All right. I think that's meeting to order. Please rise one indivisice for all. This meeting is called pursuance to the provision of the open public meeting
law. This meeting of May 12, 2025 is included in the list of meetings notice since the current news on January 6, 2025 posted on the bullet board of call on that date and remain continuously posted as required in addition copy is and has been available to the public and
finally clerk here. Councilwoman here. Councilwoman here. Councilman Le here. Council Vice President Long here. And council president here. And mayor here. We don't
have a presentation tonight. Um we don't have u much of a report. Um agenda is kind of light. We are going to have a very small executive session just to get caught up on all things um development
and um I'm trying to think if there is anything I need to tell all of you but I don't think there is. Um I think we're all squared away. I do all this to go back to myself. Um council member report
um council vice president long. Sure. All right. I got a few things tonight. Okay. So, um, OEM report. The Office of Emergency Management continues to urge residents to sign up for the burough's new emergency alert system by visiting the website and click on the alerts tab.
While not taking place in the burrow, the search team will be deployed to Raven Township this Sunday, the 18th to assist with the FRSD color. Residents traveling near JP Case Middle School where East corner Case Boulevard and Woodside Lane between 9 and 11 a.m. are advised to use caution as there will be
many runners and participants in the area. The Fington Memorial Day parade is scheduled for Monday, May 26th. Townwide road closures will begin at 9:30 a.m. with full reopening expected no later than 1 p.m. Rows will reopen in stages following the end of the parade and during the ceremony at the monument.
residents or business owners needing special access or parking accommodations to contact the Flemington Police Department at 90872-3434 before the parade begins. Anyone with questions or groups wish uh or groups that wish to participate parade, they should contact PL BFW at
9087828397. police. Um, oh, also as in the sides of the parade, um, if either council members or mayor did not receive an invite from the organizer on that, um, let me know because mine was in the spam folder. So, check your spam folder. Check your spam.
It should be, uh, it'd be coming from, uh, Katie Finch. Please report uh, April numbers are in. 36 criminal investigations. 11 arrests were made. Uh in the month of April, there were a total of 17 motor vehicle crashes investigated. Out of these,
three involved commercial vehicles with no uh injuries reported. The police department has continued its proactive response to speeding complaints throughout the town. Patrol officers have been conducting additional stationary radar posts and performing speed surveys on various streets. In April, they conducted 19 surveys
learning a total of 3,820 vehicles. Of those observed, seven vehicles were stopped for speeding and 40 drivers received summones. April 3rd, 2025, the Flemington Police Department hosted a bingo game at Army Cap. April 26th, the TW uh the police department participated in operation take back department took
in 24 pounds of medication. On April 26, Sergeant Rivic of the Flemington uh police department with along with Safe Harbor located three main street collecting gently used toys and food items for families in need. On May 6th from 4 to 7 PM, the Flemington Police
Department hosted the Happy Meal with a cop at the McDonald's on Rael Avenue. Police related handouts for children that attended. Um, and then let's see. Uh oh, our mind. The police department is proud to partner with the Flemington Office of
Emergency Management, Flemington Fire Department, Flemington Baron Rescue Squad, Flemington Department of Public Works, and Hunter County Office of Emergency Management to bring our community together on June 14th for public safety day. That's going to be held at the shops on Fleming. That's uh the shops at Flemington on September.
Uh time time I forgot, right? for that time. What time do we have for the uh uh public safety day? Public safety day is 11 a.m. to 400 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thank you. I don't know why I had
on September 20th. Uh looking forward, the police department will be partnering with Hunter Health and other local organizations to conduct a mock traffic stop designed for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, ASD, as well as the general public. This event aims to pro uh raise awareness and promote
understanding between law enforcement and individuals with ASD, providing a safe and educational environment to navigate potential traffic stop scenarios. Additional details will be shared as the event date approaches. So stay tuned for more information. The police department has continued its
proactive response. Oh, I read that already. Sorry. Station construction update. Most of the materials required to complete the work are now on site. The electrician still has a few tasks to finish and the burrow's rough inspection needs to be scheduled and completed. Once that's done, they'll move on up on
the closing of the walls, installing the pump system, and completing the finished work. Now, it's target completion date uh has been set and that will be for July 17th. And finally, uh LYSM society, that's that first lecture uh in a series
that's going to be held here on May 22nd. Uh music starts at 7 uh 6:30 and and the event actually takes place at 7:00. Uh I'll be talking a little bit of the history of this place, the Lysum movement in itself and what's possible when a community connects. This will be
a casual experience and I'm looking forward to any discussion that may come from it. I've had a fair amount of people offer assistance and it looks like I do have at least as of tonight three other lectures lined up, but I still need volunteers. Um, I will need more volunteers to do the lectures,
music, and to serve as guests. Um, and like I said, I'm talking to some people, still ironing out some details, but always in need. So, if you'd like to be a guest or know somebody who would, let me know. And if you can donate some light, snacks, water, or treats, that would be greatly appreciated. And that
is my report. Thank you. Uh, Catherine Baras. Um um not really much to report other than I know the uh the plumbing castle had the mother day Mother's Day event on May 10th. I couldn't attend. Uh of
course I did have to work. Um and that's about all because I really don't know much about it. Um and happy Mother's Day as well. Like Mother's Day to everybody. And yeah, that's my report. Um, I have a favor to ask um of you to bring back to the
castle people, museum people. Um, the county is planning this very robust uh 250th celebration kicking off in September and I have no special events from Blooming Castle and um I'm
sharing it with 55 historical partners. They they get our minutes. They're invited to every meeting. They usually send a board member, but our calendar is going to get published. It's going to be available hopefully by the fair. And we're trying to get as many events
scheduled and on the calendar that don't conf and we're trying to make it so they don't conflict. So everybody can go to anything they want to go to and not have to pick. So, other than their monthly tours, which are on the calendar, um I don't know how to light a fire
because we've been talking about this for two years already. And Samuel Fleming House is one of the few open to the public legitimate was here in 1776 buildings in the county. So, it's really important.
