Heat. Heat. I hereby call this meeting of Howell Township Council to order. Allison, would you please read the opening statement and roll call? This meeting is being held in accordance with public law 1975, chapter 231, open public meetings act. Adequate notice has
been provided in the manner prescribed by law. This agenda is complete to the extent known and formal action will be taken. Councilwoman Fischer here. Councilman Nadell here. Councilwoman O'Donnell here. Deputy Mayor Ger here. Mayor Leio
here. All right. Resolution um 25-220 for executive session. Is there a need to go into executive session this evening? Uh yes, mayor. We have attorney client privilege personnel property
acquisitions. And that's it. I'll make a motion to go into exact. Second. Councilwoman Fischer? Yes. Councilman Nadell? Yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell? Yes. Deputy Mayor Ger? Yes. Mayor Leio? Yes.
like to resume more meeting. Please please stand for the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the republic for which it stands. One nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. If I may take a roll call. Mayor. Councilwoman Fischer here. Councilman Nadell here. Councilwoman O'Donnell here. Deputy Mayor Ger. Mayor Leio
here. Thank you. May I have a motion for acceptance of minutes from June 24th? Motion to accept minutes. Second. Councilwoman Fischer, yes. Councilman Nadell, yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell, yes. Deputy Mayor Ger, yes. Mayor Leio,
yes. Okay, we are on to um citizens hearing of public comment from our uh citizens. I'm going to call you up one by one. John, report of Oh, I'm sorry. Report of department
officials first. We have any any any on the agenda? Um, yes. We have movies under the stars. July 10th, Ghostbusters. July 17th, Grinch. August 7th, Sonic 3. We also have summer concert series. July 16th,
Austin City Nights. July 30th, White Wedding. August 13th, Garden State Radio and also Howl Knight at the Blue Claus, which is Thursday, July 24th at 7:05. And tickets can be purchased uh with the link below. They'll be outside on the
table if anyone's interested. And that's it. Anyone else? We're good. We're good. Okay. On to hearing of citizens. Um I'll call your name one by one. you come up, you have five minutes to speak
and then we'll go on to the next and then we'll address everything when public speaking is over. So, uh, Caroline is on my list first. Each person shall first give their name and address to the clerk. The council should be addressed as a collective body
and not as individual members. Each person shall have one turn to address the council and comment shall not exceed a total of 5 minutes. Speakers shall not shall be notified when their time has run and no time extension shall be permitted. Your name and address for the record,
please. There we go. I'm sorry. I'm here to speak about the proposed ordinance this evening. Am I supposed to speak at this point or when the ordinance is read right now? Okay. It's open. Uh I'm here about the proposed ordinance
for the four-way stop to be added at the intersection between Kent Road and Ford Road. I've lived on Kent Road at the intersection for 27 years. Southern was semi-ural when I moved here in the late 1990s, but is undergoing a rapid change
in character with fewer horses and farms and more rental properties and traffic. Not as many roosters and lots more horns. The only houses south of me on my side of Kent Road are now all rental properties as is the house next to me on Ford Road. This is still a residential
neighborhood and the roads do not have shoulders or sidewalks, which was not much of a problem until the traffic volume exploded recently. These roads were already unsafe for children. We have not had trick-or-treaters since I moved here. School buses generally have
to pick children up at their driveways due to the narrow roads and lack of sidewalks. Now, the traffic is much worse. More and more delivery drivers park along the road, no longer pull into driveways because they're afraid to back out onto Kent Road. I no longer feel
safe collecting my mail, crossing the street to visit a neighbor, taking a walk anywhere in my neighborhood except on Saturdays. With the extra traffic came more accidents. I have a few suggestions to add along with the four-way stop, which
I believe will improve the traffic flow. Reduce traffic from Lakewood and Jackson by extending the concrete barrier on Route Nine at Ford Road. I know this has come up before. I don't know why that can't be done. Add more speed limit
signs and paint the speed limits on the roadway. I understand both roads were added to the target speed enforcement program. I hope that's true. Um, and that this will help. Use large flashing stop signs.
Add more signs and enforce the four ton weight limit on these roads. We have many trucks on these roads every day. Paint yellow stripes in front of the driveways near this intersection and install signs about not blocking our driveways.
I worry that the four-way stop is going to result in more minor accidents due to frustration and drivers who fail to yield the right of way. reduced emergency response times, higher levels of air pollution, more respiratory
illnesses, and more traffic noise. While a four-way stop may have some benefits, I think it's a short-term fix that does not address the larger issue of the inability of our roads to handle the everinccreasing traffic. The increase in traffic over the last
few years is clear when contrasting the engineering report by French and Pllo Associates which is the one that's mentioned in the proposed ordinance and and also the one cited um also I'm sorry comparing that with a circulation plan for Howell Township that was done
in 2022 by the town planner. In 2022, they looked at about a dozen dangerous local intersections in Howell, including our intersection, and they had traffic data between 2015 in 2020, which showed that our intersection had an average of
820 vehicles a day at that time. The more recent engineering report, which is the one uh relied on in the proposed ordinance, looked at traffic based on uh a 12-h hour period on a Wednesday last November
in 2024. They found that during that 12-h hour period, over 8,300 vehicles went through our intersection. That's more than a t-fold increase since the 2022 report. I'm sure there's other roads in town
that have similar increases in traffic. During one hour of the morning rush hour during the uh 2022 traffic study, 592 vehicles went through the intersection in front of my house. That's about one
vehicle every six seconds. My driveway is only about 80 feet from where the new stop sign's going to go. It's going to be very difficult for me and other people similarly situated to get in and out of our driveways. Everybody stopping now is going to back
up the traffic in front of the homes. The fact is these roads are very narrow. Kent Road is only the right of way for Kent Road at the intersection is only 33 feet wide. That's very narrow. Nobody can squeeze around us while we're trying to get in and out of our driveways. Uh I
don't have an answer for how to cure this issue, but I hope uh the town will continue to work to improve our intersection and the other roadways that are seeing the increase in volume. Thank you for this opportunity to speak.
Susan Reed Hi, Susan Reed, 352 Kent Road. Good evening. I live on the corner at the intersection for 42 years in a house known for its boulders. My front door is 35 foot from the stop sign on Ford Road
and the side of my house is only 20 foot from the edge of Ford Road. I have firsthand experience of the dangers of this intersection as my house and my property have sustained significant damage from many accidents over the years. I also have observed the driving
behavior that has led to them. I'm glad you're finally looking into the safety concerns. How I do however I do not believe a four-way stop is the best option at this time and will rec create additional problems and safety issues.
