This is the commissioner meeting of January 14th, 2026 at 6 PM at the Sussex County Administrative Center. Commissioner meeting room, 1 Spring Street, Newton, New Jersey. Can I have a roll call, please? >> Commissioner Carney, >> here. >> Deputy Director Drew >> here. >> Commissioner Henderson,
>> here. Commissioner Silverthorn >> here. >> Director of space >> here. >> Number three, moment of silence and salute to the flag. I pledge of 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. Pursuant to the Open Public Meetings Act, chapter 231, PL1975, adequate notice as defined by section 3D
of chapter 231, PL1975 has been made by regular mail and email. such notice being submitted on January 6th, 2026 from the administrative center of the county of Sussex located at 1 Spring Street, Newton, New Jersey to the following, the New Jersey Herald, Star
Ledger, and Strauss News and is also posted on the bulletin board maintained in the administrative center for public announcements and has been submitted to the Sussex County Clerk in compliance with set act. At this time, please mute all electronic devices.
Number five, approval of agenda. There will be a couple of changes to tonight's agenda. Item 14D will be amended to make a change to the original proposed listed appointments. We have an addition to the to item 14
and 14F, municipal commissioner liaison. And lastly, item 17 will be tabled until after executive session. Can I get a motion to approve the amended agenda? >> So moved. >> Okay. Commissioner Henderson in a second. >> Second.
>> Uh, Commissioner Silverthornne, any discussion? >> Sure. >> Oh, it's an add-on. That's going to add the municipal liaison. Okay. Okay. Uh, all in favor?
>> I oppose. Abstain. Okay. Number six, there's no proclamations. Seven, no public hearing. Eight, public session from the floor. This public session is for those wishing to make a comment of three minutes or less regarding an agenda item. Please line up at the microphone and state your name,
municipality, and agenda topic for the record. Can I get a motion to open the floor for public comment? >> So moved. >> Okay. Deputy Director Degrru and a second. >> Second. >> Uh, Commissioner Carney. Any discussion? All in favor? I oppose. Abstain. The floor [clears throat] is open. Agenda
topics only. Evening, >> Ken Collins, Andover Township. Uh, this is regarding uh agenda item 24, number seven, um, fire correspondence regarding the Newton Green. The following text is
from a letter sent to the Sussex County Board of Commissioners by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Fre and Expression on December 31st, 2025, resulting from requests for assistance from myself and another county resident. The letter outlines the reasons that the
current Newton Green policy violates our constitutional rights. Fire has requested a substantive response by Friday. I urge the board to take this matter seriously and respond. Dear commissioners, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression fire a
nonpartisan nonprofit that defends free speech rights to express serious concerns with the board's permit policy for expressive activity of the Newton Green. the core first amendment activity. I'm sorry. The policy imposes unconstitutional barriers to the core first amendment activity in a
traditional public forum. Just recently, the township of West Caldwell formally withdrew a similar proposal from consideration after fire shared its concern. Fire urges the board to follow West Caldwell's lead in preserving the First Amendment rights of its constituents by repealing or amending
the policy and ensuring any future version is constitutionally compliant. The letter goes on to cite specific case law supporting the unconstitutional nature of various aspects of the county's Newton Green policies including use application requirements, reimbursement requirements, insurance
requirements, and waiver and indemnity requirements. It concludes with the following. Be advised that while the foregoing delineates the policy's constitutional defects under the United States Constitution, the New Jersey Constitution imposes an even higher bar to speech restrictions given that its
free speech provision is an affirmative right broader than practically all others in the nation. We have worked with all other local governing bodies nationwide to revise we we have worked with other local governing bodies nationwide to revise similar laws in ways that respect both First Amendment
rights and legitimate government interests and we would be glad to do so with the board at no cost. We respectfully request a substantive response no later than January 16th, 2026. Sincerely Stephanie Jablonsky, Senior
Program Council Public Advocacy. I came before the board months ago to make sure that you had ample notice and to give you time to take action on your own, but you have chosen not to do anything that I'm aware of to include returning the benches to the green that
have been gone for months and months. I hope that this letter from fire will motivate you to comply with United States Constitution and constitutional law. Thank you. Good evening. Uh David Dwit from Hampton Township. I I wanted to make a comment
on resolution C. I believe that's appropriate for me to do where you are going to plan to appropriate uh $574,000 therefore for an op opioid settlement fund.
Just as we were coming here, we came across a uh a little note on our phone that the dear leader has just withheld cancelled 1.9 billion mental health and substance abuse funds. Are those funds
that we're looking for impacted by this? >> No, this was already the settle set settlement, correct? >> Opioid settlement against opioid manufactur totally. They're apples and orange. >> Okay. So, we only have to worry about the dozens of organizations, grant organizations that work in North Jersey
on the mental health and substance abuse problems because that's the money that's gone. And we looked them up. There's easily 20 24 within uh our area here. And those funds have just been overnight.
No warning, nothing. It's just gone. This kind of irrational governance has to stop and it is going to land here. We certainly are responsible for our mentally ill and our students and adults
that have substance abuse problems and these are I I work for a nonprofit. We're dying and this is a matter of suffering and life and death. I think you need to speak up. Call your people in uh the state organization.
Call your Republican friends in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Tell them to grow a pair and stop this kind of cruel and vicious capriccious action. Thank you. >> Anyone else? Agenda topics only. Okay.
Can I get a motion to close the floor for public comment? >> Okay. Commissioner Henderson in a second. >> Second. Uh, Commissioner Silverthornne. All in favor? >> I I opposed. Okay, floor is closed. Number nine, commissioner's comments. We're going to start with our newest commissioner. Commissioner
Silverthornne. >> Uh, thank you. Um, well, I'm just getting acclimated and getting my feet wet. I have orientation coming up next week, but I have managed to do a few things uh in the past two weeks since uh reorg. Uh Ray Sirenelli was nice enough
to come meet with me and give me a uh a uh budget briefing. Um went to the fire academy graduation at the uh community college. Took a solid waste advisory committee meeting last night which I uh took which I'm familiar with when uh my
time in Frankfurt. So uh that was familiar to me. Uh and then I also attended uh several uh reorgsan Frankfurt, Lafayette, Branchville, Hpacon, and I'm going to do uh Vernon tomorrow. And uh that's about it so far.
>> Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh Commissioner Henderson. >> Uh good evening. First of all, once again, I'd like to say happy new year to everyone and I'm looking forward to a productive year with this board. As with this board, several towns recently held reorganization meetings. I've had the
pleasure of attending several including Frankfurt and Opacon Burl. As former mayor and committeeman of Lafayette Township, I had the honor of swearing in the new committee members, mayor and deputy mayor along with the fire department officers. On January 5th, I swore in the mayor and deputy mayor of
Hardon Township. It was bittersweet as 47 years ago, I stood before the Hardistan Council to be sworn in as a 911 dispatcher. I guess you could say it's come full circle. On January 7th, Commissioner Carney, Administrator Marks and I attended a meeting with the SCMUA.
On January 8th, I attended the Sussex County Public Academy uh safety academy graduation ceremony for new firefighters and other additional taking higher level training. Congratulations to all and thank you all the Sussex County firemen for their dedication to our county. I'd
also like to thank John Dixon, academy director, for his professionalism and knowledge he brings to the academy along with the fellow instructors. Listening to the speech during graduation, one paragraph really resonated with me. I think we all can relate in our own life and I'd like to share that with you.
Graduates, remember this. Titles fade, career changes, but character endures. Never stop training. Never stop learning. Take care of your body, your mind, and each other. Ask for help when you need it. and always remember why you chose to serve in the first place. I
think we all can relate to that. On January 13th, I also attended the Zoom SWAC meeting where a new chair and vice chair was selected. Bill Eves was selected as a chair and vice chair Mike Buzzak, I guess that's the correct spelling of his name, right?
[laughter] >> Uh their meetings were also approved for 2026 and there was discussion regarding new rules and regulations coming down from D. And that's all I have. Uh, Commissioner Carney, uh, >> Department of Engineering and Planning
manages the Sussex County transportation project delivery program. The program focuses on maintaining county-owned and operated roads and bridges along with related infrastructure. The fiscical year 26 capital program includes 56 projects consisting of 16 roadway improvement projects, 16 bridge
rehabilitation or replacement projects, 10 traffic 10 traffic safety projects, 12 storm water drainage projects and two site development projects. Program encompasses projects in all four phases of the project uh delivery cycle. The project development cycle begins after
project prioritization and funding allocations are made. First phase of the process includes project scoping and concept development and public engagement. This phase is followed by preliminary engineering and permitting which leads directly into the final design and right-of-way acquisition phase.
Once final design is complete and rightway is acquired, the project enters into final phase of construction and the construction phase includes public bidding, construction in project closeout. Project funding is determined based upon project eligibility and include capital, county capital, state
aid, and federal transportation funding. And a 26 capital pro program has an estimated value of $44 million. Uh winter storm update. Uh the division remains very busy respond to uh responding to winter weather events. To date, crews have been activated for nine
winter storms. Storm response has included upwards of 4,500 active hours with staff operating equipment in managing the program's 67 plow routes. Winter operations are supported by the Office of Fleet Management, which provides real-time responses to equipment breakdowns. To date, the total
investment of staff time, materials, and equipment is estimated at just over $1 million. Our trails uh trails grant program, Sussex County Open Space Committee has finalized the 26 county trails grant program. Solicitations for the program
are expected to open on January 12th and run through May 15th. The open space committee will be reviewing grant submissions and providing the commissioner board a recommendation for awards. A commissioner announcement of grant awards and is anticipated during the summer of 26. Municipalities and
eligible nonprofits are encouraged to submit a grant application. The grant program is funded by the Cesus County Farmland Preservation, Recreation Open Space Trust Fund. The program awards grants for construction, rehabilitation, restoration, and maintenance of publicly owned shared use trails, and work must
be located on permanently preserved public land or within a permanent easement held by a public entity. The program is open to all four 24 municipalities working individually or in a partnership uh the county and nonforprofit organizations established
to protect and manage Pacific natural resources. Questions or more information on the grant program is available by contact and county division of planning at 973-5790500. That's all I have for that. Uh as commissioner Henderson said and commissioner um Silverthornne said we
attended a lot of reorg meetings hardest in Frankfurt Lafayette. Also the fire academy which uh John Dixon does a great job at the fire academy uh in concert with the college. I think there was 50 to 60 graduates. Uh John Dixon was kind enough to have all four of the
commissioners. Um Chill was away, director of space was away, but um the four of us uh engage with with the graduates and hand out um pins or whatever we were handing out. So it made us feel that we were part of them and they're always thankful for our support. We're always here to help support the
fire department and all our first responders. Um I had a comment at our reorg meeting. Uh a lot of people weren't there. Some of you were, maybe some of you read in the paper, but um Senator Parker Space uh was able to solidify $500,000
uh from the state uh for our food pantry. I know a lot of you guys know that we've lost out on a major major donor, which we call the angel donor. Um so he was able to solidify that $500,000 for the for the next year, 26. I don't know what's going to happen after that,
but at least we're in uh some decent shape. So, I just want to shout out and kudos to Senator Parker Space for getting that funds. And that's all I have. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Deputy Director Degrroot. >> Yes. Uh, first I attended the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority
NJTPA meeting. The board approved 29.3 million for 29 pedestrian, bicycle, and community safety projects and endorsed NJ DOT's updated roadway functional classification system to keep federal funding moving. Uh the board also advanced local planning and safety programs including 4 million for concept
