##VIDEO ID:nOmNF6UCyR0## I call to order this regular meeting of the township Committee of the township of moris this Wednesday January 22nd 2025 the time is now 7:01 p.m. this meeting is being held in accordance with the open public meetings act and adequate notice of this meeting has been provided as required by law specifically notice of this meeting was emailed to the Daily Record and Mars newsby on January 3rd 2025 and posted on the township of mar website the agenda and resolutions for this meeting are available on Marist township.com under agena Center certain portions of this meeting may be closed to the public for the purpose of personnel Andor other matters as outlined in the Sunshine Law notice to members of the governing body and Township staff any use of electronic devices during this meeting shall be used solely for the purpose of Township business and any Communications are subject to the open public records Act Madame clerk roll call please Mr Griselle here Mr JY here Mr ravitz here Mr janata here mayor grigia here please rise if you're able for the presentation of the colors and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance afterwards we ask that you continue standing for a moment of silence left face present arms I pledge allegiance to un States justice for all please remain standing now as we SP a moment of science to honor retired firefighter and longtime resident Daniel ginty who has recently passed away [Music] thank you arms arms at this time I would like to turn it over to Chief sheer I'm happy that there's all babies and young kids in here so that I'm hoping they get start get crying gets me a little bit of anxiety and we all want to get out of here nice and quick right so uh anytime that I get a chance to introduce new members of our agency uh to the public is is always probably the happiest happiest days that I have as a police chief and this first officer that I'm going to introduce to you guys is one of those people that everybody in the town already knows so it makes my job super easy so if patrolman Dominic pasado can come up here [Applause] so he's he's one of the guys I didn't even have to write up a bio because I feel like now that I've known him forever and the one thing I can say is uh the only thing better than one pado is two Pasad so um his his brother started here and and apparently uh it was a good place to work and and recommended Dominic to us and we had first met Dominic when he went through our Citizen Police Academy and and heard about his exploits on the baseball field and as soon as he put his app in we kind of all sat together and and what can we do to hire this guy what can we do to make him a member of the Mars Township family Mars Township Police family as he already been a member of the mors township family for many many years uh graduate of mortown High School uh worked in the business world and then decided uh he wanted to be a police officer so that he could help help people in a in the community and once he got started in Washington Township he he really uh decided that he wanted to help the members of Morris Township community and and help people he grew up with and and had been around his entire life and and I still remember some of the things that he said when we had our interview with the Town Council of of how he um would deal with certain groups and and certain difficulties that may arise in his police career and it was one of those you know I I've played sports with everybody in town I've I've always encountered everybody in town and and um he left us with a with a quote that I'll share with you that I thought was very good and his how his dad had always told him you know you came into this world with your last name and it wasn't tarnished and and uh it's not going to be tarnished uh after you leave so it's one one thing I think about is is how he carries himself and and the pride that he puts in in what he's accomplished in this town as a as a resident and we really look forward to seeing what he accomplishes as a police officer uh in Mars Township and I can say in the short amount of time he's already been involved in in some very uh difficult situations and and and has risen to the occasion each and every time so mayor griggle and Township C committee I proudly present to you patrol officer Dominic pasado and I also want to mention that he's joined here today by his wife Abby his daughter anelise who we can get a little bit more rambunctious to to rush me along a little bit uh his mom Jacqueline and his dad Jim uh and also his grandmother so thank you guys for for sharing this special day and and we look forward to a long career here with Dominic congratulations wife D Dominic pado Solly swear that you will support the Constitution United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and will bear faith and allegiance to the Saint and government establish the United States and in this state under Authority people so help you got repat after me I Dominic pad I Dominic do solemly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully impartially and justly impartially and justly perform all the duties perform all the duties a police officer a police officer of the township of Morris Police Department of the township of Morris Police Department according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me go so help me go [Applause] congratulations would you like to do yeah just be careful I don't want see I don't want to see any injuries [Applause] congratulations uh patrol officer haly bcan could come up so I just told you about one of our Township residents we had to go all the way to the Midwest for patrol officer uh Haley she uh hails originally from the midwestern area when we first interviewed her probably close to two and a half three years ago and we had to have her right on the spot and unfortunately she had some family issues that came up so she had to kind of defer her time with us um but the second she was back we made sure that we uh we were able to get her back on board and and uh just to tell you a little bit about herself or about her patrol officer haly bana was hired by us on July 8th of 2024 upon being hired she entered the Morris County Police Academy and graduated from there on November 27th of 202 for prior to being hired at mors township B worked as a police officer in St Louis and then an asset Pro protection for large retail stores Patrol be patrol officer beana grew up in Columbia Illinois where she graduated from Columbia High School and then later attended the University of Missouri where she received her bachelor's degree and again it's just kind of a small snip snippet of who this officer is but I kind of wanted to share something that came out in her background every time we encountered somebody when we were interviewing them to see what kind of police officer um she was going to be each and every person said um we think she's going to be a fantastic police officer um very strong moral compass they're like the one thing where I think she may struggle a little bit is she uh has has trouble bending the rules and I was just like well fortunately that's something we never asked her to do here in mors Township so we know that from those uh recommendations and the things that people said about her that she was going to be a fantastic fit um patrol officers Bean patrol officer Bean's family is all joining us uh hopefully via Zoom uh throughout the Midwest so uh mayor gly and Township committee I proudly present to you Patrol offer H Haley Yukan mayor May honor for just because all of her uh her family's from afar and do Hy solemnly swear they will support the Constitution of United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and will bear faith and allegiance to the same and the governments established United States and in this state under Authority people so help you God I do repeat after me I haly you I haly buana you Solly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will Faithfully partially and justly and partially unjustly perform all the duties perform all the duties a police officer a police officer of the township of Moors Police Department of the township of Moors Police Department according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God [Applause] congratulations welcome to okay if uh patrol officer Dave Lee could come [Applause] up patrol officer Dave Lee was hired by this agency like officer buana on July 8th of 2024 and upon being hired off Lee entered the Morse County Police Academy and then graduated on November 27th of 2024 prior to being hired by morse Township officer Lee had enlisted in the United States Army where he proudly served from 2014 until 2023 where he was honorably discharged as a captain and almost immediately upon that retirement as sure as his wife could tell you he reenlisted in the Army Reserves uh lee was originally born in South Korea later immigrating to New York York where he graduated from Herrick High School in New Hyde Park he then later attended the City College of New York upon and obtained a degree in Biochemistry during his time away from the police department patrol officer Lee enjoys hiking spending time with his family um as I kind of gave you a little snippet I thought the really fun part about officer Lee's background which I was glad that I didn't have to do but it was probably the first time that Morris Township police detectives had to use Google Translate in order to complete uh officer Lee's background I thought that was something pretty special and um officer Lee obviously with the things that he has done in the military uh including our most recent withdrawal from Afghanistan brings so many different skills to this department that we can't wait to see how he impacts the residents with some of the leadership things he's done in the military and and all of his active duty um um commitments that he was a part of uh mayor grig and Township committee I proudly present to you officer Dave Lee and today he is joined here by his wife uni who I she can come in we don't mind if the baby's all right and and of course he's riled up and his name is