Your traffic study indicated that in a 4year period, 84% of the accidents were due to collisions caused by drivers not stopping at the existing stop signs. Most of these drivers do not appear to know how to stop at a single stop sign,
no less the rules involved with a four-way stop. I feel there are many proactive measures that could be taken prior to resorting to a four-way stop, including the following. Currently, all traffic signs south of Southern School
to this intersection are not visible due to trees and mildew blocking them. They need to be visible. Paint the speed limit of 35 mph on the pavement of Kent Road leading up to the intersection just like it is on Newton's Corner Road.
reduce all four ton vehicles from getting to the intersection by posting a 4-tonon limit sign at the light on County Line Road in Lakewood rather than further down on Kent. Once a 4-tonon vehicle turns on to Kent and sees a sign
at its current location, it's too late. They cannot turn around. They must come down Kent. Police were informed of this and was supposed to get in touch with the Ocean County Engineering Department to rectify the situation. To date, nothing has been done. Have a police
presence at this intersection and ticket all violations of traffic traffic laws. The town could make a fortune on tickets alone over there. Flashing stop signs and overhead lighting could be installed to emphasize the intersection. Perhaps a
dangerous intersection sign ahead could be installed. The traffic study suggested rumble strips, which to me would be not acceptable since our quality of life would be greatly affected listening to that day in and day out. If you decide to approve the
four-way stop, I believe the following will occur and impact my safety and quality of life. Myself and my neighbors will not be able to get out of our driveways most of the day as traffic will be backed up in four directions. I am requesting my rear driveway on Ford
Road be painted with lines and a sign stating do not block driveway. My backyard is directly along Ford Road where all these vehicles will be backed up and waiting at a stop sign. The buses and trucks will blow diesel exhaust
directly into my yard most of the day. Without proper signage and enforcement, we will still have large trucks entering the intersection. These vehicles need to swing wide and navigate into oncoming lane to make the turn. How will this
work with all those vehicles backed up at four stop times? I agree something needs to be done. I am fed up with the horrific accidents crashing in to my property and having to fix the damage. However, I do not believe a four-way stop should be your first course of
action. Before casting your votes, please take the residents who live there into consideration and some of the suggestions I have mentioned. I would be happy to discuss this further with anyone who would like more information before voting in favor of this
ordinance. Thank you for your time. Valerie. Hi, good evening. My name is Valerie Vargas, 48 Chris Mill Road. Um, I've been a resident of Howell Township since 1999. I've raised my children here. I built my life here, and I've worked here as a full-time local realtor since 2003.
I want to begin by stating that I've spoken with Mayor Leio prior to this meeting about the ordinance proposal I'm sharing tonight, and he's encouraged me to bring it forward publicly. I'm standing here this evening not just as a resident and professional but on behalf of countless How residents who are angry, frustrated, and distraught about
what's happening in their neighborhoods. This issue is negatively affecting their daily lives, their children's safety and well-being, and the protection of their greatest asset, their home. Over the past two decades, I've experienced the evolution of this town both personally and professionally. I've worked with
hundreds of local families, buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants, and I pay very close attention to how changes in housing patterns and enforcement policies directly impact our community. What I'm presenting tonight is a targeted ordinance proposal that aims to protect the integrity of Howell's single
family zones from the increasingly common practice of converting homes into unregulated and unlicensed rooming houses. Let me explain what this ordinance proposes in everyday terms. There are growing instances where single family homes are being rented to primary tenants who then subleasase individual
rooms to multiple unrelated individuals. While this may not always be obvious on the surface, it creates situations where homes originally intended for single households are functioning functioning as unregulated rooming houses. This le this change leads to overcrowded streets, trash overflow, increased wear
on public infrastructure, and residents no longer knowing who live next door. It changes the character and safety of neighborhoods that were built and zoned for stable single family living. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs requires rooming houses to be registered with the state and they're also
responsible for enforcement. As a side note, I'd like to point out that there are multiple Facebook pages with unlicensed landlord representatives advertising dozens of rentals in Howell using language such as no application, no credit, no social security number. These are not your average real estate
investors. This is a specific and intentional business model utilized by certain investors who fully understand that the gaps in Howell's ordinance policies paved the way for a highly lucrative operation. One that converts single family homes into multi-tenant rentals under the radar and at the expense of taxpaying homeowners. This
muchneeded ordinance addresses that by explicitly prohibiting rooming houses in single family zones, requiring rental properties to be registered with the township. And as part of that registration, owners will certify the number of occupants and declare whether those individuals are related or unrelated. No more than three unrelated
people may occupy a single family home. Specifically, the uniform construction code states that if more than two rooms in a home are being used as single room occupancy, this constitutes a rooming house. This standard would not be unique to Howell. It's already in place and being enforced in other New Jersey
municipalities such as Montlair, Halden, and Wall Township. This proposal is not aimed at any group of people, background, or origin. It's not about who's living in these homes. It's about how the homes are being used. This is a zoning and enforcement issue. When single family homes are allowed to
operate as unregulated rooming houses, regardless of who the occupants are, it leads to overcrowding, safety concerns, infrastructure strain, and declining neighborhood standards. And importantly, this ordinance does not expose the township to liability. There's clear and repeated legal precedents supporting a
municipality's right to define occupancy standards and protect residential zones from commercial misuse. This is about lawful enforcable use, not identity. To recap, the proposal limits occupancy to no more than three unrelated individuals in single family home. Prohibits rooming
houses and single family zones, requires rental registration and inspection that includes disclosure of relationship between occupants. It holds landlords accountable even when the tenants subleasase. And it aligns with case law, state statutes, and mirrors protections that are already working in other towns.
we have the opportunity to begin turning things around as landlords are required to renew their rental registration under new rules. We'll start to see a shift within a year of adoption and enforcement. This ordinance has the potential to bring real positive change to our town. This proposal builds upon
ordinance 2448, which defined rooming and boarding houses in How's Code, but didn't create enforcement tools or zoning protections. This next step fills those gaps. This is the gap that's created a destructive yet lucrative business model for certain investors. I've provided you with a full packet
including the proposed language, legal backing, examples from and examples from other towns. I'm also going to be posting my proposal tonight on the Howell New Jersey First Facebook page for our residents to see. I would be grateful if the council would take the time to review it and consider including this for discussion at the next work session. I'm willing to offer my
knowledge and expertise to collaborate and participate in working this on this with you. Thank you for your time and your anticipated commitment. The other one I those two I have a meeting today. Yes. from three Ruben Court
Indepor Ruben Court. Good evening Mr. Mayor, council members and members of community. Thank you once again for the opportunity to speak. My name is Indu Kore and I'm here on behalf of the entire block. Let me begin by
saying that we deeply respect the importance of recovery and the need for supportive housing in the journey towards rehabilitation. We recognize the critical role these homes play for individuals seeking a second chance.
