further. I was shot all the way down and all the way. Wow. Let the record reflect that the meeting is reconvened with all members present. Councilman Forte is absent, excused. Those that are able, please rise for the
pledge of allegiance. To the flag of the United States of America and to the for it stands nation. Thank you. May I have a motion for the executive
minutes of March 24th, 2025? Second. Okay. These were already discussed of executive. All in favor? I I welcome all. I'm honored once again to serve as the acting mayor and chair our first public
meeting of September. We note that the second meeting in September will be held on Wednesday, September 24th, later this month. We have some recognitions to do. We have two employees of the month to recognize. September, we are recognizing
construction official Russ Brown and head custodian Lou Emirado. Russ and Lou coordinated the move of the building department to their temporary location in the former Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps building. They worked many additional hours moving office
equipment which included taking apart and reconstructing staff's workstations. Because of their efforts, building department employees were able to provide their services to residents without interruption. And on that note, I'll mention that preparations are underway here at Hartley Dodge now to begin the highly
anticipated renovations of the east wing. So, please go directly to the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Court Building at 29 Prospect Street for building permits or to schedule an inspection. We're also celebrating the anniversary of Burough employee Hela Corlet. She's a
part-time office assistant in the clerk's office and she celebrated her 45th anniversary with the burough. Outstanding. Thank you, Hela. On September 2nd, Councilman Bob Landrean visited Florence Sukowski to wish her a very happy 100th birthday.
Born on September 2nd, 1925 in Venzone Fuli Venitzia Julia in Italy, Florence came to the United States in 1927 and has called Madison home for many years. Congratulations and best wishes for continued health and happiness to Mrs.
Zukowski. On Thursday, September 4th, Madison schools opened their doors to students that welcomed them back for the 2025 2026 school year. My son Julian started his first year at the junior school and was amazed by Principal Peron's spirited
welcome to the incoming sixth graders with an energetic entrance set to rock music that dazzled the 10 and 11 year olds. So, I want to thank all of our administrators, teachers, and staff for bringing their energy and creativity to engage Madison students for the new school year.
Speaking of energy, please drive slowly. Obey the speed limit. Madison police will be doing speed enforcement as a reminder to keep our street safe for all as schools reopen. And personally, as someone who walks and bikes in Madison, I want to remind drivers that a
pedestrian's risk of injury escalates drastically as car speed increases. The average risk of severe inj injury jumps from 25% at 25 miles per hour to 50% at 35 miles hour. So drivers, please obey
the speed limit and keep us all safe. That includes the newly paved Green Village Road where Madison Police will be doing additional traffic enforcement to encourage speeding on that very nice smooth asphalt. Um, please obey the posted speed limit and watch out for
additional enforcement on Green Village. Last week and over the weekend, Madison families enjoyed the PBA carnival on Park Avenue, concluding with last night's spectacular fireworks. So, congrats and thank you to the PBA for a terrific event. And also this weekend, the Environmental Commission hosted a
successful Madison garden tour and native plant sale with a theme of saving nature with your yard. I hope we'll hear more about the great event from Councilman Range with his report tonight. We have some good progress to report on our senior center project. The bid
documents have been issued to the four pre-qualified contractors that have significant historic experience for the renovation of the Heler Center building on Main Street, the former Masonic Lodge. There will be a site visit by the contractors on Thursday, and bid
submissions are due October 11th. The goal is to complete construction and renovation to reopen the building next year for the 21st anniversary of its construction. It'll be a great thing to offer senior programming to our residents back here in Madison. And we again want to offer
many thanks to Martin Heler and his family for their generosity to help us preserve this part of Madison's history. Okay, we have two special proclamations tonight. Come down. this work. Yes, I got it right. Thank you.
So, we'd like to welcome Lois and Jonathan Sacket who will accept our ovarian cancer awareness month proclamation on behalf of Rachel Sacket, their daughter and sister, who is a stage three ovarian cancer survivor. Whereas ovarian cancer is the fifth
leading cause of cancer related deaths among women in the United States and an estimated 20,890 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 12,730 will die from the disease nationwidecluding an estimated 670 new cases and 340
deaths in New Jersey. And whereas a woman's lifetime risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer is approximately 1 in 91 and her lifetime risk of dying from the disease is approximately 1 in 143. Whereas due to vague symptoms and the
lack of reliable early detection tests, most women are not diagnosed until stage three or later when the cancer has already begun to spread. And whereas although the fiveyear survival rate for stage one ovarian cancer is over 90% only 15% of ov ovarian cancers are
diagnosed at this early stage and the five-year survival rate for late stage ovarian cancer is below 30%. And whereas while a mamogram can detect breast cancer and a papsmeir can detect cervical cancer there is no reliable early detection test for ovarian cancer.
