k [Music] got [Music] good evening please rise for pledge allees [Music] good evening this regular meeting of the township council is being held
in record all speak recognize name address directly to the micop device by by office shall be offici Mrs
love Mr Nash Mrs Walters Mrs W Mr Mar Mr car here Mr ctis here Chief arkins Mr Mel here we have a Personnel legal matter to discuss and close sessions a motion
resolution 2538 question I'm sorry Mrs Al Trel yes Mr Nash yes Mrs Walters Mrs wers yes Mr marato yes I anticipate up to 20 minutes in this discussion
what's your [Music] name okay watch e e e [Music]
a little bit seems like ch ch know [Music] hello there taken here good this was
just Indian [Music] they actually yeah as an electrician she has [Music] uh she
[Music] yeah's another try Friday that's yeah it's like like right right because that like
[Music] [Music] I don't remember got and just [Music] [Music] [Music] Mr Nash here Mrs Walters here Mrs wers
here Mr marado Mr car here Mr ctis here Chief Parkins here Mr Miguel here we reviewed a personnel now have our first public comment portion this is for agenda items only
anyone address anyone wishing to address Council one time if you're familiar with Rules of Order please com first public portion agenda only at the end of the portion
comment May respond any like to speak on first hi Council my name is sh smithman I live the SDK m g Department complex court it's written 1341 black
clemon road department 341 clemon New Jersey 08021 I 5673 it's also written as 341 the department number followed by Milbridge Road even though it's located on mil for clemon New Jersey
08021 5563 my question is for it says this for the you said for agenda items ordinance for the second reading is that considered can that beion there will be separate hearing ordinance
1067 that's corre there's a second but no no comment can be made well there's a hearing that'll take place that so comment comment that once again the refunding of taxes for over payments yes what is your question the
question is when those payments are made do they who are they made to are they made to the person that actuallya the taxes we respond at the end of public so that would be R 2383 and also for r253
d85 is who receives the overpayment is it possible for somebody else else to receive those payments either by mistaken identity stolen Identity or just by the choosing of the municipality of woster Township New Jersey does it
actually go to the person that made the over payment of taxes is there anyone else see not Mr leader da leader Lor um I still know what a difference is
between ordinances and consent agend I'd like to speak to I guess an ordin second reading I speak to that there's a hearing for that sir I don't know what a hearing is
sir it is a public you can comment on that particular ORD we dedicate time to that there's no time limit to it I see so these are the two agenda items 06 and 07 those are the two ordinances for a
hearing and then the ones below with ordinance first reading their first reading introduction where you can comment on that there will be a hearing and second reading I see thank you thank you is there anyone else
see first public comments to resolution 835 that is made to the individual that paid so their their names are indicated in resolution for 83 and also for
8 4 and 85 uh so their information is provided there in the resolution we now go to our ordinances second reading there will be a public
hearing orance 0256 ordinance amending chap 8148 the code of BL entitled vehicles and traffic of code of BL this is section 81-34 is designated
as hand parking and is amended where the location of8 Drive will be indicated as a hand parking location now open up public here question please so yes Mr yes Mrs wter
Mrs yes next is ordinance 0-25 D7 ordinance amended ordinance 02310 ordinance creating chapter 3od ler I'm sorry yes I'm sorry ler uh
entitled New Jersey motion picture and television commission which will allow motion picture and television fil Township state New Jersey on November 13 2023 C Council pass ordinance as part of council application to participating
program what this does is it updates it requires minor techs to conform commission rise regulations for that program uh those deal with permits issu and per interference of public activity appeals
copies of permits reimbursement certain cost fees violations and now open up this for a public hearing speak Council my name is SMI Gard Department
complex Department for orance 0257 I didn't mention anything about the rights of the people that are being filmed they mentioned that you they had to make make
itance for reduction and increase in price that the county or area that they're filming in might incur like parking meters and such that we need to payment for that
but it didn't the rights of the people in the film the people that are actually being filmed is that are they just subject to typical rights of people being recorded I only ask because with my
stolen identity I really wouldn't know if I was ever recorded orever paid all that I know is that I hear a lot of ta were Happ dep my
I I I eight eight years they have more of my identity than I do so is there anything written in your ordinance amending 02310 for today's ordinance of 0257 to allow
