Good afternoon, West Orange. This is Joe Fagen, the Zoom moderator. Uh, welcome to the special township council meeting for March 19th, 2026. We're coming to you live from council chambers and the meeting agenda for today's meeting is
posted online at westthorns.org. At this time, I'd like to turn the floor over to our council president. >> Okay. >> Welcome everyone. Would you like to open the meeting? >> Sure. This is to inform the general public that this meeting is being held in compliance with section 5 of the Open
Public Meetings Act, chapter 231, Public Law 1975. The notice for this meeting was emailed to the West Orange Chronicle and the Star Ledger on March 13, 2026. Councilwoman Castelino, >> present. >> Councilman Koviaak, >> present.
>> Councilwoman Ruden, >> you're online. >> She's on her way. Councilwoman Williams, >> present. Council President Scorpa >> present. >> Mayor McCartney. >> Oh, will everyone please rise for the pledge of allegiance
to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> The council is now in their public meeting.
>> Okay. Uh we're going to begin. We're going to be um talking about 126 is our resolution authorizing an executive session for the purpose of discussing matters falling within the attorney client privilege to the extent that
confidentiality is required in order for the attorney to exercise his ethical duties to this body and for the discussion of matters which by express provision of law, state, statute or rule of court are required to be rendered Ed,
confidential, specifically including personnel, contract negotiations, affordable housing planner redevelopment, attorney client communications, litigation update, attorney client communications, ethical
duties, attorney client communications, separation of powers. >> I move for the adoption of resolution 100-26. >> A second. Councilwoman Castelino, >> yes. Councilman Kovia. >> Yes. >> Councilwoman Williams. >> Yes.
>> Council President Scorpa. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> We have that weess comment. >> Public comment. >> Do you want to recess or would you prefer to get public comment done and then we could recess since public? Okay. Is there anyone here that would like to make public comment?
>> Oh, come on. >> Seeing none. Oh, >> could I also just ask a question? uh based upon what happened at the last council meeting where there was a I think a change in procedure where uh the council people were not allowed to bring
any I I don't know what the rules were. I wasn't there but uh I wondered if that's going to be an ongoing uh situation. >> I believe I believe it should be particularly in light of some recent events. Also, I would I would ask that all council members refrain from
bringing in any type of recording device or from making notes during close session. >> So, not even a notebook. >> Correct. >> Okay. So, I've never been in this situation before. I've been on the council a long time. Never been in the situation before. There seems to be some
uh concern that there may have been uh a breach of the confidentiality of the executive session. So what I'd like to know is what is either the councils or the township attorney's role when there
is a concern or a suspicion that that has happened. We already have taken this step to uh not allow computers and and phones. Uh but is there I I guess the point is twofold. One, are
we going to continue to do this for the rest of the council term? uh because it seems to it it it certainly impacts the way I can operate what I how I usually operate in an executive session. So that's one question. Are we going to continue this for the rest of the council term or and the second question
is if we have a concern or suspicion is there uh any process to determine whether there uh was a breach or is a breach in the confidentiality of the executive session. It seems to me if we have a concern that that's the case,
it's it seems to me we should have a provision for investigating that and determining, you know, to as certain as we can whether or not that happened. Is is is any of that part of the I've never read it in the uh >> that that's part of what we were going to discuss.
>> Okay. Sorry. Didn't Okay. >> Stealing you're stealing my thunder, but >> we we we could discuss that in close session. >> Okay. Great. I move to recess to uh >> Did we close the the public? >> We didn't. >> Yes, >> you did call for public comment. I don't
believe you closed. >> Oh, okay. For seeing no public comment, we'll close it. >> Thank you. >> Move to recess to executive session and a second. >> Thank you. >> All in favor? >> Any opposed? Okay, we are recessed.
Hi Thank you for your patience, Russ. As you can see, council is back in session. At this point, I'd like to turn the floor over to council president. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, do I have a motion to adjurnn from
>> executive session and re-enter or make a motion? >> I'll second it. >> Okay. Councilwoman Castelino. Yes. >> Counciloman Koviaak. Yes. >> Councilwoman Ruden. >> Yes. >> Councilwoman Williams. >> Yes. >> Council President Scarpa. >> Yes. >> Council President. Uh >> yes.
>> So I I I understand that there might be a motion for reconsideration of one or two uh past resolutions. >> Uh the reason why the clerk had stepped out momentarily so that she could bring up the old resolution numbers.
