e e e e e e e this is a regular meeting of the township committee public notice of this meeting has been given as required by the open public meetings law a
resolution was adopted on January 1st 2025 designating this state this H in 7:30 p.m. as the time for this regular meeting of the township Committee of the township of Union in the county of Union a notice of each and every meeting of the township committee was posted in accordance with the affers said open
public meetings law in one public place reserved for the posting of ordinances and official notices of the township of Union namely the bulletin board next to the clerk's office in addition there to a copy of said resolution was forwarded to the local Source in Star Ledger a copy of said resolution is on file with
the clerk of the township thank you madam clerk good evening the prayer will be given by committee woman s Sor Terell and Deputy Mayor Joseph Florio will lead us in the flag Sal as we gather as members of this
Township committee we pray that we are ever mindful of opportunities Direct render our service to fellow citizens and to our community keeping in mind always the enduring values of Life exerting our efforts in those areas and on those things upon which future
Generations can build with confidence let us continue to strive to Make a Better Community Amen ourg to the flag of the United States of America and to the repic for stands one
nation under God IND and justice for all okay I have a roll call Mr figorito is excused Miss Terell here Miss Frasier here Mr Florio here mayor Bowser here have a motion to approve the minutes so
moved second all in favor I at this time Madam Kirk can we move on to the ordinances and resolutions I you consideration on second and final reading an ordinance amending the ston Avenue Redevelopment plan move ordinance be taken up for second and final reading
second an ordinance of the township Committee of the township of Union County of Union New Jersey adopting certain additional amendments to the Redevelopment plan for ston Avenue block 2903 Lots 11 through 15 and 25 through 29 pursuant to the local Redevelopment
and Housing law njsa 48 call2 A-1 Etc is there anyone from the public wishing to speak on this ordinance move o uh motion to approve second M Terell yes M Fraser yes Mr Florio yes mayor Bowser yes I for your
consideration on draft and first reading an ordinance amending chapter first reading by title at this time check an ordinance amending chapter 37-7 entitled board of appeals by the township Committee of Township of Union County of union state of New Jersey this
allows an appeal to the Union County Construction board of appeals Miss Terrell yes Miss Frasier yes Mr Florio yes mayor Bowser yes move draft be taken up at the second regularly scheduled meeting for second and final reading second Mr trell yes M
Frasier yes Mr FL yes mayor Bowser yes repealing section 27-2 of the municipal code entitled board of appeals move ordinance be taken up by title at this time second an ordinance to repeal section 270 point2 of the code of the township
of Union entitled board of appeals Miss Terell yes Miss Frasier yes Mr Florio yes mayor Bowser yes move ordinance to be taken up for second and final reading at the next regularly scheduled meeting
second Miss Terrell yes Miss Frasier yes Mr Florio yes mayor Bowser yes mening chapter 440- 36 of the municipal code entitled registration fees this amends registration fees for vacant and abandoned properties move the D you
taken up by first reading by title at this time second an ordinance amending chapter 440- 36 entitled registration fees by the township Committee of Township of Union County of union state of New Jersey amends the registration fee for vacant and abandoned properties
Mr trell yes M Fraser yes Mr Florio yes mayor Bowser yes move the draft be taken up for second and final reading at our next regular schedule meeting second Mr trell yes M Fraser yes Mr Florio yes mayor Bowser yes providing funds for a portion of the joint meeting of Essex
and Union County's Capital Improvement projects in the amount of $2,510 th000 move ordinance be taken up by title at this time second a bond ordinance providing for the local units allcable share of capital Improvement projects for the joint meeting of Essex and Union
counties buying in the township of Union in the county of union state of New Jersey the local unit appropriating $2,510 th000 therefore and authorizing the issuance of $2,510 th000 bonds or notes to finance the cost thereof move ordinance be taken
up for second and final reading at the next regularly scheduled meeting second Mr Terell yes m Fraser yes Mr Florio yes mayor Bowser yes the following resolutions authorizing a Professional Services contract with Norris mclin PA for legal representation for contractual
matters with New Jersey Transit for a fee not to exceed $20,000 motion to approve second all in favor I I authorizing an award of contract to fire flow services for the annual testing of equipment for the fire department for an amount not to exceed $18,400