for protection for the people actually being filmed thank is there anyone else [Music] Denise Co um I understand that this is an existing ordinance but it's being amended so I
want to make sure that there's no confusion about how this ordinance can impact everyday residents and Community activists who want to document and film on public property my main concern is that we need clear assurance that this
ordinance will not interfere with our first amendment rights specifically I'd like to hear if the council publicly verify that this ordinance will not restrict citizens rights to film and public spaces whether it's for documenting local government meetings
sharing information or raising awareness about important issues in our town I believe the ordinance is meant to focus on large commercial Productions but it's important to make sure that it doesn't unintentionally defos on the ability of residents and activists to exercise
their rights to film for transparency and Civic engagement I'm asking the council to please confirm that this ordinance won't affect our rights to film in and on on public property for these important purposes
thank anyone else um I'm sure there's a good reason for inducing introducing an ordance around filing on public property I appreciate it and it aims to regulate fing for commercial and educational purposes while exibiting news stories on
this surface seems reasonable however the or ordinance does not define what qualifies as news it's vague and open to interpretation knowing people who don't often consistently disseminating matters of public
interest I'm worried how this ambiguity could affect these people while the council May intend the news exemption to protect journalistic activity this Lacks clity and creates a problem in the past local officials have made comments that
citizen journalism does not count as new sources as it's not being affiliate with the traditional Outlet if that same logic applies to here resident personal efforts to inform the public well below any commercial scale
may be uh label educational Inc of news that would subject those citizen journalist to fees permits applications and prior approval I see this as prior restraint Under My First Amendment rights which is Free Press and
expression the Supreme Court has protected the right to gather share information under the First Amendment nearby Minnesota which rejects prior restraint as well as New York Times V us and 71 upheld the Press freedom to inform the public these rulings support
residents work is in dependent journalist your job is to write an ordinance but once it's in law others such as police administrators or even a judge will decide how the news is interpreted I'm sure your true intent is not to hinder the independent journalist
from residents documenting personal concerns like Council meetings Community interests and other matters the ordinance should be specific and should not explicitly Define news to include hobbyist or independent efforts
not just established media I urge you to amend to clarify that news incompasses independent journalism and public interest by pres to Ure exemp and a precise definition could prevent Mis
misinterpretation that restricts our Civic rights under the LA thank you thank you is there anyone else Mr leader leader
Lor I also have notes who defines news so in the event that we get to the point where we're doing violations and penalties law enforcement could Define news the judge could Define news
attorney generals could have defined news you need to Define news to not include the public taking photographs and videos in public publicly accessible
places uh 38.2 Item B uh instead of a dollar sign has a symbol that I don't I don't know how to pronounce so it's $10 here in I
assume unless that symol is another currency I'm not aware of thank you is there anyone else see this ordinance indicated pass
in November 13 2023 and allow us to participate new filing commission was part of fil initiative the comments made by m coin
restricting the right of individuals citizen journalists this is scale for large commercial I don't interpret this
counil this is hindering anyone in addition toell about lacking clarity citizens Journal again how I interpret is that this is for large scale film aderes to a film ready
program and provides ades to their standards and that's why this is being updated not anybody goam support and educate the public about those
matters going I skipped Smith Smith regarding uh if this has this is a concern you brought back in November 202 is it does have any information in there about if people reported by
standers doesn't have it where they are inform that they're being reported it does not have that language in there in our first we first passed it November of 23 and this uh that would
you I'm not sure when okay so let's go first here okay one that's my education and knowledge that's just a symbol indicating a section the section 38.2
381 indicating a section with that I entertain a motion a second question roll call please yes Mr yes Mrs Walters Mrs W yes
Mr yes now before we go to next I forgot to weigh the reading and accept the minutes of the regular meeting February 10th 2025 and February 24th 2025 motion
please second thank you question call please Mrs Al chel yes Mr Nash yes on February 10th and abstaining on February 24th Mrs Walters yes m w Mr yes uh ordinance 0258
