##VIDEO ID:hY2Tk7DlQhM## [Music] [Applause] [Music] hello and welcome to woodbrige the best T around my name is John McCormack I'm the mayor of this great town and we're here tonight to celebrate Black History Month with a flag raising we're kicking off with a little ceremony inside here where we'll present a proclamation to the people on my left which is four of the seven members of the Human Rights Commission Reyes pcar Don green Denise Anderson and um Glenn Morgan almost forgot your name Glenn uh to my right I was so worried about saying Denise and not Marie I always introduce Denise as Marie and Marie as Denise I was so focused on that I forgot who the chairman was uh to my right council president Cory Spiller covering the third w of avanel and Port writing at large councilwoman blis Beth the Jesus second work councilman how barer covering Ford hope ony casby at large Councilman Greg farara fifth award councilwoman debb me Debbie mean covering Colonia and councilman at large Kyle Anderson so this is our annual ceremony I'm going to talk a little bit about the Human Rights Commission and then let Glenn take over it's a group we formed uh many years ago 20020 uh in particular after a lot of turbulence in the community over a whole bunch of national issues uh and we wanted to figure a way to deal with that uh my chief of staff Carol remembered that there was a Human Rights Commission on the books many many years ago uh in fact it was uh Glenn's mother Pauline Morgan that was the organizer of that who kind of put that together and was the president of it h it became defunct for a while uh and then we thought what a perfect person to lead the the new version of the human rights commission uh in Glenn Morgan who's this you know like I said it was his mom who basically started it and was the force for civil rights in Woodbridge Township all during the 50s and 60s so I'm going to turn it over to Glenn now um he's going to help us with the flag raising uh the commission meets seven eight nine times a year on Monday nights I think it's the second Monday have a whole host of uh things they do they're involved with us on affordable housing and and uh domestic violence and other things homeless uh they've been a great resource for us I'm G to now ask Glenn if he'll say a few words about the Human Rights Commission and we'll go outside and raise a [Applause] flag okay prepared this time okay I just want to welcome everybody here uh to this particular occasion here and uh I wanted to you know thank our mayor for recognizing the contributions to the African-Americans that have contributed to this country you know as uh I have said in the past I am honored to continue my parents Legacy as chairman of the Human Rights Commission to create an environment that allows all of our citizens of every ethnicity to have an outlet to voice their concerns related to their human rights it's even more important now that we acknowledge the African-American contributions since some are trying to erase it even the thought of it is just not acceptable you know and you know African-American history is American history and we have to always keep that you know in mind um our as far as our HRC meetings they are held here in these Chambers um you can find the dates on the website uh the times and um you're are more than welcome and I'm speaking to the everybody out there in TV land as well uh the dates and information is found on the website so uh we are W welcoming you to come and voice your concerns or anything that you have to say thank you you can do better than that talk about your involvement we got Phil Hall in the audience with the independent Club of Colonia you uh jointly handle the Martin Luther King celebration every year you do the essay contest for the kids give me some more that man you got a minute to brag all right well uh okay I was saing something out for the council for later that I had set up but anyway yeah um the essay we uh performed the essay uh contest for the uh the township we had 15 uh schools that were involved all the elementaries at the fifth grade level and uh they submitted they had to internally figure out who was the winner of each of their uh schools from that those 15 winners came to us and at Human Rights Commission we had decide who that one winner was better you than I oh boy let me tell you first of all yeah the the principles I could just imagine what they dealt with and went through but it was the detail and the information that was written on these essays that just hit you I mean some of them I had to go over two or three times just to try to you know look at the detail and all of them had to do with diversity Equity inclusion in some way shape or form and and that was which was so touching about it and you know that's why for us to make that decision to pick one out of it it was very very very hard but we did we got it done and we had an excellent um venue over at The Acacia Center where we honored the kids I asked all the parents just to stand up at one point and we applauded them because that's the key right there for going forward and for our future they're the ones that are setting the the stage and um I just we gave him a big round of applause and whatnot so that's also on the tv4 35 for anybody who wants to see it as well so uh we gotta you know we we here at this Township have shown the diversity that we have both in the council as well as the Human Rights Commission and we have to keep that going forward and we also are going back even talking about the police and what was set up for that for us to hire the police officers and the different uh the ways we went about hiring them you know there was a uh a process that was implemented that was approved by the council so that's just another way of trying to create that diversity that we have here in this Township so we move forward and and keep on doing our thing thank you sir I'd like to now ask the very first ever elected black councilman in Woodbridge Township it's of going back uh let's see probably almost 14 years now 13 14 years since Kyle Anderson replaced Pat Osborne on the town ccil which was very ironic because she was his teacher at jonf Kennedy High School it's a great story so Kyle would you say a few words now just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight um you know uh Black History Month is uh is a special time for everyone especially in the schools where we can see our teachers and our um our our students embracing um the the history the Legacy that a lot of our uh historian scientists uh a lot of our um uh historical leaders um that they have um what they've done and that we're capturing that information and that these young people are speaking about it but um you know as