Good evening everyone. Heidi, take it away. >> Sure. >> Good evening. This is a meeting of the township committee, April 8th, 2026. The notice requirements provided for in the open public meetings act have been satisfied. Notice of this meeting was properly given by transmission to the
Asbury Park Press and the tour of her times and by posting at the Middletown Township Municipal Building and filing with the township of clerk on January 9th, 2026. Committeeman Clark, >> he's here. >> Just woke up. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Um, Committeeman Kratz >> here.
>> Committeeman Smrino >> here. >> Deputy Mayor Hibbell >> here. >> Mayor Perry >> here. >> Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. 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. At this time, I'd like to take a moment of silence to honor the troops serving worldwide defending our constitutions, freedoms, and way of life. Thank you. Our first item on tonight's
agenda, we have presentations and proclamations. We have a presentation res recognizing Middletown High School North male wrestling state champion Thomas Buitt. At this time, I'd like to invite Thomas Buitt and head coach Eric Moley and assistant coach Thomas Smith to join Mayor Perry at the front of the
room. So, well, good evening everyone. I I'm I'm uh I'm in a passenger seat and I get a text a couple uh weeks ago, I guess, now from our administrator, Tony Merkante, who if you don't know is one
of the biggest wrestling fans that you're going to find um out there and I get a text and you know at at that time I think it was uh on a weekend certainly >> match right after the match he was there >> I watched it on my
computer >> and I I get I get a text from Tony and it says and you know you start to get a little worry there's crash parage helicopters landing medevac whatever the case may be middle town has a state champion in wrestling. Um, so let's give
it up for Middletown Tech. >> So, couldn't be more proud to have you here today to honor you, honor your coaches, honor your friends, your family, um, and everybody here that has been a big part of your success. Um, my
response to Tony was uh, senior question mark. >> And he goes, "No." And I was like, "My man, that's what I'm talking about." >> Um, and I because I immediately started thinking, "Let's we're ready to run it back." Is that all right with you, Tom?
>> All right. >> Alumni. >> So, uh, Tom, we're so proud of you. the entire township committee, the township, uh, everyone in Middletown is so incredibly proud of you and your accomplishments. Um, so on behalf of the
township committee, we want to congratulate Middletown High School North wrestler Thomas for becoming a 2026 NJSIA 106. 106. >> Yeah. >> You still making weight? >> You're not.
>> You're not hot boxing right now. All right, good. a 106 pound state wrestling champion. Your 10-4 victory in the finals at the boardwalk in Atlantic City, an extraordinary 50 and one record.
That's a pretty I was going to use a word, but that's a pretty >> uh record right there. I'd be okay with 50 and one are a true reflection of your hard work, your determination, and you've been a dominant force all season.
And your titles at the region 5 tournament and shore conference championship made this victory run even more impressive. Your dedication, perseverance have led you to this outstanding milestone. And we are so incredibly proud of you. Let's run it back. Congratulations. Yeah.
He's 50 and one. He just won uh the title and now he's getting a little camera shy. Go ahead. >> Just want to say thank you to my coaches and teammates for all have done without >> Beautiful. >> Yeah. >> Let's take a quick picture. We're We're so proud of you. Everybody's proud of
you and congratulations. Let's run it back. Like I said, >> and I'll take one as well. One, two, three. Congratulations. >> All right. >> He just told me he's going to be 51 and0
next year. All right. No, no pressure. No pressure. >> Congratulations, huh? >> Oh. you. Your your brother's taking it next year, too. >> Oh, we'll see. >> I love it. I love it.
