yeah I'm Let's call this meeting 60 Washington Anyone wish Friday at 10 p.m and Saturday at 10 p.m
To the flag of the United States of America and to the stands one indivisible andice for all here
here Harris here Here present Okay we're going to start off with presentations We have a musical performance by Olivia Broadbelt Matthew Robinson Noah Elliot Kylie McElroy and
Laya Gar of Washington High School [Music]
My god I just [Music] [Music]
I got Heat Heat [Music]
[Applause] [Music]
[Music]
[Applause] introduce these five outstanding graduating seniors from the Washington Township class of 2025 and I wanted to introduce them
right here We have and substituting You guys are great Thank you so much [Applause] Taking time out of your busy schedule Uh
we know you're getting ready for graduation in 2 months and that's why we uh wanted them to come out tonight and not at a later date cuz they're going to be busy practicing uh graduation [Music] Um yeah you guys have some events coming
up Are you guys part of the band that plays at the ceremonies um so we have our performance um May 6th It's at night at the um RBPAC at the Washington Township High School Um we are separate from the band The band is
the one that you see at those um events Um it's just a difference in instrument type and um sound Um we have a couple performances that we do separately as just a small group um that we don't really publicize but um it's just something fun that we do because we've
been friends for so long and we've been playing for so long How long have you been together 10 nine 10 years Wow Yeah I was so impressed Yeah giving back to the community is very very important
Absolutely It makes a difference to the people So thank you very much Of course If you have any share on our social media that'd be great Thank you so much No
Josh could hold it Get Josh's name Noah Yeah Josh's name We'll pass it along Matthew Thank you so [Applause] much Jackie over here You're the short
guy stuck in the chair Keep them in this way Moving on to our next presentation I'd like to call Sheila Mickelson and the members of the library staff to come up
to celebrate National Library Week over S Come on Don't be afraid I'm gonna have one that says library Oh it's not a dirty one So to celebrate National Library Week the mayor and council have a proclamation celebrating National
Library Week and honoring the vital contributions of the Margaret Ehagen Free Public Library Where's the Margaret E Heagen Free Public Library provides opportunity for Washington Township residents to engage in lifelong learning seven days a week
And whereas the library has served as a trusted institution for township residents since 1996 And whereas the library serves as a cornerstone of democracy championing the fundamental principle principles of free expression and the exchange of ideas for all And
whereas the library has a collection of over 90,000 books movies magazines audio books music compact disc American Girl dolls and museum passes for residents to borrow And where's the library provides
hundreds of programs each year for residents of all ages And whereas the library plays a critical role within the community by furnishing vital resources such as internet and technological access fostering literacy skills and
providing invaluable support for job seekers educators small businesses and entrepreneurs alike And whereas library librarians and library workers are joining library supporters and advocates across the nation to celebrate National
Library Week Now there excuse me now there are I Mayor Delpia do hereby proclaim National Library Week April 7th through the 12th I urge all residents to take advantage of this occasion by visiting the
Margaret Ehagen Free Public Library and exploring the abundance of resource it offers proclaimed this 9th day of April 2025 I always take great pride in announcing your events but since you're here do you want to highlight some of
the things for April i mostly want to highlight the fact that we have a new little free library which is right in front of this building So little free libraries are throughout the country to provide materials to people who just want to leave a book and take a book We
also have bookmarks in the little free library So there's one at Washington Lake Park here at the municipal building And we're getting a TARDIS If you are a Doctor Who fan we have a little free library that looks like a TARDIS and it's going to be at the police station and it says police box on it So we're
hopefully in May or June we'll be putting that there Thank you and thank you to your staff and the members of the board that are here You're welcome The trash cans are great I' Thank you Moving on with our
presentations I'd like to call Director Alter And is Brian here too hi Okay uh to come up and give us uh an update on the trash Uh upon completion of his uh presentation hopefully he will have
answered everybody's questions But if you have a question uh please raise your hand to be recognized and we'll have our deputy clerk come around with the microphone so everybody can hear it Thank you mayor members of council Good evening everyone My name is Frank Almiro
I'm director of public works As many of you have already heard uh there are some changes coming uh to our trash recycling and yard debris collection coming this summer Since the announcement we have gotten lots of feedback and I would like to take a moment to clear some things up
This spring you'll be receiving three brand new 95gallon wheeled carts delivered right to your home A black cart for trash a blue cart for recycling and a green cart for yard waste There's no need to schedule an appointment or be home when they arrive These carts will
replace your current bins and they will be the only receptacle that can be used once the new collection goes into effect on June 30th 2025 Why the change unfortunately rear loading trash collection has gotten too expensive uh for companies to continue
doing Washington Township was faced with a very difficult situation If we attempted to stay with rear load collection we were looking at our cost almost doubling and that was only if we can get a company to bid on that service We had to hire a consultant to help us
find our options and we have fiscally responsible solution Uh this is why we had to agree to change over to automated collection 18 of 24 towns in Gloucester County have already gone to automated
collection Collection and disposal of trash recycling and yard debris is extremely costly and not something that the township takes lightly Our cost for collection is just over $495,000 And on top of that the cost to
dispose or recycle all of that is another $200,000 So that means the township is paying just under $700,000 per month for trash recycling and yard debris This is a large part of our
budget Yet only 2.7% of your property taxes goes towards this collection It's in an effort to prevent substantially raising taxes tip of how to make these changes We've also heard from communities that have less area in front
of their homes for cart placement and access Our company Suburban is aware of these areas and they're preparing to be able to collect as scheduled Uh we're really excited about these improvements and believe they'll make a positive difference in to everyone in Washington Township Um
obviously we have our website All this information will be posted and our website will be the only place to find up-to-date accurate information relevant to to the upcoming changes Um I do have frequently asked questions but I'll save
