##VIDEO ID:wSX755CgyOc## I hey everyone we're about to get started if you can find your seats silence your cell phones close the side and back doors for me I greatly appreciate it thank you so much good evening everyone we are on the record today is Wednesday the 29th day of January in the year 2025 this is a regular meeting of the Jersey City municipal Council we had a scheduled 6 PM start the clock on my cell phone is showing 6:07 p.m. may we have a roll call for the commencement of this meeting council person Ridley yeah council person priner yeah council person buano yeah if we're going to continue to talk if we can step outside that would be great because I'm we need to conduct Business Council person SLE here council person Solomon council person Gilmore presid council person Dees council person Rivera both of them are ill they're going to be both they're both going to be out for the entirety of the meeting thank you and council president wman we have seven council members in attendance at 607 p.m. can we kindly rise for a moment of silence please i' like to dedicate this moment a silence to Frederick Tomkins long-term um auditor and great person worked for the city many years ago and his um auditing firm audited our books for many many years as well like to add Mitch man Cavo Sienna Lee okay thank you very much on behalf of council president wman and the members of the municipal Council in accordance with New Jersey public laws of 1975 chapter 231 the open public meetings act also known as the Sunshine Law adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by the posting on the bulletin board of the first floor of City Hall the annual notice which is the schedule of meetings and caucuses of the municipal Council for the calendar year 2025 and final the the office of of the city clerk on Friday November 15th 2024 in addition at its time of its preparation the agenda of this meeting was similarly disseminated on Friday January 24th 2025 at 6:18 p.m. to the mayor Municipal Council business administrator Corporation Council and the local newspapers and posted on the city's website so I can certify as to our total compliance with the Sunshine Law council members before we move on to our routine order of business as discussed in the caucus we have an item to add to the agenda which is item 10.48 City resolution 25- 088 is a resolution authorizing an emergency temporary appropriation for calendar year 2025 council members may I have a motion to add item 10.48 resolution 25- 088 to the agenda motion Mo motion made by council person CLE seconded by council person prer on the motion to add item 10.48 resolution 2588 to the agenda council person Ridley I council person priner I council person bajano I council person SLE I council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I and council president wman motion carry 70 with council members the and Rivera absent okay on to our first reading ordinances if you would allow me to read them all into the record and then we'll take a vote on all of them item 3.1 city ordinance 25- 04004 excuse me a franchise ordinance granting permission to Sam Steinberg his successors and assigns to use approximately 21662 square feet over the public RightWay within 50 foot of right of way of First Street add to 8 9 and 10 block 12603 on the official tax assessment map of the city of Jersey City item 3.2 city ordinance 25-5 is an ordinance implementing chapter 67 pedestrian malls article three Provo Street between Bay Street and Morgan Street Pedestrian Mall item 3.3 city ordinance 25- 006 is an ordinance of the municipal Council of the city of Jersey City amending chapter 105 demolition chapter 131 construction code chapter 160 fees and charges chapter 345 zoning article 3 section 30 and 31 local Landmark designation standards and section 33 item 3.4 city ordinance 25-7 is an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic article 3 parking standing and stopping amending section 332-2437 along 9th Street East of Eerie Street and lastly item 3.5 city ordinance 25-8 is an ordinance supplementing chapter 332 vehicles and traffic article 8 permit parking section 332-5800 7th streets council members are going to be taking a vote on items 3.1 through 3.5 council person Ridley I for introduction council person Prince ER I for introduction council person Bano I council person SLE hi for introduction council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi for introduction and council president wman items 3.1 through 3.5 are introduced 70 with council members the G and Rivera absent council members as discussed at the caucus I know there's a couple of items you would like to defer to and just just to make sure I'm correct I have a motion to defer to items 10.6 10.8 10.9 and 10.43 is that correct okay who will make the motion to defer to those items motion motion made by council person SLE may I have a second is that bajano yeah thank you on a motion to defer to items 10.6 8 9 and 43 council person Ridley I council person priner Hi council person bajana Hi council person I council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I and council president wman motion carry 70 with council members the G and Rivera absent so we're going to go in order the first resolution that we defer to is item 10.6 which is resolution 25- 046 it's a resolution honoring Ray Meyer r Meer sorry I'm so used to calling him Ray on the occasion of his retirement from the city of Jersey City and we have our distinguished director his director here to read it into the record just give me one second so I can get the camera on you good evening council president council members I'm here before you today with agenda item number 10.6 resolution 2-46 Ania chelone Department director housing Economic Development and commerce it's a resolution honoring Raymond Meyer on the occasion of his retirement from Jersey City whereas Raymond Meyer was born on December 31st 1953 at Christ Hospital in Jersey City New Jersey he was raised in West New York New Jersey and later Fairview New Jersey with his parents and four siblings whereas Raymond graduated from Bergen Tech in hackin saac New Jersey in 1972 and worked for various contractors before enlisting in the United States Navy in 1974 serving with distinction for 5 years as an aviation electrician and whereas following his honorable discharge from the Navy Raymond founded his own business Raymond Meyer Electric in 1980 demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit and dedication and whereas Raymond met his wife Maria Savino Meyer at Hudson Lanes in Jersey City while bowling on the St Francis Hospital bowling league in 1980 they married on September 13th 1981 and have been happily married for 43 years raising two children Joseph Meyer and Michelle Meyer meedo and their two beloved grandchildren Christian Meyer and Jordan Meyer and whereas Raymond began his Public Service uh his public service with city of Jersey City in 1989 as an electrical inspector then electrical subcode official his leadership and expertise led to his appointment as acting construction official in July of 2005 and his formal appointment as construction official in 2007 where he served with dedication until his retirement in 2025 making him the longest serving construction official in the city's history and whereas during his tenure Raymond made significant contributions to Jersey City including serving as the city's flood plane administrator guiding the city through Hurricane Sandy and introducing the construction site safety manual which he which has enhanced Public Safety and set new standards for construction practices and whereas Raymond also served on the elevator subcode committee and the Hudson County board of appeals for many years becoming chairperson of the board in 2012 a role he held until his retirement further showcasing his commitment to public service and community benit and whereas when asked about his greatest accomplishment Raymond proudly declares my wife and my family reflecting his deep Devotion to his loved ones and whereas as Raymond transitions into retirement he looks forward to improving his golf game traveling relaxing and spending more time with his beloved wife Maria now therefore be it resolved that the city of Jersey City recognizes and honors Raymond Meyer for his outstanding service dedication and contributions to the community be it further resolved that the mayor and Municipal Council of the city and Jersey City city of Jersey City on behalf of its citizens extend their deepest gratitude and best wishes to Raymond Meyer and his family as he begins this new chapter of his life be it finally resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Raymond Meyer as a token of appreciation and a lasting reminder of his exceptional Legacy in Jersey City I am the pleasure of saying thank you to Raymond for over 35 years of dedicated service Ray before we allow you to speak which I'm sure you're gonna have a lot of words to say we we we have to take a vote on it to make sure that the council was going to approve it first so I doubt it you see you just never know Ray you just I know you know this because of how many years you've been here right all right with that being said council members are going to be taking a vote on resolution 25- 046 on that council person Ridley uh Ray thank you for your years of service uh to Jersey City and to its residents we know that um your job is not an easy job especially with all the development going on here we know you get calls every day I know we contact you all the time from my office and um even though your responses are short we know that we know that anytime we reach out you respond to us and you get us you know inspectors out or whatever we need to do so um we just want to say thank you because that's a long time to be anywhere and especially in a position like that so thank you so much for all that you've done for the city of Jersey City and congratulations on your next chapter vote no Sean I vote I you have other council members speaking for you um council person Prince Ary gotta be careful all right so I'll get that out first I vote I happily happily vote Ira congratulations on 35 years of dedication to the city um and for your assistance your guidance um your one and two word email answers which you know if they say brevity is the soul of wit you are clearly that Soul um and you know just just for everything that you've done for the late night phone calls the weekend phone calls um happily to your family congratulations on getting them back uh you might not thank us later but but Ray it has been an absolute pleasure to work with you and thank you for everything congratulations council person bajano Ray I don't know where to begin I call Ry almost every day and he answers the phone what do you want and I so I have a nickname for him I call him grumpy but I'm going to miss you Ray I every time I called you you always took care of everything I called you about but enjoy everything go down south and enjoy life Ray I'm going to miss you and your vote I vote well I don't know if I should vote I should I Ray I vote I council person s honestly I'm really tempted to vote no just so you don't retire and um you know it's it's incredible the work that you did and the feedback you're getting from all the council people is that you picked up our calls you made sure that things were right in Jersey City to the best of your ability like you were there for us when we needed you day or night weekend and you poured your heart out for this city and 35 years you earned this retirement you earn this recognition you know they don't make them like they used to Ray um you are uh The Last of a Dying Breed and you deserve some time with your family and I really thank you for always picking up my call and being there when I needed you the most and um allowing me to bend your ear and complain to you whether it's about you know construction or about oano my neighbor just like about anything so thank you so much for your service to this country to the city and I wish you the best retirement and I'll see you on the green all right with that I vote i c person Solomon um Ray just genuine genuine thank you as all my colleagues said anytime we called we got a honest answer a direct answer and an answer from someone who deeply cared about Jersey City and making it work for every single person here um and you can't ask for anything more uh from someone who devoted 35 years to our city so I'm just deeply deeply grateful for what you did we will miss you and uh enjoy those grandkids I proudly vote I council person Gilmore right thank you for 35 years you've been with the city longer than I've been born that is a true Testament to really car about an entity in which you work for I'm I don't even think I got 10 years and I'm ready to throw the Hat in um so it's a testament to to your hard work and dedication to the uh Community um I do want to say this Ray I have about three pending complaints if we can close those out before you leave I would really appreciate that right um but congratulations and thank you to the family for sharing him with us it's extremely hard job working for the municipal C in Jersey City um because as you hear you hear these late night calls and you hear these concerns so again thank you for your dedication I probably vote I and council president wman congratulations on your retirement Bray um when I came in office 12 years ago you was always kind and you always guided me in the right direction I know there they are losing a person who have skill and in this country now it's so hard to find people who have certain skill sets that can move things forward so you will definitely be missed I appreciate all that you have taught me while while I'm here I really do appreciate it your skill set is phenomenal I I have to say that because I learned so much about building just based on the conversations we have and your words are few that's one thing about Ry when you send Ry an email you're going to get yes no okay we'll handle it and that's who he is a man of few words but he is a person of many actions and for that I'm truly grateful to know you God bless you and God bless your family and I wish you nothing but the best in your future but that I proudly vote eye I ask you to clap one more time so City resolution 25- 046 is approved unanimously with the council members present 70 with council members de and Rivera abson congratulations Ray all right Ray speech I'm going to put you on the spot we want you to make sure you're close to the mic so everybody can hear you no pressure no this will probably be the hardest thing you've did in 35 years yes well at this time I like to thank the mayor council president council members and for taking the time to honor me for my to honor me for my time and service here and I'll keep it short and sweet thank you all thank you very much for the compliments and thank you much for the support over years that's it Ray they don't want you to go yet they want to snap a picture of you they want to make history because you've made history you'll be right in the middle right here where's my rich started together yeah yeah we did your what oh yeah get in here I feel sorry for you live thank you thank youone thank gonna miss you guys thank thank you thank you for the okay congratulations again Ray well deserved all right our next Rayle you have your last chance to say what you really want to say oh you want to do it on the mic I understand I understand okay oh man okay next item that we defer to is item 10.8 resolution 25- 048 is a resolution reaffirming the Jersey City as the golden door of America requesting the city to promote resources available to Residents and expressing support for the New Jersey immigrant trust act Senate number 3672 assembly number 4987 Council person s are you reading this to the record is there anyone from The Immigrant Affairs committee here today raise your hand okay I will read it into the record whereas Jersey city has long been recognized as a welcoming and inclusive City often called golden door of America due to its historical significance as a Gateway for immigrants seeking opportunity and freedom through Ellis Island and whereas Jersey City's Rich diversity and vibrant communities are test estimate to the contribution of individuals from all backgrounds cultures and walks of life and whereas the city is committed to fostering a supportive environment where all residents including newcomers and long-standing members of the community can Thrive and access opportunities to succeed and whereas Jersey City offers a wealth of resources services and programs designed to enhance the well-being of its residents including access to education employment assistance housing health care and Community engagement initiatives and whereas promoting awareness and accessibility to these resources is essential to ensuring Equity inclusion and opportunity for all members of the community and whereas the New Jersey immigrant trust act Senate Bill 3672 assembly Bill 4987 aims to build trust between immigrant communities and local County and state law enforcement hereby ensuring that all residents feel safe reporting crimes and accessing critical public services including but not limited to Health Care Facilities public libraries Public Schools domestic violence shelters Emergency Shelters family shelters and youth youth shelters and whereas more than 40% of children in New Jersey live in immigrant families with at least least one foreign born parent and has the second highest percentage of foreign born residents among all the states and whereas supporting the New Jersey immigrant trust act aligns with Jersey City's values of inclusion safety equal treatment for all residents and upholding the constitutional rights of all people regardless of immigration status and whereas nothing in the New Jersey immigrant trust act would prohibit a law enforcement agency from responding to a valid he word valid judicial warrant court order or writ issued by a federal article 3 judge or magistrate judge or the state equivalent or in any way restrict any action where the prohibition or restriction would be contrary to federal law now therefore be be it hereby resolved by the city council the Jersey City Council reaffirms its identity as the golden door of America a place where diversity is celebrated and opportunities are abundant two the city council requests the administration to develop and Implement a comprehensive promotional plan to raise awareness of resources and services available to Residents including but not limited to utilizing the city's website and social media platforms for information dissemination regarding the city's division of immigrant Affairs including our federally accredited immigration Legal Services partnering with Community organizations schools local business businesses to reach diverse populations to promote informational know your rights workshops in multiple languages English classes health and wellness job agencies and resource guides for immigrants and mixed status households commitment to accessibility the city council urges City departments and agencies to ensure all materials and programs and services are accessible and inclusive with an emphasis on removing barriers related to language technology or physical access for support the Immigrant New Jersey immigrant trust act the city council expresses its unequivocal support for the New Jersey immigrant trust act and urges state legislators to enact this vital legislation which strengthens trust between immigrant communities and public agencies by ensuring safe access to public services as well as enhancing transparency and accountability and finally five Community engagement the city council encourag collaboration with Community leaders nonprofits and residents to continually identify and address the needs of Jersey City's diverse population as well as urges the mayor and County Executive to direct all mechanisms of law enforcement within the government to praise themselves on the New Jersey immigrant trust act thank you you can clap okay on resolution 25- 048 council person Ridley hi council person Prince AR hi council person bajano Hi council person SLE just want to thank uh the city council and the administration and all the residents you know we're trying to help instill more trust within our local community there's a lot of fear that's going around so we want to make sure that residents know that they continue they can continue to count on their local government the County government that they can access those critical public resources and that we're going to have their back we're going to make sure that they can still go to school that they could still access libraries that could still have a baby if they want to have a baby some people you know are F you heard it second highest number of immigrant families in the country are in New Jersey and 40% have at least one immigrant parent so this is having a huge impact on everyone in New Jersey and um this this is a good plan for us to actually promote know your rights clinics um with that I want to vote I this came from the Immigrant Affairs committee we voted on it to bring it forward so this is not just like a Cay thing this is the Immigrant Affairs committee so I want to thank them as well and that with that I proudly vote I thank you council person Solomon I want to thank my colle councilman for bringing this forward as well as the Immigrant Affairs committee and just really important in this time to affirm our commitment uh to immigrants in Jersey City and uh as the councilman said through the letter this law would do nothing to stop legitimate action with valid warrants folks have committed and been convicted of serious crimes but for people who have been in our community for decades and have been making Jersey City a better place um we need to do everything in our power now I think there we are limited and there are certain things we can't do so we don't want to promise but uh we make the promise that we will do everything in our power uh to help protect uh those folks and ensure that uh Jersey City lives up to the moniker of the golden door so I vote I thank you council person Gilmore um yeah thank you to immigrants Affairs councilman Yousef slay for bringing this forward um we unfortunate we're in trying times right now um no child should have to go to school with a fair of their parents being ripped away from them no one should have to go to work and be ducking people for a fear of their safety um I probably vote I thank you and council president wman City resolution 25- 048 is approved 70 with council members Dees