And whereas increased public education about ovarian cancer can help save lives by promoting earlier diagnosis, support access to gynecologic oncology care, and encourage research funding for better detection and treatment options. And whereas this month, the Bureau of
Madison joins survivors, families, health care professionals, advocacy organizations, and all those committed to raising awareness, remembering lives lost, and offering hope for a future with better outcomes and ultimately a cure. Now therefore, I, Rachel Erlick, acting
mayor of the Burough of Madison, on behalf of the governing body, do hereby proclaim September 2025 as ovarian cancer awareness month. And I encourage all residents to participate in awareness activities, wear teal in support, and engage in conversations
that help save lives and support the thousands of families affected by this devastating disease. Sure. First of all, Madison, thank you so much. Um, this is our third year being here in a row and um really means a lot
to my family, particularly my sister who lives in Arizona and happy to be here tonight. Um, her mission after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer during COVID was to help spread awareness. um she caught it in stage three and also at
the same time was also diagnosed with breast cancer as well. So at the same time and after that it's become her mission to spread awareness all over the United States last year throughout Arizona, New Jersey, Florida as well. Sackets and my sister in particular were
able to um pick up 56 proclamations. This year we're looking to do close to 70 proclamations and uh just really happy that Madison always been such a big supporter of ovarian cancer awareness month. Myself as a councilman in Rockaway Township, we actually
struggled to support it. I've worked really hard to get get our team to do it and have not been successful. Um so I am constantly working all over the place to get it as many towns as I can get to and um just so happy and thankful once
again. So thank you everyone so much. Appreciate it. Thank you, Jonathan. [Applause] Yeah, for sure. I also want to mention uh Madison
Madison has a turn the town teal uh program going on right now with teal ribbons tied for awareness. So maybe you'll see those ribbons around town and you'll recognize this awareness program. Thank you. It's a shout out to my sister. I know she's watching on YouTube right now as we speak. So, wherever I don't know
where your streaming is. Where is that? In the back. Rachel. Hello. [Applause] Tonight we are also celebrating the 130th anniversary of the First Baptist Church of Madison. We are joined by
Deacon Esses and Deacon of the Church and members of the church's anniversary committee to accept the proclamation. Will you join me? Whereas in the spring of 1895, a small group of baptized believers who desired a place to assemble and worship met at
10 Central Avenue known as Oddfellow's Hall to organize a Baptist mission. And whereas in 1897, the mission became the first Baptist Church of Madison with Reverend RL Harris as its first pastor. And whereas as the church membership
grew and a larger place of worship was needed, the church's current location on Cook Avenue was purchased from B. Warren Bernett for $400 and the new church was completed in early 1902. And whereas several other renovations of the church building have taken place to
restore the windows and Gothic architecture and also to add modern lighting and sound. And whereas the First Baptist Church of Madison is a unique small congregation which is diverse and inclusive. And whereas with the guidance and leadership of Senior
Pastor Reverend Craig Dunn, the church continues to be an integral part of the Madison community. And whereas through their food pantry, school supply distribution, nursing home visits, and holiday meal baskets, the congregation helps locally. And whereas the church is
also active with more far-reaching outreach, including the distribution of needed supplies to the homeless and victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake. Now therefore, I, Rachel Erlick, acting mayor of the Burough of Madison, on
behalf of the governing body, do hereby recognize and celebrate the 130th anniversary of the First Baptist Church of Madison. They are role models for living responsibly as Christians in a complex world. Thank you so much. [Applause]
On behalf of Reverend Dunn First Baptist Church, our official board, we thank you for this honor. 130 years is a lot of years, and we are so honored and blessed to be in Madison and still thriving the way we are. We're a little church with a
big heart. So, we invite you any time, please come by, worship with us. Um we are celebrating next Saturday at the Madison Community House um with a banquet, a lunchon and some um honores we're going to be honoring that has made
our stay and um just amazing of the support that we get from the community and we're just so happy to be here and this honor. It's such an honor and thank you
you know, on what uh Deacon Jackie said, but um we um we're a church where um our our our goal is to be part of the community. We're about community and about service.
Um some of um some of you may remember us as uh having the smokehouse at First Baptist Church, but we're also um looking to uh we're looking to uh to uh to gain souls for Christ. So, um uh yeah, we still do the cooking. This is
the the pitch for Bottle Hill Day. Come up and see us. We still do the spare ribs and the pull pork and the fish. But, uh yeah, we all about um uh it's about God's work. And uh to uh to ditto
on what Jackie said, we are we are so uh grateful that the u that the the girl of Madison has been with us all the way as far as I go back anyway. I know Lah can speak further to that, but um um you're so happy and we're so proud and we thank
you again for the proclamation. I'll just say thank you. [Applause] All right, we now move on to reports from committees. I'm going to ask Contra
Councilman Lang Drian to please kick us off with public safety and I'll circle back with finance and burough clerk after I take a a breather. All righty. Thank you. Uh from the Madison Police Department, school is now open in Madison. We welcome back all
students and families. Madison police want to remind drivers to slow down and watch for school pedestrians. We will be they will be enforcing with a forcing a zero tolerance in and around school zones. So, please drive carefully.
Following the paving last week on Green Village Road, traffic safety and patrol division will be conducting heavy enforcement for speeding violators. All Madison police personnel were trained in and just completed defensive
tactics and deescalation training. This training consisted of a 4-hour block of instruction and physical training. This training is mandated by the New Jersey Police Training Commission. The police department took delivery of two new Ford hybrid interceptors to be
used for police vehicles. They are now in the process of being upfitted for commencement of duty. Okay. From the fire department. For the month of July, the fire department responded to 204 incidents. 90 patients
were treated with 73 transported to the hospital. On August 28th, the fire department was dispatched to a brush fire in the woods near 205 Madison Avenue. Due to the lack of rain, the fire grew large and the New Jersey State
Forest Service spotted it from their lookout tower. Two state forest two state forest fire trucks were dispatched to assist. However, Madison firefighters were able to have the fire under control before they arrived.