Riley who's joining us here today um he's also joined by his father-in-law Matthew his mother-in-law Grace his friends Martin and Justin um ladies and gentlemen [Applause] safely you we Solly swear that you will support the Constitution United States and the constitution of the state New JY United States people help you guys repeat after me I da I da do swear swear that I will Faithfully will Faithfully partially justly perform all the duties perform all the duty a police officer a police officer of the towns Police Department of the Township Police to the best of my ability ACC best of my ability so me God so me God congratul [Applause] [Applause] with your concentration congratulations if Sergeant Mark osra could join me up here it feels strange thinking it but even strange saying Sergeant Mark cra so backstory I've worked with Mark for pretty much all of my career and I have his bio in front of me and I could have swore when we worked together I didn't see you do all these things but in all honesty this is a long long time coming for Mark I can safely say that Mark is quite possibly the hardest working person in Mars Township and any speed limit that you see out there whether it was lowered reduced Chang in the radway chances are it was because of uh Mark's hard work of of putting out classifiers in the cold weather and and kind of to us the need for for changes in speeds or or uh engineering of a roadway he truly is an expert and uh you know somebody that I always went to F BCE when it came to traffic but even when anybody asked me around the state I'm like I I don't know the answer I'll never know the answer but I'll I'll get it from somebody and act like I do and that person's always marked so um this is just a snippet of all the great things he's kind of done done during his his career Sergeant ostra began his law enforcement career as a special law enforcement officer with the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department depart in May of 2003 after attending the Ocean County Police Academy SLO class in January he was accepted to the 63rd Basic Police Academy basic class at the Morris County Police Academy as an alternate route candidate and graduated in June of 2004 in March of 2005 Sergeant osat was hired by the Morris Township Police Department as a as a patrol officer and as a patrol officer he served as a communic Communications officer in the absence of a dispatcher until January of 20 9 when he was aside to the traffic safety safety unit where he's continued with those duties till this day as a traffic safety officer has he received extensive training in motor vehicle crash investigations some of this training includes crash investigations level one and two vehicle Dynamics crash reconstruction pedestrian bicycle crash motorcycle motorcycle crash commercial crash and countless countless others and in case you're wondering what all that stuff means means that he's can do the best math of anybody in the department because these classes are about as difficult as you can get um and and again like I said he's he's investigated countless fatals fatal crash investigations and and used all these tools that um he's been he's been given Sergeant osad is a member of the mors County prosecutor's office vehicular homicide unit where he assists police agencies in mors County investigating serious and fatal motor vehicle crashes Sergeant ostra is responsible for all oning on call towing agencies that provide services in Mars Township he conducts thorough background investigations and coordinates the on call scheduling for each agency additionally he closely monitors each Towing agency to ensure proper compliance is met with the Township's ordinances he also investigates all Towing complaints as well as abandoned Motor Vehicles which often requires Co coordination with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and Bandon vehicle unit in O October of 2018 Sergeant oser hat was recognized by the New Jersey police traffic Officers Association and Kane University is one of the first four law enforcement Personnel in the state of New Jersey to receive the traffic safety specialist level two award this award recognizes police officers who had attained notable experience education training and Proficiency in highway safety enforcement methods and procedures Sergeant AER House's responsibilities in include conducting traffic analysis and implementing counter measures to improve safety of the roadway for pedestrians and Mo and motorists the traffic safety unit is one of the busiest units in the police department and its services are requested constantly usually by myself I'm usually the one requesting Sergeant osat was awarded as the Department's officer of the year in for 2018 in 2019 Sergeant asout received a triaa traffic leadership award for his hard work and dedication to the field of Traffic Safety in addition to Sergeant 's responsibilities he is a certified radar instructor and provides inservice Department departmental training and certif certification to officers he's also responsible for the maintenance and calibration records of radar units and preparation for courtroom testing Tony since 1999 he has been a certified emergency medical technician and also serves as the department CPR instructor in the past he has been recognized for three life-saving Awards including saving a choking victim at Friendly's Restaurant back in 2006 Sergeant as is also a certified aquatest operator and serves as a liaison with the New Jersey State Police to provide maintenance and to provide maintenance and records of the alatest instrument Sergeant out is a certified child passenger safety technician where he provides child car seat inspections and installations as a certified technician he has participated in child car seat events where he lectures parents and caregivers with the proper use of child restraints and safety belts Sergeant ocat is a certified by the International Association of chiefs of police as a drug recognition expert where he is trained to recognize impairment and drivers under the influence of drugs other than or in addition to alcohol he also serves on the Mars County callout team to provide Dr evaluations to assist other agencies Sergeant asra is a member of the Mars County rapid deployment team and has received training in Field Force operations that provide support to other agencies in a unified command structure during critical incidents he's also measure measure member of the New Jersey police traffic Officers Association and NJ drre Association which is kept the prize of the latest technology training and legislation Sergeant osad has been a member of the morrs Township Police honor and guard and bike unit since its initiation and has participated in numerous special events Sergeant asra has participated in the police unit tour for 13 years where he raised money for the national law enforcement memorial and awareness for law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty additionally coordinate coordinates and participates in the annual NJ law enforcement torch run by raising funds and increasing public awareness for athletes who participate in the Special Olympics Sergeant ocat earned his ba associates degree in criminal justice from County College of moris he also received his bachelor's degree in Justice studies from St Elizabeth University graduating Magna kumla in May 2019 Sergeant asout earned his master's degree in Justice Administration and public service graduating Suma kumlade like I said this speaks to you know a tenth of what of the things that he's done during his career and uh mayor kley and Township v i proudly present to you Sergeant Mark osterhout and and he's joined here by his lovely wife Kon you mark AR have Solly swear that you will support the Constitution of United States and the constitution of state of New Jersey and about faith and Allegiance the same and to the government of esta United States and in the state and the authority of people to help you God I do repeat after me I Mark AER I Mark AER do solemnly swear solemnly swear that I will Faithfully I faithfully and partially and justly Par in Justice perform all the duties perform all the duties of Sergeant of Sergeant of the T ship of Morris Police Department Township of Morris Police Department according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability help me God help me God [Applause] congratul thank [Music] thank sir congratulations happy for you thank you so I want to thank the all the off-duty members who came here today to support their fellow uh officers on on the great achievements that they're being recognized for today in the starts of their law enforcement career thank you to the committee for allowing me to be here in one short SEC second I'm going to turn this over to William Shel we're going to recognize officer dunie um he's another guy that everybody knows and and I'm not going to do this award justice but I can tell you that any Community event any type of Outreach that is done with local sports programs members of the community is spearheaded by uh officer dunie and and officer dare and today we're recognizing officer dunie for all the Outreach he does and it usually begins with him coming up with this big idea and then saying Chief can I and uh and then it finds out he's like I'm going to do all the work and I'm like of course you can that sounds great um so it is nice to recognize him because I a lot of what he does is thankless and you kind of probably see it on Facebook and not knowing what's going on behind the scenes and and how this idea came about and more often than not it it came came about from uh officer dun's hard work and and wanting to just make sure that we we stay connected with the members of the community that we serve day in and day out officer dunie you could please come on we give him a nice round of applause in the beginning and the end Mr you come up and thank you sir absolutely so first of all congratulations to the new officers and certainly congratulations to the sergeant we love to see St Elizabeth alumni doing so well mayor at Council thank you for