studies for projects like retaining walls in Hudson County corridor safety improvements in Ocean County and bridge evaluations in Bergen, Pacic, Essex and Hudson counties. The meeting also featured a presentation from idea to implementation national tools helping local governments deliver safer projects
by Charles T. Brown. Uh second, Sussex County Library System is inviting readers of all ages to join the 2026 winter reading challenge reading revolution running the entire month of February. Uh no registration is required. Participants simply read or
listen. Uh simply submit raffle tickets at their local library and be entered to win prizes. Uh winners will be selected in each age group at every branch with prize bundles for adults, teens, and children. Third, uh, I was honored in leading chapel at Northwest Christian
School in Newton. I reflected on Philippians 1:6, which says, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." This verse serves as a reminder that God is faithful to complete the good work he
begins in each of us, even when growth feels small or unseen. It was a blessing to encourage students to see how God is at work through faithfulness in everyday moments. And I want to thank principal Canal Lupo for the grateful invitation. Uh, additionally, administrator Marks
and Commissioner Carney, we met with our uh, county surrogate to discuss priorities and review operational plans for the year ahead. And as mentioned by my fellow commissioners, the majority of us attended various reorganization meetings throughout Sussex County. I attended uh, Hardistan and Hopackon. In addition, I was also honored to attend
the public safety training graduate uh, academy graduation ceremony alongside my fellow commissioners. I want to extend my congratulations to all the graduates and to just say thank you for their willingness to protect our residents and neighborhoods. Their service is essential to the safety and well-being of the municipalities that make up
Sussex County and I am grateful for their dedication. Thank you and God bless. >> Thank you. Happy New Year everyone. Um I've been busy the last two weeks getting acclimated again as director. Uh thank you Chris Carney for doing a great job last year for us. Um, one of the
things that I decided to change this year is the executive session is going back to the end of the meeting. The only time that we'll switch it to the beginning of the meeting is if we have to ask county employees to stay for something that's on the agenda, but other than that, it at for the time
being, it's going to be at the end of the meeting. Um, we also I found out yesterday that Sussex County is getting a new prosecutor, Dan Perez from Frankfurt. He is a defense attorney in Sussex County for a long time and he was
approved. It's a governor's appointment. So, it was Governor Phil Murphy's appointment and he was approved by um the Senate Judiciary in the Senate on Monday. Um and that's about all I have for now other than the Health Department, Division of Health, Office
of Public Health Nursing, vaccine programs for children and adults. The Sussex County Office of Public Health Nursing offers immunizations to our underserved and at risk populations through the vaccines for children VFC program and the 317 funded adult
program. The VFC and 317 programs make vaccines available to children, adolescents, and adults who might otherwise go unvaccinated because of an inability to pay for the vaccine. The Office of Public Health Nursing will now obtain the residents information and necessary documentation. Um once the
documentation has been reviewed, a public health nursing staff member will contact the family to schedule mutually agreed upon date and time for the vaccines to be administrator administr administered at the public health nursing office during normal business hours to obtain additional information
about these programs. Please call the office of public health nursing at 973-5790570. Um and can we just put the rest of mine online because this is going to be a lot of reading for me if every time. [laughter] So it'll my comments will be posted online. Okay. Um number 10, approval of
consent agenda. We have none. Number 11, approval of minutes. We don't have any. And number 12, no ordinance. Number 13, appointments and or resignations. Uh [clears throat] can I get a motion to adopt resolutions A through F? >> Still moved.
>> Okay. Commissioner Carney in a second. Second. >> Okay. Commissioner Silverthorne. Any discussion? We need a roll call on this, right? Yeah. Roll call, please. >> Commissioner Carney, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Degrew, >> yes. >> Commissioner, >> yes. >> Commission Silver,
>> yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. Resolutions. Uh, can I get a motion to adopt resolutions A through F? >> So moved. >> Okay. Uh, Commissioner Henderson in a second. >> Second. >> Okay. Commissioner, Deputy Director
Droot. Any discussion? Roll call, please. >> Commissioner Carney, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Degrew, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hendendrickson, >> yes. >> Commissioner Silverone, >> yes. >> Director Space, >> yes. Awards of contract change order bids. The board of county commissioners
of the county of Sussex has reviewed the award of contract change orders bids consisting of various proposed resolutions and determined that adoption of the said resolutions is in and will further the public interest. Can I get a motion to adopt resolutions A through D?
>> I'll make that motion. >> Okay. Commissioner Silverthornne and a second. >> Second. >> Okay. Commissioner Henderson. Any discussion? Roll call, please. >> Commissioner Carney, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Degrroo, >> yes. >> Commissioner Henderson, >> yes. >> Commissioner Silverthorn, >> yes.
>> Director Space, >> yes. >> Okay. Financials, bills list A. Can I get a motion to approve bills list A? >> So move. >> Okay. Uh, comm deputy director Degrroot and a second. >> Second. >> Commissioner Carney. Any discussion?
Roll call, please. >> Commissioner Carney, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Degrroot? >> Yes. >> Commissioner Henderson? >> Yes. >> Commissioner Silverthorne? >> Yes. >> Director Space? >> Yes. >> Uh, bills list B. Can I get a motion to adopt bills list B? >> So moved.
>> Okay. Commissioner Henderson. >> Second. Commissioner Silverthornne. Uh, any discussion? Roll call, please. >> Commissioner. Yes. >> Deputy Director Degrroot. >> Abstain. >> Commissioner Henderson. >> Yes. >> Commissioner Silverthorn. >> Yes. >> Director Space. >> Yes.
>> Payment of bills list C. Can I get a motion to pay bills list C? >> Still moved. >> Okay. Commissioner Carney. Second. Deputy Director Degrroot. Um, any discussion. >> Roll call, please. >> Commissioner Carney. >> Yes. >> Deputy Director Degrroot. >> Yes. >> Commissioner Henderson. >> Yes.