them after not to prolong this but I wanted to introduce Jack Loots to just give a little demonstration of the carts everybody's going to be receiving Thank you Mayor Council members of the audience I thank you for allowing me to come speak
again Um my name is Jack Loots Is it all yes Uh Jack Loots I am the senior strategic business development director for IPL Incorporated Uh we are a 97year-old company Uh we are a plastic manufacturer
of many many products One division and it's the division I run is the environmental side Uh born and raised in the garbage business Uh unfortunately I'm getting a little older now So I've been around for a long long time
Uh Frank touched base on some very important facts Your landfill bill Landfill bills are a lot of money By going to a containerized system you keep the trash dry It comes out of the house goes into the container
The lid is attached to the container You have to open it to put the garbage in 99 out of 100 people will close the lid There is a barrier built into this lid You'll see this little closer Sorry Uh there's a barrier at the top of the lid
and at the top of the container that interlocks keeps the moisture out keeps any odors in So the savings on your landfill bill is 18 to 20% So depending
on your tonnage you're saving a lot of money off your your bill Um which equates to saving on your tax tax cost Um these containers are guaranteed They come with a manufacturer's warranty of 10 years I don't know if I touched on
that before Um very easy to use Tilt and roll 25 lbs of physical force to tilt and roll this container at its maximum capacity of 335 lbs 95 gallons is equal
to 3 and a4 of the normal 28 to 32 gallon trash cans It has the biggest footprint in the industry It's completely watertight on the inside and it's designed to uh take a
lot of weight and a lot of beating Uh the automated system I know there's some concerns in your community Uh it's the same concerns at every community I go to It won't fit down our streets Those automated trucks are designed no wider than a rear loader So the arm comes out
grabs a container brings it back Depending on the manufacturer that arm could be eight feet long It could be 14 feet long So it all depends on the truck that's been purchased to collect this But culacs aren't a problem Park cars on the street with a great education
program All you need to do is give us 6 in on each side The arm will come up and grab the container dump it and put it right back where they picked it up Uh the footprint on this container is another issue that always pops up is it's too big for my garage It won't fit
It's the same diameter as the average 30gallon Rubbermaid brute that you would buy at Home Depot or Walmart or or Lowe's So the wheels do stick out a little bit in the back and that's for the stability of the container Empty This container under the
ANIE rules and regulations is certified to 55 m an hour of wind rating all four sides empty That's before you put anything in it No one in this room no one in your town is putting 335 lbs a
week of garbage into this container or recyclables Yard waste They throw a lot of dirt and bricks and stuff then there's a problem But the truck won't pick it up once it gets to a certain weight limit because there's a limiter on that arm So it's a learning curve to get used to
the system There was a lady in the audience before I'm not too sure she's still here She lives in another community We containerized that community two years ago I heard her talking to her friends saying it's the best thing that ever happened to her
town And her town has a two-cart system you're going to the third cart for the yard waste Most people now are doing that Uh and get ready not too long down the road you'll be adding the fourth one for food waste And that's uh happening
throughout the state Our governor is pushing it So um it comes with 10-in wheels 3/4 in solid steel axle There's crumple zones to protect it when the arm picks it up So it's it's just change to
get used to but most people like it once they get used to it It's very simple We have what product goes into it hot stamped on the lid Your black ones will say trash Your green ones will say yard waste And the blue one says recycle
So it's reinforced every day There's arrow that is raised lettering in the back of the corner of the cart It tells you the face to arrow towards the street wheels to curb front to the street Uh very easy But if someone makes a mistake
puts it out sideways or with the handles out the truck will still be able to dump it without the man getting out of the truck Um the labor issue is is very expensive People don't want to grow up to work on the back of a rear loader anymore It's kind of hard to believe but
that's the fact Um this is a one-man operation The operator is inside the truck He runs a joystick He doesn't have to physically get out of the truck and do anything Um that's basically it I wanted to keep it short and sweet I know I went on too
long the last time but uh anybody has any questions I'd be more than happy to answer Hello I have quite a bit So I can either wait till the open period or I can come up there and make a presentation Whatever you prefer
I can't hear you Okay Yeah Can you state your name please my name is Cheryl Branco I live at 21 Green Acre Way I've already addressed all the council people uh via email Some
of you were kind enough to write me back Um and I want to take a different perspective from the trash situation I have a very large family We have large ga gatherings at my house and I can tell you without a doubt that the amount of
trash that we generate will not fit in those trash cans um during any given holiday period party anything Um this is a huge burden on me uh that I
am being told that I would have to carry it to the municipal dump myself Um so anyway what I did was I went through um some of the records in the town and I
figured the best way to attack this situation was through the um records of who lives here and I do have access to that So what I did was I um looked at this in two ways I looked at how many
houses were sold in the past 10 years in this township that have three bedrooms four bedrooms uh and five or more bedrooms The total amount of houses that were sold in this township uh again in 10 years were 5,300 Now some of them
could have been bought flipped sold whatever Again so could be a little bit less than that but again the number is 5,300 This is three bedrooms or more We are not filling three and four bedroomedroom houses with tiny families Big families are coming to live here in
our big houses that were approved years ago by the planning boards that were in effect then So basically what you're doing is you have a township that was built for large families and now you're relegating us to one trash can which I
find crazy So that's the trash part the yard waste part What I did was I looked at the yard sizes Now my house is on almost a uh half an acre Okay the yard waste that we generate when we do our
yard cleanups and everything not the stuff that we rake to the car uh to the yard but just general debris um tree limbs that fall down things like that is significant I have four uh trash cans at my curb right this second
a picture for you Okay So anyway I looked at all the houses that are on big lots And again half an acre is not that big There are 2592 houses in Washington Township that are on a h a lot of a quarter to a half
an acre There are hold on a half an acre to 1 acre there are 1197 houses That's a lot of yard waste And I know that we have um you know rules in this town that you have to keep
your large yard clean How are we going to get all of that in one container i I I just find this to be so ludicrous It is not something that is supported by a community with homes and lot sizes like this Um I went around on trash night