having me um it's very unusual for us to be invited to a municipality to present an award I think this is probably the only second time I've done this and the call that I got was such a passionate call on behalf of Officer duni about the things that he does the feeling in the community and and I knew that this was absolutely the right thing to do we know that we're about to celebrate Black History Month and one of the things that St Elizabeth strives to do is to recognize law enforcement officers from all over New Jersey um but this is our home um the most of the campus is in Floren Park but the address is mors toown and we look at morrs township as our home so Darren when I looked over your bio you're in almost every unit that there is here um the emergency service unit community policing unit whether it's lead a community event a festival a family in need of sports or students you're always seem to be the one and so we're very honored to present you with this Black History Month excellence and law enforcement award on behalf of President Dr Gary Crosby of St Elizabeth and myself we're honored that you would accept this and we wish you all the best and thank you for the opportunity to stand before you here at Morris Township awesome yeah maybe get my good side open your eyes makes me feel tall makes me feel skinny I just want one more I just want to say it's interesting to be here I see uh Tim in here when I was the new chief of the Mars County prosecutor's office and I thought I knew everything but I knew nothing I Came To Mars Township and he gave me my first lesson and I remember riding around Mars Township with you when you talked with the pride of where you grew up it's great to see you still serve in the community God bless you thanks sir thank thank thank you again I'm sure everybody's tired of of me speaking this point but again I do thank the families for your support that you give our officers each and every day and I thank the officers for the support you give your co-workers and the support that we reive from the not only the township committee but the police committee as well who who have some words to say so thank you again I appreciate [Applause] it good evening everybody my name is Jeff grel I'm the deputy mayor here at Mars Township uh next to me is committee man Bud rabbits uh the governing body here for those of you who don't understand how we operate sometimes um we have standing committees which are sub commmittee that have oper respon oversight responsibilities of various departments around the town Police Department fire department Finance Recreation you name it so committee man rabitz and I are have oversight over the police department and I am proud to serve as the chair of that that committee once again this year uh tonight we're here to celebrate several great occasions for our Police Department I am so happy first for the promotion of Mark asout he's been a fixture in the department for so many years I see him all over the place of public events representing us and the work he does on in managing all the traffic work is is super important for us and our residents and I so happy that you you're getting this promotion tonight Mark we uh now we are also here to celebrate the next generation of police officers entering our ranks and we are here to celebrate those as well for those who have uh previously listened to me here from the de you'll know that I am an AR supporter of art the police department I regularly remind the public of the responsibilities that officers have and that you come to work every day ready to put your lives on the line to protect our community and That No One Ever Knows when they make a traffic stop what might go bad um we are grateful for this responsibility that all of you have chosen to take on you're an integral part of the community not only protecting our residents but also by being critical resource for residents both to educate them and to assist them in times of need on behalf of the entire governing body I would like to thank all of the officers here and the Command Staff in our Police Department for their fine work that they do every day officer Dave Lee officer Haley bana officer Dominic pasado welcome to moris Township we have a professional and proud force in our town I think each of you and all the applicants that we get here know the reputation of mors Township when they walk in and and apply for the job here I've we've had applicants who said that they've dropped their applications in other towns in order to apply here in mors Township and that goes to the reput reputation of this department and we expect the three of you to uphold that professionalism each and every day and we hope that you will carry the pride that Pride when you are out in the community I urge each of you to get to know our residents by introducing yourselves uh around town I always encourage our officers to get out of their cars and always to say hello to residents at The Parks at ball games if you see somebody walking down the street when you're when you're patrolling a neighborhood uh take a moment to stop and just say hello and introduce yourselves and please always be compassionate when that's warranted remember that everyone has good days and bad days we all make mistakes some of them out of neglect some of them because we're not thinking through things properly and I believe that most people can learn from their errors though we know that some do not while a summons might be in order in in many cases sometimes a simple warning will do the trick to change somebody's Behavior but of course it's up to you to use your best judgment on every occasion in in those situations so good luck to all three of you this entire governing body wishes all of you a long and prosperous career here in Morris Township and lastly patrolman Darren dunie has been presented with an award that recognizes officers from around the entire country who demonstrate outstanding service and commitment to the profession that is quite impressive that moris Township and officer here in our town is selected out of officers from across the country officer dunie you make us very proud so again on behalf of the entire governing body I'd like to thank all the police officers and the Command Staff for all the great work that they do all of you make us proud each and every day and please keep up the good work thank [Applause] you let's see if it recognizes me ah it does congratulations officer dundy that was quite the achievement um I also want to give my heartfelt congratulations to Sergeant Mark osterhout for his promotion uh was long time coming and it's very well deserved I also want to extend my congrat congratulations to the newest officers in the Mars Township Police Department Dominic Pato Dave Lee and Haley buchanana I had the privilege of being part of their interview processes and I contined to be most impressed with the caliber of candidates who want to be part of our Police Department between interviews I always turn to the Chief and ask where he found such outstanding candidates we are truly truly fortunate to have such talented and dedicated members of our Force I've remarked more than once how the Mars Township Police Department is considered one of the finest in the state and certainly in Mars County the quality of the applicants applicants who come from all over to be part of such an illustrious force is a testament to how well how well Chief sheer and his leadership team run the department and now I'm not a I'm not a clergy person but I do offer this little bit of a prayer may God protect our newest police officers as they begin their Journey May that same protection be afforded to their brothers and sisters throughout our land grant them wisdom to make just decisions strength of face strength to face challenges with courage compassion and to serve with fairness and integrity may they return home safely each day and find fulfillment in their service may they be blessed with good health steadfast resolve and unwavering support of their Community thank you very much and congratulations to you all thank you thank you Chief sheer and U Mr William chvll for attending we're happy to have you here as well congratulations to all of our officers at this end thank you to Deputy Mayor greel and committee man rabitz on our police standing committee at this time could everybody please stand as we return the [Music] colorss face forward Mar thank you as much as we know so many of you would love to stay and continue with our Township committee meeting we will take a five minute break so that all the families can if you if you want to go home and celebrate and again thank you for being here we appreciate it congratulations to everyone I'd like to call back to order tonight's Township committee meeting the next item on tonight's agenda is the approval of the minutes may I have a motion to approve the minutes from the November 13 2024 closed and regular session so moved second all in favor I I we have three proclamations on our agenda tonight and the first one we're going to start with is recognizing January 13th as Korean American day and this will be presented by Deputy Mayor Jeff grel we'd also like to welcome Maddie gofredo from The Andy Kim's office and Amber re and Amber Reid just that yeah there's um well there's one copy in a presentation folder and then the other copy for you to read so we're proud to have as the mayor just said uh Manny jaffredo GAO gofredo uh from Senator Andy Kim's office and Amber re representing the aapi association of New Jersey of New Jersey thank you both both for being here tonight uh the impetus for this Proclamation is actually our new Senator uh who Maddie is here to represent um he's been an inspiration to a lot of people here in the state of New Jersey and just a few weeks ago down in Washington he proposed his own legislation to recognize korean-american day and in honor of the first ever Korean American senator in the United States I thought it was so appropriate for us here in Township to recognize that as well so I'd like to read this into the record uh it is a proclamation supporting