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Yeah. You get enough Good evening everyone. I hereby announce that pursuant to section five of the open public meetings act, the adequate notice of this meeting has been provided in the notice which was sent to the Asbury Park Press, the D River Times, and posted on the Bolton board in

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township hall and filed in the township clerk's office on January 6th, 2026. Mayor Prevadutoo >> here, >> Mr. Foster here, >> Mr. Bontempo >> here, >> Mr. Romano here, >> Mr. Vanderham here. >> Mayor, you have a quorum. >> Thank you. Everyone, please rise for the

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pledge of allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Moment of silence, please, for our men

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and women abroad in uniform who keep us safe. So before we get started, I uh I just want to take a uh a moment to acknowledge Mr. Codlin. Um when I went to college in 1995, I uh you

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know met a group of friends. Some actually were from Manalapin. uh and my good friend Danny among my oldest and dearest friends now 30 years later. Um over time I was surprised at how much his dad knew about Homedale, but his dad being the humble guy that he is never told me he was the township

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administrator for nearly two decades. Um and so you know I I uh a 17-year run in this role is unbelievable. Um the impact he had on our town for nearly 20 years is probably going to be unmatched.

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um most likely one of the most consequential leaders in Homedale history, a wonderful guy who built a spectacular family. Um I went to the viewing on uh on the 26th. Um, so I just

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want to say, you know, to to Jack's family, to my friend Danny and his, uh, and to all the Coglands, you know, Homeell sends our deepest condolences and our heartfelt thank you to your father, your husband, your grandfather. Uh, his leadership and commitment to our

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town are unmatched, unrivaled, um, and will probably never be touched. So, a big thank you to to Jack Hoglin, um, and to his commitment to our town. Now we'll move on to a proclamation uh

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for emergency medical services. Whereas emergency medical services are a vital public service and whereas the members of emergency medical services teams are ready to provide life-saving care to those in need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And whereas access to

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quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury, emergency medical service providers have traditionally served as the safety net of America's health care system. And whereas emergency medical

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services teams consist of emergency physicians, emergency nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, firefighters, educators, administrators, emergency medical responders, law enforcement officers, and others. Approximately twothirds of all emergency medical services providers

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are volunteers. And whereas the members of emergency medical services teams, whether career or volunteer, engage in thousands of hours of specialized training and continuing education to enhance their life-saving skills, America benefits, Americans benefit daily from the knowledge and skills of

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these highly trained individuals. And whereas it is appropriate to recognize the value and the accomplishments of emergency medical services providers by designating emergency medical services weak. And whereas injury prevention and the appropriate use of the EMS system

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will help reduce national health care costs. And now therefore be it resolved by the mayor and township committee of the township of Homeell in recognition of this event do hereby proclaim the week of May 17th to the 23rd. We're a little late 2026 as emergency medical

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services week. And thanks be extended to the members of the Homeell Township First Aid Squad, both personally and officially on behalf of the residents of the community for their continued hard work and dedication to Homeell. You guys want to come on up?

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Gary, you still can't see over anybody. >> Yeah, try. No problem. Chris shoulders. You'll be squish That was awesome. All right. So folks, with the budget presentation

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this evening, we're going to uh have a presentation from Eric Silvergold, the chair of our finance advisory committee. Um just as a reminder, our finance advisory committee is comprised of entrepreneurs, economists, folks that work in financial services um and

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finance. Um and uh you know, they they look at every line item. They scrutinize the budget heavily. They provide insight, opinion. Uh Eric in particular does a wonderful job, you know, exhibiting trends over time so we can start seeing how things are are going and projecting instead of looking at things as sort of static one-year

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increments. Um so so with that, Eric, I'll turn it over to you. >> Okay, thank you. Hopefully uh slides are up. Hopefully you can hear me. All good. Okay, excellent. Okay, so my name is Eric Silvergold. I'm chair of the finance advisory committee. Uh

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tonight I really just want to summarize uh our thoughts regarding the municipal budget, talk about property taxes a little bit and highlight a few key trends for all of us to watch. So let's start with the big picture. Uh Homeell's financial position remains

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strong. Our surplus stands at $9.2 million. Now that's slightly lower than last year, but it's still near record highs and it's a key indicator of our financial strength. Our pilot revenue came in at about $7 million. Now that's down 8%. That's the actually the first

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decline since the program began. Uh but it remains a reliable and significant part of our revenue stream. Uh Moody's reaffirmed our AAA bond rating. Uh that's their highest rating and it's reserved for municipalities with the lowest credit and default risk. And

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because investors view AAA towns as the safest, Homeell is able to borrow at the lowest municipal interest rates. Um and one of the most important reasons we have that AAA rating is our strong surplus position. So maintaining a healthy surplus to revenue ratio and

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that's really the way the rating agencies think about it is the shest way uh well the shest way to to put our AAA rating at risk would be to weaken that ratio. So, I just want to emphasize that the importance of the surplus and the importance of not just thinking of it as an absolute number because it's easy to

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see an absolute number going up over time, but it's really the ratio to revenues that's important. Um, turning to the spending side, our budget is $33.6 million this year. That's up 3.7%. Most of that increase is coming from

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higher debt service, pension contributions, and utilities. and that is partially offset by lower health insurance and public safety expenses. Now, if you look at the operating budget, and that's the part that funds day-to-day services, that increases just 1.8%.

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So, overall, it's a conservative budget, and it maintains Homeell's strong financial footing. Uh, this is a graph that you might have seen before. Just fix my screen here. So, let's take a quick look at how that budget is allocated. So half of it goes

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to departments. Not surprisingly, the largest slice of the pie is public safety. About 27% of our spending goes to police, fire, and EMS. 10% goes to public works. 9% to general government running the place, uh, and 5% to community development and recreation.

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Now, the other half of our spending goes to non-EP departmental costs. So 16% for debt service, 13% for pensions, and 8% for insurance. Now, I just want to point out that these allocations are actually relatively stable year-to-year. They don't change all that much. But that

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said, I would I would point out our debt uh debt service at 16%. It is a little towards the higher end of our historical range of like 10 to 18%. So, it's something that we're going to monitor pretty carefully going forward. So, how do we pay for everything? So, we

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fund the budget through four revenue streams, right? property taxes, surplus, pilot revenues, and miscellaneous revenues. Not surprisingly, at 44%, property taxes are the largest component of our revenues. Now, what's interesting

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about this uh diagram is that 44% is far lower than what you typically see in Mammoth County. So, typically in Mammoth County, you see 60% of that pie representing property taxes. And that's because Homedale's revenues are more

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diversified, including our pilot funds. And that diversification helps to keep the municipal tax burden down for our residents. So even though you receive just one property tax bill, you're actually paying taxes to three separate bodies.

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The Homeell School District, Mammoth County, and the Township of Homeell. Each one has its own elected official officials, its own budget, its own taxing authority, and its own ability to issue debt, and they operate

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independently. Now, it's interesting in many states, and this uh Bill had mentioned this to me, uh in many states, uh these three bodies actually send out separate tax bills, but in New Jersey, all three of those levies are combined into a single bill that the township is

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required to collect. So just remember that the tangent committee is responsible only for the municipal budget and the municipal portion of your property tax bill. So it it's interesting to actually take a look at the size of the budgets of

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those three relative taxing bodies and how their spending is changing this year. So I'll just run through each of them. The school district budget is about $77 million. That's up 7.2% year-onear. Mammoth County's budget is

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$445 million and that's going up 7.7% this year. And as we've already seen, the Homedale Township municipal budget is $33.6 million. That's up 3.7%. And looking at that, I don't think you need too much financial expertise to see

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that the township spending is growing at a noticeably slower rate. And I think it's very important to understand those spending trends because those spending trends are ultimately what drive your property taxes. Speaking of property taxes, Homedale

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residents pay about $14 million every year in property taxes. This chart shows where uh where everything goes. Uh 70% goes to the schools. Now, that's actually the highest share ever for the school district. The long-term average for the

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school district is about 65 a.5%. About 14% is going to the county. That continues a long downward trend and we're now well below the historical average allocation to the county. Uh 16.6% goes to the township. That share

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has also been steadily declining and it's now actually at the lowest level in 16 years. So that yellow slice of the pie represents the uh entire township share at 16.6%. Now of that, and you can see it's

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highlighted in the text there, 14.3% funds the municipal budget, right? That's the part that pays for our police, our fire, our EMS, our roads, our recreation, and all the other services that our residents use every day.

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So when you think about it, only 14 cents of every tax dollar goes to fund all of your township services. The remaining 2.3% that goes to the municipal open space tax. So let's take a look back at Homedale's

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municipal tax levy over a time period here. The on the graph, what you're seeing are uh the blue bars represent the actual municipal tax levy each year. The green bars are basically that same levy just adjusted for inflation. Now, the tax levy has increased only 2% since

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2016 and it's effectively unchanged for the last 5 years and that's despite inflation rising about 38%. Now, that stability is actually reflected in our municipal tax rate. So, when you look at the rate, Homedale's municipal tax rate

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is actually surprisingly among the lowest in New Jersey. It's about 53% lower than the statewide average. Puts us in the bottom 14th percentile. And it's about 36% lower than the Mammoth County average, putting us in roughly

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the the bottom 22nd percentile. So, you know what everyone's probably waiting to hear is how does this all affect me? How does everything we've discussed actually impact residents? Well, the average Homeell home is assessed at $1.1 million this year. It's

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pretty remarkable. Uh and unfortunately we we will see a tax bill of $16,897 this year on average. That increase is roughly $1,000 up about 6.3%. Where is that increase coming from? 77%

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is coming from the school district. 19% is coming from the county. And only 4% is coming from the municipal side. And that's about $38 of that increase. And interestingly, that's all coming from the open space tax, not from the municipal side. So when you tally that

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up, nearly the entire increase or roughly 96% is coming from the school district and from the county. So looking ahead, there are sever several trends that uh we think will shape our future budgets. Financially, our long-term spending has outpaced the

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inflation rate. uh our surplus has declined as we used more reserves to fund the budget and to support the school district and debt service remains elevated in this higher rate environment. Now what I I I'm find fascinating are the demographic trends

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and Homedale is changing quickly. So seniors now make up more than 23% of our population. That's up from just 16% in 2010. Family sizes are shrinking. We have far fewer households with children today. In

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fact, it's just 31% compared to 47% in 2010. And the and the global trend of declining birth rates didn't spare Homeell or Mammoth County. Uh we've seen a 21% drop in school enrollment since peaking in 2003. These

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shifts are all happening faster in Homeell than they are in our neighboring communities, and they're already influencing our finances and our service needs. And I think Homedale is well positioned today, but maintaining our strength is going to is going to require

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continued discipline and forward-looking planning. So the finance committee encourages the township committee to integrate these trends into future budgets and capital plans so that home remains both fiscally strong and responsive to the needs of residents.

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So that concludes everything that I have to say. I just want to thank Mayor Prevaduto for uh all the support you've given to the finance advisory committee and for everything you do for the town. And especially I want to thank our CFO Bill Antony's uh for all of his support and for the expertise that he brings to

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home builds financial management. Uh the AAA rating is not an accident. So thank thanks for your help, Bill. >> Thank you, Eric. And of course, thank you, Bill. >> Does anybody from the governing body have any questions for Eric? I'm not sure if I should address Eric or

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or to Bill. So if if I'm looking at the one slide you showed which was the increase of roughly $188 right for the for the year if if I wanted to just from a from public understanding if I wanted to let's say

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decrease my tax levy by $100 a home how much would I have to decrease my spending in order to achieve that? Can you answer that? >> Do you want to cover it?

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>> Divided by 9.6 billion. And that's the answer because I'm asked that frequently and I just want to give people a perspective, right, of what that would take in order to go down 100, let alone 200, 300, 400

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or 500 to help offset some of the increases that they're seeing. Right. because you showed the tax average going up about a hund about $1,000 a little over $1,000 for the year. >> Like how is there a way that we could achieve counterbalancing that? Is is

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that pos is that possible? >> I think given that I mean I'm I'm asking the question more than I'm trying to provide an answer. Think my feeling would be the magnitude of the of the budgets that are impacting us, the 96% would have to mean we'd have to cut spending quite a bit to to see any type

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of reduction given the it's being offset exponentially. Right? >> That's I want I want I want people to be able to understand like what achieving $100 equates to. You follow me? Like what does that what does that mean in terms of

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>> spending reduction in order to provide that? because I um my mic's on, right? You can hear me fine. Okay. Um I'm being told that some like neighboring town is looking to do introduce a budget to do a reduction and I'm not sure what the

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amount was. >> Yeah, it's it's trivial to calculate. We can we can come back. Bill can do it. >> Yeah. I think it's good good to understand that perspective because people I I I I I I get a sense that like

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everywhere else like you put $1,000 going up is people could be a lot of money, right? Fixed in especially non-trivial. >> Yeah. And I think a good stat was you showed that 23% of our population are seniors, right? >> So fixed income, right? You know, less

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families, less enrollment in school. good stats, right? You did a very good job putting that together. So, I still work. I'm being hit, right? I could probably figure out how to do it, but we have a lot of people, a lot of people in this town that when they see a

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bill going up maybe $1,000 using just a broad number, like they're trying to figure out how to budget for that. And is there a way I know it's not us up here in our budget, but what can we do to make this

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town still be affordable for the people that have been here 20, 30, 40, 50 years that maybe have no mortgage, but their tax are going to where they're right their maybe their mortgage was when they first moved to town years ago. >> Sure. Yeah. It's very challenging. I

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mean, clearly the state has significant benefits with the uh I can't remember the name of the program. Stay the state senior freeze and stay in New Jersey. So, so there are several things that the state can do to prevent that. Yeah. I mean, frankly, I think your options are relatively limited from where you guys

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sit, but there are things at the margin. I do think I mean, it's interesting what you said because I I think it's interesting like I don't have it in front of me, but Bill, if you know the um the total valuation of the town, is it like 9.6? I just I don't have my deck in front of me because what you can do like you

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could just take the value of your house the assessed value of your house let's say it's the average 1.1 divide it by the total and then for residents if you want to know what so if you guys propose a $10 million thing or the schools

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propose a $90 million thing all you do is you take that and you multip multiply it by your share right because each resident owns a chunk of the town so if you're if you're if You're the average guy and you have a 1.11 million house. Divide that by and bill. Do you have it

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in front of you? Because I I could >> average valuations 1,129618 and the ratables this year are 6,959 276200. >> Okay. Yeah. So what what 1.1 million over that number that's your share of the ownership of the township and then

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any dollar that's spent by any of those entities your share in terms of the proportional tax increase is that amount. So yeah, we we could I mean it would be I it's funny because I actually presented that at one of the finance committee meetings and then said it's like here here's like a cheat sheet for

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residents to think about you know what will that cost me so when a politician and you know no no nothing bad uh bent towards you folks but when when someone says anything is going to cost us5 or six million dollars you know I don't think it translates that easily to the

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public so but ironically it is pretty simple because you just take 1.1 divide So, so we can we can give a quick formula and and and help people. And then thinking about the the other question, you Bill and I can calculate something for something for you quickly.

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>> And Eric, I think uh Wendy, can we put this on the site for uh on our website when when >> tomorrow? >> Yeah, this way everybody. >> I'll send it over to >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good. >> I have I have a question. Well, I think it's good for the public, too, to maybe

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better understand the surplus. you know, how do we how do we calculate the surplus? Is it one bucket? Is it multiple buckets? Like I know with the Bell Works pilot, there's a certain amount of money we're required to keep from that, right? And keep it in reserve for when the pilot ends. So, how we come up with that number? Uh how much of it

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we need to retain to keep that AAA Moody rating? I think that would be good to know. >> Yeah. Well, I I can answer the I I can cover the Moody side. >> We have no requirement for reserve for Bell Works. That just goes into the uh general fund balance. Is is there a target bill for the

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syncing fund? >> There's no requirement for a syncing fund at all. >> Is there a target? No, not is there a requirement. Is there is there a target that you as a CFO would want to be at in order to >> No, because what's eventually going to happen is it's going to flip um 23 years

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from now or so, the tax rate for the um township will go up and the tax rate for the school will go down because we're getting the pilot money and when that flips basically our tax rate will go up, their tax rate will go down. >> And we we looked into setting up a fund,

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a separate fund where we can start banking money for that rainy day, right? when that 23 years runs out. The problem with doing that is any governing body be able to tap into it at their leisure. So we can't say, you know, this money is going away. Don't touch it until, you

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know, 209 or whatever, 23, 2049. Um, you know, 10 years from now, a governing body can take that money and, you know, go on a spending spree theoretically. So there's no way to to sort of lock it down and soften the blow when it falls off. And the reason why I'm I'm bringing this up public is we we when the pilot first

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came into play, we discussed having that because it could be a it's almost like a a cliff like you're going to drop off our tax rate. We're going to go from use round numbers $7 million to now we're going to get 16% of that ratable schools

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going to go to six call it 69%. So it's going to flip-flop, right? And if we're spending at that rate, right, then the governing body up here in 20 plus years may be have some financial challenges facing them because, you know, there

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could be a shortfall, right, Bill? >> Well, but there could be, but the um you know, we don't have any statutory requirement and I'm telling you right, none of the towns are putting away money for the rainy day in any of these pilots. >> They are or they're not. >> They are not

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>> like Asbury Park or not. Asbury Park, Jersey City, North Hoboken, none of them are putting money away because the tax your tax rate is going to go up and a school is going to drop. So basically, you're taking rid of the pilot and the pilot is now becoming a tax for us. So we're just flipping the way we're

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raising. It's not coming through. Pilot revenue is now going to be coming in 23 years from now as a tax revenue. >> And then circling back, how much money do we need to keep in reserve in for the AAA bond rating?

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uh we're trying to keep around between seven and 8 million. I mean, right now we're a little bit above that, but somewhere in that neighborhood. >> And I think Eric, there's a point you raised in the finance committee meeting once once upon a time. I think the calculation, by all means, correct me if I'm wrong. Okay. The fund balance of

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revenues, but I was actually going back to um the pilot revenues. I think you had said about basically if you did the calculation 50% of all the pilot revenues have gone to to stabilizing the taxes and keeping them down from municipal standpoint. >> Yeah, there's different ways you can calculate. I mean effectively I think

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100% can be view I mean it's really it's kind of fungeible right I mean the funds are fungeible but if you know we we did kind of a hypothetical analysis and you at minimum and the way we did it we would just kind of we just looked at inflation we said well if if taxes grew

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at inflation where would they be relative to where they are uh being flat today and then that the the total sum of that differential area between those two things was essentially that estimate. So there there are numerous ways you can do it,

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but it's it's you know it's safe to say that at least half comes back. I kind of view it as it's pretty much all coming back to you, right? It's kind of a rebate to taxpayers because you know that that levy that I showed before. I mean it's not magic that that stayed constant. I mean we we had help from the

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pilot. So that's additional revenues coming in. We also had other revenues coming in but that helped buffer the increase because we did increase spending but you to residents when that line is flat that implicitly is a subsidy to residents. So from you know

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for me personally you know I think it's great because I don't think anyone here's raising their hand to pay more taxes and sure you know if you if you feel like doing that please as the head of the finance committee I'd be happy to coordinate your checks with Bill but I you know I I

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think no one I it it is a it's a rebate in essence you know this the sizing you know when I said 50% that's that's kind of a cough but I think that's I think it's a it's between 50% and 100% is is where the answer lies. >> Thank you.