>> Commissioner Silverthornne? >> Yes. >> Director Space? >> Yes. Pay bill's list date. Can I get a motion to pay bills list? >> So moved. >> Okay. Commissioner Henderson. >> Second. >> Uh, Commissioner Silverthornne seconds. Any discussion? Roll call, please. >> Commissioner Carney,
>> yes. >> Deputy Director Degrew. >> Yes. >> Commissioner Henderson, >> yes. >> Commissioner Silverthor, >> yes. >> Director Space, >> abstain. >> Number 17, the personnel agenda. We're tableabling till after executive session. So, we
will come back to that. Okay. Number 18, administrative report. >> Hey, good evening everyone. I just want to update on some projects that are going on throughout the county. As most of you are aware coming to the meeting tonight, our repairs to the elevator were completed ahead of schedule. The
inspector was here on January 6th. The elevator was back in service on the 7th. We had a little glitch, but the uh the repair and the inspectors came back out and it's now back fully functional. Uh Dennis library update. The bid package for the beginning of the construction
was released on January 4th. There was a site visit conducted for the contractors on January 12th. Bids for the work are due back by uh February 11th and there is an anticipated addendum that will also be needed which will push that bid award date back a little bit past that
20 days. So it'll be awarding on the 11th of uh March. The construction date is still anticipated to begin in April. So we are currently working on a final plan for the location of DOT which is that mobile library unit and uh assistance with transit to bring
residents to other libraries while the construction is ongoing. We can't have anything in place at the site either uh during the construction. Uh final plans for uh the Dennis Library uh relocation will be completed by February 2026. Uh
the RFP for the LSRP, which is the licensed site remediation professional services, is expected to be out by the end of this week. If you recall, the county extended the current contract award uh to applied, which is the current contractor, current vendor, for 90 days, as there was a delay uh with
the state working on a project with the state of New Jersey. That 90-day extension does expire in March and we are moving forward with the new request so we can have the bids uh received and everything put in place by uh their expiration in March. Uh
Commissioner Carney had spoke about the trails grant. I was going to speak on that a little bit. Um it is anticipated that the final awards for those trail grant uh applications though would be in July. Uh the Department of Engineering has been monitoring the county's salt
reserves. The county is currently in good shape. However, based on current usage and uh they've received some possible information of availability issues down the line. Uh the county will be moving up their mid-season order to occur uh sooner than later. Uh the
Frankfurt wells complet the the wells at the Frankfurt campuses have been completed. Uh we're expecting a final inspection to occur by the end of next week and all of those facilities then will be on those wells uh completely by that point. The Department of Health and Human Services will be resuming their opioid
settlement funding at the end of January. Additional funds have been allocated to treatment and adding more vendors for the programs. Uh the Department of Finance is continuing to work on their year-end closeouts due to new regulations in the Big Beautiful bill that was signed into law last year. The department is also working on
additional information to be provided to employees on how to handle their overtime as they file their taxes. Uh the county is not able to give out tax or financial advice to the employees, but we are encouraging all employees to speak with your financial uh consultants as you're going through and preparing
your taxes for uh 2025. Uh on exciting news, the new website is going live on January 20th. Um it has been uh some time coming. Uh we are very excited to launch this website and uh the only thing we do ask is just to bear
with us as we are tweaking little items as as we're going live and and figuring it all out. But uh I have seen a draft of it and it really uh is wonderful. So uh thank you to our IT staff for working hard and diligently on putting that together. Lafayette Polebard, as I
previously reported in my last report, there were issues with the approved contractor on the project. We were able to meet with the owner of the company last Friday, uh, January 9th, and since Monday, January tw uh 12th, I'm sorry, the contractor is working on the deficiencies that were noted, and I
should have more information to bring back to the board at our next meeting. Uh, the policies and procedures throughout the county, the Office of Employee Services and I are working on updating some uh, the employee handbook and some additional policies to bring to the board for review. Uh, and the rest of my items are uh, to be discussed in
executive session. Thank you. You sure have kept yourself busy uh since your new appointment. Thank you. Uh county council for >> executive session. >> Okay. Number 20. Unfinished business. >> Uh I have unfinished business. >> Okay.
>> Uh before you have a resolution authorizing the county to begin the process of conducting a feasibility study prior to proceeding with a public sale of the jail. Uh I don't know whether you want me to read it for you or whatever, but I will for the audience. Whereas the board of county commissioners pre previously authorized
the county to schedule a public hearing and auction of the county jail. And whereas there is currently a desire by the board to obtain information and review and consider regarding conducting a feasibility study on the county jail and in addition to county offices and
operations. Now therefore be therefore the board county commissioners does hereby authorize the county to pause the process of this auction of the county jail and be further resolved that the county board of commissioners authorize the county administrator to obtain information to be reviewed at a future
meeting regarding a feasibility study. And I'm going to make a motion that we approve this. I think everybody knows how I feel about the county jail being a huge asset to this county and I think a feasibility study would certainly help all of us to understand whether we have a value there or we don't have a value.
>> I'll second it. >> Okay. So, um any discussion? >> Uh I so I like the idea. I truthfully do. Uh the only concern uh I know it says to begin the process of conducting a fe feasibility study. Uh I just didn't know if you had a cost cuz I know um I
looked at Burough Pensrove their feasibility study was 50,000 but then Mount Holly Township had a phys feasibility study of 11,000 but then the county of Essex did a study on their jail and it was 200,000. So um there's
just a wide range and I know it's beginning the process. Um, so I just was thinking of >> was there any clarification? >> But I think that's what we're asking the administrator to do. Come up with the cost. You had initially set aside $100,000 for that. That has been spent
down to around 55 as of today with the process of selling the jail. So I think that's what we're authorizing the administrator to do is to come up with prices for us to do a feasibility study >> and for it to include the Cochran House and the library. So it would be the the
three buildings, the proven bag. That's what I meant. Sorry, I didn't mean the library, not the library. >> What? I don't >> Is that Is that in here? I only see the county jail in here. >> Uh, it's covered under operations and other uh offices, I believe. I didn't have
>> Oh, >> yeah. It says county and and additional county offices and operations. >> Yes. all all the resolution is doing because we are under certain statutory timelines constraints. If you're moving ahead with a jail cell, things had to be done
advertised within a certain time, put out the bid with a certain time, etc. So, the resolution, the now therefore of the resolution simply says that you're authorizing a pause on that process. So, we're going to stop the auction process. The prefaratory language talks about all this the other stuff that you guys are
sort of debating right now which is the administrator will go out come back to you guys with a proposal to do feasibility studies related to the my understanding was of the three parcels of property but really the purpose of the resolution is simply to stop the jail auctioning process from going forward at the moment. That's all this
does. >> Okay, >> that's correct. I would have the board would still have to approve any uh resolution to spend towards a feasibility study. >> Yeah, I just want to double check. That's all good. I thought it was a good idea. >> Thank you. Okay, so we have uh Commissioner Henderson made the motion
and Commissioner Silverthorne second it. Um, roll call, please. >> Commissioner Carney, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Degroup, >> yes. >> Commissioner Henderson, >> yes. >> Commissioner Silverthornne, >> yes. >> Director Space, >> yes. Okay. Do we have any any other unfinished
business? >> New business. Any new business? >> Is it just me? Okay. Yeah. Uh just real quick, uh as many of you know, this year marks the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding. Uh if there are no objections, I just like to explore potential partnerships between our
historical society, which I know we put in charge of doing a Rev 250 type of event, which I'm now leazison to, and just connecting them with organizations like SEC, maybe some county departments, um the local municipalities especially, just because they've been talking about it at the reorg meetings, and I think we
could maybe do a shared service. So, I just like to make sure that's all good and I can investigate it. >> Yeah. I also think that I had said it to you that it would be a good idea to do the mayor's breakfast about the 250th anniversary, the first one, so that we get on the same page with the
municipalities if we want to do something >> big for the county. >> And what we don't want is a bunch of municipalities having a 250th and just water down because it seems to happen a lot with the parades. There's always a parade on the same day and it just if we
could do one one big thing throughout the county for everyone. >> Yeah. So, yeah, absolutely. >> Sounds good. >> Sounds good. >> Thank you. >> Any other new business? >> Public session from the floor. This public session is for those wishing to make general comments of 3 minutes or less on non-aggenda topics. Please line
up at the microphone and state your name and municipality for the record. And I get a motion to open the floor for public comment. >> Okay. Commissioner Henderson and a second. >> Second. >> Commissioner Carney. Any discussion? All in favor? >> I I post abstain. Okay, the floor is now
open. Good evening, Ken Collins, Andover Township. I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose any voters. Donald J. Trump.