and Rivera absent on to our next item that yes AR our next item that we defer to which is item 10.9 City resolution 25- 049 is a resolution observing and celebrating the second annual Muslim Heritage Month in Jersey City council person sole uh is there anyone from the community that would like to read this into the record okay arand you are up do you have the reso in front of you okay you are getting it right now I'm here to give the community a voice so it's uh we a resolution observing and celebrating the second annual Muslim Heritage Month in Jers city council offered and M adopt adoption of the following resolution whereas in the spring of 2023 governor Phil Murphy signed a resolution establishing January as Muslim heritage month in New Jersey and whereas this marks the second annual observance of Muslim Heritage Month in the state which celebrates the Traditions contributions history patriotism advocacy Civic engagement and philanthropy of the Muslim Community and whereas jerse city is renowned for its diversity and inclusivity with a population that reflects a rich tapestry of cultures and communities and it is fitting that the city acknowledges and celebrates the contributions of its Muslim residents and whereas New Jersey has the fourth largest population Muslim population of any state with approximately 320,000 Muslims representing 3% of the total total state population and Jersey City alone is home to between 25,000 and 30,000 Muslim residents and whereas Governor Murphy has also signed a state resolution during a celebration of idul f a holiday marking the end of Ramadan the Muslim holy month of fasting further underscoring the significance of Muslim traditions and cultural celebrations and whereas the primary goal of Muslim heritage month is to combat stereotype and tragedies against Muslims by highlighting their positive contributions and profound impact on society and whereas the Muslim commun population has been growing in the United States and today's Muslim American population is a tapestry of ethnic racial linguistic social and economic groups and whereas in the United States nearly 50% of Muslim Americans have reported experiencing religious discrimination with that number of raising to 64% of Muslim Americans whose appearance identities identifies them as Muslims such as women who we the J are head scarf and whereas there is a need of public for public education awareness and policies that help people be culturally competent when describing discuss discussing or addressing the impacts that Muslim Americans have on all Impact aspects of the Society of the United States and whereas the incredible contributions and Heritage of Muslim Americans have helped to build both a better New Jersey and United States and now therefore be it resolved by the city council of Jersey City that the that the Jersey City municipal Council hereby recognizes and observes January 2025 as the second annual Muslim Heritage Month in jerse city and be it further resolved that Jersey City will promote awareness of Muslim Heritage Month through community events educational programs and collaborations with local organizations to highlight the rich cultural historical and societal cont contributions of the Muslim Community and encourages all residents to join in the celebration and recognition of Muslim Heritage Month to Foster greater understanding unity and appreciation for the diverse Heritage of our community thank you okay council members so we just need to vote on item I mean resolution 25-49 council person Ridley uh I vote I and I just want to say that it's always uh a pleasure to celebrate our diversity here in Jersey City and to celebrate different cultures I council person priner um I vote I and to Arjen and the rest of the community that's here today thank you for a really lovely presentation this past week um and thank you for all you do for community and for fostering um very good relationships and understanding across the city council person bajano I've been involved with the Muslim Community for almost 24 years with oured and West Point and various mosque throughout the city and you were very helpful in everything you did with West Point and I appreciate it so I vote I Council person's delay obviously I vote I I am uh Muslim American um and I'm grateful to even be seated up here and I just want to thank the elders that are here in the community for Paving the way and even the green horns the Young Bucks that are coming up you know we saw some of them at Dickinson High School and we have you know trustee uh Unice and we have former Boe president musab and we got Ahmed shadid we got MTS we got everybody here uh Community leaders without you I wouldn't even be here and um we have to make sure to send the elevator back down to the Next Generation that's who we owe it to so we're here to recognize the Muslim Community in Jersey City is 25 30,000 strong and um you know the first mosque was built in the 1970s I believe so uh the Muslim Community has grown and so has Jersey City and we're here to stay and be proud of who we are and with that I proudly vote I thank you council person Solomon echoing my colleagues thank you for arjin and everyone for bringing this to the council uh Jersey City is so incredibly lucky to have such a large and vibrant Muslim Community here and we are all the beneficiaries of everything that uh you all and the full community have invested in our city so we proudly vote I to recognize this month council person Gilmore um I wish all our legislation was this easy to vote on going um but I probably vote I I think it is a it's a wonderful thing that we can celebrate different cultures ethnicities religions and things of that nature um thank you guys for all that you do for the community um I know my brother is Muslim my best friend is Muslim um it's always good you know we have these healthy debates about religion and things like that and I think is it's a wonderful thing for us to live in this this beautiful Melting Pot of so many different diverse cultures and religions um I proudly vote aan thank you and council president wman I proudly vote I I look at you guys and I see how proud y' are of your culture and that's what makes Jersey City so great because as we do various flag raisings I see the different cultures that come and I see the pride that they have and that's what America is all about the diversity and we all should be proud of who we are because in this country no one decide what color skin you are or what family you're born in or what religion you're attached to you really just been born into this world and we all should be Prouds so with that I I proudly vote I City resolution 25- 049 is approved 70 congratulations thank you thank you con thank you con president thank you thank you so much can I have let take a quick picture John mckenny is now banned from all future Council meetings duter duter his extra wires not post these pictures on my watch your step thank you thank you thank you watch your step yes oh than okay um Council PR okay if she says what's the other one okay so with that being said we're going to our last item that we defer to which is item 10.43 resolution 25- 083 which is a resolution recognizing January 27th 2025 at Holocaust Remembrance Day council person priner so this is a resolution recognizing January 27 2025 as Holocaust Remembrance Day whereas the international Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of the off switch Burk the deadliest concentration camp of the Holocaust and is a day to honor the victims of the Holocaust and promote Holocaust Education globally and and whereas the Holocaust stands as an enduring symbol of the darkest chapter in human history Mark static vertion and genocide of six million Jews as well as millions of others including Romany people disabled individuals lgbtq plus polls Slavs political descent descendants and others who suffered under the brutal regime of Nazi Germany and whereas it is our solemn duty to remember the victims of the Holocaust honor the survivors and end Ure that the atrocities committed during this period are never forgotten and whereas the Holocaust Remembrance Day provides an opportunity for reflection and education encouraging people of all backgrounds to learn about the historical significance of the Holocaust and the importance of preventing such atrocities from occurring in the future and whereas as a society we must strive to combat anti-Semitism Prejudice intolerance and hatred in all of its forms promoting understanding empathy and the protection of human rights for all people and where as we recognize the resilience of those who endured the horrors of the Holocaust and we express our deepest condolences to the families and communities affected by this tragedy and whereas we stand in solidarity with Jewish communities in Jersey City Across the Nation and around the world honoring the memories of the victims and embracing the survivors and descendants whose resilience and stories Inspire us to combat hatred in all of its forms now therefore be it resolved by the city council of the city of Jersey City that we recognize m Monday January 27th 2025 is Holocaust Remembrance Day in the city of Jersey City we urge all citizens to take a moment of reflection engage in educational activities and participate in remembrance events to honor the memory of the victims and Stand United against antism hatred and Injustice thank you thank you very much okay before we ask you to speak H council members I just need to take a vote on resolution 25- 083 council person Ridley hi council person priner just now more than ever we need to be patient and kind with each other listen to each other and support each other and I think that these resolutions we've had today with Muslim heritage month with the Holocaust Remembrance Day speak to the better nature of all of us and so important with the resolution for the you know protecting our immigrants here in our community because for many of us we are families of immigrants my own included so with that I vote I council person Bano yeah we didn't hear you turn the mic on no congratulations and you're the best I vote I thank you council person CLE uh I proudly vote I this is a you know World recognized uh day of observance and you know and we should observe it here in Jersey City and I mean look at us like we go from Muslim Heritage Month to Holocaust Remembrance Day that's the beauty of Jersey City that you know we hold space in our hearts for all the communities and you know we want to make sure that we're all learning from each other and that's the beauty of Jersey City you can't find that anywhere else in the world you know others try but they're not Jersey City and with that I proudly vote I Amen to that council person Solomon thank you to councilman priner and members of the community for bringing this and making sure that uh we formally recognize Holocaust Remembrance Day you know Jersey City is 5 years removed from sort of anti-Semitic hatred that led to the murder of five people so uh that type of dehumanization we unfortunately have seen in our city uh so incredibly important for us to recognize it uh call it out and as my colleague said continue to learn from it so I proudly vote I council person Gilmore um thank you to council person era and the community for bringing this forward um again this is what makes Jersey City unique this is what makes Jersey City great when we can sit here embrace one another's history learn from one another engage in meaningful dialogue with one another um this is great I assure you to everyone who this is your first time at the council this this this voting is not this easy today this this this is very easy for today um but I proudly vote I thank you and council president Morman I vote I you know um next month is um black history month and Dr King you know he said in order to get rid of uh Darkness you must show light in order to get rid of hate you must show love but I see in this country that sometime people don't understand what love really means uh because love sees no evil love is kind love is Gentle Love is giving and so often we forget that as humans when people lives are on the line we forget and so this remembrance reminds us of the suffering of people who are innocent who just wanted to live with their families but because they were different from someone else they had to suffer there was no love there I just hope this day of remembrance remind us all what love really is we open our mouths for one another when some harm is done to one another so with that I proudly will I City resolution 25- 083 is approved unanimously 70 congratulations just want to thank you for okay before we allow you to speak if you wouldn't just mind saying your name into the record and spelling it for our court reporter I greatly appreciate it t Schuster shus strr uh we are grateful for the resolution thank you that's why we live we love living in Jersey City it's a diverse community and that's why we chose to live here and we want to be proud of who we are of our history of our identity so we're grateful for that and today I do feel very proud to live in Jersey City so thank you and it's a day that we don't want to forget it's a day that we want to remember I'm coming from a h Survivor family I heard the stories all my life we want to make sure that never again thank you thank you I'm going to take a quick picture you guys thank you J want to where did I go get right next to me got it okay council members now going in our regular order of business on to our second reading ordinances item yes I want to make um a motion to carry this um 4.1 I uh spoke with the attorney uh we got a few more things we got to go over just to make sure we're all on the um same page here okay can I just read it into the record and then we can make a motion right after that okay all right so item 4.1 City resolution 25- 001 is an ordinance adopting amendments to the moris canal Redevelopment plan including regarding standards in mixed use C and mixed use e districts before I move any further we have a motion by council person Gilmore to carry city ordinance 25-1 is it to the next meeting yeah we should be ready by the next meeting to the February 13 2025 Municipal council meeting May I have a second second second made by council person bajano on a motion to carry city ordinance 25 days 001 to the February 13 2025 Municipal council meeting council person Ridley I council person priner I council person Bano hi council person CLE I council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I and council president wman motion carry 70 to carry city ordinance 25- 001 to the next council meeting which is February 13 2025 for a public hearing okay next is item 4.2 city ordinance 25-3 is an ordinance to amend and supplement chapter 23 Municipal Court section two number of judges and new terms of the code of ordinances of the city of Jersey City to increase the number of part-time judges from 5 to6 this is a public hearing on this ordinance and member of the public wishing to be heard please come up up to the podium and state your name for the record second just making sure he's not motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 25- 003 was made are you hold on Sean you are you speaking on the ordinance okay go ahead yes my name is Gan dily I will be short I just want to make sure that when we have our Municipal judges that in their uh Private Practice because I do believe they get to have their private practice that they're not doing they're not um covering areas of practice that are counter indicatory to the Municipal Court there are times when you have uh judges who are um ruling on criminal matters small Municipal matters and I'm just curious if we have if these judges in their private practices um defend criminals that's one thing that concerns me I know there are other issues there are certain things from the landlord tenant court that gets brought over into the municipal court I just want to make sure again that those who be ruling on those uh issues that in their part-time jobs they do not work the other side um defending landlords Etc so that's really all the the question I I'm I'm making is I do hope that there's some kind of cohesion in the judges and what they do in their private practice that it does not conflict with their job as Jersey City municipal judges thank you this is still a public hearing on city ordinance 25- 003 any member of the public wishing to be heard please come up to the podium and state your name for the record motion so I'm going to give the motion to council president Wardman second and second it by council person SLE to close a public hearing on city ordinance 25-3 on the motion to close the public hearing council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi council person bana hi council person s i council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I and council president wman motion to close the public hearing on city ordinance 25003 is approved 70 with council members the G and Riva absent council members I believe I need to take a motion to table city ordinance 25- 003 after the close of the public hearing due to a some information that needs to be um retrieved from our Superior Court so with that being said council members may have a motion to table city ordinance 25-3 after the close of the public hearing motion made by council person Prince Ary seconded by council president wman on the motion to table city ordinance 25- 003 after the close of the public hearing council person Ridley hi council person priner Hi council person bajano Hi council person SLE hi council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I and council president wman motion carry 70 council members Dees and Rivera absent okay we are now on to our public request for a hearing I'm going to be calling the number and the first name of the individual so please pay attention to your agendas and whoever's watching at home also pay attention to your agendas with that being said first Speaker 5.1 lever didn't see lever today okay next speaker 5.2 James okay James just give me one second to get the camera on just uh make sure have me here okay right you ready yep okay good even evening council members my name is James Seymour I'm an 11-year resident of Ward F I live with my wife and two children in Bergen Lafayette myself and 10 others and possibly more are here tonight speaking on behalf of the traffic reform Warriors Montello neighborhood group our community now at more than 60 members formed over shared concerns with Traffic Safety in our neighborhood thus far we've had positive engagements with our council members in Ward F and B and direct discussions with transportation planning yielded a path forward in attaining the traffic calming and safety measures that monel Avenue desperately needs however infrastructure is just one step towards achieving Safe Streets as a father I fear for the safety of my children each day simply walking them to school our streets are dangerous many drivers are aggressive and Reckless they Speed Run red lights and disregard traffic laws our neighborhood is littered with vehicles parked illegally at intersections and crosswalks many not road legal with heavily tinted windshields and obscured or missing license plates drivers are free to disregard traffic laws that the expense of Public Safety and they're able to do so openly without consequence for our community and many others this not only makes living in Jersey City dangerous it also has a significant negative impact on our quality of life traffic calming measures implemented throughout the city are having a positive impact on safety but infrastructure alone isn't enough to fix the problem progress is slow and underfunded we need to promote a culture shift and we need enforcement the city committed to reducing violent crime and is invested heavily in our police force to keep our neighborhoods safe I'm asking for the same commitment to keep our streets safe to enable our children to walk to school without danger to encourage our community to frequent local businesses without fear of crossing the street I'm here to ask for your support and Leadership to effectively govern our roads by empowering our police force to proactively enforce traffic and parking violations it's time also for all city employees to lead by example too often I see official City Vehicles pared illegally I see police officers driving while on their cell phones a new president must be set one that states it's not okay to violate traffic laws it's not okay to carelessly endanger the lives of our residents and one that states those who break the law will be held accountable today I'm asking you for two things to establish a dedicated jcpd traffic enforce enforcement division two to demand all city employees comply with traffic and parking laws and in doing so become an upstanding example to all and with that I thank for your time leadership and support in making our city a safer more enjoyable place to raise our families thank you you our next speaker 5.3 Anthony Anthony good evening council members my name is Anthony migori I'm a and I'm a traffic reform Warrior I'm father of two kids under two and a resident of WF with my family lives in the Bergen Hill Neighborhood at the corner of summit in Aster my wife Sarah will be speaking after me tonight tonight we're here because we care deeply about the future of our neighborhood and the SE and the safety of our streets tonight I want to talk about funding investment and urgency because that's what it's going to take to get our infrastructure where it needs to be Jersey City is growing more people are moving here more buildings are going up and yet our department of infrastructure hasn't grown much to match this pace their budget needs to reflect the increased demands of a larger City their staffing needs to expand not with contractors but with professional full time employees who live here and work in the city why because they're designing projects for their own streets they're making the city walkable and safe not just for others but for themselves their neighbors and their families WF is filled with critical projects that need this kind of investment projects that our traffic reform Warriors are committed to tackling one at a time and let me tell you Jersey City is an incredible place for this kind of work it's a place where anyone passionate about solving problems and building better systems has has a chance to make real lasting change residents here care deeply this is the dream for anyone in infrastructure or City Planning engage people a growing city and endless potential but none