call the meeting to order please pledge of allegiance algiance 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 open public meetings act please this meeting was the official newspapers on 2025 this meeting will take on roll call here
here here here uh we're going to read a proclamation honoring the uh fallen firefighters and the firefighters of our community for their dedication you do it up here right
Matt we can read this up here correct whereas the United States Congress and the President of the United States have designated the day of annual National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service as a day to honor firefighters and emergency services personnel who has
sacrificed their lives to save others by lowering the American flag on all federal buildings to half staff and whereas an average of 80 firefighters courageously make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty each year and whereas firefighters and emergency
service personnel play an essential role in the protection of lives and property in our local community and whereas the national fallen firefighters memorial service marks weekend following international firefighters day
2025 and whereas it is a major importance that we increase our efforts to res reduce deaths injuries and property losses from fire therefore I John Bruno mayor of Township of Franklin now convey to all citizens of the township and patriotic civic and
educational organizations the observance of the day of May 4th 2025 and recognition of the patriotic service and dedicated efforts of our fire and emergency service personnel by lowering American flags on all buildings to half staff
i respectfully encourage these same organizations as well as the citizens of Franklin Township to remember all fire and emergency personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice and service to their community and pay respect to the survivors of our fallen heroes by
participating in bells across America for fallen firefighters to a bell pause for a moment of silence or read a special passage to honor the sacrifices of these public servants and their families during your group's gathering or meeting i encourage appropriate services and
ceremonies in which all of our citizens may participate to honor fire and emergency service personnel and past and present who by their faithful and loyal devotion to duties have rendered invaluable services to our community and
its citizens in witness thereof I have hereto set my hand and caused the seal of the township of Franklin to be affixed presented April 8th 2025 john Bruno Mayor Committee Tim Doyle Mark Fierella Jonathan Keane and
Michael Marsh can I get a motion to postpone the public hearing on the following ordinance until May 13 2025 due to planning board review which will be on April 15 2025 it's ordinance 225 street vacation portion of Elm
Avenue motion to uh postpone the public portion public hearing second all those in favor i I get a motion to approve correspondence and reports motion to approve correspondence and reports
second all those in favor i uh motion to approve the minutes from March 11th 2025 motion to approve the minutes second all those in favor i uh can I get a motion to approve the bill list motion to approve the bill list second
mr doyle yes mr yes mr yes yes i get a motion to approve 2025 licenses mobile food handling Tiny's hut motion to approve 2025 licenses second all those in favor i i get a motion to
approve 2025 farm stand permit and Keenan motion to approve the farm stand permit second all those in favor i uh motion to approve raffles Malaga feast of the assumption and Franklin Township Friends
of K9 motion to approve raffles second all those in favor i get a motion to for the first public portion for resolutions in Bel for Bel motion to open the first public portion second all those in favor
[Music] i believe Harry Kennedy uh just a question there your honor r 5925 clarifying the anatic acts compensation following the ask me local
3574 salary guide for administrative assistance correct and what is what exactly are you doing with that just we're just basically memorializing that that's her scheduled salary to
follow that she's not a member of the union no but doesn't necessarily need to be a member of the union to you know get the the right to work state office that's amazing no she wasn't she hasn't been in the
union for a long time no I know she has i mean she's not the Are all confidential clerks not members of the union i believe that's correct is it correct yes so Miss Hogbin and are there any
other uh administrative assistants that are confidential i believe that's it right so and are they already on that scale they they're on a different scale diana's followed this different scale for years we just want to memorialize
the fact that you know uh I think they get like um after 10 years you get a dollar after 20 or something you might get another dollar I know but but without that it doesn't give her their those but at one time and again you know I know your
memory same as mine if I hadn't gone back online and looked at it I would have never remembered but you did R 10322 and you set a salary for her as the senior administrative clerk at that time of you know above and beyond what
the union was being paid and I know that uh you know Miss Dizzyak has performed you know different services for different people in Franklin Township she's worked in town hall she's worked in the uh in the DPW and in many different things so what you're saying
is that this is just an administrative move to put her on exactly the same scale Yes because I mean the only other the only other resolution I found was R420 which was the resolution in which you
signed off on the uh settlement for the suit that was filed based on the recommendation of your attorneys at that time i couldn't find anything else but I also thought that at one time she was a recycling coordinator and again maybe my memory I believe I believe there's a
stipen for that she has right she's she's performed different functions which I guess is hard to put her in exactly the same box so you're attempting to fill it under the union contract i I I believe and Matt correct me if I'm wrong her salary is based off