last week and I took pictures of some of the larger trash piles that were out in the neighborhoods that are near where I live Um and I I can give them to you but basically what you're looking at is
massive amounts of trash outside one trash night This does not fit in three trash cans I'm sorry And this is just general people This is somebody's Home Depot bag filled with lawn debris How are we going
to get that in one i mean seriously come on And how are they if you don't have a pickup truck how are you going to get to it to the m municipal dump here's another one This one's a little blurry but it's all yard
waste Here's another one Mostly yard waste It's spring cleanup Now I had yard waste at my curb last week I figured it's spring You don't have to call Nope They didn't pick it up They picked up my neighbor's trash
can 20 feet away But did they get mine no It's ridiculous My Christmas tree sat at the curb for three weeks because it didn't dawn on me that I have to call for a stupid Christmas tree Come on That's just nuts They're not
trees This is ridiculous Here's another one How's that going to fit in three trash it's not So again the I I find this policy to not only to be not thinking about who
lives in this town but also it's discriminatory Those of us with big families what the heck are we going to do i have 20 people coming to my house next week for dinner I have over 30 at Christmas time You should see the street
in front of my house for Christmas with Amazon boxes and everything There's somebody else's Amazon box This is not fitting in trash Anyway I've got 23 of them
including my own house for tonight And I will submit these I'm sure you want to see them right this is mine So do you have people that are want
think this is wonderful absolutely But do they really have the families the size that I do do they have the families that are filling up four-bedroom houses like I do like it's just I I just you know the other thing that bothers me about this is you didn't ask for public
input on this You announced it on Facebook like "Oh my god look at what we did." But nobody had it a chance to come out and put in any kind of input about it I've seen it on the township pages People are upset about it And a lot of people think it's great too
Just like that lady had here But who's living in the houses that think it's great seriously you have anyone two people living in there or do you have a bunch of people coming out so the other issue is um you know I heard about county
dumping fees Well if we have to take it to the township aren't aren't we still paying uh county dumping fees for that we are right um also what happens is you put the
business dumpsters which you know there's plenty of them around town you put them at risk now because they're going to be paying more to dump because the residents are coming there at night sneaking in and dumping their trash And I can tell you for a fact they are
already doing that You know they don't want the trash to um stay around Anyway um I just again I find this to be very discriminatory toward those of us that have big families And I I just I don't know why that was
passed without any input So there's my input Questions no The rear loading trash cans are going away the people who are running the companies are having problems getting
people to man the trucks and the injuries We're forced into a position where the cost for trash hauling and pickup could have increased anywhere between 75 and 150% The due diligence of
the administration to save taxpayers money we were able to keep it at around 34% of an increase We We didn't take this decision lightly You You have cut services by doing this No we've changed services We've not cut services I'm sorry What was that word we've changed services We haven't You're cutting
services Look at those pictures that I just gave you That is one section of Washington Township on one trash night Those trash cans are overflowing They're filled The debris from the lawn cleanups and the yard cleanups There's multiple
trash cans How are we supposed to get that out okay Seriously I I understand Okay Um All right Thank you for your comments Does anybody else have any other comments they'd like to make all right You want to see if Frank wants
to answer anything frank you want to have explain about more than multiple Uh yes As far as the uh extra cans uh you will be you will have the option to get a second cart of each one trash one recycling and one yard waste Um they
will be there will be a onetime upfront $100 fee for 10 years Um and that's per can and that payment is non-refundable Um they will be available like 3 months after the automation starts and then
it'll be about up to four weeks for delivery Um some people will have the option to opt out of yard waste because some people get their grass cut Some people have HOAs they may not want to
choose They may opt out Um we are working on getting that link live hopefully by next week where residents can actually go online uh to our public works and opt out of a yard waste can Uh but you will have the option to buy one
extra can uh lease the one extra can of each So um and as far as the Christmas trees uh public works will be doing that next year for the month of January weather permitting if we're not plowing snow
Yeah Yeah I I I we see it all the time We see it all the time And it's only a select few to to do to do bulk pickup and yard debris pickup on a weekly basis It would
cost us $115,000 a month We are going down to once a month for yard debris pickup and it's going to be dedicated on a Friday So if your Monday
trash is is your Monday trash day you'll be picked up the first Friday of the month Tuesday would be the second Friday of the month Wednesday and Friday pickups will be the third Friday and Thursday would be the fourth Friday of the
month once a month It's the cost It's the cost yet We cannot raise taxes to to the point where there's nothing else available We have to make the most fiscally responsible
decision All right we're going to move We're gonna move on If there's any other questions I'll have more information posted on the website Barb can you get Oh can you stand up and she'll be she'll approach you with the mic
Robert Robert Davis in Sberrook Drive in S Uh she just mentioned that a lot of these houses have more than one container of yard waste or trash or recyclables However as Frank mentioned
these containers equal three and a quarter of the buckets that are used now So if you have two currently containers both of those the stuff that fits in
those two containers will fit in one container of these new uh new units that are that they have And as Frank mentioned you can also purchase a second container lease later 10 It's a 10-year
lease Yes Well we we can do that after the meeting I want to move on with the agenda Thank you Director Alaro Moving on Uh we have the bill list Can I get a motion to approve the bill list for April 9th 2025 motion Have a second
Second All those in favor roll call Roll call Councilman Jras Yes Councilman Harris Yes Councilman Bennett Yes Council Vice President Brown Yes Minutes Can I get a motion to approve the regular minutes meeting
minutes for March 26 2025 motion I have a second Second Roll call Councilman Yes Councilman Harris Yes Councilman Bennett Yes Council Vice President Yes Moving on to ordinances Ordinance
2205 an ordinance to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits and establish a cap bank for calendar year 2025 This ordinance is is up for adoption after a public hearing Can I have an o can I have a motion to open the public to the public on ordinance
