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Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=FTOxCvT5rAQ

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Rise for the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Please take a moment of silence as we

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remember all of our military serving here and abroad. >> Notice requirements of the open public meeting law have been satisfied concerning this meeting. Special meeting notice was published on the township website and the Home News Tribune on July 26, 2026 and the Star-Ledger

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July 27, 2026. A copy of the schedule was posted on the municipal hall bulletin board. Should be so noted in the minutes of this meeting. Councilman Anderson. >> Here. >> Councilman Bauer. >> Here. >> Councilman Harris. Councilwoman Meola. >> Here. >> Councilman Patel. >> Here. >> Councilman Small. >> Here. >> Councilman Spiller.

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>> Here. >> Vice President DeJesus and President McCollum. >> Here. >> Uh President, you have two items on the agenda this evening. We first have a resolution which is listed as number one. Resolution abandoning all official action taken at special municipal

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council meetings held on June 30th, 2026 and July 14, 2026. Putting in a motion to approve the resolution by consent. >> Motion. >> Second. >> No questions or comments from council. >> Mr. Mitchell, will you abstain from that? Thank you. >> So noted.

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Any other comments? All in favor, aye. >> Aye. >> Opposed? The ayes have it. The second item is listed an ordinance first reading, uh listed as letter A. Ordinance dissolving Keasbey Fire District number four pursuant to state

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statute and expanding Florence Fire District number seven, also pursuant to state statute. That said, can I get a motion that this ordinance be passed on first reading, published on the township website for special meeting to be held on August the 12th at 6:00 p.m. >> Motion.

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>> Second. >> Any questions or comments from council? >> Mr. Mencha, we have standing to vote. >> That's you'll noted. Any other comments? All in favor, I. >> I. >> Opposed? The eyes have it. Madam President, before we go to the public for

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comment on any subject, the mayor wants to make some remarks. >> Mayor. >> Thank you, Council President. The state of New Jersey through the Department of Community Affairs and its Division of Fire Safety performed an analysis and evaluation of the Keasbey

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Fire Department and met first with township officials and then many times with other stakeholders in the Keasbey operation, including commissioners and officers plus employees and their representatives, to determine compliance with industry standards and best practices. Their findings included, and

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these are their words right from their report, a declining volunteer member base, a lack of permanent supervisors, over-reliance on shared services since terminated, and staff overtime, no formal strategic plans or sustainable staffing plans to meet short, medium, or

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long-term goals, no formal recruitment or retention plan, long-term operational and financial concerns, and a very low call volume of 10 to 12 in the district monthly. The report indicated need for overtime staffing to maintain normal operational ready- readiness, and that long-term

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staffing concerns will impact operational capabilities. It also noted increasing costs for salaries, pensions, and fringe benefits, and then any future staffing increase will be necessary and will increase the taxpayer burden. The report also noted employment act

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violations and a lack of compliance with National Fire Protection Association standards. The report noted one option to hire additional personnel and promote company officers and develop formal plans for recruitment, retention, deployment, and staffing and to develop a long-term

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strategic plan. It then noted that this option would be a financial hardship with increasing operational costs and long-term sustainability concerns and noted that this was only a short-term solution. The second option noted was a merger of the Keasbey Fire District with the Fords

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Fire District to enhance efficiency, reduce administrative costs, improve resource allocation and deployment, and improve fire protection and emergency response services. The report further noted that assets net of liabilities would be transferred to Fords and that the Keasbey property tax

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base would be absorbed by Fords with potential for state grant funding to help with the costs associated with the merger if any. For many reasons, the state recommended and the township accepted the second option to merge the Fords and Keasbey Fire Districts to provide long-term

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sustainability from both an operational and financial perspective. Tonight's ordinance was rewritten and has changed slightly from the ordinance approved for introduction at the June 30th, 2026 meeting. So, prior to making any comments on that ordinance, which is no longer active, a speaker should refer

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to the new ordinance up for consideration tonight. First, we would like to not under employees. First, we would like to acknowledge the firefighters who proudly serve Keasbey by responding to emergency calls at all hours and willingly placing themselves in harm's way to protect others.