the union contract the recycling stipen is in addition to that correct right so this in your but what comes along with the union contract is also the the long no
the longevity part of it right so yeah I believe she's coming up on 10 years this year and how much of an increase I mean off the top I think it's a dollar right I mean it's in the I believe she goes from administrative assistant to a senior administrative assistant but
isn't there like a stipen or something that goes along with that not a stipen but a salary increase based on your Well I'm sure you can let me know you know on the next side it's not a big deal i'm sure it's not a gigantic amount of money but you'll let me know
when I open the amount it's tough to remember when you I will let you know the Oprah person will I don't Yeah as long as they don't have to reject anything but in any case I'll look forward to knowing that hopefully it's a dimminimous amount in any case thanks for your time May thank you
good evening may Marshall 67 New England two questions room 5225 the emergency uh budget the tail end of the last meeting uh the deputy mayor had made a comment that the budget is now finally under control that sort of contradicts what
this is if I'm not mistaken or maybe I can be enlightened i know in regards to the one excuse me in regards to what particular temporary budget that obviously needs to fill some shortfall or something that way i mean that's why I'm asking for something like this it's a standard process
so your terminology standard right but the dollar amounts change each time so that's why it's used for what purpose it's used on the government while budget process
the municipal government is it's unique in that it's a it's a calendar year and yet the budgets are introduced and adopted during that same calendar year right in some some towns it's delayed to
the point of frustration introduction and adoption for here but this is the process that every municipality forced them to follow in order to undertake that process
[Music] the emergency temporary budget resolution comes in that's a different process you're talking about an emergency appropriation after final adoption of the budget yeah that's a similar terminology completely different
completely different process you also tal about like a November where we switch money from one transfer but an emergency a true emergency appropriation require separate undertaking than what's on
that's something unplanned and that process is again that's that that's a post adoption emergency appropriation this is a temporary budget expenditure while Okay
the other question I was about 5425 the only US location i had asked about that about two years ago i was if I'm not mistaken I don't know the exact words that you had mentioned that the gentleman that own the property was cleaning it up but I see we had to apply for a grant for some years he has
released the property or this system yeah so that property was owned by Seville Gas Company it was a defunct company it was supplied by Rigggins Gas when Seville Gas went out of business Riggins
did clean up to the standards at that time but it has since gone into tax and there is no you know what Briggins did is not applicable to today's standards so this grant allows
us to send everything to bring in have them look at it and see if there's anything else to be done before we go in and figure also [Music] get a motion to close the first public
portion motion to close second all those in favor i I uh can I get a motion to approve resolution 5225 authorizing temporary budget extend expenditures motion to authorize temporary budget
second mr yes mr yes mr yes yes resolution 5325 authorizing the granting of town towing license within the township of Franklin retroactive to April 1st 2025 through March 31st 2026
second Gra license in the township of Franklin motion sorry motion second mr yes yes yes yes resolution 5425 acknowledging and
directing township administrator to complete and submit an application to New Jersey EDA for the award of HDRSF grant in the amount of $40,936 for 724 Deli Drive USA Gas motion R 5425
second yes mr yes yes yes matt do you want to say anything about this next one 5525 that's a former
landfill back here uh it's the same kind of deal right same kind of deal this one's going to be a little more expensive to build up work there so this is the start of the process to get that cleaned up and then kind of streamlines us any more funding that's needed
to go out of pocket with us boat,000 all right and they're basically just going to tell us what we what our options are they're going to tell you it's clean the engineering company that we contract with the staff they're going to do
investigation right resolution 5525 acknowledging and directing council of administrator to complete and submit an application to New Jersey EDA for the award of a HDSRF grant in the amount of
64,925 for Carman Avenue properties motion for R525 second mr yes yes yes yes resolution 5625 authorizing the hire and appointment of Karen Linder as
part-time crossing guard due to the resignation of Melissa what motion R5625 second yes we have to abstain yes
yes uh resolution 5725 authorizing the hiring appointment of Florencia Loro as part-time Franklin Township joint municipal Court clerk for a maximum 20 hours per week due to the retirement of Jaclyn Pace motion R5725
second mr d yes yes yes yes resolution 5825 authorizing the return of Jessica Jones as part-time Franklin Township joint municipal court clerk for a maximum of 20 hour 29 hours per week effective April 14 2025
motion R 5825 second Mr yes yes yes yes resolution 5925 clarifying that the anatic acts compensation follows the aximate local 3574 salary doc for administrative
assistance motion for R59-25 second yes mr yes yes yes resolution 6025 authorizing return of construction fees to power energy solutions for a discontinued product
project for R60-25 second yes yes yes yes resolution 6125 authorizing the purchase of 20 to mowers for DPW motion for R61-25
second Mr yes yes yes yes resolution 6225 authorizing the purchase of 1/16inch coal planer for road projects and TPW motion for R62-25