However, our concern is not with the concept of sober living itself. It is with the placement and regulation of such facilities within tightly packed school centered resident residential neighborhood like ours. While we
recognize and respect the role of recovery housing, this is primarily a residential community home to families, young children's and six schools within one mile radius where careful zoning and
oversight are essential to ensure the safety and harmony of all residents. As it stands, there are now three separate recovery homes operating within a onem radius of Ruben Court. One
at four Ruben Court, one at 371 Aldridge Road, another one at 18 Laurel Court. All of these three residences are positioned between six public and private schools. Newberry, Landopines,
Taton, Heaven Monteseri, St. Veronica Convent and Genius Kids Academy ranging in proximity from 3 to.9 miles. Some sit just feet away from school boundaries. One property is just.3 miles from a
preschool, another nestled between two grade schools. And yet the state of New Jersey requires a minimum of 1,000 ft between such facilities. and cities like Egg Harbor and Washington Township have gone
further to regulate these residences with clarity, limiting occupancy, requiring conditional use permits, and mandating separation from schools and other recovery facilities by at least 600 to 1,000 ft. These are not radical
measures. These are reasoned legal standards created to balance public safety with housing equity. But when state regulations are overlooked, when families discover unlicensed recovery homes after they have already moved in,
and when multiple facilities are permitted within walking distance of elementary schools, that is not oversight. That is a neglect, sir. And this neglect places our children, our school, and our households at a
serious and unnecessary risk. Despite the tax we pay and the law already in place designed to protect drug-free school zone and ensure safe residential life, these homes may serve a purpose but cluster around the schools and
placed within feet of one another. They actively contradict the protection that state and federal law afford our children. This situation does not just expose safety concerns. It erodess the integrity of zoning, licensing, and and
the expectations of those who live here, parents, children, and longtime residents alike. We are not here today with hostility. We are here with hope. We have taken steps to gather accurate information, reviewed guidelines from
other municipalities and met with the state department to understand how local government can intervene. We believe how has the opportunity to lead to follow not only the law but the example of other townships that have made
thoughtful and lawful decisions in the interest of public safety. Mr. Mayor and council members, we thank you for your time and your continued attention to this issue. And above all, we humbly ask you to work with us to
preserve the safety, security, and stability that every h How resident deserves. Thank you. marked. Good evening. My name is Mark Chicateno. I live at 214 Bri Avenue in Hal Township.
Thank you for the opportunity to address council. In early June, I wrote a letter to Mayor Leio in regards to uh quality of life issues in Hal
Township in the southern part of town. Um, I've lived in hell since 2008 and uh it's my understanding that this letter was uh distributed to some other members of the council. Perhaps you've
seen it. Um, I'm most concerned about uh business interests that have purchased homes in and around my home and charge exorbitant rents. and have turned
these places into rental units with lots of people. Uh the home next to me has had no less than eight different tenants. Uh within the time frame that it was purchased several
years ago. During the time that these tenants have been there, uh I've called code enforcement numerous times. Um, I have a high regard for code enforcement. They certainly have helped and uh done the
best job that they can do to resolve some of these issues. Uh, currently I couldn't even tell you how many people are living there because there's different people living there. And uh, I guess the closest description
would be that it's almost like a time share depending on the time of day. It's not based on a monthly situation, but depending on the time of day, different people are there. Uh sometimes I get up in the middle of the night, I see people
walking in and out of the house. I have no idea what's going on. Uh during the day, children play out on Bri Avenue unsupervised and clothing is hanging in the trees to dry.
Um trash is overflowing, garbage is laying everywhere. And um it's not just that house. If you drive down Bri Avenue on a trash day, you'll see freehold cartage cans
overflowing with with trash. And I have contacted code enforcement and again they have helped uh to try to mitigate the situation. um noise issues. Uh
I come from a law enforcement background and I know that ordinances uh can be challenging to enforce. Uh just recently another rental down the road from me had a loud party on uh I
believe it was July 4th which was a Friday and I didn't call the police even though it went on till 11:30 at night but somebody did and the police came and shut it down. Last year they had a similar party
and at that party I did call the police and I was told that well on a weekend they can go to 11 o'clock. Okay. So I was kind of irritated but it is what it is. So, I looked up the noise
ordinance in How Township and I see that you've adopted to the best of my knowledge the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection noise ordinance. And what I would ask is, do you have a noise
control officer trained to enforce that ordinance? Because if you don't, then in effect, you don't have an ordinance. And when I complained about the party and was told, "Well, they can go to
11:00," the police dispatcher didn't tell me about the rest of the ordinance, which says that during any other time, the noise level inside a resident shouldn't go up by more than six dB. Nobody offered to come to my house to
check whether or not the decibel level in my house went up by six dB or not. If you do have a noise control officer, I would hope that they're not just trained in code enforcement because code enforcement isn't going to
be available at the odd times that these complaints happen. So, I'd say either train a noise control officer or get another noise ordinance. And I say that with the utmost respect for all of you and thank you for your time. Appreciate it,
Sandre. Can you hear me? Good evening. My name is Sandra and I live on Hya Accord. Several questions, concerns, and issues were presented in the previous meeting. We want to know what has been
done to proceed forward. The residents of Howell want to know what is going on with the following rentals. They are out of control. There is a lack of limitations and a lack of structure. I am specifically speaking on checks, more
strict application process for individuals renting. I also note we are significantly past our concerns of how becoming offbalance in our LLC versus residential owners and this needs to be
attended to ASAP for the sake of the infrastructure of the school system as well as the morale of the town. What is going on also in terms of our major concerns with the shifts of our neighborhoods? Howell's first and
foremost goal is to live together with all people of all types. We are however being harassed to sell our homes. Our neighborhoods town is more so apparently favoring one specific group. The
parades, religious structures in our yards and the houses of worship within zone neighborhoods are a major concern. What is going on also with the pres preservation of the public school system? We are concerned as the
population radically shifts how this will impact public schools, taxes, and the public services of Howell. We need Howell to think out of the box on these issues as our concerns
are already coming to fruition in the local town of Jackson. We need to see ordinances and initiations put in place that make this town welcome to everyone. Yes. But perfectly curated for one
particular group. No. And now some ideas proposals we can consider, develop, use as a starting point. I came up with 11. Number one, specific percentage of town
permitted to be owned by LLC's. spec specific percentage of town not to exceed ownership by LLC's. Number two, a screening process application process for renters. Number three, specific
percentages permitted to rent within residential zone neighborhoods. Number four, houses cannot be purchased by LLC's prior to being on the market for insert amount of time. Number five,
designate a specific land, field, location where any gatherings labeled as religious, colleges, schools, daycarees can take place. Number six, good neighbor initiatives
can be fun, light-hearted, inspiring, a tag phrase that Howell goes by, but something that restores the neighborhood and community of Howell's hometown. Number seven, public parades. Maybe start with rules regarding the language
in which the parades are presented. The parade on Father's Day was not intended for the public. Number eight, programs initiatives that promote the longevity of the public school system. Number nine, more strict
