##VIDEO ID:21AYtxtOzBw## good evening everyone Welcome to our December 17th council meeting here in the Hamilton Township I'd like to call the meeting to order the meeting is being held with the benefit of public notice as required by the open public meetings act Madam clerkley please call the role Mr PaPeRo yes Miss Phillips here Mr whan here Mr Tai here Mr Carabelli here everyone's here ladies and Gentlemen please rise and salute the FL flag and then please standing for the invocation Al to the of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all dear God we give thanks for the many blessings that you give us this holiday season as we arrive at the Christmas and holiday season please help us to focus on the things that truly matter matter and let go of anything that pulls us away from you help us to enjoy this time with our loved ones and to make lasting memories as always bless this Township and may we as a government represent the best interest of our community we ask all these things in your name [Music] amen there have been amendments uh to this evening's agenda that you may have received um this is posted on the website I just want to go over them quickly uh we have amendments to title changes to the dollar amount for ca2 which is 24- 454 this is a resolution authorizing transfers in the calendar year 2024 Municipal budget uh that amount is $ 2,35 then we have ca27 which is 24- 479 this is a resolution authorizing agreements for Professional Services with Eric M Bernstein and Associates LLC to provide tax appeal counseling services and tootus Fitzpatrick Cole and Giblin LLP to provide conflict tax appeal counseling services for the period of January 1 2025 to December 31st of 2025 and that's in the amount of $7,000 shared maximum we have removed from the agenda this evening ca2 8 which is 24-48 and this was another Professional Services agreement but this was with Triad Associates to serve as the housing consultant for the township of Hamilton for 2025 in the amount of 59,000 maximum we also have another removal that's ca29 24481 this is a resolution authorizing Professional Services agreements with act Engineers iom align Mo Andress C Consulting Atlas technical uh Consultants Burkhart horn CME Associates environmental res Resolutions Inc h2m Associates kleinfelder I should have just said with it was this was for there's a lot of a lot of companies here kleinfelder Inc Mo mantras Environmental Solutions Morehouse engineering warmwater Consulting uh paulus s Sakowski and arter uh LLC Prestige environmental Inc Remington and bernick Engineers Roberts Engineering Group LLC Suburban Consulting Engineers Inc tnm Associates and Van CLE Engineering Associates LLC to provide various professional Engineering Services for the wastewater treatment plant and collection system for the Department of Water Pollution Control for the period of of January 1 2025 to December 31st 2025 in the amount of uh uh $500,000 share combined maximum I said all that to just say it's been to remove interesting to write all those contracts oh wonderful um also replacing and adding we have uh we have ca28 which is 24-48 this is a resolution authorizing alternate uh alternate award full disclosure contract with language line interpretation for specialized inter interpretation services for the division of Health municipal court and police not to exceed 70,000 and then we have CA 29 which is 24-48 was a resolution consenting to the appointment of Kyle J baglia to the position of coordinator for the office of emergency management to fill an unexpired three-year term can I please have a motion on the amendments to the agenda I'll make a motion second roll call Madam Clerk Mr PaPeRo yes Miss Phillips yes Mr whan yes Mr Tai yes Mr Carabelli yes passes 5 that brings us to minutes we have two minutes uh that are up for consideration at two regular council meeting minutes uh from October 15th of 2024 and November 12th of 2024 can I have a motion on those minutes or any comments for my colleagues on those I'll make the motion go right I'll second it roll call Madam clerk Mr PaPeRo yes m Miss Phillips yes Mr whan yes Mr Tai yes Mr Carabelli yes passes 5 Z next we have communications C1 receipt of documentation to amend the current alcoholic beverage license number 1103 33-46 Texas Roadhouse holding LLC trading as Texas Roadhouse they are updating officers on file can I have a motion please on this communication second I'll second thank you roll call Mam cler Mr PaPeRo yes Miss Phillips yes Mr whan yes Mr Tai yes Mr Carabelli yes passes 5 next we're on to resolutions resolution 24- 450 resolution appointing a tax collector for the township of Hamilton County of Mercer state of New Jersey so I like um before we get started this evening to um call someone who has a a really good sense of what that office is all about um she spent a lot of time doing a lot of great work uh in our tax office so um our former tax collector uh Danielle peacock I'd like to call her to the boot and say a few words hi everybody all righty thanks L um as Anthony said um prior tax collector for Hamilton from 2015 until just this year November 1st um I retired um learning that new life it's definitely a different life um but I wish it all for everybody um but I just wanted to take this moment for Jessica um to recognize the well-deserved appointment as to Jessica cray as a tax collector for Hamilton Township she has been a dedicated hardworking team member in my office