Good evening and welcome to the township of Clark Council meeting. It's Monday, March 16th, 7:30 p.m. Roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff >> here. >> Council member Hund >> here. >> Council member Maserella, >> here. >> Council member Maniti,
>> here. Council member Okconor >> here. >> Council member Tol >> here. >> Council President Smith >> here. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the
republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. This meeting is in compliance with the open public meetings act as adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by mailing the annual schedule of
meetings to the star ledger the leader union county local source by posting such annual meeting schedule on the bulletin board and town hall reserved for such announcement. the official website of the township, hourclark.com, in compliance with public laws of 2025,
chapter 72, effective March 1st, 2026, and the proper filing of said notice. Formal action may be taken at this meeting. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh, if anybody's here for the board of ed meeting, it is being held at the IMC at ALJ High School. They
never changed the location for their meeting. So at this time we'll move to communications from the mayor and report of township officers. Mayor Albanesey's. >> Thank you Mr. President. Uh good evening everyone. I hope everyone has embraced
the mindset that the worst of winter is behind us and that um any possible snowfall will not last long. Uh we have had quite a bit of rainfall these past seven days and we do need the rain. However, uh I'm thankful it was not
snow. However, please be reminded that there's a severe weather alert um that started this afternoon till tomorrow morning at 4:00 a.m. and uh it includes the eastern part of Union, New Jersey, Union County, New Jersey, which Clark is
part of. And um you know, what can you expect with this? So, there might be winds up to 25 to 35 miles an hour. uh gusts up to 55 miles hour an hour and late tonight gusts of up to 60 miles per
hour. So if wires fall on your car, be careful if they're live wires. Um call for help. Don't get out of the car and then be aware of fallen trees and other things that might occur. Um as far as tonight's agenda, I just wanted to make
a couple of comments. Um tonight the first two ordinances one and two we're going to be adopting and uh that's 2610 and 2611 and this was due to the parking demand um on pop popular terrace and um we're
going to be adding the two-hour parking. We had residents from the neighborhood here who were very appreciative at the last meeting for what's being done. And uh I want to thank Mr. Rick for um he he also met with a property owner um a
private business that uh is going to be leasing additional spaces from friendly so that their employees can park there because that was a big part of the problem. There was no res room for residential parking because they were taking up the parking spaces during the
day. Um the next item is a new ordinance um that's being introduced and that's to form a formal department in our uh code of regulations regarding human resources and um so that uh we can comply with the
division of civil service requirements and additional positions are being listed as required and finally uh we'll have a human resources function ensuring compliance with state and federal employee laws.
Um the next item is a resolution regarding the budget. Uh we have reviewed the budget uh the administration and uh we presented it to the finance committee members and the chairman tonight Pat O' Conor, Councilman Pat O' Conor will provide a
summary of the budget and we hope uh from the administration point of view that the uh council will approve the budget tonight and we're working on a presentation for the public to go into further detail, but he'll he'll uh be commenting on some details about that.
Uh as far as consent agenda items, um we have an arrangement or we have a situation where there are certain uh homes in Scotch Plains that get w uh sewer service from Clark. So we've
finally have an intermunicipal agreement in place with Scotch Plains so that they will do all of the billing for those uh homeowners for their sewer service. And in addition, uh it'll make things a little bit easier if they can directly
bill the um those uh residences directly uh by having centralized billing with their own citizens. And also for us, it'll ensure that we get full payment because they'll be able to put a lean if people don't pay for the sewer, they can put a lean on those residents.
Um resolution six relates to uh paving projects for still paving. Um the per performance bond has been posted. Item seven uh is construction permit refund for $422 for cancellation of a a permit at
1785 Dakota Street. Resolution 8 um relates to the case against the township. uh we have uh appointed an attorney in accordance that's acceptable to our uh New Jersey
municipal self- insurance joint fund and the municipal excess liability gif fund as well so that uh we will get reimbursed uh for the appointment in the services provided by William F. Cookook Esquire of Brown Connory and Connory Limited uh
Liability Partnership. So, we hope that the council will approve that appointment. Resolution nine relates to um a redevelopment consultant, a financial redevelopment consultant that will be
assisting us with uh when needed for uh pilots that may come up, arrangements so we can have an analysis completed. Resolution 10 is um simply an emergency temporary resolution because this year the um Department of
Community Affairs had the law changed that 35% of the budget would be part of the temporary budget at the beginning of the year. But in April, we have to pay all of our liability for pensions for
PERS pension and PFRS pension payments. And that usually is since it's 100% uh 35% of paying the bill will not be acceptable. So that's what that resolution relates to. Next is a resolution for uh division of local government services.
