Good evening everybody. Uh welcome to September and I've missed everybody. I hope everyone had a really really good summer uh and and enjoyed themselves. Um as we'll see there's a lot going on in the summer that we'll talk about later and such, but um I hope everyone had a
nice relaxing time with friends and family and are energized and had a good drop off and everything for their their kids uh who were going back to school um this week. Um, so with that, I'm going to um ask um ma our madam clerk to read
the adequate notice of compliance statement. Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by the city clerk's office in preparation of the council annual meeting notice stated December 16th, 2024, which was properly distri distributed and posted per statutory requirements. Please be advised that
fire exits are to my right, your left, and at the back of the room. The city has a listening system to assist the hearing impaired. If anyone needs hearing assistance, please obtain the system at the deis and return it thereafter. Thank you so much. Uh, roll call, please. Mr. Ber, present.
Miss Hamlet, here. Miss Calmanson, here. Mr. Powski, here. Mr. Smallwood here. M to here. Castle President McTurn, present. All right. Um, at this time, I'd like to call on Mr. Jim Bennett to lead us in the pledge of allegiance.
I 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. Thank you so much. All right. At this time, madame clerk, will you please read
the explanatory note regarding close session and hearings and comments? A close session meeting as authorized by state statute was announced and held prior to the start of this meeting and the known items for discussion were listed on the published close session agenda. Please be advised that council
meetings are broadcast live on Comcast channels 34 and 36 and Verizon channel 30 and rebroadcast on Thursdays and Saturdays on HTTV on Comcast 36 and Verizon 33. When invited to speak, please come to the lectern. Clearly
state your name and address, spell your last name, and speak into the podium microphone so that your comments can be understood by all and properly recorded. Whenever an audience or council member reads from a prepared statement, please give or email a copy to the city clerk at citycler cityofsummit.org.
To help facilitate an orderly meeting and permit all to be heard, speakers shall limit their comments to three minutes. Unless you are using electronic device to follow the meeting agenda or need it for professional emergency contact purposes, please turn it off. Thank you. Thank you very much. Um at this time, do
I have a motion to approve the regular and close session minutes of July 29th, 2025? So moved. Second. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. All right. Um we're on to uh our historical minute.
Councilman Palowski, do we have one this evening? Did you want to do reports? Oh, do we have reports? We do. Oh, I thought I skipped over that. Mayor's report. Yes, I wrote the reports for the u for our minute approval. Sorry. All right,
reports. So, mayor, sorry, I have a report, too, so myself. Um, I'm trying not to take it personally. You missed me that much, did you? Good evening, everybody. Um, welcome back, summit students. I hope that the first few days of the new school year have gone well. And as you walk and bike to
school, I want to remind you to stay safe, be aware of your surroundings, look up from your phone when you're crossing the street, and use crosswalks where our crossing guards are stationed. Let's make this school year both enjoyable and safe for everyone. Um, speaking of safety, on Tuesday, October
1st at 7 p.m., our Summit Police Officer, David Kotiggo, will be hosting a Facebook live with a guest expert on motorized bikes and scooters. This will be a great opportunity for parents to learn about best practices for owning and safely operating these devices. If your child has an ebike or e- scooter,
or if you're considering purchasing one, I encourage you to join us. Viewers will be able to submit questions in advance and during the live event in the comments section. I would also like to recognize uh Detective Sergeant Rudy Gerita and Detective Darren Sikker for their heroic actions in Newark last
Friday. While investigating a stolen vehicle, they rescued a toddler from a burning building. Their bravery and quick response exemplify the very best of the Summit Police Department. WABC News interviewed them about the incident, so please tune in tonight to
hear the full story. We'll also be doing an official recognition of their actions in the coming weeks. The Summit Police Department has learned that approximately 15 residents re recently received fraudulent toll violation notices. These notices list vehicles registered to Summit addresses but under
different names. If you have a notice, if you receive a notice like this, do not discard it. Please contact the Summit Police Department right away. Thank you for remaining vigilant and helping keep Summit safe. Thank you. Good report. I'm glad I didn't skip it.
Thank you. Um all right. Uh we have a city administrator report. Uh Miss Baldwin, please. Yes. Thank you, Council President. Just bear with me a moment. Um, as of yesterday, September 2nd, we are back to regular hours at city hall, which is Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Uh, there's also a modified recycling collection scheduled this week due to Labor Day. All recycling collections are delayed by one day, but the trash collection is not affected by the holiday. The Summit Free Market will be held this
month on Saturday, September 13th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Friday, September 26th from 12:00 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the transfer station. Summit residents with a parking disposal permit can attend and browse donated items, take what they want for free. Donation
guidelines are available at cityofsummit.orgfreearket. September is National Preparedness Month and we would like to encourage residents and businesses to make disaster preparation a priority this month. Making a plan to prepare prepare for disasters is the best way to protect
your family. Creating a family plan and building an emergency kit are two great ways to start. Please visit city ofsummit.org/prepare to get more information on how best to prepare for disasters and emergencies. And that completes my report.
Great. Thank you very much. All right. Um I have a few things to say uh from my report today. Um we had a busy summer. Uh you know I know there's a view that not much goes on in in the summer. Everybody's away but that is not true.
There is a lot that goes on in the summer. Um it doesn't stop. Um I will going to focus on two things. Uh, one, if a lot of my reports over the last several months have focused on our round three and round four uh, Mount Laurel
obligations. Um, if you've been uh, uh, keeping score, the challenge period for our round four plan, which we submitted on June 30th, uh, closed on August 31st. Uh, we have
had three challenges to our plan. uh two by developers uh one of which is uh Russo Development uh they went before the planning board in the spring with a proposal for a 250 unit project on the
Wells Fargo site which is across from the municipal golf course down on River Road. Um that was not included in our plan. They would like to be included. Uh the second one is from Incline Capital.
they approached the city uh with a uh a project for 300 units. Um this would be on the corner of Broad and um Summit Avenue where the KICO gas station is as well as the TD Bank building. Um that
that 300 unit proposal is eight stories tall. Um that is what we are seeing. um that we we did not put that into their our plan and uh they are asking to be put
into our plan. Um in addition, Fairshare Housing, which is the developer funded uh advocacy group for all of this, uh has also opposed our plan. Uh the our our council says they hear they are
we're in good company. They're opposing, I think the number is 414 plans statewide. So, they're effectively opposing the vast majority of municipalities uh uh plans. So, this is the law that
we're dealing with. Um we're going to go into um uh this mediation process now that's going to begin. Um, anyone who tells you that they know how it's all going to play out is lying to you because this is new.
Uh, they they haven't even figured out like what town's obligation, what the actual law says around what people's obligations are. So, all this will have to get adjudicated. Um, we are going to we believe our plan is is fair. It's
sound. It deals with adding affordable housing. We want to do that. but in a fashion that is consistent with the character of our town um and the fact that we have a builtout community. So I will keep everyone ab breast as that
moves forward. Um in addition uh the city was sued u around the uh by the Tatlock Community Preservation Association. I think I got that right. Um effectively they are opposing uh lights
to go up on Tatlock uh field. Um they specifically cited uh opposition to the bond ordinance that got passed unanimously uh at the end of July as well as the resolution uh that everyone supported
but one um to uh uh support the installation of lights and the collection of um private funds for both upper and lower tatlock lights. Um and again, we'll see where that goes uh as
well. So, couple So, I hope um that gives the community a sense for what's been going on from that perspective. Uh we're in litigation, so there's not much more you can say about that kind of stuff. Um but people should know what's happening. Okay. And with that, that is
my report. Okay. Now, we're moving on to our historical minute. Councilman Palowski. Thank you. For this evening's historical minute, we're joined by Paula Mooney, a summit resident, longtime volunteer, and
board trustee of HTTV, as well as an accomplished interior designer and author, along with lifetime Summit resident, longtime Hill Topper, and dedicated volunteer serving on uh Grace Zoning Board, and countless other
organizations, I'm sure. Liz New. Thank you. I would like to give you a history of CAT. Cat stands for Community Access Television
and it all began in 1980s with the Cable Franchise Policy and Communications Act. At that time, Congress required cable operators like Comcast and others to designate a channel for towns and cities
to be used for public good and education. A town was given a cable television franchise fee based on the number of households that subscribe to it. Hence, Summit and the neighboring
towns opted in and Community on Cables was born in 1980 as a nonprofit. In those early years, we were hyper local providing community news, coverage of local events, and municipal meetings.
Today, we are much more. Now, Hometown TV, also known as HTTV, is keeping pace with a changing world, its technology, and the rising cost of equipment. We are now a production
company and have a presence on social media. And soon we will be offering live streaming, which means we will be able to offer major networks the ability to
come to our studio and use it as a satellite to report in live time. This is big stuff. History is being made every day in our humble studio which is located at
Central Presbyterian Church. We are very grateful to have this space and in that studio we interview prominent politicians, comedians, sports stars, authors, doctors, lawyers, chefs, and
even a writer of Saturday Night Live. In summary, HTTV is the voice of Summit. For more information, you can go online to our website, www.httvonline.org. And I would like to introduce my co-host, Liz, who has a special
invitation for all of you. I have a great invitation. So, we are celebrating 45 years of HTTV at the Summit Elks on October 24th. It's a 80s theme. So because who doesn't like the 80s with big hair and shoulder pads
and high school Tammy? Um so we would love to invite you to uh join us to celebrate uh 45 years of really a wonderful gem in summit that not a lot of people know about. Um so
you know come join us and I sent this to you Rosemary but I'm going to I already forward the invitation to everyone. Fabulous. Excellent. Thank you. Thank you. Hope you can make it and turn back time. Right. Thank you so much.
