start e e h okay um good evening everybody all right thrilled to see the APG students in the house adequate notice of this meeting as required by the open public meetings Act was provided through the posting mailing and filing of the annual notice of regularly scheduled meetings of the Town Council on December 12 2023 the notice was on that date posted on the bulletin board of the municipal building provided to the Westfield leader and the Star Ledger and filed with the clerk of the town of Westfield Miss ly may I have a roll call Mayor brindle here council members hood here Dar herea here keer here sers hereo here contract here please rise for the invocation which will be given by councilman contract and remain standing for the salute we seek blessings on the task before us bless our efforts with clear Insight our deliberations with wisdom our work with Clarity and accuracy and our decisions with impartiality I pledge aliance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands any comments oh no we tell you got enough we're done um okay well before we get into comments and the agenda we do have one Proclamation here tonight is Arthur dubab here oh there you are come on up Arthur um um so tonight we're going to begin with a proclamation to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month uh as hopefully we've said over and over again we are a community where hate and Prejudice are not tolerated and tonight we welcome the opportunity to honor the contributions and Heritage of our Jewish American friends and neighbors to further our efforts towards being an inclusive and welcoming community so I want to thank Arthur duab from the combat anti-Semitism movement for joining us tonight for this Proclamation so uh this is Jewish American Heritage Month in May this year whereas Jewish immigrants to America ever since their first arrival to our Shores in the 16th century have played a central role in the creation growth Freedom prosperity and strength of the United States and whereas the biblical and contemporary history of the the Jewish people and the enduring values of the Jewish faith were vital sources of inspiration for the founding of the United States the Civil Rights Movement America's glob Global Leadership in the cause of Freedom American's commitment to social justice and many of our country's most Central tenants and whereas the United States was the first country in the world to recognize the state of Israel in 1948 and over the years has developed a deep friendship and unbreakable alliance with the state of Israel based upon shared vales and mutual interests and whereas Jewish Americans have played an important role in shaping American culture making significant contributions to the Arts entertainment Science and Technology government business culinary traditions and other fields of the United States and whereas for 43 years every president of the United States has declared a period of time for celebrating the contributions to the United States of the Jewish community's history Heritage and culture and since 2007 6 the month of May has been presidentially declared to be Jewish American heritage month pursuant to a bipartisan resolution of Congress now therefore I mayor Shelley brindle on behalf of the Town Council do hereby declare and Proclaim May 2024 to be Jewish American Heritage Month in the town of Westfield and call upon all of our C citizens to commemorate this occasion by appropriately celebrating the contributions to our country and the town of Westfield of the Jewish community's history heritage and culture so thank you so much for being [Applause] here thank you so much really appreciate it absolutely back to um thank you all so much so um May is Jewish American heritage month and the combat anti-Semitism movement is a global organization made of up of over I think over 800 um organizations that are Interfaith Intercultural and um proclaiming Jewish Jewish American heritage month for May is one of our big achievements for this month last year over 150 Mayors did it and this year we're projecting around 200 to 300 so thank you for being a part of it happy to do it thank you for being here absolutely [Applause] okay so um actually we have lots of really great things to chat about tonight um a few things that are of interest to everybody it has a been a very busy few weeks in downtown with one ribbon cutting after another so I just want to make sure everybody's aware of all the latest um uh Vio Vietnamese restaurant recently open in the former former mberry house space I have to say Don Mackey and Todd Saunders and I we had a great lunch there and they're open please go visit it's fantastic um another exciting new opening is the terce Terrace plant shop um I have to say you know I I have never known people are going to be so excited about plants but I've received more positive uh comments on this on my social media they are currently at a popup location at 122 Elm Street which is across from Adams Tavern uh before they move into the permanent space at the former Jos Gallery space on Elm Street um hummus Republic is now open in the former Akai space um Superfly which is a bunge bunge based Fitness Studio opened in the former little net space and they actually do this thing with you can bring your baby and carry it it's pretty cool I talked to the owner the other day um the town bookstore uh also held an official Grand reopening under their new owner Lisa Schwarz um and so fantastic they're ensuring that this town treasure will remain downtown destination for years Alpha Fit club in Westfield has opened his newly expanded Flagship location at Westfield Crossing uh at 425 South Avenue and the long awaited fairity which is in the former Williams sowa space opens this Friday so it's the days of high vacancy rates where every business closing brought anxiety about the health and vitality of our downtown seem to be behind us for now I just remember every time I'd get a notice about a closing I'd get this like pit in my stomach for how long but um I think the recent anticipated closing of the popular liquor store NOS venos on Central Avenue is a perfect example of that so in that case Bottle King actually purchased the No No venos liquor license about two years ago and they were keeping the store open until the lease ended this month so they are currently pocketing liquor license for now as they seek a much larger space and the property owner was very anti very excited and optimistic about leasing this prominent space very quickly when I spoke to him last week and there's one other thing Jim that I don't know if I mentioned to you one thing I always ask our new business owners how the process was going through our buildings and permitting process to open universally