Um we would like to have um our budget reviewed by uh DLGS for 2026 and we hope that the council approves that. Item 12 is sewer refunds. Um they're pretty clear. Uh 13 resolution resolution 13 is
sewer refunds for duplicate payments. Resolution 14 is for overp payment of taxes. And then resolution 15 relates to a tax appeal that's been going on for quite some time. We had a property uh 100 walnut. They had a tax appeal and
over the years from 2022 through 2026 I can give you the numbers if anyone needs that. uh we had increased the value of that property and uh in the courts uh we had to settle on agreement an agreement and reduce the assessments and um
fortunately we have sufficient reserves to um deal with that tax appeal. Resolution 16 um relates to um the public health program that we have um and um there's a
detailed report that was put together regarding all the work that the department of health has done uh in accordance with the requirements. And if you uh care to look at it, it has all the different information about all the
food and restaurants that they uh examine, complaints that are addressed, and other administrative services that were provided. And what's important to us as a township is that they perform all the activities that they need to. Uh they hosted multiple cholesterol
screenings, bone density screenings, summer safety outreach events. They did health education um to teach small children how to wash their hands properly um things of that nature. Uh they had education tables and presentations to promote preventative
health, seasonal safety and awareness of public health careers as well. And they also provided promotional materials and co coordinated with the Atlantic corporate health to manage the scheduling and service delivery of all these services. So, um there's a like I
said a whole report of all the details if anyone's interested and they've done a lot of work which is very helpful and uh that's a little summary of what can be anticipated tonight on the agenda. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Mayor Albanesey's council member Hoff. >> Thank you very much for the library board. Um, in February, the library was able to welcome a total of 7,524 visitors into the library with over 18,637
online visits. Upcoming events um following a very active March was they have the Raptors coming on March uh excuse me, on April 6th. There's magic tricks on April 7th. They're doing um a second part of America 250 for the um
celebration anniversary of the country. And this one is going to be April 8th uh regarding Alexander Hamilton. And a second part of America, a third part of America 250 is an evening with revolutionary poet um Ann Budwat
Stockton which is on April 27th. Uh lastly, the friends of the library is doing their book and costume jewelry sale um on uh sorry, friends of the library are doing the sale on a date to be determined and uh I think it's on Saturdays, but you can check the uh
Facebook page. It has been very active with all the things the library is doing. Ton of activities to celebrate the country and I encourage everyone to go there and check out all the amazing things that they're doing. That's all that I have. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Hund. >> Thank you, Council President. I have the
February to 2026 police uh police department recall report, excuse me. So, a total of 1,585 calls, 628 which came via 911 for services including but not limited
to 132 ambulance requests, 63 alarm calls, 49 fire department responses, 72 motor vehicle accidents, 15 shoplifting and thefts, and three fraud and identity thefts. There are a total of 14 adult arrests, including but not
limited to one for warrants, seven for shoplifting, one DUI, three domestic violence, and one aggravated assault. The Youth Aid Bureau handled a total of 13 cases, including but not limited to one for consumption of alcohol and three
for shoplifting. That concludes my report. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Maserella. >> Yes, thank you, Council President. This is my DPW report for this evening. Electronic drop off for this month will be March 28th from 9:00 am to 1 pm at
the DPW garage behind this building. Uh spring cleanup begins next week through April 26th. Please, ladies and gentlemen, leave a one-foot space curbside from the debris to the curb uh
to allow for rainwater to dissipate and run past uh freely. This helps also to keep our the debris from entering the catch basins. Please make a note of that. A bulky pickup has started for
this year, whether will start this year, weather permitting. Place your items curbside separate from your household garbage. Um, please check www.ourclark.com for a list of acceptable items.
Appliance pickup appointment required the week before your scheduled pickup date. Please make your appointments to www.ourclark.com at ourclark.com
um and click on online services and refrigerators and freezers must have the doors removed by law before putting them out. DPW has started to repair potholes
after a really rough winter. Um so far 22 tons of hot patch and four tons of cold patch. It's a lot. um filling almost 100 requests already. Um
DPD DPW um has an an area uh for used motor oil uh to drop off at the site. Please do not leave your containers.