and brings consistent Excellence to a role in everything that I've ever asked of her from day one when I threw her into the fires of tax sale and she never even hesitated I knew she I knew she was meant for great things I am extremely proud as her predecessor to see her take on this new challenge and have I have no doubt that she will continue to thrive and guide with the same passion and knowledge that she has brought that has brought her to this moment is an honor to watch her grow over the last eight years with me and my staff and and you as Council this Administration and the residents of Hamilton are lucky to have someone as talented committed as Jessica is to lead this department and her new team thank [Applause] you so um that comes comes with uh a great you have big shoes to fill Jessica I I'll say that first uh but I know you're up for the challenge um anyone else wishing to comment Jessica that's good that works that works um anyone from Council wishing to make a comment I'll just say congratulations and thank you for all your work you've already done yeah I'll just say uh Danielle thanks for the work you've done over the years congratulations on your retirement and uh Jessica we look forward to working with you congratulations congratulations thank you both you yeah yeah retirement's good and uh the promotion's good it's going to be a lot of work but we know you can do thank you thank you got it I think you have a great team in place so we're excited to get you your nice thanks so much for coming out this evening congratulations thank you now to take a vote okay now we have to do a vote you got to do a vote yes can I have a motion on resolution 1 24-4 you have to open up the public yeah oh I'm sorry um I should be seasoned after the whole year um and any comments from the public regarding this uh this appointment Council presidency no members of the public wishing to comment I move that we close the public comment portion and move resolution 24-4 I'll second the motion roll call Madam clerk Mr PaPeRo yes Miss Phillips yes Mr whan yes Mr Tai yes Mr Carabelli yes yes say 5 Z now let me just say if if you want to step out yes yes yes get out of here today was taxal day she's been working hard all day okay gotcha I understand you thank you again a good all right have a good night Merry Chas Merry Christmas Merry Christmas Merry Christmas congratulations Okay resolution number two 24451 resolution of Hamilton Township County of Mercer state of New Jersey supporting blazen Brown sugga llc's application to the count cannabis Regulatory Commission for a class 5 cannabis retail and dispensary license so 10 hi I know we have uh Tam McCrae here and uh I I I thank you for coming this evening um yes on yeah she's he's my attorney okay okay okay um so tan nice having you here uh before us this evening why don't you just give a you know brief overview of the project if you wouldn't if you wouldn't M uh we want to be the first to Market in Hamilton for a recreational cannabis dispensary we've been working on this project for about one year now uh we finally found an ideal property we're looking to hire 10 to 20 employees preferably from Hamilton I'm from Hamilton my family's from Hamilton so we want to build up our community and if we can find um people to come in and train the staff expertly so we are fully compliant with the CRC that is what we want to do I am in the last stages of getting my conversion with the CRC this was just a formality because you guys had already given me a resolution so I just basically need to make sure everything is concrete with the uh property and then we can go right to the planning board so okay I just want to make sure all my eyes are crossed in my you know my eyes are dotted in my teas are across so any other comments from Council regarding this project thank you for thank you thank you I appreciate you being here so can I open this up to the public any comments from the public regarding this resolution resolution to see none motion seeing no members of the public wishing to comment like to close the public comment portion and move resolution 2 24451 I'll second roll call Madam clerk Mr paparo yes m Phillips yes Mr whan yes Mr Ty I'm going to abstain due to my work with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and Mr Carabelli yes Okay resolution number three 24-4 52 resolution of Hamilton Township Council County of Mercer state of New Jersey supporting Northeast Alternatives New Jersey llc's application to the Cannabis Regulatory Commission for a class 5 dispensary license so uh this is another cannabis uh this is another cannabis a letter of support um regarding another property in Hamilton just so folks are aware we in our ordinance have set um a three um limit of three um entities within the township that could uh proceed with uh a can cannabis dispensary license uh so I just want to make folks aware this is not like we're you know rushing through a bunch at the end of the year this is just this is part of our uh what we have on um this complies with what we have this is a letter of support uh as it pertains to them they have to do all their due diligence um before the Cannabis board uh get their like like T mentioned get their eyes di of their te's crossed so um with that being said I just wanted to bring to the podium uh Chuck latini uh and Grant I forgot your last name all so if you wouldn't just giving us a little bit of a description on this project um and