##VIDEO ID:PeSRoTrCGKc## no think a bed thanks Mom hello sh nice L said what's up my Haine oh no just like good evening good evening thank you all for coming it's now 6 PM I'd like to call the 2025 reorganization meeting to order compliance statement notice was provided in compliance with chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975 to the Burlington County Times and Trenton Times stating the date time place and the agenda to the extent it was known additionally notice was filed in the office of the Township Clerk please rise for the presentation of the colors and continue standing for the National Anthem sung by Lisa White and the invocation by Reverend Dr Danny scotten detail oh I pledge allegiance to the of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with libery and justice for all oh say can you see by the dawn light what so proudly [Music] we at the Twilight last glaming who spr stripes and bright stars through the per light or the r heart we watch were so gallantly streaming and the rocket red glare the BS bursting in it gave Pro through the night that our flag was still there see the star bangled or the L of the fre and the home of the pr I'd now like to welcome Dr Reverend Danny scotten for the invocation from alpha Baptist Church let us B bow our heads family de Lord God we come to you this night and come in home submission God recognizing who you are and what you've done in our lives we come at this time God knowing that you're able we're praying God you're willing we're here in willing BR God for a re reorganization meeting God we pray God you will be with the the proceedings God we pray that you will send your spirit to be with us this night God and that you will guide us and direct us and that everything everything that is done God is done Accord to your willing way and you are glorified noted by our efforts God we pray God for the agenda has been carefully crafted God we pray God as we uh go through this agenda God that things be done uh in a perfect way God and that you might be glorified and we might be better off for it we thank you for the time that's been put in preparation for this meeting God we know that time will be redeemed at a later time we pray God that everything is done is done according to your will and your way God we know you work in not some things but you work in all things God so God we pray that you'll be with us this evening and as you've been with us through the entire year of 2024 God we look forward 2025 we thank you God for blessing us we thank you God for the uh anticipation of what you're going to do in this coming year 2025 God we pray God that you will keep us God going the right direction with our eyes fixed on the Hills fixed on you which cometh our help and our strength we PR pray God for your word that we will continue to dwell upon that word read that word digest that word and use that word God to do your will so bless all the officials that have been called out this evening God those that will be sworn in God those that will be put into elected officials that put into elected offices God we pray for the people of willing BR Who come out tonight God so bless us and keep us God in the master name of Jesus we pray amen please be seated I'm now going to proceed with r call councilwoman Peron present councilman Anderson present councilwoman Macintosh present councilwoman Dr worthy present councilwoman Whitfield present thank you um the first order of business is the selection of the mayor for 2025 can I please have a motion and second to open the nominations for the selection of mayor for 2025 move second all in favor I I any opposed thank you are there any nominations for mayor I'll make a motion for Samantha Whitfield as mayor second thank you seeing no more nominations can I please have a motion and second to close nominations for mayor 2025 so move second all in favor I thank you all right can I get a motion to sorry I don't know if you can all hear me all right can I get a motion to elect councilwoman Whitfield as mayor for the year 2025 so moved second roll call councilwoman Peron the Whitfield councilwoman Anderson do you okay roll call by name please did you say councilwoman or councilman councilman Anderson I know we messed up the order here we go councilman Anderson Samantha Whitfield thank you councilwoman Macintosh Samantha Whitfield thank you councilwoman Dr worthy Samantha Whitfield councilwoman Whitfield Samantha Whitfield thank you congratulations mayor Whitfield please step up to the podium to be sworn in I'd like to invite mayor whitfield's family to accompany her to be for her swearing in and invite her mother Maria Whitfield to hold the Bible for her oath of office you Sharp orare that I will supp consit of the United States that I will support the constition of the United States and the constition of the state and the constitution of the state of New Jersey I will bear true sa and aliance and I will bear true saith and allegiance to the same to the same and the government EST and to the governments established in the United States and in the state and in this state couny and counil under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I [Music] willfully and that I will faithfully and partially and justly perform all duties of the office of men so help me right right good evening everyone good evening good evening try and get some of this energy up in this I know it's a council meeting but you can be a little Lively um first and foremost I want to thank God for preparing and positioning me for this tremendous opportunity I also want to thank my Council colleagues for their vote of confidence as I step into the role of mayor for Willingboro Township growing up here growing up here I could have never imagined this moment but I've learned that God's plan for each of us often exceeds what we can Envision for ourselves just a few years ago I was simply a curious resident with a desire to make a difference in my community meeting people like Harry Walker hea Macintosh Tiffany and Carlos worthy only deepen my passion for Community work I remember standing at the podium in the courtroom during council meeting meetings sharing my concerns and ideas at public comment and then one day former mayor knock planted a seed he said you're G to take my seat one day and I think that seed grew faster than either of us anticipated I almost dismissed it at the time but before long it became a goal so much so that I included being the mayor of this fine Township in my grad school application when I ran for to be on council with councilwoman MacIntosh and worthy we challenged the community to expect more and you did there were challenges along the way of course but then something shifted the energy shifted the accountability the partnership that we forged in this community were undeniable together all of us residents leaders volunteers youth we started making things happen this community has flourished because of the love dedication and unity of its residents baseball has returned with residents like Brandon and and Cynthia Edwards with born leaders the master plan is moving forward and nearing completion um thanks to the tireless work of willing Burl CDC and leaders like Pat Lindsey Harvey and M Fields new businesses like chakra soups and supreme sweets featured here tonight were created for us and by us they brought fresh vibrancy to our local economy and we've also had record turnouts for clean communities initiatives which has shown what's possible when we all lend a hand and expand our shared vision and the future is even brighter despite what's happening on other levels of government this year we'll see an all-inclusive playground come to life at mil Creek Park the creation of a Redevelopment plan for the Big D Marina the opening of a state-of-the-art Performing Art Center in this very building and upgraded lighting throughout this Township I'm so excited about what 2025 has in store and how we'll continue to build on this momentum as a council because we've worked so hard to get here as I step into this role I can only thank the people that have played a part in getting me here this journey was informed by my fellow students at the University of Pennsylvania my run sisters with black girls run my ACT activist family family with the NAACP and I am deeply grateful for the love and support of my parents Sydney and Muriel Whitfield my grandmother Pauline my siblings Sydney Spencer and Stephanie my boyfriend Edward my Aunts Uncles cousins many of them who live here friends and everyone else who has poured into me and filled my cup along the way as mayor of Willingboro Burlington County's Democratic stronghold I do not take this responsibility lightly and while we are we have accomplish so much already there is always more work to be done my focus this year will be on driving forward our Economic Development efforts strengthening our local business Community making willing bur a destination optimizing our Township structure for today's climate and identifying sustain strategies to tackle our trash and infrastructure challenges to ensure a resilient tomorrow I see Willingboro star continuing to rise for generations and it is truly an honor to serve this community I'm committed to Leading collaboratively and fearlessly to create a vibrant and prosperous willing bar so help me God thank you thank you mayor Whitfield all right our second order of business is the selection of the deputy mayor for 2025 can I please have a motion and second to open the nominations for the selection of deputy mayor for 2025 go move second second all in favor I I any [Music] opposed are there any nominations for Deputy Mayor I nominate Tiffany worthy second uh any other nominations seeing no more nominations can I please have a motion and second to close nominations for Deputy Mayor 2025 who move second all in favor I any opposed thank you all right can I get a motion to elect councilwoman Dr worthy as deputy mayor for the year 2025 moved second roll call uh by name please councilwoman Peron Tiffany worthy councilman Anderson Dr Tiffany worthy councilwoman Macintosh Dr Tiffany worthy councilwoman Dr worthy Dr Tiffany worthy mayor Whitfield Dr Tiffany worthy thank you congrats Deputy Mayor worthy please step up to the podium to be sworn in I'd like to invite Dr Worthy's family up to accompany her e right hand up left hand okay all right I state your name I Dr Tiffany worthy solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear truth faith and allegiance to the same and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and to the governments established in the United States and in this state county and Township and in this state county and Township under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and that I will faithfully impartially and justly perform and that I will Faithfully partially and justly perform all the duties of the Deputy Mayor all the duties of the Deputy Mayor according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so so help me God congratul thank you yeah good evening evening good evening distinguished guests family friends and willing borrow Community this evening I am filled with immense pride and gratitude to have been chosen by my colleagues to serve as the deputy mayor for 2025 as we embark on this new chapter together my personal motto for the year is thrive in 2025 this mindset is not just a guiding principle for me but a vision for our entire Community together we will continue to lay the groundwork with the leadership the steadfast leadership of our mayor Samantha