>> All right. Cuz you're you're you're a freshman. >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Okay. No pressure. >> No pressure. >> All right. >> All right. the states. >> Our next presentation is recognizing
April 2026 as donate life month in the township of Middletown. At this time, I'd like to invite Jackie Patterson from Metronic to join Mayor Perry at the front of the room. >> Jackie, how are you? Thanks for being here today. >> Thank you for having
>> us. Of course. >> So, uh, we've been doing this every every year for for quite some time now. And Jackie, it's great to have you with us and, uh, to talk about the sharing network and how important donate life
month is um, uh, all across the country, not just here in Middletown. But you know because the statistics and I say I think I say this every year the statistics on what one donor can provide um is folded over many um you know
there's statistics for for certain donations 7 to one 4 to one um and you know it's it's um it's kind of a a personal story for me but um as as for
those of you who don't know um I work for Hackinac Meridian that we do not get paid full-time up here. Um so we all have to have jobs elsewhere. Um, and uh, one person uh, I get a call from the chief of
police um, because someone that has dedicated a huge amount of time to the township um, their significant other um, had a medical episode and ended up donating uh, being an organ donor. Um
and uh I went uh to um the hospital um and I was with the family and um got to see that the the final moments before going into surgery. Um and you could see
um obviously the grief that the family was going through. Um but you also got afterwards um got to hear from the family about how proud they were at that very moment that
that this person was going to save um many other people as their final uh wish. And that day I just so happened to be um needing to go or the next day to motor
vehicles and renew my license to get my real ID and um the question pops up, you know, are you an organ donor? And I said, honestly, I have no idea because this is like the same license since I was 17.
The picture is still from when I'm like 17 on here. and I held tried to hold on to that picture as long as I could and uh I wasn't I wasn't and so I checked off that box being an organ donor
>> and I I I still want them at this moment. Yeah. Yeah. I'm still I'm trying to be in control of them for a little bit longer. >> Can we use yours now? >> Use yours. But the the emotional impact,
the the the unbelievable aura and and emotions that was impacting that moment. You almost felt like it was fate that have brought those those two days together. Um, so I encourage everybody
if if you are uh not an organ donor because I I can still see the flag going up the flag pole or um the sharing network uh at Riverview um to show that someone had just donated um their organs
uh to save someone else. So it it's an honor to be with you here today. Um, and I encourage everybody, uh, take the moment if you haven't gotten your real ID already, um, or if you have to renew, uh, just take that extra moment and just and and you know, it's it's a personal decision for you. It was a personal
decision for me, and I'm not going to tell anybody what to do, but if if you can and you are willing, um, please don't don't just skip over that box. Take another look at it. So, um, it's my honor to offer this proclamation. And I just want to read uh two lines.
And it says, "One organ donor can save eight lives. One tissue donor can restore health to 75 others. And people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, religions are touched by donation and by the serious shortage of organ donors
that exist. Currently, there are 4,000 New Jersey residents and 100,000 Americans awaiting life-saving transplant operations. So you can register as an organ donor and tissue donor at your local motorvehicle agency
or online at the new jerseysharingetwork.org to signify our fundamental human responsibility to help others. Now therefore, I'm Mayor Tony Perry and the Middletown Township Committee do hereby proclaim April 2026 as donor donate life month in the township of Middletown and
urge all residents to join me in promoting this education. Jackie, I don't know if you have a few words that you want to share. took a lot of my talking points. >> I'm sorry. I'm sorry. >> That's perfect. >> I have a tendency to just blither on, I guess. Right, Raven? Um, >> where I work at Metronic, we um in
Edentown, we make products from donor bone that help people if they have a bone injury, they can um grow their bone better. >> It helps a lot of people. So, I've seen up to 70ome people being helped by one donor. >> Wow.
>> Yeah. Wow. So skin and tissue is skin, bone, tendons, things like that. People have knee surgeries, they need um ligaments and tendons like ACL. >> So doing all that meat and pain. >> It's amazing. >> Unbelievable. >> Yeah.
>> All right. Well, Jackie, thank you for everything that you do. Thank you for being a health care professional and and working to to make the lives of others better. Thank you so much. Let's give a big round of applause. Okay. >> One, two, three.
Beautiful. >> We're happy to have you. Yeah. >> One, two, three. >> Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Let's give a big All right. >> Are we done? >> Okay. All right.