uh what it looks like for the for the future at this site yeah good evening uh council president and and Council thank you for your time this evening I'm Chuck latini um uh a local planner and uh and and I'm working in the Cannabis space now for a while and with me is Grant troger of Northeast Alternatives we found a great property um and working with your mayor and uh uh had of Community Development uh found after a year and a half maybe of of hunting down some properties and some swings and misses uh finally found a good site to uh uh to locate our business with in along 130 um we really look forward to the partnership and and the uh you know the the uh the good spirits that we've actually been enjoying so far working with your municipality um and certainly look forward to being part of the community not just in uh job growth but also in in how we build the site out and and work with the community on uh educational initiatives making sure that this product um is responsibly distributed and uh and and meeting all of the requirements of of our license with the uh the Cannabis Regulatory Commission should we uh be fortunate enough to to get operational so if you have any questions of us Grant's here uh he's head of uh retail operations for Northeast um who has uh experience in Massachusetts and and uh uh uh Michigan as well so I I guess my one quick question is what's what's the next step for this uh for this location the site and so the next step uh Mr Vernon gave us a copy of the lease today actually and uh um after some some good spirited back and forths as you can imagine chy laughs um I think we we have a deal and uh and and like the the previous operator um who's going to be across town and on the completely other side and not a competitor uh hopefully it'll be a synergistic relationship comption that's right um absolutely um uh the next step is to get before the planning board uh the tji Friday site really has no site work to do it's a beautiful site that only requires us to do interior work so Cabinetry and and and all that uh interior fit out um relatively minor work and we can you know be operational uh fairly quickly okay but it's New Jersey and who knows knows anyone else have any comments no thank you grant thank you did you want to say I'm sorry no I'm I'm glad to be here and best of luck Chuck great to meet you guys thanks for having us and we really look forward to being in Hamilton our pleasure excited all right thank you and good Lu to you too see how ni okay oh any comments from the public regarding resolution 3 see none council president seeing no further public comment I move to close the public comment and move on resolution 324-4525 on the consent agenda we have ca1 through ca47 for your consideration so I'm going to give a quick uh summary regarding our consent agenda and I'll try to be quick it's a long list but um we'll go through it relatively fast so um one we have Samantha Brown she's uh current uh uh engineer we're looking to reappoint her on this evening's agenda we have some budget transfers which I alluded to in the amendment um we have a replacement of a police roof project um we also have a FEMA Grant uh for breathing apparatus that's $300,000 Grant we have an opioid settlement Grant uh for Hamilton in the amount of$ 142,000 and change we have a cdbg grant uh that uh we're allocating or receiving um in the amount of $622 ,000 uh roughly we also have have um a renewal of a lease agreement with Mercer County to operate a meal site for older adults at the senior center this is a three-year contract ending December 31st 2027 we have an assignment of a tax sale um expensive we have an authorization to uh to our tax assessor to file tax appeals uh we have a contract with a thirdy year uh third one-year extension contract with um the C to operate uh and run our Bramley Civic Center uh we also have a second one-year contract um for the operation of the jno Wilson Center um we have online foreclosure Services uh through Hera property registry we have a 2-year contract with Acure for health broker Services we have some Capital purchases vehic purchases here we have three Ford Escapes for the Department of community and Ed these are uh already assigned capital projects we have a Ford Transit 250 XL for water pollution control this is also a capital project we have mold remediation assign um that project is for the McManaman building with a company called AMS that's also a capital project we have HVAC control panel replacement of the groveville fire station also a capital uh project um we have a TCNJ College of New Jersey nursing agreement for 2025 this has become an annual agreement and then we're going to jump into some PSAs I'm just going to quickly just not mention the companies like I did before in the uh Amendment but I'll just go through this real fast uh PSA for special project services this is all i'll allude to if it's not 2025 this is most this is all for next year we have PSAs for affordable housing Services we have PSAs for special project attorneys um for Real Estate Title Services uh for tax appeal conflict and counseling services we also have a housing consultant Triad which was a PSA um we have did I say what that PSA means Professional Services agreements I'm sorry if I didn't allude to that at the beginning uh we also have one for profession uh professional engineering Ser services for um WPC um but I just want to make not did I read off one that actually was removed