zoning mandates, particularly regarding residential zoned neighborhoods and houses of worship within those. Number 10, legal representation for the town that fights for options to figure these issues out. And number 11, a committee
that can join together to draft a letter to the senator and governor. Thank you. Sheila. Okay, thank you. This is one of each. So it it's just not collated. Hang on a second. So there's one there's one for
each couple. All right, you can begin. Council and mayor, my name is Sheila Hatami. My family owns several rental properties in town and my parents reside on Yellow Brook Road. I was born and
raised there. My parents have been in the same house since 1974. My father is a retired landscaper. He ran his business from our home. In the offse, he would buy distressed properties and fix them up to rent. In those days, you could hold a property in
your own name. Now, if you speak to any attorney in this state, the advice will be to put the deed to that property into an LLC, especially if you want to rent it. What happens with the imposition of fines, fees, additional inspections, and
so on, is that only those owners, most often investors with lots of properties, have the financial deep pockets to manage those costs as the price of doing business. My father sold his Trenton rentals to the same investor who owned over 200 in
the city in multiple LLC's. My father and friends of his who own rental properties in Howell are not that guy. People who can't buy homes need an affordable place to live. And Howell has historically been a place to find quality rental housing. The property
next to my parents house has always been a rental property. My best friend from the time I could walk until I entered first grade was Carol Lee Cerone. She lived next door and her family was on public assistance, but she touched my life in immeasurable ways. She
unfortunately died of a brain tumor at 16 and her name is on the memorial at Preventorium Hill. The renters that are there now have been there a few years. They have a very chatty rooster that is very annoying. But I am very grateful
for that rooster because he represents a household taking advantage of Howell's right to farm, something that is an integral and beautiful part of the fabric of Howell community. Perhaps it is the character of Yellowbrook Road that renters do not cause such disturbances to their
neighbors. What I heard last meeting and what I hear tonight, however, is that other residences other residents in more densely populated zones in Howell are not so happy with their non-owner occupant neighbors. The public should be aware that if there is a possible
rooming or boarding house in their neighborhood, call the state department of community affairs or DCA. If there is a recovery facility or home that you believe is unlicensed, call DCA. They will investigate and make a determination. The state has the ability
to assess fines and reprimand landlords. There is also a database online to check whether or not a facility or address has a license. Beyond that, what I have submitted to the council tonight are some proposals that can address the problem and
conserve town resources akin to what I think how is already trying to implement, but with a focus on identifying priority areas with a clear workflow and procedure to address rental properties that are draining town resources and those that are cooperative
to their neighbors or who have long-term tenants. The packet contains information on a proactive or cooperative compliance model implemented by municipalities facing similar challenges all across the country from Massachusetts to California
in Nebraska and Tennessee as well as a draft of a proposed ordinance. The long and short of it is that we can one identify priority zones for enforcement that is neighborhoods that are frequent users of emergency services or have a
lot of complaints. Two, publicly published checklists and inspection guidelines for the public, for landlords, and for tenants. Three, have a clear workflow that rewards efforts at compliance and has consequences for continued non-compliance that will
actually affect a rogue landlord's bottom line. And four, collect data and share process and outcomes with the public at council meetings. Also, I'd like to address something that Matt brought up at the last meeting about occupancy. What I've noticed in
Mammoth and Ocean counties is that there seems to be in different municipalities some restrictions on occupancy not based on the state's square footage guidelines but our calculations but on the number of bedrooms. For instance, a two-bedroom condo is allowed a maximum of four
people even though there might be room enough for six. As an aside, my father would never rent a two-bedroom house to six people. Do you know the problems they cause with the plumbing? he would say. But clearly there are property owners out there who can absorb the cost
of such damages and don't care about the detriment to their asset. There are those landlords, however, that do. Anyway, it would be a great opportunity if we could workshop and further discuss the ideas put forward tonight with the
town. Everyone who was at the last meeting could part and at this meeting it's been five minutes could particip I'm finishing participation in any workshops or committees proposed around this issue. Your time has ended. Thank you. Thank you,
Jim. Jim Howard. I don't usually need that. Jim Howard, 12 bass place at Howell. a 31-year Howell resident, a uh certified uh firearms instructor,
and a Second Amendment supporter. Here today to talk about a proposed law I sent a couple of weeks ago, actually a month ago, uh on an ordinance adoption that we got through in Englishtown on on June 11th. Uh one of the things that's happened over the last couple years, I'm
sure you're all aware, but the Brewan decision allowed concealed carry in the state of New Jersey. Six months later, the Murphy administration went out and put the brew and response bill in would put exorbitant fees and a lot of obstacles. That's being fought by all
the different Second Amendment groups in the court system. Uh but what we found in Englishtown with the help of the mayor who would have been here tonight if he didn't have a workshop also is that there's no requirement for the town to keep the municipal portion of the of
the fee which is $150. So, the law requires a $200 fee. $50 of that goes to the state for violent crime compensation. $150 goes to the municipality to defay the cost of administration and issuing
the permits. It doesn't cost $150. Uh five years ago, it cost $25 for that. Town got nothing out of it. Now, it's $150 for the same check that you get for a pistol purchase
permit, which is $25. Town keeps that. There's no difference other than a six-fold increase. I did um forward the email to the council after the last or after the English Town meeting. And I just had a couple of quick questions.
Surprised because usually I'll go for an hour. Um there's no other constitutional right that you have to pay a fee or a permit for. I didn't have to pay a fee to come here tonight and talk. I don't have to pay a fee or get a permit to go to church on Sunday. And I think our
constitutional rights um deserve the respect of the council. And I would like to talk further about introducing this ordinance and and providing some response or some relief to the to the residents of the town from the uh
Murphy administration's ridiculous fees. Jim, I sent you a message earlier. hang around after the meeting tonight. We'll do. Thanks, Fred. Thank you, Eddie. Thank you. Betty Valletz Gimble, 97 Victory Road.
Thank you to all the residents who spoke this evening for taking the time to provide research and evidence to our council with the goal of helping our community. You are the leaders our community needs in light of the
shortcomings of our administration. Why is Howell Township choosing to overregulate specific groups over others? At the start of the 18-monthlong struggle of the farmers, the original ordinances were extremely detailed. It
seemed no stone was left unturned. But single family homes being converted into rooming houses, the residents and council are told little can be done legally. As presented,
these same issues exist in other towns. Yet those professionals are finding ways to ensure the quality of life for their residents. Council, do you remember the farming ordinances that permitted two people per
car for a farm event? We had to argue and present the township's own master plan to gain three occupants. Yet, the administration maintains that nothing can be done to implement restrictions on parking.
I have provided samples of parking ordinances from other towns for your review. I was surprised to see such detail given that Howell residents are continually being told nothing can be done.
Please review them and perhaps utilize them for reference during your future collaborative meetings. Furthermore, the council meetings do not provide an opportunity for dialogue between council admin and residents.
I encourage the council to develop workshops in which residents have the opportunity to contribute their expertise and skills around pressing issues. Give the people the opportunity to be the watchmen of their own
neighborhoods, their own quality of life. I also encourage the council to open the master plan subcommittee meetings to the public and designate a time for collaboration and public participation.