DPW is asking all to remove the basketball nets um from the roadway and that makes sweeping um and cleaning the roads more efficient and better. Wards one, two, and four are pretty much already
completed with that request. So please, if there's a net out there, please remove it. DPW has been making available outside the gate still 16inch wood for free for the taking. If the bin
is empty, we will replace it as it becomes available. Please no log splitter splitters or chainsaws. Um so email dpwourclark.com or call 732-428
um what was it? 8402 for more information or www.ourclock.com for schedule of the pickup and services that we have. That's the extent of my report. >> Thank you, Council Member Minity.
Uh thank you, Council President. In the month of February, the Clark Fire Department responded to 52 calls, bringing the total for the year to 93. Incidents include, but are not limited to, two for fire related, two for rescue and EMS, two for hazardous conditions,
two for service and good intent calls, 28 related to false alarms, and seven special incidents. On February 22nd, 2026 through February 24th, 2026, the Clark Fire Department was put on a snow standby. A total of 22 members
participated in the 40hour storm standby period. This included seven officers, three acting officers, and 12 firefighters. Overall, 530 personnel hours were committed during this standby with seven me with seven members
remaining on duty for the entire 40hour plus period. I would like to thank all the members of the Clark Fire Department for their dedication, not only during this standby period, but to the countless hours they continually keep our residents safe. Their commitment, professionalism, and willingness to
serve our community is always greatly appreciated. My full report is available in the clerk's office. And this will conclude my report. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. >> Thank you very much. From the finance committee, as you heard, we will be introducing the uh 2026 budget. I will
make my comments at that time. And from the Clark Volunteer Emergency Squad, the squad has ordered a new powerlift stretcher for their second ambulance awaiting arrival and installment in March. and the squad purchased updated iPads with better internet accessibility for charting in the field. Their call
volume is as follows. February had 117 calls with four mutual aid calls. This does not include any calls that they were dispatched on and cancelled. Total hours responding to calls is approximately 754 manh hours. This does not include any hours and members are on duty but not on calls. Year-to- date
call volume is 230. With regarding to membership, they're accepting applications for those 18 years and older. free CPR training, driving and EMT training. Um, they're now holding interviews the fourth Tuesday of every month. If you're interested, please uh complete an application.
Um, anyone interested can email the squad at www.ourclark.com. I'm sorry, ourclock.org or membership at clarkkems.org. Servicing the community. The squad hosted two bone uh two blood drives in February and this is respectfully
submitted by Lori Sheldon, the trustee. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Tol. >> Thank you, Mr. President. From the Environmental Committee Commission, from Mark Hayden, the chair of the committee, the following on this Wednesday, March
the 18th, at 7 p.m. in the history room or room 30 in Brewer Municipal Building, the committee will get together for the annual April meeting. anybody interested in coming in and being it's open to the public. We welcome those who have to bring something about the environment and making Clark a clean green
community. The also the environmental commission is announcing that the annual Rowway River Cleanup, Rowway River Cleanup, the northern portion of Clark where the Rowway River goes to Jackson's Falls on Valley Road, will have their annual cleanup from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00
p.m. on Saturday, September, April, April the 25th, 2026. Refreshments will be served and gloves and stuff. They ask you to mark and wear appropriate clothing. Joe Zebo handles this function and it's been doing a great job for all these years. We ask you if you have some
free time. I know with uh kids events, you're at your children's events. If you can give it back a little bit to mother nature, the biggest target is this stuff, the recyclables that should be in a bin, they get blown over and they get washed down into the waterways. And that's why we need your help to come out, spend a little time. They go from
the J they're meeting at the Winfield Park Dam and then they meet there and they get a a lecture about how to work with the environment, where to go and they take tours down along the Rowway River up to Jackson's Falls. That's Earth Day, folks. So, if you're able to come out and join us, there'll be other
festivities over in Roway. Rowway has their own Rowway River park cleanup group, but we're in Clark and we like to help Winfield to Clark and help the northern portion of the town and the environmental there. With that said and done, Mr. President, that's all I've got for this evening. Thank you.
>> Hey, thank you from the uh pool and recreation department. Ralph Bernardo wanted me to let the residents know that registration for the Clark Community Pool as well as the summer recck camp uh is available online or in person. Uh if you have any questions, you could always
stop down at the recreation department. Also, all spring classes and programs are available online as well. And lastly, Saturday, March 28th is the annual Easter egg hunt from 12 to 2 pm. Uh there's a lot to do. There's pictures
with Easter Bunny, raffle prizes, etc. Again, if you have any questions, contact Ralph at 732-4288400. And that's all I have this evening from the wreck and pool. All right, we'll move on to ordinances, appropriations, and claims and the public hearing on proposed ordinances.