um I just want to make sure I didn't do that 28 yes Triad was actually removed that's why when I went over it right now uh so 28 is no longer 28 is actually um has been removed so I apologize for that but there's that we replace that with an alternative award disclosure contract with language line interpretation for specialized interpretation services for division of health so I apologize for that um we also have PCA for Engineering Services for project survey services for planning services for uh count services with Paul Paul Cary um affordable housing agent we have a medical director Services uh PCA for landscape Inspection Services PCA for uh Appraisal Services we have a pocket license transfer uh to padrinos um we have refunds for hamilt at various Hamilton facilities this may be Grafton house saying saying Gardians we have a firearm permit reimbursement we have refunds of real estate tax overpayments um we have a release of a performance bond at 600 cabit uh drive we have a release of a performance bond at 381 Ward Avenue um we have a rejection for alternate municipal prosecutor uh we have have a refund for a marriage uh ceremony um so that pretty much covers it sorry guys that took a while nice job so um any questions from I I I really don't have any questions regarding the consent agenda but that any my Council colleagues have questions regarding that agenda it's a lot in volume but a lot of it's just end of year uh annual renewal of contracts kind of proforma type of stuff correct yep thank you any questions sorry councilman is also we're trying to get ahead of the year so we used to do a lot of the PSAs for the next year starting that next year and so it put us back behind so we're actually trying to get ahead of things now which is nice for everybody involved it's nice very good it is nice anyone from the public wish you make comment yes Janice Lisa I'll get you next yep Janis con for to the2 Trinity have new Cornell Heights what's with the College of New Jersey are we training their nurses are they helping out that we with the agreement we have with them whe in the schools or or here in the township yes yes I don't believe I have too much backup on that one but I I believe that's what we typically do Joy am I right T yeah we get we've done this for several years now I know we've had this contract turns college right we get a service we get a service from it yeah okay and how old is the police building that is getting a new roof oh that building was built what in the 70s 40 or 50 years okay because it seems so new compared to everything else I mean coming to this no offense right now we are this wallpaper about okay so it was about the 70s then okay all right CU like I said it just seems you know so new compared to everything else okay just for the record I want to I asked my C Council colleagues where you were I looked over and didn't see you I real you were hiding on this side there was concern for you oh thank you thank you I like to where I can remember thank I don't remember well it's right here I'm saying is that now just I just want to confir firm This was um this was a legislative Grant correct this was a DC yeah it says it here DCA Community right uh yes councilman will and that's that is correct it's a 2025 legislative Grant it's just for the roof and it's much needed because they've had several leaks with the way the roof was done I think it should be pointed out that it we are getting a gr in a very large Grant very large Grant to cover that roof correct good catch Lisa good evening Lisa Williams I have a question on the municipal prosecutor items on here for ca25 is this reappointing our current municipal prosecutor or is it someone else someone else okay so the current person leaves December 31st and we get a new person presuming that this passes yes okay it was a one-year contract okay um and then 46 was to reject a proposal for an alternate does that mean we'll do another proposal for an alternate we have to go out again okay thank you thank you Le anyone else yes the police roof did that go out for bidding yet excuse me sir please just your name I'm sorry yes thank you Daniel perusi 12 havon Avenue the police roof did that go out for bedding yet well we haven't approved we have yeah I think just applying to so you're just applying for a grant right now yeah okay thank you thank you anyone else okay any other comments from Council okay seeing no further comments from Council motion I get a motion uh council president uh I move that we close the public comment portion and move consent agenda items CA 1 through CA 47 I'll second roll call Madam clerk Mr PaPeRo yes Miss Phillips yes Mr whan yes Mr Ty yes Mr Carabelli yes I just have one exstension and that's on ca37 just because of um the appraisal services one just because a family member is a member of that appraisal firm so I just want to make that noted no and yes to everything else thank you okay on to Second reading and public hearing ordinances we have ordinance 1 24- 051 ordinance amending and supplementing the code of the township of Hamilton New Jersey chapter 485 vehicles in traffic Article 2 parking handicap parking repealing space established at 84 Marshall West by ordinance number 15-10 this is on second reading in public hearing um any comments from Council any comments from the public regarding this [Music] ordinance seeing none council president I move we um since there's no U comments from the public that we close