So, I'd appreciate it if you try to light a fire and get them to communicate with me and check our calendar, our master calendar to make sure that the dates they pick are completely clear of other people's events for the organization. Marca, um, you you asked
me to uh check my notes from last year's minutes, and I did find the the date in my in my notes. So, I I'm and I'm sorry I didn't get that to you before I had to bug out of town, but I will send that to you. And Brandon I found the the date of
the um of the event that they had planned at least in the notes from the meeting minutes for Sam Fleming. So, they did plan a date. Maybe they forgot that they planned a date. Um so, I I don't quite know why they didn't have that on their calendar, but I will send
that information to you guys both. I found it in my notes from last night from last year. I just need to check the master calendar and make sure that there are now uh almost 50 lectures already planned and uh 34 events and dozens more in the
works by the partners. Um I think there's at least 25 more events and at least 30 more lectures being planned and so I I just need to check that the calendar's now getting very full. So yeah, like I said, I I know that they put it on their in their minutes because
I found it in my notes. So they did have it on their calendar at one point. So I'm not sure why they didn't get that information to you. I know they did it on plan, but she didn't have a date when I spoke with They did have a date. Okay. At least in my notes, in my notes, there weren't and maybe it didn't transfer to
their meeting minutes as my guess. Well, while you're up, you go next. And you know what? I don't have much and I'm I'm going to keep mine short since I'm since I remove it's a little challenging but um we did get the monthly and I have sorry I have to take my glasses off to read this um the our
monthly uh animal control report. So we had um a short-haired cat and um a dog but the one of one of the two um intakes was not Flemington again and Carla was nice enough to remind them of that. So
just when their contract comes up, we just need to make sure that they're not taking these extra, you know, addresses that aren't in the burrow into account. And um I'll just leave it at that and save my other um reports for for next
month being a little challenged tonight. They charge us by the animal. So if they're No, they don't. It's a yearly contract. But if for some reason they're like, "Okay, well, we had, you know, five more than we had last year." We they really didn't because every single month they seem to have an extra they
have an address that's not the burrow. So as long as we're not being you know as long as they don't use that as an excuse to increase the contract then um you know it's fine. We just need to keep an eye on that. Google Maps because that's how I found
it. It's in the burrow. Oh you know and you just reminded me because you're also um co enforcement and property maintenance. uh is to bring up the issue we're having now with uh outdoor dining. Yeah. Um I uh I actually sent um the
ordinance to um uh Dave uh and I spoke about that last Wednesday right before I left. And I sent the ordinance to him that we had done in 2020 and I know that Pat was concerned about that as well.
Um, and so I asked them to review it and get back to me as to what their opinion was. Um, and actually Dave called me while I was driving somewhere in Georgia today. Um, but we missed each other's call, so he said he'd talk to me about it tomorrow. That ordinance allows and
provides for outdoor dining in every zone in the burough. And that's that's how I read it. But I told them, look, you guys are the inter. That's how our attorney reads it. Yes. and and that's how I read it, too. So, um but but again, I'm giving them the
benefit of doubt and saying, "Hey, by the way, here's the ordinance that they couldn't find originally." And uh I asked them to read it over and give us their opinion. If they think differently, I I would I I would be surprised. It's pretty clear. So, Susan,
it's not Dave, it's Pat. I understand that. It was Dave that called me about it. Hold on. So what I did is I sent it over to Chris Orsini last week and asked Chris to look at it because Dave Giuliani called me and said we've got a problem etc etc. So I passed it on.
Chris did not see anything that was uh prohibiting. And so I went back to Dave Giuliani and asked him I don't understand what the issue is. So I don't either. I really don't. I sent it to both Pat and Dave. Okay. But for some reason I think the issue is not with
Dave. I think it's with Pat. It definitely is with Pat. I agree with you. But I don't know why the reason why Dave reached out to me as opposed to Pat is because Pat approached Dave and said, "Hey, you're the code enforcement
officer. You need to um uh enforce this." Um, and it was after it was brought to Pat looked it up after he got some sort of application and I said, I don't think Pat's looking in the right um, ordinance because, you know,
we found it very quickly. I don't I don't see why there's a problem. So, for whatever it is, Dave needs to reel Pat in and let him know. Exactly. Which is why I sent it to both of them and I said, "Both of you need to look at this, but Pat's the one that interprets it."