is a first reading introduction that will be a hearing at the second reading War of the township of bler County of C state New Jersey adopting amendments to the blackly West re development plan as adopted under ordinance number 0-21 D12
in accordance with njsa 48281 at SEC local Redevelopment and Housing law this ordinance will amend section 141b of the arts district North Redevelopment District
to permit the use of tattoo B piercing retail s and services at 12 North blackor block 10606 block 9 and 10 nor blackor block 10606 l
10 may I have a motion is there a second the question roll call please Mrs Al Trel yes Mr Nash yes Mrs Walters yes yes next is ordinance
0-25 d09 orance amending chapter 74 of the township of bler entitled storm water management and the code of the township of bler the indp has updated the storm water Control Ordinance for municipalities and changes have occurred to the storm water regulations what this
does is it requires municipalities with a tier a storm water permit to adopt and enforce swm water regulations in compliance with njac 78 this is a first reading and introduction will be a hearing at second
read have a motion pleas a second question call please Mrs Al yes Mr yes Mrs Walter yes Mrs W Mr
yes next is ordance 0-25 d10 amending chapter 74 of the township of bler titled privately owned soft storage of the code of the township of ler this is the state New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
requires municipalities with tier a storm water permits to adopt and enforce a Community Wide ordinance to control privately owned salt storage as established to reduce it GL runoff and protect environmental public health
safety and Welfare this is a new or we have a motion please motion is there a second question R call Mrs Al yes Mr Nash yes Mrs Walter
yes yes before uh next is our consent agenda uh before I ask any council member they like to have anyone remove I would like to have resolution 25389 removed from the agenda there needs to be some additional
work on that particular resolution does anyone else like to remove any items from the consent agenda I have a motion to remove resolution 2389 question please this
is Mr Nash yes sir Mrs Walters m yes I a motion to accept the consent agenda as amend question roll call please Mrs Albert yes Mr Nash yes Mrs Walter yes
Mrs W yes we have two GTE access emails [Music] okay uh the first one's from Steve boogan Township pill rotary 1030 Mar m
Avenue black New Jersey on Saturday April 5th the Rotary Club of BL Township Pine Hill will be partnering with the BL Township store con site we're reaching out for volunteers from our community to assist us with this project Direct Miss birthday you will be working at the site
from 9:00 a.m. to 11: a.m. volunteers should bring their own appointment and address in expectation of getting dir for additional questions or RSP please email steveen Wall Street Township ring gmail.com or visit our website GT www
GTR rotary.org thank you Mr for that public service our next email is from Terry frz 85 Cherry Circle Blackwood regarding agenda item resolution 25389 shared services agreement the resolution mentions sharing materials
Services Personnel does that mean that only Personnel from the school districts and the township are committed to perform these services or outside contractors allowed to perform shared services under this agreement so to be clear this shared service agreement nor emplo from a private company that holds
a contract lost Chach will perform any shared service for School District M I'm start if you want to jump in if either party is unable to perform the service or Services they can request a bid from
a private contractor but the goal of this is to have a shared service to save taxpayers money this was pull we get some need some additional information on it Mr cars do you want to add to that no what you said is exactly what
I ter officially appeared Rie when it's talked about Personnel it's talking about Township personel it's not talking about private contract being shared thank you Mr Mr
cars we'll now go to our second public comment this should be any item that the public chooses to address please limit your comments for five minutes for the second public comment once you complete your comment question for the public comment period Council
council president council members May address your comments or questions there's 30 minutes for the second public anyone wish to speak by Mr Le good evening Council C Burns so will drive in Ariel good evening um
and regrettably I was not here at the last meeting to speak about a particular resolution that I'll get to in a second I'm sure you're not surprised I'm curious about the the merry the acquisition of the merry property where that stands presently um since we don't have a
dialogue back and forth that's question number one um my other questions are related to ordinance r 25273 regarding uh four large called residential I'm sorry commercial
buildings provid some supporting information this this resolution I said not being here um I dropped the agenda assuming this resolution is
passed and a bit because there's a lot of conflicting information about these blocks and lots and I want to bring to your attention on the third page um the letter from US fish wild that I shared