Whitfield for a Willingboro that thrives not only today but for generations to come since 2020 this Council has been unwavering in its dedication to the betterment of Willingboro we challenged ourselves and you our community to expect more more of ourselves more from our government and more for Willing borrow from there we developed a comprehensive strategic plan to align their expectations of residents Administration and professional Partners last year we asked you to re-imagine willing borrow and we all rolled up our sleeves working alongside developers to bring transformative opportunities forward these initiatives particularly along Route 130 promise to bring new amenities to our community and position Willingboro as a destination of choice a place where people want to live work and thrive this Council has worked tirelessly to move willing borrow forward from closing gaps and outdated ordinances to investing in our infrastructure we are preparing for the Willing borrow of tomorrow together we are laying the foundation for a brighter more prosperous future as we thrive in 2025 I am especially eager to strengthen our collaboration with the water authority and the Willingboro School District while our roles May differ our purpose is United to Center the needs of our residents in every decision we make each choice we undertake has a collective impact on the very people who trust us to serve them and we are committed to getting it right for Willing borrow I am so excited to continue working alongside my Council colleagues our dedicated Administration and you the resilient vibrant residents of our remarkable Community together we will meet challenges headon we will seize New Opportunities and Achieve extraordinary things to my colleagues thank you for entrusting me with the opportunity to serve as Deputy Mayor let us move forward as one Willingboro and make this our best year yet together let's thrive in 2025 I'd now like to um invite Pastor Dr Carlos worthy from the burrow Church up for the blessing of the new mayor and Deputy Mayor and Council it's always good to have your daughter in the audience let us all pray gracious father we thank you for this day being the first Monday in this new year we thank you for those people who have been elected and appointed to govern this wonderful Community we thank you for what they have done and we thank you because this year is probably one of the most critical years in the history of this nation and so we ask you to guide their hearts guide their hands gu their heads that they would govern justly that they would govern righteously and they would govern for the peace and the wellbeing of this community Lord God we ask you to let them recognize and realize that they each are individually gifted and that individually gifted that there is no reason to be jealous or or upset because the foot be not the hand or the eye be not the ear but they do not need to be one part and the same part but they need to be one body so let them realize that all of their gifting working together as a body will Empower them to do so much greater and to thrive this community in a way that many residents know and believe we should be so Lord God cover them and keep them guide them like only you can give them the resilience give them the ability to rest when they need to but also continue to strengthen them that they would be able to lead and govern with you through you for you and for the betterment of this community we pray this in your mighty name in the matless name of Jesus Christ amen amen thank you Dr Worthy um as we continue on with our meeting I'd also like to invite brother Brian Muhammad student minister of the Nation of Islam to do a blessing for our community for the year new year family in the name of God most gracious most merciful I bear witness that God is one I bear witness that the prophetic Community is one I would like to extend the greeing words of peace to each and everyone that is here we say it in the Arabic language assalam alaykum now really did notam alaykum Salam I did not uh really come to I misunderstood I didn't know you all wanted me to say a prayer I came to say a few words but I want to just kind of echo the uh sentiment of our dear Pastor Carlos I was riding here and I was reflecting on that I read somewhere where Plato initially wanted to be a politician but it occurred to him that in order to have good government you needed good people in the government and so as I was thinking on that I thought about the prayer of Paul which is found in the book of Timothy where Paul makes a prayer and this is my sensive prayer for all of those in leadership the prayer that's found in second Timothy Paul says for kings and all those that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and Peaceable life in all godliness and all honesty for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior so if we have good leadership and I believe that we have that in what I've met of you all Dr uh Tiffany worthy our new mayor sister Samantha Whitfield our councilman sister CA I've met you all and I can see that you all a god- centered and so if we have god- centered leadership then that's going to flow out and to the community the one other thing that I would like to say is Jesus gave us the measure by which good government could be measured and it's found in the words that is written in the Bible of when the disciples came to him and they said dear Master when were you hungry and we fed you not when were you thirsty and we gave you not water when were you naked and we gave you not shelter and he said in as much as you have not done it to the least of these my servants you have not done it unto me so my prayer for the community of Willingboro is that as we go forward in 2025 we remember those that are the least in our community let us remember those who have not and that is the measure by which we will be judged is how we treat the least of these in our community and I believe that those that are in front of us we have good God-fearing people here and it is my prayer that you would lead from that type of spirit and lead us to where we need to go in 2025 I like that saying thrive in 2025 so with that being said family I like to take my seat thank you for allowing me to come before you peace asalam alaikum thank you student Minister Brian Muhammad before we get into our proclamations I do want to ask you all to just take a moment of silence we lost a a fearless leader and a former President Jimmy Carter just recently and I think it's only fitting that we honor him in our meeting here tonight thank you all right on to our proclamations I will go with uh the proclamation for honoring Martin Luther King Jr day um read by Deputy Mayor Tiffany thank you Madame mayor Proclamation declaring Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day whereas the township of Willingboro does recognize the contributions to the advancement of civil and individual liberties made by Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr and whereas it is fitting that the contributions of Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr be recognized by the officials and citizens of the township of Willingboro and the surrounding communities Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr through the actions of nonviolent protest and most definitely and assuredly has changed the face of American democracy and whereas numerous churches and organizations will hold Reverend Dr Martin Luther King Jr's celebratory services on Sunday January 19th and Monday January 20th in Willingboro Township and neighboring townships now therefore be it resolved that the township Council of Willingboro New Jersey along with the residents of the township ship of Willingboro hereby Proclaim that Monday January 20th 2025 is Dr Martin Luther King Jr Day in the township of Willingboro New Jersey and encourage all our citizens to participate in one of the celebrations being held thank you Dr worthy and now I'll ask uh councilwoman Kaya McIntosh to read our Proclamation honoring January as Muslim Heritage Month yes madame mayor Proclamation honor in January as Muslim American ameran Heritage M whereas Willingboro Township takes pride in its vibrant cultural history and the diverse community of people who call our town home and whereas Muslims have been in an integral part of our nation since before its founding including early Muslim explorers and settlers and have made countless contributions to the building of our society and whereas the state of New Jersey has designated January as Muslim Heritage Month and Burlington County is home to more than 13,000 Muslim residents in willenburg this Vibrant Community is supported by mosque resident restaurants youth groups and organizations that enrich our town and whereas Willingboro Township is proud to be home to a significant Muslim American population representing a diverse array of racial and ethnic backgrounds their contributions are seen in every corner of our community Through acts of volunteerism entrepreneurship service to those in need and efforts to com combat food insecurity and whereas the township of Willingboro has greatly benefited from the rich Traditions strong family values dedication to education generosity and Public Service of our Muslim American neighbors these contributions reflect the unity faith and commitment that strengthen our Township Inspire us all and where whereas we honor the many contributions of the Muslim American Community to our Township State and Nation Willingboro stands United in rejecting any anti-muslim hate islamophobia and all forms of bigotry reaffirming our commitment to equality Equity inclusion and justice for all now there therefore be it resolved on this 7th Day of January 2025 by the mayor and the township Council of the township of will bur County of Burlington state of New Jersey that the mayor and the township Council recognized January as Muslim American heritage month thank you councilwoman McIntosh Dr worthy at this time I would like to recognize is one of my Council colleagues one of our Council colleagues who served as our deputy mayor in the year of 2024 in appreciation of your collaborative spirit and dedication to service the Willingboro Township Council along with the residents of Willingboro Township commends Nathaniel Anderson for his exceptional commitment and Service as deputy mayor of Willingboro Township from January 2024 to December 2024 your leadership and efforts Have Been instrumental in advancing the Township's Mission and alignment with the Willingboro Township strategic plan by taking the lead in successfully executing community-driven initiatives you ensured that all voices and ideas were heard your unwavering support of the mayor along with your commitment to identifying opportunities for growth and Improvement have played a key role in making willing burrow a stronger more Vibrant Community as we work together to reimagine our future now therefore be it resolved the Willingboro Township Council extends its heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Nathaniel Anderson for his time energy and dedication as Deputy Mayor and looks forward to his continued contributions and collaboration as a valued member and the senior councilman of Willingboro Township Council presented by Willingboro Township Council January 7th 2025 I just want to say uh thank everyone for coming out this evening also want to congratulate our new mayor Samantha Whitfield Deputy Mayor Tiffany worthy and I'm looking forward to continuing to work as a collaborative