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Hi Ed. All right. >> Close. >> All right. >> Recording in progress. >> Great. Welcome back everyone uh to the Township of Cadam committee meeting for April 28th. Uh please rise

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for the flag salute. Where's the flag? It's >> probably the one that Tommy stole for the lobby. >> Yeah, there we go. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it

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stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Well, that was it. That was Thanks for coming back, Ed. >> Yes, we Oh, we pledged

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>> we pledged to the Cadam flag. Should have changed the words. I thank you everyone uh for joining tonight. Uh I want to highlight that April is autism awareness night, uh autism awareness month, and I'm pleased

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to issue a proclamation tonight. Um, if you would like to get a better better understanding of neurodiversity and autism, there are lots of resources available. Um, I personally just finished season four of Love on the Spectrum on Netflix and this show is

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just the purest kindest heartfelt interactions you could see. It's really wonderful show. There are other shows on television also like The Good Doctor on ABC and a children's show called Pablo. But there are also many um resources and

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sites because the purpose of this is really trying to uh to raise awareness of neurodeiversity. Um moving on to May since we are at the end of April. May is mental health awareness month. Um we will be

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participating in a paint the town green and that's to shine a light on mental health. Um, on Friday, May 1st, I believe that's on Friday, May 1st, at 5:00 PM, there's going to be a kickoff for mental health awareness month on the Village Green and

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Summit. Uh, a lot of locations, you'll also notice on May 1st, are going to light up their lights uh, green to raise awareness. uh studies have shown an increase in mental health issues particularly in young people with increased anxiety and eating disorders

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and also loneliness and epidemic in our aged population. Um the intent is to try to address the negative stigma around discussing mental health issues and we would love to see you on May 1st in summit if you can make it.

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Uh we have completed our audit of the 2025 financial statements. Uh the township received a clean unqualified opinion. Um there was always a finding related to segregation of duties because we have such a very small accounting staff, but we have compensating controls

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in place to mitigate the risk of fraud there. Uh continue to talk about the tax reevaluation. Home visits are continuing. Uh we had ours about a week ago. It was uh took about 10 minutes. Um and reminder that it's in your best interest to let them in to accurately

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assess your home. um or they'll have to make some ass uh assumptions, but you will have an opportunity um later in the process, several opportunities um to review your evaluation and make comments. One thing I know this is a little bit in

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advance, but everybody knows that FIFA and the World Cup is coming to New Jersey and to Metlight Stadium. So, I just wanted to make a a call out that there will be an impact to New Jersey Transit commute commuters on certain days.

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um in June and July. Uh I believe you have to have certain um a certain train ticket and you have to purchase in advance and they're not honoring New Jersey Transit commuter tickets. So there's um information on the New Jersey Transit site. Um but some of the dates

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are June 16th, 22nd, and 25th. Some weekend dates are the 13th, the 27th of June, and July 5th and 19th. So those are days where there is an evening game at Metife Stadium and the commuting will

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be pretty tough. Okay, we'll move on to the proclamation uh for autism awareness month. Whereas autism is a difference in brain development that impacts how people

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learn, communicate, interact, and behave and results in a wide variety of abilities and challenges. And whereas autism diagnoses in the United States are growing rapidly, affecting more than three million people, but are chronically undertreated and under supported, creating an urgent public

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health crisis that demands a national response. And whereas children and adults continue to be diagnosed with autism at high rates, resulting in prevalences of one in 31 children nationally and one in 29 in New Jersey. And whereas autism is the result of a

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neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the human brain and can affect anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic background. And whereas as the effort to address autism continues, doctors, therapists, and educators can

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help people with autism overcome or adjust to its challenges, chiefly by providing early accurate diagnosis and the resulting appropriate education, therapy, and support that are vital to future growth and development. And whereas all individuals with autism

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deserve respect and the supports they need to live safe and fulfilling lives. And whereas some individuals with autism may require a lifetime of specialized treatment and support to ensure their health and safety. And whereas ensuring that people with autism are not denied

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access to the lifelong care and support needed to pursue the full measure of personal happiness and achieve their greatest potential should be a cause given greater care. And whereas the township is honored to take part in the annual observance of Autism Awareness Month and World Autism Awareness Day in

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the hope that it will lead to a better understanding of the condition. Now therefore, I, Mayor Jennifer Roland, do hereby proclaim April 2026 as Autism Awareness Month in Chattam Township to raise public awareness of autism and the myriad of issues surrounding autism, as

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well as to increase knowledge of the programs that have been and are being developed to support individuals with autism and their families. And now we will move on to committee reports. I can start

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with um some programming at the Chattam Township Historical Society. So, the Red Brick Schoolhouse Museum is hosting uh an exhibit called Revolutionary Lives: Living the American Experiment Then and Now. Uh there's an opening reception on

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Friday from 6:00 to 900 pm and they will have extra open hours at the schoolhouse so that everyone can have an opportunity to see this incredible display. Um they're open Saturday, Sunday and Monday as well as Tuesday and Wednesday and