Glenn pointed out um uh black history is American history some people say when is black history month and they say January to to December right which is accurate it's accurate and you know um but nowadays we do have uh certain um uh groups where we have um we have a month or we have a day or we have uh a special holiday that we recognize but February is the month that we do recognize Black History Month um the HRC has done a fantastic job um and I I'm I'm glad that the mayor and uh and his administration saw to it that we re vitalize that organization we need all of our organizations in town we have members of the uh of the independent Club of Colonia we have some of our um uh gentlemen that are here from a uh local Social Club um when people drive around through Woodbridge it shouldn't really phase them when they see different faces you know uh Woodbridge right now is an extremely diverse town and it's a very well-run town and um we feel like you know we have a lot of Peace here in this town um we want to make sure that people um feel comfortable living amongst one another and the way we do that is that we we understand that everyone contributes to our way of life everyone has contributed and uh when you realize that you know and you look at your neighbor and you say wow you know they're doing some amazing things and I look to my my other side and my other neighbors are doing some really good things that's how we become a community and that's how we get past our differences and we look at what we have more in common we have more in common than we know and uh but when you sit down at the table and you talk about that you talk about your children your families you realize we have more in common than we really think and um but you know at the same time it is important that we recognize all of our greatness as they say black Excellence right there's so much that we have to be thankful for because our ancestors don't have it as easy as we have it now right now we have we're in a period where we can get out in front of uh in in front of these uh issues and talk about them openly and have forums that are going to be accepted where our where our parents and our grandparents um you know they they had a very tough very very tough time and we need to be grateful and thankful that they endured what they did so that we can sit in here and we can have a room full of people that have the same equality and Equity as others um the mayor pointed out uh in 2011 um I was appointed uh through the council for uh to be the first black um councilman first black elected official but I found out very quickly you know it doesn't begin and end with me it takes our entire Community to make sure that we recognize all of what we do and recognize that we're a part of a community and that we need to make sure that we continue to do our part and that we continue to converse and have uh have great conversations about um what being from Woodbridge what being from New Jersey what being from United States of America all stands for right and and we can we can stand proud when we we pledge that flag and we could stand proudly when we um sing the national anthem that we are included in all of that and included in many of our historians and many of our leaders and their dream so I just want to thank you all for coming and uh thanks to the HRC for for leading tonight and um and have a great flag raising and anybody in our community make sure you come by take a picture in front of the flag thank you [Applause] one thing to remind you we have on our website megaz it the mayor's Facebook page the vignettes and the toship website and the township website there's vignettes of famous black leaders in Woodbridge history and other history uh one every day it's a phenomenal presentation Megan is our assistant communications director she works with John Hagerty and her and kly Walsh she is our social media coordinator have put it together every year uh it's updated all the time it's fantastic to just go there click on it every day or wait a couple days and click all the way back and see what you missed we do the same thing for women's History Month working with Lis Beth De Jesus and Sharon molof and Debbie mean so check out those resources and see what we have as far as people in history who have done great things in the name of black history in Woodbridge Township now I'd like to ask our council president if he'd like to say a few words tonight about this uh ceremony boy biller uh good evening thank you as councilman Anderson and the mayor said we are a very diverse Township and it started with the council School District all our boards and commissions and then in 2020 when the humans right Human Rights Commission was uh reformed um continue with that I know when you guys uh were formed again U my I I speak for myself I speak for all the coun my fellow Council mates but I know I sat down and was able to have a conversation pretty much everyone on the commission uh very positive conversations about everything that's going on and what anybody can do to be better better uh for our Township uh so I want to commend you for that um and I have to say I watched that Martin Luther King essay God bless you because I would not want to be having to judge that but um we're gonna have a great flag raising and again as councilman Anderson said it's black history month but it's something that we uh celebrate and commemorate and talk about for the entire year thank you mayor thank you Cory if if the commissioner would now come up and hold the plaque I'll present it to president Morgan if the four of you would take a picture with it and then the council will join in mayor and councel [Music] 4 3 2 1 [Applause] [Music] good evening who what call the special budget meeting in order please stand for pledge you to flight I pledge States of America and to the for stands one nation under God indivisible liy and justice for all please remain standard one moment for all our military personnel serving abroad the two tragic plane crashes and all the wildfires out in California thank you notice the requirements of the open public meeting will have been satisfied concerning this meeting the newspaper published a notice I'll also note that the amendment to the budget was published in full in the newspaper as well it should be so noted in the minutes and the amendment was also posted on the municipal bulletin board roll call councilman Bower here councilwoman de hesus here councilman farara councilwoman Moler here councilwoman M here vice president Patel I'm sorry I'm I got a wrong thing in front of me councilman Patel councilman small councilman Anderson here from president Spiller here sorry about that Mr President we have uh two resolutions in front