WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=9cD8X54DIqM

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: 9cD8X54DIqM):
- 00:00:00: Meeting Commencement, Roll Call, and Student Recognition Ceremony
- 00:03:53: Township Council Comments: Data Centers and Legal Position
- 00:07:40: Council Comments: Memorial Day, Data Centers, Budget Concerns
- 00:13:35: Council Comments: Award Recipients, Data Centers, Reflection
- 00:14:39: Council Comments: Data Centers, Politics, Concerns about Jackson
- 00:19:14: Mayor's Report: Memorial Day, New Business, Litter Cleanup
- 00:20:54: Administrator's Update: Landlord Registration, HOA Reimbursements
- 00:21:59: President's Comments: Data Centers, Rental Registration, DPW
- 00:25:11: Public Comment: Ordinance 2026-10 - Stormwater Management
- 00:26:22: Public Comment: Reynolds' Question Regarding Variances
- 00:31:29: Ordinances: Development Fees, Paper Streets, Parking Restrictions
- 00:37:34: Ordinances: Addressing Parking Safety and Local Control
- 00:40:43: Exceeding Municipal Budget Appropriation Limits and Cap Bank
- 00:50:29: Payment of Bills and Claims; Abstentions and Vendor Review
- 00:53:59: Consent Agenda: Resolutions 160 through 165
- 00:56:20: Estimated Tax Bills and Budget Amendment Approvals
- 00:58:00: Fire Department Consolidation Announcement and Explanation
- 00:59:19: Public Comment: Missing Podium and OPER Request Stalling
- 01:03:53: Public Comment: Directing Employees Inappropriately and Confidential Assistant
- 01:06:28: Public Comment: Transparency, Budget Concerns, User Friendly Budget
- 01:13:53: Public Comment: Citizen Budget Advisory Committee, Solutions for the Problem
- 01:20:48: Public Comment: Data Centers, Support Councilman Pollock Draft
- 01:23:34: Public Comment: Tax Concerns, Aquifier, Foundation in New Development
- 01:30:57: Public Comment: Commercial Applications, Heavy Equipment, Resolution Discrepancies
- 01:36:34: Public Comment: Cartoon on Facebook Group, Comments in Jackson
- 01:41:48: Public Comment: Recognizing Employees and Snow Removal Review
- 01:47:51: Public Comment: Rental and Housing Concerns
- 01:55:15: Public Comment: Addressing the Bamboo Situation
- 01:57:08: Public Comment: Tort Claims and Bid-Rigging Scheme
- 02:01:24: Public Comment: Fire Department, Snowplowing, Radio Interference
- 02:06:28: Public Comment: Rent Leveling Board, Facebook, and Social Media


Part: 1

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United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Good evening and welcome to the May 26, 2026 regular meeting of the Jackson Township Council. Pursuant to the

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provision of the New Jerseys Open Public Meeting Act, adequate notice of this meeting was properly provided by transmitting the notice of the meeting on January 9th for publication. Notice of this meeting in the township council is posted in the corridor of the municipal building on the township website and in the office of the municipal clerk. We'll begin with a roll call. Councilman Belli

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>> here. >> Councilman Brassie >> here. >> Councilman Pollock >> here. >> Council Vice President Paul Mary >> present. >> Council President Bernstein >> here. >> Also attending this evening is Mayor Keune, Attorney McGucken, Administrator Tara Feno, Veronica Dagner, and myself,

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Sandra Martin. The next item on the agenda is the certificate of achievement portion. Council President Bernstein. >> Mayor Kim. >> Thank you, Council President. There are three students here from our graduating 2026 class that are going to receive one

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is receiving a mayor scholarship and two superintendent. Just wanted to say congratulations to all three of the recipients honored by the Ocean County Mayor's Association and the two recipients congratulated by the superintendent roundt. Your hard work and dedication commitment to our community and schools do not go

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unnoticed. We are proud of your accomplishments and grateful for your positive impact continue to make. Congratulations on this welldeserved recognition. If you'd like to come up all three of you. So we have Payton

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Brown is superintendent roundt. We have Colin Williams superintendent roundt. And then Madison Raten, Ocean County Mayors Association. >> Stand here. Congratulations. Thank you, Payton.

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Make sure I got it right. Make sure it says Colin and Payton. Congratulations. If the family would like to, >> if anyone from the family wants to come up for a photo, if anyone's here, family, friends, >> council will stand. You know, we'll stand up here and council will stand

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behind up here. Whichever one you want. >> Congratulations. >> Congratulations. We now hear opening comments from the township council starting with Council President Bernstein. >> Thank you, Madam Clerk, and congratulations again to our students.

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Lots of luck in your future endeavors. Um, I want to take a moment and read a memo. Um, there's been a lot of conversation and questions asked pertaining to data centers and I received an email today from Mr. Tremor who is our chairman of our environmental commission and there was some back and

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forth. I had opportunity in speaking to him for about 15 minutes this afternoon after he sent the email. Um and it's something that we've multiple members of the of the governing body have been looking into for the past couple months. Um the mayor called upon it in April and I've been in communication with attorney

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mcuck and together with Mr. Peters from RVE. So I just want to read a memo that I received from our legal council. Um and I received permission from mayor to uh to read it to the public. Um council president, please accept this amen more morium regarding the issue of whether

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data centers are prohibited or permitted use in Jackson Township currently. For the reasons which follow, such facilities are already not permitted uses in Jackson Township. Initially, Jackson Township Code 244-6 provides a definition of uses which are

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prohibited in the municipality. Under this provision, a use of any land, building, structure, or portion thereof that is not a permitted use is a prohibited use. This ordinance provision follows a clearly established case law that uses non-specifically permitted are

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non sorry that that established case law that you that uses that are not specifically permitted are deemed prohibited. Data centers are not listed as a permitted use in any zoning district in the township and are therefore prohibited anywhere in the township. Anyone seeking to establish such a facility, as with any other

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non-permitted or prohibited use, would have to apply for a use variance for the township zoning board and would need at least five affirmative votes with just as with any other non-permitted use being applied for. Adopting an ordinance prohibiting data centers when they are already not permitted would not change

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the fact that an applicant would have to would have the right to apply to the zoning board for use variance to allow for prohibited use just as it currently can do. I am aware that other towns in response to residents concerns have adopted ordinances prohibiting data centers. In each of these towns, once adopted, such an ordinance cannot

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prevent a use various variance application from being applied for. I am I am unaware if those towns have the same definitions of a prohibited use as Jackson does. However, if adopted here, such an ordinance accomplishes nothing more than what is currently the law in Jackson Township. data centers are not

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permitted and anyone seeking to develop develop one would have to apply for use variance to the zoning board. The township has the right to do so if it chooses. However, adopting such an ordinance has no other legal effect than prohibiting what is already prohibited. If council would like me to prepare such an ordinance, please uh kindly advise at

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your convenience. So, I I really I'm reading this. I want this to be a conversation among my colleagues over the next couple weeks. Um I do have a draft ordinance from our um um um our engineer that he did work on and it just you know and I think it's food for thought for the council and from our

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residents. We'd love to get some feedback from a the environmental commission and b from the rest of the residents. This does um Mr. Peters did point out to me, this reminds him a little bit of 2015 when the town um did not have a definition of dormitories and dormitories were not permitted in Jackson and they went ahead and banned

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dormitories and that opened up, as we're all uh quite aware, a whole uh uh can of worms. So, just to clarify again, the legal position of the township's uh legal attorney is that currently data centers are not permitted in Jackson Township. And um I think that's

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important because a lot of misinformation and rumors flying around and I don't think there's anyone currently on the deis or probably anyone here in the room who supports data centers in Jackson and um I don't think there's anyone on this day who's looking to make it any easier for anyone to build a data center here in Jackson. So

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thank you and have a wonderful evening. >> Council Vice President Paul Mary. >> Thank you clerk. I just wanted to thank the uh organizers of yesterday's Jackson uh Memorial Day parade. I want to thank all the volunteers and the residents who came out and uh supported the event even

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with some of the inclement weather. It was a very meaningful event. Uh for those here tonight, welcome. And for those watching from home, thank you for staying engaged. And just to uh piggyback on council president with the data centers, um if our legal team

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thinks that we should do something else or something further, then I am all ears for it. I'm I'm willing to uh to listen to it and and see uh what we could do. But I think it is across the board. Nobody wants data centers. So uh whatever we could do legally to make sure that that doesn't happen here, I

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would completely support. Thank you, >> Council Member Ellie. >> Uh thank you, Clerk Martin. Uh thank you to Council President Bernstein for bringing up that issue. I know it's a big concern with um a lot of residents and towns uh out our state and um it's something we definitely have to do our

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due diligence on and work with legal regarding addressing it um for uh our town and for the folks who live here in our town. So particularly when it comes to hearing that electricity costs can skyrocket as a result of these data centers. And that is something we

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definitely don't want to happen here in our own town. As we know, um, inflation is still pretty high. So, uh, since the last council meeting, uh, Councilman Pollock and I, we met with finance officials. I see, uh, uh, Mrs. Larrison here in the audience. Uh, thank you for

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being here. And we also met with business administrator Tara Fenco to do our due diligence and see for ourselves what the budget outlook was and um, if additional savings uh, could be made for this year's municipal budget, including from having to go over the budget cap ordinance we voted on. um and which is

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being reintroduced tonight. Um Councilman Pollock and I we did have some substantive uh questions regarding the municipal budget which we presented to our township budget officials and business administrator Tarfino at um our recent uh meeting with them. The meeting

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we had with budget officials and Mr. Tarano was very productive but unfortunately the news Councilman Pollock and I um received was not really good. Uh the budget is very dire. It's very tight for this year. Um I know a lot of other towns are going through the similar situation. Um even after our

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town made cuts in every department and um I I thank them for doing that and I asked if savings can be realized by reducing the current budget cap or uh appropriations and they recommend it's unfortunately not possible at this time. So let me say that increasing services

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is great like having recycling every week but it's like costing us an extra uh $454,000 plus in the budget. That's just one example. Because of the financial situation with our budget that it's so dire and so tight this year and we're looking at the possibility of budget

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deficits in the coming years, um our town's finance team recommended a hiring and spending freeze which would not affect contractual township employees of course or the cost of health benefit benefits which have gone up significantly. um not issues that we want to hear about

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or address, but we have to um as a town um governing here. And they also recommended no more discretionary spending unless it's absolutely necessary. I would support these measures to reign in any unnecessary municipal spending. And I hope my other council colleagues would join me in

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supporting these measures and the me mayor administration will as well because it's ultimately up to the mayor administration under the Faulner form of government we have here in Jack Jackson which is um similar to so many other hundreds of towns in our state to reign

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in that unnecessary spending by all township offices and departments before the bills come to us on the council to vote on. We can't spend beyond our means. I would suggest any major purchase should be sent to our township business administrator and administration before being spent on the

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very dire situation or budget officials painted for Councilman Pollock and I call for these drastic measures I feel and suggestions for town's fiscal integrity going forward. Most of all for the residents we were elected to represent. I strongly urge the mayor and administration to implement these

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measures in order to get Jackson back on the right financial track. Because of the budget situation moving forward looks very bleak. some tough contract negotiations in the future will have to occur. That will be the mayor administration's responsibility to handle. So, a hiring freeze, didn't like

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to hear it, don't like to say it, but seems like we're going to have to uh possibly implement that spending freeze, discretionary spending freeze unless absolutely necessary. Um, I would recommend and suggest no backfilling of a position of an employee who retires unless absolutely necessary and a

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critical justification has to be provided. reigning in of overtime spending which I know um business administrator Tarao is in discussions with uh various departments regarding that issue and also reigning in of political appointments

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um and maybe holding off on projects that won't impact the health and safety of residents. Of course, there are some of my suggestions for the municipal budget including um recommendations that um I'm not only making but our budget

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officials are uh recommending. Um, and I know the mayor and the council, you know, we've been supportive of obtaining grants, helping which, you know, help save money regarding doing township business. Let's continue doing that. And in addition, for the future, the hiring of multiple vendors instead of just one

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for services like lawn maintenance or snow removal, I think will go a long way in helping save cost to the township and create more competition to have a better outcome for Jackson residents. Have a good evening. Thanks, >> Councilman Breie. Thank you. First, I

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know the recipients for the awards, the three high school grads left the room, but it's great to see our youth applying themselves 100% to establish getting those awards. Um, I also want to say thank you to the PBA and the police department who put that parade together and the service for the Memorial Day.

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Uh, even with the rain, they kept it going. They didn't back up and they did a good job with it. And I truly appreciate it. And I really hope that everybody had a couple of moments in the day, no matter where you are, to reflect and remembrance what the day is about for those that gave the supreme sacrifice.

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As far as the data center, uh if you've been landing long enough, you know that if it's not a permitted use, it's not permitted. Sometimes when you get fancy and start writing ordinances to stop that specific things gets very muddy and messes it up. Temple in land use law, if

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it's not permitted, it's not a per it's not it's not permitted. is silent. It's not permitted and I think we have to stick to that and I for one would not support a data center. >> Thank you. Have a great evening. Safe trip home.

