I'm sorry. Yes, please. Thank you. This meeting is now called to order. Monday, March 9th, 2026. Councilwoman Habits, please lead us in a salute to the flag. United States of America
of public >> take notice that adequate notice of this meeting has been provided in accordance with NJSA 104-8 and NJSA 104-10 as follows. Notice of the meeting was prominently posted on the poling board at the municipal building located at 225 Main Street,
Little Falls, New Jersey on January 14th, 2026. A copy of the notice was sent to the North Jersey Herald and News in the Record on the same date. Additionally, a copy of the notice was filed in the office of the township clerk on set date. A link and a telephone number to join the meeting virtually can be accessed on the township website at littlefallsenj.gov.
Electronic provisions have been established of for the public to participate during the public comment portion of the meeting. >> Thank you. Thank you. At this time, madam cler, call the role. >> Council member Patel, >> present. >> Council member Murphy, >> present. >> Council member Habs, >> present. >> Council member Vaneri, >> I believe he's having difficulty
unmuting. >> He's should he's here. Is he not here? >> He he is. I think he's having difficulty with the mute. >> Uh, Council President Scoba >> here. Mayor Dan Ed, the floor is yours.
Thank you, Council President. This evening, before we get to the uh agenda itself, we do have a number of proclamations that I would like to read this evening. Uh the very first is a Women's History Month proclamation and it reads, "Whereas women of every race,
class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and abilities have made historic contributions to the strength of our state and nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways. And whereas in overcoming discrimination, harassment, and hardship, women have
been bold and fearless, never giving up on the promise that with hard work and determination, nothing is out of reach." And whereas in remembering the trailblazers of the past and the heroins of present day, we honor their legacies by carrying forward the valuable lessons learned from the powerful example
examples they set. Whether teaching our children, caring for our sick, serving in our wars, starting businesses, serving in elected positions, or venturing into unknown frontiers, generations of women believe their gender was no obstacle to what they could achieve. And whereas during
Women's History Month, we recognize the advances we have made in this state for women, but acknowledge that more needs to be achieved so women can gain gender equality and access to the prosperity of this state. Now, therefore, I, James Belelfford Damiano, mayor of the township of Little Falls, hereby
proclaim March 2026 to be Women's History Month in the township and encourage all residents of Little Falls to join in this observance. The next proclamation this evening is a proclamation recognizing Ramadan. It
reads, "Whereas Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic calendar and marks the first revelation of the Quran and the prophet Muhammad peace peace be upon him. And whereas Ramadan lasts 29 to 30 days based on the timing of the crescent moon. And whereas Muslims around the
world observe the month by fasting each day from sunrise to sunset. Whereas the daily breaking of fast ball diff is often celebrated by family and community gatherings. And whereas Ramadan is regarded as a time for spiritual reflection, increased awareness and
giving to the global poor, sick and hungry, and a bridging of differences between people over a shared commitment to faith. And whereas Ramadan reminds us that Islam has always been part of of America and Muslims have made extraordinary contributions to our country. And whereas the end of Ramadan
is commemorated by the Eid festivities of breaking the fast, a joyous occasion marked by sharing sweets, gifts, and good tidings with family, friends, and neighbors. And whereas the township of Little Falls joins with Muslims around the world celebrating Ramadan in Eid
this year. And now therefore, be it resolved that I, Mayor James Belfford Demiano, on behalf of the Little Falls Township Council, do hereby proclaim February 18, 2026 to March 19th, 2026 as the month of Ramadan in the township of Little Falls and urge all residents to
support our community members who are observing Ramadan. The third proclamation this evening is a proclamation for World Down Syndrome Day. Uh, and it reads, "People with Down Syndrome make significant contributions to the fabric of life. They participate
in the workplace, run their own businesses, take part in religious activities, create art, music, and dance, excel in sports and recreation, and pursue studies in schools, community colleges, and universities. And whereas Down syndrome is not a disability, nor is it an illness, is a distinct culture
within all cultures with its own beliefs, customs, languages, and common bonds. People gifted with an extra 22 chromosome transcend borders, socioeconomics, color, and ethnicity, bringing with them a richness that enhances the lives of those they touch.
And whereas World Down Syndrome Day is recognized worldwide as a day to raise awareness of and celebrate the many accomplishments, contributions, and talents that people with Down Syndrome bring to their communities. And now therefore be it resolved that I, Mayor James Belfford Damiano, on behalf of
Little Ship Township Council, do hereby proclaim March 21st, 2026 as World Down Syndrome Day in the Township of Little Falls. The next proclamation we have is the Irish American Heritage Month. And as
everyone knows, we have coming up in uh about eight days, one of the favorite holidays in America where everyone is Irish for a day. St. Patty's Day. And in honor of that, we have a proclamation. And it reads, "Whereas in October 1990,
the 101st United States Congress passed public law 101-418, which established March 1991 as Irish American Heritage Month, and the president issues a proclamation commemorating the occasion each year. And whereas generations of Irish men and
women have helped shape the idea of America overcoming hardship and strife through strength and sacrifice, faith and family. And whereas we celebrate Irishamean Heritage Month, we recognize the Irish people's contributions to our country. And whereas the Irish are
inextricably linked to the growth of the United States in fields ranging from literature, education, and science to politics, law enforcement, and military. And whereas we owe a debt of gratitude to the Irish-American inventors and entrepreneurs who have helped define our country as the land of opportunity. And
whereas we celebrate the sacrifices and contributions that generations of Irish Americans have made to build a better America. And we renew the bonds of friendship that will forever tie Ireland and the United Kingdom. And now therefore, be it resolved that I, Mayor James Belfford Damiano, do hereby
recognize March 2026 as Irish American Heritage Month in the township of Little Falls. And we have one last proclamation this evening recognizing Holly. Whereas Holly is the vibrant Indian festival of color colors marking the end of winter of
winter and the arrival of spring symbolizing the victory of good over evil. And whereas Holly will be celebrated on March 4th, 2026 with the Helika Dhan bonfire on the evening of March 3rd, 2026. And whereas the period
of Halakatak which involves certain restrictions and preparations begins on February 24th, 2026 and ends on March 3rd, 2026. And whereas the festival involves playing with colored powders, water balloons and picaris dancing to festive music and
enjoying traditional sweets like guia and dandi. And whereas Holly is regarded as a time for colors, joy and togetherness. Now therefore, be it resolved that I, Mayor James Belfford Dami, on behalf of the Little Falls Township Council, do hereby proclaim
Friday, March 4th, 2026 as a day to celebrate Holly in the township of Little Falls and urge all residents to support our community members who are observing. And that's all that I have this evening, council president, as far as proclamations. Thank you, mayor. I have a motion to open the meeting to
public and general matters. So moved. Second. >> Moved by Counciloman Mattel, second by Councilwoman Habitz. All those in favor? >> I. >> All those opposed. Motion. >> Thank you.
