So, good evening everyone. Thank you for coming out for the council meeting. The March 25th, 2026 council meeting of the Long Ranch City Council will now come to order. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Asus >> here. >> Mr. Vieira >> here.
>> Mrs. Whittis is absent. Mr. Dangler >> here. >> Dr. Vote >> here. All please stand for the pledge of allegiance. >> [clears throat] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> And I will now read the mission statement for the city council. The Long Branch mayor, city council, and administration are committed to cultivating an environment of mutual
trust and respect that values the diversity of our community. We will strive to enhance the quality of life for all who live here by making Long Branch a desirable place in which to live and prosper. We [snorts] will treat all members of the public
with respect and expect the same in return. Certification, please. I hereby certify that this meeting has been published in the newspaper in accordance with the open public meeting act and posted as required by law. >> Okay. Thank you. And first on the agenda
is a presentation on for the Irish American Heritage Month presented by our Long Branch Public Schools. And who is coming up for that? Wonderful. Come. Yep. Um tell us your name. Um, my
name is Kira Em. >> Great, Kira. All right, >> go for it. >> A resolution proclaiming March as Irish American Heritage Month. Whereas from America's earliest days, Irish immigrants and their descendants have contributed leadership, wisdom, and vitality to America. through nine
signers of the Declaration of Independence and 22 presidents with Irish roots, as well as the indelible mark Irish Americans have made in shaping the great state of New Jersey and the city of Long Branch through numerous governors, legislators, mayors,
and public officials. Whereas throughout their long history, the Irish have been ardent in their passion for liberty, hatred of oppression, and renowned for their loyalty. And thus the Irish have from the beginning been prominent in their defense of this nation with 20 of George
Washington's generals and an estimated quarter of his army being composed of Irish Americans. And whereas Irish immigrants and their descendants have contributed to the building of this great society, not only by laying the railroads and building of physical
bridges, but also by building bridges of the mind amongst all people through the founding of numerous schools, colleges, and universities, enhancing the quality of every phase of life. And whereas Irish-American women have a long and pronounced tradition of being
visionaries and trailblazers, whether it be Anne Sullivan, the teacher of Helen Keller, crusading journalist Nelly Bllye, or Colonel Eileen Collins, the first woman to command a space shuttle. And whereas Irish Americans have made an indelible impression upon every human
endeavor in art, music, literature, science, film, dance, theater, sports, education, law, finance, and politics. With all the strength, resilience, humor, and hospitality of the Irish character, it is most fitting to set
aside this month to highlight and honor the history and heritage of the Irish Americans and to remember and pay tribute to the contributions they have made to our city and our nation. Now, therefore, it be resolved by the mayor and city council of the city of Long Branch that they hereby proclaim March
2026 as Irish American Heritage Month in the city of Long Branch. You did an excellent job. Excellent. Very, very nice. Thank you. >> Yeah. [applause] >> Aren't you proud to be the of the Irish Heritage? >> Yeah, absolutely. Wonderful. Great job.
So, moving moving along uh reading and approval of previous minutes. I need a motion to approve the minutes from the March 11th, 2020. >> So, move. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Ras. >> Yes. Mr. Vieiraa, >> yes. >> Mrs. Whittis is absent. Mr. Dangler, >> yes. >> Dr. Vote,
>> yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Consideration of ordinance public hearing and final consideration. This is ordinance 0-0326. An ordinance designating no parking at rightway prospect alley division lane
both sides entire length. This ordinance was introduced on March 11th, 2026. In summary, Prospect Alley in the uh area of the driveway located at 400 Morris Avenue driveway shall be designated as a
no parking zone to allow the safe ingress and egress of vehicles. Appropriate signage to be installed. I need a motion to open the public hearing on this ordinance only. >> So move second. >> All in favor? >> I. If any member of the public has any
comments to make on this ordinance only, please come to the podium. State your name and address clearly for the record. You will have five minutes and may only speak once on ordinance 0-03 20 uh 26.
