are out of executive session. We are at item two on our docket for today, which are proclamations and presentations. And it is my honor to start with some swearing ins of some of our officers. So, uh,
some promotions. So, just give me a moment. I'm going to come on down and I'm going to ask Deputy Chief Thomas E to come on down. [Applause]
Okay, if you can repeat after me, you know the drill already. I see. All right. I, Michael Thomasy, >> I, Michael Thomasy, >> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> that I will support the Constitution of
the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> that I will bear truth, faith, and allegiance >> I will bear true faith and allegiance >> to the same >> to the same
>> and to the governments established in the United States >> and to the governments established in the United States >> and the governments I'm sorry in the United States and in this state >> and in this state >> under the authority of the people >> under the authority of the people
>> and that I will faithfully >> and that I will faithfully >> impartially >> impartially >> and justly perform >> and justly perform >> all the duties of deputy fire chief >> all the duties of deputy fire chief >> according to the best of my ability
>> according to the best of my ability So help me God. >> So help me God. >> Congratulations. [Applause] You don't mind.
[Applause] If I can have Captain Jeffrey Jer Jer Russuso come on down. And any family that like to come down as well. Thank you. I, Jeffrey G. Russo, >> I, Jeffrey G. Russo
>> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> that I will bear truth, faith, and
allegiance >> that I will bear truth, faith, and allegiance >> to the same >> to the same >> and to the governments established in the United States >> and the governments established in the United States >> and in this state >> and in this under the authority of the people.
>> under the authority of the people. >> And that I will faithfully >> And I will faithfully >> impartially >> impartially >> and justly perform >> and justly perform >> all the duties of fire captain >> and all the duties of fire captain >> according to the best of my ability
>> according to the best of my abilities. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. >> Congratulations. Congratulations. Lieutenant Diamore and any family that would like to come down. I, Jesse Diamore III, >> I, Jesse Diamore III,
>> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> that I will bear truth, faith, and
allegiance >> that I will bear truth, faith, and allegiance to the same >> to the same >> and to the governments established in the United States >> and and to the governments established in the United States >> and in this state >> and in this state >> under the authority of the people
>> under the authority of the people >> and that I will faithfully >> and that I will faithfully >> impartially >> impartially >> and justly perform >> and justly perform >> all the duties of fire lieutenant >> all the duties of fire lieutenant >> according to the best of my ability
>> according to the the best of my ability. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. >> Congratulations. [Applause] >> Okay. And with that, I'm going to ask Chief Rosaza to say a few words. Thank
you. >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, this is a wonderful occasion. Uh, special for me, too. It's my first group of promotions. So, I just want to say congratulations again to lieutenant, the captain, the deputy. Uh, let's hear it for these guys in this well-deserved promotion.
Appreciate it. And it's great to see a turnout like this. Um the Hackinack Fire Department feels your support and uh all the families that came out, friends of the department. It means a lot. Appreciate you guys. And thank you to uh Mayor Gaines and members of the council. Uh we
appreciate your support and your commitment to safety, safety of the public as well as the safety of the men and women of the Hackitac Fire Department. So by making these promotions, keeping this span of control intact and our ranks intact, uh means a lot and we appreciate that. the
residents appreciate it and uh we're safer for it. So, thank you very much. Thank you all for coming out. Appreciate it. Okay, we are going to take a brief recess for just about five or six minutes so that we can take some photos. any family that would like to come up
and take photos. We will continue on with proclamations right after, but please don't be shy. Any uh of the newly sworn in, promoted officers can come on up. Uh thank you. We'll pause for a couple minutes. Thanks. You can grab a seat please if you are
staying. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, we are back. Thank you everyone for indulging us for a brief recess. We have another proclamation and I'm going to ask for the residents
of Clinton AB to come down. Clinton Place. Oh, I'm so sorry. I knew it was Clinton. If I can have the residents of Clinton Place to come on down, please. Thank you. Yes, I do. Good to see you. How are you? Please come up. You're just gonna hang out here. All
right. >> All right. So, um I have to say this is I'm I'm a big Halloween person. I love Halloween so much and so this is particularly exciting to be able to give a proclamation to the residents of Clinton Place for uh not just this year
but my goodness since I was a kid. Um just all that you do. Um I was just asking someone today like when you move on to the block do they say like you you have to do this? Are they deed restricted? Like is Halloween a a necessary thing? Uh but um but we just
wanted to come out and recognize you. you all work so hard and so tirelessly over this season and do so much not only for us here in Hackinack, but um it's a it's a destination spot as you all know and so thank you for that. And I'm going to read the the formal proclamation.
Whereas the Halloween displays on Clinton Place began over 30 years ago as a small neighborhood effort to bring families and friends together for some haunting fun. And whereas over the years it has grown into a beloved event that
now draws visitors from across Bergen County and beyond. And whereas the long-standing tradition has always been about more than just decorations. It's about community spirit, neighbors working together, and giving the
community a safe and magical way to celebrate All Hollow's Eve. And whereas many residents celebrate create elaborate theme decorations from classic Halloween scenes to displays inspired by favorite movies, several homes even
coordinate to create an interactive experience. And whereas this year's festivities feature a flash mob performance of Thriller choreographed by Lorie Manning of Nelly K. Parker School, adding even more excitement and community fun to the celebration. And whereas the residents of Clinton Place
are raising funds for local fire and police departments as a way to give back to those who help keep our community safe. Now therefore, I, Cassin Gaines, mayor of the city of Hackinack, along with the members of the city council, do
recognize and hereby thank the residents of Clinton Place for their tireless effort to spread Halloween fun to the community to all who dare to enter the haunts of Hackinack. Thank you again. Thank you.