Several members of the Madison Fire Department's EMS division were recently organized by Atlantic Health for their outstanding performance in identifying the early signs of a stroke. Their quick assessment, timely treatment, and rapid transport to the hospital strokes team
directly contributed to four patients being discharged with only minor deficits. The honores were Katherine Calabro recognized three times, Ryan Jenkins, Brandon Romero Aguilar recognized two times, Christopher
Hoffman, and Katie Ferrante. During the past month, the fire depend the fire prevention bureau conducted 49 fire inspections in the burrow. The fire prevention bureau has also issued 13 fire permits. We also met
with John Xman from the Madison Board of Education to reinspect all schools before the start of the new year. We also tested the new fire systems and have been observing the fire drills at all schools. Now for the from the joint court when
compared to case load, Madison's case load increased approximately 71% in August compared to August of 24. In addition, there was a slight decrease in the case load compared to the previous month. The Madison Joint Municipal
Court, including all four town police departments, had increased in case loaded August 2025 compared to last year. And as as an additional note, all the current participating towns, Chattam Burough, Chattam Township, Mars, and
Mars Township have adopted resolutions to continue as members of the joint court when the current agreements ends in December of this year. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Range.
Thank you. um from the MEC tonight. Um the MEC gave away some 200 pollinator seedlings at the August 30th farmers market. These were grown by MEC's Joan Muscary uh using seeds from her garden and the Madison Public Schools pollinator habitat at the Board of
Education building. Joan used uh recycled pots and when those ran out she used biodegradable cow pots. Joan has grown and given away uh more than 1400 plants in Madison since 2018. So we thank her for her continued service. Uh
and last Saturday the MEC held a hugely successful eco garden tour with 150 registrants. Ticket sales will fund an ongoing nature lovers speaker series in partnership with the nature of reading bookshop. The nine location on this year the nine locations on this year's tour
included an energyefficient house with a green roof and three secret gardens hidden behind fences fences and hedges. A native plant sale was held with Toad Shade Wildflower Farm and exhibitors including Blue Sky Green Earth Electric
Landscaping, the Native Plant Society of New Jersey, the Great Swamp Watershed Association, and of course the Nature of Reading Bookshop from here in Madison. and from the Department of Public Works tonight. Um, a lot of ongoing uh
services uh underway with the DPW including pothole uh repair and uh pavement sealing. The mechanics have begun preparations for servicing the leaf collection uh equipment for the
upcoming uh leaf season which will be upon us before we know it. And um the parks group uh continues to prepare fields for all the upcoming fall sports. Uh the of note the burrow received an
award from the Morris County MUA in recognition of achieving a 50% or higher recycling rate. 50% or more is the target recycling goal set by the state of New Jersey and the county's solid waste management plan. And of course,
um, that award is because of the great work that our residents do in their, uh, residential recycling. So, we just get the we just get the plaque to hang on the wall, but it's the whole community's, uh, effort that that does that. Um, speaking of recycling and
trash pickup, a reminder that twice a week uh garbage collection ended uh on September 6th. Uh and we will go into the fall and winter with once a week uh garbage collection uh through next May.
Uh yard waste collection continues until December 3rd and yard waste bags are available at both the DPW garage and here in Hartley Dodge at the clerk's office. And curbside leaf collection when they get those uh that equipment all up and running will begin on or
about October 13th uh depending on the weather and the leaves. And that is all from DPW tonight. Thank you. All right, I'm going to cut back in line here and give the report for finance and burrow clerk. The tax collector advises that the ad
for tax sales has been posted and published in the Madison Eagle. Publishing this advertisement is one of the steps that is taken before a property owner's delinquency is resolved through a tax sale. Tax sale is the enforcement of collections against a property by placing a lean against the
property for outstanding municipal charges that were due on or before December 31st of the prior year. Most of the notices in this advertisement were for unpaid utility bills. This year's tax sale is scheduled for 10 a.m. this Thursday, September 11th. In years past,
most outstanding amounts are typically resolved before the actual tax sale. The state requires an annual tax sale to ensure municipalities do not have outstanding charges from prior years. The finance department has a few highlights uh on some of the larger and
more important payments that appear on tonight's voucher register. There is a there's a payment of $257,715 from the open space trust fund, which is for the MRC land and turf debt. $145,000 of that payment is principal on the land
portion of the MRC and $85,000 is principal on the turf field. The remaining $27,715 is the interest payment on the debt. Jim, those numbers don't add up.
Oh, yes it does. They're very similar. Okay. As reported annually, we have principal payments on the turf field until the year 2028. The second notable payment is $6 million46,134.30, which is the monthly payment to the
board of education for their share of property taxes. That payment was made in August 15th, and the next monthly payment will be made one week from today. Finally, on August 15th, the bureau paid $3,157,786 to the county of Morris, which is the
third quarter payment of county taxes that was collected by the burrow of Madison in our property tax bills. The council receives the voucher register, which is the bill list ahead of every council meeting, and the list is compiled by the accounts payable department. It includes all payments
that were processed and upcoming checks that are to be issued. Jim, I'm sorry for that. Totally out of uh No, that was I'm sorry to to put you on blast. I apologize. Okay, next we turn
to Mr. Harold Pudis for utilities. Thank you, acting Mayor Eric and welcome from the residents from the community from the water department. Uh we have a report of um scheduling
inspections and maintenance of chlorine gas monitoring systems with our uh water engineer Ryan Fury. Inspections were done on two storage tanks, Madison Avenue and Midwood Terrace storage tanks. We marked out service for milling
and paving on Green Village Road, which is a very big project. Uh water service topped one and a half inch for a new home being constructed on Midwood Terrace and fire hydrant and water main flushing scheduled to begin towards the month's
end from the electric utility. I don't know exactly what transpired, but I got a report that a car took out a lampost in the Cook Avenue parking lot. It was removed and installed. A new light was installed.