And seeing no one come forward, I need a motion to close. >> So move second. >> All in favor? I. This is the second reading of ordinance 03-26. I need a motion to adopt on second and final reading and advertise according to
law. >> So move second. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Rases, yes. Mr. Vieira, yes. Mrs. Whittis is absent. Mr. Dangler, >> yes. >> Dr. Vote, >> yes. Motion passed. >> Thank you. Ordinance for introduction. [clears throat]
This is ordinance 0-04-26. This is the first reading of ordinance 04-26 entitled an ordinance amending chapter 300-24 storm water of the code of the city of Long Branch definition of major
development. A summary of this ordinance is as follows. This ordinance amends the definition of major development to conform with the provisions of the state storm water regulations by defining a major development as one that creates a
disturbance of one acre or more. I need a motion to introduce on first reading advertise and post according to law and set the public hearing for April 8th, 2026. >> So move second. All roll call, please. >> Mr. Ras,
>> yes. >> Mr. Vieiraa, >> yes. >> Mrs. Whittis is absent. Mr. Dangler, >> yes. >> Dr. Vote, >> yes. >> Motion pass. >> Thank you. This is ordinance 0-05-26. This is the first reading of ordinance 05-26
entitled an ordinance amending chapter 78 police department to create section 78-21 extra duty police assignments. A summary of this ordinance is as follows. The purpose of the ordinance is to amend uh
chapter 78 police department to create section 78-21 extra duty police assignments. I need a motion to introduce on first reading advertise and post according to law and set the public hearing for April 8th,
2026. >> So move second. >> Uh roll call, please. >> Mr. Roses, >> yes. >> Mr. Vieiraa, >> yes. >> Mrs. Mrs. Whittis is absent. Mr. Dangler, >> yes. >> Dr. Vote, >> yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Public participation for
resolutions and all general comments. I need a motion to open the public portion of the meeting for all comments. >> I need a motion. >> Second. >> Uh, all in favor? >> I. The public portion of the meeting is
to allow you, the public, to state your comments directly to the administration and to have a voice in the proceedings of your governing body. There will be no cross dialogue during the public portion of the meeting. After you have spoken,
any member of the deis authorized to speak on the administration's behalf may address your comments, answer your questions, and correct any misleading or erroneous information. If there's anyone in the audience who has a comment to make, please step
forward to the podium and state your name and address clearly for the record. You will have five minutes to speak and may only speak once. And let me just remind everyone of this next part. When the public uh comment part of the
meeting is closed, anyone from the public who wants to further discuss discuss [snorts] any of the items or concerns can call the city clerk's office at 732-571-5686 to schedule a time at the public council
hours that are held the first Wednesday of every month. And I'll repeat that when we get to the end of the uh public comment. um uh section. But for now, if there's anyone in the audience who would like to make a comment, please come to the podium.
[clears throat] Requesting one minute notification. Vincent Leapour, 33 Ocean Terrace, Long Branch. Good evening, Madame Clerk. So, the governor announced a budget. In that budget,
the city's board of ed is getting a cut of another 1,275,000, which the taxpayers of this city are going to have to make up for. The Kushner Palone Pier Village 30-year tax abatement
is now really hitting the taxpayers hard along with the other developer tax abatements in this city which get out of their full obligations for contributions to the board of ed.
And the board of ed deserves blame for not fighting these developer tax abatements as well. Let's see if those individuals that showed up at the last board of ed meeting going after the board of ed have
the guts to come to this council meeting and go up against Palone for his tax abatements which are costing you an increase in taxes. Resolution 52, the [snorts] Health and Technology Center.
You're doing a bill payout of 8,149,000 approximately. The health and technology center I maintain to this day on ordinance 225 the 8,14970.
The payout for tonight is 434 355 to a contractor. This is an unnecessary project. I maintain that today. Unnecessary ambiance which was a burden to the taxpayers.
No matter how you look at it, grants, federal, state, local, it's all taxpayer money. This building is not needed. All it does is benefit the Palom pay-to-play gravy train at the expense
of the taxpayers. Brookdale College. At the last council meeting, you were asked council president vote if you were aware of any offer from Kushner Companies or for that matter any other
developer for the building of Brookdale College on Broadway. You responded at the end with worthless diet trap that you did not know and that you would arrange for me
to contact Brookdale. Need a vote? I don't need you to arrange for me to contact Brookdale. I and others contacted them four weeks ago. They still haven't returned the calls or any correspondence.
So, what are they up to? Ironically, last night at the Brookdale College Board of Trustees meeting, there did occur an executive session concerning, quote, real estate consideration of selling
real property and leasing real property, end quote. Mind you, as a member of the city council, Miss Vote, you're also a member of the city's redevelopment agency. When you were asked that question,
you're asked not as a representative [snorts] of Brookdale, but as a representative of the city council and the city's redevelopment agency. The record is clear. I need a vote. Additionally, you need a vote. Your statement at the end of the last council
meeting that the public portion was quote public comment and not public interrogation. >> One minute. Thank you, Madam Clerk. [snorts] Such a statement by you precludes that you would be responsible for telling the
truth, which you clearly want to avoid and hide behind the professionals in the process. You don't want accountability and need a vote, but you've maintained a record and
[snorts] that record and need a vote, you are heading for interrogatories. I remind the council the health department director is responsible for title 39 as every other citizen in this city and the state. His absences are
very troubling and we're watching this matter. We're watching it very closely. No person in city hall is above the law. Accountability is for everyone.
junk government. >> Is there anyone else? Okay. Um I Let me just repeat that um statement that I made before. If anyone from the public wants to further discuss any comment, you can contact the city
clerk's office and the number 732-571-5686. And we have regular council hours the first Wednesday of every month upon your request. So I need a motion to close the public participation portion of the meeting. >> So move. Second.