>> Tom, as a state champion, you're free to you're free to go. We don't have to wait around. We have no presentation. It's all right. >> Congratulations again. All right, Heidi. >> Okay, >> we have two proclamations for the record. Um, I'm just going to read them
by title. Proclamation recognizing April 2026 as Alcohol Awareness Month in the Township of Middletown and a proclamation recognizing April 19th through 25th, 2026 as National Library Week in the Township of Middletown. and also one more a
proclamation recognizing April 22nd as uh 2026 as Earth Day in the Township of Middletown. Our next item on tonight's agenda, we have minutes for approval for March 16th, 2026. >> Motion to approve the minutes.
>> Second. >> Committ Clark. >> Yes. >> Committee Kratz. >> Yes. >> Committeeman Sedbrino. >> Yes. >> Deputy Mayor Hibbell. >> Yes. >> Mayor Perry, >> yes. Motion carries to approve minutes. Our next item on tonight's agenda, we have a public hearing on proposed
ordinance 2026-3502, an ordinance amending chapter 540-825 of the code of the township of Middletown governing billboards. >> Any member of the public wishing to speak on public ordinance number 2026-3502? >> Seeing no member of the public stepping forward, move to close the public
portion and approve. >> Second. Committeeman Clark, >> yes. >> Committeewoman Kratz, >> yes. >> Committeeman Senino, >> yes. >> Deputy Mayor Hibell, >> yes. >> Mayor Perry, >> yes. >> Motion carries to adopt uh ordinance 2026-3502 on second and final reading.
At this time, we have introduction of proposed ordinances 2026-3504, an ordinance establishing requirements for inspection of leadbased paint in the certain residential dwellings within the township of Middletown. >> Motion to introduce. Second.
>> Committeeman Clark. >> Yes. >> Committeewoman Kratz. >> Yes. >> Committeeman Senate Mino. >> Yes. >> Deputy Mayor Hibbell. >> Yes. >> Mayor Perry. >> Yes. >> Motion carries to pass this ordinance on first reading with a public hearing to be held May 4th, 2026.
At this time, we have ordinance 2026-3505, an ordinance authorizing new lease with the nonprofit Middletown Arts Center. Motion to introduce. >> Second. >> Committeeman Clark. >> Yes. >> Committeewoman Kratz. >> Yes. >> Committeeman Senino.
>> Yes. >> Deputy Mayor Hibell. >> Yes. >> Mayor Perry. >> Yes. >> Motion carries to pass this ordinance on first reading with a public hearing to be held May 4th, 2026. At this time, I'd like to ask the township committee to adopt a consent agenda, which would include resolutions
26-114 through 26 >> 26. >> Uh 26-126. >> Motion to approve a consent agenda. >> Second. >> Committ Clark. >> Yes. >> Committ Katz, >> yes.
>> Committee Senino, >> yes. >> Deputy Mayor Hibbo, >> yes. >> Mayor Perry, >> yes. Motion carries to adopt consent agenda. >> At this time, we have uh committee comments. >> All right. Committeeman Clark. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um first, I'd like to
congratulate our state champ. uh having had the opportunity to go to high school with a storied state champ in uh in Middletown's history, Glenn Pritzoff, it's uh it's not every day you get to see somebody who um kind of dominates our sport in a way
that that um Thomas did. Uh I was, like I said, I was fortunate to see Glenn do it over four years and um it sounds like Thomas has been uh kicking butt, taking names with a 50-1 record. So, I hope everybody who's here tonight gets an opportunity to go see him at some point
uh in his senior year next year. It's probably uh something you'll want to take a look at. Um as it relates to Donate to Life, uh first off, it's um it's a it's an important program. I am also a donor. Um last year, my friend's
daughter, who is 10, uh passed away and uh she passed away from a strong fight with cancer. She had a form of brain cancer and um one of her dying wishes was to um leave a legacy and part of that legacy was uh donating parts and
pieces of her uh because she wanted to live on through them. Uh her family gets notifications uh that her daughter has provided um parts of eyes, skin, bones, everything.
