Okay, good evening everyone. Welcome to the regular township council meeting of May 19th, 2026. We're so happy that you decided to join us. This is a regular meeting of the
council. It's being broadcast live on channel 34. It's streaming live on the Montlair TV34 YouTube channel. It's available on demand and can and will be rebroadcast. This meeting is called pursuant to the provisions of the open public meeting
act. The meeting was scheduled in the revised annual notice of the meeting scheduled is set forth in resolution R-26-064 adopted by the township council at the regular meeting of February 10th, 2026.
advertised to the official newspaper on February 26, 26, posted on the township website and bulletin boards outside of the municipal building, and has remained continuously posted. In addition, a copy
of the revised annual notice is and has been available to the public and is on file in the office of our township clerk. 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. Roll call, please. Madame Clerk. Deputy Mayor Anderson,
>> here. >> Councelor Birmingham, absent. Councelor Damato, >> here. >> Councelor Harrison, >> here. >> Councelor Toller, >> good evening. Present. >> Good evening. Councelor Williams, absent. Mayor Baskerville >> present. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Um okay. Um at this point in time um the township council is going to go into the um executive session. I make a motion that we adjourn to the executive session. Um the purpose of this meeting
is uh to discuss personnel and I so move. >> Second. I I'd like to ask everyone here that is not directly related, that's the township council, um and the clerk to please remove yourself from um the room while we have this discussion. Um the
estimated time that we should be returning will be around 7:00. So please join us around 7, possibly 7:15 and we look forward to seeing you then. Thank you. All right, you're on.
>> Okay. Um, at this point in time, I'd like to make a motion that we exit the executive session and return to the regular meeting. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Any opposed?
I'd like to make a um motion, please, that we um adjourn until 7 PM, which is the time that uh most of our guests are expecting us to start the regular portion of the meeting. Is there a second, please? >> Second.
>> All in favor? >> Any opposed? Okay, I'll see everyone back at 7. Thank you. Okay. All right. Welcome to everyone that's just joining us now. Um, and we're very happy that that you're here.
This is a regular meeting, uh, May 19th. And we're going to start with the approval of the minutes. They have been presented to the council the minutes of February 10th, 2026,
February 24th, 2026, March 12th, 2026, March 17th, 2026, and March 24, 2026. Are there any corrections or additions? >> I have corrections to both the February
10th and February 24th minutes. February 10th, I was listed as neither present nor absent, and I managed to vote on everything, so I'm assuming I was present. and February 24th uh as part of
the discussion on uh the can the application to Green Acres for Canterbury Park. Uh there's a statement made which I think should be included in the minutes that the application not include any pickle ball courts and asked
that that be added. And then um the resolution uh dealing with Lacawana Plaza was moved to it was listed last on the agenda. It was moved to earlier in the agenda which is reflected in the minutes but then at the end of the minutes it's also
indicated it was enacted at the end of the minutes. So that portion should be deleted. I have no other changes and I alerted the clerk to all of those in advance. Okay, I make a motion um to accept the
minutes as amended. Second. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> Any opposed? >> Thank you. Okay. So, um please at this moment um I'm going to ask if we could
all just take a a moment of silence and um reflection um in the memory of Juniper Blessing, the 19-year-old student um a trans female who was stabbed 40 times
um in Seattle and she also was a New Jersey native. And I'd also like for us to just meditate um and reflect and moment of silence for the three victims that were killed in the Islamic Center
in San Diego recently. So, if we can just pause for a moment, please. Thank you very much. Okay, now we're going to go um to the portion of the meeting where we read proclamations and um since we know we
have people from the um volunteer ambulance unit, if everyone's here to receive that proclamation, can you please join the council down at the podium? We represent the 100 club, although I also represent the ambulance unit. I
wear several hats in town. Who has that one, please? council. >> This is for first responders month. >> Hello. >> First responders month. >> Come on up. >> It's for firefighters, too. >> First responders.
>> All first responders. >> There we go. >> Okay, great. >> Police, fire, and ambulance. Okay. So, um I'm honored to uh read here the uh proclamation for first responders month um which started I think yesterday, a couple days ago. Um and as
as we all know um Montlair Township is served every day by a group of dedicated firefighters, police officers, and members of the Montlair Ambulance Unit um which is a nonprofit um here in town
and has been providing um services uh for many many decades. Um all of these um dedicated uh workers um they their professionalism, their courage and steadfast service protect the lives and well-being of everyone who lives, works,
and visits our community. Um and whereas these first responders willingly and s selflessly place themselves in harm's way to ensure public safety, responding to emergencies with unwavering commitment, skill, and compassion.
Whereas the Montlair 100 Club, founded in 1966, has for nearly six decades provided meaningful support to families of Montlair's first responders, including assistance in times of tragedy and scholarships for the children of firefighters, police officers, and since
2019, members of the Montlair Ambulance Unit. Whereas um founded in October of 1966, the Montlair 100 Club was the vision of two Montlair business people, Joseph Han, president of Claremont Cadillac, and Raymond Canel. I hope I
pronounced that right. Um a a local attorney whose goal was simple yet profound to unite business owners, professionals, and residents in support of those who protect and serve our community. And whereas the Monontlair 100 Club
continues to honor bravery, support families, and stand firmly behind the heroes who protect our community. And whereas May is recognized as First Responder Month, a time for the Township of Monontlair to acknowledge and honor the courage, sacrifices, and invaluable
service to those who safeguard our community. And whereas the 100 Club Community Service Award plaque in honor of former chiefs Edward A. Giblin and John W. gardener missing for several years now returns this day in May, first responders month, to its rightful home
at Town Hall. Bravo. Now, let it be resolved that we, the mayor and council of the township of Montlair, do hereby proclaim May as first responder month in the township of Montlair and urge all residents to join us in expressing our heartfelt
appreciation to all of our first responders for their unwavering dedication, bravery, and service. And we pro uh we now proclaim May as first responder month in the township of Montlair and urge all of our residents to join us in expressing our heartfelt
appreciation to our first responders for their dedication, bravery, and service. >> Thank you all very much. >> If I may briefly Yeah, hold. Thank you. And uh we have several of us. We have our two vice presidents. We have Hugh
Morardi and Bob Rowan. We have Don Felber. We have uh the chief. Uh >> this is good. Uh so this plaque used to hang on the wall out there and uh it disappeared for
several years and then it reappeared and we brought it up to date and we're proud to return it to uh the town hall where it belongs. And uh just so you're aware of what the 100 club does, we are a uh the widows and orphans uh fund started
in ' 66 as you heard. Uh fortunately we're more of a scholarship fund these days, but we're trying to uh raise our profile so we're here. Pay attention to us. >> Thank you. >> Thank you so much.
Good. >> Well, we don't we have some pictures. >> Barbara, you want to get into Barbara? >> Do you want me to get into it? >> Will you take a picture? There we go.
>> That's how we disappeared last time. >> We won't go into the details. >> Come on, Barbara. Let's go. Yeah. >> All right. >> All right. >> Thank you. >> Nobody else. >> All right.
That's my song. That's my song. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Congratulations. >> Always. Always. I appreciate. Thank you. Thank you. >> Uhhuh. Next up, we have a proclamation for gun violence, please. So, if you're here to
receive that, Councelor Rahum Williams will do the honors and thank you for being here. We're always happy. Happy. Yeah. Always happy. Yes, I would. Thank you. Thank you. Yes.
Okay. >> I remember we had one of these with you and I in the snow. We're >> good. Ready? Okay. >> Good evening everyone. So going to read this proclamation for gun violence
awareness day. Whereas every day nearly 130 people in the United States are killed by gun violence and more than 200 are shot and wounded with an average of more than 19,000 gun homicides every year. People in the United States are 26 more times
likely to die by gun homicide than people in other high income countries. And whereas New Jersey has 442 gun deaths every year with a rate of 4.8 eight deaths per 100,000 people, a
crisis that costs the state 5.3 billion each year, of which 168.9 million is paid by taxpayers, the New Jersey has the high has the fourth lowest rate of gun deaths in in the US. And whereas gun homicides and assaults
are concentrated in cities, with more than half of all gun homicides in the nation occurring in 42 cities, cities across the nation, including Monontlair, are working to end the senseless violence with evidence-based solutions, protecting public safety in the communities they serve is the mayor's
highest responsibility. And whereas support for the Second Amendment's rights of law- abiding citizens goes handinhand with keeping guns away from those who are a danger to themselves or others. Mayors, council members, and law enforcement officers in partnership with local violence
intervention activists and resources know their communities best, are the most familiar with local criminal activity and how to address it, and are best positioned to understand how to keep their citizens safe. gun violent uh gun violence prevention
is more important than ever as we see gun violence continue to impact communities across the country. And whereas in January 2013 >> Hidea Hidea Pendleton was tragically shot and killed at age 15. And on June
5th, 2026, to recognize the 29th birthday of Hidea Pendleton, born June 2nd, 1997, people across the United States will recognize National Gun Violence Awareness Day and wear orange in tribute to Hidea and other victims of gun violence and the loved ones of of
those victims. And whereas the idea was inspired by a group of Hidea's friends who asked their CA classmates to commemorate her life by wearing orange, they chose this color because hunters wear orange to announce themselves to other hunters when out in the woods. And orange is the color that symbolized the
value of human life. And whereas anyone can join this campaign by pledging to wear orange on June 5th, the first Friday in June to help raise awareness about gun violence. By wearing orange on June 5th, 2026, people across the United States will raise awareness about gun
violence and honor the lives of gun violence victims and survivors. And whereas we renew our commitment to reduce gun violence and pledge to do all we can to keep firearms out of the hands of people who should not have access to them and encourage responsible gun ownership to help keep our families and
communities safe. Now therefore, the mayor and council of the township of Montlair do hereby declare June 5th, the first Friday in June to be Gun Violence Awareness Day, followed by Wear Orange Weekend, June 6th to the 7th. We collectively support the efforts of moms
demand action for gun sense in America and we encourage all citizens to support to support local communities efforts to prevent the tragic effects of gun violence and to honor the value of human lives. Thank you so much, mayor and council
members. We are so grateful that every year, for many years, you have been listening to us, and we hope that this is the last year that we ever need to worry about gun violence. Um, my name is
Melissa Schaefer. I'm a longtime Montlair resident and on behalf of Every Town for Gun Safety and Essex County Moms Demand Action, we are very grateful to you for your support uh for gun violence prevention in Montlair. And
we're wearing orange again this year and we invite everyone to wear orange on um June 5th. >> I have ribbons. >> We have ribbons if anyone wants to wear a ribbon. um because the statistics that you heard in the proclamation
um just tell some of the story. We hear the news when the violence is particularly horrible, but it happens every day. Every day in our nation and uh for those of you that are here and those of you that are listening at home,
if you have children, you know that they practice lockdown drills in school. Um, but I wonder what are the deeper effects of practicing lockdown drills? And what kind of a world teaches
three-year-olds to lock doors, turn off the lights, get away from the windows, cram into a tiny space, and remain completely silent as I did with three and four year olds when I was teaching a music and theater lesson at a preschool
last year. And we were in a preschool bathroom that was about the size. It was about 3 feet by three feet and there were about 20 of us in there and no one made a peep.
So no matter what your political views, your support for gun violence prevention is so important. And there are many more guns on our streets than ever before. New Jersey, as you heard, has always had strict gun laws and correspondingly low
levels of gun violence. But since the Supreme Court decision in 2022, the Breuan decision, just about anyone can obtain a concealed carry gun permit. So, I'm going to give you just a few
numbers, please, if you allow me. In um about the three and a half years before Breuan, there were about 1,548 applications for concealed carry permits approved in New Jersey.
and since then 105,000. So we went from about 1,500 to 105,000 permits in uh this year in Essex County. The
number of permits went from 426 to 6,080. >> And actually that's last year's statistic. The numbers are higher. Um, New Jersey has lost $35 million in
federal funding for community violence intervention programs. There are some really great ones um in Newark and it they're struggling to stay afloat and they're crucial for this work. Um there is a push in Congress right now to
establish a national rep reciprocity law which would require every state to respect the concealed carry eligibility standards of all other states. So the residents of the 29 United States that
have done away completely with any licensing or training requirement would be allowed to carry a concealed weapon in New Jersey. So, uh, West Virginia
passed permitless carry such as this in 2016, and by 2020, gun homicides had increased 48% and suicides had increased 22%. We shouldn't have to live like this. And
that's why we educate and we advocate for gun safety through programs like Wear Orange and safe storage programs. For about $60, you can get uh a lock case to store your gun with a
combination so that children or teens or, you know, someone having a bad day can't get to the gun. Um I think there's also wouldn't you agree Peg that people feel like well if there are that many guns I should get one
>> right >> there is a trend >> there is a trend >> but um mostly uh guns lead to accidents um especially with children and teens and suicide
>> do not make us >> more guns do not make us safer so we appreciate your support the time that you've given us to speak the proclamation and we especially um are grateful to our town council and to our
mayor. Thank you, Mayor Baskerville and town council. >> Thank you so much. >> You guys do. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> Do you have anybody that wanted to take a picture? We would hang out here for you. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
>> All right, we got >> to go over this way. >> Thank you so much. Thank you so much. >> All right. Thank you. Thank you guys so very very much. The final proclamation
um for today is honoring Pam Scott. Is there anyone here that is uh present to receive this proclamation? No. Okay. Um then I will um hold this proclamation. But basically um Pam Scott
is someone that we should all all know and celebrate after 40 years uh providing um service with partners for health. She will be retiring and she's just done an amazing amazing job um over
the years and there will be a celebration for her retirement. So I just wanted to mention that. Pam Scott. She's somebody that has basically touched every nonprofit organization and others uh in some form in terms of
resources. So, I am so grateful to Pam and um wishing her well as she moves on to uh the next portion of her journey. Thank you. Now, we're going to resume the rest of our meeting. Turn it around.