All right. Um, thank you for that. All right. Uh, we have a proclamation this evening. Do we not, Madame Mayor? Do indeed. I think I figured this out by now. All right. Whereas health and safety are paramount to a sound community. And
whereas since July 28th, 1962, the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad members have provided a vital public service to our community in support of health and safety. And whereas the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad members have given an untold number of hours of service to Summit residents and patrons of our
businesses and medical institutions. And whereas the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad answered more than 2400 emergency calls for help last year for Summit residents, visitors, and from surrounding communities in need of mutual aid support. And whereas Summit volunteer first aid squad members have
responded to all emergencies of all types all hours of the day and night 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Whereas in addition to 911 emergency calls, Summit first volunteer first aid squad members regularly provide non-emergency coverage
at many community events. Whereas the efforts of the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad members, all of whom are volunteers, should not go unrecognized. And whereas the dedication and hard work of the summit volunteer first aid squad members provides quality care at no cost to the patient or taxpayer saving the
city of Summit approximately $2 million per year. Now therefore, I, Elizabeth Fagan, mayor of the city of Summit, do hereby proclaim the month of September 2025 as Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad month in the city of Summit in recognition of the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad and the importance of
all the good deeds contributed by its many volunteers for 63 years. And I ask all citizens to join me in praising these volunteers and lending the squad your financial support. In witness whereof, I have here unto set my hand and cause the seal of the city of Summit
to be affixed this third day of September in the year 2025. Still figuring it out. Um, mayor, thank you very much. And on behalf of all of the members at Summit First Aquad, we truly appreciate this proclamation. And as you've stated, for
the past 63 years, this city has been blessed with volunteer EMS, which enables us to provide rapid response times to families um when they are in need. So, um but we can't do it if we don't have volunteers and financial
support. So, this is a time in New Jersey where many squads are folding because of lack of volunteers. Luckily, we're still strong. Um but we need your help. We need bodies. um and your financial support is greatly appreciated. So, thank you very much.
All right. Um, at this time, following on at least a partial theme of our first responders, uh, we have a presentation this evening, uh, from mayor's task force on homelessness and summit. It's an update by Miss Leia Griffith, who is
the chair of that, uh, amazing task force. Thank you. Um uh so again, Leah Griffith, chair of the mayor's task force on homelessness. Um
so 14 months ago, the mayor um convened the homeless task force. The group consists of Summit Police Department, Summit Fire, Summit EMS, clergy, bridges and bridgeway, residents, downtown business owners. The diversity
of the group has been our strength. Summit had a problem. A large group of single unsheltered men around 57 plus at peak had declared Summit their de facto home. Um a drinking culture existed that
became dangerous. The 911 response system was being taxed at unsustainable levels. We were receiving complaints about the unsafe culture of the train station and town green. Um note that 97 plus% of our homeless
did not lose housing in Summit. Mental health and addiction were key drivers for loss of housing for the majority of our population. So what did we do? We commenced with outreach. Um Summit PD, Summit EMS,
Bridges, and Bridgeway um met people where they were. Summit PD PD began stricter enforcement of basic quality of life existing statutes such as open alcohol container public urination. We worked with feeding
programs in town to become case management forward. We took a complete housing first approach not comfort in being unhoused. um this council um thanks to efforts from this council, we secured um state
rapid rehousing funds which became crucial to our efforts. We closed unsafe encampments in the post office vestibule and train station. We hope the results are obvious. Um,
we've housed individuals in traditional lease apartments with case management supports, shared housing, senior housing, supportive housing, section 8 vouchers, etc. Any way we could get it done, we have gotten it done. In
addition, others have been placed in various shared family re-engagement, long-term Airbnb, long-term alcohol rehab programs. This is all the work of outreach and case management. It's not been easy. It's taken a lot of
sustained effort. Um, but we have reached what is referred to as functional zero in terms of our population. We hope you've noticed the massive difference downtown in the business district, the train station, and the library.
We have a few who resist any housing. We continue to work with them, but the vast majority have um been housed or you know in safe environments. Additionally, and most importantly, we have two key things in place.
Stabilization case management to keep those housed in their housing and ongoing and ongoing outreach case management in key areas in town to help those who come to or end up in Summit who are in need of assistance. These two key pieces are the cornerstone of the
task force success. The continued communication among first responders and case management enables us to help people quickly and connect them to resources. Um this case management has really been crucial. We continue to work with the
state and the county on shelter space and prevention. Prevention is the f will be the focus of the task force this fall as we work within our community as well as other communities to help to prevent homelessness from occurring. While Summit is not immune, we have excellent
prevention resources in town such as Grace Houses of Worship, low-income senior and other housing, and most importantly, connections to case management. We've been asked to share our model with other communities, both the work of the
task force as well as the work of the of the prevention work of Grace. And we hope um our work will serve as a model to other communities. I would be remiss in not um I know I'm
biased, but um I the the response to the um the 911 response in this community is extraordinary. led by our Summit PD. Um the the number of times that they have responded to 911 calls with grace, with
dignity. Um and really um you know, we have really helped so many people with just compassionate response. And I just want to applaud um our Summit PD and my fellow EMS um volunteers for that
effort. Um, and then lastly, I just want to thank the mayor and the council and every member of the task force for their time and commitment. It's been a ton of time, but it's been extremely rewarding to help those in need and just to see the great success of so many um here in
our community and um in other communities. So, thank you. And I'm always um willing to um answer any questions if anyone wants to talk to me offline. So, thank you. Thank you so much. I just think you know as certainly from
my perspective we owe you a huge uh thanks and gratitude. You your tireless effort. I I know you mentioned it. It takes a lot of people all pulling in the same direction but need someone to lead them and you've done an amazing amazing
job and and as you mentioned the results do really speak for themselves. This was an incredible initiative. Um it and uh again I think it's one uh that other towns should emulate and we're actually talking to people about maybe doing a
case study on this amazing program because it is something that other towns uh should should do because the results do speak for themselves. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, council president. Yes. Just a quick question just so that folks at home could um
could depict the magnitude. Do do we know how many uh unhoused we started with in 2024 and then where we are now? And I don't know if I wanted to Could you Can you It's a little hard because it's a bit of
a moving target, but we we started between with between 55 and 60 and uh we think we are down to two. Thank you for that, Council President. Go ahead. Um, yes, Madam Mayor. I just want to highlight again Leah's
efforts. She uh not only was a great leader, but but she's a great leader because she really rolled up her sleeves. She was out there with the case managers, with the mental health providers on the street talking to our homeless individuals, trying to get them to engage. So, it was a lot of hours.
She was the point person for the phone calls that came in from the res from the residents a lot of the time. I would say most of the time or Dia, one of the two. But I just it was it was an incredible effort and so to you we owe a major
major debt of gratitude and also in your role as um with the uh first aid squad. You're doing incredible things and we're really grateful to have you. Thanks, Leah. Thank you, Councilwoman Hamlet. Uh I just want to did all the uh comments for uh Leah, your leadership in this has
been inspiring to say the least. Um I don't know if anybody remembers, but during the camping ordinance uh one of the unhoused gentlemen came up to the podium and he actually gave an address and I thought that was a really moving moment for him to give his address and I don't know if anybody caught on to it. Um the one thing I I also want to
mention is some of these folks need work. um we're trying to find them work, but if business owners or you know, Tammy, I'm not sure if DPW or you know, any any city roles um looking at crossing guards, there's two in particular are really looking for work. Um and I think that's a really important
part of this process is giving them, you know, something to be a part of. So, um I'm I would be welcome to any ideas and uh we're constantly still talking to all of them now. So, but just great job. Thank you.
All right. Um all right. Uh so we're moving on now to um our section for ordinances for hearing. Uh we do have one that Councilman Small one's going to speak a little bit about. Um but um Madame Clerk, could you please read the community program and parking services
ordinance for hearing? Ordinance number 25-3353, an ordinance amending the code chapter 7, traffic section 7-25, regulations for the movement and the parking of traffic on municipal property and board of
education property subsection 7-25.2 municipal parking lot areas. Thank you, Councilman Smalling. Thank you, Council President. I uh would like to make a motion to table this uh this ordinance and I will explain
there's a new ordinance for introduction of for tonight and I will do more explanation of why we are tableabling this ordinance tonight. Second. All right. Um all in favor I opposed. All right. So that ordinance is tabled.
So there won't be an ordinance for final consideration. That's going to move us along to ordinances for introduction. Uh the first ordinance is coming from law and labor. Madame clerk, will you please read uh ordinance 12137? An author an ordinance authorizing the
city of Summit to exchange certain real property for the for other lands desired for public use pursuant to the local lands and buildings law NJSA4A12-16. Thank you so much. Uh, Councilman Palowski. Thank you. Um, this ordinance authorizes
this is a ordinance number 12137 titled an ordinance authorizing the city assembly to exchange certain real property for other lands desired for public use pursuant to the local lands and buildings law. Uh this with this ordinance, the city of Summit will be
authorized to exchange certain real property for other lands desired for public use. More specifically, the city seeks to acquire a portion of real property having an address of 402 Broad Street, block 207, lot 6, currently
owned by 299 Morris Avenue Associates LLC. As consideration for this acquisition, the city will convey a portion of real property it owns, having an address of 384 to 392 Broad Street, block 2706, lot 3 to299
Morris Avenue Associates LLC, plus the sum of $175,000. This is the property uh located uh at and around the old firehouse. Um and uh our property that we own in
that area is not contiguous. This acquisition will allow the sale of contiguous lots which we believe will allow for its sale at a higher price.
I move to introduce this ordinance. Thank you. Second. All right. Um roll call, please. Mr. Ber. Hi, Miss Hamlet. Hi, Miss Calison. Hi, Mr. Pilowski. Hi, Mr. Smallwood. Hi, Miss Toad. Hi, President McTen.