and they get those letters on a regular basis. And when I first heard about it, I thought I thought to myself, I'm like, man, it's got to be a kick in the in the well, as the mayor said, there are certain words we shouldn't use, but it's got to be a kick every now and then to just get reminded when you're maybe
trying not to think about it, but when I talked to Robin about it, she she said to me, she goes, "It's a reminder of how amazing our daughter was." Um, and that's the story of a 10-year-old. and Ryan and Bri uh Brian and Robin Dudak uh get to live with the pride of their
daughter's legacy every year. Uh and Cammy will forever be part of somebody's life. So, um if you're thinking about it, do it. It's it's uh it's a good program and it's a way to make somebody else's quality of life better when no
choice was given. So, um just my little spiel on that. And then uh myself and committeewoman Kratz had the opportunity to cut a ribbon the other day for a new small business in town. Uh over by the Verizon store across from Kohl's uh Silky Nails. Um a great young family uh
bringing a small business into town and just like every other small business that we have here. We're super proud of them and um we're just looking forward to seeing them thrive like all our others. That's all I got. Mayor. >> All right. Thank you. Uh Committeeman Senator Bino. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Just want
to congratulate the um Tom Buitt and he said he is a freshman or he's a junior. >> Junior. >> He's a junior. >> He's a junior. >> And um you know kids in kids in high school as they as they get older they'll exhibit a little bit more maturity. Not too much when
they're a freshman, a little bit more when they're sophomore and maybe a junior. And I got to tell you the thing that impressed me the most here was not what was not was when Tom was asked to say a couple words. What did he say? He didn't say I. He said we. He said I
couldn't have done it without my teammates. And that is the that shows true leadership and true maturity at that level. I got I got to tell you that makes me really proud to be a member of this township committee and to have someone like Tom represent the township of Middletown. So, uh, so
congratulations once again. And that that's that's it's more than he's more than just being a champion for himself. He's being a champion for the township and for his teammate. And that's just a just a a fantastic item I wanted to point out to everyone. That's all I have for tonight, Mayor. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Committee Kratz. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um just wanted to touch base on the proclamation regarding alcohol awareness. Um I'm the chairperson. I serve as a chairperson for our municipal alliance here in Middletown. Um Middletown continues and and it it we should all be feel quite
proud of it. continues to educate our young people through our alliance leader program about the pitfalls of alcohol misuse and and other drugs and encourage them to be strong leaders. And it's not just our young people, but also Middletown has its commitment to our
residents in general. And so there's a wealth of information on our on our website, middletownj.org under alliance that talks about all kinds of information regarding alcohol and its myths use and the pitfalls of falling prey to that. Um, so I would encourage everyone to just take a peek
at that information as well and um, know that there is help out there if you are or you know someone who is struggling that there's that there's help out there too. So I would just encourage everyone to do that and um, wish everyone well. Thank you. >> Thank you, DM.
>> Uh, I just I just got to talk about uh, Tom. Um, I I he was right in front of me and I couldn't help notice and I just want to expand on committeeman uh, Senator Brino's comments. the back of his coat said tougher together. Um that that kid was the real deal. I uh I saw it when I first when he first walked in.