they will tell you there is no place better than Westfield to open a business and you take what Alpha fit for example that now has about 20 locations around the state they will tell you Westfield is a walk in the park um so it's really a tribute to Frank foso and the buildings department and actually this Council which has invested in a lot of automation all the permitting is online and our goal was to save our people and allow them to do only what people can do and allow the online and and automation to enable what people can do themselves so um I think we're seeing the results of that in the businesses and I know one downtown property owner who's now buying a lot of new property said he's choosing Westfield for that very reason is that time is money and when you can get a business to open quickly it means a lot so just want to say congrats to Frank and make sure that everybody is aware of that and speaking of those openings though um I recently joined a group of town employees there's a whole bunch of us and some planning board members for a tour of Westfield Crossing on South Avenue um it has begun leasing units in their first building that was recently completed and the second building next door is scheduled to be open in August the transformation of what was an an abandoned industrial space into highquality residential buildings with amazing amenities pool putting green crazy um and they're actually leasing at a very brisk space um what is also remarkable and they noted this as well is that the 177,000 square feet of retail space that they have is fully leased before they even open their doors um as I mentioned the recent opening of alpha fit club's FL Flagship location is there and the anticipated opening of Apple monu will be occupying the remainder of the space and they anticipate to be opening school year in September um additionally what I think many of us are very excited about is that work is about to begin on the public Plaza which is across the street um which will include like beautiful fixed seating art a beautiful landscaping which will serve as a very welcoming gateway to Westfield better than the old kind of abandoned car stuff there now um and this Plaza was made possible as a result of the Redevelopment agreement we negotiated with the veler Elite properties which require them to create this Plaza and deed it over the town while also making a contribution to our Park Improvement fund to offset the completed Windsor Park playground improvements as well as some upcoming improvements to other parks in town but I think in addition to all of that what we should all be very proud of is the 32 affordable housing units that Westfield Crossing will ultimately deliver it's a significant advancement of our affordable housing obligations and one of the many reasons we are in such good standing with the fair share housing center this will not only help in our upcoming fourth round of affordable housing negotiations which this Council will about to Embark upon but it also Shields us from potential costly litigation and keeps us in control of future development you have to look no further than what happened in Milburn recently after their new Council rejected a courta approved affordable housing project just you understand the consequences of that the fair share housing center successfully appealed the Milburn council's decision resulting in the judge revoking milburn's immunity from Builders remedy lawsuits required the town to pay all attorney fees and appointed a special Master to determine where the affordable units would be built irrespective of what the zoning laws permit and irrespective of what the council wants so my point in sharing this as we are about to embark on our fourth round is to remind our residents of what's at stake regarding our affordable housing obligations it's no joke and it's why Williams Nursery for example could not be anything but inclusionary housing without significant risk to Westfield since it was included in our affordable housing plan in 1991 so I have expressed my concerns about the recently passed affordable housing legislation and they remain but mostly it's related to the uncertainty of how our obligations will be calculated um but the completion of projects recent projects like Westfield Crossing and the good stad it keeps us in with fair share will only be helpful as we begin the fourth round process so you're going to hear a lot about affordable housing over the next uh 12 plus months but I just want to make sure everybody understands the importance of it and the complexity of it which we'll all be involved in um so beyond that lots of ribbon cuting there are lots of events that are coming in May um I want to let every know in celebration of national preservation month the historic preservation commission and the public arcs commission have teamed up to host a a special photography exhibit at the Rialto sidewalk Gallery throughout May is titled Westfield then and now and actually Jenny jelski sent me a few photos which I thought were amazing it's vintage photos sourced from The Archives of the Westfield Historical Society alongside present day views of what exists there and some of them are kind of fun I saw some the some props including the police department are in there so it's kind of cute um and the dwc has be has doing their Saturday spring into fitness series I was down there on Saturday on quinby um there's a bunch of outdoor Fitness classes that with different Fitness and Studios performing um now it's going to be on Saturdays at Foundation Park through June 29th um the Saturday's class will be hosted by Alpha Fit club and next Saturday is going to be hosted by mag PT Pilates so please check the dwc for the on all the information for the full website and I was told to make sure you bring your own yoga mat um also want to let everybody know that the Westfield clergy p uh Association in partnership with the West field high school community service club and the police department they're conducting a townwide food drive uh this weekend May 3rd through 5th donations go to the Westfield food pantry and it's Associated smaller pantries so please consider donating food items on Saturday May 4th from 10: to 1 you can drive up to the Edison immediate intermediate school parking lot and any church between Friday through Sunday and financial donations are also accepted uh and another exciting Brightwood Park day is going to be held this Saturday looks like it's going to be a nice day lots of fun in the park uh birding walks nature photography uh Forest bathing which is always popular um planting pollinator patches historical walking tour and so forth so some events require Advanced registration so please go on to friends of Brightwood do.org