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Their personal commitment to the Woodbridge Township community is greatly appreciated. One of the first issues we dealt with in evaluating a possible merger of Keasbey and Fords upon receipt of the State of New Jersey report which recommended this merger was the status of what the the seven

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firefighters employed by Keasbey with an eighth on the way. We did not want any individual to lose their jobs in the potential merger, and plans were made to avoid this outcome. Fords agreed to hire up the five firefighters, Woodbridge Fire District

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number one agreed to hire two, and Port Reading Fire District number two agreed to hire one. This information was based on calls we made personally to officials in all three districts and was confirmed as recently as yesterday. Keasbey officials have been saying in

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the media that they know of no plans for their employees to be offered jobs, but it is a fact, and they can confirm it by contacting each of the three presidents of the Woodbridge, Port Reading, and Fords Boards of Fire Commissioners. In many cases, Keasbey firefighters will

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have higher and quicker financial remuneration, and in all cases they will have more training and more experience working under a career captain compared to answering an average barely one call a week in Keasbey without a captain. In addition, Keasbey volunteers can

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easily join the Fords or Hopelawn firehouses to continue their service as both share the same New Jersey State Firemen's Local Relief Association and the same New Jersey State Exempt Firemen's Association affiliations, so their state line numbers would remain.

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Under response times, as to the issue of proximity of both the Keasbey and Fords firehouses to the residents in Keasbey, Google Maps showed the following. The Fords firehouse is 1.4 miles from Florida Grove Manor using the quickest route, while Keasbey is 1.8 miles away.

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The Fords firehouse is 0.9 miles from the Hillside Gardens complex using the quickest route, while Keasbey is 0.7 miles away. Almost all homes are closer to Keasbey than Fords. In all instances, both Keasbey and Fords can arrive at a scene in Keasbey within

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the standard response times. For this reason, the State Department of Community Affairs did not mention response times as being a reason for the recommended merger of Keasbey and Fords. However, response times could and should be measured not from when a crew arrives at

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a scene, but from when a team of at least four fire firefighters gets there to fight a fire, which means compliance with the two-in-two-out rule of the National Fire Protection Association. So, two firefighters can enter the structure while two remain outside and

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ready to assist those inside should they need rescue, in addition to operating a fire truck and commanding a scene. >> [clears throat] >> In that regard, Fords, with its career and volunteer staff, and its agreements with Hopelawn Fire District No. 8 and the City of Perth

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Amboy Fire Department, and after a merger with the additional Keasbey staff, will almost always be at a fire scene in Keasbey and prepared to handle the fire faster than Keasbey. Keasbey would need to have three firefighters in the firehouse, which is not 100% of the time,

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and also would need a volunteer to respond from their very limited pool to be able to send two firefighters immediately into a structure while two stay outside. By way of comparison, the agreements between Fords, Hopelawn, and Perth Amboy, while not officially auto-aid

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agreements, still have the same characteristics of them, resulting in three departments answering a call at once. This is common in Woodbridge Township as Woodbridge, Port Reading, and Avenel Fire District No. 5 have a formal auto-aid agreement, as do Iselin Fire

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District No. 9, Iselin Fire District No. 11, and Colonia Fire District No. 12. Keasbey is the only fire district in Woodbridge that does not have anything resembling a formal auto-aid agreement. Their last agreement with Hopelawn in June 25 was terminated, peaking the

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Township's interest in evaluating their operation to ensure public safety with a limited complement of responders. In 2024, Hopelawn responded on a dual response to fires in both KSB and Hopelawn 72% of the time faster than

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KSB, and in 2025, 77% of the time until the agreement was terminated by Hopelawn. As far as staffing, it has been reported in correspondence from KSB that they have three firefighters around the clock in case in the KSB firehouse at all times, but this

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is not true. Every 24-hour day obviously requires 72 hours of manpower. And assuming a 360-day year for simplification, that requires 25,920 hours of work time.

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Each firefighter works an average of 42 hours per week, which is 2,184 hours per year without vacation time, sick time, holidays, training time, etc., which brings the total down to approximately 2,000 hours per employee.

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Therefore, without overtime, eight employees can cover barely 60% of the required hours in a year. Each of KSB's eight firefighters would need to work 1,240 hours of overtime or 24 hours per week to fill up the number of hours necessary to have three

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persons in the firehouse at all times, which would be a monumental cost and huge impact on the fire district tax rate in KSB. Simply put, such a plan is financially and operationally impossible, and even if it were possible, the three

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firefighters could still not Sorry, even if it were possible, the three KSB firefighters could still not enter the structure other than life emergencies without a fourth participant that is not likely to come from KSB. As for fire district savings,

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the financial impact on KSB taxpayers is significant in a very positive manner. Keasbey has the highest fire district tax rate in Woodbridge Township despite having the smallest territory and the fewest number of annual calls. Keasbey residents in 2026 will pay an

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average of $2,395 per year on a home with the average assessed value in Woodbridge at $75,000 compared to 1837 for the second highest district and compared to 1312 for the Township average.