Here's what I see in the videos of the murder of Renee Good. Renee Good and Rebecca were there to warn their community that ICE was in their neighborhood by honking horns and blowing whistles, as many of their neighbors were also doing. Their
behavior towards ICE agent Jonathan Ross pissed him off and got under his skin. He started running around their car, frantically videotaping with his camera like a crazy man. These women were not
armed in any way. There was never a good reason for Jonathan Ross to prepare to use lethal force against them at all. But as he circled around the back of their vehicle, he switched his cell phone from his right hand to his left
hand in preparation to react with deadly force. He then quickly moved in front of the vehicle as a pair of ICE agents approached Renee and one of them reached in through her open window as conflicting commands were yelled by both of them. Simultaneously, Rebecca was
trying to get into the vehicle through the rear passenger door, and in confusion, the vehicle began moving forward and to the right. Jonathan Ross lunged to his right while firing his weapon at Renee through the windshield, avoiding being struck by the vehicle and
fatally wounding Renee. just to make sure she was thoroughly dead. Ross then fired two more rounds at point blank range at an unarmed and fatally wounded woman in a vehicle that was rolling away down the block.
A lesbian couple taunted Jonathan Ross, so he sent one home in a box. It was a hate crime where they shot her. It was her neighborhood. She was trying to go home and when she turned on the block, there were ICE agents everywhere. There
was no place to park. She was murdered 6 and 1/2 blocks from where George Floyd was murdered. And then there's the audio from Jonathan Ross's own cell phone. He murders her and as she's dead and her car is crashing, he calls her a effing
be I won't say it. Murder. He's a murderer. Lock that bastard up. >> Good evening. My name is Dave D. Whitam from Hampton Township. Thanks for your years of service. By the
way, maybe take any of this personally. Okay. I've often stood here and in some detail tried to point out the illegal, mindless, destructive actions of the Trump criminal and his ass-kissing administration. I fully realize that your silence is expected by your fellow
Republicans, the party that gave you the wonderful Bill Hayden tenure as a commissioner. You are the responsible public officials here in Sussex County. We need to know where you stand. Your veracity as our elected officials will
be judged by your response. Silence is not an option. Please go back to your party meetings and point out to the Tea Party that their budget deficit concerns are billions of dollars worse with this fool as a president. Show our farm
community that he's destroyed the USDA and family farms in our c country. Explain to the working persons in the unions that Donald Trump despises union unions and seeks their demise. Tell your
staunch law and order friends to look forward the lawless masked goons on the streets of Newton. Bribe to those folks how our social and health care safety net has been shredded. Please tell those members of
your political party the truth about what's going on. Now that the Trump criminal has brought his demented behavior to the international stage, time to stop him is running out. He murders his way to become the new president or that is
dictator of Venezuela. He threatens Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, even promising to do Putin's bidding by breaking NATO with a Greenland invasion. All these schemes make us less secure, even here in Sussex County.
doubt that now is the time to speak up. Look at the recent video of the dear leader at his summit with the oil company executives. Watch him meander over to the doors of the White House to peruse a ballroom that's not even there.
This obvious mental incapacity dwarfs Biden's wandering into the woods episode, often shown by conservative hacks as evidence that he was not mentally up to the job. combined with Trump's cruel and uncaring
narcissism, the Trump criminal is unfit for office. Speak up. Tell the truth. Future of politics in this county is in your hands. If you continue to support this, it's just going to go on and on and get worse and worse. By the way, I
like your new beard. I'll renew my challenge to go to the Home Depot. You look more like a Latino now. when you and I will wander around and I'll lay you a bet. I get to go home. You don't. >> Thank you. [laughter]
>> Sandy Pender, Freeden Township. Happy 2026, everybody. Um, my niece recently had a baby and we attended her baby shower back in April. She lives far away, so this was the first time we had met her partner and his family who are Hispanic. His family put together the
whole baby shower with tons of homemade food, party games, music, and full-blown decorations. They walked around throughout the shower, actively introducing themselves to me and members of my family. They were so friendly and joyous, and I couldn't help but notice how tight-knit
they were. It was truly a picture of a family that supports, shows up, and celebrates one another. I think of that shower now, which was held in a local VFW hall, and I picture ICE agents bursting through the door and indiscriminately removing attendees that
are Hispanic. Back in April, I doubt these US citizens would have carried their citizenship on them. I bet they do now. I know this sounds dramatic, but it's something I never would have imagined happening in the United States in the year 2025.
