All right. Good afternoon, everyone. We're about to get started. If we can find our seats, silence our cell phones, close the back door, side doors, I greatly appreciate it. Test clear.
I All right. Good afternoon, everyone. This is a municipal council caucus meeting. We had a scheduled 400 pm start. The clock on my cell phone is showing 40:06 p.m. May I have a roll call for the
commencement of this meeting? Council person Brooks, >> present. >> Council person Zupa. >> Council person Ephos, >> present. >> Council person Little, >> present. >> Council President Promp Gilmore, >> present.
>> Council person Singh, >> present. Council Person Griffin >> present >> and council person Lavaro >> here. >> Council President Ridley will be absent for the meeting. So we have eight
council members in attendance at 4:06 p.m. And in accordance with New Jersey laws pamphlet laws 1975 chapter 231 the public meetings act also known as the Sunshine Law. Adequate notice of this
meeting was provided um by email or to um by electronic to the Bergen record and also the L special. In addition, at the time of its preparation, the agenda of this meeting was similarly disseminated on Friday,
March 20th, 2026 at 9:05 p.m. to the mayor, business administrator, municipal council, and published in the newspaper. So we are so I can certify as our total compliance with the sunshine law. So I'm going to turn the meeting over to our
council president promp Gilmore. >> Thank you Sean. The first speaker uh first presenter finance Kyle. >> Good afternoon council. I have uh three items for the finance department. I will
start with 10.1 resolution 26122. This is a resolution authorizing emergency temporary appropriations for calendar year 2026. Uh this is just an extension of our temporary budget while we continue to work with the state and the mayor's office and the business administrator on
putting together a final budget to bring to council for introduction. Uh the total appropriations here will be 423 million which is 53% of what our prior year final appropriations were. But the
idea here is to fund us through the end of June. Uh what we did on the salaries and wages is we took the current projections through the last pay period, projected that out through June. Um on other expense items for contracts, we did some outreach to department
directors to see what they may need to uh extend existing contracts or come to council for new awards. And on the other end there are debt service obligations that we need to account for and some statutory obligations as well such as
pension payments and contributions uh that are due April 1st. So if there's anything particular uh the council has questions on there is a memo provided as well which highlights uh the methodology that was used uh by
the budget officer in preparing this and some of the contracts uh that we are requesting funding for. Alternatively, we could provide a list of open contracts so you have a little more context and you know maybe some
other supplemental reports at the request of council. >> Okay. Um anybody have any questions? Yes. This um temporary budget gets you through where? June. What >> the target is to get through June. Yeah. And of course, if there's any
adjustments that need to be made, you know, we can come back to council before then. Um, if we introduce and adopt a budget sooner than that, then we'll also make sure we capture everything >> else. Um, how are um
um the uh costs for uh boat payments handled in this? >> We we have already accounted for that in the initial temporary budget. Uh police and fire yeartoday is 5.4 million uh
across the two areas for retirements. So that's already accounted for. So, what we did is that's not factored into payroll projections because that is a one-time, you know, expense earlier in the year. Um, if there's anything substantial that comes comes to finance later on and we need to make
adjustments, we'll we'll do so. >> Which line item is that? >> Uh, it's it's it's within police salary, wages, and fire salary wages. Police is 25240 and fires 25265.
25240. >> This police. Yeah, >> that's where the bullet payments are for >> retirement payments. Yeah. >> Done. >> Yeah. >> What's the next one, Kyle? >> Next item is
10.22 22 resolution 26143. This is a resolution authorizing calendar year 2025 appropriation reserve transfers. Uh statutoily we're allowed to move reserve funds first three months of the year for any surplus funding uh
as a result of operations from the prior year if there's a need to cover any existing liabilities. Uh big one here is health insurance payments. I just want to note that these payments were made already and what we're looking to do is bring the account in good standing. Uh
if in the mayor's uh press release on the budget, there was note of some uh un unpaid health insurance invoices from prior years under funding uh in the prior year budgets which resulted in potential deferred charges. So what we're doing is is uh trying to eliminate
that deferred charge for any future budgets and cover uh the balance as much as possible. And in the event we don't cover an over expenditure, it'll be a deferred charge in either this year or or next year's budget. Uh depending on the year that occurs
>> questions. >> All right, Cal. Uh the last one, >> uh 10.26, resolution 26147, uh a resolution requesting permission for dedication, uh by Ryder for the affordable housing trust fund. This is a
result of an audit finding from 2024 where the city has a reserve for affordable housing trust fund that it it's consist of of various fees. Uh but what's required to dedicate fees is the council needs to approve a resolution
doing so and we get approval from DCA just so we can have those funds in a in a dedicated reserve. We already have the reserve set up and funded and we're just taking proper action in in getting council approval for the state and you know formally acknowledge that reserve
you know we could spend down on those funds. This was done in you know with the help of the law department and uh HDC as well who do oversee that that account. >> Okay question. Yeah.
>> Uh thanks Kyle. So these are the monies that are included in this money uh is money that is supposed to go to the division of the office of the right to council. Is that right? >> Um I believe so. I don't know every line item in the affordable housing trust
fund. Uh some of the fees are you know non-redevelopment fees, redevelopment fees pilots. >> Not to cut you off but we have the expert here that uh worked on it. So we have John McKay from the law department. >> The answer is yes. And and so
up to 20% of the affordable housing trust fund money can be used for administrative costs. And within that 20% of administrative costs, there's a certain amount that will go to the office of the right to counsel, right?
Correct. Okay, cool. And just I just for the record where we're at, we do not have a current director of the office of the right to counsel. We've put out a job description, right? So, we're waiting on applicants for that director role. Um, and that director role is
currently, if it were to be filled, would be funded by a grant, not these monies yet, because no tranch of these monies has been given to the office of rights to counsel yet. We we also we make a budget appropriation for the director as well and the I believe it's a director and a clerk. So we we'll fund
it in the annual budget and in the event we offset it with grant revenue or reserve fund, it'll just be a credit back to the the general fund and it'll be you know surplus at the end of the year. >> Okay. Okay. Understood. Um all right. And then the just legally what we passed
in the ordinance um for the right to council law, the first tranch of that money needs to come to the from the development fees through the affordable housing trust fund. That first tranch of money needs to go to the office of right to counsel this year. That is that
right? >> Uh yes I believe so. >> Okay. So this is 2026 is the deadline for that to come online. I just want to clarify. >> Should be available to the office. Yes. >> Okay. All right. >> Anybody else? Any questions?
>> Yeah. Ju just so for my clarification. So identification. Um so as the councilman was saying this these affordable house housing trust fun there's two pots of money of like affordable housing that's one being those development fees
>> there there there are quite a few line items within the affordable housing trust fund there's non-resident like I said non-residential fees uh residential fees pilot portions are due back uh other contributions um other charges from community
development I I don't know exactly but Yes, there are multiple line items. They're all within the affordable housing trust fund and they're all maintained in in one fund and they're broken down by line item by by fee type or whatever the source of of revenue is.
So, we can provide you an accounting of it so you see what available in each in each bucket, but it's all under the affordable housing trust. >> So, so this resolution applies to both buckets. >> Anything under the affordable housing trust on Yeah.
And you said you provided us those those balances. >> I can. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Yes. I would request my office can make a note of that. Um >> I would love to see the chat balance as well. No problem. >> So So Kyle, I just want to make sure I
understand this right. So the dedication by router process is the money that come in um for the various things you just talked about. Um and then subsequently the council will then vote on the right
to council budget and then all of the projects that being I guess dispersed through the affordable housing trust fund. >> You'll definitely vote on the budget for right to council in the general fund. um the projects that are run through there.
I'm not I believe there's a committee or something that should be formed where I don't know if Peter knows a better explanation, but >> yeah, there's technically supposed to be a committee that would vote on anything related to the fees from the affordable housing trust fund. The committee, I believe, was in some form of operation a
while ago. They did vote on certain projects, one of them being a Harmony House that I think you're aware of, Councilman, where it did receive that approval. This is a first step to shoring up the court portion of it where legally we can have those funds dedicated for this position and can start spending that money. There are
some projects that were pre-approved based on the old committee. However, we have to reconstitute that committee with new members for any future spending of projects. >> The finance department isn't appropriating any of the funds for anything specific in the budget. That's why we need to do this because part of
the reason you need to do a dedication by writers, you're essentially saying you can't really estimate what's going to come in and what's going to go out. So, this gives us the leverage to have it in a reserve and that reserve will, you know, year-over-year roll over and there's no
really there's not an annual budget that goes to the council from from from the finance department that >> got you. Okay. I I have two questions, Councilman Gmore. Um so for for the bucket that uh the development fees I
understand those dollars um had to be approved by that court um could we get the breakdown or how those and that they were approved already um is my understanding. Correct me if I'm wrong but >> we got the court approval for the
original spending plan. We're tweaking it at the moment. It's still uh in conversation with Fairshare Housing Center. That should get wrapped up shortly. As soon as that's done, I'll send you the details on it. Um but yes, we were approved to collect and spend money out of the fund by the court.
>> We submitted something to the court saying our spending plan for this. >> Correct. >> I'd like a copy of that spending plan. >> Do you want me to send you a a copy of the court order that uh approved it? >> It has it attached. I can give you all that documentation.
>> Yeah. the the the one that the court approved. >> Okay. Yeah, >> that's the document I gave you on so you know copy of it. But any modifications, >> just bring the mic down and see. >> Sorry, I'm short. Um if there's any modifications since then, John, you can
send it. I sent him the one from >> the latest one that I had, but that's the document I gave you on Friday. Just as a note uh with the when we were going through the process of the spending plan uh determining what would be in the spending plan, I had done individual
meetings with every council member uh back then. Um and I had shared on Friday when I met with Councilman Lavaro uh the slides from that meeting and I realized obviously it would be helpful if I would do those same meetings with all of you. We're no longer setting those same priorities in the spending plan. Um but
it's what informed what's in there. So, I'm happy to set up meetings to take you guys through as well the decisions that can be made. And then from now, from this process forward, the affordable housing trust fund will have to make priority allocations for how that money
gets spent in broad buckets and then they improve individual projects. And yes, Councilman, all those projects come back to the council. >> Yes. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else? Any additional questions? >> Yes. So, um, let me just see if I'm
understanding this correctly. So, um, developers pay into the affordable trust fund, right? And then, um, that money that they pay into the affordable trust fund, there's a percentage of that that goes to write the council.
>> Yes. So are so are they paying additional money or is this the same are these the same price tags on what they pay for and then that money comes out? Um the the developers just pay a
percentage of the assessed value into the the trust fund based off of the development fees and then what comes out of the trust fund is it's just based off of what's there. So we can use up to 20% towards administrative expenses which in
um ordinance 23-048 uh had discussed for using towards the right to council program. >> Okay. So are we raising that percentage? >> No, this isn't touching the numbers at all. This resolution right here is
largely a formality that's required by the the state in order to reserve unanticipated funds. kind of as Kyle was saying earlier, we don't necessarily know how many development fees we're going to collect in a year. So, if we're trying to budget off of that on stuff
we're going to do outside of the or coming from the affordable housing trust fund, the state just needs to be aware that we may not get all the money in a projected year. It's anticipated revenues. >> Okay. My my final question um
I understand that we're attaching a writer. Um can you just explain to me goes over my head what this writer is is telling us? >> Yes. Essentially whenever any fees are written into the municipal code uh they are due to the general fund unless
there's a permitted use outlined otherwise. Right. Local ordinance does not supersede state. So the state needs to then council needs to approve it. State also needs to certify it and from an accounting perspective is why I brought it forward is if we don't have the
dedication by writer done in an audit may they may come back and say those funds are due to the general fund and >> I see then then they're gone right because they'll lapse the fund balance end of the year. So we just want to make sure that anything that the council has dedicated to a specific use remains in
that reserve for that purpose and does not eventually get you know you know audited and they say you don't have a dedication return it to the general fund and then you have to start over essentially. >> Appreciate your your questions. Thanks.
>> Thank you. >> All right. Uh thank you Kyle. Next, Health and Human Services. Uh, Cohen. Good afternoon, members of city council. HHS Food and Nutrition has four items
for your consideration. Item number one is resolution 26126, item number 10.5. This is a memorandum of understanding between uh our Paco lunch site for
congregate senior meals and HHS or Jersey City through HHS food and nutrition. Basically, this lays out expectations for both sides to provide senior lunch. Uh this is just a renewal of an agreement we've had over the last few years. And let me just give you an
overview of the expectations on our end for HHS food and nutrition program administration meals staffing and nutrition education. The site is expected to be open during hours of operation 9 to1 provide adequate space a meal minimum of 13
meals program compliance facilities recurring expenses uh care and maintenance of the physical facility. Installation of special equipment, insurance, food safety compliance, furnishing, food service equipment, refrigerator and freezer,
storage, additional equipment, special events, and to if and to inform us if there are political events on site >> questions. Sorry, I stepped away. Did this include the Hoboken? >> No, this 10 point um 10.5 the park site
for food. We'll walk in for summer meals. It'll be it'll be out at the end of this. >> No questions. >> Sorry. Um you you said political events on site. >> If there is a political event on site, we can't serve lunch. So, we need to be informed ahead of time. So,
>> we need adequate >> Yeah. Heads up >> separating. Good. Yeah, that's good. >> I I'll ask my question now. Uh obviously, several of the senior buildings are included. Uh did HHS give any consideration to Grand View Apartments at 222 St. Paul's? There's
275 apartments there, all senior citizens. It's a big building. >> I mean, we base consideration on on in inquiries and then we evaluate the number of of, you know, we have our requirements for amount of meals, but yes, anything is always on. >> So, so would the building have to reach
out to you direct? >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Anyone else? All right. Next one, Coen. >> Okay. The next item is Did I skip one? 106 106. Yes, I think I skipped 106.
Okay. Uh resolution 26127 10.6. This is the this is the identical language exactly the same with uh Grace Church which we also have uh we also serve our congregate lunch. >> Okay. 106. Any questions?
Next. >> Okay. Next is 2612. question. >> Yeah, thank you. Um, Boyd McInness is six and um, seven is Grace Grace. >> Oh, my apologies. Yes, Boyd McGinness is
is 106. So, this is for Grace Church 26128 10.7. >> So, those are both the same as the PACO one as well. >> Same agreement. We just try to do it annually again to just set up expectations on both ends so that we can
effectively run the program. >> Okay. Thank you. >> All right. And the final resolution 26129 item 10.8. This is the a resolution authorizing the execution of a memorandum of understanding with the city of Hoboken
Boys and Girls Club to jointly introduce Jersey City summer food service program. This is an agreement we've had for the previous, I believe, 3 years. It's a site that they don't have a summer food service program there. Um, part of this
agreement is this is all under the grant award, meaning that that site is factored in. There is no additional cost to the city. They have their own site monitor that's in that has to be in compliance with the grant or there's no program there essentially. Um, and we're
able to uh provide that site with summer food. >> Hey Coen, quick question. Um I know at one point are we still delivering to Jersey City Boys and Girls Club for the summer program? >> I believe as of last year. Yes. Yes.
There's there'll be an updated list of sites but last year yes they were part of the program. >> Okay. So we are because I and I don't know if the administration um no there have been some talks of the Boys and Girls Club closing or something. Anyone heard anything about that?
>> Nothing has been brought to my direct attention. All right. Sorry if I I don't know if I missed it, but so the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club, we have Jersey City Children. It's not Jersey City Children. They've reached out to us annually because they don't have a summer food
the previous three years. I believe we have provided them with meals. Um as as that's why we're here as part of this agreement um if we receive approval. Now again, and this is very important from a
budget perspective, from um from a cost basis, this is factored into our initial award. Last year, all of our food costs were covered by the grant. We don't anticipate anything different this year. Basically, we get an initial award based
on the amount of sites we have at that particular point in time. And then we will receive an amendment in late August which covers our total. So an amended total. That's kind of how this program is is built from a grant funding perspective.
>> Who's the grant funding from? >> The Department of Agriculture. >> US Department of Agriculture. >> Yeah. Well, we get it through New Jersey, but yes, the trickle down funding. Yes. >> So when you say it's already accounted for, does that mean when we wrote the
initial grant application, we said we're going to be distributing at these sites in Jersey City and in Hoboken? >> Yeah, we do. And we basically will have an initial group of sites not a not a number of just this site in Hobok. This is the only site in Hobok and it's it's it's just one site but uh yes basically
we'll have an initial grouping of sites at that date which is very early because usually we last year I think we peaked at 68 sites something in that neighborhood. So the the list will grow and that's why we have the amendment in late August to account for what our
total was and then we receive an award to to it's a it it carries. It's 2627. So it'll carry over. It's why I was here last time for summer food. Um and it essentially makes the program whole. >> So what if anything is the reason why
Hoboken can't apply on their own? >> They don't have they don't have a program through Hoboken. the that's why they reach out to us. >> But they have senior citizens, they have summer camp, they have all that stuff, right? >> I mean, I I can't speak for their programming, per se. I just know they
specifically don't have a summer food program that would provide meals for the Boys and Girls Club, and that's why they reach out to us annually for this. >> And we've been doing this contract for the last three years, you said. What' they do before that?