the the goals and ideals of Coran American day of January 2025 January 13 2025 whereas the influence of korean-americans may be observed in all facets of life in the United States from politics to Industry entrepreneurship to volunteerism the Arts and education and whereas on January 13th 1903 two courageous Korean immigrants ared the United States initiating the first large wave of Korean immigration to the United States and whereas these Pioneer Korean immigrants face tremendous social and economic obstacles and language barriers in the United States the land of opportunity and whereas the 109th US Congress agreed to December 16th agreed on December 16th 2005 to commemorate uh Korean American day and whereas korean-americans like other groups of immigrants that come to the United States that have come to the United States before them seeking a better life and opportunity have thrived in their new Homeland due to the strong work ethic family bonds and Community spirit and whereas korean-americans have made significant contributions to the economic Vitality of the United States and positively impacted countless facets of life in our country and whereas korean-americans have built and strengthened the alliance between United States and the Republic of Korea fostering peace on the Korean Peninsula and whereas the Centennial Committee of Korean immigration and korean-americans have designated January 13th of each year as korean-american day to commemorate the first step of the long and prosperous journey of korean-americans in the United States and whereas New Jersey is proud to be home to the fourth largest Korean American population in the United States and now there for be it resolved that the township uh the Morris Township committee one recognizes January 13th as korean-american day here in Morris Township and supports its goals and ideals honors and commemorates the 122nd anniversary of the arrival of the first Korean immigrants the United States and encourages all residents of Morris Township and the surrounding communities to have a greater appreciation of the invaluable contribution korean-americans have made to New Jersey and the United States it's signed by all the members of the governing body um I have two copies uh one in a folder and one not in a folder so you guys can decide who gets which one um but but would either of you you have another folder okay coming up with another folder okay very there we go onee would each of either of you like to say a few words on this recognition thank you Deputy Mar grasil and thank you for this recognition to the town of Morris and the the council and and mayor guia um aapi New Jersey is a Statewide nonprofit that was founded in 2021 during a time when many asian-americans your neighbors your friends felt unseen unheard we came together so that we could have a voice so that we could be seen in this state and this kind of recognition today is so important and recognizing not just our community but all the diverse communities that make up New Jersey it really makes a difference when we know that we're not only seen but we are cherished and appreciated so thank you so much for this and if Senator Kim happens to be watching this snippet of the meeting Maddie uh we wish him really well you make us really proud as I said and go get him in the US Senate thank you so much want to hold it open your yes thank you thanks so much for coming thank you you thank you to deput Deputy Mayor Grace El for bringing this forward and thank you for being here and we really appreciate it the next Proclamation we have on the agenda is honoring the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King and that will be presented by committee man janata thank you mayor whereas Dr Martin Luther King Jr dedicated its life to advancing civil rights social justice and equality for all people and whereas whereas Dr King's message of nonviolence and his commitment to Peaceful activism have left an indelible mark on our nation's history and continue to guide our efforts to build a more inclusive and Equitable society and whereas Morris Township recognizes the importance of honoring Dr King's Legacy and reflecting on the principles equality compassion and service to others that he champion and whereas Morris Township strives to Foster understanding appreciation and unity among its residents and Dr King's vision for a Beloved Community serves as a Guiding Light for these efforts and whereas it is fitting to and proper to celebrate the Life and Legacy of Dr King by engaging in community service educational initiatives and acts of kindness that embody his ideals and now therefore be it resolved that the township Committee of the township of mors proudly joins in honoring the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and encourages all residents to reflect on his teachings and contribute to building the society that oppose equality Justice and harmony for all and now therefore we the members of the committee to hereby Proclaim January 20th 2025 as a day for honoring and remembering with renewed reverence The Life and Legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and we further reaffirm our commitment to advancing his vision of equality and justice in all future endeavors thank you thank you committee janada and at this time can I please have Melissa spota Linda Murphy Dr Vivian Rodriguez and Mrs Katie Cole join me at the podium and first we'd like to congratulate congratulate Dr Vivian Rodriguez Mrs Katie Cole and Linda Murphy for just being reelected to another term so congratulations all four have of these women have been longtime ADV advocates for all students and their knowledge and passion has been unmatched under the superintendent of schools Dr an Mucci and the full Board of the Mars the marown area students have continued to perform and Excel at the highest levels and moristown high school has been recognized several times as a leading School throughout the country for their diverse student body and all the innovative ideas they produce proclaiming January 2025 as school board recognition month in New Jersey whereas the New Jersey school board Association has declared January 2025 to be school board recognition month a time when all residents can acknowledge the contributions made by our local school board members and whereas the Mars School District Board of Education is one of 581 local school boards in New Jersey which sets policies and oversees operations for public school districts and whereas the mors School District Board of Education Embraces the goal of high quality education for all New Jersey public school students and whereas New Jersey's local school boards help determine the educational goals for approximately 1.4 million children in the pre kindergarten through 12th grade and whereas New Jersey's 5,000 local Schoolboard members who receive no renumeration for their services act as advocates for public school students as they work with administrators teachers and parents for the betterment of public education and whereas school boards strive to provide the resources necessary to meet the needs of all students including those with special needs and whereas Boards of Education provide accountability to the public they communicate the needs of the school district to the public and they convey to school administrators The public's expectations for the schools and whereas New Jersey can take pride in schools which rank among the nation's best in key achievement indicators such as the national assessment of Education progress scores preparation for college through advanced placement offerings and sat assessments now therefore be it resolved that the Mars School District board of education does hereby recognize the dedication and contributions of local school board members throughout New Jersey As We join Community Statewide in observing January 2025 as school board recognition month and be it further resolved that the mara School District Board of Education urges all New Jersey citizens to support their local Boards of education and Public School staff in advancing the education of all children we do have a copy for each of you again I'm not like can we get a picture Melissa I'll bring you a folder okay it's okay it's fine okay oh wait I need to do this yeah open yours good yeah any of you want to say anything I'll just say a few words um I've had the pleasure of serving the mor school district for the last six years and was just reelected to another three-year term to my um to my delight thank you to the voters of Morris Township for your trust and returning me to the board I am irrationally exuberant for the coming year I think it's going to be fantastic and uh I'm looking forward to serving the next three years and um I just think it's going to be wonderful so thank you um I just wanted to say thank you for the recognition and certainly thank you to our fellow board members because um it really is inspiring to work with people who care so deeply for the children of this community and I think it fitting to also come after the proclamations um of the Korean Americans students and um the Martin Luther King U Proclamation because um there's so much good work being done to serve all of the students in this community so thank [Applause] you I want to thank very thank you very very much to all of you for this honor and recognition of our work this is hard work but really good work and really powerful work that changes the lives of children and we are watching and we are making sure that everything goes well so it's really a wonderful honor to serve thank [Applause] you thank you mayor can I add a few words yes of course congratulations to the Mora school district and uh thanks thank you congratulations on the honor and I just want to note that two two of the commit are products of the mor school district and U I would ask also uh note that Mar school district is one of the most diverse districts in the country and also with you also provide excellent education as noted by the two committee men right here thank you congratulations thank you committee man janada at this time I would like