Okay. The next portion is public comment and I hope everyone that wishes to um thank you to speak uh signed here. Um, and so we're going to ask please that you
uh limit your comments to three minutes that when you come to the podium, please give us your name. Um, and if you're going to speak on um a pending ordinance, we would ask please that you
wait until we have the discussion on that pending ordinance to share your comments with us. God bless you. And you have three minutes if you're coming for a discussion of an ordinance item. And if you're coming to share anything that
you'd like to with us, we will be happy to hear from you and we're thankful that you would take your time to come. >> Okay. Seagull, please. >> I want to speak on >> Okay. Thank you.
Payne. >> Hey, how are you? Uh, Eric Payne. I live at 70 South Fullerton uh South Ferton Avenue, Montlair. Um, I'm a partner in Nightwal uh LLC cannabis dispensary. And here I'm here
to urge you guys to uh approve consumption in the uh retail dispensary um dispensary license holders. The state has allowed it. Um they've approved it for uh dispensaries that can have
consumption. They have a set of regulations. The first part is to get the approval from the town to uh people that have already received the dispensary licenses. We're in the process of we submitted our uh permits for demolition and construction. So obviously to be able to build the lounge
while we're doing at the same time. It was suggested to me to do a little research to see how consumption is uh playing out across the country. There's not a lot of research on it. Um obviously the obvious questions would be you know the way it would be handled and
the regulations uh around it that the state uh establishes and that you guys would establish also. But also too we are going to uh have decided we're going to put in our own kind of rules around the consumption lounge and and kind of
the parameters of how we uh see it going and how it could best be something that fits into the community. Obviously, the main thing is people walking around the street and stuff like that and you have this the secondhand smoke of now cannabis on top of tobacco. So, uh we
would urge people or we have make that available for people and also for medical patients that might want to uh be able to medicate at that time to be able to use the lounge uh that we have. And I'm sure that the other dispensary owner, I know that I'm sure that Jake
and Kush, they probably feel the same way. Obviously, there's the obvious business revenue, added revenue that it would bring in as well. And with us where we are in town, um we look to engage obviously the restaurants and a lot of the uh eery places where we would
um a encourage and you can have the state regulations where you can order food in. So, we obviously would encourage, you know, the restaurants around us, people, if people wanted to order food and we don't anticipate it being a thing where people are going to be hanging out for hours, we're not going to encourage, we would discourage
that. Um, but also too, in terms of uh of the chefs around town to have infused, now there's a big thing to have infused items and things like that, and a lot of gourmet chefs are getting into that and having, you know, their line of edibles and things like that. So, uh, I
would urge you guys to consider that and, uh, also too to consider, you know, the expanding the zone, the commercial zone we have cannabis, cuz, you know, we're all three in that corridor there and to give all of us the best opportunity for success. If it could
expand it, maybe think about uptown or other places. So, that's all I have. Thank you. >> Thank you for coming. Uh, next guest is Lynch, please. >> I want to speak on an ordinance. >> Ordinance. Thank you, Grayson.
Good evening, Mayor Baskil and council members. I'm Jeffrey Robert Grayson. I wake up every morning and turn on the news and wonder what form of madness will greet me today. We are living in turbulent times surrounded by deception,
misinformation, propaganda, and abuse of power. We are told one thing today, something completely different tomorrow. On the third day, we're told what we heard on day one was fake news by a bad journalist often called nasty or piggy.
For African-Americans, the concern is magnified tenfold because civil rights progress that our ancestors bled and died for are being systematically dismantled. The Trump administration and the Supreme Court featuring Clarence Thomas seem hellbent on returning us to the days
when Rosa Parks was told to sit in the back of the bus and strange fruit was known to hang from the popppler tree. We are being governed by dogma influenced by the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which in and of itself seems to be
rooted in white nationalism. It is through this filter that I will respond to the words spoken at the last council meeting regarding the amended zoning maps along Bloomfield Avenue, Hartley, and New Street corridor. We heard from two landlords
slashdevelopers that have accumulated multiple properties with the idea of redeveloping these properties which would increase density, alter the character and shift the demographics of the neighborhood. Once again, the words affordable housing units were used as public relations
designed to manipulate our emotions by blindfolding us to the reality of gentrification. Clearly, the housing market in the fourth ward has become a shell game played on a monopoly board, and the African-American residents are the disposable tokens.
We heard the usual word salad from counselors figning concern and empathy for the fourth word community, then voting the exact opposite to what that empathy empathy called for. We even heard fourth word housing equated to hot dog stands. Has anyone ever heard of
homes in Upper Monontlair symbolized as hot dogs? There was even a golden opportunity for a counselor to vote in support of a community that initially had high hopes for him. Instead, he chose to abstain from showing any solid solidarity with
that community. The Monontlair master plan has become a runaway train that has gone off the rails. You have residents residents saying pump the brakes because you're doing too much. You have others saying keep building, just don't build it in my block. Put it on the fourth ward.
I want to thank Mayor Baskville, councelor Toller, Councelor Harrison, and Councelor Birmingham for your yes votes to amend the zoning map in this section of town. Thank you for showing us that there is still room in Monontlair for compassionate thinking and empathetic action in a town that has
been consumed by hyperdevelopment and the steady economic displacement of its African-American residents. Thank you. Um, okay. The last guest that I have on the clipboard is Brian.
>> Ordinance. Okay. Thank you. >> Yes. Is this is everybody for ordinance on second reading? I should have been more specific. Thank you. or >> you said any others. >> Uhhuh. But I didn't make sure let them know it's just for the ones that are on
uh second reading. >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. Good. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. So, we're ready to move on to the pending ordinances on second reading. I'm going to open the public hearing without objection
for pending ordinance 0 2613. It's an ordinance to amend section 327 vehicles and traffic of the code of the township of Montlair, New Jersey, stop signs on Harrison Avenue and Cedar Avenue. I now
open the public hearing without objection. Is there anyone here that wishes to be heard in relationship to this? I'm Anne Lynch and I live at 77 Cedar Avenue on the corner of Harrison and Cedar. And I can't say how happy I am to hear that you guys are addressing this.
I've been asking for regulation of that intersection for probably nine years and I've only lived in the corner for 11. Um, I've had a car on my lawn. This past year, I had my fire hydrant taken out by a car and the fire hydrant thrown across my lawn. This year I've had my tree hit by a car. I've had the telephone pole
hit by a car. I have incessant honking at um rush hour every single day because no one can make that left and people make dangerous turns because they get an opportunity to move on a very difficult intersection. So I have people right behind me as I'm trying to turn in my own driveway. So it is a disaster of an
intersection and I've seen so many relatively peaceful intersections getting four-way stops and um our intersection needs it more than any place else in the town and I urge you to go ahead with it. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Is there anyone else who wishes to be
heard on this ordinance? Please come. >> Hi, mayor and council. Um, Jacob Neman, complete streets director. For for those watching at home or in the public, I just want to make a note. Um, this ordinance is separate from the ordinance to change Southerntherland to a one-way. Those are treated separately uh as they
should be as ordinances. That being said, um it's both my opinion and I feel comfortable saying the opinion of the township engineer that these must be looked at in concert and if you're going to do one, you need to do the other. And so, uh if the stop sign is something that's going to go ahead, wonderful. It
has to be paired with that one way at Southerntherland to ensure that the intersection can can continue operating safely. The intersection at Southerntherland poses a lot of difficulties from a visibility perspective. that would make it really difficult for anyone in the
intersection whether on Harrison or Cedar or Southerntherland to be aware of a vehicle stopped at Southerntherland or for a vehicle stopped at Southerntherland that's obeying the law and at the stop line to see any of those vehicles elsewhere. So, I just wanted to make sure to note that before you voted
and if you had any questions, but thank you all. >> Thank you. Is there anyone else that wishes to be heard on that ordinance? Okay, without objection, I'm uh closing the hearing on that portion. And the
council, you have an opportunity to to speak on this. Councelor Toller. Oh. Um yeah, I just, you know, I appreciate uh the resident speaking and uh our complete streets director um
sharing his insight on um this proposed uh ordinance. Uh I'm personally not in favor of it. Um I just think there has to be a little more work to be done, if you will, investigating. Um you know, what impacts will this have on the other surrounding streets? And I'm talking
behind Southernland up on Stone Bridge. Um, originally I wanted to know who asked for this, but we heard from a resident who has had some issues at her property there. I'm not saying she asked for it. Um, and the data, you know, what data have we seen or been presented to
share to determine, you know, that this one way is absolutely necessary. I'm in favor of a stop sign, uh, but making the street one way. I'm very concerned about the residents at the end of the block, like I said, coming down Stern Bridge. You know, what kind of flow of traffic? What what will that look like for the
residents? is my concern. We haven't seen anything to um I guess suggest that this would be an easy get around for the other residents. Um and again, if there were any considerations or plans uh either by the complete streets director
and or our engineer uh to try to slow traffic down at the West Orange and Mount Clair border prior to them arriving at Southerntherland and uh Cedar Avenue. other council members, please. I um I I have a um a concern. So, when
we uh voted on this the last time, um some of us were going to get more information and the thought was that we were going to discuss that at the complete streets meeting. So, we had a very robust discussion at the about um
at the complete streets meeting about that very area. And in fact, we saw uh what I thought was a very wonderful option for traffic calming and keeping people safe in that area. Um and it was led by our director, Jacob Neman. Um and
there was a lot lot of input in conversation and back and forth. I'm a little disappointed because at no time did we ever discuss the Southerntherland uh one way or the um traffic signs. And
so I was under the impression that this option that was presented to us was something that our um engineer, traffic engineer and our um director of the um complete streets or safe streets was um offering us the option and it really
looked at um the entire area there from the border of West Orange all the way up to um Luwellyn. So, I would have liked to had more conversation or some input or any conversation about the
Southerntherland and um the traffic lights if we were going to move forward with that, right? I thought it was like, okay, we're offering you guys something that we think is better. And so, I said, okay, that's why we didn't have that. So, I would have preferred to have more
discussion um and to hear from the engineer and our um director at that time if we were going to still pursue this um deputy mayor. >> Um yes. So, um I remember that part of
the com, uh of the meeting and I believe you're I we did were talking about different ideas including a traffic light, but I think the um the end result was that it was determined that it would not be an option at this point. I mean,
um so I mean I would invite Mr. Neman to come back up um to verify what the actual outcome of that discussion was. But um you know we were presented with um a report from the engineer um about this area and the data on which uh you
know this these actions your these proposed actions were based. Seven um reported uh traffic incidents within the span of three years is not insignificant. Um, you know, this at this particular intersection that we're talking about, Harrison Theater, it's,
you know, by a school, right? Um, there's a park there. There's a lot of pedestrian traffic there. Um, and there is, you know, speeding, um, that we know about. Um, and, uh, you know, it was discussed that, um, Southerntherland
does need I mean, we can't have another stop sign there because it's so I think it's only within a couple of blocks, right? So, um I I don't recall that we were saying that a traffic signal >> No, I Let me If you're responding to me,
I'm going to just um help you. And maybe I didn't make myself clear. I'm not talking about a traffic light because I don't recall that we had that either. I'm talking about the discussion that we had about going all along the eastern um side of Harrison Avenue all the way down
from the west um Orange border all the way up and and and allowing absolutely no parking on the eastern side of the road and a lot of other things. So, no, this wasn't No, I I remember what you remember about that, but I'm just talking about when we had this plan. So
now is it thinking that we're going to do that plan plus the traffic plus the southerntherland? I'm just trying to figure out now all what what what you think would be the best because I thought you were offering us that other plan.
>> So So uh the the plan that was discussed at the most recent complete streets oversight board meeting was focused on traffic calming. A stop sign is a mechanism for traffic control. >> Okay. They're they're they're often seen kind of interchangeably, but they have different goals and purposes. Uh traffic
control, much as the word control sounds like, is designed to take control of an intersection and cause people to act in a certain particular way. Direct them what to do, right? A stop sign directs you what to do to stop. It controls that intersection. And you would look for
traffic control. A traffic signal is another version of traffic control. In a circumstance where say you are having difficulty crossing the street because there's no way to get through, right? You need to control traffic so people can safely cross. You may look at traffic control because uh there's
relatively equal amounts of cross traffic, right? And it's a hard for uh people going in one way or the other to to actually make their way through the intersection. Traffic calming is focused on bringing down uh the speeds and intensity of motor vehicle usage.
Traffic calming is going to be something like a chicane, like a speed hump. These things are often complimentary um and they often accomplish similar goals, which is making residents, drivers feel safer, uh but they're not necessarily
the same thing. And so, uh this is a traffic control ordinance. the recommendation um uh ordinance before you the discussion we had was traffic calming, right? Okay. And and there are circumstances where uh a stop sign will
bring down speeds. That's not their goal and they should not be used to control speed, right? That's not the job of a stop sign. Our engineer will will gladly uh remind me of that. Uh and traffic calming's goal is not to control an intersection. Nonetheless, it can help
make it easier to cross or, you know, drive safely through it. And so, they're complimentary and often mutually beneficial and reinforcing, but they're not the same thing. And so, you can do both and and have that still be a reasonable course of action. You can
also choose to do one or the other if if you feel one's more appropriate for the circumstance than the other. >> Okay. No. Yeah. No, I appreciate that. Thank you very much, director. I didn't use my full minutes because I didn't think this was controversial. I thought this was actually going to happen. So, I
want to use another minute then. >> Does she have another minute? According to you, madame clerk, >> she didn't run. >> Okay. So, >> we we'll give you one moment. >> This is this is not a questionable
intersection. And I've seen four or five stop signs on Harrison and Upper Mountain in very wealthy neighborhoods with much less traffic than mine. And I cannot say what I will do to try to make this happen if you guys don't make this right decision because I have a disabled
adult son. That is not the point because it's danger for everybody. Southerntherland has 1,000th the traffic that that Cedar does. It's so not comparable. I I can't even tell you. I walk in the wealthy neighborhood all the time because it's so peaceful cuz there are no cars there. Nobody drives through
there. No one uses as a cutthrough. Everybody uses Cedar. Everybody does. I'm telling you. I could take pictures. I Every day they're honking. I come out with my camera to take pictures as there are 15 cars back down the street. It is there's no comparison. And if you guys do not do a three-way stop here, I will
go crazy with papers and the town and the disabled son thing and the car on the on the on the lawn and and the um fire hydrant. So, you must do the right thing. I I will absolutely not take this line down. Absolutely not.