225 motion Got a second All in favor i Is there anybody who wants to speak on ordinance 225 regarding the establishment of the cap bank seeing none do I have a motion to close motion
All those in favor i Do I have a motion to adopt ordinance 2 2025 motion Roll call Councilman Jükus Yes Councilman Harris Yes Councilman Bennett Yes Vice President
Yes Ordinance three ordinance adopting the amended redevelopment plan for the Washington Square redevelopment area in accordance with the requirements of the local redevelopment and housing law This ordinance is up for adoption after public hearing Can I have a motion to
open to the public on ordinance 3 2025 motion All in favor i Anybody wishing to speak on ordinance 3 2025 regarding the amended redevelopment plan please come up to the podium and
state your name and address My name is Victoria Benedetti Um I live in the SU area of Washington Township and um I have some comments about the redevelopment plan To the extent that it appears that there are amendments that
will now allow explicitly um automobile dealerships and repair facilities in areas 1 two and three of the redevelopment zone Um that is a bit of a concern uh because some of those
practices or um uses are prohibited in wellhead protection areas and the wellhead protection area actually coincides to some considerable extent with this redevelopment area There is a
a statement in the redevelopment plan that says that the plan is also intended to promote development that is environmentally sensitive In particular development is to include measures to ensure the protection of water resources
preventing additional health risks and water treatment costs that can result from development To do this plans within wellhead protection areas should conform to the township's wellhead protection standards So I want to point out that
there is a potential for conflict and I would like to some assurance that the protection of our water supply will supersede some of the allowances for uses in those redevelopment areas
So what I can say to you is this any kind of So while I That doesn't mean you can start So you know I mean it's hard to speak you know
but they don't have environmental laws Well this particular wellhead protection ordinance is a local ordinance That protection is not afforded by a state or federal law This is something that this
community adopted about 20 years ago to protect our water supplies So I'm just pointing this out I know that often when we look at um projects in redevelopment areas there are certain allowances that are permitted by the planning board um
that go beyond our typical ordinance allowances or our land use ordinances And so I just see the potential for conflict and I would like to note that our environmental protections would supersede any
redevelopment interests Councilman Brown can I speak yep So Vicki um we have our Tuesday meeting We usually meet with uh prospective businesses come to town Joe Russo uh Johar sits in there and um Sha Tranglo whenever we're discussing the
area near Frynal Road or over there that is one of the first things Shay ever brings up is the well protection So I can tell you from the time I've been involved when it involves that area that is one of the first things that come up Now being an ordinance I I can't say what a council will do in 10 years or 15
years but I can tell you I don't speak for them but I can tell you in the experiences I've had when that area has come up the well protection has been one of the first things that we talk about to make sure that that is not affected So the the zones that I believe the redevelopment covers there's many zones
where some of these um uses would work and not affect the wild health plan I think that's the intention of the the update is to have them in places where it will not put our water at risk Well I appreciate that Thank you And I'm glad to hear that those sorts of discussions
occur Absolutely This is not just on Fry Mill Road However this is along the Black Horse Pike as well Yes So okay Well I will look forward to that sort of protection of our water supplies and um to the extent that I see any discrepancies I will surely let you know
Thank you Vicki Thank you Vicki Thank you Vicki Do I have any other comment on this ordinance can I get a motion to close to the public motion Second Second F All those in favor i can I get a motion to adopt ordinance
3 2025 motion Roll call Councilman yes Councilman Harris yes Councilman Bennett yes Council Vice President Yes Moving on Res excuse me Ordinance 4
2025 Ordinance of the Township of Washington in the county of Gloucester state of New Jersey cancelling certain excess bond proceeds in the amount of $352,9122 and reappropriating $50,000 of set excess bond proceeds to finance the
cost thereof This ordinance is in is for introduction only Public hearing and adoption will be on April 23rd Can I get a motion to introduce ordinance 4 2025 motion I have a second Second
Roll call Councilman Yes Councilman Harris Yes Councilman Bennett Yes Vice President Brown Yes Moving on Washington Motion Second
Yes Yes Yes Yes Motion second Second Yes Yes Yes Motion Second Second Roll
Yes Yes Yes Yes Ordinance 8 2025 an ordinance amending chapter 213 of Washington Township Code entitled storm water control This ordinance is for
introduction only public hearing and adoption of the April 23rd Can I get a motion to introduce ordinance 825 motion Second Second Roll call Yes Yes
Yes Yes Thank you council Uh Councilman Brown Good Good evening members of council and residents of Washington Township It is an honor for me to stand here before you tonight to present my first municipal budget for the year
2025 This is the earliest municipal budget has been introduced since 2018 This is the standard we want to set forth for each year moving forward This budget is the result of countless meetings phone calls and conversations over the past six months between myself my business administrator Joe Russo our
CFO Klet Babage Backage and the rest of our finance department It was immediately after the election of in November that we started discussing our budget status as well as our strategy for this coming year We as a group knew that we had our work cut
out for us We are finishing up one of our toughest years financially one where we were handed a tax increase of 7 cents Our goal is to put together a budget in a timely manner that takes into consideration the needs of the residents and the financial stability of the
township for this year as well as for many years to come There are many components that directly affect our budget Here are a few of those components in their current stat status Union contracts The township currently operates with six separate
collective bargain units The cost of all of these contracts escalate every year 2024 saw successful completion of new contracts for both the PBA rank and file as well as the PBA sergeants unions These contracts are both valid through
December 2027 The ASME clerical union contract expired at the end of 2024 and negotiations are negotiations are currently underway for a new contract The other three unions are the ASME labors public works who are under
contract through the end of 2025 the ASME supervisors public works who are under contract through the end of 2026 and the police supervisors lieutenants and captains who are under contract through the end of 2026 Healthcare cost As a result of Washington Township joining the Southern
New Jersey Regional Employees Benefits Health Insurance Fund healthcare costs remain stable with only a minor increase for 2025 We will continue to monitor the market to to continue to keep these costs stable moving forward trash