of this happens without funding and a stronger commitment to Staffing we've already made progress with director Mike Manzel and his team they've felt our urgency and they've responded now we need the same energy and dollars from the rest of the city's departments a simple example a noite on red sign will this sign come from the same Department that replace places parking signs cuz if so there's an issue there are work orders for parking signs in the junction that are nearly 2 months old with no action this delay is unacceptable and it's dangerous on the Monella Avenue project the $1.8 million grant that the city received is a great start but realistically it might not be enough to complete everything that needs to be done if that's the case we need to explore other fending funding options whether that's re reallocating City funds applying for additional grants or bonding out this is too important a project to leave half finished we need urgency just not in words but in actions and Investments infrastructure is a foundation of any great City let's ensure it gets attention and resources it deserves so we can build the Jersey City that's safer more walkable and ready for the future thank you you our next speaker 5.4 Sarah did good evening council members my name is Sarah migliori proud resident of Ward F mother of two wife and tonight I'm here on behalf of the traffic reform Warriors monell neighborhood group I recently interviewed someone and the topic of accountability came up this person said in general people do not take accountability for their actions I believe this is the same for drivers in Jersey City recklessly driving through our Jersey city streets when a driver runs through a red light they do not take accountability for the negative impact their failure to abide by basic traffic rules may have had on another individual's life we have a bad driving culture here council members there have been several near misses on a daily bases of pedestrians walking across the street or cyclists commuting to their destinations few weeks ago a mother and her daughter were hit Crossing at Summit in Belmont by a driver speeding up Summit going northbound fortunately both survived but nothing was reported why not I too had a near Miss Crossing at Summit in Belmont after pressing the rapid flashing Beacon a New Jersey Transit bus stopped on one side of the crosswalk and a car on the other but a man on the scooter came from behind nearly running me and my family over seen other accounts of this as well M cars come around going through the crosswalk and nearly running pedestrians over every day I crossed monello to pick up my two kids both under two from daycare the fear I have daily and anxiety crossing the street but also from when they grow older and more independent is really strong and it's not okay infrastructure improvements are sorely needed on monello and they will help but with that we must change a bad driving culture once traffic infrastructure is implemented there must be specific targeted enforcement for a sufficient amount of time to change the bad habit so it's ingrained in drivers coming through our streets statistically in cities more than half of all collisions occur at intersections once improvements on monol are complete I ask for your help with this one leading up to the changes deploy a digital traffic sign alerting drivers to upcoming changes in enforcement two for 30 days after have the jcpd on ground to reinforce infrastructure changes and three produce a report showing the progress of these traffic calming measures to share with the public if drivers are not going to hold themselves accountable then we need your help council members please listen to our stories and understand the urgency behind this situation it's time for all of us together as partners to be proactive and not reactive there's only so many near misses before that near Miss becomes a tragedy thank you thank you our next speaker 5.5 Britney hello can you hear me yes hi um I hope I can mix it up a little bit for you although I am also here from the traffic Reform Group my name is Britney mosa and my angle is slightly different from the rest of the group but it is still leading toward overall traffic improvements on monacello I don't need to talk too much about the crazy reckless drivers on Mello I have many of my teammates here to do that for me but I do want to talk about the trash that exists on our streets it does not look or feel like a street that's just miles from Manhattan it looks completely abandoned it looks dystopian and quite frankly it's embarrassing so I'm not surprised though given that there is at least three blocks between between trash cans so we're making it very difficult for people to do the right thing how does this connect to traffic reform it might seem like common sense but there is research to back up the psychology of drivers their recklessness and the cleanliness of a neighborhood I'm sure we've all felt the difference between driving through Newport or Paula's hook montelo feels like a shortcut and I can't blame anyone because aside from our crossing guard Sam holding it down out there you can pretty much get away with anything on that street I walk as well with my son to daycare every day on monacello and the people that live there are good people that care about each other I'm glad we decided to send him there despite the Street's bad reputation however it's not a crazy ask for it to be clean and safe I know you all aren't the direct cause of this but you do have the Solutions in addition to the traffic safety request from my teammates I'm asking that we reach some for some lwh hanging fruit that will result in a big win on monell three things one trash and recycling receptacles on every single block two bonus points for doggy bag dispensers that's a big issue too and three lastly throwing some Greenery on our street some plans would go a long way to showing our neighborhood that it's cared for we're willing to do the work too we've been organizing a community trash cleanup as the weather warms but the last thing any of us want to do is spend our Sunday picking up trash for it to be there again next week some long-term solutions would be greatly appreciated as I said these efforts are research back to improve the behaviors of drivers making it a safer cleaner place for our community that does care even if when you look down the street it doesn't look like it thank you you our next speaker 5.6 Ashley council members I'm Ashley swiet a 10 year resident of wuff a mom of two kids under the age of five who walks bikes and drives in the city I'm part of here I'm here as part of the traffic reform Warriors group to request additional traffic calming measures and an increase of traffic enforcement on monel between communa and Orchard Street the neighborhood has been overlooked for traffic calming measures with a dramatic increase in development there's been an increase in traffic and aggressive driving happening on our streets the reckless driving behaviors that we see daily have escalated over the years and the lack of traffic enforcement allows people to park their cars on the crosswalks the proliferation of the fake paper dealer plates driving through lights beating with no repercussions all at the expense of Public Safety and we've left residents with no ways to report these traffic issues the WhatsApp does not work calling the parking office is a challenging experience and C click fix does not address traffic parking issues they redirect you back to the WhatsApp that doesn't work so what a residents supposed to do I like many others here cross monel every day to walk my kids to school luckily we have Sam here to help manage traffic but when he's off duty it's precarious at best as parents having to Grapple with this dilemma daily when our only desire is to keep our kids safe is unacceptable I know neighbors who have moved away from the neighborhood to a different part of Jersey City to avoid that Crossing we have to recognize that only are these unsafe corridors putting vul vulnerable Road users at risk but it's pushing more people into cars because they don't feel safe walking so there are two ways that we can achieve safer streets enforcement and infrastructure structure is a 24/7 solution that increases pedestrian safety with visibility daylighting Corner bump outs raised crosswalks protected bike Lanes can help narrow roads to slow drivs while providing cyclists safe space to bike and encouraging people to use alternate forms of transportation this is the infrastructure that Bergen Lafayette deserves we also desperately need traffic enforcement to condition the bad driving behavior without meaningful and consistent traffic enforcement we cannot hope to change the driving culture that exists today so I'm here to ask for two things no turn on red signs be installed at the intersections of monacello and Belmont and monacello in J both Corners are zoned for no turn on red but there was no signage ever put up and we're hoping that that can be in place in the coming weeks and a dedicated traffic enforcement group within the jcpd thank you our next speaker I believe is a duplicate from number four so I'm going to go to the next speaker 5.8 Nick hello council members my name is Nick Pastula I'm also with the traffic reform Warriors Montell group I'm here to talk a little bit about my love for Montel my wife our two boys and I live on Crescent across from Lincoln a affectionately known to me as the old Edwards home right along with our neighbors and public transit commuters we cross Montello every day you can also find us at Berry Lane organizing pickup football games or practicing our calisthenics so now you know years ago Montella first caught our attention when we thrifted a lamp needed rewiring and discovered Aladdin lamps from that moment on monello and all its charm became my favorite Street in Jersey City no joke I'm passionate about main streets and their role in thriving communities is someone interested in community building a new urbanism I know that high performing main streets are anchors for a Vibrant Community critical factor for their success is creating a welcoming and safe environment for pedestrians which drives foot track traffic the lifeblood of Main Streets this is why I'm asking for your support in prioritizing comprehensive traffic caling enforcement and accountability on montelo here's why that matters safety encourages foot traffic reduced vehicle speeds make monel safer for pedestrians encouraging people to walk shop and spend their time on the street the sense of place pesan in first spaces create a strong sense of community and belonging right now unfortunately Montell feels more like a thorough flare than a vibrant Main Street it has the potential to become again economic impact studies consistently show that pedestrians spend more money than drivers traffic calming directly supports our local businesses by increasing foot traffic and interactions with storefronts but beyond on these essential benefits what truly nourishes the community is the quality of our experiences at a hyperlocal level it's how we connect it's how we engage with our surroundings and feel through our shared spaces building human- centered spaces is essential for montel's revitalization this work can make the neighborhood safer and create a foundation for e ecomic growth and Community vibrancy I thank you for your time and I look forward to your leadership and support as we strengthen our community thank you thank you our next speaker 5.9 Samuel hi Sean good evening city council president and council members as the concerned resident of Georgia city I'm reaching out to use the urgent need of enhanced traffic enforcement measures aim at ensuring the safety of all residential neighborhood increasing traffic volume of in of traffic with the lack of safety measured POS the significant risk of our community I urge all city council to prioritize the installation of traffic common measures in highrisk area study have shown that the intervention such as speed bump rage coastwalk and curb extension can effectively reduce vehicle speed and enhance pedestrian safety by identifying and targeting a neighborhood with a high volume traffic related incident we can create a safer environment for all Resident we recommend an immediate installation of critical safety sign and infrastructure which should not be overlooked C and visible sign is indicating speed limits pedestrian cing and cool cool zone is the vital in drivers of their responsibility by investing in better lighting at crosswalk and intersection can be greatly improve visibility during nighttime hours further protecting all Jersey City communi in conjunction with these measures I advocate to increase the enforcement of existing traffic laws including title 39 motor vehicles and traffic reg regulation it is imperative that we hold driver accountable for their violation s of speeding running red light and failure to yield or pedestrian on a daily basis by having traffic enforcement unit we can deter reckless driving behavior and reinforce the importance of traffic regulation last I believe that the Community Driven solution are critical to addressing neighborhood safety concern engaging residing through form and Survey can provide valuable Insight of specific issues face in our neighborhood by F by foring collaboration between the city council judg CPD and Community member we can develop strategies that effectively address local traffic safety challenges in conclusion the safety of our neighborhood should be a top priority for all Jersey City Council I urge consider these proposals seriously and take action to protect our neighborhood and your War thank you for your attention and ex critical manner I look forward to your response and hope to provide positive change in your ward and our community Joyce I did it and I'm here they here Avery Soloman more thank you our next speaker 5.10 lle evening everyone can you guys hear me great my name is Lily Holland proud immigrant and WF resident and today I stand before you on behalf of the parents in the area around monello particularly the moms who call this Vibrant Community their home we here as traffic reform Warriors Montello neighborhood group not just to voice our concerns but to ask for your help with the pressing issues of traffic safety on Montello Avenue our streets are not just thorough fares they are the pathways that our little ones take every day to school parks and playdates monello is marked by unrelenting traffic often exceeding 40 miles an hour creating an environment that is quite frankly terrifying as parents our deepest desire is to protect our children but how can we do that when crossing the street feels like a game of chance every day twice a day parents are faced with the anxiety of ensuring their little ones arrive safely at school or daycare knowing they must navigate roads that lack proper regulation supervision and safety measures we can't ignore the fact that this is not only jeopardizes our children's safety but also affects our desire to stay in Jersey City and raise our families there as Nick said and more people in the group we will persevere but it's hard it's really tough we need to feel confident that our Strokes to school drop offs do not come with the risk of tra tragedy that our routine errands do not put us and our children in a Harm's Way we got together because we all had near misses at the exact same place dropping off our children all of us and the rest of the 60 people in the group so what can we do we urgently need the city support to implement significant infrastructure improvements on Mello Avenue this includes introduction of immediate and inexpensive Solutions and we've gone through this with the infrastructure department and under Mike's leaders ship we need increased traffic patrols to monitor the flow of vehicles keeping our streets safe and accountable our crossing guards need to be protected and supported and quite frankly celebrated they play a critical role in helping our children navigate these busy intersections moreover we must advocate for the enforcement of stricter speed limits it's imperative that drivers understand that this isn't just a Race Against Time we're talking about precious lives here there must be consequences as well as educational initiatives as mothers we are tasked with ensuring the safety and well-being of the lives we created it's already a Monumental challenge to bance work family and personal responsibilities we cannot afford to take on additional burden of fearing for our children's safety every time we step outside so we the moms are raising our voices together to remind you our city leaders that urgent and comprehensive infrastructure Improvement is critical and immediate results are said thank you so much our next speaker 5.11 Rachel hi I feel so old school I like printed mine out um good evening my name is Rachel pavlakis and I live on 22 Belmont AV I'm also part of the traffic reform Warriors um and I'm here because every morning I have to cross my kids over Montello to school they go to ps12 and ps17 and I just want to highlight that in this area there are seven schools within one block of montelo ab so this is a really hi trffic area with a lot of children we have ps12 ps17 Lincoln High School Katy Corner Play and Learn small discoveries preschool and also coming soon ber and La at monor school so there are a lot of kids and a lot of families uh Crossing montelo each day and right now the only mechanism we have to ensure safe Crossing is crossing guards um I don't know if any of you have seen Sam in action but I invite you to come check him out he is like an Olympian of crossing guards um and we're the Warriors because it is like Gladiator out there um he is literally putting his body between cars every day and that's not really fair to him um last week I was crossing on monello with a crossing guard um at Belmont montelo she was in the middle of the street there was a huge group of kids crossing and someone turned into the crosswalk um without stopping just plowed right in and everyone just kept going as if nothing happened because we're so used to it um and so this area is really an accident waiting to happen um we are a small group of people here speaking but there's a lot of kids crossing a lot of them are crossing by themselves um so we are really asking first for that no turn on red um during school hours sign to be installed on Belmont and Montell we heard it's been approved by infrastructure we really want to see it imp like installed ASAP um and also enforcement we need enforcement to actually hold people accountable when they are turning into crosswalks um otherwise they're going to keep doing it um and second we need additional traffic calming measures ranging from enforcement to Street scaping um to help calm down traffic so Sam and his colleague are not putting their lives on the line to make sure our children get to school um we again all of us I think if you raise your hand if you've almost been hit on montelo AV um at least once if not twice or three times um yeah our luck is running out so we've all almost been hit but not um and so it's only time before you know the odds are no longer in our favor so we really urge you to take immediate action to protect the kids um and everyone else who's trying to live and work um in our neighborhood thank you our next speaker 5.12 Gina good evening Gina Davidson WF tonight I want to talk talk about our identity as a proud city of immigrants we have seen the beginning of Donald Trump's Blitz the ice raids and I know I'm not the only one who watches with concern for my own neighborhood and for our city we the residents look to our local leaders during these kinds of times of Crisis and there are already good examples in other cities where there have been raids mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson said loud and clear on a national stage that the raids are unconscionable and abhorent I would recommend looking up the press conference he gave his entire staff of department heads stood behind him to declare that Chicago is a welcoming City regardless of who is in the White House mayor of Newark and candidate for governor Raz baraca has also been very vocal on multiple platforms releasing an official statement Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully treated our population here is made of over 40% immigrants the national average is only 133% this is another area where our city should be setting an example to the nation and I want to be clear step fulli has not been exactly silent he wrote a good good Twitter post and I do believe he supports the Immigrant trust act but we need a heck of a lot more than that and councilman CLE thank you for carrying us on this issue today beautifully done together with the Immigrant Affairs committee thank you all for your hard work the resolution you just passed thanks to their work will align the city to do everything in its power within the law to support our neighbors with immigrant status so again thank you all for voting that in that said tomorrow Steven FIP will give his state of the city address and I really hope he takes this opportunity to further his support of this immigrant Community here in Jersey City and that if he's not talking about this that you all will pressure him because we need a lot louder support and we need more of it as for the rest of the state of the city I just want to remind us all that residents are struggling we're in a housing crisis people are afraid and by the way we still don't have Justice for Drew Justice for Drew so let's continue to call each other out to be better we have a lot of work to do thank you you one minute Sean for the group that came from monello Avenue I just text the director and she told me that there is a traffic division so she will make sure that someone is deployed on monocell tomorrow um and if you have any other um TR issues just call the city um Council Office okay and far as the pooper scooper bags um I had ordered them before so when you said that I just text my um Aid to make sure that it was followed up on all right but um they do have a traffic division because that's something I've been asking for and she keep telling me they have it but I'm getting enough complaints that they don't see enough people out there so um she's supposed to follow up tomorrow because I see Sam I see the guy out there because I drive down there sometime okay our next speaker 5.13 Tina Justice for Drew Justice for Drew um I just wanted to say for Montella um I remember the first time I came down at with education Gore