I Motion carries. All right, we're moving along to our second ordinance for introduction. Um, madame clerk, will you please read the community programs and parking services ordinance 12119? An ordinance amending the code chapter 7 traffic section 7-25 regulations for the
movement and the parking of traffic on municipal property and board of education property subsection 7-25.2 municipal parking lot areas. Thank you so much, Councilman Smallith. Thank you, Council President. Uh just to explain the ordinance that was
introduced in uh in July uh let me let me start here. Uh as most may know that the tier garage that's right off of Springfield Avenue, we had to based on our engineers perspective, we
needed to from a safety standpoint close down the third and fourth floors, simply reducing the number of employee parking in our downtown. As such, you know, there's been uh from my days
back on SDI starting in 2010, there's always a problem. There's always a parking problem. The only parking problem that we've ever had in Summit is the fact that you can't find the parking spot in front of the store you want to go into. We've never
really had a parking problem until now. Now we have a parking problem. So after you know going through our committee uh we asked our uh parking director Nicole uh Sisi Swit Suiki to come up with three
different solutions and the first solution is the one that we actually introduced in July. There's a difference between ordinances and resolutions. And the difference between the ordinance and the resolutions is an ordinance is actually
really creating a law. And the in it gives you an introduction of the ordinance and then time in between for the next meeting for resident feedback and then a hearing in the second
meeting. From the time that we introduced that ordinance in July, we received a lot of feedback from employees, shoppers, um, shop owners, residents,
and from that feedback, we decided to look at one of the other options that we had and we felt that as a committee that that was the better option. From my perspective, we need to prioritize our prior our prioritization is number
one, residents, our taxpayers, number two, employees and shoppers, and number three, non-resident commuters. Non-resident commuters do pay a higher parking fee on a daily basis and does
generate revenue. However, our number one priority is to our residents and for our residents, it's our downtown which is our most precious sto precious other than our schools. It's the most precious thing that we have in our in our in our
city. So, um by prioritizing our residents first, our employees and shoppers, we decided to simply reduce the number of non-resident commuters in the Broad Street garage. Uh in the previous ordinance the
we would be reducing resident parking and in employee parking in the Samson lot which is the middle school lot. Uh that's where we heard some feedback from. So as council members, this isn't
our full-time job. We relied on our parking director to give us three simple solutions. The first one as we introduced we received some serious feedback on. So as a council we adjusted to what we
heard from the feedback and also the the recommendation from our parking director. And that's the reason why I tabled the first uh ordinance tonight. The second this ordinance here will allow for us to reduce the number of non-resident parking at the Broad Street
garage. So right now we have we will have 87 non-resident parking spaces and we will be opening up 84 employee and resident commuter parking at the Broad Street garage on the top tier level. We will also be adding eight
parking street parking spaces on DeForest Avenue for our employees. Um, again, this is a very difficult decision to make because we do now have
a parking problem and it's something that we have to resolve very quickly. I did hear some very good news tonight from our business administrator that last week ONS who was the engineer that came in and gave us a presentation earlier this year uh regarding the uh
repair of our tier garage uh that we will be getting a report hopefully by next week with better news and uh a time hopefully a timeline on when we will be able to uh have that repaired, award the
award the project, have it repaired. prepared and get those parking spaces back as soon as possible. Um, you know, one of the things that we have to do is we have to compromise revenue from non-resident parking to
prioritize our residents, our employees, and our shoppers because in my standpoint, that's our real revenue. That's our job to protect. That's who we represent. Um and in the meantime, our non-resident parkers uh unfortunately
will be reduced to the number of spaces that they will be able to park in. Um and that's the reason why we tabled the first ordinance and re reintroducing this ordinance tonight. So, I I apologize for the long uh long- winded, you know, explanation of that, but I
wanted to I wanted to explain how we got to this point, why we tabled it, and why we decided to go with another option that our director had uh had given us. So, with that, I would like to move this ordinance for our introduction.
Second. All right. Roll call, please. Mr. Ber, I. Miss Hamlet, I. Miss Celmanson, I. Mr. Pilowski I Mr. Smallwood I Miss Toth I President McN. Motion carries. All right. On to our
capital projects and community services ordinances for introduction. Madame clerk, will you please read ordinance number 1249? an ordinance of the city of Summit County of Union, New Jersey, repealing section 2-29, Historic Preservation Commission, of the Revised General
Ordinances of the City of Summit, and creating a new part five, historic preservation of chapter 35, development regulations. Thank you very much, uh, Councilwoman Hamlet. I'm going to let Councilwoman Pilowski
handle this one since he worked mostly on this one. Okay. So, this is ordinance ID number 12049. And for a long time, maybe 20 years, um
the city has been troubled by the demolition of its historical homes and other buildings. If you go to um if you own a historic property and you want to make a
renovation, for example, uh depending on the type of permit that you apply for, it goes to the historic preservation commission for a review and then they provide advice. The historic preservation has always been and will continue to
only be an advisory file, but there was a loophole. Um, if you wanted to simply demolish your home, uh, even if it was George Washington's birthplace, all you had to do is come in, fill out some
paperwork, and you could demolish it without the HBC even knowing, let alone giving them an opportunity to review it. In the past, the council has uh toyed with the idea of a stronger uh like a
very strong historic preservation ordinance like the ones that Milbour and Morristown have, which actually preclude owners of historical buildings and historic homes from demolishing their
property without permission. And those municipalities can say no. But we've never had an appetite to do that here in Summit. Um, your home is your castle and you should be able to do with it what you like. But not everyone's educated on
the significance of certain homes. The one big example that jumps to mind is I can't remember the number, but it was on Robin Hood Lane. I think it Claire, you might be able to help me with this. I think it won some architectural awards. Was it designed by like Frank Lloyd
Wright or something like that? It predates Franklidd, right? Oh, okay. Even better. So, uh, that house was just knocked down and the HPC was left with their head spinning. What happened? So, we've been working for a
couple years to try to find a way to balance our property owners rights uh with our desire to preserve the character of Summit. So, the purpose of
this ordinance is to allow the city an opportunity to both educate the public and demonstrate the historical significance of some properties within the city of Selma. And it will do so in the following ways. Uh the ordinance will repeal the prior ordinance and
create a new uh historic preservation section of the development regulations ordinance, which you may also know as the DRRO. Again, this will maintain the Historic Preservation Commission as a purely
advisory body whose focus is to both educate the public and help protect Summit's historic character. The primary changes within this ordinance are as follows. any real property within the city of Summit which was constructed a
minimum of a hundred years ago um and or is located within a historic district is deemed a historic property to provide the historic preservation commission the opportunity to educate the owners of historic homes and properties. The city will be testing a new form of historic
review referred to as a historic site verification prior to filing for a demolition permit application with the construction division or filing for a zoning permit application that would demolish a significant portion of the front of an historic home with the land use
division. Property owners would first apply to receive a historic site verification which will have a modest filing fee of $50. The Historic Preservation Commission holds a responsibility to the property owner that they must first respond to
your request for an application within 7 days. And if accepted, the HPC is responsible for for providing the applicant with their written and signed report within 30 calendar days of its acceptance. This historic site verification is a required but
non-binding uh commentative and educational report on your home that hopes to demonstrate the value and historical significance that your property contributes to the character of Summit. It should be noted that this ordinance is a first attempt
at active historic preservation within the city and the enforcability and application of this ordinance will be reviewed within 6 months time of its adoption for continued feasibility. So in other words, it's a pilot program and
we're going to see how it works and we hope that it does work. Um again, we're not going to be encumbering property. Uh we're not going to be adding deed restrictions on anybody's property. Um and it is a pilot program and we hope
that it um is a success and that we can manage to keep some of our historic homes um from going the way of the Dota. With that, I move to introduce this ordinance. Do I have a second? Second.
All right. Um roll call, please. Mr. Ber, I. Miss Hamlet. Hi. Miss Celmanson. Hi. Mr. Palowski. I. Mr. Smallwood. I. Miss To I. President McTurn. I. All right. Motion carries. Um, okay. We're on to capital projects and
community services ordinance for introduction number two. Um, Madame Clerk, will you please read ID 12144, please? Ordinance of the city of Summit County of Union, New Jersey, amending chapter 35 development regulations by repealing the existing Morris Broad
crossroads overlay zone district to be replaced with a new zone district that retains the intent of the overlay zone. Thank you so much. Uh, Councilwoman Hamlet. Uh, thank you, Council President. This is ID12144. Uh just to provide a little bit of
clarification after the city clerk just read the uh introduction, the NBC overzone overlay zone was designed to achieve several go several goals. First was to repurpose the site given the relocation of the fire department. So just for to back up a little bit, this
is the area uh that encompasses the properties near the old firehouse. So Broad Street West, don't want to bring up a bad a bad term, but um so the per repurpose the site given the relocation of the fire department. Number two, generate revenue for the city at the point of sale and annually. Number
three, satisfy a portion of the city's affordable housing obligation. Number four, maintain existing public parking and parking for St. Terresa's Memorial Hall. And number five, develop the site in a comprehensive manner that is consistent with the character of Summit based on community feedback. Uh the
ordinance is being introduced serves several primary purposes. It modifies the overlaying zone to standard zoning in accordance with the housing element and fair share plan adopted in June to maximize affordable housing credits. It also works to adjust the bulk
requirements to accommodate the land slot land swap uh with the owners of lot 2. Uh so for this is a really important ordinance that we're introducing um because at the end of this we will be able to uh after this goes to the planning board put that property up for
sale and get tax ratables back for the residents who fought so hard for the overdevelopment there. Uh so very excited to uh and thanks to all the staff who worked on this ordinance like to introduce this ordinance. Second. All right. Uh roll call please. Mr. Ber. Hi.
Miss Hamlet. Hi. Missson. Hi. Miss Pilowski. I. Mr. Smallwood. Hi. Miss To I. President McTurn. I. Motion carries. Okay, that's it for ordinances for introductions. We're on to the resolution portion of our
meeting. We've got a few from Capital Projects and Community Services. Uh, Councilwoman Hamlet. Council President. Yes. Um, do you think it's possible for us to uh um to put together one and two and
then three and four? Uh if pulling number two, we're pulling two. We're pulling two, I believe, right? Yep. Because that uh isn't available. So two is number pulled. Um you you want to
bundle one, three, and four, Councilwoman Hamlet. What do you think? Or just bundle three and four. Three and four. All right. So, let's Okay, so let's go with one first and then we'll look to bundle the other two. Okay, no problem. Uh, so this is resolution 11936.