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>> Councilman Pollock. >> Good evening. Uh I always have a lot to say. Uh since we're talking about the data centers, uh it's great that everybody agrees we don't want them here. Uh what to do about them, I guess, is truly the issue. Something I've been working on uh for a bit now. Uh there's

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been some conversations back and forth. uh you know most places don't have data center defined and they're still building data centers. So what do we do about it? I'm not sure. I am working on

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something. Uh but I think we need to they need to be prohibited. I don't think doing what other towns have done essentially nothing and then data centers getting built and then the residents being extremely unhappy and

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upset about it and changing their lives is going to happen. Now, I don't think Jackson's a great place for it. I I I'm assuming nobody's looking for it. I don't think we have the land. Uh we have a difficult ecosystem to build on. But I

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feel like we need to do something. But that's me and I have some stuff. We'll go back and forth. I'll send in the council president. The attorneys can look at it and we'll see what happens. But I'd like to make sure this doesn't happen and I hope we can figure it out together.

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Now, I get in everything that goes on. I don't hide nothing. I talk straight. Um, there's been a lot of talk online regarding politics in town. I was banned off Facebook after speaking out against our leadership here. Uh, I don't follow everything, but I try to keep up on what's going on. Now, there's a Facebook

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page that makes fun of some of our elected officials. Let me say I disagree with what they're doing. You know, myself and no one I I work with is involved with it. Now, when I have something to say, I do it right here to people's faces, just like I'm doing right now. And I don't care to get in people's personal lives because there's

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so many substantive things to talk about and to confront here. I believe it takes away from the seriousness of what has gone on and what continues to go on in our town. and our elected officials are posting about it and getting in the comments on Facebook. I I think that's

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below who we are and what we're supposed to be. Uh you know, and it's very funny because they're outraged about a political climate that they themselves have actually created. The pearl clutching from our leaders is almost comical after what they did to me last election. And I won't let you live

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this down because you did it. They paid a news source with tax money to try and destroy my character and ruin my life. They broke election law to defame me and try to keep me out of this seat. And now you're upset about somebody who makes funny AI things about you. And don't

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tell me it wasn't you because I heard it straight from the horse's mouth. Jackson, New Jersey government is watched by a lot of people and that's not because things are going well. And it's not just Jackson, it's the whole county to be honest. You got a

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county commissioner deeply tied to our elected leaders coming here to swear them in and gloat about overdeveloping our town and tripling our population. You got the head of the county GOP who had to get pardoned by the president. You got leaders from Lakewood who are

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connected to the president and prominent politicians bragging about toppling our government and he donated lots of money to some of our elected officials. The influence of money and special interest has dominated this town and our politics. I wish I could say this is just a local issue, but we know this

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happens everywhere. Maybe not to this extent and some of these things are out of our control that have been happening, but a lot has deliberately been done to the detriment of the people who live here. And what's gone on is pretty deep and dark when you get into it. Where things are going isn't good. And I won't

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play pretend. I'm not going to say rah rah everything's great because it's not. And everybody who lives in town knows it. No one really knows how I feel every day to be honest. I'm always worried. I'm always concerned. There's always some kind of weight on my shoulders because I feel like I have to do well for the people I represent. I don't say these

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things because it's easy. I don't want to get up here and and have to make speeches and go against powerful people with connections. I don't want to have to go against these politicians. I'd rather be going out playing with my kid right now than doing this.

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But I didn't get involved just to make friends, to have a good time, or be part of some political system. I got involved because I believe the people who live here deserve someone willing to speak up when others won't. Looking forward to voting tonight. >> Next item on the agenda is comments by

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Mayor Kim. >> Thank you, Madam Clerk. Good evening, everyone. It's Memorial Day parade. Um, just want to thank everybody that helped uh, put that together and keep it going. Even though there was a bit of a rain, we were one of the few towns that continued. So, I just want to thank, as

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the councilman had said, thank you to the Veterans Commission and, um, our Jackson Police Department for keeping that going. Uh, it's a day of remembrance and we need to remember that. That's what that day is about. Data centers, I think we're all on the same page. I think everything that's been said, you know, administration uh,

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stands behind. Also, um I just wanted to uh I had the opportunity to attend a new business at the Jackson Premier Outlets Old Navy. I wish them nothing but the continued success, especially after, um I understand that they did a very, very strong Memorial Day. So, we'd love to

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see that new businesses coming into town and keep it growing. We also had a very successful litter-free cleanup um around town and we're continuing to keep that going. I'd be remiss if I did not also take a moment to thank Six Flags Great Adventure for their partnership and generosity in supporting the litterree

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initiative also including contributions um that Benedictive our uh commission of disability and handicapped as well as our seniors. Uh they've given well over 100 tickets to um both organizations that's going to allow them to go and have a great day out and and make

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memories that they'll never forget. So we always love to see that. Um, this is something that we get into the business for and we get into these relationships for. So, I just want to thank them again. Have a good night. >> Administrator Tara. >> Thank you, Madam Clerk. Good evening, everyone. I just wanted to bring up uh a

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couple of things. I just wanted to remind all the landlords that uh we did in fact advertise the um landlord registration on 1630 24 316 and 326

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and out of the 1900 plus uh rentals we have we we had about 85% that are compliant and they rent they um excuse me they uh registered um within a lot of time frame 457 or so were out of compliance and they're being dealt with

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now at the housing uh bureau. To date, we've done about 155 inspections and that's continuing on a daily basis. And I also wanted to just highlight the fact that we are working with our private communities and the HOAs for uh snow and salt reimbursements along with street

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lighting. Thank you. >> The next item for tonight's agenda is the update from the Department of Public Works, Council President Bstein. >> So, thank Before I I just want to add two more comments. Um because obviously I think we all heard from I think everyone about data centers. Um and I guess my commitment to my colleagues

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here on council is that anyone who sends any suggestion or any idea with regard to data centers will be sent to the mayor and to our attorney for review. Um because I I understand the fear. I understand their concerns. Um like I said, we have a legal opinion from our attorney. If there's any loophole or

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anything that we feel that we could tighten up, I think it's something that unanimously you would see you would see that support for. Now, with regard to the rental for a second, um, business administrator Terafeno, I just want to address that for a second because I think myself and my office have probably received probably about a 100 phone

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calls um, from people who got this the who who were did not fill out register with the with the housing department and got the violation and were asking for a one-time exception. Um, the township was very patient. We advertised it as the business administrator multiple times.

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Um right before the council meeting, the business administrator pulled up um just a list of when all the notices went out. Besides for obviously the legal notices, the email blast that went to all landlords who who are registered in Jackson. It was also in the Asbury Park

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Press. It was also on the Lakewood Scoop. It was also on all on Jackson Times. It was literally everywhere you can possibly imagine the fact that we were we're doing this. um there were residents who came with questions to council meetings and and brought up legitimate concerns and questions. So, um kudos to the to the 85 or 87% of of

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landlords who actually complied with Jackson's ordinances. Um anyone who else didn't, I know that they've been mailing out those violations and that's why there's been uptick in phone calls and uptick in visits in town hall. No one from the governing body, I want to put this out there for the record, has the legal authority to wave those fines. And

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at this point, if someone got that, they can let the process play out and go to the municipal court and have that argument with our municipal judge. Um, but this was a priority, I think, of everyone on council and the mayor. Um, obviously there's some differences in exactly how to get to the result, but it

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was a priority of having this rental bureau. So, I want to thank them and um look forward to seeing more results from from that department. Now, moving forward to to public works, I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is more than just a holiday. is a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by the brave men and

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women who gave their lives for our freedom. We thank our heroes and their families and their sacrifices will never be forgotten. Zone 6 bul pickup has been completed, a zone 5 brush pickup will be finished shortly. Beginning June 1st, a new round of collections will begin with the ball pickup in zone 7 and brush pickup in zone 6. Please remember that

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while residents are encouraged to place items at the curb by the evening before their scheduled collection, placing them items out far in advance is a code violation. And I just want to reiterate that we've gotten multiple complaints of people after their after their bulk pickup, people putting them back out on on on the streets and we've gotten

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multiple emails. Those emails have been forwarded to code enforcement and I think code enforcement was following the the process of issuing OVs and etc. Our parks have been clean and freshly mulched and the spray park will now be open on weekends until the summer season officially begins. The clean community

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litter um free cleanup held on Sunday May 17th was a tremendous success with 166 participants volunteering throughout the community. The next cleanup is scheduled for Saturday Saturday June 27th. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to email litterfreejackanttownship.net.

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Um and I also want to just add we got an email um today from our clean communities coordinator, Miss Dress Dressler. Um and I just I'm not going to read the whole thing, but they collected 77 bags of garbage. And this is besides for the group that went out a couple weeks before that. Um, so there's a lot of garbage out there and we don't need

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an official cleanup award ticket from Six Flags. If you see garbage, please clean it up. Thank you. >> The next item on the agenda is the second reading and adoption of ordinance 202610 supplementing chapter 244 article 12 entitled design standards and

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improvement spec specifications to include section 24490 excuse me 209.2 2, which establishes the storm water management requirement for non- major developments. At this time, if any member of the public has any comments to make, please address the

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council at the microphone and state your name and address clearly for the record. You'll have five minutes to speak and may only speak once. May I have a motion open public comment? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any oppose? Hi, uh, Holly Reynolds, Jackson.

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Um, I'm all for this ordinance. I just have one question about the variances um in letter J where it states a variance from strict compliance with the requirements of the section may be granted by reviewing board for those projects where an applicant has

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demonstrated the inability or impractic impractability of strict compliance with the storm water management requirements in a section. In those cases where a non- major development does not require approval of the planning board or zoning board, but a building permit is

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required, any party agreved by any decision of the township engineer acting under this section as part of the building permit process shall have the right to petition the mayor and council to review the township engineer's decision. If the mayor and council decide that due to the peculiar

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or unique circumstances of the matter, strict compliance is not practical or or would create an undue hardship, then the mayor and council may on such terms condition and conditions as they deem appropriate wave any requirements set forth by the township engineer.

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Now, I don't think that I'm not to be, you know, say something against you, but where do you have the credentials to override a township engineer if they say no that this would not work that you should be able to override that?

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>> Sure. Any any other questions? >> No. >> Okay. Fine. So, Mr. McGuckin. Um it was my understanding on reading the subsection um that and like I said I I think this ordinance is historic but and I understand the concern. This would be a just a process would be that if a

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resident or a developer homeowner whatever it is wants to petition the governing body would have to have a public hearing publicly here in order to get that waiver that variance. Is that I just want to make sure I understand the process first before we talk about the why of section J.

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It would have to be a public meeting of the governing body and it would be here. >> All right. So, I guess the question and I I hear the concern like if the township engineer deemed that you need it, why would anyone up here be overriding the engineer and honestly I think it's a great question and um I'm

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not sure if legally there was a reason why they had to be put in. Um but the purpose of this was there shouldn't be exceptions obviously. Um, attorney >> I believe that this was this portion of the ordinance was not amended. We amended the other portion of it. >> Yeah, >> this was the language that was already in the

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>> this language I believe was already in the ordinance um but not the portion that was amended uh to apply this to smaller developments. >> Right. So I would say from my end I think this ordinance has come through a lot. I would commit and you know I I'm open to having a further conversation with my colleagues if about amending

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this at a further point. I don't know if we could amend it on the spot here but I would want to speak to Mr. Kunliff who was heavily involved I think he first brought this up to me and the mayor when he was a council president last summer in the clerk's office um and um I I'm I'm not comfortable speaking for him because he was heavily involved in

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drafting this if what his reasoning for it was but he reviewed it and I I don't want to speak for him but I I definitely understand your concerns. >> Yeah. I just think that I mean I'm all for the stormwater management. It's what I do every day as my job. But if an engineer actually says to you that this

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is not able to work out, I think that should be the end all be all because the engineer would know more than anybody sitting up here. That that would be >> I I agree, but I I don't want to speak for the engineer. And uh um mayor, do you have anything you want to add?