all in favor I authorizing a Professional Services contract with Kyle mcmanis to prepare the round four housing element and fair share plan for an amount not to exceed $25,000 to approve the contract second all in favor authorizing the award of a 5-year
contract for solid waste recycling and ve vegetative waste collection to Regional Industries at total amount not to exceed $ 5,996 th000 annually motion to to approve second all in favor authorizing
change order number two increasing the amount to PM construction by $40,000 resulting in a revised total contract amount of 1,951 67270 for the 2024 EtG Road program for
approval second all in favor I authorizing a professional service agreement with Coler engineering and design for preliminary Design Services for the Weber Park improvements for a pH not to exceed $112,000 motion to approve second all in
favor I authorizing the purchase of four police motorcycles from Liberty Harley-Davidson for an amount not to exceed $ 53,8 32 motion to approve second all in favor I I authorizing the purchase and installation of four additional parking
pay stations from integrated Technical Systems Inc through the sourcewell co-op in the amount of $ 42,8 N4 move to approve the purchase second all in favor I authorizing the sale and issuance of bond anticipation notes of
the Township in the amount of $15 million for approval second all in favor I authorizing the tax assessor and the special tax appeal Council to file tax appeal complaints with the tax Court of New Jersey for certain properties in the township motion to approve second all in
favor I I I ask you to approve the finances as listed on the agenda MO motion to approve second all in favor the following Communications from Terry Manda tax collector requesting the township committee authorized checks issued to the following representing the
Redemption of tax s certificates as listed on the agenda for approval second all in favor I from Joseph Venia Township engineer requesting payment number six to Crossroads Paving Corporation in the amount of $3,662 for work completed through
January 31st 2025 in connection with the 2024 Road Improvement program approval second all in favor I from Patricia Gomes Portuguese American civic association requesting a ra a flag raising ceremony on Tuesday June 10th
2025 at 7 p.m. also requesting the use of the showa bail and barricades for their annual Portugal Day event June 27th and 28th with a rain date of June 29 2025 with all fees waved motion to approve however no overtime cost will be waved
second all in favor hi from Elena Rossy New Jersey Folk Festival requesting the use of the Sha bill for the 50th anniversary celebration of their Festival on April 26 2025 at the Ruckers New Brunswick campus motion to approve
second all in favor I I from Betty spula St Demetrius GRE Greek Orthodox Church requesting raway Avenue be closed on April 18th 2025 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for a religious procession motion to approve second all in favor hi hi
from Marinet mang manganello American helenic educational Progressive Association requesting to hold a flag raising ceremony to celebrate Greek Independence Day in front of town hall on Sunday March 23rd 2025 at 1:30 p.m. for approval second all in
favor I have Department reports from the clerk's office community development and the senior center move be received and filed second all in favor all right that concludes my part of the agenda uh thank you madam clerk at this time we'll move on to our committee reports we're
starting with police commissioner Sandra Terrell good evening everyone uh my report covers the period of February 22nd through March 7th um we've had uh with regard to direct patrols there were
1,255 direct patrols there were 2,379 calls for service and there were 70 arrests for the same uh time period February 22nd to Mar March 7th uh in our enforcements so truck enforcement red
light and our speed initiative in the truck enforcement there were 17 stops eight tickets were issued and eight of those tickets were local or residents in the red light enforcement area we had 45 stops 40 tickets were issued and eight
of those were were residents and in our speed initiative there were 62 stops 61 tickets were issued and 10 of those were for residents or local uh if anyone's keeping track I know I say this all the time uh whether
the numbers are going up or going down it appears that they've gone down so my hope is that our our residents are getting the message and and understanding that our Police Department takes the types of enforcement very serious uh so it's I'm I'm happy to see that the numbers are going down uh I
just have one announcement and one highlight um to share this evening on March 2nd 2025 officers observed the stolen vehicle involved in an attempted motor vehicle burglary in town when officers attempted to stop the vehicle