Take a picture with you guys if you don't mind. I don't know who wants to keep listen. >> Oh, go. >> It's on. It's on. Okay, before we actually moved on the block, my wife and I were down in Tucko or wherever,
somewhere in South Jersey. I met a couple from North Jersey and we told them we live in Hackinack. Oh, that they had that Clinton Place block. I mean, they're so crazy. They're so Who would want to buy a house in that block? The day before we put it we put a down payment on the house. So, we told them we would. And uh that that just goes to
show you how some people feel about the place, but uh we we weren't going to say nothing, but uh we did. We admitted it and we're still happy. That was over 20 years ago. Great. Thank you. [Applause]
Okay. >> Are we good? Should we double row it, Frank, or >> All right. We want to make a small row one step forward. Those holding the proclamation. >> Here you go. We all come on [Applause]
>> guys. So actually the Victorian house and then covered their board and wked There you go. So nice to see you. Nice
to see you. Thank you. And congratulations. All right. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thanks. Take care. Roberto, come on over. Red Rover. Red Rover. >> All right. I see that. All right. We're
on agenda item two, I think. Today. Okay. So, we have one more proclamation. Whereas, as we forge new futures as a unified people, we must celebrate the unique and vibrant cultures that have written the American story. Many determined individuals have sought our shores as a beacon of hope and
opportunity, and their spirit of limitless possibility, an example of resolve continues to inspire and guide our nation. And whereas upon arrival in the United States, the Italian-American community faced racial, social, and religious discrimination, yet Italian-Americans have persevered with
hope and hard work to reach for the American dream and helped build our great country. And whereas today the legacy of those these intrepid immigrants is found in the millions of American men, women, and children of Italian descent who strengthen and
enrich our country. Italian-Americans operate thriving businesses, teach our children, serve at all levels of government, and succeed in myriad occupations, drawing on the courage and principles of their forebears. hand. Whereas generations of Italian-Americans
have helped shape our society and steer the course of our history. Bound by enduring values of faith and family, Italian-Americans have flourished in all areas of our public and economic life while preserving their proud Italian
traditions. And now therefore, I, Cassim Gaines, mayor of the city of Hackinack, along with the members of the city council, do recognize and hereby celebrate Italian American Heritage Month. Thank you.
[Applause] And with that, I'd like to move on to a report from our CFO, Jim Mangan. Thank you, mayor. Uh just want to give a a quick report tonight on the best practices uh inventory, which is
something that we do every fall. Uh and it needs a quick explanation. Uh the best practices checklist is something that was developed by the legislature back in 2011 and it's been reauthorized every year. uh it's part of the state
budget. What it is is the division of local government services compiles a checklist of what they consider to be um 50 of the 50 best practices and then they take this checklist, they send it
out to every municipality in New Jersey and then what we have to do is match it against our operations and score ourselves against that list. Okay? So, we do that and then we send that into the state. Um, and then and we score
ourselves. And the way it works is if you're if you score too low, you do get penalized with a loss of a portion of your state aid. Now, Hackard Socks never lost any part of their state aid. Um,
and never will, I can tell you that. Um, so the so this year's checklist came out. Um, the maximum score this year was 44. Uh, we scored a 36. Okay. I sent the checklist out to uh you guys last week.
Um, if you have any questions on any of the questions are answered. I'd be happy to uh field them right now. >> The only thing I'm going to ask is just for you to contextualize what that 36 is. Just people are hearing a number and there's no context.
>> I'm sorry. I meant to do that. Yeah, if a 36 out of 44 uh roughly equates to about an 83%. Okay, which is same as it was last year. Okay. Oh, and u uh following tonight, we always post
the full checklist and the score sheet on the city website on the finance section of the city website under uh presentations. Okay. All right. And again, this is done every year. It's done every October.
>> Okay. >> Thank you very much. >> Sure. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Ryan time. >> So, we're going to start calling it Ryan Time. Ryan, >> good evening. >> All right. Um, just the usual overview
of the projects. I will be going into more detail. uh firehouse engine 2 on the 14th. The building department inspection passed. Concrete was poured on the 16th on the
apparatus floor. And um once the 28 day curing ends, the truck will be able to return to the garage on November 13th. And then after that, there's um just an epoxy coating that'll go on the floor and then that project will be wrapped up.
uh Fini fields 8, nine, and 10. The contractor is continuing with drainage improvements as well as the excavation for the foundations of the light poles. Um the next twoe look ahead is they're going to install the head wall for the
drainage to discharge into the river and to continue with the field lighting foundations. uh the Grand Avenue pedestrian improvements project that is uh currently out to bid and the bid opening will be held on uh also November 13th.
Uh this was a DOT local aid grant funded partially funded project. Um, and it includes intersection improvements at Grand and Popppler and Grand and Fairmont, um, you know, by the Fairmont School. And it includes, uh, new
striping, curb bumpouts for the, uh, pedestrian uh, ADA walkways and, um, line striping and the flashing pedestrian crossing signs.
Uh and again just the list of roads to be paved uh this year hopefully with that the weather holds out. Um the contractor has started on South Newman this week. Uh they have to do the CDBG funded roads first just due to the funding that we
receive. It has to be closed out by the end of the year and then they will continue on with the other streets weather permitting. uh Baldwin Park. Uh this is on again because the um construction administration proposal uh is on for
award at the council meeting. Uh this project includes uh ADA improvements at Baldwin Park uh surrounding the park, ADA improvements uh of the walkways leading up to that upper portion as well as the playground area and some
plantings of uh street trees. And then uh with the municipal court um this project has been in the works for several years at this point. Um so what would the uh improvements include redoing that uh call it the storefront
you know the glass panels uh the transaction windows and the door into the inner offices of the violations area. Uh this will be the current layout will be removed and new walls framed up with ballistic panels and new uh
transaction windows. And that work is slated to begin in the beginning of December and any questions? I >> think we're all good. Thank you so much. >> Oh, sorry. I got one more announcement. Um the I believe the Nixel went out this afternoon, but uh starting tomorrow
evening, there's going to be full westbound closure on the Anderson Street Bridge from Tene coming into the city. Uh beginning at approximately 700 p.m. ongoing overnight to 6:00 a.m. for some uh repairs being made to the interim repairs onto the bridge. And that's
probably going to last for several weeks >> Monday through Friday overnight. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. Ryan, can you just make sure that um that information we can do a special notice about that in the weekly newsletter as well. So if that information get
>> Thank you so much. >> Um city manager report. >> Good evening everyone. Uh just a reminder, uh Veterans Day ceremony is November 11th, 11:00 a.m. at the Green on Washington Place. Uh it's
always a great event. We appreciate all of the turnout and support for that if you can make it. Uh like to congratulate the uh newly sworn in officers from the fire department tonight. It's great to see them all here and big support that they had. Congratulations on that.