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>> My apologies. He was actually supposed to be here tonight, but he is at a uh another meeting and he couldn't get uh he couldn't get out. But we will meet with him and I'm sure I I 210% agree with you. So I I get what you're saying. >> So council, I would be I would be okay tablelingabling this. I I hear Miss

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Reynolds and then you know and and and having that conversation with engineer tomorrow. I will speak to him and then if he has a reason why he felt that was important and and the governing body agrees, we'll leave that that amend that in. If not, we'll you make that amendment and and reintroduce. So I I

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would I anyone else from the public before we close? Um, council, does anyone want to make a motion to table this ordinance? >> I'll second it. Thank you, Mr. 2026-10. >> Can we one second? Hold on. >> Include a specific date table to your

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next meeting. >> Yes, >> I would table to the next meeting. Yeah, >> table to the next meeting, >> which is June 9th. >> Do we have a motion in a second, M to table it until June 9th? >> Thank you. Council Brley, >> yes for tableabling. >> Council breie,

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>> yes. >> Councilman Pollock, >> yes to table. Council Vice President Paul Mary. >> Yes. And thank you for bringing that forward. >> Council President Bernstein. >> Yes. And I really just want to take a moment obviously to thank Mr. Reynolds, but I also want to thank Mr. Conliff. This has been like he's been following up with me because our agenda has been

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so busy recently. Morty, when is this going for second reading? So he will be one of my first phone calls tomorrow morning to follow up and if he has a legal reasoning, I'll reach out to Miss Reynolds and to the governing body why why he felt that was necessary. So yes,

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>> motion carries. The next item on the agenda is a second reading and adoption of ordinance 202620 amending chapter 24412 of the township code with respect to the development application fees. At this time, if any member of the public has any comments to make, please address the council at the microphone and state

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your name and address clear for the record. You'll have five minutes to speak and may only speak once. May I have a motion of a public comment? >> Motion. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> Can I have a motion? >> Seeing no one come forward. I motion to close. Second. >> All in favor? >> I

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>> I. >> Any opposed? >> May I have a motion to adopt ordinance 202620? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Councilman Brley? >> Yes. >> Councilman Breie? >> Yes. >> Councilman Pollock. >> Yes. I'm very happy that uh this is on

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the agenda. Uh I was happy to work together with the council president on this. Uh this is something that needed to be done. Long overdue. Development fees do need to be raised and I'm looking forward to finding more ways to do it because developers are making a lot of money on this town, changing this

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town. The people are not happy with it. There's no reason they shouldn't be paying what they have to and I'm glad we're likely going to be passing this tonight. Thank you, >> Council Vice President Paul Mary. >> Yes. >> Council President Bernstein. >> Yes. And also was a pleasure working

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with my colleague and uh and the mayor's office to get this done. So I vote yes. carries. >> The next item on the agenda is the first reading and introduction of ordinance 202619 confirming the vacation of a portion of certain uh rights of ways and

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paper streets. Council President Bernstein, are there any comments? >> Sure. This ordinance is being introduced at the request of the Jackson Township Board of Education to confirm what the township agreed to when it vacated certain paper streets back in 1970s and sorry, back in the 1970s for the benefit of the school district.

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We have a motion to approve ordinance 202619 on first reading and introduction and to authorize the notice of the public hearing. >> Motion moved. >> Second. >> Council member, >> yes. >> Councilman Breie, >> yes. >> Councilman Pollock, >> yes. >> Council Vice President Paul Mary,

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>> yes. >> Council President Bernstein, >> yes. >> Motion carries. The next item on the agenda is the first reading and introduction of ordinance 202621 amending chapter 103-45

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prohibiting parking along the entirety of Woodland Road. Council President Bernstein, are there any comments? >> Yes. So, I have some lengthy comments. I just want to read them. Um, I got permission from the person who posted it on social media. I just felt it was important to read and I just want to put it out there that I don't agree with

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everything in this on this post, but I thought it was important for everyone to understand the background. So, um, I received multiple phone calls early in the morning. I know the mayor also does with various safety concerns, um, of various developments going on in town, which obviously are affecting the traffic patterns in the neighborhoods. So, I'm just going to read this um, I'm

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going to read it quickly. I'm going to skip around a little bit just otherwise we'll be here all night. Um, good morning um, my Brookwood four neighbors. I'm reaching out today to ask for your support and also to make everyone aware of something that I have been passionately fighting for close to a decade. As most of you know, 146 South New Prospect is finally in the

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construction phase after receiving site plan approval. And exactly what many of us knew would happen is already happening. Overflow parking has started spilling onto Woodland Road. On multiple mornings, I completely lost everything uh and called the police department, the mayor, and the council president asking what was going to be done because the

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situation on Woodlane was becoming unsafe and out of control near the light and entrance to Brookwood Fort. Every single time, the answer from the Jackson PD was the same. there's nothing we can do because there is no ordinance or law saying that we can't park there. It is honestly frustrating to once again be told there's nothing that can be done while residents are the ones left

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dealing with the consequences. So I've attached a video etc. Um while many people may know that is that may not know is that during the planning board um meeting for the 146 South and Prospect project I specifically raised concerns about overflow parking and request that Woodlane Road become a no

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parking street if this became an issue. At that time it was acknowledged by the planning board that this will likely become necessary. However, the planning board does not have the authority to create or enforce a no parking ordinance as part of a site plan approval. Only the count town council can formally adopt this type of ordinance. That is why we are now working through the council process to finally address it

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properly. Um, and then I'm just going to read another paragraph and skip to the end. It started almost a decade ago with 40 cars. Um, in fact, there has been multiple accidents and Woodland Road Woodlane Road cannot become the overflow parking lot for this use. So behind the scenes, I've been working continuously

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with council president Bernstein to address ongoing parking and traffic issues on Woodland Road. Through these conversations and efforts, the no parking ordinance has now officially been placed in a council agenda for consideration. Thankfully, this is a small example of what could happen when people are willing to communicate, find common ground, and work towards a solution that protects the quality of

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life and safety of the residents of Brooklyn 4. And honestly, anyone who actually lives in Brooklyn for knows the truth. Many most residents do not park on Woodland Road anyways. There is no room to safely park here, nor should there be. residents use their driveway side streets and their own property when they have parties and gatherings. Woodling Road was never intended to

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function as a parking lot. Now, I want to make something very clear because I know people are going to try twisting this into something that it's not. The support for no parking on Woodling Road is not the same thing as supporting some ridiculous band-aids of no parking ordinances that they throw up to enforce our zoning laws and etc. So, I just want to elaborate over here. This ordinance

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came from multiple residents in the Brooklyn for neighborhood reaching out. Um we did our um administration and our police department have sent out um our traffic safety multiple times there and the report that has come back is that everyone that was parking was within their legal right to park there. So um

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after we received this request, obviously our attorney um drew this up and um and that's just the background on this ordinance. Sorry for being so lengthy. I'm done. May I have a motion to approve ordinance 202621 on first reading introduction and to

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authorize the notice of the public hearing? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Councilman Browley. >> Um, this has become a public safety concern and this is a solution. So, I'm glad to see it on the agenda tonight. Yes, >> Councilman Brassie.

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>> Yes. >> C Pollock. >> I knew this area a little bit. Uh, but I wanted to make sure and drive through it and see it for myself before I actually have to vote on something. Uh, the street is very small and with increased

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traffic, I can clearly understand why this is needed. But I'd also like to address a larger issue because this is not quite a unique situation anymore in this town. Uh, we continue to see more non-residential uses in or around residential neighborhoods. In many

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cases, it changes the character of the neighborhood, increases traffic, and creates challenges to all the residents who live there. Uh we've been through a horrible lawsuit uh because of the uh religious land use and institutionalized persons act, our our lupa, it's become a major factor in

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these discussions. Many communities across the country have struggled with balancing local zoning authority and the requirements imposed by federal law. and how some politicians are direct directly tied to what happened to this town. I'd like to know where our higher

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elected officials are on this. Why is no one advocating for reform? Why is no one fighting to restore local control and give communities a meaningful voice in shaping their own neighborhoods? It's not happening. They're all afraid. They won't speak out. They won't try to

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change anything. The people who live here deserve representation, not silence from their elected officials. They deserve leaders willing to challenge bad policy that's affecting the people they represent. You should be defending local communities and fighting for the right of residents to have a say

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in the future of their own town. I'm voting yes because it is good safety measure. >> Council Vice President Paul Mary. >> So I had said this before. or I I actually voted against a similar ordinance in another location, but I did

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speak to the resident who proposed this and that resident sent me several videos and it was a very narrow road as Councilman Pollock referred to. I actually seen a video where a school bus was going down and there was a car park and it had to almost go into oncoming traffic to get around. So, that's very

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dangerous. But, I do agree that uh we can't continue to bandaid everything all the time with no parking. And um I do want to say also, you know, we had an opportunity to get a fresh perspective on this Ar Lupa um in January that just

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passed. And I did vote no for our Ar Lupa attorney at the time, not because he's not a smart attorney, but because I thought a fresh perspective would have been helpful for us to maybe change some of what residents are concerned about.

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Um, so I do agree on that matter as well and I did try to move something forward at the time, but I will vote yes on this because as everyone has just stated, this is very dangerous. Uh, the road is very narrow and watching those school

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buses were a grave concern to me. So I vote yes. >> Council President Bernstein. >> Yes. >> Motion carries. The next item on the agenda is the reintroduction and first reading of ordinance 202617 exceed the municipal budget

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appropriation limits and to establish a cap bank NJSA 4A45.14. Council President Bernstein, are there any comments? >> I think I said my comments two meetings ago. I think Councilman Belli really reiterated a lot of it in his opening comments. Um um we obviously it the

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economy and everything else. It is 2026 and um it's really just the re the reintroduction of that appropriations cap from I think it was two meetings ago. >> I have a motion to approve ordinance 202617 on first reading and introduction and to authorize the notice of the

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public hearing. >> Motion >> I'm sorry. Is there a motion? >> Motion. >> Second. >> Thank you. >> Council member. >> Yes. Councilman Breie. >> Yes. >> Councilman Pollock.

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>> Right. Um, this is the uh budget appropriation limit. Correct. >> Correct. >> All right. Well, I have a lot of stuff to say about this uh especially after what happened after the vote. Uh, our council president who routinely

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oversteps his authority and is really the guy running the government. He sent out an inappropriate email to all township employees, fear-mongering to them over the last time we voted on this, attacking both myself and Councilman Belli. Uh I distinctly remember being told uh council needs to

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kind of, you know, stay in their role. They shouldn't be talking to employees or department heads. I'm not sure how that is okay. But uh you know, I'd like to note that this budget is already late. I'd like to remind everybody that they held up the

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budget last year, even longer, over cutting code enforcement. You'll often hear the mayor, the mayor, our council president talk down to our residents about not knowing our form of government, right? You have legislative and you have executive.

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Um, and under our former government, the mayor is essentially the chief executive. They're managing the town and they're responsible for the budget. I was elected not to just be a rubber stamp and to question everything. So, I'm not just going to vote yes to increase spending caps or bad budgets.

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Council member Belli and I met with finance and I got to tell you, they didn't paint a rosy picture of our finances. We wanted to see if there was any more we could cut or save. But in speaking with finance, cutting more of the budget could negatively impact the town. Costs went up, we spent more, we

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increased services, and we're keeping taxes flat, which we have for a while. We're relying on less reliable sources of revenue and burning through savings. None of this makes long-term financial sense. I'm very concerned about the future of our town. I understand we had

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snowtorms. We spent what, 3.4 million, I believe, on it. Did we have to spend that much? I'm not sure. Did the mayor have to give double time plus 75 an hour to people working it? I don't know. I'm not in that position. We now went to weekly recycling. I

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remember talking to the council president about putting the contract up for bid, which I wholeheartedly supported. I was hoping we could save some money. Company came back to us and I believe we could have saved money, but he made the choice to increase services. I remember asking him, "Do we have the

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money for this?" He said, "Yes. Now we're paying almost half a million more a year for recycling." The mayor has paid assistants that also work for her real estate business. Council President has a assistant that no one's ever seen and didn't even know existed till

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recently. Uh we've increased the police force to the highest it's ever been. While we support our police, that's a significant financial cost to the town. Uh I believe the town's been mismanaged. I don't want to vote to increase spending cap, but I don't feel like I

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have a choice. Uh the real issue is the decisions and conditions that brought us here. I'd like to be fair because none of this is simple or easy, but I'm tired of pretending like things are good while they're not. Things don't look good, but I hope we can fix it. I am unhappily

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voting yes on this. >> Council Vice President Pulary. >> So, I'll be voting on this for the third time. I just want to touch on some of this as well. Um, I know that every department cut I did speak to Mr. Terafanco about that. is

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they cut they're pretty paper thin. Uh Councilman Burelli mentioned possibly cutting the uh additional services next year. Councilman, if that's something we want to entertain, I have no problem. We could look at it and if it's necessary, absolutely. If extra services are not something that we need as a necessity, I

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have no problem looking to eliminate some if we have to to save money. Uh in terms of the snow removal, it was very expensive. And I'm just going to say this again, not that I'm right all the time. However, and I think council president knows what I'm going to say. In January when we put this out to bid,

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it was for all of Jackson. So, you had to have one company that could cover all of Jackson, 104 square miles. And I said in January, can we regionalize Jackson to three or four, you know, regions where we can have a bid where different

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vendors could could bid and we can have multiple vendors and we can have them get a better price, get a better price because we can have them kind of bid against each other who's lower. At the time it was we couldn't do that. So we had one bid, the same bid that's been in town for a long time. When you only have

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one bid and you have to accept that bid, they could put whatever price they want. So, I had and I thought they did a fantastic job. By the way, the snow removal this year was fantastic. I have nothing against the vendor and what they did and how they did it. They did a great job. But for the sake of saving

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money, I think if we would have put it out regional, we could have had three or four vendors covering. Yes, it would have been a little bit more work for DPW to communicate with three or four vendors instead of one, but we may have been able to save money. And at the time I was the only councilman that voted no

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on the one vendor because I thought it would be counterproductive. Uh I do come from a business background as well. So I wanted to have some fair play. However, they did a great job. It did cost quite a good bit of money, but we can look at that when that contract is over for the future. I'm all for looking at what we

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could do to make things more affordable. So for this I will vote yes for the third time because I know it's necessary. And one other thing, uh, one thing I am not comfortable with cutting is our police force. We need them. They keep us safe. Uh, I'd rather look at other areas, but I will always support

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the blue and I will never that would be my last resort in cutting would be our police force. >> Council President Bernstein. >> Sure. So, thank you, uh, clerk. And again, this is also the third time that we we're voting on this. So, I just wanted to address a couple things. And I

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think there they are obviously as we get to the next meeting on June 9th will be the the budget hopefully the budget uh adoption um is that I definitely welcome and I look forward to continuing the conversations. I'm happy that my colleagues um have engaged with the business administrator and our CFO who

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off the record on the record is doing a phenomenal phenomenal job considering that you know she really came in to to help us out. We we really really appreciate it. And again, thank you to Manchester for allowing her to help us out here in Jackson. And we're hoping that maybe Okay, I'm not going to say it. Maybe she'll stay here. Um Okay. No, I got to nod. No, she can't stay here.