>> I'm not aware. I just know that that that they have a hole there and that they reach out to us and and that's kind of that's how we've we've >> How many years are left on this grant? >> This is an annual grant. >> So what? >> This is an annual grant. So there's no
there's not a number of years. It gets renewed annually. There's no there's no there hasn't been any indication otherwise. So it will renew. It runs uh September 30th will be the last day. So October 1st to September 30th uh is the the uh the timetable for the grant.
>> So if the state is already aware that like when we apply for the grant, we say we're doing it for these sites in Jersey City and this one in Hobok and the state's already aware of it and they award us grant monies accordingly. I don't necessarily have a problem with it because the state knows that they're
giving this money to us to be used for Jersey City and Hoboken. I and this is probably not a question that you could answer, but um I would just hope that you know it doesn't count against Jersey City like when you know obviously we're applying for
transitional aid right now. I I would just hope that you know the the fact that we're being a good neighbor and and um you know applying for this grant money for Hoboken as well as our own children and seniors. Um you know I would I would hope that the state wouldn't be like oh well Jersey City
already gets this much aid. I will safely say when it comes to our state funding whether it's CACF whether it's summer food service program they are aware of every single uh step that we take or they would not approve we >> so so they're aware >> yeah they are we are in direct
communication we have a team that's in communication with them regularly that manages these grants um and they are aware of every basically everything every move we make requires approval for anybody on that link when it says something like not approved for anybody
on our on our uh email chain for that stuff. It was like why is it there's always they'll say hey address this issue and then they reapprove it. So it's a it's an ongoing process. >> So the money was given to us for us to use on ourselves and on Hoboken >> in this instance. Yes. The the last
three years the that this was basically looked at as our summer food service program and the funds reimbursed. >> Okay. Thank you. Yeah, I'm just trying to understand why are we applying for funding for Hobokens. >> It's not applying for funding for them.
It's essentially I'm here basically as an outreach from them because they they need help with that with that with that site. They're asking if they can be a part of it, which they have been for the last >> just
go ahead. >> Just for two months, July and August, right? >> Yes. Yes. And do we know how many kids are being fed daily in Hoboken versus Jersey City? >> Ballpark 50. >> 50. >> Last year it was 50. I can't I can't give you that specific number yet, but
>> Okay. All right. >> Last year was in the ballpark of 50. >> 50 Jersey. Did you say 50 Jersey City kids? >> No. No. Vulcan kids. >> Anybody else? >> All right. >> I'm sorry. Can I just ask? >> Oh, go ahead. under this grant then how many
they this is just anou hoboken we don't obviously don't need an or do we need anou for our jersey cities >> I should not no we have about 57 sites or I say 57 58 last year no this is just this is just to get approval to do this process basically
>> we have this this grant has 57 city sites in one hoboken >> yeah that was the peak last year that could change this here. I would estimate that it will be in the ballpark, but that's a safe assumption.
>> Okay. All right. Um, next. >> Thank you, >> Director Ambrose, public safety. >> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, the council here about my appointment under 8.3.
Uh, the last 67 days I spent here in Jersey City, uh, working with public safety. um here tonight before you any questions that you have. Um we did some some good things in the last 60 days. Um
recently, um mayor and I and some of the council people spoke about our reorganization, spoke about the domestic violence, uh forming the domestic violence unit, traffic unit. Uh there's really no data. We're starting to hold data uh
collection unit so we can hold people accountable. uh community service. There's really limited community service in each district. I'd like to have a centralized community service uh command. Um there's a lot more to go.
There's a lot more to do. Uh I'm just asking your support. >> Okay. Director, so you've been here for a total of almost 70 days. Um based on your experience andor expertise that you have in your prior role, um how do you
feel that helped you address any of the deficiencies that you've seen since you've been on um on post hair? Well, I will tell you that a lot of the a lot of the issues that are happening here in
Jersey City uh were in Newark back in 2014 uh when the mayor took office there and I was asked to go there. So, they almost mirror one another. Um a lot of things that were done in North New Jersey. I I hate to tell you that uh it's we're just
doing it here in Jersey City. They were very uh successful there. Um, one thing was a 911 center in Newark, New Jersey. 17,000 calls were coming to Jersey City. You were picking our phone calls up. Um, it's not that bad and critical here, but
I see there's some issues uh in a beautiful building, $220 million building, but uh it lacks some upgrades uh for the community when they call 911. That's some things that we had in in Norc when I took over in 2016. So, uh,
the community engagement part of it, uh, when I went back to Newark, there was a consent decree where there was, uh, violation of civil rights, there was violation of the Fourth Amendment. Um, so I don't I don't see that at this point here in Jersey City, I have to say
the majority of the people that I've met with in in the police department and in the community, uh, they all say the one same thing that they never had an open door, that they never were a voice, uh, for change. So, I'm I'm willing to listen like I did in uh Newark, New Jersey. You
>> You said how much that building was? >> 222 million. >> Uh maybe we could sell that to plug the deficit. >> Anybody got any questions for um >> director? Yeah, >> sorry. >> Yeah, ma'am. >> Not a question. Want to congratulate
you. I was in Jenner Square area near Lowe's on Saturday and the enforcement there, I've never seen it. the cop there was doing such a fantastic job. So, thank you. >> You Elena.
>> Yeah. Um, you know, I wanted to thank you for making the time to sit down with me on Friday. I think we had a really good conversation and I appreciated your commitments to um traffic safety and mental health in particular. Um, and I appreciate you um, prioritizing those
and and making sure that, you know, situations like what happened with Drew Washington will never happen again. Um, so that that carries a lot of weight for me. Um after our meeting um I read in the Hudson County View about um the possible use of AI in public safety and
um you know I've I've spoken with I also spoke with the mayor's office about this and um I believe we will you know be working to um to really should I say this I you know the use of
AI in public safety raises a lot of concerns for me. Um I understand it can be a useful tool in in many scenarios like health imaging. Um you know they can identify it can identify cancer early and things like that. Um in public safety in particular um it's been shown
to um create more especially with facial recognition technology. It's there are privacy concerns. There are also concerns with um systemic racism in AI. Um it has been shown to um more frequently misidentify black and brown
faces and um possibly create situations where we are targeting someone who should not who should have never been targeted. Um I understand the mayor does not want to use it like that. However, I I am very very wary of the use of AI in public safety and um and and I'm looking
forward to potentially working on legislation to really um spell out exactly where and where it could not be used. Um, but I I wanted to give you the opportunity to speak a little bit more of of what you see um what you see AI bringing to your department. >> So, I I think I was asked the question
uh during the press conference, would would the JCPD use it? And I said we're we would assess it right now. I'm looking at not facial recognition, but I'm looking as far as how will assist in communications or in the police department taking reports. Uh that's all
uh it's it's at the really preliminary stage. uh to be very candid with you. Uh but it's something that I'd be looking at with other uh police departments along uh the country what they're using or I should say in the state and in the nation as far as major city police
departments what they use. Uh so we're not there yet and you you will definitely be aware what we're using it but it's nothing with facial recognition. I'm looking at more on uh assisting how we can have for police reporting and get the police officers back on the street quick. And then
communications. A lot of places where you call, you talk to AI. Uh when you call some of these uh these corporations, that's what I would be looking at when someone calls that they can get AI and get it right out to us. So that's that's where I'm at. But you would know before I even do it.
>> Okay. And and just to be clear, when when you say someone calls and talks to AI, you're you would not be referring to our 911 system. >> No, 911 will never be internal. >> 911 would never call the never call AI. >> Okay. Wonderful. Thank you,
>> Jake. No, anybody. >> Just briefly, director, uh thank you for our conversation last week. Uh we had long we have long-standing issues in W C that you and I talked about and uh going to get a handle on including including transparency, quality of life enforcement and the walking posts were
appropriate around the ward. So if you want to speak to any of that, you feel free, but I just wanted to thank you for the conversation. >> Uh yes, thank you Councilman. I I believe in the only I I believe in walking walking patrols. Um as you indicated, uh I don't believe in fixed post. Fixed post is a part-time
solution. I believe in a full-time solution. I believe in community policing. Part of community policing is the officer getting out, walking, talking to the to the merchants, talking to the people that live in the community, know who lives there. Uh the old I hate to say it, but it's the old fashioned policing and that's what
works. Uh if there's a problem in an area, I don't think a police car should be stationed at a corner and people all the people that live in the area are not bad people. Okay? There may be one or two people that have a problem. So I believe in walk-in patrols are important especially in the warm weather. I
believe in in in a lot of parts every quarter of the city uh from the heights to the west uh from um downtown over to the to uh to uh up in this area. I believe that in the same area but I believe walking patrols I believe the
motorcycles are important for traffic. So uh that's one thing that me and the councilman talked about. um transparency. Um you will see our crime numbers that will be I will give provide to the business administrator weekly to the
administration. Um we're all about transparency. That's one thing where I came from in North New Jersey uh from the mayor I worked for. Uh it was about transparency to the community because if we want to build trust, that's the only way we're going to build trust. Uh so you're going to get that from me. Uh
some days you may like the numbers and some days you may not like the numbers, but you're gonna you're going to know the truth from me. >> Rick, I just really want to thank you and the administration um with with regards to the flashing lights because I
believe there's a huge difference between flashing lights and public safety. Um I was always interested to see was there any correlation between flashing lights and decreasing crime. For the life of me, I couldn't
understand that position at all. I literally bang my head on the wall trying to figure out if there was some correlations to lights just flashing 2 and 3 in the morning and a decrease in crime. So, I do want to
thank you and the administration on that front, particularly on the south side. Um because we want people to feel safe in the community, but we also don't want people to feel over policed in the same breath. Um so I just want to publicly thank you and administration for that.
>> Thank you. It does reduce fear when people know that police are in the area uh especially at night. It reduces fear for any type of crime. >> And director Ambrose uh we'll be talking more about it as you mentioned about Little India. I've been working closely
with and me and my office has been working closely with your department. I think we need to look for a long-term solution there. We have been getting calls pretty much every day. People feel with the past experience, they don't feel um as confident as we would like
them to have on us. So, I think long-term solution is really needed especially for Indian Square. >> Same here. Thank you. >> Thank you. You will. >> Um I have a couple. >> No, I think Jake was I mean Joel, you had a question. I thought All right, Rolando.
>> Hi, Director Ambrose. Um thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Um we had a good conversation last week. Appreciate that. Um just a couple of questions as said just to you shared it with me when we spoke, but just to get it on the record, public record. um on the 911 system, can you talk about the
improvements and um that you'll be bringing to the system there as >> so the 911 system uh a few things. Uh there was really no one in charge. That's the best way I can put it to you. Uh about two weeks into it, 3 weeks into it, it was our first snowstorm. Um the
chief and I assigned the deputy chief in charge of communications. When you ask the call takers who they were working for, they were working for somebody. They saw the person. They didn't see the person. So, it was important that somebody was there. We also assigned a command rank officer. Every hour I get a
notification and the chief gets a notification. How many calls are there? How many calls are being dispatched? How many call you know if someone's being watched at the hospital? What's our resources look like? There was no accountability. Uh that was one thing. There is uh a committee that I formed
and the chief formed for for 9 the 911 uh center to make sure that there's policies and procedures. Also when people call that there's almost like a cookie cutter. If someone calls there's a problem, ask this, ask this, ask that. There was none of that in place. Um
there was also no prioritization of assignments. If someone call for domestic violence, someone call for a block driveway. Well, we better send to domestic violence. We're we're changing that. Uh so I think that uh we also move transferred some people that were uh in
the department uh into into communications I will say uh to answer the phones and to dispatch they're in training right now. So we definitely enhanced the personnel. We enhanced leadership in there. We also hel hold them more accountable. That's that's
that's one part that I think is more importantly. The fire side did the same. Uh deputy director, acting deputy director Hart assigned someone to to battalion chief over to the communication side. I have to say the kids were alone. No one was really watching them. There were a few
supervisors that were doing a extraordinary job, but there was no accountability what we expect and the expectation of the citizens. Uh some things that we did learn is that when you do call 911 from a cell phone, uh I spoke to council councilwoman Little
about this that sometimes it may go to Manhattan, sometimes it may go to Bon. Um not all the time does it go to our call center and that's a problem. Um but I have to say um it's a work in progress. Uh it's better than it it was
when we found it. We're going to get better. uh there is some enhancements we have to do with the vendor that it was just really paying attention that we want to know how long something is in the queue, how long before it's dispatched. Uh people before me didn't
really care how how long it was before it was dispatched. >> No further questions. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. Chair wasn't hurting all day. So I said this chair. All right. Thank you, uh, Director Ambrose.
>> Thank you, Councilman. Thank you. >> Next up, acting deputy director Lauren Hart, public safety fire. >> Good afternoon, council. Acting Deputy Director Lauren Hart, Department of Public Safety, here to speak on three agenda items for your
consideration. First one, agendum item 10.4, resolution 26-125. This is a resolution to authorize the acceptance of fiscal year 2024 FEMA funded fire prevention and safety grant which was awarded on September 27th,
2025. This is a $20,000 grant with two-year performance period with federal fundings totaling approximately $19,000 and a 5% match from the city of about $950. This grant has the same article 11 language as previously accepted in the
2024 FEMA AFG grant, which I believe the administration was able to address your concerns at >> I think two council meetings ago. >> Yes. Does anyone have any questions? 10.4. Next one. 10. >> Fantastic. Uh agenda item 10.15.
This is resolution 26-136. Resolution authorizing the award of a contract to New Jersey fire equipment for the maintenance and repairs of the SCBA breathing apparatus. This is critical equipment that the firefighters use to enter these uh conditions where there's fire and smoke. This also covers
the testing and maintenance of the associated bottles and compressors. This is done through state contract. The total cost of the contract is $100,000 which is currently available in the Department of Public Safety Division of Fire operating budget. Anyone have any questions?
Nope. Next one. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> Yes, Joel. >> Hi, director. Council member Brooks. Um, sorry. I'm just pulling up the document here. Um, there's a contract looking. This might be a question for
corporation council. Um, sorry, 23 pages. Uh yeah. Okay. Um the contract. Sorry, agenda's moving too fast for me. Uh you know what? Come back to me. Go to
the next item. Okay. All right. 10 1013 director 1013 resolution 26-134. This is a resolution um awarding a contract to Safeware, Inc. for the purchase of Cyper Security Protection Software through the US Communities
Government Purchasing Alliance known as Omnia Partners for the Department of Public Safety Communications Center. Um basically this is a software contract. Um, Altera serves as the public safety cyber security and patching software.
This is an annual renewal that expired in December. However, the company's kept our service active to ensure we remain protective. This program has successfully prevented Jersey City Public Safety from being compromised on numerous occasions by alerting us and blocking attacks. To date, we're the
only local law enforcement network that has not been taken down by attackers since CO. Given the recent increase in cyber attacks um from outside companies, this software remains vital to our operations. >> You said we're the only Say that again.
>> The only local law enforcement agency I believe in the state of New Jersey that has not had any attack by successful attack by attacker since co >> Oh, wow. That that's one thing, Stephen. I'm dead good. That's pretty That's
huge, man. With the way >> That's great right there. Anyone have any questions? >> Yeah. Um, is this uh proprietary software? >> Uh, you know what? This, um, I'm not 100% clear on this one. This was given to me this morning.
>> Oh. >> Um, >> we can get back to you on it. >> Now you know how we feel. If I can if I can build on Councilman Griffin's question, just a concern that comes up is if the AI that this software uses is
not proprietary. If it's going through a more generic company, then a concern is that our data as a city would be shared with the owners of those private companies. And I yeah,
>> I'm not a text expert. Most of this is firewall applications. I'm not sure how much AI is involved. >> Okay. Uh yeah, if we can if we can find out uh if we can do any digging into RFP and things just to understand because I
when we were digging in it looks like this company does use AI. So just wanting to understand. >> I'll get clarification for you. >> That would be great. >> Not a problem. >> Thank you very much. >> Joel, did you you good? You you look all right. All right. Thank you, Director Hawk.
>> Thank you. Next, um, cultural affairs, uh, director Goodman. >> Afternoon, council members. Christine Goodman, cultural affairs. I have one item in front of you, uh, item 10.3,
resolution 26-124. This is a resolution authorizing Jersey City to execute an indemnification agreement with the State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection authorizing the city risk manager to
issue a certificate of insurance for the use of Liberty State Park for our city presented events for one year. That's our summerfest police walks. >> Anyone have any questions?
This would not include anything FIFA related this summer, right? >> Well, if it was a city presented event that was FIFA World Cup related, it would include that, but right now we don't have any plans to present any um
World Cup related events in Liberty State Park. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. Next, John M. Oh. >> Um does this include the the jazz concerts too? Right now, we do not have any jazz concerts that are presented by Jersey
City. So, there is a Jersey City Jazz Festival that is presented by an independent nonprofit organization in Exchange Place. >> Okay. Okay. So, the summer concert series is run by the state park, not the city.
>> Well, we do run a concert series. It's called Summerfest, and it's held Sundays and Tuesdays at Liberty State Park. Okay. That falls under this. >> Yes. And there is jazz sometimes. >> Yeah, that's what I was say. Jazz jazz night, but that
>> Okay. Yes. >> So, I I I do have a question that now that you brought that up. Um, does this cover? All right. So, the jazz So, that's the jazz at the Liberty House. >> Um, well, it's called Summerfest and
there's a mix of different genres. >> Okay. And so, this insurance only covers what the city does. This isn't like um new city kids when they have the kids down there sailing or anything like that. You guys don't cover nothing like that.
