have to do with the age.
I think the one that we're replacing uh has been built before and it's that old and it's that life. I know I went over this when I did the capital budget with them and I don't want to give you bad information on record, but I believe that was just too old.
Um, and tax collector and tax assessor. No action items, just reports. Any questions there? Okay. Thank you, Mr. We will now move to the second hearing of citizens.
Same rules apply as the first hearing. There anyone online? We have any Zoom attendees in the audience. So, we will close the second hearing of citizens. And if there's nothing else, we get a motion.
Make a motion to adjourn. Second. Thank you everyone. That's the official recording stopped. We had a record meeting