the public portion and move on second reading ordinance number 24051 I'll second that roll call Madam clerk Mr PaPeRo yes Miss Phillips yes Mr whan yes Mr Tai yes Mr Carabelli yes passes 5 wens number two 24- 052 ordinance amending and supplementing the code of the township of Hamilton New Jersey chapter 485 vehicles in traffic article two parking 45-19 handicap parking establishing spaces for 36 Annabelle Avenue 19 Fitz Randolph Avenue 105 Francis Avenue 70 Reed Avenue 339 Schiller Avenue and 1854 South Broad Street any comments from uh this is establishing the uh spot that was talking yes thank you 73 73 yeah and he comes from the public okay see council president I move that we close the public comment portion and move ordinance 24- 052 on second reading I'll second I'll second that roll call Madam clerk Mr PaPeRo yes Miss Phillips yes Mr whan yes Mr Tai yes Mr Carabelli yes passes 5 on ordinance number three 24- 053 ordinance accepting a deed of Public Access easement a deed of site triangle easement number one and a deed of site triangle easement number two for 2144 East State Road industrial LLC 2144 East 8 street block 1588 portion of Lot 4 formally lot three and four all right just correct me if I'm wrong uh Elis or uh Joey is this this is a public sculpture garden easement so make sure you can hear me everybody else can yes so this is a property uh where it's already been to the to the uh land use boards and as a as a um condition of their approvals these easements and um would be given to us two of the easements are just sight triangles so just so for traffic be see so so they can't build anything so forth so that's that's a normal sort of regular uh planning situation okay the third one is for a a sculpture because where it's located on each State Street it's very near on the way to the sculpture garden and so in order to beautify the neighborhood and to expand the beauty of the sculpture garden uh they are giving us the easement so that a negotiation can occur with the sculpture garden to put a a nice sculpture there to um on the way towards the sculpture garden oh beautiful okay any comments from Council any comments from the public seeing done council president I make a motion to close public comment and move on ordinance okay first up we have Joseph um last name begins with a y t oh T I'm sorry we're together oh together okay Joseph and Peter you were close together not together you just state your name for the record if you wouldn't mind y thank you so my name is Peter anapole I am Joseph T I have some supporting pictures can I approach nor cler there's three copies you just kind of share president you one yeah okay oh Veterans Park yes so uh good evening my name is Peter anapole I'm joined by Joseph tchuk we represent the County Street Hockey Association uh we are happy to be celebrating our 50th season of co-ed adult recreational street hockey thank you largely in part to our relationship with Hamilton Township and with the recreation department um we're here tonight to build on that existing relationship to solidify a more clear path of communication as it refers to that partnership and to address some concerns with the hockey rank located in Veterans Park um as the council may already be aware new sport court tiles were installed by the Township in 2023 while these tiles have made the rink a more desirable place to play they also require more diligent maintenance than the original concrete surface as these types of surfaces tend to do hours is Shifting and causing gaps between the tiles and the boards around the side of the rink closest to the skate park in addition the shift in the surface has caused a split to occur behind one of the goals closest to the scoreboard additional tiles should be installed around the entirety of the rink allowing for for this shift to occur naturally and mitigating these gaps and splits which create a potential safety Hazard uh the boards around the rink are made entirely of plywood over time the plywood has begun to rot there are holes missing pieces and exposed nails and screws additionally one or more of the Dasher boards which are the yellow boards at the base of the rink are warped and need to be either repaired and or replaced to remediate any safety issues where they are concerned we did have a preliminary conversation with the H and Township Recreational department at one time and it was never followed up on after the sport tiles were uh were agreed to the scoreboard within Veterans Park at the hockey rink uh is 20 plus years old and has not been fully functional for some time now when it's powered on half of the scoreboard lights half of it doesn't and the unit just repetitively clicks uh we'd love to see something new in its place uh we did have to purchase a small portable scoreboard that's not a great long-term solution and our last concern here tonight is the security of the rink itself we understand the Veterans Park is a public park and should be open to all but we would love to see more security measures taken to protect the continued investment that Hamilton Township has made and hopefully will make on that hockey rink uh replacing and or extending the existing fence around the entirety of the rink as well as locking the rink while not in use would prolong the life of the rink as well as any updates upgrades or Investments made uh we're not asking that everything is addressed overnight although that would be nice uh we are asking for the