the driver refused leading to a Pursuit the chase continued through Union as the suspect the suspect vehicle attempted to enter rout 78 before reaching the highway the vehicle became disabled prompting both male occupants to flee on foot officers quickly established a
perimeter and successfully apprehended both suspects without further incident the individuals were identified as juveniles charged accordingly and transported to juvenile detention again that leads me
to uh the um our neighborhood watch program and again and I know this is something that we've mentioned uh in the last couple of meetings we'll continue to mention it because I think it's important and I think it's important for our our residents to participate so the union Police Department remains
dedicated to community outreach and Resident support as a top priority open clear and effective communication is vital to addressing concerns and assuring timely responses as part of this commitment our neighborhood watch program serves serves as a proactive
crime prevention initiative empowering residents to take an active role in keeping our community safe we are currently seeking new members to join and help strengthen this program for information or to get involved please contact our community policing Bureau at
908 851 5252 thank you thank you commissioner would you also do the uh DPW I will gladly uh so my next report is for the Department of Public Works and since our last meeting uh the
road division in the road division there were 109 Township roadways swept there were 322 potholes repaired they completed 43 overlays utilized 15 Tons of hot Road material and replaced
and or repaired missing Pavers at seven locations within the parade uh route in the sewer division they flushed out and cleared 28 sanitary lines for maintenance there were two emergency calls there were 44 enzyme
applications to eliminate grease in various sanitary lines and and uh they exercised all Township generators in the shade tree division 16 trees were removed they cleaned up seven locations
with down trees and branches six stumps were removed and they assessed four locations for hazardous Tre trees Andor sidewalks and in the grounds division they removed leaves from 24 locations cleaned 75 Parks SL Township
properties of branches and various debris and they removed win uh winter Planters at three locations so they were also very very busy over the last few weeks as always all concerns or inquiries regarding all division of
Public Works can be addressed by calling public works at 908 6861 1922 but we encourage you to utilize the reporter concern feature on the township website and if anybody's looked at the township website it's been updated and
it uh really looks good so I encourage you to take a look at the website and use this feature if you need to uh this concludes my report thank you commissioner thank you at this time I request that the fire commissioner Patricia G Fraser a report good evening
everyone before I begin I want to make a motion to approve the following licenses gas stations us gas on Salem Road BP gas on Morris Avenue private pump Elizabeth Town Gas on Green Lane BYOB chicken and
Pizza Villa North Avenue tacos Mexican Grill on Styers Avenue robs Deli on Styers Avenue Cozy Corner on radway Avenue pet shop and kennel shelters the township of Union animal control on Jefferson Avenue Dogtopia of Union on
Chestnut Street Red Barn dog Ops on Chestnut Street PetSmart on Springfield Avenue and shakera on Route 22 second thank you all in
favor and the fire report the union fire department responded to 222 emergency calls for service the these two past uh weeks um and 88 of the calls being for medical services members have completed
558 hours of web-based training this period and numerous hours of Hands-On training some significant events during this period are March 1st uh FD responded to Stan Stanley Terrace for structure fire that went to two alarms
one firefighter was injured during suppression efforts March 1st um FD responded to Route 22 for a car that drove through the building taking out structural supports March 2nd FD responded to Montclair Avenue for
structure fire no injuries to responders or occupants March 3rd FD responded to Styers Avenue for commercial kitchen fire March 5th FD Swift water members responded to the Waterway behind New
Jersey water site for a suicidal mail in the water um for winter fire tips right it's still winter excuse me it is still winter um although it was beautiful day out smoke alarms please continue to test your
smoke alarms carbon monoxide detectors periodically especially before cooking install alarms on every level of your home near the bedrooms please uh maintain fire extinguishers keep fire extinguishers nearby um in known places
and know how to use them Fire Escape Plan make sure your family and yourselves are plan and practice your Escape Route in case of a fire clean out your clothes dryer vent and lint traps and check your grill for dust grease and
