##VIDEO ID:yS1ZtDBAfjo## [Music] [Music] uh at this time I will call this meeting to order Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker here commissioner bodc here commissioner dallis Fort commissioner gados here commissioner Kowalski here commissioner Mirabella commissioner Williams here Vice chairwoman Leon here and chairwoman pom mudad here chair let the record reflect you have eight Commissioners present I'm sorry seven Commissioners present for uh this evening's regular meeting okay uh Clerk of the board can you please lead us in the prayer and salute to the flag humbly we ask God The Giver of peace and lover of Charity to give the entire family of Nations true agreement with his will and to Grant the light of his Spirit on all who work for justice and peace amen pledge allegiance the flag of the United States of America to the for it stands one nation Clerk of the board please read the statement of compliance with the open public meetings Act the chair wishes to announce that pursuant to the requirements of New Jersey statutes annotated title 10 chapter 4 section 10 of the open public meetings act adequate notice of this meeting with the board of County commissioners of the county of Union has been given by mailing the annual meeting schedule for the year 2024 along with periodic changes necessitated by circumstance to the newspapers circulating within the county of Union who are designated to receive such notice and by posting the annual meeting schedule for the year 2024 in the administration building and further by filing the annual meeting schedule for the year 2024 with the office of the county clerk may I have a motion to approve the communications so moved second uh a motion was made by commissioner Kowalski and was seconded by commissioner bodak Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker hi commissioner bodc hi commissioner granados hi commissioner Kowalski yes commissioner Williams I Vice chairwoman Leon I and chairwoman pal Mar mudad I the record reflect you have seven votes in the affirmative on all the communications thank you tonight we have three ordinances for introduction Clerk of the board please read the first ordinance for introduction by title ordinance number 850 2024 Bond ordinance to authorize the making of various public improvements and the acquisition of new additional or replacement equipment and machinery new additional furnishings and new Automotive Vehicles including original apparatus and equipment in by and for the county of union state of New Jersey to appropriate the sum of 37 milon 78313 to pay the cost thereof to appropriate state grants to make a down payment to authorize the issuance of 23,8 $ 5,44 of bonds to finance such appropriation and to provide for the issuance of 2385 $85,000 44 of bond anticipation notes in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds I will now ask fiscal committee chairwoman commissioner Williams to move ordinance 850-202-2504 my mic was not on let me repeat that um I move ordinance number 85020 024 for first reading and authorize the clerk of the board to advertise same in accordance with the law the public hearing and final reading will be held on December 18 2024 thank you may I have a second so moved uh a motion was made by commissioner Williams and was seconded by commissioner Kowalski Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker yes commissioner bodc yes commissioner granados all right commissioner Kowski yes commissioner Williams I Vice chairwoman Leon I and chairwoman p mudad i chair let the record effect you have seven votes in the affirmative for ordinance 850 d202 thank you Clerk of the board please read the second ordinance for introduction by title ordinance number 851-2400 the county manager County Council and department heads for 2025 I will I will now ask fiscal committee chairwoman commissioner Williams to move ordinance 851-2021 d224 for first reading and authorize the clerk of the board to advertise same in accordance with the law public hearing and final reading uh of this ordinance will be held on December 18th 2024 may I have a second second a motion was made by commissioner Williams and was seconded by commissioner Baker Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker I commissioner bodc I commissioner granados hi commissioner Kowalski yes commissioner Williams hi Vice chairwoman Leon I and chairwoman pal Mar mudad I let the record reflect you have seven votes in the affirmative on number 851 d224 thank you Clerk of the board please read the third ordinance for introduction by title ordinance number 852 d202 an ordinance to amend the laws of Union County administrative code and policies and general legislation by amending part one Administrative Code chapter one Union County government structure article 3 Board of County Commissioners article 16 Department of Human Services Article 19 department of engineering Public Works and Facilities Management article 24 Department of Economic Development chapter 2 administrative legislation Article Five fiscal Provisions part two policies and general legislation chapter 26 benefits chapter 44 department head qualifications chapter 46 excavation and construction Pro projects chapter 49 fees and chapter 131 streets and sidewalks I will now ask policy Committee Member commissioner Kowalski to move ordinance 852-2258 52-22 4 for first reading and authorize the clerk of the board to advertise same in accordance with the law the public hearing and final reading will be held on December 18 2024 thank you may I have a second second a motion was made by commissioner Kowalski and was seconded by commissioner bodak Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker I commissioner bodak I commissioner granados I commissioner Kowalski yes commissioner Williams Vice chairman Leon I and chairwoman p mudad i chair let the record reflect you have seven votes in the affirmative on ordinance eight 5 2-22 24 thank you the meeting is now open to the public for the purpose of commenting on resolutions being offered for adoption Andor on any governmental issue that a member of the public feels may be of concern kindly state your name and town of residence for the record and if speaking on a resolution on