township to strengthen its partnership with our organization and create a more open line of communication where our concerns are addressed in a timelier fashion thank you thank you so much uh for bringing this to our attention um one of the you know I I I know this is preliminary but maybe it would be a good idea if you just put uh some of those thoughts on the improvements that uh are necessary uh or that you feel like you know that need to be addressed immediate maybe a little bit down the road might uh might be something that you can just put together in an email for us um and so I would say the best person to start with would be the recreation we have and who are you sending it to who you send it to uh Nicole Zeller Zer can you four of those to all all five of us sure so just if we had like a um he may have already done this just a list of some of the items that you think need to be addressed I mean yeah you definitely could tell there needs to I mean it's a shame it was 2023 when it was installed yes sir yeah that's not you know that shouldn't be like that after such a short time so um I wonder yeah go I wonder if they're still in warranty or if we could so the the person that installed it the company is no longer in business but the manufacturer was very responsive when we reached out and they did cut back out for a site visit to see what could be done with the actual Towes themselves okay so we have been looking yeah we we have been in communication with the recreational department they're fantastic to work with and we'll send them our concerns and they'll pass them along to somebody who may or may may not be in the position that they were 6 months ago and we understand that different parts of the year you know we're we're concerned with October Fest and we're concerned with you know it's it's Christmas season we just we'd like to have the opening line of communication so exactly I agree with you and I think that you know certain items may be a little bit more uh costly and more expensive so there may be some items that we consider in our capital budget next year or something like that based on the recommendations that we received but um yeah I I appreciate you bringing this to our attention um and uh when does when does it typically run from like March to we play we play year round um our I'm going to call it our bread and butter we play from September until we're done um that can last anywhere from March to to June depending on Mother Nature okay I got just a question abely after the install like it almost looks like tiles missing I mean it shifted that much yeah wow so the the the so the the surface beneath the sport tiles and I don't want to get off on a tangent but the surface beneath the tiles wasn't addressed the way that it should have been when the tiles were put down so the existing surface could be slanted a little bit so increased usage could be Shifting the entire surface away from that side of the rink M copy of what also the the tiles that were ordered s can you just step the tiles that were installed were made for like foot not roller blades and they do have roller Bladers that go on the court which are tearing up the tiles as well um there's a sign that says no skateboarding and no biking but um there's nothing that says no rollerblading I've talked to people that have played after our league on Sundays and I've asked them nicely uh to you know the Court's not made for roller blades but there's there's no consideration they just go out and and roller blade anyway cop letter on pass okay thank you can can you forward me those emails I'm Rick Ty can you have if you go toite all coun emails abely forward everything we have here's my card um okay this is this is good I appreciate you bring this to our attention anyone else so you guys uh work with the league We Run The League you guys run the league they the league so how's the league doing doing good doing good how many teams in in our 15th season who won this year who won the league we're still still in still in the get him out there he's right around the corner he so the mayor did come out um the first game last season and dropped our inaugural first Puck on the on the new Surface please we play every Sunday morning we invite anybody to come out and and and watch and see what it's all about and is it age age limited 18 to 60 plus okay and I do believe that the Police Athletic League does something on this rink in the spring okay good okay well thanks for your volunteer work with this and the work you're doing in the I remember and yeah I remember this coming up as uh we did have a pandemic Zoom with with a few I recognize names so yes okay okay yeah this this crack right down the middle of the Court looks especially concerning you know that's obviously going to affect play yeah that we just had an incident where that crack became an issue because the board behind it uh a screw came out and a stick got stuck in between and it kind of hit somebody in the stomach so we had to go out we had to you know nail it through and make sure that okay went back in its proper place what are what are these rubberized they're rubber tiles or oh I'm sorry the tiles tiles the like a plastic click like plastic uh okay okay all right thanks for bringing it to our attention guys thank you very much I appreciate it thank you Peter thank you thanks CH okay that was all that was on the sh sign up sheet anyone else uh wishing any comment from the public Lisa