>> Correct. They do their own permitting directly with the state and that does not uh involve us. >> Okay. And I guess one last question. Have have you ever encount >> Liberty State Park? No. >> Okay.
>> Yeah. if people um apply for permits with cultural affairs because we do permit all events that happen on on city property if they would ask for an insurance waiver and that
would go through the risk manager to approve. So that would be something different on city property but for state property now we just deal directly with the state and so do other organizers. >> All right. Thank you. Um, John McKenna law
>> councilman. He spoke already. He was here for the dedication by writer. >> Oh, that was Oh, okay. Thank you. John Folk, JCMUA. >> Good afternoon, council. Um, John Folk, the director of finance at the MUA. Richard His uh chief engineer. Uh, we're
here for one item, uh, 10.10. Uh it's a resolution authorizing the execution of a bulk water agreement with the city and Violia. Um it's a long-term uh we're renewing a longstanding agreement to sell bulk
water to Violia. Um it has already been approved by our board of commissioners. We're asking for your approval because the city owns the water system and we have a franchise agreement to operate it.
Uh the rate that we charge is determined by allocating the treatment and distribution costs and uh we are selling excess capacity water from our Booten reservoir.
>> John, quick question. John, um as it relates to the contract with Viola, their current contract expires when? >> Uh 2027. That's the operating contract. This here is to just sell them both and
it's for three years. >> So yeah, thank you for that. So that's pretty much my question. So why aren't the um these two contracts, one for the service and one to buy a bulk water, why are
they out of whack? Like if we vote on this one, it subsequently it will be 3 years to expire and then the one that's current expires in 27. >> Yeah, good question. The state only allows us to sell go into an agreement
to sell bulk water for 3 years to a private entity. So we we were here three years ago with uh the same thing. So the state only allows three years. We can't go out like when we went into the re renewed the
agreement the operating contract about 7 years ago we we were not able at that time to include the bulk water. So, but all that considered, my concern is what
what if anything happens if this council um what if anything happens if we don't renew the contract for Viola and 27, but they have the contract for the bulk order. >> Well, they'll they'll continue to pay us for the bulk order. This is they need
the bulk order. We have extra extra water to that we can sell to them. So they but >> what I'm saying is they're going to be supplying that water to Jersey City residents, right? >> Oh, this this water they supply to >> other municipalities
>> by Yes. the private >> Oh, okay. So they're in like Okay. So the bulk water is the dispersement of water. It's it's ours. We're contracting them and subsequently they're going to sell to whoever, >> right? To let's say, you know, North Hudson somewhere.
>> Oh, okay. Uh yeah. Um thank you. Just looking at this, it looks like the rates are supposed to be explained in schedule B, but schedule B is blank on the PDF. Could you just help clarify
>> what's going on with the rates and walk us through that a bit more? >> Sure. The the rate um you know, not a frequently, not annually. We we conduct a rate study to determine what are the
costs of providing bulk water and and currently the the cost is the rate is uh $2,938 for a million gallons. >> Say that 2,900 >> for a million gallons.
>> No, say the number again. I heard it's 2,00 >> 2,938 >> 2,900 38 per million gallons. >> And so over the course of three years, what's the expectation? Is there a basic
estimate of what we would >> like 7.5 million? >> 7.5 million. We would recoup >> gallons or dollars a month. >> Dollars. >> Dollars. >> Dollars. >> 7.5 million. >> Oh, you guys. So,
>> so let me ask um with with um you know this process um selling bulk water uh to Viola um has there ever been talks or conversation to um
consider uh exchange like a um a discount to them um to lower rates. >> Well,
by us selling this water to Violia, it it helps us to keep the Jersey City rates a bit lower. So, we're we because of this, we're able to
allocate a lot of our fixed costs up at the dam. we're we're able to allocate that to this bulk water. So if we like let's say we wouldn't sell this water then uh the uh the rate to
the consumer here would be to the resident would be a little bit higher. No, no, no one calculation. We did not really do the calculation of how much higher or but this this here
helps out keep the rate uh I'll use a term lower for the residents. So if so if we sell it in the next three years at a different rate by default the
Jersey City consumption rate will drop based on your mathematic metric. You'd have to say that again, please. Just what? And I What? What? >> Cuz you're saying that this bulk sale helps us like it takes it takes
financial constraints away from us because we're selling some of it. >> Correct. >> So if we decide to sell it for more, >> does that correlation? >> Well, okay. So the rate we don't like
decide what we want to sell it for. We do a rate study and and then the study you know we cannot like profit profit from the bulk water. We can only allocate our expenses and and by selling
the bulk water. Yeah. Correct. I know it's it's >> so who so the counter if I could inject there's state law that we can't profit off it. It's a public necessity. So even like let's say there's a drought and everyone needs water. We have a ton of it. We can't jack up the prices and
profit off it. The study but set by state law, you know, dictates essentially how much we can sell it to based on a, you know, market rate that's supposed to be amendable to the public and basically provide a public necessity, you know, to the general good. >> Well, the state dictates the market
basically. >> Doesn't dictate the rate. That's done based on the rate study. But there's state law that says you can't profit it. So we can't say, "Hey, we're selling it for X dollar per gallon. If we jack it up $2 more dollars, it's less money for the taxpayers." We can't do that. It has
to be consolidated in that rate study. We can't use it for a profit. >> Okay. So my next question is, as it relates to all the water companies, everyone is pretty much in the same ballpark for how much they sell water for. >> Yeah, this this is Yes, that is correct.
>> That is interesting. Anybody else have any other questions? >> I guess uh Michael, >> just one last question. Um so will we be looking to sell bulk water to other companies or municipalities?
Well, again, it's it's a little bit of a complicated question because at the dam we have a um a system capacity. So, we need to uh maintain excess water
for more building in Jersey City. Uh a building cannot be built unless we have the water for it. So it would you know we have approached other towns if they would like a little some water but we weren't
successful but but also we can't just keep on selling this this here sale to Violia fits within what they call our safe yield. >> All right thank you John.
Next um Noble from it. This is it. Oh, it Yeah. >> Good afternoon, council members. I have one item before you today. Resolution 26-132, agenda item 10.11, a resolution
ratifying an agreement with Network Management Solutions INC for support of proprietary computer network hardware and software system. The total contract price is $141,600. Network management solutions network
engineers and systems analyst help us design, monitor, and provide maintenance to the city's wide area network and and security tools. >> Thank you. Anyone have any questions? >> A comment. Um, the contract is effective
January 1st, 2026. >> Yes. >> Um, so it's effective now currently? >> Yes. >> Yeah. Um, so it kind of makes our uh our approval moot in that sense, right? Um I I've brought this to the previous administration um when I was previously
in the council and I might have brought it up in previous meetings as well, but um just urge the administration to uh um put some controls in place and practices to ensure that uh these contracts come
to us for approval prior to their actual start date, effective date. Uh, next. Tanya, thank you. No, where Tanya. So, I'm uh here for item 10.9,
resolution 26 uh 130, and that is um the authorization of the uh area need of redevelopment study to the planning board. I don't know if you've had the chance to review it. You have some questions. I I know I spoke to Councilman Zuben. I know
uh Councilman Efos is is also interested. Um the rate development process has to start again with the authorization. So, city council authorizes the planning board which will then obviously authorize us to conduct a study. U based
on state statute within the local housing redevelopment law. we would go out and study and make a determination on the area that meets criteria. So it's actually very regulated. It meets criteria A and this is why I think why. We go through that process. The planning
board then would review that study, make a make a decision whether the determination met the standard um and then we go forward with the redevelopment plan. So this is just point one um for the study. Just so you know, within the resolution, the
majority of it is um giving us the authority to study it with the powers of eminent domain except for two properties. Um and I did speak with the owners uh this afternoon at 188 Palisade and 202 Palisade. We are not authorized
to use powers of eminent domain or condemnation for those properties. Those are uh properties where um two women live right now and they are actively living and taking care of their property. So there is not really a need for the eminent domain project.
>> All right. Anyone have any questions? Sure. >> Thank you. Oh, Michael, did you >> Thank you. Yeah, and I know you and I didn't get a chance to speak directly about this, but um lots two and six are the ones you're referring to for the non-condemnamination, but this it would
all be part of the same redevelopment zone hypothetically, >> right? Correct. So, going forward moving the zoning, right? There's the zoning and the redevelopment powers, writing of the zoning and the overall plan, they'll still be a part of it. I did I did speak with them again this afternoon so they
do understand the difference and that they would be um at least a part of the planning process and the zoning. I I don't want to use the word zoning because it gets confusing, right? It's the redevelopment plan but it would be the zoning for the redevelopment plan. So they understand that they would be a part of that process but no uh
condemnation. >> Understood. And then during the course of the study, should we approve this are sales or developments or demolitions permitted? >> Yeah. So they can they can continue on like uh nothing's happened.
>> Okay. During that time. Got it. Um and then can we get is there clarity at this point on the relationship between the land owner and the hospital owner itself? Has Eisenrike sold the land to HR? Is that
>> So I I do know that the land ownership and the um building ownership are different. Um but I will say as a part of the study and designation um when there's confusion as to titles and who owns what and who can do what,
that's a criteria that you can designate somebody for um redevelopment. So it will be something used and I think right now I can't give you a better answer than that but I think when we go further into this process I'll get a much better answer of that.
>> Okay I appreciate that. Um that's it for right now but >> Michael. Yes. So um I know you said that uh two homes will not um be under condemnation
but will the hospital be under condemnation? it is being studied to utilize the eminent domain. Yeah. >> Yeah. Because I I think that's important um in case um you know we're able to find a operator for that property um we can
go ahead and and move forward with imminent domain. Um and so the plan so so when we have some because I because I know that a plan in need of redevelopment there's no
condemnation. Redevelopment plans have condemnation. So will this redevelopment plan be zoned it's it's going to be zoned out to where it's like this is in need of redevelopment so there's no condemnation and then redevelopment plan or will is it are we
looking at two different >> plans? So I always say redevelopment is kind of like that stimulus, right? You know, the area needs a little bit of extra help. So the government gives it an extra help. But in order to even do that, you need to designate it. The old word is
blight. Nobody uses the word blight anymore. Not legally used. Now it's just that area need of redevelopment or condemnation. So that's just a designation. That's to say that this meets the criteria for blight which allows us to give the government intervention. That's all that it is. But
it does authorize the redevelopment power. So we can do things like eminent domain. Uh we can do things like you can issue pilots, you can issue wraps that all of those kind of tools in order to to redevelop become legal. Uh the zoning itself is completely something separate
and we'll have to go through an entire community process to really figure out um what the ideal zoning for the situation. >> Okay. And and just one last question. I know I asked you this in the hallway, but I just want everyone to hear to get it on record. So, um, it's possible to
add this to the master plan as well. >> Yes, we can. We can absolutely add it to the master plan. So, the master plan has language in there for Christ Hospital currently. Okay. >> But we can also make amendments to the master plan and to address that just way it aligns with any of the redevelopment that we're proposing.
>> Okay. Because the master plan does supersede redevelopment plans? >> No. >> No. >> No. It has to be connected. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. >> Yeah. Absolutely. Anyone else? Any questions? Elena? >> Um, thank you, Tanya. Um, I so, so just
to be, just to make sure I have the full understanding of this, this would be the first step. Um, you know, to conduct this investigation and, you know, possibly designate that this as an area in need of redevelopment with the power
of condemnation. That would be the first step that would be required for eminent domain whether it was the city, the county or the state that was em donating it. Is that accurate? >> Yes. Uh so who is going through the condemnation
process has to be a public entity. Uh typically it's the JC. I believe the JCA can and in some instances has given the um Hudson County Improvement Authority the ability to do so, but it does have to be a redevelopment agency andor city, especially if it is within that
designation of redevelopment. >> Okay. And and if it was designated as an area of need of redevelopment with the power of condemnation, that would not require us to pursue eminent domain. It would just open the option, >> right? It makes it legal, right? It
gives them power to the basically that fifth amendment. Yeah. >> Okay. So, this is essentially just keeping our options open. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Is there any estimate for how long the the study would take? I mean, based on
previous experiences with similar plans, >> this is a conversation I had with the uh homeowners this morning. Um, it depends on whether or not we're going to do it in house. That's just the the truth of the matter. Uh so it's not a conversation that's new. We've already been having this conversation. Um and so
we'll it will be a matter of whether the planning division has the staff to do it and we can go out and do it ourselves or we are going to need to bring in a consultant to do it. Right? Is a is a again it's an ongoing conversation. It's really important to us. We know it's important to the council. We know it's important to the administration. So it
might just be something that we prioritize. >> Okay. anyone. Oh, >> so was this area studied for the master plan? Was there a study done? >> It was. Yes, it was part of the master plan. The master plan um suggested that
Christ Hospital was going to need to be redeveloped at some point or there needed to be some investment into this area. Um and it did talk about um residential uses into the master plan. The last council when they changed the ordinance did
>> Okay. >> Yep. Yep. I got you. I got you. >> Yep. >> All right. >> Yes. But we can that you can make it a master plan amendment. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> All right. Tanya, thank you. Next. Um John John Lynch DBW. Where's
>> John? >> Good afternoon, council. I'm here with two items. One on behalf of Director Kierce, uh resolution 2638. It's a resolution awarding the negotiated open-end contract to Tumino towing for citywide heavy duty equipment
>> towing services. 1017 >> 107. >> Wait, didn't um >> 1017 10.7. >> Thank you. >> Oh, okay. He put 107. This is for the towing of any of heavy equipment in in case uh you know for
offduty or or multiple toes because we do some of this in we do do this in-house. >> This is a this is not a renewal, right? This is >> No. >> So we've never used this company before. >> Uh as far as I know. No. Okay. >> Yeah. And they were the only ones that
bid on it. >> Okay. What is um heavy duty towing >> for the gar? Anything like a garbage trucks, uh snow equipment, buses, large units, any any of our large units. >> John, can you give me um it's been a
while since I've been up had this conversation. What is our auto impound services look like these days? Like is it outsourced or is it insourced? Internal. >> I'm not familiar with the um impounding
We currently have an in-house operation. Uh, you know, we use private vendors to do some of the smaller toes. They tow them to the lot that we manage through public safety. A lot, you know, the cars are intake into there, documented, uh, you know, whatever towing fees would be
associated with or cataloged. And then any residents who be affected by it have to go down to the MPAN lot, pay the fees in order to retrieve the car back. If they don't retrieve their car back, kind of like we did a couple weeks ago, after a certain period of time, we can auction that off publicly. And then you know the
the idea is cars in cars out and keep enough space so we can keep on utilizing it. >> So when we tow a car um we well the private company towes it. They they take it to a public
uh lot or some location for us that we hold on to it and inventory the whole thing. Most of the time, yes, we do have the capability to tow some things in house, but usually they're related to public safety, things of that nature. The majority of the towing is done by private vendors.
>> Towing is, but but the storing and the >> are done publicly. Yes, we we have a completely in-house public operation. >> And who's running that operation? Currently, >> it's run out of public safety uh through the parking enforcement generally. So, Travis Ragland,
>> I I'll probably just want to reach out to you offline and my staff to uh just get a better sense of where that falls in our budgets and things. >> Yep. We'll do. >> Next one. John, >> uh 10.12. Yeah, this one should actually
been um with on it last uh meeting. It's the contract with Avid. It's for our gas electric for the uh bill payment for our buildings and facilities. Anybody have any questions for 10.12? This was on the previous agenda.
>> It should have been it should have been along with the lighting uh because we so AVID breaks it down to two bill uh two bills which we request. One for buildings and our facilities and the other one for the street lighting, traffic signals. So this should have been a long-winded um on the last agenda. For some reason it didn't make
it. So it's just um a continuation of the PS to pay out PSEG bills for the buildings and facilities. >> How much of this is actual um energy costs gas and electricity versus their fee?
>> Excuse me. My the way I'm reading this is that it's a company that um pays our gas electricity. Is that >> Well, they pay they pay they we use their bill management system to pay PSEG. Yeah.
>> As I said, C >> just like the last one, right? >> Yeah, pretty much. We get we get all these bills and it goes all into the bill management system >> and they give us two bills. One for the building, one for the buildings and facilities for gas electric and the
other one is for street lighting, cameras and traffic signals. Yeah. And how much how much of it of this money that we're spending of this contract going towards the bills versus >> all all of it? The only they they charge
us a fee. It's a like $2,500 a month to process. >> It's a flat fee. >> Yeah. Yeah. And for as far as the money what we're looking to incumbent, it's an obligation to pay PSNG. Alrighty. Thanks, John. Uh, next
infrastructure and Andy and Drew. >> Hello, council members. I'm Andy Kaplan with Drew and Lindsay from Infrastructure. We have a couple of items. Um, figured we'll go through All of them. Starting from the top is uh
ordinance 3.1 for PS16 no parking. >> Good afternoon, council. Drew Banghar from infrastructure. Like Andy said, uh item number 3.1, this is for an amendment to uh vehicles and
traffic section of the ordinance. Um stopping and standing near PS16. Uh, >> it's essentially amending the afternoon drop off between Sussex and Morris Street, adding two
hours to go to 6:00 p.m. And the second part of it is um adding a new afternoon drop off from 2:00 p.m. to 6 p.m. I'm sorry, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. is Sussex to Morris and then the extra two hours is Grand to Sussex.