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But um um I just want to address a couple things with regard to the snow. I do agree with council vice president um that our vendor um definitely did a great job this year considering the amount of snow that we got. We are a huge town and you don't know it until until it snows um sometimes or you're

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out there putting out signs for for political season. It's we we have a very very very very large town. I think our vendor did a great job. I will say that I was told by our business administrator administrator that the vendor has reached out. Um he still does have another year to his contract. He has reached out to possibly consider

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dropping a seat for next year because he understands the financial situation we're in. And obviously I think we would take any drop that he that that he gives. But I think we'll have those continue to have those conversations. um with regard to and I just want to address it and I'm not going to go further than that with regard to an

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email that um obviously was sent out to all employees. I just want to put it out there is that it is my understanding and and uh attorney mcuck can correct me if I'm wrong and the Falner former government um council is supposed to go through the administration to communicate with employees. I did receive that night and the next morning multiple questions and comments and

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emails from various employees. Um, anytime I ever I've ever communicated with any of our employees, um, it's always been through the office of the mayor with her permission and it's my understanding and, um, attorney McCen if you could just elaborate on that with the Falcon form of government if that's allowed or not. Um,

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certainly the mayor's in charge of all personnel of the municipality with the exception of the clerk and the mayor can give that authority to the council um, individuals if she so chooses. >> Okay. And I I also just want to put out there is that the mayor is the one running the town and um and I take

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offense at anyone because we don't agree on everything. Um we actually don't agree a lot of times, but we just try to keep our arguments behind the scenes. So I vote yes, but I also thank council for meeting with our business administrator and our and our CFO and our financial team. I know it wasn't an easy conversation and I think that's really

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what government is sitting down trying to work out our issues and I think we're not going to agree on everything but I think we all agree that this was necessary for the operations of of of the township. So thank you to our CFO, thank you to Mr. Terafenko and uh whoever else and I know there were other conversations since then with other

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budget wizards um to try to make our our budget as as as good as possible. So thank you. >> Motion carries. The next item on the agenda is the payment and authorization of bills and claims. The following abstensions are

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from Councilman Belli. AE T1, EO1, NJ DO4, NJM O6, NJSO4, and R U4. And from Council Vice President Paul Mary, VO141764,

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and V141780. Council President Bernstein, are there any comments? >> Yeah, the only question comment that I wanted to make is council vice um Councilman Belli reached out to me and I I appreciate that we that all of our council members are really looking into all these bills and claims to better understand it. He reached out about a

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vendor that he actually said was not an approved vendor for this year asking um how that ended up on on the agenda. And I just want to thank clerk for getting the information to us. That was a bill that was sent now from a last year bill um that from a vendor that was here last

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year. Um and um I guess attorney McCain, is there a time frame for a vendor to send a bill in? >> Uh like like this was an attorney who was an attorney last year and and and we got the bill a bill came in in April

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based on the invoice that the clerk sent me. And again, I'm I'm I'm not questioning the services. I mean directly um but it's more like we're literally a year after I think it was October of last year almost a year um where this was a former legal council and now they're sending an invoice in and Councilman Delli rightfully noticed

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that we didn't reappoint this person this year. Um so there's no statutory time frame. However, by waiting that long, you're into a new budget season and council, if they wish to fight the payment of it, um which may or not be

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economically a smart idea, but um that would be an argument that it's a new budget year and it took too long for them to submit it. Um but there's no statutory time frame that it must be submitted by a particular date. >> Nino, you have something to say? >> Your mic. Your mic.

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Wish there was something on the books that would, you know, prevent towns for, you know, having to accept services way after that service was provided though. But there's no uh legal way to do that. Then we have no choice, I guess, Mr. M. >> Is there a legal way that we could adopt

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funding for the future or >> technically statute limitations? It's a contract claim and it's six years by statute. So, >> okay. Thank Okay. So that was the only comment, but thank you Nino for for noticing that and uh and picking up on that because he was like our bond council. We haven't done bond work yet this year. So we got work from our our

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previous legal council. So that's it. Madam clerk, >> I have a motion to approve the bills and claims. >> Motion. >> Second. >> Councilman Browley. >> Yes. With um those extensions that you had mentioned. >> Thank you.

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>> Yes. Councilman >> Pollock. >> I've had less than two days to review the bills. I'm going to abstain. >> Council Vice President Paul Mary. >> First, I'd like to commend Councilman Belli. Nice catch. Great job. Uh from the two abstensions that the clerk read

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in the rest. Yes. >> Council President Bernstein. >> Yes. And thank you, Nino. Again, >> are we sure that this particular vendor is done now? All services have been >> Madam Clerk or business administrator, could we possibly

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um send an email to them tomorrow just clarifying that this is it so we don't get something in six months and nine months and in a year from now >> yes >> thank you. >> The next item on the agenda is the consent agenda for tonight's consideration of resolutions 160 through

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165 2026 listed by title. Council President Bernstein, are there any comments? >> Yes. So, before I ask if anyone has anything to pull out, there's two of them that I just want to highlight for a second. Um, and one I'm gonna ask attorney McGuffin just to explain. Um, it was something else that Councilman Broly asked me about earlier today, but I first I want to just um explain

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R16165-2026. It's a shared service agreement with the fire department. Um, it's we are renewing it. It's my understanding that every five years this gives the fire department the ability when someone parks in a fire lane or in a handicap spot or anything to enforce it and and give a municipal ticket. Um I was I was

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actually fascinated when I saw it. So that was just the background on that. And then attorney u mccucken on R162 I think that's the one that miss Councilman Belli asked me about was about soil removal um for an approved project. If you could just elaborate a little bit on the process of that soil removal. >> Sure. the township have adopted quite

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frankly very strict soil removal and mining license ordinances over the last two years. Um under the ordinance if you're less than a thousand square foot of soil removal and you're before a planning or zoning board the board itself can grant um that removal uh

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authority for the removal of the grading uh of of the soil. Uh but if you go more than a th00and uh square feet it has to come before the council. There's an entire process under the ordinance must be reviewed by the town of engineer who has to sign off uh and impose any conditions that would be appropriate and

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in this case attachment engineer by letter dated May 15th um provided that recommendation and the conditions which um are included within the resolution uh as part of it. >> Okay. Anyone else from council anyone from the public have any resolution they want us to take off for a separate vote?

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Okay. Madam clerk continue. I have a motion to authorize the consent agenda resolutions 160 through 165 2026. >> Motion. >> Second. >> Councilman Belli. >> Yes. >> Councilman Breie. >> Yes. >> Councilman Pollock. >> Yes. >> Council Vice President Paul Mary. >> Yes.

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>> Council President Bernstein. >> Yes. And again, I just want to also just uh stress 163, which is a shared service with Ocean County Prosecutor. Um we we love having a great working relationship. We're always supportive of any shared service with with our county and our state uh law enforcement agency. So yes,

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>> thank you. Motion carries. >> The next item of business are resolutions 166 and 167 author authorizing the issuance of estimated tax bills and budget amendment. Council President Bernstein, are there any comments? >> Um no. Um business administrator Franco,

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do we um is there anything that we want to add? I know the first one is with regard to the fire department with their budgets. Um, and the second one is 167 is um, which obviously we'll go into more deeply, but the next meeting was I think throughout the budget process with the CFO meeting together with Councilman

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Pollock and Councilman Bell and others is that there was there were some minor changes that need to be made. There were some cuts made in some other departments and there were some healthcare savings that were able to find and I think that's what those reflect. Minister Terfeno,

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>> that's that's correct, sir. >> Thank you. Thank you. May I have a motion to authorize uh resolution 166 authorizing the issuance of estimated tax bills? >> Motion second. >> Councilman Bryley, >> yes. >> Councilman Breie, >> yes.

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>> Councilman Pollock, >> yes. >> Council Vice President Paul Mary, >> yes. >> Council President Bernstein, >> yes. >> Motion carries. I have a motion to authorize resolution 16720 uh 2026 budget amendment. Motion. >> Second.

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>> Councilman Brellley. >> Yes. >> Councilman Brazie? >> Yes. >> Councilman Pollock? >> Yes. >> Council Vice President Paul Mary? >> Yes. >> Council President Bernstein. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Madam Clerk, before we open to the public, I just one thing that came

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across um my desk, I think it was yesterday, but I just wanted to address it for a second. I know there's and I see someone in the crowd who I know is which is something we've been pushing for a very long time. Um there has been talk within the fire department for the past couple years about consolidation with within some of our districts. Um

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and there was a hope that would consolidation which has been improved has been approved. I think it's by district 2 and district three um internally would end up on this agenda. I spoke to our attorney multiple times today. Um we are going to be giving notice with the clerk's office that is something which is hopefully going to be

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on our next agenda which will be the the budget adoption agenda in June 9th. Um and hopefully there will be representatives from the fire department and some of the legal um team to explain it because I think that is something which you know since day number one since I've been on council which is you know over two years ago and um it's

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something that there have been multiple people who have been pushing for and working for and I think it will be a a historic uh a historic uh completion of that project or almost completion of that project. So, I just wanted to put that out there that that will hopefully be on our hopefully on our next agenda as long as the attorneys for the fire

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department could hopefully and the representatives can be to make their proper presentations. So, I just felt it was important. >> The next item on the agenda is public comment. At this time, if any member of the public has any comments to make, please address the council at the microphone and state your name and address clear for the record. You'll

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have five minutes to speak and may only speak once. May I have a motion to open public comment? Excuse me. Motion second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any oppos. Good evening. You may have noticed I brought my own

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podium tonight. Few weeks ago, the wooden podium that residents have used for years quietly disappeared. When people ask where it went, we were told it was after repairs. That was weeks ago. If this council

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cannot tell us who is repairing it or when it's coming back, this isn't a repair. They took the podium away so residents would feel smaller standing here before you. So, as you can tell, I brought my own. Anyone who wants to use it tonight is

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welcome to it because the right to stand and be heard does not belong to this council to take away. This is the people's house. So, good evening. I want to thank over 1 million people who watched our last meeting. It was a record. Now, let me

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tell you what we've been up to since then. Last time I came here with documented questions. The responses was silence. So, we filled out OPER requests. The clerk's office said they needed a two-eek extension. They're too

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overburdened is what we were told. Let me put that into context. The clerk's office has four staff members. All of them collect stipens for additional clerk duties. And this township recently hired a dedicated remote OPAR clerk specifically

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to handle public record requests. That's five people. One, two, three, four, five. with extra pay whose job is records. Five people extra pay cannot produce the records.

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That's not a backlog, ladies and gentlemen. That's a stall. And conveniently, the extensions land after tonight's meeting. How convenient. While we're on the subject of the clerk's office, let's talk about who's

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not in it. Council President Bernstein has a $50,000 assistant who works from home who we're not who we are paying for. So, let me say that again. Council President of Jackson Township has a personal staffer that no

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resident here has ever seen. The last council president did not need one. Isn't that right, Mayor Cune? The clerk's office handled it. the same clerk's office that is somehow too overwhelmed to answer a records request.

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So tonight, I want a real answer. Not a deflection, not a procedural dodge, not a we'll get back to you, Mr. Shemov. What does she do that four clerks in a township clerk cannot? What's her job description?

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Who approved this position and when? Last I heard, the appointed mayor was the chief executive of this town. And while a council president who never held the title before it, suddenly entitled to a $50,000 remote staffer with full benefits and acrewed time off.

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What services are residents getting cut so that bill can be paid? This council had weeks to prepare an answer for me and the residents of Jackson. The residents deserve one tonight before the meeting ends. So, I'll ask the

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question. Who the hell's running Jackson Township here? Because the council president's hiring assistants, the last council president did not need. He is directing personnel matters that are not his to direct. And the mayor,

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who under our form of government is the one who's supposed to do all this, is silent. This all ends when you answer the questions, starting with the one about the assistant tonight before this meeting ends or every resident watching

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will know exactly what your silence means. So, I still have 56 seconds. Myself and the residents behind me in Jackson Township. Love to hear some answers. Floor is yours. >> Any other questions? That's it.