if Pat is interpreting it differently than how the planning board and the council, you know, um, uh, executed that ordinance five years ago, then we need to sit down with Pat and say, "Hey, wh why are you interpreting this differently? Are lawyers interpreting it
the way I think we all intended?" I can't speak for everybody, but you know, certainly Pat has should be a you know, answering to to us as far as what his opinion is on it and why he's what what his concern is with the ordinance because I think it's pretty tight to our attorney. Chris, have you
talked to Pat? I talked to Steve Dave Dave on Friday. I talked to you about three or four hours after that. Um I read it the way read it. It sounds like you read it that way too, mayor, after our discussion. I do Susan's not be able to hear me so I don't have a microphone. Um, I can hear you. Oh, well that's
good. Perfect. Perfect. Um, but uh we can bring Beth into the conversation, but it's just a matter I don't think this is necessary. Honestly, I think our code code enforcement officer is interpreting it, frankly, not the way any of us, you know, intended. I think
it's really clear. So, if Pat has a if Pat's having trouble interpreting it the way we had intended, then we need to talk to Pat and say, "Okay, what is your, you know, what's your problem with this?" And get get him to sit down with Chris and figure out maybe the wording
needs to be tweaked to to make it more satisfactory for him. But I I it should not be a problem. Chris, call Pataldi, please. I'm asking call him, talk to him about this. This is the first no more. We don't need nobody needs to be going
back and forth with you and him and just the Tony and I chatted about this. Carl was kind enough to the ordinance. I read the ordinance as allowing in all zones. Yep. Process that goes through the zoning officer and a right of appeal. That's all I is the only
document. Call him see what his concerns are. Work it out. Assuming there's no subsequent amendments, which I cannot see. We'll call you as soon as And as soon as you do, can you just put a period at the end of the sentence because there are some people that are
pretty ticked off because they're being told no. Exactly. That it's Yes. So, if you do that, thank you. I agree with I agree with everyone. Anything else? Thank you. Um, Council President Parker, yeah, the only
thing I I I'm going to keep it really short. So, the public arts committee did meet this this uh past week. Um reconnected and we're going to work on a couple of projects, but the one that's the most important is the inlay. We has been approved by the public arts
committee. The only reason I don't have it here tonight is because we're waiting for um Keith to get it redone so that we have a clean copy of it. So, I will send it out to you guys. Just it's an FYI. It's not up for comment or anything like
it's just an FYI because they're on a time crunch to get it get it in and get it done. So we will send it over to you guys. It's actually Jeremy the only thing we took out was the 1828. Okay. And we just lower it. Yeah. So um yeah.
So that's pretty exciting and it's pretty exciting that we're going to be looking at some some different projects around town. Um and other than that that's that's it for right now. Thank you uh Council Member Saro. Thank you, Mayor. Uh, first, thanks to the library
staff who's covering the director's role while we are still in the search process to backfill that role. Um, I'd like to thank Boral Clerk Carla Connor for stepping in as our interim planning board, Secretary Perry. Much appreciated. And finally, the planning
board is looking forward to seeing the work product of what I'm going to call the APAC council planning zoning board committee. Um, please make certain to have the planners bills apply to the council as planning board decreased our budget this year. So, we're gonna be
very sensitive to the cost. And finally, as I was driving here, make sure everybody knows in the burrow that Maple Avenue from Main Street to William Street, it's actually one way. And so, when I'm coming down and see a
carpet or you can no from Maine, I'm sorry. today. Mayor, when you drive all the way when you go down Maple Avenue and you cannot make a right or a left onto uh Maple Avenue for that first
block, somebody was literally going down a oneway street the wrong way. Main Street from Main Street. Main Street happens all the time. It does happen all the time. It was and it happens on the battle. They turn like right they come off Main Street and turn and come past
the library go. I I had a guy coming right at me from Avenue. And that was on Court Street all the time. Yeah. All the time. Scared. I've never experienced that. Scared the out of me. It does. And and and by the way, the stop signs are joke because people I I literally had someone here from
California this weekend and he sat on my front porch and he counted the number of people who just went through the stop sign on Broad Street. Just went through the stop sign and he said, "Tony, I just want you to know this. You probably have about 20% of the people who are
stopping. Do we either need to stop there? They have that park on the street. Absolutely. I mean, we sit there. I mean, we certainly write tickets there. I mean, I haven't I'm just telling you. I mean, literally Well, because it's not just saying I've
never experienced that, and I'm still shaking from it. All right. Spring, too. Oh, they don't stop. Oh, no. They don't stop at spring at all. No. So, so the question is is that I I don't I don't
and I'm not pointing fingers at all that patrol needs to be stepped up in those areas because the bottom line is nobody's respecting it. It's just not being respected. Did your your friend didn't notice whether they were out of counters? They were not out of counters. Jersey. They
were Jersey. They were And I sat on the porch on yesterday um with my my mother. We were just We were just aruck. It was like, are you kidding me? Because the guy who was kidding headed me on was in your plate. So, it was forgivable. No, no, it's it's just it's it's people in
in town or it's people that are passing but they're Jersey plates. I didn't see any Pennsylvania plates. I didn't see any. So, we can't point fingers. Say somebody else. All right. You got this. I'm done. Thank you. Thank you. And I just want to comment on the on the zoning. Of course, we will give it to
the planning board. The process is Adrian. I think we discussed this several times. We will review it. We will send it to the planning board. The planning board will make comments and they will send it back and then we will present it to the council. I was speaking to the
bills, not the actual process. Right. Okay. Never mind. He's right Tony. He just wants to make sure that Beth's uh time is being uh documented properly. Adrian talk about the time. It's not going to be that. Let's move on. Okay.