second mr yes mr yes mr yes yes resolution 6325 authorizing tax collector to grant tax exemption to a totally disabled vet block 103 lot 29.09 motion for R 63-25
second yes yes yes yes resolution 6425 authorizing tax collector to grant exemption to a totally disabled vet block 301.03 lock 5 motion for R 64-25
second yes yes yes yes resolution 6525 authorizing tax collector to grant a tax exemption to a totally disabled vet block 6301 lot
6.16 motion R65-25 second yes yes yes yes resolution 6625 authorizing additional bus stops along west boulevard and lake
code motion for R65-25 [Music] r66 oh sorry r66-25 second Mr yes no
Mr yes yes resolution 6725 authorize the issuance of a tax duplicate duplicate tax sales certificate motion for R67-25 second
yes yes yes yes resolution 6825 authorizing the hiring and appointment of Jonathan Surrod as a full-time laborer for the Franklin Township Department of Public Works motion for R68-25 second
yes yes yes yes and uh can I get a motion for the introduction of the following ordinance the public hearing will be held on May 13th 2025 it's ordinance 325 model ordinance to exceed the municipal budget appropriation
limits and to establish a cap bank motion for 3-25 second yes yes yes yes can I get a motion to open a second public portion for comments motion open
a second public portion second all those in favor hi [Music] good evening one that is had to sign a very long time is there any problem with this i
know we had to sign abody that you know brought to my attention um sign has been there a long time you are correct yeah 2021 and you actually have a resolution
uh with D regarding their second system updated why we had to go through that and whether we updated it yeah I just like I said something brought to my attention today and so I thought I was going to let me change it
was uh resolution 2021 and uh basically the mayor we had I'll just read it to you now on the consultation with engineering design associates uh have a submission to the NGP for a treatment works approval for an
emergency repair alteration of the existing disposal field we've had a lot of problems down in the market with you know a lot of businesses and wars and things like that whe you know if we have or we hard to do anything we close with that so that's
really why if there's anything up and the next thing was the forest road park there's some contamination that we have to send the after to the park as well as the fire company is there any update on that
yeah they had they were concerned because something involved had maybe dump something and we had to do some kind of investigation good thank you very much thank you so much trash in our park marshall
67 i brought up the last meeting about the EDC had been proposal or at least a application for review for a warehouse of course nobody was made aware of it the agenda on you look at the agenda online for that meeting it says no agenda but yet on the meeting there was an agenda is there a reason why that
doesn't get posted i don't post them i thought Matt did we get anything from Candace before she went out sick i I thought they were supposed to be a meeting she checked that was in charge of
it so I thought well no there is a meeting post but there's no agenda posted it says no agenda specifically in those words but yet there is one where you go there with people are talking about you know different proposals that meeting you have to post the agenda before you is there minutes
the minutes are there after the meeting's already done right but the minutes are there we're just missing the agenda okay but there's nothing pre you know that's the minutes are there to post what the if you watch you can see it too okay so I'm just curious on that's something that's going to get addressed down the road
so there was a video to that yes just no minutes posted prior no agenda after not prior to I'll let Mr moth know yeah there's no agenda but you know for anybody having an awareness of what's going on after we do yeah I I'll let him
know that you know he's got up his game sure he'll appreciate that uh and I'm just looking for some updates on the property on Old Wilson Drive if you follow some of the E-codes they're still doing continuous violations listen I had that conversation with the solicitor it's very frustrating it's
very frustrating you're supposed to be in court when Friday friday and he canceled again was that he conducted that no I went by on I went by on the weekend or maybe it was like a late late in the evening and there was people out there so I think
they go when we're not around they do they go nights and on the weekends when we're there doing things it's got a nice uh wood machine it's a mill every weekend there's another pile of new stuff there so I just And I know it states in our e code that we can continually find them
it states open that's kind of what's happening now what's wrong he's got the fire marshall went out and gave him more tickets the reality is the fine is one thing and what they pay is another and that's the that's the part that hurts oh no it's I feel like one goes away and
another one right i wouldn't do it that far but it is i share the frustration no there was up to the trash you got one up one time instruction judge said when they show up
you can't issue bench warrant but under circumstance what we can do if it was an LLC we tried an extension we had a bunch of that were trying an extension He's not a private person eric Kennedy 1578 president
you and I had a discussion uh not here publicly in the February meeting and we talked about the contract at that time for Mr dependency and you clearly pointed out to me that state law supersedes what was
in that contract typically yeah state law says that an exempt employee that an exempt employee is not serves as the township administrator serves at the pleasure of the township committee but state law
also says that an exempt employee is not entitled to compar you also have an opinion from a former solicitor that very clearly told you that yet you have continued to pay
comp time to exempt your employees now I am going to ask you very seriously to recoup that money which amounts to in the total amount over $100,000 I believe in terms of the years