>> Okay. Are there any um Well, we closed that portion. So, that was really being very generous and kind to you. So, thank you. Because we had already passed that public hearing portion, council members, are there anyone? Um, let me just see if then I'll go this way first and then
come back. Councelor Birmingham, please. >> Um, I think it was like a few weeks ago we made another street one way, Lynden. I think >> I don't think we were given data. I assume I I got I did hear from neighbors that they didn't feel like
they were fully informed, but my sense is like that we're doing this on your recommendation and this is how others have been done. I guess I'm just >> Yeah. So, uh the Lynden uh Lynen Avenue was in the process as I started and so I
can't give as much context or detail on that. Um I I I don't know what exactly came before you for that process. What what I can say is what uh Norberto the township engineer completed was essentially a stop sign warrant. We talked about this at the oversight board meeting. >> Sorry, a stop sign. What
>> warrant? We talked about this at the oversight board meeting. And basically what a warrant is in this circumstance is something that says are certain conditions met that would warrant the installation of a stop sign. It doesn't mean you must. It doesn't mean you must not. I it just it provides a structure
and a rubric for understanding is this an appropriate intervention and um I believe his recommendation was that it met those warrants and so uh again that's not saying you must but that's saying that the the conditions are there that it would warrant the installation
of a stop sign and uh the installation of the stop the one way is directly tied to the fact that without a stop sign a car that is properly stopped at Southerntherland going eastbound would not be able to see
or be visible to anyone else in the intersection. This intersection is challenging because it's not a square intersection. It's a bit of a dog leg. And because of that, the sight lines are a lot more challenging. Added to the sighteline challenges is there's a
residence with a very large stone retaining wall. It's gorgeous, but it does make it difficult to see. And so that is an added level of complexity. Beyond that, the location of driveways in firehouse number three mean that the stop sign on Harrison going southbound
has to be placed at some remove from even the Cedar Avenue portion of the intersection. And so you've got a series of particular challenges that mean if you're going to do a stop sign, the Southerntherland would need to be one way. It just is not something that would
safely function without those being done in concert. Thank you, council members. >> I just had another question. >> Yes, councelor Toller. >> Uh, sure. So, to answer your question about Lynen Avenue, what was presented to us? The answer was nothing. It just
showed up one day. There was no presentation. There was no report given to the council in advance. It just showed up. So, just want to put that on the record. Um, um, I heard that the deputy mayor stated that a report was presented. Um, do you have a copy of that report? Cuz I don't recall seeing
anything. She said something was presented by the engineer or your your >> That's the memo that we got with the ordinance the last meeting. >> Well, that's a memo. I'm looking for a full report. You know, the data that says and and can you maybe answer this, Jake? Um,
by making a street one way, how does that stop people from driving and speeding down Cedar Avenue? I'm just trying to really understand how that's going to slow everything down because I don't I don't know. I'm asking cuz you're saying you're going to make Southerntherland a oneway, right?
>> That that's the suggestion. That's the ordinance. >> If the concern is the traffic up and down Cedar, how does a oneway off of Cedar slow people from speeding? I mean Harrison stop people from speeding up and down Harrison. If if the street off of Harrison is one way, I'm just trying
to get a better understanding. >> So the the the change to make Southerntherland one way is not intended to address a speeding issue on Harrison Avenue. the change to make Southerntherland one way is necessary if a stop control is implemented at the intersection of Harrison and Cedar. So
you said if a stop patrol is there going to be one implemented is that >> that's a decision for you all the the mayor and council as to whether a stop sign is appropriate for the intersection and and and my professional opinion and the opinion of the engineer as laid out in that memo is that if you are going to
put in a stop sign at that intersection it must be paired with the one way on southerntherland. >> So what a stop sign well you said it must be paired because you're saying every oneway has is leads to a stop sign. That's a law. Is that a rule? Is that what you're suggesting? >> No. Uh, sorry. The must
>> we can put a stop sign instead of making this a oneway? >> Uh, no. So, what I was saying is the stop sign must be paired for the safe operations of the intersection. In my opinion, in the opinion of the township engineer, as he laid out in his memo, th
those should be done together because it would not be safe to have eastbound traffic on Southerntherland attempting to use the intersection when they are not able to see other drivers in in vehicles and when other drivers at Cedar and Harrison are not able to see them.
>> And do you know if the engineers report, I'm sorry, memo uh specifies or talks about the other streets behind? And I'm just trying to understand the flow and the ease of traffic by making Southerntherland one way. The other people that live in the neighborhood, how does this affect their getting
around? It it will presumably have an effect. Um Southerntherland and South Bridge, Stonebridge are relatively lightly traveled streets. I believe there's plenty of capacity to handle any change in traffic patterns. Um and especially the fact that that right nearby is Graham Terrace. It's very easy
to go up Southerntherland or or if you're leaving Southerntherland, go up Southerntherland to Stone Bridge to get down to Graham and return to Harrison Avenue. You can also go to Stone uh Stone Bridge and further north. >> On Southernland Terrace, there's a family with a disabled person. Has any communications happened with that family yet?
>> Sorry, repeat the question. >> On Southerntherland Terrace, there's a family with a disabled adult. Has any communication happened with that family yet? If you're one way Southerntherland Road, have you had any conversations with the family on Southerntherland Terrace that has a disabled person that
lives there? How will this impact them for a van picking them up? Any emergency vehicles, etc. I'm just wondering if any communications have happened with that family. >> I'm not sure what communications may have happened. I've not personally communicated with them.
>> Okay. >> So, we still need to calm the traffic on Harrison. So, right, calming traffic was discussed at the complete streets oversight board meeting. What's being discussed here is a traffic control device and a traffic control intervention.
>> Councelor Harrison, >> can I ask Oh, go ahead. >> Go ahead. >> Can I just ask Jake, all these um interventions that we're making, you're able to track impact, right? like you have software and you're able to track
impact of these interventions. >> Yeah, for sure. So to give like a very straightforward example, uh the the speed humps that were recently installed on Undercliff Road, uh if you look at our data for the week prior, the Monday prior to the installation, uh the average speed was around 32 miles an
hour, I want to say, or 29 miles an hour, and the 85th percentile speed, meaning 85 out of 100 cars were going or the 85th car of 100 was going, I believe, around 33 or 35 miles an hour, right? Far above the 25 mile per hour speed limit. the Monday after the
installation and modification of those speed humps, uh the average speed was about 19 m hour and the 85th percentile speed was 23 mph. And so we were able to see in one week a very real impact on on some of these changes. And and the
number one contributor to serious injury and fatality on our roadways is speed, just like bar none. And so, uh, any decrease like that is really quite remarkable and something we should be aiming for everywhere because it'll mean more people get home to their families. It'll mean more people don't have injuries on our streets.
>> I have another question. >> So, like at the end of this year, you'd be able to give us kind of a report because we are being we are trying really hard to make recommended changes. Um, but you'll be able to sort of let us know the impact if any of these need to
be modified or whatever. I'm thinking of a traffic light maybe in my area that you know that people have concerns about. But like you'd be able to tell us that and and so we would know that our interventions are working or if anything needs to be modified.
>> Yeah. Like fortunately and unfortunately uh the work never stops, right? And so there's always going to be need for improvement and always going to be need for modification, right? and changes and there are circumstances where we may find that an intervention that we put in place is not the appropriate one. Uh one
of the things we're going to to to be trying to do is a lot more uh kind of quick dirty and cheap demonstration sorts of projects where we're able to try something out and like maybe if it doesn't work we can move on and try something else. Right? There's a lot we can do that involves just like putting
down some planters that we can later pick up or putting down a couple of uh flex posts that we can later pick up and uh remove for relatively cheap and and and you know it's an iterative process. We're going to do improvements and then we're going to do more improvements because we can always be doing better.
There's not a point at which our streets are safe. They always need to be made safer. >> Councelor Harrison. >> Okay. Before I get on topic, fix the one speed hump on Lloyd before someone bumps into somebody else. It's You're going
>> on uh on Lloyd. I >> I mean on undercliff >> under cliff. >> But was it on Okay. Was it on the L? >> It's the one closest to West Orange. >> Okay. >> Since you foolishly brought it up is a speed bump, not a speed hump. and you
have to slow down to 5 miles an hour and cars are not expecting that when the speed humps in West Orange and the others on Undercliff are you go 15 to 20 it's okay. >> I'll I'll confirm with the engineer that that one's to spec >> and or put up a sign saying it's a speed
bump which is not preferable but I saw today a car almost ran into the car in front of it not anticipating it was going to slow down as much as it did. >> Okay, >> cuz it had to. But the car behind it didn't know that. Um, okay. On this, um,
there is no question Cedar and Harrison needs to be made into an all-way stop. I And in my current job and in a prior job, the way I come home is down Eagle Rock to Harrison to Cedar down to Orange
Road. going the other way going to work. I do not go that way because making that lefthand turn is totally unsafe. >> Um my question and I do not understand the
coupling of this with the Southerntherland going one way, >> right? >> That wall has been there forever. >> At least the 50 years I've been driving. And when I started driving, >> it had been there a long time. It wasn't a new wall. There is not a lot of
traffic on Southerntherland. The making it an all-way stop is going to somewhat improve the situation because the cars coming from the stop going southbound are going to be going slower than they would be otherwise. You have
to pull out at the intersection. If drivers feel unsafe, they can go up to Stonebridge over to Graham if they're, you know, going in that direction. I I think if we were talking about a much
busier use of Southerntherland, if we were talking about a new situation which drivers were not familiar with, >> I would maybe understand, but it is more of an obstacle in some places
in town. But I can drive you around, show you 30 intersections where you have to pull out fully across the crosswalk in order to see cars coming towards you. Um I
if I just don't see it as being unique. I think and you know as you brought out in answering councelor Birmingham's questions, we now have the ability to monitor what's going on. >> And I think let's get the hallway stop
because that should have been done a long time ago. Um, and it, you know, I'm glad, you know, in recent years, this council and prior councils have been moving forward on hallway stops and a variety of other measures to control
speeds in town. I know they technically not doing that, but that's what it does. You have to come to a stop, you go slow, you can't go back to your usual 40 miles an hour to be somewhat facitious, and takes you a while to get up to back to
the speed limit. I I just I Yes, you're totally solving the problem if you don't let cars use that intersection, but I don't know that the problem is big enough to warrant that dramatic change for those residents on
Southerntherland Road. >> The the only thing I'll say is on principle, I can't condone designing an intersection in such a way that the only safe way to get through it is to pull into the crosswalk. and and and so that's where it comes from, right? Is that something we do as
drivers all the time because we want to safely enter an intersection? Yeah. Can I condone an intersection that's designed with that being the intended way to handle a situation? I I >> And if it was a new situation, I'd absolutely agree with you. And if it was a more heavily traveled road, I'd agree
with you. But you're talking about couple vehicles an hour at most. I'd like to um just say that I I agree with everything that um councelor Harrison said here and I am really very
much not in favor of the oneway southerntherland and every time we have this discussion for some reason people feel like they want to talk about Lyndon and so I now feel as though I need to let anyone that's listening know that Lyndon was not a new situation at least
for 10 plus years, Lyndon has been getting attention and just like, you know, you said sometimes we try this, we try that. We started with a crosswalk change one spot, then another crosswalk, another spot, then a a type of a sign
that didn't work. And there was nothing over the last 10 plus years that was able to make the situation better so that people would not go in a way that they would have, you know, a near miss with people with their babies and
carriages. So it's not as though this came up and then a month later we had a one-way sign. It's over 10 years and many different things that we tried. And so as our council Harrison said here, I would be in favor of the stop signs
without the um southern one one way and then trying to see um how that turns out. Sometimes you do have to go through many iterations of something to get things straight. Just like at the one that I always talk to you about at the
um Irving High and Orange Road, right? That's another one that we've been dealing with for a very long and trying things. And so I don't um think that this is a situation where I would be in favor of you know throwing everything out there at one time. We talked about
the the the uh stop signs which um seem as though they're necessary. Then you also told us about a whole plan to put a a bike lane and you know for a different situation but all in that one thing. And so I would like to see if we can stop
with the stop signs and then move forward with the great plan that you had for the um calming in the area and see where we are and then reassess Mayor. Mayor >> Councelor,
>> I have a question. >> Okay. Councelor Toller and then deputy mayor. >> Um sure. Thank you. Um I'm just curious. You said take control of traffic. um is a traffic you use traffic caling measures. Is that correct? Take control of traffic and then you said it directs
you on what to do and how to act. Is there any other ideas, suggestions for this intersection that you would recommend besides the oneway? I mean, you mentioned Lynen Avenue. As the mayor stated, it's been longer than 10 years. Um >> um and again, this is something
engineering just put up there that no one asked for it. So, um there was no discussion. But what other recommendations would you give for this particular area that we're talking about right now? >> So I I want to make clear traffic coming does not direct does not control.
>> You said take control of traffic. Go ahead. >> Right. Traffic control. So a stop sign, a traffic light that takes control of traffic. That is a control device. Traffic calming would be something like lane narrowing, chicaneing, um speed humps. Those are used to encourage
drivers and other road users to behave in a way that's appropriate for the the roadway and the context and the environment, right? Slow down. >> But don't you think that's really what we're dealing with here in this town? Just, you know, for the most part, we have speeders. You know, people just use some of these streets as cutthroughs.