Uh, in accordance with the city treasure treasur certification of availability of funds from account numbers uh ending in 3030 as provided in the packet. Uh, pursuant to Educational Services Commission of New Jersey Cooperative Pricing Contract, a purchase order in the amount of
141,572.50 be issued to Gabrielli Kenworth. Um, and this is for um the garbage truck that was in our budget. So, this will go towards a co-op. Sorry, this will go uh this will go through um the co-op
in Kennallorth. I'd like to introduce this ordinance. It's a resolution. Sorry. Resolution. Second. All right. Uh, comments from the public. Comments from council. I just have one. I'm just looking at a I just want to make sure this isn't a
scribner's error. Um, can you just confirm the price of this garbage truck? Director Shreger. I'm looking at two different numbers here and I just want to confirm because I think the So I guess my question is there's two different
there's two different prices in here and I I apologize I didn't notice it before. I think the total of 291 is right but it's broken up into two different um purchase orders. So you council president we have to verify because this is two purchase orders to two different entities. So
I think that's what it is. Direct sugar. Quickly just check which one matches up. I just noticed it. I've talked to you 10 times today and I apologize. No, that's I mean what will be certified is what the cost is. It's going to be roughly that cost. So that makes sense that it's two separate purchase orders though. Yes. So because one one is actually you're buying just a standard body. It's
just then what you put on it which is the packer and stuff that's separate. Okay, that makes sense. Okay. All right. Fair enough. That makes sense to me. Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Shaker. Other comments from council? Councilman Smallwood. Uh, thank you, Council President. Uh, Director Sher,
what what color is it? Do we Is it Did we get a nice color? Is it red? Is it maroon? These uh we have switched we we did like and through you council president, but in the past the maroon trucks were adding significant cost and time delay. So, we are switching to a white truck
fleet just because it's what's uh generally more in stock. But uh yes, this will be white like the newer ones that are out there. Yeah, I was just going to say for $291,000 we should be able to pick the color. I I would agree. It just unfortunately adds some dollars in time. But yeah,
thank you. Other comments. All right. Um all in favor. Oh, all in favor? Yep. I opposed. Motion carries. All right. Um, we are pulling uh resolution number two
and then um, Councilwoman Hamlet, you want to bundle resolution number three and four? Sure. Okay. Uh, that's fine. And just so for for to educate the public on why number two uh, was pulled is because that uh, cooperative no longer exists. So, we'll
have to go out to bid for that transfer trailer. So I would like to bundle 12067 which authorizes grant application submission NJD lamp leaf composting grant program as well as 12120 which is authorizing grant submission
for NJD green communities grant program and I will bundle those uh these are grants that we've received before correct uh correct director sheer pretty routine yes through you council president correct the one for the um composting is
newer just because it's for a permit that D just required a year ago. So, yes. And the the second one is focused on um more storm water management for leaf composting and then the first one is um more what we can do with uh trees and
leaf canopies and such. So, I'd like to move those resolutions. Second comments from the public. Comments from council. All in favor? I I opposed. Motion carries. All right. Capital projects and community services
number five. Councilwoman Hamlet. Thank you, Council President. This is 1211. Uh so pay attention. If you live in the Memorial Field area, you'll be pretty excited about this one. Uh this is regarding the Tulip project, Tulip Street project. Seven bids were received
and opened on Tuesday, August 19th, and the lowest bidder was Crossroad Paving in the amount of $417,090. Uh this contractor had also done uh Butler Parkway, so sounds as though the residents were uh happy with that. Uh this project will receive grant
reimbursement funding from NJ DOT uh for $312,000 and Union County for $75,000. So, I think this is very exciting. A lot of those residents are experiencing flooding. Uh, I've been hearing about it since even before I was on council. Uh, so I think that this will uh
tremendously improve that area. So, I thank uh Director Shreger for all of your hard work. It is a lot of work to put these uh these bids together. So, uh we're looking forward to moving forward with this resolution. Have a second. Second.
All right. Uh comments from the public, comments from council. I I just want to confirm. So, uh, Councilwoman Hamlet, maybe, uh, Director Shreger can answer. So, we've we've gotten money to cover a substantial portion of this this project. Do you
want to just explain that process a little bit? Uh, Mr. Shreger? Yes, absolutely. So, there are two grants that we have for this that cover essentially almost all of it. Uh, the first one is what's called an NJ DOT local aid grant, which the city has
gotten annually since at least 2008. uh which is funding for roads, not just your run-of-the-mill roads, but uh connect to county roads, service schools, parks, which Tulip does. So that is for $312,380. Uh and then the county for their annual
uh grant, they've given us $75,000. So that gets us close to about 387 for the total cost, which is $417. So it's uh you know, shouldn't be much expense to the city's capital budget. Uh and we look forward to doing this. It's been a long time coming. Thank you and thank you for your work on
getting those grants. Um, okay. Any other comments? All right. All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. All right. We're moving right along to finance resolutions. There is one. Uh, Councilwoman Toth. Thank you, Council President. This is
resolution ID2072 and this resolution extends for one year the city's contract with Primepoint LLC to provide payroll, HR, and time and attendance services. Um, Prime Point has been Summit's vendor since 2021. We're
satisfied with their services. The new contract is for $61,000. Um, the city will ultimately pay a bit less than that because Prime Point also services the library under this contract and the library reimbures the city for
their ratable share, though they have far fewer employees than we do. I believe we also get some reimbursement from bank fees. Um, but I move to adopt this resolution. I second. Comments from the public.
Okay. Uh, comments from councel. Councilwoman Hamlet, I'm sure everybody knows what my comment is going to be. Um, but I would say that if we've had them for six years, I'm sure they're wonderful. But I would imagine, Tammy, that this would be one of the ones that would come up for an RFP next year or no?
Through you, Council President. Um, we can do that. Right now, we have auditor, bond counsel, and financial advisor on a three-year cycle. Um, but I will say we've looked at other HR and payroll packages and for the price and what we
get for that, we haven't found anything. Okay, good. Um, comparable. Um, so we're looking we're still looking at it and and you're happy. Yep. Okay, great. Thank you. Other comments, Councilman Smaller. Thank you, uh, Council President. And
being in the payroll business, I I work with Prime Point as well. um and they are a reputable uh payroll provider specifically for municipalities. The only other mun the only other payroll provider that I find that is um
comparable and that does just as mun municipalities is Edmonds. So um maybe next year maybe we could get a quote from Edmonds uh because I know that we currently use Edmonds system as well. Um, but I I've I've heard nothing but
positive things about Prime Point. Great. Uh, other comments. All right. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. All right. Uh, we're on to safety and health. Uh, Councilman Ber, please. Thank you, Council President. This is
resolution ID number 1210, which authorizes the city of Summit to apply for a grant through the 2025 New Jersey Department of Criminal Justice Body Armor Replacement Program. Uh, this program provides financial support to
our law enforcement agencies for the purchase of New Jersey compliant body armor, which as we all know is critical to our police officers safety. The grant, if awarded, would help cover the
cost of the replacement of the vests. Um, I believe these vests, they do need to be replaced. uh even if they're not used, god forbid, right? Um I think they have a five-year life to them. Um and
they're they're rather expensive. So, uh I hope that we get this grant. I move this resolution forward. Second. All right. Uh comments from the public. Okay. Hearing none. Uh comments from
councel. All right. All in favor? I I opposed. All right. Motion carries. Okay. Next, uh we have a community programs and parking services resolution. Councilman Smallwood. Thank you, Council President. This is ID
number 12110 authorizing execution of grant agreement with New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program for maybe playground improvements. Uh this is for uh hopefully the final step of completing
the maybe playground before we can actually go to award uh the contractor uh in the amount of to receive the amount of $750,000 from Green Acres. Uh, one of the most
difficult things being on council is trying to understand the length of time it takes. Uh, and being a private business owner, uh, I I want if it doesn't get done now, it doesn't it's we got to get get going.
I was given a very good lesson today by director Shrager um as to why this process has taken so long. Uh when we first went out to bid for maybe playground uh we had x amount of dollars and the contractors that came in
and bid on it were much higher than the amount of money higher than the amount that we actually we had. So, we rejected those bids and we decided that we were going to uh all right, see what we can do to maneuver uh the maybe playground
so that we could go out to rebid again. And even with just simply minor adjustments, it it takes time and money to receive those bids back. Uh this is the final
piece of receiving the additional the grant money for the $750,000. We hope to go out or award this I believe director Shreger award this bid uh next meeting. That is correct. Yes. Okay. And then uh start uh construction.