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By comparison the current average amount of annual municipal taxes that all Woodbridge Township taxpayers will pay in 2026 including Keasbey will be 2669 barely 11% higher than the Keasbey average fire district taxes

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and ours includes police, public works, recreation, health, planning, administration, and finance departments. Woodbridge Township has over 800 employees while Keasbey has only eight. Keasbey's fire district tax almost

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tripled over 5 years from 2021 to 2026. A financial analysis prepared for the next four calendar years through 2030 indicates that the assessed value of Keasbey properties when transferred to Fords and charged at their projected tax

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rates provide more than enough for Fords to accommodate the salaries, fringe benefits, and incidental expenses of five employees. In summary, the Township's actions over the last several years have always been with one and only one consideration in mind.

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The safety of the residents and businesses of Keasbey with regard to fire protection. People and property will be safer once the merger of Keasbey with Fords is completed with protected jobs, response times within appropriate standards, appropriate staffing and volunteer

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levels, and significant tax savings for Keasbey residents. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mayor. >> Madam President, this time I like to entertain a motion to open the public meeting to the public for any comment on any subject matter. >> Motion.

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>> Second. >> Okay. >> It's probably second. Any questions or comments from council? All in favor, I. >> I. >> Opposed? >> I abstain. >> At this time we're going to go into the public session of the meeting. When approaching the microphone, please state your full name and where you live.

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And you will have a one-time opportunity to speak. All members of the audience shall adhere to the township decorum ordinance, which is posted on the entrance door to council chambers. The public session allows for 5 minutes. This includes remarks by the speaker and

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any response by the council president or administration. When there is 1 minute left, I will alert the speaker to emphasize any remaining points or questions they may have. When the 5-minute period has passed, all speakers are to leave the microphone and return to their chair.

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All video taping must be taken from the designated area. There will be no interruptions from your chair. Please make sure that there are signs and posters are not in the aisles and the walkways are accessible. The public session portion of the

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meeting is a comment, question, or answer interaction between the council president and the speaker. The council president presides over the council meeting. Thank you. >> Are there any comments from the public this evening? If so, >> The speaker >> the corner where the microphone is.

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Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Lisa Manna. Question one, when was the state report findings made to the township? Has there been another reevaluation made since this one was stated by the mayor with the revisit to the fire department

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since we've hired eight paid men, all new training and drills as per the New Jersey state request made to the fire department. >> Can you repeat the beginning of my question now? >> Yes, sir. When was the state report findings made to the township? Is it

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current or past in past couple of years? >> It was sent to us in the last month. >> When was it done? >> It started in late summer, early fall of 2025. >> Okay, has there been another

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reevaluation made since this one was stated with a revisit to the fire department since they hired eight paid men, all new training through the state as per the state request the fire department that had to be met and made? >> I believe they had seven firefighters

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when the report was done. >> Okay. Second question, April 9, 2025. It's not a question, it's a statement. 182 184 Judy Drive had a massive fire that spread to 186 188 Judy Drive. That was my grandparents' house with my

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family living at 194 196 Judy Drive. One house away. Thank God I smelled smoke at 1:30 in the morning, called Keasbey Fire Department while my husband responding and a rapid response from Keasbey Fire Department and municipal mutual aid

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departments. My house was spirited this fire. In this day and age, if you close Keasbey, these houses will go up like tinderboxes before anybody in the district would respond since you're going to do mutual aid if that's possible.

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I'm grateful my family was spared so that my grandkids along with my husband can carry on my family's tradition of another 50 years service with the Keasbey Fire Department. Now my question to the council is, how can the Woodbridge Township Council sell the fire apparatuses and equipment

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of Keasbey to fire department if they're closed When they are registered voters, Avenel Kasey voted on these items and the money was used by their taxes to purchase that. Who owns the property? Kasey Fire Department or Woodbridge Township

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Council or the mayor? >> Council >> President, at the moment the merger is official, all assets of the district will Kasey district will move to the Fords district and the residents of Kasey will be members of the Fords district, so they will get the benefit

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of any sale of any assets that the uh that are transferred from Kasey to Fords, so the Kasey district taxpayers will still own them. >> Okay, cuz if Kasey Fire Department closes, Woodbridge Township or you, who do not own these properties, going to return the residents their firehouse

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taxes that they paid for all these years? All the bonds have been met to be repaid from the state that was granted to them, so therefore, the residents own it. >> Exactly. >> They're going to get rebates if they go to Fords? >> When if the assets are sold, they will

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be included in the budget as revenue of the new district, which will give tax relief to all residents of Fords and Kasey. And if they're used, they'll prevent Fords and Kasey the merged district from having to buy new assets. So the all the benefits of those assets will accrue to the residents of Kasey through the merger.