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>> And this to to to Joe's question with respect to the rating agencies that this is kind of a grossly simplified way the way Moody's will look at things, but it's basically just taking the surplus balance and dividing by the revenues. So like I there's kind of like a naive way

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of thinking about the surplus where people just graph it over time and just like it would be like graphing the consumer price index over time. It'll go up for all eternity, right? So you have to base it off of something and ratio it. So the rating agencies say your

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revenues are a proxy for the the size of the uh the township and the surplus to to revenue ratio is really what they look at. So if you look at ours, uh, we dipped quite a bit down to 27.2%. And I think you really, you know, to really

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sustain that AAA rating, this is actually the most important metric that they look at and you probably want to be minimum like that 20 25 to 35%. the the me it's funny because the median towns actually have a much higher ratio

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than we do that are AAA rated but according to Moody's own metrics most town those towns are over surplused so I think it's like 46% is like the mean don't quote me on that but it's roughly 46% uh is the the mean for other AAA

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rated so we're we're well below the mean but we're in the 30% zone uh is the safe zone for Moody's you know, we were well below that. You going back to, you know, 2017 or I I had the data going way back, but um you know, we really bolstered the

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surplus and it's kind of a moving target there. There's liquidity ratios or cash rate ratios. They look at our economics, our median income, the home values, and they each get a percent. Again, this has the highest percent. Yeah, if you ask me personally where I think it should be, I

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think like targeting a 30% range, that's a safety zone for the AAA. So that's 30% against your revenues as your revenues grow. So as you know, assuming we grow forever, um surplus will grow proportionally forever. >> Did you say, Eric, did you say the

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reason why the drop from 25 to 26? Did you say what that was? Was it contribute to one thing? >> We drew down more surplus this year to fund the budget. Um as you know as far as far as like what that's a trivial do you know it's just fungeible. So so you

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know pension contributions were up um utilities were up >> salaries wages utilities pension contributions debt service were the big drivers. >> Yeah >> insurance that's right insurance >> and insurance. Yeah. >> And you also have to the u the revenue from the pile is pretty much leveled out

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right now. So there's not the big increases that we've had over the last five six years. It pretty much it's leveled out. Yeah, and not just level out, it went down 8%. So, >> yeah, the only reason that went down again is because we had the from the back years that are always a year or so

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behind and paying us when the audits came out. And finally, it's just pretty much leveled out the last two years. >> But it did it did I think it's important to point out that that 8% decline, it was the first actual accounting decline.

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So you couldn't the view that pilot increasing pilots would forever fund increasing spending that didn't happen this year. So part of that decline in the surplus was you know to to cover that lack of a pilot that we have lack

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of the delta for the pilot that we had this year. So one way to interpret it part of it. >> All right we're good. Thank you Eric. Appreciate it. >> Good work. >> All right, we'll move on to Well, actually, I'll let Eric get set first

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this way. We'll Well, I Yeah, I mean I look I think you can ask I mean are you willing to to stick around? >> All right. Um we we'll assume that's uh your part of the agenda, Eric. Is that is what we'll do. So we do public comment for agenda items only. We'll see

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what the uh what comes about. You all right? >> Sorry, man. >> Is that typically our rule? I don't remember. Yeah, it's one shot deal. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Look, then then you don't then we don't ask him a question, right? I mean,

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it's it's one or the other. It it's Yeah, it's one or the other. So, either he's part of it or he's not. You guys decide. All right, Eric, you're good. You're free to go. It's >> up to Eric. >> All right, we're going to move on to public comment for agenda items only. >> Can we do the approval of minutes first,

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Mayor? >> Oh, sorry. >> Okay. >> Okay. So, next on the agenda is the approval of the minutes for the March 24th, 2026 public session, the April 14th, 2026 public session, the April 28th, 2026 executive and public

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sessions. >> Motion to approve. >> Move. >> Mr. Bontempo, >> yes. >> Mr. Foster, >> yes. >> Mr. Romano, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanderham, >> yes. >> Mayor and Prevadudo, >> yes. >> The minutes have been successfully passed. Thank you very much.

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>> Public comment for agenda items only. >> Three minutes. Yeah. >> Sure. Oh, yes. Absolutely. Let's do that. >> All right. So, uh the first few are bill payables. So, that's just our bill pays resolution for cash management plan.

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Bill, you want to talk on that one >> real quick? >> The resolution for the cash management plan, we do have a new tax collector. Um, they do sign some checks for the lean trust account, so we have to change the name in the resolution to the new tax collector.

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>> 117 self-explanatory. A disabled vet gets back their taxes. Governing body certification, I believe that's Wendy, you put that on. Is that for the uh equal opportunity? >> It is. Yes. >> Okay. Um, hiring seasonal employees, that's for our swim club. We do that

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every year. Um, final payment acceptance and maintenance guarantee for our 2024 road program. Um, that means that the road program has been finished and that we are uh accepting the maintenance bond for anything that happens to that road over the next several years. We also

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authorized final payment of acceptance for maintenance bond for resurfacing of the main pool at the swim club. Uh, again, we're accepting that. Uh these are two escros. The next two uh they go back uh I guess there was work being done at her house. Uh the next one's appointing Kelly McCormack as our new

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tax collector. Um she'll take uh over after Jill Stone had left. And then um the final one is rejecting all bids from the demolition structures of the Robert Wilson Park. Uh we had to rebond that due to some um technical issues with the

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bond with the uh original bid. Um but that'll be ready in for the next meeting. Uh we rebided already. We're just waiting it. And then we have an appointment of a special counsel and that is for uh some labor issues that we're dealing with. Uh we just have some conflicts with our our current uh attorneys for labor. So we're just

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appointing somebody at the same rate just somebody who doesn't have a conflict. >> All right. Thank you. >> Oh, and the ABC renewals are just every year we we do the ABC renewals for all our our liquor licenses.

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Public comment for agenda items only. >> Hello, Sarah Cho for Putnham Court. >> Sarah, before you begin, can you just please do me a favor? Can you please apologize to the administrator, the clerk, and the people in town hall who you accuse of doing nefarious things like hiding minutes and illegalities and things of that nature, please?

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>> I do think that you are hiding a lot of things. I do think that there is illegal activity. So I will address those and I think mayor as um >> So you're accusing I want to make sure you're you're accusing everybody in town hall of doing illegal things.

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>> And what are you referring to? >> Well, you just said you think there's illegalities. >> There are >> if what's that? >> No, but when you when you accuse people of not posting minutes within the regulatory or statutory deadlines, >> that actually is the people that do the work. You understand? That's what I will

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apologize for. But I do want to ask why we are using Facebook Live when we pay $60,000 for WebEx a year. Why are we using Facebook Live, which is a free app? >> That's I'm sorry, that's not on the agenda. This is agenda items only, but I

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wanted to ask you to comment. >> I will absolutely apologize for thinking that the township minutes were not online. I will apologize for that because it was hidden under live and it wasn't in your

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page when you go on to Homeell Township. >> So you're talking about the streaming, not the minutes. Correct. >> Correct. >> Okay. So the streaming for Facebook, Facebook says they delete them after 30 days off of Facebook. However, our live

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stream is forever on YouTube. So that's that's what that's about. That and they're they're not the minutes. You're right. Okay, you're right. Thank you. And I and I apologize for that. >> I appreciate that. >> I do I do wish though that if we're paying60,000 for WebEx services, which

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Mr. Chibini noted a couple township committee meetings ago, that we should have um these minutes posted on the Homedale Township website versus a free app, Facebook, and another free app, YouTube.

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And we should also be able to have a feature where people who are not sitting here today because they are taking care of their families and do not have the time to come here can post questions in the Zoom meeting or whatever application we are using money our

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taxpayer money 60,000 a year. Webex does have a chat feature that we could use and it it would be lovely to be able to ask questions on the chat. you know that somebody can monitor, maybe you know the township clerk can monitor and ask

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questions for people who are not here presently. It really does would be inclusive for people who have disabilities who are not able to make it on a Tuesday at a 7:30 p.m. I have wet hair because I'm taking care of my three children and I'm rushing here. So, I do

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apologize for accusing, you know, the township for not posting the minutes, but it is very hard to find, and I do think our money, our $60,000 that we spend on WebEx should be used um

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appropriately. Okay. So, that just so you know, the minutes are separate and apart from the live stream, though. They're two different things. I actually I would love an education on that because let's not do that now. >> No, we're not going to do that. No, but I'm just letting you know it's when you

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said minutes were deleted. That's what I do. I put the minutes on the agenda on the website. It's different from a live stream. Just so you know that. >> That is actually a great clarification and I apologize for using the wrong

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>> appreciated. Yeah. I don't I don't mean to attack you doing something illegal. I just can't find I couldn't find it and then somebody Matt told me that they were on live. >> Yeah. I look I just I think a more constructive approach would be to call the administrator or the clerk and say,

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"Hey, I can't seem to find this. Can you help me?" as opposed to going onto Facebook and saying people are doing illegal things. >> Mayor and Pudo, you know that I have asked a lot of questions via email that have not been addressed. >> Was that one of them? >> That was not. But I would love to I

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would love to >> pick up the phone. It would be nice for you to answer an email. >> I answer a lot of emails. >> Not mine. >> I have yet to see an email from you. >> Okay. >> I've asked a lot of questions on courtesy busing, but I would like to

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move to the agenda items. >> Yes, please. >> Okay. Okay. So, on the agenda items, um, uh, Mr. Chabini noted that a law firm was being substituted out due to a conflict of interest. Uh, Mr. Chabini, could you um elaborate on the

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>> Oh, I'm sorry. Mayor Roco, can you please address um since our tax money is paying for it, uh the scope or type of claim or lawsuit that this labor um litigation entails.

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And I think even if you can't go into the contents of it due to privilege, I think you can um speak to the amount of legal fees that have been incurred because that is taxpayer money. So that's my first question. I'm I'm going

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to just ask a couple because I know I have limited time. Um my other question is we were talking about property taxes and uh our property taxes I think everyone in this room can agree has gone up um you know a thousand

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a year. So my question is uh who is appraising and I think I know the answer but I would like to hear it from you. Who is appraising our uh homes and property? what are they um basing their

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appraisal on? And the vendor that has been chosen, is that chosen by the county or is that chosen by Homeell Township? And depending on what the answer is, what is a vetting process? How many companies are actually able to

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do that bidding? Um and what is the criteria for why? because I see in the um agenda there's more than 50,000 paid to this assessment company. So essentially our taxpayer money is paying

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to this company that's then going to assess our property value at a higher rate that then increases our property taxes. So we're double paying now. we're not only paying for our taxes being raised, we're also praying paying for the uh company that's doing the

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appraisal. So, I I I find that a little um hard to swallow. Um so, that's my second item. There are some frivolous ones that I would like to bring up, but I do think it highlights um questions

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that we might have. there was about um a couple thousand for three leadership um training sessions and I would like to know who those leadership trainings were for. Um,

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and I would like to know if uh Homedale Township is um you know, and this is it. This is something that uh we might have to actually talk uh later on the public

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agenda because it's it has to do with courtesy busing. I don't think that's on the agenda today. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. So, um, we have not incurred any legal fees for the special counsel. Tonight was to appoint the special counsel. Um, I can't get into the

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details based on advice from our council other than to say it's an employment matter. Um, and the council will be hired to investigate the matter itself. Uh, as it relates to property taxes, I do want to make one correction. And

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Eric, I I I don't mean to call you out, but I think it was something in the to the effect of 65% of homes assessed in home actually see a decline and about 30 odd percent see an increase. Is that on on that?

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>> Okay. Okay. So, I I think so net net I think it it's I I think what what I'm trying to sort of what I'm trying to articulate is that not everybody's property taxes go up go down is that

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>> um and so Chris can you uh do you want to talk about the assessor the the assessment company and then I don't know if we can get into who the leadership sessions were for. I don't know if we're allowed to do that. >> I could I could hit one but I have no idea that would it sounds like it's from the police department. So um you know if

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uh I could find out exactly what class it was. I may not be able to to I'm not sure about releasing names of the officers who took it but I'm pretty sure that they are police officers because nobody on our side went to those classes. um for the RDS, which is the company who does our assessments, that's

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done by again public bidding. So, um if they were the ones who came in as the lowest bidder, that's who got the um the the job. So, and they they're I'm assuming they were because they're the ones who you guys have uh as uh your your assessment company. Now, when we

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does goes to the assessments of homes, uh homes are assessed only 20% of homes are assessed each year. Um, and the others are either adjusted by if they did some work in their homes, uh, by

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sales. Uh, everybody is reassessed every year, but the actual physical assessment only 20% gets done by this RDS company. Um, and RDS is the I don't know their actual I would look I have to look that up. So, >> no, this is this is Homedale has to hire

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them themselves as part of that program. Well, it's five members up at the uh at the deis, but again, they're they're held by public purchasing laws. >> So, if they came in as the lowest bidder and the responsible bidder, they'd have to go with that.

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>> I won't know that. We have to go. It's not a Q&A. Chris is answering the question. >> Yeah, that's that's that's well, we don't know that stuff. Um, again, that was the bid that came in the lowest, so that's who would do it. But yes, we can also they also get reassessed by the assessor himself. He

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does it off reach and sales. Um he'll do it off of again uh improvements to homes. That's how those assessments change year to year. >> Thank you. Any other uh public comment on agenda items. >> My name is Nathan Brown and I live at

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251 South Holland Road. My name is Nate Brown. I live at 251 South Holland Road. All right. I want to talk tonight just one one comment I had just on the presentation earlier. You guys said it was mentioned that our tax rate, you know, is the lowest, one of the lowest

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in Mammoth County. I think that's what was mentioned. I would like to know whether we have to have a follow-up, you know, email or put it on the website. whatever you guys do. I would like to know what our home values are >> in accordance to the rest of Mammoth County because because if you talk about a tax rate, obviously the tax rate

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correlates right to home values in order to get to a certain number that that the township needs, right? Because each township has its own individual budget, which then you take the home values, which I think you mentioned 9.6 billion, and then that's what essentially makes the tax rate, right? So you would have

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to look at the home values across those other municipalities as well. So, if we could have that stat, you know, along with >> Oh, I see what you're saying. Comparatively speaking, I got you. >> Yes, that would that way we can understand is our tax rate really lower or is it because we have more expensive homes? >> Yeah, I think we have that data. So, I think we can we can look at it because

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don't forget Homedale is in the upper tier of Mammoth County, but we're not the top, right? There's there's a pretty wide range of of homes in and wide range of municipalities in Mammoth County. But understand the question and we can get that. >> Yeah, I appreciate it. And I want to speak about the the budget, you know, and the consent agenda, you know, you're

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adopting tonight. Uh, the township is voting on ordinance 2026-14 exceed the 2.5% appropriations cap and and bank an extra 381,000. By your own budget documents tell a different story. In 2025, the township

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overbudgeted by so much that 500 and $55,000 and appropriations lapsed unspent and another six six another $1.68 million sat reserved and never used. So my question is simple. If last year you

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couldn't spend roughly $2 million that you had budgeted, why do you need an ordinance tonight to exceed the cap and bank more? How much of 3.5% are you actually going to spend and how much of that is just going to be banked for a later use? >> Bill, do you want to jump in on that?

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>> The banks the bank is only good for two years and we do not know what's going to happen in the next two years. I mean the health insurance luckily we dodged the bolt this year. I mean the if we'd stay in the health plan we're in from last year would have gone up 35%. So we do

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need the bank. Uh if we don't have it, you know, we have to go for an emergency, which is not a good thing to do. Um the other 1 million that's carried over, that is for bills from 2025 that we still receive. So the budget doesn't necessarily come to a

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screeching halt on December 31st of 2025. There are still commitments and ongoing projects for 2025 that we will pay for in 2026. >> Uh the half million that we were able to cancel was because of savings we had during the year. You know, we try to

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save as much as we can. We were able to luckily be able to cancel a half million dollars last year. >> So the the the carryover from 2025 to 2026. So are you going to recast the actual versus budget for 2025? No, it just carries over and then it goes into

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at the end of 26 that'll go into anything that's left will go into fund balance. But >> but I mean couldn't some of the surplus be used for the 2025 overspend? >> No, we we we can't over expend any money. We're not allowed to overexpend anything. Our budget is set. We can't go

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over. So if we have a budget of $20 million, we just can't spend $21 million. We're stuck with this budget for the year. So essentially, you're getting approval to go over the ordinance for a safety bank, and that's that's what >> Yeah, that's what almost every town will do it because we don't know what's

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coming up because remember, you got pension, uh you got health benefits, all these costs could rise next year dramatically and and if we don't have that bank, you know, we have to do some cuts to stay within our caps. >> Of course, I I've done budgets for over 20 years. I I I completely understand

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that. I'm a CFO myself and I I'm very aware of budgets, but I definitely would never put something in a budget called a bank. I I may increase a pension percentage per se. I may increase health benefits per se, but I wouldn't put something in what I call a bank. >> That's statutory term and that's the way

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we have to do it in New Jersey. I don't I don't make the statutes. That's what they put in the law. >> But do we know do we know what what what things that that that we're at risk of? Like what? Well, the biggest thing is health benefits and pensions. As I said,

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we really don't know what's happening. I mean, this year we dodged the bullet. Next year we get hit with a 40% increase. >> Next year we can actually be closer to 60 because we we actually dodged it this year, but the state could change the rules on how we dodged it and then we'll

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go up to the full 60% 30 from last year and 30 from this year in our health insurance only. So, uh everything has to be, you know, planned for. Plus, these banks are caused because we have a 2% cap. So, if we don't have the bank and we're stuck under that 2% cap and we

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don't do this bank, then we're stuck and we even if they go up, then we're going to have problems meeting our our needs, >> which is where the school district's at, right? >> Yeah. And and one of the other issues, if we don't have enough cap, we have to go out for a referendum to the voters. So, if we're shorten the cap, we have to

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get approval of the um voters of the town to increase that. >> Understand? All right. Thank you. >> Yeah. Could you could you explain that a little bit further? >> What part? >> The referendum part. >> A referendum if

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>> we can't do that. >> Well, we only we can only do it one time a year and it's we have to need it. So, we're only have to do a referendum um set dates by statute. So, if we if we can't fit our budget within the cap, then we can go out for referendum.

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>> And does that does that get public vote? >> Oh, yeah. this referendum vote by the public >> and then that's what that's when the bank would then get used. >> No, that the bank's the bank is there that that's the bank we can use but if we have to go over any bank or any cap restriction we have we have to go out to

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the voters. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Understood. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else for public comment on agenda items? All right, Mr. G. Kenji uh HCA Street. So um let me

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preface by saying that uh we have a lot of respect for uh uh Mr. Silvergo. He's always come prepared. But I would like to offer uh some alternative counter view. So I know there was a comment made if I remember right that our municipal

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uh levies is at 44% compared to 60% for other towns. However, pilot's 16% and despite what it's called, it's really a a levy. It's just that it's it's called piloted. So, when you add that up, that by the way is 60%. So, the

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other thing that was mentioned was that um our surplus uh and in particular surplus ratio and so on. uh looking at that. So prior to 2020 when I look at this at one point we were uh home was

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already triple AAA and our surplus ratio at that point was roughly if I remember right 14%. And now we're up, you know, he's saying we're talking at 30 35 maybe, who knows? But, you know, that's a very high number when you look at, and I think the mayor

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mentioned that uh Homedale is definitely in the top tier, um, you know, of Mammoth County. So, when you look at other top tier, uh, townships within that, for example, Coacheneck, uh, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Rumson, these are

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fairly wealthy, affluent towns. Their surplus ratio by the way on the average if you average those four out is at 14% which is where Homedale was back in 2020. And so the fact that we're over 20ome% has a lot to do with uh the pilot

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and so on. But I just want to make sure I point that out as a counterbalance. Those are very high ratios and so on compared to other let's call comparable towns. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other public comment for agenda items? All right, let's move on to the consent

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agenda. We >> have a motion to Oh, actually, when do you want to read it off? >> The motion will be for resolutions 2026 1212 through 2026 125A. >> Do I have a motion to approve? Moved

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>> second. >> Sorry. Sec. Second. >> I gave it away. Mr. Bontempo. >> Yes, >> Mr. Foster. >> Yes. >> Mr. Romano. >> Yes. >> Mr. Vanderham. >> Yes. >> Mayor and Prevadudo. >> Yes. >> Okay. Resolutions 2026112

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through 2026 125A have been successfully passed. Thank you. Next would be the ABC license renewals resolutions 2026 through 120 through 2026 133. Do >> I have a motion to approve?

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>> Moved. >> Second. >> Mr. Montempo. >> Yes. >> Mr. Foster. >> Yes. Mr. Romano, >> yes. >> Mr. Vanderham, >> yes. >> Mayor Prevadutoo, >> yes. >> The ABC license renewals have all been successful successfully approved. Thank

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you. Next is hearing on ordinance 202614 which is an ordinance of the township of homedale Mammoth County, state of New Jersey to exceed the 2026 municipal budget appropriations limits and to establish a cap bank NJSA 4A semicolon

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4-45.14 >> public hearing. >> What's that? >> Public hearing. >> I know doesn't say it on this. >> I I wrote it on mine. uh public hearing on the cap bank >> and Bill, this is something we routinely do every year. This is not a new

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>> Yes, we do it every year. >> Any public comment? >> If if it's public comment, you got to do your name and address again. >> My name is Nathan Brown. I live at 251 South Holland. Uh >> how much of that how much of that at that bank has been used the last three

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years? >> We have not used it but it's there for two years in case we do need it. >> So has never it's not been used the last two years. >> No. >> Thank you. >> All right. And we adopt on the next meeting, right?