That's Councilman Venterry. He's um can't be with us. He's on actually on a train, so it's a little delayed. Uh >> thanks, Council President. >> Um uh Okay. So, the floor is now open. Yes, you can approach. For the record,
just you could just state your name. Uh you can spell your last name. You don't need to say your address. And if you would just bring the microphone so we all could hear Can you um I have to interrupt you one moment. We're having an issue with Zoom. >> Yes. Because this meeting is uh
advertised as Zoom and as in person, we have to make sure that our Zoom is working properly. Otherwise, we're in violation. >> It's not that it's not working. They're just unable to hear you. If you could just speak up a little. Yeah, please. >> Okay.
If you would, I'm sorry. You have >> That mic's not be working. >> Is it? >> Oh, maybe. Is it on now? I'm sorry. Um, if you if you don't mind if you would summarize why you're here for us. I'm
sorry. >> Consider changing the notes. Um, if you can consider changing the end time for residential outdoor usage of power tool equipments like lawnmowers, leaf blowers from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. like it is for the commercial uh
landscapers. Uh, just because um, usually on weekends or when people are out on their balconies, uh, there's certain people in the Turnberry Lane town homes that are running their lawnmowers like from six 700 p.m. and
it's loud and I have addressed it several times to uh the Little Falls Police Department where the officers have come to speak to me and they've also spoken to the person that runs their lawn mower sometimes in the evenings when it's nightfall as well.
So, what I guess I'm trying to ask is if you can change it from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. >> Thank you for coming before us this evening. So, you live in Charberry. Is that >> No, I live I live in the Tula province. Okay. >> So, um uh one of our buildings uh we're
sort of we can look out and see the owner of the Turnberry Town Homes and he has a very small um area to mow his lawn and and leaf blow. So running it for
over an hour uh you know on a weekend evenings it's not all the time but it's it's it's annoying. It's a >> I mean most people can you know the noise pollution I've lived here over 20 years in Little Falls and the noise pollution has doubled but I guess my
main point is if we can have the same ordinance as the commercial from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. That's more than enough time to mow your lawn or leaf blow the leaves. >> Miss Mr. D Maria are can you um Ern says
that you're able as a resident to uh use uh equipment up until 8:00 p.m. >> Yeah. In the residential zones. Yeah. I think they took into account that people that work if they don't come home till six o'clock on the uh weekday um that you know they start you know their lawn work you know after that time typically.
Oh, >> because we looked at it uh leash but two years ago we looked at the noise orienting depth. So, um you don't want to take too much away from the homeowner. Everybody has a different situation. Larger size yards, you know, and uh different zones, the lots are
different sizes. So, in some cases in the Sak section, the R1C zone, those lots are 50 by 100 smaller lots. If you go up into the Great Notch area, you got 15,000 square foot lots. Even if somebody starts at 5:30, they might not finish doing their lawn leaves till, you
know, later in the evening. So, they have to do a general >> uh they have to make it fair for everybody. They can't just pinpoint because it might, you know, >> inconvenience somebody else with a larger group. >> No, I I understand that. Um but maybe
extend it till 6:30, 7, you know, um just extend it a uh a little bit instead of till 8:00 p.m. Maybe till 6:30. I mean, it's not like I mean, most of the residents there's not a problem. It just seems to be the one or two that live in
the Turnberry um town homes that seem to they have been told and >> well, they're not at this point really they're not breaking the laws, right? So, they're being told to maybe as a courtesy to not do it. But, um does the
council like to weigh in? Mayor, any thoughts on >> Sure. Council President, I I I guess some of my confusion is you indicated that it's the town homes who are extending the work beyond 6 p.m. If it is the town homes, I'm sure that they have a contractor that would be
performing the work and they wouldn't be permitted to do it beyond 6 p.m. If it is in fact the town homes all the way around Turnberry, the single family homes along the roadway there, those are single family homes. uh and they would be permitted to do it till 8:00 p.m. I know that the 8:00 p.m. time frame was
one that was actually originally set back in around 2015 2016 when I was a member of the council here. Uh and the thought was exactly as Mr. Di Maria stated that there's a lot of people who uh in the summer uh you know especially if we have a rainy weekend may not get
home until may not leave work until 5:00 on a weekday get home by 5:30 start doing their yard and they may have several hours worth of work. We weren't looking to handcuff those individuals who are required to do their own work in their yards and have them have to stop
mowing or weed whacking or blowing their lawn without getting it completed depending on whether, you know, unfortunately there are times of year where grass grows extremely quick. We actually get dozens and dozens of complaints on a regular basis that homes are or grass is not being maintained as
it should be. That's one of the biggest complaints that we get that homeowners are not mowing their lawns as frequent as they would like. And again, sometimes it becomes very difficult for people who do mow their own lawns, who experience a ton of rain on a weekend who then are getting home later on a week day uh especially during those that April May
months where the grass is growing rapidly. There is a balance here. I can understand and appreciate your frustration if it's happening on a regular basis on a Friday night when you're trying to sit out and enjoy >> Saturday Sunday >> or Saturday or Sunday night even. Uh but unfortunately
>> he's doing his own it's not a landscape. >> Okay. So if he's doing his own yard Yeah. And again I can appreciate the frustration when that's happening. Um, you know, unfortunately, like I said, there's that fine balance that I think myself and this council needs to maintain, which is, you know, when is it
when is the inconvenience of them doing it for other people exceeded by them having the ability to do it based upon their work schedule? And I know for some people hiring a landscaper who would get it done during the day, that's out of the question depending on their finances. Them having the ability to do
it when they get home late from work is the only option. So there is a fine balance in in in trying to figure out what is an acceptable time for them to work up until without it being prohibiting them from doing the work while not offending too many people. And again I know there was a lot of
discussion on it back in the 2015 2016 time and again just two years ago this council passed another noise ordinance more recently with some of the new state regulations. So would um would they consider like maybe till 7 then residential or
>> that'd be a council consideration? We >> we'll definitely take a look at the ordinance and see if that's something that this governing body would like to instate uh look at that time. Uh we listen to our residents. Uh but as the mayor said, you know, we govern for the
entire town. But I am a little bit this that area of Turnberry. Do they not have their own landscaper? >> Because I know my friend lives there. He doesn't cut his own grass. >> Well, it's I mean, you can actually cut through to his backyard and my neighbors
below me next to me. I mean, they hear that more so than I do, but I can hear it when I'm in my living room, you know, um who had the door closed, but obviously they can hear it even more because their balconies and the lower
level they face right in the back in his backyard. Uh it it's a very small law, >> right? >> I don't know. I mean, if you can extend it professor, >> I mean, >> well, we'll we'll take a look at it,
Miss Klein, and we'll we'll see what what we come back with. >> Do do um like follow up coming here in another few weeks or what is the procedure kind of >> how this process works? is that um after this meeting I I'll probably be talking to the council members uh and seeing
their what they feel how the ordinance should be changed or not changed and we'll talk to staff because naturally whenever we do make a change we have to enforce it. Uh we also talk to legal the gentleman on my right to make sure that it will uphold. So we have to go through these processes every time we make
changes. Um but we don't know when that's going to come about. Um, but if you would like, you can leave your uh phone number and and your name with Mr. Katron. You can call his office tomorrow and when that topic comes back up, we'll have you notified. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. Thank you for
joining us. >> Clarify this is also agenda item. >> Yes. >> Great. Um, Misty Muggleston, Mu Gle O N. >> Thank you for spelling that out. >> Thank you. Um, so later this evening, you will all be reading having the first reading of ordinance 1541, which would
add chapter 203 regarding short-term rentals to the code township of Little Falls. First, I want to thank the township for taking the time to provide clarification and guidance regarding short-term rentals, as well as recognizing the ability for owner occupied homes to rent portions of their
residence on a short-term basis. While short-term rentals have not always been portrayed positively in the news, our experience has been quite different. The majority of our guests are families visiting relatives in the area who do not have enough space to accommodate them, people attending local weddings or
funerals or occasional international visitors who are town to visit New York City or many who are attending events at Midlife Stadium. Little Falls is a wonderful community with many advantages including convenient public transportation, excellent restaurants, and nearby shopping. Guests who stay
here are often asked recommendations on where to eat, where to shop for groceries, which means short-term rentals can also contribute to supporting local businesses and the broader community. In addition, during a time of economic uncertainty with property taxes continuing to rise and
the utility costs increasing significantly, the ability for homeowners to have an additional source of income is greatly appreciated. While we appreciate that the ordinance includes provisions intended to ensure that short-term rentals do not disrupt neighborhoods or interfere with the rights of neighbors, being a good
neighbor should always remain the priority regardless of the type of rental. While we believe that the majority of the ordinance is fair and thoughtful, there are a couple of areas that we respectfully ask the council to review. First is under section 2033.