Councilman Le, thank you. Uh last week the environmental commission uh met with some local residents about wildlife feeding and that resulted in the ordinance that's on the agenda uh prohibiting wildlife feeding within the burough and I'd be happy to explain that in further detail during that portion of
the meeting. Um, Sha Tree has their next meeting, I believe, on Wednesday. To the best of my knowledge, we still have some trees available for adopt the tree. Reneants may fill out a request in the FDL port to portal if they'd like a tree. And um, I just ask that if you do get a tree, please take care of it so it
doesn't immediately die and we waste $750 uh on planting a tree in somebody's front yard. Um lastly, um I just had a request to the uh parking committee um to see if I
saw that Go Hunter had uh done some work with the B police department to put back up some more signage regarding uh the no bicycles on sidewalk ordinance that we have. And I was just wondering if it would be possible for the committee to explore um something to the effect of
sheros or some increased uh signage about uh New Jerseys for football um somewhere along Main Street to reinforce the idea that since obviously our ordinance says, you know, you have to ride in the street that residents and drivers must share the road and interact
appropriately with bicycles that are riding up and down Main Street and anywhere else in B. Sure. Yeah, I think that's a good idea. I didn't uh I had a lot of stuff in the police department, but the bicycle thing is they're working on when I pull it up, I'll share it with
you, but I can just send it to you. The information are working. Great. Yeah. And it needs to be in Spanish and English. the signs that are now I was talking more about signage specifically geared towards private
rather than to move over when you see a you see somebody on the road running the bike for sure okay very good thank you all right we're public comment period number one anybody from the public wishing to speak you have three minutes please uh raise your hand anybody
online anybody seeing none Circle back public comment period number two later. Uh approval of minutes regular meeting April 28, 2025. I have a motion. Move. Is there a
second? A second. All in favor? I consent agenda resolution 2025-73 resolution authorizing the release of road opening bond to Richard
Yard Plumbing. Uh, did I have a motion? There's two. I'm doing one at a time because they're money. Yeah. Oh, I'm sorry. It's consent. I'm so sorry. Resolution 2574 resolution authorizing contract with William
services to abate public safety hazards in eight reason block 35 block 17 authorizing the tax collection of the property. That one just in case you don't know about it. uh the absentee owner who lives in New York uh and is um
not a US citizen who speaks no English cut down massive massive massive old trees without a permit and left the wood everywhere creating a hazard. Uh so Dave is on that um hard. So can I have a
motion to approve the consent agenda? Okay. Um, roll call, please. Sure. Councilman Arie, here. Councilwoman Melhart, yes. Councilwoman Pasaro, yes. Councilman Levit, yes. Council Vice President Long,
yes. And council president Parker, yes. Uh number nine, instruction of ordinances ordinance 2025-16 and ordinance amending chapter 29 section two of the code and title of prohibited conduct which is the wildlife feeding
ordinance which council blood coke. Uh can I have a motion to introduce move? Is there a second? A second. Any discussion? I did have some quick comments. Um number one, we may have to I don't know table this. Uh I I reread through it and um I had a
discussion with somebody about um not that we have a formal program and I can't imagine how we would uh do this to exclude it but um some people do like track and release of feral and wild cats and as I have it written right now that
would not be allowed essentially and they wanted to make sure that I didn't prohibit any of those kinds of projects from occurring over I think cats are always considered domesticated animals even when they're
feral am I I believe I'm correct about that mayor and that is an obscure question I've never been asked I can find pretty darn positive I'm right about that it makes sense that they're always considered domesticated animal even when they're feral I agree with the council president intuitively it makes
sense but I don't second the chapter verse do you have a problem if we introduce this ordinance and you can check and if it's fine it's fine versus rewriting the whole thing and reintroducing it. I have no problem with it. It may just be common sense as
opposed to anything in a regulation. I don't have or shelter is fine, right? I mean, yeah, it depends on, you know, it it does specify like a licensed and,
you know, um, but cats don't have to be licensed under the state of New Jersey. Hey, you know, um, what did I own? You can do No, I have to get a permissive. I have to get a license for my cat because municipality specific. It's permissive, right?
I mean, it says other than other than for the purposes of feeding a domesticated animal owned and or licensed by said person cats, not like I I did see something when I was looking this up earlier that said, you know, for like a managed feral colony, right?
Those cats may be considered owned by the person who's managing them even if they're not like formally licensed. And you know, I is that like if they feed a feral cat? Yeah, like if they, you know, have like people set up specific like feeding water spots to get these cats to
trap them, neuter them, put them out. You weren't elected in 2023. It's not when we had an issue over actually on the same area with the with the deer where a woman was feeding and taking care of a colony, a mother and a bunch of babies. And the then uh animal
control officer said, "You've been feeding them under the law. They're divorced." And we I checked the law and she was right. Under the law, you feed a wild cat, it is no longer wild. Interesting. So, so people who are doing what you just said and described, they're their cats.
Some municipalities have passed laws, you know, um have entire programs for this entire specific kind of thing. I don't I don't know if they consider them. Middle Sex Bureau has such a program and they they there is a group that is sanctioned by the law. So even if we don't have them Well, exactly.
assume even if we don't have that. No, the state law says you should attach attack. Okay. So then there's nothing you know as it's written there's nothing. Yeah. Doesn't uh and this is for doesn't the line that says
specifically deer just mean specifically our cats are I mean we don't have right if this ordinance. Yes and yes. Okay.