The master plan is the driving force of zoning and land use ordinances in which we are all affected. A few years ago, I was denied my request for an extension of time to review the master plan during the reszoning of the
SED zones which permitted warehouses. If given the opportunity, I would have been able to advocate for Victory Road long before an application was submitted. We the residents, the stakeholders should have an as many opportunities to
participate. That is transparency. Thank you, Richard. Good evening everybody. Uh Richard Krug, KRG for Sammy Drive. Um la last month I'm
going to keep this light. Okay. Last month uh I spoke about the AROV issue and I think we all know what that is. we and know and as I know that it was presented and approved on May 6th, okay,
with certain requirements and I read through it multiple times, so I'm very familiar with the ordinance. Okay. Unfortunately, two weeks ago, I had a bad experience in front of my own home. I was out in Jackson tending some horses
that my girlfriend owns when I got a phone call from my neighbor that I have a bucket truck in my driveway. And I said, "What are they doing?" Well, they're trimming trees down. So, I had to leave the farm in Jackson. And while
I was driving here, I called the police and I asked them to meet me at my home. And I got there and I found um a bucket truck in front of my home. trimming the tree, which is I don't know. I I ordered that tree 38
years ago when you guys offered trees to us when we first moved in. So, I've maintained it for 38 years, but I realize it's probably not my tree because it's within a 10-ft setback. Uh, and I said to them, "What are you doing?" And I have two very expensive
cars. One's a classic car, the one I had on my shirt in the driveway, and another uh sports car in the driveway. And I said, "Listen, stop what you're doing." The police asked me to identify myself. I said, "Other than I live in this home right
here, um I am a uh recently retired uh DCA licensed uh construction official, an electrical subode official in Milsex County. So, I'm very familiar with what the laws are and what they should be doing. So, the the police were
excellent. I got I got to tell you, they they said, "Take take the reigns here." I said, "I want to know if you guys have a permit because along with the ordinance that was approved is a requirement for a permit, a land use
permit, and some type of uh plan was supposed to be submitted." And I was informed that they don't have it. They don't have it in their possession. They told me they have it, but they don't have it with them. And so, like I do for
30 years, when I go to on a job site and they don't have a permit or they can't show me plans, they fail. So, I told them, "I'm failing you." And the police said, and I I said, "I'm asking for for um um some mutual respect here being
that I am licensed in the state." And I showed them my license. They said, "Well, it's re reasonable, and we know that they're supposed to have a permit." And uh what had happened was one guy left and apparently went to his home. Um
I feel like I got conned a little bit because there's a gentleman that I've been speaking to uh at length over this whole issue. He never disclosed that he himself is the person running the project for this private entity that's putting the wire up.
So they were done actually already. I left it be. It's done. But I said I would have liked to have been informed that you needed to do work over there because I would not have stopped you from doing it. But I would have moved the cars out of the driveway. I don't need the damage to the vehicles. And I I
think it was a a big lack of uh respect there. And that another issue I want to bring up is I feel like I'm being invaded. I'm I'm not going to play games with wording here and and uh you know stroke it nicely. It it's an invasion
right now. Uh I think it's very disrespectful because the key word here is assimilation. I've never seen anything like what's going on now where I have to cater to everybody else's needs. And I don't feel like I've been
in that house 39 years. I think I I deserve a little respect. I paid my taxes every year. I just think it's it's uh the right the right thing to do. Um the other issue I want to talk about is I have uh again a synagogue across the
street from me at 7 Sammy Drive. Seven. It's the same model home that I have. It's a four uh bedroom uh center hall colonial Georgian style colonial with a basement. and the uh previous owner sold
it to Orthodox Group. I don't know if it's an LLC or not. I would actually like to know that and maybe I'll follow Oprah request to see if that's true. It's been five minutes. I'm done. Yes. Yes, sir. Okay. Very good.
Um R3 where I live is not be useful. Richard Time's up. I got to get this out, ma'am. Richard, sorry. You're done. It's fair to everyone. Five minutes. Thank you, Richard. I'm gonna We'll look up the address and we'll we'll see what it what
it's if it's a if the LLC or whatever. I promise you that's not the issue. I don't care about that. They are charging people to sir. I'm sorry. I'm going to have to stop you. Okay. I just let that be said. There's a fee involved and that's a BU group and not an R.
Thank you, sir. Thank you. Take care. Hey Richard, I disagree with the five minutes also sir. I think we need to increase the five minutes. That might not be popular. That's but it's it's not everyone should come up
talk. We should respond. It should go back to the way it used to be. We'll see if that's going to happen. So let let us finish first. All right. Finish. Paula. Paula Samur Paula Samurel to Driftwood Drive. I debated about whether I was
going to come up here and speak. So talk louder. Can you hear me now? Yes. So funny when I have to do that. Anyway, let me put this down. Um I've been debating for the last two weeks whether I was going to speak or not. And sitting
here listening to all of my other um neighbors, I decided that It's it's the right thing to do. First of all, I just want to say, wow, do we have a lot of smart people living right here in how
and I hope that the the town council does take advantage of those suggestions. Um, uh, Mr. Krueger, um, brought up some points that I was thinking about bringing. I live right down the road from him and this this establishment
this installation I should say of the um the EVO boundary system. I have no objection to it. However, the way that it was done was not right. You don't you you you pass an ordinance that's going
to give everyone the right to enjoy their property. And you can't just have a one ordinance that's going to capitalize on the on um you know the rights of one person uh you
know and and not take into consideration the rights of other people. This 10 ft this right away thing um everybody it's public it's public it's for public use. It's not for one person. It's not for one group of people. Um Mr. Krueger was
was I think that's how you say your name. Um he was um lucky enough to have a tree in front of his in front of his property. What happens if you don't have a tree and someone makes an application to put up one of these EVU boundary systems and you're going to it says in
the ordinance that a pole will be supplied to to you know to to install this. Who is going to want to have a pole right in front of their house? Isn't that going to hamper that person's
right to repass and pass through the right away? I thought that the the right away was for public use for everybody for utility lines or electric lines or water lines or if the town needed to um widen the the streets or they just, you
know, thank you very much, they just redid all of our our sidewalks. Um it this ordinance needs to be revamped. Is there going to be who's going to be responsible if this tree that was trimmed? Okay. Was it was it a licensed
or uh arborist that did this? The person that was running the um the the um uh whatever you call it the thing that the the bucket truck. The bucket truck, right? The person were they were they licensed to do this? These are things that need to be
considered before these permits are given out because first of all, you may have somebody that's deciding gets crazy and they're over there cutting branches off of trees, weakening the trees. We've been having some terrible, terrible wind storms. They they can run the risk of
that tree being weakened so much that it falls down on someone's house. Who's going to be responsible for it? Is the homeowners going to have to take an a an additional liability insurance out in in in case this happens? Has anyone thought
of this? you. We just need to I understand that these e-root boundary systems are, you know, they're something that's going to save, you know, uh help people with their culture, you know, whatever. And and have like a shared
domain, but we're not all of that culture. And I think that what we need to do is we as as Rich had said, we kind of feel like we're being taken advantage of. And the simple fact that we're all running around afraid to say anything and afraid that we're going to be sued,
which brings me to another point. Perhaps if one someone says they're going to sue the town because they're being discriminated against or whatever, maybe there should be a committee that sits there and decides, you know, well,
should we take let it be taken to court or should we settle? because the town's people are the ones that pay in the end whether we're sued or whether we settle. So that's all I have to say. But thank you very much and I'm sorry if I'm all
over the place because I wasn't planning I'd talk. Anyone else? Good evening, mayor and council professionals. My name is Mark Priy. I live at Twastle Court. Um, first I I just want to start off by thanking all the residents that came here tonight to
speak. Uh there's clearly a lot of caring, smart, engaged people in this community and I believe uh our governing body and administration should do everything they can to kind of tap into this this energy and uh there's a lot of
professional people that are paying attention to what's going on and and they have a right to have a seat at the table. Um, as far as uh the gentleman that spoke earlier, and you know, I I understand Diane, I understand that there's a fiveminute rule and, you know, you got to be consistent with enforcing
with everybody. I totally respect that. But, you know, it it occurred to me that um, you know, and I understand why that was enacted uh, not too many years, a few years ago, because there was a lot of banter and back and forth with certain council members that were getting argumentative with residents and
it was just going sideways and it needed to stop. So, I I understand that. Um, but, you know, I I think about a resident that maybe has lived in this town for 10, 20 years, you know, and uh paid property taxes and maybe never came to a council meeting, you know, and
decided finally I'm going to go to a council meeting and I'm going to speak about something that's important to me and they got up here and maybe they're not aware that there's a fiveminute rule and, you know, and all of a sudden at five minutes like they're cut off. And again, Diane, that's that's not on on you guys. You know, that person that wants to maybe they're being respectful.