What are we doing to slow that traffic down? So, we're doing a bunch of things, including installing speed humps, and we have proposals for um improvements to Maple Avenue, which are focused on a principle of traffic calming, incorporating speed humps and narrower lanes. Uh we've got the plan that was
discussed at the most complete streets, most recent complete streets oversight board meeting for traffic calming on on on Harrison Avenue. And so, we're doing a bunch of traffic coming, but we're also doing some traffic control, the installing new stop signs, um for
example. So, Irving Street, High Street, and Orange Road. Last summer, I think we had eight or 10 accidents within two or three weeks, and nothing's been done. Nothing's been talked about. It's, you know, Orange Road is a county road. Not
that this has to do with this ordinance, but the urgency for that intersection, in my opinion, is far greater >> than what we're discussing here today. And if this was a plan that you and the engineer, you know, came up with to solve it, I'd like to see the same
energy and excitement and enthusiasm given to Orange Road, High Street, and Irving. >> Deputy Mayor, >> thank you. Um, so I have a couple of questions and um,
I do want to get clarification that I think there are um, plans for Hi, Irving and Orange. >> Yes. So there's a broader um the the the current Harrison Avenue bike
lane trafficcoming project is part of a larger conceived idea that would incorporate um Orange Road and uh High Street and Irving that that whole section. Uh the the amount of money needed to do any one
of these projects means we can't bite off everything all at once and so they're part of a broader process. And so, yeah, that is not somewhere we're not paying attention to. >> Okay. Um, back to this topic, I think it's very clear, it's obvious to me anyway, um, traveling on this, uh, in in
this stretch of of town that, um, a multi-way stop is very much needed at Harrison and Cedar. I um, with respect to the Southerntherland oneway um, idea, is there um, you know, I understand what
was in the memo. Is there any indep like uh data or information independent of the stop signs um at Cedar and Harrison about that? You know, people making left turns onto like the intersection of
Southerntherland and Harrison. Is there any uh independent data that was reviewed >> meaning like crash data, speed data? Um I I I don't know what other data was incorporated. I I know what was used for
the memo and so I don't I don't know if there was a further other analyses done. >> Okay. So we don't have any you're saying there's no information about crashes at Southerntherland and Harrison. >> The information exists but I don't I I
guess I'm not quite understanding what the the question is. I just want to know if there have been crashes um at Southerntherland and Harrison. >> I I don't have it at off the top of my head, but the the crash reports exist. Okay. >> I thought the police I thought the police department said there were maybe
seven crashes in the past 10 years at that intersection. Is that not correct? >> I I don't have it in front of me. >> Over 10 years, right? >> You want to say yes, Council Damato, please. >> Um thank you. So obviously
you are now aware very much on a global on a bigger level of that everything you do has second and third and fourth order effects. We're seeing this we've seen this in the first ward where there have been stop signs or controls that are done on on Upper Mountain Avenue and
then all of a sudden we've got kind of chaos and uh you know a street or two away. So, we know that this is an issue that whenever we're going to change something that there's going to be an impact somewhere else. We know it and it's tough and it is iterative. You're
going to change and do this and nothing is going to be forever and maybe we'll do this. So, it seems to me the key thing here is if we're going to do the stop sign, which I think, you know, I don't live there. I don't commute there, but I've
been enough. My kids went to Nishwain like that. Those turns are hairy. It's hard and I understand. Um, if we're going to do that, I feel that we really need to trust our professionals here who clearly have worked this particular
problem very hard and know that counselors are concerned about these second order effects up Southerntherland that the two things are a package. And I would actually ask our our guest attorney tonight, Miss Goldstein, is
there any reason why, maybe the answer you would know is yes, any hard legal reason why um not tonight, but why in general something like ordinance A and B could not be
combined into one. Because this whole thing feels like >> kind of a little game of chicken that like basically I don't want to vote for A if if B is not going to pass because I can see the look on your face. You're
being very sincere and afraid that we're going to pass and create a dangerous situation by doing this. So, I mean, for the future is really my question. >> Legally, you could combine make it
>> Put your mic on, please. >> It is on. >> Oh, yeah. Legally, you could make it one or ordinance in the future if you want. So, >> so in the future, if you have something like this, bring it to a I would I would
like to see it as one cuz this is a little hairy to do it as two. >> Um, it seems like a place for a stop sign. It seems like if if the impact of the one way is so catastrophic, we could in
the future if the calming is so good, then we could reverse it. >> So, >> let's please not end up passing something that our say just say one uh one thing. So,
Probably before >> that's about no for some >> probably before Jake became the complete streets director. I went to the town engineer and you know uh councelor Anderson and I you know we were
advocating for uh stop signs at Llewellyn and Harrison and then Gates and Harrison. Um, and then councelor Toller and I, we advocated for stop sign at Hawthorne and and Gates. And this
particular one I advocated for because, you know, when meeting folks in the area, you know, it's a dangerous intersection. And so I asked the town engineer for a solution. And this was the solution that he presented. The
first solution that he presented was to create a one-way on Southerntherland and Graham creating a horseshoe not dissimilar to the horseshoe that's on the Brookwoods. Right. So you go east up
Southerntherland Stonebridge and down Graham Terrace. And he wanted to present an ordinance in October of last year uh to effectuate to put it up for a vote. I told him not to do that and let's have a town hall
meeting. So what I did with my family, we went out and we papered all the houses on Southerntherland, Stonebridge and Graham Terrace to let them know what was happening on um what was going to be proposed on those streets with the
oneway. And then I had a town hall meeting at the library in November. So folks came out from Graham Terrace and they weren't too pleased with the one way. So we presented it. Jake was kind enough to look at it again and made
a suggestion. And the suggestion was to leave Sutherland cuz Sutherland is really the problem here. When you're coming, what is it? Eastbound on Sutherland entering Harrison Avenue. That's really the problem. whether it's 10 cars in one
car, you only need one car to and another car going opposite direction to have an accident. So after that, some period of time passed and we started the process again in March. Deputy mayor and myself, we went again flyers on every house on Southerntherland, Graham
Terrace, Stonebridge to alert them. Folks were outside. We spoke to them about the proposed changes. Had a meeting by the firehouse on in March where folks came out. It was mostly folks from Grand Terrace. We had some folks from Tishner there as well and a
couple of folks from Southerntherland. Now the folks for Grand Terrace were happy. Just in general, everybody wants to see the speed on Harrison slow down and everybody was in favor of the stop sign. Was there 100% consensus on the
change for Sullivan? Absolutely not. There's not 100% consensus on anything on most things rather. Now, we're faced with a choice here. We have our professionals here telling us that in
concert, we have the best chance to reduce accidents, reduce and have better control over this intersection here. And I also have people that are emailing me saying, "Hey, we need this part of town
needs some some attention because the other part of Harrison is getting all the attention." and I can't cross the street with my children to go to school and it's very, you know, it's very scary. So, what I'm asking for is from my counselors here for your support in
protecting the well-being of the folks that live in this area. Thank you. >> Okay. Was there a movement? >> No. >> I just want to add to one thing. Did you have >> councelor Toller? Did you have Birmingham was first? Go ahead. I'm just doing a straw poll to make sure we have
four votes to make sure there >> no I just wanted to add that um >> why do we have to do a a straw poll? >> Cuz I don't want I'm not going to vote for this unless someone goes away. I'm not the basic principle of always stops that always have to be visible and and
you can't depend on people being familiar with the road. >> It doesn't make sense. >> Okay. No, I I just didn't know what you were doing. I know that's not something that we normally do is draw a pole at during the meeting, but >> I just wanted to say councelor toler. >> Sure. No, no, it's fine. Um I know that
uh the engineer's recommendation to make this a oneway. I just wanted to say that when he did Lynen Avenue, he had to go back and fix it because it's not working properly. So that's why I asked if there were some other options for Southerntherland because he went out
made Lynon one way, the residents are very upset, etc., etc., at the traffic. It's not making the traffic flow properly. So, it has to be fixed. That's why I asked if there was another option besides making Southerntherland a oneway. Okay. Is there a movement for
the um pending ordinance 0-2613? >> I move port pending ordinance um O-26-14. >> Second. >> I'm sorry, you said 14. We're on 13. >> 13. >> Oh, yeah. Sorry. Yes. Yes. I move
ordinance 0-26-13. >> Second. >> Roll call, please. Who Who second it? >> I >> Yeah, I thought you did. Yeah. Okay. >> Madame Clerk, please. >> Deputy Mayor Anderson, >> yes. >> Councelor Birmingham, >> yes. >> Councelor Damato, >> yes. >> Councelor Harrison,
>> yes. >> Councelor Toller, >> no. >> Councelor Williams, >> yes. >> Mayor Baskerville, >> no. >> Okay. the um so now I we going to move on to pending ordinance 0-26-14.
I I am going to um open the public hearing without objection. So, is there anyone here present now who wishes to be heard on um the ordinance to amend section 327, vehicle and
traffic of the code of the township of Mont Clair, uh making a oneway on Southerntherland Road. I know we've had a lot of conversation on that already, but please, if you're here for that, please come forward. We'd like to hear you.
>> Good evening. Good evening, Levi Seagull. Um, good evening. Live in war 2. >> So, about a year ago, this council passed the complete streets policy. And the goal of that policy is it establishes the complete streets department whose job is to make
recommendations to the council on very explicitly how to make streets safer. Right? Section 1A of that um of the policy says first all street safety eliminate all road fatalities significantly reduce crash severity and injury improve personal safety by
prioritizing uh safety improvements for people walking biking and other mobility devices. Um and so yeah the job of this of the complete streets department is to make recommendations. Both of these ordinances are recommendations that the
engineer and the director have um selected as the best options to do immediately because part of complete streets and part of the safe systems approach that the department and board um use is combining short-term projects
that we could do tomorrow such as these stop signs and making Southernland a oneway and the more long-term projects which are making which are the traffic calming like making um Harrison slowing down speeds on Harrison and slowing down
speeds on orange and high those are that's a different project that I think this uh council is kind of conflating with this project that's something that we can um and it's cuz um safety on our roads is a major public health crisis there are things that we need to do now
such as the stop signs and the oneway that have been recommended and there are things that we need to focus focus on in the long term as well. Um it's not logical to I don't think it's logical to say that we're going to reject the one way just because we don't understand why
when our and we don't have enough data when the board has clearly identified this as working in tandem with the stop signs and we know that this will help traffic safety immediately. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is there anyone else here
that wishes to be heard on uh the one way on Southerntherland Road? Okay. So, um seeing no one else, I'm going to without objection close the hearing. Is there anyone on the council
that has not been heard that wishes to be heard on the Southern um I'm sorry, the >> Southerntherland Road? Yes, mayor. I'd like to just quickly so um
the reason why I asked about the data is just because I was I was wondering if there was um but I I I am inclined to um in this particular instance go by the recommendations of the engineer and the complete streets director. Um, you know,
when councelor when I went around with counselor, um, Williams a couple of months ago, um, and fired every single, you know, all all of the doors, um, I I think that really the main concern, as as councelor Williams says, was was this
beating on Harrison. Um and you know there were some concerns about potentially the um impact of making Southerntherland one way even though some people understood um that there was um even without you know the oneway thing um the the very narrow street
right so um but there were some concerns about potentially um an unintended consequence of having uh drivers um taking the horseshoe um for there to be speeding on Graham Terrace. So, um I am
going to vote for this. Um but I would like to suggest that um if that if at all possible after this goes into effect and as as you said um we can monitor this see um what the impact is as as should be done and as I believe is um part of the intent of the complete
streets ordinance is to monitor the impact of all of these um measures that are taken that we that we approve um and um and see if there is a resultant um speeding problem on Graham Terrace after um this is done. So, >> okay. I'd like to make a motion that we
pass um the pending ordinance 0-26-14. >> Second. >> Madame Clerk, will you do roll call, please? >> Deputy Mayor Anderson, >> yes. >> Councelor Birmingham, >> yes. >> Councelor Damato, >> yes. >> Councelor Harrison, >> no. >> Councelor Toller,
>> no. >> Councelor Williams, >> yes. >> Mayor Baskerville, >> no. >> Motion carries. Now we're going to move on um to the uh agenda item number C. Um so without objections
um the pending ordinance 0-26-15 which is an ordinance to amend chapter 341 water article 20 H. >> Can we pull this one? >> H >> we were going to pull it for >> we still have to do the public hearing
first. >> Yeah. Then after that I can um pull it. Okay. All right. >> Um and so yeah, article 22, all services to be metered. Um exception. Is there anyone here who would like to be heard
on this pending ordinance 0-26-15? Please come forward now. >> Mayor, members of the council, good evening. >> Good evening. >> My name is Ethan Wool. I've been a resident of the town since 2008 and just finished uh construction of a
new home on Highland Avenue that does have a fire sprinkler system in it. Uh I appear in opposition to the proposed ordinance uh 2615 which would require a separate water line for all fire
sprinklers in the town. I understand that the water bureau wants a uniform rule. It's easier for them to administer. I understand that. But it would impose unnecessary expense on all builders of one and two family homes and
not just custom homes where it may be voluntary as in my case, but where it's mandated. And particularly for two family homes where they're intended to be more affordable. It really imposes an unnecessary expense on them. I submit
that it also creates problems for the town. It involves excavating streets, exposing mains and putting taps on the mains. These are 100-year-old close to 100y old mains. It cannot be a good
thing to have heavy equipment uh working around those mains and putting additional stress on them. Uh, I am obviously not a fire sprinkler engineer, but I will say that having spoken to several as well as installers, most
towns in New Jersey, they have told me, do not impose this requirement. I can say that there's a national standard that's applicable to one and two family homes, NFPA standard 13D. That standard is specifically designed to not require
a separate water line because of the expense involved. And I am aware that the director of utilities has various arguments in favor of this approach. But
again, in a situation where the majority of towns in New Jersey don't require it, I submit that this council should take a hard look and evaluate why Monontlair needs a different rule. >> Thank you very Oh, did you have
>> that? That was it. Thank you all very much. >> Thank you very much. Is there anyone else present who wishes to be heard on this ordinance? Seeing none, I'm going to without objection, I'm going to close the public hearing um and offer the
council members um we're going to >> Yeah. Uh so I just uh uh this when it came up for our first reading, I watched the tape and we not a word was spoken about it. Um,
we all trust and absolutely treasure our our water utility, which is works perfectly. I've never, you know, there's never been a day when my water hasn't run and run with beautiful drinking water. So, this
is absolutely not about um I'm going against them. It is there advocating for us going the extra mile on something, and that's great. That's fine. It's our job to just weigh that against other interests. And the other interests here
are uh as the resident said, um do we want to make it uneconomical for a non-mandated structure, that is to say, somebody who's not by law required to have a a fire sprinkler system to install one if they if they so choose.