Yes. I know Kathleen Long, you might remember this because the woman who was feeding those cats also was taking on medical bills and she wanted to get reimbursed and we were like, "Yeah, we're not reimbursing you because they're your cats now." You said I remember that. You remember that, too? So, that's I think that answers your
question. If somebody to bait them and catch them and release them, they're cats. So, right. So, anybody else have any other questions about this ordinance or why it is here? All good. Okay. Is someone literally
been feeding? Well, according to some residents, entire bags worth of deer feed have been placed out every week for deer and they are seemingly millions of them. So, or they the decorative cabbage
and they they purposely get it to feed the deer. Yeah, they're few. Okay. Thank you. It's not good for the herd. It's not good for the herd. Okay. Could I uh a roll call, please? Councilman. Yes. Council,
yes. Councilwoman, yes. Council, yes. Vice President Law, yes. And Council President, yes. Public hear. Okay. Ordinance uh 25 20-25-7 an ordinance amending 7-day traffic scheduled to authorize a
handicap parking spot for 41 Spring Street. Just FYI, uh they have the homeowners have not met all conditions required by the law, meaning they don't have the valid handicapped parking tag yet. They do have an appointment with
motor vehicles. I just wanted to keep this moving so it's not delayed. Okay. So, u because they do need it. They're just low on the I got the paper to the gentleman is severely injured which is making it hard to get him out. So I
walked by the other day but so can I have a motion to introduce Is there a second? Sorry I'll second. Sorry. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Councilman Harris. Yes. Councilwoman.
Yes. Yes. Council 11. Yes. Vice President Long. Yes. And council president. Yes. And public hearing for that will also be June 9th. Uh thank you. Public hearing ordinance
2025-15 an ordinance amending 78 traffic schedules to restrict the permitted gross weight of trucks on Court Street between Park Avenue and Main Street to four gross tons. Um uh can I have a motion to open up to the public the hearing to the public? I
will second. Um, all in favor I now open to the public. Anybody from the public to speak on this ordinance, please raise your hand if online or raise your hand in the audience, Mr. D.
Seeing none, I have a motion to close the or the hearing from the public. Angelart will move. There a second. I'll second. Um, all in favor? I adopt ordinance 2025-15.
I'll move. Is there a second? S second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Councilman Marius, yes. Counciloman, yes. Sara, yes. Councilman Levit, yes. Council Vice President Long, yes. And
Council President Barter, yes. Okay. Uh, we're up to number six, which is the budget. Um Chris is hear me of course on it right mess. Okay. So we're joined by our CFO from the illustrious Bill Hance
regarding the budget. Uh I don't have a I don't have a budget statement or anything to read. I I normally I have a title. So, um I don't know how to deal with that title. So, it is the budget resolution uh for 2025.
Um you gave me a title. is sheing one of the budget. Well, yeah, but I wasn't gonna print out that budget and uh I know getting things up on my phone is with these eyes is Thank you. is tedious. All right. Thank you. All right.
Um still title. Um I don't have to read this thing. I know that that's sheet 41. I know it's 41. So that but it is the budget the adoption for year 25 at first sheet 41 uh in the amount of 9
million46,000. Um so can I I'm going to ask for a motion to open this up to the public. Is there a second? Second. All in favor? I you uh this public hearing is now
welcome to the public. Anybody from the public wishing to speak on this? Please raise your hand online or come up to the microphone if you have any question Mike. Um seeing none can have a motion to close the hearing to the public. Angleart will move.
Whatever. Uh all in favor to adopt um the 2025 budget. Second move second. Uh any discussion? Nice job. Seeing none, um I do want to
just uh give some highlights on this budget before calling for the vote. Um the 2024 budget increases the tax rate 205 time increases the tax rate by 2.16 cents and through careful and conservative operations spending. I want
to thank the council for that. paid down debt by 614,130 or 5.51% of borrow debt. The 2025 budget decreases the tax rate by 76% or 0.008 cents while still permitting the bur to continue
aggressively addressing our high debt issue. Um several major cost categories went up worth noting, including another large increase in the cost of public health insurance. It's two in a row. capital improvements, emergency service expenses, and the reserve for uncollected taxes unfortunately uh went
up this year. This budget aggressively replenishes the capital fund, which had been depleted from $600,000 in 2019 down to $93,000 in 2023 by the end of 2025. The bureau should have approximately $158,900. That's after utilizing
$475,000 to fully fund acquisition of a firetruck without issuing any debt. Otherwise, we'd have over $600,000 in there. So I just want to congratulate council for being able to buy that fire truck in cash. This budget aggressive which should be replenished to some
degree when we sell the two trucks. This budget aggressively pays down principle on financing notes in the amount of $500,000 over the next three years avoiding costly and wasteful interest payments. The bureau avoids paying over $60,000 in interest payments and thus avoids a more than 6% tax increase over
the same period. This budget continues to keep the burough on track for financial soundness and positions us to pay off debt plan for capital projects such as the long overdue main street project fixing the wet weather facility academy street finishing the new police facility and at least one additional
well while doing so with a stable and predictable financial environment the budget brings this is astounding and really kudos to the council for being willing to do this. The budget brings our surplus to just under $2 million. It is the highest it has been in the
history of the bureau and close to the amount recommended by our auditor which is 25% of our budget total or $2.25 million as well as where our bond rating company wants to see the burough with anticipated pilot and hotel room occupancy tax from the union hotel project starting in 2025 income from
cannabis licenses and pilot payments from from the future Liberty Village project. We look forward to a future which allows us to continue and structure a flat budget with no tax increases for several years. So, uh, can I have a, uh, roll call