>> Drew, quick question. if you know um what happens like we have the regular allocated hours for drop offs but what happens and whose responsibility if the school day is shortened so if kids supposed to get uh
dropped off at 8 they still come in at 8 but sometimes they have a half a day who like how do how do we iron that out because residents have been reaching out with regards to that is that within the Jersey City scope. Is that the board?
>> I I saw the the earlier email. It's something I think we're going to have to work through. I I did look to see if we had any of these um types of halfday uh ordinances written currently, and I didn't find any with any other schools.
It would um the the one way to approach it would be like an all day type drop off scenario, but I don't know if the appetite is there to have like a 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. no parking window um in any >> I don't I don't work.
>> I think we should do that. It's probably only five or six half a days a year. Um but I would I agree that we need to we need to do something if we can work in conjunction with the school to get the calendar in ahead of time especially in
the schools which can are considered in our high traffic areas cuz I do understand the um safety concern as it relates especially with the younger kids that you know seven and under and things like that. >> Yeah, absolutely. I think um we'll
engage uh Deputy Mayor Bryant to help us with those conversations with the school board. It's kind of a moving target when half days are are variable throughout each school year. So the ordinance is written on more of like a Monday through Friday type scenario. So but I think we
can come up with something. >> We can't do from 7 to 6, though. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. And also I think I think um >> I'm not saying do it. >> I think parking enforcement should be involved with that as well. That way when we get those um those dates, they
can go out like the day before and hang those signs up and no parking signs uh throughout that street and people will know. >> That'll be part of the conversation. I did contemplate possibly it being more of like a traffic permit for those days since >> Okay. All right.
>> Couple of questions I have. How many spots do we need >> for these buses? How many spots we need? I it varies depending on the school and who gets bus to them. I think this particular school has uh a large
afternoon drop off because schools are bus to the the Danforth education center. So you know polic is pretty congested and if we block if we close couple of blocks it's going to be really really
uncomfortable or inconvenient for people and um obviously we just need for drop off and pickup not 6:00 you know kids are done by 3 to 4. Um but then did we
reach out to community people living next to the school, not the parents, residents living there? Did we talk to them about their concern? >> We had staff that went out to observe
what was going on. This came to us, I think, through the principal's office as well. And just to clarify, I know school ends early, but at this particular location, because of the busing that comes from the Danforth facility, they they are having buses arrive around
5:30, 6:00 >> and after school programs as well. I believe they have a >> but that's not too many kids for after school programs. >> So this is >> Oh, no. There's there's a lot of kids that they they um transport from up there. Th this was the request from the
parents because they said the buses were still there even as late as 6:00 p.m. And they asked if right now it's the no parking 2 to 4 p.m. They asked if we could extend it to 2 to 6 p.m. because that reflects the hours the buses are actually there. >> And councilwoman if if I may. Um
>> yes please >> to address your concern. So this is not anything to do with any sort of street closure. I know that's been a request. >> Yeah. We're not moving anything forward and that's a further conversation if may happen may not. >> Um this is purely about freeing the curb
space so the buses can utilize it which would actually take them out of the roadway and address some of your concerns about >> Yeah. Thank you for clarifying and I I and we had this discussion right um last week. If we have multiple spots and just enforcing that nobody else is parking, I
think we never have to think about blocking uh or closing the block because again it will be really inconvenient the way policy is. It's almost you know one way. So my personal opinion is maybe not a good idea.
>> Appreciate that feedback. We we haven't done a observation yet so it's a little for us to to agree or disagree but appreciate that feedback. >> Thank you. Thank you doc. Director Kaplan >> next one. What is that? Not what is
>> the next one is agenda number 4.2. Um this is another ordinance supplementing chapter 332 and as it relates to the new parking zone 20 around the Liberty State Park HBLR station.
is a second reading ordinance. Um, there may have been some conversations about tableling this. >> Does anybody have any questions? 4.2. It's the second reading. This is the uh Liberty Park um area.
>> So, what I believe is going to happen is that they're going to carry the ordinance instead of tableabling it. So, um we wouldn't have to conduct a public hearing until meetings are held. I believe that's what the issue was. >> Yes. Um I I I I remember that being said
by uh the council president. Uh she wants to meet with the community before this happens because there are some concerns with um residents outside of the permitting um streets but in the neighborhood where they fear that their
streets would get inundated with cars. >> Okay. Okay. So, all I would need >> Avenue and and yeah, that area. Yeah. Further down Commun. So, there will be community meetings. >> All right. >> All I would need is a motion at the council meeting to
>> carry it at the council meeting. >> Oh. >> All right. Next. >> Uh next on to resolutions. This is agenda item number 10.19, resolution 26-140.
Um, this is a resolution requesting a six-month time extension from the New Jersey Department of Transportation uh for our grant regarding Christopher Columbus Drive for fiscal year 2023.
Um, I I will have another item that's very similar to this. We've been working with our partners at the MUA and their ongoing improvements to that corridor. They have a project for water and sewer that they're progressing through funding and just to try and stay in line with
them so we're not making improvements that get disrupted by their future improvements. Um we're working with the state and with them to get those projects aligned in their construction timeline. Hey Drew, do we know the exact addresses
>> for this item is this improvement is from I'll call it Mercellis all the way down to Green Street for Columbus Drive. >> Mercelis down to Green Street. >> It's almost end to end >> basically. >> Yeah, that's pretty much the whole
>> behind Ferris >> the whole corridor. >> Yeah. So our project would be to improve bike bike infrastructure, repave the roadway. Okay. >> Um new striping and the MUA has a large water and sewer project underground uh complicated kind
of by the the path tunnel that exists in that corridor as well. >> So this is basically to ask the states to get >> Yeah. We got a grant. We got two two grants. I'll I have another item that
I'll present um for the next funding year, but to try and capture this entire project using grant funding, we split it up over two years. Um we've done it um for roads before, similar to Caven Point Road where we use two years of funding. Um nonetheless, this is the state's
process. They have a timeline where they want a uh a construction contract awarded. Um, it's looking like we're not going to meet that deadline based on trying to align with the MUA. So, we're just trying to get ahead of it and and
get an authorization for an extension of the grant money. >> Okay. >> Okay. What's um the next one? >> So, item 10.2026-141. It's uh the same exact thing. It's just for the funding year. That's 2024.
>> What is this? 10. What? Oh, there was two funding years that that we didn't spend because So, we got it we got it in 23 and in 24. >> Yeah. So, 2023 we applied for a grant.
It covered about half the cost of the entire project that we wanted to do in the corridor. It was decided we would apply again to try and, you know, fill that gap to get all the grant money. And how does each grant has their own deadlines, but we have them aligned now
basically within a month, you know, to get a six months extension, which would be end of October this year for the one and then middle to end of November for the other. >> I'm just trying to understand. So the the grant money >> is for construction. I'm sorry if I
didn't specify. So that we won't be able to draw down on that until we have a construction contract awarded which a successful bidder would be on board and we'd be doing the work in the street. >> But I'm trying to understand. So we we applied for the grant in 2023. It says
physical year 2023. We got awarded in the same year we applied for it. >> The award comes later on the following year. >> So the grant that we applied for in 24, we got it the following year. Yeah.
>> So, just to clarify, it's one project that's funded by two grants. They're the same grant program, but the grant is subsequent years. So, half of the funding required to build this project was awarded one grant year. The following grant year was the second half of the funding, and we've combined them
to do the entire project at once, but the resolution to extend the grants needs to be done for the two separate awards. That's why there's two resolutions before you. >> Okay. Gotcha. All right. It's confusing. >> Yes. All right. What's the um the next
one? >> N Drew, thanks. And Andy, thank you both. Um not not really a question, just um maybe offline. Um my office would like to get briefed on the the project itself. Uh and if there was a traffic
study, get a copy of that as it pertains to this this particular project. Okay. >> Certainly. >> Thank you. So, um, now I was in Baltimore a few years ago and they have a scooter program as well. And this scooter program, you get to school and you just
drop them on the ground. That's not this, is it? Because they were everywhere. >> No, this this is a road improvement project. So, more asphalt pavement, uh, concrete sidewalks, changing the bike. >> I'm sorry. I jumped ahead of myself. Sorry. >> I'm ahead of myself. I'm sorry about
that. >> What's the next one, Drew? I apologize. I went a little bit out of order and skipped this one. Um, this is agenda item number 10.16. >> Yes. >> Resolution 26-137. This is a a resolution authorizing award
to Tomco Construction for the construction of the Morris Canal Greenway sections 3510 and 11. This is a federally funded grant project that uh we've been working on for many years. It's um essentially
a off-road bike and pedestrian trail um down near the end of Danforth from Sullivan Trail through Country Village and along Sycamore Road. Um it transitions to On Street down uh Gates
Avenue, Garfield, Merritt, and Lynen Avenue um in the form of bike shar. And it kind of there's a gap in between um on the side of Berry Lane Park where you know Sigonia Hardware is it loops
around Whitlock cord cordage and then transitions into Maple Avenue and Van Horn. Um >> so the Morris Canal Greenway is is up by Gates. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So >> Oops. The the initiative is to try and
transform the former Morris Canal Greenway that exists in the entire state into a a bike and walkway trail. And it tries to keep alignment with where the greenway is. There are some houses where it where it used to run, but nonetheless, uh they're trying to keep it in alignment and it traverses all the
way down through that area of Country Village and then, you know, up into Bergen Lafayette. >> Okay. Now, I have a question because I remember being at one of these meetings. Now, is it is it um it goes as far as city line, correct? Like like bordering bayon,
>> correct? >> Thank you. >> I'd like to know about the the funding sources, the accounts that are paying for this. Um, it appears as though it's a grant fund and then two capital accounts. Is am I interpreting that correctly?
>> Correct. There's uh the grant amount for 5.1 million in change that we were awarded uh through the federal process and the bids came in a little higher than than the estimates. Um admittedly the estimates were done
years ago as part of the federal grant funding project to update them as kind of an act of Congress to go through the whole process again there. So there was a small portion uh $289,000 out of capital um to put towards this. Uh I am pursuing
more funding through the EPA. They have a a HDSRF program if I'm saying the acronym correctly, but uh hopefully I can bring down even the capital investment to to zero through
that program. >> So the the grant is a federal grant, >> correct? um with the Department of Transportation. What is it? Uh >> this one was I believe it was a TPA
TAP Rap. >> Yeah, the transportation alternative program. So this is the transportation alternative program. That's a federal funding that is then given to each region and the region would issue grants that were competitively bid. Um so if it was competitively bid, it would have
been through NJTPA unless it wasn't your mark. I I don't recall. It's possible it was an earmark, but either way, it's administered through the the FHWA, >> right? And we applied for this funding. It's competitive.
>> Yeah, we applied for this, I believe, was back in 2017. >> And and the funding itself, that that 5 million in the grant, it's uh what are we I see, you know, description that says drainage, landscaping, and lighting. Um, can you
give me some sense of where that a lot of this money is going to? There's a So, there's a portion of it that's going to go towards uh soil remediation. There are portions of the off off street that uh need about 2 ft of soil
excavated, then capped with clean fill. Then the rest of it's going towards a lot of underground drainage. It's going to be a permeable asphalt pavement. Um all the new lighting. Um we have provisions for security cameras along
with that. That'll be the bulk of the of the funding. Um both off of the off-road sections behind Litlock Cage and through Country Village. The on-road portions. Um some asphalt pavement upgrades and then pavement markings.
It's our office that's designing this all of this. Uh that's >> Sorry, say it again. >> Our our city offices are designing this or is it uh other agencies involved with this or >> this was through a a consultant helped with the design? My last comment is just regarding uh
there's a memo in here um to the administration. That's a memo to Denise Ridley and the council members dated February 18th. Um, we're in this particular uh item, but I can't speak for the others, but I know
I've never seen that memo until it came into this uh into this ordinance. know it's dated February 18th and I and I've shared this in previous again previous administration that um it's misleading to kind of suggest that
something was sent to us on February 18th if we didn't actually get it um may have been produced and added to this package but it's not actually uh um being transmitted to us. So, uh, I'd ask that, uh, the administration transmit these, either transmit these documents
at the time that they're produced or date them appropriately at the time that we receive them. Right. >> I don't know what memo you're referring to, Councilman. >> There's a memo in there. It's a page six of the document. >> I believe it's part of the award memos that that we create and then upload to
eye compass. February 18, 2026, it says is the date of the memo. Yeah, that might have been the memo when they first introduced it to I Compass Mayor. Sorry, Councilman. So, it's not
what it was sent. It was when they first did the actual item to I compass and uploaded everything. That's why it's stated that way. >> Yeah, I'm literally looking at it. I don't know if you're looking at it, but it says date February 18th on it random. >> I found it. It's attached to the agenda
item. >> Yeah, >> sorry. It's attached to the agenda item, Peter. It's it's from you to purchasing agent recommending the award. So I think that was just the initial process of this being a minister. This wasn't in this is a reference item to the council agenda. I don't think this was intended
as a memo to council because this is about um going to the purchasing agent to kind of ready the contract to make sure it meets all the requirements before it's presented before the council. >> Peter, you could correct me if >> Yeah, I'm looking at it right now. It's from Drew
and initial by him. >> Yeah, it's just it's a recommending the award. It's not actually a memo about the whole item. >> It's February 18th. >> I understand I harp on this. It's March 23rd today, right? So that's a month and
5 days later. And it's uh um you know, if if I got the memo on February 18th, I'd probably inquire and ask what's a some more details about a $6.5 million project. That's just how I would react to that if I got that. So, um I'm seeing
it now and that's great. that um the public also sees this as part of the public record and uh um and then they may ask us like you know you got this thing back in February and look this is a good project so I'm not going to like
um labor the point but it's a um we we we can do better with the dating of these things and Cheryl >> I want to instruct the directors when they write memos to make sure they forward it at the time that it's written. >> Yeah. All right, Drew. What's the next one?
>> On believe we're on to Lindsay's item. >> Lindsay, >> council. Uh, thank you. I'm on agenda number 1021, resolution 26-142. This would be a resolution authorizing
an extension of an amendment to an agreement with Lift Bikes and Scooters LLC for bicycle sharing services. Um, so this is just a two-month extension of our existing contract that we've had with them for the past 5 years. Um, the purpose for the extension is that we are
currently in an active RFP process for a a bicycle share uh consultant or or operation. Um and so being a joint program with the city of Hopoken, our cities are still going through that procurement process and just need a
little bit more time to evaluate the proposals. Uh the amount is that uh Jersey City's share would be is $84,60. Um, in the memo that we provided after introducing the package, we did um make
reference to uh we now have revenues from the 2025 program. Um, and that will actually offset the cost of this extension and that's from the member fees and the sponsorships and advertising revenues that come through that program. So Lindsay, just to be
clear, Bikes and Scooters LLC is the name of the company, not the actual mode of transportation. That's correct. Just as for bicycle ship. >> That's correct. Yes. Um this would be for the City Bike Program, which in Jersey City only has bicycles at this time.
>> Yes. Um Lindsay, I will say this. Um as it relates to the city bikes, um I think it's good that we're expanding. Um, my only concern is if we can find locations where the bikes can be placed on the
sidewalk versus in the street because >> it's already a science project to park as it is. Um, and I do understand that people do use these uh city bikes. So, we know that there is a need for them. Um my only request is that we try to map
out with a best fit in each of the communities in which they're being installed. >> Absolutely. That's something that our uh division is certainly aware of and and we do make every attempt to uh identify locations on the sidewalk. Um we do have to be careful about allowing enough
space for ADA for pedestrians to be able to walk. So there are some cases where the location that makes sense um requires going into the street. What there is new equipment that we've started to deploy and they're able to make much smaller um configurations and
also have them split between sides of the street. >> Um and so that's what we're going to be u moving towards to try to just stay in the the 25 ft where you're not allowed to park. So we're trying to to do that. that that was going to be one of the the recommendations I had if we can like
split it up >> in on those four corners versus one um all the way down. >> Okay. >> Absolutely. >> Thank you. Um anybody have any other questions >> relates to this one? >> Yeah, I just have a comment as far as um placing them. I would just say be
mindful and placing them where the 25 ft rule is because a lot of people they they just turn corners without really looking and you know they'll they'll damage the bikes. Yes, there's been um it's been very few,
but we did have in part of the expansion on um Pacific and Commun that was a location that uh the the bike share did get uh struck a couple of times and we did work with City Bike to relocate that. Um one thing that uh City Bike uh
usually will do is do striping and delineators around the station. Um but that's something we'll try to be uh cognizant of the turning especially on like transit routes uh which was the case at Pacific and Commun. >> Okay. Um what's the next one L?
>> No. Oh hold on. >> Um so I just would like to ask uh so I understand that Hoboken get got out of this. I I may have gotten out of using city uh lift. Uh Hoboken is part of the
current contract and we're also um jointly um procuring the next bike share operator right now with with the city of Hoboken. Um and then how much this is like a month for a couple of months, right? Till the new How much does this cost?