with Council last year specifically these same blocks a naal heritage site by us F Wildlife so here we are supporting the construction of four
large commercial buildings 10,000 square feet a piece and yet the mayor and council is aware that these blocks are a natural heritage site and are sensitive environmental
areas in addition to that page on the next page this is the recommendation fromation report and it also says that those blocks should read vment Zone and
in part it reads the existing zoning and surrounding zoning districts which are resal nature F further warrants the exploration Zone uses so this is from
the examination this is council's own information and you Council supporting the construction are these commercial buildings you want to call warehous you want to call distribution buildings commercial buildings resolution so we have two strikes
against this one is the natural heritage the second strike is in the master plan says this area should be reson for something more appropriate in the examination report i c guys a number of
um quotes was page seven in terms of what the reexamination government should be doing page seven the protection of the natural environment will continue to be a strong social go ciance preserving environmentally exensive land from
developmentally exensive land and Scenic Landscapes especially along stream Carters which this is there's a stream that originates back there it's called Tom's branch below that restrict development on environmentally sensitive land to Recreation cons conservation
purposes so here we are again approving something or showing support for something which is in direct conflict to the reexamination plan it's a natural heritage site and even the reexamination plan itself says those
blocks and lots should be rezoned so I don't know why council is supporting this so my questions for this evening are listed on the second page Why would Council support building four 10,000 sare foot commercial
buildings when the property is a US fish and wildlife natural heritage site two why would Council support the use of the land when the master plan reexamination reports recommends the resoning of these partials to better support the needs of
the community it's page 59 number three why would Council support the construction of these buildings when you re-examination report 2024 cleer states that environmentally senses land especially along stream corridors should be protected and those pages are S 8 11
and 12 by what is the intended use of these proposed buildings and five which probably nobody knows what is percent of land in question that would be covered by in permeable surfaces such as roofs parking lots and storage
areas yes yes thank you for your time is there anyone else leader gor I was looking at one of the items resolution 25387 and it talked about a green team
uh I never heard of a green te team I'd like to know if the public can join the Green Team the new format is working this year of rep public speaking without
getting any feedback and being unable to feedback is just not working three examples one example is a question was put
in the first sentence followed by discussion and it was stated that there was no question it was a statement the question was in the very beginning of that public
speech in addition we need more feedback after Council speaks their feedback there's no to and fro so in some cases everybody goes home
confused including Council Council asked themselves questions about something the public brought up and left without polling to get an answer from the public so council did not understand the question osed and
just moved on that's unacceptable public has a right to speak be heard and have questions answered not just say it's a statement or that Council doesn't understand the
question therefore it's mot it is not mov the public asked a question Council didn't understand it they left they closed the session they went on only the people who asked the question were concerned I
assume the third thing around the new format is that the rules can be bent by Council there was a to and fro twice with the public
interactive so the public statement Council asked public a question went back back forth back forth it was not reserved to the end of the meeting so if Council can reserve the right to modify
at their will when an issue comes up where something is said as a statement when the question was ignored or when something comes up and says that Council needs more detail that is a clear
opportunity for to and fro for speaking back and forth if one if the public who asks that question raises their voice and say I can answer your question I can give you more [Music]
detail we are told that we're out of order if the public says wait a minute I have a response to your misunder understanding of the question where out of order nobody tell Council are out of
order when Council goes to and fro with the public question answer question answer question answer it's not Equitable it stinks it inhibits the public from having a dialogue with their elected
officials it's just wrong thank you good evening Council my name is smithman I live in the SDK Gardens apartment complex on Port RS parallel with and adjacent to Kelly driver Road identified