vote, please? Councilman Aras, yes. Councilwoman, yes. Thor, yes. Council Levit, yes. Council Vice President, yes. And Council President, yes. I want to say thank you to Bill for the hard work you did this
year. um all the stuff the council asked you to do some which were successful exercises others which were just exercises but it was very worthwhile and your all your time was just wanted to say thank you for it start the process earlier next year I I agree but I will
also say this thank you to the departments and to the council for going back to the departments and there was nothing such thing as someone who was not we were all worthwhile and we actually lowered some of stuff because people didn't know what they were given
to vote and so I think we should also thank everybody who was involved outside of the council who contribute to getting this done as well. Um I I I before we do that I just wanted to um make sure you were gonna be around
for some of the other items on the agenda tonight. Okay. I'm sorry. I I guess what I would ask my peers and peers next year, November, December, working with your work with your current assignment
and hand off that projected budget for whatever they're going to intend to hand a bill to the mayor and what the person that's assigned to or the council president should do for some reason not be here. But I think that that's a good idea. I think it's really a good idea
that we hold ourselves accountable and make sure next person that comes in knows exactly what's going to happen. So, we can move this. It's not It's still what was feel to me like a little last minute, but we got that. But, thank you. It makes everybody's job eas.
Thank you so much. Onward and upward to the next will be the capital budget sometime in June and uh we'll be introducing that. So, okay. Regular agenda resolution 2025-75 salary resolution. Can I have a motion, please? move. Is there a second?
Second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Councilman, yes. Councilman, yes. Councilwoman Tasara, yes. Councilman Levit, yes. Council Vice President, yes. Council President, yes.
Resolution 2025 76 Governor's Council on Substance Use Disorder Fiscal Grant Cycle October 2020 June 26. this comes to us, we hand it off so that uh there can be drug education in the school system and well outreach. I have a
motion, please. Is there a second? Second. Any discussion? Welcome. Council Harris, yes. Counciloman, yes. Counciloman Tara, yes. Councilman Levit, yes. Council Vice President, yes. And
council president. Yes. Resolution 202577, resolution of the bure of Lonington in the county of 100 in New Jersey determining the form and other details of its note relating to the water bank construction financing program of the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to be issued in the principal amount of up to
279,393 and providing for the issuance of the sale of such note to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank and authorizing the execution of delivery of such note by the bureau of funding to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank while pursuance to the water bank construction financing program of the New Jersey Infrastructure.
infrastructure bank. Uh that's a long way of saying this is for galvanized pipe replacements. Um and we will be getting 100% of the reimbursement on this money once we do the work and present the bills. I have a motion please move. Is there a second?
Uh any discussion? What exactly? I mean I guess it's for the lead pipes but it's our side of the lead pipes. It's for whatever one they hit. They've got a list now um on the street. And so the I bank has two divisions. One is um
DOT, I'm sorry, there's three divisions. One is DOT, one is D. Within the D, they have lots of pockets. So they've got a sewer, they got a water, and under the water, they also, this is part of the safe drinking water program. So, um, so my predecessor originally got us the
money to do the street and then this council, we worked with IBank get us the money to do the water sewer. And then late in the game, I had a wake up moment at 3 in the morning and realized there was galvanized pipe money out there, too. And once we have the road open, we might as well do those. And this council
agreed to pursue that. So the sewer, the water and the galvanized pipe money will all be reimbursed to us 100% when the work is done. Uh and um that is because we have
been kind of like a it's a double-edged sword being blessed as a as an Indian community. Our in need status ends June 30th. So, we are working hard to get the same deal for Main Street from the traffic light to Corister, which is the
last phase of main that needs to be done, as well as hopefully getting money for Mine Street, which hasn't even been started yet with water sewer um down by starting at the circle and working our way in town. Um so we if our
applications are in by June 30th and the engineering designs are in by July 30th we will qualify grandfathered in for 100% forgiveness. We will get regardless we'll get some kind of forgiveness like 75% or 50% but it's always better to get
100% because we can keep using this money and rolling it forward to pay. Sorry, I just mean like because I I know we've you know issued bonds and and you know resolutions seemingly I it keeps happening. I'm just curious why this one
now on top of the other one. Is this additional money on top of what we've already This is additional money that we've more money this and they have to see this. They must see this to give us the money. That's that's all I It's all part of locking in the I bank to that 100%. That's wonderful. That's all.
Okay. Thank you. Sorry if you moved over. Um, no, that's fine. I appreciate that. My my question was going to be when does the 100% actually um expire. And so the June 20th and the July um what was the date for
the engineers that had to finish their drawings? July 30th. They have to have the design. But June. And I'm assuming that I'm assuming that um they've started working on those drawings already. Well, they've got no they've been they they're finalizing the applications so that the
applications get in in June and then you know early June and then they'll be working on the designs to get once the applications are certified that they got them at the I banks then they'll be going after doing the design. Okay. So they're working as you know fast as
possible to get us as much locked in under the old status. So like I said it's good news bad news. I mean, the bad news is that we're not going to I mean, the good news is we're we're not considered that and need any more wood. Uh the bad news is that, you know, we got a long way to go on sewer and water.