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>> No answers. >> I just want to know if there's any other questions. No other questions. >> Okay, great. So, um, with regard to you made an accusation and I see you posted online also with regard to me inappropriately directing employees. Um, and you reference an email to a employee

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within code code enforcement if I remember correctly. Um, I'm proud of that email. Um, that employee is a hardworking employee who puts in extra hours every single week who after the mayor got sworn in and we took a tour and I met her for the first time in a in a in a uh in in in a different setting

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and she brought up concerns about the way she was not properly compensated in the past and I've been advocating for her from from day one and I don't think council uh legal counsel is that a fer violation for me to advocate for an employee to get a promotion to our business administrator. Not

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>> at all. Okay. Thank you. >> No other no other responses on the assistant. >> Sure. So, um, uh, legal counsel, is is there anything could you elaborate for a second about the the concept of a confidential assistant or a secretary?

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>> The position is available and can be filled by the council uh, and the mayor in the clerk's office. I'm not sure which budget line item it comes out of, but if that's the government's choose choice as to what they want to do, they can do that. And it's not unusual to have a confidential assistant for an

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administrative andor a council president. Other towns do it as well. Um especially a town the size of Jackson. Um and I understand that's what's being done now. >> And uh and I'm just going to elaborate for a second and get your time's up, but I'll elaborate for a second. So I can't speak for why the about when Mayor C was

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council president Cune. Um, but I put in a ton of hours if I think you know that 30, 40, 50, a ton of hours in in here and I am overloaded with phone calls and other administrative and council duties. And um I am happy that the mayor realized that there is a need for more

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assistance. That's what that that's what that uh administrative clerk does. She does scheduling. She answers calls. When the housing bureau needed some help in the beginning, she helped out with some of the things that they needed. and there are residents and there are many people who have interacted with her and are very pleasantly surprised and happy with the work that she's doing. But I'm

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not going to let anyone continue to go after any of our employees. It's a personnel matter. Thank you. >> So under the Faulner, Mayor Cune, >> your time is up. Your time is up. >> So you don't want to answer that question. >> The mayor may hire. Correct. But your time is up, Mr. Shov. >> Fair enough.

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Long time no see. We're here. >> Jim Select when Mr. Bernstein mentioned budget wizes. I don't think it was mentioned particularly mentioned me uh because I don't consider myself a budget wiz. I just >> I was referring to Carlos.

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>> Yeah, I figured that. So, I just want to let everyone know I've been getting a lot of comments from residents. They appreciate the fact that I come up here with my comments on the budget. They appreciate that I do it. They they look some are looking for me for answers. Um so what I want to explain to everybody

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today myself and two other residents met with Mr. Terafeno, Miss Lano. >> She forgets you >> regarding the budget. And what I will say is we agreed on some things. We

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disagreed on some things. Uh it was a good I would say we were probably there for a good two hours. >> Carlos took up most of it. >> I'm not going to make any judgments on anybody. Um but one of the things I do want to make sure everyone understands

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everyone's working towards a a a good solid budget. We're not I don't think that's not the goal. But there are a lot of issues that really need to be addressed. And I brought them I brought up a lot and mo most of what I brought up doesn't pertain particularly to the

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2026 budget, but it pertains more to how this town is planning for the future or let me rephrase that, how this town is lacking planning for the future at this point. And I think I got some agreement that that is an important thing that we

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need to look forward to. The disagreement that we still have, and I'm going to bring it up, is I personally believe that the budget that was introduced a month ago was not introduced completely because the state requires a user-friendly budget to be

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given at the exact same time that the budget is introduced to the public as it produc just as it does the the normal budget that uses the budget has to be posted. It was not obviously Mr. Terrafeno and our CFO

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disagrees with me. I presented a letter that I gotten from someone at the Department of Comm Consumer Affairs that basically states what I just stated that it is required. They've asked me to go back and ask the follow-up question. And

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the follow-up question is what's the next steps? Does does Jackson just continue along the lines? We're going to get I think we're getting user friendly budget tonight. I think it's in our hand. Okay. So, is that okay and we move forward with only

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14 days to review it instead of the traditional 28 that's required or in my view do we go back and say the budget was never truly introduced so we need to go back and start the process all over and listen I know I've been fighting

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with you guys that were always late on the budget and now here I am doing something that's going to force it to be even later but the reality is I think it's got be done the right way. So, as soon as I receive my answer, and Mr. McGunkin, if you have an opinion on it, that's fine. I'm waiting to get my I'll

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get my answer. I I sent the email when I got home between the meeting and this meeting. So, we'll we'll we'll see what we get there, but I I think you have to be prepared that next meeting may not be a vote on the the budget that you guys presented.

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>> Thank you, Jim. Um Mr. the teranco I don't know if you've had the conversation with attorney mccing yet about Jim's uh concerns >> no we haven't because we just met with him today over it um I will defer to the CFO's 20 plus years experience if she

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can shed a little light on process and I'm going to um can we call the C the CFO's here can I call are you able to come up for a minute and just answer that publicly now that you and Jim are best It's fine. Um, thank you.

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>> Um, so yes, the statute does say that the uh userfriendly budget it it's a tool that's in conjunction with the you know the formal budget document. So we are in a disagreement in the fact that

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uh there is no reintroduction of the budget but as I recommended to Jim that he reach back out to the state and get that confirmation for himself. But there are many towns that you know may or may not have that userfriendly budget uh

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available at the time of their budget introduction. So, considering the stresses of what's been going on in Jackson, you know, before I got here and the the different um uh parties that were involved in the budget. Uh oh,

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>> you can continue. >> Jim has to sit down. So, uh, that was the reason that it wasn't available. But all of the information that's contained in that user-friendly budget is either in the budget document itself or through

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different um re uh paperwork or or documents within the municipality. So, um, you know, I guess only time will tell, okay, what happens, but I personally, you know, I'm not aware of any and and maybe uh Mr. McGucken could

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uh elaborate, but I'm not aware of it of the ability to reintroduce the budget. Once it's introduced, it's introduced and then you can make amendments to it. We did have a discussion about whether or not the user-friendly budget is considered an amendment. So, um our um

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auditor didn't, you know, I agree with him as well because it's not actually part of the budget. is a uh a more detailed version for the public to make it, you know, user friendly. It's not so user friendly.

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>> We can't adopt the budget until local finance board approves it. Correct. >> Correct. >> And they're aware of this issue. So they approve it. >> Well, they know because everything has to be submitted through the online portal. So the userfriendly budget was not included in all of the documentation

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that was submitted. I understand. I understand. But they're aware of the issue now. >> Yes. >> And if they believe >> Well, they would be aware either way. Yes. So >> now they're aware that the user friendly budget wasn't available when the budget was introduced. That's your concern, right? And they're aware of that now.

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Correct. If they don't approve the budget, if they don't approve for that reason, that'll be the answer. So, so I would ask I guess um attorney McCain and the CFO in the business sooner if you could I guess work on this tomorrow and provide clarity to council.

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>> I haven't seen I haven't seen the letter either. You get that for me. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Carlos. >> Thank you. Thank you. Carlos Martins, Jackson, New Jersey. I'm

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on the zoning board, but I'm here as a resident. Um, and I'm here today actually as a CPA. So, as Jim mentioned, uh, we did have a meeting with, um, oh,

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this is called the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee. There's three of us in there, myself, Jim, and, uh, Joe Candido. and we're all volunteers. Costs you guys nothing. Um, we do this because we don't know, we don't have anything

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else better to do. Um, so, uh, Jim already mentioned the real problem, I think you guys all talked about it, is what's our fiveyear plan? Where are we going? Because right now we're bleeding. We're bleeding about $2 million in surplus a year since 2003,

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right? We got to stop the bleeding. And to do that, we can cut as much as we want, but we got to grow that revenue. You know, any company, you got to grow revenue. So, I'm going to save that for another day. That's a very long discussion. And the way I like to put it

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is, it's okay. Lie to me. Tell me we have a five-year plan. Just tell me so I can sleep at night. Um, but I know we don't. We need it. We should go look at that. Anyway, what I want to get to is how do we solve the problem this year,

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right? as you mentioned, we gota, you know, to replenish that surplus back to something in the I'll say 9 million range. Right now, the budget says it's going to be$2 million. Let's say we can replenish it. I did some math. I think we should be able to replenish it to

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somewhere around $9 million, back to $9 million, which is still two million lower than last year. So, it's still not great, but but in order to accomplish that, we're gonna have to do some hard some hard things. So, one of them is we got to look at that the bills that we do

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um you guys approve all the time. We got to really look in deep into that. Uh Mr. Thank you for what you did. Um one question during that time, why not open it up to the public? You have a bunch of eyes on it like myself, like Jim. Why

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can't I comment on those bills before you guys approve them? cuz maybe I looked at something, saw something that you might want to know about um instead of using my five minutes which I tell you funny stories instead of going through the bills. But um anyway, something to think about, you know,

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maybe that part of it, open it up to the public. Maybe not everybody has comments on it, but the more eyes you get on it, you know, the better it is for everybody, I think. So, just consider that. Okay. So, two sessions ago, I asked about the recycling.

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I asked why there was about $272,000 of bills in there at the time and you mentioned, "Yeah, I don't understand those fees. I think Mr. uh McGuffin was going to look at it and so on." So, was that ever done? Is it true what I'm

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hearing that the actual recycling budget is not going to be flat to last year? It's going to go up something like $400,000. You can answer after I'm finished. That's fine. But I would like an uh an answer. Um okay, that's one. Last

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session, which I didn't get a chance to ask about, um there was $18,000 to Albert Associates for a physibility study. Two physibility studies, one for 10,000, one for 8,000. Uh so the

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question is what are they studying? Um that's question. So I'd like to know that then I guess I see it here. says budget assistance $3,000. I guess that's the consultants to help put the budget together. Okay. I think that's what that

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is, but it is hard to tell the way these things um are laid out. Okay. And then my favorite. So there's these there's a lot of fees here for Dasty Murphy and Mccucken DC.

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And one of them which is labeled as general matters and admin. So I personally never like the words other miscellaneous and general admin because it tells you nothing and you know that's where the devil is. So you always ask about that. I'm not saying that's where

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the devil is here. I'm not saying but it is a bill for 24 almost $25,000. Um, so I would like to know what's general admin, general matters. Is that a monthly fee, $24.7,000

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that we pay you every month? That's >> uh No, our bills are by the hour. We bill repeatedly. Uh we bill every single thing we do and we got provide a detailed itemized bill for all services rendered. We are we were directed years ago to divide it up into categories.

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administration, land use, um, and clerk's office, I believe. >> So, those are the three basic categories, but the itemized bill, uh, we provide is very detailed and provides everything we do. >> Yeah, you're absolutely right. It it

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does split out, but that one $24,000 is just general admin. >> No, no, that's for Well, I'm sorry. That would have been everything build to the admin account, but there's an itemized bill listing everything we build to that account. >> All right. So, Carlos, your time is up. I just want to address some of the some

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of the things that you brought up for a second. Um, with and I'm just with regard to your question about the the the bills. Um, and I I do want to apologize to my my council members. I think Councilman Pollock is correct. We got it a little late. Um, recently we've

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been getting the the the bills came over to me. I think I was offline for for for holiday and um right after I called the clerk. It was on Memorial Day weekend. She did send it over. But I'm going to ask um administration if we could encourage finance, making sure that we get it earlier, which I know when council mayor was council president, she

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was very very strict in it. I got a little loose in it and we're going to try to do better so everyone could have proper time over the weekend to go through everything um because it is rushed. So I'll say that with regard to recycling, I don't have a great answer for you. I'm just going to be honest. Um because we we definitely had those

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conversations with the vendor and um there were supposed to be a follow-up conversation um and that conversation has not happened. And I mentioned to the business administrator earlier today that we need we need to get that vendor on the phone and figure out exactly what is going on before we get to the budget adoption next meeting. So um I hope to

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have an I mean we will have an answer for you but next I don't but I don't I don't currently have an answer for you. >> Okay, >> but sometimes I'd rather be honest. I don't know. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> We got that next. Carlos time's up. Adam,

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>> Adam, resident of town. I just want to say I'm on the environmental commission, but I'm just here as a resident. Um, I just want to quickly talk about data centers and um echo a lot of what Councilman Pollock has has spoken on. Um, yes, our township doesn't uh define

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uh a data center currently. There's no mention of it, and I understand it is your belief that means it is not to permitted use. However, you admitted yourself that someone can go to our zoning board uh and and and

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try to get a approval. Um so to piggyback on what council Pollock uh Councilman Pollock's work over the last few months, I I strongly suggest uh everyone on this board puts any differences aides u and guests behind him. Um, to my understanding, the

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ordinance that uh, Councilman Pollock has drafted has been in collaboration with Peton Township, who was the first township in New Jersey to successfully and legally prohibit any data center within their township. Um, I believe he got in touch, uh, was it Harry Harper,

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who's currently an active councilman on Peton Township. He validated a majority of what's in there, and I I strongly suggest you guys get behind them. Um, it's for the environment. Uh, we can all agree, uh, Democrats, Republicans, whatever it

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is, race, religion, we need to protect our environment. So, I strongly suggest we take a deep breath, uh, and and we don't be afraid to let a new councilman do something. >> I just want to respond to to two things, Adam, that you said. First of all, I don't know if you heard, but I did I did commit that any any draft or anything

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that Councilman Pollock or any of my colleagues on this matter sent, I will send over to our attorney, and if there's a consensus, I I don't mind introducing it. That being said, even if we would use the word ban and we would say it's forbidden to have a data center, anyone could apply it to the zoning board.