>> Uh so this for the two-month extension will be the Jersey City share is uh about 84 I believe it was $84,60. >> Okay. Then we get reimbursed in excess of 2 million. Is that >> uh no the so the original contract value
the total contract value was 2 million and that was covering both Jersey City and Hoboken. Uh what we get is a revenue share and for 2025 that revenue share was uh $250,999. And so what we'll be able to do is apply
that to this cost of the extension. So, we'll actually after paying this, we'll still get money back to the city's general fund as revenue. >> Could I get a um um revenue share that the city has received over the life of
this contract um annually? >> Sure. Yes, we can provide that. >> And also utilization rates. >> Yes. >> By different locations and so forth, right? We can do uh the writership by uh station. We're
able to pull. >> Lindsay, I guess my last question. So, who's um who determines is it um city bike um administration or is it us and infrastructure? Who determines what
areas get the stations as it relates to is it like high traffic ridership areas that they identify or is it something internally that we do? How does that work? >> Yeah, it's a a mixture. Um so for this last expansion the analysis was done
inhouse and it was uh done by my colleague uh uh Eli who utilized geographic information systems to um look at what the recommended sort of station density the closer they are there's a certain um buffer around them
and a certain recommendation for how much the buffers overlap and that's what makes it more um successful because people if one station is uh doesn't have bikes, they're within an easy walk of a next station. Um so it was partially
based on a geographic analysis and then also in this particular expansion uh the grant funding had been to provide access to the Port Liberte ferry. Um and so we were able to um really focus in on uh what would be I believe we used like a
10-minute bike ride as the sort of overall service area. Um, and then we're continuing to apply for grants to hopefully expand bike share um to other parts of the city. So, I know we um have some ideas and we've asked in this RFP
for the potential operator of the system to also outline where it would make sense to uh to expand >> with your next uh bike ride. So, if y'all can invite Councilman Griffin that >> Yeah, absolutely. >> All right. Um,
that's it, right? 1027 is the last one. >> Councilman, the the last item um is resolution uh let me look up the agenda item was about appointing me as the infrastructure director. 1027. >> Yeah, 1027. Yes. >> Gotcha.
>> Okay. So Andy Tom I know we had um briefly spoke um I know just for me if you can just um speak upon your background um your vision how does that mesh with the administration vision along with um
community's vision as it relates to uh infrastructure? >> Yeah certainly. So for background the infrastructure department has a couple key functions um engineering traffic engineering transportation planning uh as well as architecture which includes
parks and public buildings and sustainability. So what you know I'll start with the vision and I can give you my background and and certainly answer any questions you have. But at a high level you know my background is a little bit more on the transportation side. Um although I also am a professionally
licensed civil engineer and a past leader of the American Society of Civil Engineers in New Jersey as well as the Institute of Transportation Engineers Greater New York region. Um I I I lied. I'm going to give you my background first. Um I previously uh worked for the Port Authority of New York and New
Jersey where I managed the regional traffic management center including our partnership with Google Maps, Apple Maps and Weaves and some of the more innovation side there. And I've also uh then at the Port Authority worked at the LaGuardia and Kennedy redevelopment programs and was kind of like the the
traffic engineer for those facilities. Um most recently I've been at the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority where you've probably heard of as a grant giver. The city receives a fair amount of money there. Um and they administer federal funds to local towns and counties throughout the northern New
Jersey region. So, I've uh learned some familiarity with that process and the different programs available. Before all that, my background is really in safety. Um, you know, I served as uh the leader of the New Jersey uh transportation safety resource center, which was a NJ
DOT funded and housed at Ruckers, which um extended technical safety resources to all municipalities and counties in the state. Um and while there, we developed kind of a hiring tree network. we call the network screening program as well as conducting road safety audits um
some of which were in Jersey City which then flowed into the funding pipeline some of which are the projects that are funded and and seeking construction now um so I have extensive background kind of in the safety the operations um as well as a little bit in the planning space um as to the vision you know I
think one of the key focuses that every council member whom I met with you know also said uh was safety on our roadways um everyone one should be able to walk or bike or drive safely from where they're where they're going. Um, so much
of the livelihood of living in a city is being able to get places and being part of the community and that requires getting places and getting there safely. Um, too often, you know, we see stories of of members of our community being killed or seriously injured. Um, and I
truly do believe that all of these crashes are preventable. um challenging to get ahead of them, but definitely something that with a focused effort and a lot of the great resources in the team that we have, um we can and and will get ahead of. Um another key priority in the
department, as you may know, um we we've had a fair number of departures um uh including some key director positions that are vacant. So frankly, in order to deliver on the function and the needs of the infrastructure department, we need to really kind of fill those vacancies
at the department director level and additionally kind of build out the staff um to build out that bandwidth. Um and most important to me, you know, I see that as an opportunity. um we really have an opportunity to kind of you know we we uniquely have an alignment a
vision between the council and the administration you know about safety about you know what we want this infrastructure department to accomplish so we uniquely are able to kind of build the staffing and deliver on that um another key point from my perspective is really the community engagement um I
think it's absolutely critical that we have relationships with the community ahead of time and that at the end of the day we're hearing the problems that our community members are facing day in and day out. And that's what we're addressing. We're not putting projects out that don't address a true problem.
And further, when we are putting projects out that we believe address a true problem, we're hearing the feedback from all community members and doing our best to to to mitigate those concerns or frankly if the project isn't good, even if it was good 10 years ago, you know, changing direction as appropriate. Um, I
think the infrastructure department has an opportunity to continue to build those relationships with the communities, continue to do that through the council uh council of person's offices. Um, and so I I'm definitely interested and committed to doing that as well. Yes, I think um the community
engagement aspect is so important um in a sense that people get to voice their concerns about things um and then you try to find a common ground. Of course, everybody's
not going to always agree on everything. Um but at the very least, you afford people the opportunity to say, "Hey, you know, your voice, you count. your voice, your concern matters. Um I think that is extremely important especially to um the
south side of the city. Um so I'll be I'll be on the lookout for that definitely. Um does anyone else have any questions? Andy >> I I do. Do you mind if I go first? >> Go please. You can go Joel. >> Thank you. Um
great talking with you Andy last week. Um so just you mentioned staffing filling the vacancies that you have. Um so division of architecture, engineering, sustainability, traffic engineering, transportation
planning, those are the five >> and engineering. >> Okay. Um which which divisions are you looking to fill? >> Currently we do not have a municipal engineer who would lead the engineering division. Um we also have the director
division director of transportation planning um and division director of transportation engineering who have um no longer work at the city but from the previous few months. So those are kind of the key leadership roles. Um, we also have identified a number of key roles
underneath them and as part of the budgeting process, you know, certainly have a list of what we think is needed to fully staff the department and certainly are appreciative that um, we're going to need to compromise uh, depending on the overall city's financial status. Um, but you know, I
frankly I think we need a municipal engineer um, longer term. not having one um is probably costing us more money in terms of the quality of projects, the ability to deliver on grants and then seek more grant funding. Um similarly, I think everyone who I spoke to cares
deeply about traffic safety, which requires the transportation planning and transportation engineering group to be able to deliver on a lot of these quick fix safety improvements that we're we're intending to do in the short term. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Hi Andy,
>> Councilman, how are you? Very good. Um, thank you for taking the time to speak with me last week and we had a great conversation. I appreciate you taking the time. Um, I just wanted to ask a couple more questions to put some things on the record. Um, and I'm going to start by just um sharing a story that we that I shared with you before. Um, I
don't remember exactly when it happened, but it was in my first term of office and the Ward D Councilman, Michael Yun, um, and the mayor had talked about changing um, uh, some of the roadway directions and making them changing them from two-way roads to one-way roads. Um,
this was all, I believe, on the Western Slope along um, and I could be wrong on the street names and which streets were involved, but I believe it was Liberty Avenue, Terrace Avenue, and Columbia Avenue. And so those were two two-way roads um and converting into one ways
with each being alternating going different directions around that um a lot of money was spent on engineers and um studies and then um there was community meeting and um the uh at the end of the whole process in the
community meeting um councilman Yun heard from residents and they said we don't want this um and councilman Yun said well I can't support this and he he was originally kind of a supporter when the whole process started um but he basically said if the community can't
doesn't support it I won't support it either and then uh mayor um Steven Phillip um said okay then it's done and and so the money was spent and on uh studies and engineers and um but nothing had changed as an asterisk to all of
that I don't know when it happened but after I left office apparently it has changed so um but at that time it did not change. Um, and so my question is when when a transportation project um has strong opposition from community stakeholders um how do you approach that
and at what point in the process does community input actually change the outcome of the policy um that's being uh being uh proposed and what kind of community inputs are necessary whether
it's emails in person show up to a council meeting, show up to a community meeting, letters, phone calls, Facebook, um, and so on and so on. So, I'll start with that and then because that's an easy softball one. No, just kidding.
>> Thanks for the softball. Um, >> so a couple a couple responses because there's a couple kind of questions baked in there. You know, I think the first is, you know, if the public has a strong opposition to a project that's been advanced and has incurred costs, should we move forward with it because it's incurred costs? and and the answer is
absolutely not. You know, we're here to serve the public and look over time politics change, elected officials change, sometimes projects last longer than terms. Um, and the direction on them can change, but at the end of the day, we're here to serve the public. And if the public has a strong opposition
and they're elected representatives, you know, as the council here, as the mayor, um, you know, have an opinion, you know, the idea that we spent some money on engineering or design or planning is not a reason to do something that the community doesn't want in and of itself. Um so absolutely you know community
input and feedback needs to be part of the entire process. You know ideally we're not spending money on planning and design for projects that the public doesn't want because we're engaging with the public earlier on that you know we're in agreement with some public community engagements as to what the
problem is so that we're not advancing a project that is solving a problem that the community doesn't see as a problem. Um, for example, I do think there are examples where, you know, such as safety, where maybe we do something different, but we have conversations
with the community about advancing something. if there's a high injury network, if there's a ne necessity for a change, um you know, working with the community on exactly what that is is critical. But, you know, sometimes we we we do need to collaborate with the elected representatives and the
community um to determine what we can do to improve safety. >> Does that answer that question? Yeah. And um just in terms of what kind of forms of communication or input from the community? >> Um >> yeah, absolutely. I mean, I'm a big proponent that, you know, when you want
community engagement and genuinely want it, which which I do and the infrastructure department does, you need to go to the community, you need to find them in the ways that they communicate in the places they are. You can't expect them to show up to a council meeting um as the primary means of getting input,
right? If that's the if you're waiting until there's a council resolution to get your first touch point, that's a problem. So, you know, I can commit that as part of all of our projects and planning studies, we have public input. often we're holding in-person sessions and/or Zoom calls that are publicized
and partnered with local community groups, council persons, offices uh to spread the word so that we can really reach as many members of the community as possible. There's various different means and methods and you know frankly I'm a believer that the per people who know
best how to communicate with the community are the council persons who represent it and know it best. will definitely take direction. >> And then h inside of that community engagement process, how do you define community? And what I mean by that is is
it um for example, we talked about the communal avenue corridor. Um is it the communal avenue and the businesses there? Is it Clandenni and then Harrison and other streets that are parallel with that um around there in those
neighborhoods? or is it um um or or is it some broader definition beyond that? >> It's a good question because you know look at a at a high level uh transportation infrastructure like a street serves both as a neighborhood function where people walk and live and
also as a way to get from place A to place B. So it's a balance you know to me as an instrument of the city we are here to represent Jersey City. Um, and I think that when there is friction between what a local neighborhood wants in front of their homes, uh, in that
immediate block association and what may be necessary for a larger transportation planning function, then we need to work to make resolution and try to engage the public and identify what the appropriate compromise is. Um, or look at an alternate route or an alternate method
to achieve that that bigger transportation planning goal. Um right now in order to try to prevent that conflict or minimize that conflict, we're going through the Jersey City Transportation Master Plan. Um Lindsay would have the exact number, but we've had over 5,000 probably more responses
to that plan. Um both with concerns, problems locally, globally, about transit, about biking, about walking, about parking, about driving. Um and trying to get a holistic perspective as to what the community as a whole of Jersey City see as the issue. And then
as we break that into projects to address those concerns, we will absolutely engage with those along that corridor more locally to ensure that we're not doing something detrimental to them that they're not aware of. >> I just heard something there. Are we soliciting input for as a transportation
master plan? >> Uh is that active or I'll let I'll defer to Lindsay. >> Yeah, >> thanks Cindy. Uh so we had a survey. Uh it has been closed. It was open for several months. Um there were thousands of responses to that. Um there's been a
number of uh popups. Um so we were out in the communities at Arlington Park, at the Isisle of Greenville, uh community barbecue, a ver a variety up in the heights at the Riverview Farmers uh market. Um the next opportunity for public engagement is really going to be
uh coming up probably going to land in early May um or late April for the uh more of a community meeting. And I believe we're having both in person and an online version. And that's going to be to start to see what some of those
recommendations are looking like so that we can get input and then uh start to finalize that plan for adoption. I should mention there is a project website. It's jcnj.orgmove and that will have uh all of the
documents and meeting materials and we'll continue to be posting uh all of that uh as we progress through the project. >> Just for my staff just to make a note of that please. Um >> I think just to be clear that is one project with community engagement on that project and that is not the end of
>> sure >> the department's efforts for community engagement. Um, can I continue? >> Anyone else? No. >> Um, Michael. >> Yeah. So, um, in the past, you know, working with being a being a acting director for the
Jackson Hill Special Improvement District and working with other, um, community organizations, um, what we found on on the south side, there was a lack of, um, I don't want to say transparency, but communication.
And um you know we weren't allowed uh to give any input, right? Like there were no we never had a Vision Zero meeting on the south side of the city. Um the Greenway meetings um very poorly
advertised, very poorly attended. And you know, we have people in our community who when they hear about this stuff, you know, it's always like, well, how come we haven't heard about it? Right? Um, so you know, me and you, we had a meeting and and um you laid out
your your vision on on how to work with the community and and and gain that trust and, you know, just bring basic infrastructure back um to, you know, parts of Jersey City that need it, right? Like um um paving roads and and
striping and and and um street signs legible, right? Um, so you know, I just appreciate that. Um, and and I think that um, you know, we for the record, we would love to see, you
know, how how you would um, communicate better with with the community. I know we just heard some of that, but um, if you want to just dive in a little more. >> Absolutely, Councilman. And and look, the the first of all, I appreciate you putting me in touch with those I Love
Greenville, Jackson Hill, SID, um other organizations that can represent groups in the community. Um and that's exactly who we need to be speaking to and you know, between my team who has relationships with some and the council members who know where our blind spots
are, I hope, um to find the members of the community that we're not talking to and collaborate together to reach them. um you know like a request to have a vision zero meeting on the southside. We absolutely need to be doing that and moving forward can collaborate with uh
your yourself, Councilman Griffin, Councilman Ridley, Councilman Brooks, whomever's ward it may be in um to facilitate that. Um we are looking as part of Vision Zero to do things in all wards in terms of community outreach. So that aligns well with our vision and
goals. So, um, anyone that we should be speaking to who has not, we have not had a productive relationship in the past, I welcome that connection and we'll be able to build that relationship. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. And wait, >> Andy, just a question about VIA. Um, can you give us your thoughts and your um, where you see that uh, program going here in Jersey City? >> I think the future of that program is a little bit uncertain. I think it's a tremendous value to our city, but
obviously comes at a financial cost and there's a lot of conversations happening right now about the city's finances. Um, I do not envy the position those on the DS have about our city's finances. Um, but certainly I think that will be part of those conversations, but I can say
that that program is incredibly critical and important to the, you know, the hundreds of thousands of annual rides riders that use it. Um and then we are looking to have a holistic conversation about how to approach that. >> The one thing I just want to I remember
when your predecessor brought the VIA contract to the council um it was suggested to me at that time that uh the the the usage patterns of writership patterns. um that as a result of that that we
would be able to have access or or that we would own that data from VIA. Um whatever the future of VIA brings um I would just ask the administration and your office to look at that acquiring that wrership data if you haven't already. And um you know the the idea
there was that there was opportunities for uh bus routes or things like that to be able to try to figure out other alternative forms of transportation that uh that that data could prove helpful to that was really the big selling point for me at that point for that uh um
because I knew this was an expensive venture for us at that time >> and we do have that data and as an engineer I love data so your point is well taken. Just my last one is just a comment as well which is um we talked about the bike master plan. Thank you for um
discussing that with me and uh um and we when you have an opportunity you know that as we talked about there's uh sections dedicated to each ward in the bike master plan and identifying priority projects and just wanting to know which projects have been completed,
which ones might be aborted um and then which ones um are still under consideration um kind of moving forward. So when you have an opportunity that's all >> certainly and and I will note you know the bike master plan is a planning document and a visionary document and
unfortunately we don't have all of the money that we would want to start to build these or phase these out for construction. We are seeking a lot of grant funding um to do that. So there are internal prioritizations but it's also aligned to different funding and grant sources. But I'm happy to share
with you the status um of the different segments as originally envisioned and where we are today. >> Thanks. Thank you. All righty. Oh my >> one thing to add. Thank you for our conversation and thank you that you are considering
um that reaching out to the community and listening to them not just deciding what we want to do. um also working with neighborhood associations, different communities, reaching out to them and it is very important for majority of us because we don't want to do what we feel
is right rather we would listen to them. So thank you. Thank you for the conversation we had. >> Thank you. Um thank you Andy. All right Sean that looks like everybody we can take it from the top. Now we have a
director. >> Oh, Anise. Yeah, you didn't fit. Why you >> Oh, they were saving the best for last. >> Respectful of everyone, all the other staff time. That's all. >> So, I'm in front of you today for item
10.28. >> You would you like me to start with maybe a little background? Um if you can yeah just I mean for me if you can just um give a a a brief brief background one of just your experience with the work
and then two if you can flip into like you know what are your what are your vision for the for the department moving forward should you be reappointed and like what are some of the challenges um you have faced be happy to do that
council Well, thank you very much for having me and thank you for considering me uh to be reappointed uh as HUDC director. Um just to give some background, I don't know how much all of you know about my background. Um I've lived in Jersey City for 20 years now.