uh part of this body as Dr worthy said so that we can continue to move Willingboro forward as a team so let's thrive in 25 and I'd also like to take a moment to present uh an award of appreciation to our former May mayor councilwoman K T McIntosh it reads in recognition for your outstanding service as mayor of Willingboro Township K Macintosh January 2022 through December 2024 your unwavering commitment to the care growth and well-being of our community is a testament to community centered govern government you have exemplified diligent leadership integrity and compassion ensuring that every decision reflected your love for this Township and its residents through steadfast dedication you have strengthened the bonds of our community that will lead to a brighter future we honor your remarkable achievements and thank you for being an inspiring force in making willing burrow a place we are all proud to call home with deepest gratitude the township of Willingboro so pretty no but thank you it has been my honor to serve as mayor of this town that I truly truly love I grew up here it's whether you like it or not it made me who I am but um I it's been an honor serving this town and the love continues um the work is going to continue so I think we're in excellent hands so thank you very much good evening everyone those who don't know I am Dwayne Harris Township manager here in willing Barrow and it is an honor and a privilege for me to be entering into my fourth year of service for you the residents here of willing Barrow underneath the direction and guidance of This Magnificent wonderful well educated and able Council thank you for your guidance and your leadership uh part of my job I have the privilege to place certain individuals into certain positions here in willing Township and as the township manager after 30 years of operating under the leadership of a public safety director willing Baro Township proudly returns to the traditional law enforcement structure of the uh of the reinstatement by the reinstatement of the police chief uh role here in Willingboro Chief Ian bucks assumes this pivotal position becoming the fifth police chief since role was established in 1958 Chief bucks began his distinguished law enforcement career in May of 1999 with the city of Wildwood police department he subsequently joined the Willingboro Police Department in October of the same year as a part-time special law enforcement officer a Leo to and over the two decades of dedicated service later cheap bucks achieved uh several Milestones including his promotion to captain in July of 2019 where he saw oversaw the Patrol Division uh following the re retirement of public safety director Kimo lman he was appointed director of Public Safety on December 1st in 2021 Beyond his contributions to local law enforcement Chief bucks has honorably served his country in the United States Coast Guard retiring as a chief boat Swain mate after 22 years of active and reserved Duty most recently he was selected as one of 15 police Executives Statewide to attend the advanced police practices seminar in London England on a very prestigious scholarship Willingboro Township Council commends Chief bucks for his unwavering dedication and heartfelt service to this community with his leadership ship integrity and vision Chief Buck stands ready to continue to guide willing Barrow and the police department into a new era of Public Safety and Excellence it is truly my honor to present to you this evening Chief Ian bucks yes ma'am just do it slowly I Ian bucks do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey faith and ALG to the same that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same in the United States and to the governments established in the United States and state County and in this state county and Township under the authority of under the authority of the people and that faithful and I will Faithfully partially and and justly all the of the office of and perform all the duties of the office of chief of police according to the according to the best of my ability so help me God so at this point I've uh I've I've asked my wife if she would pin the chief of police badge on to my uniform what I asked my kids to do is starting with my youngest and working my way all the way up to my wife is to pass that badge along that along each one of them and finally having my wife pin the badge on my chest nice e good evening good evening I'll take one from Dr Worthy's uh book good evening good evening all right all right so so 30 years 30 years is a long time you know 30 years was the last time we had a chief of police in Willingboro so to my family friends members of council and proud residents of Willingboro I stand before you today deeply honored humbled and filled with gratitude becoming a chief of police is a significant milestone in anyone's career but being able to do it in a community that I love is the icing on the cake this community is more than a collection of parks it's a family one built on resilience unity and pride so today as I take on this responsibility I do so with the duty to protect and serve you all to our mayor deputy mayor council members Township manager and all of our local leaders thank you thank you for intrusting me with this vital role your confidence inspires me and I promise to uphold the integrity and values that this position demands to the residents of Willingboro you're the heart and soul of this town as your Chief I will listen to your concerns amplify your voices and ensure every resident feels respected protected and valued policing is not about power it's about Partnerships together we will have a community where safety and Justice goes hand in hand to the current staff and police officers of the Willingboro Police Department standing in the back of the room I'm incredibly proud to be your Chief each of you has dedicated yourself to serving Willingboro and I remain committed to supporting you fostering your growth and working alongside you as we tackle anything that's put in front of us to the retired willing bro police officer who pushed me to get to this point Captain Valena Captain Evans Captain Dimitri struther Rucker Captain mckendrick you know my field training officers you know Eric Bowman Kevin Vernon Courtney Ellington you know thank you thank you for showing me the way and the correct way to being a police officer my friends my fellow Chiefs from around the state my classmates from the FBI na 284 in the back you know thank you thank you for taking the time today and showing your support you know not only for me but for our community and our municipality to my family my mother and father-in-law my brother and his wife my sister my nieces and nephews thank you for being here today your support is unwavering to my mom and dad thank you for your guidance love and support my entire life I grew up I grew up as a police officer's son and I always wanted to be a police officer and I wanted to be like my dad I was influenced by him and many of his friends some who are looking down from above smiling with pride I knew I had some hard shoe or some big shoes to fill but I hope I filled those shoes and made you proud lastly to my wife my four kids you've been my rock and I know you will continue to be this profession is not easy and it's not easy to be a spouse or a child of a police officer with the Miss birthday holidays and anniversaries but without your encouragement and your sacrifice would not be standing here today you're my Foundation I'm grateful for your love and support I love you guys so in closing thank you for this incredible opportunity I'm ready to roll up my sleeves work hard and continue to make willing bro an example of what a connected and compassionate Community is all about thank you God bless and I love you all to put on congratulations Chief bucks I look forward to your continued commitment to providing a safe Community for all of the residents here in Willingboro uh and now I will turn the meeting over to our Township manager Mr Dwayne Harris wow that's a tough act to follow thank you Chief uh good evening again residents of Willingboro members of the governing body uh these are the this is the business that is being presented to you for your consideration um this evening uh we do not have any ordinances that are being presented to you for introduction this evening we have none that require public hearing or or consideration for adoption but we do have several resolutions uh being presented for your your action resolution number 2025-the Township auditor Township Bond counsel financial advisor labor Council Township planner hearing officer municipal prosecutor alternate prosecutor Chief Municipal public defender Redevelopment counil Municipal special counsel tax attorney and fair share housing special councel resolution number 25-2 is a resolution authorizing the appointment of a special projects engineer or special projects Engineers for Willingboro Township for the term J of January 1st 2025 through December 31st 2025 resolution number 25 20253 is a resolution authorizing the cancellation of professional appointments of special project engineer and Redevelopment planner resolution number 202-429-2244 25-5 is a resolution of the township Council of the township of Willingboro establishing the meeting dates times and places for the township Council meetings for 2025 resolution number six is the resolution of the township Council designating the Township's official newspapers for the year of 2025 resolution number seven is the resolution of the township of Willingboro County of Burlington appointing members to various boards and committees or commissions resolution number eight is a resolution establishing the cash management plan and designating official official federal depositories or Banks resolution number nine is a resolution for the township Council authorizing change funds for the tax collector's office the municipal clerk's office and the Municipal Court resolution number 10 is a resolution establishing the rate of interest to be charged for the non payment of tax taxes assessments or other Municipal leans or charges resolution number 11 is a resolution authorizing the township of Willingboro to award a Construction Services contract for the 2023 segment Ro segment for roadway Improvement Phase 2 project resolution number 12 is the resolution extending the appointment of the Willingboro Township Oprah attorney resolution number 13 is a resolution authorizing the approval of vouchers for payments and ratification resolution number 14 is resolution approving a shared service agreement between the county of Burlington and the township of Willingboro for snow removal services for 2025 through the year 2027 and resolution number 15 is a resolution authorizing the rejection of Professional Services bids and allowing the zoning Board of adjust to read advertise and those are the items being presented to you this evening for your consideration thank you Mr Harris Madam clerk will you begin with resolution 2025 D1 yes Madam mayor all right so resolution 2025 one is to appoint um all of our Professional Services for the year 2025 um I will be reading each professional service position along with a professional to be appointed I am going to ask for a motion in second for each professional followed by a roll call vote for each um so just gonna be a lot of me talking may I have a motion and second to appoint Triad Solutions as the administrative agent for the affordable housing for the 2025 year so move second councilwoman perone yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint CSG law as the township attorney for the 2025 year so moved second councilman prone yes Council Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor W uh Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Bowman and Company LLP as the township auditor for the 2025 year so moved second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson he let's try that again I said councilman Anderson sorry councilman Anderson yeah I'm catching my FlyAway papers too um uh all right Council woman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint McManaman Scotland and Bowman LLC as the township Bond Council for the 2025 year they move second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Phoenix advisers as the financial adviser for the 2025 year still moved second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman M McIntosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Taylor Law Group LLC as a Township labor Council for the 2025 year second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Brownfield Redevelopment Solutions as the township planner for the 2025 year so move second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy doc Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint the guardy law firm at as the hearing office officer for the 2025 year moved second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson councilwoman Macintosh yes deputy mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion second to appoint McGill Law Practice as the prosecutor municipal prosecutor for the 2025 year so move second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion and second to appoint the law office of Greg and Maul LLP as the alternate prosecutor for the 2025 year still moved second councilman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you only a couple more may I have a motion in second to appoint Andrew M declair as the chief Municipal public defender thank you second second I'm sorry who said the second thank you councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion second to appoint McManaman Scotland and Bowman LLC as the township Redevelopment Council for the 2025 year second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint the plat Law Group PC at as the municipal special Council for the 2025 year second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint the plat Law Group PC as the tax attorney for the 2025 year so moved Council Peron yes councilman Anderson councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint sir seran Edwards buzak and uh Nolan LLC as the fair share housing special Council for the 2025 year second Council prone yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you that concludes our Professional Services at this time I'd like to invite our new Township attorney Mr Jason H to come sit with us at all right so that was resolution 202 5-1 um if you are all okay with it Madame mayor I would ask for a consent agenda for the resolutions that you see fit yes I um make a motion to do a consent agenda for Resolutions 2025 D3 through 202 5-10 second yes can we take out um I think we have to take out um resolution 7 any other resolutions to take out we have until 15 and 15 all right I make a motion to do a consent agenda for resolution 2025 -3 through 202- 6 as well as 2025 d8 through 2025 D15 second roll call councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you I'd like a motion to vote on the consent agenda please second councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you all right so our first resolution for separate discussion is resolution 2025-the the appointment of special project Engineers for Willingboro Township for the term January 1st 2025 through December 31st 2025 can I get a motion in a second to discuss this resolution second vve by councilman Anderson seconded by mayor withfield thank you uh for this one we wanted to do a pool of Engineers um May uh Madam clerk would you read the members of the engineering all right so our pool of Engineers for special Engineers for 2025 are Remington Vernick and Remington and Vernick Engineers penon Associates Consulting Municipal Engineers tnm Associates and Rich Elmo Associates Consulting Engineers thank you madam clerk any other discussion thought we were putting all of them in and I know there was a smaller firm that was tnm okay got it all right that's it that me thank you all right there be no other discussion roll call please uh councilwoman Peron yes councilwoman nope councilman Anderson sorry hey I'll get there yes give me a year I'll get it by the end of the year councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you all right our second resolution for discussion is resolution of the township of Willingboro County of Burlington state of New Jersey appointing members to various boards and commissions um I was asked to just break up um this one a little to um read each member that's being appointed from each board so I'm going to go through that um kind of the same thing as the professionals I'll ask for a motion in second for each specific board um all right so may I have a motion and second to appoint Dr Denise King as a member for the for the Advisory Board of Public Communications for a term to expire December 31st 2026 so moved second moved by councilwoman Peron seconded by Deputy Mayor worthy councilman perone yes councilman Anderson I say councilman Anderson counc yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint uh kashai Clark as a member for unexpired term to expire December 31st 2026 Amma nanza Avant as a member for an unexpired term to expire December 31st 2026 Deborah F Lee as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2027 AA Davis as a member for a term to ire December 31st 2027 and Cynthia Coleman as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2027 to The Advisory Board of sheltered for Abused women don't move second moved by councilman Anderson seconded by councilwoman McIntosh Council uh councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr Worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you right may I have a motion in second to appoint Claudine Archer as a business owner member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 Merill Adams as a resident member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 Lamar leer senior as a resident member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 and Christina Chapman Ryan as a resident member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 to the economic development committee second mooved by mayor Whitfield seconded by Deputy Mayor worthy councilwoman councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint duv Miller as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2027 and Gary Johnson as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2027 to the environmental commission so moved second moved by councilwoman Pon seconded by councilman Anderson Council will Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion and second to appoint uh Joan tresy as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 Steven Silverstein as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 Christina Chapman Ryan as a member for a term to expire December 31st 20125 and Patricia Lindsay Harvey as a member to a for nope as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 to the Green Team advisory committee go move second moved by councilman Anderson seconded by councilwoman Peron councilwoman Peron discussion yes um I I also serve on the um the Democrats committee and um I did receive a letter from Miss Harvey that she has moved has anyone received um verification that she is still currently a resident um of willing Baro that is a requirement for these boards that um residency to be appointed to these boards I didn't receive um a letter stating that there's a current resident I know that I receiv received the letter of move have having been moved yes we did confirm that Patricia Lindy Harvey does live in yes that's all I thank you any other discussion continue Council Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Stephanie knock as a member for a term to expire December 31st 202 n to the library Board of Trustees move move by deputy mayor uh worthy seconded by councilman Anderson any discussion councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor M mayor Whitfield yes thank you all right may have a motion in second to appoint Kareem Rashad Brown as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2026 to the municipal Alliance on drug and substance abuse I move second move by Council Peron seconded by councilman Anderson Roll Call or discussion roll call Council Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Dr Denise King as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 and Kareem Rashad Brown as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2025 to the parade and events committee so move second move by councilwoman Macintosh seconded by councilman Anderson Roll Call councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Daryl Curtis as a member for an unexpired term to expire December 31st 2026 and amama Nan nanza of as alternate number one for a term to expire on December 31st 2025 to the planning board so move second mooved by councilwoman McIntosh seconded by Deputy Mayor roll call Council Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Patricia Lindsay Harvey as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2027 Joan trusky as a member for an unexpired term to expire on December 31st 2026 and Steven Silverstein for an unexpired term to expire December 31st 2025 to the shade tree commission so move second mooved by Council Peron seconded by Deputy Mayor worthy roll call councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman McIntosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr yes mayor Whitfield yes thank you may I have a motion in second to appoint Patricia Lindsey Harvey as a member for a term to start on February 1st 2025 and expire December 31st 2030 to the Willingboro Municipal Utility Authority yeah so moved second moved by councilman Pon seconded by mayor Whitfield Council one PR yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes may I have a motion in second to appoint Deborah flee as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2027 to the youth Advisory Board move second move by councilwoman perone seconded by Deputy Mayor Wy councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman McIntosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr Worthy yes mayor Whitfield yes um and last one may I have a motion and a second to appoint Dr Carlos worthy as a member for a term to expire December 31st 2027 to the Zoning Board of adjustment don't move second moved by councilman Anderson seconded by councilwoman Macintosh councilwoman councilwoman Peron yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy abstain and mayor Whitfield yes um that is all for the boards and commissions um congrats to all the new board and commission members there will be a designated time to be sworn in later in the meeting and I believe that's the only two resolutions you called for yeah um we can move on to the approval of minutes and I have a motion in a second to approve the meeting minutes for December 12th December 17th December 19th and December 31st so move second moved by councilman Anderson seconded by councilman M any discussion roll call councilwoman perone yes councilman Anderson yes councilwoman Macintosh yes yes Deputy Mayor