and do we want to make it always uh necessary to dig up the street and to hit those old those old lines. So, I think that what I would like to see, there's no great need. There's not any sense that there are a lot of um uh
buildings doing this right now that are not mandated. And I would like to just pull it so that we can look at it and and really just split the difference if we can maybe find a way um to indemn to have homeowners who want to do this indemnify the town for the very slight
risks that may be involved in them doing this. Uh, and then we could bring it back a little bit later if that's okay. >> Be in favor. I'd be in favor of that. Um, council. >> Sure. Um, yeah, I I would be in favor of pulling this. Um, we've actually asked the director of uh utilities to join the
next facilities and infrastructure, okay, >> committee meeting to bring us up to speed on all things water. Um, that will give us a chance to kind of digest what's expected, any other projects coming down the pike, etc. Um, so we can at least have a better understanding of
what this means for the town, for the residents, etc. So, I'm okay with tableabling this. >> Okay. >> I'm fine. >> We're good. Okay, Madame Clerk. We're going to um table this until
um we only have one meeting in June, right? And one meeting in July. >> Why don't we want to do July? >> Why do July for there to be good discussion? >> Okay. July. Thank you. All right. So, we're moving right along. Pending ordinance 0-2616,
ordinance amending section 8 of chapter 230, parking lots of the code of the township of Montlair, New Jersey, to revise the parking permit fees and related regulations. Um, I'm going to open the public hearing
without objections. And anyone that is here that wishes to be heard on this um public hearing on this ordinance, please come forward. >> Mostly had a comment on the next one, but >> Okay. >> I think I I didn't have time to study
that one as much, but um I'm Brian McClenny residents. I was wondering, is this the one where you're saying that we want to be able to change the rules so we can increase the fees. She's not talking.
>> We can't Oh, >> got it. >> I'm I'm sorry. I couldn't even I couldn't even hear what you were asking. >> Well, basically, I don't have that one in front of me. Is that the one where you're asking to be able to raise rates once a year without any public
discourse? >> Yeah, I do see that. Yeah. I I don't believe in that. I think the public should be able to speak. >> Yeah, that's >> What line is that on? >> I think that's was the main thing of the >> That was crossed out,
>> but it was I don't understand because it looks like that was crossed out. >> Madam Madame Mayor, >> that's um paragraph A on page two or page one of two, paragraph A. >> Maybe I Sorry.
We're focused on the next. >> No, you're not. >> But I thought I had Can we >> I'm sorry. Wait a minute. Council Birmingham. >> No, I think he's going to say >> Okay. Councelor Harrison, >> I thought some troublesome council
member thought fees should be changed by ordinance and suggested that be the change instead of it seemingly just being changed willy-nilly, which is how it currently word is worded. >> I'm not following yet. Someone help me.
So he at at the meeting that where this was introduced, councelor Harrison said he doesn't want it by resolution. He wanted it changed by ordinance because then you have time for the public to speak. But somehow that change did not get into this final draft. So it's
supposed to say >> via an ordinance, I believe. >> I that's my recollection of what the intended change was as well. Um >> so it's just a typo. I I'm just understood. >> No, you you were saying the exact correct thing based on what? So what
what was published? >> It's you want me to speak? >> Yes. >> Okay. Uh what was published is what was provided in your packet and a copy is provided for the public. We just gave it to the gentlemen. What you did, what the governing body did was you struck the
line that said via a duly adopted resolution. So, the sentence stops at or I'll read the whole sentence. The fees for the issuance of parking permits on public parking lots may increase annually at the discretion of the
township. Period. So, what that means is should the governing body want to adopt an ordinance or uh make an ordinance to amend this every year, you can do that, which >> you don't have to put. >> Okay.
So >> wait a minute. >> So So you mean that discretion of the township by taking out the duly adopted resolution. We can do it by ordinance. >> The only way you can do it is by
ordinance. So what you did at first reading was you struck that line because that's inappropriate. >> May I councelor Harrison? >> No. Okay. Deputy mayor. So, I it's it is a it's a little confusing, but um just to answer the gentleman's question, um
because the fees are actually in the ordinance, anytime we um would decide to change the fees, we have we have to have a hearing. You would be on notice um because we wouldn't be able to >> I understand like
>> Yeah. >> Okay. Okay. >> Okay. Um yes. >> So uh is it true? So I from what I understand fees are supposed to be set by ordinance.
>> They can only be set by ordinance. But I also understand that in some places >> parking rates in public areas can be set dynamically. >> I didn't close the public. >> I'm sorry. I
>> before we have like a a time I should have closed the public hearing but I just want to make sure there's no one else anyone else in the um public that wishes to come forward please and be heard on this before we have further deliberation from the council. Thank you. Seeing none, I'd like to um
without objection close the hearing please. Now councelor Damato. Now Council Damato, did you have something you wanted to say? I I was basically trying trying to find out is it true because it's been mentioned to me that like there are municipalities that can
change meter rates. >> Yeah. >> Somehow dynamically. >> Yeah. You're you're able to do dynamic pricing in in given circumstances. I'm not sure what the exact legal language you would use to implement such a system would be, but there is plenty there are plenty of examples of municipalities
that um I'm not sure if in New Jersey, but generally that use dynamic pricing to ensure that their rates um their rates are are are changing to match the demand. >> Okay, manager. >> So, in those instances, um the the all
fees are established by ordinance, but there'd be a sliding scale, minimum and a maximum. See, that's it. >> Okay. Um, council, >> okay, >> I'd like to make a motion that we um
vote on pending ordinance um 0-26-16. >> Second, >> Madame Clerk, please. >> Deputy Mayor Anderson, >> yes. >> Councelor Birmingham, >> yes.
>> Councelor Damato, >> yes. Councelor Harrison, yes. >> Councelor Toller, >> yes. >> Councelor Williams, >> yes. >> Mayor Baskerville, >> yes. >> Um, so is this a new ordinance? >> Second reading. Okay. Um, next up is
pending ordinance 0-26-17. Without objection, I'd like to open the public hearing. Anyone from the public wishing to be heard, please come forward at this time. See? Oh, come. Yeah.
Hi, it's Brian again. Brian Cunningham, 23-y year residence. >> Um, I was looking at the parking regulations randomly one night just for some other reason. Then I noticed something like 10:00 the change at
10:00. Like, what's that all about? So, I think taking a step back, we all know for the 23 years I've been here, parking is annoying this city. There's not enough of it. It's it's just a hassle. It's something we all go through. Um you know, some of my favorite ones are my
the most ludicrous rule is the meter's broken, you can't park there. I that just is so fatteningly unlogical. They even had the goal to put stickers on every meter. >> Um the new meters, I don't know anybody that likes them.
>> Um another very annoying thing is the train lots. They're starting a ticket now like at 8:00 at night where no commuter is using that lot anymore. They give you tickets where in the past they didn't. Um so then coming up to this all a
sudden I started reading this. It's like uh meters on till 1000 p.m. It's like no that's just a simple flat out no. We have enough harassment on the meters. The pain in the ass going and doing it. Um making sure it has enough money in
it. Um, so I I started thinking around thinking what other towns do it. So I looked at Verona 6 pm. Nutley 6 p.m. Cast a little wider, Milbour 6 p.m. South Orange, a busy district. I I 6
p.m. Then I went as far as Summit. I was trying to think of towns, similar towns that have like night life and stuff like that. 6:00 p.m. So first of all, where did we get 10? It's already 7, which is weird. That's the golden hour. They get a lot of tickets because most people think it ends at six, but it's actually
seven. And then also secondly is the 50% increase in rates, whatever. So I truly see this as simply as a money grab. Get more money, more money. It's like uh yeah, I won't put it
that way, but it's purely done for money grab. There's no like engineering report like there's some consultant. I'd love to see that report. So I can I call your office and get a copy of it? But there is no reason to have the meter's going to 10. There's no reason you're giving people
ticket at the lot by, you know, upper Montlair train station at 9:00 at night. It's ridiculous. So um and then besides that, uh I miss officer Baldwin. Um that's it, I think. Okay.
>> Thank you for sharing. Is there anyone else from the public, please, that wishes to be heard on ordinance 0-26-17? Seeing none, without objection, I'm going to close the hearing and offer the council an opportunity to be heard. Yes,
Councelor Williams, please. So, Hoboken generally extended their parking in the business district from 9:00 p.m. until midnight Friday and Saturday.
>> That's why you never go to >> There you go. There you go. But but in um in seriousness, you know, everybody will can attest to this that the population in Monontlair expands probably from Thursday night through
through Sunday, >> right? And just and they're coming into town because, you know, we have a lot of amenities, we have restaurants, things things of that nature and stuff. The town does not get any revenue from their
visits, right? the only revenue that is generated from their visits is through parking, right? So, you know, all these great restaurants we have, I'm glad to have them, but the only businesses that we're getting revenue from, which haven't really opened yet, are the
cannabis business, and we can get direct revenue from that. Every other business, we're we're not getting anything other than property taxes. So, what we're doing is we're monetizing, you know, the one thing that we can do is our our street parking, right? And some of that
also is to kind of change behavior in the central business district. We want to divert people into the decks instead of parking on the street. And hopefully that will alleviate a lot of the traffic. So >> money grab. Yes, there there's some money uh you know that was intentional
but also to change behavior as well. So >> you're grabbing from one of >> I'm sorry we can't they they can't hear you there. And in this type of um public hearing once we close that the preference is that this this be the time
for the council um we do respect that you came up and shared with us and I'm appreciative >> not during this type of a situation. Any other council members please? Councelor Toller. >> Sure. Thank you. Um it it you're saying
I I just I want to know are we paying uh parking authority to stay on till 10 p.m. because if that's the case whatever money we're supposed to generate from keeping the meters going till 10 we're kind of losing it if we're paying salaries. Are we is that what's going to happen? Parking authorities going to
work until 10 p.m. to issue tickets. >> Okay. Um and the cost analysis, what cost analysis was done to show that this would verify an effective, you know, cost increase, if you will, because I too have heard from residents um just
like this gentleman who said it was a money grab. You know, many residents are not happy with us trying to push this till 1000 p.m. Um because they feel that they're going to take the brunt of it. And I understand what you're saying about visitors and businesses. Um, I would support this if this was
identified to say Thursday, Friday, Saturday, but right now it says Monday through Saturday. Um, which means Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and possibly Thursday. We're ticketing our residents and we're trying to attract, if you said, um, the business, the people that come into our
restaurants. Why don't we make this a weekend >> Thursday? >> Just my thoughts. >> Councelor Williams. >> Yeah, sorry. So, this like with Southerntherland, whatever, there's a bunch of different uh ordinances that
we're going to bring up. So, Monday through Saturday, this is just a uh parking in increase here, but there's other other things also that I was talking about with, you know, Thursday um through through
Saturday in in terms of the higher pricing. That's why I said this maybe this should read if this is what you're going for. >> Different ordinance. >> Okay. Because this just doesn't feel right for the residents. I understand what you're saying about uh people come here for the businesses, etc. If that's the angle, if you will. It really should
just be for the weekends till 10 p.m. because at this point, we're actually charging our own residents and everybody's paying a lot of money for taxes and whatever else. We just have a lot of responsibilities as residents, if you will. People are spending more money. And to me, this just doesn't seem
fair. It's not a fair um and like I said, I wanted to know if any cost analysis or reports have been generated to verify the effectiveness of going till 10 p.m. >> So, one one last thing, and >> I hate speaking multiple times, but
>> No, go ahead. So, if we can go back and Jake, I don't remember when the date of the presentation where you and Manny went through all the different changes and the pricing increases and and the reasons why and the benefits and things of that nature. But if you could just if
you remember off the top of your head the date that that presentation was given, then folks can go back and they can look at the presentation. It was pretty thorough uh and it explains the reason why we're doing it. And it's not
it the the parking utility needs to it's it's a utility so it has to be self-funding and it has a lot of responsibilities in in terms of all those decks they need engineers to come and look at them to make sure that they're safe they need
striping they need uh snow removal and stuff like that so it's not just a matter of you know every dollar that they get is coming into the town's coffers there's things that the utility actually needs the revenue for. So, uh, but any event,
>> yeah, I for whatever reason the date February 24th is sticking off on the top of my head and so I think February 24th meeting um and if not then in that vicinity was when that presentation was given. Uh the the utility hasn't raised rates in uh meter rates since 2018. I
think permit rates may have been a little bit after, but it's been a significant period of time since rates have gone up. as as we all know uh costs have increased substantially and and so the utility is get collecting on the current rates in real dollar equivalents
about 24% less than it was then um while costs have gone up significantly more than that and so just to break even right there there needs to be a change there if the utility is going to remain self-funding um with regards to the the 10pm window
there is money to be made in having longer meter rates But at a fundamental level, right, what's the job of a parking meter? It's to manage that curb space. And as we all know, right, uh Mont Clair Montlair does not suddenly become unattractive after 7:00 p.m. And
that curb space, if anything, becomes more valuable. Right? One of the real things this is trying to address is the fact that on Bloomfield Avenue, basically every night of the week, you have significant traffic interruptions from double parked cars, folks illegally parked on the side of the road um in
areas where they shouldn't because curb space isn't available to them, right? That curb space is necessary to drop off your grandmother when you're going to dinner and she can't walk from the deck. that curb space is necessary when an Uber is dropping you off for a show at the Walmart and uh you just need to be
in and out. And that curb space is necessary when a GrubHub driver uh needs to pick up food. So, while there is money that will be generated by the utility to fund their operations, right, at at its core, going to 10 p.m. is about better managing the curb space and
ensuring that it's available to those who need it most when our business district curb space is most in demand. And so that's why, for example, the Thursday the the rate increases um for the special zone are are are targeted on
the peak demand days, right? Uh the the the 10 p.m. is done all the time because it is unfortunately much the case that even on Tuesday, you have double parked cars because people may not go to a restaurant on Tuesday the same way they do on Friday, but they certainly are ordering food from that restaurant and
that that restaurant needs someone to pick it up. >> Good. Thank you very much. I'd like to make a motion. um that we vote on pending ordinance 0-26-17. >> Oh, second. >> Madame clerk, please. >> Deputy Mayor Anderson,
>> yes. >> Councelor Birmingham, >> yes. >> Councelor Damato, >> yes. >> Councelor Harrison, >> yes. >> Councelor Toller, >> no. >> Councelor Williams, >> yes. >> Mayor Baskerville, >> yes. Um, next up is um pending ordinance 0-26-18.