Um I'm raising two children here, children that I brought home from the hospital to my apartment on the same block as to lucky me. Um now the oldest is ready to go off to college. Somehow time went quite fast. Um my career has mostly been in the private sector
working in architecture firms. Uh I volunteered my free time uh as a bar board member of a local neighborhood association. Um that was my kind of entry into getting involved in things here. I got involved in helping support our local schools. Um I was then given
the opportunity to merge my work and personal life but by joining the city as the director of city planning. That was in 2017. Um I then about 18 months later I became the HDC director. Um the oversight of those at that time it was
eight divisions. We now have nine. Um used a wide array of my um of my varied background. I studied architecture uh at the Cooper Union and I worked for a firm uh where I helped design the training facilities for the fire department in
Randall's Island in New York City uh for the New York City Fire Department. Uh I then went on to Harvard's graduate school of design where I studied and received a master of architecture and urban design and I specifically chose that program because their goal was to create leaders in the field and after
that my career mostly focused on large-scale projects things ranging from largecale master plans for example the Bayon Mby terminal you might be familiar with uh it's the peninsula uh it was also called the peninsula bayon harbor
uh facilities master plans for universities, uh, medical schools, the master plan for project city center for MGM out in Las Vegas, uh, transit oriented development such as leading a local demonstration project program of
18 projects um, under my the client was New Jersey Transit. Um, it was uh, through working with the NJTPA uh, the same uh, company that uh, you know, organization that Andy recently worked for. Um I'm a licensed professional planner in the state of New Jersey. I
also have my national certification which is a American Institute of Certified Planners and I'm a lead AP. Um and so related to uh my you know my vision, it really focuses on you know aligning with what the mayor ran on and
what the mayor's vision is um which is to help create an affordable city. Um, I'm very focused on how to uh create affordable housing, increase the amount of affordable housing that we're building here in this city, and to build more at the lower AMI, at the lower
price points. Um, and you know, I spoke about this a little bit in some of the meetings that I had with some of you, but um, I really want to also focus on governance and like what we do to carry out what we're what you all or already has tasked us to do within the city
ordinance. And I think that that is also how I would talk about some of the challenges. Um I think that it can be extremely difficult. The ordinance is varied. It's it has a lot. I don't know if all of you are aware. So I have nine divisions. Division of city planning, zoning, construction code, affordable
housing. Those I put them under like the land use category. That's how we get approvals, permit, build, and compliance for affordable housing. Right? That's like building buildings. Um we also have economic development. We have commerce, housing preservation, community development and then the latest office
tenants right to council. The scope is wide, right? It covers an enormous amount of things. I think we have, you know, over a hundred processes um that we specifically cover uh that are just, you know, actually application processes. Um and I think that over time
sometimes it can be a challenge to focus on governance rather than like kind of shiny new things and big ideas. I'm a big idea person. I love that side of things, but I feel like that's some of the challenges and where I'd like to focus with the department to do a better
job is like how do we meet uh the needs of our citizens? How do we show them that we can, you know, move all those things through the process um in a maybe more expedited fashion um and be a better place to, you know, to do business, to, you know, fix your home,
what whatever that may be. Um and so that's one of that's both you know a challenge for me as well as um one of the challenges that I have and and the reasons are varied behind that whether it's um technology um when I came to the city almost everything other than uh SDL
was the portal for construction code was in paper you know I spent uh the first I think six years trying to get convince people we should have it get money for it and then build it um an integrated permit portal Um the thought was things done at a
block and lot level, right? What happens on a individual scale of a of a block of a specific lot should be in one system. Uh we built that system. It's not perfect. It has its flaws, but it's for the first time we have a really good system. Um I offer to all of you or your
aids training if you'd like to understand how to use it. Um and you know and I just think that that's there's opportunities there uh to do to do things like that to like see a problem in the in the department and then come up with solutions and propose
them. So I would like to continue doing that. >> Okay. Um now as it relates to um I mean I've had issues with enforcement over the years. um we talk about this vision
of having a more affordable city. Um how do we or what is your what is your I guess commitment or way of making sure that you know we're we're holding landlords accountable? Mainly the
landlords who are over the jurisdiction of having these affordable units. um as it relates to one uh the maintenance and upkeep of these things, two um the rules and regulations
um as it relates to the things they're supposed to be doing in these establishments. Um I know we've been having some issues with enforcement and I think part of the issue with enforcement is on a municipal level
capacity, right? how much capacity do we have to ensure that enforcement is met across the board? So, I just want to get um your take and your vision for how do we make sure um landlords are in
compliance and how do we uh rectify this issue of >> so I would split that a bit. There are the buildings that are actual affordable housing. So if it's meaning like there's an income restriction on the unit like what AMI someone has to be at to be in
that unit. Those if they're municipally mandated that's covered by our division of affordable housing. Um and I have full confidence in that office. They do affordable housing agreements for every single building that has a requirement. They do very detailed compliance including annual reertifications. Those
are usually newer buildings that have that. Um so I feel confident in those. Um there are other buildings in the city that I think you're referring to that might be say um rent controlled or you know have some sort of restriction but it's not exactly considered afford like
ne quote unquote affordable housing. It's not an income restriction. It's rent control and so I think I I agree with you that there there are some challenges there from the quality standpoint like do you know the quality of the housing? are there issues in the
building that falls under our quality of life division as part of public safety and their code compliance um inspectors. We don't have that within HDC but we do have within the division of housing preservation we do keep a list of we have the rental registries we have the
list of affordable of um rent control buildings um and do the compliance on that side and I do think that that side has been certainly it needs improvement um the mayor's recent uh press release uh press conference that announced the
audit is is hugely beneficial to me because the biggest barrier we've had in that office is staffing. That office has very small amount of staff that are be able to be focused on that tenant landlord side. It has a like one lead
person and about two sometimes three people and they're doing all of that, all the rental registrations, you know, all of the followup on rent controlled units. And I think it we've just not we've not done as good of a job as we should be doing for sure. So the having
the and if I just step back a tiny bit um uh I don't remember the exact year maybe it was 19 2019 um a director was brought on and that was the creation of the division of housing preservation prior to that it was an tenant landlord office. What we found were there were no
prior records like the records there there weren't records that were kept prior to that. So starting in say 2019 2020 they've tried to build that record since then to get rental registrations to figure out all the rent control buildings and they really just didn't
have the staff capacity to get through all of that. So this audit I think is a real opportunity for us to get a handle on it and then I think the staff would be able to maintain it but it's it's it's sorely needed. So I I'm I'm I'm very appreciative actually of the audit.
Anyone have anyone else have any um but Tom and then >> director? Good evening. >> Yes, >> we didn't have an opportunity to speak offline but I appreciate you that you reached out to me and I apologize for not uh getting back to you sooner sooner but um you mentioned big picture and that's obviously something that Journal
Square is embodying now and and the big picture I envision is setting planning now for the next 10 to 20 years of Journal Square as an economic driver for Jersey City. uh but also mixing in a lot of complicated aspects, you know, mandatory affordable housing with the need for more housing. Obviously, we're having a lot of development there,
focusing on retail, green space. How do how do you see your role uh and us working together, me specifically, but also with the the rest of the council trying to ensure that we we we plan now for that future so that um it's a journal square that works for everyone.
>> Yeah, I mean, I think that's a journal square is a great example. I mean, the fact that we have the 2060 plan at all is is really an excellent thing. The scale of it, right? It's it's our largest physically largest. Um, I believe Liberty Harbor is pretty large, too, but it's a very large redevelopment
plan. It certainly covers more buildings than any other plan. And I think that's one step in that direction. We're able to look at it more comprehensively. I mean, I do I do try to leave the direct planning work to the division of city planning um because that is their role, but being a planner, I can't help but
you know, kind of stick my nose into it a lot and certainly give opinions. Um I I think we need to look at it. I think there's there are um plans throughout the city in general that I think we have to identify that need our attention. I think it's always an issue of priority
like where do we put our time, where do we put our attention? I mean, I've thought a lot about city planning, as you could imagine, um, since that was my entry point into this city. And one thing that I think is really lacking and I proposed over the years, but it's been a challenge to do related to funding is
I would like to see us do more community planning or sometimes called neighborhood planning or vision planning, which the way I conceive of that is different from what we do now. A lot of our current planning is reactionary, right? Like a developer proposes something and then we have to see what we think about that. Um, if you
do true community planning, you do processes with a community, you define what that area is, you can even allow the community to um, in general throughout the whole city to make suggestions of areas that we they want us to work on and you assign a few staff planners and that's all they work on.
And I think that that would help break some of the tension between develop uh, planners that are working on applications, right? applications for the planning board or the zoning board as opposed to just working directly with the community to do forwardinking uh
proactive planning that sets vision and then when a proposal is comes to the city we'll be able to point to it and say hey here's here's our plan that we did with this community this is what they're looking for and it would be done in conjunction of course so we you know
our staff would be the professionals who also have the the comments that are in our current land use master plan or open space master plan to incorporate uh and would always look at the the transportation master plan for example and would look at all of that
comprehensively. So I think that that's I would love to be able to do that. We try to do that the best we can with the staff we have but right now the staff is do you know we don't we have staff that do that do everything. >> Hi Director Chalone. Did I say that
right? It's complicated. Chalon is okay. All right. Um, appreciate the conversation last week and also your proactive uh reaching out to our office. Uh, we've met with historic preservation and uh
the JC and um planning and zoning in general. So, appreciate that. Um, and I was looking at your resume. You talked about how your entry point into public service uh that you became active in your neighborhood association and um I didn't
know that. That's a a cool fact. >> You did new development oversight for Haramus Cove. >> Gotcha. Yes. Um and part of my entry point into Jersey City politics was as a rent control tenant and experiencing going through the system significant lag
times. um and then a a recalcitrant landlord who would not obey um the the ruling of uh the office of landlord uh tenant. Um so given that the the new administration has uh this new rent
control audit, could you speak to kind of your vision for the division of housing preservation? um kind of how that dovetales with what the new administration um has set out to do with auditing all rent control buildings. >> Yeah, I think the audit's going to give
us an opportunity that we really haven't had thus far. Um we'll be able to have a full listing of all rent controlled units. We'll be able to map those in GIS and have them available publicly available. I I that's something very important to me since I've been here was
been all about trying to create more and more opportunities for information to be transparently available to the public without needing to file an OPER request. So this is just a detour like the port permit portal is one example of that. The interactive zoning map, the interactive development map, like any
opportunity that I can find to put stuff out there where they have access, um we've tried to do that. So I think that would be an opportunity we can do that. Um it'll also give us a better sense of you know we'll know at that point you know how many rental registries we're are behind on like we we know we don't
have 100% participation but that is part of my vision. I'd like 100% participation on the the rental registries and we'll be able to have a better sense of uh where in what instances um rents are not being charged at the correct amounts. One thing that I
would say has been a barrier to that stuff other than staffing is we need better uh communication and coordination with the court system. We've had a lot of issues not even just uh with how you know rent rent control uh in any of our
offices that write a violation um with how those get carried through. Like we we our our purpose is uh or or what we're allowed to do is write either the violation or the summons but then it stops there. We give the discovery to the municipal prosecutor's office um but
we're not involved in what happens you know like subsequently um you know we do follow up and and things like that but what happens when it goes in front of the courts um is not something that we have a say in and I think there's an opportunity there to hopefully with the
administration like work with the municipal proper pro prosecutor's office work with the courts where we're not seeing action one of our biggest challenges has been they often uh issue fines. So people will get a fine, but what we're at least in my department,
what we're usually looking for is abatement, right? We want them to fix cure. We want something to be cured, whatever the issue is, whether it's a zoning issue or whether it's the rent control issue, not just solve the case, you know, get a fine and move on. And I don't know enough about how that process
works to be able to understand what that barrier is. But I think for us to do what you're asking, we're going to have to confront what happens after we write the violation. >> Thank you. Um and then I know you said you have nine divisions under your
department. Um the division of right to counsel would be the 10th. >> No, that that that's the ninth. I had eight historically and then uh that one is as the as the ninth which as the councilman pointed out earlier is >> kind of a ghost division but we're we're
working on it. >> Okay. Thank you. >> It it had a director that director currently is in the law department but he's still overseeing it. We have an ad out if anyone knows of anyone that's qualified for that position. We are actively searching for that person. A little plug.
>> A lot of people are listening online. >> You know people who are qualified. Please >> is is it is the uh requirement to be an attorney? >> It is the current requirement in the ordinance and in the job description. We have had some discussions. I I would need to speak, you know, a little bit
more to the um to the mayor's office. Um if we're really finding a a hard time um finding an attorney, having a hard time finding an attorney, we could make it more of a grant manage manager um because we are currently passing the uh
um on the responsibility. We're giving money to outside companies. So, we're we're giving it to Waterfront Project, a nonprofit to carry that out. I know that's not the vision though for that. We did want to have an actual attorney and be able to handle some of it in house. That's why we kept it with that
requirement, but we have had uh a hard time. >> Just a question on that issue. actually there there are other towns that have the tenant advocate model uh overseeing litigation and then they hire outside counsel the way our city does for a variety of legal issues. Has any thought
been given to that? So it would uh the funding would be there in the same structure and there'd be one or multiple law firms available to represent uh tenants on as >> I mean that's what we're doing now. We have we gave it to the waterfront project as a nonprofit and their attorneys represent it, but I would
absolutely be interested to talk to you and in other ideas. If we have to come up with an alternative, we need to be open to it. >> Yeah, I love the waterfront project, but they're woefully understaffed, too. So, I >> getting some money for us to hopefully hire more people and if we like we could work on long-term planning with them,
like if they do have enough staff and they know they had x amount of a, you know, income stream coming from us, that could be one idea. But I we're open I mean to um you know I know I know that this program is very important to the mayor. Um you know we're open to any way to try to solve the problem.
>> Lane >> I'm sorry I was just looking at what Union City does. Obviously a smaller scale but I'm not sure there's there's another town that's kind of that focuses on on the the tenant rights as as fiercely as Union City does. So it's a model to look at. >> I'll look at their model. Thank you.
>> Oh >> is everyone done >> and me? Okay. Okay. Um, yeah, I thank you so much, um, Director Chalone. Um, thank you so much for being here. Um, I did have a few questions that were brought to me by constituents, but
before before I begin, I will note that, you know, I've had the pleasure of working with you on a number of things over the years and I, you know, have known you to be nothing but professional and um, you know, particularly, I think you've been really instrumental in getting the embankment project to where
it's at today. So, um I I do want to thank you for your work on that. Um but I do have a few questions that were raised by constituents. Um, so you talked a little bit more about um there's not 100% compliance with the
rent registrations from the landlords in the city and they are supposed to file these annual rent registrations with your office and um which would show the rent charge for each unit each year and then your office. It sounds like you
currently do when you have that data, you use it to identify unauthorized increases and pursue the mandatory fines um that the council establish an ordinance 25-105, but you're encountering some issues or have encountered some issues with the
municipal prosecutor kind of following through. Is that an accurate? >> Yeah, I would I would recommend if we want to dig into it a bit more, you know, we should sit with director Richardson and go through it, but that is my understanding that there are some challenges there and in terms of the the where we don't have the the filing, we
don't have a registration. We do issue um summons on those to try to get participation. So that is the intent and I think we can you know I think that office has been directed to do that aggressively because we need 100% participation.
Okay, great. Thank you. Um and and what would it what would it take in your opinion for for um for Jersey City to achieve 100% compliance with this and for your office at the municipal prosecutor to be able to issue these fines? And do you have a
ballpark idea of how much um uncollected fines that we should be collecting but have not been collecting? >> I mean, I'm not saying they're not collecting it. They certainly might be collecting it. you know, when it winds up at the at the um you know, at the stage of the court. But I do think that
there are not just fines, but in terms of annual registries, there's probably a significant amount of money if we had 100% participation that we could be collecting. Um I think the details of like of you know, how many units or what we're short, I think I would need to
look look into it further and we but we could sit down and do that. Um yeah, I think there's there's there's an opportunity there to go a lot further. I think this audit is the is very exciting to me because it's a real opportunity to finally close uh that gap.