collection if a great after a great deal of hard work from multiple departments within the township as well as the help of a trash bid industry consultant we secured a new contract and managed to keep our increase much lower than the 70 to 162% that other towns had
incurred cannabis dispensaries in the second quarter of 2024 the township saw the oppos opening of its first cannabis dispensary the township began to realize the revenue associated with this in July of 2024 4 We received payments totaling in the amount of
$31,267 in 2024 We are anticipating higher revenues this current year with a full year of operation of this dispensary and with a second dispensary opening in township along the Deli Drive sometime in 2025 Fees and revenues In 2023 for the
first time in many years we updated our ordinances relating to the fees that the township charges We updated our fee schedule even further in 2024 These charges have produced an increase of fee revenue for 2024 and will likely lead to further increased revenues in
2025 Bank and investments investment interest rates continue to remain favorable for the deposits of our idol funds However with the recent acquisition of Republic Bank by Fulton Bank the finance department plans on taking steps to go out for a banking RFP
sometime in 2025 This will allow the township to explore the local retail banking market and help us choose the be best bank partner to service the needs of the township moving forward Budget stabilization and reduction of appropriations Through the hard work of
myself the business administrator and the finance department the introduced municipal budget for 2025 has a total general appropriations lower than the previous year's budget for the first time in over a decade The reduction in overall cost was achieved through decreases in salary and
wages and in other expenses Salary reductions occurred through non-replacement of retiring employees the combination of duties and the streamlining of operations Department heads were also asked to keep their department's other operating expenses to a necessary minimum
Additionally we saw an increase in total collected revenues in 2024 Some of the differences between this year's budget compared to last year's budget We do not have any American Rescue funds remaining to use for this current budget Last year we used the remaining
$368,954 We reduced the fund balance needed to balance this budget by 41.85% Salary and RA wages were reduced by a total of $284,195.32 a decrease of 1.66% Even after all the constructional increases we incur on a year-to-year
basis through our efforts we were able still to reduce our overall salary and wages Other expenses lines was also reduced by a total of $171,233.82 a decrease of 73% This year's municipal tax increase
is 2.2 compared to 7 cents from last year I know a lot of people right now are thinking okay so what does 2.2 two cents mean to me the average assessed home in Washington Township is $233,11 Now that's not your market value That is your assessed value Therefore if
your house was assessed for $233,11 your annual tax taxes property taxes are $8,936.58 Only 19% of that $8,936.58 which is $1,69847 would be the portion that we
control and operate this town with Using this scenario your taxes will increase by a total of $5045 for the year That's $4.20 a month It's a cup of coffee In a perfect world I would be standing
up here announcing that we're reducing taxes and increasing services Unfortunately that world does not exist We feel this budget is the first step of many to getting our township back to financial strength and stability We will continue to work hard monitoring all spending within the township and
searching for new businesses to come to town We will continue to work with other governmental agencies and officials and pursue new initiatives and grants for our community Our goal is to continue continue to move our township forward and to regain Washington Township's financial stability while continuing to
sustain the services that Washington Township residents and taxpayers have come to know and deserve I would like to thank all our volunteers throughout the township who help us all year long especially Mother's Cupboard for all their hard work day in and day out especially in
this everchanging economy I would like to thank our dedicated Washington Township employees for their efforts serving our community throughout the year you are appreciated for all the work that you do I want to thank you I want to send a thank you to all my department heads for working with me and tightening tightening up each of your
department's budgets Your efforts were integral in getting this budget to where it is today Thank you to the township council for working with me I appreciate all your collaborative efforts I am looking forward to continue working together with you for the betterment of our township I want to personally thank Joe
Russo Colette Backage and our assistant CFO Jim Walker and the rest of the finance department Your efforts advice and hard work have made it possible to not just produce this budget but to introduce it so early this year You are truly the bre best and I appreciate all of your efforts I'm grateful to be to
have such a great staff to work alongside every day Together we will be extraordinary Finally I would like to to end by saying thank you to all the Washington Township residents for putting your trust and faith in me to lead our town forward Thank you for your continued
support as my administration and I will continue to work extremely hard every day to make Washington Township a better place for all to live work and raise a family Thank you for your time and have a good [Music] [Applause]
night Thank you Mayor Moving on Resolution 102 2025 A resolution authorizing the introduced 2025 municipal budget read by title only This resolution allows the Yeah this resolution allows the budget to be read
title prior to adoption in compliance with New Jersey statutes Can I get a motion to approve resolution 102 motion Roll call Councilman yes Councilman Harris yes Councilman Bennett
yes Vice President Brown yes Resolution to introduce I'm sorry Resolution 103 2025 Resolution to introduce the 2025 Township of Washington Municipal Budget Purpose of this resolution to hold a public hearing on the introduced 2025 municipal budget
for public comment Can I get a motion to approve resolution 103 motion Roll call Councilman yes Councilman Harris yes Councilman Bennett yes Vice
President Brown yes Resolution 104 resolution for self-examination of 2025 budget pursuant to state statute Can I get a motion to approve resolution 104 motion Roll call Councilman Yes Councilman
Harris Yes Councilman Bennett Yes Vice President Brown Yes Resolutions The following resolutions are by consent agenda and only require a vote for all listed Each one must be read by title If any member of council wishes to have one removed
and heard separately they need to indicate it prior to the reading of the titles Does anybody on council wish to have a resolution removed and discussed separately can you read the resolutions please resolution 105 Resolution
authorizing an agreement for East Clearing Services at Washington Lake Park for a term of one year 106 Resolution awarding a bid to RJS Property Management for 2025 property maintenance services 107 Resolution
authorizing an emergency temporary appropriation of funds 108 Resol resolution cancelling taxes for a totally disabled veteran at block 222 lot one effective February 24