to call on Committee Member rabitz who will now present resolution 47-25 a resolution declaring Mars Township a fair safe and welcoming Community if any me if any members of the public wish to comment on this resolution please wait until the first public commentary section of the meeting to speak thank you thank you mayor thank you for those who were staying it's nearly impossible to to separate National politics from the idea that this resolution I'm about to read into the public into the public record we conduct a business of the township but we are keenly aware of issues at the county state and National levels the very notion that we found it necessary to write this resolution is an indictment of the State of Affairs in our country but this is also about Mars Township and the kind of community the public has entrusted us to build and Foster I've written a few proclamations in my tenure as one of your local representatives and each one speaks to the rights the equity and the Dignity of all of our residents and this one is no different other than to memorialize it via a resolution Mars Township is a fair welcoming and Safe Community Marv Township is culturally diverse we celebrate and will protect our diversity many of us are all too aware of some of the campaign rhetoric we heard last year and some of some of it already happening this week we also know that not all state governments share these the same ideals as New Jersey does thus we find it necessary to affirm our commitment to all those who live in Mars Township that we will protect each demographic group women minorities immigrants and those who have may have a different gender identity we will we will protect them equally with the same fervor we would expect for ourselves and to all those who live in Mars Township I am aware of Injustice and will fervently speak out against it at every opportunity and you have my unwavering commitment on that so I will read now into the public record whereas fostering an environment where all people feel safe valued and empowered is essential to the health prosperity and Harmony of our community and all individuals regarding their race ethnicity nationality religion gender sexual orientation economic status or immigration status deserve to live with the dignity and respect and equal protection under the law and whereas the township of Mars is committed to upholding the principles of Justice equity and fairness in all of its policies practices and interactions and whereas declaring Mars Township a fair safe and welcoming Community affirms our dedication to creating a place where diversity is celebrated discrimination is actively opposed and all residents are encouraged to contribute to the to the collective well-being of our community and whereas community policing depends on trust with every demographic brou group and the cooperation of the Township's various communities including the Immigrant Community it is essential to preventing and solving crimes as well as maintaining public order Safety and Security throughout the township and whereas a growing number of municipali I ities around the country are standing up to threats against privacy um and Liberties by taking meaningful steps to ensure that communities are safe and that all residents rights are respected so that so that their municipalities may continue to thrive now therefore be it resolved by the township Committee of Mars Township County of Mars state of New Jersey that one the governing body of the township of Mars is committed to public ly and vigorously opposing any demographic registry that divides or otherwise has the intention of discrimination two Mars Township is declared a fair safe and welcoming community that values and promotes inclusivity mutual respect and the understanding of all residents three the township will strive to ensure equal access to Municipal services and opportunities for all individuals irrespective of their background and or identity four Mars Township will actively oppose discrimination harassment and hate in all fir forms reaffirm reaffirming its commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every person five the township will Foster Community engagement dialogue and education to promote understanding add address biases and strengthen relationships among diverse groups six Municipal leaders employees and representatives will be guided by principles of equity and fairness in their decision makings and interactions with the public the township number seven the township committee encourages residents businesses and organizations to join in this commitment by embracing and practicing the values of inclusivity and respect in their daily lives be further resolved that this resolution shall be prominently shared with the public to affirm Mars Township's commitment to being a community where all feel safe welcome and empowered thank you thank you committee man rabits there are currently 10 members of the public joining us via zoom and eight members in person at this time we will open the meeting to public comment we'll First Take comments from in-person attendees and then switch over to zoom please use the raised hand feature in Zoom if you would like to speak please state your name and address for the record before speaking please note that your comments are limited to five minutes if you have questions you would like answered your remaining time to speak will be yielded back to you for this purpose is there a motion to open public comment so moved second well in favor I sir you may good evening and I thank the township Council for the opportunity to address you my name is Richard Schwarz I live at 17 Gate House Court here in Mars Town Mars Township sorry and I uh and I represent Frey we're a patriotic group of concerned citizens who care about Freedom rights and accountabil and some of our members are sitting right over here we support the prompt adoption of resolution 4725 making Morris Township a fair safe and welcoming community and we strongly Embrace its sentiments we also ask the township Council to consider the adoption of a resolution that mors Township will not accept invitations nor invit nor initiate any application to be part of the department Department of Homeland Security's 287g program or any similar program that would invite our mors Township Law Enforcement Officers to execute federal government policies relating to immigration a constitutional responsibility of the federal government here's why first 287g allows the federal government to reach into the Mars Township treasury we local taxpayers would would end up footing the bill for some of the costs related to training or taking part in federal operations and for administrative supplies security equipment and training related expenses when we pay our local property taxes we intend for them to be used for local priorities if Congress wants more ice officers Congress ought to allocate sufficient funds rather than handing us the bill second 287 G complicates the work of our moris Township Law Enforcement Officers they have their hands full protecting our lives our liberties and our property enforcing local ordinances and doing the hard work that they do seven days a week 287g just puts more on their crowded plates we need them focused on the work they already do so well promoting Public Safety not carrying out a policy agenda emanating from Washington as resolution 4725 indicates some immigrants may be reluctant to engage with our local Law Officers seeking useful information to fight crime out of fear of detention third the current administration's aggressive pursuit of people illegally in the country invites indiscriminate implementation yes public sa safety demands the deportation of people here illegally who are convicted of serious crimes especially violent crimes but jailing and deporting people who are in always but one law-abiding who came here fleeing in tolerable conditions challenges an Article of Faith common to Judaism Christianity Islam Buddhism and Hinduism that is to show Mercy to the stranger Mars Township residents live these diverse faiths and know their implications the first Trump Administration infamously separated children from parents at the Southwest border as taxpayers and as voters we feel that Mars Township Law Officers should never be directed to contribute even indirectly to such a program should we see a reprise of it in the years ahead out of respect for the law even laws with which Frey May not agree we do not support mors Township officials or employees obstructing or defying federal laws requiring the the cooperation of our local government but our group Frey asks the council to deliberate upon debate and adopt such measures as serve our Mars Township needs by adopting resolution 4725 and refraining from voluntary participation in programs such as 287g I thank you for listening and I thank you for considering this request thank you thank you for your comments and we'll certainly take them under advisement is there anyone else here who would like to approach the podium if not I see no hands raised on Zoom is there a motion to close public comment Mo second all in favor I we have three ordinances for introduction on tonight's agenda Madame clerk please read the title of ordinance 0125 into the record 0 1-25 an ordinance of the township Committee of the township of Morris amending and reopt chapter 57 part 10 article 34 of the Township Code note amending tree ordinance may I have a motion to introduce ordinance number 01 d25 mayor oh I'm sorry mayor I'd like to introduce it with an amendment yeah um and speaking uh with Deputy Mayor grel um there is some ambiguity as to the current way it's written as to what constitutes a violation uh whether it be you know one act of numerous tree unlawful tree removals or the single or each separate unlawful tree removal being its own violation um I think the recommendation for the language is that we make every unlawful tree removal own separate violation under the code and subject to a $2,000 penalty and I think um and I've seen it in other municipalities the the reason behind it is if you're clear