Sometimes it's easy to look away or not care when something doesn't affect you directly. You say to yourself, "Well, I'm white. I'm an American citizen. I was born here, so I'll be okay. No one is going to break my driver's side window and drag me out of my car. No one
is going to question my right to be here." That may be true, but is that really the America you want to live in? Because it sure as hell sounds like 1930s Germany to me. It sounds like our neighbors, our community members are being detained or
disappeared with no recourse. As elected leaders of this county, if ICE and their current behavior is something you are supporting, I have to demand how you think this is good for our community. You are sitting in these seats having taken an oath to represent
all in Sussex County whether they voted for you or not. We have multiple great Hispanic small businesses in walking distance of where where I am standing right now. I ask you, what are you going to do when ICE comes back to Sussex
County next? What will you do? Will you demand humane treatment and enforcement of basic legal rights for these citizens? Or will you look away? History tells us that regimes like this, left unchecked, will not stop here. If
people allow this behavior to continue, they will go after other groups they deem inferior. Will you look away? Surely you know someone who is brown, black, gay, Jewish, Muslim, disabled or
female. Will you look away as a community leader and as a human being? What will you do? I hope to God you don't look away. Hi, Laura H from Freeden. I'm gonna read a poem um that I wrote called the anchor
of the green. Bands anchored where the footpath bends beneath the sprawling oak. A quiet host to strangers and friends who never hear it spoke with slats of wood worn smooth by time and legs of iron cast. It offers up a simple
rhyme of the present and the past. At 8 a.m. the rhythm starts. Two figures slow and gray with linked hands and devoted hearts. They pause along their way. For 50 years, they've walked this mile, but knees are growing weak. The bench restores them for a while with no need
left to speak. By 10, the wheels come rolling near. A stroller breaks to halt. A mother checks her sleeping deer and shakes. Life's assault. She sinks into the wooden seat. Inhales the morning air. A moment's peace, solitary and sweet. While the
At noon, the town of Newton spills its ties. The workers seek retreat, escaping spreadsheets, calls and lies to rest their weary feet. They carve a fortress from the noise with sandwiches and sun, regaining balance, reclaiming poise
before the break is done. The afternoon brings golden light and with it canvas stretched, an artist captures the fleeting sight in oils and charcoal sketched. She paints the shadow texture of the grain, preserving memories the park will keep through
sunshine and through rain. Then chaos comes with sticky hands, a treat of vanilla ice cream. A grandchild makes his loud demands, fulfilling the a sugar dream. The grand grandparents just laugh and wipe the drips from his chin, enjoying us the joyous type that makes
the whole world spin. But as twilight paints the sky, a nervous young man stands. He waits for her to catch his eye, a box within his hands. He kneels right where they first sat down three years ago, this date, and asks her there
in the quiet to share his love and his fate. Through seasons changing leaf and snow, through bones, the bench remains as people go, a throne of wood and stones. It holds the weight of every life, the tired, the loud, the new. a
harbor from the small town's life waiting there for you. Oh, is that the benches that have been removed from the park um for refurbishment will sometime you will comment on that. Um we were told by the old administrator that they
were removed to put the um dividers in. So we'll have to look into that for the spring. Thank you. Kathy Brennan, Hampton Township. First of all, I want to say happy new year to everyone. And I'd like to say thank you for filling the seat that has been empty
for so long. And I would guess that in being here for however long, one week or whatever, you've probably done more already than your predecessor. Thank you. And I'd also just like to say really quick, um I belong to a group and we've
been um making phone calls to representatives because the House of Representatives has a bill now to put the crime victims money back which would aid Jinny's house and also the group is going to be doing a fundraising for
Jinny's house. So hopefully that will help and they will be put back where they belong. But anyway, and let me get that over with. Um, what I my basic what I want to talk about was ICE. Every citizen on um and undocumented people
are entitled to rights when encountered by ICE agents. If you are randomly stopped on the street, you have the right to ask if they have a judicial arrest warrant against you or are you just free to leave? And you are then, if they say no, allowed to leave. You have
the right to remain silent. You have the right to refuse to show any ID or immigration documents. You have the right to a lawyer. You can refuse to sign anything that you are asked to sign. And if you are in the workplace, there are safe places in the work in the
workplace such as private back rooms and restrooms, private offices in the back that are labeled this is private. And you can ask for a judicial warrant. And if you do not get one, you do not have
to comply and you can tell th those agents to leave in in your own home. You can refuse anyone entry unless they have proof of of a true judicial warrant.
Unfortunately, ICE now is running a muck, violating all these rights by stopping vehicles, smashing windows, dragging people out of cars, invading workplaces, breaking down doors to gain illegal entry into homes. And they are
not not only going after those with judicial warrants, they are going after anyone and harassing anyone. These acts are turning this country into a political state, causing chaos and fear while taking away individual civil
rights. Due process is being violated and people are being disappeared to detention centers or to other countries. What are you going to do for the as a community leader to put a stop to what is going on? This is not who we are nor who we should aspire to be. And I hope
that this does not happen in our community, which it could be happening any day now because it is happening all around us. And I hope you take the [snorts] leadership to stop it. Thank you. Norma Brand wanted
tonight. I will not be speaking of Donald Trump or the federal government, but a much more local issue. My remarks are in response to the commissioner's comments from December 17th, 2025 meeting. My first comment is regard to Commissioner Degrroot's quote, "Remember
the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ, and God bless." I must assume that Commissioner Degrroot had the best intentions, but that comment has no place in public session of government. It may be appropriate for your church or your holiday card, but
not as a public servant. My first amendment right is to be free from state sanctioned religion. Sitting there as an elected official [clears throat] is simply that you do not need to procilitize from your seat. Outraged if a person who was not a
Christian felt it appropriate to offer religious comments. While I appreciate the sentiment of God bless, I ask you to please keep in mind that you sit on that deis as a public employee, a county commissioner in a public space, not a church. Now, I know
some people may be insulted by my statements and will retort that this is a Christian country and this is proof that there is a war on Christians. I will not try to convince you [clears throat] otherwise. But there is no war. There is no war on Christians.