it wasn't no crossing guard there and actually me and education and Gore was doing the crossing guard and that's exactly how Sam was able to get there is because education and Gore made sure we got Sam there to make sure that we did have crossing guard and that's only because I be in the community and I exactly what's going on but again we still got to tell the cost to slow downs and stuff too so I definitely agree with yall with that too um I want to say that we had a lot of shooting going on in my community in war F and um I just want to give that family and prayer of the young girl so I live right there on Oak and Luther King and I believe education Gil you can't do this by yourself they passing out so many other stuff and going over our head with this to see that we still have shooting in our community and we got about 45 cameras on my corner I'm confused of why we still having to shooting I know you can't do it by yourself because when it happened you was the first one that called to find out what going on I respect you for that we might can't find out what go on but just to see a leader to come out into our community to let us know what's going on I respect you for that because that's all sometime we need we just need a positive word of letting y'all know y'all out there looking for what's going on don't leave us blank I can't believe our May and never come in our community never ever ever ever ever come our community just to give us a uplifting to let us know that we're going to be all right and we're going to be safe I'm so sorry Salomon I thank for your um team for calling me back cuz it's very important for all of us connect cuz this is our community our community and as us sticking together by the community that's how we are able to grow um we have been doing so many trainings and classes to help uplift the young guys in the classroom I have been going around for Jerry to go to all the sites to find out who is the people they hiring I'm learning it's not the people from Jersey City it's the people from Virginia Udo Washington why y'all putting these people in a hotels but got our guys on the corner and got our guys walking around no y'all need to redirect that with developments come in they should be able to hire our guys in the community and our young ladies in the community and stop hiring outside in the community and I want to make sure too I see we graning every every every culture and I love everybody when we going to do the Martin Luther K Martin Luther King Parade let's go our next speaker 5.4 Veronica good evening council members my name is Veronica Delon garaman director and owner of small discoveries preschool located at 123 montelo Avenue I am here on behalf of the traffic reform Warriors and also our youngest community members our children as you know children are among the most vulnerable pedestrians due to their size unpredictability and developing ability to navigate traffic safely with many families Crossing Montello Avenue daily for preschool drop off and pickup ensuring safe Crossings is not only critical to their safety but also to fostering confidence in our community's infrastructure enhanced features like marked crosswalks pedestrian islands and speed reduction measures such as speed bumps and flashing signals can help prevent accidents particularly at the highrisk intersections like Emory and Aster Corner which sees significant traffic daily which is where Sam is always standing as a business owner and a preschool director having Safe Streets is essential for our operations one of the joys of early childhood education is giving your young children the opportunity to explore their neighborhood whether it's a walk around the block to observe the seasons or an outing to the nearby park without the proper pedestrian infrastructure these simple yet impactful learning experiences become hazardous or nearly impossible I can't tell you how many parents do not check off the ability for their kids to take a walk around the block which kids in downtown preschools get to do in the Heights in all other areas of Jersey City our little ones deserve to walk around the block look up at a tree and see that the leaves are changing moreover parents want to feel confident Crossing monel Avenue to access that nearby park that you guys just redeveloped they want to be able to enjoy in community activities with their children and the current state of Emory and Aster Corner possesses challenges with poor visibility and insufficient traffic control making it especially unsafe so that is why we are asking for you guys to introduce and pass ordinances in February and March outlining the steps that city council will take investing in these improvements will help protect our youngest residents while supporting the local businesses that our families call home so please let's work together to create a safer and more welcoming environment for everyone thank you thank you our next speaker 5.15 Essence good evening Council so just to touch on a few points um I came tonight to speak on basically the landlord intended issues that we have going on a Jersey City as well as the administration that's at here um as far as discussing ni um I don't think she is the proper Administration that should be in charge personally and that's due to being a personal person that has actually worked for the city or in that department first we have a director that doesn't have any history as to landlord and tenant relations and let's discuss of course the manager or the supervisor jna and you know we can go into many others but we're not here to put anybody's job at Jeopardy but as far as the rent leveling board to see that there are two people appointed there when we haven't even discussed the port side issue that's been going on since last year and then we have a director that's still dealing with the order issue from 2017 so you know with the upcoming mayor of 2025 I do hope the ones that are sitting here listening preferably Bill o day that he will get rid of that Administration and put someone that is in That's supposed to be in charge so and I definitely want to touch on um Ward D because I personally think that um it's funny that you have this much Integrity to talk about the Immigrant act all of this time here you talk about your parents as well as your history right but now we hear from you what have you done for them but let's go to w f as far as when it comes to Tina somebody that I actually see that's working in w d still as well as Elvin and the others so thank you Tina for continuously doing what you do and also let's make sure that we say justice for true and as far as and as far as the other mayors that are here I must say bow day his consentuous services are amazing and I have not seen that from any of you that's almost a slap in the face his program is a little bit more 247 and maybe you can inquire about how maybe he's done his business but I must say it's professional and sorry that this Administration is lacking and I'm sorry that everybody has this down face I know that it was a long day but I must say you're failing the community continuously thank you our next speaker 5.16 Edward Justice for Drew I do want to publicly apologize because uh when I sign up to come to address you all I I do um expect you know to be here and do that and I've missed the last uh couple of sessions but I am here now and um I am very happy as everyone knows that this is an election year um because it's time well it's been time to get rid of stepen FIP all right um and um he's failed us and you know I've been down here um since I've been here feeling like many of you have failed us too just repeatedly no response no response from many of you here who are basically responsible for ultimately the quality of Our Lives lives the law impacts us all so much so like that and with stepen FIP I can't not wait and I'm right now not declaring of course who I want to vote for as mayor because I feel like there's a lot that each and every one of you have to prove like what in the world are you going to do about housing under Stephen Phillips leadership we have almost 30,000 units built housing here but segregated mostly concentrated where down and Ward e and it's called luxury housing you don't give a darn about many of us a darn about many of us what is the plan for the new vision and community policing in our community the police are out of control and a budget reflects that2 200 million doar you've thrown everything else to the Wayside and it's unacceptable okay immigration I do support obviously you know this is a historical Place Jersey City at Hudson River with the Statue of Liberty here obviously but I think you need to put your money where your mouth is you say you want to serve immigration uh immigrant groups and migrant groups yes and you want to serve the rest of us but you're not housing is so hard to find here jobs are so hard to find here everything is gone up the cost of living you do not even though we have a separate Board of Education that deals with our schools we see City I I see a lack of investment coming from this body is supporting our education system there is so much you can do more to help our system and to help our youth through our education system I expect more from this body and I cannot wait to vote for True leadership for real leadership thank you our next speaker 5.17 Kevin is Kevin here no no Davis Kevin Davis is he here not here next speaker 5.18 Dana I'm short so I have to make sure you're see all good right so my name is Dana um I am a resident of the Heights in w d and I'm here in support of the traffic reform Warriors traffic calming measures throughout the city and specifically the Franklin and Manhattan bike lane um in the Heights I've heard a rumor that the parameters of the project have changed to not include the stretch of Manhattan from Central to Summit and I'd like to tell you why I personally support having this um Lane in this exact location one of my least favorite intersections in the Heights is Summit in Manhattan cars constantly run red lights um and I see it happen every day that I'm walking to pushing field I saw it just this morning um when there's a car going to turn left either direction wherever they're going I hold my breath because I'm really afraid that I'm going to get hit protected bike lanes and oneway streets are proven safety measures when the demonstration project was ongoing and the street was one way I could tell that people turning on to Manhattan could see me and would actually slow down it has not been like that since I've heard objections to the oneway street um saying that it'll be more difficult to navigate almost every street in the Heights is a one-way Street and people get to where they're going every day um a driver making the block is a small opportunity cost for someone's life or well-being so I ask you how much longer do we need to wait in this country projects that make car drivers's life easier are perved every day with no question but when it comes to public transportation and bike Lanes it takes months to make progress even in a progressive City like Jersey City I see resolution 25-70 agenda item 10.30 on the agenda and as someone who lives off Summit I welcome safety improvements on this road the narrowness and the speed that cars travel is harrowing there's no stop sign on my street siski um and it connects a school and a library if we can't get a protected bike lane on Franklin and Manhattan or it's built poorly it's going to be that much harder to get any sort of improvements on Summit traffic calming measures um like bike lanes and congestion pricing are the least popular right before implementation because many people are afraid of change but after being put in place everyone wonders why we didn't have it sooner I urge the entire city council to support any upcoming ordinances needed to build this bike lane and I urge the city to prioritize this project as shown by the hundreds of letters that I'm sure you all have received at this point there is community support for the lane from people that actually live in the heights this Lane will make our streets safer and enhance quality of life so let's just build it thank you our next speaker 5.19 June good evening Council it is amazing how affordable housing has now become the priority of everyone's agenda but I'm happy that it is they say it's better late than never I just pray that it's not too late because my neighborhood as it is many neighborhoods are quickly becoming gentrified and unless someone sets some land aside for the building of affordable housing there may not be any moris Canal CDC has been advocating for affordable Hing for the decades three decades to be exact in fact we courageously began to build affordable housing because the city was not prioritizing it instead they were prioritizing luxury housing everywhere the influx of new people in our neighborhoods with high incomes in digits of of the six figure brackets have increased the Ami the hidden water taxes the increase of property taxes and the high rents has pushed many of our people out of the neighborhoods and these are people who were the homesteads your actions has intentionally aided the gentrification process this disproportion of distribution of property and development projects are all for luxury housing this count Council minus two has given the developers of sitec City Prime Property and two billion doar so that they can build more luxury housing while you assess Mars Canal the struggling homegrown nonprofit CDC $950,000 for their affordable housing project to be built in that was supposed to be built in the neighborhood that is what disparity looks like the site of 408-420 commun Po Avenue has been designated for Mars Canal to build an affordable housing project for ownership we need this we worked very hard in our neighborhood preserving our neighborhood working in the Brownfield uh uh program giving our Blood Sweat and Tears just to build a brighter and and and good neighborhood we want to be able to prosper from it we certainly have the skills to build because we've actually built a 100% affordable multi-unit affordable housing project on Pacific Avenue who dismisses affordable housing with total disregard when it is so desperately needed in the Jersey City neighborhoods this is what disparity looks like again we had a firehouse on holiday Street one block west of Pacific Avenue that house that was supposed to been renovated 3 years already it's been closed no renovation and what about the groundbreaking on Grand Street 627 you four years ago thank you nothing our next speaker 5.20 Charlene I want to say that when I first started speaking in front of a city council 25 years ago it was June Jones that inspired me to be a fire brand like she was I think she's a warrior and I have listened to her for decades now and she always speaks the truth and fights for the community I wanted to start with that because it's me people like me that she inspires good evening firstly I'm I wanted to stay positive this evening so I'll start by saying well tomorrow night 24 hours from now our mayor is going to be here touting all the great things he's done for Jersey City and he has done quite a number of them but there's quite a number of them yet to do and I really feel that this year there's more need to be addressed to certain things I know I've brought to the attention of the council president about DPW you can call down there on their main number and you don't get anything but a voicemail their directory no longer goes into recycling or trash or street cleaning Etc it just is a voicemail I asked that from December to kindly speak I left messages with the mayor chief of staff the resident response I try to get in touch with the director down there no one responds this city cannot have this happen and stay like this when you call DPW somebody needs to respond down there or at least leave a message that somebody gets back to you please take care of it number two Jersey City website calendar is a disgrace not even your coun meetings are on that Calendar please can you all take a look at the calendar and it's only planning zoning environmental and historic preservation so your meetings are not listed your caucuses and your meetings Jersey journal's closing and it's not even going to be electronic anymore everything should be on that calendar your Redevelopment agency the J C mua meetings the arts groups whatever whatever the rent leveling board everything should be on that calendar to inform the citizens of Jersey City what's going on here and then lastly I know that the director of parks no longer is the director of parks I don't know he's somewhere else but when you choose somebody else make sure they have experience in this role not somebody that's just picked from somewhere else who fills that seat thank you our next speaker 5.21 O'Neal came here to find out which one of y'all don't want me to work for Jersey City I haven't did nothing to nobody on this board but one person I went to school with Gilmore right blood play in my face you call me you act like you had my back but I see what it is you don't get over trying to defeat me that's the cause of black onblack crime today it's between me and you we got to stop it we got to leave it alone you know I'm great I'm here for the kids I'm here for everybody else stop trying to stop you won't help these people do what's right stop cursing that every little kid out here stop being corrupt blood right blood we shouldn't be acting like this I shouldn't have to come in and pull your coat you're the only one that know me stop trying to stop my growth you won't I'm here I'm not running from nobody here in J I'm not scared of nobody every day I got to wake up and watch my back because of you why is that why you helping them why you can't help me I'm righteous I'm good with my hands I have a bike business come and help me you don't want to do that you want to cause me a problem right you call me all your morgage being oh they come to get your condo God ain't gonna let that happen I didn't grow up like you I ain't come from a shelter I came from Fighters bro my grandmother and them came here to make a good living I'm proj right here you looking at me I can't run from this I have a mean fight I'm fight you all I got y'all want to take something from me you better watch your back out here you better not sneeze wrong you better not do nothing forget my phone wait a minute wait a minute not brothers and sisters wait a minute wait a minute should do that to me wait a minute you can't threaten no council person not threatening him in my life y don't know what's going on he had these people cut bikes at at work listen listen wait calm down beat the cases that they had on me okay y said beat the cases and I'm still not at work he's stopping me from working okay okay calm down all right me he started this I didn't even know he had a beef with me we shouldn't be doing this you gonna let me talk I'm letting you talk are you gonna let me talk now okay because I gotta run the meeting all right all right I see you upset okay but this is not the this is not the place to really air that out with him that's listen when is it listen who listen to me you can you can make an appointment you can make an appointment with my office okay I'mma tell you make an appointment with my office okay I did that already you made appointment with my office I've been talking to you what what's your name miny you got him yes you talk to my lawyer Mr Neil he's the problem okay none these people got a problem with me I haven't did none to nobody but him he has a grudge against me he was hiding his hand all this time okay so let me Smith all y'all mon solo listen wrong we live here VY all right I got your information I know who you are now when I looked at Sierra look that up we'll see what happened I'll follow through me too get all them in the room that's beefing with me okay man I'm a leader man I don't know how to follow bro you won bro you got me now you got to sit down this your time's up okay that's enough I hear your frustration cuz they lost his job I get it I get it I remember him now he lost his job yeah you're right okay all right next one he's frustrated all right joh go ahead Sean next our next speaker 5.22 Colin came after good evening Council uh my name is Colin de and I'm on the board of Safe Streets Jersey City I'm here to support my neighbors uh along monacella Avenue and their efforts to make the corridor safe they've shared some important words tonight uh and every day our friend neighbor and renowned crossing guard Sam Ortiz I don't know where he is um he's in the street at monacello and and Aster place protecting people Children and Families across that street every day heading to school there are numerous businesses along the corridor that rely on pedestrian traffic to stay afloat we need a permanent 247 solution to protect all Road users which includes pedestrians cyclists and drivers and their passengers in October 2023 an 85-year-old man was killed in a hidden run crash at the corner of monacello and Fairview Avenue at that time there were no Safe Streets improvements at that corner every death on a city street since 2023 has occurred where no safe Street improvements exist there have been no deaths where safe Street designs have been added traffic calming works as the city grows denser there will be increasingly more conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles the solution is to create safe spaces where every user for for for every user and redesign the street to physically limit vehicle speeds slow streets are Safe Streets there are a number of tools available to CM monacell Avenue which right now is a broad un uninterrupted straightaway one option is to raise the intersection or create a raised crosswalk at Aster Place expanding the sidewalk or adding a protected bike lane to narrow car Lanes would give more protected space back to pedestrians while encouraging cycling as a safe efficient and environmentally conscious way to get around town the monacell corridor is seeing a lot of new development and is primed for a Renaissance but creating a safe walkable neighborhood is necessary to encourage people to interact with their community and sustain small business pedestrian first streets are the key to making that happen let's not waste any more time talking about it let's start acting and I appreciate uh the council president's mention of contacting traffic to help with this at all time that's wasted could potentially threaten a life in our neighborhood so thank you very much for listening and thank you for your action thank you our next speaker 