Um, the owner of the short-term rental property is required to apply a permit every six months. The permit requires a $75 application fee and then a $500 permit fee, resulting in an annual cost
of $1,150. That does not include the inspection fees that must also occur every 6 months. Based on our review of the township close code, the permit for long-term rentals appears to be approximately $55 per year. If that is
correct, we would respectfully request that the permit fees for short-term rentals be more closely aligned to the fees for long-term rentals as an annual cost of 1,150 and the municipal fees seems to be excessive. Second, we would like clarification
regarding the proof of liability insurance requirements under section 203.4. 4.D2. Currently, when renting through Airbnb, hosts are provided liability coverage through Airbnb's air cover program. This program includes up to $1 million in
host liability coverage in the rare event that a guest is injured on their or their belongings or damage, stolen during their stay. We would simply like to confirm whether this type of coverage would also be considered acceptable proof of liability insurance under this ordinance. Thank you again for your work
in developing this ordinance and taking the time to consider the community feedback and we would be happy to continue any conversations as this continues through the process. Thank you. >> Thank you. So let's see if we could address some of your concerns. Um the council did work quite some time on this
ordinance. This has been uh probably fourth or fifth draft that this governing body has worked on. Um, so let's address the, uh, let's go to the insurance aspect. Uh, you mentioned that the insurance there's an Airbnb
insurance coverage. >> Yes. >> Just curious, what about if you're not doing Airbnb? >> That I'm not sure about. That's where I was like that's where I wonder in the code if there's some way to allow that the airb like if there is rental through an outside company that offers that
liability insurance if that is rather than getting a personal insurance on top of the company's insurance >> because you're saying Airbnb has this master policy that those that go through the service uh this insurance is like an umbrella that Airbnb supplies to you as
a as a vendor of Airbnb. Is that correct? >> Correct. which is why we found that it's actually better with the protections through an Airbnb service that they provide more protections that way for hosts. >> Right. But on your own, um that would there would be no insurance. You're just
doing on your own. >> Correct. >> Okay. >> Mr. De, you want to weigh in on that? >> Um do you want to speak or would you like to >> insurance? It's not my >> Right. So um obviously the point of the
insurance is uh obvious to cover for potential incidents that may occur at the site. Uh I have not seen uh this Airbnb liability coverage policy. I would have to take a look at it uh to
ensure that it properly uh covers what it intends to cover. And uh also uh as with any good insurance policy, there's probably a number of exceptions and caveats and
uh disclaimers. So those would have to be uh reviewed and it may fall within uh the purview of the ordinance. Um, I wouldn't say that it absolutely wouldn't, uh, but I think we would need
to, uh, take a look at that to ensure that it meets the intent of, uh, the ordinance and, um, that once again, the property should also have on its own, it probably has its own
uh, liability and uh, uh, property damage insurance. So this would be arguably secondary, but once again, we'd have to take a look at it, >> right? >> So I wouldn't say absolutely no, but obviously without having it before us,
it would be impossible to say yes or no. >> Thank you, >> Council President. Yes, >> Mr. D. Maria. >> Uh, so when you said uh I I caught a word, you said a portion of the property. So, if you have a single family home, you can't just short-term
rental, you know, a room within it. The whole entire house has to be rented and the owner has to be vacant. You This is not like an accessory dwelling unit. This is a short-term rental of a single family
home, which is a one complete dwelling unit. You can't create separate dwelling units. Do you live in a two family house? The ordinance that is on there has exceptions and has definitions for owner occupied short-term rentals that are specifically for those who are owner
occupied. >> And it say it's a dwelling unit, right? >> Yes. >> A dwelling unit, right? >> Yeah. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. A dwelling unit is your your house, not a bedroom.
So, but an own but my understanding of what the definition of owner occupied is is in a home that the owner is there like I >> let me clarify. So, when it comes to the owner occupied, this doesn't allow a LLC
to come in and purchase a single family home to strictly use that for business purposes because we've run into that in the township and that's why it was addressed. So instead of just saying no completely when everything was
discussed, you know, we wanted to allow a homeowner that if they want to go on vacation or their snowbirds and they go back and forth to other states and they wanted to, you know, rent out their property, they would be able to do it. This doesn't allow you to create, you
know, additional units within your house to entertain um the short-term rental program, >> right? So, the owner so the so so the >> once again this is not in in this in the
sense that um you you cannot be in essence an absentee landlord that you own the property and you're renting out the property. That that's not how this operates. that you that you're owner occupied means your principal residence.
>> Yeah. So, so you as the owner of your house right now, if if you said, "Hey, look, the World Cup's coming up and you know, the market's great. I'm going to go on vacation for two weeks and rent out my house, that's allowed if you register and and do all this correctly.