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When we're >> adopting now. Yes. Public hearing. Yeah. >> That's right. I always get >> We introduced it a while ago. >> Yeah. Um Sarah Cho for Putinham Court. Um so the cap I guess you're raising it because of the

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potential for um pensions and health benefits going up. Sorry, >> it could be really for anything, but that's the our biggest cost drivers the last four or five years. And and when you say that the state can change their

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rules that then would they would back they would look back at last year. >> No, I'm not saying they'll change the rules. We don't know what's we have state health benefits here. >> Okay. >> And that could increase dramatically. We've had a couple years where it's gone up 27% or more. >> Right.

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>> So we just want to be sure that we have the bank in case we need it. If we don't use it, we don't use it. So, um, what else could you use that money for for in the cap? >> Anything. >> It's not restricted to anything. It just gives us the ability because remember

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we're limited to three and a half%. If we go over three and a half%, we can't have the the budget will not work. And that that's the way that these statutory requirements for the budget are. >> Okay. But I guess what's concerning is if there's no specificity as to what the

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funds are contemplated for, like you're telling us that yes, and I agree with you, the health the state benefits, uh, health benefits premiums, they've gone up on the board of ed side, you know, like 35%, so they had a 5.5 million deficit. So, I understand that. But what

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what is uh a little concerning is if you do um raise a cap and you decide you want to use it for something else, you are entitled to. Correct. >> Yes, we can. But you know, we we don't just use it for anything. We haven't

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used it in years. As long as I've been here, we have not used it. >> So, what would force this to go to the public vote? If we went over any if we went over either the levy cap or the appropriation cap, we have two caps we have to abide by. If we go over either of them, we

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have to go to a referendum. >> And how does that work? Um, practically speaking, like would you communicate to Homeell residents that there's a referendum? >> Oh, yeah, we have to. It's it's it's a whole process, but I don't foresee that

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anytime in the future. >> Can you explain the process to us? >> I we can do it after the meeting. Maybe Chris or Bill, you guys can explain the process after the meeting. This we want to talk about the ordinance and whether or not we're passing this, >> right? And that and you're you're passing a lot of money without without

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>> I think that's the confusion. This isn't money at all. This is if we need to raise it more next year. So our cap is let's say our cap's 2 and a half%. Right. >> Right now we have room to raise it 5% if we had to. There's no money being raised at all. That's what we're saying because

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we aren't using it this year or banking it for future years if we have to raise it beyond that two and a half percent. >> Okay? >> So there's no money being raised at all on this. This is just allowing in the future. >> So next year if we come up and say, "Wow, we need to come up with 5%." We

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don't have to go out to referendum. We don't have to cost because it's going to cost taxpayer money to go out to referendum. We have to be very specific to that what it's >> I like that. I like specificity because then we know exactly what we're spending our money on versus an open bank. >> But again, it's not an open bank. It's

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it's basically just saying instead of do we didn't do it this year, but they're going to give us a shot if we need to do it next year if we have to. We have not. >> We're basically So, okay. So, if it's two and a half cap, but you want to raise it to 5%.

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Then who pays for that? It would go to the >> Nobody's paying for it. It it allows us in case we need it, we can up our budget to up to three and a half%. We're not taking any money from anybody. >> The only time >> Where's the money coming from then? >> It's not money. It's a bank. It's a bank. They allow us to bring our cap up.

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The cap is at three and a half%. If we're down to 2% right now, we want to go up next year. Say we need to go up three and a half% over that. We'll have a bank that we can legally bring the budget up. bills is an easier way to say this is that it's it's a it's a statutory it's a statutory guideline

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that allows us to do these things. It's all we're passing is we're accepting the statute, right? The the allowance to do that. >> I understand I understand that. But I guess what worries me on behalf of the Homeell residents is if it's raised then I guess your budget could go up, right?

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Like you're going to have more >> come out. >> Yeah. But it's not any money. It's just a a requirement that allows us in case we need to raise funds in the future. It's not impacting our budget this year at all. >> This year, but >> and it's and it hasn't been used in a decade.

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>> But why shouldn't we why shouldn't we have the residents decide like let's say you let's say let's say you need something specific for pensions. Okay, because you will probably need that and I I I understand that anticipation.

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Why not just have the public vote versus the five individuals who are up here? >> That's not the way the statute works. You got to read the statues on budget. >> You just said that if it doesn't pass tonight, then it goes to a public vote. I did not say to a referendum. No, I did not say that at all. >> Then what did you say?

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>> I said if we ever reach the point where we cannot make the budget work. We have to go for public referendum. >> And that would be the 17,000 homes who would be able to vote on that. I think give the >> but we haven't reached that point. >> We haven't reached that point. So I

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don't quite understand. >> The vote is the vote is to approve the accepting the statute. That's all it is. >> Okay. Anybody else? Yes. >> Just to clarify so I statute. You have the option to opt into

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this. You don't have to do this. >> Yes, we have the option. >> And you've been opting into it for how long? >> Ever since I've been um involved with town. >> How long is that? >> Well, CFO for nine years and a consultant probably for 10 or 15 years

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prior to that. >> And have you ever used this? >> Not that I'm aware of. Not as long as I've been CFO. don't remember going back in the day what it was like but >> okayion >> ambontempo 22 gram drive I'm calling I'm

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asking I'm going to start over so everybody can hear >> uh in regards to the statute that you want to approve today this is optional you don't have to approve it right it it's just something you want to do, you don't have to do. And you haven't used

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it in at least a decade, but you've opted into it for for a long time, you're telling me? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, we have a $9.2 million surplus

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um or approximately there. We have the funds coming in from the pilot program, but yet we want to opt in to be able to possibly raise 2.5% not rate. This is giving us room to spend. This is you're on two different levy. You're on two

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different caps right now. You got levy cap and appropriation cap. This only deals with the appropriation cap. >> Can you explain the difference? >> Levy cap is on the tax levy. Appropriation cap is how much we can increase our operations annually. >> And this is regarding appropriations.

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>> This is Yes. This is the operation. This is the operating approp your day-to-day operations. So if we get hit with a a pension bill that goes up 12%, we get hit with an insurance bill that goes up 4% and we have to live within 3 and a.5%. That's very difficult to manage.

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>> So then you just you would put off referendum to the public. >> No. No. That's No, we'd have to first we'd have to use our banks. We use the banks that'll cover it. If we don't have enough money, then we would have to go for referendum. >> But you're saying you've never had to use this?

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>> Ever? >> Not yet. No. But we don't know if we will. I don't know what's going to happen with the insurance bills. They're going out of out of sight. >> I'm just getting the impression from everybody that they would like to kind of have more control over how the money is spent and if it's needed because the

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appropriations rise, then it should go to referendum so people can understand where the money is going and not you just having a bank to kind of draw on and it's not a bank you're drawing on. >> Once again, he's calling it a bank, >> but it's a misrepresentation. >> Okay. That's a misrepresentation, but

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you'll have the ability to raise funds for the appropriations. >> The statute calls it a bank. It allows us to utilize the funds in a future year if needed. >> Okay. As opposed to not approving this

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and then if you do need the future funds in the future, you'd have to go to referendum to the public to vote on it. >> Yeah. If we go to referendum, it probably cost us 20 $25,000 just for a vote. Okay. But you haven't had to use this in over a decade. So the probability of you having to go to

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referendum is is is low, too. But the referendum gives the public the power on how the money is spent. That's all I'm just trying to clarify there. Am I Am I incorrect in saying that? >> No. But it you know, you're taking a gamble.

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>> That's it. I'm not incorrect. Thank you. >> Anyone else? Yes. Christari, 7 Oaks. I just have an alternative view. I do appreciate uh being prudent on this in 2023 and 24 if it was not for the prior years of our

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20-year administrator at the BOE to leverage the bank cap that they had prepared for to uh get us through those years was very critical. Nobody saw the transportation expense going from 3 million to 5 million in one year. the benefits have shot up annually 35% last

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year and uh if it wasn't for the prudent move of our administrator to prepare through the bank cap. Um we leveraged that and that saved us a lot of teachers jobs that we would have had to let go during those years. So yes, we don't see what's coming today. Um but we we know there's a lot of macroeconomic

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challenges and uh I appreciate what you're doing with the bank cap and the surplus. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anybody else? All right, let's move on to a vote. Do I have a motion? >> Motion.

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>> Second. >> Mr. Vontempo? >> No. >> Mr. Foster? >> Yes. >> Mr. Romano? >> No. >> Mr. Vanderham? >> Yes. >> Mayor Prevadudo? >> Yes. >> Okay. Ordinance 202614 has been successfully passed. Thank you.

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>> All right. So, Mr. Administrator, before we get to budget, do you have anything you want to cover off on? I'll let you go right to the budget. >> All right. Well, that falls under the chief financial officer. Bill, anything you want to speak to? We're pulling it

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up. Eric had covered a lot of this in the past his presentation. So I'll keep it short. Again, this my presentation is more about the Homedale Township portion of the budget, not about the um school and the counties. Um also, uh we had

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state review. Uh state reviews our budget every um three years. That yesterday took about 7 hours for them to review it and they had no issues with it. Uh we're compliance with the levy cap and the appropriation cap. So they did approve it around 3:30 yesterday

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afternoon. Um we're allowed to adopt tonight if we so choose. again. Eric went over the uh oh happened. There it is. Skipped twice. Happened to force slide through disappears a little again. It

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disappeared. Uh it this is the source of our revenue. You can see what the proposed budget is for 2026 and what the adopted budget was for 2025. Uh, as mentioned before, we're using a little bit less surplus, $600,000 just because of the decrease in the monies from the

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pilot. Um, under local revenues, we're anticipating some more money from the pilot to cover the deficit that we had in the fund balance. uh special items of revenue. Uh we're going to use a half million dollars that we have from sale municipal assets um to increase the debt

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service payment for 2026 allocation of revenues that supports the budget. Uh again, Eric had talked about the um amount for taxation. I looked at some neighboring towns. Uh Coulneck is 64.98% is taxation. Middletown 69.57.

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Uh the only town that I could find that really matched ours and they do not have pilots was Freehold Townships at 46.64% of the budget supported by taxation. Some of the major appropriation changes in 2026 uh salaries and wages and caps is up by

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233,973. That's an increase of only 1.89%. Pension billings up by 219,000. That's an increase of 7.6%. Unemployment insurance went up by 98,000.

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Shared services up by 55,000. Debt service 638,879. 500,000 of that is which is coming from a sale mutable asset that we're going to use to pay down some of our debt. And reserve for uncollected taxes is up by

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59,612. And again, you remember we do have to collect the taxes for the county and the school. So as their levies rise, we have to rise our reserve front collected taxes every year. Uh other expenses and caps that dropped

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67,000 and capital improvements dropped 54,000. Uh total increase in our operating budget this year is only up 1.81%. on municipal tax rate. Uh on the average home of 1 million129618,

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the average taxpayer see a 10- cent decrease in municipal tax levy. That's basically flat. This is comparison of the revenues uh what we anticipated, what we received.

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Again the state aid it's 100%. The only increase here is again was from the um local revenues which is basically most of that's the pilot fund. Current year uh 2025 operations the final budget was 33 million233.

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The actual amount spent was 31,ion40,000 uh approp so the 1.677 677 is the appropriation reserves. That fund is used to pay off the remaining bills in 2025 in the year 2026. And the $500,000 was the amount that we

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canled statement of our current fund uh surplus at the end of the year. Opening balance was 10,500. We utilized in last year's budget 8,185 and we replaced this year $6,836,000

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leaving us ending fund balance of 9,151 of which we appropriated for use in the 2026 budget of 7,585,000. Collection rate, our tax collection rate is extremely high. Uh in 2025 was 99.21%.

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uh and slight increase from the year before of 99.17%. Comparison of the ratables uh increased about 9.2%. 25 and 26 from 6 billion372 to 6 bill959,000. historical tax rates. Uh you can pretty

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much This is a little bit deceptive because of the um the amount of the um increase in the assessments. The only thing that really stays flat is the open space uh until it was 2.5 cents until it

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was increased by referendum in uh 2022. >> 20. >> Yeah. Effective 22. Uh this one, if you look on the right, it's interesting. This is our average residential assessed value. Uh back in 2020, it was 686,578.

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At this point, it's 1,129618, substantial increase. Our pilot receipts, uh you look at Bell Works, the first column, uh you can see that's um basically starting to level off. 2019 we got 1,361,000

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and last year 2025 or 1,125. The amounts in uh 2024 include a lot of back payments from 23. Again, we don't bill them until we actually get their audit. So once we get the audit, we can back bill them for any additional uh

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increase they had in prior years. Regency is pretty stable. That's around 2,601. And the hospital that's uh by statute goes up 2% every year. And that's based on the number of beds that are in the hospital.

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>> Is that 100% or >> what? What is >> I what 95% what? >> Oh, this is this is our money. Our money. >> Yeah. Yeah. That's that's the county

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money. That's not ours. I don't include that. >> Yeah. uh debt service, we're allowed three and a half% of our equalized valuation. Uh so basically, we can go out and borrow $25 million. We've only have $50 million outstanding, so we can borrow

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technically another 154 $155 million if we chose to. Uh that's the slides I want to go through, mayor. So, >> no, thank you, Bill. I think um you know, maybe for the benefit of the audience, do you want to talk about ratables and what that means? is right. There's like what is a ratable for

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example for folks that aren't in this? >> Uh a ratable is is the value of your house. Again, that's set by the assessor and um you know the the whoever's doing the revaluation every year. Uh that is what your taxes are based upon. So just

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because your ratable goes your assessed value goes up does not mean that your taxes are going up. Uh again, we're taking that same amount of money and we just distribute. It's a distribution that changes. So if we if we have a uh a ratable of $12 million and we're taking

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in taxes of a million, that's no matter if it goes up to 24 million, we're still only going to take in a million dollars. >> Yeah. So So your your tax rate is going to drop because your your assessed value is going up or we're still not taking in any more money. >> And it's um and what you have on there

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includes both residential and commercial properties. Yes, I most of the com Yeah, the total is but the comparison we usually go by the uh um average value of a house. We just take the number of houses divided by the assessed value for all the

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residential units in town. All right. So, why don't we move to the public hearing on the budget? Any questions? I see none. Oh, Mr. We almost had it.

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>> Patrick Tuskita, 56 Line Road. I want to thank Eric for doing a great job on um analyzing the budget and finances. And Bill, of course, for the great job you do every year on the budget. Homeell's budget looks fantastic. Uh we're

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supported by a wonderful uh two wonderful pilots at Bell Works. Thank you Ralph Zucker every year for that and uh I think uh Homedale's finances are in fabulous shape. I uh encourage you to

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pass the budget. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Yes. >> I just want to read into the record. I'm I'm reading off of um an article that was published June 18th, 2014. Homedale

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signs deal with Bell Labs developer on tax abatement. Oh, and Bont Tempmpo 22 Grand View Drive. The article is when um Mayor uh Imprevudo uh states

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regarding the pilot program and the triggers that would eventually increase However, give me just one second. I want to find the right line. Here it is. Mayor Patrick and Prevadudo and Deputy Mayor Hines explained that

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95% of the anticipated increase in tax assessment would benefit the municipal portion of the property tax bill. 5% goes to Mamemoth County, which has been well explained here. If school taxes go up, the municipality can balance the

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property tax bill by decreasing municipal taxes to a point that offsets school taxes. That was your father in 2014. That's my statement. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anybody else?

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>> Again, Nate Brown, 251 South Holland. uh you know speaking of which the you know in regards to pilot revenue and how that does you know obviously impact you know the school it's a it gets to be a big tangled mess and I don't want to get into all that right now but I do want to go back to the the comment that was made

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that on the initial pilot program there was I guess a a gentleman's handshake you know that the pilot money from from the bell works uh you when it was implemented uh would be shared with the school there was going to be a portion that was shared I understand there's no legal requirement to share that but it

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was stated that it there would be a portion that would be funded to the school district. Um, and since then I I just would like to understand how much of how much has been shared with the school. I do know that some has, but I would just like to understand how much. >> Yeah, over the past and I I'm going off memory because I did this in the state

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of home presentation. I think over the past three years, it's been 5.5 million. And if you and that's not including the grant, the $3 million grant for in front of the high school. And I don't recall, I genuinely don't recall if that includes the million-dollar cash infusion we did this year by purchasing

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the Luckard House. >> Okay. And off the top of your head, do you know how much the school would have benefited, you know, from that from that? Shall they receive 68% of that? >> The schools are receiving a higher percentage of dollars now than they than they did 10 years ago.

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>> I'm talking about just that pilot re just that pilot program. But I'm saying they they received something along the lines of 68 or 60 I think it's 68% and they're receiving 65% of inclusive of pilot and the dollars and the net and everything. They're receiving like the net that the schools are receiving based

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on the contributions we provide now are receiving a higher percentage of the dollars than they did 10 years ago. So, so they're receiving. So, they're rece what you're saying is they're receiving 69% of of all revenues including pilot. >> When you when you cons when Yes. When

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you include Eric, keep me honest here. When you include the dollars we've contributed over the past three years to the schools, the schools are receiving a higher percentage of revenues from the taxpayer inclusive of that than they did

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11 years ago. Is that correct? >> Absolutely correct. Well, if you if you correlate it though, it also was just now stated that our tax levy here is flat. >> And just to for inflation, you're actually paying less than you did 12 years ago, >> right? So if the tax levy's flat, my tax

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bill goes up every single year. I know that because I pay it. Uh so where's that money going? >> Not everybody's does. Some people drop. >> I >> it offsets. Oftentimes people aren't going to >> do you think that the overall tax in in home has gone down

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>> or flat rate? >> No. >> The tax rate. Not everybody's taxes go up every year. Other some people's decline. >> Okay. So what's the net? >> The net of what? the net of the increase decrease >> it's flat 14.8 million it's been that

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way for five years >> okay is that is that is that partially in due to the pilot program >> yeah we we just covered this that was >> so so so I want to ask again is that inclusive the 60 60 something% of the school district's money that they get do they get 60s something% of the pilot

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money paid by works >> that's what that was my question Eric, >> do you want to come up and sit at the desk for a moment if we're gonna get into this? Sorry. So Eric, I think you were answering the question before we pulled

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you out of your comfort zone. So the um so the answer to your question is as a hypothetical thought exercise take the pilot revenues and the tax revenues and think about so if you think about the the if you want to think about it as a

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proxy for the resources that are available to the community and it's a fair question to say what is the share now of the township and the school when you adjust for that. So, what happens is if you go back to 2015, and I'm doing

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this off the top of my head. So, let me pull up the uh the actual numbers. Um, if you go back to 2015, it's 65 a.5%. If you So, what I'm saying is the school so the school district had 65.5% of the

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tax share because there was no pilot in 2015. >> Okay. roll forward to 2026 and remember earlier we said that the share that the schools get is 69.6, right? So to get from 65.5

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to 69.6, how do you think it got there? >> That's what I'm asking. >> 23% tax increase. Okay. So that tax increase brought up their share from 65 69%. Yeah. and and it's I I have no we

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have a great school system. I love the school system but their budget is separate and they're separate from this body. I'm just presenting numbers. So the so now when you add the pilot in as a thought exercise, right? So we're getting 7 million of pilot. You add that

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to the uh 104 million and then you divide the school share. I I don't have in front of us 77 million or so. um they actually have a higher percent now

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than they did pre- pilot of the communal resources of the town. And it's counterintuitive, but it's math, right? And facts really they are what they are. >> Sure. I I have to go back and >> trust me, it's comprehend comprehend that a little bit a little bit. That was

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quick. I just I have a hard time understanding how the tax bills are going up every year. And and again, not everybody. I I some may be going down. No, you're right. You're right. So, your statement your statement was correct. So, our taxes are I'm a taxpayer, too. Uh, and I don't like to see them go up.

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>> It's gone up significantly and since 2020 when >> Well, and we said earlier today on average it was up 6.3%. Right. But we we also attributed where that was coming from. And you know I kind of intentionally went through the staging if you will to show the

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spending and the linkage between spending and taxes because I don't think that linkage has ever been kind of laid out clearly but you know clearly if you spend sooner or later right like taxes taxes are a residual problem of

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overspending >> as a general rule I don't I don't believe in the United States and I'll say this as a federal state, county, and for on behalf of the 564 municipalities in New Jersey, I don't think we have

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revenue problems. I think we have spending problems. >> I I completely agree. >> Yeah, that's 100%. >> Eric, Eric, Eric, are are you saying that about Homedale or the government? >> I'm saying that for >> Let's be clear. I hear some clapping. I'm not sure what they're clapping for. I well I'm I'm saying I you guys I I

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feel like a broken record at this, but I've gotten up here every year since I've been on the finance committee and said the same thing. Everyone is spending too much and everyone not just you guys, right? But I will I will say I will I will say though this year I I think your your clapping is misguided.