So, I knew the deadline was coming. I just want to that's not a lot of time for them to do their drawings. I just want to make sure that that's not dropped the ball. Thank you. I'm confident in in RB. So am I. I just It's tight.
Uh roll call, please. Carl Harris. Yes. Councilwoman Inglehart. Yes. Woman. Yes. Councilman Levit. Yes. Council Vice President Long. Yes. Council President Parker. Yes. This is the second half of this uh I bank for the galvanized
resolution 2025-78 resolution of the Burough Flemington declaring its official intent to reimburse expenditures for project costs from the proceeds of debt obligations in connection with its participation in New Jersey Water Bank. Motion, please. Is there a second? Sorry. I'll second. Any
discussion? Roll call. Councilman Aras. Yes. Counciloman Negleart, yes. Daro, yes. Councilman Levit, yes. Council Vice President Long, yes. Yes. Resolution 2025-79. Resolution 20.
Carl Conor as the temporary car. Put her feet in. See if she likes the water. Can I have a motion, please? Is there a second? Anyone? Uh, any discussion? Anyone want to know qualification? Okay. Roll call. I I I
had a qu I had a real quick question on that. I just want to make sure it's a it's the the employment is definitely temporary and it's it's uh uh employment as you know by will. In other words, I just I'm afraid I want I don't want Carla get burnt out and then get all mad
at us. No, Carla. Carla offered to China. Yeah, I know. She I know. I understand that, but I just want to make sure it was it's employment at will and that if she decides that it's just, you know, too much two nights in a row every other
week, you know that it's, you know, where it's two tough nights in a row to go from here to. So, we'll see. Okay. Can I roll? Well, thank you to Carla so much.
Councilman Aras, yes. Councilwoman Angelart, yes. Councilwoman Sara, yes. Councilman, yes. Council Vice President Wong, yes. Council President Parker, yes. Thank you. Resolution 2025-80, resolution approving the purchase of a
youth fire truck from Delaware Township. I have a motion, please. Move. Is there a second? Angel second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Councilman Aras, yes. Councilwoman, yes. Casaro, yes. Councilman Levit, yes. Council Vice
President Long, yes. And council president, yes. Resolution 202581, resolution awarding the main street lead service line replacement project to MSP construction. I have a roll. Uh motion, please. Is there a second?
Second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Uh, Councilman Aras, yes. Councilwoman Nahorf, yes. Pasaro, yes. Councilman Lev, yes. Council Vice President Long, yes. And council president, yes.
Resolution 2025-82 resolution authorizing a two-month suspension of sewer bills for Liberty Village. Um, can I have a motion, please? We'll discuss it. MOT second. Uh, discussion. I mean the the resolution is pretty self-explanatory. Um our ordinance says
that if you are George Libertyville is shut down. George has been paying his water bills all this time and sewer bills and then uh with it not being occupied at all. Last year he cut and stubbed the sewer line so he could start demolition. Our ordinance says you get a
credit if you've been in continuous use for two years. Um he has not now been in continuous use for two years. He's looking for that credit. Um so um he needs this resolution for financing while we figure out legally
whether um whether we need to rewrite the contract or whatever while our redevelopment attorney works within the attorney. does have a threemonth um end date only because I I wanted to get our attorneys working on this and
his attorney. I didn't want people just sitting on it because they thought they had forever. So um if he needs more state lawyers need more time, we'll give them more time. But I'm hoping that in 3 months between our sewer and water department and our attorneys, they can figure out
uh what's right here because our contract it just it did not foresee George ending the service and setting the lines. Um so that's what that's about. Any questions? Roll call, please. Council Harris, yes.
Councilwoman, yes. Council Sor, yes. Councilman Le, yes. Council Vice President Long, yes. And Council President Barker, yes. I don't I noticed you and I forgot about this about the county wanted uh a
resolution saying that we're going to let them do the state plan for us. They said, I did in an email saying to put that on doubting they wanted authorization. So, can I can you know because they
Their deadline is the end of the month. We're not meeting it. Okay. So, um I'll just add it. Is that the one for the um state plan? Letting them Yeah. letting them handle it for us. And I think we were all good with that. We just never said we were good with it. So, can I ask
for a motion that we're all good with this the county handling the state plan for us rather than having Beth do it and she agreed with what the county wrote. So, I don't want to do that. I'm sorry. Okay. Good. Any discussion?
All right. Roll call, please. Councilman, yes. Councilwoman Angle, yes. Fasara, yes. Councilman Levit, yes. Council Vice President Wong, yes. Council President Parker, yes. Thank you. We're going to have a work session
public comment number two. Anybody from the public to speak? Raise your hand. You have three minutes online in the room. Seeing none, payment of bills authorizing payment of bills in the amount of 5,12,4481. Get a motion, please. Move.
Is there a second? Angelart will second. Uh, roll call, please. Anybody have nothing? Okay. Roll call, please. Councilman. Yes. Councilwoman, yes. Yes. Yes. Council vice president law.
Yes. And council president. Yes. We do have a brief executive session. I did ask Beth to come call in around 8:30. I'm going to text her. She's on. Oh, she is on. Okay. Let's take a five minute break and get back in at 8 and um we'll
go um social urban will do the other ones first. So, let's take a five minute break. Thank you everybody. Any more than We're done. Have a good night. Take care.