of you tonight first I'd like to read resolution one number one for approval if I get a motion this would wave the reading of the full amendment in full since it's been advertised and posted in accordance with the law can I get a motion to approve resolution number one motion I have a second second any question questions all in favor I I opposed eyes have it Mr President I'll also entertain a motion to open the meeting to the public for comment on the amendments to fiscal year 25 budget I there a motion motion second any questions or comments All favor I I opposed eyes have it so the public hearing is now open on amendments to the fiscal year 25 budget anybody com public has any comments please step up there are no comments on the public can I get a motion to close the public comment portion motion second any questions or comments all in favor I I oppose I have thank you m sorry one more yeah can I get a motion then on resolution number two which is to adopt the amended budget motion second request questions or comments from Council all in favor I I opposed eyes have it thank you Mr n thank you for all your assistance um we'll go into a couple comments mayor start with you thank you very much council president I just want to thank the team responsible for this annual budget it took uh longer than normal not because just because of a technicality with the state we normally adopt it in around September October but the team that worked on it had to work especially hard I want to First recognize the um second best Chief Financial Officer in the 355 year history of the township of Woodbridge that's a long time folks to be the second best CFO ever but Manny Fernandez uh has done this job for 13 years uh that's might be one of the records and of itself too but he's just done a wonderful job shepherding this budget through Mike klepchick is the Deputy CFO he's not here chief of account and Katie Mullen is here those three were involved in the nuts and the bolts of the budget of course that uh controller's office reports to VTO suala as the business administrator and Casey Mullen as the Casey Mullen man I'm in the old days Casey Wagner as the um Deputy business administrator and they are in charge of the budget uh so I think it's been a a really phenomenal effort dealing with this because of the delays in the state and it's great a great budget it's got a minimal tax increase it pays down um some debt before we had to it had provides for capital projects before we even have to issue debt and our department heads and division heads and employees are very diligent uh the first thing they do after the budget's passed is try not to spend it uh so we're very very proud of the job our team does and the budget before you was very uh well put together and I'm glad that you supported it by adopting it tonight thank you thank you mayor um I don't want to speak for the rest of my fellow Council mates they can all offer comments but I just want to say uh as council president representing this Council uh I want to thank you myself Administration and finance um all the directors um you know where this process starts you know last you know last spring and um you know we all get our binders we all ask questions we all go through everything and we do our due diligence but you make it very easy for us um to basically just know you know what you're doing um it just makes it easier and you had brought up about the taxes um we had a year with no tax increase we had a year with no tax levy uh we have minimal tax uh increase on the residents uh of the township so I personally like to thank you for that um those are my comments anybody else uh from councel see none I entertain a motion to adjer motion second you fav I I I meeting ad juring thank you have a good day good evening call the council meeting order please rise to flaged Ali to the flag the United stes of America stands na indivisible andice for to ask you to please remain standing for a moment of silence for all our military personnel serving the two uh terrible tragic plane crashes and all the residents in California dealing with the wildfires thank you requirements of the open public satisfi concerning the published a notice on January 10th 2025 was proposed on the municipal bulletin board and should be so noted in the minutes of this meeting councilman Anderson here councilman Bower here councilwoman Deus here councilman F councilwoman me here councilman Patel councilman small vice president Mullen here and president Spiller here I get a motion to approve the minutes from January 21st 2025 motion second questions or comments from councel all in favor I I oppos eyes have it beginning with second reading ordinances this evening we have one letter A in ordinance to vacate a portion of West Kelly Street in the M par Terrace section of the township can I get a motion that this ordinance be taken up on second and third reading and the public hearing be open motion second any questions or comments from Council all favor I I oppose eyes have it the public hearing is now open on letter a letter A only here are no comment from the public can I get a motion that the public hearing be closed the ordinance be adopted and submitted to the mayor for approval as required by law motion second questions or comments from councel all favor I I opposed eyes have it you have listed first reading ordinances b c d and e can I get a motion that these four ordinance be passed on first reading published in the home News Tribune on February 7 2025 with a notice of public hearing to be held on Tuesday February 18th 2025 at 6: p.m. motion second questions or comments from Council all in favor I I oppos I and finally Mr President I have 28 resolutions listed before you can I get a motion by consent 1 through 28 for approval motion second Council question coun um Mitch I just wanted to if I could make a comment on resolution number seven It's the aspired Grant from the New Jersey eon Economic Development Authority uh it's for hacken sack peridian and it is a community benefits agreement um with associated with their construction of their corporate headquarters at at the Metro Park along with um a health center there um and and what it is is it it's it's amazing as the host Comm Community uh through this Aspire Grant we have a $350,000 grant for 10 years that's $350,000 a year for 10 years um and it's for health benefits for our community uh and this is a real tribute to uh mayor McCormack and to our Redevelopment uh chairperson and um the chief of staff carollyn erck along with Heather lamada to to negotiate this the the benefits mayor M likes to say that uh hackin sack Meridian will do for wood Township what Robert W Johnson did to uh and this is just a step this is