Dr worthy yes and mayor Whitfield yes thank you madam clerk if you have any updates um yes I just have one uh update a friendly reminder that the rabies clinic will be on Wednesday January 22nd 2025 from 4: to 7: p.m at the Willingboro Firehouse um it's the Wednesday after our next council meeting and if residents are looking to also get the license for your dog that day we will only be accepting cash or money orders or no check or money orders don't bring cash thank you madam clerk any unfinished business Madam mayor I do councilwoman mag thank you just for today um when I was mayor um it came to my attention that uh we did not present the plaques uh councilwoman Peron had reminded me and I was reminded by other people that we did not give the plaques to our former council members um it is customary um but due to covid and things like that um we were remiss in doing so so today I just wanted to take the time to you know honor you know our previous council members um I do have an award for former mayor knock former mayor jacqulyn jenin and former mayor Darvis Holly and I don't see him here today um but I just wanted to present to you um with gratitude appreciation we present to you this award in recognition of your commitment and service to the township of Willingboro um for Mr not uh mayor for the year 20209 2019 deputy mayor for the year 2018 and councilman for the years 2016 and 2017 thank you so much for your time and dedication as a member of the municipal governing body and through your efforts you have worked to shape a brighter future for the residents of Willingboro and we definitely de deeply appreciate the Legacy you have built which will continue to guide our Township for generations to come so we have this for you I know it's way past due but we'll get you know we'll give it to you after the meeting um ALS also um The Fabulous Miss Jacqueline jenin um same message should have had these open I apologize um this award is for your mayorship for the years of 2008 2009 2012 and 2013 deputy mayor for the years 2006 2007 2010 2011 and 2014 councilwoman for the years 2005 2015 16 17 18 and 19 again thank you you know we stand on your shoulders up here so we definitely appreciate um the service that you had and you know we weren't we were remissed in not giving you your plaque but we just want to make it right now um and we also have one for Daris Holly um who I don't see here today but Darvis Holly was mayor from June to December of 2017 and for the year of 2018 and the deputy for deputy mayor for January to June of 2017 and councilman for the years 2014 15 16 and 19 so again we're going to thank him and we'll send a plaque to his home but um thank you all um I hope we made it right now and if uh former mayor knock and former mayor Jennings can just come up to receive your plaque that all right any other unfinished business h a ma'am yes ma'am councilwoman P have one one item um I wanted to take oh sorry I wanted to take this time um this is our basically our second official meeting um since December 17th council meeting we had a few special meetings in between um however I wanted just to bring uh for me some closure with regards to the last meeting that took place our official meeting on Tuesday December 17th council meeting so briefly during that meeting I brought to discussion that the concern of the bid cleaning services to be voted on the business address and tax ID did not match I further followed up with the phone call to the Department of Treasury to confirm my suspicion and concerns my suspicions were confirmed by the Department of Treasury that the business was revoked in revok status um as of July 2024 by the state of New Jersey and as as a result they were not allowed to conduct business however we did vote to appoint that business I then brought to detention at our special council meeting that this is a deep concern of mine and the business needs to to be um managed uh the business address also had a pass through water balance of $1,668 which I also brought to the council's attention and further on last week Friday I received a letter from the Department of Treasury that that as of December 19th the business of Le cleaning services has been reinstated and has set forth the laws of the state of New Jersey do so hereby issues the certificate authorizing the same to continue its business and resume the exercise of its functions signed off by the state treasury uh the business address has also been updated to match their tax ID at 55 tarington Lane the water bill has also been PID paid in full had I not brought this information to the discussion of the council the necessary business matters would not have been addressed I am compelled to express to the residents of Willingboro that I am a woman elected by the people for the people of this community I am passionate about adhering to my fiary responsibilities and when I receive a bid for budgetary or budgetary information I review the information and I take it very seriously so with that stated I do not require permission to ask questions at a council meeting or bring concerns to my Council colleagues if there should be some that needs to be addressed I did not appreciate the threats that I received from the CFO during that meeting on threatening to attack me in the municipal parking lot however that behavior was closed out by now uh chief of police he did remove the individual however as business Representatives the way we conduct business is exactly in this fashion we sit we ask questions we bring concerns and we handle it via pen and paper not via violence you can also email electronic electronic documents to get your business up to par so as of to date Lee pristine is in order to conduct business with Willingboro Township of Willingboro and that's all that I would like to conclude under unfinished business thank you thank you Council on on to new business Madam clerk all right so for new business I have um set aside some time for all of the newly appointed board and commission members to come and get sworn in by our newly elected mayor um if you would like to do that or if you would like to push that after public comment it's however you'd like yes we can do it as a group and I would ask all of the newly appointed boards and commission members um to please rise at your seat you g to call their names first all right I'd like to thank all of you for your continued service to Willingboro Township it is um just incredible that you would dedicate your time attention talents um and everything else um to bettering the township as a whole I appreciate each and every one of you and we do still have other positions open so if you're interested in joining this astute bunch of residents please um feel free to join or see the clerk at the municipal building to submit your applications also after the administration of the oath you will need to um come up and sign your forms um to solidify your Oaths all right I'll ask all of you to raise your right hand and repeat after me I state your name do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments esta the governments established in the United States and in this state county and Township under the the authority of the people and I will faithfully impartially and justly perform all the duties of the office of that's me and state your board and Commission Office according to the best of my ability so help me God thank you all and [Music] congratulations all right no being no other new business I will open uh public comment Madam clerk public comment is now open if you'd wish to address Council please come forward and state your name and add address before beginning you'll have 4 minutes um you can come up to the podium here microphone down and you hear me okay I'm gonna have to um amend some of my comments because I see my p in the front row I'm do the best I okay um first of all congratulations mayor Whitfield I'm so proud of you uh thank you so much for stepping up to the plate um and also Dr Deputy Mayor Dr worthy I really am best wishes to both of you as well as the council for Stellar year you have all accomplished much during your tenure in particular I love your focus on communication in the community keeping us a breast of what's going on uh on a weekly basis and I was in the township building this afternoon and I saw the Marquee uh board I don't know exactly what you call it but it was just wonderful I stood there probably and watched it three or four times because it just gave so much information so anybody who doesn't know what's going on in the township feel free to go up there and just stand there like I did um it was amazing uh former mayor McIntosh you led with dignity integrity and so much style I'm proud of you also and my brother former deputy mayor Anderson you kept your cool and held your own while being outnumbered of 4 to one so by the ladies I would be remiss if I didn't applaud your appointments for the second year of outstanding maintenance firm Le prestine clean to care for our Township buildings as never before I visit the Reva Foster Senior Center at least three or four times a week and is always Immaculate there is a person who is dedicated one person dedicated to that building and she's there all day long from 9 in the morning until after 8 at night when the building is when we leave the building so uh I can't say anything except good things about um that firm the firm is not only a family business but it's also a business owned by a local resident in Willingboro I think that's very important when we use our own people to perform the duties of the township and so I do not think that any Township council member should have anything negative to say about a resident who possibly voted for them or hopefully not but it just shouldn't be done and I'm not going to stand here here as I was to call out why certain members shouldn't be on the council you talk about certain members who shouldn't clean the buildings um I'm pretty sure that you would not want to Dawn uh da cleaning uh equipment and cleaning cleaning uniform and clean the building the building is immaculate this building the senior building Immaculate so they do a job above and beyond and kudos to the council for keeping your cool on certain let's call it YouTube moments thank you very much and congratulations again thank you miss shanning any other public comment we're live right I don't see the um you know how good evening everyone uh I'd like to uh thank Council uh for the uh award yes it's a little late please can't hear me I said uh good evening everyone and I would like to thank Council for the award I appreciate it I want to say that it was an honor and privilege to serve the residents of Willingboro I tried to continue to be involved and engag in what's happening and I will continue and good luck uh to Samantha um she she she and I have a running joke but now it's fulfilled um and to everyone else uh I just want to say thank you thank you Mr KN any other public comment Gary Johnson 54 gr Mercy Lane uh my congratulations to you mayor Whitfield and Deputy Mayor Dr worthy uh and expressed that I'm quite confident that you will do your very best as you were given a vision to see the best of the township of Willingboro so congratulations and let's go forward into a new year that I'm sure will be filled with challenges both both expected and unexpected and I have every confidence that you will meet them as you have um I would provide you with a little bit of two bit winom one is of course that the more things change the more they remain the same but another comes from