that it has been paid it is improper it is in contradiction to what the state law says and it is paid for no earthly reason whatsoever it should not have been done and we very clearly told
that it should not have been done and yet it continues mr finley very clearly had it stated in his contract that as an exempt employee he was not entitled to compensatory time he's a salaried
employee some weeks you work more than 40 hours some weeks you work less take the time use it yourself do it at the appropriate time don't screw the taxpayers by paying something that is
not allowed by state law and again I'm asking it nicely before I go to the state myself and filed a complaint it's something that should be rectified here in Franklin Township but on a more pleasant note than that I just want to
say this that the four of you sitting up there tonight all of you put together make less than $50,000 a year serving the township of Franklin now whether I agree it's like Jonathan Kaine once said whether I agree
with all your decisions and certainly some of them I don't I think we get a pretty good bang for our buck for what we pay our elected officials on the other hand I look below the dis down here to these three all right these
three get paid approximately through fees through taxes through comp time through whatever approximately half a million dollars in one year all right that's a pretty damn lot of money
especially in legal fees and especially in the years in which we very closely looked at the Rome Quick Claim deed and we provided new ordinances for solar facilities in those years we accumulated
about $300,000 worth of legal fees wow that's almost up beyond the 90th percentile for a town our size that even rivals what the clerk makes in exempt pay above and beyond what she should be made now again ladies and gentlemen I
know it's an investment on that quick claim deed mr road got that property for $1 $1 on a quick claim deed okay one single dollar then to the township
Jonathan was paid $123,000 and XXX17 boy that was computed very well $123,000 for what 25 30 years of back taxes whatever it was Jake I'm sure you
know we can break out our calculators and figure it out you can open it yeah you I I will hopefully it won't be redacted but in any case 122,000 but he didn't even pay it himself he didn't pay 123,000 the Malaga Reality Partners paid
123,000 and you know what for a property that Mr ran got for $1 thanks again to the great negotiating skills of our solicitor and his helper our administrator guess what Mr ran has that property at an option for you want to
take a guess Jake i'll bet you know can only imagine over $6 million in the Malaga realy partners gee whiz i wonder who the straw men and that particular group are but I'm sure we'll find out in the near future you know
what i read a great article that investing a dollar in Coca-Cola was the greatest investment in the world because in 1915 if you bought a dollar's worth of Coke stock it's worth $420 today you can't liable $1 for over $6 million in
an option to buy your property thank you gentlemen i can hardly wait to see the next saga as as the township turns we'll see the old lady coming out of her trailer we'll see the deals with the hot dog stand and we'll see what happens with that property all right what a deal
we'll just make Yeah uh get a motion to close a second public portion motion to close second second all's in favor i Chief yes sir do you have any wisdom for
us it's tough to follow that i do um this year is We have a microphone this year is the tragic 30-year anniversary of the death of Sergeant
Gonzalez uh and as you know uh every year we do a lot uh to honor his name um we're doing our clean up of the memorial on April 30th uh we're working with the family to do a small candle light vigil
uh on May 6th and on May 9th will come to the town and we're going to do a dedication ceremony and I'll be putting that out on our Facebook page that's all thank you thanks Brian
thank you for help which street we're going to tear up first with that tool a lot of them good luck uh Mr marks
you got any nelson Mr king uh yeah Mr mayor County Economic Development Net so I spoke with uh some of their officials i received applications and instructions for these uh applications for septic grants for residents we're going to put
those instructions and applications on the website i meet with um Mr morris and uh company tomorrow for communications and we're going to try to get that on the website and on the TV9 as soon as possible uh finance subcommittee met and we are still finishing up the budget
we're there soon and I know last year I did a look back analysis and um I think last year that was in March but um we're already in April but I've uh begun to compile those numbers and reached out to the administrator and other department heads to get that done this year thank you
nothing um I got something uh on behalf of Wreck this Saturday 10:00 a.m up to the second grade now there's going to be an Easter egg hunt at Pennsylvania Avenue on the football
field starts at 10:00 and if it rains it'll be at the Franklinville Road rank so I guess I don't know if it's predicting rain or not yes it is so I would say maybe you should check the township websites the Facebook page and
see if they uh move it early or move it later or whatever just so you're sure again it's up to the second grade sure we're not going to ID people coming in so if you slip a third grader in there who's going to
tell um thank you Brian uh getting the little league field ready with the volunteers um again I had a ton of rain beforehand but at least you got the fields done and I appreciate that uh
we're in uh talks right now with um Williamstown Monroe Township to have a shared service would that be what you call it a shared service for uh hockey and lacrosse so we're trying to work out
some details with them on that uh to be able to provide the kids in Franklin an opportunity locally to play lacrosse andor hockey so with that said thank you for coming out making a motion to adjurnn motion to adjurnn second all in
favor i thank you