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then it will move on to the lent room at the library of the chatams. That's all I have. So committeeman Al Perowitz. >> Uh thank you mayor. Um, just a couple things. The joint wreck

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committee met on April 6th. Um, not too much to report of an enrollment being up and everybody's still having a great time. Ski season wrapped up and they had an excellent winter for um, all the kids that headed out to the ski

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resorts this year. Um, I wanted to shout out to the environmental commission who has been very hard at work this entire month around Earth Month. Um, and all their commitment in order to do programming and education to the public

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about uh our most valuable resource which is the earth. Um, they had many activities including the uh I'm going to get some of this wrong, but the extraordinary your extraordinary caterpillar was at the library uh with a

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member two couple members of the New Jersey Butterfly Association, which was really terrific. They did uh a bunch of invasive species walks around town. Um they also did a native plant sale uh which benefited the Great Swamp Watershed Association.

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Um, and on their Facebook page are tips and tricks on how you can lessen your impact. Uh, which doesn't end in the month of April. So, go to their Facebook page and, uh, learn a thing or two on how you can actually help out. And then upcoming, they have, uh, this weekend is

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the Tritown, uh, yard sale. Uh, for a small donation, you'll be listed. If everybody hosts their yard sales in their own communities, uh they'll kind of shout out and share where all the yard sales are taking place. A small stipen will benefit the great swamp

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wershed. And they also have a cleanup day activities on May 9th as well, too. So, please visit the Chattam Township Environmental Commission page to sign up and lend your hand. Um I think that's all I've got.

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>> All right. Thank you. Committee woman Ewald online. Thank you. You all hear me? Oh, can you hear me? >> Yes. >> Okay, good. Um, I wanted to uh thank

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residents who supported the senior cent's uh paper shred fundraiser uh this past weekend. It was a success. And I also wanted to thank uh Committeeman El Peritz because he was there working that um that event. So I appreciate uh everybody's support for

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that organization. Um I also wanted to remind residents that Colony Pool uh membership sign up is open and summer is just around the corner. Memorial Day is less than a month away, which just seems crazy. Uh

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time has flown by since the freezing weather this winter. Thankfully, it's flown by in that in that sense, but um I just wanted to make sure residents were thinking about the summer and uh taking the opportunity to sign up. Um we're excited we've got uh the Spoocci

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uh you know, food vendor is back. So, I know the advisory committee was very excited about that and they've been working with the Y on the plans for the upcoming uh summer. So, um I'm looking forward to, uh getting a new start there at Colony and seeing, um I've heard good

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things also about the construction. I don't know the update if we're fully done, but I heard there was a lot of progress. So, looks like we're set in that sense for um you know, a successful opening come Memorial Day weekend. >> Great. Thank you very much, Committeeman

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McHugh. >> Thank you, Mayor. um brevity tonight. Uh no library report. Um uh the open space uh we are hopefully adding a member tonight which might uh catalyze uh

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actually getting together uh as a open space advisory committee and we look forward to that and that's the sum of it. >> All right. Thank you committeeman Choy. >> Thank you Mayor Roland. Uh the health and wellness uh committee is hard at

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work to make the the town green event a huge success. Um, Mayor Roland provided a um a nice summary of it. Uh, what I will add is that it originally started out with just a very small handful of towns. It now encompasses um uh 14

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enthusiastic municipalities, Chattam Township of course being included uh and making the event a huge success. I would like to encourage anyone and everyone who's interested in demonstrating their support to sign up uh for a lawn a lawn

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yard sale uh and uh green ribbons which will be prominently displayed uh throughout uh the participating communities. Uh so that information can be found on Facebook. It should be uh being boosted up uh to uh the community board, I believe. And if it isn't

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already um uh we'll be uh the information will be available on the website. Um, the next meeting for the wealth and health and wellness uh is Wednesday, May 6th at 8:30 a.m. uh in in the Burough Town Hall. Uh, thank you, Roland. That's all I have.

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>> Thank you. Okay. Uh, I would like to now open the first hearing of citizens. Mr. Lacante, would you please provide guidance? >> Yes. Members of the public are now welcome to come up to the microphone to address the township committee. This is

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an opportunity for any member of the public to be heard about issues which are not topics scheduled for public hearings tonight. Those present may step up to the microphone to be heard. If you are watching via Zoom, you may speak during any of the public comment sessions by following the Zoom

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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

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comments will be limited to three minutes. Rather than use any of your time answering 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

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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

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guidelines as comments uh as 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. And it's worth noting that these rules will also apply to the two actual public hearings that

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we have on tonight's agenda in addition to the general hearing of citizens. And uh we do not have any written comments to read. >> Okay, great. Any hands raised? >> We do not have any hands raised. >> Okay. And no one in the audience. So we can close the first hearing of citizens

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and move on to ordinances. Okay. Okay, I'd like to open the public hearing for ordinance 2026-08 related to open space tax and that is funding the reserve at one half cents per $100 of assessed valuation for the

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tax year 2026. There any questions or any discussion? Is there a motion to adopt ordinance 2026-08 open space tax? >> And we do not have any hands raised for the public hearing for doing that. Yep.