I did want to just uh provide a couple quick follow-ups from last meeting. Uh we had some concerned residents uh bringing about some issues and uh I can report on a couple that we've been able to uh recognize and uh rectify. Uh we had some concerns about the street
sweeping on Grand and Marvin. I forwarded that to the DPW. Uh they were going to take care of it. And just as an FYI, uh I've learned that the DPW has only two street sweeping machines and we only have two qualified drivers for those machines at this time. So, we're
working on getting more qualified drivers so that we can keep those machines on the road more often. But if you if there was a lapse on your street, it was most likely because we had one gentleman out for an extended period of time. So, we were limited with our drivers. Had a concerned resident reporting 72 Newman Street. Some
complaints of noise and people hanging out there. I forwarded that to the police department and they reported back to me that they've been monitoring the area and they've broken up a couple of crowds that were down there uh in the in the last week or so. uh had another uh resident come up uh was concerned that
uh about the Halloween safety uh and that we should be putting something out, which we ended up putting out on our all our social media sites and on our city website. We have some Halloween safety tips for uh all of the kids and all of the adults that are going to be out on Halloween. Um, and another gentleman uh
requesting we look at the intersection of Anderson and Union for some pedestrian safety upgrades. And uh I will report that I spoke to Ryan on this and that actual whole intersection and most of Anderson Street there is
included in a big streetscapes project which has already been funded and it will go uh it'll probably start sometime next year. Uh the project itself, it's still being designed, but it will include the pedestrian safety crossings there at Union and Anderson as requested
by Mr. Smith. Um and then uh Helen McFed McFadian from High Street. I'm sorry to report we have not made any progress yet on the parking resident parking for residents only uh issue. We are we have met with the police department and with the traffic division. We've had several
meetings. We have identified that our enforcement is a little lacking in that uh in that regard and we're in the in the process of purchasing some automatic license plate readers for the uh parking enforcement officers so that they can uh
more readily enforce our current uh uh issues that we have with resident only parking. So, we're still on top of it. I just wanted to report back that we didn't forget about it and uh we're hopefully going to make some progress with the enforcement on that as we study what else we can do to improve the
resident parking only issues. That's all I have to report, sir. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Before I ask for a motion for public comment, I just want to alert everyone um there's an item
on the docket for today. It's number two and one of those things it is uh amending the rules of order. One of the things that we are going to do um once we pass that um is try to streamline the
meetings a little bit particularly to eliminate the gap between the cow meeting and the 8:00 meeting. So what we are going to do is notice all of the meetings at 5:30. We will go into executive session as we have done as
they have done for years. Um we will put an anticipated time for when we anticipate to come out of executive session and then once we come out of executive session we are going to go straight through. So if we end the the what was traditionally the cow meeting
early we won't break for 20 minutes or break for 45 minutes. We'll just go straight through the docket. Um to that end, we did not want to by consolidating the meetings take away anyone's opportunity for public comment. If
you're here for both, we didn't want you to lose your second bite at the apple, so to speak. And so, if you notice on the docket for today, it says public comment, and it's listed a little bit differently. It says public comment on agenda items. And so if there's something before we vote, if you'd like
to speak on something that's on the agenda, please come forward, speak on it. Um, you have that opportunity, and then at the end, if you have a a new issue that you'd like to put on our radar that isn't an agenda item, or if you just want to revisit an agenda item after we voted on it, you're more than
welcome to just have your piece with whatever you'd like um at the end as well. But we're just trying to eliminate the lag so that we aren't guaranteed to leave at 8:45 at a minimum every day. Um, so with that being said, I'm going to ask that if anyone has a public
comment on an agenda item, if you can come on down, please. Thank you. Joel Dawkins Hackinac. First item is uh the CFO report. I'd like to get information as to how those particular
municipalities got 44 and we got 36. So we could see what the gap is. If we're a county seat, we should be near the top or at the top. Number two, uh I don't know if this is on Ryan's uh agenda, but we need more of those
pedestrian flashing signs along Summit all the way from Standish all the way down to Spring Valley Road. It's a heavily traffked area and people like to walk and they should have the ability to do to do so, including
Prospect Avenue and maybe along Hudson, even though they're not as highriced, they should have the ability to uh have those same uh protections. And I think that was it for now. I
forgot the last one, but yeah. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Robins. Thank you. >> Good evening. Blanch Stewart, Third Street, Hackinat. Um, when I was listening to the streets that were being repaved, my street wasn't on there. I've
asked that continually over the past three, four years. When was Third Street going to be repaved? I was always told it'll be at the beginning of next year. So now I've been at that address for 29 years. Next year I won't have a mortgage
and it still has not been paid in the 30 years that I've been there. So, I'd like to ask when will Third Street be paved? And and if not, if it can go into the next set of streets because you have like these small streets, the Wolf Place, Wesley Street, Third Street may
be short, but it goes from Central almost to Pake Street and the rumbling at night as trucks come through there is unbearable. So, please take that into consideration. Also, I just wanted to congratulate the firemen and also you guys for doing such a wonderful job.
Thank you. Thank you. >> Good evening. Again, Charlie Avalone put in place. I just had one question since it was brought up. As far as I know, the Anderson retreat bridge has been shrunk down to that for over 12 years. Is there any indication when
they're going to open it up again? I drove over it one night. It was open. >> Oh, I'm sorry. I drove over it one night. It was fully open. Next morning when I went to work, it was half. So, I didn't know. And all the buses went to Route four. So what's route four going to happen now with all the buses extra
going out across that bridge. So since you had mentioned uh the work they're doing for temporary repair I guess is there anything on the docket somewhere in the next century that they're going to replace it? >> Yeah. So I'll I'll ask Ryan to to come back up after um public comments if you
don't mind. But I'll ask Ryan has an update for it. And these two other things, I don't know if they're now or later, but since they are due to the streets, um I live on Clinton Place, have to cross Prospect. They do have the flashing stop signs, but you still, in fact, there was an accident two weeks ago. I'm requesting we put a four-way
stop sign there because a lot of people use Clinton to go up and down, and they're always just missing each other. I mean, it's not often, but if there's a possibility of a four-way stop there, like like it's on Anderson.
And one last place, uh, Lindon by the railroad tracks. That's another area where there's a lot of, um, close calls because I think some people believe the white line from the railroad tracks is a stop line. So, they're expecting Clinton to be stopping and people on Lyndon on
are going right through the stop sign. And my wife Susan was actually hit there a couple years ago. you know, not a major thing, but she got the other woman got a ticket. Anyway, that's my three little things just to put on your agendas. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Thank you.
>> It's It's the first time. We're so lenient. Just come on down. Come on down. So my name is Alusto from Clinton. Um so two things we would I would like to request for the street to be closed from Clarendon all
the way to Summit because we have a few houses that passed Prospect including mine. Um and sometimes it doesn't get the the attention every year. Last year was successful. Uh there was no cars, there were damage, there was no property damage, and everybody had a lot of fun.