um for more information and it's a great collaboration between friends of Brightwood the recreation department and the green team so incredible very popular familyfriendly events and uh Spring Fling is this Sunday from 10:00 to 5: Great uh the Chamber of Commerce runs this event it's in its 33rd year this year they're added I think live music on Quimby I think there's like apparently dinosaurs walking around town or something but it's supposed to be incredible so I hope weather cooperates and Sunday will be a really fun day so be sure and stop by and very importantly girls night out Returns on Thursday May 9th um it is time it's an 80 80s themed evening of shopping so bring your 80s dress up in your 80s gear listen some 80s music and uh for to get some of the freebies you have to register on the dwc website so all of them and all these information is on our town website as well um and more downtown fun uh open Quimby I want to thank the Department of Public Works for their work and getting it ready for another season um all the usual stuff that people have come to love you know the uh sweet sounds Etc I think scents and stuff are going up this week right so I to today oh today so it should all be up ready for fun and will'll be up in time for a Spring Fling on Sunday as well so um you're going to see some little updates some lighting and planners and other Decor so hopefully it's going to be ready for another great spring and summer season um and then lastly just regarding tonight's agenda we have some very important items to cover this evening um from the finance policy committee there's the ordinance on second reading for the adoption of the uh dwc down the special Improvement uh District budget and of course our Municipal budget and which we have the chance to talk about again I have to say I think it's the best budget honestly I can't imagine there's been a better budget ever introduced to the town a 0% Municipal tax increase in storic $15.4 million surplus so um it's a really great night for all and lots of investment and really fun things um and there is also tonight um a first reading to add a handicap space on Summit Avenue at the request of a resident need and parking area on Grove Street and we're also um tonight's ordinance on second reading for the installation of a four-way stop at the intersection of Clark Street and Dudley Avenue we spoke to some of the residents at our earlier confer session about that um so hopefully we'll create some enhanced safety measures in town so with that get on to the agenda at hand Miss lashi are there any advertise hearings yes may there are three advertised hearings first is for General Ori 20248 to amend the code of the town of Westfield chapter 13 anyone wishing to be heard on General or 20248 please come to the microphone State your need and address seeing no one may you may close the hearing this hearing is closed next is the public hearing for the 2024 special Improvement District budget anyone wishing to be heard on the 2024 special Improvement budget please come to the microphone state your name and address for the record seeing no one may you may close the hearing this hearing is closed last is the public hearing for the 2024 Municipal budget anyone wishing to be heard on the 2024 Municipal budget please come to the microphone state your name and address for the record thank you hi Jennifer Gilman 1750 Florida Street um coming to really just thank you for presenting such a fantastic budget um thank you to councilwoman haveg good and to the entire finance committee I'm here as a resident but also as the chairwoman of the Recreation Commission um I'm really thrilled and excited to see the inclusion of the funds for the memorial playground renovation this is something we've been talking about for a couple years over at the rection so anyone who's been reading our minutes or uh attending our meetings we'll know that we're really excited about this um first Monday Night of the month um and and not only is this going to be a playground um that gets tons of use it already does and already needs to be redone but the fact that um our new recreation department director when she came in um heard of the the need and the want to redo it that she took the initiative to push the project further to be a fully inclusive and accessible playground um so all of our playgrounds in town are Ada accessible but this playground is is going to be similar to how mindowaskin was designed not the same it's going to be different but a fully inclusive playground um and that's something that as a Recreation Commission and I know this Administration takes really seriously um and so we're thrilled to do it and I'm so so happy that the funds are there so thank you so much thank you and thank you for your service J [Applause] comments may may close the hearing this hearing is closed councilman Daria please move for the adoption of General ordinance number 20248 thank you mayor uh before I move for the adoption of this ordinance for always stop at Dudley and Clark I want to first thank council members habgood and Saunders for uh meeting with the neighbors taking the time to hear uh their thoughts get their concerns um while we work very hard at the Public Safety Committee to uh bring in our experts and of course you know hear their recommendations and follow the recommendations getting the voice of the residents is a Paramount concern we to install something like this um is is is you know it's a huge undertaking um and but we need to get and that's why we need to get the residents thoughts and their concerns and we appreciate it up until this evening at our 7 M conference session uh we had a number of folks there and uh we heard them out and we appreciate their concerns and um if um this um if it passes uh the installation of this always stop does not work out um we'll go back to the drawing board and look at other solutions to uh improve matters so uh with that uh I would like to move for the adoption of General ordinance number 2024 8 in ordinance to amend the code of the town of Westfield chapter 13 I have a second second by Council armento any discussion please call the role council members AB yes yes yes keeper yes Saunders yeso yes contract yes yes this motion is carried may I have a motion to approve the minutes from the Town Council conference and regular meetings of April 9th 2024 a second second second by Council ha good any discussion all in favor yes opposed this motion is carried now it's time for open discussion by citizens anyone may come up to the microphone and speak to the Council on any subject on which we have jurisdiction please state your name and address for the record and please limit your comments to five minutes Rich pentus 233 Char Street good