5.23 man Mana here oh next speaker 5.24 Brian Smith good afternoon uh to the council men and women first time being here um I was sort of driven to be here but I represented Brian Smith painting company I been living in Jersey City over 25 years I work at the Pino building I'm a painting contractor I work at the Pino building the man mandelay building but since when they turn around to condos my business went down I actually got a contract in New York um it's a building CA New York by Gary there were like 900 units I've been working there for like five years I have like six employee but Jersey City is is uh developing a lot and I driven around downtown joural Square wests side I pass and give out my cards personally letting them know I'm from Jersey City and I'm a a contractor and I have a really 100% good uh background um uh support and um most of the contractors there that I come across they're not from Jersey City so these are contractors from outside and I believe that I'm from Jersey City pay a lot of money taxes for my property and I just felt like coming here and letting you all know what's happening I want to have the opportunity to bid on some of these uh partment buildings downtown here junal Square Westside Avenue there's two many of them thousands of them and I have six guys depending on me to be able to have them working and doing the job and most of the contractors they from outside and I would like you all to do something about it because I'm available and it's just I had enough you know so I I hope that you all can do something but we we need the jobs to stay in Jersey City not outside um everybody from different um and is like um one of the ladies they from Washington they coming all the way from Washington from Pennsylvania they coming from you know um I mean give us a chance Jersey City Brian Smith Painting Company our next speaker 5.25 Avalon good evening Council I'm here to talk about seage contamination on New Year's Day as you can see my two kids are here with me and we've been a long time Jersey City resident born and raised last July a sewage project began on my street and it was supposed to end in December on New Year's Day my kids and I were forced out of our home due to Raw contamination caused by the sewage project when I reached out to the city it took days and weeks and I got the runaround I get an answer one day and then I have to chase them again I need to know about securing a place to stay and who will pay my landlord or city agency my life has been turned upside down with no concrete date want to go back home we are living in a hotel and it's 29 days at this point I'm trying to figure out who to add to this here and I need help how many more weeks will we be in a hotel this is also causing my performance to decline at work and I already got a warning last week it forced me to take few days off of my work this week just to get some things going have a lot I'm going to take you to the side my Council as well and we'll discuss okay I'm thank you okay our next speaker 5.26 Veronica Veronica s s not here thank you our next speaker 5.27 lard thank you please feel free to let me know appreciate it 5.28 Betty not here 5.29 Patricia not here 5.30 Andre not here Andre Okay 5.31 Adrian oh that's uh that's definitely a a hard one to follow but also really apropo on some of the issues that are going to be addressed tonight so my name is Adrien Ganda I'm a lifelong resident of Jersey City I'm speaking on behalf of the good folks that are organizing an effort called the people state of the city 2025 we want to highlight the issues and concerns that Jersey City needs to address and have solutions to so like I said I've called Jersey City home for 27 years and while I love the city to death there's still a lot that we can improve upon and such improvements could really make Jersey City a place we can call ours for starters we need violence prevention with a focus on Mental Health Resources that prioritize deescalation improving Comm community-led resources and Community input we need better quality of life Services ensuring our 911 services actually have a response time that helps and doesn't potentially hinder callers during emergencies we need sustainability and Environmental Protections to ensure that our city can prioritize sustainable practices in Urban Development and building more green spaces we need affordable housing and rent control of which we need our rent control laws to be enforced we need to tackle the affordability and housing crisis by investing in more social programs especially with the potential loss of federally funded programs we need to develop and distribute resources that can keep tenants aware of their rights and keep them housed we need Community Development where we can ensure responsible development occurs in Jersey City instead of dishing out tax abatements like their candy lastly we need to protect our immigrant communities as the looming threats of ice raids hang over New Jersey's head and ramps up in real time thank you for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the people state of the city address our next speaker 5.32 Veronica a Veronica yes don't they come up good evening council members my name is Veronica kzwa and I am a resident of w d and a candidate for city council I it looks like there are a few veronic speaking tonight so I hope it's a good night for us um I wanted to first thank you for overwhelmingly approving resolution 25-48 reaffirming Jersey City as the golden door of America and supporting the New Jersey immigrant trust act this is a crucial step but we must do more our immigrant neighbors need better access to resources and clearer information about their rights w d The Heights has a significant immigrant population yet I haven't seen enough Outreach ensuring they know where to turn to for support without stronger amplification of available resources too many remain vulnerable and I'm talking about demographics in the heights but there are also vulnerable immigrant communities in many other areas of the city especially those uh from the Caribbean that are significantly impacted by harmful executive orders that have expanded detention and deportation and the these disproportionately Target black and brown communities we've seen throughout the country unlawful raids in addition uh Asylum access is restricted and Refugee resettlements are suspended and these policies tear families apart and create fear in communities that do contribute so much to our city Jersey city has long prided itself on being a sanctuary for immigrants but it's unclear uh to me whether we have formally designated ourselves as a sanctuary City through an ordinance I know Hoboken did in 2017 and I implore Jersey City to do the same uh as the daughter of a Nigerian immigrant uh this does you know hit very personally for me uh so I would like the council to consider uh some stronger protections uh and amplification of all the resources that are available to people um we want to ensure that every resident feels safe and supported thank you next speaker 5.33 Jessica good evening city council members of the council the Press who are joining us tonight in person online or through the Press coverage of tonight's remarks my name is Jessica bran as you know and I thank you for this opportunity to speak and to introduce an evening where voices from every W of this great City will come together not to be dismissed not to be be silenced and not to be deleted tonight you will hear from those who seek to lead this city you will hear from those who seek to lead this Council but most importantly you will hear from those who seek to be led not by those who demand compliance but by those who are willing to listen and act leadership is not measured by power it is measured by the courage to hear difficult truths and the commitment to fight for solutions that serve the people tonight we present The People's State of the city an effort to give voice to the lived realities of those who call Jersey City home tomorrow mayor FIP will stand in this same Hall and deliver his state of the city address it is our sincere hope that he will use that moment to reflect on the real conditions faced by us the tenants Working Families and all of those who have fought to be heard only to find their struggles erased from The Narrative but if those voices are ignored if those realities are dismissed then let tonight serve as a rebuttal not a political one not a partisan one but a rebuttal grounded in truth the truth of a city where laws meant to protect us are treated often times as optional the truth of a city where the cries for help are met with empty promises delays and denials the truth of a city where leadership too often stands by while tenants workers and families are left to fend for themselves we do not gather here tonight to divide rather We Gather here to unite in accountability In fairness and in action the People's State of the city is not about rhetoric it's about real lives it is about safety dignity and a right to live without fear fear of neglect or of exploitation displacement or being erased in favor of a more convenient online story at last year's state of the city tenant voices were silenced signs were banned social media comments from residents who dared to share their truths were deleted from official accounts but at the people seat of the city free speech is welcome signs are welcome the truth is welcome because in a government of the People by the people and for the people the people must be heard not filtered not edited and not erased to begin tonight's presentation the next speaker will remind us why we have the freedom to stand here today thank you our next speaker 5.34 Mara in Council oh they can you see by the dawn early light what so proudly we at the Twilight last gleaming who BR stripes and bright stars through the peress fight or the ramp parts we watch were so gently dreaming and the rockets R clear the bombs bursting in gave Pro through the night that a flag was still there oh see do that starled better with for the land of the free and the home of the bra well before I announce the next speaker I can just say in my five-year career as city clerk that's probably the best speaker I've ever heard you have an amazing you have an amazing voice God bless that's awesome if you ever look for a drummer I'm here next speaker 5.35 M good evening council members it's hard to top that um but welcome to the People's State of the city thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you today Jersey city has always been a place of resilience diversity and opportunity but for too many of our residents the reality is that opportunity is slipping away especially when it comes to housing we're a city that Prides itself on it growth yet many of our longtime residents find themselves struggling against the forces that seem to be determined to push them out too many tenants are forced to live in unsafe and substandard conditions facing Rising rents neglectful landlords and a city government that has failed to enforce the very laws that were meant to protect them families are dealing with heating outages and freezing temperatures carbon monoxide leaks Vermin infestations and unjust rent increases that threaten their their stability Jersey City cannot afford to look away any longer we need real enforcement of fire and building codes and we need real rent stabilization laws that are more than just words on paper when we allow neglect and Corruption to take hold in our housing system we are not just talking about policy failures we are talking about real human suffering this is why I believe in a Jersey City where tenants rights are not just acknowledged but actively protected we need an Administration that enforces rent regulations and holds negligent landlords accountable and ensures that no resident is left without safe and dignified housing we need a city that prioritizes people over profit that stands by its renters and that refuses to let corruption dictate who gets to live here Jersey city has long been a Beacon of Hope not just for New Jersey but for the entire country we are the city that fuels the Statue of Liberty providing her with water and electricity ensuring that her torch continues to shine as a symbol of justice and opportunity but how can we claim to uphold these ideals if our own people are being displaced ignored and forced into homelessness tonight I urge this Council to think boldly and to dream bigger for our city and to remember that the power lies in the people that call Jersey City Home the state state of our city is not defined by its buildings or its budgets it's defined by the lives of its residents this is our home let's fight for it thank you thank you all next speaker 5.36 Jim good evening to Madam council president members of the council our city cleric and all those assembled my sense is in Jersey City today there is an imbalance there's an imbalance Authority there's an imbalance of power and there's a imbalance of influence both as a lawyer and as a renter I find that it's all so difficult to navigate the law for renters in Jersey City for port side for example Portside has been coming to this council chambers for the past two years with no discernable progress again and again in Portside is one example of legitimate and outstanding concerns not being addressed and so the frustration that's here today and I'm proud of the fact to stand here with my friend commissioner OD maab Ali is that for these past many years the legitimate cries anxieties and impact upon these people's lives have not been addressed to the first and respectfully I believe that the comments we do today will be held in vain because there's no indication that anything that has been done before has produced discernable results nor do I suggest that anything that happens tonight will produce discernable results but we long last we need to establish internally a tenants advocacy enforcement unit of lawyers a dedicated team of lawyers to help renters negotiate existing regulations to ensure that landlords treat them equitably and fairly in addition we need to professionalize the rent leveling board to establish a trans transparent process for resolving wrench's issues and setting administrative guidelines for the board so that its operations are open to public scrutiny and that all renters know their practical rights to strengthen the rent leveling board before rent increases for Capital Improvements ostensibly Renovations take effect they must be submitted to the rent leveling board is up documented and certified and lastly to ban the algorithmic rent increased formula the software artificially raises the cost of rent of theal prices is up sorry thank you our next speaker 5.37 bill I don't start your time until you speak buddy I've been here you me many years I've been here a while good evening uh members of the city council first I want to um come out in support of resolution 10-35 which is committing to comply with the affordable housing obligations for round four it's critical that you adopt that to ensure that you continue to get funding from the state government as well as to collect your own funds under your affordable housing um trust fund program I'm going to speak a little bit also about some issues I have concerning housing I've had um Cory come here on more than one occasion as it relates to the port side issue which something that I think is pretty simple that case the executive branch and the legislative branch aren't in agreement and in my world when you don't agree you go get your own lawyer so I urge you immediately go out get an attorney to represent the city council and their position in this issue to help get it resolved on behalf of the tenants that live in Portside as it relates to just general issues with the operations of code enforcement and rent control the laws exist there are many good inspectors but what happens is a failure courts don't enforce fines landlords know that they can have elevators out of business and operation for a year and a half as councilman Gilmore you remember on Bergen Avenue it took us two years to get that elevator operating that's unjust that individual should have been arrested locked up but instead after two years I still don't know if he ever got fined $1 and sometimes it takes two months to order an elevator and get it delivered but it doesn't take two years same with heating complaints this last Sunday I had to go to 93 Fair viiew Avenue they were without heat I went to the building I made him get me the super I made him get me the plumber and I just got a text message that now the new boilers installed and the heat's on and that's what we're supposed to do as elected officials and as people who seek elected office but we shouldn't have to always do that but those landlords know that the enforcement's not going to matter and when they get to court if that heats out for two days or two weeks they're going to wind up getting rid of all the fines Because by the time they get to court the Heat's going to be back on lastly and this is critical we currently have vacancy decol in Jersey City because the registration law is not enforced in building after building we go and speak to someone how long have you lived here 20 years what's your rent 900 how long have you lived here two years what's your rent 2,000 something's wrong that law is not being enforced you immediately need to do an audit and go to each and every property check those forms who hasn't filed their registration form take action against them and check those that have been filed and make sure that they're honest and reach out to every tenant that reaches out and lives in every building to advise them in their rights related to it cuz if you want to your time is up I know you give me five more seconds if you want to Bill your time is you don't have you should always have a police officer at the meeting you don't even have a police officer to enforce next person that's it that's it bill that's it oh well he is a elected official Sean do we yeah you want to let him talk 20 more seconds I did not I think you should give a current you're GNA waste your time with me Bill so my point is that you need to do whatever is necessary to enforce that because you're currently not only not creating affordable housing you're not preserving affordable housing thank you very much be faired people behind our next speaker 5.38 Kevin good evening thank you to the mayoral candidates who have joined us tonight not just to speak but to listen you may have noticed that the mayoral candidates were introduced in alphabetical order but given their position on this Council Solomon and Waterman will make statements in a different form but to be clear our intent was to give the to the greatest degree possible have equal uh representation here so in total all of the candidates in order are Ali McGreevy OD Solomon and Waterman and now Weller is up to speak I would enforce the city's laws feel that the shift in the room the wave of emotion it was different for each person here but I would describe it as a universal belief that I would enforce the laws of this city but I'm not here as a candidate I'm here because for nearly three years this chamber has been filled with voices of Jersey City residents tenants workers and families who have asked nothing more than for the enforcement of the existing laws meant to keep them safe and housed as I prepared for this evening I told myself and others that I would not choose a side tonight tonight was supposed to be politically neutral yet after reflection I realized that neutrality is a luxury we cannot afford a side must be chosen and I hope by the time I finish speaking everyone will agree including the candidates with my choice to this Council I recognize that you have sat here meeting after meeting listening we are grateful for that in many ways we share the same fate we want action you want action director Richardson wants action Corporation counsel wants action yet again and again there is no action a mayor is responsible for that action mayor Philip himself has admitted our rent control laws are some of the strongest in the country yet we see them ignored while tenants are exploited by software like Real Page we see uniform security ordinances abandoned even after bullets shattered windows and attackers stroll through our lobbies we see the resident super ordinance disregarded despite tragedies in other cities where lives were lost because warning signs were not heeded Abraham Lincoln once said I must stand with anybody that stands right stand with them while they are right and part with them when they go wrong this is what leadership means it's how we should choose our next leader and so tonight I stand before you not to announce a candidacy but to announce a choice I have chosen a side I choose I choose to side with the people whoever takes the actions that truly make a difference will earn the vote of the people and I along with many here would be honored to help that person show us your best action and we will show you our vote our votes thank you very much in three minutes our next speaker 5.39 Mark good evening city council I'm here again very weary but still very Resolute for over a year I've been telling this Council about the dangerously inadequate security at Portside in response you passed ordinance 2455 which bolsters the uniform security mandate IM munic code 28-1 thank you all this new ordinance has language about an inspection for an exemption to the uniform security mandate it states quote the inspection shall include the evaluation of Resident security concerns and complaints when issuing or continuing an exemption unquote if Portside is on the ball and monitors new legislation that may affect them I would expect Port side's next move will be to apply for an exemption from the uniform security requirements this must not be granted there are multiple reasons to deny any exemption but foremost among them are a wide openen Community evidenced by the police reports about non-residents wandering in from the streets to have fights in our lobbies and all the times that we witness our lobbies being empty of staff and the main doors unlocked allowing anyone to walk in from the street next the south end of Washington Street is never chained as mandated in ordinance 071 53 leaving it open to late night drug deals and threats to residents of Portside see the police reports next ports side's inability or unwillingness to comply with the conditions of the previous exemption that was granted in August the 14th 2014 on the condition that Portside had to undergo an annual inspection to maintain that