Somebody must have been trying to get in there, take advantage of a big sale. Lots of progress to report regarding our utility operations in other places around the burough. The solar carport at the MRC is now operational and generating electricity
for our community. The next step is to pursue our tax benefits from the state and the direct payments from the federal government. We've also engaged Talva Engineering to start the planning and engineering work for another solar carport at the Madison
Community Pool parking lot. Kudos to you, Jim, for getting that done. When did it actually go live, Jim? Why? So, the meter's already turning, right? It was kind of sunny yesterday. Was good.
Awesome. Today was great for that. Thanks, Jim. Thanks so much. The electric utility took possession of a new bucket truck and rather than trade in an older bucket truck, we retained it and repositioned it with DPW, which gives us more flexibility to do capital
repairs and projects in house. The electric utility administrative staff has inputed all inventory into the new asset management software. The next step is to attach all the inventory with QR scannable codes to the appropriate
stock position. This will make the that department much more efficient to know exactly what their usage is and what they have in stock to prepare for anything the bureau comes across from electric utility needs. A firm named Dubberry Engineering
has been hired to model our utility infrastructure to ensure that we have adequate sewer, water, and electric capacity to service future residential and commercial developments. Their preliminary report indicates challenges
regarding water and sewer service in certain areas of the burough. The next report will focus on the steps required to enhance our capacity and the cost to implement those improvements. That's all. Mayor Erlick.
Thank you. Councilwoman Hanahan, Community Affairs. Thank you. Um from the Downtown Development Commission, the next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 18th at 7:15 in Hartley Dodge. Uh the Madison
Farm and Artisan Market continues uh through December 13th uh every Saturday between 9 and 2. Um, looking forward to the 50th year of Bottle Hill Day on Saturday, October 4th, which will also include the 30th uh happening of the
Madison Car Show. Uh, the Chamber of Commerce invites you to an October 10th comedy night, which sold out last year and was really a great event. Uh, also to put on your calendars, October 25th is the Halloween parade and magic show
and November 1st is the Rose City Dog Day parade. U and Madison Community Art Center has a long list of things happening. Uh, every second Wednesday is music open night. Every third Wednesday is comedy open
mic. Uh, and a special shout out for September 19th, Film Society of Summit will host Georgia O'Keeffe, the brightness of light documentary. Others can be found online. Thank you. Councilman Harland Pis, can I ask you to give the health report?
Yes. Yes, definitely. Mayor, hello everybody again. So, uh, during the month of August, the health department completed the following. We followed up on 26 environmental complaints. We
inspected 23 retail food establishments, investigated six reports of communicable disease, and administered seven immunizations to residents who are non-insured or underinsured. The New Jersey Department of Health is reporting an increased number of Kullex
species of mosquitoes in this region. The Kullex mosquito is commonly found breeding close to homes and water that accumulates in bird baths, containers, tarps, etc. The Kullex mosquito is a concern because it is capable of transmitting Westnau virus along with
other arbo viruses. Mosquitoes can remain in the environment into early November depending on the weather and the department would like to remind residents to be diligent about preventing mosquito bites and mosquito breeding in the fall. The health department provides free
school and sports physicals to any non-insured or underinsured child who is in need. To make an appointment, please email nourishing nursing, sorry, nursing westfield neww jersey.com. That's nursing at westfieldnj.gov.