It's an ordinance amending section 327-22 loading zones of the code of the township of Montlair, New Jersey to update the loading zone operation times and days. Uh, without objection, is there anyone from the public that wishes
to be heard on this ordinance? Please come forward. I'm Brian Mcclanhan, 23 years. No, I'm joking. Um, same thing. It's the loading zones used to be free parking after six or seven. Yeah, I can't remember. But,
um, again, another thing about this whole thing is no one knows. I We just found out this randomly local had no article about any of this 10:00 meter time. We talked to friends, no one's heard of it. that we called up Montlair
um film to just go, hey, you know, it's going to cost your people six more bucks or something to go see a movie now. Um so, no one knows. Um so, again, the the loading zone is just another annoyance. Um maybe they could have uh resident
tickets or stickers like you do at, you know, beach towns where you can multi- residents get to park there free. I'd be happy with that. Then Jimmy jam them all you want. Crank up the rates. Um, another thing about the lots and the train stations, there's zero signage
saying you can't park here after 7. So, I think that's unconscionable that you don't have a sign. It's just a money grab. And the true money you're making is not the extra meters, it's the tickets that you'll be giving people. So, maybe you have a moratorum on tickets for the first three months or
something. >> So, that's it. >> Thank you. Is anyone else in the public who wishes to be heard on this ordinance, please? Seeing none, without objection, I'm going to close the hearing and offer the council an opportunity. Councelor Toller.
>> Sure. Thank you. I don't Is Manny back there? >> No. Uh Manny, no. I I didn't know if Manny was in the back. I couldn't see beyond the poll. Um I see that Maple Avenue is on here. That's wonderful. Um, I see that the loading zone hours and
days is not what I discussed with Manny because that particular street is already very tight. Um, >> councelor Toller, I'm sorry, where are you? Which >> I'm on page five of six. >> Okay. >> Um, right now it's saying Maple Avenue from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to assign
one spot as a loading zone. >> When those two businesses only need from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and after that, it can be a parking spot. As you know, Maple Avenue is a very tight street. We have 19 homes without driveways. I would not feel comfortable allowing one space
to be a loading zone from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Um, I talked to both business owners and they only need 2 hours in the morning to bring their supplies in. And I thought I said that to Manny, but and when this was put up for the first time, I I thought that was mentioned. So, so
Manny and I had discussed this and um we want to keep the code consistent throughout the municipality, right? And we want things to be for all intents and purposes standardized and so a loading zone is going to have a consistent time of day in which it applies, >> right? So, we're losing a parking spot
that way. Um, I think it's fair to what you're saying and I didn't mean to cut you off, but this particular street is going to have to some some considerations needs to be given because we can't afford to have a empty parking spot for loading Monday through Sunday or
Saturday all day. >> Councelor Toller is >> councelor Williams >> is just a question for you. I think this is the loading zone that's in front of of the daycare center and not in front of Jefferson's. >> Okay. Well, again, where's that one
then? Because that's what I asked for. >> Yes. So, that's as as we discussed at the oversight board meeting. That's coming in a that's coming in. >> Always coming. When is I mean like come on, bro. >> But you're serious. Like >> I as I see you do other things. As I discussed at the oversight board
meeting, we are looking at expanding the availability of loading zones throughout the municipality and and we're looking to do it uh consistently and throughout the municipality. >> How come this this one didn't How come it didn't make it on here when this was a discussion that was held, you know, a while back
>> because this isn't about expanding the loading zone availability or establishing new loading zones for the next meeting. I, as I stated at the oversight board meeting, my intention is to to get something on for the next meeting. >> So, can um can you please for the
purposes of this discussion identify this this area is um is it's as councelor Williams said it's in front of the daycare center >> and that's fine. So, this is for so that everyone is is on the same page. We're voting this one is the area that's in
front of the daycare center on maple. Anyone else have any other question? Yes. Um, yes, Deputy Mayor. >> Yeah, I just wanted to clarify that there's just not about it's not just about commercial um, loading zones. It's about school buses, school drop offs. So, this makes sense to me. My my my
question has to do with enforcement and regulation. So, um, there's a, you know, the authorized vehicles can park in the designated loading zones for up to 20 minutes. How would that be enforced? >> So, that's enforced through a number of
tools. Um, one just regular parking enforcement, the the normal way they they enforce. Um, there's also uh the safety sticks that that are that are would be able to be used for enforcement of that. >> Do we know the status of the safety sticks?
>> I'm going to Yeah, I'm going to defer to to Manny on that. I know he's had those conversations with the the >> And can you describe again for me how the safety the safety stick is going to work after the 20 minutes is up? It's going to >> it it it it it's automated enforcement
and so it takes a picture of the license plate and and mails a ticket to the the registered owner of the vehicle um for for the violation after it's been reviewed by someone within the parking utility. So it's not there is a person involved who's making you know if they see an ambulance there, they're not
going to send a ticket to to the ambulance company that's loading a patient in. But you know uh it's it's automated enforcement with the oversight by the utility. >> Good. Thank you. You know, I appreciate that because I think as we do these different things, it's important that we
say the things so that the public knows, you know, what what they mean, too. So, thank you very much, council. Deputy um Birmingham. Um I'm sorry I called you Deputy Birmingham. I was counselor. Um um
Jake, is this a step towards having these spaces become um like stops for Uber? Cuz I think it's a valid question. Why do we need commercial loading zones until 10 p.m.?
>> The idea of these spaces is there's a pre-existing part of the code that allows for flexible free use of the curb space, right? So, so a a key the reason the loading zone time is being expanded um in concert with the meter rates going up is because we need that space to
still be available for picking up and dropping off, right? Um it's not I it is the idea behind it is that vehicles will be able to load and unload quickly, easily, and then continue on their way, right? Whether that's Uber Eats or or
someone dropping off grandma. So, I guess that's the question because I because I see this like I've tried to get an Uber pick me up on Bloomfield Avenue and they literally the guy was like I'm never coming back to Bloomfield Avenue because it was dangerous.
>> We also see a lot of double parking with Uber Eats, Door Dash, like this is a new world. Like this is something that did not exist even 5 years ago, right? So that this where we say commercial designated as commercial loading zones
will we have signage like I know for example Ridgewood has done this where they their commercial zones after 6:00 p.m. become 15-minute parking for this purpose is that so till till 1000 p.m. Is it
designed for the door dash for the That's what this is. I just want to be clear because I don't know that we have PE like trucks unloading paint. But I do think we need to mark out space >> for the Door Dash drivers and the people
picking up Uber people. Is that what this is? >> The intent of it is to allow for that flexible curb space, right? To allow people to pick up and drop off Uber Eats, whatever it may be. It doesn't just have to be a box truck taking out Amazon packages or um a truck unloading
paint. >> Okay. And is this something that you can track as well? Like with double parking, is this something that you'll be able to kind of >> Yeah. So I'll be able to work with uh Manny to understand how enforcement has occurred, right? Are they writing a lot of tickets? That sort of thing.
Something like double parking, I can obviously get information on on tickets written. I know one of the challenges with the double parking rules is that by the time you write a ticket like I it is difficult to enforce double parking when someone is in the middle of a travel
lane. Um and so I can also look at enforcement that's going on there and and kind of track and see if we've seen improvement. Um but yeah, the idea is basically to keep the curb open for folks who need to make quick trips. >> Okay. And we could have signage to that. >> Yeah, for sure. >> Okay.
>> Councelor Harrison. Okay. Several things, but going dealing with the the way the ordinance is written, it clearly covers the Door Dash, Uber Eats pickups cuz it's they are picking up from a merchant and that the ordinance
says that, but it doesn't deal with Uber Lift picking up a person because they're not doing that. And the ordinance then says no other person shall park a vehicle in a designated loading zone.
And I, you know, my understanding was we were trying to do both. And the ordinance doesn't do both. Both allow the Door Dash people, but but they're picking up merchandise from a retail merchant, so they're clearly covered. Um, but it doesn't deal with the Uber
because I don't think we're going to call a passenger merchandise. Um, and so I'm concerned the I want to follow up on there was one other thing I wanted to say about this but it's lost.
>> We the other ordinances and this we are going to have to publicize. So people are >> signage, >> not shell shocked. >> And I think we need to have a discussion about the train station parking lots cuz
I don't think anyone in town understands that at night or on weekends that you need a permit to park there. And I think um I could and um not totally convinced the
ordinance requires that certainly during the day and the permits was curious. The permits used to read daytime. I I forget the hours. Then they read 24 hours, which surprised me. But
there are very few commuters in the train station lots after 7 8:00 at night and certainly not on weekends because the trains don't go there. Um, and there are a hell of a lot of parking spaces
there in the town that needs parking. Council Damato, >> could you sum up again this bill in like one sentence >> just for people at home? >> Align loading zone hours with meter hours.
>> Okay. So, uh, it makes sense and it, you know, stuff that's coming through it sort of makes sense, but I do think that like councelor Harrison was saying, um, we are prioritizing
delivery, outbound deliveries from these spaces over the picking up of and dropping off of people using ride share things, which very soon may be more uh there may be
more of it and uh I guess we can fix that at a later date, but it seems to me that we didn't like this could have had a big longer discussion. We all did vote yes on it on the first on the first pass. But but I I I I think we have to
have a discussion, a big one about whether we want to be incentivizing more ghost kitchens and other things like that. Now the great people doing their, you know, doing their work and there's a demand for it, but this is incentivizing
that commercial behavior. Correct. I don't know that incentivizing is the word I would use and I don't know that ghost kitchens is what I would describe >> ghost kitchens restaurants doing takeout doing pick doing delivery not not
>> you know cuz it's not people picking up their food >> it could be though only if you have a commercial plate. >> No >> no that's the thing >> that that's the one thing that's a little bit confusing. And the ordinance is labeled commercial loading. >> It says very clearly commercial, but
we're talking about Door Dash, which is not Nobody has a commercial plate. >> No. >> So that's a question is like is this going to be confusing? >> So the the signage currently doesn't doesn't say commercial loading zone for
the the loading zones on Bloomfield Avenue. And and so I think the and any signage that goes in would be consistent with that. Right. The goal is not to um restrict this to trucks delivering paint. Uh to the the question of kind of
the broader conversation and the pickup and drop off side of things, there also exists within the code the pickup and drop off zones. Uh those have stricter 5minute limits and so more than happy to uh look at an
expansion of those and and and incorporate those into the the curb management. we're looking to do. But I wanna as a tool for addressing the current demand, I think five minutes is a tight timeline and it's going to lead to a lot more enforcement that is not
necessarily the desired outcome. Right? The best case scenario for these loading zones is that folks are in, folks are out and and they're on their way and they never see a parking enforcement officer or get a ticket in the mail, right? Because the idea is that the curb
space is open, available, free, and easy to use, right? Changing the hours to align with the meters, right, which is the goal of the ordinance is done because if we were to say have them out of sync, right? You're going to have suddenly these parking
spots that are taken up for free by people until the meters kick back on the next day. And that goes against the goal of making sure that curb space is available and managed and and again like free there there's a reason we want this to be free because it's flexible, open,
and allows for people in town to just come in, pick up what they want, drop off who they need to drop off, and continue on their way. >> Okay, Council Williams, >> just very quickly for people at at home that were wondering when this presentation was, Jake was correct, it
was February 24th. And if you watch the video online, at the 1 hour 12 minute mark starts the the presentation of uh the parking visa. >> Great. Thank you so much um for that councelor Williams and also thank you
very much for all of the time and effort that you personally have put into helping us with this very very difficult uh thing, the parking. Um I'd like to Oh, yep. Yes. No, no, no. >> I just need to Sorry about this. Okay. I
Because one of the things that I do feel like we need is re for retail, right? You want people to be able to say, "I'm just going to stop here for 15 minutes. >> Hop how about go to the toy store and pick up the birthday present um and find
a spot." Now, in this it says designated commercial loading zones shall be utilized solely for the active delivery and receipt of goods and merchandise to or from retail merchants. So, that would qualify. Yeah, >> but then in clause F. So, so you don't
have to be a commercial. You can just say I want a commercial product and so I'm popping out. >> But then it says here, authorized vehicles may park in a designated loading zone for no longer than 20 minutes. >> And such vehicles shall display the
vehicle's hazard warning lights while lawfully utilizing a loading zone. So, in terms of quote unquote authorized being authorized, is there any off anything official that needs to be done? You can just say like if you if I
have my personal vehicle there, you can just say I was just running in to get and we won't have a problem with like >> be a nightmare >> people like stores who want their box truck to come in. >> I >> you know what I'm saying? Like
>> Yeah. I don't foresee a significant issue as most businesses receive deliveries at times of day that are disconnected from when uh the other demand for this curb spaced is highest, right? And part of that is in response to the fact that curb space demand is
higher in the evenings. Uh and so I I don't foresee that causing a problem. Beyond that, right, most of the loading zones uh are pretty substantial and so you could still have a vehicle or two in them and still be able to do commercial deliveries. And then beyond that, the the number of of deliveries that are
conducted by um the largest vehicles is relatively limited. There are there are many, but um it's not it's not all 18 wheelers. >> Yes, councelor Tola. >> Sure. Thank you. Just to piggyback off of what council Birmingham was asking. Um we already have an ordinance if not
if I'm not mistaken for deliveries for businesses for trucks. I think the issue is the trucks wish to just pull up to the door. For example, the Valley Mart on Valley Road, which used to be Quick Check, they pull it to the parking lot. When the ordinance says they're supposed
to unload and walk it in from Van Black. So, what we need is more enforcement to make sure that when deliveries are coming in by these trucks that they're following our ordinance. So, I don't know if that's something you built into this, if you think it's going to work
properly. Do we need to look at what we have as an ordinance already for delivery trucks? because there is one on the books. >> I'll I'll I'll look into the ordinance for delivery on on I guess private property. Um because if they're supposed to Well, but if they're supposed if
they're not supposed to be pulling into the parking lot and they're supposed to be delivering from Van Black, that's just I'm not familiar with that particular challenge. >> Walk it in. And I would imagine many of the other businesses in town, there are assigned streets already in our ordinance on the books where trucks are
supposed to park, unload, and walk those items into the store. So, if this is something that you're trying to do to say that delivery trucks can just pull up and unload, and go into the store, you might want to research and see what ordinances we already have on the books
for delivery trucks. >> Yeah. And and to be clear, this is for the the the purpose of this is to align the times with the the meters, right? And so happy to to look into better ways to manage loading and unloading
generally. Happy to uh consult with the planning department and make sure that that we have an understanding of what the requirements they put on for loading and unloading at the planning board, for example. Um because all of this kind of connects and so happy to to further explore. And we also you probably need
to talk to enforcement too cuz you know that truck pulls in on Valley Road and they're definitely supposed to unload on Van Black. >> Yeah. >> But of course again people just want to pull right up to the door. I get that. But we have to make sure that >> they're following our ordinances. >> I guess I may not have been understanding. So you're saying they're unloading on Valley Road.