cutting a lot of trees you're GNA be spending tens of thousands of dollars to do that to pay an extra $2,000 to do it unlawfully really isn't much of a punishment but if each tree that's unlawfully taken down is subject to up to $22,000 penalty it really creates some deterrence to that so the amendment I'm offering to accomplish that would be adding a which would say each unlawful tree removal will constitute a separate and apart violation under this ordinance subject to the general penalty Provisions pursuant to section 1-3 and that's our and section 1-3 is where all ordinance penalties go to so every unlawful tree removal would be its own separate and aart ordinance violation is there a motion for the amendment as Jared caner read it I'll I'll move that oh no I'm sorry no I'm sorry I'm sorry I had originally I had originally moved it with the with the amendment that I had discussed with Mr caner we hadn't heard it yet we hadn't heard it yet so I will again move it with with that set amendment is there a second I'll second it is there any discussion on the amendment sorry now but I can I ask a couple of questions outside of the amendment sure why don't we want do you want to amend first and then take further yeah let's let's vote on the amendment first is that a roll call yes mayor um Mr Griselle yes Mr ravitz yes Mr JY yes Mr janata yes mayor glia yes so now do we have to reintroduce with the amended you can introduce it as amended okay unless you and then and then we have discussion on it is there a motion to re reintroduce as amended ordinance number 01 d25 so move mayor second and then you can take discussion mayor yeah any discussion okay uh janata yes uh I know uh we're going to introduce this ordinance as is but uh we we in the near future we can add any agenda to it any more changes to it sure such as um uh avoiding invasive species and recommending native species that language was not there and um we didn't I didn't get a chance to see if we can add that but I mean if we can add that at a later date is that is that well if ask legally this legally this committee can adopt any ordinance and change the code okay provided you have you know three votes to amend any ordinance okay I I don't know specifically you know the committee's opinion on that or on that Amendment but you certainly have the ability to okay and um I know U there was always talk about a shry commission but I mean and this might not be even here might have to be a separate ordinance I mean that's another issue that might be coming down uh a shade tree commission would require a separate ordinance and I I think we would have to go through the legislative committee okay all right thank you um mayor if I can provide some comments um I appreciate the uh professionals work on this ordinance um I know we've been talking about this for a long time and the environmental commission has been working hard to push it um and I commend them on doing that um to me the biggest issue that I want us to try to prevent in the future is clear cutting and I think that this um ordinance will do that as best as we possibly can um given the circumstances we we're in um originally I had wanted the ordinance to be a percentage basis as opposed to an actual number of trees because you know say that there's a house on a small lot has four large specimen trees and they get rid of all four of them this isn't fall under that this ordinance however if we had a percentage system um perhaps it would problem with that is we would have to hire full-time staff to survey every single house in this Township uh and monitor them to see who's actually um you know staying staying within the parameters of the ordinance and who's not um and quite and unfortunately uh knowing as the budget chair for the past few years uh we are unable to pay for that um our cost increases for this municipality through our State Health Benefit program premium increases um prescription drug crost for our employees overall cost increases for our goods and services we're we're finding it challenging just to keep the goods and services and employees we have now uh with a 2% increase over the past few years uh so as much as I would love to be able to create a shade tree commission and higher an arborous um we're in a very difficult financial situation still um we're much better off than most municipalities in Mars County thanks to the hard work of our employees especially Mr Quinn and um Sean our our CFO and the department heads for being so prudent with their budgets but um I think this is the best thing we can do right now and I'm would definitely support Mr Jan's uh amendments in the future if we want to go back and revisit the ordinance and make some additional improvements I know with invasive species we have in the past past resolutions um encouraging our residents to only PL plant native uh and to avoid invasives as someone who inherited a house with full of invasives going into Jones Woods uh it takes hours out of my life every summer to try to uh handle um doing it in a responsible way uh we definitely want to encourage residents to plant natives but um I think this is good I think in concert with our street tree uh planting program uh which has put out I think over 500 trees across Township streets large caliper trees in the past three years I think this is a great ordinance and I support its uh approval thank you committee Manor again for your explanation to the residents on some of those reasons why this was brought here tonight and yet we do look to continue all the discussions not only with our en environmental commission but amongst ourselves any other discussion Madame clerk may I have a roll call vote Mr gazelle yes Mr janata yes Mr JY yes Mr Ritz yes mayor griglia yes the public hearing and final consideration and Adoption of an ordinance 0125 will be held on Wednesday February 19th 2025 at 7 p.m. in the municipal building 50 Woodland Avenue Madame clerk please read the title of the next ordinance into the record for introduction ordinance 02-2 amending chapter 57 Land Development of the code of the township of morps note amending site plan exemptions may I have a motion to introduce ordinance number 02-2 so moved is there a second second are there any questions hearing none Madame Clark may I have a roll call vote Mr Jor Mr janata yes Mr gazelle yes Mr ravitz yes mayor griglia yes the public hearing and final consideration and Adoption of ordinance 02-2 will be held on Wednesday February 19th 2025 at 7M in the municipal building 50 Woodland Avenue Madam clerk please read the title of the last or into the record for introduction 0325 an ordinance of the township Committee of the township of Morris accept accepting the deed of dedication from jmf RD NJ properties urban renewal LLC to the township of Morris and the county of Morris for the transfer of property block number 10401 a portion of lot 3.02 for public park and open space purposes note transfer of open space parcel to Township may I have a motion to introduce ordinance number 0325 I'll make that motion but um can I ask that um we just provide an over for the residents what this uh acquisition is yes this acquisition that comes out of the development of the former Colgate property jmf which also had the housing component for lenar that buil the town homes and also the affordable housing component when they built the affordable housing component we had a field there softball field um that had to be displaced um the developer at that time jmf agreed that they would build it on the back of the men and Arena property and that the open space property with then would be dedicated back to the township for that so a portion of it will go to the county of Mars and the bll Field section of that will go to the tangal Mars to essentially replace the the ball field that was displaced by uh the building or the development of the Colgate property thank you thank you and if I could ask a question also Mr Quinn is part of that the improvements That jmf was supposed to do for the ball field they were supposed to put in fencing uh you know prepare the field um other kinds of improvements have those all been completed they have great very good thank you I'm waiting for a second on this ordinance second Madame clerk may I have a roll call vote Mr dorfy yes Mr ravit yes Mr gazelle yes Mr janata yes mayor griglia yes the public hearing and final consideration and adoped Adoption of ordinance number 03-25-18 d25 by one motion so moved there second second Madame clerk may I have a roll call vote Mr janata yes Mr gazelle yes Mr dorfy yes Mr Ritz yes mayor grigia yes we have four items on the consent calendar this evening can I have a motion to approve the items on the consent calendar by one motion some second all in favor I I the consideration of monthly reports the following reports are on file in the office of the Township Clerk and Township administrator October 2024 Finance November 2024 police finance and Joint court December 2024 tax collector and finance monthly reports can I have a motion to approve the monthly reports so moved second all in favor I claims for payment list of bills and vouchers the total amount of bills and vouchers for this meeting is 9,496 54974 we are also the tax collector for the school district the library and the county may have a motion to approve the list of bills and vouchers I'll move second up Madame Clark may I have a roll call vote Mr gazelle yes Mr dorfy yes Mr janata yes Mr aitz yes mayor grigia yes we will be having a special meeting January 29th 2020 at 7M here at Town Hall I would like to I'm sorry 6 6 PM um I would like to turn this over to our attorney Mr Jared caner I will invite him to provide an overview of the special meeting on fourth round affordable housing obligations scheduled for January 29th at 6 PM well just to be clear that the the Clos session is at 6 but the public session is at 7 correct 7 or 6:30 no sir probably approximately 6:30 we noticed it for 6 and we'll have a Clos session when we complete that um we will come out at the meeting at six o'clock when we open the meeting we'll give an approximate time of