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So as as I pointed out earlier to those who were listening, the increase was 3.7% running year-on-year CPI is 3.7 3.8% 8%. Right? So, we're running effectively at the inflation rate. Our operating budget 1.8%. There were two years where we had

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spending below inflation. It was 2026 and 2024 in recent history. So, I'll give I'll give tremendous kudos to Mayor Prevadutoo for being one of the strongest believers in what we do in terms of the finance committee and talking about these issues. that has not

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always been the case and frankly that's what inspired me to join the finance committee was the highest level of spending that we had seen in Homedale Township going back a bit. So, you know, in any event, I you know, to to answer your specific question, and it is counterintuitive

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and it it's it's very simple to prove, net of the transfers going from the township back to the school district, the district has higher share of total resources, including the pilot. If you want to satisfy yourself quickly, just intuitively, taxes areund 105

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million bucks total, right? So you go from a 65% share to a 69% share. So call it like 5% 5% on 100 million call 5 million bucks. If that pilot went to the schools today that's about the same share. So you can

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think >> that's that's not necessarily true because a pilot is a negotiated rate. If they were paying the real property tax rate that we're paying that they should be paying it wouldn't be the same exact number. Well, well, no, >> that's a big difference. >> Yeah. No, no,

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>> wait. If someone's going to speak, they need to be at the microphone. >> Okay. Well, >> yeah, I I'll speak to I'm I'm with you and you we can but the general >> So, it's not as simple as just simple math like that. You really would calculate there is some >> what would the tax rate really be and what would that income really be

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bringing in and then take 60 something% of that? that we have we we have we have it every way you can calculate I tried to do it simply for the sake of exposition here and the answer to your earlier question is 91%. Uh the ratio of M county home prices to home >> so there is no correlation between the

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tax rate >> under normal tax rate the school district's losing out on over $5 million a year. I disagree that >> how do how do you well >> if you put if you put if you if you put the actual tax rate up on on in lie of of the of the pilot program and then do the calculation of the 60s something

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percent that's how you get to the number >> yeah I'm yeah I'm not >> yeah but you still have if they have a budget of $und00 million they're getting their $und00 million >> who they get whatever their budget is >> yeah that's where you missed the pilot presentation we did last year Nate I I

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suggest you sit down with Eric Aguar as well he did a whole presentation for over an hour. A lot of these people ask questions. He'll give you all the answers you want. It's it's definitely something you should sit down and invest some time with him. For sure. >> Yeah. Yeah. Because the school adopts a budget. You have elected officials there. They adopt a budget every year.

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They set a tax levy. That's what they get. If their tax levy is $100 million, they get $100 million. >> So, so they set they set their own tax levy to kill courtesy busing. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you.

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Yeah, by all means Bon Tempo 22 Grand View Drive just so I understand. Okay, pilot program people that live in the Regency their homes are assessed at whatever value because I've gone on to

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pay my taxes on home and I've looked up the because it's public information anybody can do this. You can look up any address and see what people pay every year for their taxes. So, I just randomly hit a house on Stratford Lane, which is one of the residences inside of

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the Regency. Their home is assessed at $1.33 million. Um, and when you hit taxes, it says zero. So, you have to go under another tab in order to find out what they're actually paying for pilot. They pay $12,000 a year for a house

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that's valued at $1.33 million. Now, if they were not living there and the house was anywhere else in Homedale, a house valued at $1.2 million is paying over in 2573.

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So, they'd be paying closer to 18,000 if they were evaluated at the regular tax rate as everyone else. So what I'm saying is you're getting 95% of a lower rate with the pilot because you rate

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them lower. They're paying less in taxes. So they you don't it's not a really true value of the 60 whatever percent the school would get because if they were paying regular taxes a that 60% would be a greater amount than

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12,000. So there's there's little deceit there in the numbers because you're basing it on pilot numbers, but if they weren't in the pilot program, the amount of taxes percentage- wise that would go to the school would be even greater.

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>> Correct. >> Correct. >> I'm not really following what you're saying there. >> Okay. If Regency didn't have a pilot program, >> the house is evaluated at $1.33 million, they're ratable. They would be paying

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more than $12,000 in tax, right? >> Yes. >> Okay. That means the school would be getting a larger portion of that. It's I don't want to compare >> percentage-wise. Yes. But they're not going to get any more than what their

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budget has asked for. You're what I'm saying is I'm not looking at the what they pay in a pilot tax. I'm saying if they paid actual tax. >> If I wanted to look at what they pay in pilot and say, "Oh, 60% of that goes to

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the school or 67% of that goes to the school." That's really not a true valuation. >> The true valuation is there's no pilot program. What would their actual tax >> Hold on. Hold on. We need to get back on track. This is a budget discussion. This isn't a school budget discussion. This is our budget.

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>> No, you're asking what the school would be getting if there were no pilot. This is a budget discussion. >> Come up and you asked me to come up and disc yelling out. I said if you have something to say, come to the microphone. But the question should be related to the township budget, how it's constructed, where the money is being spent, plus or minus and and questions

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related to that. Not theoretical and hypothetical things related to the pilot and how it impacts the schools or not. We've already answered the question that the schools get a higher percentage than they did 11 years ago. had the township budget. If Regency C did not have a pilot program and the town gets what

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percentage of every tax 14% >> 14% of every dollar. So 14 cents on a dollar. So we get 14 cents on every dollar for of 12,000 because they're in the pilot program. But we would get 14 cents on more money if they were not in

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the pilot program. you're I I suggest you watch Eric's >> I did watch the presentation, but what I'm saying is >> you know what we'll bring >> what would be the difference between >> you know there's 185 houses in there and

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they're all paying less money than than >> what does this have to I need to understand what this >> I want to know what the difference is that you would receive if you were going traditionally >> you don't Well, >> we get the budget comes first, not the taxes. You have to decide how much you

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need first and you back it the other way out. >> That's why the schools always get whatever number they need. >> You always get what they need. >> So, you're not going to get any more money. >> That's not my I'm not asking about the schools. >> Okay. Even us, that's that's the same way. We pick a budget number. We back into it every time. >> So, you eval but the valuation of the

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homes in there, 185 homes is value evaluated just like my house is evaluated, right? We're all same value, but because they are in a pilot program, they pay a certain amount which is lower than what I pay. What I'm saying is if

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they paid traditional taxes, what would be the difference? >> That's for a question for the tax assessor. Why don't we have Eric come in at the next meeting and he can represent the pilot? >> That's a question for the tax assessor. >> I'm saying you can just represent it again, I guess. Yeah.

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>> What I'm saying is there is a difference there, but no one really This is >> Guys, guys guys, >> I just want to speak just for one second because I I understand that you guys are frustrated. I I I I do >> I'm not really frustrated. I just don't think people are a really hot topic in our community right now and the

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residents really want answers and they need education around this. >> Well, and we're trying to provide the answer, but every time we seem to provide an answer, someone seems to think that we're not providing the answer they're looking for. And I've been going through this for the past several months. >> But the questions weren't being answered. >> So, but the question was, right, the question was, you know, the the assumption is the schools are somehow

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losing out based on the pilot. The question was conclusively answered by the head of the ch by the chair of the finance committee who said the schools are getting a higher percentage now than they did 11 years ago before the pilot kicked in. Now people don't want to hear that but it's a fact. >> Okay. >> Right. So so I understand it's a hot

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topic and I understand everything. The school bud our budget's 33 million. The school budget's 77 right with enrollment declining 20% since its peak. Right? So, I'm not sure where this where the discuss where everybody wants the discussion to go.

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The school's getting more than it ever has before. The school budget is higher than it's ever been. The school always gets its money no matter what. >> Okay. >> So, I'm trying to understand what I'm missing in this. That's why we keep going sort of in circles here. I'm

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trying to understand circles. We're not going in circles. I completely understood what he said and I think he understood my question when I asked about the pilot program. This is something that the general public does not understand about how the pilot programs affect the tax assessments to homes and to the school district. That the the the $7 million or however much

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off the top of my head the pilot program that Bell Works is paying, if they were paying normal property tax and everybody in the regency was paying normal property tax just like we are, the school district would be receiving more money than what they are today, so would the township. That that that's what I'm saying. >> That >> and our taxes would be going up at the

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same time. >> Yeah. Absolutely be going up. They absolutely be going. >> But how? How? If you're receiving if you're receiving a lot more property, >> if what township >> because the schools receiving a lot more property tax, which mean the townships get 16%. So the township's getting 16%

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and our budget has to increase due to whatever a $700,000 increase in health insurance, salaries, wages, pensions, anything that goes along with that, the municipal tax is going to increase. So it's one pocket or the other. Either way, you're paying more. >> I'm just going to ask you one question. Sure. >> What What would the assessment be? What

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what would the tax assessment be? >> You're asking You're asking the CFO, the tax assessor. >> We'll bring We will bring in the tax assessor to the next meeting and he can answer all your questions. It's a budget discussion, not a tax assessment discussion. >> This is related to the budget. >> But you're asking tax assessment

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questions of our CFO. He's not the person >> budget paid for >> through our taxes. >> Yeah, but you're asking budget discuss. >> Yeah, but he's not the one that's going to give you the calculation or the what if or the hypothetical. >> I understand that. Now you've answered my question that somebody's gonna be at

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the next meeting to help us clarify that. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead, >> Jay. I wish you understood it. >> I'm not going to take a bow here, but if I may, this goes back to what I said two years ago, 14 months ago, seven months

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ago, maybe three months ago, which is >> Jay >> Jay in Lello 18 live. >> Thank you. Whether it's you guys or someone else, the community is frustrated. You're here. We go. I'm saying this for the fifth time. The community is frustrated that the township committee does all of these

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wonderful things and says, "Although you're raising it a little this year, we've kept your taxes." >> The open space fund is up, not >> Okay. Yeah. Okay. >> That's automatic. >> Fair. I was trying to give you cover. It actually looks good that you're going up, but um we're keeping things flat, but that school with their declining,

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you know, enrollment and everything there, that's their budget. That's unruly. That's what people are frustrated about. What you're saying makes sense. The school is getting when you add it up a bigger overall percentage, but people are frustrated that the township committee,

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which has benefited from the tremendous increase in pilot revenue, gets to look so good while the schools don't. I agree. It's either of one hand or the other hand. I've been saying this for two years. That's what bothers people. And I don't know what the numbers I calculated about a year ago. You may

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know that I was going to go back there, but you're here now. of the total cumulative pilot revenue that's come in since it inception with all the money given not the grants has the school got 6% of it is it six

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five 4% of it of the cumulative amount of so you add up all the pilot is it about 5% 6% >> pilot since forever or the past three years past three years when we started contributing to this >> since inception >> I think it's around five or six% >> but but I I'd say it's a meaningful distinction because the past three years

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is when who started meaningfully contributing to the schools. >> I get it. I get it. But I'm just saying that's what bothers people. Let's say it's 7%. Wow. That's what bothers people. I agree. It's either this hand or this hand. >> Yeah. But I you know, but but Jay, I mean, you know, and I keep going back to this. We're only responsible for what

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we're responsible for. If you want us to run the school budget, then we'll change the entire way that we we we handle the board of education. We'll put out a referendum. We'll move to an appointed board of education. The township committee will appoint the board of education if the referendum passes. and then you can come at us to being really

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ultimately being responsible for both budgets. We can only control what we can control. That's my point. And and I know folks want to throw it at our feet, but we've given a lot of money. And to the point that was raised, you know, earlier tonight, there's a lot of folks on fixed income. All we can do is control what we

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control. Spending the operational budgets up, you know, less than 2%. CPA, you know, inflation's what 3.7 I think you were saying, Eric, right? There we go. We're we're we're trying to keep the reigns on things as tightly as we can. And so I don't you know I mean how would

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you I mean what would the I I suspect it would be a different argument or a different discussion if we came up in here and said good news everybody. It's an 8% increase to the township budget this year. Is everybody happy? It would be a whole different crew of people in here saying are you out of your mind?

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>> Right. Or a 10%. >> I get that. But in year out it's those schools. >> That's right. It's a massive impact to us and a dimminimous impact to the school. >> Sorry, I I want to wrap up so we move on. But I you know since the inception

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there was an article read there was a much stronger spirit of sharing pilot revenue with the schools than has cumulatively been done. Let's say it's five or 6%. That's not much. >> But my my point to you is I pledged to contribute to the schools and we've done

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it significantly over the past three years. But at what what's the breaking point? The taxpayers are on an ATM. So at what point is there are there decisions made where we say you guys have to figure things out for yourselves? >> Well, right. That's you know, you know

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what I'm saying, Jay? Like like it's it's it's it can't be an empty, you know, it can't be just an open checkbook. >> Oh, >> right. Because people pay. >> I get it. But I'm going to say for the last thing and we'll move on. It's the campaigning. It's the flyers. It's the

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presentations. We keeping it really flat. That's what bothers people. That it's and I've said this again four or five times. I'm That's what bothers people. >> Okay. Understood. >> Whether it's you or someone else. >> I understand. I understand. >> Mr. Skina. Yeah.

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>> Patrick Tuska, 56 Line Road. Just want to reiterate, thank you for Ralph Zucker because that's why we have a uh uh the pilot money that's pouring in money every year. It would be a two million square foot empty office building right

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now and no Regency and no uh uh revenue coming in. Zero. It would be a an eyes sore to the community, an empty Bell works uh an empty Bell Labs building just like the other one on uh Homeell

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Road looks like right now. Okay. So, the pilot is poured in money. It was successful. It's the most successful thing that Homedale has ever done and we should be thankful for it. We're using the money wisely and so be it.

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>> Thank you. >> Uh Karen and then Ken, I'll get to you. >> This is still the budget hearing, correct? >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Uh Karen Strickland, 26 Hayward Hills. Um I think Jay Enelo is exactly correct in what he said. And

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>> yeah, we don't we don't actually. But on this one, we do. And the issue that is annoying me the most. I had four kids raised in the schools. And this business of the safety busing of them can canceling it. Now, I understand what you said about the school district has their budget and you guys have yours and you've managed yours and they've have to

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manage theirs. For some reason, they chose to get rid of that safety busing, which is horrible in my opinion. Our town is not built for it. We cannot. And so as the township committee, maybe you have to step up one more time, say you guys got to get your act together, but

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as wayward children, you need to protect our kids. And we cannot have kids walking on these streets. And we can't wait until some kid dies because some car hits them. So, if you can figure out a way to put into this budget the courtesy safety budget, safety busting,

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please figure out a way how to do it because it's not right to not get these kids to school properly. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Ken G. Ha Street. So, um it's amazing. I think we actually have agreement on a lot of different things. So first of all

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um spending has gone way up too much by a lot of different parties right so uh some of that structural some of that is uh governed by the state we know that some of the pensions and some of the other things um however having said that um there is a a slight alternate view

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here uh with all due respect mayor um your budget is smaller than the board of eds there's no doubt about that however with the pilot coming in and yes the pilot's a great u program and I think I've said this a number of times where

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at least three mayors I know have taken full credit for this thing so it is a great program but I look at it slightly differently this is an ultimate >> I take credit for it I'm not one of them >> what's that >> I'm not one of them that took credit >> No you're not one of them but your father was one of them but >> totally cut the deal >> yeah no absolutely listen it's a great

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program don't get me wrong it's absolutely a great program and all that but related to the budget specifically So, um, again, Mr. Silvergo is is very, uh, on point on certain things. However, the fact that the pilot came in and it's called pilot,

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the township does not get its normal share. So, depending what year you're looking at, what is 15% or 20% or whatever of that pilot, in fact, when you look at that incremental incre uh increase in the last five six years on on I look at the gross amount, that's why I ask you about 95 versus 100%. 5%

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goes to the county. But you look at it roughly slightly over 7 million comes to the township under pilot. And you look at the net amount that the township normally gets is, you know, call it 15% because I can do the math. It's roughly about a million dollars out of that seven. So the incremental that the

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township is getting is roughly maybe six million or so. Uh I don't know I'm going to get disagreement. So that six million pays for a lot. And we've been spending the last five years incrementally to match that revenue. And so when when a question comes up, can we spend from our

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budget, can we spend whatever it is, $600,000 for courtesy busing or can we do whatever it is, you're absolutely right, their budget is bigger, but in terms of the incremental amount of revenue that the township is getting and it ability to spend that, but right now we're unfortunately caught in a

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situation where our the township spending has caught up with the incremental revenue because that actually when it first started it was very small, but by the third year or so it jumped significantly to the 7 and a half million or 100%. So when you did that when you look at that that's

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roughly a 50% of the tax levy for the township because our numbers roughly I call 14 millionish uh five six years ago it's just a little bit less than that. So when you get an incremental 7 million that's 50% increase in our tax levy. So you're right that budget is bigger they

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that needs to be managed but similarly I believe the township spending needs to be managed. I think there's no disagreement on that, but the amount of incremental revenue the township gets could have handled some of those things. Thank you. >> Thank you,

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Sarah. >> So, I was actually confused. Sarah Cho for Putnham Court. Um, I thought this was a 2027 budget and that's just because I guess corporations will plan now for next year's budget, but now I

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understand it's a 2026 budget, which I guess is it's running from then June to December, the fiscal year, >> calendar year, >> runs from January to December. >> January through December

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>> of 20 of 26 >> of 26. So how did So what about January 26 to June 26? >> We have a temporary budget. >> Is that is that normal? Is that what you guys >> That's statutory. Yes. >> So you have like two budget sections.

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>> Well, one of them is restricted on the dollar amount that it's a percentage we can have for the temporary budget >> and once we get the final budget, then we just upload that. So it's there's a temporary bud. It's all in the statute. >> Okay. So the um I guess the last time

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you guys did the January to June 2026 budget back in like December was 25. >> No, we have to be done in January of 2026. At the reorg meeting they do a temporary budget. One for the current fund, one for the sewer and one for the swim pool. >> Okay. So Okay. So now we're looking at

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2026. So the reason why I'm I'm understanding trying to understand the timeline is um uh you know the board of ed has moved to subscription busing. Um families are being asked to you know give a right now a $500

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non-refundable deposit. Um it looks like maybe half of the children are going to be >> no escape Eric >> uh are going to be um opting into subscription busing. Um, and I think the board of ed has since provided the

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township committee with um, I guess the routes that a crossing guards will be needed. Um, so you guys have an idea about how many crossing guards will be needed. >> I don't think we have that yet, Chris. We talked about that today. I think it's being evaluated this week.

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>> We actually met today on that fair and we're with an engineer and uh, we have a general idea what we think can be used, but again, it's only required at places where it actually would work. Otherwise, it's not required. Um, that's on the school side of it. They are uh we only

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have to take the situation where if somebody could actually walk is where we have to put a a crossing guard and uh so we're we're close on that. We're going to know in the next couple weeks. Exactly. >> So, the next meeting we'll have something more complete. >> More complete. Yeah. By next meeting. I have something. >> So, okay. So, obviously there's, you

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know, a village uh near the 520 and Middletown Road. There is um Indian Hill near Bethany. I'm I'm trying I'm gonna it's this is related to the budget because I really want to know like >> No, but I understand. I mean I think what you're getting at is we're going to need crossing guards and it's going to

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impact the budget. Right. Correct. >> So I'm just the only thing I would ask is that you don't start counting intersections. Let us get the number down and then we'll and then we'll we'll we'll but there will I mean >> but I guess my concern is if it's not in the budget right now from September to December of 2026, how are you guys going

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to pay for cross? God for that cap bank. I guess I don't. >> No, no. We have we we have we we we have an idea of what we need, right? And we have enough money to cover we have an idea of anywhere from 6 to 10 that would cover what we need. >> What's six to 10? >> Six to 10 crossing guards.

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>> Okay. So, six to 10 crossing guards for Indian Hill uh village and SATs. >> You got to remember we don't have to put it anywhere where there is no sidewalks to walk. >> Okay. So, how are kids supposed to get to school? >> Guys, listen. I'm not going to get into statutory requirements, discussions,

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whatever. The school made their decision. Sidewalks are telling you how many crossing guards. >> The township committee would be a >> the the you got to read the statute. The statute only says we have to do the ones that are actually um that have places where we could put a crossing guard. If they're not going to work, then that's

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up to the families to actually drive or take them another way to school. Okay. That's not on the town. >> Let's just call it 10 crossing guards. just, you know, um I think the average salary and are you going to outsource that through a vendor or are you going to >> We haven't decided that officially yet. So, we're looking into all options.