incredible uh I have a list of suggestions that are going down everything from starting out with the community needs assessment so that we get the input from the community and by the way members of the community that are here and watching um the community health needs assessment for hack and Sac peridian will be going on now so you may get phone calls or see something online we have posted it on our website about ask your opinion on things that are needed as it's related to health please don't shy away from that that is legit and that is the way that we address some of these issues certainly could be a way for us to establish our community needs and how to spend $3.5 million over the next 10 years so it's just a it's a wonderful opportunity again kudos to the administration for their hard work these negotiations don't you know come along too easy and there's a reason why we do these things and work with the Economic Development Authority and again uh job well done by the administration thank you for that thank you uh councilman I appreciate the uh the dialogue in the FYI for all our residents uh Mr Mitchell are there any other comments from Council all in favor I I I oppos eyes have thank you Mr M we will now go to the public comment portion of tonight's meeting When approaching the microone microphone each state you name what section the Townes where States you live in and you'll have a one-time opportunity speak up to five minutes good evening everyone good evening Glenn Morgan avanel section uh former president the vice president of the independent Club of Colonia and currently the uh chairman of the Human Rights Commission here in Woodbridge Township uh I just wanted to thank the mayor for honoring the black history month and raising the flag here for the month of February today so thank you um also in honoring Black History Month uh the Board of Ed had an an annual essay contest on black on Martin Luther King's birthday um all 15 elementary schools participated uh this is for the fifth graders only out of the many essays that were submitted one had to be chosen from each School the Human Rights Commission was given the 15 essays from all 15 schools to determine the winner myself many of my committee members read all the essays the essays drew me in to read it sometimes multiple times because of the detail uh that was in them um what was so exceptional about the group of fifth graders was the diversity of the various ethnicities that participated and I I found that you know very intriguing I let them know there are no losers in this competition as I expressed to the students and the parents I affirmed them that it starts at home what they're learning at home is what they're going to take out there with them this is an indication of our future leaders that spoke of diversity equity and inclusion for all I feel we have a bright future ahead when we have these type of students that are learning here in our educational system here in wh Township we as a Township must be up for the challenges ahead not only to allow our students to lose not to lose out on African-American history by that by the erasing of their accomplishments African-American history is American history the diversity that we we have in our Township Council our Human Rights Commission is an example of the right thing we are trying to do here in this Township you know we didn't have a choice none of us on when we were born you know how how are we going to come out who who is our mother father we didn't have a choice you know so we have to adapt to whatever Society sometimes brings towards our way you know so I just want to share that with you thank you thank you are there any other comments from the public this evening good evening everyone um I I don't want to take away from the thank you my name Michelle Burwell excuse me I'm sorry your name in the area of the township Michelle Burwell from Fords thank you very much okay and um I didn't want to take away from the thank you but I do thank you because I came here for the raising of the flag however the time had changed and there was a map with regards to the communication and there were also several other people that came thinking that it started at 5:30 when in fact started at 5:00 and so the only thing I wanted to do is at in line with what was just said as it relates to the diversity of this community that we be a little more sensitive especially during these times to make sure that if something's going to happen to celebrate someone's Heritage or someone's background or someone ethnicity that we be mindful of the communication because it is a very s sensitive time and those things can be taken out of context right I mean Mr Glenn came up and said a lot of good things but at the end of the day we need to be mindful because it is a very very sensitive time as it relates to ethnicity as it relates to race and so I would ask that the that you guys would be very sensitive in making sure that whatever communication that you send out that it is accurate and that if it needs to be changed that you are accommodating because at 5:30 there were more people that drove up and we were outside and you guys were in here on your phones it's just disrespectful so whatever it was that tried to that you tried to do that was a good thing even though it may not have been your intentions it ended up not being it ended up being counterproductive right so I just wanted to say that to just be a little bit more mindful because we are very diverse in this in this community and we just need to make sure that we're mindful of what that makes you how that makes you feel when you have other things coming at you in the world outside of this community thank you thank you uh just for some claric nobody was on their phone at 5:30 because at 5:30 we had the special budget meeting that's been posted excuse me you had your you had your 5 minutes this is not a given and take um at 5 excuse me at 5:30 nobody was on their phone because at 5:30 we had the special budget meeting which has been posted in numerous papers so thank you very much Mr Mitch are there any other comments from the public this evening hello again and I'm Jessica mayor vivonetto from avanel and tonight I'm speaking on behalf of myself Nicole patterer who you've met Carri asuga who you met dipy sheath stop sequest Woodbridge Uncle Neil's home and Revolution Philadelphia we wanted to bring to your attention the re the recent actions taken by New Jersey Fish and Wildlife officers against sequest at Woodbridge mall on January 31st an administrative order and notice of revocation were hand delivered to sequest citing numerous violations over the years as a result their permit has been revoked New Jersey fish and wildlife will be