Sorry, I misread it. Sorry about that. Um, I think that's about all. Thanks, mayor. Okay, thank you. We now move on to communications and petitions. Any received? None received. Thank you. Okay. Next, we have our first of two
invitations for public comment. The second public comment period will follow our ordinances for hearing. We have no agenda discussion tonight. So at this time you are limited to commenting on the following resolutions. Resolution R240-2025
authorizing execution of an agreement for the participation in the joint municipal court of Madison Burough, Chattamboroough, Chattam Township, and Morris Township. Resolution 241, resolution of the Bureau of Madison granting permission to the New Jersey Historical Commission to install a
historic marker at the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts. This is a historical marker to recognize Madison's barbershop protests, a series of 1964 civil rights protests by Drew University students against the local barbershop's whites only policy. This marker will be part of
the state black heritage trail which highlights sites that connect the stories of black life and resiliency and celebrate black culture. Resolution 242 of the Bureau of Madison amending the Burough Madison personnel policies and procedures manual. These
are minor adjustments that we're making to remain in compliance with our uh mun our our joint insurance fund. Resolution 243 of the Bureau of Madison authorizing the 40th annual Geralda Farms run on Sunday, November 9th. Resolution 244 authorizing shared
service agreement with St. Vincent Martyr School Church School to provide a special law enforcement officer category 3. Resolution 245 of the Burough of Madison appointing Debbie Costadakus to the position of crossing guard. and
resolution 246 of the Burough of Madison appointing school crossing guards for the 202526 school year. Resolution 247 of the Bur of Madison approving raffle license applications submitted by the Madison Rotary Club Foundation. Resolution 248 of the Burough of Madison
approving raffles license license applications submitted by Hickory Tree Chorus. Resolution 249 of the Bureau of Madison approving raffle license applications submitted by the PTO of Tory J. Sabatini School. Resolution 250 of the Bureau of Madison
authorizing expenditure from the Open Space Trust Fund for continued habitat restoration at the Madison Recreation and Conservation Complex or MRCC. This is in the amount of $75,000. It covers fence repair, invasive plant
control, as well as new pollinator and tree plantings. Resolution Resolution 251, the Burough of Madison authorizing expenditure from the Open Space Trust Fund for installation of additional fencing around the Dodgefield playground. This
is in the amount of $15,000. Resolution 252 of the Bureau of Madison ratifying the appointment of Thomas Dannis as part-time unpaid intern for the Bureau of Madison Fire Department. Resolution 253 authorizing temporary closure of the northbound lane of
Waverly Place for the Lafayette Trail Marker placement. Resolution 254 of the Burough of Madison authorizing change order and final payment to Dascal LLC in the amount of $4,9621
for the Madison Public Library interior renovations construction project. Uh resolution 255 has been withdrawn. Resolution 256 of the Burough of Madison authorizing purchase of a public works department vehicle under the educational
services commission co-op. This is in the amount of 14 $149,000 to fit out a dump truck. and resolution 257 of the bureau authorizing purchase of a public works department vehicle under educational services commission
co-op in the amount of 97,000 $215 to fit out a mason truck which is a smaller dump truck. Resolution 258 of the Burough of Madison authorizing the settlement of certain tax appeals and resolution 259 of the Burough of Madison authorizing the settlement of certain
tax appeals. So, uh, those are the items you may comment on. Um, they'll be also a part of the consent agenda which we'll vote on at the end of the meeting. Anyone wishing to comment on any of these
resolutions, please step forward, state your name and address. Please try to keep your comments to three minutes, but we will give you a one minute grace period. During this period, we'll capture all the comments and respond at the end of the period. Hello, Mike.
not posted yet, but I just wanted to give uh my thoughts on it. Excuse me, Mr. Martinez. We'll have a individual hearing for each ordinance as it's called up for hearing. All right. So then on resolutions 258 and 259, um you know, this as I was reading it, it sounds to me like, you
know, I've got more questions and I'm a little concerned going through it. So I would just I would love a discussion on those two things. As it reads to me, it sounds like we've got a $5 million sort of aggregate refund that we're that's due out um for years 2018 and 2019ish
um to withdrawal the farm's owner. Um so where's that money going to come from? Um you know, my understanding when it comes to um you know after the fact rebates, you know, the the municipality sort of on the hook for for that because we've already paid county, we've already paid sort of the school taxes. So, the
$5 million, like where's that going to come from? Um, and then it also sounds starting next year for the next number of years, there's a $5 million reduction in what this property owner owes to us. So, in the absence of more information, it's it's a lot of money. Um, we we you
know, we we only collect $75 million in property taxes, so that's a pretty big chunk. So, we'll have a discussion on that. Thank you for your comments. Anyone else wishing to comment, please step forward. So, we do have a tax appeal reserve fund
uh from which a payment would be made. Um, but I would ask Mr. Cody to please uh tell us a little bit more about how this fits into the overall uh agreement. Thank you. the the appeals in question go back to 2018 and the property was
originally owned for the first three years of the tax appeals that are under in question was owned by a Maci company and then in 2021 the um Urgman family purchased the property and enhanced the building with significant
capital improvements recently and the building is now fully occupied. The advice from our tax appeal council and our assessor was that the exposure to the burrow was approximately uh potentially $800,000 for the period when the building was not fully occupied and
was not generating sufficient income to justify the assessment that was on the property. The values had been established for that property in 2013 through our last reval and were not reflective of the downturn in the commercial market at Geralda. So we were assessing at a high value, collecting
taxes at a higher value than potentially the market value on the income approach would support. So the recommendation from our tax appeal council was to try to negotiate a settlement. We had a series of meetings with Mr. Bergman and his family and we're able to negotiate that settlement um with the
understanding that the 2026 uh appeal value is what's known as a standalone value and it's not subject to what's called the freeze act. so that we're not locked in on that value. Normally, when you settle, it's locked in for an additional two-year period. So, what we're able to do as part of the
negotiations is to now reposition the building now that it's 98% occupied and is probably the most the highest occupied building at Dalton is doing very well because three large law firms just moved in. Regardens, uh, Kelly Dry, and Saber Slesinger. Um,
we're able to because of those fit outs have what's called an assessor's appeal which will be filed in January of 2026 to bring the values back up to recoup the funds that we're paying. The estimate of the cash refund here will be approximately $400,000
which is was the advice of our legal council that we did not have a strong case because of if you don't have income to support the value. We weren't going anywhere on the appeal and we had an exposure of almost an additional $600,000. That's the
reason it was settled. Uh but we think we're going to do much better in the out years and as we head to reval in to go be effective in 28. We believe we will fully capture the value and they'll be back up the traditional values that they were uh years ago when they were
assessed at a much higher value. That's long answer to a short question. I was going to say fact that you have command of all those details is very impressive. Thank you. Okay. Uh we now move on to the
uh ordinances for hearing. Oh no, I have to close the comment period. If there's no one else wishing to comment, I close this part of the meeting. We have no agenda discussion. So we will have ordinances for hearing. Could the clerk clerk read, please read the statement? Yes. The ordinances scheduled for
hearing were introduced by title and passed on the first reading at the regular meeting of the council held on August 11, 2025. They were posted and filed according to law and copies were made available to the general public requesting se. I call up ordinances for
second reading and ask the clerk to read said ordinance by title. Ordinance 37-2025. Ordinance of the Burough of Madison appropriating $2,62 from the general capital improvement fund for the purchase of bulletproof vest for the police department. I now open the hearing for ordinance
37-2025. Is there anyone wishing to comment? Seeing none, I close the hearing. I move ordinance 37-2025. Second. Any discussion? Roll call vote, please. Mr. Eur, yes.