But you can't stay in the house the same time as your as you rent out the house unless you like if you had a owner occupied two family house, you could rent out the secondary unit. But if you live in a single family house, this is not where we're allowing people to
create accessory, you know, or dwelling units or accessories within their house to generate additional income that way. It's it's you would have to be fully vacant while the person stay. >> Okay. Then I guess I want to come at it
from another side then and ask what the reasoning is behind not being able to have partial of your home being able to be rented out as long as it's underneath the inspection. I think the concern I think the concern there is this is
something the council's talked about for a long time is to uh prevent um a a rooming or boarding house uh situation where people are in a four bedroomedroom
home. They're renting out three of those bedrooms. Uh that's a policy choice that uh this council I think has had for for quite some time. So once again, that's why they determined uh that this
ordinance would be offered, which would allow the full property but not portions thereof. >> Okay. Then I would respectfully like to ask the township to reconsider the fact that there is an ability and
there is a there is another side of not becoming like there should be a way to present it that it does not become like a boarding house that there are um it is a potential income stream in a safe and
viable way in this town to be able to have rental units of rooms within a house to be able to be rented through Airbnb that do not disrupt the neighborhoods that do not
disrupt the that allows us to be able to have you know the way to go through with this that um you know if there is some way to be able to especially if there is a resident and a resident who is in the
property being able to there's no other way there's no better way to protect the the rentals than having that owner actually living in the place itself as opposed to having them gone and having it completely rented. Like to me
that's more of a liability to the town and to being able to protect those places. >> So I gather u you rent out certain rooms to your home to certain circumstances. >> Yes. Wh why you're in the while you're in
your residence? >> Yes. >> You understand that? Um the reason why this is coming came before the council is that um there we've had issues in this municipality
>> um where homeowners um or even investors buy a home and they start renting out bedrooms. >> Yes. And it starts to become quite an issue with parking and also becomes an issue with uh the neighbors that live next to themselves.
>> Yes. And I agree that there is an abuse of that that does happen. And I agree that um I've even seen family members who have gone through the Airbnb system who are those who have an owner occupied
house and rent it out completely as a thing. And um that's when the outside parties come in and that's when the more of the the um what you see out there happening of not being able to control. But being able to have a resident
actually stay in the home while it's being rented is the control that you need to be able to one get the type of personnel in there and the type of people who won't be having the parties, who won't be having the problems. and that it's an
immediate resolve as opposed to waiting for a neighbor to call the cops to say there's too many cars here or there's too a loud noise ordinance or things like that. But I feel like there's a way to be able to create this ordinance to be able to allow and open up that as a possibility
with the residents who are remaining in the house. that there should be no difference between a resident who stays in the house versus one who actually leaves which is more of a liability to the town. >> Does the council like to have any input or comments?
>> Just council president. >> Yes. Uh Mr. D. Uh just to address that, when we start getting to that, we also um create issues within our zoning ordinance because if you're going to rent out, you know, a room per se, you
know, and provide a kitchen, you know, and a bathroom, we're we're starting to get into the conversion to a two family house. So, what people might undertake, although to honor some type of short-term rental, they'll be creating a
zoning violation, which is separate from that, and we'll be turning all these single family homes into separated dwelling units, making them two families. Um, so that would create multiple complications
um and other types of violations outside the short-term rental. >> Yeah. And there's ways to be able to rent the home without providing most places actually don't provide kitchens and they don't provide you know maybe a microwave is the only thing that is provided for it. I think I think the
point is is that when the person is there, if it's a single family home and there's yet another and there's another family there, another group of individuals there, uh that is the hallmark of
additional occupancy, thereby questioning whether or not it becomes a two family home at that point or three or four depending on the number of bedrooms. So I think the uh concern there is and I think Mr. G Maria's point
on that at the end of the day is there is a certain uh zoning requirement for an area and for that particular dwelling unit. And once you start to divvy it up you're actually making it
into a multi- family use. So >> regardless of regardless of how many bathrooms, regardless of how many uh kitchens, uh you're it's becoming a multif family use. >> So um homes that are in the town that
have um mother-in-law suites with grandparents also living, is that defined as a two family? >> We we can talk about this all night long. uh and I am more than happy to do that. But what you have is you are
renting out a a section of your property to persons in a property that is zoned for a one family. That is technically a violation. Not saying technically,
right? But my point is is that um the council uh I believe and it's certainly up to them. They're they're the policymaking individuals that the the question comes before the council in terms of this ordinance in terms of how
to and I think the council president brought this up. you know, once you have more than one group of people at a residence, there are major concerns for parking and uh other facility usage
issues. So, uh that's that's where this comes down to. And um so it it that's what it is. you know, we we can quibble about mother daughter and and and whatnot, but at the end of the
day here, it's a portion of the property that's being rented out, >> right? Then I would respectfully like to ask the council to re to relook at this and to be able to um that the burden is not any more than renting out a full house and in fact the
burden is less um because there is more immediate responses to any violations that would happen and it um especially if there are the rules in there regarding the parking, you know, the number of parking, the all of that stuff
would continue to stay. Um but it does you know and as long as the fire safety is all there and all of that remains um I don't I wouldn't see that where the um where the difference would be in fact less of a harmful by having the owner in
the residence. >> I appreciate your comments. Um this whole entire governing body appreciates those comments. We're here to govern as you heard the mayor said before what the other resident came before us to govern for the entire town.
Um, if you would take I'll tell you like on my block if I decided to rent my four bedrooms out. I gather some of them would have cars and so would my next door neighbors on my street alone would potentially be
50 people living if each one started to rent out their bedrooms. Be quite an issue quite a problem. uh this the cars alone and it would and also I think a safety uh the township not knowing who's coming and going would be quite an issue
as far as if it if the uh proper um access to these rooms weren't weren't there. >> Yeah. And I think I think that what's in those what you have in there um is the correct way, you know, that there are parking regulations. There are, you
know, the ability to have the access of exactly who those people are and where they are and where they come from. All of those are very valid. All I'm asking is that those exact same things happen and those exact same things are there while the owner is still in residence.
>> Well, just the permitting aspect. Uh you were your concern is that if this was to go through as is that you're feeling that short-term renters um that are going to rent out their home should not have to pay the fees
>> as compared to >> Yeah. Not necessarily not pay the fees but I just feel like a year is excessive. >> And we came up reasoning Mr. D Marie when we this was discussed. Can you talk about that? >> Yeah. So, um, since we were, you know,
allowing this, um, program to potentially, um, you know, work in town, uh, we thought it would be appropriate and we looked at other townships and cities ordinances where, you know, they they would take in the application fee for, uh, the original, uh, the original
application. Uh, so in here, I believe we have about $75. uh which is typical what somebody would pay for some a zoning permit in the township is $75. So, it it takes me to, you know, look at it, see if it conforms, and uh that's
the current fee for that. And then for that six-month period, you know, you would, you know, pay that $500. Uh uh because there's a lot of administrative work and other things involved with this to make sure that we're
properly documenting everything for uh this unit for there's accountability. Um so, that's where, you know, we did start off much higher. Um but you know the the council did come down on that cost and um
it's uh you know where we landed with the B. >> Well um I'm I'll consider not hearing this ordinance tonight. I I realize that there could be other individuals that want to speak on this behalf. Um but the
governing body has put an enormous amount of time. We don't take this lightly. this ordinance. Um, >> we are sensitive to those that, you know, make income from renting portions of their house out. We also are sensitive to the entire community as far
as safety goes as far as uh protecting those that are in our homes in our township, which is our first priority. Um, so I'll think about maybe not hearing this tonight, but I appreciate you coming forward, mayor. Council and I
would think in the to provide the maximum transparency. I would actually recommend that the council introduce it tonight because then it actually needs to be published. It may bring greater transparency to it. That does not mean that I'm saying adopted the following meeting. It can then be carried if it
needs to. But in order to bring maximum transparency to it, if the council introduces it this evening, it will have greater spread. Uh so that if there is additional discussion to be had, it can then be had. This council can then decide whether to adopt in the future,
modify or not adopt. But my suggestion to the council would be just to introduce so that it is then published and brought more to light. >> So understand the process the government these ordinance are two reading process. Uh what the mayor is suggesting that this governing body does is that we
introduce it but doesn't necessarily mean it's been passed. Okay. So, but it will be introduced. Okay. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Appreciate the time. >> Is there anyone in our chat room like to speak to us? >> Hand up right. Mr. Ventur, are you still with us?