other debris and move your grill at least 10 ft away from your home as we begin to use our grills that concludes my report thank you commissioner before we go any further ask yes I'd like to make a motion to extend the license for do Dash incorporate Incorporated to
Donna MB Canan and William Peter ambacher second that motion all in favor I Deputy Mayor would you give us your report thank you from our Recreation Department the union Recreation Department is excited
to share two of our travel basketball teams had made it to the League's Championship the fifth grade boys head coach head coach by Donald Paris finished the season 12-2 had the top seed in the playoff bracket the boys won a close semi-final game against Berkeley
Heights to earned their spot in the final against Mar the fifth grade Championship will be played at Clark at Brewer rec center on Saturday March 15th at 3 p.m. the seventh grade boys led by head head coach Keith Stewart the regular season
record of 10 of four was enough to get the third seed in the playoffs the boys upset number two seed Berkeley Heights in the semifinal and are now headed to the final against Flemington the seventh grade Champion game will be played at Bridgewater High School on Sunday March
16th at 1:30 the games will be streamed live if you interested online for those who are unable to attend in person please check the town's Facebook page for the links for this weekend we'd like to congratulate the players and coaches and parents of these teams as well of
all the other six teams the travel teams uh it has been a successful season for all with all eight teams earning a playoff spot congrats to all these young stars from our senior Department another
very very busy agenda here uh health and wellness Tuesday March 18th 9:30 to 11:30 a nurse will be providing Health maintenance check and prevention service take advantage of if you want to if you need it quilting over the centuries women's live and history on Tuesday
March 18th come learn about the rich history of quilting and its connection to women's lives throughout American history don't miss out on their unique opportunity to dive into the cultural and historical sign sign significance of quilting with our expert guest speaker
Hana Gaston Liberty Hall Museum we look forward to seeing you you there I'm sorry my voice I'm losing it uncomfortable chain Series this presentation will consist of an artistic demonstration of an uncomfortable conversation about mental illness followed by an interactive TalkBack
resources and information focus on emotional and mental health as well as livebe effective communication workshop on Friday March 21st and March 28th at 1:30 to 2:30 an exclusive Workshop designed for seniors where you learn
practical straight strategies to enhance everyday interactions gain valuable insights to Bull build trust and address concerns with confidence and learn to advocate for yourself at home and with your doctor speaker Claire rinkman founder of embracing
endings St Patrick's Day celebration coming up March 14th 11: to 2 p.m. com come join us for a funfilled day of friends laughter and dancing as we celebrate the Luck of the Irish and live music by Tanya Ray music delicious cupcakes and coffee to enjoy
registration is required you need to sign up okay we can't wait to see you there Wind Creek Casino in Bethleham on March 20th $40 per ticket departure on Janette Avenue Hills Playhouse swing name of the play April
24th at $80 for ticket includes Transportation show table served Entre dessert coffee hot tea and tax and maturity the departure of the senior citizens uh Center join us for a high energy performance that brings the excitement of swing jazz to life this
show features an incredible dancing singing and acrobatics recreating the vibrant swing area with big bands and Jazzy tunes and solo improvs you'll also get to see various swing dances like the lindsy Hop Jitterbug and whip each with
its own unique FL there from different regions we'd love to for you to join us from this Unforgettable experience and let's swing the day away that's my report uh thank you commissioner before we dive into the upcoming Township events I would like to congratulate
Union High School class of 2025 solitarian Jaden Shaw and solarian ubz EG KY I would also like to celebrate two Union High School seniors Ethan Santos
and Rio J Vante who have recently earned acceptance to the prestigious United States Military Academy at West Point West Point is a Renown for its its rigorous admissions process boering a high competitive acceptance rate of 12%
congratulations to both and we wish you the best of luck as you embark on your next adventur so let's give them a round [Applause] for next I have have the St Patrick's Day Parade join us on the 28th Annual
Union County St Patrick's Day Parade in the township of Union this coming Saturday the event will start with the mass at 900 a.m. at the Immaculate Heart of Mary and St Patrick followed by the grand stand program at noon in the Union Center the parade will kick off at 1