good evening Lisa Williams given I see Joyce here it's a good time to ask what is the status of upgrading their phone system at the shelter whenever I asked they say that you're in charge of it so I saw you were here I was like good time to ask the phones um are all being updated at the same time around the entire Township not just the animal shelter so part of it there's certain areas that need to have their P recorded like handset and it it's a lot more work than you would think that goes into that so until we're 100% done testing that I keep hoping that it's going to be by the end of whatever month you asked me so don't have a full answer for you but okay um I don't know if the importance of the animal shelter phone not going to voicemail has been stressed enough um well last January there was an issue with a very large dog in my neighborhood pouncing through a fence and char in at me and my dog on a leash and I got voicemail when I called for help and that is when I was told that this was a priority so this is not a comforting response because there continue to be dogs escaping front doors and gates in my neighborhood coming after me and my dog and so it was a priority mid January last year we're 11 and 1 half months later we don't have it updated and we don't have an answer for when it's going to be done it is it is a priority but we can't implement it and go live it's not working prop well I know but I mean am I the only one who thinks 11 and2 months is not really priority land I think it's a priority but if it's an if it's an emergency there people are supposed to call 911 right yeah them I don't know that 91 is 911 is is a dog charging you a 911 emergency I don't your proper making a 911 I just finish I don't want to be accused of making a call to 911 that's not a a 911 situation um I about 581 4000 that oh and and then you get to go yes I call there when I get a whole on hold but that's not quick either because you have to go through this you know the voicemail and the select and then you get put on hold and then you get I mean like call in the doctor's office yeah it's like calling the doctor's office none of this is like easy and I mean I was here like in was it September cuz there was someone whose dog had escaped the second time now we've had a third time with that dog coming out the front door at us like okay so we don't really know when this is going to be done we have no idea I can't give you any exactly though that's that's really sad um because this 100% live I understand but I was told in January that this was important and it was a priority and we areum going to be the next January and we don't know when it will be done so but and the shelter staff has been hearing for years that it's going to be updated like I try not to call them because unless it's like an emergency to call like I try not to call to ask a question about something because I don't want to hold up the line for someone there's oh8 89355 one line doesn't roll you have to then call 8903 555 one line that's all they have you go to voicemail like I don't want to be the one on the phone asking a question that isn't a true emergency and somebody's trying to get through and they're rolling the voicemail because I'm holding up the line like we don't know all right I'm going to go sit down obviously people who listen to me complain about the situation I live with well I'm in court right now with someone over their dog coming at me third time not a charm you know that's why I you I'm curious about prosecutor like we had a set fee schedule for this particular neighbor that fee schedule is not being followed like just it's not thank you thank you Lisa yes Jen J GIC for 32 Trinity Avenue Cornell Heights I would just like to thank Anthony for S being such a good council president since this is your last meeting you never get nasty what was that said he already well done thank you you never get NY you're upset with people and at times you let them run over time if it's really a major problem there's not many people here which is good I find that totally acceptable and uh a couple of times I have asked you thank that you didn't know and you said youd look them up but instead of making me way to the next meeting you would call me and give me the answer which I thought was really nice of you to do that uh I especially like how you explain all the items on the agenda because how they're written and what they mean or two different ball games but that's really super that you explain everything and I can Sly hope that the next president will do the same thing and keep that going okay and uh even though you're giving up to president see don't ever give up your pastor abilities of writing and doing the prayer I've told you before you are an outst you outstanding job on that and if you ever wanted to change a pace you could become a professional Creator and reader of prayers for all kinds of occasions so uh the you could be the traveling prayer Pastor you know you could never tell but thank you again for doing such an outstanding job and um happy Hanukkah thank you and to the rest of you Merry Christmas and may Santa treat you well thank thank you so much Janice you too Janice thank you I appreciate those kind words that was very nice I doo he is a nice guy anyone else wishing to comment from the public you sure you don't have anything else you want to say about the no totally Jing J went right to my head I got someu oh no um so let me just open it