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>> But I understand. >> No, no. I I'm not referring to the draft that councilman Pollock's working. I'm talking any any language, anyone has the right to come and council and legal counsel. Correct me if I'm wrong. Anyone could always come to the zoning board no matter what we do. We can never stop someone from coming in front of the

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zoning board. The zoning board legally has to accept and hear them. Council, legal counsel, is that correct? Um, interesting you brought up Peton. I wrote that ordinance. Um, and Harry Harper was the council president and we adopted there. We told them the same thing. You can ban it by ordinance. However, anyone can still make an

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application for use variance for zoning. >> Absolutely. >> So, legal counsel, I would kindly request being that you didn't even have the bills for it if you could just send us over that ordinance. So, just follow. >> Absolutely. We're all on the same page here. Thank you.

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I'm Christina. How are you? >> Great. How are you? >> Welcome. Good to see you. >> I have a couple questions real quick. Um I've lived here 24 years and my my taxes have gone up unbelievably in like the

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past year or two years. And I don't understand that because we have more people coming into Jackson and yet I have I'm in a tiny condo and that the amount of money I'm paying is through the roof and I can't

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understand what's going on. Exactly. You know that was one of the first questions that I had. I if anyone wants to >> so ma'am I don't want to I don't want to take away from your time. So ask your questions and then I'll direct your questions to the right person. The

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second thing was I I saw something says Jackson Township sits above the Kurtwood Cohen aquifier and increased demand combined with high density construction threatens both table water and water

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quality. meaning the the aquifier that is underneath Jackson Township can get highly contaminated with more and more people coming in. There is a reason that Jackson has been so low in population

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and I think it has stayed that way because of this reason. But is anyone being concerned about the possibility that one day we may turn on the water and sludge comes out of the, you know, the pipe or something, you know, really

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bad happening. And I'm asking that question so it never happens. Are we being considerate of what's happening? And then I just want to follow up with one story. My my chiropractor is right

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in Lakewood and I'm good friends with him, Dr. Howard Trernski. And I know all the um I know the community very well. And one lady came into the waiting room one day and this happened like about a

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year or two ago and she explained how she just moved to Jackson. She moved into a new development and the seller literally just caved out. Just gave out. The foundation of the

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house gave out it. And she explained to everybody how it cost like 20 to $30,000 to fix this. And the thought that goes through my head, I I does it have anything to do with the

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fact that there's an aquifier? you know what I what I just read the aquifier underneath are we taking into consideration you know if it's lovely that people want to move here but are we taking into

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consideration the safety because God's honest truth I've lived here 24 years now and there's a reason people did not move into Jackson and there wasn't an overpopulation but are we do you is all

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of this being taken into consideration because we don't want a disaster on our hands just like I saw that young lady talk in the office and I looked you know and and many of the many of this I'm sure must have been brought up I would

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hope you know but I'm new to this I don't normally come to these meetings >> so so and I'm I'm a registered nurse so I this is not my area of expertise you You know what I mean? >> So, first of all, thank you for coming. We we always welcome new new people

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here. Um, with regard to the first question, you asked about taxes. So, and and again, I don't know your address and I I'm not a tax expert, but the town recently did a reevaluation. Um, it was long overdue. I think it was like 16 or 17 years since the last one was done. And generally, the way it works with the

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tax reevalues, the way it was explained to me is a 30 3030. 30% of the town goes up, 30% goes down, and 30% stays the same. And the mayor just I guess not. Am I correct with those with that general percentage? Um I know there is a process to appeal if you felt that it was was

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not your tax assess reassessment was not done correctly. Um I think the local um statutory period for that to happen did pass. But I'm sure if you reach out to the mayor's office tomorrow, she can probably set you up a conversation with our tax assessor so at least you can make sure that there wasn't any mistakes

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made. Um they usually are pretty reasonable and more than willing to sit down and have those conversations. After that generally the process is if on the local level they don't find any errors then they would have you could file an appeal in the county but I I do agree generally people are saying with all the development all the commercial and

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actually I was talking to Carlos before the meeting we're actually our percentage of commercial is a little bit lower than it's been in the past which for for taxes is not great. So I would recommend tomorrow reach out to the mayor's office over to the mayor or the business administrator after the meeting and and and set that up with regard to

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the other with with regard to the environment. So, we obviously have our disagreements up there sometimes. That's what makes government fun sometimes, but I think everyone over here will is in agreement of the importance of the environment. Um, Miss Reynolds and and I think it was Adam brought up originally about the importance of doing ERRI,

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which is an environmental resource in inventory study if I got the words correctly. It was stalled. Um, we are having our first meeting I think this week. I think it is on Thursday at 3:00. Um, myself, Miss Reynolds, hopefully um Mr. for um the chairman of the environmental commission and um and

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we're definitely looking for more volunteers. We do have an environmental commission where the mayor just appointed another member that came up at the last meeting. Um we're trying and obviously there's always more to do. Um we do live in New Jersey where some of the laws just don't always make so much sense and we have to obviously comply

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with the law. Um, with regard to that young lady who had a house that the foundation caved in, if I were her, I would be suing my the person who sold me the house because they obviously sold a a a a something wrong. But, um, we are trying and I and like I said, there are environmental commission meetings, which

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I don't think anyone really from the public generally goes, but I would recommend um I had or very few people I see someone raise their hand in the back um generally go. Um, but I would recommend um they I think they're they're all newly appointed. are doing a pretty good job and um they sent an

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email today with a with an ordinance recommendation and I hopefully this will will be the groundwork that at least we can map out where some of our concerns are. I did talk with your um offices about, you know, re-evaluating our properties and everything. And he told

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me, he said, "Have you renovated anything in your home?" And I said, "No." >> Okay. So, >> and he said, "Don't worry about it. Taxes aren't going to go up on your place because you didn't." But the truth is it did. >> So, I would recommend follow up with the mayor again after the meeting and and set up a meeting where he can go through

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through that with you. >> I was told that that costs money. A meeting meeting with the mayor or or or the tax office should not cost you a dollar. >> Yeah, the local tax office. But thank you. >> Fine. Next.

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Tom Smith, 520 Whitesville Road. Remember I was here a couple of weeks ago discussing something with the planning board, which you were like, well, why are you here about the planning board? And Mr. Mr. McGucken, you know, I you were there at the last planning board that I was at and they're

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very adept at limiting the questions you can ask in the public participation park. So, my issue was a commercial application next door to us in the PM1 zone. for residential and it's surrounded by residential properties.

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And the construction company that has the application in is a paving company, heavy equipment company, identical to a previously zoning board denied use variants. And I provided you guys some information on that with the aerials

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showing that they had a whole boatload of heavy equipment and trailers and a fleet of thumb trucks that were not in the application. And the Mr. McGucken and two of the board members told me when I was bringing this up during the the planning board hearing

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that we can only adjudicate what's in their application. Okay? So that was an office building, a small equipment yard, and a warehouse. And if you remember, you told me in no uncertain terms, if it's not in the application,

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we can't approve it. So basically look at what's in the application. So the resolution, I couldn't get a copy of the draft resolution, but the final resolution, you go to the planning board meeting, they vote on it. Nobody gets to ask any more questions. So they approved it. So I had to open that. Took a week

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to get it. Everything that I complained about that was not in testimony, not in a traffic plan, not in the EIS, not in not in testimony, and not in the application. low boy trailers, heavy equipment, a fleet of dump trucks. It's

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in the resolution after I was told in no uncertain terms, if it's not in the application, it can't be there. If you read and my question to you as the attorney, who authors that resolution? Is that the applicant's attorney and they send a draft to the board and does

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the do you someone from your office review it? >> So, I just want to interrupt for a second before I I I give the floor to attorney McCen. You're referring to a planning board application that the planning board attorney had this conversation with. Mr. McGucken is a municipal attorney. >> No, I believe I thought you were there. I'm sorry.

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>> No, Mr. McGucken was not was not by the planning board. >> Mr. Shay. >> Okay. I I apologize for that. But yeah, he sat right there and told me. >> Yeah. Just want to make sure I >> video. My apologies. That if it's not in the testimony and it's not in the application,

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basically I don't have to be concerned about it. And all of those things were put in the resolution. So yeah, I can send a letter asking for reconsideration with all the issues. I can do the written superior court, but if you don't have any

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option to even speak to the planning board about what are you doing here with this? How did this resolution get through with things that weren't in there? There was even a hardship statement which would be for youth variance added to the resolution. There was no testimony about that. So, I want

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to know where this resolution came from. And I mean, you're the only oversight option. I heard you at the parade yesterday say I'm old school. So, I don't know if that's old school means when something really stinks, I'm going to ask a question or >> it's just municipal corrupt. >> I just want to make sure I understand.

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I'm I'm clarifying your question in simple terms for myself. Um, >> you're you're you're alleging that the resolution that the planning board adopted did not match what they agreed to by the stipulations they agreed to. >> Absolutely not. Okay. So, I'm going to ask then council councilman breie is our leazison to the planning board. Um I'm

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going to ask councilman breie then to go back because and again I don't know the process but that is something the planning board is supposed to hold there all all the members of the planning board are supposed to hold the feet of the of the review that resolution making sure it matches the testimony that was given and council breast anything you

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want to add? >> Well a lot of the testimony that Mr. Smith brought up was that the company had these vehicles in Lakewood, not part of that application and that's their business in Lakewood and they were going to bring them here and they stipulated they weren't. So I'll look at it again

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but >> that should be part of the resolution >> resolution. Right. >> Correct. Now let me let me just ask attorney Mccen if it is found that the planning board in the resolution that they adopted missed certain things and Councilman Breie as our leazison would I guess deter look into that and determine that could the planning board read and

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amend that resolution? they could reconsider their approval if there was an obvious error. Um, and they could change it if there was an obvious error. Um, however, if there wasn't and it's a question as to whether it was included or not or it's a close not a close call.

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Um, the pro ridgative agree would have to be filed within 45 days from the date of the publication of the notice of the approval. And to answer your first question, the planning board uh attorney drafts the resolutions for planning board applications. I would say 99% of the time,

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>> even worse, honestly. >> So, so Mr. Smith, your time. I just want to say if you want come after meeting, talk to Mr. Brussi and then he can go back and and look into that and I guess exchange information with him. >> Thank you. Anyone else? >> My name is Yehuda Tomar. Jackson,

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I'm here tonight because I want to put something on record. Today, a cartoon was posted on a Facebook group called Jackson Township Residents for Change. That group is a rebuilt version of Christopher Jackson.

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The campaign group that helped elect Councilman Pollock when Facebook banned Councilman Pollock. Elliot Chamto, the man who ran the the councilman's campaign and who was now running for mayor on a ticket with the councilman's name attached to it opened a new one.

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Same members, same tone, different name on the door. Today our workers Today our cartoon was posted and the group depicting Jews not in a positive light to say it at least. The post is now down

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and I'm glad it is. In the beginning of this meeting, Councilman Pollock, you denounced on Facebook groups. Mr. Pollock, is this group included? >> What is your question? One second. Council, one second. Councilman Pollock, if you can direct your questions to council and then I'll I'll allow

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Councilman Pollock to >> My question. My question is, was the group you denounced in earlier in this meeting? Was it including Jackson Township residents for change? >> What is your question? >> Do you are you denouncing the content

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that's in that Facebook group? If it's something negative towards others, sure. >> Okay, >> I do denounce that. >> But I want to talk to tonight is not about the actual cartoon, but it's about the 244 comments under it that are now deleted. The comments are now down. But I want to read out loud the comments

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because they have no place in in Jackson Township. I can't even use this word. It says beeping Jews bastard William Hinda, I guess his name is. The black hats need to be eliminated. They're taking over New Jersey. If they're not dealt with

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soon, raid, Joanne Saddowski, someone told her, "Eliminated sound like something a Nazi would say." Her response, "I'm part German and damn proud of it. Hi, Hitler." Such comments have no place in Jackson.

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I I can't even read these. Definitely organized crime hiding in the mask of religion. They are complete parasites. It's amazing how different we are with hygiene. Is this 2026 deport

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dozens more? It's now down. But the people who wrote them are still in the group. And nobody, not the council member, not the candidate for mayor has said one word to the people who wrote that what I

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just read. Council member Miss Pollock, I want these answers tonight. Do you agree with these kind of comments, these kind of cartoons depicting people, particularly Jewish people, in a certain

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light? You reject what's in them. The people who wrote them are still in the group. Will you ask Mr. Shto publicly tonight to remove them. Yes or no?