2025 109 resolution cancelling taxes for a generally deceived veteran block 7.02 block 6 effective February 26 2025 110 resolution cancelling taxes for
a totally disabled veteran block 86.09 09 lot 4 effective March 6 2025 111 resolution cancelling taxes for a totally disabled veteran block 86 I'm sorry did I just read that over again
no I don't think so No I'm sorry I messed up 111 resolution cancelling taxes Yeah 111 Okay For totally disabled veteran block
54.21 21 lot 4 effective March 10th 2025 112 resolution accepting escrow from Daniel Winter I 2735 Route 42 block
87 lot 3.04 and block 115.05 lot 22 Estro 0181 113 resolution authorizing assignment of tax sale certificate number 11-0000262 to Arker home
builders 114 resolution authorizing assignment of tax sale certificate number 11 00263 to Parker home builders 115 a resolution authorizing a shared service agreement between the
township of Washington and the borrow of pitman Chief Financial Officer Services 116 State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program Enabling resolution Any questions on the
resolutions hearing none Can I get a motion to approve resolutions R 105205 to R 116205 motion Have a second Second All those uh roll call Councilman yes Councilman Harris
yes Councilman Bennett yes Vice President Brown yes Moving on Old business new business and reports We'll start with Councilman Harris Um good evening everybody Uh I know that uh Councilman Bennett is going to uh discuss some events going on uh
for Earth Day Arbor Day and um he's going to start closer to today's date Uh but I'm going to finish with the uh closer to the end of the month Uh Sunday April 27th 9:00 a.m to noon is a milkweed and maragold giveaway at Washington Lake
Park Saturday May 3rd 9:00 a.m to noon is Washington uh township relief uh tree seedling giveaway also Washington Lake Park uh parking lot J and um and then Rich is going to continue with some of the other dates I
want to uh send a thank you out to Olivia Matthew Josh Kylie and Ila uh for a great performance Uh I think their performance got stronger and stronger as they went on and uh they finished off my my ears were correct Colors of the Wind
from Pocahontas which is I'm a Disney guy So uh I really enjoyed that They did a great job Um want to thank uh Frank Alamir again also Jack Uh they were they were out here a few weeks back uh discussing the trash So we appreciate them coming back again uh to to add and
clarify uh some of the issues with our garbage Um so I do appreciate that Um want to uh thank and congratulate uh Mayor Anthony Delpia on the budget getting that together I know uh firsthand how hard he he worked on that and uh along with Colette and and Joe Uh
so um want to give him a little shout out as well That's it Thank you Councilman All right Couple things is uh this past weekend there was a fur feathers and scales uh presentation by
the Wood Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife through the environmental It was a great success We probably had at least 30 kids there It was a great way for them to learn about those three types of animals and it was a great success between the
environmental and also the library with Sheila We appreciate Sheila uh hosting that Um coming up the end of this month is the annual 17th annual car show I'm the historical preservation's leaison and also helper So the most important
thing is we want people to come out to that event It's a fundraiser for the Old Stone House to help maintain the Morgan House and also the Old Stone House Village So there'll be vendors uh food vendors all kinds of cars You usually
have up to 200 cars is a great event and I'll be out in the parking lot at that time Also I'm asking for volunteers meaning that uh on this Saturday this Sunday between 9 and 12 any high school student or youth or
anybody from the National Honor Society want to come out and help we do need help cleaning up and also getting some uh rocks moved around So if anybody needs service hours please let me know And also that includes my boy scouts And then on the day of the car show the 26th
I do need help in the parking lot and other areas at the Old Stone House uh from 9:30 to 1:30 So if anybody's available for that uh you know just let me know I have it you know posted out or you can just go on to my uh onto my uh
web my email and phone number on the web page Um this month is distracted um persons in cars driving driving So uh uh our chief did a good job on getting
some information out about that We um again and making sure that people are not texting and and driving at the same time It's important And as always my my biggest thing is speeding So you need to slow down And remember we are going to have a lot of kids out now riding bikes
uh running around the neighborhoods got to slow down make sure that you're doing the speed limit Uh or again as usual Pat and his team writes about a 100 tickets every week So um from that so that's all
I ask Thank you Councilman Bennett Councilman Yorkis thank you Um I too want to congratulate and thank uh the five wonderful graduating seniors from Washington Township for their time tonight Um it was important to get them in tonight
because they've got graduation coming up shortly So big shout out to them for giving us time and two great performances Uh the Veterans Advisory Board met this this past week and they will have a booth at Super Saturday event for any uh veterans who have
questions want to get involved please stop by their booth Super Saturday to talk to someone there And uh Memorial Day is coming up quickly May 26th 11:00 a.m at the lake behind the police
station Please put in your calendar Uh Memorial Day is a day that we pay tribute to those fallen soldiers who didn't make it back alive didn't chance to live their life have a family and live the American dream It's the least we can do to those who paid the ultimate
sacrifice So please put in your calendar please try to attend The veterans who do show up uh and veterans families do appreciate your presence So we'd like to see you there And I want to congratulate our mayor and the people who helped him
work on this budget I think it's phenomenal in light of resources and money coming in Uh to have a budget increase of only 2.2% 2.2 cents is uh
outstanding I want to thank you You got the job done ahead of time We're going to review everything at the end of the month But all the department heads everyone who works in this municipal building has done an outstanding job in working with us getting this down and I
think all the residents should be very happy and very proud of the job that was done So big shout out Thank you Thank you council vice president Brown for a great job Thank you solicitor Rooney
Nothing new to report Um I don't think we'll be back here before Just hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and a happy Passover and obviously a safe holiday Mayor Delpa thank you Councilman Brown Um first I want to mention the budget
Thank you for uh your compliments but nothing gets done with one person I had a great team alongside me for many hours to get this done So uh I appreciate you recognizing me but like I said I had a I had a great team next to me So thank you
to all everybody Um want to thank you for the ensemble I'll let everybody know that there's many of these uh organizations at the schools Support them Support them Support the band the play Um these are great kids They need our support So make sure you get out and support
them Um what Councilman Bennett said about the speeding So I get probably three four or five emails a week about speeding Baseball season started Unfortunately opening day got cancelled last week for baseball This Sunday this Saturday is opening day for softball There's going to be kids everywhere So