p.m. at the intersection of mors and Janette Avenues enjoy a fantastic lineup of food trucks live entertainment and more networking for cause tickets are available for the third annual networking for cause event on April from
5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at legar restaurant for just $30 join us for an evening of networking and Community as we support a 9-year-old Laya in her fight against leukemia and lyoma visit Union township.com for tickets and
donations pet licenses if you have not yet licensed your pet for the year please remember you can easily do so by contacting our town clerk applications can either be picked up in person or via the Union Township uh.com website please
do not forget the proof of vaccination is required if you have any questions please contact the town clerk at 98851 8501 everbridge notifications please sign up for emergency and general
notifications online at ww. uniontown.pa that concludes my report at this time I will open it up anyone wishing to speak please come forward remind this a reminder there's a five minute limit uh
please give your name and address once you get there so again anyone wishing to speak good evening everyone my name is Dr quashi 40 Franklin Street in Union New Jersey vxa I just want to quickly just want to I came here previously to a town
hall to address a couple concerns regarding um some road work some um sewer issues some Paving on my street and I just have to say on the Franklin Street of vxa community um you all have
definitely came out I want to give a special shout out to the engineering department um V Vince who came on and speak to community members regarding the issue um just create a collaborative Community ensuring that those improvements is going to be taken care
of um the groundwork already has started beginning as they has started to look into the work so I know there's a lot more work to be done on this unforgotten block but again thank you so much again for your support thank you anyone else wishing to speak
hello I'm Ruth slovic 1221 McGee Avenue um and County committee woman guer Fraser can you repeat not all the the agencies you spoke about the businesses but was the reason you were listing them and you said it and I said I quite what didn't hear what you said they were
certified you said what were they um they were to um renew their licenses renew their licenses okay thank you thank you so much um I was happy to hear about the the wonderful successes in Union High School um it seems to me in the past that a lot of uh Commendation
or uh congratulations went to sports figures um and things like that and there's wonderful things going on in the high school so I like to hear more and more about what's going on not only academically or or dramatically or Performing Arts but something like Academia how many people you know got
into the colleges or how many people um raised their scores how we're higher in in the educational hierarchy of schools in New Jersey I'd like to hear more of that that would be wonderful thank you it was nice to hear today thank you um then I wanted to ask
you now I've come up here to ask questions because I don't understand things and I'm thinking if I don't understand them when I come here and I listen to them and I scrutinize the agenda how do other people understand what's going on so I was wondering if you would entertain the idea of perhaps
having a guide line to understanding the agenda because you guys will meet together besides this meeting to discuss what's going to be on the agenda and you can vote on it because you've already discussed it looked at the issues but the people who come here might not understand what it means by second and
final reading draft in first reading might not understand what resolutions mean can they comment on it is it too late is a resolution like what it's it's resolved and you voted on it we no longer can change it because we come up after the fact um so I was wondering if you had like a uh a I guess it call a
cheat sheet how to understand the agenda and what it means and have it maybe at the desk maybe put it in the calendar um so people know what they're looking at and and how they can comment on it whether it's something beforehand after the fact or what have you but that's
just suggestion I have because a lot of things I don't understand here and I could take the next 10 15 minutes going over what does that mean what does that mean what does that mean and maybe a little blurb about each thing that you're actually um discussing and voting on that would be to me would be beneficial it might bring more people to
how many people here very few people come because maybe they don't understand I don't know if that's the only reason but maybe they don't understand so I just wanted to share that thank you thank you thank you for your comments mayor yes may yeah ju just briefly uh speaking so uh obviously you know we