>> Thank you, Mr. President. For the record, no objections have been received in connection with the proposed ordinances. Ordinance 26-10 is an ordinance amending section 347-23 titled parking time limited of the code of the township of Clark County of
Union, state of New Jersey to establish 2hour parking on portions of Popular Terrace. >> Okay. At this time, I will open the meeting of for the public hearing on this ordinance and this ordinance only. If anyone would like to come forward, please state your name and the town you
reside in. And you'll have 5 minutes or duration. Okay, seeing nobody, then I make a motion to close the public hearing. >> Thank you, Council Member Maserella. Second. >> Thank you, Council Member Hun. All in favor? >> Any opposed? >> Okay. At this time, I need a motion to
adopt the ordinance. >> Like to move that, please. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. Can I get a second? >> Second. Thank you, Council Member Tol. Uh, any discussion? Anyone have any questions? >> I just want to say a couple things. So, one and two, as the mayor talked about. So, one talks about two-hour parking, and that's the top part of Popppler
where the businesses are. Okay. And then ordinance two is residential parking, and that's where the residents are. But, um, as you did as you know from the last meeting, the residents came that talked about it, and one of the issues was 1150 Ritton Road. Um, they had not enough
spaces for employees to park. So, you're parking on the side street. But what we've now learned is uh they've now leased some parking spaces from friendlies. So this will alleviate some of the issues they were having on the street. So again, thank you to the residents. I'm glad we can get this
quickly resolved for you guys. So um I appreciate the support. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. Does anyone else have anything to add? Jim, do you have anything to add? I know. Okay. Thank you. >> All right. Roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff. >> Yes. >> Council member Hund. >> Yes.
>> Council member Maserella. Yes. >> Council member Maniti. >> Yes. >> Council member Okconor. >> Yes. >> Council member Tol. >> Yes. >> Council President Smith. >> Yes. >> Ordinance adopted. Next is ordinance 26-11, an ordinance
amending section 347-51 titled designation of restricted streets of the code of the township of Clark, County of Union, state of New Jersey to establish residentonly parking on portions of Popular Terrace. >> Okay. At this time, I will open a meeting for the public hearing on this
ordinance and this ordinance only. If you'd like to come forward, please state your name and town you reside in. You'll have 5 minutes in duration. Okay, seeing nobody, I like a motion to close the public hearing. >> Thank you, Council Member Hun. Can I get a second? >> Thank you, Council Member Hoff. All in
favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Okay. I need a motion to adopt the ordinance. >> That please. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. Can I get a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Council Member Tol. Anyone else have anything else to add to this? You're good, Pat. Jim, you have anything
to add? was basically summed up. I >> think we discussed it um enough. >> All right. Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hund, >> yes. >> Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Maniti, >> yes.
>> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. >> Council President Smith, >> yes. >> Ordinance adopted. >> Okay. When you're ready, we can move to introduction of proposed ordinances. We have one ordinance for introduction
26-12, an ordinance establishing the Division of Human Resources within the Department of Administration by amending section 3-24 titled Department of Administration to add a new subsection 3-24B5
titled Division of Human Resources. >> Okay, thank you. Can I get a motion? >> Thank you, Council Member Maniti. And can I get a second? >> Thank you, Council Member Hun. Any discussion? Anyone? Jim, do you have anything? And
the mayor summed up most of it. >> If your mayor summed it up, I mean, this is just creating the um the department within uh administration for human resources. >> Thank you. Uh roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hund, >> yes.
>> Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Manetti, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. Council President Smith. >> Yes. >> Public hearing on this ordinance will be April 6th. >> I will move to payment of claims.
Councilman Okconor. >> Thank you. I have reviewed the bills encumbered through March 11th, 2026 totaling 331,248.17. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. Okay. Now, we're going to move to the citizens hearing on the agenda. I'll open the meeting to the
public. The public comment portion of the meeting is to allow the public to bring to the council's attention their concerns or comments in accordance with NJSA 10 colon 4-12A and the code of a township of Clark. Each person addressing the council shall give their
name and a town in which they reside to the clerk. All remarks shall be addressed to the council as a body and shall not exceed five minutes in duration. At the conclusion of the statements or questions for a member of the public, the council president at his or her discretion may choose to respond or not respond. So if anyone would like
to come forward on agenda items only, please do so. Just a reminder, state your name and town and you have five minutes or duration. >> Hello, John Greavves from Clark. Um, I just had a question about the budget. Um, the basic thing that I want to know
is is it possible that we can get a like a PowerPoint presentation of the budget that breaks down in a little bit more detail where the money's going, you know, with some charts. Doesn't have to be anything crazy, just like maybe a five or 10 minute kind of spiel about where things are going because, you
know, I I spend some time looking into this stuff and, you know, I know the new budget just kind of came out today, so I haven't had time to look at it, but it's hard to digest and understand sometimes for me and I I spend a lot of time here. Um, I think for the average resident, it's difficult to understand it as well. And, uh, I think everyone would really
appreciate being able to have a better understanding of where the money's going. And I just want to see if you guys might put that together. Thanks. >> Thank you, Mr. Greavves. >> Any else like to come forward? Uh motion to close this portion. Thank you, council member Tol and second.