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>> Okay. >> Maybe we'll get retirees >> and do retirees. Retirees. Okay. So, let's And you're going to pay them, right? Like that's not a volunteer position. >> Yeah, of course. >> Okay. So, each salary is going to be

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roughly >> I mean it's I don't have the exact numbers. I mean, I would have to sit there and do it. But >> Sarah, the next meeting we'll have the answer. >> We'll have more answers. >> This is really important to understand with the budget versus courtesy. This is very important. >> Yeah, it's going to be significantly less than courtesy busing. >> It will it though.

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>> Yes. >> How much less? I'm I'm curious. >> You're talking You're talking $50 a day per >> You should go to a board of ed meeting. >> Yeah, that's not us. Would not be us at all. >> The crossing guards are you though? >> No. Only because the the school put us. >> Okay. So, how so 10 times however many?

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>> $50. $50 per person. So, $500 a day. It's the max. >> 500 a day. >> 180 days. >> Hold on. 180. Sorry. >> It's nowhere near 600,000. >> Do the math real quick. Hold on. Um calculator. So,

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500 a week times 180, right? >> No, 500 a day times one day one. Yeah. >> Oh. Oh. 500 a day. >> 90,000 for 10 of them. >> For 10 of them. 90,000 for 10. It's It's one salary basically. >> It's $90,000.

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>> Five. >> There we go. Peter's Peter's on board. Now it's less. >> Wait, how is it 500 a day for 10 people? They're >> It's only two hours a day. They're only getting paid for two hours a day. >> Okay,

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>> so it's $50 for 25. Let's have $25 an hour. $50 a day. 10 times 50 is 500 times 180. Okay, so let me get this straight. If you live two miles from the school, >> Sarah, this is another example. Sorry. I'm sorry, Sarah. This is an example,

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and I want to just be very clear with you. >> You've been given the answer, and now you're trying to parse the answer further. >> Again, it's it's there's there's I I'm I'm struggling to follow where you're going. You're trying to get the number higher than what he said it's just going to be. The number is going to be around

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at this point $90,000, right? 500 a day for 180 days. He's just said that, but now you want to start counting crosswalks and things of that nature. And it's it's >> and I think that's fair given that in Brick Township three weeks ago, um, a 15-year-old

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kid who was riding his bike to school right before 7 a.m. was killed because And now, guess what Brick Township is doing? They're reassessing that entire area to make sure that it is going to slow down cars. >> Good. So, there's going to be

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subscription busing and crossing guards this year. Is that correct? >> You said the board of ed is doing subscription bus. >> Yeah. And I think the board of ed I you know I have to look back but I think they said only uh half of the people are are going for subscription buses. >> Half of the respondents to the survey.

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>> Yeah. I don't know. No, half of I I don't actually know because I didn't get the answer. So, >> okay. Well, so this is a matter where specifics are important because if if it's half of a certain number, it could be 50. Yeah, it could be. Right. >> So, should we spend $600,000 for 50? >> Why would it cost $600,000?

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>> Because not everybody lives because not everybody lives in the same area. You need the same amount of buses going all over town. >> Here's the irony of this is if you live on let's say Rambling Brook Road and uh that's near village, right? If you live at the end that is within the we're not

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talking is within the impact. Sorry. How does this impact the budget? This is a budget discuss that bus will pass. It's a budget discussion. Let me just >> No, no, it's a budget discussion. You're mapping out walk routes. This is a budget discuss. >> What I'm trying to illustrate is >> there's nothing to illustrate. You got the number. The number relates to the

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budget. >> No, we actually don't. This is not Is this a defined number? >> No, we already we were already very clear. It's not a defined number. He just gave you a ballpark number based on what we know. >> It is a ballpark >> cuz because we need a couple more weeks to sharpen our pencil on it, which I said earlier. We can come back in two

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weeks. And you said, but it's important because it's a budget. So, you asked for a number. He said 500 a day for 180 days. That's about $90,000. Could be a hundred, could be 80, right? It's going to be in that range. >> So the school only asks you for 10 crossing guards.

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>> They they don't ask for anything. We're going by what the hazardous routes that are able to be walked on. If they choose if they choose to the areas they they made the decision on it was okay to take away courtesy busing. The committee did

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not. Okay. So, we only have to take care of the roads that people could actually walk on. >> And the board of ed did ask the township committee to fund it like they did last year. >> We gave them a million dollars. >> We gave them a million dollars. >> Well, I said members, they never asked

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it. They never asked it. >> And they and they didn't ask it. That's right. >> They came to my office. They never asked >> in February. They >> They came in November and they didn't ask it. >> Okay. But they asked for it in February. >> Who did they ask? >> Uh so, uh Superintendent Casone. Um,

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>> nobody asked for that. I was at that meeting. >> I know it was I know that I know that the board president >> He did not ask. He was at that meeting also. Did not ask. >> And so you never knew that it was going to be a >> I'm really sorry. Can we just keep this to the budget hearing? This is starting

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to be too much of a debate and it that's not what the budget hearing is for. >> All I'm asking is for you guys to to you know safety, public safety is one of your pillars. It's really not safe to have kids walk in where there's no sidewalks and no 10

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crossing guards for, you know, >> let me jump in here because I feel like sometimes, you know, I go to a lot of the board of ed meetings, too. And I think, you know, the board of ed does not want to cut courtesy busing. They had to because they didn't have the money to fund it. And then they tell people like you to come here and ask the township committee for money. And this

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is what happens. And it pingpongs back and forth. You know, the bottom line is that, you know, my takeaway from this meeting is that, you know, people are upset and frustrated because the school is operating at a deficit and the township is operating at a $9.2 million surplus. We could have very easily

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funded courtesy busing as a service, right? We could have taken that out of our our uh surplus. We would have maintained our bond rating. Our taxes wouldn't have gone up. We just chose not to do it. We didn't have to do the courtesy busing. could have drawn down from our reserve and given the schools some money from our reserve to help

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offset the tax levy on the schools and we didn't do that either which I think is frustrating to people. So, you know, we could have drawn down on that balance and done something with it. We didn't and we are where we are and I understand why people are frustrated because we could have >> or the schools could have taken the million dollars and used it for courtesy busing.

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>> Right. They could have done that. >> They are so >> they need to replenish this is the township budget meeting, not the school budget meeting. I can't speak to their mismanagement over the years or their ch or their challenges they've had in their budget. >> Pete Redd is your friend president.

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You're saying that he mismanaged. >> No, I didn't mean he mismanaged. I said over the years these things compound over decades >> and we had no >> Is this the budget hearing >> please? >> So anyway, >> Mr. Demari

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>> Chris Christi 7 Oaks. Um I've been a community member for 48 years. I'm not frustrated with the budget. I I support the budget. I do appreciate these people's support for the schools. Um I would have loved to see it when I was a board member. I didn't see any of these people at the

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meetings. Joe, you said you go to a lot of meetings. You the liaison for two years. You didn't go to one meeting. >> You never answered me. >> You didn't go to one meeting. All right. I have the two emails you sent and I'm not going to go over that again and how you misled people. >> I want to talk about the uhud spending,

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right? Because we talk about the budget >> the the township as you had mentioned you took this you know you have a you have a much smaller budget 16%. The schools are getting now 69.5% almost an $80 million budget and in 20

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years we've seen a 20 plus percent decrease in student enrollment and the staff has went up significantly during that time and again there there's there's some arguments there with IEPs and special education and needing some additional staff for for mental health.

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Um, however, uh, what I do get frustrated with is when these conversations come up and, um, people don't want to look to the 80%, uh, expense of the board of ed budget. 80% of the board of ed budget is teachers,

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payroll, benefits, and contract. We talked about earlier a spending problem. A spending problem is when you spend what you can't afford. Um, when I was on the board, we told the entire community that our spending problem was we got locked into a labor agreement that the

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taxpayer was never able to afford. We put that data and facts out there clearly. So, it's disappointing to see community members who are somewhat involved just not want to pay attention to the facts that we put out there. You can look at old BOE newsletters. And as these discussions continue, we can't

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lose sight of that narrative. Okay, the schools are getting $80 million. Um 80% of that 80% is teachers payroll benefits and pension and and we have be because because you're talking about coming to

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the municipality budget and asking them to fund the schools. So it's relevant to this discussion. Okay. >> What's important >> more relevant than what we just went through. >> I appreciate your discipline and doing your due diligence. But for the people who are concerned about the money going over the schools, we should really look

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at the imbalances, the structural imbalances that are in that labor agreement that I've made very clear to this community. Many times in New Jersey school districts, teachers have one prep period out of the classroom and a lunch. In Homebell, while we had interim

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superintendent, they were able to negotiate two prep periods out of the classroom and a lunch. So teachers are off three periods out of the seven. They also do not have to do any duties. That is not standard and typical for New Jersey districts. So you can argue if

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there's value or not, but we are facing deficits and the teachers benefits expense increase and the transportation increase exposed that and we were able to see that and we told the community, hey, if we got to stop the taxes increases with the schools, we have to

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ask ourselves, can we afford the structure that we have in place at the schools? And I know for a fact that we cannot because we just had another 7% increase. We lost 25 teachers. We lost busing. it'll be worse next year. So, we can keep complaining and looking at the

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municipality who takes in 16% of the taxes or we can go to the BOE and talk to the union leader and the BOE. Okay? It's very important to understand that we have a structure in Homeell that we

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cannot afford and that's proven now over the last two contracts that were signed. So, please don't lose sight of that because the tax increases will continue and it's not on the municipality to support the school's funding at that level. Thank you.

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>> Thank you. Anybody else on the budget hearing? >> All right, we'll move to a vote. >> Yes. The would be the motion would be for to uh resolution 2026 134 to adopt the 2026 budget.

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>> Have a motion. >> Motion. >> Motion. >> Second. >> Mr. Bontempo. >> So I I was on the um committee when we did the uh pilot. I I think what is I heard everybody's comments and all

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very valid. I I think what the point is missing is that I don't want to get into a pol discussion, but it's how it's structured and how certain people get a discount

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and when the school needs money, they are exempt from that. So the people in here, probably 100% of you that live in town and aren't on pilot have to subsidize them, right? That that's

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that's sometimes a challenge because if everybody was paying, follow the logic here, then when the school went up, it would not change if the pilot was contributing it. Everyone's correct, it's not going to change their budget. Their budget is their budget. But who how many people contribute to it? If

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it's greater, more people contributing, then when you go up, you're gonna go up a little less. So, so, and that's always been from the get-go and exec, we were discussing this 13 years ago. Remember the conversation with two other

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committeemen? I said it's a challenge because at the end of the day, it's a taxpayers that have the bill, right? No matter how you break it out, the three components, the two really affect our town, right? 69 17 86%

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pilot could help the pilot has been a huge benefit for the township. Huge. It's clear. I think most people everybody in this room understands that it's it's a little different for the schools. It doesn't change their budget. I was always hoping that

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we could do more to kind of help offset. As I said at the beginning when I asked Eric, I think he did a very good job, you know, putting his presentation together, how to help decrease spending to lower tax to help offset that money.

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So, I'm a no. >> Okay, Mr. Foster, >> I'm a yes. >> Mr. Romano, >> no. I'm I'm a no. You know, we're holding too much money in in reserve. >> Mr. Vanderham, >> yes.

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Million Prevadutoo. >> Yes. >> So, the 2026 municipal budget has passed. >> All right. You want to um counselor subbing in? >> Yes. >> Do you want to Yeah. You want to jump on this real quick?

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>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh good evening. Um on behalf of Township Attorney Mike Collins, um my name is Krishna Jerry. I'm filling in for Mike this evening. I provide the following statement regarding litigation that was brought by the township to enforce ongoing

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non-compliance with construction, fire, and zoning violations that it issued. This disclosure is based solely upon the filed court pleadings in the public record. On June 4th, 2026, the township filed a complaint in superior court

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against Oakhill Barn LLC, the property owner of 177 Stillwell Road. The complaint outlines how the property owner engaged in development and property uses without applying for or obtaining any permits. Starting on March

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30th, 2026, and on numerous occasions thereafter, the township issued notices of violation of the uniform construction code, uniform fire code, as well as the applicable zoning. The property owner's attorney at one point sent a letter to

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the township representing that it would be applying to the zoning board of adjustment for required relief. In response, the township agreed that it would not file a lawsuit to enforce the violations, but it reserved the right to do so if the property owner continued with unpermitted construction or

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occupation of unpermitted structures. Thereafter, the township official township's officials contended that the property owner continued to commit construction and zoning code violations. As such, the township proceeded to file an enforcement action in superior court

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last week. Yesterday, Judge Gregory Aquaviva granted the township's application for temporary restraints. This means that pursuant to the township's filed lawsuit, the property owner is currently

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under a courtordered injunction requiring it to take corrective action to abate the violations and also restricting it from occupying structures, completing further development, or using the property contrary to the applicable construction

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and zoning codes. Because this case involves active litigation, the township will not have any further comment. Thank you. Thank you. Um, for anybody who wants to delve deeper into that situation, we have printouts of the judge's injunction on the table where the agenda was.

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All right, let's go to the committee. Committeeman Bontmpo. Thank you. Thank you. Um, couple updates from information technology. The IT department is actively coordinating the structural move of our

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emergency dispatch infrastructure over to the Mammoth County Dispatch Center. This transition involves migrating four critical public safety systems, our our system dispatch computers, our dispatch

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software, the police computer aided dispatch system, and all the public safety emergency telephone lines. The team is working closely with the Homeell Township Police Department to ensure a seamless technical handoff, maintaining uninterrupted emergency services for

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Homeell residents throughout the process. Uh, next update is on cyber security. I covered this at the last meeting probably at the end of a April. The NJ kick issued their June 2026 cyber security bulletin this week which

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highlighted key points for New Jersey residents. Look out for action required fishing attempts. Action required in quotes. A notable volume of action required campaigns are targeting employees of New Jersey companies and government

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agencies. These often impersonate common business services like cloud subscriptions, storage capacity alerts, or credit card issues to lure users into clicking the links that steal credentials or deliver malware. Adobe document impersonation. Be aware

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of a campaign impersonating Adobe document completion notices. These appear to originate from legitimatel looking email addresses, for example, Adobe design at adobedesign.com and direct victims to a spoofed Adobe or

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Microsoft authentication page to harvest a person's loon credentials. Motor vehicles commission submission campaign. The NJ kick is tracking a wave of textbased scams impersoning the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, MVC,

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and New Jersey State Police. These messages use urgent language regarding vehicle enforcement or compliance to attempt to force residents to taking quick action, which results in the person's credentials or payment information being stolen. Note, the

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state police and NVC will never contact you via text message asking for personal information. FIFA World Cup 2026. The NJ kick has specifically issued an advisory regarding the spoofing of official FIFA

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World Cup websites. If you plan to participate or attend the World Cup games or view online, ensure you're visiting a real website. Residents are encouraged to report malicious cyber security directly to the NJ kick via

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their official website. That's NJCCI. Also, verify by a second channel. If you ever receive a suspicious text or call from a vendor, bank, government agency, retail outlet, always contact the company using a number you find on an official bill or the back of a credit

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card. Never the information, never the number provided in the text message that was sent to you. Thank you, >> Mr. Romano. Nothing to report from community development from Homedale Library. The summer reading program has begun. The library summer reading

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program began on June 1st and runs through August 15th. This year's theme is unear a story fun for children of all ages. Participants can earn incentives by completing certain reading goals. To sign up, visit the Homeell Library website. Registration is free. There are

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new library card benefits. Patrons who hold a library card are eligible for several digital platforms at no cost, including Libby, a platform that enables you to borrow ebooks to your phone or Kindle. Flipster, a platform to borrow e magazines. Canopy, an online movie platform. Rosetta Stone, a highly

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recommended software program to help you learn a new language. Medi.tv, an online collection of classic music videos like MTV. To obtain a library card, visit the Holale Branch Library during normal business hours. Uh the library is doing

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some things for the America 250. On July 8th, historian and author Rick Gefkin will be speaking at the Homeell Library. The topic of his presentation is All History is Local, Battle of Mammoth Courthouse, 1778, Before and After. This presentation will examine Mammoth

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County's role in the fight for independence. Gfkin is the author of New Jersey's revolutionary rivalry about Captain Joshua Huie and Colonel Tai. Seating will be limited for this event. Registration is highly recommended. On Wednesday, June 17th, the library is hosting a showing of the movie

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Complicated. This is an 80minute documentary film exploring the stories of those suffering from Ellers's Danlo syndrome and their challenges as they fight for validation, normality, and hope through advocacy, research, and the future of medicine. The event starts at 5:30. The movie

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showing is 6:30 to 8:30. From public works, large item drop off June is June 13th. There is a location change. Please be advised due to a special event at Bell Works. The large item drop off event for this Saturday, June 13th, will be moved to the other side of the property. Large item will be held in

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parking lot number four. Residents can access this via the Wilson Boulevard entrance to Bell Works. We have the second round of brush collection starting uh for it has actually begun. Sorry. Please check your postcard schedule to see when you should place your brush at the curb. If you miss your pickup date, DPW unfortunately cannot

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come back to your neighborhood. You will have to bring the brush to the Mammoth County Reclamation Center. That is all. >> Thank you, Mr. Van. >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh the Veterans Committee, uh save the date, June 25th at 10:30 Senior Center is our next

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veterans coffee and conversations. Uh the committee invites veterans of all ages as well as gold star families for the informal gathering of bagels, donuts, and coffee. More information, please contact the rec department. The Homedale Heritage Committee, another saved to date, December 13th, 2026 at

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the Homeell High School from 1 to 5:00 will be the Homeell Heritage Day. Residents who are interested in volunteering, becoming a sponsor, or making a donation to support the event are encouraged to contact Homedale Heritage Committee at heritage committee.gov. gov. The Homeell Green Team The Green

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Team presented the draft community energy plan initiatives to the township committee on April 28th. The team is in the process of writing the full community energy plan report with expected delivery of the draft to the township committee shortly. The green team meeting is the next green team

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meeting is Monday, July 6th at 7 p.m. in town hall. Interested residents are invited to attend. >> Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. Homedale High School alumna Mega Gan continues her standout collegiate golf

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career, earning her second national championship at Stanford University. Congratulations, Mega. Indian Hill fourth graders participated in Homeell's townwide America 250 scavenger hunt in partnership with the Homeell 250 committee, connecting local history with

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classroom uh learning. Indian Hills Entrepreneur Club hosted its studentrun marketplace at Bell Works, raising $5,377 in support of a future gaga pit for the school playground. The entrepreneur program continues to grow, reaching full

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enrollment quickly in its second year. In youth athletics, Indian Hill students Sonia Cho, Bridget McGuin, Madison Delphino, and McKenzie Benner contributed to their team's USA softball New Jersey 10U state championship. Congratulations team. Graduation

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ceremonies for the class of 2026 will be held on June 18th with the SATs 8th grade at 3 p.m. in Homeell High School main gym and Homedale High School at 7 p.m. at the Bob Roi Memorial Field or the high school main gym in case of inclement weather. The Homeell Swim Club

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season got off to a bit of a slow start with the club being closed for the majority of the Memorial Day weekend due to the cold and rainy weather. Sunday, May 30th was the first official day with good weather and we had a great crowd to kick things off. The club also hosted the Indian Hill School's fourth, fifth,

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and sixth grade field days. The swim club is opened weekends only until Saturday, June 20th. Memberships are still available. Do not delay as you do not want to miss out on a great summer. For our summer recreation programs, spaces are still available for all

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weeks. Children must be at least 5 years old and have completed kindergarten in order to participate. We have a great summer of activities, special events, and activities planned. Registration can be completed either in person at the recreation office or online at the recck

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department's rec. Uh, first aid squad CPR CPR class. Minutes matter in an emergency. Are you prepared? The Homeell's first aid squad host is hosting a free informal session to teach local residents the basics of a civilian first aid and CPR. Come learn

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02:26:48.160 --> 02:27:04.240
essential skills that could make a life-saving difference. Whether you're a parent, a high school student, a neighbor, or just want to be prepared. Everyone is welcome. You'll walk away with vital tips and techniques that could help you save a life one day. It is this Saturday, June 13th, from 9:00