seizing regulated animals unless an appeal is filed within the next 15 days however this order does not apply to the farm permit that the health department signed off on for domestic animals such as the cats the fish the farm anals animals iguanas flying squirrels and the parakeets we have already established placement for these animals with reputable sanctuaries sequest has clearly broken the law New Jersey fish and wildlife will be seizing the exotic animals and we have placement for the rest you have remained complacent in this animal cruelty the entire time that I've been coming here given these developments I urge the council to consider the following actions moving forward to ensure compliance with local regulations working with the New Jersey fish and wildlife and other relevant agencies to ensure that sequest complies fully with the terms of the order and any applicable local ordinances to assess the welfare of the remaining animals partner with local animal welfare organizations to evaluate the conditions of the domestic and non-regulated animals monitor their bankruptcy proceedings and legal implications engage the community establish stronger oversight for similar businesses use this as an opportunity to strengthen local policies surrounding the operation of animal-based attractions to prevent similar issues this situation highlights the importance of responsible oversight when it comes to businesses that handle live animals with the additional concern of potential bankruptcy it is critical that we act proactively to ensure that Legal Financial and animal welfare issues are properly addressed I hope you're willing to work with us now I mean we've done the work for you we set up sanctuaries for the rest of the animals that are there the exotic animals will be seized there was a court hearing in Idaho last Friday sequest wanted to sell to an investor that owned 4% of the company for $80,000 they wanted to sell Woodbridge for $116,000 the judge denied the sale so what we're looking is because we have the sanctuaries on standby like I said we did all the work for you you know how many times I've been here I'm asking you to please revoke the farm permit so that we can get the animals released to Sanctuary the place is going to close it's definitely going down please don't allow them to remain the animals to remain with a bankrupt failed business thank you thank you are there any other comments from the public Nicholas hus Somerset New Jersey good evening Council we understand the township of Woodbridge currently holds a silver sustainable Jersey certification a prestigious designation for municipal governments in New Jersey municipalities that achieve certification are considered by their peers state government and experts in New Jersey to be among the leaders of the state Woodbridge was given for supporting wildlife and educating the public on Wildlife to obtain additional points here in the sustainable Jersey certification process the township of Woodbridge can submit the resolution for ordinance prohibiting certain interactive animal facilities to ensure that new businesses similar to se Quest are not permitted in the township eliminating such businesses will certainly reduce the risk of zuntic diseases such as salmonella or eoli which pose significant public health concerns particularly for children and vulnerable populations would you be willing to look into this the question is would we we be willing to look into a resolution regarding what you just stated yes yes so that uh resolution solution is uh ordinance prohibiting certain interactive animal facilities if that's the resolution that was uh asked of us several months ago two or three months ago there's nothing in front of this uh body to be voting on at this time okay I'm not sure if it is you know the ordinance that was asked a couple months ago um do you have any do you have the name of what maybe somebody else had brought up to you so we can just compare notes to make sure that it is the same or it is different not off the top of my head but if it if it's a resolution regarding sequest as it was presented a couple meetings there's nothing that's that's in front of this body to be voting on yeah uh could we fact check that to see if there was anything like or how about this if you guys aren't interested in going back to figure out if it's the same ordinance or not I can give you this ordinance here you can write it down I can say it again again and then you could look into it and let me know and say oh hey that was the same one or hey that's a different one yeah let's look into this is that okay you can present whatever you might have to Mr Mitch whatever was presented us earlier is on file okay I'll just reiterate uh anything that's been that has been presented to us in terms of wanting a resolution ordinance it was called a resolution uh there's nothing that is been in front of this body nor is there any man that's going to be in this body at least on the first reading ordinances for next meeting for us to vote on okay understood um but in the meantime Mr Mitch his name was municipal clerk M Mitch okay everything gets forwarded to him and he implements it okay so if you could just write this down for ordinance prohibiting certain interactive animal facilities and we'll follow up with that um the next line that I want to offer is like when we present problems I personally like to give solutions for the situation so I want to put something that's going to go in replace of where sequest would be that is fun that's interactive that's educational it's good for the community and I thought that this was really interesting here so there is so if mes want to add some entertainment to their shopping experience there are tons of animal friendly ways to do so sketch aquarium connected the world at the nor Museum of Arts in north New Jersey so this is happening right now is a great example one minute I'm sorry one one minute no problem is a great example it allows visitors to color animal templates scan them and digitally drop them into a virtual aquarium where the images become animated and projected around the room appearing to swim so big mall companies property management companies such as Simon group have already took the pledge to work against non-sustainable operations such as holding animals in captivity so this would something this is something that I encourage the city to look into to fill those voids for Lord and tayor which is right next to sequ and the Sears location we could still have fun we could still entertain the children have you know some downtime for the parents over here for them to bring their kids to be you know entertained in an educational way and we could do it without enslaving animals