what I'm told is Alvis Dum Dumbledore and that is it's not our abilities that tell us what we truly are it is our choices you have to choose between what is right and what is easy and so I will leave you with that but I really meant to come here to express my gratitude the township sent out a little holiday cheer uh just before Christmas right around Christmas time from the township that had the Council on the entire uh municipal building and I want to say that that little message brought a smile to my lips and cheer to my heart and I was really pleased and glad to hear it I I've just can't tell you how much I was pleased to see that so thank you thank you very much um I don't know if I can't see the so I don't know if I have any have any time left um but I'll let it go with that there are other Med thank you Mr Johnson do we have any probably comment online uh yes may Whitfield we have Maddie mallerie Miss mallerie uh good evening Maddie mallerie in place and um I just wanted to comment on a few things one at the uh regular meeting uh as councilwoman Peron referred to and the individual involved with the uh cleaning company and anyone else uh it is my understanding that we have a new policy regarding paying water bills and I would hope that um going forward uh regardless as to what your status is or what you do for the township uh that we're going to enforce this and everyone uh is responsible for paying their water bill um the other thing is that um there was a discussion about issuing a another license for a new dispensary and um I visit the Town Center at least two or three times a week and I've noticed that with the dispensary that is there now on any occasion I've never seen more than five cars in that parking lot so I'm concerned about um having another dispensary when it seems like the one that we have is struggling uh compared to the one down on 130 near Aldi where when I pass there the cars are almost out to 130 so I don't know what the problem is here in town with not having um the same type of response to the dispensary so you know I think it's something that we should look into before actually attempting to open another uh on a positive note um I noticed that we have started to put up um monitors on uh Charleston Road between Kennedy way and van skyver which is has been a bon of contention for me over the past years uh because of the speeding on that part of Charleston Road and the fact that the we have residents that have small children that play out front so I'm glad to see that the monitors are up one of them is working the other one coming in off of Van skyver has not been um turned on yet so hopefully that one will be uh turned on shortly so that people driving from Van skyver to Kennedy way will also be reminded that the speed limit is 25 miles an hour so on that note uh those are my comments and concerns for this evening and have a good evening thank you miss m any other public comment oh yes mayor buo Williams hello second man' good evening and happy New Year to everyone I want to say con oh this is BU Williams formerly of botony circle um I still follow every proceeding because after living here for 40 years I love my community I still have a vested interest here if one of my children mooved back to Willingboro I'll be moving right back along so um I want to say congratulations to our new mayor mayor Whitfield our Deputy Mayor Dr worthy and to our Council regular council members um coun councilman Anderson councilwoman Peron hope I'm our manager congratulations to Captain Buck um I remember a few years when the three ladies um came into office I said it's three power Power House women and they I I say congratulations I know you love Willingboro all of you love willing bar um cons Peron and all of you love willing B doing a wonderful job for our community and I just say may the Lord continue to bless you as you serve your our loving Community um I appreciate the prayer um for the community willing bar Community by um Pastor wory um the Muslim Community was well um represented by the words of wisdom that our brother um gave to a charge them to the community I appreciate him as well um as I can see the community is well represented and the Lord will bless you as you lead with wisdom Guided by the Holy Spirit congratulations everyone there's a day coming up to represent or um or to highlight [Music] or police force and I hope we'll look into that I think it's on the 9th of January Martin Luther King Day is coming up we will represent as well um rambling God bless you thank you for your service thank you I have something to say um about Dr worthy and um Council woman councilman Anderson they were helpful to me but I will leave my part out of it until another day we I just want to highlight all of you and say may God continue to bless you as you serve your community happy New Year thank you Miss Williams you're welcome mayor all right here in the room we have another public comment um hello everybody my name is Marva msai I'm just newly here uh to willing Burl um Burlington count I'm just wanted to say I'm so happy to be here this is the first time I've been to a council meeting and I've met so many different so many wonderful people since I've been here and the only thing I wanted to say is congratulations to everybody I Look to working with everyone here in the community and I'm just happy to say that um I'm happy to be here in this wonderful town it's great and I'm originally from um Texas through uh Atlanta Georgia so I really like it here it's wonderful thank you so much and can we have your address miss mide your address ma'am 37 Millstone got it thank you thank you so much and welcome to willing Brown any other public comment we have one in the room good evening everybody I want to thank our Township Council for the things that you do here I have been a homeowner here in Willingboro for the last two years and it has been can you state your name and address please yes of course I'm lesea King I live on Garrett Lane um it been very nice to come here and watch these Council meetings at home um my only concern since being here for two years is the behavior that I seen at the last council meeting it is very Unbecoming and unsettling to sit home and see how the behavior and the things are done with this Council I couldn't believe it between the neighbors discussing it the next morning I was just in shock and I'm sure most of us here has watched that last council meeting business like that do not need to be disclosed not like that and not in that manner you guys are public officials that we select to represent us here and that was just utterly disgraceful there should have been a little more decorum from Council women perone when it came to that whole discussion and V on pre she addressed it tonight but she didn't address the behavior and that's the problem because it's not the first time that it's happened I sat at home after that meeting and did my research y'all have those packets in front of you guys all of the research we are supposed to build one one another up here in this community that's what I moved to Willen bro for a strong commity Community coming from New York City you don't always see that you don't always see that there are things that the council is working to improve but the council at the end of the day is for the people the people in this room the people at home and the people who potentially will come here that is not what we want to see by no means I know it's not what I want to see and I'm sure half of y'all council members agree if not all unacceptable unacceptable unacceptable address the behavior it cannot continue to happen it's not the first time but it sure should be the last it sure should be the last because what their water bill has to do does not have to do with the concerns of this community and if that's what you think councilwoman forone then you need to seek help because you have a problem you have a problem everyone here saw that and if you didn't you should check it out because this is who we have sitting on our Council this is who we have sitting on our Council and for me to be here for two years I'm ashamed of it not of the entire Council book Council woman perome something has to be done something has to be done and people need to speak up do not be a part of this community and allow the behaviors to continue like that it should never be a back and forth in a screaming match here at this council meeting you are correct it should be handled as it is quietly being handled today but it should never be a back and forth that is a problem and we need to fix that first before we continue to fix the situations in our community that needs to be addressed if behaviors are not a topic of this Council then we have a problem and I have a problem with that tonight that is all I have to say Thank you Mr King any other public comment uh yes mayor Torina Williams go ahead Miss William thank you mayor withfield congratulations thank you so much you're welcome congratulations deputy mayor Dr worthy to you as well what a brand new year this has been happy for both of you I know that God has great plans for you as you let him lead guide and direct you special thanks to councilman Anderson and councilwoman mayor Macintosh you both made a dynamic duo and worked hard for the community and served with dignity and class greatly appreciate everyone's support and due diligence and dedicated service um this meeting has been very nice I greatly appreciate um the proclamations and the wonderful words that are um the Islamic leader said I'm sorry I forgot his name those great words of encouragement that he gave thank you also to Dr Carlos worthy who did a beautiful prayer and I just really love the service um happy belated anniversary to Mr Harris and um in terms of let's see congratulations to Chief bucks I greatly appreciate the service of our willing Police Department as my Mom said that we lived in willing bar for almost 40 years so our heart is still there and I brag all the time about our willing bar police Department I it amazes me how hard they work but still manag to do coffee with a cop and I see pictures online on how they were at the East Ridge Pizzeria the other day and saw a child and offered them a gift that was so thoughtful of them God blessing our Police Department our our fire department the EMS everyone who works very hard for our community um on the ninth will be national law enforcement law enforcement appreciation day so I want to encourage all of us to observe that day honor our Police Department with a kind word a card or or wear blue in support of that I think that's and then with um Dr Martin King Jr day I I want to um say thank you to Dr King um for this Proclamation Dr Martin Luther King Jor is one of my um greatest heroes and I look forward to honoring him for the 30th anniversary of MLK Day the um community service director of willing bar SDA Church will go into more detail on what our church will be doing but I just want to say special thanks to everyone and congratulations again to the officers who formerly served in different capacity like mayor Martin KN thank you mayor um former mayor Jaclyn Jennings um and if I'm missing anybody and thank you councilwoman Peron thank you Dr worthy thank you mayor Whitfield former councilwoman Whitfield and councilman Anderson and mayor MC former mayor MacIntosh and and our Deputy clerk thank you so much for your service God bless you everyone may you have a happy and safe happy and safe um new year God bless thank you thank you Miss William you're welcome