>> Yes, Council President, I am still here. I'm in the car. My train got in early, so I am in the car, but I am here. >> Thank you. Have a motion to close the public comment. So moved by Councilwoman second.
>> Yeah. Moved by Councilman Patel, second by Councilman Ben Cherry. All those in favor? All those opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Uh Mayor, would you like to discuss one through nine? >> Yeah, thanks Council President. I'll try to uh be brief with all of these and get
through all of them. A lot of them are somewhat standard practice and uh regular operating here in the municipality. First is a resolution to redeem a third party tax lean and it is exactly as it states. Uh there is a property located at 80 88 Woodcliffe a
within this municipality that the tax sale certificate holder uh has paid and therefore uh it is the tax collector is advising that since payment has been received that the property should now be released. Uh so that is uh the first
resolution A. As we move through the other resolutions res number two on this list is the chapter 159 resolution as well as number three is a 159 resolution. And 159 resolution is a resolution by this governing body to add
funds that have been received into the budget. And we have received two sources of uh I'll call it revenue or monies uh both in the form of a grant. We got $250,000. The check was recently received from P County. It was a reimbursement grant for
the open space monies that we utilized to build the playground at Wilmore Park. This was the third portion of the three years of grants that we received. Uh state county has released those funds to us and we've received the check in order to to deposit that $250,000.
We need this council's approval. Again, it's a reimbursement. We've already paid the money to uh build the park. This will simply offset the costs that we incurred in building that park. Uh the second one, the second 159 resolution is
similar, unfortunately a much smaller number. It's for $3,150.74. And it is a body armor grant for our police department. It is the monies that have again been uh paid to us in order to purchase body armor for our police department, offsetting some costs there.
Any questions so far from the council? All right. Uh item number four is the resolution authorizing the transfers in the 2025 budget. And as we do annually to ensure that our uh finances run smoothly, we transfer monies from time to time. And these are leftover appropriations from 2025 that are simply
being transferred uh between uh operating uh and and various expenses. Any questions on item number five? I'm sorry, item number four. Next item number five is the resolution awarding a contract to to CGPNH for affordable
housing administrative agent services. Uh CGPNH has been our uh has been administering our affordable housing obligation here in the municipality. Uh some major cities have their own affordable housing authorities that handle this internally. Uh it does not
make sense for a small municipality like us to do that. It is a full-time job in and of itself. Uh fortunately we are able to pay for these services from our affordable housing fund which allows us to offset to provide this service without it being a direct cost to uh the
municipality. It is offset by the developers fees that they pay into our affordable housing fund. Uh so this is just awarding them an additional year's contract uh for 2026. Any question on number five? All right. Item number six is a
resolution opposing the 2024 FHA requiring reszoning. And as this council is well aware and as most of the public is very well aware, uh under the fair share uh housing authority, the municipality was at some point initially
required to build 285 units was our unmet need. Uh and we had that reduced to 174 units. Frankly, to build 174 units at a 15 to 20% set aside number, it would require this municipality to
build thousands of more units. And the bottom line is I and I believe this council finds their requirement to be completely unfair and unreasonable. And I believe it would have a detrimental effect to this community if
we were required to or we are but the fact that we are required to build thousands of units to meet this 174 unit affordable housing obligation. And what this resolution does is it expresses the opposition that I believe myself and this governing body has here in town
that I'd like to send down to Trenton in order to put them on notice that we do not believe that this is a fair obligation for the municipality and to give some background. This is a 40-year-old formula that the courts used when they designed initial affordable
housing obligations to generate new units. Uh that means that again well the bottom line is that there are urban municipalities that have been exempt from building additional affordable units while I believe the
burden that they no longer have on them has been sprinkled amongst all of the suburban towns throughout New Jersey. Little Falls being one of them. And I do not believe that the legislature was absolutely required to enact uh this moving forward. they were allowed to
modify this based upon the Mount Laurel doctrine. And I think that they have failed to do so. And this uh right here is expressing our concern with our obligation that we have to meet this affordable housing obligation. And I'm asking that this governing body oppose
the required resoning uh for the reasons that I just stated. Uh and I want to read just one or two provisions that is included in this resolution. And it reads, "The governing body hereby expresses its opposition to the foregoing provisions of the 2024 FHA, which today require our community to
reszone for affordable housing beyond its prora share while urban municipalities generating robust population growth and corresponding affordable housing needs are exempt from such requirements. As I stated, part two to this is the governing body urges the governor and legislature to enact
amendments to the 2024 FHA that provide more fairness to suburban municipalities, allowing them to equitably support affordable housing without violating sound land use principles, which is entirely permissible under the Mount Laurel doctrine case law. And I'm not sitting here today saying we have zero
obligation and we should never have an obligation to provide in any way towards affordable housing. What I am saying is that to blindly look at a satellite image of a municipality and to blindly circle areas where it looks like there
are trees or grass and to blindly say this many acres equates to this many units that a municipality should build is not the method or the calculation that the state should be utilizing to impose affordable housing obligations.
I believe that a far more thorough approach needs to be taken. I believe that the legislature needs to ensure that there is fairness amongst the entire state and that the burden of building affordable housing should not fall squarely on suburban communities like Little Falls.