have an agenda that we work from we do have a work session that takes place before this meeting yes at 6:30 uh at which time items on the agenda are discussed where you would hear some more information and you also have an opportunity at that time to ask a
question about what's on the agenda in our conference session right now this is kind of like a voting session and some people think that oh wow there's even no debate on issues but actually in our conference session that's where those discussions take place uh with regard to our ordinances once they are passed on
first reading they are not only published in the newspaper but or online I guess there's not much written print these days but uh they're also posted outside the clerk's office and I'm going to volunteer him but our administrator is always up for a phone call or two and
happy to explain something if you don't understand something or have a question but he's his his staff and himself are always available to uh assist you in any questions you have all right my my understanding was that the Public's not invited to that conference ahead of time
at 6:30 so the conference we we meet an hour before at 6:30 on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday at which time uh we discuss the items on the agenda but that's not for the public no it's absolutely open to the public that's my point under under the impression Mr basil I think I'm not
sure if he's there he is in the back room Mr basil I think attends every conference session uh and uh here's here's the discussions and there are some things that that were are discussed that are not on the agenda that may be uh some briefing for the the governing
body with regard to an improvement but you are certainly more than welcome to come to the meeting uh and uh you're also given an opportunity at that time to also uh raise any questions or or comments with regard to the agenda thank you very much I was just concerned about
the the public understanding what it means by draft and first reading what it means by second and final reading what it means by resolution sure I guess it's just the open public meetings act class 101 so basically under the law uh when we pass an ordinance or when the
governing body passes an ordinance asked to go for a first reading uh and that could be by title which we we do read by title uh it could be for a parking restriction it could be for an amendment to one of our many ordinances that we have and then uh it's set up for a
second reading uh and as you could see on the agenda we have first readings and second readings but when there's a second reading uh by law we have to open it up to the public at that moment uh to allow for comment specifically uh to the
order Ence that's being uh considered at that time so in other words you have an opportunity to make a comment or two on an ordinance for second reading and obviously at the end of the meeting also at our conference session at 6:30 you also have an opportunity to uh make a
comment or ask questions as well the resolutions as you see that are on the agenda those are more ministerial administrative type of resolutions awarding contracts approving change orders uh if this body wants to take a position on public issue they could
adopt a resolution expressing their their views so resolutions are more administrative in nature ordinances think of more of law uh so we want a new uh stop sign installed we have to pass an ordinance so that's the difference
between the two there's no uh there's no public comment or session on a resolution it only needs one meeting to pass where an ordinance needs two meetings Okay can that that everything you just said be put on writing and I'm
happy I'm happy to answer any questions too as well oh I appreciate that but I'm I'm sure not the only one if there was like a public place to display it you know understanding what drafts and and first readings and resolutions are would be helpful to the public I would think thank you thank you thank you anyone
wishing to anyone else wishing to speak please come forward please give your name and address good evening Ral Hernandez 135 Laurel Avenue um reason I'm here because um I
am I am impressed about the uh about filling up the potholes especially the ones on Bernett Avenue and Stanley terrorist um I'm also been looking up I'm also been looking at the i' been looking at mostly at the at the agenda
which I've been seeing that when I look at the stensson Avenue plan I have not seen any I see any details within that plan because when when I see when I look at when I look at this I only see the plan itself but I don't see any details
within that plan which um even uh even I need to know what's in there because I also Drive the stus an Avenue myself
um even even when I even when I even when I look at the um I'm also seeing the the ordinance which um it's it's it's good um but that's all all I have to
say thank you okay thank you anyone else wishing to speak seeing none can I have a motion to adjourn so move second all in favor