Mr. Landrean, yes. Mr. Range, yes. Mr. Harland Pis, yes. Miss Hon, yes. I declare ordinance 37-2025 adopted and finally passed and ask the clerk to publish publish notice thereof in the newspaper and file the ordinance
in accordance with the law. Ordinance 38-2025. ordinance of the bureau of Madison appropriating $200,000 from the electric utility capital improvement fund for the purchase of utility meters and accessories. I now open the hearing for
ordinance 38-2025. Seeing no one commenting, I close the hearing. Mayor, I move ordinance 382025. Second. Any discussion? Roll call vote. Oh, Tom, please go ahead. I think
Liz or you said that it's only for $200,000. It says $250,000. Is 250 in the title. Is that that's the correct uh is it only 200,000? The ordinance says 250 as well. The body of the ordinance says 250. At least copy
that's in our packet. Tom was just mentioning that when you read it, you said 200,000. Oh, I said 250. I'll read it again. I can read it again if that's okay. We can just we can all agree it's $250,000.
So, can I ask a question to Jim if you know the answer? So, are we doing more upgrades because we finished upgrades in the community already, right? Or almost finished. Oh, are we doing more upgrades now, Jim, on
water meters and change outs? I mean electric, excuse me. Sorry. Uh they're tough to get and we're anticipating some development coming down the road. Some that's already been in front of the planning board and we have an opportunity to buy our style
meter for a newer one that costs more money comes out. So we're going to do that. Okay. Add it to the inventory. Yeah. And we need the inventory. Correct. Perfect. Okay. Thanks for the explanation. Sounds prudent. Thank you, Jim. Any other discussion?
Roll call vote, please. Ser. Yes. Mr. Mr. Landrean. Yes. Mr. Range. Yes. Mr. Harold Pudis. Yes. Miss Hon. Yes. I declare ordinance 38-2025 adopted and finally passed and ask the clerk to publish notice thereof in the newspaper
and file the ordinance in accordance with the law. Okay. We now move on to the invitation for public comment. We invite the public to comment on any topic. And again, the same rules apply. Anyone wishing to comment on any topic, please step forward, state your name and address.
Please try to your comments to three minutes, but we'll give you a one minute grace period. No wish to comment. Please step forward. Welcome. So, I just wanted to quickly talk about um canopy trees. And um I know we all in
this room know how important canopy trees are to Madison um in terms of climate resilience and biodiversity and many other things. Um but in particular, oaks and hickories, nut trees and their others are super important. In fact, Ruckers considers uh
these trees some of the top priority trees for us uh to plant. Um and there are many reasons. I mean, acorns and hickory nuts are really dense uh nutrient food for wildlife and they extend on into the fall, you know, when
food becomes scarce. Uh oaks and hickories uh support a high number of caterpillars and pollinators. Um, oaks are over four, 500. Hickory is about 200. So, lots of wildlife there. Um, and
as canopy trees, they cool our air, they purify our air. Um, and not just under the canopy, right? Studies have shown within a 10-minute walk of a forested area, the temperature can be six degrees cooler.
And finally, they have really deep tap roots, so it helps get the water into our very valley aquifer, right? It's like a little highway system bringing the water there. So, that's really important. Um, so they do a lot, but they struggle to get regenerated. Um, you know, in yards, a lot of people
don't want their uh to have nut trees all the time because it's messy. Or if they do have an oak tree, landscapers might sweep away all those acorns. Um, that uh would become little baby oaks one day.
Uh and when a little oak or or a hickory does sprout, many times it is weeded. Uh and even in parks and woodlands, there are challenges, right? There are invasive plants like a Japanese barberry which will take over the forest floor
will change the uh chemical makeup of the soil um and and kind of hog up all the resources i.e. the water from from these tree saplings. Um, and of course there's the deer. Um,
and deer are very dense. Uh, we have an overabundance of deer. And while they're cute, they are everywhere. And they eat eight pounds of vegetation a day. So, they're very hungry. Um, and so when they see all these lovely tree seed saplings, they they like to munch on
them and that makes it hard for them to regenerate. One more minute. Now, in the Drew Forest and the Madison Recreation Conservation Complex, um invasives are controlled and uh the deer are managed. We have deer exposure
fences and so that helps um give these saplings a chance to regenerate. Um and regenerated, naturally regenerated saplings are much more robust than something you get from a canopy because it just grew up there from you know, a
tiny tree. And um it's also more cost effective just than buying a tree. So um by maintaining deer fences and continuing with restoration work both at the new forest and at the m Madison
recreation forest um our tree re regeneration in Madison um is strengthened and also other native um canopy uh shrubs and flowers can also thrive. So, um I'm really appreciative
that the c the council, the mayor, everyone has been so supportive of these areas because it's been um really fulfilling to see um these forests get healthier and healthier um and support our community with all the things that
trees and wildlife do. Thank you. Thank you so much, Kristen. We do have that uh resolution tonight appropriating $75,000 to protect and enhance our forest at the Madison Recreation Complex. Thanks for that great reminder.