I I couldn't be more impressed. So, great job. I'm looking forward to see what his brother has uh coming as a freshman. Uh I do want to talk about the other proclamation. The only one we missed here was uh the library. Uh I don't know if everyone in this room here since we have a little bit of crowd tonight goes and visits the library. The
place is hands down got to be one of the best places. Um my my son who is uh 16, I take him there often to use a private room and uh he gets a lot of homework done in there. He has a a full screen in there that he's able to somehow sync his
computer up to it. It's a great place. So I I I encourage everyone to make sure they visit the library. It is an amazing place for his town. So >> somehow he syncs it up to it. >> Somehow >> if anyone knows me, I'm not too good at that kind of stuff. So that's all I
have. Mayor Uh, no, I do want to I I do want to echo your comments uh because uh I got to go over there with my daughter Reagan uh to the maker space because they had an unbelievable Makers Day um just a few
weeks ago, weekends ago, and you I if you haven't been there in a while, between the history room and all the renovations that they've done with the private rooms that the deputy mayor was was referring to is an unbelievable new expansion of that library within the same footprint uh just remodeling it to
adapt to today's needs and standards. But the maker space in there is unbelievable. Um the the things that you can do um the the the things that you can create uh but from 3D printers to
Cricut machines uh engraving machines, it is unbelievable. It's a true gem. Go over there. Please check it out. it. Ebony over there does a wonderful job. It is her that is her baby. Um and she does a great job. So from Kate on down,
they do a great work. I just want to uh wish everybody I know it's late, but hope everyone had a great Easter, uh a happy Passover. Um hope you enjoyed time with friends and family. Um and got a a chance to just take a deep breath and
and enjoy time um with loved ones. So, with that being said, I'll open it up for public comment. Any member of the public wish to make a public comment may do so. We ask that you state your name for the record and that you keep your comments to five minutes. At four minutes, Heidi will let you know that you have one minute remaining. With that
being said, any member of the public wishing to make a public comment. Yes, sir. You No, the state makes us have this barrier in front of us. It's kind of weird. >> Thank you. Thank you, T. because you're a very short guy and couldn't just leap over
that thing, right? >> Probably. Yeah, even at my age, I'm sp >> uh hi, my name is Paul Bener. I reside at 17 Bayside Parkway in North Middletown. >> Uh we have some uh residents uh here along with us tonight. U >> I'm sure I got a list of all their
signatures on >> Yes, you did. I brought I um I dropped off a petition a petition yesterday. I figured it'd be better to give it to you ahead of time. you had a chance to look at it or not, but if you don't mind, I'll read it real quickly. >> Sure. >> Uh the petition to close the ideal parking lot at sunset. Uh we the
undersigned residents of Ideal Beach community in North Middletown respectfully submit this letter in support of the attached petition to close the ideal parking lot at Sunset. Our neighborhood fronts, particularly those that live on Bayside Parkway, uh fronts the um the lot. And while we
support public access to Highdeal Beach, the ongoing issues experienced have negatively impacted on our safety, our property conditions, and quality of life. All year long, the parking lot is frequently used at night as a meeting place. The nighttime rendevous include drinking, loud music, suspected drug
activities, excessive dumping of garbage and littering. People People frequently back their cars into the lot with headlights on, shining in our windows. They haven't figured out how to turn off their headlights as you know because cars are a little tricky nowadays. Unfortunately, the parks department
>> You just plug it into the computer, right? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Unfortunately, the parks department never goes beyond the burn between the parking lot and the street to pick up trash. And if any of you uh have ever gone over there or ever live near the beach, you know the winds are
tremendous. I mean, Gary here actually had one, they had one nor Easter. It blew the fans off of his deck. >> So, people come, they litter, they leave the bottles, they blow over into the street. The street is constantly littered. And if you're as meticulous as
I am, and maybe a little anal, I'm out there picking up garbage all the time. And I really, you know, I see the park maintenance people there. They never cross that BM. In six, five and a half years we've been there. I have never once seen them walk into the street. There could be a pile of garbage sitting
there and they won't pick it up. After a while, it gets a little upsetting. Okay. Despite the presence of police patrols during the summer months, enforcement is insufficient. Residents who contact the police are told that limited parking regulations restrict
their ability to take meaningful action. The police's primary function appears to us to be on parking meter violations during daytime rather than broader public safety and nuisance concerns. conditions deteriorate after Labor Day. It is common for groups to gather in the parking lot late at night, often at 2
and 3:00 am, without care regard to the residents who live in the neighborhood. Other issues during daytime hours include beachgoers using the streets adjacent to the parking lot to avoid paying for parking in the lot. Vehicles park along the streets often block driveways and walkways for residents.