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>> Okay, my last question is, Kasey residents have higher tax rates is what you say. That's because all businesses that have been have been built have a non-payment easement for 30 years with Woodbridge Township. I don't have the list on me right now, but I could come to the next

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council meeting and say who they are. And half of Kasey Fire District District is assessed to Fords Fire Department because the commissioners from both departments, with the Township, with engineering, never went over and said, "Well, this company's in Kasey, but

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Fords gets the taxpayers' money for it." >> I cannot answer that one. I have no idea. There's also some in Fords that are taxed by Keasbey. But, as far as the first question, seven of our nine districts have businesses and buildings that are taxed

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not as basic property taxes, but through payments of lowest taxes. The only two that don't are District 11 in Iselin and District 12 in Colonia. So, when we say it's the highest, seven of the nine have very similar characteristics to Keasbey in that they all have non-taxable

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properties that pay taxes a different way. So, I don't think that is much of a factor in in the analysis. >> You have 30 seconds left. >> Okay, if the street is closed, why did you open up, or whoever opened up, Fleet Driver Management at the end of Smith Street where the fire department's at?

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It's a trucking company like ProLogistics is right next to the fire department and they run. If that's supposed to be there cuz everything was knocked down, sold to the developer for Keasbey to get a fire department, what happened to that area? Last question and thank you, sir.

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>> I don't know what area you're referring to. Would say that again if you don't mind? >> At the end of Smith Street when you first come from the bridge is, there's a trucking company that rents space for truckers to park their trucks. Tankers, box trucks, anything and everything is there. Now, next to

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Keasbey fire department, which is here, ProLogistics built a brand new beautiful building. Now, they're renting trucking space there. Township should know about it cuz you'd have to issue a permit for them to build, open, and pay taxes. >> imagine we do know about it. I just

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don't. >> Well, can somebody check into it? That was one of my questions, too, ma'am. So, I would >> I would recommend I would recommend filing a formal open request and tell us exactly what you want in terms of permits or or anything like that and we'll provide it for you. >> Thank you, sir. >> Thank you.

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>> Are there any other comments from the public? >> Good evening. Sam Mannarino, Chief of Cayuga Fire Department. I'm sorry I didn't take notes on the mayor's address, uh, but I wanted to touch on a few things. He talks about leadership, he talks about training, talks about experience.

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Our officers that are in office right now have almost 100 years of service combined. We train every month with our career crew and our volunteers. Every apparatus we have, we train on.

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We know what to do with them when the time comes. You talked about response times. Smith Street has been closed for well over a year, which increases the response times both for our apparatus to get to the

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scene and for our volunteers to get to the firehouse. So, I think some something should be done about Smith Street to open that up to make it easier for us to get back and forth to the firehouse and to the scene. Warehouses that were talked about,

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30-year tax abatements, that could easily go towards our budget. And speaking of budget, the commissioners every year don't just throw out numbers. They submit numbers to the state. The state looks at it and knows them

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looks at those numbers and they approve it. The taxpayers vote on those budgets. And every year, year after year for decades, those budgets have been passed. So, if there were any discrepancies, the state should have caught that

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long ago. We have members from the fire department and their families in town council right now that are all on our side. In response to the mayor and the town council, as I stated last meeting,

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we are strongly against the closing of this firehouse and the shutting down of this fire district. 118 years of service and there are members on the town council that have some kind of ties to some kind of fire department, whether

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they are members, family members. I just want to say if it happened to us, it could happen to any any of any of you. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Are there any other comments from the public this evening? No other comments from the public? I need to get a motion that the public comment portion be closed.

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>> Motion. >> Second. >> Any questions or comments from council comments? All in favor, I. >> I. >> Opposed. And the present, that's all I have this evening. I'll entertain a motion for adjournment. >> Motion. >> Second. >> All in favor, I. >> I.

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>> Opposed. I's have it. Meeting adjourned.