they're pray they're talking to you about an important issue that they have that you know and they finally have decided to come to to a council meeting to speak about it and then they're just cut off. You know I feel like you know in our form of government the mayor doesn't have a lot of power but I do know this that in our our charter in the Faulner act that the mayor presides over
this meeting and I would certainly advocate that the mayor should have the discretion to extend that time and show that courtesy and that respect to that resident so that they can speak. So I I I would act ask that the the mayor and council work together to maybe
amend that council meeting protocol and allow for the mayor to use their discretion to extend that courtesy and respect to a resident to anybody that comes here to to speak if they just need another 30 seconds or a minute or what have you. It's just the right thing to do. Um the other thing that I uh the
gentleman who spoke about the noise issue uh I know a little bit about noise issues in this town and I will say that having dealt with you know a noise issue myself up until 2019 when the town adopted the model noise ordinance from the D that they needed to have a noise
control officer and I spoke with former manager Joe Clark and other people at the county health department. As far as I know we still don't have a noise control officer, somebody that knows how to read a sound meter that can go out and take sound measurements. That was in 2019. That's all I'm going to say to
that. So, um, to the woman who talked about, you know, there's so many, you know, people in this town that care, uh, it's my understanding that our town that we can, uh, form citizens advisory committees. I know we have a lot of boards and committees for different things, but I also know that we have the
ability to form new uh advisory committees and I would encourage you guys to maybe look at exploring that maybe not start off with one for a specific narrow scope, you know, uh but look at all the people that are here that want to, you know, be involved and
have some ideas of how we can improve our community. Um the last thing that I wanted to talk about tonight was uh just if I could get a quick legal update. I've been following the waste transfer station litigation and I'm aware that
this count uh that uh the town reach a settlement agreement uh with the entity called resource recycling LLC. For those who don't know, the waste transfer stationation is the dump off of Randolph Road. It's in litigation. Um so we our town struck a settlement agreement in
January of 2024 with an entity called Resource Recycling LLC. Uh the county ended up denying the request for inclusion into the uh waste management plan in February of this year. Litigation ensued. There was a complaint
that was filed from Resource Recycling LLC. And as it turns out, there is no LLC called Resource Recycling LLC that um it was just a madeup LLC that our town entered into a settlement with. And
um so now the the the county filed a motion to dismiss the complaint from Resource Recycling LLC, basically saying that doesn't exist in New Jersey. Uh, and so now I I just wonder whether or not the settlement agreement that we struck with Resource Recycling LLC is
actually binding on this town and whether or not our council could take a policy decision with their legal teams and look at whether if we're intervening in this lawsuit, whose side are we intervening on and are we bound by that settlement agreement. That's all I have
to say. Anyone else calling once? Seeing no further public, uh, may I have a motion to close public, please? Motion to close public. Second. All in favor? I.
Response from public officials. Uh in relation to the first two residents that spoke of the ordinance on Kent Road and Ford Road, I did have a meeting today. The uh land use officer is absent from tonight's meeting. I did have a meeting with him today and the
township engineer and they did speak of um do not block the box and also driveway signs as well as paint the box. So I will bring this other information to their attention as well. Let me see what else I got. Anyone else? Uh, mayor and council, I I
we've received a lot of information from residents um that I'd like to be able to go through um and give the proper due dension and report back to you at the next meeting with regard to it. Um there's a lot of interesting um
contentneutral approaches that these residents have provided that I'd like to go through and again respond back to you and give it the due diligence that it requires. Well, can I can I respectfully uh request your presence at the next meeting on August 19th?
You certainly can. I'll be here, mayor, to in replacement of our our current attorney. I will be here. Yes. Thank you very much. Um, additionally, uh, in connection with the resource recycling LLC litigation, I can say that uh, as of July 1st, 2025, the township did file a motion to
intervene into that litigation. So, we are involved at this point. Um the only other thing I can recommend um it came up numerous times in terms of committees. You as the mayor have the
right to put together an ad hoc committee um with residents uh professionals. There is a lot of learned people here that seem to have a lot of information that they'd like to share. If that is something like you would you would want to do I certainly can help assist with that as well.
Thank you. Do we have any updates on Ruben Court? Ruben Court was approved by the fire bureau and with that approval they can then file for state approvals. All right. Council, Mrs. uh Fiser. Um, I
would just like to remind the public that we're a lot of us on council are live in South Howell, so we're living the same experience that you are and and the reminder that we're we're obviously paying the direct consequences of Biden's open border policy. It's here.
We're here. We're we're we're a border town and we are trying very hard to push the envelope with new ordinances and I think the time has definitely come to form these to form a committee. uh the sooner the better to help us pass these
ordinances. Um we do have a lot of smart and and passionate people here. We have to definitely get that going as soon as possible. Um and I'm I'm sure other council members can speak on on behalf of this. Um Governor Murphy has certainly not made things any easier for
us. He's protecting um the wrong side and instead of protecting his own citizens, his own taxpaying people here. Um the courts are also siding with a lot of these slum l you know landlord LLC's. Um we recently
had a case. We were ready to pull the COO and the judge ruled against us and for the for the landlord. So we have been trying um you know someone recognized our code enforcement officers. They're trying. Um sometimes
it feels like our hands are tied uh because of the the policies especially in in this lovely sanctuary state we're in. Hopefully that'll change in November. Um, but I do think it's time, mayor, that we form a a committee and take advantage of of this talent and and
and passion that we have right now. Well, that that's why, you know, I got together with the few residents and, you know, let them brainstorm and hopefully a list of that stuff that has been handed over to our attorney and we could
uh implement some of those same things here that are implemented in other towns that are legal and that's the that's the goal. So, it's a it's a it's a process and obviously, you know, we try to try to get things done and loophole gets closed. So then we got to open a
loophole and some of the individuals we're dealing with are don't care about the fines, don't care about the legal ramifications, don't care about our neighbors and uh frankly I'm completely disgusted with it. So it's uh I I'll
talk about that in a few seconds. Evelyn, anything? No, I think that pretty much what's being said right now by my uh counterparts on the DAS that I actually said at the last meeting. So those comments still stand with me strongly.