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Mr. Shento is running for mayor of this township on a ticket with your name on attached to it. The group hosting these comments in his group. If he does not clean it up, are you willing tonight from that seat to come off his ticket to say to the people of this town that you will not run with

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him, will not endorse him, will not stand with him or camp on a campaign poster until this is fixed? This is Jackson. This is not politics. I'm not here about development. I'm not here about zoning or any other fights this town is having for years, way before

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anyone came here. This is America. This is this is just basic dignity. Human dignity. I haven't been in this podium for a long time. But whoever posted that, shame on them. And whoever can't find the courage to

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denounce that, shame on them, too. All right, sir. Uh I guess uh you're done. I'd like to answer. Um, yes, I do denounce anything that's hateful, that's uh wrong. I do not believe in hating on anybody based on,

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you know, race, religion, ethnicity. I don't support that in any way, shape, or form. Uh, I'm not even on Facebook. So, I like, you know, I can't speak for random people on the internet, and I don't know how I'm held to account for

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any of that. I I I don't know these comments. I don't see these comments. Uh, and I certainly don't support it. >> Anyone else? >> Fred Mororrow Jackson. The last time I stood up here the last meeting, I asked you three questions,

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Mr. Burns. One of which I feel now I'm going to have to put off for a while. But the first one was about recognizing employees of the town. I It's great that everybody is recognized for their

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achievements and students and athletes and everything else like that. What about the township employees? And I have to apologize to the police department because when I made that statement, I did not realize that they had a member who was retired who passed. So my

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apologies, sir. Okay. Um, is that something that you don't do or will you recognize the people who work for you? It's a little bit of dignity. I don't know these people, but I feel bad

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for them because for all the years they put in or all the time they put in working for this town, they don't even get recognized when they pass. I'm sorry. That doesn't hold with me. Not at all.

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Um, the second thing was I had a question about um some charges that were put down as miscellaneous on a PE card. Um, and I figured now I'm going to have to open that. But I also read something on social media which said that no Oprah

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requests will be um processed until after the budget is all done said and done with. So I looked it up on the Oprah site and it doesn't have any exception for that on the Oprah site. Um, it says standard seven days. Uh, and I think the township because they said

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they don't have enough uh staff. Uh, no, I'm sorry. 7 days is what I'm pretty much guaranteed unless I want to go through all of all of uh, you know, going all the way up to the legal avenue and it makes no sense. Um,

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but another thing that I I got to get to before my time runs down. Uh, Mr. Polyari made uh a statement about the snow removal. Well, sir, they must have your address cuz they sure don't have money. I wound up shoveling 5 feet from

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the center of the road to the curb so that I could have mail delivery. I watched the plows plow 5 feet of snow into ADA compliant curbings that the township just had a grant to put in a

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whole bunch of them in the development. And to top it all off, okay, and I've done fountain for 20 years. Okay, they buried fire hydrants. Now, whose job is it to unbury? Is it the fire department? Is it the

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homeowner? Is it the town? Is it the MUA? Nobody will tell you. But that puts a real hazard out there. And you know, as far as them doing a good job, I don't know who was supervising them to to see that they

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were doing the job that they were supposed to because like I said, they must have your address and they must did your your street really well cuz they didn't do mine. Yeah, this is getting to be a real a real pain.

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Okay. >> So, so I just want to respond. So, obviously with regard I'm going to go to the second point first about the the Oprah. So, um I think everyone at this point should know that you can't believe a a very large percentage of what you see in social media. There is no exception in Oprah that says that until the budget process is done that no Opra

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will be responded to. So, someone posted that um that's just a pack of lies. That's a b with regard to um your your first question about the employees. So overall, so I'm going to apologize. I I do believe it should have been recognized by the last meeting and I apologize on behalf of myself and my

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colleagues. The township did put out a statement. Um but we we we could have definitely have mentioned it by the last council meeting and um I'll take responsibility as council president is something I should have I should have done. That being said, we have the utmost respect. We have phenomenal, phenomenal, phenomenal employees. And as was discussed earlier, I've had

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opportunity through the mayor's office and meeting a very large percentage of them and they're all great, which is why I've advocated for some of them to get promotions and to get raises because I think we can do better. Um and um with regard to the snow removal, I like I said, it's a large town, but I think

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overall, at least from my perspective, and I was out out and about in the town, I think we considering the amount of snow we got this year, I think the vendor and and our DPW did a did a pretty pretty good job. I would give them an A. Maybe not an A+, but I'd give them an A. But I understand your perspective and your streak.

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>> I mean, I'm out there. >> And I will tell you that the mayor was was I was in DBW with her. She was fielding calls and text and and text messages and she was sending they were sending crews out there and I think they were pretty responsive and uh hopefully we won't have a winter like that for again for a long time. But yeah,

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>> what happens if we do >> and if I could just add >> um if they didn't do a good job I know if you contacted DBW Mr. Bolinsky had somebody out pretty quick to to come down your block again. So if they didn't and myself included they when they plow sometimes it blocks in your driveway. I had to you know I had to shovel it out

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myself twice. And in terms of the fire hydrant, um, I dug that out myself. I'm not sure whose rule. I think it's >> I think I think it's the resident's responsibility. >> It's the resident. So, I mean, >> but again, if they didn't do a good job for you, that's uncalled for. Give DVW a

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call. They came out pretty quick for everyone else that I spoke with. >> I wasn't calling DPW to stop them from doing what they were doing. I mean, you know, uh, when they had the next day, they had front end loaders come and clean the the storm drains. They couldn't see what was going on.

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>> Okay, thank you. Anyone else? You come up. >> Oh, you spoke already. We're going to give We're going to have to give everyone a chance first. We'll catch you after the meeting. Yeah, there's still some other residents who haven't spoken and you can speak once. You can come after the meeting.

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>> My name is Trudy Burke, longtime resident of Jackson. Lifetime resident Jackson. And one of those people that you said was notified about the rentals. I was not. I No, I can't say I was not. I was. I got a text stating I didn't pay

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my landlord registration. I got it after January when I came in January 2nd and Andrew said, "You have to wait for her to come back because I couldn't pay it because I didn't I bought the cash, but you only took debit cards." So, I

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went an hour in my car while she went out to her lunch break, came back in, paid my bill, and said, "Is there anything else I need to do?" And she said, "No, you're done." >> You mind me just stopping for a second? You went into what department? I just want to make sure I have all the facts >> into into where you pay registration to

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code enforcement. >> Okay, fine. >> I went there and I paid it January 2nd. I sat in my car for an hour. If I knew I only had to go across the street to the new rental department and pay a $100 fee, I would have. But I was not told.

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So I did not. And then you can say you posted in the Asbury Park Press and you posted in the Lakewood thing and you blasted everybody. Half the people I saw in that office the day I came in to pay my $500 fine. Are we stupid? We would have paid the $100 fee if we knew about

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it. Half the people in that office, some didn't speak English. Some were old people who don't read the paper, don't get emails, and don't get blasted on their phone. We would have paid our fines, but and do we get a warning? Absolutely not. Saturday in the mail, we got our summones that if we didn't pay

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it by last week, it would have went up to 750. So, this township raked in over almost a half a million dollars with this new once a year visiting your thing. It never had been done. Why did you ask who our tenant was in our apartment? If we

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had changed, we knew we needed to have an inspection. We don't all get it on our social media. I just want could you mind me asking you a quick question? So it's what you're saying is that you went into town and you were told I'm I'm going to use the word wrong information. >> Absolutely. And then and then when I

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went back the day I was mad Monday and and found out I went and she said, "Well, I had flyers printed up, but I was told not to give them out." >> Whoa. Whoa. I'm I lost you there. You went in again. You originally came in January. You came again when when you got

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>> I had to get paid my $500. >> Okay. So that was in the past week or so. Even when I said I texted and I called and I said to Jose, "They're saying I didn't pay my landlord, but I know I did." He said, "Trudy, everybody's getting that." And I have it on my phone. Everybody's getting that.

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You're all good. He is the new person over in that department. We were I I was I'm thinking coming in thinking I'm going to BE SCOT-FREE BECAUSE I ASKED A QUESTION AND I was told wrong information. And that was February 9th. And so

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>> we didn't get no warnings. These poor old people who who they were hysterical hysterical in the office and he skimmed me out. I came in hot because I was mad. The administrator I was mad. YOU TOOK IN OVER $300,000

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IN FINES. In fines. And then I go back because I I was told I may need a landlord license. I have one little rental on my property. Was notified by mail. you know, god forbid the normal way. Who reads Asbury Park Press? Who reads a thing in Lakewood? Nobody.

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Nobody in this township. >> And I I found out that most of the ones who paid are LLC's that in Lakewood who own hundreds of apartments, houses each each. But us over 400 people, who would have paid the damn $100 fee? But no, we

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didn't get a chance. We didn't get a a stay. We had to pay it or else it would have went two this week. We went to 750 a person. >> So, um, first of all, thank you for coming. Um, and I'm I'm going to It sounds like you spoke to the business.

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>> I tried to find Mr. Pollock. I went to his business. I left messages, but I got by time I got on Saturday. If you didn't pay it by Friday, it was going up to 750. So I guess legal legal counsel and business administrator Terafenco um many

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of the cases that I'm aware of people who called who called me after pro pushing them a little bit a lot of them did receive notice. >> I got a text I did but then I >> No no no guess what I'm asking over here you have a situation where a resident was given she's alleging she was given false information by a town employee and

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she doubled down and came back a second time and she was again given that false information. What's the recourse for such a thing? Because I mean >> I paid it. No, I I I >> I wasn't going up to 750. >> I understand that, but I think that's that's wrong. >> But when one when they make a new thing,

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a new housing inspection thing, I get it because I live next to a house that's rented. It is pitiful. It really, really is. I get it. >> So, business administrator may council president, I just want to say I was in town hall when Miss Burke came in. uh

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she was talking to uh Michael the um the clerk at the at the front desk and she had told me and the second what came alarming to me um being in administration is the second that she said that she went in there and she spoke to the clerk in code enforcement and they told that she was going to give her a flyer and that the department head

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of that department told her that's not Yeah. and then not the the the my problem is is that people were not being told from one department to walk across the street and go and pay in the second department and now we're giving them violations if they and and we had somebody that came in and I said, "Can

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you prove that you came?" He he he couldn't. He just was kind of going with the flow. So, he paid his fine. but somebody that literally has case by case and word by word uh documentation that she came in not once but twice and waited in the parking lot to do what she needed to do and was told that you know not with the proper proper and

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procedures. I had I did have her speak with the business administrator um when I was there because she did have a story. So I just want to make sure that that is so you know I guess we did try >> business administrator Terafeno I don't know hopefully I don't know if her check was was was deposited yet but if you could have a conversation with our attorney because >> wait for her to run my debit card and I

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waited an hour >> because I think this is >> her lunch >> what what the resident is saying I think is highly highly inappropriate the fact that she came into town hall she and twice and she was given false information. So, I guess if we could look into that and figure out >> we did I just want to end

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>> the poor little people. >> We didn't want to go against >> council man who was hysterical because they had to pay $2,000 in fines. >> It's not just me. A lot of us people I don't read the news. I'm not on I'm on Facebook. I don't belong to one Jackson group. Not one because the crap that

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goes on. But it's pitiful. I've lived here 64 years. My last name is the road I live on and I was proud of it. I'm not proud no more. I get harassed all day long on my phone to buy my property. People walk up my driveway and don't leave us alone.

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>> So, um I'm I'm going to ask you if after meeting if we could have a conversation with the with the attorney. Thank you. >> Anyone else who didn't speak yet? >> Hello, Cararissa from 37 Birch Drive. I'm just following up, I guess, in regards to the whole bamboo situation. I

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haven't heard anything else since I've sent the email. I'm going to ask council vice president. I know he was >> I did forward that to our business I believe our business administrator. I'm not sure if Mr. Terafano if you followed up or if you were going to or >> the bamboo that you >> bamboo I I forwarded the email from the

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resident uh just to look into it and any recourse that we may or may not be able to do. >> Right. Uh our uh DPW director Mr. Vinsky is looking into the matter. So I will get back to you if before you leave if you give me a good contact. I will get

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back to you um tomorrow. >> By looking into it, what do you mean? Because I dealt with Sean Balinsky in the beginning >> or our office is also we received a copy and we are also working on it as well. We understand you. We understand the issue and we're seeing if there's a solution that can be made.

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>> Okay. So, I'm waiting to hear from you and waiting to hear from him. >> So, you're going to hear from the business administrator. >> I think I sent that to like everybody. So, let them collaborate and uh someone will get back to you with what their resolution is. Again, I told you I would send it to everyone and >> and you I saw you forward >> and we'll uh see what their conclusion

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is legally. >> Yeah. I mean, and there's photos and everything else that was in there because obviously this was like it was there then it got cut down from the back and >> and that's not even all of them. I'm sure to be honest I tried to find as much as I could there was there was a lot even between me and Mr. Wall that I

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can't find. So this was a long time. Okay. So I'm going to hear back from you. >> Yes. >> What's the turnaround time frame? >> I'm going to wait for Mr. mcguck's office to get back to us on jurisdictionally responsibility and then we're going to follow up with the DPW director as well.

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>> So then >> this week. Okay, great. All right, so this week I'll hear from somebody >> someone. >> Okay. All right. >> Thank you. Thank you for coming again. >> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Sandra Wachano as a resident of Jackson.