exemption Portside never had the community reinspected and so the exemption expired in August 2015 was never renewed and Portside was in blatant violation of 28-1 for 9 plus years lastly the recommendation in the old exemption for more cameras was totally ignored to recap some of the concerns I mentioned over the last few months a service door from the street into our community could not be secured due to a broken self closer and a flimsy bathroom style bolt on it was left unlatched doors from multiple resident amenity areas are unlocked or unlockable and doors from the public parking garage that lead directly to the supposedly secure area of our buildings cannot be locked and are broken we need the legally required uniform security to protect our community since our mayor are no show tonight can any of the candidates for mayor show us what action looks like thank you our next speaker 5.40 syia good evening tonight as part of the people state of the city I want to discuss Public Safety not through campaign promises or statistics but through documented facts about how our city responds when residents face real dangers Jersey city has clear ordinances requiring uniformed Security in residential buildings over a certain size we have lows mandating security systems proper Staffing and safety protocols these aren't optional guidelines they are legal requirements designed to protect lives the Department of Justice has extensively studied the impact of security measures in residential buildings their research shows that basic security requirements the very ones written into our loves can prevent tragedy cities across the country have learned hard lessons about what happens when these measures are ignored tomorrow you'll hear about Jersey City's commitment to Public Safety you'll hear about active shooter preparedness and crisis management you'll hear about CCTV systems and police response times but what you want here is why our exist ing security ordinances go unenforced you won't hear about why repeated requests for basic safety measures are met with silence you won't hear about why it takes tragic headlines for a city to enforce its own laws the people state of the city is this public safety isn't measured in press releases or campaign promises it's measured in the daily actions or in actions of those sworn to protect us when we ignore the laws designed to keep people safe we put lives at risk real Public Safety means enforcing the laws we have not just promising new ones it means responding to warnings before they become emergencies it means choosing prevention over reaction because in matter of public safety the gap between what we say and what we do isn'tjust a political issue it's a matter of life and death thank you our next speaker 5.41 Joel good evening council members as we convene tonight on the eve of the mayor's state of the city address I stand before you as a concerned resident tenant deeply troubled by the current state of Public Safety in our community and especially in my building Portside West in his in his address the mayor will likely highlight achievements such as the hiring of police officers and the establishment of new Public Safety headquarters on Martin Luther King Drive these initiatives are commendable and suggest a commitment to our City's safety however in recent events paint a much more complex picture days ago a 15-year-old girl tragically lost her life and a woman was hospitalized following a shooting near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Union Street while it's true that reported homicides have decreased from 12 in 2020 to 10 in 23 and further down to 6 in 2024 other crimes have seen an alarming rise for instance motor vehicle thefts have increased by 28% from 629 to 8 six in 24 thefts surged by 41% from 20093 to 4,125 and aggravated assaults Rose by 25% 789 to 986 in the same period closer to home my at my residence we Face ongoing security challenges in one incident we we shared with you recently an injured woman a victim of aggravated assault was pursued into our building by her as salent in addition management has neglected basic safety protocols garage doors remain open for weeks allowing unrestricted access to the parking area entry doors often fail to latch properly or are deliberately propped open and left in that condition despite city ordinances mandated uniform security for buildings of our size we remain without this critical protection these incidents underscore a disconnect between policy and practice while investments in public safety infrastructure are essential they must be complemented by diligent enforcement of existing regulations and proactive measures to ensure the well-being of all residents I urge the council to hold Property Owners accountable for complying with safety ordinances and to prioritize the enforcement of regulations designed to protect us let us work together to create a city where every resident feels secure not just through statistics and infrastructure but through tangible action that Safeguard our daily lives the state of Jersey City tenants especially low and middle income tenants is precarious thank you our next speaker 5.42 Barbara evening council members my name is Barbara Goldberg these old eyes have been watching Jersey City change grow and unfortunately become less and less affordable tonight I want to talk about something that affects not just me but countless seniors Working Families and young people trying to build a future here the housing crisis Jersey city has given developers tax breaks and incentives yet for all the new buildings Rising around us affordable housing Rems remains out of the reach for many take for example the 30-year tax abatement granted to the Kushner Real Estate Group for the pomu project this Prime Downtown Development is receiving millions in tax breaks yet where are the affordable units what about the people who built this community who are now being priced out of it seniors should not have to live in fear of being pushed out of our homes because rents keep Rising faster than fixed incomes and it's not just seniors Working Families are struggling too Pro projections already show that Jersey City is headed for a major housing shorall in as soon as six years from now we don't act now many of us will have nowhere to go the mayor and the council will tell us about all the new development happening in the city but my question is simple who is this city being built for because it doesn't feel like it's being built for the people who already live here I urge you to reconsider these tax breaks and demand that developers set aside truly affordable units in every new project growth should not come at the expense of pushing out the very people who have made this city what it is Jersey City belongs to all of us not just those who can afford luxury rents let's build a future that includes everyone thank you next speaker 5.43 Sylvia h good night dear counsel people I've been today my name is syia l I am porite tenan as my neighbor has standing here again and by now almost 3 years we are repeating and repeating and repeating the same request that in fact is not the claim all our request are part of the city code and regulation enforce to 60 enforce that we get the superintendent in on site enforce the present of uniform Security in our buildings make a real affordable housing policy and not an election campaign speech I will ask you some questions that I've been asking myself don't you get tired to listen and listen again and again requesting force of the current Ordinance do you realize how long we have been adding time on talking or taking time of our jobs family even our free time don't you think we are asking for some that's completely normal namely the enforcement of existing law don't you see think that when we vote our councilman Representatives we want to be confident that they are working with and for us do you think we are not disappointed for by the lack of action do you think that all the inhabitants of New Jersey City do not have the suspicious of corruption for part of the government to me all answers are I do how about you as mayor full of state of the city address will happen here tomorrow in this room we must reflect once again that he must be why we are met in silence time and time again thank you for listening to me I hope stepen fup will provide some answers tomorrow but I doubt it giv out experience for the last three years thank you our next speaker 5.44 Elena good evening city council my name is Elena little I'm a concerned Citizen and a candidate for city council here in board E I am sure the mayor is going to paint a Rosie picture tomorrow in his state of the city but this is the People's State of the city the reality is too many Jersey City residents have been left behind rents have been skyrocketing we need to build more affordable housing and that includes mandatory minimums in new development as well as leveraging underutilized city-owned land to build more affordable units instead of selling it off to the highest bidder we also need to enforce the rent Control Ordinance that we have on the books I mean Portside Towers tenants have been coming here for going on three years now that's frankly ridiculous and during those three long years many of them have been forced out the city should be publishing a database of rent controlled buildings so tenants know their rights we also need greater investigation and enforcement of habitability and quality of life complaints I was horrified as I hope you were to to read the recent report of a landlord harassing tenants with dead fish placed on the floors such harassment should not be tolerated neither should more passive behavior that still creates an inhabitable environment like refusing to turn on the heat in the winter likewise small homeowners are be bearing the burden of unpredictable tax hikes year after year and for what our basic city services are lacking the streets are dirtier the day after garbage collection people call 911 only to have no one pick up we need to make sure we're actually spending our dollars wisely instead of on politically connected contractors like the ones who bungled the city's application for SE Brooks Washington act funding and missed an opportunity for critical community-based mental health funding Justice for Drew but where the government fails us the people have stepped up the anti-violence Coalition of Hudson County applied for and was awarded this grant funding and we have folks showing up like the tenant organizers and the traffic reform Warriors here tonight on that note and again in spite of our taxes there's a total lack of traffic calming and traffic enforcement and we are facing a hit- and run epidemic although Jersey City doesn't publish these statistics we've all noticed an uptick and Statewide fatal hit and runs are up more than 50% what is Jersey City doing finally especially in these uncertain times we need assurance that the city is going to protect our rights and the rights of our most vulnerable communities that's why I'm encouraged to see the city council pass resolution 25-48 reaffirming Jersey City as the golden door of America now more than ever we need to stand up for transparency stand up for for vulnerable communities the need has never been greater thank you our next speaker 5.45 Michael evening everyone you know there's a lot to be addressed here in Jersey City but I only have three minutes so I will try my best to say what I can in that time frame and you know in order for us to be considered one of the top midsize cities in this nation we have to do a few things um first of all coming from Ward F growing up in Ward f one of the things I believe we should do is stop allowing developers to land bank in communities where affordable housing is crucial and instead Place those dilapidated properties that they own on an imminent domain list to build our own affordable housing for hardworking residents who cannot afford luxury living we should not be the designating local black developers and handing those properties over to larger developers when they're not affording affordable housing we also need to thank you thank you I only have three minutes people hold on we also need to incentivize commercial property owners and underdeveloped Commercial districts so they can have so they can lower their rents for small startup businesses who are looking to provide basic goods and services that the community is extremely lacking we have to stop third-party service providers continuously raising rates and charging ridiculous late fees to the point where homeowners face leans on their properties that they that put them in Jeopardy of losing their family homes we need to hire City directors based on experience and Community dedication instead of their relationships and who they are align with we should be stabilizing property taxes and not raising them to the point where people are going to sleep crying at night trying to figure out how they're going to save their family's home we need to have real programs and opportunities for our youth so that they are not being hurt or murdered by their peers we must ensure that real partnership is encouraged and built with the community and law enforcement to assist in so that we can assist in deescalation and we also open up communications as well as com and have compassion and understanding and make sure it's delivered and received on both ends we also need to be working with each other and advocating for changing our public school funding formula so we can get funding that we need to give our children a world class education thank you our next speaker 5.46 Joel there hey there we go hi uh my name is Joel Brooks I'm a resident of Ward B and I'm honored to be invited to speak tonight as part of the People's State of the city um this was a really amazing thing that was organized on very short notice um and that's something that um I've seen a lot in Jersey City is uh communities coming together people coming together to organize quickly um to make their voices heard so thank you everybody for organizing this um I want to speak to some things that I've personally observed D um and as this is the people state of the city you know to Mr Mayor if you do get around to listening to this I know you've seen these parts of the city um I know you've campaigned in these parts of the city uh and as you go on to campaign for governor I hope you don't forget these parts of the city so you know on the west side I have seen tenants go without heat for months at a time I've seen F A family of five sleeping in one bed because they didn't have heat for weeks um I've seen landlords um get away with not fixing Windows uh for months at a time landlords not registering the rents properly uh so people are being overcharged for years at a time um and I've also seen the system that we have now it's inadequate to meet the needs uh of tenants um and I'll give you one example I see I have a minute 30 left uh working with a group of tenants who um have not had heat for over a month uh so part of the system now is you can go to landlord tenant you can file a failure to provide services petition you can only do that online you need an email it's only in English I found these things out when I went to Jackson Square myself because I thought oh why don't I grab some paper applications to bring back to the tenants I was told no you have to go onto the JC portal you have to have an email um and go through that whole you know uh two-factor authentication thing we all love on our phones and all that um so I said okay all right we can work with this I sat with a tenant uh she got her computer out and she started working with her ten her her neighbors uh to get the the petition up one of the things you need is a lease their landlord has taken their leases off the website so they're stuck right the system that we have is not working for tenants um in that building there are monolingual Spanish and Arabic speakers um you know the language barrier can be really hard to overcome we need to do better uh Mr Mayor if you are fortunate enough to win the nomination and go on to to Trenton uh don't forget these parts of the city and don't forget these tenants thank you and next speaker 5.47 Jake good evening uh my name is Jake fros I'm a teacher I'm a tenant uh I'm in w d and I'm a candidate for City Council in w d um and I'm proud to be here with other tenants from the heights who are going to do a great job I know of sharing their own stories of what they've been working through um so I Echo the sentiment in this people state of the city that this city is not working for us uh Jersey City under team fup has failed working people and pretending that everyone can make it yours here uh but let's break that down because we know that this yours isn't really all of ours if you are a developer looking for a variance to develop well beyond the zoning limits all you got to do is offer 10% affordable housing maybe uh in a city with Runway rental costs since this Administration actually fought against a stronger inclusionary zoning ordinance that would have required a much greater contribution but if you're a renter looking for affordable housing this city is not working as hard for you if you are a landlord illegally raising rent or evicting tenants illegally fear not because our city has failed to enforce code 260 time and time again but if you are a family who wants your City to stand with you against illegal landlord actions just don't hold your breath now if you are the cushioners our mayor will do everything in his power to force us to pay for your tax abatement so he can check the pompo off of his wish list and his Council allies will rubber stamp that but if you are a parent hoping that our roads uh can get money for repairs and your kids can have a safer walk to school or a neighbor wishing we just put resources into trash pickup like in the Heights where we desperately need it or you're a family member who wants their loved one to have safe Mental Health crisis response you might be told we don't have any money Justice for Drew so we deserve more affordable housing yes but also dignified social housing publicly owned and Community run we deserve rent control not just for some of us but for every tenant in Jersey City we deserve clean and Safe Streets not ones dumped on by Big Business handouts Jersey City should work for working people not corporate landlords and developers let's make it ours our next speaker 5.48 Anna B good evening I'm Anna Basset Ward d i stand before today to continue to Echo the ongoing Injustice in Jersey City my landlord Jersey Mountain 6 LLC Holland management owned and managed by Simon Andor El Luther Feldman and zevi Stein try to hide behind a veil of llc's while engaging in blatant tenant harassment this bad actor knowingly bought our rent controlled building and immediately began the campaign into running us out of our homes their tactics include and included neglecting basic utilities refusing rent payments to fabricate non-payment claims uh deliberately uh eliminating Building Maintenance creating unsanitary conditions ignoring security uh while a serious series of break-ins occurred with suspicions of their involvement threatening the elderly tenants with eviction and resorting to IM intimidation tactics like planting dead fish and feast in multiple Apartments I personally had to spend over $8,000 over a period of time on airbnbs to seek basic sanitation and safety needs while my landlord continued their abuse despite official well let me rewind I share this because despite the official complaints summonses and even open warrants my landlord has faced no real consequence to paraphrase the New Jersey truth and renting manual page 34 landlords who fail to correct violation should be taken to municipal court and fined yet in reality few ever are for the entirety of their ownership of my building my landlord has ignored violations lied to the city gaslit us and manipulated inspections all while seeking a hardship rent increase that the city may still approve they have uh open warrants for repeatedly skipping Court to evade code 26-7 harassment charges and face little to no consequences for the many uh code and quality of life summonses that were dismissed without reinspection by the Departments that administered them and this is all while myself and other people like me sit in this year-long backlog for this failure to maintain Services petition that um is completely ineffective this isn't just my building this is systemic my landlord has a publicly documented history of doing this to other people in other buildings God only knows how many others are out there who remain voiceless the city of Jersey City knows this this systemic problem is happening and whether it's due to fear to speak up legal ambiguity or a lack of political will the lack of action is enabling these bad faith actors to exploit legal loopholes and inflict great harm to Residents I call everyone with the power to act to do so enforce the law and investigate these Bad actors and the people that enforce them our next speaker 5.49 Anna M hi how is it fair that tenants must become Watchdogs while the city fails to enforce its own laws the heat in my building went out recently the landlord hired someone unqualified to fix it and they made it worse the pipes leaked dirt clogged the system and when they finally got the heat working it was set so high that it made us sick my apartment hit 90° and I ended up with a sinus infection my neighbor nearly fainted and had a 30-minute nose bleed due to the extreme heat when I texted our fake super she claimed she couldn't adjust the heat which is a lie she's not even a real super just a tenant in my building who is friends with the old building manager when I've called the tenant landlord office for help they've told me I could file a petition but it would take a year for them to review it due to the backlog that's actively discouraging then they told me to read up on chapter 260 myself who better to advocate for me than myself gee I don't know maybe the actual government office whose sole purpose is to enforce chapter 260 is that such a wild leap I'm honestly offended that fli is running for governor on a platform of affordable housing how can you have a dysfunctional tenant landlord office tenants and crises across Jersey City slumlords throughout Jersey City constructively evicting tenants so they can renovate an upcharge award those same slums with permits to build more housing that they will also trash wealthy developers building excessively expensive skyscrapers using Jerry Mander Zoning for inappropriate funding