thank you thank you uh I appreciate your due diligence U the township does not own wood Center Mall W Center mall at all owns W Center Mall um it's up to them to decide whom they decide they want to sell to portion all of as long as it meets all the zoning um conforms to all zoning standards that's up to them but thank you just are there any other comments from the public this evening uh good even johnar Woodbridge uh just curious a lot of people kind of uh because of traffic of course we all know what's happening you got to bear with it but again I'm I'm sorry we a lot of people know what's happening a lot of a lot of people complain about traffic but we got to bear with that we know that's that's going to happen but question would be on bar Avenue the double yellow line I mean I've been traveling to Wood Beach that's the first time I saw uh what's the purpose of it because of safety or somebody told it's a bicycle line to drive bicycles in the middle but if you look at it from a Green Street always up to the behind the high school it's a double yellow line on on the street the question would be double yellow line on what is it supposed to do so I I'll I I'll yield to either director hubner or the mayor director Sim I can just say real quick I know we have that on South Avenue um and it works but I'll let you so there was a speeding issue or complaints on Baron Avenue it's a very wide road so everything that was painted there are to standards for uh traffic calming it kind of makes the road look narrower than it really is which slows people down so that just divides the road but because you know we know on a County Road or S but not residential I if it works I think great idea I mean it's may be something to see what's happening I know people want to put out what you call Pumpers or what call it across the road before but uh because other towns do it to slow the traffic but again uh there's been a lot of complaints of people speeding and mostly because of the high school so if it works like that it's great uh second thing would be uh if you look at it in woodb over here I know water company sent us a notices I think I said before that they're going to replace all carbonized pipes and they going to replace the Le pipes uh government they get money from government they going to do it cost out people anybody but again they're digging over and over and over they go there and dig up over there you know side streets and then we later they come up they get out they do it again uh they're just creating a mess of those roads over there question would be uh I didn't make mistake so to do do it over or they B engineering or or something else but it's let never into it and the question would be I know we may approv a lot of money for the repair of the roads question is if they get money to replace govern's pipe is the water company P the roads too and it's the government going to pay for it or we going to have to pay for it council president so so Mr vard there are many different Utilities in the roadway we try our best to coordinate with those utilities to try to dig up at the same time they're not replacing the same pipes over again uh there's water lines there's gas lines there's some telecommunications that are underline under underground that that they have to service so that's what you see the work going on right now middle sex water is doing a uh a refurbish they're doing a lot of lead pipes that are changing or or uh compromised pipes that are in in the ground along with the gas company so that's what you see uh in sewar that is a uh a for sewer main uh for our sewer system we're replacing thank you uh again when they get a permit what's you call permit license what you want to call it to do it do they each job do they have to do separately or is one permit is for indefinite job is done I'm sorry they generally give us a list in advance before we do with the roads that we want to do and pave they generally give us a list of what they're looking at so that we can coordinate thank you thanks there any other comments from the public don't have to Paul lond hope L one of the things I'm excited about in the new Trump Administration is something called Doge Department of government efficiency examining every Department every program to see if there's any inefficiency or ways to cut costs and I'm wondering has there been recently or can there be in the near future an independent audit perhaps a forensic uh investigation a drill down in Woodbridge Township's budget programs departments to look for inefficiencies to look for savings which will ultimately help me in my tax uh uh savings as well and that's my only question to so I'll start with I know we go through in a very extensive audit I'm not going to comment this I'm going to count look to the mayor CU he is the the finance person not really but Buzz um we're constantly looking for ways to save money Mr Lun uh every one of our employees uh knows what to look for they all know their jobs they know how to pave roads they know how to pick up garbage they know how to patrol streets they know how to run health programs and wreck programs uh it's a constant effort from us no we don't need anybody from the outside to come in and tell us what to do we don't need a doge in Woodbridge we're not going to have a doge in wood we know exactly what we're doing we had a zero tax increase two years ago a zero tax increase last year a minimal tax increase this year an average of $20 a year over the last three years we don't need anybody coming in to tell us what to do thank you I don't think I quite put it that way but I'm just saying an independent audit wouldn't hurt we have an independent audit every single year by licensed CMA CPA RMA firm more question thank M there any other question or comments from the public council president I just one thing it was mentioned by Mr vard that the mayor spends a lot of money on our roads last I check Council approves the uh work to the roads and there's input by our Ward people input by our public works I don't think there's a better way to do it and quite frankly I for one very proud of our road improvements uh I thank the mayor but it's it's a team effort last time I check the council approves on everything we spend councilman and I'll just I will just add the Mr lond um if from a recreation point of view um we do uh we practice uh a lot of our leagues are have Consolidated uh we've been very efficient with use of our fields and we also um find ways to build revenue from any of the other organizations outside of Woodbridge that are looking for field use um so that's one way that um we do um uh work effici L from the recreation point of view great than than here are no other comment from the public can