evening three weeks ago I read a letter to the mayor and Town Council regarding a request for a cumulative impact study to investigate the combined effect of all of the planned construction on westfields infrastructure I'm back to continue our conversation as you already aware I'm a licensed professional engineer who is affiliated with the Westfield advocates for responsible development we have tracked over 20 large construction projects that have been built or approve since 2017 four of these projects the sopia One Westfield Place Westfield Crossing and a Williams Nursery Redevelopment site include large numbers of new dwellings units in small Footprints with vertical construction to previously unprecedented building Heights there have been approximately 950 new dwelling units approved for construction which is in addition to approximately 350,000 square feet of approved non-residential use space the Westfield Advocates are unaware of any coordinated investigation which takes a cumulative all-inclusive approach to identify and establish the combined impacts of all planned and approved construction the master plan reexamination report as approved in 2019 does not incorporate projects like the sopia and one Westfield Place such WID spread construction will have a major impact on the traffic infrastructure and everyday life activities of the Town although no past benchmarks likely exist the changes in things like domestic water electric and gas requirements in anticipated sewage and storm water flows pedestrian vehicular traffic artificial lighting levels and so on can be predicted using proven scientific and Engineering Methods at the conclusion of the April 9th meeting mayor brindle addressed Me by advising twice that my comments are duly noted thank you for those comments Madame mayor unfortunately I was hoping to hear a more proactive response as such tonight I'll provide you with some further information regarding our portable water supply this past February 26th the draft 2024 New Jersey Statewide water supply plan was released for public comment this document which is issued by the state of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection serves as a resource for managing the state's Water Resources to ensure that there is an adequate supply of quality water for present and future generations of new jerseyans and to protect the natural environment of our waterways the document is quite comprehensive and covers issues such as Statewide water supply availability climate change impact and water availability draw resilience sustainability water resource protection and planning efforts demand and usage accountability and recommendations for Action moving forward as the document is quite technical in nature and spans all of 288 pages I won't bore you with the granular level details I will however make you aware of one major point which I feel is critically important to our efforts as a town to remain on top of the list of the best communities in New Jersey to live chapter four of the draft water supply plan covers Statewide water demands and balances and in layman's terms this chapter covers our state's water sources demand and usage future water needs and an analysis of impacts and shortfalls the chapter includes a summary of Statewide water availability now and in the future current usage and Trends are derived from State monitoring and Reporting systems that were put in place as a result of the 1981 water supply management act future needs are based on the results as published in a 2018 report commissioned by the njde and performed by Ruckers University the Ruckers report accounts for population shifts weather trends changes in demand Trends and changes in water supply system status the ruter report was recently updated to reflect demographic changes and shifts in population throughout the state as reported by the 2020 census the ruers report does not account for anticipated changes in population due to construction and local development at this point I'm going to turn the microphone over to my wife an who who is the next speaker and who will finish presenting my letter tonight an pacus 233 Charles Street with ref with reference to my husband's last Point regarding chapter 4 the state is divided into 20 water shed Management areas also called wmas table 4.1 which is located on page 131 of the 288 page draft water supply plan summarizes current and projected water usage and availability to reflect the big picture of water availability throughout the state mayor brindle the key result that you need to be aware of from chapter 4 and for that matter the from the entire 288 page draft water supply plan is the fact that three of the 20 wmas have current demands which exceed sustainable thresholds in layman's English this translat translates to shortages in water supply being predict predicted in these three wmas the W under concern are areas numbed 7 15 and 17 I'm not so con much concerned about areas 15 and 17 which are located in the southernmost counties of New Jersey I am however extremely concerned about W number 7 Westfield is located in area 7 along with Scotch Plains Fanwood Garwood and Cranford yes mayor we made the list unfortunately this is not a list that we want to be a part of as an important reminder these results do not account for any localized construction or development this is because ruers university has no idea regarding what we are currently building or are planning to build here in Westfield no one engineering training is necessary to understand my next Point ordinary Common Sense will tell us that the large number of dwellings and Associated Water users that will result from the current and planned construction will only serve to exacerbate the problems identified by the state and will also create localized hotspot problems one such example is the area in the v vicinity of one Westville Place mayor brindle I again implore you and the Town Council to take action to commence a accumulative impact study the time to look at these issues is now while many AR our projects are still lines on a piece of paper that can be modified this small prudent investment will provide valuable information pertaining to current and future capital budget priorities on behalf of myself and rich panuski thank you hello my name is Dr Walter carmaker I live at 252 Hazel Avenue in Westfield and I am a Scientist and a long-term resident of Westfield as a scientist I believe that the issue of climate change is one that we should focus on now as we only have a short time to do what we need to do to prevent the worst potential effects of climate change in the future this means we must work at the national level as well as the state level and the local level to make the changes that are