>> All in favor? >> I >> opposed. Uh, Council President, I just want to just point out [snorts] Title 39 is the motor vehicle statutes for the state of New Jersey. They're enforced by our police department. They don't have anything to do with the Department of Health. >> Okay. Thank you.
>> Just thought we would just to correct the record. >> Yeah. Uh, and I'm sorry. Are Does anybody else want to comment about >> No. No. >> We're good. >> Okay. Good. Uh, I will now ask Madame Clerk if there are any changes to the
list of resolutions. No changes have been made. [clears throat] >> Uh, no changes. So I we can take the listed resolutions as a consent agenda. I need a motion. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call, please.
>> Mr. Ras, >> yes. >> Mr. Vieiraa, >> yes. >> Mrs. Whittis is absent. Mr. Dangler, >> yes. >> Dr. Vote, >> yes. >> Motion passed. >> Thank you. Applications, there are none. miscellaneous business for the good of the order and we will start off with
Councilman Ras. >> Thank you, Council President. Um, I'd like to thank everyone for coming out this evening. Also like to thank Cara for a beautiful presentation commemorating Irishamean Heritage Month. Um, and uh, the holidays are coming up. Want to wish everyone a happy holiday
and um, again, thanks for coming out and looking forward to seeing everyone in two weeks. >> Thank you, Councilman Ras and Councilman Vieiraa. >> Good evening. Thanks for coming out today. Um, I want to echo what council rasher said. K, beautiful job with the Irish American. It's one of my favorite
holidays. Even though I'm not Irish, I celebrate it. [laughter] I always have the corn beef and cabbage, of course. And then again, thanks for coming out and I'll see you in a couple weeks. >> Great. Councilman Vieira, thank you. And now, uh, Council Vice President Dangler.
>> Thank you. Uh, I want to thank everyone for coming out. have a good and blessed um [snorts] Easter se if you will depending on your religion, however you celebrate. But um please uh enjoy family
and friends and uh I already had my corn beef a couple days ago. Um so I won't be having that, but I will be enjoying family. And please get home safe and um see you in two weeks if um you choose to come out. and our student that came and
spoke. She did a beautiful job. Thank you. >> Good. Thank you, Vice President Dangler and Mayor Palone. >> Thank you, Council President. I also would like to thank our reader this evening. It was a very nice reading of an Irish resolution, which is not easy to do. So, so thank you for that. I'd
like to thank everybody for coming this evening. Just a few notes here. So, we're now hiring for the summer 26 for positions on the beach, at the pool, and at the Department of Public Works. So, please go to our website for more information uh if anyone would like to
fill out an application. Also, uh for our our younger folks, the summer internship program is back. Online applications open on March 30th. Again, please visit our website at long branch.org to find out more. This coming
uh Sunday, March 29th, is our annual Easter egg hunt um at West End Park. That's at 10:00 a.m. There'll be prizes at egg hunt and entertainment for children uh ages 2 through 10. And [clears throat] finally, uh save the date. Our annual spring into action Long
Branch uh annual disability resource fair is from 12 to 3 on May 16th. Is located at the Long Branch Senior Center. This event is free with food. It's everyone is welcome. Uh the food is
being given by No Limits Cafe which is a uh is a great organization. There'll be resource tables, games, music and more. So please join us there and again thank you all for coming this evening. >> Good. Thank you, Mayor Palone. Um and my
comments are going to follow the theme of the evening. Carrie, you make us so proud. Um, you think of like the anxiety you you probably went through, [clears throat] right? It takes it takes a little bit of courage to say, "Yeah, I'll come to a council meeting and I'll
stand up and I'll, you know, read this." But, uh, you did a great job and like I said, you you you make us proud. So, wonderful. Good. and um the holidays, however you choose to um celebrate, hopefully you will have a wonderful
holiday and hopefully we will see you back here um in two weeks. So, thank you so much for coming out. And with that, I need a motion to adjurnn. >> Move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I thank you. Good night.