I get a motion at the public common portion be closed motion second I I opposed we'll go into the agenda thank you Mr Mitch I'll move to the agenda for to start myself item number 16 Greenway family Success Center there's some exciting and informational events happening at Greenway family Success Center in the month of February uh they're on Facebook they have website just Google uh Greenway family Success Center um in the next few weeks they have their Black History Month brunch and learn on Saturday February 8th they have fair housing Workshop to work for the tenants as well as the landlords um informational session on February 13th and there it is I like this I like them all but father figured daddy daughter dance on February 21st so you can register for all events just uh look at Greenway family Success Center programs uh or you can call at 7 32527 3400 again Greenway family Success Center 105 Ro r Avenue in avanel the rest of my agenda is owner council president um councilwoman Council vice president Mall thank you council president my agenda is in order I just have two announcements to make uh number three the Chamber of Commerce join the Chamber of Commerce for the the 2025 state of the township address lunch presented by Mayor John McCormack this special event will take place on March 6th from 11:00 a.m. to 2: p.m. at the Delta hotel for tickets and sponsorship opportunities please visit the chamers website and number 10 the gallery on Main located on 101 Main Street the gallery on Main proudly showcases and sells original and high quality Arts of Cooperative artists who actively contribute to the the gallery's operations this Gallery is currently accepting applications for new artists interested in exhibiting their work to apply visit the gallery gallery iain's website for more details I'd like to wish everybody a Happy Valentine's Day and let's take a moment to keep our brave military members in our thoughts and continue as they continue to serve and protect us both home and abroad thank you thank you Council vice president Council thank you council president I'll first start with uh item number one WTC I would like to thank the mayor and the council for supporting uh one of our Recreation programs uh Woodward Broncos uh they held their um 7th annual um uh WS banquet this past weekend we had over 350 attendees IID like to thank mayor McCormack for for coming and being a part of a presentation to uh the family of Jerry poppy Thorne who was um um given the award for um post ously for his um fan of the year uh we named the award in his honor and um his family was there to receive that um uh there there are over 250 children boys and g girls in this organization and they're very uh appreciative of uh the mayor and the council's uh participation I'm going to hold on item number two and number three wood hall of fame um they are accepting nominations now for anyone that graduated from one of our three public high schools um I and I will mention back on the uh banquet I will I do want to thank the three High School head football coaches for also being in attendance it's very important for a lot of the eighth grade graduating players to see their High School coaches there so coach TR Ry coach Mike Henderson from JFK and Coach uh Joe George from Woodbridge were all in attendance there and um uh it was it was very nice to see them there uh the Hall of Fame uh accepting nominations for this upcoming uh Hall of Fame uh celebration which will be in October um you can contact the recreation department if you have anyone that you feel is worthy that the one um uh requirement is that they graduated from one of our high schools and they participated um either on the high school college Pro or even amateur level and that they've been graduated from uh school for at least 20 years so we'll now be looking at the class of I guess it would be 19 uh uh 2005 2005 class will now be um considered for this year um going to hold on five six and seven um I will also mention on the uh MLK I know that we had Mr Glenn mentioned about the essay contest I want to thank the Human Rights Commission for spearheading that event and um and listening to all the essays and reading all of the essays I know that my my wife uh read a number of essays and um very difficult to choose uh who the winners are going to be but as you mentioned all of them are winners for submitting and um we want to thank the families for being there also uh I missed the last meeting but the um the MLK event that was held uh on January 15th uh at The Acacia Center was fantastic um the Woodbridge High School chorus was also phenomenal um but we had a night it was a very chilly night but we had a good good attendance um and uh the tonight we we did celebrate the kickoff of Black History Month celebration I do see um that uh the event is advertised on our website at 5:00 I'm sorry that there were some uh folks that uh thought that it was at 5:30 um but it is advertised on our website for 5:00 and it's been so advertised on our website for 5:00 for several weeks now um there we did have good attendance but I you know for anyone that um did not get the word we do apologize um but I I think that um we did put the information out there um and I encourage people if they want to follow any of the events that are going on the rest of the month to please check the wers township website um the independent Club of Colonia will be holding their Black History Month celebration on February 23rd from 3:00 to 5:00 at The Acacia Center at 95 Port Reading Avenue it is a free event and we're also asking any organizations um and any people that are attending if they would um bring a non- perishable food item as the independent Club of Colonia will be donating food to our Food Bank um this is the time of year where all of our food banks uh especially after the holidays could use some replenishing so we do ask that you attend the event but also please bring um bring uh a non- perishable food item I just want to mention the um tooling around the town event uh coming up is going to be Saturday April 26 this year and the application information will be on our website very soon and and um we also we like to uh have tv35 there to see all of the work of the volunteers in Woodbridge Township we if you are looking to volunteer please also contact the township uh and let them know that you are looking to volunteer for the tooling around uh event and lastly if you're um oh two more things um if you are a a senior high uh High School senior and uh you haven't chosen a college yet I do encourage you to go on to middle SE colleges website um submit an application there it's a great place to start your education it's where I started my education um uh very affordable