Hopefully they'll give us a date sometime uh in early fall of when they will start maybe playground. Uh just to give an an example of how long things take in government, over a year and a
half ago, we had a construction of a bike depot right there on the corner of Summit Avenue and Union Place by on the transfer or the uh New Jersey Transit property that was constructed over a year and a
half ago. There's never been a bike in there. It's open. Is it open now? It is open. Okay. When when was that open? It's been a couple weeks. Just recently it was I apologize for not having the date, but just recently it
was open. Uh but for a year and a half because of delays and having to rely on certain contractors, certain agencies to get things done is is painful. And I know that it's taken a
long time to get the maybe playground to the point where we can start deconstructing and construction of this playground, but this has always been a focus of this council. And I do want to thank the previous council members for
working on this as well. Just just a we've been here for 18 months and this started prior to that. So um we are coming to a completion point. We're getting there and by hopefully this will
pass unanimous this resolution will pass unanimously and we can award uh a contract uh at the next council meeting. So I move to uh approve this resolution. Second. Council President, hold on. I'm going to ask members of the
public to comment first. Uh, anyone wishing to comment on this resolution, please step forward. Okay. Um, council uh, Councilman Ber. Thank you, Council President. It's only been a summer. You've got my name already, but you know. Um,
I guess. No. So, I will say something about the plan, though. Um, there I don't know if y'all noticed this. There is a huge hump that runs from
Elm Street right across to Summit Avenue in the middle of the village green where maybe playground is. I have no idea why that is there. It makes absolutely
no sense. My um my recommendation and I hope that we all agree is that we remove that hump which is supposed to be something I guess somebody goes up there and reads poetry
to people. I don't know. Amphitheater. Amphitheater. I mean, okay, let me some things happen and I'm just like that makes no freaking sense. Um I hope that we can flatten it out
again, right? so that it's a normal place and people can actually walk on it, sit on it, you know, um you can actually put your stroller on it. Um and I hope this can be a part of the maybe playground uh construction because that
absolutely makes no sense whatsoever. Thank you, Council President. Thank you. Uh other comments, Councilwoman Hamlet. Um thank you, Councilman Ber, for your um comments. I think uh and David you can correct me if I'm wrong but it was part of the uh Erin it was part of the
village green master plan back in how many years ago? Yes. Through you, council president. I believe it was 2008 that roadside in Harwell did a village green master plan. Uh I believe they referred to it as a grassy null uh to make a little more appetizing. But um that that is why it was in there. At the
time the village green had a little different programming where a lot of sports um kind of just organic programming was happening there. So there was a desire to kind of keep that separate. Um times have changed. So, I mean, we obviously are open to, you know, hump removal or whatever the
governing body decides, but but if I could also add and and, you know, to have a discussion with the public about this one because I see a lot on social media that this council is not getting playgrounds done. And, you know, our staff works really hard. Those two gentlemen in the second row work
every day to get these playgrounds done. And it going back even further to when all of you started on council, we had to redesign the village green transit project in order to save money on maybe playground. So there are a lot of reasons and a lot of things that that we
don't share because it's just too complicated. We saved a ton of money on lights through the village green transit project that had to be done because you can't do the playground before you do the lights. Um, so these two gentlemen work tirelessly and that's a direct reflection on our staff
and um, you know, we spent the last 45 days uh, working with uh, D. Uh, Bruce Beckov, I've had more conversations with D. There are a lot of requirements that just have to be done. It's the way government works. I don't like it either, but uh, the social media
comments that this council is not getting playgrounds done is is actually false. So, thank you. Thank you. Other comments, Councilwoman Toe. Thank you, Council President. Um, certainly I support this resolution. As Councilman Smallwood pointed out, it has
been a long time coming. Um, but it's going to enable Summit to build the maybe playground as originally envisioned rather than having to make significant cuts to what's there. And I think that, you know, again, yes, thank you gentlemen for getting getting this
grant over the finish line. so that we can build the first truly inclusive playground in town. Good comment. Uh other comments, Councilman Palowski. So, I'm very happy that uh we're getting this done. And I
also would like to thank this council um the prior councils, Marco Zaraskki, who's our director of community programs, and especially David Guida, who I know um really worked hard to get us back on track and and find a way to
get it done without any further delay. As to the various comments about uh the snails pace that uh government often works at, I just want to say that anyone who embraces the slow and
deliberate pace of municipal government, you know who you are out there, um has more patience than me and I can attest more patience than our residents. Thank you. Other comments?
Yeah, I I will say just uh around pace of government, you when I first got on council long time ago, I was one of those people. We're going to change things. We're going to get things done. It's got to operate like a business. It's why not blah blah blah blah blah.
And um you quickly realize there's reasons that things take longer in government. your your con your constituents aren't shareholders. You're not trying to make a buck. You're trying to um make sure that the people who live
in your community are are happy and satisfied and are getting value for their money. Now, government, it I think is easily open to uh reform on how some of these processes work because they can be painfully slow and it does take
people who are willing to push and continue to push. so it doesn't grind to a halt. But the reason it's slow is because, as Councilman Smallwood mentioned about the parking uh ordinance that got pulled,
you want feedback. You want to have an opportunity to listen to make changes. You want to make sure when you're spending people's money that you're getting the the right price. and and these rules are all created for for checks and so that stuff happens. So
from the outside looking like, "Oh my god, the playground hasn't been built forever. What are you guys doing? You're shephering a process and the process, it's not perfect." Of course not. And you're trying to push it to make it more perfect, but again, you
you want it done right. and um and and the reason it's not a business is because people out there, you guys aren't shareholders. You you guys are part of the community and you're we're trying to service you in the best way we can with your tax dollars, not to try
and make a profit on things like that. So it just it operates differently and and I appreciate people who have patience who understand the process who want to be involved in the process to give constructive comments not to stand
on the sidelines and yell and scream that you know it's too slow. There's a reason for it. Um so I too thank you guys for getting this over the uh finish line and and I agree it's going to be awesome when we get the first inclusive playground uh in town built. So, thank
you for that. Um, all right. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. All right. Um, last resolution uh from Law and Labor, Councilman Palowski. I believe he's going to defer.
Yeah, I believe is going to introduce that one. Okay. Yes. Okay. Thank you, Council President. Thank you, Councilman. Yes. Um, the resolution ID 12105 would amend the city's agreement with Otulus
Scrieo LLC, the attorneys who represent us in the Bro Street West litigation. Um, the agreement was originally for $75,000, but we're in litigation. Litigation is unpredictable. It's expensive. Um, and
by amending the agreement to add an additional $75,000, um, the expectation is that this will get us through the year without having to go back to the well one more time. Um, our CFO is certified that the funds are available to cover this increased
contract and I move to adopt this resolution. Do I second? Pro begrudgingly, I'll second this. Okay. Um, do I have any uh comments from the public? All right. Comments from council. Council President.
Yes, Councilman. I'd like to know from our city administrator, what is the what's the total uh bill right now for legal services in Broad Street West? Through you, Council President. I believe it's approximately $91,000
spent. Um, and they have just completed a big portion of discovery. So, the bills went up a little bit. Um, there is $150,000 budgeted for litigation. So, this additional 75 should carry us through
hopefully. Thank you. Thank you, Council President. Um, just a quick statement about legal fees and the Broad Street West. Uh, you know, I I'd really like the taxpayers money to be spent on tangible things,
right? This could go to something that actually benefits the community as opposed to legal fees. I know sometimes the city gets sued for things, right? But, um, the Broad Street West is like a
neverending coal. And uh I guess a cold that you got to take to the hospital now because you know it just doesn't end. And these legal fees are just I mean they're they're astronomical. And now we have to do a resolution because we don't even know how much we're going to pay at the end of the day.
It just that's all. Thank you. Other comments. Yeah, I would just echo that. You know, again, this is just the sad hangover of a very long and torturous process for
our community. It sadly is still playing out in money that we could be spending somewhere else. Um, and um, I hope this comes to conclusion soon. Um, and then we can put Broad Street West behind us
for good. Hopefully when we we can sell this property and actually have it as an asset that we have a ratable that can make some money for the city eventually rather than just take up the community's time and effort and our legal uh prospect and this is, as I said, been
going on for years sadly. Um, but that's what it is. All right. Um, any other comments? All in favor? I I opposed. Abstain.
Okay. Motion carries. All right. Uh we're now on to our consent agenda. Um do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented? So moved. Second. Okay. Um are anyone from the public wish
to make a comment on anything on the consent agenda? No. Uh, how about council? Councilwoman Hamlet. Uh, this is a pretty interesting consent agenda if you haven't looked at it. I just want to point out some really important things in this consent agenda. Um,
first, and maybe you can speak to this a little bit, but I was very excited to see the motor vehicle commission mobile unit come back. Um, I think that's something that uh I'm sure Jenny will be communicating to the public. So, we'll have a mobile motor vehicle um here at city hall. That was a huge win. Mayor,
I'm not sure how you got it done or maybe um Chief Peters work some magic, but the residents have been asking for that. Uh it's really hard to get an appointment. Um secondly, I wanted to mention um I spoke with Sharon Oullivan today um from Summit Public Art and on here there are two public art
installations. I know Michelle, you're the liazison to that, but I did take some time to speak to Sharon today because I forgot you were the leazison. Um but we have two very important pieces of art uh coming to the city. and the large piece, the um honeycomb shaped uh very large piece near the train station
um will be removed soon. So, if you wanted to take a final look at that um that would be your opportunity. And then finally, on that note, there is a Summit public art um fundraiser on September 26th at the Fortnitely Club. So, I just wanted to share that with the community.
Um and I just want I'm not sure if number 12115 was pulled, uh council president, but I just want to make sure that wasn't on there. the 159. It was in my printed out one from So, it's off, right? It's on mine. It's on mine cuz I got it printed out last week. Okay. Uh, and
then finally, I just wanted to mention that uh resolution 12104 um these are the repayments from taxes uh that residents or um property owners have paid. And I noticed on that one was a pretty large one. It was 62,000 and it
was for uh 133 Summit Avenue. Um I think it's important even as a taxpayer to sort of look at those and understand why they happen. Um in speaking to our tax collector today um they had made an overpayment. So you'll see the overpayment actually goes to that organization. That's the way we have to
um send those payments back. So just sort of an interesting fact just um we do get those throughout the year and that was a very large one. So um I think that was about it. I just thought this was a cool um consent agendics. There's lots of good stuff in there and the volunteer firefighters.
True. Uh other comments from council. All right. Uh all in favor I opposed. Okay. No consent agenda passes. All right. Uh that is it for our
business portion of our meeting. Um please our uh staff, thank you for attending. Have a safe drive home. Um this is now our public uh comment section of our meeting. If there's anyone from the public who wishes to
make a comment um please approach the dis give your name and your address uh and please uh in order to have everyone's heard please limit your comments to 3 minutes or less please. Good evening Tom Zeber 768 Springfield Avenue. Um, I want to begin by
commending this council and our mayor for the responsible and steady way that you've managed Summit's affordable housing obligations this year. These are not easy issues, especially in a community like ours that is already fully built out. Yet, you've handled it with balance, thoughtfulness, and fiscal
responsibility. What concerns me is the rhetoric we're hearing from some voices in town demanding even more net new affordable housing. Um, to me, that approach is reckless. It risks overdevelopment, strains our infrastructure, and ultimately places a heavy burden on some of taxpayers. The
right path forward is what you're already doing, which is meeting our legal obligations while at the same time maintaining the quality and character of our neighborhoods. Equally important, we should focus resources on ensuring that the affordable and low-income housing already here in Summit is safe,
well-maintained, and truly serves the people who live in it. I appreciate the leadership shown by this council and our mayor on this issue and I urge you to continue standing firm against calls for excessive development that would jeopardize both our community's character and its fiscal health. Thank
you. Thank you very much. If that's a prepared statement, thank you very much. Other comments, please. My name is Dvita Williams. I live at two Weaver Street apartment before at Summit
Housing. Um, I just have a brief statement. Um, I was kind of rushed. I apologize for my appearance. I didn't know I was going to be in a courtroom. And Okay.