>> Okay, great. Um right, because obviously the fiscal crisis we are in, we could certainly use the fines >> and we'll be able to go through it so much faster than we ever would doing it the way we're doing it now, which is incremental, right? So it's just so slow that this will allow us to like, you
know, leap forward. >> Great. Thank you. Um and then also so tenants in many cases um have filed complaints with uh the division of housing preservation and um in the cases where they don't receive a response,
what recourse do they have? Um, does the does ordinance 260 give them any way uh to get relief on their own like to to begin deduct deducting overcharges from their rents um without if if if they are not receiving a response from the
Division of Housing Preservation. >> I wouldn't want to speak to legally what they're allowed to do um or or give them any advice of what to do regarding like paying their rent. Um but uh I mean if they're not getting a response from division of housing preservation I would
act and in any instance across any of the divisions I do actively recommend they reach out to my office like we need to know if that's happening and we would be pushing them. I mean, I have pushed them in the past to try to answer the tenant petitions faster than the
building owner petitions, which I know was a concern at one point and it just had to do with the way the staffing was allocated and I brought that concern uh to the director and asked for a change. So, if that's happening, um, you know, I would work with the division to try to
do better. I, you know, I have to advocate for more staff on that line. That would certainly help. Um, you know, we we lost a spot on that line due there were some layoffs done a few months back. We lost a staff member specifically from that line and someone
that was reviewing some tenant petitions. So, there's been some challenges and they kind of all fit in to this larger box of some of the challenges we all have financially as a city. Um, but I I think your point is well taken. there are certain things we could do to even bring in more revenue
then that would make it easier to probably keep keep it staffed. >> Okay. Thank you. Um and I know um you know there there are over a thousand tenants just in Port Side Towers and they have been filing a number of uh
petitions, violation reports, things like that. They copy me on all of them too. So I I know you know we we all we all get them. Um and um my question is has has there been any have any tenants in Port Side
received a rent adjustment or is this part of an ongoing process or has has anyone received a refund because it it does seem like there are a number of violations there and I just >> yeah I mean I wish I could tell you that they have or that Equity is working with us but my understanding is all of that
wind wound up in this federal lawsuit and they unfortunately are not abiding by any of the things that the city is telling them, not by the uh rent leveling board's um uh decision, not by the any of the violations issued, they are continuing to charge people the
rents that they're not supposed to be charging them. >> So, what recourse does the city have in in that? >> You know, that that project in particular is a lot of it has been moved to the law department. what we have been doing are where the tenants have um let
us know of the continued violation of say other things not the rent control side um of the other things we have continued to issue those violations I also get those um emails I didn't start getting them to I think it was day 304 I'm not I'm not sure why but um once as
soon even the first email that I saw um you know we followed up on they made some claims about some construction code stuff and they had um added the DCA. We followed up on all of that immediately. Um there were some issues about the superintendent um on-site
superintendent. Um Chyon, Director Richardson tells me that the they filed the paperwork that's that that showed what the what unit it's in and the and the uh the per the superintendent that's on site. Um but any of the other ones there were there were violations written
for those. So it gets a little tricky because the issues of the actual rent control are in these the court in the court cases. So I know his early on when all of that was happening, I immediately had director Richardson work with at the time the corporation council at the time
to get advice on how to handle it because there was no, you know, we were not receiving any sort of um cooperation from the building owner. >> Can I >> can I uh jump in? Hold on. She you finished Lena?
>> I have one final question. I'm so sorry. >> Um so you know I again I've known you to be nothing but professional in my time working with you and um and I appreciate that. So I this should hopefully be a very easy question for you to answer,
but um you know some some constituents have raised the issue to me that um your husband is also an architect and he has his own architecture firm and my question is have you recused yourself from all matters involving um his his projects in Jersey City and will will
you continue to recuse yourself? >> Yeah, that is easy to answer. First of all, there's barely been any that have come in front of any board uh here in the city. I think only three instances in the last nine years uh and I the staff all knows that anything related to him um that I won't you know I'm not
involved in I'm really not involved in an application level anyway uh in all projects so that's pretty easy and uh early on we contacted DCA on how to handle uh you know this you know the situation and they uh asked us to have
anything of his that winds up in construction though he doesn't oversee the construction he's Jersey architect still all of that is permitted and inspected by Hoboken. So it's completely out of Jersey City's hands. Um so it I mean Jersey City processes it but Hoboken uh you know looks at it from a
code review standpoint and does the inspections. So it's getting double double looks. So I absolutely 100% uh recuse myself from anything related to him. Um and it's it's never been an issue in house. there is that the one
project that's probably causing that question uh is really a neighbor-to- neighbor conflict and I believe that no matter who was the architect that conflict would still exist and it's just a convenient excuse but it it's really has nothing to do with him.
>> Okay, thank you. Um that was my last question. Yes. Um uh was she she says she have a quick question >> there. Just just a very quick question about Portight Towers developer. What authority we city has um in terms of
that developer when decide to develop more buildings do we have any authority over >> they have never they're an owner they have never developed a building here in Jersey City as far as I'm aware I think they're just a building owner they didn't develop that building either they purchased it from the
>> person so I have no contact with them >> um >> that would make actually our lives a lot easier >> I know >> I think we'd have leverage spend them in. >> We're okay. Good. All right. Hi, director. >> Hello, council.
>> Um, we we had a I had a productive two-hour conversation with you last Friday. Thank you for your time. Of >> course. >> Um, it gave me a clearer uh picture of HDC and your work there. And I just have some questions I want to put on the public record. Um, so, director, uh, you
were interviewed in article published in Vital City in September 2025. Um the the story addressed Jersey City's housing boom and the rising housing costs um with median market rate rents having
increased between 50% uh 50% between 2015 and 2024 in response to the rising costs you said and I'm quoting you directly uh from that story. We hear the concerns of the residents. it's hard to see how much we build and still see the prices where
they are. The article described the department um and the city as maintaining a broadly prodevelopment posture with permissive zoning and a planning process geared towards efficiency and speed. You described your relationship with
developers as again quoting you directly, we meet with them, we talk with them, we work together. And in that same story, uh, Mayor Solomon, um, as a councilman and a candidate for for mayor said, Jersey City did quote, uh, a
poor job maximizing the public benefit of that development, increasing leveraging that development for affordable housing. We talked about afford affordable housing being his priority and mine as well. Since 2010, roughly 30,000 units were
built in Jersey City and fewer than 500 qualify as affordable. You've heard the concerns, you saw the prices increase. Um, you know, um, and so my question is, what specifically did
HDC do differently when they saw these trends um, that you were hearing and seeing at the time? And why should this council believe that the next four years will produce a different result? >> Sure. No, that's I mean there's a clear
way to address that. One thing that I think it's often hard for the public to understand is if there is zoning in place anywhere in the city, which often could be from, you know, as far back maybe as the 80s, someone has a a right, this is, you know, a right within the US
Constitution to buy a piece of land and develop what the existing zoning is on that site. And so if those if years ago a lot of zoning was given out, maybe they were allowed to build towers for example,
they're allowed to continue to build those projects. So we often are working with the legacy of a history of what happened through the '9s from the early 2000s. And that's what you're seeing built. Every time you see a building built that has zero affordable housing,
that's the story. It's not because we allowed them to do that. It's because they had zoning in place that allowed them to do that. They're allowed to file an application to the planning board. If they're not asking for any sort of a change and they get to build that project, I think that is very difficult.
I think it's difficult for all of us. Um what I have done is recognize in any instance where especially where um there is someone's asking for something where it's discretionary. So usually that's a zoning change for example. um we started
negotiating community benefits into those those projects. We started negotiating affordable housing into those projects and then over time we solidified those uh with the inclusionary zoning ordinance um that solidified percentages in different parts of the city. Then we went further
than that and we developed the affordable housing overlay. And what that did was say you have a certain envelope you're allowed to build like a box but maybe you can't with the density allowed maybe you can't fill that box completely. We allow them as of right to
go straight to the planning board without a zoning change to fill the box in exchange for affordable housing. um the same percentages and the same, you know, the same zone map as the O. Um there also was when I came in, there was
very little to no oversight on the existing affordable housing that was being built that didn't have external subsidy, right? So, if it didn't have someone else's money, when I first got here, I was still in city planning at the time. uh we were sometimes negotiating or the boards not not staff
at the board level say in a zoning board application they might negotiate a few units. We were trying to follow up on where those you know who's whose oversight were there uh for those units. Who was making sure that they were building them, who was making sure they were occupying them. Um and what we
quickly found is there was very few of of that oversight only if there was a pilot in place. So those that oversight was under um office of tax abatement and and compliance sometimes called OTAAC. They had 54 units um that when we uh so I created the division of affordable
housing specifically to solve that for that gap. They had 54 units when they handed it over from OTAAC to division of affordable housing and now they have 2,000 units in their portfolio. Those were all you know created in oversight by them. So I recognize that gap, but
the the way that we do that is through working on policies al together with the mayor and the council to try to find ways to go um maybe we've been working with fair share. We need to we need to find ways um to capture more affordable housing, but it is tricky and plans that
are old. Plans that are old that have uh a lot of density already built into them, it's very hard to capture it. Thank you. Um, so I I just want to follow up because you mentioned the ICO. It's so obviously that was a big uh
>> you were involved. >> Yeah. And um area that I'm passionate about and just wanted to see more affordability. um when we met on Friday, you expressed some I would characterize and you can correct me on I'm wrong, but
some skepticism about whether um a 20% I inclusionary zoning ordinance was achievable. There's the legal questions, but there's also the fiscal issues about trying to achieve that um and that it could slow development or cause problems around that. Mayor Solomon and I ran on
a 20% as a as a commitment, as a floor. Um and so when you are in a room with developers and it's um the deputy mayor uh finance JC mayor's office um and you're talking about a development
project um my question is are you going to be the person arguing for the 20% floor and figuring out how to make it work or are you going to be the person urging caution and trying to figure out how to um how to make
finding other ways that can accommodate um the development of the project and getting it seen getting it done >> on every single project we that that I mean usually we don't look at the project finances in detail unless it's asking for a pilot in front of the council but in every project that we do
that we push it to that we push it to the limit and we try to push projects um to get the most for our citizens and if it's not something where we're looking specifically at the finances it might be something where we're negotiating some other aspect, we're always trying to get the most out of it for our citizens. Um
the policy decision as to whether what a percentage we, you know, if we change the ICO or not, you know, I'll leave those decisions up to the mayor and the council, but if that's the decision to do 20% across the board, we will do 20% across the board, but it will I think my concern that I brought up on Friday that
that will mean that all of those projects will be coming in front of you to ask for a pilot. So I wouldn't be doing my professional duty if I don't tell you that ahead of time. That's not skepticism. That's uh me, you know, understanding the re financial realities of projects. That doesn't mean we can't
do that. We'll do what the council and the mayor decide. I I you know, you you all set the policy. I carry it out. And I'm very aligned with the mayor's goals, and I will carry out all of his policies. Uh >> I think uh Tom, you wanted to ask something else before I don't want to
monopolize. I think Mike Mike was there. Go ahead, Tom. Go ahead, Tom. Go ahead, Tom. >> Sorry. Just one quick question. Uh you since port side came up, um uh obviously there are certain aspects of it that are in the realm of the lawsuit.
Uh specifically whether the units are rent controlled or not, right? That's that's part of the litigation. Port side comes to the meetings for at least two and a half years, right? >> Four years, right? Excuse me. Excuse me. Four years. And certainly in the last two months that we've I've been on this
council uh and they they bring up each of the residents brings up a different uh issue that was that they filed a complaint about. Can we get a report from that from Director Richardson because obviously the complaint either exists or it doesn't exist. Right. And I I I want to be better equipped while I'm
listening to to the uh public comment uh to respond to it and know what the city is doing if we can get that report. >> Yes, absolutely. And my understanding is you guys are looking have a committee that's looking more detail and we welcome that. We will work with the committee. We'll share any information that we have.
>> Yeah, Michael. >> So my my question is regarding the security of um how how developers are securing their uh development projects. Uh, perfect example in in um Councilman Zupa's ward on Cottage Street, there's a
project being built and the gate that's protecting the project, it it's like it comes out. It's like halfway in the street where you could barely drive a car down. So, I don't even I don't even want to know what happened up there during the snowstorm
because I'm pretty sure they were getting we were getting calls or DPW were getting calls um or Stew was out there doing something, but it's it's but they're like it's almost like this this
recklessness, right? And there's there's no like they things are being done without considering um the neighbors, right? Um people are literally driving up on the sidewalk. People are on the
sidewalk almost getting hit by cars. That's how far the gate is out because people are driving and the car is like halfway on the on the It's I mean the these these guys are I mean I would hope that we can um you know do a audit of
all all the um developments being built now currently um and and get these uh developers to do the right thing and and and make sure that they're secured properly um and and that they're um taken in into
consider consideration that they're not the only ones on the block. >> We agree with you. We require every project to do um we have a site safety manual and where they have a site safety plan um and often we have to send inspectors to sites to um you know get
them to change what they're doing. It is a huge challenge of having so many projects under construction at once uh in the city. Um, and we commit with any of you if you see a site like that and if we hasn't isn't something that we've already caught, let us know. We always
send an inspector out. We usually have at least one working on a Saturday. You know, again, we have some staffing challenges there. It's not not openings, but there's not a ton of openings, but it's it's just tight staff. Um, so we they're mostly going to assigned inspections. We don't have any inspector
that's assigned as like a rover. Um, we just don't have enough uh inspectors for that. But we we always respond uh if anyone tells us and if the inspectors see anything on their way to an inspection, they will stop and issue uh violations or the construction code
official uh will call a job site or have an inspector that's been inspecting that job site call and complain to the super. Um that is a common thing in this city. >> And and also I just want to say like the the the um yeah, they're they're really
they're really bad, right? and and so we do have to get um control of this. I remember there was a there was a project being developed on Baldwin Avenue, Journal Square, and the crane was swinging back and forth. Um
I'll say last month, um a friend of mine who lives in Journal Square called me because debris was flying off of a building that's being constructed. Um so, you know, the developers, they're really not
they're they're really not caring. That's that's what's happening. That's that's the honest truth. And and then let's then we have uh developers with approved projects who haven't started building yet and their lots are a total
disaster. Their fences are are are falling down. Um I I just got uh a note today from from a constituent and I reached out to the developer and I let them know like please take care of this. Um and and so you know there there's a
lot of things that that need to be addressed with these developers. If if they don't want to take pride then they shouldn't come here and and and and build here and charge all this money for rent. There is many a time that we do shut job sites down, especially for say improper
crane usage or something like that, but I mean I'm not I mean you're saying stuff that is true. I mean it happens. Um it's hard to withhold if they have approved projects. Like we don't really always have the ability by law to withhold, but we certainly can call them. We can give them a hard time and
we can shut sites down. >> And one last question, I'm sorry. Is there a limit on um approvals? Like if I'm approved, so there's no limit. I can get approved and build 20 years later. >> No, no, no. Sorry, I misunderstood your
question. No, approvals do have a a time frame. Most of them is two years and then back to the board and do um ask for an extension. Um it could be a two-year extension, sometimes it's a one-year extension, but that it's two years is the standard and then they have to come back.
>> Okay. So if anything changes, let's say they have a project um and it expires and now the community that they were looking to build in becomes the ICO zone. Do they have to >> uh so adhere to that
>> zoning? So yes, that is actually the value of the why people often go and get uh approvals because they're protected from any zoning changes. when if an approval expires um then yes, zoning changes can happen while it's expired.
Usually people do ask to uh you know to re-up them. They go in front of the board and that's at the board's discretion. That doesn't have to do with me. It's our you know people that are on the planning board. But if they do expire, absolutely zoning can change. And if say zoning changed,
you know, in the years while they still had their approval, that is then the current zoning. And if they have to, they'd have to file a new application, they have to uh have that new application work with the current zoning. So, yes, absolutely. Thank you, >> director. Um, I know you briefly spoke
about some some form of disconnect between the prosecutor's office and director Richardson's uh landlord tenant office. Um, but what about the communication
um as it relates to landlord tenant and the inspectors seeing that they're under the same umbrella? Um, so I guess my question is as it relates to all of the divisions under you, um, the ones that work in
similar spaces, like how does that communication filters in? How does that communication look? >> So, just to clarify, the inspectors are not under me. That's one of the challenges. The inspectors are under the quality of life division, which is part of compliance office, which is part of
public safety. Wait, I'm talking about uh Joe Barrow. That part of the insp that's under quality of life. >> Public safety. Yeah, it's the public safety division of quality of life office of code compliance. Joe Barrow runs that. >> Ago, he was one of my inspector. Not he
was an inspector for us in commerce, but he hasn't worked for me for many years. That's not it's separate. >> Okay, strike that question then because it's >> but within our divisions in general, the uh directors have very good rapport with each other. I've worked really hard to foster that. We have meetings together.