the agenda please note the resolution number to which you are referring and adhere to the F minute time limit kind of lonely out here uh good evening ladies and gentlemen the commissioner board and various golden nuggets this is Bruce Patterson garw New Jersey reso 898 is a decreased change order for $81,000 for the Central Avenue Bridge construction in planfield it's always good to hear decrease to help the taxpayers thank you about that reso 899 is giving CME Associates another $50,000 a 30% increase which their contract is now 200 grand for Professional Services for Ashbrook restoration project uh there's no project number listed so which project is it the golf course restoration work or the Ashbrook swamp damage restoration work uh note CME has donated 50 Grand in four years to you and your cronies election campaigns reso 9003 through 906 is approving pre-qualified list of architectural engineering construction management and planning firms uh an informative analysis could be done regarding the various firms campaign donations to the Commissioners and the cronies versus the amount of County work they receive uh the residents of Berkeley Heights are presently doing this for their own town under the term gray money uh reso 912 is Contracting out to Danto and Associates for Appraisal Services for a dilapidated property at 1819 Allen Street raway this small quarter acre parcel could be a good fit to the adjacent County's Michael biziga Conservation Park as you reach out for an appraisal you should be aware that in April of 2023 the vades uh bought the property for 200 Grand then one and a half years later in late December 2023 a Mr Ammon Esquire of LAX developments LLC boarded for $300,000 a 50% increase in one and a half years now not even one year has passed and you're planning to purchase it uh Mr Ammon as a lawyer with the LLC may be acting as a straw man to someone behind the scenes uh the Public's great concern here is that our County were not fall prey to an inflated appraisal cost nor pay more than the 2023 puffed up cost created by Mr Ammon the alleged strawman we are only buying the land and not the dilapidated home this LLC should not be making a windfall off the taxpayers dime as stewards of our tax money during negotiations the veil of the LLC should really be pierced as to who is behind this potential windfall that just may happen uh reso 916 is applying and executing a grant from the D for $20 million for the Clark Reservoir project uh this certainly is good news towards the Public's issue dour uh the Clark Reservoir committee wherever you are is wondering if we are already promised this or is this a shot inth dark uh by the way what is the name of the grant we are applying for reso 917 is awarding a contract for 25 Grand to colar engineering to provide Hydra raking at Bryant Pond Summit uh this is confusing in 2022 gave ky's engineering the contract for hydro raking Professional Services TR winegar did the pond work for about 300 Grand and just last meeting you gave him the final closeout Amendment for his work completed now you are giving KY a second new contract for 25 grand for the same work which was already complete uh this really needs explanation for the public and note ky's donated to your crony's campaigns $36,000 in the last four years General comments uh you Commissioners are our County leaders there was a second public Hearing in Clark regarding the county project at the Clark Reservoir which could cost upwards of $40 million there were 60 County residents in attendance with various Grievances and for a second time not a single commissioner personally attended to hear the speakers and watch the room's reactions your lack of interesting interest is really baffling just one commissioner could have gone as information liaison from the meeting this furthers the question as to why are there a total of nine sitting County Commissioners where maybe five or six sitting sitting Commissioners could easily do the Public's business through the years I've observed that apparently many Commissioners and past freeholders they had really no substance to the Committees and meetings and are just considered dead wood to me but we move on thank you seeing no one else I will formally close this portion of the meeting um I will call um director Pate for regarding resolution 9 899 you madam chair the resolution 899 is the Ashbrook res restoration thank you um County Manager Omen um could you please uh address resolutions 912 and 916 sure I will go in reverse order uh 916 it was a um was a line I believe item in the state budget they called it a grant so that is the paperwork that the state has given us and their language so there's reflective of that and for 912 um that is exactly why we do an appraisal we to get a fair market value of that piece of property and just to correct what Mr Patterson said we are actually have to buy the house as part of the property that come as a package deal but you're right it is dilapidated we will probably be knocking it down if we do acquire that piece of land thank you thank you um and director uh derre could you please address resolution 9 917 yes thank you chair um this resolution will bring on board callers to do the Professional Services so that the board can complete the hydro raking of of Bryant Pond thank you at this sorry at this time I would like to ask for a motion to adopt resolutions 204-8900 so move second a motion was made by commissioner Williams and was seconded by commissioner Kowalski Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker I commissioner bodc I to all abstain on 202 24-9 26k commissioner granados I commissioner Kowalski yes commissioner Williams I Vice chairman Leon I and chairman pal mud I uh let the rec reflect you have seven votes in the affirmative on all resolutions with the exception of uh resolution 2024-25 we have six votes in the affirmative and one exstension thank you at this time I will call upon my colleagues for reports and comments I will start with commissioner bodak the Union County Board of County Commissioners is thrilled to continue the uccl love small Biz campaign already in full swing as part of this year's Union County small business month initiative through December 24th