personal experience. Definitely the result is a potential safety hazard is access for emergency vehicles and residents could be impaired and we respectfully request the mayor and township committee to implement stronger regulations and enforcement measures to address our issues. Potential solutions
may include or should include posted parking hours, closing parking lot at sunset, increase police presence and patrol frequency, especially during late night hours, install signage to prohibit loitering, excessive noise, and illegal well illegal activities. Have park
maintenance collect litter throughout the neighborhood rather than just the parking lot. And this last point, the designate basic parkway and sections of Wehawk and Hudson Bay Ocean and Seabbze as residents only parking. Now, there's been some feedback from people on Seabbze because we did walk around and
communicate with each other. There there aren't a lot of parking yeah garages on Seabbze. So, that might not work for them, but uh and I'm not sure about the other streets, but I know we would welcome it on Bayside. Our goal is not to limit public enjoyment of the beach, but rather to ensure that access is
managed responsibly and respectfully without compromising the well-being of residents who live here year round. We appreciate your time and attention to this matter and urge you, our local representatives, to take action to restore safety, cleanliness, and peace to our community. The attached petition
reflects the shared concerns of residents directly affected by the current conditions. I want to thank you all for your consideration, and if you want the original signatures, I can >> Okay, give you that. >> I trust the copies. >> Uh, I just want to say, uh, Tony and I, Tony Merkante and I did speak about this
right before the meeting. Um, when I saw the petition, um, we did, uh, Tony did speak with Janet Dellet, who is our recreation director. She will have the post-it signs when the when the beach is open and closed. Um, so that that's
there. And then on my way down here, I did speak to the chief. Um, and, uh, obviously we've been using the building as a kind of a quasi substation. Um, so he did say that he could certainly have some special uh class class two officers
um provide the additional monitoring not during the summer hightra months um due to the issues u that were detailed in your letter. So um I would anticipate seeing that that uh substation opened up a little bit earlier than normal. >> Okay. So what you're saying is that then
you will shut the beach parking lot at sunset. Yeah, the be the the beach. All of our township parks open at uh dawn and close at dusk. Th those will be uh posted at all three entrances, right? >> Um and uh and then, you know, going up
the stairs. And I I didn't mention this to Tony, but I I certainly think at the bottom of the steps around the one side of the building along the left side of the building when you're facing towards it. Um but then again um at the kind of the landing at the end before you go
down the ramp and come around the side just just as a second warning. You're not supposed to if you don't see daylight you're not supposed to be here. >> Okay. >> Is there anything you can do with the park's maintenance department to police the street? >> Uh in terms of cleaning it up. Yeah,
we'll certainly have clean communities handle that. It's no it's no problem at all. >> Okay. >> All right. And anyone else want to >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. Thank you, sir. >> Hello. My name is Linda Avalender. I live at 5 Bayside Parkway. Um
>> Joe's just going to move the microphone down cuz you're >> not like this. >> To be as polite as possible, not as tall as >> Thank you. >> our last speaker. >> My name is Linda Avalenda. I live at five Bayside Parkway. I would appreciate
uh for them to put lines so people will not block the area that I walk up and down on in front of my house. This way they will not park in front of my walkway, which I was the one that had
the initiative to do that, to pay for it out of my pocket to go all the way up to the edge of the street. And um and everything else that he said, I do feel that um is something that we can all be
much happier with it. especially the lights that they park in front of the in front of the beach and then they face our house and if I go out at night I have to go like this because I cannot see where I'm walking. >> Yeah. The the one thing so back in 2020
when we met um at the Tiny Keller Center uh when during the the absolute peak of the pandemic and it was a mob scene over there. Um the what we did consider at at that time discussing a new parking
structure that that allowed for residentonly parking. The only problem with that is if any of you have any friends, family that come to your house and then park want to park on the street, they're unable then to park on
the street. So, we we did consider that at one point, but at at at the same time, it it's a catch 22, not really for us, but but for you all as as residents over there, because if if we were to issue stickers for your cars to allow
you to park on the street and you have a party or or something like that at your house, how do we we don't really want to write your family members tickets for having, you know, people gathering at your house that are not able to park in a driveway
if you have a driveway in that neighborhood because some houses do, some don't. Um, so it was something that we seriously considered, but based off of the feedback that we got from the residents at the time, they were opposed to they they love the idea of resident
parking, but what they didn't love was then you're banning parking all up and down the street um for anyone that doesn't have that sticker. Um, so just I I I forgot to mention that when when you brought it up. So it it is something that we've considered in the past.