It's okay. You were born to be great. Exactly. Thanks. I think it's a great a great outfit. Actually, again, I wrote it down. My apologies for my tie. Um, we were told the meeting was Tuesday, but it's today. Um, and I know it's a statement, so don't
answer the questions. Okay. Question. How do they choose the committee or the staff for Summit Housing Authority? How do they choose the people that represent the tenants that live in
Summit Housing? How does Jackie Roundtree renew our certifications? How does Michelle White, excuse me, Michelle White, Jacqueline, and Jackie decide these things.
For the last two years, I've got at least two extra calls to the office because they have redone my rent and a month or two later, they have raised it and then I also have to pay security on top of that. They make a payment plan. But however, I shouldn't have to go through this. I am on a steady income of
disability. I have a senior that is in high school that has a 4.0 GPA and we've done so well in housing for the last 10 years. But in the last three years, things have been very dis difficult.
Michelle White, every time I speak to her, it's a different story. Why do we have to be certified to have some type of tenant get together? Her and Michelle stated that they would not even listen to us unless we were heard
cert HUD certified in a tenant association. Today, this week, we came out of our pocket, made copies, and sent flyers to everyone just to get a one, two, three question answered.
How do you feel about housing maintenance and the grounds? We have a overwhelming response of over 60ome people when at every meeting there's no more than one or two people that show up in the monthly meetings
because they're scared to speak out towards housing. We receive a a yearly exterminator list. We receive monthly, I mean yearly exams or apartments, but however, we get notices sent at the last
minute. Sometimes it's a text stating that someone is on the property right now. I have a teenage daughter. Every time a maintenance man or a exterminator or someone comes, I'm not always home. She's 17. Fortunately, I was there last January, I
mean July, when exterminator came and two strange men came to the door. I'm so nervous. Came to the door. Um, bottom line is
three minutes up. Yeah. I apologize, M. Miss Williams, you're I can email this statement to the court. Yeah. And please do. and and this is a council, not a court, but I your your comments are really welcome and I think we'll address some of these um when
council comments are are made, but I'd love to hear all of us would love to hear um your your statement and your concerns. So, thank you. Thank you. Um also, would you like the copy of the paperwork? AB: Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you.
All right. Good evening, mayor. Good evening, council. That's a perfect example of why three minutes is not enough time. Come on, guys. This is one of the lower time limits that we have in municipalities across the state. If we're going to give
the residents an opportunity to speak, we need to have more than three minutes. It's not fair. It It's something's got to I mean, three minutes. People come to these meetings to put things on the public record. Yes, we can engage through emails whether people respond or
not, but people come here to put things on the public record. And three minutes is not enough. I think the residents of Summit deserve a little bit more, you know, respect. I I I think it's a slap in the face. I'm going to keep bringing it up every meeting. I'm going to keep coming to these meetings. You know, some
people wonder why do I come why do I come to Summit if I don't live here? Well, because I come to Summit. That's really doesn't have to go any further than that. Um but yeah, so we have some issues. The last the last meeting the last meeting you
guys approved um you guys approved the ordinance for the tatlock lighting and then on the same meeting you amended the resolution and it was it wasn't done legally. um the the the amendment it wasn't it
wasn't just supportive or related and uh through the chair to Mr. Gio if you could uh pay attention and maybe respond to this um I have a formal complaint here that I'm submitting and um it outline it outlines why that resolution
was non in non-compliance with New Jersey bond with the New Jersey local bond law. Um, you can't amend a resolution on the same night that you adopt an ordinance when it has significant changes. And they were significant change. Mr. Jacob, if you
would look at me, please. We're not. It's substantial. That's a substantial change. The the way that all this works legally, what it has to do with funds and directive of allocate allocation of funds and stuff, that that's a
substantial change. That's the way the courts look at it. It's not a supportive or related change, you know, because you're talking about finances. So, I I watched that whole thing happen. And that's why I said, you know, these meetings are more entertaining than
these crappy TV shows out there because I don't think people are paying attention to the things they should be paying attention to. And through the chair of Mr. Ber, I know you voted no for it. Um, and your reason on Facebook was um was not the reason that it should
have been. because it's because it's it's in non-compliance with with with this with the New Jersey local bond law. You guys can't amend a resolution like that and pass it on the same night that you adopt an ordinance
is, you know, you got to wait a you got to wait a week, then you have to give public notice, 48 hours for the for the amended resolution, you know, but we we really need to have an adequate amount of speaking time for the public. Show the public the respect.
Give the republic give the public the respect to have them communicate with you guys on public record. Three minutes is not enough. It's just not enough on Q. Thank you. I'd like to submit this.
Yes, please. To the clerk, please. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Other comments from the public? No other comments? Okay, I'm going to declare the public comment section of our meeting closed. Uh we're now on to
uh council member comments and new business. Council President. Yes, Councilman Boyer. Would you mind if I start um so that uh possibly the folks from uh Summit Housing Authority residents um they wanted to leave a
little early um they they could but I just wanted to respond to them because as a Summit Housing uh Authority liaison I have been to every single meeting um and Miss Williams uh it takes great
courage for you to come up here and um and and say what you just said and uh I respect you and I I applaud you for that. I know it's very hard. Um, so I just want to thank you all uh for
coming forward tonight, for going out there and um taking a survey of how people feel because the meetings that the Summit Authority has is at 5:30.
The residents in the housing all said that they can't get there at 5:30. Why not? Because our most vulnerable residents work. Single parents, single homes, they can't
get there at 5:30. So, what did the commissioner say? Well, I'll see if it fits in my my dinner time. This is the type of stuff that uh these
folks are dealing with. But today uh their voices have been heard. Now over the past 18 months I have received numerous complaints.
Um, residents have reported a lack of transparency, uh, such as delayed or inaccessible grievance policies hindering their ability to exercise their rights.
There are concerns about illegal or excuse me, security deposit increases, improper rent calculations, non-income related charges, inadequate notifications of rent
changes, all of which burdens these folks unfairly, and reports of intimidation, which is why no one wants to come up and speak, because the next thing you know offer,
they'll be in court. They'll be sued. So, the other thing that really concerns me is that we have a Summit Housing Authority that has 195 units. It's a
very small housing authority, yet these folks receive bonuses. I bet y'all ain't know that. They receive bonuses. Now, where do these bonuses come from? They don't come from HUD money. They
don't come from the RAD money because the federal government will not allow housing authorities to accept bonuses from those that money. So, where do these bonuses come from? They come from the residents that live
there, the ones who can't afford to live there. It's section 8 housing. So, you take money from them and you pay yourself bonuses. And how did you get that money? Rent increases, legal fees,
and if you say something, there's threats of retaliation. The first year as a liaison on the Summit Housing Authority, the chairman of the board wouldn't even come to city hall to meet with us
because it's a highly political commission board, majority Democrat. And I bet you if 60 people from the Summit Housing Authority came up here with a majority Republican council,
people out there would be calling us racist. These days are over. And I'm glad that the residents of the Summit Housing Authority see who's in charge now and how you're being helped. And this help will
continue with your help because there needs to be a change. This commission board has no plan whatsoever. No plan to rebuild, to refurbish
our Summit Housing Authority. However, most of them have a huge plan about adding more affordable housing in Summit. What a slap in the face that is. Actually, at one meeting, they had a whole part and commission to talk about
affordable housing. Not about the conditions that the folks are living in, but about affordable housing to build in Summit at a Summit housing authority meeting. Tell me how that makes sense. I had some other things to say tonight,
but this is very I'm very passionate about this. As you all know, I grew up in Summit. I lived on Dennis Place. I still have family members that live in both Glennwood and Weaver Street and being on the council. They look at
me and I am accountable to them and I'm going to be accountable to them. So, Miss Williams, I like you are very emotional when it
comes to this because this is real. This is real. This is not lip service. This is not talking points. This is real. This is about your daily life and how you live. The fact that your daughter is home and you got two men that you don't even know want to
come in to the house to do what? Whatever. And if they don't, if you don't let them in, what happens? You get fined. I'm going to leave it at that. Council President, excuse me for my uh my diet tribe, but I think it was really called
for. And once again, thank the Summit Housing Authority residents for coming in. And I will not let this this matter sit. I have a plan. The council president knows my plan, shared it with our city
solicitor. I think it's time for action. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. That's why I support you. Yeah. Thank you, Uh, Councilwoman Hamlet. Uh, yes, Council President. Um, Miss Williams, would it be okay if I read
your statement, the rest of your statement? I'd be happy to. I know you're probably not okay. Is that okay? That's okay. If you want to bring it up, I'll read it for you. So, I'm going to read um Miss the rest
of Miss Williams statement because I also think this is important for the public to hear. Um I was speaking with many residents. I get calls all the time. It's been for years. It's been the most frustrating part of this job watching these individuals suffer. I've called Congressman Kaine's office
several times as well um to engage them. These are Miss Williams words. Um sorry, I don't know where you came off. There are a lot of children and single moms here. I feel I should be a female president for safety reasons. Every time
outside source comes, when I need my tub retiled again, a stranger comes knocking on my door. I didn't know he was coming. There was no staff with him at that time. He did not make me feel comfortable. My daughter was home and I turned him away. I spoke to housing about it. No response except to say a
different worker from the same company would be out again. I denied the work. The transportation to the grocery stores from the senior building used to be eligible for seniors and disabled persons as well as the classes in the senior building. Why are they no longer accessible for disabled tenants? There is no sense of help coming from the SHA
staff. Every time you come to them with a comment, not a complaint. Someone shuts you down derogatorily. Derogatorily. It's like a smack in the face and then you're scared of the repercussions. We used to have meeting times at 7 p.m. However, Jacqueline and them are inconvenient. So, they changed it. If no one comes to the meetings
because of Jacqueline, Jackie, and Michelle's verbal attitude. When we are in a meeting with an important person, council member, fire department, as they can see, no one attends. And housing keeps up a smile and says everything is perfect, roses and daisies, but it's not. It's just three three people who
are scared to speak up. They're scared of what housing will do. Every time I go to a board meeting, you get to say things, but Nancy loves to cut me off as well as others. And no one from housing ever gets back to us with answers. What about grants for graduating seniors? Also, maybe a raffle or some type of
discount passes for our kids to go to the aquatic center in the summer. That's a great idea. uh attend maybe a week or two of summer camp at the connection or the Y. This is another great idea, Miss Williams. We put you on the committee. Uh the events you throw, no one comes but the committee and the housing staff.