Hey guys, uh Mike Martinez, Five Independents. U Thank you, Ray, for clarifying that. I've read that quickly and I I was reading the numbers as assessed taxes, not assessed value. So that's my bad. I appreciate you clarifying and bringing my heart rate down. Um
like a lot of money, guys. Um but thank you for that. It was it was very impressive hearing you go through it. Um so the two things I wanted to talk on were both um sort of positive. So on on the on the filming thing, one of my favorite experiences from this past summer was when Netflix was filming. I think the other brother in town um they
were over on East Lane or West Lane. So I went over with my daughters to watch it. Um Tom, I didn't see you there, but um you know, my kids got to meet John Cena. I got to meet John Cena. I'm not sure who was more excited, but it was a great experience. Um, and I know this is a big thing in New Jersey of getting
more Hollywood films being filmed here. I think it's a great thing for the community. Would love to see more of it. If the town can make money, if residents can make money by renting out their homes, I think it's a good thing for all. So, love it. Thank you for, you know, facilitating that. And then the second thing I want to give a shout out to is the PBA. So, this past weekend
they hosted the carnival for the second year in a row. It was just a phenomenal uh community event. Um, my kids loved going. We were there for a long time, saw a lot of neighbors, saw a lot of friends. Um, and you know, I know it takes a lot of time and effort to plan something like that and they did it to a
tea. So, thank you to the PBA, thank you to anywhere for hosting it. Um, takes a lot to bring that onto your own property. Um, and they had the perfect property for it. So, thank you to them. Um, and I think the best the best part of it is, you know, when you go to these carnivals, you go down the shore, you go
to the boardwalk, like, you know, it's kind of annoying dealing with the people that work there sometimes. Um, this is the this is our police officers. They did an awesome job. It was great to see them in action. It was great to see them in a different light. Um, I know we talk about community policing a lot and I couldn't think of a better, you know,
way to facilitate that. So, to the PBA, to the police department, uh, thank you very much. Thank you for those great comments. Anyone else wishing to comment, please step forward. Welcome, Mark. My name is Mark McBride. I reside at 49
Prospect Street, Madison. I'm here to talk briefly about um rooftop residential solar energy in 2005 and 2006 I guess with the emphasis on 2006. Um I have residential solar on my
house. It's been on the home for about five years and over the last few years I've gotten to know Peter Freed who you all know is a very active supporter of environment and sustainability. And recently we were back in touch after we learned about federal changes to um uh
solar rebates and solar support and um we've decided that we need to speak up about this issue because we feel that it's important and um so Peter has really been the guiding person behind this effort and he we have formed an organization which is called Madison
Solar which is a support group designed to help people who have solar panels um you know maintain them, but also more importantly to encourage other households in in Madison to adopt solar. So, I want to talk about the status quo
for a minute and then talk about what I think are some of the positives that we still have to look forward to. Um, I guess the first thing to keep in mind is that the solar federal credit was 25% of the value of a solar system and it's now basically gone as of January 1st of next
year. That's a big reduction in the economics of of solar energy. By the way, I have notes that I'm going to hand out to each of you so that you don't have to take any though. I give you a copy of this. Um, that results in a significant drop in the return on investment in solar panels from about 11
a.5% today to about 7 and a half% beginning in next year. So, you can see that the economic benefit to a home, a family that invests in solar is going to go down very significantly. Um, the good news is that the New Jersey BPU rebate,
which runs for 15 years, will continue and the net crediting of your solar energy from the Madison Utility Company will continue. Um, but it's also important to know that each one of these installations is a basically a retail transaction. It's expensive to put them
up and although the cost is coming down, it's difficult to avoid, you know, those costs. Um, I think the bottom line is that public leadership on this issue is shift from the federal level to the state and and local level because the federal government has essentially
withdrawn from supporting this effort. And I think Madison's role is very unique because you have your own utility company and so you're in a position to speak out on this issue, which I'm hoping that you will do. Um, now the good news is that there's still a
positive return of 7 and a half%. The investment pays off for the homeowner after about 12 years, which is about halfway through the 25 year useful life of the system. And um rooftops are really the optimal place to put solar energy because they fit very well into
the built environment, landing patterns, and so on. Um I'll jump past a few of these notes. There are lots of other really good benefits to having solar energy. Um and um and I we think that will continue to be a desire on the part
of homeowners to have this. However, that drop in the economic value really changes the equation. And so what we're encouraging is more of an effort on the part of the burrow and the residents to recruit other Madison families to put
solar on on their homes. We know that the utility company would like to at least double the number of panels from 115 installations today. That would increase the number of households as a percentage from 2% to 4%. Um, and um,
uh, we know that operating costs are coming down. We know that installation costs are coming down. So, there are some positive things on the horizon, but we need to have more effort in the town to keep up the pace on creating more solar. And Mark, that's that's time. I'm sorry to
to interrupt. I would like to hear you speak about solar for much longer, but that's our four-minute limit. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Well, anyway, what we're encouraging you to do is speak up to all your neighbors and be leaders on this issue in the burrow because we're not
going to get the leadership from other sources. We have to do it ourselves. And we'd also like you to all come to our kickoff meeting which is on October 20th. It's going to be at Rose Hall where we're going to invite all folks who have solar or are interested to learn about it. Mark, I I have to ask you to wrap up.