>> Part of your defense for this was for delivery trucks to pull in and park and unload. And I'm saying that this shouldn't be part of the defense of this because we have something on the books already for trucks to unload and walk the stuff to the door. That's all I'm saying. >> I just want to make sure I'm
understanding. Is the concern that they are parking on Valley Road and delivering when they should be delivering from Vampire Valley or that they're parking in the parking lot. They're doing both. They're doing both. And that's just one establishment that I'm, you know, I can refer to. So, I'm sure there are others where trucks are
supposed to park on another street and literally walk those things in on a hand truck for the business. So, that's an enforcement issue and it's also something you should probably look at to see what streets are assigned for trucks to make their deliveries. >> Sure. >> Okay. I'd like fence for this. >> Whoops. I'd like to make a motion,
please, that we uh vote on pending ordinance 0-26-18, >> ordinance to update the loading zone operating times and days. >> Second. Madame Clerk. >> Deputy Mayor Anderson. >> Yes. >> Councelor Birmingham.
>> Yes. But I really would like to make sure we figure out the right signage for this so they're used. >> Certainly. >> Yeah. >> Councelor Damato. >> Uh yes. And ditto on what you said. >> Councelor Harrison. >> Yes. Same comment. >> Councelor Toller. >> Yes. And please have the ordinance ready
for the next meeting. Thank you. >> Councelor Williams. >> Yes. Mayor Baskerville. >> Yes. And the uh same comments as Dr. B of Dr. Birmingham. Um okay, moving right ahead, please. We're going to go to
agenda item G pending ordinance 02619 ordinance amending section 32715 overnight parking code of township of Montlair, New Jersey to update the overnight parking permitted streets. Um and the street that we'll be discussing
this evening is Warman Street. Are there members of the public who wish to be heard? I'm going to open the public hearing without um any type of u objection. No. Seeing Yes. No. No.
>> Brian. No. >> I could be better just be repeating. >> Okay. All right. Seeing none, I'm going to close the um public hearing without objection and offer the council an opportunity. Council members, seeing none, I'm going Oh, I'm sorry.
>> Sorry. I just want to say that I'm supportive of this. This is a very small street. There's a lot of multif family homes. Excuse me. Um but and um just want to remind people that if this
um does pass that um the residents would still have to get permits. >> Thank you. I'd like to make a motion that we vote on the pending ordinance um 02619 regarding overnight parking on Warman.
>> Second. >> Okay, Madame Clerk, please. >> Deputy Mayor Anderson, >> yes. >> Councelor Birmingham, >> yes. >> Councelor Damato, >> yes. >> Councelor Harrison, >> yes. >> Councelor Toller, >> yes. >> Councelor Williams, >> yes. >> Mayor Baskerville, >> yes. And our um final pending ordinance
for this evening is the pending ordinance 02620. It's an ordinance amending article 2 rent and fees chapter 234 parks and playgrounds of the code of township plan New Jersey to revise the swimming pool
permit fees and related regulations. Um, without any um objections, I'd like to invite members of the public that wish to be heard on this, please come forward at this time. Seeing none, I'm going to close the
hearing and offer the township an opportunity. Seeing none, I'd like to move um ordinance 02620. Second, >> Madame Clerk. >> Anderson. >> Yes. >> Councelor Birmingham.
Yes. >> Councelor Damato. >> Yes. >> Councelor Harrison. >> Yes. >> Councelor Toller. >> Yes. >> Councelor Williams. >> Yes. >> Mayor Baskerville. >> Yes. Thank you. Um Council Damato, please. >> Uh
a new business ordinance. Uh >> yeah, I've got it. an ordinance amending salary ordinance 02566 for the management non-union group for the year 2026 and I so move
>> second discussion council >> yes anyone >> I just have a question >> yes councelor toler >> um I guess for the manager um the salary ordinance that you put in front of us um
is there a percentage rate that you're using for these So the um >> when the last time this was implemented if you know when was the last time people got an increase >> about a year ago. So um last year the salary ordinance for the um non-UN
management uh employees uh was set at uh 2.75%. Uh so this is similar to last year in that the maximum salary for all man management non-union staff um will
increase uh by 2.75%. It sets a pattern for negotiations with other uh bargaining units. >> Thank you. >> Anyone else?
>> Okay, I'd like to um Well, you moved it. There was a second. Madame clerk, please. >> Deputy Mayor Anderson, >> yes. >> Councelor Birmingham, >> yes. >> Councelor Damato, >> yes. >> Councelor Harrison, >> yes. >> Councelor Toller, >> yes. >> Councelor Williams, >> yes. >> Mayor Baskerville,
>> yes. Thank you. Council Birmingham, please. Um, new business ordinance J, an ordinance amending and supplementing chapter 228 of the code of the township of Monontlair to add new article 3 entitled
valet parking. >> And I so move I'm sorry, which one is that? Oh, we have >> this on this page. H >> we don't but we could we have an explanation.
>> Oh >> yeah. Basically the the township doesn't currently have any uh real rules or regulations governing valet parking. Um, the idea is to create a structure that allows for the application and uh allows for businesses that that seek valet
parking to apply for uh permission to do so and provide the documents and evidence and support we need to ensure that the operations of that valet parking doesn't negatively impact the community, neighboring businesses, etc. Um, and that it doesn't impact street
safety or or and that the benefits outweigh whatever detriments may come from it. Okay. Um, councelor members, do you have any discussion on this? Councelor Toller. >> Sure. Thank you. Um, the valet parking, you said businesses would put in an application uh to kind of state their
claim as to why they need valet parking. Who will be reviewing those applications to make those determinations? >> The the department of complete streets. >> Oh, so >> in concert with uh you know, when I need guidance from the police department, I'll go to them. when I need guidance from the utility. Um, yeah.
>> Okay. Um, so we currently don't have any places for residents to park. Now, technically, um, you know, we've heard from residents in the past about valet parking, the issues that it causes on neighborhoods and blocks, etc. >> Do you believe this is the best thing to
put forward considering what our residents have already shared with us in the past? >> Yeah. So, this ordinance, one of the regulations it puts in place is that they need to present an agreement for off- streetet off-site parking. And so
that means they need to rent spaces in a deck or uh if there's a business that has a parking lot that's vacant after hours, for example, they can uh park it there. But they need to provide proof that they have an agreement in place to accommodate that parking demand off-site
and off street so that uh spots for residents and other visitors who are just coming in and need to park themselves have the space available to them. and to ensure that in in neighborhoods where um currently there are possibly valet parking going on, where they're parking it on the street,
that they're not able to do so. >> Okay. And do you have a sample of the application and the guidelines that you're going to put forward for us to review? I mean, this is just an ordinance stating the purpose, the definition, but um you know, where are the guidelines that you're going to
reference since you will be the person approving applications and what would the application look like? I think that's a fair thing for us to have in front of us. >> Um I'm hold on. Um again, I just don't think this is a good look or a good idea
because you're saying a empty parking lot, but we just want to pass something where people can park till 10:00. So, are they empty or are they full? >> I I was referring to a private lot, for example. If there's a >> give an example a location like where
>> if the damp bus terminal the former damp bus terminal decided to to rent out their parking spots like that'd be fine. Chase Bank on uh North Fullerton leases out its parking spots to an operator after hours. >> You know it
it's it's not nec like >> it needs to be offsite. It needs to be um off straight. And so there there's any number of ways a business could figure that out. >> Okay. Well, if you have something prepared, if you could email it to me. I don't know if the full council wants to
see it, but I would like to see these off-site areas that you're referencing that a business could put in an application for for approval >> there. >> I want to be clear that we're not telling them where to put the cars. >> Well, no. They need to come to us and
say, "I have an agreement to lease >> 30 parking spaces from business A in their lot from these hours and my valet parking operations are going to be in place during these hours, etc., etc."
Right? So, I'm not saying, "Oh, we've got some space in the North Fullerton lot, you can put them there. Uh, we've got some space in the orange road deck, you can put them there." It's for the business to to provide to the township >> where they are going to be parking those vehicles. >> There's a good chance you'll be denying
a lot of applications then >> there's a good chance right >> I will ensure that the applications >> in front of us I'm looking for all the information now so >> I will ensure that the applications are reviewed fairly and they meet the requirements of the ordinance and that
there any application that is uh appropriate will be approved. I'm I'm not going to assume one way or the other whether anything's going to be approved or disapproved when we're first >> I mean I'm just trying to figure out you know where people would park like if they're putting this in where would you you know where are you going to suggest
is open space for them to park cars and who's going to monitor and ensure that that's happening if their application gets granted because we've had problems with the restaurant right right here on Glen Ridge Avenue every single restaurant that has come there's been an issue >> so I'm just trying to see how are you
Church Street 2 how you're going to avoid problems. >> Yeah. >> The ordinance lays out the enforcement mechanisms involving um if it's the parking utility uh having to do with their spots, right? So, if a business is inappropriately using a utility parking
spot, they would be able to um ticket the vehicle there. Uh and I believe the police department is also able to uh given the authority to enforce against the the the valet operator. Can I please just make a um suggestion? Like when we have something like this
that has numerous things, it's really difficult um for me to decide which way to go, right? Well, um I am totally opposed to valet parking hands down for other than the purpose of someone moving in, moving out or something like that.
So when you have a bunch of different things like a mortgage board of things in here where I can't pick and say, "Well, yes, I want this or that one," then, you know, I just like have to vote no. And the thing is, is there a way that we could try to figure some of these things out where before we put
them all in or it just works better if you just go with all of them or none? >> Well, no. I was just trying to figure out why we're doing it this way where you have a bunch of different things in here. >> Maybe he can answer it. Did Did you write this up?
>> Uh it was written in consultation with the legal department and the parking utility and my office. >> Right. >> And they thought they thought that this would be better to put all of these different things into one. >> Yeah. The idea is to be comprehensive and really try to dot our uh cross our
tees and dot our eyes and make sure that we come up with an ordinance that uh is effective and uh enforceable essentially. >> Could I >> Okay, Councelor Williams. >> Yeah. So, it it says that I sponsored this. I didn't I didn't sponsor this. I
don't know how that got on there. I did work on this. So, how this came about is we were trying to handle valet parking with the temporary no parking and folks found a way to circumvent that. So, our
town attorney said, "Hey, look, this is how other towns do it." And she uh prepared this document and you know, we worked together on it to kind of like fine-tune it. And I think other folks around here also fine-tune it. So, the
problem here, the the thing here is that while I'm I'm not necessarily in favor of valet parking either, but there's nothing in place that prevents it, right? Or regulates it rather, not say
regulates it. So, that's what this does. Now, this lays out all the guidelines, all the steps you have to go through in order to get an uh a permit for valet parking. You have to have insurance. You have to have your own off-site parking.
Not right. Uh rented through a place. You I mean it's very very involved here and you have to uh have everything in place and there's a fee and and things of that nature. So you know that's the way that you know because right now we
have we have certain businesses that are operating valet parking rules because there's nothing really that prohibits them from doing it. >> Yeah. this will regulate this and in order once this passes folks that want to do valley parking have to go through
all these steps otherwise the um parking enforcement as well as the police department have a way to say hey you can't do this and stop it. So that's really the spirit of of this. >> Thank you um Council Harrison.