necessary the biggest issue is greenhouse gas emissions these are produced in large part by the burning of fossil fuels therefore I want to voice my support for the climate action plan resolution that will be voted on tonight this resolution will start a process where the town of Westfield will look for ways to reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions produced by the town of Westfield both the municipal government as well as the town businesses and citizens the town of Westfield can play a role by placing solar panels on municipal buildings and parking lots and by encouraging homeowners to add solar panels to the rooftops of their homes the town of Westfield can play play a role by buying electric or hybrid vehicles for his Municipal Fleet and by adding more EV car charging spots to the municipal parking lots the town of Westfield can play a role by encouraging people to bike into downtown when possible the town of Westfield can play a role by encouraging people to replace their old gas water heaters with new electric heat pump water heaters these are just a few of examples of how we can act locally to do our part in conclusion I want to voice my support for the climate action plan resolution and I ask all members of the Town Council to vote in favor of this resolution thank you thank you good evening my name is Audrey zavitz and I live at 56 North Chestnut Street I've been a resident of Westfield for 37 years as a former teacher and principal in town I know how lucky we are live in Westfield a town that not only cares about the health of its residents but also the health of the planet I would like to voice my unwavering support for the climate action plan resolution and I would encourage all members of the Town Council to vote in favor of it thank you very much thank you hello my name is AMD harer I live at 841 Summit Avenue as a Westfield resident of three years I also support the approval of the community action plan resolution this resolution should ensure that our town can continue to move forward with the New Jersey and exceed the New Jersey state goals to reduce Greenhouse grasses gases by 2050 it's my understanding that the town of Westfield has 35% of New Jersey's population but. 53% of New Jersey's residential greenhouse gas emissions therefore I think our town plays an integral role in doing our part in uh combating against Greenhouse grasses and I encourage you all to support for the approval of the community action plan resolution thanks thank you [Applause] uh hello my name is Ron Pon I'm an alcoholic uh 113 Sussex Street Westfield New Jersey uh for some time now I've been engaged in a battle between the Westville police department and the council has gotten uh in the way of the crossfire and I have uh done some uh improper emails and uh some not some mean things to the council and I just want to apologize for my ction because you don't deserve this you don't deserve that and uh if there's anything I can do that would could help or assist this town in any way um um you can just you can email me all right thank you thank you very much for coming forward hi Erica witty 3 41 West Dudley Avenue uh I've been a Westfield resident for the past seven years and I am the co-founder of project playground in Westfield which is a charitable initiative to make the school playgrounds in Westfield more accessible and inclusive for children of all abilities um I wanted to just spend a few minutes giving an update on our efforts and talk a little bit about Community involvement um first off I just want to say that I think the town done a really great job Jim and the recck department when I think about Playgrounds like minda wasin they're you know the most inclusive playgrounds in the state and I'm really excited about Memorial and hopefully tamis in the future um also I just want to thank mayor brindle and and Todd Saunders who really helped us get the word out about this initiative um but just for some background this is very personal I have a a daughter at Franklin a son at Lincoln and my son uses a Mobility device he uses a walker um uh for Mobility so when a few years ago we um took a look at Lincoln and uh went on the playground you know there was nothing accessible really there and so that meant that he wasn't really going to get to participate as much with his fellow peers and then you know I started going to baseball games soccer games at the different elementary schools for my daughter and we couldn't use you know my son couldn't use the playground at any of the elementary schools because there's no accessible equipment at any of the schools um so so really when you think about early childhood education play play on the playground it's so important for development for socialization and I just really felt like this is something that needed to change um so in uh less than a year we we formed project playground is all private Community funded we raised $135,000 to add six pieces of accessible equipment accessible surfacing to the playgrounds at Lincoln School which is um kindergarten and and prek we also initiated a program with Westfield High School where we started it's called the Young designer program and it's High School volunteers they created inclusive signage communication boards which are now featured at Lincoln we're going to expand it to the other schools and um it also just was featured with uh Westfield soccer um so we're really excited to now expand this to Franklin School Franklin Elementary as well as Jefferson Elementary and hopefully additional schools in the future Franklin our goal is $150,000 to add accessible equipment and other inclusive pieces um and I'm excited to say that we're at over $90,000 in funds raised from the community whether that be families local organizations local businesses um Jefferson we started a little bit later and um we're excited to say that we're at over $30,000 um so really I just wanted to say you know for parents who have kids attending the schools for Neighbors who maybe their kids went through the school system or their grandchildren are in the school system you know this is a really a great way to give back to the community and there's various ways to do this there's opportunity for businesses to sponsor the playgrounds and and their signage associated with that there's opportunities to donate a piece of equipment a bench a table um also engraved bricks that'll be a walkway so there's lots of different opportunities Jefferson's having um an event on on Friday um so you could follow us we have our own Instagram it's called project playground Westfield and um we also if you Google Westfield project play Franklin or Westfield project playground Jefferson um you can get right to the donation page so I really appreciate