We put out flyers in all three SHA sites and ask three simple questions. How satisfied are you with SHA staff? How satisfied are you with the grounds and maintenance? And how satisfied are you with the conditions of your apartment? An overwhelming 60 responses. I apologize. I think you you read some of this. Um,
they should say some they should say something about our office and maintenance staff. Um, I think that might be it. Oh, yeah. Sorry. Coming. Um, I think that I think that's about it. I
think I got the gist of it right. Um, but I I these are not my words, but I will say that I receive several calls a month. And um I would I would say that um Matt, we should probably say one more thing.
They took our water hose and our charcoal grills and we had to call the fire department and tell them legally we have to be 10 feet away on Weaver Street. We have to give me a grill to do grill. And in the summer time we can't go to the pool. we don't have eligibility. So, we were allowing little
things like that in the community. My daughter and myself for 17 years have been with um ship Southern Wars, uh Junior League, the library, St. Terresa. We volunteer our services for 17 years and summit. We are part of the community, but when we come home, we're
scared and don't feel like we should have to feel this way. I'm glad she'll be gonna leave me for college and for a year a year from now, but I'm still going to be a summer night and would like this to be heard. Thank Thank you. Thank you, Miss Williams. Well, thanks for letting me read that
and um and thank you for all of you for coming. It's really important and that's that's why we do what we do. So, I hope the community and the council members again, these days are over and uh we're things are going to change. I also wanted to mention um I believe Rosie, the funeral for Jack Cooper is on
Saturday. um wonderful member of our community, Jack Cooper, Millie Cooper's husband, um passed away. You may have mentioned at the last meeting I wasn't here. Um but what a wonderful man and I hope that everybody can come out and celebrate uh Jack's legacy on Saturday. Um I think that was it. The only other
thing I want to mention is we're getting uh that grant playground equipment from Bristol Squib soon. So I'm hoping uh that that comes in uh September or October. I think that I think that's all. It's enough for today. Council President. Thank you. Uh yes, Councilman Boyer.
Could um Councilwoman Hamlet, can you can you just talk about um the unhoused, the homeless real quick because you were so instrumental in that? And Leah came in here and said we went from
55 to 60 down to two. Can you just can you just give us your thoughts on that? I mean, cuz you were I mean, this was you and the mayor. This was your your your your brainchild here. And it was this is absolutely
amazing what what y'all done. Do you want me to brag for you instead? Sure. I can speak to that because Dillia's too humble to say what she did. Um, Dillia, talk about rolling up your sleeves um
and and being out there on the street and talking to individuals and trying to identify what their needs were to get out of the situation they were in. She did she did that. She's been doing it since before the homelessness task force even existed. Um, and she worked really
closely with Leah and with um, uh, Bridges and with Bridgeway um, SHIEP, all of the all of the service organizations in town that came together for that task force. Dileia was like the glue that stuck everybody together. Dia
was recognized and in invited to go to California to speak at um a national uh conference regarding homelessness and and she is somebody that I look to as a role model for how to address these these
issues and and so we owe her also a huge huge thank you um for really making making the the the task force as effective as it was and has Thank you.
Thank you. So, thank you so much. And and thanks to Mike Callahan at DCA, uh true mentor. Um can't thank Mike Callahanne enough, uh for for his mentorship and and teaching us how to do it. So, thank you so much for your kind words.
Thank you. Other comments from council? Yes, Councilman Palowski. So, I've saved up a whole bunch of things to say. Oh, boy. I hope everybody had a great summer. Um, the first is um we talked about uh bike safety earlier in this meeting. It's
been a popular topic at these meetings and I just want to let everybody know that um well, we've talked about this at other meetings as well, but David Guided is putting together a bike safety um assembly that will go to every grade in
all of our public schools and they'll do that every year. So, while this year seniors may only get one year of it, our first graders are going to get 12 uh by the time they metriculate through the system. And then we think that'll uh that'll work well towards helping things
get better. Um dog parks. Anybody going to the dog park? I'm there just about every day and I've been talking to the residents. First we had a pop-up dog park at Memorial Field and about a month later we moved it over
to maybe. We were trying out both locations and I want to thank everybody who provided their feedback. There's a QR code on the fence there. You can tell people what you think of it, but I've been asking everybody and you know, some people want it in one location, some
folks want it in another location. Um, everybody demands that it uh we maintain the grass. Uh, some of the pros of the Memorial Field location were that there was always parking um because there's a parking lot there for the tennis courts and the basketball courts that folks can
use even on a school day. Um, the pros of the maybe location were that it's more central to town. You can get a cup of coffee and walk over to the dog park and that it has shade. So, one of the uh issues that we've been seeing is that
the grass can't take it. And um in my many conversations with the residents who I talked to about this, um uh one gentleman uh moved here recently from Boston. He said he lived in Brooklyn and they closed their park every uh every uh
um so often, you know, for a few months of the year to let the grass rest. You may have remembered uh um crop rotation when you were a kid learning that learning about that when that uh innovation came about in farming and I think the same will hold true here. So,
we've also been talking about cost. Um folks may not realize that there's a dog park down at the dump. I don't think it was the greatest location, but that dog park, which is essentially a fence and a bunch of wood chips that we got for free from the dump, cost $50,000.
Now, I don't know if that's because we have to use government uh vendors and um you know uh you know, union workers or whatever. That sounded like a lot to me. It's probably only more today. So,
that's the one uh the one caveat I gave everybody. We're going to try to make at least one of these dog parks permanent um as soon as possible, but there's going to be a cost factor and we're going to have to see if we have the money. A number of residents said they
would start GoFundMe pages and I said go right ahead and do that. That would be great. Um, in terms of uh the feedback I've gotten, it really is like a 50-50 split as to where they'd like to have uh the dog park. And I was actually
spending a lot of time with former council president Lisa Allen's husband Pat who uh had a wonderful idea um that if you a lot of people who have pools have these anchors uh buried in the ground where you put a
pole and you can put up what's a permanent fence essentially and move it. So, uh, one of the ideas that we're toying with on CPPS is to put those anchors in at both locations. In the summer when we need shade, we can have
the dog park over at maybe. And when it cools off a little bit and that needs to rest a little bit, we can move it up to Memorial. And then maybe someday we'll have enough money for another set of fencing. We could put another set of anchors on the Village Green on the other side of Elma
Street. And we can move that one back and forth. And the same thing up at Memorial uh back and forth on each side of Learned. So um I've learned a lot in this process and and in particular that summit is a dog town. So um that's just
an update on that. If anybody has enjoyed the dog park, has a preference and they haven't yet given their feedback. Like I said, you can get that QR code. You can probably find it on the city website someplace as well. So let us know what you think. when it comes time to make a decision, we'll have to
do that. But the more feedback, the better. The second thing I want to talk about or the third thing I want to talk about is uh affordable housing. And I I think I've said may have said this before at a meeting, but Summit
naturally embodies the kind of a city that the Mount Laurel doctrine and fair share housing seek to create all across New Jersey. We have the Summit Housing Authority which has
195 units of lowincome housing. Overlook Hospital, many people don't know, have 91 units of affordable housing. Now, we're not allowed to count those towards something called unmet need, and that's
the starting point for any analysis as to how much a particular municipality's affordable housing obligation will be. Our unmet need is 345. Now, why are we not allowed to count these towards our
unmet need? The reason is because they're not affirmatively marketed. We reserve our Summit Housing Authority units for residents. This is particularly important for the Veto Gallow building which houses our seniors, many of whom get priced out of
their homes as taxes continue to increase. And Overlook does not affirmative affirmatively market because they have to that's housing for all the good people who work at the hospital and take care of us and all the people in the
surrounding towns. So if we were allowed to count these towards our unmet need, our number would be 59, which when you account for the vacant
land adjustment, our obligation would be zero year in and year out. And you see how much time we spend on affordable housing and and Broad Street West and all the problems that came with that. That's not to say that we don't that we
can't facilitate more. Oh, uh, let me take a step back. Also, one sec. Yes, we could fix them up. Um, Summit's 30% minority. Compare that with Cadam, which is just
11. Summit has children. 15% of our students have free or reduced lunches. Cadam has won. So if you want to compare a nearby town and
you can see right, Mount Laurel wants to give opportunities for people who can't afford to live in a particular town to live in that particular town and we've been doing it for over half a century.