Okay. Um, so can we go back? Is it okay to talk about what Sergeant McN was talking about with the taxis? Now we're now in position. You should amend it's on the agenda. You should amend your agenda to add it. I don't mind if you do, but you should
amend your agenda to add it so it's reflected on the agenda. What if I just ask for a police report since he's here? Okay. Sorry. So based on the um the gentleman that stopped in before that were working with Sergeant Heric. So in January, Sergeant
Hervik had started working on this already with the municipal prosecutor. Um and based on 2013 was the last time we had a large enforcement action on this based on title or chapter 20 of the
burough ordinance which regulates taxis. Um, prosecutor Grodnik's position is outside of some sort of large investigation, which would entail like an undercover officer having to be in the taxi, exchanging the money, the
simple observation of just seeing somebody pick up um a fair um and exchange money and then issuing a citation based off that um would be problematic for prosecution in the court. And it could also open the burrow
to civil liability. So what's stopping 10 guys from flowing to Burough starting honestly nothing. What is the purpose of having a taxi commit? Well understand based on this new information
without getting more information from Mike myself. Um I'm just going So why wouldn't we do that then? Why wouldn't we just put an undercover person in there and and play the game? Um, and what just to send a message? Yeah, I mean we certainly could. It's just time resources something to bail people out.
This is not fair. I mean, have we tal have has anybody have a conversation with Ritton Township like I'm happy to talk to the mayor? They don't have an ordinance allowing taxis. We're not allowing them. So, that allows anybody to do whatever and nobody. So, if they
actually do it through a taxi ordinance, maybe it might rain in some of the um bad actors because they don't have a taxi ordinance. Correct. Just say real quick. What exactly? What do they come in here for? So, they
basically what's happening is um our we have uh one, two, three, four, five currently licensed taxis in um and they have extensive insurance premiums they have to pay. they have to get a licensing fee from us. They have to ensure their vehicles are inspected,
right? Um so what's happening is there's uh 17 uh 17 total legal taxes operating from what they've observed. I can't say these are all factual, but from what they've provided and basically what they're saying is that you know they're
being undercut whereas they would charge whatever it is $18$20 for the fair because they have fees that they have to pay. They're being undercut by these unlicensed operators for five dollars a lot. No, no, no. Those are the seven and eight dollar fairs. They're being undercut five. Okay. So they said
because they So, so the state requires legal taxi drivers to carry $ 1.5 million of insurance. It was a million. It went up and so these illegals are most likely not carrying any insurance. And so they don't have that kind of
overhead. Plus our licensing is 500 bucks a license and Ron Township doesn't have any licensing program. So they are undercutting our legal taxis and it's I mean these are truly small businessmen who do this full time for a living and they're following everything to follow
the rules. It's not fair. So I I think maybe the next step then is that I'll call Mayor King and I'll certainly wrap around with the chief when he's back from vacation. Yeah, you talk to chief. I'm going to call Mayor King tomorrow and talk to him about why the township
doesn't license and reign these people in themselves that because if they license it and they charge for licensing, they certainly are going to not want these illegals either. So, from what these gentlemen are saying, it's 13 total operators with 17. Wait, is that
counting the three they sent to to Heric originally? I I don't know. I don't have that list in front of me. Okay. So, but again, why wouldn't we? Why wouldn't I think you should do it one or two times a week. Exactly. To send a message, you got to send a message.
We did that. We did that. Okay. But do it again because the point of it is the message was in red loud and clear. I mean one taxi driver like if you did in 2013 it's 2025 and so and it and to your point we it cleaned up things extensively for a long period of time
but this we've seen this influx come back. Okay. So here's here's here's my point on this. That's great. But in order to stop something from happening you also have to do spot checks. So sometimes you have to spot do
it. So from 2013 to 2025, it's a huge, huge gap. And so now I can do anything I want because they're not check. Once you do it and then they know that you're going to do a spot checking on it, it goes away. And I give them a decal, too. So if these taxis don't have the Flemington burrow decal, you
know, Fington, I'm not saying there's a safety there's a safety issue here, too. Absolutely. Who is coming into this burl? It's over. I wouldn't want my niece getting in somebody I don't know with someone. I
mean, one taxi driver told me he had to get rid rid of one of his cars because he can't afford it. That's right. Sure. That's what he tells. I I'll share with the chief the council's request and follow up and we'll make Carla said that there's a detail. So, is there a
dec if it says like Jose's taxi? None of none of these tax none of these taxis operating have any markings on these are regular passenger and they're not affiliated with an Uber. That's what these gentlemen are saying. So again
without well if they're affiliated with Uber Uber is clearly their window Uber doesn't allow you to not pick up without driving. So, I mean, I know we we'll we will have to vet we'll have to vet this and do an
investigation. I'm always say worry about that little safety issue, too. And I know you guys are I mean, listen, that's why we push for the licensing in in the 2010. Who's doing it? Who did we had issues? We had alcohol deliveries, everything else
coming out. Did this like pop up after it actually died off a while back, you know? Uber. My husband's car uh Thursday. This is Thursday. Thursday.
Yep. All right. Uh if not, I have a motion to adjourn. Long move. Second. Second. Okay. We come back.