>> Oh I'm sorry. So I think um Council Shin and then you Okay. So, um I was very well I'm very happy to see this ordinance. Um as you know, just echoing what councelor Williams said, we tried it with um
temporary no parking um spaces, but it wasn't working. And this has very actual like this is based on actual real problems that um we have been seeing um around the commercial districts you know where
businesses and um and I'm not trying to you know intervene with their ability to be successful in their business but businesses in these districts were um having valet parking um and the spaces that they were using were on residential
streets very narrow streets it's creating safety issues, public safety issues, um causing traffic congestion and so without any way without any um legal way to enforce any of this behavior, you know, it was it made it
very difficult and unsafe. So, um you know, I I think um looked at the ordinance. I think it's good to have um you know, a very clear uh you know, establishment of the zones. you know, in in this in this ordinance, we're saying that um we're not allowing them in
residential zones, school zones, or within 500 ft of any park or or historic district unless an exception is granted by resolution by this council. Um and um for other situations, there's a clear
application process. um uh section 228-9 clearly um sets out what the what's required for um a license to be issued, right? Um and I would expect any application to have sort of a checklist to make sure that all of this is in
place. There are fees, right? Um application fees and um uh an annual um renewal fee. So um I I think this is a really positive first step. Um, we'll have to see, you know, if there are, but without any sort of regulation, there's
nothing to enforce. So, um, I'm I'm in favor of moving forward with this. Thank you, >> Councelor Harrison. >> We have a simple other solution of banning valet parking, which is what I think we should do. It is. And let me go through the reasons for that.
This is taking parking spaces that would otherwise be available to the public and benefiting them exclusively for a business that does this. >> And the the camp isn't being used cuz it's too far away. But the other
available lots downtown, the one by Aze and the lot next to it close to Bloomfield Avenue, the Chase lot, the car repair on Park Street, they're all being rented out now
for parking. If one of these businesses comes and says, "We want to take 20 spaces, cuz that's what we estimate our demand to be." Those are no longer available to the public as they are now. And that's going to reduce the demand
because they based on how the ordinance is set up are going to have to go for what their anticipated maximum demand for those parking spaces is, which means a lot of the time they're not going to be using those spaces, but
they're reserved for them because they have to be available. I I think this is going to disadvantage the other businesses that don't have the wherewithal to to set up valet parking because there going to be less parking spaces available for their customers,
for their employees. And I I just don't see a justification for our allowing valet parking. and the assumption that magically that they're all going to follow the ordinance when they have a convenient
parking space on Forest Street to use and that and that we're going to have magic enforcement when every weekend downtown every available illegal space is being parked in.
>> Yeah. >> Too close to the corner, no parking. that stretch on park between Monagu and Portland where there are two available parking spaces. it has parked from one end to the other every weekend. And to expect that magically we would
enforce this to keep people where they are >> is is totally unrealistic. And but my main point is this is advantaging some businesses to guarantee them parking at the expense of other businesses and I don't think that's appropriate and we
should simply not allow valet parking. >> But councelor Birmingham, >> I'm not okay. So, right now, let's just Right now, we have restaurants in town that are char people will go and they're spending $1,000. Easy, right?
One, we're saying we should give them free parking. That's one argument that's being made tonight. But another is that if those people are going to, let's say that they're going to pull up to a restaurant where they're going to they're ready to spend x amount of dollars,
there's a valet service there that we would then require that restaurant to have them park off the street. Like as a condition of that valet parking, they're not going to park on Forest Street. They're going to have to park. that
valet service has to park that car off the street. So, they're taking that spot and Chase parking lot where they're charging $30 ahead. I don't frankly care if they if they're like not getting all
that money when our Midtown deck is never really full like which is sitting right there. So, I guess my my I the with all of the constraints here that are put here, I mean, you you're telling people they
have to do a traffic study to have value parking, which and we already know valet parking is happening in a very limited number of places. So, I think that the number of restaurants that will increase their valet parking
based on this ordinance will be zero. I I don't see this like making a lot of restaurants want to have valet parking if they don't already. You They have to have 75% of other businesses around them.
>> No, it's property owners, not businesses. A big >> Yeah. Okay, fine. Property owners, but they have to get the support. But in other words, like you all these people who will otherwise be parking on the street taking parking
spots from other people. I I don't get why like the valet having them now them park off street. They are there are some spots lost because of ramping, right? Like they have to have some >> it's three spots. Is that the the limit?
>> I believe it's two. too. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Cuz I think net when we when we talk about cuz right now we're hearing all the people on Forest Street like people are parking there >> and the valley the valet cars are parking there.
>> So you're saying that we would be saying you can't park on the street. You have to park in a private lot. >> Right. And if if we saw if we saw people not complying, right, the ordinance allows for us to take away the license to do so >> and allows us to to they're violating
the rules. They don't get to keep doing the thing. And so, uh, right now where there's no regulations in place, right, it's it's very difficult for any sort of enforcement to happen, especially against the the business or the operator because it's, you know, the parking utility can write a ticket for an
illegally parked car, but that parking ticket goes on the the registered owner of the motor vehicle. It doesn't go on the the operator of the the valet parking uh entity. and and you know I there are relatively limited lot spaces in in in Montlair Center for example,
but there's a significant amount of deck space and especially in those private decks. Um there there's lots of parking available that should an operator decide they think it's worthwhile to have valet parking that they would be able to do it um in in in many different places.
>> Question. >> I'm sorry. I don't know if I I'm just I don't see it being a I see this potentially freeing up parking >> because we're making them park off the street. >> Yeah. The the the clear benefit is that
we will have an understanding of where they are going to be parking these cars and if if they are not parking the cars there then there's a mechanism in place to ensure that they are no longer able to operate. counter their model. >> Uh I agree with
the my my colleagues uh skepticism that it can that the thing can be regulated very well. I also think that um we shouldn't be we should recognize the fact that we regulate
aesthetics and morality. That's what we do as a government. Like we have historic preservation board that regulates minutely what a sign looks like because of the aesthetics and how it would do that. And then we regulate or ban things that we think are immoral
like puppy mills. There's an ordinance that was on the book on the books. And I think valet parking is aesthetically gross and kind of immoral. I mean, it's like it is basically it's like a red velvet club rub red velvet rope club,
which is exclusionary. That's the point of it is to make people feel bad and excluded. And I don't think I would ban having a red velvet rope because they'd make a a blue one or whatever. But I don't think we should be incentivizing or or we should be making it very
difficult, if not impossible, for people to do this. I know in the past we've actually mandated it, including on Glenidge Avenue before the deck was there, we told business owners, you know, to get a in their in their site plan approval that they had to have a a
valley parking plan. So, we need to be realistic that, you know, we were we were enabling it. But I don't see any reason really, you know, world's smallest violin if if we just say we don't do valet parking, like that's not our jam. like, you know, find a the
there's a beautiful deck. Park your car. The car will park itself eventually and ride a bike, ride your skateboard. I don't know. It does. I I'm against the whole thing. I'm with the mayor. Like, >> I'd like to Yeah. >> Yeah. I just wanted to ask one question.
Um Yeah. I I'm not I'm not for this. Like you, Councelor Damato said, we should be encouraging people to use our parking decks, especially if we're raising the rates, right? >> Well, so so >> it was a joke. >> Okay. because the rate the decks are not going up. But I want to be clear and that was intentional. >> And then I just wanted to know had you
done any looking or investigating if you will on the enforcement of tickets that have been issued, you know, for people parking in areas where they shouldn't have. So to offer valet parking, you would should be able to say to us, you know, I've talked to code in I mean parking authority and they've issued x
number of tickets on Church Street and it generated this amount of revenue. So we absolutely must have valet parking. So, if there are no numbers there to compare this to, you know, we have to think about our residents. They are priority. Um, while I understand many businesses want to come here cuz we're
Mont Clair Destination with Glitter, um, we have to have people park in our decks. And um do we know if say their application does get approved if this ordinance gets approved um are they going to be charging customers for valet parking and who gets that money or is
that going to be a portion of your application where they say they can't charge cuz they're doing it now on Church Street. >> So uh I'll I'll answer the question or address the question about >> No, please don't. I'd like to call a vote on here. I'd like to call a vote
for this. Um what is this one? This is uh >> item J. >> Item J. I'd like to um call the vote for item J, please, which is in the ordinance amending and supplementing chapter 228 of the code of the township
of Monontlair, new article 3 entitled valet parking. >> I don't want to keep giving one quick things because you all tell me I got to move these things and once we everybody's had a chance. I'm the main the main one that gets me every night.
So, um, is there a second on that? I I called for a vote. Okay, Madame Clerk, please. >> No, we call >> Deputy Mayor Anderson. >> Yes. Councelor Birmingham, >> yes. >> Councelor Damato,
>> abstain. >> Councelor Harrison, >> no. >> Councelor Toller, >> no. Councelor Williams, >> by voting this down, you're leaving everything exactly the way it is, unregulated. So I ju I just want to point that out. Yes,
>> Mayor Baskerville. >> No. >> And we should create better than this here. >> Okay. And um so yeah, we're going on to the next one, please, to item and K. Is that you? Um your honor, >> thank you. That is the most ridiculous.
>> This is an ordinance. >> This is an ordinance to repeal and replace ordinance 0-25-63 removing from chapter 327 vehicles and traffic est and establishing a new article 2 and chapter 228 for parking
parking for sale and use of temporary no parking signs. I so move >> second discussion please. >> Any discussion on that? Okay, seeing none, Madame Clerk, >> Deputy Mayor Anderson,
>> HIJ, >> yes. >> Councelor Birmingham, >> K. I don't have one. >> Councelor Damato, >> yes. >> Councelor Harrison, >> yes. >> Councelor Toller, >> yes. >> Councelor Williams, >> yes. >> Mayor Baskerville,
>> of temporary no parking sign. This is K. >> Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Now we're going to move on to um consent. Do we need to take a break or we're okay to go ahead? You want a 5m minute break? >> Let's check check with council Williams. Are we okay to take a break, sir?
>> No, let's keep going. >> Okay. >> Okay. We're going to continue with the consent agenda, please. Um do people have things that they want to pull off of there? Please let me know. Now, >> I don't have any questions. >> Nothing on the bills list. Councelor To
number three. Okay. So far we have number three. Anything else we might do? >> Okay, >> number three is coming off, right? >> Number three is coming off. Okay. Um please um
>> well, we have the consent agenda. Um I think I I'll pull number six just because I see Michael is here and someone may have a question. Okay. Thank you. >> All right. I'd like to move all of the rest of the items on the consent agenda except for number three and number six. >> Second.
>> Okay. Madame clerk. >> Deputy Mayor Anderson. >> Yes. >> Councelor Birmingham. >> Yes. >> Councelor Damato. >> Yes. >> Councelor Harrison. >> Yes. >> Councelor Toller. >> Yes. >> Councelor Williams. >> Yes. >> Mayor Baskerville. >> Yes. Thank you. Okay. Let's have the
discussion on number three, please. Councelor Toller. >> Sure. Um, this is a resolution establishing the designation of the annual municipal events. And um, I guess my first question is I'm not sure who put this
resolution up um because there are a few committees or organizations missing from it that I would like to include uh for consideration. >> Yeah, I think we should pull this. >> We'll pull this. I don't have a table. >> Okay. Well, can I just say which ones
they are cuz I don't know who put this up and >> it says the um Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs. >> Oh, okay. Cuz the MLK scholarship committee is a township committee that should be on here as well. >> Okay. I think the discussion was that we're going to pull this for now. Is everybody okay to pull this? Is not any
urgency. Okay. Let's go to number six then, please. >> Madam Mayor, you said Mr. Thornton put this up. >> I just said it says Department of Recreation and Cultural Affairs. If the if I did not put this here, so I'm just >> Oh, okay. >> Oh, so I'll share the complaints with you. Thank you.
>> No, I think it'll be good once we're all in agreement. >> I'm just trying to see who I need to >> Number six, please. >> Um, this is a resolution authorizing change order number two and final closeout of contract with Spanelli Companies uh for the 2025 sanitary sewer
rehabilitation project bid number 2425. And again, I only pulled this because I saw Mr. Prima Vera here in the audience and you know, he's going to sleep. So, I don't know if any counselors had any questions. I did not, but I figured I'd
give him his two minutes if he wanted to speak on it since he stayed with us this long. >> There you go. Uh to close out of our project from last year. Uh the reason this bill took so long to come to fruition is because the contractor took a long time to submit the videos and all
documentation to our engineering firm. Um it's also a change order because we are actually paying less money for the final total cost. We're saving about $106,000 by just closing it out this way rather than extending them and having them complete the work. >> Thank you very much, council members.
Anyone else on number six? If not, we can vote on that. >> Madame Clerk, please. May I have a movement in a second? >> I'll second. >> Deputy Mayor Anderson, >> yes. >> Councelor Birmingham, >> yes. >> Councelor Damato, >> yes. >> Councelor Harrison, >> yes. >> Councelor Toller,
>> yes. >> Councelor Williams, >> yes. >> Mayor Baskerville, >> yes. And before I um move to adjourn, I'd just like to let everyone know I'm really excited to announce that our deputy mayor, Susan Jen Anderson, will be honored tomorrow by Essex County for
her amazing work um in government for not just township of Montlair, but beyond. They are recognizing her for ai month. I guess it's a a pi nh a nhpi month. So yeah, let's give it up for
deputy mayor. Welcome if you guys would like to go cheer her on and take pictures. I think we begin at 6. >> It's at 6 and there are two other honores. Um there's a student. >> We is talking about our girl. >> Okay. So I'd like to make a motion to
adjurnn, please. >> All right. Have a good one. Thank you. >> Oh, all in favor? >> Any opposed? Let the lights out. Sorry. That was