mayor we have one in the room Jamal Harris 10 paklan uh good evening everyone uh thank you for the opportunity to speak uh I'm a homeowner in the community for the past four years uh my father and his father who turns 90 next week have been residents since the 80s in Willingboro New Jersey I'm grateful to be a part of this meeting this is my first inperson meeting uh me and my wife tune in to the zoom meetings all the time um just to I'm very proud as a resident to witness the community's growth and unity um first I want to of course welcome and congratulate our new mayor Samantha Whitfield and our Deputy Mayor Dr Tiffany worthy um your leadership brings hope and certainly a fresh perspective to uh that'll undoubtedly guide us toward a brighter future um I also have to acknowledge uh brother Brian who's my Minister over in the Nation of Islam here in Willingboro I thought it's brief and Powerful remarks reminded us of the Dee rooted value of community and also respect and unity that we have to share and they reinforce the importance of the cultural heritage that we all share in the Deep cultural heritage of Willingboro New Jersey um I was really excited to hear that we are celebrating January as Muslim Heritage Month here in our Township as a Muslim because it's a wonderful reminder reminder of number one the diverse tapestry that we have here in Willingboro uh second it gives us an opportunity to appreciate the rich Traditions that we have here in Willingboro the history and the contributions of Muslim Americans you know for me especially black Muslims um I congratulated our newly uh minted police chief Ian bucks and I said hey man if we're doing our job your job is easy so embracing this Heritage of course not only strengthens our bonds but it enriches the overall Narrative of our community I'm also particularly excited about the economic initiatives that I heard teased if you will today by our new mayor um as someone who's very passionate about entrepreneurship I see this strategy as a tremendous opportunity for Innovation and I got a lot of inspiration to get into entrepreneurship by my brothers that are here today uh Lance Muhammad and Corey X Cottingham of chakra soups and supreme sweets so very excited about these economic initiatives which I hope will attract new business support local entrepreneurs and certainly Foster a vibrant economic landscape here in Willingboro um I just stand here as a proud Citizen and I'm very excited this being my first in-person meeting and I just feel grateful for the commitment our leaders have and the active participation that I've seen from our residents um I heard my brother make a comment that about the leadership and the beauty of public service is if you want to see better leadership you get involved so I'm just proud to be here I'm excited about the uh initiatives that were announced today especially the economic initiatives and I think that we take this night for reorganization as momentum to support one another redouble down get engaged keep the dialogue constructive and I just thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts I think that's been about four minutes thank you and as brother Brian said in commemoration of Muslim Heritage Month assalam alaikum thank you Mr Harris any other public comment yes mayor Shirley Dorth Mr worth if you're speaking we can't hear you good evening everyone can you hear me now yes ma'am your address uh Newport Lane thank you ma'am okay uh first of all I'd like to say congratulations to our new mayor okay uh Samantha Whitfield and our Deputy Mayor Dr worthy and I also like to just say congratulations and thank you to the entire Council for all of the work that you did in 2024 it was uh very positive made us proud made me proud and I look forward to more of the same thing in 2025 okay additionally I thank Council woman perone for the resolution of that you know controversial matter that took place they um during one of the council meetings last month making wenberg a better and a trustworthy community so I hope we will continue okay in uh doing those kinds of things now there's a couple of other concerns and questions that I have one of the things that concerns me greatly is that our community especially in my neighborhood is being taken advantage of by over by the U parking of oversized vehicles on the weekend okay uh tractor trailers large transport Vehicles okay are parking in our neighborhood especially on the weekend now you used to be able to report issues like that to the uh local police okay uh but not so much any longer because I've been trying to report that matter to the uh local police department and they tell me that you know I have to call another number I think it's like a centralized number okay uh I've done that I've given them the license plates of at least one of the vehicles and that was about maybe six weeks ago and that vehicle is still parking in our neighborhood okay and we also have another oversized tractor trail of type vehicle with a license plate from Indiana that is parking in our neighborhood so I hope we can come up with a way you know to resolve that issue the second thing that really concerns me and I'm bothered by is homeowners of placing bad garbage okay on top of their trash containers as well as you know trash containers that are over stuffed and on windy weather days trash is blown all over the street so my husband and I they find oursel in the position of you know picking up trash on our street I was wondering is it possible for Township inspectors you know to help remedy that issue okay it really is a problem okay uh the and the problem reoccurs and is very annoying so I'm looking forward to us all of us and especially the leadership in this Township um being able to help resolve those issues and again thank you for all of the work that you've done and good night everyone thank you Mr worth any other public comment uh yes ma'am Cen Roberts if you're speaking we can't hear you okay good evening everyone good evening thank you I am kayen Roberts I uh my address is 826 Columbus Road in Burlington New Jersey however I am a member of the 7day Adventist Church in Willingboro we are located at the corn of veterans and Charleston we worship at the St Paul's United Methodist Church I am would like to say uh congratulations to Mayor Whitfield and Deputy Mayor Dr worthy congratulations to you I my hats off to you on the work that you have to do however I'm here to represent uh our church as we will be we have a planned event for the 20th that event is to celebrate the 30th anniv iary of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and I'm extending an invitation to everyone that is in the hearing of my voice just to share a little bit about the event it's an annual event we usually uh we our venue is the Foster military lodge number 68 at 351 Charleston Road whing world and we usually host the event there for about two hours that's from about 12: through to 2: p.m. we usually honor our veterans with a lunch and entertainment as well as a motivational speech to encourage and to thank them for the work that they have done we are thankful for all the service that they have provided and so we want to show our appreciation so we have planned that event and we hope that the community will turn out to support we will have launch and uh hopefully care packages for our veterans and public sector workers so mayor please uh mark your calendar and Deputy Mayor and all the other officials or please I'm asking you to send representative where possible to um support the event and that's it from us for now thank you for having me and allowing me to speak thank you Miss Roberts any other public comment uh yes mayor uh call and listener ending in 7297 good evening Council good evening good evening Miss Mack yeah hi um Jacqueline Mac Maple wilan uh I would like to just say thank you uh to all of the council for selecting uh Samantha as our mayor I am excited for her and for her deputy mayor uh Dr worthy I think you'll both have great years we have in the past you all have worked so nicely together that it it's just wonderful so um and I know a lot of good things will happen good thoughts are coming your way as well uh I would like to thank uh that we have so much coming along this year that it'll be a great year we have the Kennedy Center Auditorium being opened I'm sure sometime this spring uh there's talk of um development of the um 130 Marin which sounded very good I don't know if there's enough land there for everything that they want to do with the big de Marena but anyhow somebody's looking at it that's the important thing and I would like to say thank you very much Happy New Year to you all thank you Mr Harris you've done a great job and to all the employees of Willingboro thank you very much good night thank you Miss Mack we have one in the room good evening first I would like to thank uh our new mayor Sam Whitfield I would like to thank the whole willing bro Council staff all the hard work you do all the work we don't know about that you do and we just you are good representatives of what we are here in willing bro so I want to start the New Year's off in peace um I would like to invite the community and uh all the township out to an event we're having at the Willingboro self-improvement Center which is located at 621 Bly brand ccus Road Sweet 3E we are having a raiki sound Bowl healing this is a holistic way or therapeutic way for us to do some of that self-care work uh when we're you know just trying to you know get a little Stress and Anxiety so this is a community event over there at the uh Willingboro sound Bowl healing I will have more information back at Shak shops in the back if you like was something that you're interested in and which you can register because there's only a few spots left that is uh 7 o'cl six o'clock on January 16th that's raiki sampo thank you thank you Mr Kahan all right any other public comment yes mayor Edward yes can you hear me yes we can he yes um congratulation to all the council members and for all the work you do and respons to some of the complaints sir can we have your name and address please yes sure Edward Leslie one p Lan thank you right um the reason I'm calling is that I've I've been living in a neighborhood for quite a long time and lately we find there's a lot of dogs in the neighborhoods and people just letting them um you know pass on the sidewalks walking the lawn and they're just not picking up the waste that the dogs produce um what can we do or what can I do to stop that we've spoken to them and it don't seem to make a difference um that's it thank you thank you Mr Leslie any other public comment seeing none public comment is now closed um there were a few things to address but at first I just wanted to thank everyone that came up to offer Kudos congratulations and support for um myself Deputy Mayor worthy and the rest of council um we appreciate your support and um it's integral to our success as a community so um thank you so much for those words um welcome to miss MSI we appreciate um you being able to make willing bro your home and we look forward to your involvement in our Township um we also had a few um other issues and Mr Harris um if you wanted to address any of those we had one um from Miss stillworth about oversiz truck taring correct mayor and um and um you know that that is has been a pressing issue in willing burough since I have been here and that is something that we are still um aggressively policing uh we depend on our police departments when they see things like that occurring