Mr. Leil, uh just yeah, thank you to everyone who came out and presented us with some sample ordinances from different towns. Uh obviously we're going to have our attorneys look into it and hopefully some of these things could be adopted here at the local level and hopefully
have some kind of results that we're all looking for. I know I'm personally looking for some results with uh all these rental properties going on and what's doing to the town. So, yeah, that's just that's how I feel on that. Uh the gentleman with the firearms, I
did get your letter. Uh you didn't put your phone number on it, so I couldn't give you a call to discuss it, but I'll talk to you after the meeting as well. And one other thing, so we had our Fourth of July fireworks and concert series kickoff a couple weeks ago. It's great turnout. Just want to give a thank you to Steve Fetcher who organized
everything and all our various departments who make it all happen. RPD, uh, fire bureau, EMS, volunteer EMS, uh, everyone who was there, all the residents who came out. It was just a good night for Howell and we got our next one tomorrow
night. So, hope to see everybody there. Mr. Gaser, I'd like to thank everyone who came tonight. It's nice to see different faces. I'm going to echo what everybody else said. I have a lot of homework to do to
read what was given to us and I can guarantee you I will look at it. Everybody else will look at it. We'll talk it over with our code people and our lawyers to find out what is palatable and what uh can be done. Uh listen, we live here ju just like you
you do. So, you know, we we're on your side. So, again, thanks for coming. All right, let me address everyone try in a little bit in order. As far as Caroline and Susan, um echoing what Mrs. Fino said, you know, we're going to work
work with the engineering and this uh this four-way stop is going to, you know, needs to come in. I know it's going to inconvenience a couple of you, but you know, we we have to have to have to protect that roadway, you know, quality of life obviously over there and
um whatever is going to have to get done, painting, signage, blinking, lights to make that as efficient as possible. you know, the the narrowness of the road, you know, obviously 50 years ago, 30 years ago, no one no one ever expected, you know, our neighboring
towns to have an explosion in, you know, residents and now, you know, overflowing into, you know, surrounding towns. These roadways obviously weren't built to handle that kind of flow and it's, uh, it's an ongoing issue in many areas of town. So, uh, this is just one that's
going to get get addressed. Um, as far as uh Ruben Court, you guys know that our hand, you know, as far as with the state, our hands are tied with it. Um, I I don't agree with it. I don't like the fact that, you
know, a house gets picked on a on a Kovac like that. And, uh, now all of a sudden it gets turned over to, in this particular case, a sober living home. And uh it's it's it's it's a it's you know very unpopular for for for you you
guys on that street with their uh with the children and uh the changing of the individuals every I guess weeks or month you know weeks or um No, let me just finish. Okay. So Mr. Howard has made it clear that
the town's hands are tied as far as what has happened over there. your recommendations though that were made today. Okay. Our attorney has listened and I'm sure she wrote it down. Moving forward, if we could implement stuff on
our books to control this school areas, everything that you said, which is thank you very much for the information. He worked hard on that. I don't know about, you know, as far as overturning the one that's on your block, if that's you, I can't sit up here and say that's going to happen or not happen. I don't think
so. You know, legally, here's where the residents of our town and every town need to go and talk to our congressmans, our senators, our assemblymen and women. Things need to change. We were shut down by a state senator.
Okay. Well, all right. So, I'm, you know, listen, I'll talk when the meeting's over. We'll talk again, okay? Like we did two weeks ago. I have no problem none of us coming down and speaking again. Um, uh, the eus,
you're right, Mr. You know, Richard, there's there there's supposed to be a permit bold a specific streets this uh setback. It's not supposed to be going across any private property.
That was in the ordinance, I believe. Yes. Existing utilities. Existing, right? It's not supposed to go across, you know, if it was going to be on a greenway or open space. And if the neighbor let you attach to their fence, that's fine. Okay. But what happened to you over there? If
if if you know that wasn't pulled, the permit wasn't pulled. We need to find out if it wasn't pulled. Okay. Please, I'll find out. Let's look into that. And then the address across the street. Okay. Um Mr. uh Mr. Howard, I agree with you as
far as these fees are concerned. Sir, I think we you have a uh three of us or maybe all five of us agree with that in this particular case with the carry. It's an overreach by the state. It's overreach by the government for more fees and just just it's ridiculous to you know we got to protect our second
amendment right and we shouldn't have to just keep paying and paying just so it fills other avenues up with revenue you know so they could you know try to even get more more blockage for our second right second amendment. That's right. So we're we're with you on that sir. We'll work on that. Um,
Mr. Mr. um, where is he at? On uh, Bry Avenue, I talked to you personally, Mr. Yo, Mark, and I hear your complaint, sir, with the the rental side and then the noise side.
I guess we could, you know, talk to the chief of police and and if we there is some kind of officer that could get training for this. I The other problem is is when's the officer going to be available? if they're off that day and there's the noise complaint, how how are we going to handle it? There's a lot of
moving parts with that. So, mayor, there's also the ability to put in what's called a nuisance ordinance. Um, okay. That would uh not require a decibel reading that would give discretion to the officer. So, I will be looking into that as well. There you go. So, may we So, we're going to be working on stuff. All right.
Um, and now back to this rental. Okay. I spent the weekend um driving around because I've gotten I don't know just you just bear with me for a few seconds. I've gotten probably 50 50 or 60
phone calls, face Facebook messages, okay? Some of them are new, some of them are old. And I know for a fact that our code enforcement goes out, okay? I don't want anyone in this room or anyone listening to think that our code enforce we have a
large code enforcement department. Okay. They go out and they check. Okay. Now when they check they try to go to the front door. Do they get let in? Most cases not. Okay. Some cases they do. But let's just focus on
the bad actors that these few women came up here that helped us with these um moving forward with some ordinances. And I thank you very much for your time. Thank you for, you know, meeting meeting with me and discussing it and uh brainstorming and seeing what other
towns in in New Jersey have on the books for us to hopefully also get on the books to come, you know, to address it. But, you know, when I go around and I see I see some of these violations, right? And I'm just going to say what I have to say. And I
don't care if if if if it offends anyone in this room, okay? Because I'm just done. Uh if you want something, sugarcoat it, then I suggest you go eat a donut, okay? Because I'm done with trying to make a good excuse or a good a
good example or why this shouldn't get done. Okay? Some of these homes look like a third world country. Okay. And that's it. Cars on the lawn, garbage on the side of the house, three-bedroom ranch with 15 cars parked in front of
it, but it's not over occupied. Okay, it's ridiculous. So, I prepared a little statement here. Let me just get through this statement because I want to stay stay on point so that way it's on the record. And like I said, I'm going to say it for you folks.
It needs to be said and I'll say it because a lot of people don't want to say it or were worried about, you know, hurting feelings or going after this group or going after that group and it it's just not right. Okay. Now, the town's rental explosion, you know,
is uh hold on a second, let me just get my bearings. At the end of the day, this is about uh regulating occupancy and uh of unrelated people in single family homes. Okay, that's one of the big big concerns. And let me be perfectly clear about it. It's
not about race, religion, or creed. The facts are the facts and that's it. we have a small group of LLC's or homeowners themselves hiding behind the LLC or a management, you know, a company acting on their behalf of the landlords
that are disregarding the ordinances that we have on the books already to safeguard our neighborhoods from this type of overreach. Some of these owners and tenants do not care what their neighbors think, how it's affecting their sense of security or quality of life. Let me make that clear. They do
not care what you think, what you have to say. Okay? It's a money grab as far as the unit itself. And what is that behind that money grab? It's to piss you guys off, piss me off, all of us that live in these neighborhoods to maybe
sell the house ourselves so they could grab another house and do the same thing. Okay? And unfortunately, we, you know, we listen, we have a lot of good landlords in town. I know a bunch of them. And they hold their tenants accountable to
the occupancy rules, to the quality of life rules, everything. But this small group that have, you know, come in just like other towns, they probably don't even live even around here. They might be in California
or Illinois or Canada or in another country. It is what it is. It's uh but it's done. It's doing its damage, right? So, some of the owners and tenants, you know, and I said that already, when it comes to the occupancy rules, health and
safety, it's just common sense, right, folks? You would think if it's a three-bedroom house or a four-bedroom house, maybe two people per bedroom max. Okay? And then we go back to the size of the bedroom and if there's a closet, but that's not the case here, folks.