up to our Council colleagues uh uh for any comments yes oh want to I'm used to going last um yeah I'll start also thanking you Anthony for your great leadership over the last year and and like Janice I appreciate all those great explanations as I told him when I saw there were 47 items on the consent agenda Tonight I almost had a heart attack but I knew Anthony would be able to explain it in a way that we would be able to um get the job done if efficiently and you're always a great communicator and I just really appreciate your leadership this year thank um and I want to thank everyone who's here tonight and I hope everybody has a safe holiday season and that um we'll see you in January thank you so much yes I'm going to say thank you I say thank you all the time because you always help me anytime I I have questions on the agenda so I appreciate all of your friendship uh but you did a great job uh I know it takes a lot of extra time out of your schedule uh both you and Rick doing the agenda meetings and putting the extra time in so uh publicly as I thank you but you know I thank you all the time uh just for our little phone call so I appreciate you thank you uh thank you to everybody who came out tonight uh thank you uh to our usuals to our regulars even though you might not think that we're listening we hear you and uh your priorities are our priorities so I I do want to say that uh to the team going into the holiday season I know we're going to be talking I know we're going to see each other um uh probably as soon as this meeting's over so um I hope you all have uh a great holiday season Hanukkah Christmas and New Year's with your families and I look forward to go out next year it's going to be an exciting year thank you thank you yes um you get a lot of accolades tonight um but uh it was a nice crowd tonight um appreciate the information that um you bring forth to us um I I hope everybody has a wonderful holiday season um regarding Anthony and his leadership this past year um I like like councilwoman Philip said and councilman paparo I mean the job that Anthony does preparing himself for the meeting asking us if we have any questions prior to the meeting um just your preparedness is is uh it's it it's good to see um I'm glad I don't have to F in your footsteps uh next year cuz you're a tough to follow but uh uh again I appreciate all that you've done Anthony um not only making our jobs easier but representing the township um um you do a terrific job and I wish you nothing but the best and look forward to next year thank you Anthony it's been a pleasure to be your vice president this year there there are big shoes to fill you sure you don't want to stay in that seat uh no we we appreciate you um and it's it's been another good year for Hamilton um continued progress on a lot of fronts uh a lot of work being done to improve uh the the quality of the services uh that are being provided uh to the public uh the effort to save money uh for our our residents uh through grants like another $1.5 million Grant on the agenda today um so uh I look forward to continuing to work with everybody on this di I appreciate thank you to our folks from the clerk's office and um you know just on on on a side note uh if you haven't gotten over to ker Park to enjoy the uh Winter Wonderland get over there it's a it's a beautiful site uh the team did a great job uh setting that up and uh happy holidays everybody thank you Rick um so I just wanted to thank everyone uh for the folks that come out to our meetings on a on a bi-weekly basis um thank you for your comments uh for the folks for it's a first time I appreciate you bringing it to our attention um the needs that uh maybe not are not being met to your uh to your desire um that's what we're here for uh we uh I believe my colleagues are extremely responsive and um and I also want to send um special thanks to the administration uh and our clerk's office for I know this is a thanathon but I I just feel like they're so uh accessible they're so responsive um I can call a director and I'll get a call back right away on a particular issue um so uh IM almost immediately so and and um Britney thank you for the shoes that you're you stepped into uh over the last uh two meetings uh Danielle thank you for your work in that office as well Alyssa um do a phenomenal job uh thank you all uh for all the work that you put in uh each and every day to make this Township the best that I can be um and I I'll give a shout out to the mayor as well um you know calls me right back always always responsive always is transparent and communicates with me um and uh I appreciate his advice and his uh his friendship um and made this year as president fairly easy I I got to be honest with you um you know um I look forward to next year serving in another role on Council but um this was been this has been really uh fulfilling for me this year and I you know a little bit of nervousness uh when you first get going um and I still have the cobwebs completely gone but you know it's uh it's been a it's been a great um great experience this year so I want to thank you all I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas Happy Hanukkah uh all the best of the holiday season um and the best of the New Year hopefully everyone has a fulfilling uh holiday season with friends and family and uh to a great 2025 thank you so much thank you January 7 January January 7th is our next meeting so I expect all of you there no