So that is what item number six is. I know I was on my high horse for a minute there. Uh but item number six is the resolution opposing the 2024 FHA requirements. Okay. Item number seven is the LEAP uh
implementation grant resolution. Uh LEAP stands for the local efficiency achievement program. Before I get to that, council, are there any questions on item number six, the FHA requirement? >> Well said in there. >> Thank
you. Uh number seven is the LEAP imple implementation grant. Again, as I stated, it's the local efficiency achievement program. Uh the there is a new I shouldn't call it new but there as part of the department of community affairs division of local government services uh there
has been a $2 million number that they have put out there that is now that that municipalities are eligible for under shared service agreements and as everybody here knows most recently we adopted a new ordinance to include Verona Cedar Grove Little Falls and
Woodland Park in our shared services agreement for the flood board addressing the Pekman River. Because there are three or more municipalities involved in this shared service agreement, we have four. Uh we are eligible to apply for a chunk of this $2 million. And one of the
needs that all four municipalities discussed and agreed is an absolute need uh to address flooding was a sewer, jeter, and vacra. Uh it is those trucks that have those huge tanks on them with the big rubber hoses on them and as well
as some high-pressure jetting systems and it allows us to ensure that all of our catch basins are maintained properly and cleared. Uh we currently use our street sweeper as our vac truck and our jet truck in this municipality is I
think over now 40 years old. Uh it is an old piece of equipment. it is unable to break up a lot of what we sometimes encounter which requires us to hire a third-party contractor that we pay for to provide those services. Uh this would allow the four municipalities uh to on a
shared service agreement kind of rotate that truck on an as needed basis to ensure that all of our catch basins are cleared which would allow for proper drainage which would allow for uh better maintenance of of all of our uh free flowing water and storm water in the
municipality. Uh so we've agreed as a fourbodied board uh that Verona will be the lead agency on this which I was very happy to give to another municipality uh in securing this grant hopefully to secure $300,000 to buy this sewer jeter
back. Any questions on item number seven? All right, items number eight and nine uh I will do somewhat in conjunction with one another. Items number eight and nine uh are two resolutions as part of a settlement agreement that the
municipality is entering into uh with a prior employee. And ultimately uh by entering into this settlement if signed uh the municipality will actually will actually result in somewhere around $50,000 a year cost savings to the municipality. Uh so it is the intention
uh and my request that the council uh approve resolutions eight and nine or I should say H and I. Any other questions council person? >> Thank you ma'am. Have a motion to approve the following raffle application. >> So moved. >> Moved by counciloman Patel. Second by
counciloman Habitz. Madam clerk call the role for the mental health association raffle. >> Council member Patel. Yes. >> Council member Murphy. Yes. >> Council member Habits. Council member Venturi. >> Yes. >> Council president. >> Yes.
>> Thank you, Chris. >> Thank you, Councilman. Uh, yes. Have a motion to approve. You're >> driving me nuts. >> Have a motion to approve resolutions A through J. >> So move. >> Counciloman Patel moved. >> Second. >> Second by Councilwoman Habitz. Madame
Clerk, call the role for resolutions A through J. >> Council member Patel. >> Yes. >> Council member Murphy. Yes. >> Council member Havs. Council member Van Sherry. >> Yes. >> Council President Scoba. >> Yes. >> Madam Clerk, please read ordinance 1536. >> Second reading and public hearing of
ordinance number 1536. An ordinance entitled an ordinance of the township of Little Falls amending article 16b transit village districts chapter 280-136.16 TVCBD central business district requirements with the township code with
sorry of the township of little of sorry I'm justing this one of the township code to establish a permitted uh residential density density in the TVCBD zone pursuant to the township's adopted fourth round housing element and fair share plan. Thank you. The public
hearing on 1536 is now open. Does anyone wish to speak on 1536? See no one come before us. The ordinance is uh the public hearing is now closed on 1536. Have a motion to adopt 1536.
>> So move. >> Moved by Councilwoman Patel. >> Second. >> Second by Councilwoman Hlettz. Roll call, please. >> Council member Patel. >> Yes. >> Council member Murphy. >> Yes. >> Council member HT. Council member Vaneri. >> Yes. Town President Scoba. >> Yes, Madame Clerk. 1537. >> Second reading and public hearing of
ordinance number 1537, an ordinance entitled an ordinance of the township of Little Falls to repeal and replace chapter 57 development fees and repeal and replace chapter 97 housing affordable to address the requirements of the Fair Housing Act and the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls regarding compliance with the township's
affordable housing obligations. >> The public hearing on 1537 is now open. Does anyone wish to speak on 1537? See no one come before us to speak. The public hearing on 1537 is now closed.
Madame clerk, please call the role to adopt 153. I have a motion to adopt 1537. >> So move. >> Moved by Councilwoman Habitz. >> Second. >> Second by Councilman Murphy. Madame Clerk, call the role. >> Council member Patel. >> Yes. >> Council member Murphy. Yes. >> Council member Havitz. Council member
Vaneri. >> Yes. >> Council President Scoba. >> Yes. Madame Clerk. 1538. >> Second reading and public hearing of ordinance number 1538. An ordinance entitled an ordinance of the township of Little Falls amending article 18 affordable multifamily overlay zone AMF
chapter 280-139.12 low and moderate income housing requirements of the township code to increase the permitted density in the AMF zone pursuant to the township's adopted fourth round housing element and fair share plan. >> The public hearing on 1538 is now open.
Does anyone wish to speak on 1538? Seeing no one come before us to speak on 1538. The public hearing is now closed. Have a motion to adopt 1538. So >> moved by Councilwoman Habitz. >> Second. >> Second by.
>> Councilwoman Patel, please call the role. >> Council member Patel. >> Yes. >> Council member Murphy. >> Yes. >> Council member Habits. Council member Van Sherry. >> Yes. >> Council President Scoba. >> Yes. Madame Clerk. 1539. >> Second reading and public hearing of ordinance number 1539. An ordinance
entitled an ordinance of the township of Little Falls amending chapter 7 traffic on street regulations of the code of the township of Little Falls. >> The public hearing on 1539 is now open. Does anyone wish to speak on 1539? >> See no one come before us. The public
hearing is now closed on 1539. Have a motion to adopt 1539. >> So moved by Councilman Murphy. >> Second. >> Second by Councilwoman Habitz. Call the role on 1539. >> Council member Patel. >> Yes. >> Council member Murphy. Yes. Council member Havs. Council member Van Cherry. >> Yes.
>> Council President Scova. >> Yes. Madame Clerk. 1540. >> Introduction of ordinance number 1540. An ordinance entitled an ordinance of the township council of the township of Little Falls in the county bay state of New Jersey to amend chapter 280 zoning of the code of the township of Little Falls with second reading and public
hearing scheduled for April 13, 2026. >> Have a motion to introduce 1540. >> So moved. >> Moved by Councilwoman Patel. >> Second. Second by Councilman Murphy. Please call the role. >> Council member Patel. >> Yes. >> Council member Murphy. Yes. >> Council member Havs. Council member
Vanseri. >> Yes. >> Council President Scoba. >> Yes. Madame Clerk. 15 1541. >> Introduction of ordinance number 1541. An ordinance entitled an ordinance of the township council of the township of Little Falls in the county of Vay state of New Jersey to add chapter 203
short-term rentals of the code of the township of Little Falls with a second reading and public hearing scheduled for April 13, 2026. Have a motion to introduce uh introduce 1541, please. >> Moved by Councilwoman Habitz. Second. >> Second by Councilman Murphy. Call the role, Madam Clerk.