And it was very safe for people to walk on the streets, not on the sidewalk. >> You're talking about during the Halloween season. >> On Halloween, like on Halloween. Yeah. Uh the second thing is um on Beach Street as well as Central, there's no turning light on the um Let me put this
up. Sorry. There's no turning light on the uh on the traffic light. Uh there's one in Prospect and Pake, but there's not one um on Summit and B Street or Summit
in Central. Uh and it causes sometimes accidents. Um so when you turning to the left or right, and there's also a bus uh 163 bus that comes that way. Um it doesn't have way to turn. So sometimes people avoid hitting the bus and it hits
the the bus stop or uh the sidewalk. So just for safety purposes, it will be great to have that. Um and in terms of the um flashing signs for the pedestrians, uh it's good for the pedestrian to have the ability to press the button instead of being flashing all
the time because if it flashes all the time, people continue to go through. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else from the public for this portion? >> Good evening. Marty Smith, Prospect Avenue. I'm a member of the Condo Co-op
Advisory Board's traffic safety committee. I'd like to bring to your attention an issue that we brought to the attention of the previous administration about a year and a half ago and that was the current speed limit on Summit Avenue
between Payic Street and Spring Valley Avenue. Summit Avenue for the most part is a county road, but for some reason that I can't explain this that section comes under city jurisdiction. And as you probably know,
streets under city jurisdiction in Hackinac typically have a 25 mph speed limit. So we brought this issue to the attention of the previous administration back in June of 2024.
When we did, the council decided to have a traffic survey done. And that traffic survey was done by the Bergen County Sheriff's Department from July 23rd until July 30th on a
24-hour a day basis. During that time, the sheriff's department counted for that week 83,835 vehicles using that section of Summit Avenue. They also clocked all vehicles
for speed and found that the typical speed was 38 miles per hour, which was 3 miles above the posted speed limit. At a meeting of the city council,
Mr. Caruso told me one evening when he was the city manager that the Hackinack traffic department had decided not to lower the speed limit, that he had received a letter from at that time
Captain Antista saying that uh there should be a standard speed limit. But in effect, Summit Avenue from its northern terminus down to the Loi line has three different
speed zones, 30, 35, and 40 miles an hour. At that time, at that meeting, I asked Mr. Kuso, what were the parameters that were used by the traffic department in
determining not to lower the speed limit? He said he didn't know, but that he would find out. By the time the next city council was scheduled, Mr. Caruso was no longer the city manager, and so
we were never told what those parameters might have been. Uh, subsequently, >> take take another 30 seconds, please. >> Thank you. Subsequently, I received a copy of the letter from Captain Antista
to Mr. Caruso. Uh, he really doesn't give any specific reasons why, but the reasons that we believe the speed limit should be changed are the following. Number one, Summit Avenue is a very wide street,
which means it takes longer for pedestrians to cross, particularly senior citizens and those pedestrians who have disabilities who are walking with canes or walkers. Secondly,
the average speed limit of these cars, according to the sheriff's department, is 38 miles an hour, which is a very fast speed for a residential street. And the third parameter they should have used was the fact that between PY Street
and Spring Valley Avenue, there are nine intersections. Only two intersections in that area of Summit Avenue have crosswalks. All other intersections are unprotected. Now, all of these other inter
>> I don't want to cut you off, but if you could just bring your point to a close. I I just want to be respectful of everyone else's time as well. Thank you. >> Um, all other intersections are unprotected. They are all T intersections which means
that the intersecting streets end at Summit Avenue and they are all located on the east side of Summit Avenue. So we would just request that the council revisit this issue based on the parameters that we've given you and see
if perhaps we can get Summit Avenue to have a safer speed limit. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Smith. Thank you. Anyone else from the public? >> Hi, I'm Michael Landau. I live at 321
Clinton Place, Hackinack. Um, I know we live on a wide street and we were just celebrated. I'm sorry I missed it. I was working. Uh, but I got back from the city and I'm here. Um but uh one of the things that I've realized living there for about 6 years is you know we're in a
on a street where the fire trucks go through ambulances. It's a main thoroughfare. So we were never able to put or request speed bumps or any kind of uh uh deterrent for speed uh between uh Summit and Prospect. So, one of the
thoughts, you know, is to get a radar gun or one of those speed signs because we see them in Maywood in a lot of different other streets, you know, that are parallel to ours. And I think it would be really uh something that we would really appreciate. Um either going
up or down the hill because no matter what, if you're doing 25 miles an hour on a hill, you're doing 35, 40. So, um, and we just had a lot of new kids move in and I think it would be a great thing to do. That's all I have to say. Thank you.
>> Thank you very much. Thank you. >> Hi, good evening everyone. Um, Marlene Somerville. I am the Hackinack representative for the Tanek, which is Tedboroough aircraft noise abatement advisory committee. So I am just here to update the mayor and the city council on
the last tanak meeting. So our meeting was October the 22nd and unfortunately we were at a little bit of a disadvantage right due to the swearing in of the new council. We missed the July 16th um meeting. It happened uh roughly about a week or so after you guys were sworn in. So we were not in um
we were not in attendance and we were unable to get the survey that was given out. So the Terborough noise abatement authority hired a company that is called HMMH in order to do a noise abatement survey. Hmm is an international company
that works to remediate for different townships airplane noise right and and issues that we have with residential quality of life. The survey was given and answers were turned in but in that gap between that we were not participants. So, one of the things that I've asked as the town representative is
for the survey to be reopened or at least reissued to Hackinac. So, we get an opportunity to provide some feedback to that after we circulated to, you know, to the council. We can look it over. We can provide some feedback. Uh there there was 100 last year there was
1,770 [Music] or something in that ballpark, right? uh in and out of Teterboro airport for air traffic which is significant. Teter was never zoned for that. The highest
concentration for Hackinack residents is around Prospect Avenue that they're complaining the most about the noise. And the third part of the complaint for us beyond the noise at Prospect Avenue is the issue with larger jets landing with helicopter noise coming in more
frequently with takeoff and landing now being in the morning time. Right. So, there's supposed to be a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. gap, but it is a gentleman's agreement, which basically is a handshake. There is no policy or procedure for it. So, at any point in time, if somebody decides to come in or land, it just is what it is, right? They
have. And then the last part, which was negotiated by the prior council was to reroute it over Route 17 instead of coming in over Hackinac. So, those are all key points that we will be revisiting. But right now the main part
is one to get the survey and two to work with the FAA, the MTA and TANK to try to see how we can start getting them to enforce reusing the new FAA flight path that was agreed to. So uh and we
presented to the condo board there is four meetings per year. So the next meeting is not until January the 16th. And I'll leave it up to the council to determine if you guys want an update after the meeting or if you guys prefer, you know, a a different kind of update. If you want me to send meeting minutes or something else along the line, you
guys can let me know. I think Allison has a copy of the presentation, right? And I will give you guys the traffic survey when I get a chance to scan that in and I'll send it over to her. Okay. So, any questions? Thank you. >> Thank you.