as Kelly Driver Lane New Jersey the closest large intersection would be M gate there is a strange mil Haven Road that goes off inside but it's it runs parallel the same way as Kelly d something
positive my father were up in this town it's not easy to walk while him and his brothers I think had a car most of the time uh it was mentioned that you have to drive you need a vle to have
work I'm not permitted to work I'm trying to change that it's very difficult I've always driven um I have not driven in the past 10 years at least well
2014 one time I drew my son's H to the shop and then Bill F neighbor I grew up with said that somebody sent him a citation for a suspended license strangely my license was suspended how did he know that
it's like they sent somebody else a notice for something that I had incurred for not turning the plates in my dad's Geo prison you have a an Arts Theater me I know that there's not supposed to be back and forth talk
what is that one theater one County rout 168 what is the name of that no there's a name of there's a name of the the you're not going to answer the question is that right it's located on
Route 168 in Church Road that turns into County Route 534 it's also known as the Black Horse Pike County 30 which is also commonly referred to as the White Horse Pike there is no busing that goes in between those two bikes um there's no
business really on County Ro 5 before um to speak up the ones that are there appear to be struggling uh maybe you could start on weekends and go further than that but if you the township might want to consider
purchasing a trolley and maybe getting retired from CDL license professionals and maybe some high school or college students attending the local community college that might want to have interest in the CDL for extra work you get a pike
to Pike trolley you could go from one Pike to the other you could loop around your theater that'll get people from the lville high speeded line to your theater if you turn left onto I think it's New Jersey ad you could go right around your theater and then go back on to Church
Street which turns into County grou 534 Gibs to 30 uh and then do that white Force ad it'll loop around you can you can keep all the turns Pleasant you know you won't
interfere with traffic so much but it might help your theater second my identity is still under extreme distress turns out I firmly believe that my family is heavily involved I have two siblings Kimberly Foley and courney
mesel for certain Kimberly M Kimberly holy has always in some way or another pretended to be me when I had when I was put into crisis in Florida it's called a Baker Act the items that she had in mind she said that they were hers I said
those are mine said no they're mine no they're not I love those it makes me question things like her microwave with the kitchen table that I P for her she's always been that way she's eight and a half years older than me there's nothing I can do I can go out of it and at the state of New Jersey and the United
States federal government would go for some type of protector for civil rights apparently it does not especially in woster counc New Jersey I don't have any credit cards I only have a debit card from my bank I don't have an Amazon or any other type of delivery account at all I have
not driven since the year 2014 my father's Geo Prism it was registered in my name it was given to Richard smithman my Uncle Rich that's my dad's brother he wanted to view it would be extremely easy for wer CH New Jersey to investigate these things I've never been
married I don't have a passport Miss SM thank you for by Denise coin choose Landing um just good evening just so you know people at home are saying they can't hear sounds garbled so everybody
that's going on um I would like to address the irony of the council president's recent statement I believe in transparency at the February 10th 2025 council meeting Mr Leader's concerns
were met with personal criticism and were publicly questioned by Mr marado who suggested they were Incorrect and inacurate however Mr leader was not given the opportunity to respond at the February 24th meeting
statement was made about me yet I was not permitted to address it if residents who ask questions are treated this way it raises concerns about whether public participation is being discouraged this certainly does not F Foster the pleasant conversations that
Mr Mar seems to Value conversation should be a two-way exchange allowing for engagement clarification and exchange of ideas meanwhile important issues regarding the management of taxpayer dollars remain
unaddressed in December the council approved $585,000 for a sewer project then approved another $1 million in February for what appears to be the same project no explanation has been provided as to
why additional borrowing was necessary an email I received states that the $585,000 bond ordinance was to replace an mua Bond ordinance that became invalid when the MUA was
dissolved on December 9th and December 23rd we were told that 300,000 of the 585,000 was intended to connect a neighborhood to the Sewer at the last meeting however we were told this was not the
case in September 2024 Mr micado stated that borrowing would increase sewer rates however on February 24 2025 we were told there is no discussion of raising SE rates despite borrowing 1 mil