>> Thank you, council member Huff. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> Regarding the budget, mayor, we planning on doing a presentation on TV36. >> Yes. I thought I mentioned that we're going to be working on a presentation. First of all, in the process of the budget, so what happens is first the
council has to approve it. Then once it's approved, we'll have a hearing on April 20th. Prior to that time, we'll have a presentation on what's what the updates are on the budget. But I know that working with Councilman Okconor, he's going to also come up with some details tonight, which will give some insight into what people are going to
see once that's posted on the on the website. >> So, and um yeah, if there's any other additional questions, they can contact me as well. >> 7323190234. >> Great. Thank you. Okay, move on to resolutions.
>> First resolution is the introduction of the 2026 municipal budget. And I will read the resolution into the record. This is a summary of current fund section of the approved budget. General appropriations appropriations within
caps for municipal purposes 23,863,774.96. Appropriations excluded from caps for municipal purposes 7,54,729.94. Uh total general appropriations excluded from caps 7,54,729.94.
Reserve for uncollected taxes $1,100,000. Total general appropriations 32,468,54.90. Less anticipated revenues other than current property tax 9,64,7243. The difference the amount to be raised
by taxes for supported municipal budget for the local tax for municipal purposes including reserve for uncollected taxes 21,493,25747 and the minimum library tax is 1,371,175. >> Thank you. Can I get a motion? >> Like to do that, please.
>> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. I get a second. I'll second it. >> Thank you, Council Member Maniti. Uh, any discussion? Go ahead. >> Yeah, I'd like to um >> Sure. >> give a little overview if you wouldn't mind. >> So, tonight, as chairman of the finance committee, we are introducing the 2026
municipal budget and would like to focus specifically on the major changes from the 2025 budget and the reasons behind them. This year's budget reflects a careful balance between rising fixed costs, responsible staffing levels, and continued efforts to control discretionary spending. While there are
areas where increases were unavoidable, there are also meaningful reductions and cost controls that help offset those pressures. The most significant increase in the 2026 budget is in health benefits, which rose by approximately 1.125 million for the municipality and
totaling $1.5 million when you include the soore authority and library. This increase is driven by higher medical and prescription claims experience and renewal rates that are largely outside of the municipal control. Despite ongoing efforts to manage plan design
and encourage cost savings measures, health benefits continue to be one of the fastest growing areas of the budget, not only for us, but the state in general. And Jim, if you want to jump on that later on, you can. Public safety remains a core priority. Police salaries and wages increased by
approximately $440,000, reflecting contractual obligations, step movement, and staffing stability. At the same time, police operating expenses were reduced by over 200 I'm sorry, $25,000, demonstrating continued attention to non- salary costs. In
addition, 911 operations increased significantly, including a 292,000 increase in other expenses, reflecting the need to move to nextgen dispatching equipment. The fire department had a $50,000 increase in operating expenses larly largely tied to equipment training
and readiness needs. These investments ensure the emergency services remain reliable and responsive. Several departments experienced salary decreases due to vacancies, restructuring or shared responsibilities. Notably, the clerk's office where we had one
additional clerk um due to retirement. um finance, code enforcement, recreation, building and grounds all show net reductions in salary and wage costs. These reductions reflect efficiencies achieved through staffing adjustments rather than service cuts. The budget also reflects significant
savings to insurance and bonding with a reduction of approximately $532,000 largely due to favorable renewals and risk management efforts. Additionally, recycling expenses decreased by $265,000, reflecting contract changes for a full year, and the contract was effective
July 1st. Debt service continues to trend downward. Interest on bonds and notes decreased by over $66,000, and capital related payments were reduced where possible. These reductions reflect prudent borrowing practices and long-term financial planning. Grant-f funded capital activity is lower in
2026, resulting in reduced budget expenditures. This includes decreases in several large capital and infrastructure grants such as police and fire capital improvements, NJ DOT roadway projects, and historic preservation funding. These changes do not represent lost
opportunities, but rather the timing of multi-year grant cycles. Other notable increases include street lighting up $100,000 due to rising energy costs. Library funding increased by $70,51 consistent with statutory and service
and shared service obligations. Social Security and pension costs reflecting payroll changes and statemandated contribution rates. Importantly, many discretionary line items were flat or reduced, including communications expenses, professional services, and several departments, fuel costs, and
general operating supplies. For 2026, the municipal portion of the tax levy will result in an increase of $1844 for every $100,000 of assessed value. Assessed value is a value assigned to a property by the
township for taxation purposes and may differ from a home's market value. It is used solely to calculate each property share of the tax levy. For the average home in the township, which is assessed at approximately $527,000,
this translates to an annual municipal tax increase of about $97.13. This increase reflects the cost of maintaining essential municipal services while continuing to manage expenses responsibly and minimizing the impact on taxpayers. In summary, the 2026 budget