Good evening. My name is Sandra and I live in Hackinack. >> Good evening. >> I recently moved to PG Street from James Street and um we were didn't have a lot of time to move or get get ready to move and everything. So, we we moved in um
257 Pose Street and I never really got to have it inspected or anything. And I've been trying to uh talk to the landlord and the super about certain things that really need to be done. There's a lot of work that needs to be done in the
apartment. Excuse me. I don't talk in front of a lot of people too much, but I'm going to make my way through. >> Just talk to me. I'll help you. You're okay. >> Okay. Um, so right now I have maybe 10 or 15 things that are wrong. The floor
is in and the bathroom is not uh as it should be. The toilet is um not as it should be. Mostly the the bathroom and the doors and I think we rented it as a twobedroom, but it's really one bedroom
and it's a big attic. And I I want to know who I can get to come out and inspect. How do I go about having that done? Because I've talked to several people, but I have not yet been able to have that service done. I've talked to the landlord and the super. And if I
can't get anyone to do what I need them to do, uh, I need to move. I have bad chronic asthma and I have allergies and the windows are old. When I say old, they are old. The building has to be at
least 70 or maybe 80 years old. And the windows are old. Everything's old, but you know, they painted over and everything and did what they did. And the windows are very thin. So, it's very windy and all the dirt and everything
comes inside the house. So, I'm dusting more than I'm sitting down because it's so it's so bad. and it's on um on the second floor. I have one knee that's really bad and I had one that I've had
surgery on and it's bad now because they one compensates for the other one. So, I just want to know who do I go talk to? Who can I talk to about this problem that I'm having? >> Is that um if I may, mayor, >> is that a is it a a three family or is
it a two family? I I don't know. I live on the second floor and there's someone in that lives in the front and I think there's a couple that lives in the back. >> So, if it's if it's um if it's more than a two family, I think that there's an inspector uh that's that's the city engages to comply with the DCA
regulations, right? I think that's how that works. Is that correct, Tom? >> I believe. >> I believe so. >> Yeah. So, if we get a contact information from you, I'll reach out and get some more information from you and try and direct it to the right people. >> Okay. I appreciate that, sir. Thank you.
And have a good night. >> It's It's uh It's It's jazz right now. >> It's It's uh you know, >> we we do. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. It's it's jazz. >> I'm not sure of the uh you know, the procedure. Do we wait till later or do
we talk? >> You're here. Please have your time. >> Okay. I was just confused by the time and I'm easily confused. So that's that. Go ahead. >> Okay. Look, a couple things I I just wanted to bring up about >> my family. I was uh >> I'm sorry. Can you state your name just
for the record? >> I'm Richard Serbo, Spring Valley Avenue, Hackinack, New Jersey. Uh 46 Spring Valley Avenue. And um I just wanted to mention my family. I I my family was are
great people. I lost them all of course uh uh but uh we hear a lot about a teacher uh from time to time and and they're honored uh some of them have passed away some are retiring this and that of a teacher
served so many years I never heard a word when my brother passed away which was three years ago he was a teacher here for so many years he coached kids he he did after school things he helped the uh kids that were troubled kids. Uh
he did a lot and I didn't hear one word about Fred Serbo Jr. uh as his uh as a teacher and uh and many others are honored somehow uh through uh
through uh presentations like this sometimes or whatever. And even back further years ago, uh Albert Dib was going to honor my dad who was a a previous uh former mayor and he was
going to have some kind of a, you know, a monument or somewhere. He was even looking for a place to put it and this and that. And then that was pulled off the table because I guess I I ran against the former mayor and he didn't like that or somebody didn't like
that. So, uh, that was those two things. And previously when I ran for council, I didn't run a viable, uh, candidacy. I I ran it to honor my family. Okay? It was almost a a favorite son kind of
candidacy. So, it's all about my family. Uh, the me on the ballot, my brother as a teacher, my dad as former mayor. never heard anything to honor those guys. And I I just think they should be honored
because they they were in love with this city. They cared about it. They did everything they could to make it better. Okay. Thank you very much, >> Mr. Serbo. I'm sorry, Mr. Glover, if you can indulge me just for one second. Just before before you leave, I I just I
would be remiss if I didn't say um I was not in this seat three years ago, but your brother was not just a fantastic teacher, is my teacher. >> So there you go. So So I'm I I think I'm partially in the seat because of him. Um, and not only was he a fantastic
teacher, but um, when I was in school and we did the Christmas caper, uh, he was the the evil villain. And he did that for a number of years. And it was a wonderful opportunity to work with him not only as a student, but also as a,
uh, as two local actors of sort. Um, and so, uh, like I said, you know, I I would have relished the opportunity. I mean, you know, I I did run four years ago, so I I tried to have the opportunity to say nice things three years ago, but um let me say them now. And um sorry that you
feel that that honor was not paid, but uh wonderful person. So, thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much. >> Next up, please. >> Good evening, Council Randy Glover Hackinac. >> Um so, two things. one. I'm going to ask
for the city manager's information so um we can uh send a letter to you um requesting one that we get the key to the Carver uh house so we can store uh some things there as far as from the
food pantry. Um the second thing I think we spoke very briefly about is the house across the street 78 central that city owns that is not doing anything with. we need an office and um you know we'll
address that as well. Uh and the third thing is that um we think it'll be a great situation for the city to team up with us as a food pantry. A lot of other towns have food pantries um is very
interesting. So Candy Stewart is our site manager. She has on our uniform. And so today was a food distribution day. And the funny thing was, so of course the line is down the block around the corner and shows you how things
happen. Marlene was passing by and one of the women online was like, "Oh my god, I need to go pick up my child from school. This line is so long. I can't, you know, I I don't want to leave, but I got to go get my kid." She offered and
she took the lady's kid home. Okay? Because the woman didn't want to get off the line. Okay. And as you know, um, Kazine, Mr. Mayor, uh, your family also volunteers, uh, there. Um, and next week we're
giving out turkeys and stuff. We're starting early. So, a newspaper reporter is going to be shadowing us because he feels as though that brings the story home that it's a local town that's going to feel the effects of uh SNAP PE, you
know, SNAP uh recipients not getting uh their their um things. So, he's going to shadow and do a story, but I just think it's important that this town gets involved like other towns. And lastly,
some of the summer concerts like I think you know I was the one who introduced these concerts to Hackin Sack. Um before anybody did anything at um Hackpack, I was the first person to do it for like five, six years. The thing that's
missing right now is that there's no cultural integration. So when I was doing the events, we did a a Latin night, Caribbean night, um in Middle Eastern Indian night, LGBTQ night,
hometown heroes, hometown celebrities, and hired people from the town. Okay? And that made a big difference. And when I look at the green, which this guy has had a contract with the city for like 30