the council you know getting the word out there so that we can meet our goal and so that really children can can all play together regardless of their abilities thank you thank [Applause] you hello my name is Peter Goldberg I live at 463 Edgewood Avenue and I'm here to speak in favor of the climate action plan resolution uh as many maybe all of you are aware the green team has put a lot of effort into scoping out potential uh climate actions and we've put a lot of effort into creating a very long document that is well researched well considered uh detailed and actionable but it will only be useful if we actually act on it and I'm encouraging you guys to uh pass this resolution as a path along taking those kinds of actions I think it's both morally correct and deeply practical on the moral side we've identified a number of actions that don't cost us a lot today aren't terribly difficult today but will save future Generations a lot of trouble down the line it will also save us a lot of trouble down the line because climate change is not that far out I am very close to middle-aged but uh the uh big effects of climate change will likely hit before I retire so that's why one of the reasons that I think it's morally correct it's also deeply practical because there's a lot of grant money attached to it uh last year we were able to get about $10,000 to support sustainability at the library and to help Westfield residents with weatherization and electrification this year year through this process of climate action planning we're eligible for $250,000 in grant money and uh more in the future so uh I encourage you to support this resolution it's both the right thing to do it's the Practical thing to do it's is what we should do thank you thank you [Applause] hi Bob mcnam 603 Lawrence Avenue uh Town Council Members uh in the last several months I have uh attended three planning board meetings in one they reviewed development plans for a new mixed use uh building on Elm Street directly across from the Adams Tavern the board asked reasonable questions the applicant responded professionally everything went very well on the opposite end of the spectrum though at the other two planning board meetings the board was was asked to review variance requests regarding Westfield Crossing I was a little surprised because Westfield Crossing was a subject of a Redevelopment plan and the town had touted a Redevelopment plan as giving us control we were Partners in that develop with the developer the first variance was related to the South Sub Zone instead of the parking being wholly within the building the developer was moving a substantial amount of the parking to a surface lot bordering both The Windsor Avenue neighborhood and Garwood residences we have been lectured over and over again by the town's planning consultant topology that surface Lots were obsolete to be avoided at all costs they were the Antichrist of town planning yet despite objections from Westfield and Garwood residents the board acessed not a peep from them so we got a surface lot taller retaining walls when asked about AC units it was confirmed that they would be built facing the Garwood neighborhood asked about trash collection that to was going to be facing the Garwood neighborhood I was truly disappointed in the UN neighborly attitude adopted by our planning board the second variance request regarded regarding West Hill Crossing was at the northern Sub Zone was made by a proposed tenant the montauri school child care provider they wanted to replace the public Central Courtyard with a locked gated playground to be used exclusively by the child care center and taking the entire Courtyard with this 9,000 foot playground they were in essence violating the Redevelopment agreement by increasing their allowable use from 12,000 ft to 21,000 Square ft two board members correctly pointed out that the proposal violated the intended use and in fact the spirit of the open space guidelines in the Redevelopment agreement residents spoke up about concerns regarding traffic impact specifically the drop off being used almost exclusively for the child care center residents also highlighted the excessive size of the private playground following State guidelines this area could handle 250 children far exceeding the projected enrollment that testified to so instead of a compromised solution that could have still given the child care center Center a right-sized playground a small public space that one of the board members was asking for and then a reasonable larger drop off that could address uh traffic concerns the board steamrolled over the two board members as well as a residents and accepted this oversized private playground they only agreed to a post occupancy tra traffic analysis to review the concerns of the residents this will be too late the playground will already be built no reduction will take place as a partner in this Redevelopment agreement you the council have the responsibility and the legal right to negotiate with the developer and reach compromises as issues like this arise I would encourage the Town Council to be proactive in dealing with our planning board and standing up for our rights as a red vment partner thank you anybody else seeing no further comments I close this portion of the meeting um I'll just I I'll just mention a few things um to Walter is Emily Audrey and uh Peter thank you all for your support of the climate action plan and for all your work in getting into it it's amazing how the length of that document and I always tell people our green team is like the EPA um and it's quite impressive so thank you and I do want to thank uh councilman contract for his leadership on this as well and uh I think uh I hope you'll see you have a very supportive Council of it I don't if you have anything to add to that DAV yeah I would just say and I think I've said this publicly before we're lucky to have the green team that we have it's a bunch of volunteers who really care four of them are here tonight and I just want to say thank you and I do want to especially thank Peter we passed the community energy plan I don't know four six eight weeks ago Peter was really the primary author of that and and that might be the 70-page document that he was referring to so Peter thank you it's a lot of work but we really do try to come up with the right recommendations for this town to move us to a more sustainable future and and uh I hope the climate action plan resolution passes because it is the right Next Step for our community and Erica if she's still here I don't know if she's still oh there you are um uh you are a Powerhouse seeing what you've been able to do with project playground and uh the women and it was mostly women organizing that fundraising