allocation and then have the gall to say you can improve the affordable housing situation Amir Ben yanan of West of Hudson properties at 150 Belmont and 35 kenen had tenants suffering without heat for months during code blue no hot water and they currently have rats in their apartments and holes in their walls and ceilings he has a warrant out for his arrest in East Orange due to similar building issues yet Jersey City where he has more buildings and complaints can't do the same if East Orange can do it why can't we either get real and serious about holding slum Lords accountable or take a seat if isue fines issue warrants create a city-wide slum Lord list permanently ban these slum Lords disallow landlords to hide behind llc's and Empower tenant landlord office to actually enforce chapter 260 and staff it to appropriately to get it done thank you our next speaker 550 lives hi my name is Liv Malone I am a resident of Ward B good evening I've sat in this room many times listening to tenant after tenant describe serious problems with their housing and I have to admit what I recently discovered in my research makes me a bit uncomfortable to share but I believe that any perspective when backed by clear evidence deserves to be heard you see I couldn't reconcile something how could Jersey City our state's second largest city simply ignore so many legitimate concerns it didn't add up so I started digging through municipal court records looking for answers what I found was remarkable the data shows that under mayor Philips Administration the city responds to over 90% of landlord related complaints every single action meticulously documented you can trace a pattern yourself it's right there in black and white consistency is honestly stunning oh since I have more time um uh well I no something curious a phrase that kept appearing three words really dismissed prosecutorial discretion at first I didn't understand the significance but after I kept reading case after case the pattern emerged broken security system dismissed prosecutorial discre illegal rent increase dismissed prosecutorial discretion landlord doesn't even show up to court dismissed prosecutorial discretion the efficiency is breathtaking no messy investigations needed no fines to collect no violations to track just three magic words and poof problem vanishes well at least on paper not the actual problem the leak still leak the broken locks stay broken the illegal charges keep mounting but on paper problems solved this isn't random since mayor Philip took office this approach has been refined to an art form the city now collects Millions Less in fines despite having as many or more violations than previous administrations That's What I Call efficiency so tomorrow when you hear about Jersey City's streamline processes remember these two words or three when someone TS our efficient government think about what prosecutorial discretion really means it means the discretion to ignore the discretion to dismiss and the discretion to look away and since this is the people state of the city I have a suggestion mayor fup in the spirit of your administration's favorite solution we would like to prosecutor dismiss you our next speaker 551 Daniel according to the ACLU of New Jersey website if a public official uses social media as a government actor such as by using their accounts to publicly announce government information or policy they cannot exclude people from having different viewpoints this means that they can't block users delete specific comments or restrict access in other ways on the basis of the viewpoints expressed step fup restricts comments on his Instagram posts I can't post a comment on any of them with the exception of one post on January 20th which was posted as a collaboration with two other accounts Kimberly Wallace and the Jersey City official Instagram account however I cannot comment on any of Steven Philip's Instagram posts that he posts on his own one such example is a post Steven phip made on his Instagram on January 9th of this year you can check it right now if you'd like in which phip discusses his sustainability platform and specific policies comments are limited I I can't comment um only people who FIP chooses can comment on it it's announcing government information and policy and I am being excluded because comments again are limited to whoever step Phillip wants to limit comments to now to me this is a clear violation of My First Amendment rights similarly on January 14th of this year Stephen Phillip posted his first commercial for the governatori campaign on Facebook reals I posted a comment saying quote I'm not a fan of Philip because you know I'm not a fan but respectfully I can see the comment and people who are friends with me on Facebook can see the comment but the general public cannot see my comment and if any of you want to go to that Facebook reel from Steven pullups account on January 14th you will not see my comment saying I'm not a fan of Phillip whereas an individual named Steven Greenberg who posted a comment supporting Phillip has his comment there for everyone to see this is clearly an infragement of My First Amendment rights I should be able to respectfully voice my concerns with his administration on a public forum we also saw this last year at Philip state of the city address where several of my tenants were told that they weren't allowed to hold signs that said enforce rent control and enforce 260 on them being told that it was a fire hazard which is funny because right now they don't seem to be a fire hazard but only when uh stepen FIP is in the room that they suddenly become a fire hazard um so to the several individuals in this room who are looking to run for mayor I really really hope that you have more respect for our first amendment rights than our current mayor who doesn't seem to respect them much at all thank you our next speaker 5.52 Eve state of JY Jersey City housing in 2025 this Jubilee year of Hope is escalating humanitarian and disaster for tenants like me we feel only ongoing suffering oppression and misery for 6 years I've endured Relentless harassment from landlord Muhammad Shahed including assault no heat carbon monoxide and gas attacks infestations block Plumbing he is the worst of the worst this winter they tried to set the building on fire groups of his men come running into my apartment hating at me to leave as a result I'm now legally disabled suffering from Vision impairment and nerve damage I'm broke at risk of homelessness and have been hospitalized multiple times similar abuse happens every day to countless others tormented by slum Lords across Jersey City because fire code building code and chapter 260 rent price regulation have not been enforced in six years my situation is a direct result of breakdown in law enforcement but this problem extends far beyond me listen Chief municipal prosecutor Jacob hudnut Jacob hudnut is directly responsible for destroying approximately $26 million of unenforced fire and building code violation summons 26 millionar missing out of the city budget so why aren't you looking for it he continues to lie while mayor St FIP has done nothing zero to address it Philip is taking campaign donations from the same slumlord developers who violate law without paying fines or maintaining safe living conditions even worse when I speak Steven FIP blocks me on Twitter He has blocked me four times his oppression of free speech will not silence my urgent truth our current humanitarian disaster escalates daily with over 115 people recently displaced by fires during cold blue freezing weather instead of being protected we're forced to pay thousands of dollars in landlord repair costs while illegal rent price gouging goes unabated this requires Action Now buildings cannot be unburned and once we are homeless there's no returning from the concentration camps of dispair that Philip and hudnut are forcing tenants into city council you are the financial police of Jersey City you have the oversight and authority to enforce Municipal housing fines roll back illegal rent charges and ensure that this Injustice stops it is your duty as human beings to act now you have the power to stop this abuse to protect tenants and to restore Justice I don't live at Portside Towers I live down the street from you and we need all of you to stand with us we need an action man today enforcement today accountability today if you do not act now we will lose everything stand with us thank you our next speaker 5.53 Suzanne our next speaker 5.54 Brendan thank you 5.55 denila okay this is the People's State of the city of Jersey City and it must address people's basic rights and uh the rights are so basic and also so important they are an amendment to the Constitution not just any Amendment the First Amendment that's how important fre fre of speech and opinion is in this country the mayor and you all in front of me have sworn to uphold that Constitution and yet we must come to the conclusion that the first amendment is being violated in many ways even by mayor fulop himself we heard about systemic and complete censoring of critical comments on social media and supression of free speech and opinion in this very Hall at the last year's address a small group of us came to express our worries regarding the injustices faced by renders holding science peacefully just like now police informed us that we could not bring science to City Hall these signs we were met with dismisses responses and responses and refusal to provide a clear explanation for the sign Ben I even received personal threats from a member of a private security team the mayor created an echo chamber a friends and family event it's only fitting that there was no press to speak of try to find an analytical or Discerning article about the event censorship suppression of free speech manipulating the press and blatant lies are methods of an autocracy I know what I'm talking about I grew up in East Germany my wife and I just were there and visited a sty Memorial in Stasi KGB of East Germany it's an unsuspicious building in the city where uncomfortable or shall I say unwanted people most of them just expressing their opinion were brought to arrest them tell them the consequences if they don't stop what they are doing and even jail them without ruing ruling the encounter with police and security at the state of the city last year was no different than what I personally experienced in East Germany in a dictatorship fear-mongering was one of the tools and yes we were intimidated and feared about consequences if we exercised our rights this government can and must do better I really hope that we we still have a democracy in this city and that we will not experience the same tomorrow and that social media censoring stops now the mayor and you all in front of me have sworn to uphold the Constitution thank you our next speaker 5.56 Sonia this is an apple some people might Trail tell you it's a banana they might scream banana banana banana over and over and over again they might put banana in all caps you might even start to believe that it is a banana but it's not it's an apple remember this ad on CNN from the first Trump presidency well here we are again but not only in Trump's second term but also in the New Year here in Jersey City our hometown governed by a Democratic mayor today marks the 33rd time I'm speaking to you and that alone tells the real story of the state of the city in his current campaign for governor of New Jersey which is by the way very hard to escape on any social media Outlet lots of money must be behind that Steven F tells sells apples for bananas here are just three examples banana he took on developers says his campaign he took the money of Developers velers they have been financing his campaigns they have been given some of the biggest tax breaks in the country they have found their safe haven in which not only our mayor but the whole city Administration except for Frank Gilmore looks the other way when multiple laws get systematically broken over years he made Jersey City and national leader on affordable housing the truth is families are being forced out of their homes in jerseys City it has been happening under Steven fulop's watch and it is still happening as we speak the truth is that children had to leave their schools because landlords like Equity residential choose to increase their parents rents by 60% from one day to the other the truth is that many of our friends are not here tonight because they couldn't afford these insane rents anymore and moved far away the truth is also that in just this group Four Women lost Four Women lost their homes entirely some are homeless today some found a roof over their heads with family and friends luckily because Steven fop did do nothing for them he's on nobody's side but ours concludes his spot stepen fop hasn't showed up for us in three years we his constituents have been coming here every other week we just entered the third year Steven pup has not showed his face here once Steven fup has never set up a meeting with us he has never spoken with us about our concerns this is an apple this is a banana and we are the people our next Speaker 5.57 John hi um for one reason or another I've not been able to make it to speak at a meeting since September I missed you too um but I want to thank my friends and neighbors who attended those meetings and who continue to be present thanks right so this evening I'd like to address the hidden costs of non- enforcement tonight as we discuss the People's State of the city I want to talk about money not the campaign Promises of economic development but the real dollars that non enforcement of our laws cost Jersey City residents every day when cities fail to enforce their laws they are measurable consequences the doj's investigation into real page has revealed how algorithmic pricing systems can artificially inflate rents across entire markets this isn't speculation it's a subject of active federal investigation let's look at the maths Jersey City's rent Control Ordinance defines rent broadly it includes any charge paid by tenants for housing space and related Services late fees edity charges utility bills through third party vendors all of these fall under rent control protection when these laws aren't enforced every extra dollar becomes profit built on non-compliance tomorrow you'll hear about economic growth and development you'll hear about new construction and housing initiatives but you won't hear about the millions of dollars being extracted from residents through unenforced regulations The People's State of the city is this when laws go unenforced it's not just a regulatory failure it's a transfer of wealth from residents to those who profit from non-compliance every unenforced ordinance has a price tag and it's the people of Jersey City who pay it this isn't about politics it's about basic economics it's about whether a city government will enforce its own laws or continue to allow systematic extraction of wealth from its residents because in the end non non- enforcement isn't free and guess who pays the price thank you our next speaker 5.58 Mel okay 5.59 Tara good evening my name is Tara SMI and tonight as we discuss the people say the city I want to talk about what progress really means in Jersey City tomorrow you'll hear about development about new buildings and about economic growth but let me tell you what progress looks like from where most of us stand it looks like empty Apartments purposely withheld from the market price gouging PE working people out of their communities it looks like luxury housing replacing homes where families once lived it looks like trains that don't run while developers get tax breaks it looks like Federal grant programs Frozen while long serving Community Services disappear The People's State of the city is this we are becoming a city that builds building but destroys communities a city that celebrates growth while ignoring displacement a city that measures progress in property values instead of human lives tomorrow mayor philli will stand here and talk about Jersey City's transformation but transformation for whom when Housing Programs require paperwork that takes months but the evictions happen within days that's not progress when rent increases happen overnight but tenant protect ctions take years that's not progress when trains don't run but developer permits get fast-tracked that's not progress I had to leave my home not because I wanted to but because this kind of progress pushed me out and I'm not alone across this city working people families and longtime residents are being told that progress means they can't afford to stay in their own communities the true state of the city is isn't found in development statistics or property values it's found in the lives of people who make this city work the teachers nurses service workers and countless others who keep Jersey City running but can no longer afford to live here is in the end progress without people isn't progress at all it's just displacement with a nicer name thank you our next speaker 5 point 60 Michelle tonight you have heard the truth from the residents of Jersey City not filtered through political spin not softened to fit a campaign slogan but the raw unvarnished reality of what it means to live in a city where enforcement of the law depends not on what's right but on who profits and time and time again when we speak the truth we are silenced or dismissed what why because this City's mayor has chosen to Al align himself not with the people but with those who extract wealth from our homes break our laws and use their profits to protect themselves not from consequences but from Justice this is not governance this is what some might call an Enterprise a network where multiple parties benefit from unlawful activity some by Design some by complicity all connected by a system built to Shield them from accountability it's the same scheme we see at the national level with the real page the same Playbook where Real Estate Investors use software middlemen to coordinate rent prices in ways that would be illegal if done directly they think they found a loophole but the just the department of justice and State Attorneys General have seen through this and so do we because what's happening in Jersey City is no different when campaigns are funded by money extracted through illegal rents money that should never have been taken in the first place those campaigns are financed by theft our money taken from our homes and used as leverage to ensure our cries for help are met with silence and yet they expect us to believe that tomorrow the mayor will stand in this very chamber and tell his version of the state of the city unless it includes an apology and a resignation it will ring as Hollow as every year before it because the state of the city is not what they say it is it is what we live every single day the people state of the city is not just a reflection of our challenges it is a demand for accountability and let this be a warning we will never allow leadership in this city to be bought with money stolen from its people again thank you this concludes the People's State of the city our next speaker 5.61 Eric is Eric Garrison here okay sorry just checking evening city council members but that's a hard act to fell and I was there it's hard tonight I want to talk to you about the um senior citizen building I live in 259 Ben norstrom the elevator's not uh very dependable to the point where I don't even trust it anymore and I take the stair Master uh we we do have four levels and there are uh senior citizens that have walkers and some of them can't even walk they're like penguins they waddle I talked to the mechanic uh one day when they were working on it he said they need pistons and it cost about $200,000 and you might be aware there was a building in Jersey City that was similar a similar situation and the elevator was down for two years good luck with that anyway I'm hoping that uh we don't have to wait that long for the disaster hits one more thing I to talk to you about um this this involves not only Georgia city but the entire country as you well you may well know it's against federal law for merchants to charge consumers a fee on debit cards if you whip out your cell phones and Google it it'll it'll tell you it's uh comes up to the uh do Frank act and I'll just read you what just got posted tonight it says no merchants in United States are not allowed to charge fees on debit cards this includes prepaid debit cards and there's an explanation major card issuers like visas and Master Card prohibit sear charges on debit card transactions also search charge debit cards is illegal in all 50 states I think we need to have somebody to look into this do some policing by the way if you want to get a refund you have to ask the uh credit card company that's um that's located on your uh debit card thank you our next speaker 5.62 Robert evening Robert AI a proud citizen of Jersey City for a number of years one in Margaret ha uh back in 1937 do your math I'm here because of a situation that's developing in the Heights Franklin Street and Central Avenue installed a new like Lane I was there today they installed it I watched them install it only because I owned the business right there for 63 years on Franklin and Central I questioned what they were doing and they said well the city engineer sent us here and this is what we're doing I said but this doesn't make sense I said well we got the paperwork and they put the tape on the street they wrote over here don't make a left turn don't make a right turn so now we have the Stop and Shop supermarket right there now the entrances on Central Avenue the exit is on Franklin Street I was there when they built that building in 1963 dopping shop put the entrance on Central Avenue they realized this was a hazard because people coming right off from that car right into the front door on Central Avenue was a real serious problem people were shopping carts immediately the engineers made a mistake and they they agreed that it was mistake they turned the building around and they put the entrance in the parking lot and they gave up a lot of exposure because of that we have the same situation the way that situation is developed it's a bike lane but the bike lane is running along parallel to the supermarket parking lot now when they reach the end of the parking lot there's a big driveway all of a sudden now there's a car coming out of the driveway and this bicycle is what are they going to do there's a problem because the person coming out is looking for traffic and the bicycle is trying to get along okay