I'm sorry. Just to be fair to everybody, they'll they'll increase the number of systems in Madison. Thank you, Mark. We are lucky indeed to have passionate volunteers and great leadership in the bureau. Uh so that we can continue to lead on
solar despite the shortcomings at the federal level. Thanks for your comments. Okay, we now move on to the introduction of ordinances. Will the bureau will the clerk please read the statement? Ordinance is scheduled for first reading. We have a hearing date set for
Wednesday, September the 24th. Will be posted in the Madison Eagle. Published in the Madison Eagle, posted on the bulletin board and made available to members of the public requesting copies. I call up ordinances for first reading and ask the clerk to read said ordinance
by title. Ordinance 39-20225. Ordinance of the Bureau of Madison amending chapter 190 of the Madison Burough Code entitled water to authorize the revision of the Burrow of Madison's water rates and service fees.
Second. Any council discussion? Uh roll call vote, please. Mwick. Yes, Mr. Landrean. Yes, Mr. Range. Yes, Carolyn Pudis. Yes, Miss Haring. Yes. Ordinance 40-2025.
Ordinance of the Bureau of Madison appropriating $26,000 from the general capital improvement fund for the purchase of new automated license plate reader computer hardware installation for the park enforcement vehicle.
Parking enforcement. I move ordinance 40-2025. Second. And this is to upgrade the software in the parking enforcement vehicle which we understand that computer is uh reaching obsolescence and we want to make sure it
is uh improved and upgraded before the end of that software's life. Any other council discussion? Roll call vote please. Miss Early. Yes. Mr. Landeran. Yes. Mr. Range. Yes. Mr. Haramus. Yes. Miss Honing.
Yes. Ordinance 41-2025. Ordinance of the Bureau of Madison amending chapter 98 of the Madison Burough code entitled filming to regulate commercial filming in the bureau of Madison. I move ordinance 41-2025.
Second. Any council discussion? Roll call vote, please. Mr. Eric, yes. Mr. Landeran, yes. Mr. Range, yes. Mr. Haris, yes. Yes. Okay. Consent agenda resolutions. Will
the clerk please read the statement? Consent agenda resolutions will be enacted with a single motion. Any resolution requiring expenditure is supported by a certification of availability of funds. Any resolution requiring discussion will be removed from the consent agenda. All resolutions
will be reflected in full in the minutes. I move or consent agenda resolution 40 240-2025 through 254-2025 and 256-2025
through 259-2025 with 2552025 being second. Any discussion or need to be removed? Councilman Han. Yes. Um just a couple of comments on
resolution 2550 uh which is uh open space funds to continue the work that Kirstston sadly left but she's really adopted the uh MRCC forest and that will provide funds over the next three years
for expenses for deer fencing invasives uh control and and trails signage and community programs. But they also did a lot of work to make sure partnering with other committees in town. So 20% of that
is in kind and matching um with gifts of funds from different groups like the community garden as well as uh shade tree donating trees, the garden club donating plants and high school and other volunteers giving time. So uh they
did a great job making sure that that's a community project. That's terrific. Thank you. And then Uh just on resolution 251 also from the open space trust fund. Uh this is to extend uh a small portion of
fencing to ensure that we are meeting the requirements of the grant that we received. Um by spending 15,000 we get over 500,000 back. So I strongly support that. Thank you Mr. Alen Buddhis. So, I'd like
to uh just comment and compliment the St. Vincent Mart school for bringing a security resource officer into their facility. I mean, it's it's necessary safety net for the schools and uh I know that the
Madison Police Department has done a very good job working with the SRO's and including them as part of police force. So, feel much safer about our students there. Also in addition to the mass public schools also I guess we have to
give more kudos to the fire chiefman. He is getting another volunteer fireman. Is that what I read here? Yep. Unpaid intern. So who knows where that will lead. But the fact that he's continuing to recruit. We couldn't
recruit a couple years ago is is a great sign for his outreach to the community. And that's all. Thank you very much, Mayor. Thank you. Anyone else wishing to comment? Okay, roll call vote. Mr. Lick, yes. Mr. Landan, yes. Mr. Range,
yes. Mr. Harland Pis, yes. Sonic, yes. Okay, there is no unfinished business. We move on to the approval of the vouchers. From the current fund, 9,719,816.81 from the general capital fund,
$58,539.76 from the Electric operating fund 967,3524 from the electric capital fund $847,19 from the water operating fund $68,18210 from the trust $32,940.19. The total is 11,963,893.19. [Music]
Move the approval of the vouchers. Second. Uh, a roll call vote, please. Mr. Eric, yes. Mr. Landrean, yes. Mr. Range, yes. Mr. Harland, yes. Miss, yes. There is no new business and so I have
move to adjourn. Acting mayor, I move to adjourn the meeting. All in favor? Hi.