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a.m. to 11:00 a.m. This session is forformational purposes only and will not lead to an official CPR certification. Mayor, that's all I have tonight. Thank you. >> Thanks, Brian. >> Uh, next office hours, mayor's office hours will be this Saturday, June 13th,

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from 9 to 11:00 a.m. right here in the first floor executive conference room. On June 1st, Homedale Township officials said, "Happy retirement to our longtime tax collector, Jill Stone, celebrating nearly three decades of faithful service to our community." Jill's journey with

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the township began back in 1997 as a part-time employee in the construction office, where she worked her way up through hard work and dedication to lead the tax office. Throughout her tenure, Jill managed a stellar team, ensuring that every tax season ran seamlessly, and most importantly, that Homedale

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residents and property owners always felt heard, respected, and well taken care of. On behalf of the township committee, I want to extend my gratitude to Jill for her incredible career and commitment to Homeell. And we wish her a wonderful, well-deserved retirement spending quality time with Barry, her

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daughters, and her grandchildren. Tremendous thanks to our friends at the Middletown chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution for installing a special patriotic tree in our lobby in honor of the America 250 anniversary. The tree is decorated with tributes to our nation, the Revolutionary War, and

507
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especially the Homeell Era patriots who fought to secure the freedoms that we enjoy today. I'm grateful for Homeell's partnership with this terrific local civic organization and for their continued dedication to preserving and celebrating our shared history. Shout out to Dar volunteers Jenna Antl, Lin

508
02:28:42.960 --> 02:28:58.640
Antl, and Michelle Donnelly for arranging and curating this special exhibit. Be sure to stop by and take a look at this wonderful tribute to community and country. Thanks to all veterans, active service members, gold star families, and residents who attended along with the civic groups who

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participated to lay wreaths in our Memorial Day ceremony. Uh utility crews from the police department, utility crews will continue to work on South Holland Road. There will be alternating traffic pattern beginning tonight uh through June 14th each night from 6 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. South Holland Road will be

510
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closed overnight June 15th and 16th from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. with detours set up to assist drivers. And that is all I have. Wendy, you want to do the public comment? In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, this is a public comment

511
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period for public comment on any governmental issue of public concern. In accordance with resolution 22 2022-17, public commenters are asked to raise their hand and wait to be recognized by the mayor before coming forward and making public comments. Comment

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commenters are asked to state their full name and address before commenting. Public commenters are limited to one comment, not to exceed three minutes. Comment should be directed to the mayor and the township committee. If appropriate, the mayor may direct and recognize a staff, employee, or

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professional to respond to comments either at this meeting or in writing after this meeting. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Enelo. >> No one should shut this off, but Good point. J&8 Ladwood Drive. Um, Mayor

514
02:30:32.800 --> 02:30:49.520
Prevadudo, Mr. Foster, I'm not going to take a bow, but I'm gonna probably get a bow here. Over a year ago, when I saw the power lines coming up 34, I said, "What is going on? Are they coming here?" And Mr. Foster, I think you said, and you guys, we're going to look into

515
02:30:49.520 --> 02:31:04.720
it. Uh, JCPNL was quoted in the press recently saying they've been working with the town for a couple of years. Did they misspeak? What what is the answer on that? >> We spoke about it three times at public meetings last year. I'll get you the emails tomorrow so you can see the transcripts and the videos, but we

516
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brought it up three times last year. >> No, I know you did. I was at most of those meetings. I know you met with them and everything, but when I initially brought it up, you guys didn't really know what was going on. And they said they've been working with you guys for two years. Did they misspeak?

517
02:31:20.880 --> 02:31:36.000
>> I can't speak to that. I I don't know. I dealt with them last year for sure. >> No, I know you did. Yeah, after I brought it up. My answer is I can't speak to that if it was going on for several years. I don't know >> it. So I think the right way for them to say it is they've been working with us

518
02:31:36.000 --> 02:31:52.240
on and off for several years. And so what I mean by that is it never came up once in 2024 when I was mayor. Not once. I can't speak for DJ and the administrator in 2023, nor can I speak to the years prior. So these are the two years and and and and frankly it might have been handled directly with the

519
02:31:52.240 --> 02:32:05.760
administrator and he didn't inform us. That's conceivable, right? Okay. >> I I wouldn't I'm not trying to accuse him of anything, but it's it's possible. Um, so I think JCPNL has worked with the township for several years. This project goes back actually like a decade.

520
02:32:05.760 --> 02:32:22.640
>> Um, believe it or not. Um, so, so I'd say they've been working with us in varying capa varying capacities over the past several years specifically, but this project goes back a decade. >> Yeah. Um, wow. Though, this is this is a

521
02:32:22.640 --> 02:32:40.720
bad this is a bad outcome. Um, do we given how they've violently defiled Telegraph Hill in that area with these not only the polls the support I mean uh like do we have even a rapport with

522
02:32:40.720 --> 02:32:56.720
this company that's based out of Bell Works because it almost looks I'm not an engineer but again I've said 15 times I followed the utility industry. I've been to countless utility presentations and things. I've never seen anything come

523
02:32:56.720 --> 02:33:14.319
anywhere close to this. So, I mean, are they going out of their way to mess with us? It it I and that the paral support thing on those people's front lawn. I mean, >> so they're What do you say to this? >> Yeah. They're going to come in with a

524
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full team at the next meeting or the meeting after when it's all done. Well, what I will say to this is and it's public record that this was approved in 2017 by the rage leadership. So this was known by that group for a

525
02:33:29.680 --> 02:33:46.080
decade. So after the polls did not go up on the train tracks, this was negotiated with rage leadership and it was known. That's a fact. >> Okay. So that's news to me and that's interesting. But it doesn't it doesn't

526
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excuse this body from >> Well, but this body had no this body had no say in JCP and JCPNL is using their property, >> right? It's their easements. There was nothing to be done other than to negotiate certain things around it, which Brian did last year. And by negotiating certain things, it was like

527
02:34:02.560 --> 02:34:18.560
preventing the trees from getting cut down on South Holland. Yes. >> Right. So, so the point of the point I'm raising to you, Jay, very simply is first of all that the township's been I mean this has been public for quite some time now. There were three or four meetings last year. Frank Luna came in

528
02:34:18.560 --> 02:34:34.800
to talk about the utility upgrade in 2024. Unfortunately, that meeting devolved quite a bit. There was a robocall from the mayor last year. There have been numerous um updates around utilities and things of that nature and the things that and and and and the upgrades going on. And in addition to

529
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that, and we're verifying, so I'm going to give you their words, not mine. JCPNL said they notified 360 residents that would be impacted by this more directly. Those are their words, not mine. So my point to you is I don't like it either. >> Okay? I I don't think it looks good. I

530
02:34:50.479 --> 02:35:06.640
think over time it'll recede into the landscape mostly, >> right? >> But the fact the fact of the matter is the fact of the matter is >> they went to the BPU. This was a deal negotiated also with the federal government, by the way, because they had

531
02:35:06.640 --> 02:35:23.760
to they had to comply with federal regulatory statute, right? And so, and they used their own land. They did it with the ability to bypass the municipality. >> Yeah. >> Right. And this is connecting the substation in Aberdine to the substation in Redbank. That's like that's the priority. So, no one's happy with what's

532
02:35:23.760 --> 02:35:40.399
transpired here. This was negotiated before any of us. Most of us were on the committee and this is what we've been dealt with. This is what and we've looked into every legal option. That was my next question. We've looked and you know we fight everything. We've looked into every legal option conceivable.

533
02:35:40.399 --> 02:35:55.680
There is no legal there is no ability to file an injunction or to to get one to you know to win right. There's nothing because it's JCPNL's property. >> It's their property. >> It's their right away. Is that what you're saying? >> Yeah. It's their easement. It's their it's their ement%.

534
02:35:55.680 --> 02:36:10.800
>> It's their it's their easement. >> They don't need permission from the town. They don't need variances. They don't need anything. So, I understand we're all frustrated by it. But that's Milstone had a completely se Milstone had a completely different

535
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situation. They had to go to Milstone to get variances. They didn't have to go to Homedale for anything. >> That's why that's why the initiative was able to stop it 10 years ago because they had to come to the town for for variances and and whatnot. They didn't need that this time. So, just to go back

536
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to what you're you're saying rage, whatever, had like a conversation with them said, "Hey, we'll put it somewhere else. We won't we won't we won't push against it." >> I can't speak to I can't speak to what they said. I can speak to what I know they know. There was a meeting with Rage leadership and Congressman Frank Palone

537
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in JCPNL's office in 2017. >> Yeah. >> I don't know who what all what all members of Rage that were there. And I also know that it's public information on Facebook. I think it was a post from April 13, 2017 where this is detailed including the big I can't think what you

538
02:37:02.000 --> 02:37:17.280
call them the massive metal polls as part of the alternative >> and it was commented by many members of this on many me by me by many members of this community that it was a great idea. >> Okay. Okay. And by the way, you don't

539
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have to convince me about the NJBPU. They're quite and the leadership and everything. Um, but it would be nicer if they considered how bad some of this looks and it's and I'd love to hear

540
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their explanation. >> When they come in, they'll give it to you. >> Um, the other thing is, and I'm going to be done. Um, Mr. Standin, attorney, hi. Um, yes, Mayor and Prevadutoo, I think, am I wrong that there was six weeks between

541
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the township committee meetings? Is that about five or six weeks? >> That's probably right. >> Yeah. So, what usually happens before the election is the meeting's canceled. And I kind of get it. You don't want to have all this skirmish right before the

542
02:38:05.200 --> 02:38:22.960
voting. But this year, the calendar was cleared before that. So, it opened up. So, it was almost predictable that this last meeting would be cancelled. a little disappointing given all what's going on in town, but the calendar was stacked against it in advance, leaving

543
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this big six-w weekek window of no meeting and no forum and no no discussion and no discourse. And unfortunately during this time um the party you're associated with and some of the people in this room who won and congratulations on winning uh again put

544
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out some really dark aggressive stuff. Basically carpetbombed the community with stuff that couldn't have been called out here at these meetings conveniently because there was six weeks of of dark space. I is number one is it

545
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legal to have six weeks of no town meeting? >> Well, we don't listen I just want to before you address that we don't talk the intent isn't to talk politics at these meetings. So these things wouldn't have been addressed at the township meeting anyway. >> Well the community would have addressed it. >> They could have spoken but they would

546
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there would have been a response. >> I think you would have had a response to some of the stuff that came out including AI images changing the images of people. They didn't even look like the I mean you could go down the road. I looked horrible in those AI images people were posting. >> I'm going to Yeah. At least it looked

547
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like you. But um sir >> Krishna, >> sorry Christian, is it legal to have six weeks of no township committee meeting? >> The township committee can hold a properly noticed meeting at its discretion. The township committee made

548
02:39:47.200 --> 02:40:03.200
a decision to hold a meeting when it did following the schedule that it wanted to follow. And whatever meetings that were held were held pursuant to a properly posted agenda. It was noticed correctly and at

549
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all relevant times acted properly and noticing and hosting the meeting and that's all. >> And so the short answer is it's not illegal and I'm a little offended. You think I do something illegal? >> No, I'm not saying you It's also it also wasn't an intention to to >> you know me I would say you're doing something illegal. I'm just wondering if

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you inadvertently may have done something that's not really allowed >> and his answer is no. >> Is your answer no? Cuz what what you said almost sounded like >> Yeah. It didn't answer the question. Do you have an If you don't know, you don't know.

551
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>> You're not going to put words in my mouth and you're out of time. All I'll say is All I'll say is All I will say is >> All I will say is the township committee is a public body. The public body

552
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follows applicable state law regarding open meetings. The the township committee as a public body posted an agenda, noticed a meeting, and held a meeting at all relevant times acted legally. That's all there is to say about it. That's a really well rehearsed

553
02:41:08.160 --> 02:41:24.160
answer, but uh in any event, I really think it made you look bad. >> Yeah, look, it wasn't the intention to It really was. It wasn't the intention to cancel it. Um >> I'm not going to ask specifically why couldn't make it. >> Well, I already addressed why. I was in I was in Pennsylvania for the for the week, but understood. >> All right.

554
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>> Thank you, Jack. >> It it made you guys look really >> Nate. Uh Nate Brown, 251 South Holland. Obviously, I I'm going to continue this topic on the polls just for a moment. Um because obviously I I've been drastically affected. Um I would say one of the one of the most severely affected

555
02:41:44.640 --> 02:42:00.319
in the town um regarding the polls. Um and and just to explain my case in case you haven't heard it already. Um, coming home, you know, coming home to a to a very large power pole laying on your property, uh, all the way up through your landscaping, smashing your trees,

556
02:42:00.319 --> 02:42:17.040
um, with a six-foot hole, um, in in my in my yard, which is their ement, I guess, to your to your point. Um, that's disturbing. That's very disturbing. And that I do feel while you guys were out of control, why while you say that this was the federal government

557
02:42:17.040 --> 02:42:34.080
arranged, you know, negotiated, you know, they had every right to do what they did, what they don't have a right to do is give no notification and just enter your property and drop 100 foot power poles onto your property over your landscaping that crosses your ement by 100 feet.

558
02:42:34.080 --> 02:42:49.439
And and I am just curious from your perspective, if that happened to you, what how would you feel? I'll answer when you're done. >> And and and what measurements were taken from you guys? And I understand it was out of your control as far as the polls

559
02:42:49.439 --> 02:43:04.880
going up, but it is in your control to demand certain things be done to the residents when it comes to communication. Okay. I've been in talks with with TNM. I've been in talks with JCPNL and they keep passing the buck from this person to this person to this person and it's getting the point that lawsuits are going to have to get

560
02:43:04.880 --> 02:43:20.880
opened. But my my my real question to you is why couldn't we have prevented me from coming home to a powerpole laying on my damn property when I have four kids in my home that could have been playing in my yard getting smashed by the damn thing. And I saw it on my

561
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camera. It was dropped. It wasn't It wasn't laid. It was dropped onto my property. That's disturbing. What actions were taken by any of the committee members to make sure that that communication they said they notified 360 residents or I can't remember the

562
02:43:36.240 --> 02:43:49.840
recite the number that you said I think you said 360 what measurements were taken to make sure that that happened because I can tell you it didn't I have surveillance around my property if you can tell me the day that they came to my property I'll show you the

563
02:43:49.840 --> 02:44:08.800
camera from that whole day all of them. >> Okay. Are you done? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um, when they come in, they can speak to it. We've asked them for the list of addresses they notified. They did tell us 251 South Holland Road was notified twice. Um, that was their words

564
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to us, you know. Um, and I think you need to ask them. >> I did. >> Okay. >> I did. And then what I was told uh by uh Dave, I can't recite his last name. I uh I got the emails. Uh, but he he had mentioned uh when I I stood over the

565
02:44:25.279 --> 02:44:41.600
hole that day and I didn't I didn't let him put it in until I got proper notifications to what they were doing. I wanted to know what was going on and and I did it intentionally. Now, was I going to hold them up from putting the pole in the ground? No, because I do want electricity at the end of the day. And I do know that they have a right to do it. But I also have a right to understand

566
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why that thing was dropped on my property like that. It wasn't just dropped there and then done. It was dropped there and left there for 27 hours. And I couldn't even park in my yard when I had my driveway sealed. So I had to go park in the woods. I had to park my car in the woods because as you know in

567
02:44:57.359 --> 02:45:13.040
South Holland there's nowhere else to park. I didn't have a driveway. My neighbors had their driveway done. So we're all friends. We couldn't use theirs either. So I literally had to park my car in the woods like that little woods area in front of my house. Okay. That that that's rough. That's

568
02:45:13.040 --> 02:45:30.000
rough to deal with. And and and and you know what I was told by by them? They said when when he when he finally he he drove for he did get in his car because I said you're not putting this pull in until you until you give me the respect to come here and tell me why why this is here like this and why this happened like this. He agreed to it. He

569
02:45:30.000 --> 02:45:44.560
understood. He got in his car from Col and he drove over. I had a conversation with him and I was told that I mixed up your house with 251 Holland. There's a 251 Holland right around the corner. I went to the wrong house. I apologize.

570
02:45:44.560 --> 02:46:01.120
I was never notified. I was never given a postcard. There was a there was a teenager that came around to my house one time that said, "We're going to be we're going to be trimming some trees to protect the power lines to make sure that we can limit power outages." That's the only person I have that footage as well. That's the only person that

571
02:46:01.120 --> 02:46:16.800
knocked on my door. And I said, "Does this have anything to do with the poles? Anything that I'm seeing down on Route 34?" "No, no, no, no, nothing with the poles. This is just to protect you from power outages. We're just going to make sure that the tree limbs don't touch the power lines." You know, all that. That's what I was told. That's the only

572
02:46:16.800 --> 02:46:33.840
notification I received. >> So, did you guys do anything to inquire about that? >> I'm sorry. Inquire about what? >> The notifications that were that were stated to you. Were you getting Were you given proof? >> Did you get signatures? >> We asked for proof today on the on the

573
02:46:33.840 --> 02:46:47.760
addresses. >> Okay. >> And when we get them, we'll share them. Okay. >> I if I got them today, I would have had them printed out for >> I didn't I didn't I I didn't know you asked for them today. I'm sorry. I must have missed that. Okay, thank you. >> Thank you.

574
02:46:47.760 --> 02:47:07.040
>> Yes, Kenji HC Street. Uh for the record, I was part of the core team for Rage. So, just for those in case anyone didn't know, JCPNL file uh the project to build these monstrosities uh tall poles back

575
02:47:07.040 --> 02:47:24.800
in 2016. We were the township including five uh four other towns had been fighting that was fighting that in 2017. There was no settlement. We had a clear

576
02:47:24.800 --> 02:47:42.240
plan. We hire our own engineer plan. It wasn't until 2018 that the proceeding before the judge reached a decision and the BPU then later several months after that adopted it. So I don't know what Facebook um

577
02:47:42.240 --> 02:47:57.840
post you mentioned in 2017 there was no meeting that I'm aware of and I later serve as co-president of Rage that had where we soal agreed to this plan that we're seeing now being installed. So

578
02:47:57.840 --> 02:48:13.600
2018 was the time when the decision was made by the judge and the BPU finally adopted that. Second to my uh once I got aware of this um all these polls going up I did go into um first energy's

579
02:48:13.600 --> 02:48:30.960
website which is obviously the parent JCPNL if you look at that this all these polls are being built part of a program that they file in November 2023 with the BPU and then in apparently February 2024

580
02:48:30.960 --> 02:48:47.120
there was a some kind of rate approval that permitted them proceed because then that re uh removes some of the obstacles. So this was part of a plan that was filed in 2023. Thank you.

581
02:48:47.120 --> 02:49:03.120
Sure. And just to detail what I was referring to on April 13th, 2017, Rachel Kapka posted in detail what the plan would look like or what the alternative would look like. And I just

582
02:49:03.120 --> 02:49:19.439
want to make sure I have this right, so bear with me. And it's in detail. It's quite quite in-depth. Um, your response was, "It's a great idea. It's hard to top Rachel's update. So, at a minimum, we spread the word on what has happened at the pleary hearing so far. Please go

583
02:49:19.439 --> 02:49:36.000
ahead. Thank you." >> So, what alternative was described? So, you just bypassed that. Yeah, it's a >> because I can tell you the expert basically said this was a technical violation back in 2016 that they want to build the transmission line and we got

584
02:49:36.000 --> 02:49:53.040
an engineer from Florida to fly up here and basically the solution that we or instead of building a new transmission line we essentially in a layman's term we put in giant capacities capacitors that would stabilize the voltage. That was the plan at less than 20% of the

585
02:49:53.040 --> 02:50:10.399
cost. No invasion of uh building any poles or anything like that. And we had the proceeding cuz we actually have that in there. There was expert witness presented in the proceeding that was should have been in the and I'm sure I have records of that in 2018 when the final record was presented to the BPU.

586
02:50:10.399 --> 02:50:26.000
So we have it. The alternative plan was not to build any post was to basically install giant capacitors and that would have solved the technical problem they were trying to solve. >> Giant capacitors like I'm asking I I >> yeah it's a technical term but basically stabilizes the voltage because there's

587
02:50:26.000 --> 02:50:43.200
the technical violation of voltage um >> along certain ways and the engineer said listen that's easy to solve. >> Yeah. And so the I mean >> it was not building any new poles in home. >> That's well that's not the information I was provided from JBN. I'm >> so but I will but but I I do have a

588
02:50:43.200 --> 02:50:58.240
question because I don't know the answer because I was told >> that I'm just giving you information. >> I was told that rage leadership and I don't know if it included you or not um it could have been somebody else in rage leadership. I don't know who all was part of that um met with Congressman

589
02:50:58.240 --> 02:51:14.960
Palone at the JCPNL offices to review this plan and give it their blessing. Were you part of that meeting? Again, there were no meetings in 2017 because we were still fighting that. >> Okay. Okay. Then >> we said that before and we'll say it again. >> Yeah. Then we'll

590
02:51:14.960 --> 02:51:32.040
>> There was no meeting with JCP that they were gung-ho in building their transmission line as proposed. >> Well, look then we'll see what the we'll see what the records say. I don't know. I don't know what to tell you. >> I can I can tell you I can tell you legal proceedings. We can give you the court hearings and everything. >> Yep. Okay.