years, Laguadia, which makes no sense. Um, and you look at the things that were being offered to have Hackinack meet Hackinack. And I think that's still an issue. Like Hackinack residents don't
really know Hackinac residents. And one way to meet Hackinack residents is through music. Okay, that's it. Thank you. Thank you. >> Good evening, Bridget Hackinac. >> Evening. >> I'm here to ask a question about two
things about transparency. Um, which you kind of guys ran your campaign on about being transparent. Um, one thing is I called the city manager's office only to find out you have a new person, I guess, as the confidential
executive, but it wasn't put on the agenda for people to know that this position was even open or on your website to have others be able to fill out for this position. Um, when Jackie Hazmat became the executive confidential
secretary in uh, February of 22, that was put on the agenda. When she became the madeup position of the deputy uh, city manager, that was put on the agenda as well, and that was on uh, July
1st of 2024. So, I am looking to find out why this new person who went into that position, she wasn't on the agenda at any given time. And we all know that we have a transparency law here in the state of New Jersey that was actually
done on June 1st and she has been in that position since August. >> I'll respond with with what I can provide for you. Um the the the person who became my assistant in the city manager office is
is Monica. That was an inter interdep department transfer. It wasn't a new hire. >> It it it you're not understanding. >> No. And we and we don't typically we we hire people every day and we don't >> Jackie Hazmat was a office person. >> She was only reason she was probably on the agenda was when she got promoted. I
would just ask that >> you know of course you do as you would like but the colloquy is is uh respectfully inappropriate >> there's a question >> yeah response and then
>> so I'm just asking you know where is the transparency in it all there was no transparency whatsoever to the community about this person that you know that is pushed into that position And everybody know that when Jackie moved from one
position to another, it was put on the agenda so that the community knew that she was going from one position to another position to another position, but yours was not. And the way everybody puts the transparency part of it to the back is like when you promote, you know,
firemen, policemen, whomever, that should still but you should still be giving others an opportunity to fill out for that position. And I don't believe you did give others an opportunity to fill out for that position because you
knew this person. So it was just like you know you knowing the person even if you knew the person and you wanted her to be in that position doesn't matter should have been posted so others could have had an opportunity
but you didn't do that. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you Mr. Rucker. Anyone else from the public? >> Okay, seeing none, motion to close public comment. >> Second. >> Second.
>> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay, we're going to we're going to go right through. Is that good? You want a break? You want to go? >> I can go. >> Go straight through. Okay. It's after eight. All right. So, we are going to
move on to new business. We have resolution 444-25. Final adoption of ordinance 45 20225, an ordinance to amend chapter 170 of the code of the city of Hackinack vehicles and traffic to add a new handicap parking space in section 49.2 parking
for the handicapped. >> Okay. Any member of the public wishing to speak on this ordinance and this ordinance only? Seeing none, can I have a motion? >> I make a motion.
>> All in favor? I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion carries. Resolution number 445-25. Introduction of ordinance number 46, 2025, an ordinance amending chapter 37 of the code of the city of Hackinack.
Rules of order. >> Can I have a motion, please? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I >> I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Motion carries. Moving on to the consent agenda, please. The following items are considered to be
routine in nature and will be enacted in one motion. Any items requiring expenditure supported by a certification of availability of funds. Any items requiring discussion will be removed from the consent agenda and the consent agend agenda items will be reflected in full in the minutes. The consent agenda
is resolution 446 through resolution 458 and it includes resolution authorizing payment of bills, resolution authorizing tax refunds, resol resolution authorizing temporary extension of Johnson Park closing hours, resolution authorizing tax collector to convert
below charges to property leans. Resolution authorizing appointment of special law enforcement officers class one for 2026 calendar year. Resolution authorizing leave of absence for Anthony Ayon police officer. Resolution authorizing rapper licenses. Resolution
authorizing award of contract to a limo group for construction management of the Baldwin Park ADA sidewalk improvement project. Resolution authorizing release of escrow for 150 Hobart Street. Resolution authorizing approval to update city's equitable section 457
deferred compensation plan. Resolution awarding national co-op contract for the purchase of two E1 pumper fire engines. Resolution authorizing mini food pantry product project and resolution authorizing the mayor to sign employment agreement with city manager Thomas
Freeman. >> Okay. Can I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> I'll offer. >> All in favor? >> I. Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay, I feel like we just did this. Can
I have a motion to open to the public? >> I >> second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Okay. Sergey Toltoy Hackinac.
I'd like to comment on the safety of Hackinack. Again, we have police officers. We have firefighters. We're now in the month of November because we just skipped right through October. I didn't see an increase in the patrolling
of the city for safety. As we already spoke on the violations being conducted in the city of Hackinack due to people not stopping on red and just running the red and just making their turns on right we have above speed
limits on summit powerfly Essex. We also have EV safety which I spoke on before which was early October. Since then, we had three other individuals die
to traffic accidents with EVs. Um, we also have October, which is the fire prevention month. We have also EVs coming out from the streets into the apartments. I talked to my friend Kurt.
He said they're going to try to look into something because I'm seeing hackin sack vulnerability as we get into this uh November month. And a lot of people with the EVs don't understand the seriousness of the issues. We just had
someone killed in Queens, New York in a fire or they were hurt. I don't think they died. I think it was seriously hurt in a Queens EV fire. So, I'd like to see that be at the forefront of this particular council as we somehow want to
unite Hackinack, but we're jumping ahead with bike lanes and other stuff, but we don't have the rules in place to basically make this a safe and happy place for children, families, and
community. And also in this eyes of transparency, that's what we need to have because we have boards and committees in this city that do not provide access to all. You may have some ADA abilities, but there's
other people with other disabilities like myself that should have the ability to see what's going on on these boards and committees in terms of Zoom meetings. If you go to California, they're all over the place because they know people want to see how their money
is being spent and how people are coming together to talk about certain items. So, I'd like to see transparency across the board for all boards and committees in that we have a website that's dedicated to showing the individuals
what is being presented when and what's going to be talked about because this should be top of the top of minds when you have a website and you have a city government especially in the century we live in 21st century 2025.
So, thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Toltoy. >> Randy Glover again, just a quick question. I see a resolution submitted for a mini food pantry project. Can you tell me who that is? Like what company is that or nonprofit because we'll be
submitting uh a resolution to you in the next for the next uh session. Uh >> it's a it's a 17-year-old Girl Scout. Oh, okay. >> Cool. >> Thank you. >> You got it.
>> Blanch Candy Stewart. Um, >> Mrs. McFaden heard her name mentioned. She lives directly behind my house. We have the same situation with the parking. We do need need residential parking. I am the only house on Third Street
between High and Clay. The only house. You would think I had 40 cars and I don't drive. So, so please residential parking is necessary. Most of the people who park on third
live in Quail Heights, the summit. So, it really needs to be viewed and addressed. Um, please. I agree with Miss McFaden. She can't park on High Street. We can't park on Third Street. Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> I showed him the jacket. >> If you guys don't get that Girl Scout jacket, Randy, Rich Serbo, I'm back. And um the gentleman that spoke uh before us uh uh said his name and it it just gave me an
idea that if his name is Toltoy uh Toltoy was a a monumental uh mind and a writer and uh a terrific u Russian writer and uh
he he mentioned um one thing I'll never forget. He said that underlining everything, a subtext to everything is a societal lie. Societal lie. So, let's try to keep it
uh keep keep it honest here. Uh it's there's lying everywhere and it becomes uh it's not what's being said but what's not being said especially in in political dialogue. Okay. So, uh thank
you Mr. Toltoy and uh Toltoy's societal lie reminds us to kind of try to tell the truth, you know, and let's be truthful. Thank you very much. Thank you.
>> Good evening, Kenneth Martin Hackac. Um request if uh you could have the uh patrolman on um Anderson Street and the patrolman plural uh on Main Street, pay close attention
to double parking. We have uh and on Anderson Street, you have individuals park their cars, double park their cars, and actually leave their vehicles to go into the store, which become a hazard where the um if you're traveling west on
Anderson, you actually have to go into the eastbound lane and and traffic actually stop. um plus pedestrians is be that becoming a very congested area at Anderson Street. So if we can have the patrolman uh uh
what we will call post eight and post seven, those two officers um play pay more attention to that uh area of Anderson Street as well as Main Street because now we have two-way street on Main Street. All right. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Hi, Mayor Gaines Council. Just to follow up on the last meeting, right, we had the question on eminent domain to see if we can get an answer on like when it can be invoked because as the chair of the Hackinsec Environmental Commission, that
question was posed to us about the Prospect Avenue area that they wanted to build the um nursing home as to whether or not, you know, there's something the environmental commission can push for that. And as far as I understand, we do not, even as an advisory board, we do not have the ability, right, to give you
guys counsel on what is or isn't uh eminent um domain use. So that's >> what you're asking. I just want to make sure I'm clear. What you're ask I'm going to ask >> legal if you don't mind. >> I'm sorry. I thought I was mic. >> No, no. So what what you're asking is whether or not
>> the question came to say that could we invoke eminent domain to get the parcel of land that is on Prospect Avenue where they were going to build a nursing home in order to turn it into a pocket park right for environmental reasons and for
um Prospect Avenue. As far as I'm aware, I don't think that is an option. That's privately owned, right? So, I don't necessarily know what's the criteria as a town for us invoking eminent domain. >> I'm going to defer the legal question to our our legal mind if you'd like to have it.
>> So, if the question is, can the city uh exercise eminent domain over private property? The answer is yes, it can. Um whether the city would exercise it over a specific piece is a question for the mayor and council. So, I can't answer specifically whether or not the council of course would
consider that piece you're you're referencing. Um, but technically the city has the eminent domain power. >> Okay. So, they could >> they do. >> Okay. All right. Yeah, that was the >> It does. Yeah. The city. >> So, that was the one that was asked of us. So, we were not sure like what you
know what the criteria was. What could you do? Is it a conversation to be had? And if there is an opportunity like I don't necessarily know. I thought it was like 1.2 2 million, but correct me if I'm wrong, in the open space fund, right? I think it's like 1.2 million or something like that that's in the trust.
I don't necessarily know the number. Is there an opportunity to look to see if the problem could be purchased? Could we use the funds? So, I think it's up to you guys to make a determination on how that money is supposed to be used, right? And I don't know if that conversation is to be had yet. So, is
that a possibility to say, okay, we can look to see whether or not there's any grant opportunities to supplement the open space fund and whether or not that's something the city could be, you know, to purchase to turn into a pocket park or some other >> I'm I'm going to say I I think it would
be um inappropriate to comment on that particular parcel, especially since >> the owner of that parcel has indicated that they plan on >> using it for >> and using it. Um but I will say uh heard. >> Okay. >> And heard. >> Thanks. >> Thank you.
>> Anyone else from the public? >> Okay. Seeing none, motion to close to the public. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I >> I Any opposed? Any abstensions?