Many of these homes, the rooms are getting divided up, the basements are getting divided up, the garages are getting divided up. All right? And even outside sheds have people living in them. Okay? It's it's absolutely ridiculous. Okay? So, you know, I'm
saying what I need to say because I've seen it. I've walked in, you know, on off on these streets. I park my truck. I take a quick walk and and and some of the stuff is just absolutely ridiculous. But and you know like I said code enforcement tries and you know and we
don't we don't get nowhere. So um these single family homes are just that single family homes not multiple family not boarding houses not hotels and what's good for one should be good for all when the township ordinances are not being
followed being nice gets us nowhere. All right. So, moving forward and code enforcement already is doing this, but like I said, sometimes it doesn't work. You know, you're giving you one warning, clean it up, fix the problem.
In some cases, it works, in some cases it doesn't. Okay. So, what do we have to do then? Moving, you know, you know, increasing the fines. We'll see you in court. That happens. And in some cases, it's still not working. So, I feel zero
tolerance for repeat offenders and landlords. That's the only way to do this, folks, is zero tolerance. If they want to play the games, then we're going to just find. All right. We're just going to find the hell out of them. Okay. They want to pay, they don't
want to pay. Okay. And if we're going to have to go to court and litigate it, then we're going to have to go to court and litigate it. It's going to cost the town money. Okay. But what are we supposed to do, right? We're just going to give away our town. So, I'm I'm not for that. And that's it.
So, you know, it's funny how I talked to some of these tenants over the weekend, right? And they blame the landlord. Oh, I didn't know I couldn't do that. And then the landlord will say, "I didn't know my tenant wasn't doing that." So, let me get this straight. You buy an
$800,000 house in town. Okay? I got one on my block. It's for rent right now. It was only put on a site to attract a certain demographic of of people. Okay. It's right it's two houses away from me.
Okay. So, let's see what happens with it cuz I got another one around the block. The other one around the block from me, you know, I don't know. I passed that coming here today. 17 cars. It's a fourbedroom house. The grass is about 5t tall. Okay. It's absolutely It's
absolutely ridiculous, right? But I guess they're paying the fines and they don't care what we have to say. So the landlords want to blame the tenants. The tenants want to blame the landlords. It's the landlord's, you know, job to tell the tenants. Well, obviously you can't have 20 people living in a the
three-bedroom house or, you know, the tenants are just doing it because that's how they live from wherever they came from. And that's not how it is here. Single family occupy over, you know, stressing out our water system, our sewer system, electric. How about our schools? Okay, multiple kids coming out
of the same house and and the house is paying a single family tax. So the rest of the the rest of the tax for that kid for all the special programs or whatever is going on, busing, you know, English as a second language, whatever, we're all assuming that money. It's not fair.
But nobody wants to say it, right? So it's said, we said it. Okay. And if it makes me unpopular, I don't care. Moving forward, folks. Thank you, Mayor.
That's been said 100 times. All right. Going on to resolutions. Uh your mayor uh just just so you're aware uh resolution 25210 and resolution 25203 have both been pulled.
Thank you. So we are going to vote on resolution R25206 through 209 skip 10 112 skip 13 14 15 16 17 18. Uh do I have a motion? I a motion to
adopt resolutions R25-206 to R25-209, R25211 to R25212, R25214 to and through R25218.
Second to those before mentioned. Councilwoman Fischer, yes. Councilman Nadell, yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell, yes. Deputy Mayor Ger, yes. Mayor Leo. Yes. Consent resolutions passed as explained.
On to resolution R2529. Uh this resolution is reappointing Diane Fino RMC as municipal clerk of the township and establishment of tenure beginning on July 11, 2025. May I have a motion for 25-29?
I'll make a motion. Second. Roll call. Councilwoman Fischer, yes. Councilman Nadell, yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell, yes. Deputy Mayor Ger, abstain. Mayor Legio, yes.
The resolution passes. Resolution R25-29A. This resolution is authorizing the township to enter an agreement with Diane Fino regarding compensation for her role as acting township manager. Motion to approve.
Second. Councilwoman Fischer. Yes. Councilman Nadell? Yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell? Yes. Deputy Mayor Ger? Yes. Mayor Legio? Yes. Okay. On to unfinished business. Um public hearing on adoption of ordinances
uh 0-25-29. An ordinance amending chapter 7 traffic schedule 7 through streets and schedule 8 stop intersections of the revised general ordinances of the township of how I have a motion. Yeah. No. Open to the public. I'm sorry.
The public hearing on ordinance 25-29 is now open. If anyone wishes to comment on this ordinance, please come to the podium and state your name and address for the record. Seeing no one close public comment. Motion to close public. Second. All in favor? I
should make a motion to adopt ordinance 25-29. Second. Councilwoman Fischer, yes. Councilman Nadell, yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell, yes. Deputy Mayor Gisher, yes. Mayor Leio. Yes. This ordinance is adopted.
Uh, next is ordinance uh 0-25-30, an ordinance setting forth and amending and supplementing the salary range schedule for the salaries of certain officers and employees of the township of how public open to the public. introduction
intro. Okay. A second. Uh I'm sorry. Councilwoman Fischer, yes. Councilman Nadell, yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell, yes. Deputy Mayor Ger, yes. Mayor Leio, yes. This ordinance is properly introduced.
On to zero dash 2531. Just just uh make clear the public uh this will be a second reading and uh hearing on August 19th, 2025. Sorry. On to the next. Yes.
Ordinance authorizing the leasing of certain capital equipment by the Township of Howell, New Jersey from the Mammoth County Improvement Authority and the execution of a lease and agreement relating there too. Motion to approve to introduce. Second. Okay.
Councilwoman Fischer. Yes. Councilwoman Nadell. Yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell. Yes. Deputy Mayor Ger. Yes. Mayor Leio. Yes. This ordinance is properly introduced and will be on for public hearing and adoption on August 19th, 2025.
0-2532. Ordinance authorizing the guarantee by the township of Howell in the county of Mammoth, state of New Jersey, of payment of principal and interest on the capital equipment lease revenue bonds series 2025, Howell Board of Education project of the Mammoth County Improvement
Authority. Motion to introduce ordinance 25-32. Second. Councilwoman Fischer, yes. Councilman Nadell, yes. Councilwoman O'Donnell, yes. Deputy Mayor Ger, yes. Mayor Legio.
Yes. This ordinance is properly introduced and will also be on for a public hearing and adoption on August 19th. Moving on, uh, next regular scheduled meeting will take place on August 19th at 7 p.m. Executive session at 6.
Regular meeting at 7. Seeing no further business before the council, may I get a motion to adjurnn? Motion to adjurnn. Second. All in favor? All right.