addresses unavoidable cost increases, particularly in health benefits and public safety, reduces or holds flat many operating expenses, lowers insurance and debt related costs, reflects responsible staffing and long-term financial planning. This budget maintains core services, supports
public safety, and positions the township to remain fiscally stable while navigating continued economic pressures. I would like to thank the mayor, council, department heads, and finance staff for their collaboration and discipline throughout this process. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Jim, do you have anything you want to add? It was a good summary by Councilman Okconor. >> Excellent summary. I mean, the one thing I do want to highlight is, as um the councilman said is our cost for health insurance and you know, this year was up
36.5%. They're estimating next year it could be approaching an additional 50%. Um there's a lot of instability in the state health benefit plan. Um one of the things that they're addressing is uh
quote unquote a death spiral as it becomes more and more expensive. the municipalities that can get out of the plan. Meaning that the amount that they pay into the plan is, you know, about the same or uh less than the amount of
money that they take, I mean about the same or more than the money that they take out. So there's a positive cash flow. Uh right now we have a loss experience ratio of about 1.1 and you know since it's 1.1 it's real hard to get out of the um state health
benefits plan. So what ends up happening is the you know municipalities that are losing money for the plan are the ones who are left in the plan at the end. So that's one of the things that you know we just need to be uh cognizant of going
forward. That is a a big it's going to be a big issue for the state health benefit plan unless some structural changes are made in Trenton and they need to have the political will to uh make those structural changes. Thank you. Does anyone else have
anything to add? All right. Roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hund, >> yes. >> Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Maniti, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. >> Council President Smith,
>> yes. >> Public hearing on the budget will be April 20th. >> Okay. Now, we're going to move on to consent agenda resolutions. The following items are considered routine and non-controversial items by the township council and will be enacted upon by one motion. There'll be no
separate vote on these items unless the council member so request in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and be discussed and voted on following approval. Remaining items listed on the consent agenda. Madame clerk, >> Mr. President, I think the mayor did a
great job again explaining everything. Would you still like me to read it or should we just move and >> No, we could move on to adopt of the consent agenda. So, can I get a motion? >> Thank you, Council Member Tol. Can I get a second? >> Second. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. Roll
call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hund, >> yes. >> Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Minetti, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. Council President Smith. >> Yes. So, any new business on the
calendar? >> There is no new business. >> Thank you. All right. Now, we're going to move to public comments. I'll open the meeting to the public. Public comment portion of the meeting is to allow the public to bring to the council's attention their concerns or comments in accordance with NJSI 104-12
parentheses A and the code of the township of clerk. Each person addressing the council shall give their name and the town in which they reside to the clerk. All remarks shall be addressed to the council as a body and shall not exceed five minutes or duration. At the conclusion of the statements or questions from a member of
the public, the council president at his or her discretion may choose to respond or not respond. So at this time the floor is open to the public. Please state your name. You have five minutes or duration. Hello again. Uh, John Graves from Clark. Uh, I just wanted to bring up again the
thing that I brought up last meeting which was um having some type of setup where people could join in the meeting from home and participate. So maybe they could give comments so that people can come when they don't necessarily, you know, have child care or they have some other things going on. Um, and you know,
it also takes maybe the full hour or so of the meeting and they don't necessarily have that time. And last meeting, um, you know, the mayor and I think a few of you mentioned, you know, that you're available and you can call you guys and and that's very good, but I think that it's also important to have a
public dialogue. So if I have an issue that just pertains to my house or one's particular thing in my, you know, that's personal to me, I think that's great that I can ask a personal have a private conversation with one of you guys and that's excellent. But I think it's important that the community is able to
see if there's an issue that might maybe affects more than one person and they can say, "Hey, you know what? I I have that same problem, too. Um, I'd really appreciate it um if someone would do something about that." And I think that, like I said, a public dialogue is important. So I wanted to make sure that
we are looking forward to possibly you know catching up with modern technology and having you know a digital way to attend the meetings and participate. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Jillia Collins Clark. I publicly wanted to thank the Clark PD, their
dispatchers, officers involved in the returning of the uh found lost pup at Clark Commons. They did a lot of background work. They did a lot of I came to see the pup at the at the