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I'm going to be handing in right now the tour to claim for $364 million to >> I'm sorry, attorney muck. >> So, you just hand it to the clerk and and uh she will >> Well, then you got to come in during business hours. There's a process for

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that. Mad clerk, do you mind just holding on to it for her? >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Sandra Watano as we strive for a place to ride, the citizen le auditor. Um, we didn't launch this initiative out

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of malice. We did it out of necessity. For months, our volunteer team of researchers, accountants, and everyday citizens dug into raw financial data of this municipality. What we uncovered has not a system of

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open competitive markets. Instead, we found a highly coordinated institutional game of financial choreography, a bidrigging gambit on absolute steroids. The public records paint a devastatingly

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clear picture. We tracked a textbook eight-ways checkmate designed to drain our public tax dollars while keeping the council completely in the dark. We found clear evidence of bid suppression where prime contractors suddenly

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vanished from major projects. We uncovered blatant complimentary bidding where secondary firms submitted intentionally bloated flawed bids just to make a pre-selected winner look like a bargain.

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By the way, I come from Hudson County, so Operation Bidrigg was part of my life. So this is on steroids, guys. Just letting you know a little background. Behind the scenes we map a hidden networks of modern equivalents of

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Morgans, Cunes, Bernsteeen of AD advisory world. We watched the geographic regions were neatly carved up to avoid genuine competition and we flagged massive

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communication spikes right before auction deadlines. Most damning of all, our audit tracked the back-end subcontracting loops where losing biders were quietly taken care of with lucrative consulting contracts paid for

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by our residents. To the council members who were unaware, the smokec screen of complex algorithmic data and dizzy legal jargon ends tonight. The data packet we are handing over to

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you and to the public. It will be in the morning then young lady um clerk um strips away the illusion. This is no longer a matter of administrative oversight or budget budgeting errors.

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This is horizontal marketing allocation scheme that has systematically overcharged this community. We are not here to ask for a committee review. We are here to hand the forensic roadmap. We expect this council to immediately

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freeze these contested contracts, launch an independent federal antirust investigation, and protect the public trust. The chessboard has been flipped. The data is public and the checkmate

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belongs to the citizens. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Raymond Trimmer Jr. I'm on the uh zoning board fire commissioner. I'm here as just a regular person tonight. Well, my commissioner first.

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Thank you for acknowledging the uh fire department. Uh we were going to have a full board of fire commissioners here tonight to answer the questions but due to circumstance everybody's control but we will be here the next meeting ready to answer any questions. It's not that

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complicated. Fortunately shouldn't have taken almost three years to do but we're making some headway with it. >> Thank you for helping that. >> Someone always snow plowing. Yes, they did a good job

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in most places. my street after I plowed 26 hours. I took the truck I was using and got stuck on my street trying to fix it. But like Mary said, we can't have such a big contractor. You need a smaller

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contractor. Like I told you, we I work for a Jackson company that goes to Lakewood because they're not allowed to bid here. But the point is they give us air tags. So they know what we're doing, they know who screwed up, and they know how to check it. So, if you want any information with that, we can give you

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plenty of insight. Um, personal pet peeve, why do my firefighters have to shuffle fire hydrants when we have to pay the MUA? Just food for thought, cuz that's wrong.

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Um, data centers, do you know how much water they take for a small one per day? You want to answer for me? I don't have I don't know. Take a guess. >> I'm scared to answer. I'm gonna be I'm gonna get undershooting. >> Come on. Uh >> I don't want to waste your time, so I'm

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going to talk very slowly. Um I >> million gallons >> a day. >> A day for a small one. Just so everybody's aware, that's how bad the situation is. That's why they're in certain areas for that reason. They need excessive amount of water. They

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need an excessive amount of power. So yes, we do have to hear them when they come out. Just to be aware, they are a bigger issue. Also could also cause radio interference depending on certain situations. So that's just food for

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thought because no one has mentioned that part of it yet. I mentioned somebody today and they gave me that information. You think about it, Lacy Township uses six million gallons a day. So between that and the power, we already know that

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surrounding towns need water and they're trying to tap into our infrastructure. So that would be an impossible issue. So it's not biased. It's not being mean and you know we have all these warehouses. Are they going to try to stick one in a

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warehouse or we just have to be aware? So just as public knowledge, I just wanted the board to know that. um we have some big projects with with some big warehouses. So again, it can be a big issue. The

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other thing is last time I was here, I complained about how people come and address the board. They're under oath and they're not quite honest. Just so happens

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the next day after I was here, DCA sent my fire official, Scott Roush, a nice letter because he had six pre-building meetings, six sets of plans. When he said his final

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certain person who comes, I'm not going to mention names, had already updated the plans for a seventh time. and he had no idea. So he looked like a fool

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at first because they're like, "Well, what are you giving us? This is wrong." But it wasn't wrong. Just wasn't what was accurate. So what I'm saying is there are cracks and voids in your system. That's why I spoke last meeting

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that need to be closed up. We're putting certain things ahead. we're trusting sworn officials to do their job and they're not. That's not their fault because they've always gotten away with it and there's no way to to really know

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this unless we delve in like we do with you guys and find this information out. So just again for public information, you know, we we have to be more diligent in the information that's being brought to the boards. So I'll keep on bringing

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>> that's your job on the zoning board. >> Okay. Don't get mad at me when I pull you up. >> I've never gotten mad at you yet. I just fight back. >> Oh, two days ago. That's it. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else? Oh, Mr. Sullivan. Hello everyone. I'm Joseph Sullivan, 31

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Cathy Court here in Jackson. I just would like to thank the mayor uh and the council president, the rest of the council for your uh vote to reappoint the rent leveling board here in Jackson. Um Edward Jacowski, Diane Dicapua, Will

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Boyce, uh my brother Frank Sullivan, Deborah Wankl, and Joanne Walker have all served this town with distinction. Uh and of course, which I thank you very much. Uh, and I want to thank you all for your leadership that you have shown

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towards manufacturer housing and apartment complexes and the needs of rent leveling here in Jackson. There is um a different subject I'd like to bring up though if that's all right with Council President. >> Whatever you whatever's on your brain,

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>> I'd like to ask uh Councilman Pollock, do you know who the account residents against the pile of lies are or who they are or who's behind it? No, I do not. >> Okay. Well, to let you know, some of the things they've done, they've said some

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very anti-semitic things. They have personally attacked me for my disability, for my weight, for my looks. Uh they have accused me of being a homosexual, which I think is totally disgusting to even decide you can decide

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whose somebody's sexual orientation is. And I wonder if you denounce what the resonance against the high level eyes has been doing. >> Uh well, in my opening comments, I actually said I disagree uh with what they're doing. I think it takes away

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from the actual issues in town. Um and I I think it's a distraction. I think it's silly. I do denounce anything that's negative. I shouldn't be attacked for anything, honestly, unless it's your actions. >> Yeah. Well, none of it has been about actions. This seems to be about my

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looks. So, um, but I I thank you for denouncing that because it needs to be denounced because the fact is they support your campaign. They they post very positively about you, about your running mates and then they attack everybody else who

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volunteers or who is elected in this town and they do it in a very nasty negative way. Then their commenters making anti-Semitic comments and other nasty comments. And I hate to tell you, Mr. Pollock, you are the company you

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keep. If you lay down with dogs with fleas, you're going to get up with flea bites. And I think you need to take a more proactive stance against what has been happening on Facebook. It's disgusting. It's immoral.

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And they're doing it under your name. Did Did you speak up last election when they did the those things to me? >> I didn't. >> Were you concerned with it? >> I didn't come forward the last election because I was attacked in the last. >> I'm just I'm just wondering. >> I'm not running for office, Mr.

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>> I I understand. But, you know, if you listen to my opening comments, uh once again, I said I do not agree with what's going on. I do not agree with this political climate that has been created by these people in this town. They created this. I have

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nothing to do with this. I denounce all of this. I think it's all disgusting. And actually, this ridiculous, disgusting government and the political climate they created helped get me elected >> and I don't continue this. I speak to

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people's faces. I speak to people's faces. I don't play these games and I never have. You see me up here every single time. I don't do this stuff. >> Mr. It's it's very great to see that you have your cheering squad here for you every time. But the point is I'm talking

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about this issue on Facebook right now. There are groups who support your campaign who actively work to get you elected and reelected who are disgusting and are attacking people because of their religion, their disability, their

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sexual orientation, and their looks. And if you can't focus on that and try to deflect on your last campaign because people came after you. You ran for office, Mr. Pollock. I did. >> Thank you very much.

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>> Thank you. >> I repeated myself multiple times. You didn't listen to my opening comment. And random people on the internet, I don't speak for. I speak for myself every single time I'm up here. And if you have a problem, I think you have my number. You can call me. That's totally fine. I

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give my number to just about everybody and I give out my personal number. People got beef, they speak to me. People got a problem, speak to me. I speak to everybody up here. I don't like these people up here, most of them. But I speak to them and if there's a problem, I'll call them on the phone. I'll say it right here. I'm not going to

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deal with these garbage attacks. Keep trying it. I'm going to represent the people of this town. This is a joke and this is nonsense trying to tell you nonsense Facebook comments to me. pages that I don't know who the hell they are. I don't know and I don't care. I care

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about the town and the issues. This is all a distraction and it will not distract me from doing my job. Amen. >> Kim Kaminsky, 47 Mason Drive, how of Jackson, New Jersey. Um, first thank you

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for this. I'm wondering when we are going to get a podium here. Feels a little ozish. Dorothy coming up here in front of all of you. Um I was an educator for over 25 years and I was in

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guidance as school counselor for over 20 years. So I'm a bit of an expert with social media and what we're seeing tonight. I am totally unprepared to speak tonight. But I just can't let go what I saw happen here tonight. And anyone who's a parent here knows that

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their children are going they're torturing each other with social media. It has changed the landscape of of everything of our social lives. What we're seeing with adults coming up here tonight reporting. I understand that

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gentleman that came up here before totally understand the how he feels about things like that. I can't I mean it's it's inexcusable to speak that way and yes I see that on there as well but I've seen that have you know been

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pointed at other people as well not just a certain group and I've seen people from the Orthodox community have also said things that were totally inexcusable. People become keyboard warriors once

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they're on that computer. It's terrible what happens with that. But I don't think what happened tonight. And again, I can't emphasize enough what that gentleman said, what he reported reading that I can't even imagine what that was like for him. It had has to be horrible and it's inexcusable. And if anyone here

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supports that, I agree with what he said, shame on you for that. But I think there was mis there was misguided anger, misplaced anger here tonight with that. this gentleman here and this gentleman here. The only thing that I've seen with

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with Elliot is that if somebody says something, he's willing to meet with them. He wants to talk with them and meet with them. And that's the way things happen. Chris was he was a victim of this stuff. I hate to use the victim word, but that was part of the campaign. And as far as

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things not happening yet with this particular group over here, it's early. the campaign really hasn't started yet. So, buckle up because that, you know, but I think people need to not pay attention to what's going on social

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media. You know, if you don't like it, don't go on it. And by no means should anyone support any of the anti-semitism or any kind of hate talk that goes on there. But I just could not let that go tonight. And that's it. Thank you.

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DEB Jones Jackson. I'm kind of going to reiterate what she said and I think it's awful some of the things that go on on Facebook, but again, it's been going on for a long time. We watched the person being paid rip people apart

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with a lot of false information, but once it's out there, it's out there. and you can't unhehere something. People being anti-Semitic, it's not okay. It's never okay. And unfortunately, the things that are going on in the town, whether it's on this

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council, whether it's on the planning board, the zoning board, it's only adding fuel to the fire. And a lot of the comments that are being posted, they're usually by people who are anonymous in some way or made up names

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in another way. And not for nothing, but none of us know who that is. That could be people right from within their own organization. We don't know. We've watched Facebook be called

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a word that saying it's not true. And now all of a sudden it's a campaign strategy. I mean, when are we going to put Facebook aside and worry about what's really going on in the town? stop fighting it out on Facebook.

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It's kind of sad that we've now had people come up asking one of the council people to denounce what's going on when he's not even the person doing it. So, I don't know. I didn't watch I didn't hear

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anyone that was sitting on this board. I didn't hear one person denounce Shore Network News or anything else that went out about it. That's sad. It's it's the same thing. And you can't say it's okay when the balls in your

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court, but when the balls are flying at you, it's not okay. You can't expect one person to do something that none of you did. It's time we start looking in the mirror and stop trying to blame everyone else.

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>> Uh Deb, Deb, I'm gonna actually disagree with you for a minute here. Um, it's not the same. They paid them with tax money to attack me. These are people I don't even know online and this is a disgusting political stunt.

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>> Thank you. >> I just wanted to make the point that the same tactic tactic was being used and we never said a word. >> Thank you. Anyone else? >> Seeing no one come forward. I motion to close public forum.

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>> Second. If you already spoke once, you can come after. We'll we'll be around. Yeah. >> All in favor? >> I >> I >> could I have a motion to close? >> Motion. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? >> Have a great night. Thank you.