your request to remember that we are a multiaceted society with many religions and yes the right to have no religion. Along the same vein, my second comment has to do with Commissioner Carney's gift of a Bible to Commissioner Hayden
and asking the commissioner to quote repent. While I wholeheartedly agree that Commissioner Hayden was at worst a charlatan, at best a distraction, you as a committee should have done something about it. While I'm unfamiliar with your bylaws, I must assume that there were
ways that he could be removed when it was obvious he was not going to be a productive member of this committee and possibly committed fraud. As per your own website, county government addresses such regional issues as strategic
growth, solid waste disposal, water quality, the maintenance of county roads and bridges, farmland preservation and open space, county library system. Nowhere does it state that you are >> actually the provision that allows for the expression of religious opinions is
the first amendment of the constitution. Uh the commissioner by getting elected does not wave uh his ability to have a personal uh religious preference or to express it from the dis. There actually only two constitutional provisions uh that relate to the expression of religion. One is the establishment
clause. government will make no uh religion or establish uh a preference for one and the other is the uh free exercise clause. Neither of which are violated uh by commissioner uh the Groot saying God bless or merry Christmas or anything else that he want like his comments today or the ones man that you
made reference to uh quite candidly the ability to have a personal religious preferences protected even from this side of the deis. Um, so nothing that this commission board has ever done has has created or established a county religion. Uh, think in the terms of like
the Church of England. Uh, nor have they done anything uh to be critical of, coercive of, or endorse any other type of religious uh, belief. Quite candidly, there's a whole body uh, of constitutional law that covers those
exact rights uh, and the ability of the commissioner to speak the way he did. I happen to sit in the New Jersey State Senate when I'm not doing this. And we open every um Senate session uh with a prayer offered by uh a particular faith leader, whether it's a Muslim cleric or
the other day a Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, a Baptist minister. It really makes no difference. uh the law specifically allows for that to happen as long as the um the uh governing body does not simply open every meeting say with a Christian uh
prayer uh or with a Jewish prayer for that matter. So uh I respectfully disagree with you. He's more than welcome to do that. Uh in so far as Mr. Carney uh presenting the Bible or whether or not they tried to get rid of Mr. Hayden. Unfortunately, uh there's no New Jersey statute, and we went through
this once or twice before, that allows uh this board to say vote out a member that that is elected uh by the Sussex County community for no show. They can do it at the at the municipal level. Uh you have a municipal representative that doesn't make a number of meetings, they can they can actually be removed, but for whatever reason, there's not a
similar law at the county [snorts] level to remove uh an elected official. believe it or not, if my memory serves me correctly, and I might be wrong, but I think Commissioner Fantasia uh or excuse me, Assembly, right, Assemblywoman Fantasia actually introduced the bill uh to allow that to happen. So, Commissioners could be
removed if they missed a whole bunch of meetings. Uh and you could probably count how many times that happened here. Uh but it never got moved uh by the Democratic legislature. So, unfortunately, he's still there. It's they were they were not able to do anything about it. So, thank you. No ma'am.
>> Thank you. Happy new year. My name is Debbie Melo. I'm from Franen Township. Um I have I prepared something very similar to so I'm not going to go through and read it all. It doesn't make sense to do that
after um some but what I would like to say to you is this. I feel that it's important for elected representatives to be rather than exclusive. I do think that that evening
on December 17th, there were that felt excluded. And I speak myself as a as a religious woman. I I'm employed by a church in this town. I've been
married there. So I understand and I respect that. But I do feel very very important to [clears throat] be especially if you're an elected official some you you said happy new year which
was a good on that day and you said happy holiday and happy new year and I just think it behooves us to think about that as we move through. I think and I know that prayers are said
at the beginning of turns. So, um, I wouldn't have a problem with that if we took turns. And I do think that it is something that I would hope you would not use your platform. Dean Opriage, Hampton Township.
I have spoken before the board of commissioners several times over the course of the past year. I have asked you numerous times, what will it take for you to stand against the tyrannical actions of the MAGA regime. You have stayed silent through their attacks on
immigrants, scientists, universities, politicians, and world leaders. You have stayed silent while they promote lie after lie about all of the outrageous statements and actions that
they have made on a daily basis. Instead of standing with your constituents and fighting for our right to speak out against this tyrannical regime, you have been complicit with their lies and tried to take away our
freedom of speech. However, it is [clears throat] a new year. You can reverse course. As we begin 2026, I ask that you make a New Year's resol resolution to demonstrate moral leadership and stand
up against the tyrants. I ask that you join us in this fight to save our democracy. I ask that you become proactive and use your leadership position to talk to constituents across the county and politicians in offices above you in the state and national
government to spread the word of the dangers of the MAGA regime and the threats they pose our country, state, and nation. I ask that you join the Republicans across the country who have voiced their opposition to the MAGA regime and honestly declared that these
tyrants are not what the Republican party stands for. There is no shame in admitting that you were wrong. There is shame, however, in continuing to support thugs who shoot and kill innocent citizens who are exercising their right
to free speech. There is shame. There is shame in supporting outofcontrol masked thugs who beat up and arrest innocent immigrants and American citizens and hold them in deplorable conditions and send them out of the country. There is
shame in supporting a tyrannical regime that threatens our allies and destroys our security and standing in the world. There is shame in claiming to be a Christian while staying silent in the face of such injustice against our
fellow man. It is a new year. It is time for you to do the right thing. Good evening and happy new year. I say that in good faith. I am speaking this evening. >> Just need your name and minutes of
county even though even though I know it. >> I am Karen Balszano from Wanage Township. I am speaking this evening about empathy and social justice in honor of the late Martin Luther King Jr's 97th birthday
which would have been tomorrow. We live in a democracy. In order for democracy to work correctly, it requires particip participation just as we are doing here this evening. In 1946, Martin Lee Mohler, a German
German pastor, wrote a poem titled, "First they came." First they came for the socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. And then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a
trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me. Complicated as life is, Neo Muller was initially a Nazi supporter and a strong
anti-semite. He believed, as many Germans initially did, that the Nazis would provide strong leadership to make Germany a strong and respected nation. In doing so, he overlooked the Nazis intense
anti-Semitic beliefs and eventual interference with how Christian churches were run. Neorher was arrested several times for defending the churches against Nazi interference and was ultimately imprisoned in Dhaka concentration camp.