please be cognitive once the weather gets warmer Um slow down Uh if you get a chance to attend the softball opening day it's at Washington Lake Park at 10 a.m We have two new businesses opening up over the next couple weeks We have uh Eco Spin Laundromat which going to open up on Saturday It's in the shopping
center on uh right across from the high school on Herville Cross Keys Road And Seven Brew who dropped off some coffee to many towns I believe the school as well as the Miss building the other day They should be opening by the end of this month So in town we have this Uber Saves
Lives program I want to commend the chief for spearheading that Uh we got a couple donations from a couple local businesses uh as Mazda and AMBOT this week Uh this is a program that if you are a township resident and you're at one of the township establishments and
if you're drinking and we encourage you not to drive we'll we'll pay a free Uber ride up to $15 for you to get home So um this is completely uh paid for by local businesses and donations The chief has taken spearheaded and did a great job So any local businesses listening who want
to donate reach out to myself or the chief Um this is a great program We want to make sure it stays stays operating And last I want uh like Matt Rooney said Easter's coming up So I want to wish everybody happy Easter to you and your family Thank you
Going last is always tough because everybody takes my thunder But um again I want to thank you Mayor and finance and administration for the hard work that you have done the department heads
who worked with Mayor Delipia to make sure that we could uh keep the tax increase to a very low it's been uh in a while but their hard work is to be commended and their dedication to the township is recognized But thank you our
clerk's office uh for what they do for us getting things in order sometimes the last minute uh up to the 11th hour Thank you guys for all you do We appreciate it Uh Sheila um I always take great pride
in uh mentioning the library events but I felt it appropriate for her to talk about it tonight since she was here Uh thank you for the library for sticking around Um you guys do a great job over there and we we do appreciate it A lot of lot of good compliments I hear from
people um who go over there Um reminder about our Everbridge program Uh if you can take a flyer sign up for it Uh there could be information that could be blasted out about trash collection if necessary Uh we'll work
with public works to get any information out Uh along with uh township emergencies and special events Uh again if you have any questions on that please feel free to reach out to me My phone number and email address is on the web page and uh we'll make sure you get
taken care of Moving on uh all dogs in the township are required to be registered and vaccinated Please stop in the clerk's office to register your dog for 2025 The deadline is May 1st Please check our website for information on Earth Day activities This includes bird
walks and exhibits poetry walks recycling lessons milkweed maragold and tree seedling giveaways The Old Stone Village is holding their 17th annual annual classic car show on Saturday April 26th from
10:00 a.m to 2 p.m More information and the registration form can be found on the website We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy All proceeds will be used towards the Stonehouse Restoration Project The annual Red Cross drive battle of the badges will be held
Tuesday April 29th from 10:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m at the municipal building Please respond to the call and support our fire department and police department and give the gift of life Please call 1800 Red Cross to schedule an appointment The primary election will
be held Tuesday June 10th You may only vote for the party you are registered during the primary The deadline for change of your party affiliation is April 16th The deadline to register to vote is May 20th Forms can be obtained in the clerk's office The municipal
complex will be closed on Friday Friday April 18th in observance of Good Friday Offices will reopen on Monday April 21st Happy Passover to everyone and happy Easter Now going to move into public participation Please follow the decorum
posted which has been posted which has been attached to the public agenda and limit your comments to 5 minutes Once you have completed your comments or questions the council president will then ask if any member of the governing body or their designate wishes to
address your questions or comments Can I get a motion to open the meeting to the public motion All those in favor i The meeting is now open to the public If you would come to the podium state your name and
address Yes Yes Good evening My name is Lorraine Hiljen I live over off of Fish Pond Road in Washington Township Could you speak into the mic oh I'm sorry Lorraine Hiljen I live over uh off of Fish Pond Road Washington Township And I have a
property which there's 12 homes on a a lake And for 30 years I've been fighting to get something fixed over there because the town of MUA came through and put in
a sewer line at the dirt road at the end of the lake which is which was the natural dam And since then the lake has been not able to hold water and is leaking under the natural dam So way back when Longo was mayor I fought it
fought it fought it and they hired a crew uh an engineer and a construction company to fix the dam and they put in corrugated steel blah blah blah And it didn't fix it So we were told you know oh wait it'll fill in with the silt blah
blah blah Anyway ever since then I've been still fighting it because over the years it just got worse and worse and worse and worse And the township did take responsibility that they owned that dam and the sewer line screwed it up So
they did try to fix it Um but over the years it just got worse and worse I guess you know as water flows you know hole gets bigger And uh it it now it's at the point where this past summer there was no water in my lake except at
the very end where the dam is and it was onethird full Um so I have been fighting this on and off for 30 years And last year finally after all this time um two mayors ago I can't recall her
name uh she let me know that they the township was putting in for a grant through the federal government and that I would have to wait about a year because of the way it runs or whatever And when that grant came through everybody on council Norcross's office
because I also contacted them over the years and uh the mayor all called to congratulate me that finally my lake was going to be fixed because they were awarded $880,000 grant from the federal government Well needless to say I was
thrilled because it affects my property value beyond belief and everybody else is on the lake And uh a lot got in the way I was being you know because along the way I just have to say this one sentence so that nobody repeats it to me before the grant came through and I was
fighting for this Everyone said "Well it's a private lake so you know we we don't have anything to do with that." And I said "I'm not asking you to fix the private lake I'm asking you to fix the dam that the township owns and
destroyed which in turn destroyed the lake." So they did agree with that And uh so when the grant came through I contacted the mayor and um she told me that the one that was just in I can't
recall her name either I'm a little nervous Um so that everything was set up They had the engineer everything had the plans and they were going to replace the spillway at my lake And the apparently the rest of the money was going to the