discovered and support local businesses by visiting the Union County love small Biz website explore links to downtown districts Chambers of Commerce and local directories where you can search and Browse by category to find your next favorite spot part of the site will highlight local events and promotions providing a digital space for businesses to Showcase activities discounts and exciting news residents visitors and businesses are invited to post their photos with the hashtag number u l o v SS m a l l b i z to share their experiences with others um this past Sunday I had the uh I I attended the performance of The Nut CER at the Union County art center and it was amazing the performance and the reaction of all the children in there and I think it was a wonderful event and I'm glad that the Commissioners can help provide this to the residents and youth of Union County that concludes my report thank you commissioner kski thank you chairwoman um the holiday train show at Union County's Model Railroad Club will be having its final two openhouse weekends on December 7th and 8th that's this weekend and then the following weekend December 14th and 15th it's an extensive display of model train cars more than 200 trains with a 40x40 foot layout uh that brings the New Jersey trains of the 1950s to life so if you have a anybody who's interested in train Transportation it's a very enjoyable thing to take especially take children to but I'm sure there are many adults who would enjoy it as well I've been there several times um there are tickets sold at the door there is admission it's uh it's very re reasonable prices um and the Model Railroad Club is a tax exempt public charity affiliated with Union County's depart and the New Jersey Department of parks and Community Renewal thank you chairman thank you commissioner Baker uh no report Madam chair commissioner Williams thank you madam chair uh the board would like to invite seniors and caregivers to visit their local Aging Services kiosk ask is the acronym for the final events of the 24 2024 season uh Wednesday uh December 11th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Garwood Public Library uh and Wednesday December 18th from 12: to 2: pm at the Elizabeth uh Public Library staff at the ask locations can help older adults and caregivers connect with various services including hom delivered meals respit Care Home Care adult daycare and support services for caregivers for more information about the ask events and any other services for seniors in Union County please contact the division on Aging and Disability resource connection at 1888 28822 6 that's a toll-free number or visit online at ucnj.org DHS saging um and chair I was also at the um wonderful uh Nutcracker event I wasn't able to stay for the entire thing but it was really a joy and Delight to see how many uh children showed up it was a soldout event so um I was I was just really thrilled to be there and it was wonderful as usual and that's all I have thank you thank you commissioner granados thank thank you chair on behalf of the Union County Board of County Commissioners and the Department of Human Services we invite residents with disabilities and special needs along with their families to the annual skating with Santa event on Saturday December 14th from 2: p.m. to 4 p.m. at the waren ankle Sports Center in Rosel this free event will include ice skating small craft activities warm prels hot chocolate and other light Refreshments children's ages 12 and under will also receive a holiday gift generously donated by the mve New Jersey forward Foundation a Union County based nonprofit registration is required to attend to register visit ucg.org back opds sn- this event is hosted by the Union County office for persons with disabilities and special needs in partnership with mov Jersey Ford Foundation the Elizabeth Police Department elth fire department who also have um their members their ice skating with children and families and for more information on this event please call 9085 527 4781 and just Echo and add on to this weekend's past performance I also want to thank the office of open space for putting together goodie bags for the attendees who are present there too I know everyone left excited and happy I saw the pictures commissioner bodek was uh passing out a lot of the gift bags to um youngsters who were there so I just want to thank them for putting it together thank you thank you chair uh County Council Bergen nothing thank you chair County manager opman no comments chair uh Vice chairwoman lordis Leon I will be banking my time tonight thank you okay uh the Union County Board of County Commissioners has announced a holiday toy drive collecting toys from now through December 20th shop our toy list at ucnj.org to- drive- list there are currently four drop off locations the Union County Administration Building in Elizabeth Social Services building in Elizabeth the engineering building in Scotch Plains and the public safety building in Westfield toys can also be shipped directly to Union County by sending your package package to Samantha Perez with the county manager's office at 10 Elizabeth toown Plaza in Elizabeth in addition to toys new coats for children ages 17 and under are also being collected at these locations um and I'd also just like to once again thank Deana hunt for her years of service with Union County and wish you really a wonderful and healthy and fun and exciting retirement um and I also want to just mention that our director uh Vicky Durban Drakes her son was sworn into the bar yesterday down in Trenton so give him a round of applause a great accomplishment and I believe he's taking a job in DC very exciting um and I'd also like to just mention that our Clerk of the board Jim Peltier is celebrating 25 years with the county this month we celebrated yesterday but I I know it's not for a couple of days so he's uh he's still in keep me on board till the 18th I'll make it sounds good um that is all I think if I head out now I can make my fifth grade son's band concert so um don't want to miss that uh can I have a motion to adjourn second second uh motion was made by commissioner bodc seconded by commissioner Leon all in favor okay thank you [Music] [Music]