with um the cost of tuition these days uh very affordable um choice to to start your education so please go to middlesexcc.edu and lastly I do want to mention that um the uh annual juneth event is actually scheduled for June 14th this year we were going a little bit earlier um because it uh very close to Father's Day uh but it'll be at woodbrige high school and I'll announce the time and and um and any of the uh vendors and things that we're we're going to have at that event uh at a future date uh that's all I have and thank you very much thank you councilman Council thank you council president my agenda is a a mess but in spite of that I'm going to make an announcement on a few events coming up uh all of them related to you You activities from our youth services first family and friends CPR uh February 11th at Evergreen from 6:00 to 7:30 and then February 26 at Acacia once again 6:00 to 7:30 this is CPR uh it's really a valuable course that's taught by our professional uh Department it's for um students in their families 10 years and older if you could reach out to the recreation department Cindy vents at 73259 64103 uh again with our youth group at The Acacia Center we have a have a heart celebration on February 12th from 3: to 6:00 p.m. this is for our middle school students there is some Transportation if you're coming from avanel uh the point is to get together during that time there's free F food music games and fun and also an opportunity to um contribute to the food drive and you can reach out to our youth services there at 732 726 6290 and looking way ahead uh to the spring April 4th in particular being we have some cool weather coming back um woodberg Center is coming together with our Recreation Department in some games that we might remember of bar youth things like Hopscotch and the Bunny Hop and and and crafts and things of that nature April 4th at woodb Center in the lower level Center Court 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and I'll have more information on that and then just finally as I mentioned the AAC Meridian doing their Community needs assessment if you get an invitation to participate please jump on board give them your opinion it's important we've got a lot of money to spend we want to do the right thank you thank you council president thank you councilman car councilman B thank you council president my agenda is and orders have one announcement the forge business community business businesso business membership and networking mingle be held tomorrow night happy Wednesday February 5th at 6:00 p.m. at dol's pizzeria restaurant that's at 4:32 new brunic Avenue fors member and non-members are welcome food will be served that's all I have tonight thank you council president thank you councilman Council woman H thank you council president my agenda is in order I just have one announcement um the bar Art Center is hosting a concert by Joseph Alton Miller on February 21st at 7:30 p.m. reservation is essential call 7326 3 4413 with a focus on American Roots folk music singer songwriter Joseph Alton Miller strives to bridge the gap separating the many genres that make up the American sound again that will be February 21st at 7:30 p.m. thank you thank you Council Council woman M thank you council president I just my agenda is in order I just have two announcements mement uh this evening the two uh 2025 heart have a heart food drive is in full swing there's still 2 weeks left to help us reach our goal we're asking residents to either donate $214 or 214 pounds of food to help us restock our food food pantries this W winter please either drop your donation off at the willbridge health center or if you have a larger donation we'll pick it up you can reach out to Peter Barcelona at 732 8556 extension 5034 every donation helps people are struggling and they can they can can use some help so anything that you can do to help us we would appreciate that on March 2nd we will be holding our annual chili cookoff contest at the aaia center in Port Reading we're looking for the best chili chefs around to enter our contest prizes will be giving for given for the best three chilies if you're interested in entering your chili please reach out to Eileen at the rec center at 732 596 4047 there is a $20 registration fee entrance fee to the event is $10 all proceeds from this event will be donated to the family of JP May a 16-year-old Colonial resident who's battling cancer and that's all I have this evening thank you thank you Council always a great EV that always for uh a great cause too thank you Mr Mitch thank you Mr President my agenda is in order just thank you Council I'm going to Note 2 a from my agenda and thank you for your support accept that's all I have thank you Mr Mitch I know we had that under resolutions uh to offer comment um I want to thank you I'm sure the rest of my counsil for your office uh your staff your agents and all the respective departments um for all their hard work and diligence um at all hours uh regarding to that 2A so thank you uh moving along you thank you council president one second Council call I'm sorry um I just have one thing that I forgot to say uh kpot is a new restaurant that that's in Woodbridge in the shop right center and it is going to be opening so if you could go on their website check it out it's a really interesting new restaurant you might get some information go check it out and see when it's going to be opening and try it it's going to be it's a very exciting little restaurant that you guys can check out so uh go look at it and uh help them uh get themselves started in Woodbridge uh as a business thank you thank you looks fantastic I'm sorry Mar very good I'm good thank you uh Mr siman thank you council president I have one item tonight I have a tax and Sewer r thank you thank you director thank you council president just one traffic ordinance thank thank you sir Director D thank you council president I'll take this evening thank you thank you D thank you council president I have a few items tonight first one is a resolution to execute change orders 1 to3 on contract 2014- 011 and that's otor and corrosion control for the court writing Interceptor uh second item for resolution is authorizing execution of aing between the town wridge and the county of middle sex PR insulat some new traffic signal at West Avenue Milo right and the third uh item for resolution is authorizing the execution of agreement between Township Woodbridge and middle sex County for installation of a new traffic signal at the intersection of Oak Tree Road and middle sex Avenue thank you very thank you director legal CC president thank you sir look for a motion to motion second motion meeting adjourned have a good night thank you