that they address those situations our code enforcement does address those situations when they come across them but again if if residents are aware of of situations where we have oversized our parked vehicles um it is important that you report those and then we will address them I am unaware of why you are being sent to uh alternate phone numbers to report those when our local police department should be able to receive those calls um in a non-emergence in a non-emergent status so I will review those procedures with our new Chief uh and he can review the policies and procedures with his department on how we are going to handle those situations and we will do the same with our inspections department okay thank you Mr Harrison that was concerning the guard that's correct thank you or the oversized trucks also yes all right um also there was a comment from Miss mallerie asking about the um dispensary or or application that was approved um I did want to provide a bit of an update since we have had the one dispensary in the Plaza on Route 130 we the Township has collected over $20,000 in tax revenue um to add to the community of willing bur and that was just from June to December so we are looking forward to increased um tax revenue that comes from those cannabis dispensaries um and licenses that we have approved all right um um thank you Miss Roberts for letting us know about the MLK event um that the 7th Day of Venice is having and Mr Cottingham for the sound Bowl healing event on January 16 and Mr Harris there was also another one other comment from Mr Leslie about the dog waste being left yes and and that is another issue that that really is going to require total participation in our community you know it is really impossible for police to be monitoring persons as they are walking their dogs and things like that so if you are finding that this type of activity is occurring please let our offices know and we will notify those uh dog owners uh to make sure that they are aware of their requirements to comply with the law and curb their animals when we are aware of who they are then we have the the means to communicate with them and then if you there is persistent reoccurrence of these type of activities then we can pursue it on different levels all right thank you Mr Harris is that all anything else all right thank you moving right along we will go to council comments any members of council that have comments councilwoman Anderson would like to speak Madame mayor go ahead councilman Anderson I just want to start by thanking everybody for coming out uh it's been a pleasure to have served uh 2024 year as your Deputy Mayor along the side of Mayor Macintosh uh we formed a phenomenal relationship was able to work together we're inclusive with the team um I look forward to the new transition and for the same progress uh it's been a long meeting so with that I'm going to say thank you for coming out and Happy New Year's thank you councilman Anderson anyone else yeah I want also want to make it short happy New Year again it's been my pleasure my absolute pleasure um serving as your mayor for the last three years but I am so excited about Thrive for 2025 uh that's the reason Thrive was one of those number one of those words that made me run you know because I was a product of Willingboro when it was thriving and you know we saw some Kleine and that prompted me to get involved um you know under some of the toage of uh former mayor knock but uh I'm we're here now and we're going Willingboro will Thrive and I I totally believe that um but it's funny how it makes full circle now because that is the word that made me run was that Willingboro will Thrive so thank you and um don't forget uh as we do um support our our businesses here here um we do have Supreme sweets in the back um chakra soups and seafood Haven um who we want to continue to support um so have make sure you try their food out today um but that's part of us trying to invest in our businesses um and these are our uh resident-owned businesses so we just want to make sure we keep them in town and we support them so thank you Happy New Year thank you Council woman [Music] Macintosh Mr deputy mayor council yes thank you um yes thank you all for coming out this evening um I will address a few uh comments that were made earlier um as you saw the people who came up to the microphone spoke with respect it does not matter of your opinion as long as you're doing it respectfully and in this form of governments we do operate off of Roberts r order whereby um our mayor facilitates to meeting typically she will have a gavel um when someone is disorderly in the audience or even amongst Council um yes that day that individual had to be removed however the gel was not used so therefore yes I myself made sure that it stopped put it to a stop yes I raised my voice yes I asked for the police the the chief of police to escort that woman out of the room because she was completely disorderly and at this date now the uh law is taking care of her behavior okay so another thing is um when I did um was initially elected to council I think I was serving with um councilman uh former councilman jacine Jennings and Mr uh May KN asking if we can add additional public comment and we agreed to add two more minutes to the council meeting in addition to the four me minutes why did I want to add two more minutes because I want to hear from you your opinion matters to me I may not agree with you but we can agree to disagree respectfully but yes if you go to the microphone and you're disrespectful disrespecting any of the people on Council I'm I'm I I if it's not happening from the mayor's level I definitely will shut you down by any means necessary so please express your opinion you can have an opinion of your dislikes about the way I vote that's okay just do it respectfully that's all that I ask um lastly I think one of the comments was um I would not want to clean a building so I will end with this um you know my mother Mak she rest in peace is originally from Guatemala I was a second generation born in America in the Bronx and one of her jobs was cleaning the buildings she used to to clean the Manhattan buildings um and she would take her children along with her at times to help her get her load cleaner faster so I would clean the buildings and one of the buildings that we clean was 101 Park Avenue and I remember when I became a young adult at the age of 21 I received my first job offer at at New Year's Healthcare working as an administrative assistant I was so proud to let my mom know that that building that I remember I couldn't wait to get to the bat cuz that was the bathrooms that I had to clean that I now work there in the capacity that I did and she was very proud of me so with that said yes I have no problem rolling up my sleeves cleaning bathrooms mopping floors I'll be honest with you any job that you're doing as long as you're doing it with dignity then it's respected by me and I don't look down on anyone but yes guess what if you owe taxes to the township and you're applying for a BS and you haven't paid your water bill I'm going to bring that concern to the council not because I'm trying to embarrass a resident no because I don't have anyone's address on the bids the only address we have on the bids is the business address no different than any other business in Willingboro and no business is uh uh exempt from following our own ordinances and our ordinances speak to um our obligations to our own business functions so as I stated earlier I wanted to make sure that I brought it to this meeting that the business is ready for business and you know what the business can do now maybe apply in another neighboring Township because now they're ready to conduct business that's all that needed to be done everything else that the woman said the way she behaved was not necessary no yes I did yell at her to get her out and she was removed that's all I have thank you thank you Council Deputy Mayor worthy you good evening willing Barrow thank you for your kind words and I am looking forward to us working together in unity and I am looking forward to us being able to thrive in 2025 as one willing borrow collectively as a council with our water authority and with our school district in partnership with you as a very resilient and Vibrant Community thank you very much for coming out this evening for your participation and I look forward to seeing you all throughout the throughout the year thank you Madame mayor thank you Dr worthy and lastly I just like to say thank you everyone for sticking it out through with us through this meeting um it's been quite a long one but we appreciate your attendance and being here I want to thank my Council colleagues again for their vote of confidence for selecting me as mayor for the 2025 year I am truly truly honored to serve this community that I've grown up in I've lived here since I was four years old so it is just such a dream come true to sit here in this chair and Lead this community to the best of my ability um thank you for to my parents and everyone that um stands behind me as I take on this role and just again I can't do it without all of you so I look forward to your continued involvement in the township as we thrive in 2025 all right we will now have our benediction by Pastor or Reverend Carlos Lamar pastor of the Jesus's Lord Church on Route 130 Lamar we have two Pastor Carlos's in the building today [Laughter] I just want to bless our community and I have um a word of God for you guys it is found in the book of Jeremiah chapter 29:1 and he says for I know the thoughts that I think towards you says the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope can we all please stand out for one second it is a blessing to understand that God has thoughts towards us and that he has a plan for our Comm community and that his thoughts are higher than our thoughts his ways are higher than our ways and that he elect every one of us to be part of this great Community look around you people look around look around turn around look at the person next to you beside you they are chosen by God to be part of this great Community we have a blessing of God to be part of this great plan called Willingboro we are called will andorians CU we live in willor right we uh put that somewhere as said no the people willing Bor will be called Willi borans place you name me a place you handing your heart I pled Your Allegiance to willing Boro I know you guys gave me a bad crowd for a little bit but it's getting better my allegiance is to God and my blessings is to live in willor and it's such a bigger blessing blessing to be surrounded with so many beautiful people for a minute I thought I was about myself but I am surrounded by a lot of beautiful people so Lord I give you thanks for this beautiful town that we live in this will be a year of GL gray blessings this will be a year of Peace this will be a year where you shift the atmosphere so we can breathe your blessings so we can breathe you peace so we can receive your plans for us I bless each and every one of my community members to each and every one of the citizens of Willingboro my willing borans I bless them all in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior let your peace be done on earth like it is in heaven the name of Jesus Christ amen thank you Pastor Lamar all right and I will um entertain a motion to adjourn this so moved mooved by Dr worthy second seconded by councilwoman Macintosh all in favor I I meeting adjourned thank you everyone happy New Year