upper lake which the township apparently owns and they were going to dredge it and whatever There there's no problem with the upper lake as far as I know It holds water looks beautiful every day They got a brand new dam about 6 years ago Don't know why they needed that either but whatever Um but they wanted
to fix my spillway and not the dam And the spillway is broken It does need to be repaired but it it doesn't even come into play because the water never gets up there I need I need the township to fix the dam so that we all have a lake
again that holds water And so in the end I ended up having a meeting with the mayor the the town solicitor I have their names because I have a letter I'll show you I'll have a copy for all of you and
um the mayor town solicitor and the engineer And at the end of that meeting they assured me that this spring all the plans would be ready They they were going to put another row of corrugated
steel in and fix the spillway and do and made some other promises and uh some has to do with contaminants in the upper lake that I want them to test my lake too because it feed your the lake feeds into mine And so here we are in the
spring and I'm so glad that the lake is going to be fixed and I called Jackis to find out like is there any updates do we have a scheduled you know when they're going to start and I find out that the town solicitor that I met with the mayor of course that I met with and the
engineering company are no longer being used that there's all replacements which is fine But I'd like to know where the $880,000 grant is and if someone's planning on fixing my lake after 30 years with the grant money
Excuse me It's considered Ward Lake And then the upper lake I'm not even sure what they call that anymore Grove Street Yes Jod Smith Oh does she own the lake no
I don't know who Jod Smith is Yes Um so Frank is this the one I asked you about today okay Do you want to answer now you want to talk after me so we actually brought up that grant today and I was talking to Frank about it and
he was filling me in today Actually this morning about it So Frank do you want to fill her in at some point okay Yes Frank So the spillway that she is referring to at the end of W Lake is in the process of getting repaired It's that the the
permits are still in the D So we didn't receive any permits yet from the D and Remington and Vernick was part of that project As far as the spillway as far as the Spring Lake which the township owns that siltation removal
was the grant money that was that what grant money was for not Ward Lake So I don't know where you were told but Okay But the spillway the spillway is we're waiting
on D permit No I'm sorry I was told by everybody and I filed this that I was that the township was putting in for a grant for the dam and my lake and
then I'm not going to say who was involved but in the end that's what it was I talked to council's office everybody the that was on that application other than my complaint Okay for storm water management to protect
the health of our residents and that my complaint in that $880,000 everybody that I dealt with including the mayor including North Cross's office everybody knew that that was to fix the dam that the township
owns and the township broke and destroyed my property Okay Now I have files and emails of everything that ever happened on local and I have emails that you sent to the old mayor that said you
know we can use this for the email but I have emails that you came to my house and I showed you the lake and then a week later it rained and it filled up pretty good And then there's
letters that you wrote that said I don't see any lake yet it empties That lake empties in three weeks So there's a leak and I've been living there for 30 something years I've watched it happen It used to be a full lake for the first
seven years I was there That's what came through The longo knew it He tried to fix it but whatever crew they had do it didn't fix it And I was guaranteed I have the letter I was guaranteed when I came in last September and met with the
mayor and the and the solicitor and the engineering company that they were taking responsibility and they would fix the dam And every time I spoke to you you only talk to me about the wall And I don't understand how that happens but I do know that when you get a grant you're
supposed to use that grant for what you specifically said it was for Okay and the dam was part of that And I for it to be fixed because there there are 12 homes on that lake and our property value is destroyed because that lake
cannot hold water And the only time it stops leaking is when it gets down so far that I have no water out the back of my house and eight other houses When it gets to deep end where the dam is it drops about 20 ft and then it stops
dropping I got to believe that wherever it's legal but I've been doing this for 30 years and I don't know what to do I mean every everybody that was involved in this township called me to congratulate me that the gray came in
and they were fixing it The spillway is broken but it doesn't hold the water The water never even gets up to the spillway So why even fix that because that's the township property The spillway is the township property So is the dam Wood Lake is a private lake No but the dam
belongs to the township The dam belongs to the township Dam dug it up and destroyed it and in turn destroyed the private lake And for years you've been telling me that Okay In the beginning the active as if you were going to help me And then after that you just told
everyone who would listen that's a private lake I'm not asking you to fix the lake I'm asking to fix the dam that belongs to the township that the township destroyed and therefore destroyed our it was is MUA forced main through there
and she could Yeah she provide the letters too Whatever Do you understand that I I I was here already after 30 years of doing this and got all the I'm sure you have you have to have records from the previous mayor and the previous solicitor and the
previous engineer that this is what they promised me Okay because listen I don't care what you do with the money as long as my lake gets gets fixed or your dam gets fixed But they use that money on something else I am going to get in the way of it because that's not what the
application was for You know what I had to do to get that application no Okay And then I did get it and it was that one sentence But everybody knew everybody and it was it was what I was fighting
that the previous mayor of that who was she one you were working with when I first she told yeah that they were putting it in I have putting it in for to fix that dam and and and let's just
say this it is your it is the township and So you know I appreciate that But after 30 years of this I'm so tired of because this is where I end up when when the when the grant came through and everyone
I'm sorry just one more When the grant came through and everybody called including the mayor at the time okay called and said "Congratulations." Nor's office because they called me too that that dam's going to be fixed You did a lot of hard work Congratulations So when I found out it
was just a spillway I I lost my mind I mean that that's just out and I knew somebody was was doing that on purpose [Music] You should really For some reason they got this
brand new now They're getting entrenched in all this stuff Like who lives up there because it must be someone powerful because they get everything And there's my lake It's a big mosquito hole mud hole Motion
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