if if they use it right the second thing we saw there were more people using the sidewalk rather than the bike line so um I bought my first bicycle when I was 8 years old because the guy next door went in the Navy and I got his bike for $3 I'm not against bicycles I got what children eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren and they all ride bikes I have a grandson who went to his commencement exercises on his bicycle at at a college so I'm not against the situation it just was poor planning and the poor planning is putting us in a situation where what happened now thank you sir during the summer your time is up Sir out I'm I ran out of time I'll talk to you on the side if you I'm the councilman I didn't know thank you very much our next speaker 5.63 Brian r good evening my name is Brian Rio I'm a uh wardc resident and Trustee of bike JC I'm speaking on behalf of bike JC in support of the original plan for the heights protected bike lane the project as originally planned involved turning Franklin Street and Manhattan Avenue into one-way streets for cars to create a two-way protected bike lane from Palisade to Tunnell while Pres reserving parking this Corridor aligns with the city's bike bicycle master plan and was selected due to the repeated crashes along it the revised plan which was put forth by councilman CLE at the U end of the last city council meeting goes partway by implementing the original plan on Franklin Street it reduces Manhattan to sharrows or shared Lane markings which are not protected and which Studies have actually shown could be l safe for inexperienced Riders than having nothing at all effectively removing this street from the protected bike lane plan this effectively reduces the original project scope by about 2/3 the proposed the purpose of the $670,000 NJ do bikeways grant that Jersey City received is to create new miles of protected bike Lanes unprotected bike lanes and sharrows are not allowable costs under the bikeways grant program requirements since the revised plan significantly Alters the original proposal we feel the reduction in scope puts the entire project at risk of being denied the original funding by the state furthermore we worry that there may not be sufficient time remaining for approval before the already extended deadline expires in June in this uncertain political climate when we're seeing funding Frozen or Stripped Away entirely we feel it's important to put grant funds to use as soon as possible therefore we cannot support this modified plan and instead urged the city to move forward with the original plan designed by our expert infrastructure team tested via a successful pilot program and widely supported by the community thank you our next speaker 5.64 Jean um my name is Jean daily and there is tons I'd like to talk about but we don't have a lot of time um one thing that's disappointing is when you see council members who take off during the meetings during the public speaking that tells me you don't care which means if you are running for re-election or a different election that means you're going to be an absentee mayor or an absentee council person that is not a good standard to set um several things I'd like to address as I mentioned but I can't get to them all I would like speak to this there was a statement actually an article that was printed uh in a public a publication online about um councilman council person Ridley and council person Rivera stating that they were going to put a new um new firehouse on Communipaw on two lots in Communipaw for the public to know this lot these lws are Under litigation currently under litigation so anyone who states that is clearly not minding their Duty and what they should be doing especially since both of them sit on the JC that is an embarrassment and I ask that they retract that the reason why there's a litigation here is because those sites were promised were designated as affordable housing you chose a minority developer who had proven that she and her group can build affordable housing they built affordable apartments the next step on their rung was to get affordable home ownership for their Community we don't have affordable Condominiums they were going to build affordable Condominiums and what did JC do throw every obstacle in front of them just the way it treats other minorities at times in this city threw obstacles in front of them delayed things uh and Environmental Studies told them they had to do an extra Environmental Studies lost titles lost this sold a piece of the property okay now you've got to uh make another PL another um architectural rendering for your building go ahead make you they made them do it now this then all of a sudden jcra buys it back oh no that's okay you can go back to your original thing there are many issues at this JC through in front of the Morris Canal Community Association it is appalling that out of nowhere suddenly and I believe it has to do with a riff and a little venge vengeful tactic that FIP has against June Jones we should all be proud of June Jones of what she has done mean so what happens out of nowhere Dune Jones's group gets D designated as a developer of record from those thoughts shame on you and shame on anyone who says that they're going to put the firehouse on that thank you our next speaker 5.65 Sean can I say something real quick because I just don't want the uh public to be confused because that's the second time today that um the council has heard that we're building a firehouse on commun Avenue um and it's a good time to give the public an update so that nobody is confused um I never said we were building a house and on any Lots on commun Port Avenue what the suggestion is is to move the temporary fire setup from 1 and n and put the temporary fire setup onto communa Avenue in the two lots that JC owns additionally as was stated in the article we had a a meeting on Monday in that meeting I also suggested another location and currently the city is looking at three different locations within a block of there where we can possibly put the structure so nothing is confirmed and no nothing um concrete was proposed to go there it's not we're not building a new Firehouse because I know people had questions about firehouses on uh Grand Street and additional things so I just want to be clear we're not building any permanent structures there and we don't even know if we're using that lot so I just want everybody to understand what we're stating people may not know the history or may not be um familiar with the setup that's currently at one 9 and sip but those are all temporary structures it is not a new Firehouse going on any land so I just want to make sure that that's clear for everyone and I don't know if Peter wants to add anything yeah canc just to add to that um in response to the ongoing issue we have at Holiday Street and Renovations there as well as several other firehouses in the area that may need future Renovations or upgrades the plan was to find areas within that immediate area um that we could potentially house temporary structures these structures are 10 that you know keep the fire trucks out of the the elements um as well as temporary trailers for the firefighters to be in nothing's permanent everything can be moved you know pretty quickly you it takes a less than a month to set everything up and break everything down um so it just be a temporary location in that immediate area to address the ongoing concerns of you know response times and everything of that nature as well as any future firehouses that we may have to put upgrades to um or Renovations too please don't shout out okay our next speaker 5.65 daia da G sorry okay I'm born and raised in WF in the old WF I recognize only that WF 408-420 commun Paw Avenue is what I'm here to talk about I've been part of the group I know June Jones very long time I'm born raised I'm educated at Steven Institute of Technology I have a civil engineering degree I have I'm 25 years in as a construction professional if we are planning to do a firehouse in that area we should start talking about it now because planning something like this takes a lot of money planning and time and we should not be looking at any temporary anything you should start talking about doing something permanent if you will if you do want now that you clarify that you're not going to look at this particular property for building a firehouse then you should look at 125 Monitor Street which is the property that's in isore from the turnpike for the last 100 years we could take a look at this property 125 who's been abandoned with graffiti for many years and you could put Park the fire trucks there clean up that lot we've been looking at this for years and nothing has been done in 2002 and 2003 before Google we did a a large assignment in the area of abandoned properties because we were sick of seeing the the disparaging the the uh abandoned properties littered with garbage we went to the jcra at the time Mark Munley and he took our package and then packaged it over to small developers so literally we have been roadblocked in WF for many many years the locals have tried to buy property we've tried to invest and if a lot of people would have been able to do it we wouldn't have been able to afford to stay there we just heard about a ton of people who can't afford to be in Jersey City because a ton of people have been blocked out Jun Jones has been trying to uh develop I really don't care what your opinion is of jun Jun she's been here all her life you should give someone local an opportunity very few locals have gotten an opportunity in this area to develop you have tons of people coming from outside on top of that when you build a firehouse you're going to hire everybody out from outside of Jersey City and you won't hire any local contractors either so it's a Lo it's a losing battle in Jersey City at every turn and that's why we're here and unfortunately this has been talked about for decades now years and years and years WF has been completely sold out now there's hardly any empty lots to park a firet truck but please don't do it at 408-420 communa because we need it for Morris canal and you should all back June Jones and a local person for once and not an outsider I'm sorry Tony hold on one second my clock's not your time Starts Now give me one second one second here we go all right Tony 5.66 thank you Tony burelli vice president of bike GC first let me say thank you to everyone who is trying to make something good happening for biking in the Heights on Manhattan and Franklin as you've just heard we cannot support the new severely truncated proposal it doesn't connect via protected infrastructure to the Essex Hudson Greenway route to our Western flank as envisioned in the original plan it doesn't connect via protected bike infrastructure on either side to Summit Avenue future route for a north south protected bike lane no safe connection no safe Network maybe just as bad it does jeopardize a grant of 2third of a million dollars basically already given to this city for the original project not necessarily for this version of it about that Grant we just swore in federal leaders who have explicitly pledged to slash government expenditures to the point of shuttering entire agencies and departments so it seems a singularly bad time for any City to lose a grant already awarded to it in just as bad a time for any City to appear hesitant to use government grants in the manner envisioned by the granting agencies that could have repercussions well beyond this this project and even Beyond transportation funding that at least is what people who are familiar with Grant making have told me people from all over that we we happen to know even though this is a state Grant if Federal money given to States dries up invariably inevitably States also will get less generous to cities and are likely to have higher standards and less patients with recalcitrant potential grantees please don't make that mistake either please tell our city professionals to make any necessary tweaks as we has always anticipated they would and then proceed with the original excellent concept of this plan thank you our last speaker 5.67 Karen evening my name is Karen V open uh first I want to say something quick because it was mentioned here by a previous speaker uh about getting out of a parking lot and there being a um somebody on a bike whether or not there is a bike lane they still will have to uh look out for um you know people on a bike I just want you to keep that in mind I'm actually here today in support of resolution 10.8 of today make Jersey City uh the golden door of America point F five says that the commun community engagement and for people to identify and address a need and I'm going to and talk about a need that I saw last year and that was ordinance 24737 actually that has to do with e delivery chapter 13 175 was changed that had to do with restaurants and uh there was a change to chapter 200 242 which put demands on what was called commercial bicycles to us better known as ebike delivery people and um the main issue I have with this is not only do they need to do a safety course that nobody else needs to do that's on a bicycle but they need to have a certificate of completion on them and um it has to be able to be displayed their name is on it and a you unique confirm uh confirmation number of having done this particular course and I told you then it would this was last May it would Target a specific immigration group because we all know that a majority of the people doing that work are immigrants and recent immigrants at that Asylum Seekers refugees a lot of them so I'm here again I'm like I don't think I was a Visionary to see that we could get in trouble again you know as we are standing here today what could happen eight years ago could happen again and it did so please look into that please change that ordinance because a resolution is a resolution but an Ord an ordinance is a law so please change that so these people don't have something else to be afraid of I mean if you really want to do something that's an in-house thing you can take care of thank you very much for listening okay that will conclude our public speakers all right council members on to petitions and Communications any questions or comments on items 6.1 through 6.32 hearing none there are no officer Communications any questions or comments on reported directors 8.1 through 8.4 hearing none we are going right to our claims and addendums number one and number two so council members I'm going to take in a vote on claims and addendums number one and number two council person Ridley I council person prer I council person Bano council person SLE hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I and council president wman I claims and addendums number one and two are approved 70 with council members Dees and Rivera absent on to our resolutions council members be taking a vote on items 10.1 through 10.13 with the exception of 68 n which were approved earlier council person Ridley hi council person Prince AR hi for all council person bajano council person SLE hi for all council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I and council president wman items 10.1 through 10.13 are approved 70 with council members Dees and Rivera absent on to our next set of resolutions items 10.4 I apologize Sean sorry can I just change my vote on 101 to and0 change your vote I apologies on 10.1 to a no correct thank you 10.1 SE Sean you went to 13 right yeah he's up to 13 I went from 10.1 to 10.13 with the exception of 6 8 and N which were approved earlier keep your vote hey Rich which which one was the uh and 47 47 yeah oh okay yes so item 10.1 is approved 61 with council person Solomon voting no and council members de Jes and Rivera absent right items 10.14 through 10.24 that's 10.14 to 10.24 council person Ridley hi council person Prince AR I for all council person Bano second okay I for all council person SLE I for all council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I and council president wman items 10.4 through 10.24 are approved 70 we council members the G and Riva absent on to our next set of resolutions items 10.25 through 10.35 10.25 through 10.35 council person Ridley I council person priner council person bajano um I for all council person SLE I for all council person Solomon I council person Gilmore I council president hi items 10.25 through 10.35 are approved 70 for Council Members Dees and Rivera absent on to our balance of our resolutions which are items 10.36 through 10.48 Sean with the ex just let me finish with the exception of 10.43 which was approved earlier go ahead council person ban all right uh I'm asking that 10.47 be a uh there are no blueprints provided the other night no specs no invoice or itemization of anything being spent on and uh you know we're talking about $40 million and then any financial analysis of how the city will pay for it the balloon repayment uh this has to be they have to sit down they have to explain this whole thing to us it has to be explained proper ly I've listened to a few of the police officers and other people and they say it's a little bit out of hand and I 40 million it's it's got to be delayed uh I'm asking the council to delay it and we somehow either have a special meeting or they have to come along and give us all the details exactly I can I canc the C such a large expenditure we've really gota got to really do a our due diligence on this before we do it counc president yeah so this is coming out of as the Director explained was here on Monday Bishop Street is in critical need of you know transition to the new uh facility you've heard that you know they have issues down there um this is really trying to expedite that process in response to the council and all the requests to make sure that 91 911 system can be built out um as the Director explained a lot of this has to do with radios and the technology the servers to support it um it's a lot of heavy infrastructure it's not just a you know mere material that you're buying but it's you know the infrastructure to build out MLK what essentially Bishop Street is now but with modern technology modern radios and all the modern equipment Peter what if anything would happen if we don't vote on it today like is it imminent like it has they doing anything voted on today it would potentially affect financing how these things work so we get locked into certain rates based on certain times and how the Market's behaving right now um so potentially we didn't vote on it today and try to delay it to next meeting or anytime thereafter it could potentially affect the def financing the cost that would you know be incurred by the city I just I mean I just think something to the magnitude of 40 million warrants more dialogue um I can't imagine I mean I'm no Financial Guru but I can't imagine the market changing that much in the next 30 days you let me ask you something did they are they doing anything now with this because we had just V order I just want to make sure they not like already started this process no nothing started right now nothing's been purchased no Money's been paid there's been nothing ordered to my knowledge um this is about getting the process started so we can exped everything and obviously get the 911 system built out as soon as possible for the you know protection and security of the city so where's the staff on Bishop Street Bishop Street they still current there that is correct so they can still stay there if we delay this until correct CU we need to visit it rich you go see what's going on because you want to table this all and just for the coun ification the plan is to keep Bishop Street active as the Director said until the new system is fully implemented running and redundant essentially to what we currently have you know for the security and safety of the city okay we're going to table this tell the tell the director we want to table us and we want to make sure we meet with her to get more understanding because he doesn't have quite the understanding and um they are police officer complaining too that you know we wasting money that's what he told me earlier abut I just want to make the point that you know we're basically you know this is we as a counselor I have 48 hours between disc learning about this and making a vote for $40 million that that's a lot and and two weeks is not going to change so much that we don't have time to do our due diligence and just make sure that that level of expenditure is you know we feel comfortable with I also want to have itemized uh budget yes and the different stages of that budget what we're expending like a schedule of expenditures that we're looking to make and we don't absolutely would I recommend to C to cut you off but if there's any questions to addition you want to lay it out for us you know more than happy to take your questions me and the VA and we'll for the public safety director and make sure uh director Baker and the rest of them provide those answers to you he email was working is councilman so I'll get does it have to be five years like discuss it we're g table no need to you know so ahead so when we don't table resolutions we would have to make a motion to withdraw so the motion I'm assuming would be made by council person bajano yes second seconded by council person Gilmore and this motion is to withdraw item 10.47 resolution 25 D 087 from the agenda council person Ridley I council person priner I council person Bano hi council person SLE hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore hi and council president wman motion carry 70 to withdraw item 10.47 resolution 25 d87 from city council agenda with council members the G and Rivera absent so with that being said council members I'm going be taking a vote on items 10.36 through 10.48 with the exception of 10.43 which was approved earlier and 10.47 which just has been withdrawn council person Ridley hi council person priner all council person Bano hi council person SLE hi council person Solomon hi council person Gilmore I and council president wman I items 10.36 through 10.48 with the exception of 10.47 which has been withdrawn are all approved 70 with council members the and Rivera absent that being said may I have the magic to my ears motion to adjourn at 106m motion was made by council person Cay may have a second second by council person Prince all council members present by acclamation please say I hi we are out of here at 10:06 pm thank you so much everyone in attendance who was in attendance and everyone watching at home remember Teamwork Makes the DreamWork have a great night stay safe I'm like