591
02:51:34.960 --> 02:51:59.680
Yes, Karen. Excuse me. Uh Karen Strickland, 26 Hayward Hills. I'm reading on behalf of Celu. But this is an opportunity to not let something get past us like these power lines got past us. There still is an opportunity to do something positive

592
02:51:59.680 --> 02:52:15.760
and protect our town from something bad happens. That's me talking now. It's our CEO statement. Uh since it founding in 1998, Celu has consistently advocated for one core principle of land use policy. Preserve the quality and quantity of drinking water by protecting the swimming river wershed. This

593
02:52:15.760 --> 02:52:32.399
includes upholding the value and effectiveness of septic systems and ex exercising extreme caution and considering any extension of sewer service. These principles are rooted in the protection of natural resources and the prevention of highdensity development goals that have long guided Homeell's planning framework and

594
02:52:32.399 --> 02:52:48.479
protected our community from overdevelopment. Celu is here tonight to express concerns that if sewers are extended to the varnish property, the courts prodded by the fair share housing center could force home to reszone the surrounding undeveloped acreage for highdensity housing, especially if the

595
02:52:48.479 --> 02:53:03.040
township struggles to find a developer for its 100% affordable housing development. Because Southern Homedale, except for the Bell Works property, has no sewer infrastructure and is zoned for lowdensity housing. It has never been deemed suitable for affordable housing,

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high density housing. Al also not only affordable, that will change if a sewer line is constructed on the Vonnage property. The proposed sewer extension at Vonnage would establish infrastructure that could support highdensity development in Southern Home's 200 plus undeveloped acres, including the SS White property and

597
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Heavenly Estates. Once sewer service is extended into this area, it may be become increasingly difficult for the township to argue that these lands are unsuitable for higher density development due to infrastructure limitations. As a result, pressure to expand sewer service and resone

598
02:53:36.080 --> 02:53:51.040
surrounding properties in order to meet affordable housing requirements could increase significantly, heightening Homeell's exposure to a builder's revenue lawsuit. We recognize that Homedale has a legal obligation under New Jersey state law to provide a realistic opportunity for affordable

599
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housing. However, fulfilling that obligation does not require the township to surrender long-term control over future development patterns or to compromise the environmental policies that have protected our wershed for decades. We must choose to

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accommodate affordable housing strategically, utilizing locations that already possess the infrastructure necessary to support growth. The proposal to extend a sewer line to the Vonnage Azour property was not a routine infrastructure decision based on vision or planning. It is a precedent

601
02:54:22.960 --> 02:54:39.279
setting action that will fundamentally change the development landscape of Homeell and threatens the health of our most important wershed. Under New Jerseys housing framework, which matter what matters most is whether a municipality can demonstrate a realistic and achievable plan to meet its obligations. Infrastructure plays a

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central role in that analysis. Where sewer capacity exist, courts and housing advocates can and do argue that development is not only possible but expected. Oh, sorry. I I'll keep going. Um, that is the risk here. Once sewer

603
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infrastructure is extended into an area that has been historically low density and provides fresh water for half of Mammoth County residents, it becomes significantly more difficult for the township to argue that those lands are not viable for higher density development. And this is what can open Homedale to a greater number of fair

604
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housing units for round five. Is also presing the type of argument that underpins Beler's remedy litigation. Okay, I'm going to skip a paragraph. I'll mail it to you. But right now in Homedale is not just a question of supporting the one's project. It is a question of whether we are setting in motion a series of outcomes that we

605
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cannot later contain i.e. these polls. If we extend this sewer line, we are effectively weakening our own legal position while increasing development pressure on our most sensitive lands. Homedale can and should meet its housing obligations without assuming that environmental risk.

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So, um I'm going to skip again. And now, Celu urges the township to reconsider its course of action, recommmit to the planning principles that have protected Homedale's land and water for decades, and pursue a responsible solution that meets housing needs while protecting our community's natural resources. I will mail you the whole thing.

607
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>> Thank you, Mr. Trusca. Patrick Tuskita, 56 Line Road. Uh, first I want to um uh comment on Rage and and the CEO support of Rage. Uh, through

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that time I could say that the railroad tracks look pretty good. Now, when you look around at Homedale, the alternate route is was through the neighborhoods of Homedale and all the polls, including the one that's in front of Nate's house,

609
02:56:33.840 --> 02:56:50.399
uh, was caused because rage would did not have the vision to see that Middletown had to be connected with Aberdine and they were both on the railroad tracks and it needed to be connected. They won. They went to BPU

610
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and they won. Uh but this is the result. Okay. This is the result of when you're not looking uh with a large enough vision. That's not what I want to comment on. I want to comment on the sewers to uh

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Homedale adopted a affordable housing plan. It was approved by the DCA. It includes sewers to vonnage for our affordable housing. And we are um my question is where are we in the

612
02:57:24.160 --> 02:57:40.160
engineering of those sewers and where are we acquiring the uh route 35 property either by eminent domain or whatever so we can meet our affordable housing requirements and be totally different than Couleneck who had to have

613
02:57:40.160 --> 02:57:58.319
a federal judge a state judge mandate where they were because they didn't follow their affordable housing plan. Our affordable housing plan has been adopted in 2024. And where are we on implementing that

614
02:57:58.319 --> 02:58:14.080
affordable housing plan, including the sewer, including the engineering work, and including the eminent domain of the property on the 7.7 acres on Route 35? >> Yeah. So, the I I there's some litigation around the property on Route

615
02:58:14.080 --> 02:58:30.800
35, so I can't speak to the specifics of that. Okay. >> Um Chris, do we have an update on the status to the sewer line and to the work or the engineering work being done around uh 23 main? >> Right now what we have is we met with uh Beayshore on this to see um make sure

616
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that we're in we're okay with them and and how it's going to happen. Um >> that's the BRSA, the Bayore regional. >> Yes. Uh they said there's plenty of capacity that's not going to be an issue. Um the next steps would be we're waiting on a uh proposal from uh TNM to

617
02:58:48.479 --> 02:59:03.840
design a system and then we'll move from there. >> Okay. Just a comment on that from an engineer in the code. It's going to be whatever the code pipe is uh 8 to 12 in whatever the code says that a sewer pipe in New Jersey has to have.

618
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>> It's going to meet whatever code it needs to meet to to for the for the capacity it's going to be taking at that point. But it's uh again the uh beayores seem to be that that they agreed with that that that aspect that we can uh limit it to whatever we want at that point because we'll still own it in the end.

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>> Good. So limiting it to just that site. >> Correct. Because again it's it's a utility so it only goes to rateayers are the only ones that'll have the responsibility for that. It does not go to the taxpayers. >> Again one one more question followup. Is the New Jersey D approving of the sewer

620
02:59:35.200 --> 02:59:59.160
line? >> We're not site. We're not at that point, but it is already a sewer site, right? >> So, all we're doing is changing where where it ends up. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yes, ma'am. In the back. >> Hi, Margarita Borgl for the summit.

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Um, good evening, mayor, mayor, committee members, as well as fellow res um as well as fellow residents. Um, I am a Homedale resident. I'm a taxpayer, a parent of two children who will be attending Homedale High School next year. I am here tonight to speak about

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the elimination of courtesy busing and the very real safety concerns it creates for students and families throughout our community. First, I want to be clear about something. This is not a political issue. This is not about one neighborhood versus another and this is not about whether anyone supports or

623
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opposes the school district. This is about the safety of children. For years, Homedale provided courtesy busing to students who lived within the statutory walking distance from school. That transportation is now being eliminated. As a result, hundreds of students who

624
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previously rode a bus will not be expected to walk, find private transportation, or pay additional fees for subscription busing. The issue before us is not whether children are technically within two and a half miles of school. The issue is whether the

625
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routes they must walk are safe. Over the past several weeks, many parents, including myself, have personally driven, walked, photographed, and documented the routes that students will now be expected to use. What we found is very concerning. Many of these routes

626
03:01:22.000 --> 03:01:38.319
contain long stretches without sidewalks. Many lack adequate pedestrian lighting. Several involve busy intersections, significant traffic volumes, limited shoulders, and crossings that were never designed with large numbers of students,

627
03:01:38.319 --> 03:01:56.160
pedestri student pedestrians in mind. One example specific to me is the intersection of Talgraella Road and South Holland Road. I recently recorded a video of that intersection during school dismissal time. This was just today. In just one minute, I observed a

628
03:01:56.160 --> 03:02:11.920
continuous flow of traffic moving through the intersection from multiple directions. Drivers were sim simultaneously monitoring approaching vehicles, turning movements, and cross traffic. No crossing guards were present. No pedestrian signals were

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present. No enhanced pedestrian protections were visible. And yet, if courtesy busing is eliminated, students may be expected to navigate that same intersection every day, not once, twice a day. Every day in rain, in snow, in

630
03:02:29.600 --> 03:02:46.800
darkness, while carrying backpacks, sports equipment, musical instruments, laptops, and school materials. This concern is not hypothetical. The township itself previously recognized safety concerns at that location. A traffic study was conducted. The

631
03:02:46.800 --> 03:03:03.120
intersection was ultimately converted into a four-way stop. That action was taken because um that action was taken because officials determined additional traffic controls were necessary. And that history matters

632
03:03:03.120 --> 03:03:18.800
because it demonstrates that concern about traffic safety at this location existed before hundreds of students were potentially added to the equation. And that is really the issue before us. The roads have not changed. The sidewalks have not appeared. The lighting has not

633
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improved. The crosswalks has have not been added. The crossing guards have not been deployed and will not be deployed based on what I heard today. The only thing the only thing that's really changing is that many more children may now be walking these routes. Over the

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03:03:34.640 --> 03:03:50.800
past several weeks, hundreds of residents have expressed that same concern. More than 700 verified residents signed a petition supporting the continuation of courtesy busing until safe pedestrian infrastructure is in place. These signatures represent

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03:03:50.800 --> 03:04:07.920
families from throughout Homeell. Different neighborhoods, different schools, different political viewpoints, but a shared belief that student safety must come first. I also think it is important to recognize that this issue is bigger than any one family. Many

636
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parents can drive their children to school. Many parents will find a way. But not every family has that flexibility. Some parents leave for work before school starts. Some work multiple jobs. Some rely on older students to get

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themselves to school. Some cannot afford additional transportation costs. When transportation is removed before safe alternatives exist, the burden falls most heavily on the families with the fewest resources. That is not the kind of community Hondell strives to be.

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Hundell has always taken pride in its schools. We invest in education. We invest in our children and we invest in maintaining a community that attracts families. Safe access to school should be part of that commitment. I understand

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that budget challenges are real. I also understand that difficult decisions must be made. And I understand that both the township and the board face financial constraints. But safety should never become an afterthought. If students are expected to walk, then safe pedestrian

640
03:05:12.160 --> 03:05:29.279
infrastructure should exist before transportation is removed, not afterward. Sidewalks should exist before transportation is removed. Crosswalks should exist before transportation is removed. Lighting should exist before transportation is removed. Crossing

641
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protections should exist before transportation is removed. This is simply common sense. Tonight, I am asking township committee to continue working collaboratively with the board of education to find a solution. I am asking the township to carefully evaluate routes that students will be

642
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expected to walk. I am asking the township to consider whether additional infrastructure improvements, pedestrian protections, traffic controls, lighting, sidewalks, crossing guards are needed. And I am asking that student safety remain at the center of every decision

643
03:06:03.120 --> 03:06:20.399
moving forward. Because at the end of the day, this issue is not about transportation policy. This is not about budgets. It is not about politics. It is about whether we are comfortable telling children to walk routes that adults themselves often consider unsafe. And I

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will say that when I took that video, I went there with my daughter. She's 14 years old. She witnessed that one one minute video, but she also saw what was happening at that intersection at the point that this was during dismissal time. She said, "I am not walking that route. I was scared to cross that

645
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street. I videotaped an accident that almost happened. That specific intersection has had safety studies, has had more more safety controls put in. And I am still seeing multiple cars completely ignore stop signs and go in multiple

646
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directions, one on top of the other. And I was afraid to cross that street with my dog. and we're expecting a 14-year-old girl to do that or we're expecting a 17-year-old boy, my my son, to do that as well.

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I'll end with this. As parents, we have a responsibility to speak up when we believe that preventable risks exist. As community leaders, I am respectfully asking you to do the same. Thank you for your time, your service to our community, and your consideration of this issue.

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>> Thank you. Yes. >> Let me just get Let me see if anybody else wants to comment. Nate, >> uh, red white stripe. Good evening. I'm Alisandra Mediago, 7 Hillrest Road. I'm completely aligned

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with the last speaker and I just want to say I did my own tour around my what my children will be walking next year and what I found the most disturbing was coming from Hillrest Road down Homeell Road to go to SATS.

650
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I know that there was a study done, correct? I mean, you guys probably know of uh and this is what the BOE did uh to the sleep study about changing the school start time so that the kids would go to school later in the day. Well, now this is kind of like reversing that whole study and now these kids are going

651
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have to get up early. And now if we try to do the walk down Homeell Road, the sun is out sooner and the sun is out longer. But in the middle of the winter, there's only five lights from Hillrest uh uh overhead lights from Hillrest Road Street lights down to uh Crawford's

652
03:08:43.840 --> 03:08:59.840
Corner Road. And it's so dark. It's so dark. It's uh so I'm from North Jersey and that kind of darkness is the type of darkness that scares like the living everything out of me. So to think my daughters are gonna have to walk this. I mean, I travel a ton for work. my

653
03:08:59.840 --> 03:09:16.160
husband is up and out of the house at 5 am to go to his job. Um they're gonna have to walk when when I'm traveling. So the thoughts of and there's no sidewalks. So you guys have heard all of this. You guys have been punching bags for this. I just want to reiterate what's our town going to look like if

654
03:09:16.160 --> 03:09:32.640
there isn't some way to find a way for busing. What are we going to what's it going to look like? The congestion. Are we going to build sidewalks? Um people rushing to and fro. We already have the landscape changing with the power lines. So now what's our town going to look like? So just you know I I don't know

655
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what else to say. It's the community is frustrated. I'm so frustrated. I'm very nervous about what's coming down the road uh literally and figuratively. So I just hope that there's still something that can be done just to help our kids um selfishly for my own but also for

656
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others who are impacted as well. But I thank you for your time. I I ask you to dig deep like think in your hearts too like is there anything else that can be done to try to help save busing not only just for safety but just for the look and the charm and the wonderfulness of our town. So thank you for the time. I hope we can all go home soon.

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>> Thank you >> lady in the back and then Mrs. Principian and then I'll get you. Hello, good evening everybody. My name is Sidanaova and live in 823 Homedale Road.

658
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So I'm home parent and I'm here on behalf of families about the elimination of courts busing and specifically about what it means for the road this township is responsible for. I want to be clear

659
03:10:43.439 --> 03:10:58.720
about why I'm here tonight. Not uh in front of this body but not in front of board of education. Under NJSA 18A uh 39, a school district is required to

660
03:10:58.720 --> 03:11:13.600
work together with municipal officials to recognize the criteria for designated uh hazardous road. And this language is statue. It's not optional. Yet hundreds of students were removed

661
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from courtesy busing 2627 and this is process problem and let me talk about that there is our road and we live in this town and we know house our roads uh it's a homedale road crowford cgraph hill it's so many

662
03:11:33.040 --> 03:11:50.880
and the bridges with metal uh drills and no room for persons to walk nobody builds this road thinking that 10 years old with a backpack would be walking like a 7:30 7:45 in the morning but that

663
03:11:50.880 --> 03:12:07.680
is what September is going to be like right hundreds of family who relied on busing are about to start driving that kids 100 more children are about to start walking on the same road in the same time you don't need to traffic

664
03:12:07.680 --> 03:12:24.080
study to know what happens Next cajation and eventually serious incident that everyone in this room will wish they had prevent. This township does not have to wait for the board of education to act. And we are asking the

665
03:12:24.080 --> 03:12:42.240
committee to do four things. First pass a resolution asking the board of education to delay implementation until a joint hazardous road review is done. Second, send home the police and township uh township engineer out to

666
03:12:42.240 --> 03:12:58.319
actually look in these roads using the 10 safety factors in the uh statue list. Third, open shared service. Talk with the district, please. Transportation, crossing guards, joint finding,

667
03:12:58.319 --> 03:13:16.800
whatever works for 26 27 and it's for uh the fourth the last one and identify the sidewalks, crosswalk and traffic this road need and lime times the most important that miss September not next year budget cycle.

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This legal minimum should never become the safety standard for home children. These statues give the township a role designation for reason and we asking the committee to use it. Thank you so much.

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>> Thank you Miss Principi. Mary Ellen Principi, 62 Bethany Road. I wasn't going to speak tonight, but I felt that the residents of Homedale have to hear the story. Three weeks ago, on May 18th, my mother-in-law, who's 97

670
03:13:58.640 --> 03:14:14.880
years old, fell on the steps in our house. She complained of shortness of breath and back pain. So, we called 911. The phone rang and rang and rang. eight minutes before it was transferred. I heard a little beep and then it

671
03:14:14.880 --> 03:14:31.760
transferred and then rang and rang and rang. When the dispatcher finally answered, he asked, "What is your emergency?" And I told him, "What happened?" The next question was, "Where's your location?" And I told him my location.

672
03:14:31.760 --> 03:14:49.279
Then he said to me, "Where is this?" I told him, "Homell." And he said, "Where's Homedale?" I was a little surprised and I didn't know what to say to him. So I said, "New Jersey." He said, "What county?" I told him, "Mommoth."

673
03:14:49.279 --> 03:15:04.319
Okay. He said to me, "Well, you reach Burlington County. I'll hung up and I'll transfer you and the phone rang and rang and rang." We timed a call before somebody finally

674
03:15:04.319 --> 03:15:22.160
was correct in Mammoth County. 22 minutes. Thank god it wasn't a heart attack because my mother-in-law would have been dead. Within a few minutes after talking to n the the right 911,

675
03:15:22.160 --> 03:15:42.319
Homedale police came within a couple of minutes. After that, first aid came. No problem. The police, the paramedics, and the Homedale first aid, they all were there within minutes of speaking to

676
03:15:42.319 --> 03:15:59.439
someone. So why did it take so long for for me to speak to somebody where I ended up in Burlington, Burlington County? They didn't even know where Homedale was. We put this on Facebook.

677
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We tagged the township committee. I want to thank committeeman Romano, committeeman Bontempo for getting to us and asking what happened and make sure everything was okay with my mother-in-law. None of you else, not one

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of you. And you, I'm shocked at you that didn't even reach out to us. You canceled the meeting instead. That's all I have to say. >> Thank you. Anybody else? I just want to make sure no one else name before you

679
03:16:29.760 --> 03:16:53.600
let you close it out. Miss Solaro, Kristen Carero, five hotbrook lane. So, regarding the giant ugly utility poles, do you guys know that they can be put underground? Do we know that? Because if we're quoting Facebook, some people were putting out there that they cannot be

680
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because the water would get in them. We know that's not true, right? It's up to JCPNL's discretion about whether or not they're going to spend the time and the resources. >> So my question is, did you speak to them about that? Did you get the price differential? Did you think about using >> We don't have any authority.

681
03:17:10.800 --> 03:17:26.640
>> So you have no authority to speak to them about >> No, we have no authority to We have no authority to >> to what? >> Demand an alternative. This is more costefficient way for them to operate. This was the plan they put in place without the municipality.