is really unbelievable and um I think it's been certainly going doing the walk to school and seeing this has been a highlight for me and apparently I'm a popular door prize I'll be at the Jefferson I'll be at the Jefferson event on Friday and I guess I'm being auctioned off for something else as well yeah yes um so looking forward to that but congratulations for all the success and we're very very happy to support it and I do want to give a hats off to our DPW as well for who've been really great Partners I know with all of you on it so congrats on that um and Jim I don't do you want to address Rich's comments I don't about the um I don't know the water Supply issue any or the draft yeah I'm not aare you know our water supplier is New Jersey American Water uh we are in water set 7 I believe um and so we'll have to look into more of that detail but um obviously any issues that would be going on for now or the future American Waters our partner uh they would be advising as there's any issues going forward but that's something we will definitely review that report and uh take a look at that and I just I know you might mention something from uh Mr postim was up here I just um that took a lot of Courage them to do that I was he left okay well it's for those who don't know uh Chief Boro knows more than most but um he's I don't know done a lot of things to town employees um and the police department for a while so him coming here like that is a big deal it is I was I'm sorry he left because I wanted to acknowledge Him as well it was uh that took a tremendous amount of Courage which most people don't even realize so um I don't know Chief Whoever has this contact information if someone could get back to and let him know how much we appreciated him being here tonight and um U mayor before we got the topic of the Rich's comment yeah I just wanted to add one thing if I may sure of course um uh the council had the opportunity to meet with uh Street works this week we talked about the One Westfield Place project um they indicated that their traffic study needs to be reviewed and ultimately goes to the state DOT and I asked when that traffic study gets to be reviewed does it account for for example the Sophia project which hasn't been built yet but we all know it's coming and they confirm that the traffic study will include anticipative projects like this Sophia so uh to the extent you know I know you keep asking for for a cumul of impact study you know to me that was that was I I appreciated that on their part that it wasn't just taking in account what is there now but taking in account what is coming so hope that's help may I just add one thing to that I think thank you counc there were I think they also mentioned the distance so there's actually 22 projects being taken into account in their study and just a reminder that we're also waiting to participate in the County's impact study which goes along the North and South Avenue corridors among multiple towns including Westfield so that's another they got a grant for that and they're just waiting to go through the Grand process there's almost going to be sort of uh a double look at it from different perspectives so just but it it was important that they confirmed that which was good yeah and thank you Council for bringing that up because I think sometimes us that we close make this assumption that everybody knows all that stuff that one Westfield Place traffic study and impact study wasn't just about One Westfield place it did take into 22 projects that were anticipated um many not yet built so um it was essentially a communal impact study by nature of it so um but uh but always appreciate the comments um and lastly Mr mag I do take a little issue with your characterization of the planning board I sit on the planning board as you all know as this Council bardia um we sit there and I role as um elected officials as well as well as planning board members and we take those agreements and obligations very seriously um while you mentioned some of the things that you had issues with you also failed to mention the remedies of those things um and so when you talk about the surface parking requirement actually the the public Plaza that I had mentioned that's being deed over the town was originally supposed to be a surface parking lot and it was the council that insisted that we could do something better than that uh and relocate that parking spot to generate something that had a much greater public good um and we feel like we've landed in a really good place um and regarding the apple monor as I mentioned um that was a permitted use the 12,000 square feet was a permitted use of the daycare center and there is as I mentioned in the previous meeting there's also a government requirement for their certification that they have outdoor space so um it kind of goes hand inand and as I also mentioned we toured Westfield crossing a week or so ago with members of the planning board and when they actually had the context and saw it they were they said oh very comfortable with the decisions that they had made and very comfortable with the drop off location and the circular of the driveway which it which actually was much bigger when you got in person than what it appeared when when it was presented so um so I appreciate your comments but as I've said repeatedly our planning board is made up of planning professionals there's planners I think two planners an architect a civil engineer certainly our fire chief um people uh a land use attorney uh we are really fortunate in Westfield to have this level of professionals serving on our planning board so to imply that they're actually not delivering what's in the best interest and best planning principles for the town is actually a really disservice to all of them so with that um uh we will move on and I will ask councilman ha good to move on to bills and claims thank you mayor all right I'd like to move bills and claims the amount of $954,000 CFO to refund Recreation Department fees second a resolution authorizing the CFO to refund dumpster Security payment third a resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant for unused parking permit fee four a resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant for the board of adjustment escrow monies five a resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant to treasur state of New Jersey for marriage civil union license fees six a resolution authorizing the CFO to drw draw a warrant to refund overpaid sewer fees seven a resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant for Risk Management Consultant fee eight a resolution to draw uh the local school tax to I'm sorry a resolution to defer the local school tax nine resolution to read the municipal budget