dispatcher and I've seen them out walking the pup, which was great. Um, I also want to bring up the importance of microchipping. Uh some towns do offer that at the time
of the rabies clinic and I was hoping that the um Clark Health Department, the Clark council um have some thoughts about maybe bringing in a for a nominal fee
a veterinarian or health professional in the veterinarian field to possibly do an insertion of the microchipping at one of our rabies clinics for a nominal fee. I spoke to David at the health department
and he was thinking that it might be a good idea to have this offered. At one time there was a rescue group from South Jersey that did come out and did
microchipping uh with um for PE pit bulls at a nominal fee. Also, I'm going to try and see if there's any way that Merc since they're our neighbor in Raw and they're the
manufacturer of Home Again, the one of the world's well New Jersey, United States biggest supplier of microchips. We do have um some rescue people in the town that do have experience with
microchipping. I just wanted to put it out there that it might be a consideration that the town would offer this service and have a happy ending to like Coco did. Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> Okay, seeing no one else, I'd like a motion to close this portion of the meeting. >> Thank you, Council Member Tol. Can I get a second? >> Second that. >> Thank you, Council Member Hun. All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> All right, we're going to move to Mayor Council and professional uh comments.
Mayor Albanese. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um at our previous meeting, I mentioned that we have two dates where we'll be meeting with citizens to discuss the um PIS1 form, which relates to the senior tax freeze and state New Jersey. first
program will be on April 2nd at um in the cafeteria in the recreation center at 1:30m on Thursday, April 2nd. That's the first Thursday of the month. And then also in this um meeting location on
April 16th at 7 p.m. we'll be um talking to citizens about any questions they have. There were some programs that the state ran and there might be some changes in the program that the governor's um working on. We'll see what happens. That might apply to 2027. I'm
not sure if it'll affect 2026 um which the forms were filed last year for that program. So, um please make a note of that. Um, this year is the 60th anniversary of our library and they are
working on a special event in the fall in October closer to the anniversary date of the library. So, look for news on that. Um, I'm really appreciate some of the programs that the library is doing, especially with the 250th anniversary of our country. Uh, I did uh
see the Betsy Ross uh reenactment. It was very interesting. And um we also have some of those recordings and there was a recording made that evening and you can see that on um our TV station ourclark.com on those library videos.
Want to thank again President um NickQatari came out to see the Vector truck that we uh finally received and we're putting to good use. We took a photo with him. So, it was um once again, we really thank him for his support in getting that grant. I also
want to thank the council. They met on March 13th to go over all the resolutions needed to finalize our affordable housing plan in addition to um approving a grant that Jim had been working on day and night to meet the deadline. So, and and that had to be
filed by that date as well. So, thank you for very much for that. Um, I think that pretty much covers everything as far as the budget. Um, just one overall comment on that and let
me see if I have my I have my sheet here. I'll talk about it. If not, I I can cover it uh in the future meetings. But basically just want to say that the total budget is for the township is 32,468
$54.90. So 30% of that is funded through other sources of revenue. So we're always looking for other sources of revenue, whether it's pilots, other things, license fees. Uh we're getting a a very good improved interest rate this past
year on our money that's held at the bank. So 66% of the budget relates to taxes that are passed on. But as was stated in uh Councilman Okconor's report really there were a lot of ups and downs
that occurred but the biggest um issue is related to what uh our BA Jim Olrich mentioned. We have a significant increase in health care costs as a result. Most most employees didn't even get a raise because of the
uh they also participate in the payments of those health care costs and um so far it's not a rosy picture. Fortunately, our pension costs were flat and that's usually a fairly large expense each year. So um as I said I will be
preparing a presentation. I don't know if we'll record that separately or cover it at the first meeting in April. Um, since we're having a regular meeting, uh, I'll think about that. And, um, yes, as as the clerk mentioned, our hearing will be on April 20th and the data will
be available to the citizens. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Huff. >> Thank you, Council President. I wanted to say thank you to the mayor and the businesses and the business administrator for um their huge efforts um in spite of the astronomical rising
costs of the benefits, etc. to deliver such a budget. It was my first time on the committee and they made it very easy to understand. So, I'm very grateful for that. Um, I just think it was an astounding effort. Uh, and I commend them all and I want to just offer my congratulations to the schools, the staff, the students, and the families
who participated in the plays. I've heard nothing but great things and uh, maybe there's another little star in there. So, it was very nice. That's all I have. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Hunt. >> Thank you, Council President. I also want to say thank you to the finance
department, to Jim and and the mayor for their time of working on the budget. Came out extremely good. And uh as always to our police department, thank you for your hard work and stay safe. >> Thank you, Council Member Maserella.