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No questions online. Thank you. Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Um please turn on your microphone when speaking. >> I'll second. >> Um shall we vote? >> Yes, please. >> Mr. Al Perowitz,

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>> yes. >> Mr. Troy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Ewald, >> yes. >> Deputy Mayor McHugh, >> yes. and May Roland. >> Yes. >> Motion passes. >> Thank you. Now, I'd like to open the public hearing

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for uh the adoption of the 2026 municipal budget which was presented by Mr. Shahadi at the last meeting, last couple meetings. Um is there any discussion or are there any questions? >> We do not have any hands raised online.

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>> Okay. Mayor, I just would add that if uh anybody would like to view those presentations, as always, our meetings are recorded and uh are available on YouTube. Um and the preliminary budget information is on the website. If anybody has questions, they can contact

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me. Happy to answer them or watch the videos. >> Okay. >> And the budget itself is available for public review both online and on the counter and through my office. >> Great. Thank you very much. >> Yeah. I just wanted to thank the finance committee, our administrator, our CFO,

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uh all the team that was involved. This was a tough one. Um there was a lot of pressure between skyrocketing health care costs and then the townwide uh the countymandated townwide reval. Uh there's a lot of pressure on this budget and um nobody

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likes to see their taxes go up, but I think you guys were were very fair stewards in trying to manage those residents tax dollars. So I appreciate everybody's efforts. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to adopt the 2026

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municipal budget? >> I'll make a motion. >> I'll second. >> Okay. Take a vote. Mr. Operitz, >> yes. >> Mr. Troy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Ewald, >> yes. >> Deputy Mayor McHugh, >> yes.

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>> And Mayor Roland, >> yes. >> Budget, uh, the motion passes. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh, we can now move on to the consent agenda. I don't know if there's anything that anyone wanted to discuss or pull out.

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Uh yeah, I would like to pull out resolution 202697, which is the uh approval of the list of volunteers eligible for LOAP. >> So we pull it out or you want to discuss

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>> pull it out. >> Yeah, that'll be a separate vote. >> Separate vote. >> Mr. El Peritz, I think on it. >> Ah, I got it. Okay. Uh, I also just wanted to give a little bit of information related to um the safe routes to schools, the 2016 project. Um,

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this is really just related to um authorizing the bid for the um construction manager to oversee the project. So, this isn't even yet to the bid to bid on the actual construction. It's to bid on the person

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that's going to oversee the project. So, we are getting there slowly but surely um 10 years later, but that's what this one is related to. Okay. Uh we need a motion to approve the pulling out of 2026-097.

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>> So, we don't need a motion to pull that one, but we would need a motion to pass the remainder of the consent agenda. >> Got it. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda with the exception of resolution 2026-097? I'll make a motion to um pass the

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consent agenda sans 097 >> and I will second that motion. Thank you. >> Mr. Al Perowitz, >> yes. >> Mr. Troy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Ewald, >> yes. >> Deputy Mayor McHugh, >> yes. >> And Mayor Roland,

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>> yes. >> Okay, motion passes. And now we would have the vote on 202697. We would need the motion in second. So, do you want me to explain why I pulled this out? >> Does that on it? >> Yeah. Right. >> Uh, yeah. So, my name appears on

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2026-027 uh 097. Uh, I'd encourage you all to vote yes for it. Uh, >> we thank you for your service. >> Uh, and this this list is actually pretty terrific. It's just all of the volunteers that go the extra mile uh day

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in day out in order to not just serve but uh train and learn and protect uh all the members of our community. And it's uh it's an honor to be standing next to all the people that are on this list. >> Agreed.

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Is there a motion to approve resolution 2026-097? >> So moved. >> I'll second. Okay. >> See, Mr. El Peritz. >> Uh, yeah. I'm gonna abstain. >> Mr. Troy, >> an emphatic yes.

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>> Mrs. Ewald. >> Uh, yes. And a hearty thank you to all those members who served, put in so many hours. Wow. I was very impressed. Yes. >> Deputy Mayor McHugh. >> Yes. And thanks. >> And Mayor Roland. >> Yes. Heartfelt thanks to everyone. >> Motion passes.

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>> Thank you. >> Okay. Okay, I'd now like to open the second hearing of citizens. Same rules apply. Is there anyone online? >> No hands raised. >> Okay, no one in the building. So, we can close the second hearing of citizens.

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And now we will there a motion to move to executive session. >> And um it's worth noting um we should announce that this is like the first one that this one is also for contract negotiations. And unless I'm mistaken, we do not anticipate any action after the

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executive session. >> No. >> So, we need a motion in a second. >> Uh, I move. >> Yeah. >> I'll second. Beat me to the punch again. >> Um, Mr. Aleritz, >> yes. >> Mr. Troy, >> yes. >> Mrs. Ewald,

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>> yes. >> Deputy Mayor McHugh, >> yes. >> And Mayor Roland, >> yes. >> Motion passes. All right. >> Recording stopped.