by title you have a second second by councilman contract uh all any discussion all in favor yes oppos this motion is carried next I'd like to make a motion to amend the municipal budget may I have a second by Council and contract any discussion please call the RO council members yes yesal yes yes yeso yes contract yes may yes this motion is carried next I'd like to make a motion for the final adoption of the 2024 special Improvement District budget may I have a second second by councilman Saunders any discussion please call the role Council memb yes yes yes yes yes yes Contra yes yes this motion is carried I just just just want to thank uh the dwc board and Samantha horning particularly um this is really her first full year budget and uh I think they had a really um great budget this year but they changed the process and reorganized categories in the budget as well so I think uh uh it very very good process and I know this I know was a big lift for her and the new commit new committee members s a lot of so just it was important to thank them and they're fortunate that our finance committee chair is also their liais on exactly didn't hurt yeah that's right um and before I uh make my last motion uh I just wanted to take a moment to thank the finance policy committee for all the hard work over the last several months we start this budget process at the end of the year but that work is really done by our CFOs Scott Olsen by Our Town Administrator Jim G and by our Deputy Town Administrator um Heather Ray um the all of that work it uh is just enormous and um we can't I just hope the town recognizes the talent that we have and all the hard work and determination and commitment that goes in into putting a budget like this one together it's the culmination of not only this year but lots of years of planning that go into what I think is really a spectacular budget that allows us to um you know not increase the municipal tax rate for residents and also allows us to put a big investment back into the town in so many areas that I think all of us will really notice and appreciate for many years to come so thank you Jim Heather Scott in particular for everything that you do to make sure that this town runs like clockwork when it comes to finances it's a pleasure to work with you and um you know to my finance policy committee members um councilman kefir and dagala went through it for the first time this year and uh I think had a good time it was good agree and and uh councilman contract is back on the finance policy committee with me um which is always a you know a lot of fun David thank you for all the challenges you put um for us and um so but that was nicely said back he always makes us think hard so it's it's a good thing um and so with that unless any of you have any coms we can get a Unison second I I just want to say I haven't made the motion yet I just I I think we we should also thank you councilman hopg good for your leadership over the last uh I guess seven years now in the finance policy committee I've had the pleasure of serving on it for six of those seven years and so thank you you put a lot of extra time and effort in beyond the three of us and it shows and I think I think this is a budget we can all be proud of I would I would just offer from the perspective of somebody who was new to the process it was obviously incredibly enlightening uh and I want to tell everybody in this town something that you know you I hope you know but you don't know until you see it we have an incredibly well-run town uh in in a lot of different respects we respect the value of money we respect the uh the burden that taxpayers have to pay to make the town hum we come up with incredibly creative Revenue sources that don't come from citizens Pockets unless they get caught speeding or something like that but that that's different um but in all honesty the town is incredibly well run it really is due to the many people here who aren't sitting on the Cera Council we do our part but they do their part every day so uh good job W and and from myself I won't repeat anything anybody else said um I enjoyed working with the entire group yourselves I appreciated the fact that you brought uh experience to us uh and that we get to participate in that I think we learned a lot from you and hopefully we carry that forward great well well it's a big Love Fest up here so with that okay so with that I'll make my last motion for the final adoption of the 2024 Municipal budget I have a second Council contract any discussion I think we had it yes we had that discussion please call the role council members have yes Daria yes yes yes Saunders yes yes yes mayor yes congratulations everybody great Jim just exhaled you I was like sh okay he's now thinking about 25 already next is the public Jim takes one day off and he'll start working on next year's Budget on Thursday next is the public safety Transportation parking committee Council mardia thank you mayor I would like to move General ordinance number 224-0997 13 may I have a second my Council in contract any discussion please call the role council members have good yes yesal yes yes yes yes contract yes ma yes may yes this motion has carried next code review and town property committee councilman contract thank you mayor I have two resolutions to move as a package the first is a resolution to approve children's Amusement device license for spring FL and the second is a resolution supporting development of the climate action plan which we referenced earlier you have a second second by councilman Macky any discussion all in favor yes oppos this motion is carried I would also like to move General ordinance number 2024 d10 on first reading an ordinance to amend the code of Westfield uh sorry of the town of Westfield chapter 11 fire protection article 3 fire prevention code to amend and supplement the new section for lead based pain paint Inspections just for the residents this is uh based on new state requirements that municipalities have to inspect homes I believe built before 1978 or multi-use dwellings built before 1978 for lead based paint so any Resident who's in one of those categories will likely be hearing from the town to comply with new state regulations this will be led by our fire department and uh it's the right thing to do may I have a second second my Council Mackie any discussion please call the role council members H yes yes yes keeper yes Saunders yes yes contract yes yes this motion has carried and are the Nicks still playing are you going to catch him Tom may I have a motion to adjer so moved second all in favor yes opposed this motion is carried this meeting is ajour good night everybody good night [Applause] it's a good team I'm R because I have a 6m [Applause] [Music]