>> Yes, just a quick message to the residents. Um uh as I mentioned earlier about our potholes, ladies and gentlemen, all communities uh around are inundated with potholes. Um and as I
said, because of the harsh winter we had. Um please understand that our forces, our DPW personnel are doing everything they can to remediate as much pos uh potholes
as they can. Please be patient if there are still some. And if you see some, please call it in um or go online uh to uh point out the location of those pos potholes. We will take care of them.
And I'd like to uh again thank the DPW uh staff for being so diligent on what they have done so far with the potholes. Thank you very much. Until next month, be safe. Bye-bye. Council member Mindy. >> Uh thank you, Council President. Um
spring sports are back at ALJ. Um they're coming up soon. So um go on to the Crusader uh website, johnson crusaders.org, and come out and support uh support all our spring athletes um baseball, softball, etc. Um again, not
to reiterate, but want to thank the BA, the mayor, the finance committee, and finance departments for their hard work on the budget. And tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. Everybody is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. I hope you have a great time. Be safe and don't forget to wear green. Um, have a great night.
>> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. >> Thank you very much. Um, I spoke a lot tonight, so I'll just end the meeting by saying happy St. Patrick's Day and I'll see you on uh what is it? April 6th. >> Thank you. >> Council member Tol. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um, one thing
I've been doing the last couple years is constituent service request or constituent service visits. I'm not a big phone guy, but that's the technology of 21st century 2026. I like to go out and say hello, talk oneonone when you have an issue. When you have an issue,
you can text me, whatever. I'm going to go to your house and knock on the door and say, "Hi, you called. How can I help you? How what can we do for you?" This past weekend, I had a resident on Fan Street. We're going to get that issue resolved. It's not a big one, but the plow damaged the curb, and we're going to get the curb fixed. When? I'm not
sure yet, but let me get the to the proper channels in the township to handle the request. The other issue being a resident uh has something on Bartell. They wanted to see what can they do with the no park, the permit parking. So, we're going to work with them to see what the solution is. And
the way it goes, it goes from you to us to the administration and the mayor, and it goes into the various departments to make it enact it and get it done. It's called full communication and I call it constituent service day. And on Sunday after the church hours, I take a ride and I go out and I check my ward, see
what's going on the fourth ward. What's happening? Is there something I'm not seeing that they see every day because they live there. So we go out to make sure everything's going fine and that you're getting your tax dollars worth and you're living in a fine, safe community. With that said, tomorrow is St. Patty's Day. That's why I'm wearing
the green tie. Folks, please be safe. Remember your Irish roots. No drinking and driving. You can walk. You can get the corn beef. You can do whatever you want, but just remember you're Irish and American and God bless. Thank you, Mr. President. That's all I got. Mayor, thank you for everything. Bye. >> Thank you, Madam Clerk. Do you have
anything to add? >> I just would like to remind the residents that the law uh regarding publication has changed on March 1st. And if you're looking for our legal ads, go to www.ourclark.com and right on the top of the homepage,
you'll see uh legal notices. you can click on there and you'll find all our legal notices. I also want to thank the leader for years of publishing and they still send a reporter and I appreciate that because the other newspapers are
not here. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Uh, Director Grady, do you have anything or Captain Lot, do you have anything? Okay. Jim, do you have anything else you want to add? >> I do not. >> Okay. Council, you have anything? >> No report, Mr. President. >> All right. Thank you. Uh, one last
thing, being I'm the liazison to the recck department, uh, the good news regarding the summer rec camp is the fees are going to remain the same as last year. So, I want to thank uh, the BA, mayor, and Councilman Okconor when they were going through the budget that they were able to keep uh, the rates the
same this year. So, I'm sure the parents and the kids will all enjoy that as usual. And I have nothing further to add. So, motion to close. >> Thank you, Councilman Tol. Second. >> Second. >> Council member Okconor. Thank you. All in favor? >> Any opposed? Okay. Thank you. See you in
a few weeks.