Okay. Mayor, may I um make a comment? Yes, please. Thank you. So, um, a resident indicated that, um, asked why the hiring of an executive assistant in the city manager's office was not on the agenda of the mayor
council. And that's because it's not a mayor and counsel appointment. Uh, the city manager hires uh, the people in the city and moves them around um, as he sees fit. the the only appointments that the mayor and council make are in fact the city attorney, city clerk, and city
manager. So, I just wanted to make sure the record reflected that. Thank you, mayor. >> Thank you for clarifying that. Thank you very much. Okay. And with that, we are going to move on to mayor and council comments. Uh, councilwoman,
>> I have no comments. I just want to um congratulate the uh fire department for their promotions and uh thank you for coming and get home safe. >> Thank you, Councilman Diaz. >> Okay, good evening everyone. Um first I
would like to congratulate the three uh officers from the fire department. Um and I wish much uh success to them. Also uh thanks uh very much our neighbors at Clinton Place for keeping the traditions
alive year in year out. Okay. Uh and it's been a busy two weeks after uh the previous meeting. Uh we have the 200 cloth valor awards where some of our first responders were
honored. Welld deserved. Then the Chamber of Commerce breakfast uh brought together so many great local businesses. We also celebrated the grand reopening of uh Wendy's with a fun ribbon cutting. And yes, a few of us might stay uh for
the frosty. Uh the kids had a blast at the Halloween party at the uh recreation center and our slam dunk the junk cleanup was a huge success on Saturday. 52 groups and over 455
volunteers came out to help keep Hackinab beautiful. Big thanks to all the organizers and to all of you who showed up at these events and who are here tonight. It really shows your commitment to our city grows
and community spirit. Thank you so much. Have a good one. >> Thank you Councilman. Um, so a few things. First, I want to do a better job than I did at the last meeting to just address some of the comments. Um, Miss Stewart, I hear you about Is she still
here? Candy. >> Sorry. Um, about uh Third Street. I I recognize that. Um, I think your your clock went back I a couple of years. Um, my clock goes back just a couple of months in this seat. So, what I will say
is um I I hear you and um Ryan, I'm sure hears you and the city manager hears you and I I will freely concede I do not know how the schedule of which street gets done. My parents, as you know, are not that far from there and their street
um is in disrepair as well, probably just as long as yours. And so, um, I do not know how things get put on that timeline, but I'm going to leave it to the experts, um, to take note. Once again, we we do have fresh eyes and
ears, so hopefully you're not here three years from now um, asking. Hopefully. Um, so I just want to echo the comments on Slam Dunk the Junk, which was amazing. Um, the one thing I just want
to add to what the councilman said is we broke a record this year. We had more organizations than ever participate. We had more actual participants, so people that the the organizations brought, which meant that we were able to give
away more grant money, grant money, clean communities grant to these nonprofit organizations. The overwhelming majority of them are things that directly benefit our kids. And the overwhelming majority of them, maybe
even all of them, but I'll just say the majority of them, so no one fact checks me, are hackin sack organizations. And so, um, every participating organization got a $500 grant. And the amount of grant money that we receive is directly
proportional to the amount of participants that we have. The more people we have, the more for everyone. And so, um, if you did not participate in Slam Dunk the Junk this time around, I believe we do it twice a year, please come back, um, for the next time. And,
um, come get some of that 501c3 grant money for your 501c3. Um, but it was a wonderful time. And also, I want to acknowledge the rec department for their Halloween party for the kids. I went by there as well, watched a magic show, um listened to
some spooky tunes and everything was wonderful. I was not in a costume, but there were some very good costumes there. Um so, thank you to everyone who came. Um there have been lots of questions and concerns raised about safety and parking. Um these are all
things that this council hears. As you know, we have um tried not only to address safety locally in Hackinack, but even trying to engage New Jersey Transit to make their part of Hackinack safer for our residents and people passing
through Hackinack as well. Um but we will have all those things on the list and see what we can do about those things. For those who missed, um it was mentioned that we're taking a holistic look at the parking situation. So, I know a couple of people have asked about
parking on this street or that street. Um, I believe the city manager said maybe two meetings ago that we are looking citywide so that we don't enforce or we don't um pass an ordinance to have a parking sticker on street A
and then that just pushes more people over to street C and now we're always playing catch-up. And frankly, I think that's what's happening a little bit. Um there were residents at some point that asked for a flashing stop sign and a
speed bump and now those requests come every single meeting and I think it's kind of that that thing. So um we're going to try and be proactive. I know that it sounds contradictory that proactive is going to take a little bit of time but we're trying to zoom out
look at the city make sure that we don't create a problem somewhere else by trying to solve a problem on one particular street. So, please just bear with us. But that's something that I know the manager is actively working on with PD. And so, it is it was mentioned a couple meetings ago, but just in case
people missed it. Um, the other thing I want to mention, um, we are really blessed in Hackinack to have a number of food pantries. Um, Randy has spoken about his food pantry and what they provide. Um, we have a number, some
through churches, some through 501c3s. There is a reality that 2,877 Hackinac families, not residents, families are going to lose their SNAP
benefits on Saturday. 2,877 households are going to lose their SNAP benefits on Saturday. And so when I talk about residents,
these are often seniors, disabled individuals, families with children. They're hackin sack folk and they are going to be at an extreme
detriment due to the government shutdown. And so one of the things that we were asked to do, I received a telephone call from county commissioner Tracy Zurk and she said,
"You have a very high number of folks in your municipality. Saturday is soon, but can you do anything to help support these folks? And I will say that we are still working through a comprehensive plan. But what I
can say for right now, and I want to give a lot of thanks to Frank, to Monica in your office, to the manager, um I want to give thanks to some of our local churches, and I'll name some of those, and hopefully there are more that come
on board. But we are going to um institute an emergency food drive and we are also been talking with the schools. The schools are going to be encouraging the students and parents to bring in
canned goods, pasta, diapers, things like that. essential items that when these food pantries see an influx this weekend, which is likely to happen, the food pantries throughout Hackinack
do not run out or at least do not run out as quickly. And so, um, Frank, I don't know if you're in a capacity to put the flyer up, but we have a flyer that we are going to be disseminating, um,
at least through social media. It'll be in the newsletter. We, um, will be disseminating it as quickly as we can, but there are some essential items that the county has sort of identified as um,
being highly in demand items. We are going to have dropboxes in those locations. So that's city hall right here in the lobby. That's the rec center. And then the fire stations will have dropboxes as well for people to leave items. We will make sure those
items get to the appropriate food pantries. And we have been reaching out to make sure that there are folks that are ready to receive these items. Um, but I just really want to encourage everyone who has the capacity to give
and to help to do so. Um, food insecurity is a very real thing. It is scary. It is scary to navigate a system and be approved for benefits.
And it is even scarier to have those benefits taken away because of actions in Washington DC when you are trying to take care of your family and make sure that everyone is okay. And so please um
there's also going to be a drop location at Mount Olive Baptist Church. There will also be a drop location at uh New Hope Baptist Church. And we are reaching out to more churches throughout the city to see if they will put up dropboxes as
well. So if you are someone who needs assistance or if you know someone who needs assistance, these are not pickup locations. we're collecting and these are donation locations and then we are getting these these items to the various
food pantries um that receive these items. So um with that I just want to say have a good night, have a safe Halloween for all who participate. Um please
look out for each other. Be compassionate towards each other. I know this is a scary time for a lot of folks and um please give if you have the ability to if you are fortunate enough to be able to. Thank you. And with that I'm going to ask for a motion to
adjurnn. >> I make a motion. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Any abstensions? Thank you. [Applause]