He survived there until liberation in 1945. And his poem, First They Came, explains his thought process of how he didn't think the Nazis were coming for him until it was too late and there was no one left to defend him. The following is
a version for today. First, they came for the immigrants, and I did not speak up because I am not an immigrant. Then they came for the minorities and I did not speak up because I am not a minority. Then they came for the SNAP programs, food stamps and then I I did
not speak up because I am not a recipient. Then they came for the journalists and I did not speak up because I am not a journalist. They came for the judges, the elections and the rule of law and I assumed those American institutions would prevail. The lesson
here is that silence has a price and it's a clear decision to be complicit. We must speak up to defend everyone's social justice and our American democracy even when today's undemocratic
actions don't affect you directly. Thank you. John Snider, Sanderson Township. We do not live in a democracy. As I said many times before, we pledge allegiance tonight to the republic for which it stands. It's a republic, not a democracy.
Want to congratulate you, especially recently elected. Good luck for the year 2026. I'm sad to see the rioting in Minneapolis and Portland by the lawless, disgusting left-wing Democrat supporters.
January 6, which was manipulated by the Biden administration operatives to create a riot. Funny how all MAGA rallies before and after January 6th have been nonviolent. the violence that we see every day now
on the news. Young lady mentioned Martin Luther King's birthday tomorrow 7. My memory tells me he was all about peaceful resistance. Peaceful. And when I see people throwing rocks,
snowballs at these ICE people. Ashley Batter, excuse me, Babbitt was murdered January 6th. No riots, no towns being torn apart, no univilized
behavior. Renee Good, I believe that's her name, assaults a federal officer with a motor vehicle and all hell breaks out. Jonathan Ross was the ICE agent, suffered, I'm not sure it was ICE,
internal bleeding from what we hear today, from what had happened that day. And previously he was also assaulted with a vehicle and I think he had over 30 stitches that time. Democrat leaders out there, Waltz and Jacob Fry, are poor excuses for
leadership. They remind me of a high school sophomore that got upset with his teacher over something. Minneapolis should be embarrassed. I also heard today that in Iran where they're having some demonstrations now
that 20,000 people have been killed for participating in them. 20,000. And what do we see here? We see citizens attacking federal officials. I wonder in the last four years with Joe
Biden as president, how many Iranian cells are in this country right now just waiting for the word? They threatened Donald Trump today and I'm sure some people in this audience are happy about that, waiting for assassination attempt number
three. also with the uh $9 billion in Minneapolis with the daycare. Apparently, Jacob Fry's wife is somehow involved with some of those organizations, Feeding Our Future. Thank
you. >> Sandy Hall, Leighton, New Jersey. Uh when my kids and my grandkids were getting their driver's license, one of the things I said to them, if you're going to go out to a parking lot, like at the mall or whatever, make sure you park under a light to make sure you can see where you're going. The second thing I said to them is if you're driving home
at night or even during the daytime and somebody behind you flashes your light, like it's a police officer perhaps wanting to pull you over, you pull over. You be respectful of the law and then when they approach your car, make sure your doors are locked. And if you're going to open your window, don't open it all the way. You open it just a little
bit, okay? because that way you don't know if somebody's going to reach in and grab you. So, um, just for the other side of it, if I'm in a situation in my car and someone approaches me, particularly armed, particularly masked,
and I don't know who this person is, but I think I know what their intent is. They put their hand on my car, they try to get into my car and grab me out. I'm not going to open the door. I'm going to try to get my ass out of there. And I don't think there's a woman or maybe even a gentleman in this room who would
not try and say, "What's going on? I don't know, but I want to try and leave." And you do so without hurting anybody. But you do try to save your life. So somebody comes at me, they got a gun, they got a mask. Am I going to open my car door? I don't think so. So there's always two sides of the story.
And um yeah, I probably am the lone Democrat here. And I don't support violence. I think we all agree there's a need for laws and for immigration and border protection, but this is like massive chaotic terrorism. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay. Can I get a motion to
close the floor for public comment and return to regular business? >> Do a second. >> Commissioner Silverthornne and Commissioner Carney does the second. Um, all in favor? >> I I oppos same. Okay. Number 23, reminders. Please check the county's
website at www.sussex.nj. us for meeting schedules. Number 24, Linda. Providing for an executive close session not open to the public in accordance with the provisions of NJSA 104-12
at SEC. Whereas the subject matters about to be discussed may be excluded from the public portion of the meeting by resolution of the board of county commissioners as an exception to the open public meetings act pursuant to NJSA
104-12B and whereas it appears necessary for the board of county commissioners to discuss such matters in executive session. Now therefore be it resolved that the board of county commissioners of the county of
Sussex in accordance with the provisions of NJSA 10 col4-12B and NJSA 10 col4-13 that the board at this time enter into an executive session from which the
public shall be excluded and be it further resolved that the general nature of the subjects to be discussed relate to the following items authorized by NJSA 10 col4-12B as designated below.
Number five, matters relating to the purchase, lease of acquisition of real property or the investment of public funds. Cochran House. Number seven, matters relating to litigation, negotiations, and the attorney client privilege. Bali versus County of Sussex.
Coffee versus County of Sussex. Perez versus County of Sussex. Morocco versus County of Sussex. Bob Sowski, Barnview versus County of Sussex, Homestead Rehabilitation and Healthc Care Center, fire correspondence regarding the Newton
Green. Be it further resolved that the deliberations conducted in close session may be disclosed to the public upon determination of the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners or provided by law that the public interest will no
longer be served by such confidentiality and be it further resolved that upon completion of the business for which the board has entered into the executive session, the board shall reconvene and resume its meeting open to the public. And be it further resolved that the
board expects to >> We're gonna add a person. >> Okay. Number eight, personnel. Be it further resolved that the board expects to >> may take formal action after returning from executive session except to adjourn
the regular meeting. >> Can I get a motion to adopt the executive session resolution and enter into executive session? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Okay. Commissioner Henderson and a second from Commission the deputy director Degrroot. Um any discussion? All in favor? I
>> I abstain. Okay. Thank you. We're going to be quite a while today. >> We'll go in the uh Yeah. >> So, should I just