>> Council member Patel. >> Yes. >> Council member Murphy. >> Yes. >> Council member Habits. Yes. >> Council member Van Cherry. >> Yes. Council >> President Scoba. >> Yes. Uh Councilman Venturi, would you go first, please? >> Sure. Give me give me one second,
council president. Um, so I just have a couple updates. One is I think everyone saw the notice that went out last week on April 1st, we will have our annual autism awareness month flag raising at 6 p.m. in front of town
hall. All are always welcome to attend. Uh, so I just want to remind everybody about that. Um, the only other update I have is you I just want to send my condolences to the O'Hare family. uh Darthy O'Hare passed away last week and she was a longtime resident and you know
the reason a lot of the work gets done in the Pekman River it's credit to her and you know I was lucky enough to work with her on it and she left me a ton of documents to read up on to understand it so my thoughts and prayers are with her family that's all I have council president
>> thank you council councilwoman Patel >> uh thank you council president just wanted to wish um all the residents that do you celebrate holy a happy holy I hope they had a great time celebrating. Um, in terms of events from the uh
Clifton Health Department, starting this Wednesday, March 11th, they're holding a six-w week program at the Little Falls Civic Center. This program is for residents 55 and older. It's held every Wednesday from 10:30 to 12. And the focus is to learn strategies for
managing symptoms and working with health care professionals to set weekly goals uh as it pertains to healthy eating, exercise. Um if anyone is interested, you can still sign up. Contact Donnie at the Clipton Health Department at 201747011.
Um on Thursday, March 26 at 6 PM, they're hosting a free paint and sip night that's also going to be held at the Little Civic Center. Um it could get information on colorectal cancer, things like risk factors, um screenings. Uh and
you would get this information while enjoying mocktails and painting your own masterpiece. So registration is required. For anyone interested, uh, you can call Ashley at the Clifton Health Department at 2017390665. And then the next public health
committee meeting will be next Monday, the 16th at 3:45 at the Little Falls uh, Little Falls Civ Center. That's all I have. Council President, >> thank you, Councilman Murphy. >> And council president. So, we had a domestic violence awareness committee meeting last Tuesday, and one of the
things that the committee discussed was really furthering the leazison that we have for the committee. So in years prior we used to have leazison from the schools and from different organizations in the town municipal alliance and so one of the things that we want to try to do this year um in 2026 is really grow the committee and what one of the ways
they want to do that is focus on more leaison so right now we just have one leazison which is from the police department and that relationship really has been great and it's been growing and it's something that we're looking forward to and and because of the success of that one of the areas that they really want to focus on is the schools and some other uh organizations in town. So, I'll be reaching out to the
school as well as some of the other council members seeing if uh we can get maybe another liazison or two from other committees um and so that we can really try to help grow this and really tie in all the other organizations in town with the committee. So, I think it's going to be a good thing. Um excited to get to work on it and uh so is the committee.
So, truly all I have, Council President. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councilwoman uh Abotsz. >> Thank you, Council President. Uh so, I'd like to acknowledge and thank the council and the mayor for the proclamation tonight for Women's History Month. um if not for the women before us, myself and Councilwoman Patel and
Cynthia as our clerk would not be sitting here uh without the women before us. So, a huge thank you to everyone. Um also want to say that our our next council meeting uh will feature a few of Little Falls own that we'll be honoring for Women's History Month. Um the
library updates I have the library is hosting a program by the museum of uh early trades and crafts uh that will focus on women's history month. It's a presentation. Uh it is tomorrow night. Uh you can go to the library website to register still. The registration is
still open and as always uh the library website and the social media pages have all the up tothem minutee um events that they have at the library. That's all I have. >> Thank you. March 18th will be our first event for the senior advisory group for our
seniors here in town. Uh will be our St. Patty's Day lunchon. It's going to be Octo uh March 18th here at the Civic Center. Uh we have a great DJ and singer that's going to be joining us. And uh we're going to have some really delicious corn beef and cabbage. Also a
little pasta, too, and some perogis and some great uh dessert for those that can attend. It's going to be at 12:00 to about 3:00. And that's this March 18th. Chief, would you have anything for us this evening? And for the record, uh, Deputy Chief Pressing is attending our
meeting. >> Yes. Thank you, Council President. I'm just uh introducing everybody knows uh the new deputy chief. Um, so he's going to start attending the council meetings flow brief beforehand. I'll turn it over
to the new depth for his report. >> Good evening. Uh not too much to report to you tonight, but I just want to bring uh you aware that our last uh traffic enforcement detail, we've uh conducted over 30 hours of enforcement for
aggressive drive last month uh resulted in numerous sumances arrest participated in uh this year. We're look uh this month we're looking to forward with a newly acquired sustained enforcement grant. That is a grant that
is not given out lightly. So it is a actually big honor for us to be a recipient of this. This goes to show the hard work that was given put forward previous year. So this is the enforcement grant runs throughout the year and we will push forward of close
to 60 hours per board. So what we're going to do this month for St. Patrick's Day is a five-day campaign uh drunk driving and aggressive driving campaign surrounding St. Patty's Day. Um, outside of that, we have two uh sw
special law enforcement officers nearing completion in the police academy scatter state county. They got about two months to go. So, look forward to getting them finished up and out on the road. >> Thank you, Deputy Chief. And thank you, Chief. Um, I would say probably most
chiefs wouldn't do that. Wouldn't have their deputy chief come before us. They'd kind of hang on to the last minute and not break in the new the new individual. So, thank you. Can I have a motion to open the meeting to the public for agenda items only? So moved. >> Moved by council Murphy. >> Second.
>> Second by Councilwoman Habits. All those in favor. >> All those opposed? Motion carries. Madam clerk. >> Anyone wishing to address the township council may do so to the council president. It is preferred if you give your name and address for the record. Comments are to be limited to three minutes. However, if appropriate, you may be granted additional time and the
sole discretion of the council president. Members of the public who have joined the meeting virtually and desire to provide comment shall raise their virtual hand in the Zoom application. The meeting moderator will cue the members of the public that wish to provide comment and the council president will recognize them in order. Members of the public who have joined the meeting by calling in must press
star six to mute and unmute themselves and star 9 to raise their hand. Members of the public who have joined the meeting via the Zoom application must click the actions icon and then the raise hand icon. Once the process is complete, we will we will return to the regular order of business. >> Thank you. I the floor is now open. I
think Mr. Baron would like to uh have the floor. >> Hello, council president. How are you? >> Good evening. >> Tom Baron, 26 Bmont Terrace. I hope you'll grant me a little leniency here. I have a few statements and a couple of questions I was hoping to get answered.