>> Those resolution numbers should be referenced certainly for the purpose of reconsideration. But uh just to clarify the record, those resolutions had been placed on this new agenda but with uh new resolution numbers which I do not
think should be designated. I think that we should rely upon the old resolution number. So to that extent uh >> do we have the old consideration and any motion associated should reference the original numbers uh that the clerk will
advise you of. >> Okay. Thank you very much for that clarification. >> Okay, cler. >> Okay, >> so uh 69-26 resolution authorizing execution of a professional services agreement with hire and associates uh for municipal
affording affordable housing planner in an amount not to exceed $85,000. >> I make a motion to uh bring that back. >> Reconsider. >> Reconsider. >> Okay, I second. >> Okay, thank you. Councilwoman Castelino. Yes. >> Councilman Koviaak. >> Yes. >> Councilwoman Ruden.
>> No. >> Councilwoman Williams. >> Yes. >> Council President Scarpa. >> Yes. The motion carries. >> Okay. Is there a motion? That's a motion just to reconsider now. >> I move that we actually adopt the resolution. >> I'll second 100-26.
The new res. >> No, no, no, no. It's going to be 69-26. We're going back to the original. Yeah, >> I'll second that. >> And is there discussion? Uh, is there any discussion? >> Yes. I would like um to just state for
the record that I believe that it is prudent uh for us to reconsider and approve this motion uh for the protection of a storm. >> Okay, great. Thank you. Anybody else? >> I'd just like to put on the record that I thought that way the first time when I
voted for it. Thank you. >> Okay. >> Okay, >> Councilman Kakobiac. And I would also like to just remind everybody this motion failed at the last council meeting uh by 2 to 3 and I am appreciative of Councilwoman uh Williams
uh uh openness to reconsider. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> Okay. Councilwoman Castelino, >> yes. >> Councilman Koviaak, yes. >> Councilwoman Ruden, no. >> Councilwoman Williams, yes. >> Council President Scarpa, >> yes. The motion carries. Okay.
And there's one more for reconsideration >> is 89-26 resolution authorizing execution of a professional services agreement with higher grul and associates for uh municipal planning services. >> Make a motion to resend. >> I'm not done reading. >> Sorry. At an amount not to exceed
85,000. >> We'll make a motion to resend. >> Reconsider rather. >> Second. Thank you. >> Councilwoman Castelino. >> Yes. >> Councilman Koviaak. >> Yes. Councilwoman Ruden, >> no. >> Councilwoman Williams, >> yes. >> Council President Scarpa,
>> no. >> Okay, so the motion carries >> and I move for the adoption of the motion number. >> Madam clerk, >> 89 >> 89-26.
>> Second. >> Okay. >> Discussion. And again, for the protection of our municipality, our residents, I um accept the adoption and approval of this um resolution. >> This has nothing to do with the
protection of our residents. We had five different um vendors apply for this job and and we have the same vendor is already doing the municipal affordable housing. So, this is not necessary to to award the same vendor two different
contracts in planning. >> Anyone else? >> Yeah, I'll make a statement. So, and I appreciate your your thought on that and I appreciate you reconsidering, but you know, we've lost so much time and, you know, we could be here all night debating about full-time planner
planner. We look forward to hopefully uh hiring a full-time planner at the end of the year, which is desperately needed. I still support that. I've been supporting that. Um but but right now we need some ordinances written. We, you know, we we
need to get some planning services done especially for our downtown area. Uh so I appreciate the support in uh moving this uh forward this evening. >> Yes. >> I'd like to just come back and say you you look forward to hiring somebody at the end of the year.
>> Yeah. Exa exactly how do you expect that a full-time planner will be hired at the end of the year? >> Okay. So, okay. I'm sorry. January after after after year >> after this horrible election year. Yes. Hopefully, there can be consensus. >> Okay. Council at the end of the year.
>> Councilman Kovak, do you have any comment? >> No, I do not. Thank you. >> Okay. I just want to briefly say that I understand our need for the municipal affordable housing planner. Um, but I do feel that given um all everything we've heard from the public and everything
that we have seen on the affordable plan, I would love to see another pair of eyes. So that's why I voted I am voting no. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> Councilwoman Castelino >> to vote yes. Yes. >> Councilman Koviaak. >> Yes.
>> Councilwoman Ruden, >> no. >> Councilwoman Williams, >> yes. With pleasure. >> Council President Scarpa, >> no. The motion carries. Okay. If there's nothing else, is there a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> Second.
>> All in favor? >> Any opposed? The meeting is adjourned. >> This is good. Never.