return Thank you Mr caner yes thank you mayor um so at our meeting as part of uh fair share housing uh the fourth round uh has begun and our first deadline is upon us um by January 31st 202 each municipality who's subject to fair housing of State New Jersey has to pass um a resolution setting forth um it's its number or it's it's it's it's um its need um so this governing body will be uh in a week from I'm sorry what was the date again I apologize for on the 29th uh we'll be considering a resolution um DCA has given us a number um we reviewed it um we're looking at we' we've had our plan to review the properties and prepare report and all that will be available to the public after um for their review um and it'll be the start of um of the fourth round of fair share housing no decisions will be made um as part of this resolution as to what will be built where will be built how many units will be built this is simply a statutory requirement for us to determine what our fair share of our District's need is so I guess we invite the public uh to come uh partic participate um get some information um the fourth round um has a lot of transparency to it it'll be a very transparent process and this is the first step in uh in moris Township's fourth round fair share housing obligations I'm happy to answer any questions from the committee if there's any further questions or any further information you think I should provide I'll just note that this follows our email announcements all residents on our list back in September was it and then the information session follow in that or was it vice versa but I know the governing body has made a several attempt or not we have done our best to inform the public on what this process is and how it's going to impact Our Town um and we can we have those record that recording on our website too to learn more I just want to add that the reason it's a special meeting it's being done as a special meeting around the state is because it's a it's a time constraint um and it's due on on January 31st it's for no other reason and then you know it's like like like JY said we've done our best to publicize it and we hope this is the public there thank you and we really do encourage all of our residents if they can actually come out to be here to you can follow it on zoom and we encourage you to do that at this time we'll start our standing committee reports and commentary and we will start with committee janata thank you mayor first of all I attended the Dr Martin Luther King Jr's birthday commemoration breakfast at at Mor in moristown on Monday along with mayor grig and Deputy Mayor Brazil and the speakers there were very inspiring especially the young scholarship recipients and both past and present it was very moving about that and what was even more moving for me was we ended up with the single along of the Civil Rights Anthem we shall overcome and we interchange interupt hands and and it was a something that I I uh you sometimes get jaded about some some of these things but it was very moving for me and uh I I appreciate the being attending that as as well as the the people there going along with the report TCH the transportation advisor commission at a pedestrian survey completed for Normandy Parkway this was this was uh after the survey done after the sidewalks were built and it showed that the newly built sidewalks are being well used and this is also a reminder that residents can request the township to perform traffic studies for their neighborhood streets Tac is also looking to initiate a bike Walk and Roll plan as well as continuing with refreshing their Tac surve and the environmental commission has held a poster contest on the use of plastics this was local school children of from three age groups that participated in and and the results will be announced at the next environmental commission meeting and the EC continues with the Winter Market every Sunday morning which will end at the end of April and EC continues to have a table there so any I encourage anybody to go to the Winter Market and go to the table there and I just want to also note that the whipping River Watershed action committee has been has sponsored a showing of American River unfortunately it was held today which I'm not able to attend this is a film by Scott Morris and it recounts a kayak Journey Down the pic River from its Headwaters in lindum through the Great Swamp and the Patterson Falls the Great Falls continuing into Newark Bay and it shows the cont contrast between the quiet Countryside and suburbs into the urban areas of pic and Essex counties and there are future showings and one I can note that the library mors County Library itself is going to be sponsoring the same showing the same film in around Earth Day not sure of the exact date and Scott Morris will be attending that showing as well and we'll do a Q&A session and there are other showings I can note later on and I was going to talk about the iring canal but I forgo that because I want to comment also on the fair and welcoming resolution because there is a little history of that because eight years ago my first the first time I uh was at the the the podium here I spoke on the fair and resol welcoming rep petition that we a group of us put together and we all spoke there I was one of them and there were people who are bokly against it but um but uh we we it was a very very well written petition but unfortunately the Township committee at that time said that something a written Proclamation was not needed and that uh because we are already a fair and welcoming uh community at that time but I would have to say that it is important that communities have such a resolution put down in writing so it shows that at least the people who are running the town are in favor of of a diverse community and in terms of diversity you saw this more in early in the meeting the all the different police officers who were just uh newly hired and also promoted and honored and that there was diversity there and moral school district is has also been for at least 50 years the most diverse one of the most diverse uh districts in the school districts in the country and our community itself shows that and to have a written Pro Proclamation is uh is welcome and I thank committee men rabbits for authoring that thank you and I was honored to vote for it thank you committee man jorie thank you mayor um on tonight's agenda we approved the awarding of the bid to our architectural firm uh to start the Gan Street Community Center project which I'm very excited about um mayor grigley and I met with several firms who uh submitted bids for the project um and RSC I'm happy to say has done significant amount of Municipal work throughout Northern New Jersey having built community centers retrofitting buildings uh for municipal use creating other recreational facilities um they have a long list and proven track record um and we're very excited for them to start the initial um work on the Jean Street Schoolhouse so we can then begin the process of working with our residents to design a community center that's has something for everyone so that work has started and we're very excited to see what they produce um they part of their technology that they do have is uh 3D photos of every single room in the building so that once we have the report we can share that with our residents and they can basically do uh one of those virtual tours uh kind of thing like you see on like house home listings or things like that so that's very exciting they're going to tell us what we think we we can afford and what is we'll have to raise more money for but we are definitely going to be working this year to continue looking for grant funding to help pay for this project but that's a very exciting Milestone that we've reached um secondly just as um as a as the chair of the budget committee um administrator Quinn and our CFO have been working tirelessly to start preparing our our budget documents and uh mayor grig and I have been meeting with um department heads to start putting those documents together we'll be fining those finalizing those in the coming weeks um and lastly um before you know it it will be the week of Valentine's Day which means the OEM and fmba will be having their Rose sale at Hillside Firehouse the week of February 10th they are the best roses in town at the best price and they go towards a good cause so uh week of February 10th come down to 132 Western Avenue and support our volunteers of the emergency management office and our fmba professional firefighters thank you mayor I will attest that they do last really long I'm not sure how you guys get them to do that but they do last longer than any others thank you committee man rabitz thank you mayor um good evening everybody again and thank you for your participation in your local government and whether you're here in person or on Zoom or watching this uh tonight's proceedings uh as a recording at a later date uh national news gets all the spotlight but it's really what we do here locally that should have a greater impact on on your lives I really don't have any standing committee updates at this time we're all working hard on devising a budget the the kind of budget that residents expect from us so I'll just go right into my commentary for today we find ourselves at a difficult and pl painful time in our nation's history um a Crossroads so to speak as we try to Define and redefine who we are and what we envision for ourselves each other and our nation so I want to talk about something that unites us all our shared responsibility to lift each other up during challenging times right now our country is facing significant hurdles whether it's economic uncertainty environmental challenges the erosion of our democracy the rights we have taken for granted or the Deep divisions that tear us apart because of rampant misinformation these isues are tough but they're not insurmountable history shows us that America's greatest strength has always been its people our resilience and our compassion and our ability to come together when it matters most so how do we support each other