682
03:17:26.640 --> 03:17:42.319
So you said you explored all options, all lawy all >> all legal options. >> Yes. >> So there's there's no legal option to ask them what's the differential to put them underground. >> Yeah, we could find it out. The question was asked. I don't recall the numbers. >> Well, I think that's a number the town

683
03:17:42.319 --> 03:18:00.000
deserves to have. >> Sure. And we'll get it. >> Why didn't you get it before? >> Before when? >> This is an exercise in insanity. Like, are you guys listening to yourselves? No, I I just I don't you know I don't quite understand why we keep going back

684
03:18:00.000 --> 03:18:16.319
to the same point and the same point is this. >> This was not something driven by the municipality. This was done as an alternative when their first attempt to meet federal regulations was shot down. Excuse me. No, no, no. They needed nothing from the town. They did not need

685
03:18:16.319 --> 03:18:32.160
variances. All they needed to do was inform us. That was it. This completely bypassed the municipality. There is no legal standing. There is no legal option. I've actually asked our council to look into it again to see if there is anything we didn't think about the last

686
03:18:32.160 --> 03:18:48.479
time we looked. Okay. So, you keep sort of trying to twist this back and bring it back. And the point is still the same. This was done without the approval of comment on this. So, how do I keep doing anything? >> Well, I mean, you just spent like a month online talking about it

687
03:18:48.479 --> 03:19:05.040
>> because the town was blindsided. You did nothing. Where were the renderings? Where were the images that explained to the town what these things Oh, is this funny to you? >> Maybe you should have asked for them. Maybe as the town leaders up on that day

688
03:19:05.040 --> 03:19:21.680
is, you should have asked for them because these are like nothing we have ever seen before. The town deserved to know. >> They did when it was brought up in four meetings last year and he did a robocall. >> Were there renderings? >> Hold on. Hold on. No, wait. Hold on. Hold on. Which is it? Which is it? Hold on. Which is it? Did the town need to

689
03:19:21.680 --> 03:19:37.040
know or did or did you need renderings? Because the town was notified. There were four meetings. Four meetings last year. There was a townwide robocall done. Probably an email and a text that went along with it, I would assume, right? To cover everybody they possibly could. >> Okay. In addition to having a JCPNL

690
03:19:37.040 --> 03:19:53.920
representative here the year prior, in addition to all the notifications we've put out around utility work, in addition, hold on. In addition to, and Nate, I don't know if they got to you or not. I'm going to get the address list. in addition to JCPNL saying they notified 360 residents that were more directly impacted. So now I understand

691
03:19:53.920 --> 03:20:10.080
you're going to keep moving the goalposts. I get it. Right. But the reality of it is there were multiple attempts to notify the community. >> Roco period. >> We can talk about moving the goalpost. We can talk about abusive press releases. We can talk about the great gaslighting of Homeell. It has to stop

692
03:20:10.080 --> 03:20:27.520
and I'll keep pointing it out until it stops. So good luck. >> I'm not the one gaslighting anybody. Rock, I'll I'm coming for you, baby. >> I think I think I just want to chime in here because I I I understand there's some frustration about the polls and the JCPNL representative that was here was a

693
03:20:27.520 --> 03:20:44.160
joke. Chief Alaco and I at the time had to almost break up a fight in the parking lot between the JCPNL representative and Jay Yaneloo. So, you know, I I I get it. I don't think it was well represented. I don't know, you know, about bearing the polls. That's not my my uh my expertise. I don't know

694
03:20:44.160 --> 03:21:00.880
if that could have been presented as an option that residents could have paid for. I'm not sure. So, I don't I don't know if we explored all of the options. You know, I think there is an effort now to try to backtrack and see if we did everything we could do. But >> you just said you were exploring it with the attorney. >> I'm not I'm not backtracking.

695
03:21:00.880 --> 03:21:15.920
>> But what's the recourse if we missed something for the residents? >> I'm confident we didn't. >> But then why are we doing it? >> Because I didn't. >> You literally didn't bring this up once. I didn't because I didn't understand the scale and I'm on the township committee. So, what was presented to me, I didn't

696
03:21:15.920 --> 03:21:32.760
know the scale of what was happening. And I think that's the problem is that if it wasn't communicated, if I didn't understand the scale and I'm on the township committee, I'm I'm not surprised that the the public was blindsided because I certainly didn't know what was coming. >> Yes, sir.

697
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How are you? My name is Franco Rouseo. I'm a resident of Homeell. I'm also a uh >> I'm also uh the owner of 177 Stillwell Road, which is Oakill Farm. Um I'm just

698
03:21:56.640 --> 03:22:11.359
listening to what's going on here in the community and I'm just wondering why didn't you guys file like a lawsuit or some sort of injunction with JC, you know, whoever the power company is that was doing all this? I'm sure there was

699
03:22:11.359 --> 03:22:29.439
some court that would give more time for you guys to explore more options, I think, in finding out if what was actually allowed or not allowed could happen. That's just my question.

700
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>> Thank you. I mean, it's same answer as I gave before, which is there's no legal recourse. It's not our property. It's basically >> we met with you. We all I get it. But I I think you know when

701
03:23:24.000 --> 03:23:39.680
somebody is not like cooperating let's say or things don't seem to be what they should be you can file motions or special court hearings at the state level and things like that which which

702
03:23:39.680 --> 03:23:56.080
could have possibly delayed it at least you know from somebody having a pulpit in their yard you know where they live. I think that's that's pretty extreme. That's all. Again, this is my first meeting. I'm gonna start coming a little bit more, I think, for many reasons. So,

703
03:23:56.080 --> 03:24:17.760
>> thank you. >> Thank you, Sarah. >> Sarah Cho, uh, for Putinham Court. Um, if there were meetings last year, at least four, or it was talked about during the public hearings,

704
03:24:17.760 --> 03:24:34.399
um, what did JCPNL tell you what these polls are for? Because I'm still asking that question and I still have no idea what they're for. >> Is is that your only question? >> Um,

705
03:24:34.399 --> 03:24:50.720
it's it's a it's a big question. But I would like it with specificity. >> I'll answer it as long I mean >> as long as I can as long as I can claim my time back like >> No, I want to wait till you're finished. That's why. >> Okay. So, I will read your um and I don't know who wrote this, but it is on

706
03:24:50.720 --> 03:25:07.279
the Homeell Township Facebook page. The Homedale Township Committee. So, this would be you guys. uh you declared on May 15th, this is after the polls have gone up and there was public outrage online on our Facebook resource groups

707
03:25:07.279 --> 03:25:24.399
and you know all those pages. You for the first time I think this was a public statement. This was a first public statement made on the JCPNL utility polls from Homeell Township. Um Mr. Foster, you can point to the other ones

708
03:25:24.399 --> 03:25:41.439
later. Thank you. Uh you quote, "The Homedale Township Committee is standing firm with our residents in total opposition to the oversized utility poles JCPNL is forcing into our community. These structures are not merely infrastructure. They are a

709
03:25:41.439 --> 03:25:56.319
massive intrusion that fundamentally alters the character of our historic neighborhoods." Mayor Roco Imprevadudo has made the township's position clear, saying, "We are taking a hard line against JCPNL's disregard for our

710
03:25:56.319 --> 03:26:11.600
community. For too long, utility giants have used quote resiliency as a blanket excuse to bypass local standards. Homedale is not a pass through for corporate convenience, and we will not be silent while our rural and suburban

711
03:26:11.600 --> 03:26:27.120
landscape is industrialized." Okay, so there's quite a bit more, but I do encourage the public to read this for themselves. Um, it goes on to say, "Our opposition to this project has been hands-on from the start. During the

712
03:26:27.120 --> 03:26:44.319
initial phases, then Mayor Brian Foster personally walked the proposed installation areas with JCPNL representatives to contest their aggressive, clear-cutting plans, which I think has resulted in saving two trees." Because of this direct intervention and

713
03:26:44.319 --> 03:27:00.560
the township's refusal to accept the initial proposal, we were able to secure significant reductions in the number of trees slated for removal. I think that was still two trees. While we continue to fight the polls themselves, this effort saved hundreds of trees that

714
03:27:00.560 --> 03:27:16.960
would have otherwise been lost to JCPNL's indiscriminate cutting. One tree that was cut uh held a eagle's nest, which as you know is an endangered species. So JCPNL

715
03:27:16.960 --> 03:27:34.720
has run a muck in Homeell. And we want you guys as our leaders to do what you say you're going to do, which is take a hard line. And I think that looks like informing the public not through these very

716
03:27:34.720 --> 03:27:50.000
low attended township committee meetings. Okay. I didn't get that robocall. You know, I don't know who got it. Raise your hand if you did. I did not. I did not get a mail noticed. I know you guys

717
03:27:50.000 --> 03:28:06.800
just did your campaign and you were able to, you know, do mail-ins of Kristen's with Kristen and Peter's um >> social security numbers there. So, you obviously know how to communicate with the public. However, this is not taking

718
03:28:06.800 --> 03:28:22.720
a hard line. If you want change in this community, get us. We could have fought JCPNL. We could have had them come here at at every meeting and badger them with questions. You see how annoying I can be? I could have been annoying to JCPNL

719
03:28:22.720 --> 03:28:39.439
on behalf of Homeell. I could have done that. We all could have done that. Okay. So, what's done is done. However, if you are going to put statements out like this, please live up to your word. Thank you. >> Thank you.

720
03:28:39.439 --> 03:29:03.359
Uh lady in the back and then yeah, we'll get around Hi. Is it on? >> Hi, Annivian 33 Ashley Drive. I wasn't going to speak today. I just I'm to all the speakers who talked about the cut to

721
03:29:03.359 --> 03:29:17.920
the >> ma'am. I apologize. I didn't hear your name. >> Anna Leavine 33 Ashley Drive. You got it. Um I'm aligned to everyone who is talking about cutting the courtesy busing and um completely agree with all the points. But I think one point that hasn't been made that um that is the

722
03:29:17.920 --> 03:29:34.560
reason that I got up to speak here today is um is the approach. Right. So on June 5th, 5 days ago, families received an email notifying them that $500 non-refundable deposit is due by June 11 to secure transportation for September.

723
03:29:34.560 --> 03:29:49.760
Summer has not even begun. Many of us do not know what our September circumstances will look like whether a job will require us to be on site. A carpool can be arranged or anything can be changed in these three months. We might move out of town. Right? And some of us have two, three kids and more that

724
03:29:49.760 --> 03:30:06.880
will require this commitment. Right? So the district is asking families to make an irreversible 500 financial commitment within six day notice. Right? It's due by June 11th. um under conditions of complete uncertainty with no viable safe alternative if they cannot or do not

725
03:30:06.880 --> 03:30:23.680
pay. That is not a reasonable policy. That is a structure designed to extract fees from pam families who have no real choice, no safety assessments, no infrastructure in place. It is coercive and coercive and should be recognized as such. Over 700 individuals who signed

726
03:30:23.680 --> 03:30:38.800
the petition do not object to budgets being balanced. We're being given no safe alternative for our children. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> guys. I don't think we're gonna I don't think we're going to double up tonight. If everyone's had their one point,

727
03:30:38.800 --> 03:31:07.200
Peter, >> no. Peter Maner, 59 Bethany Road, Homedale, obviously. Anyway, I just have a comment to make on on these polls that, you know, I just got to say I've been here my whole life, 65 years from Bethany Road to Potter's Red Hill Road

728
03:31:07.200 --> 03:31:22.960
there, the whole nine yards. It It couldn't look any worse, guys. It really couldn't, unfortunately. And we're not just talking about poles. We're just talking about guide wires, seven wires on the top. I mean, really

729
03:31:22.960 --> 03:31:40.479
going down Holland Road. Really? This is South Holland Road. Sorry. Oh my goodness. Anyway, I would love for somebody to do a little research. We have four giant metal poles. The

730
03:31:40.479 --> 03:31:57.040
effort that was put in those footings and those towers over the Parkway should have been seen and somebody should have figured out a number for those wires at least to go under the ground and you could have started there and we should

731
03:31:57.040 --> 03:32:14.880
still find that out. That's an atrocity for anybody and for this town. So get the number for putting that piece underground. I can't believe it would be any more than those towers and those footings. I think there were 10-ft bases

732
03:32:14.880 --> 03:32:32.000
on those things, the drilling, the concrete, everything. I got pictures of it. It's obnoxious. I'm sorry. We dropped the ball. You guys dropped the ball. The town dropped the ball. We've been dropping too many balls

733
03:32:32.000 --> 03:32:51.920
the last few years. I am so sorry. >> Thank you. Anybody else? Chris, did you do public comment already or just >> All right. >> Question again.

734
03:32:51.920 --> 03:33:07.840
>> The polls are for >> What's that? >> Yeah. Chris, you want to answer? >> So, it's what's going to happen is once it once they're energized, which they're not right now. So everybody, you know, I know that's a that's an issue that a lot of people ask. They're not energized

735
03:33:07.840 --> 03:33:23.439
right now. Um once they are energized, what they'll do is if part of the town goes out in in that area or anywhere in town, it can pick up another station. So let's say for no station goes out in Aberdine, then the one in Middletown

736
03:33:23.439 --> 03:33:39.840
will pick it up. It'll it'll reverse back over the over the distribution line. So right now we don't have any backups. So this kind of gives you resiliency through the entire area. >> Well, you might have we have a lot of power outages in town. >> I lose it every year.

737
03:33:39.840 --> 03:33:57.680
>> That that's >> all right. Chris >> Chris Deari 7 Oaks. I I want to talk to courtesy busing. Uh I'm I'm with all of them as well. My my son's losing courtesy busing. We obviously spoke about it and uh why we worked so hard to retain courtesy busing last year. Um it

738
03:33:57.680 --> 03:34:14.000
it's painful for me to watch. I was on the front lines as BOE president. We talked about it almost every meeting for the last couple years. Um, you know, I went out there for our community and um, you know, it was a very uncomfortable position and I I I really tried to uh

739
03:34:14.000 --> 03:34:29.120
try to warn everybody that you know, we can't have it all. And um, we we had a labor agreement that we could not afford and if we didn't do anything about it, we were going to lose critical services like courtesy busing. And you know, I I I really wish the support was there from

740
03:34:29.120 --> 03:34:44.560
everybody and they recognized that. And unfortunately, I felt like everybody just felt like, "Oh, no, we can have everything." And you know, here are the consequences of what happened. Actually, the two people I ran with, John Buckley and Jeff Man, they they ran on negotiating a fair contract to make sure that we could preserve things like

741
03:34:44.560 --> 03:35:00.560
courtesy busing. Kesy busing is not common at all in New Jersey. It's a huge perk. You know, we're an affluent town. We expect it and uh we certainly want it and we hopefully can get it back. Um, but we we also can't have everything and the deficits have just been getting too big and the only thing you could really

742
03:35:00.560 --> 03:35:17.200
do with the board of ed is 80% again is the payroll. I don't want to keep going back into that. But that that's really the only movement. So if we want to get these services back uh unfortunately we have a two and a half year wait until that labor agreement comes back into fruition. But you know that's why we wanted to negotiate a fair agreement. Uh

743
03:35:17.200 --> 03:35:33.840
I saw recently this week the NJA actually the New Jerseys teachers union um they highlighted the Homeell Teachers Education Association for what an outstanding job they did and what a huge win the agreement was for the union. Well, what did the Homedale taxpayer get? We got a 7% tax increase. We lost

744
03:35:33.840 --> 03:35:50.880
25 teachers and we lost courtesy busting for our students. This is something I went out and told the whole community but you know I got uh demolished by the anonymous uh the home coward and things of that nature. Um, I just want to officially congratulate Gary Vanderham and uh TJ Man. I'm really excited that

745
03:35:50.880 --> 03:36:07.200
you guys won. We'll no doubt have a stronger TC next year and um I hope you guys work hard and you know, unfortunately you got to experience the the wrath of the anger and hatred in this town which is just so unfortunate. I don't necessarily agree with all the mudslinging. I'm not a fan of it. Um but

746
03:36:07.200 --> 03:36:23.279
the one thing I really do respect whether you say something I disagree with is you stand up and you stand behind your words. And unfortunately, we got a a lot of these people that uh just want to hide behind these anonymous pages and create these false narratives. I mean, they did the same thing to the BOE candidates. Um they did the same

747
03:36:23.279 --> 03:36:38.399
thing when they tried to change the township form of government. This is nothing new and unfortunately it restricts really great people from wanting to run. Um but you know, seeing some local officials just misleading residents and the ignorance was really actually pretty appalling. But uh I know

748
03:36:38.399 --> 03:36:54.319
people will do what they can to to get votes and try to win an election. But good luck to Gary and good luck to TJ. Congrats. I support you guys and uh look forward to seeing a new TC next year. Thanks everybody. >> Thank you. Anybody else hasn't gone?

749
03:36:54.319 --> 03:37:18.080
>> All right. M I didn't see him raise his hand. >> Park Lane on um I'm holding a lawsuit that you guys have sitting over there for uh what is that? will kill farms. >> It's a judgment from the >> judgement judge. Yeah. >> I I just look at this is it's going to cost us a bunch of money as taxpayers.

750
03:37:18.080 --> 03:37:33.680
Uh what I think what I see there is somebody coming into town making a farm, right? Buying another piece of property next to it to make it even bigger to make it more of a farm. And I just I I see what it's going to cost us to fight something. Why Why can't we just work

751
03:37:33.680 --> 03:37:49.439
with whoever owns this farm? I mean, you guys obviously hate farms. I mean, we dealt with that during the election. Uh, and this guy I'm sorry. Oh, yeah. Seriously. So, this guy comes in to farm. He's not coming in to develop. He's not coming in for a pilot program.

752
03:37:49.439 --> 03:38:05.040
I mean, you've guys reszoned enough this year. Why not make it a farm? Why not help, you know, help this person out and to add to the bucolic nature and look of our town rather than ruin our town? Honestly, um, Facebook, is that a government website? Like, is

753
03:38:05.040 --> 03:38:20.960
is Facebook government? Is it illegal to restrict what people can and can't see? because when everything went up uh there were 150 comments on I believe it was the polls right that night that went up I think I was able to see eight of them uh people were going crazy over that

754
03:38:20.960 --> 03:38:36.319
right you two >> I mean can we do something to to fix this so we can be transparent uh about things in town and and not have to speculate and go on and uh and listen to uh you know what some people have to say halftruths full truths we can all kind

755
03:38:36.319 --> 03:38:52.080
of figure out what's going on and Sorry. Right. I mean, could we take care of that? >> Yeah, Chris, you know, I don't think the rules have changed on the rules. >> Never changed. It's been the same way for several years now. >> But can it change? >> It It's not the It's supposed to be

756
03:38:52.080 --> 03:39:08.319
anformational page. That's what it started out as. It's supposed to be We're giving out information. There's plenty other pages that you can go back and forth with. Ours is supposed to be informational. Um, so what we're looking into now is to see what how we can change it where we won't have any comments. Yeah. And then we'll bring it

757
03:39:08.319 --> 03:39:23.680
in front of the committee and the committee can decide how they want to handle that. Right now it's our the legal opinion is to leave it the way it is because it's been like that. We're not hurting anybody because it's the same way it's been forever, right? And then what we'll do is we'll give them the opportunity to vote on it if they

758
03:39:23.680 --> 03:39:38.880
want to allow them at all or they want to keep it the way it is or change it. But that's completely up to to them. But it is supposed to beformational. Uh towns usually use them as information. Other towns I've been in, we don't we don't allow any comments, right? Um so it'll be up to the committee. That's

759
03:39:38.880 --> 03:39:55.040
they'll make the policy. I'll follow it. But that policy was in effect way before I was on I think way before many of these people were even on the committee. That's been on for years like that. And that's why you saw eight comments because most likely the eight people you saw are friends of yours on Facebook. If they're not people you know, then you

760
03:39:55.040 --> 03:40:08.960
will not see their comments. >> Okay. And the other thing Yeah. >> Again, that that's how the that's how it's set up. We don't control like after that. Did you block him? I mean, that

761
03:40:08.960 --> 03:40:28.000
that could have happened, too. >> All right. All right. >> Absolutely not. That is absolutely not true. >> That is absolutely not true. That is we didn't we do not remove comments. We do not This one person handles it. Nobody

762
03:40:28.000 --> 03:40:44.560
removes it. >> All right, Peter, wrap up. >> Uh, yeah, and back to the wires. Um, I I do know for a fact those wires could have been buried. I had them over at my farm. There's 400t of wires that I'm I'm potentially going to lower because of my air strip. It interferes. Um, and and

763
03:40:44.560 --> 03:41:00.880
and they were negotiating a price. So, I I know there's areas uh, you know, that could have been detrimental to values of homes that could have been buried. And I think we could have fought harder for it or fought at all for that matter. Um, you know, I there's just more we could have done about this and that's all I have to say.

764
03:41:00.880 --> 03:41:12.720
>> Thank you. Anybody else? All right. Motion to close. Second.