885,000 in less than a year additionally Mr Caris stated that borrowing would result in higher taxes these conflicting statements warrant clarification when I asked whether borrowing more for the sewer would result in higher taxes or sewer rates
increasing I received a vague response about the budget proc process rather than a clear answer these are valid taxpayer concerns however rather than fostering a respectful and transparent discussion there seems to be a reluctance to acknowledge or address discrepancies and
statements made by council members Additionally the restructuring of the council meetings to limit back and forth discussions between residents and the council has been described as leading to Pleasant discussions well that may be one perspective it's not mine
I believe it has further restricted The public's ability to ensure transparency and to hold our Representatives account so Mr marato when you say I believe in transparency what exactly do you mean do you mean transparency and
borrowing if so why has the council not explained why we borrow twice for what appears to be the same project if this isn't the case why has no one from Council or the administration addressed the discrepancies do you we mean transparency in decision making
statements regarding the sewer have shifted over time first we were told dissolving it would save money and preserve the sewer in the town and then we needed to sell it residents deserve clear and consistent explanations also how much did the
bridge of the piple wall boards cost do you mean transparency in how residents are treated restricting responses to public statements and limiting discussion for the sake of pleasant discussions doesn't align with the principles have been with government by the way I'm still waiting for a response
to my email from November 26 2024 if you truly believe in transparency please demonstrate it through actions and not just words taxpayer money deserves respect accountability and clear communication thank you thank
you I'm good you're good anyone else wish to speak one publiction for I had handed Mr Nash can you share some light on the information um yes so this um project
has not been is wasn't passing notes folks I was tell Mr thank you council president so this project understanding is a um contractor's um yard so there will be believe four 10 fo buildings on several
Lots um however this has not been approved by the planning board we only came for a concept meeting with the planning importance that's and site issues um and that was several months ago um I don't believe the resolution that was pass last Council was the
approval of of that site um that project so as to the master plan goals and objectives that Mr bur burs mentioned those are correct those are the goals and objectives that the master plan um intends to have and those will be are
something that was possible that Mr contact any addition questions sure yes thank you very uh Mr leader had a question asking regarding the Green Team Green Team was established in 2010 to deal with issues
of sustainability here in our community recycling environmental issues also they were the drive to create that over there this resolution today was to continue
that and rece continue to receive their certification I your comments regarding format comments about rules can be vent there I've ask for clarification when people have come up here so thank you for your comments on
that Miss SM thank you for your comments uh miss your statement and questioning so that $300,000 let's go back to that uh Mr Carson and I spoke after the meeting following day so that
statement that was made when that was approved that was that $300,000 was dedicated to that road uh the vendor came back to us the engineer on that particular project and that figure had gone upst is that correct Mr that's
correct that was the purpose of having that second that project is there anything else you want to add to that in regards to your questions regarding transparency and the desolution of the
yes I pretty clear with that as far as resolving it the intend at the time was to add it to the township as a soon utility the following year Mr cars came to me after the November election so November 23 and came to me and said
there's opportunity to see what the value of our SE utility is let's see if there's a value to it uh so at that time that's how we proceeded the res is spoke and it still remains a sewer utility
directors nothing to report Mr nothing nothing to report Mr Mrs Al than Mr Nash U one one clarification on
the E from Steve ban he mentions meeting at a site doesn't say exactly which site that is it is there okay I assumed it I just want to make it clarify and then ums to Mr Burns um mentioned about the uh
22073 this is a form a application can you explain us a little bit what a form a application is I know it mentions sewer exactly a form for connections to connection so that's all that was approved
correct that's all Mrs wers thank you for coming out Mr thank you for coming out this evening next uh meeting we will celebrate women history month for women who make
so we will have that 7:00 hour then lead into a regular coun meeting so I encourage everybody to Second favor so Gooding questions so
good must be a skill hey there's car keys are left up front here I know if anybody natural