when the road ahead feels so uncertain first we must listen truly listen whether it's a neighbor struggling to make ends meet uh a colleague facing stress or a community at odds with each other listening with empathy Fosters understanding it helps us find Solutions together second we must act with kindness small gestures a phone call becoming part of a community group or organization a random act of kindness or even a simple smile all have a nice ripple effect these moments remind people people that they're not alone that somebody sees them hears them and cares third we need to reconnect with the power of community as someone deeply invested in the well-being of Mars Township I've seen how coming together whether through local initiatives volunteering or simply showing up for one another can create meaningful change Community is where hope grows lastly we must ch ion equity and fairness during difficult times it's often the most vulnerable Among Us that bear the heaviest burdens by advocating for policies that ensure fairness like access to Quality Health Care affordable housing or Environmental Protection we can build a society where everybody has an equal opportunity to thrive yes we are facing tough times but but tough times are not new to America America we faced Wars recessions and natural natural disasters and we've emerged stronger each time because we stood together let's remember that we are not just individuals but part of a greater whole together we can navigate this moment and Together We will rise we have more in common than should ever divide us let's keep supporting each other every step of the way and for as long as it takes and one more thing uh Mars Township's second Annual Pride event is scheduled for June 8th our next planning meeting is June January 28th at 4:30 and all the members all members of the public are invited to help in the planning and making our second uh Pride event bigger and better than it was last year we're also looking uh seeking sponsors and are casting a very wide net Allied groups organizations or other vendors wanting to have a presence are welcome contact us from deta for details mayor thank you committee man rabitz deputy mayor grel uh thank you mayor and thank you mayor and thank you Mr Aris for those very thoughtful words you just provided Us in the community U I have spoken a lot tonight so I'll keep my remarks brief I just wanted to point out to the members of the uh audience and community members that we had a number of resolutions tonight appointing professionals uh that we use throughout the year in various positions and various expertise and I just want to Ure assure everybody that we have some of the best professionals you can find a lot of them are top top of their fields in New Jersey and we are proud to appoint each and every one of them that you see here on our agenda uh we've worked with most of them for many many years and they've provided great service Morris Township so I just want to assure the public that all these appointments that we've made have been very thoughtfully made um we've had a great experience with all of them and we we trust in their expertise uh the only other comment I would like to make is I think our meeting tonight exemplifies some of the great things that we do here in Morris Township we had a wonderful police celebration one of our officers received an award that's only given to handful of police officers around the entire country uh that Police Department makes us proud as I said before each and every day we had some great proclamations recognizing Korean Americans Martin Luther King um the the school board that that does great work in the community um Mr Ritz's uh fair and welcoming uh resolution um just the work that we're doing here the tree ordinance I think it just exemplifies a lot of the great things that you know some of you who only come to a meeting here and there uh this is the kind of good work that we do throughout the year and I look forward to a very productive year on this governing body um moving forward and making Morris Township uh as great as it can be thank you everybody thank you Deputy Mayor I just have a quick uh couple few updates on the economic development advisory committee like to welcome Liam Gallagher back at for another term as chair and uh they did a 2025 priority survey the top five issues being attracting new business retaining and supporting our existing business enhancing transportation and infrastructure supporting Workforce Development and vocational training and encouraging sustain sustainable development and GRE initiatives they're also working hard on a relationship with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and we'll plan a couple gett togethers um continued work on the eeda website they're also going to plan an event in the spring that they want to introduce small business owners and colle business profiles so that's something else that we would put up on the website committee men janata um already gave you a couple of the updates from tac just a couple other things um that we are talking about in the future doing some kind of education on scooters and ebike rules and regulations as there really aren't any yet but they will be coming soon um there's also going to be a traffic calming popup on Speedwell Avenue and they continue to talk about some busing initiatives and they continue to work on their four committees our senior citizens advisory committee they also continue all their good work and I want to thank administrator Tim Quinn who came to the senior club meeting last week and he spoke about all the goals and initiatives for 2025 for our seniors we'd also like to welcome Katherine Valentino who will be the secretary to the senior citizens advisory committee um and they also continue work on um and have submitted to the township committee a transportation report that um Noel Robinson put together so we'll all be taking a look at that as far as my commentary again just want to congratulate all the police officers that were here tonight um on their uh not only on the awards but also being promoted and I did all accompany um committee Menin and Deputy Mayor grelle to the MLK celebration it's always an honor to celebrate the Life and Legacy of Dr King which is hosted by the MLK observance committee it's interesting if you were there um Dr Reverend Dr cydney Williams um who's just a great person but I really think that we should get him to share his fundraising abilities because I have never watched anyone raise so much money so quick at that event it was really nice to see um we will never forget the contributions made by Dr King and all the good that continues to thrive over 50 years later especially especially through the king's Scholars Program incredibly impressive students who continue to excel in all that they do last week on at the planning board um RH came in and excited to let all the residents know that Restoration Hardware you know continues their work and I think Bud they said completion by the end of 2025 that's their that's their that's the goal yeah so we're all hoping that Deputy Mayor Grace L and I tomorrow morning will be with our assembly woman dun and we will be discussing all from all the Mayors around the area our priorities and concerned and I didn't ask you yet Deputy Mayor but did you see on that questionnaire they asked for a modotto and I wondered I thought gee that's something maybe we should put together a contest or try to have people come up because the township doesn't have a motto so that's something we can look forward to doing um and again thank you um our attorney Jared caner when next Wednesday night and we continue all our Outreach to our residents I heard a quote over the last couple days I was away with my other work and in one of the meetings they said be urgent with the work be patient with the outcome and I thought that's really fitting to the affordable house housing situation because there is an urgency to get it done but we all have to be really patient with how this process is going forward the next uh coffee with the mayor will be Saturday February 8th from 10 to 12 noon at the Collinsville Firehouse we encourage you to stop by and in closing tonight we proclaimed our willingness to commit to being an open and welcoming Community inclusivity being the foundation of our entire Society as we've seen overnight the dismantling of Dei across the federal government please be assured at the local and state level we will fight to protect our constitutional rights environmental regulations for clean air and water and hold accountable those who break the law and ensure that they will be fully prosecuted while there will be challenges for us on the township committee we will meet them head on and we look forward to a great year with your support and patience as we navigate what's ahead thank you there are currently seven members of the public joining us via zoom and six people here in person at this time we will open the meeting to public comment we'll First Take comments from in-person attendees and then switch over to zoom please use the raised hand feature in Zoom if you would like to speak state your name and address for the record before speaking please note that comments are limited to five minutes per speaker and if you do have questions that you would like answered you're remaining time to speak will be yielded back for this purpose is there a motion to open the public comment so moved second all in favor I is there anyone here from the public who'd like to speak seeing No Hands raised on Zoom is there a motion to close public com mov second all in favor I I the time is now 8:44 can I have a motion to adjourn the regular session so moved seconded all in favor hi hi next to cavine on Wednesday January 29th 2025 at 6:00 p.m. for a special meeting in the municipal building 50 Woodland Avenue our next regular Township committee meeting will be Wednesday February 19th 2025 at 7 pm the regular meeting at 5:00 pm forclosed and this also will take place in the municipal building 50 wooden Avenue thank you all for being here have a great night know