Um firstly, and it's a simple one, the the website um currently doesn't have the Zoom link to this meeting. It's the last two meetings there. It's it's available on the email, but for some reason it's not on the website. And as someone who goes to the website to find
it, it was just one more step. I had to ask my wife, who's far more organized than I am, to send it to me. Uh so if that's something we could maybe update. Um, number two, I really wanted to commend uh commend the council, particularly um council women, I believe it was Patel and Habitz as well as
Councilman Murphy and and you council president uh Scoba for attending the Pate County uh meeting that we had that special meeting regarding the Wilmore Road project. Um it was just, you know, it was a pleasure to see you guys come out and and hear some opinions. Um, I
think, you know, I think it's fair to say that a lot of people aren't aware of that project. Um, and moreover that we came out in force. I mean, there had to be at least 30 or 40 uh local residents local to the project, I should say, who turned out for the Pman Preserve project
um and and voiced their opinions specifically against one particular piece of it that the public bathrooms. Um, but it was it was nice to see our our local council show up and and support us and and hear us out on that. So, I I appreciate that. Um, thirdly, and I I know I'm rambling, uh, just to
provide a bit of a dissenting opinion on on the earlier uh, citizen commenting. Um, I I frankly want to commend the council for for any kind of restrictions andor fees that we put on short-term rentals. U, quite frankly, I I mean, if it were up to me, they would be banned
in in our town. I I don't think they provide uh really any benefit. I've I've been on this meeting before and and voiced my concern over the parking and and multifamilies that I think we have quite a few of who are who are outside of their their existing ordinance um
their zoning and I think it happens frequently and I think that the schools are are going to be overburdened and and there's a lot of things and not that that speaks specifically to the uh short-term rental piece um but it's just another thing that I don't think our town needs to police. Uh it sounds to me
like we're becoming landlords for for the community and I don't think that's the to the benefit of the citizens. Um and I'm willing to bet most citizens would agree with that. Um and those are my that's my vamping. Thanks for hearing me out. I do have a couple questions. Um
now that the snow has melted. Um any anyone who has seen me or my wife in town knows that we walk probably more miles than than anybody. Um, and the sidewalks, specifically the new sidewalks in front of the Brmley and Up Stevens in front of School One are the
worst I've ever seen. Um, and my question is is just whether or not the township has any kind of contingency or or any kind of bond from the contractors. I I think it was two separate contractors who did two of the worst sidewalk jobs I've ever seen. They're literally falling apart. They're
dangerous. They're they're gross. I'm sure they were quite expensive and now they're falling apart. Um, and you know, we have sidewalks in this town that are decades and decades old that are in far better shape than these that are that are less than two years old. So, I I'll wait for a response on that one.
>> Mr. Brmo, circle back to your website uh question. Mayor, can you um elaborate why the website meetings? >> Sure. The uh >> Thank you, Tom. The website has uh the agenda and on each agenda as you open
it, the link is embedded on the top corner of each agenda. So, as you look at each evening's council meeting in advance uh and the agenda for it, the top right corner has a link that you can click on when you're on a computer and it will automatically open the Zoom link uh for future reference. Uh we can also
work more easily accessible right on the homepage uh because it is the zoom link that we utilize for council meetings, planning board meetings. It is the same link uh if or when you join this one. You can save this link. Uh it will always be the same at least for the
foreseeable future here. Uh it has been the same since co we one zoom link. So uh that is one other way that you can do it is by saving this particular link for zoom. Uh as far as the sidewalks and the snow, uh I concur. I have seen uh some
of the sidewalks that are somewhat disintegrating in some parts. Um we have not completed the work with uh the contractors at this point. I am not sure uh what the issue is with some of the concrete that's been delivered. Uh I do find that some sections of it are okay
and other sections are not. And I don't know if it is a loadbyload difference of the concrete that they've been provided. You're right. It's two different contractors. Uh so I don't think it is a particular contractor issue in particular. Uh because again, two different contractors have the same
result with concrete. There are only so many concrete plants. I'm not sure if they ordered them from the same plant and if that was part of the issue. Uh but certainly something that I intend to address and be on top of because you're absolutely right. Some of the sidewalks for being relatively new are not in
great shape. Okay, thank you. And and I appreciate your feedback on the uh the Zoom. Clearly, I'm used to going to the exact same spot and I'm showing my age that I didn't I didn't look at the top of the agenda. That's my bad. Uh the the last question I had and and I I feel like
this has been addressed before um and I know the answer is probably PSEG, but I have to ask the parking lot on Stevens is also an absolute disaster. Um, you know, we are past two years now of the completion of that project, or I shouldn't say the completion because
it's never been completed. Um, but at least the the finishing of the pavement of that project. Um, and it's just crazy to me that it's it's still incomplete. It still has the the plastic pylons, you know, where light poles are supposed to be. Um, same question really applies.
Like, I'm just hoping that we're holding contractors accountable. It just it feels to me like we're I don't know like between the sidewalks and that project I I couldn't be happier. I think the everyone agrees the landscaping and and all the street lights look fantastic. Um
this is just all the finished work, right, that we do in this beautiful town to to make sure we look great. Uh and those are two great projects that I was really happy to see uh you know, I should say started but not completed because again the sidewalks are in disarray and that parking lot is just a disaster. Do we have any update on
what's going on with that? And then I'll I'll log off. So, thank you. >> And and Mr. Brun, you're welcome to come every meeting and ask about the parking lot because I got to be honest with you, um these five council members asked the mayor every day about the parking lot. I mean, it is something that we want to get finished. Uh but the mayor will
explain where we stand with it. >> Yeah. So, unfortunately, the lights, as you've indicated, largely a delay on PSEG's part, but that has that has nothing to do with the top coat being completed in the parking lot. Uh we have actually and I believe it is still scheduled for the last I spoke to our
engineer. Uh unfortunately with the schools in session, there's a bit of a uh coordination that needs to go on to get the lot uh parked because of school drop offs, parents in the area, things like that. And we figured that one of the easiest days to not impact uh a
weekend to not impact drop offs or any of that would actually be during the spring break week. So we are hopeful that during the spring break week that first week uh after Easter in first full week in April that the contractor is being coordinated to pave then absent
any uh issues. Hopefully at least that portion will be done and then all that would be left at that point would be the installation of the electric vehicle chargers and PSCG to install the actual decorative lights. There's also a guardrail that's being
installed along the school building itself provide one additional layer of protection between the parking lot and the sidewalk that is kind of near the school. I believe that would round out all the work there else. Mr. Brown,
>> no. I think you all know me well enough that if I was there, my sarcasm would have me say you do mean spring break of 2026, right? But I'm not going to say it. You're you're a good guy. Hey, I hope you're uh I hope you're all having a great spring break. So, thank you very much and keep up the good work everybody.
>> Thank you, Mr. Brock. Is there anyone else that would like to join us in the chat room? See, new one, right? Am I correct? No one has their hand up, right? Have a motion to close the public comment. >> Moved by Councilwoman Patel, second by Councilwoman Hberts. All those in favor?
All those opposed? Motion carries. I want to thank I know the staff signs up for these occupations. I want to personally thank Mr. Controne, Mr. Wel and uh Mrs. Krauss and Mr. Di Maria uh for assisting me with this agenda. Uh it
was quite an endeavor this particular meeting with a lot of back and forth on some of these ordinances and issues that we had. So I want to personally thank you very much for assisting me. Have a motion to close the meeting. >> So moved by council, second by counciloman HZ. Those in favor? All
those opposed. This meeting is now closed.