>> And how about the markings? How about if they mark it so there isn't like >> I'm not I'm not sure what you mean by markings in front of your walkway though. >> I think I think what she's talking about is uh striping parallel parking spaces so that no one can park right in front of her walkway. >> Correct. >> Oh, we can talk to the police about that.
>> Yeah. You mean just the coming out from the curb? >> Yeah. >> Yes. and and all along of the whole way. This way they're not trying to put three cars where two cars should fit. >> Totally. Totally get that and and can certainly see that being a worthwhile thing to do.
>> Some cases they were blocking driveways. >> Got it. Got it. Okay. We'll take a look. We can certainly talk to the police about parallel park. >> Thank much for your time. >> Thank you. Any other member of the public? Eric, >> how are you, sir?
>> Good. I guess I'm between the two >> height variations here with the microphone tonight. Joe >> Eric Dowel. I live at Twaxin Avenue. Um and perhaps not surprisingly, I'm here to talk about schools briefly. Um on
behalf of countless Middletown families, we're once again asking that the township committee do whatever it can to assist us out of what we regard as a pending disaster. As you're aware, the the board of ed by the slimmest of margins five to four approved a resolution to close three
excellent schools. There's no dispute that they're excellent schools. Um in connection with this year's budget and the the final deadline, uh the board of ed has to approve its budget at its uh April 28th meeting. So, we're really talking about less than three weeks at
this point. Um in a normal world, we would not be approaching this township committee. I realize that that's the other side of the budget book. Um but what is about to happen is not right and we're not in a normal world. Uh the board uh again it's it's them but they
utterly failed to follow their own rules um which is required. They utterly failed to involve the public which is required. There's zero evidence that closing these schools will really save any real money much less sort of bend the long-term budget curve. Um there's zero evidence that there's a long-term
plan in place. This was dropped with a moment's notice on the public. And now that the good news hopefully is that there's no longer a budget shortfall for this year between uh some unexpected additional large s from the state and u the board taking advantage of a uh what
they refer to a healthc care allowance. This year's budget is essent essentially balanced once accounting you know once they deal with headcount. Uh so in a normal world we would be talking to the board of ed at this point making this point. Uh but the five
members who voted in favor are not talking to the public um despite our repeated intreaties and the clock ticks down. Uh they appear to be some of the only people in Middletown who actually think this is a good idea. Um even the superintendent who as everybody knows
has resigned. She has now publicly admitted that they they went against her express recommendation. Um, so we unfortunately need this township committee's help because if these schools close, it it becomes a problem not just for the northeast corner of
Middletown, it spreads. Um, and obviously schools are some of the most important things to Middletown residents. Uh, we're open to to any ideas, but uh we we know that there is a shared services meeting coming up. We know that
land has been discussed in the past. We don't have the faintest idea why the board of ed owns so much land. Much of it just kind of overgrown. Uh certainly we don't need it for schools anymore. We understand they have the approval to sell it. Uh we have we understand that they have appraisals on all that land
and uh we are asking for for leadership in that shared services context. Um because at least some members of the board of eds seem to need a little bit of a a nudge because with a budget that is now balanced with the ability to sell land to perhaps replenish reserves,
there is certainly no reason if there ever was to close schools this year. Thank you. Thank you, Eric. Appreciate it. Any other member of the public? >> All right. See no other member of the public stepping forward. Move the close
the public portion and adjurnn. >> Second. >> Committeeman Clark. >> Yes. >> Committ Kratz. >> Yes. >> Committ. >> Yes. >> Deputy Mayor Hibbo. >> Yes. >> Mayor Perry. >> Yes. >> Motion carries to adjourn. >> Have a great night everybody. Thank you
all very much.