They feel really comfortable speaking with each other. I definitely uh um celebrate and and expect them to speak to each other and have cross communication wherever possible. They all have very good relationships with each other. >> Now, as it relates to to port side,
again, um if we well, first of all, our rent leveling board determined that deemed it was affordable. granted that it is in court, but our position remains what it is. Um, and I don't know if this is a better question for legal. Um,
how how can we or can we like what can we do as it relates to rent receiverhip? Um, because I'm of the opinion that the only way certain people and or entities listen is when you hit them in the
pocket. Um, so if our position is right that these are rent control because that's what we determine. Now you can challenge it all you want. Um, but this is our position. Um, so one, are we within our rights to have to be a rent
receiver? Um, help me understand that legal or if you can um, >> I can only answer that yes, you are correct. The pro the uh, project went in front of the rent leveling board. the rent leveling board agreed that it should be in rent control. That is the city's position. What happened after that? I don't know. Uh, you know, I'm
sorry. I would have to ask. >> Um, do we embark on that journey as a municipality? Is that something that we can do? Is it a gray area or >> We can get you a memo on that. >> Okay. Cuz that's that's that's
um I think that's one of one of the big reasons. I just know that, you know, my research tells me that this is why fines are associated with breaking breaking the law, right? It's a determin
to only pay for breaking it, but it's a determin to do it again. And subsequently, it send the message to the other bad actors, hey, don't do that because this is the consequence. So, I I wanted to see if we can somehow
um do something about that. Again, without trying to overstep our authorities. We understand, you know, there's lawsuits pending and we don't want to, you know, infringe upon that. But I just want to make sure from a municipal perspective as a council, you
know, we're we're doing everything at our disposal because to be truthfully blunt and truthfully honest, this poor side stuff has been like literally a pain in my backside for like four four years. And it's a pain in a
sense, not that they constantly keep coming expressing their concerns. Is a pain for me to hear concern and go and witness it. >> That's what hurts the most. >> I think we all agree that with that. I think it's painful to see that it's still going on and that we've had
limited ability to do anything about it. My understanding, I mean, I'll wait for the legal memo. My understanding is we we did sue I believe equity due to them not listening to you know I mean that that's that's the tool right when someone doesn't when the city tells uh
someone you're violating our rules you can issue a violation you can issue a summon if it goes further than that the other tool we have is you know a lawsuit and I believe all you know all of that has happened and all of that is active
>> I mean does hold on have Another question. >> Yeah, Rolanda. >> I actually have three more questions, but how many? Three. >> Okay, this is the time to ask questions. >> Say if there are other people, I want to make sure I I share the time. So, >> I'm going to ask for
>> um director again. Um when we met on Friday um you committed um in that conversation to full cooperation taking you back to the rent protection stuff uh full cooperation with the rent protection special investigation committee um
including timely document production and access uh to your department's leadership. Um I just want to give you the opportunity to reaffirm that commitment publicly and on the record today. So >> yeah, that that's easy. Of course, whatever whatever you you all need, we'd like to help get to the bottom of it.
Thank you. Um my second question um is uh when we met you indicated that you supported the zoning board's approval of the Albian Hotel. Um that was a project that was approved at nearly double the allowable heights over the objection of
five neighborhood associations and then Councilman Solomon. Um how do you reconcile that position with the planning philosophy you intend to bring to this role under this administration? I mean, in general, um, I'm I'm extremely supportive of community, uh,
participation and neighborhood associations and their opinion. Um, you know, in most instances, that informs our position. Absolutely. Um, in that instance, we did feel that that uh was a relevant project and a good location for
that type of project. I mean, it meets the criteria for what you would want on your commercial corridor, a block from a PATH station. Um, it's a hotel. Uh I believe it's eight eight stories. I don't know. I don't remember the exact details, but it's within the realm of
something that made sense. Um there are it's a rare rare instances, but there are instances where our professional opinion may differ from the communities. That happens to be one. Luckily, that hasn't happened very very often in my opinion. I prefer it when we're all aligned. Um in that instance, I didn't
actually that you were asking my opinion. I was giving my professional opinion, but I didn't weigh in on it. I wasn't involved in it. It was a board decision. It had I don't ever speak to the board members about any of the applications. That was just my personal opinion and it was um my understanding
of of the professionals and city planning's opinion. Um but you know in the end of the day the board gets to make that decision and not any of us individually. Um, director Marion, the director of planning serves both, as I understand
it, to serves as director of planning and I think the acting director of >> director of zoning. Correct. >> Um, so city planning makes policy and zoning enforces it. Um, and one resident and land use professional has told me that having one person in both roles
creates an inherent conflict. um particularly when zoning appeals from her decisions as a zoning officer go before a board whose staff reports to her through city planning division. What's your view on that dual role moving forward? And do you intend to
separate uh or have separate leadership in >> I mean I would prefer if we had a zoning officer that was separate um and then had the director of city planning. I don't think the zoning officer has to necessarily be the administrative head of the division of zoning. Um, but it's really important to me that uh the
zoning uh administrator as well as zoning official and the the and the city planning staff have a good relationship. City planning writes the zoning obviously approved by you all. They understand the intent um what they wrote, why they wrote it the way they
wrote it. Um I think that we are looking for cooperation between those offices. So, I actually think her serving as the zoning officer, uh, the zoning official and making determinations on how to interpret the zoning that her office or, you know, people in the office prior to
her working there wrote makes a lot of sense. It makes a sense to have the person interpreting the uh, chapter 345, which is our zoning ordinance, be a professional planner. That's what's professional planner andor architect, engineer, someone with a professional
background. ideally a professional planner. So that's the way it had to be now. Um due to uh you know you know staffing uh someone left that was the way I decided to do it. I do have concepts in mind long term uh of how to
work with those offices but I I think that the conflict uh is made out to be more than it is. It's rare that something gets appealed to the zoning board and in the end of the day if the the zoning board is going to make their determination. Um Tanya understands
enough to not insert herself into the staff review of a project that is an appeal or in a you know a decision that's an appeal that it's very rare um for that to happen and she it has not been an issue. So but I do think long term it would be it'd be better if we
could separate the roles. >> Okay. And one last question. Um, this is pretty much similar to the first question I asked. It's I'm just going to be more direct, right? So, um, Mayor Solomon and I u, we both ran specifically against the record of the
previous mayor um, and your department in that sense and the results produced there um, the record that you built there. And so my question is why should residents
voted for radical change? um trust that you are the right person to deliver that moving forward. >> Yeah, that's a fair question. Um I think the clearest answer to that is that I have have never been and will never be political. I've never attended or
donated to any campaign of any of yours to Mayor Solomon. I am a professional first. I serve the person who I work for and they set the policy. I I have um no uh doubt that I have the ability to
carry out Mayor Solomon's uh vision for this city. I believe he believes that and that's why I'm in front of you today. Um so and he worked with me uh many times as the ward council person which often was in conflict um with policies and with the prior
administration and he saw that in the end of the day every project that I sat in a meeting on I was fighting for the people of this city and I think that um our ideas for the city are very aligned and I think that I have the professional background and experience to execute his
vision. >> Thank you. Okay. Um Mike might >> Yeah. Yeah. I have uh one last question. So, you know, we met earlier um me you and Councilman Gilmore and I would just um like to you to explain to my
colleagues what you explained to me and Council Gilmore regarding uh the grants and how they become uh how they reached the agenda last minute and how we could potentially change that. >> Yeah. So, we did we did speak about that. Um I do think that that's
something we need to change. That's one of we were talking about what things that I think we'd like to work on in the department. Um those decisions are made. It's a long process before something makes it to you all. Uh there's a plan that's done about what the priorities are and what the city's trying to work
on. Um then there's open application rounds for every single grant. He was is talking about uh community development, the grants within community development. Um there's open application rounds for each one of those. The applications are received. They're reviewed by staff uh when given we were given all of the
details. There's recommendations made. Um there's meetings with uh in this case it would be the deputy mayor uh deputy mayor Padar uh and the mayor. We would go through everything that came in. Decisions are made about what projects you know usually based on track record
like who's been successful at delivering results and then it makes it all to you all. Um there are instances where either maybe something didn't go well on one of those grants, somebody didn't follow the rules properly or something changed and something didn't go through and then we
have to pivot um and make a change from the plan that we had so carefully laid out in many many steps. And that's usually what's happening when something's coming from in front of you all and we're you know in this tight deadline. Um it's an unfortunate thing. It would be great if we could eliminate
that. um and not have that happen. And I think we're not out of the woods yet. I'm sure there's going to be a bunch of stuff coming within the next few months. But you have my commitment that I will work hard with that office to try to map out a very clear process uh with uh this mayor and deputy mayor Padar and we
will, you know, we will do a better try to do a better job to not to not have that happen as often. Um I think I feel confident that we can do that here. I know there's been a big desire in the past to try to spend a lot of money on city projects and I think that will
probably continue you know considering uh the current budget situation there it's very ownorous sometimes the paperwork required to take federal money uh both internally to the city the city when the city gets money just so people understand like say division a
department of infrastructure is going to apply for some money or DPW is going to apply for money to do something right uh pave streets uh plant trees, curb extensions, they have to be an applicant to us because they can't have uh division of community development, the funer and the applicant
at the same time. So, they have to be an applicant and they have to do all the same things that we require the nonprofits to do when they're applying. And I think the paperwork has been ownorous in the past. So, we've I identified that uh right away as soon as the new mayor's administration came in and tried to look for ways. We're
working with the grants office. We're trying to look for ways that we can support um that paperwork not being as ownorous. I mean, it's still going to be ownorous. It's just a question of can we support can we help with with filling it out or supporting with training on how
to do it. Um so, I do hope that we can do a better job, but I I mean I'm cautioning that I don't think we're out of the woods yet. I do expect in the next few months there will be there will be more because we have a lot we do actually have quite a bit of funding that we need to spend. >> All right. >> Which is I guess a good thing. >> Thank you.
>> All right, director. Thank you. Um is Sean we can um Yeah, that's that's good. Um I guess we could take it from the top. Whatever is left over for the director. >> Item 3.1 was touched on earlier. Item 3.2 city ordinance 26-018
is an ordinance amending chapter 53 personnel article 11 fixed salaries to modify fixed salaries for certain employees. Anybody have any questions? >> I I have a question. Um I appreciate administration uh reaching out to us and
and checking in about this beforehand. I have one more question. So to clarify, if we set something in uh if we set director salaries or if the administration says director salaries for which the budget does not appropriate, that's going to have to
come back to city council eventually to have that money be appropriated for a potential increase in a director salary. Um, I just want to understand what would happen if the council chose not to appropriate the budget for an increased
director salary. What what would the kind of process or consequence be there? >> Are you referring to a temporary budget or is it only in a temporary budget or we have to go before the council to reappropriate and change anything for that?
My understanding was that if let's say we passed the 2026 budget and then later in the year uh the administration chose to increase one of the director salaries by however much that the next year we would have to then appropriate for that
amount in order for that increase to start actually kicking in. That was my understanding from what the administration had explained to me. >> I don't know if that's entirely correct. No. Right. All right. But I I would state that, you know, there's two parts
to this. One, uh, the administrators are already committed to anytime they're going to change a salary, they will apprise the council in writing with the explanation and the rationale for why they would do that. And again, this applies to the directors, the people listing the fixed ordinance. So, one, the administration already committed to
that. Two, ultimately the council approves the budgets. So, you would have to see eventually what was done, what was changed, etc. when you vote on the budgets, whether it be a a temporary budget or whether it be the final budget for adoption, that all gets presented to the council.
>> So, I guess what I would try to say is the council can't override changes like that, but they get to see the changes. But again, they this administration is not trying to hide anything. So they committed to before any of those changes would be made, they'd also send you a letter if there were to be any proposed
changes indicating what salaries would be changed for the the directors, why it would be changed, you know, explain the whole rationale ahead of time. >> Okay. All right. Thanks for the explanation. >> All right, Sean, next one. >> Oh, sorry. Yes, >> council prom. Uh, similar question. Uh,
Peter, is there a line item breakdown of the budget, the temporary budget, the same way we're going to get when we go through our budget hearings? Like for example, um, Department of W uh, enrichment salary and wages. They have two numbers here. Could is there a
breakdown of what this number is going to? >> I should have asked you earlier. I apolog. >> Yeah, this is not the salary orders, I'm guessing. Correct. Yeah. >> About the ETA, >> right? >> Uh, there is a we have a very detailed budget analysis where we look at line by line for contracts and different budget
lines. I believe we can make that available to you. I just to confer the the finance department. >> Thank you. Anybody else have any other questions? All right. Next, Sean. >> Okay. Item 4.1, City Ordinance 26-015
is an ordinance of the municipal council of the city of Jersey City adopting amendments to the Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan. >> Any questions? >> No. >> 4.2 was touched on earlier. We have our speakers list at 41. Any questions or
comments on petitions and communications items 6.1 through 6.29? >> Can I have a copy of 6.2 and 611, please? Sure. >> I would also like a copy of 611.
>> When one council asks for result, >> I'm going to send it to everybody. I also copy Sean. >> What was that? >> No. Next. Uh, no officer communications. Uh, any questions or comment comments on
reported directors 8.1 through 8.3? We have our claims and addendums number one and two. >> Quick question there on page 32. Can someone tell me what department that uh is? Uh, it's at the very bottom of page 32.
Uh it's under it's got to be claimed the purchasing order one the department Porsche. >> Yeah. >> It it's a lead program in the HHS. The
name of the program. It's not it's not a vehicle. >> No. I I didn't think we had a luxury fleet all of a sudden. Sure. what department that was. >> It's EJHS. It's the uh the lead program. >> We were purchasing porches. Oh, never
mind. Anyway, on to our resolutions. Item 10.1 was touched on earlier. Item 10.2. Resolution 26-123 is a resolution of the municipal council authorizing the cancellization of real estate taxes on block 6005,
lot two on the tax map of the city of Jersey City, also known as Gateway Park Plaza, as the property was acquired by the city of Jersey City. Items 10.3 through 10.13 were touched on earlier. Item 10.14,
city ordinance 26-135 is a resolution ratifying an award of a contract to Noble Systems Incorporated for the automatic impound management system software for the car impound through the source while purchasing cooperative
for the department of public safety traffic unit. Items 10.15 through 17 were touched on earlier. Item 10.18, city resolution 26-139 is a resolution approving a list of qualified firms to perform legal,
excuse me, to perform various legal services for the city of Jersey City pursuant to a request for qualifications. >> Just to clarify for us, Sarah, what the RFQ is here and what? >> Sure. To to clarify, this resolution
does not do anything. It is just a formality. It basically memorializes the firms that responded to our RFQ, our request for quotes. So, it's just a transparency initiative. In the future, likely at the next council meeting, you will see resolutions awarding contracts
to a number of firms, many of which will come from this list. So, it makes it easy just to reference the resolution that indicates what all of the responses were. There will be some firms that we will be um putting forward resolutions to award contracts to who are not on
this list. And that is because we do have the authority and we uh transmitted a memo this weekend explaining all of this to you to award contracts to certain firms um who have not bid on our RFQS as long as they are compliant with all of the payto-play laws and have not made any disqualifying political
donations. Um but this is purely a formality and a transparency initiative. >> Thank you. Okay. Items 10.19 through 10.22 were touched on earlier. Item 10.23, resolution
26-144, is a resolution of the municipal council of the city of Jersey City designating August 27th of each year as Andrew Jerome Washington II mental health awareness day. Item 10.24, 24 city
resolution 26-145 is a resolution of the municipal council of the city of Jersey City recognizing April 6 to the 10th of 2026 as National Community Development Week. Item 10.25 25. Resolution 26-146 is a resolution in support of the
proposed New Jersey Senate Bill S3382, which would increase EDA bonding limit for state share of school facility projects of the SDA districts as well as school districts other than the SDA districts.
>> Um, if I may just say a couple words on this just so everyone is aware. Um this um this is a bill that is in the state senate right now. Um it is sponsored by um Senate President Terresa Ruiz and um it would put as a ballot question in
November um whether or not the state could issue up to 10.5 million $10.5 billion um worth of additional bonding for construction and repairs of school facil public school facilities. Um, of these 10.5 billion, 7 billion would
be dedicated to SDA districts. There are 31 SDA districts, of which Jersey City is one. I know we all sat through that um long meeting the other night with countless parents from PS16 um speaking to the overcrowding and the busing and and everything that goes
along with that. uh beyond PS16, schools throughout the city are um just very old buildings in various states of disrepair. And um the reason why I I believe that now is the time to do this is not just because of Jersey City's great need, but because um the state has
had nine consecutive credit rating increases, um upgrades. So now would be a great time to issue bonds and we are in a uniquely good financial position to do that at the state level. Um, not saying that's true at the at the city level. Um, the state also has not bonded
for new school facilities since 2008. So, um, I I put this forward. Um, Councilman Gilmore, um, who represents the ward in which PS16 is located is a co-sponsor. Um, as well as all the atlarge council candidates are al or
council members are, um, co-sponsors as well. So, I hope I hope we can pass this. And although it is symbolic towards um legislation at the state level, I think it, you know, if the state were to pass this and the voters were to pass this, this could really
help Jersey City Schools. >> Good job, L. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Items 26 through 29 were touched on earlier. Item 1030, city resolution 26-151 is a resolution appointing Arman Jera to
the Women's Advisory Board of the City of Jersey City. >> Motion. >> Motion to adjourn at 7:30 p.m. made by Council President Proemp Gilmore. May I have a second? >> Second.
>> Second by Council Person Griffin. All in favor of the motion to adjourn at 7:30 p.m. All council members present by acclamation, please say I. I. I. >> We are out of here at 7:30 p.m. Thank you so much everyone present and everyone watching at home. Remember
teamwork makes the dream work. Have a great rest of the night. Stay safe. longer. It gets cooler longer. >> Okay, it's getting hot in here.