I'm working with our Assemblywoman Michelle Matsacudis on some legislation that would maybe modify the Fair Share Act to count housing like section 8 low-income housing towards our
numbers and also to count overlook in particular when you look at the fact that I mean how much money does the city spend because we have a hospital here. We're taking care of all of our surrounding towns. um the extra traffic that comes with it,
ambulances, everything else that goes with that. I think that a municipality like Summit that has been doing the right thing forever should get a little bit of extra consideration when it comes to
calculating these numbers. Um, now that doesn't mean that we can't do that wouldn't mean that we can't do that we can't facilitate more affordable housing if we want to. Now, why do I say facilitate? There's no requirement for a
municipality to donate land in order to achieve affordable housing. And there's no requirement by law that a city use taxpayer dollars to pay for it. The way it works is we facilitate. A builder buys a piece of property. They
have an idea for a development and they agree to make a certain percentage of it affordable in exchange for our facilitating them in doing that by relaxing zoning. So, when I tell people this story that I just told you,
folks, they they scratch their heads. They say, "How can that be?" And so, I'm going to tell you how that can be. It's because a very zealous advocacy group called Fairshare Housing that's incredibly well funded by an affordable housing industrial complex, namely
builders who are more focused on maximizing their profits at the expense of our home rule, our ability to control our own destiny, um has incredible tremendous influence in Trenton. So, I would encourage you if
you don't like the way things have shaken out here with our affordable housing laws that you make your voice heard at the uh in Trenton, call your state legislators, tell them what you'd like to see happen, tell them about the improvements that you want to need uh
that you'd like to see, and uh maybe we can make some more progress in that regard. I um I look forward to reading your memo, Mr. Anonymous. Please do. I have another one here if you want. Okay. Yeah, I'll take a copy before I go. Um also, uh somebody uh pointed out
to me that our council rules, which are adopted by ordinance, are ambiguous as to when our council meetings will be scheduled. They say that we're going to have council meetings the first and second Tuesday of every month or and then later in the
document it says um or as set forth in the published schedule but not everybody would always be able to get that far. So um August in particular uh is an issue because people want to come to a council meeting in August. They assume it's
going to be on the second and and uh first and third Tuesdays and there's no meeting. So, we're going to make front and center. We're not going to do it this now immediately because August is over. But uh before we adopt the new council rules next year, I'm going to
work towards uh making that clear that we are that we are have a hiatus and a recess in August and uh also try to put more front and center the fact that the council meetings are subject to adjustment like tonight
it's Wednesday and um because of Labor Day we we move it a day. So, uh, we'll make all that, uh, clear so that somebody who only has the time to glance at our rules and wants to come to a meeting knows what they can do to come to that meeting.
Finally, it was brought to my attention that the Summit Municipal Democrat Committee or SMDC recently published an inflammatory video containing a false narrative that the Together for Summit team is not summit centric.
Most people realize nothing could be further from the truth. And the truth is that this council majority is myopically focused on improving this city. I think you've seen some of that uh here tonight. And I would ask everyone, ask yourself, is this city better off today than it
was in the years leading up to 2023? Crime is down thanks to the resident protection ordinance and the addition of four new sworn officers. And I thank Jamal Buer for his uh driving that effort. As you heard before, our homeless are housed and we're at
functional zero. Um thanks to the tireless efforts of the mayor's task force on homelessness on which Dileia Hamlet has proven to be a relentless advocate and that is not a joke. Just ask any of the other folks that are involved in it.
We closed out our affordable housing round three obligations with a surplus of units and we did it without having to build the Broad Street West monstrosity that the SMDCled council repeatedly gaslighted residents. Summit could not
accomplish without building that illconceived containership and without cramming two units on the postage stampsized property on Ashwood Court. I might add, preserving one of the few green pl pieces of uh one of the few pieces of green space left in the
city. Even today, Councilwoman Toth uh not today, even recently, Councilwoman Toth stated from the day that SH summit should amend its its round four plan to add units. I'm sorry, Claire, but I found your contention irresponsible and
surprising. We rebuffed the athome summit proposed all affordable and exclusionary housing development which would have had the city donate property valued at $3 to8 million
depleted Summit's affordable housing trust fund which by the way allows us to add inclusionary affordable housing like the 15 unit renovation of the United Methodist Church's former school and other and another four units for special needs
housing with our house and special needs housing is among the most in demand. It also would have put the city on the hook for any overages of the cost of that development and there surely would have been. We've added crosswalks and beacons to
protect our to protect our pedestrians. We're adding sidewalks and but for state NJ DOT constraints might have done so state and NJ DOT constraints we may have done so already. Quality of life citations as Leah
Griffith mentioned earlier are up. These would include open container violations, public urination infractions, and prohibited panhandling. Traffic stops and tickets are up and we will continue to hold speeders accountable until they slow down.
We are renovating our parks and athletic fields. Just uh we've we've um we recently powerwashed the bleachers at Tatlock. Uh the Cedar Bridge at Cornog Fieldhouse.
Um DPW has started to powerwash the LNED uh bridge, the concrete bridge, which is a beautiful bridge. If you've ever looked at it, you can go check it out. I believe they're going to finish that on Friday. And we expect to also powerwash
the railroad bridge outside of city hall. And you probably didn't notice tonight when you walked in because it was dark, but if you want to come by in the daylight, we already did the courtyard and benches at city hall. We're also renovating our athletic
fields which in which has already included air rating and fertilizing all grass summit athletic fields. And if you don't believe me, just take a look at the baseball fields at the middle school and the newly cindered track where we
added 70 tons of stone which is maroon to boot. the maybe and Washington schooltatlock playgrounds will follow. We're adding two new Oh, and thank you Councilman Smallwood for your efforts on
the on the field uh fields. It was instrumental. We're also adding uh two new professional firefighters to the uh Summit Fire Department along with six volunteer firefighters to make the city safer.
So, I'd ask everybody and or I' I' I'd suggest to everybody that if you honestly answer the question of whether Summit is better off today, if it's a better place to live than it was before, it'll be easy for you to separate the
wheat from the shaft and you will come to the inescapable conclusion that together for Summit, we are accomplishing great things. to borrow Council Ber's catchphrase, Councilman Borer's catchphrase, we can't
stop and we won't stop. Thank you. May I just say the annual Thank you. The annual notice I'm sorry, I just need to say this. The annual notice that was put out on December 16th of last year
that dictated the meeting schedule time, which was in conflict with the ordinance and stuff, didn't have to supporting publications. Mr. Anonymous, no one can hear you. I I I would suggest I want to hear your comments. Can you just approach the dis after the meeting to to tell him
directly? No one can hear you anyways on on the thing. We want to hear it. Just come and finish. I know. This is why is not enough. Any other comments, please? A good way to go. Mr. We will get your We will get your
comments. I want to hear it. just it's not productive when no one can hear you at at home. Councilman Small. Thank you, Council President. Um, first, uh, Miss Williams, thank you very much for coming tonight. And I will
admit to you that for whatever reason, when I wasn't on this day, coming up to that podium is nerve-wracking. And I I really appreciate it that that you're here tonight. and our meetings
start at 7:30. So, I would encourage you to come back and encourage your neighbors to come back because we will listen to you. So, thank you for coming and I I hopefully we will see you at the next in future meetings if not the next
meeting. um to talk a little bit about uh affordable housing. I uh if if you remember I begrudgingly seconded the resolution
ID number 12105 because I don't think we should be in this position. We are having to authorize funds for a lawsuit that we shouldn't be in. Which ties into council president's
earlier report where he noted that there were two properties that this council did not put in its affordable housing plan. one that can that included a 250 unit building
and a 300 unit building eight stories tall. We do have an affordable housing obligation that we want to re that we want to meet. There is a huge difference between
development and overdevelopment. In my opinion, an additional 250 unit building and an additional 300 unit building is overdevelopment. I am so happy that we actually had the people on the the right people on
this deis to approve that affordable housing plan in June. because otherwise it just simply would have opened us up to more builder's remedy lawsuits and that was going to be done. Um,
but this bothered me. When someone does a good deed and you're helping people and you're volunteering your time, I don't care what political party you are. I don't care if you're a Republican, if
you're independent, if you're a Democrat. I honestly believe that every person on this day is at its core is a good person. But what I found
what I found disgusting was the fact that there was clear points of Councilwoman's Ham Councilwoman Hamlet's efforts on
what she has done starting from her first year three years ago helping veterans homeless find a place to live. And yet there are two council members that didn't stand but didn't even clap. To
me, that's politics over a good deed, over a volunteer who gives their time. That's disgusting to me. I agree. Absolutely.
And that's all I have. Council president party politics. Thank you. Other comments from council. I'll just end it. Um I know there's been a lot of comments. Um you know, I I started off the meeting
talking about like some litigation and such. Um traditionally Labor Day kind of starts what I would call, you know, it's the election season. Some would call silly season. Um, I would just ask, you
know, there are people in our community who have differences of opinions. They have differ of opinions on a lots of different things on where our money should get spent, on uh what projects we should or shouldn't do. And you know, people have a right to express those
differences. Um, so even with, you know, a lawsuit if they feel strongly about it, that's our system. They have that right. Um, what I would hope though as we get into
silly season, deeper into the election season, that people focus on issues rather than attacks. You know, we have enough poisonous politics in Washington. And what I've
really really have had, you know, been very sad about is this trickle down that that everything local now has to be poisonously political. It's sad
and it shouldn't be that way. We can disagree on whether we want to do this or that or how our our taxpayer money should be spent. But these attacks where you associate people from one party to the other, you know, with with issues that
we have nothing to do with, it is just wrong. And and it it really it it you know, we we just had a group of of people here who have real issues. they they you know we we we should try
and fix them. I mean for people who don't know this people refer to the summit housing authority SHA this is a independent governing body of uh the 195 units of housing that we have in summit they're independent they're they're
appointed board um these appointments uh last for several years um the council does appoint these people but they elect their own or they hire their own people to do this it's very difficult to change a board, it takes a long time. People
have to go off it. So, we This board has, you know, legacy people on it um that clearly residents have issue with. Now, that shouldn't be political. We should be coming up with solutions on
how to help these people. And we can disagree on maybe what the best path to that should be, but we shouldn't make it vitriolic. And there's just way way too much uh in our town at the local level where we're just trying to do things and and
Councilman Palowski listed a whole litany of things I think that have been accomplished, which is great. Now, some people may think that we should have done other things. That's great. You can say that. Give your ideas on what should be done differently, where your money should get spent differently, but don't
make it personal. And if you disagree, it's not because the other person's nasty or mean. They just disagree with you. That's okay, too. Um, so please, like, let's just remember we are all Hill Toppers,
and we all want what's best for our town. And when we're going about doing it, I you know, again, people should have their opinions and be passionate about it. But let's focus on the issues, not the people. and and let's have a good next couple of
months. Okay. Um so with that um do I hear a motion to adjurnn? So moved. Second. Second. All right. All in favor? I I opposed. All right. We are adjourned.