copy of that notice is posted on the bulletin board at the Municipal Complex and on the Monroe Township website.

Transcription

1 A.) OPENING CEREMONIES CALL TO ORDER The Regular Council Meeting of the Township of Monroe was called to order at approximately 8: 00PM by Cncl. Pres., Rich DiLucia in the Court Room of the Municipal Complex located at 125 Virginia Avenue, Williamstown, New Jersey. This meeting was advertised pursuant to the New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act N.J.S.A. 10: 4-6 thru 10: 4-21). Notices were placed in the official publications for the Township of Monroe ( i.e.: South Jersey Times, Courier Post and The Sentinel of Gloucester County). A copy of that notice is posted on the bulletin board at the Municipal Complex and on the Monroe Township website. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia stated the Clerk has placed a sign-in sheet in the meeting room. If anyone would like to address Council, please sign in and you will be recognized during the Public Portion. Kindly state your name for the record. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Cncl. Garbowski led the Assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance to Our Flag and Cncl. Miller Offered the Invocation. ROLL CALL OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS Cncl. Marvin Dilks Cncl. Ron Garbowski Cncl. Bob Heffner Cncl. Joe Marino Cncl. Bart McIlvaine Cncl. Cody Miller Cncl. Pres. Richard DiLucia Excused Excused Mayor Daniel Teefy Solicitor, Louis Cappelli, Jr. Business Administrator, Kevin Heydel Engineer, Kathryn Cornforth, ARH Dir. of Finance, Karyn Paccione Dir. of Public Safety, Jim Smart Dir. of Public Works, Mike Calvello Dir. of Comm. Dev./Code Enf., Rosemary Flaherty Dir. of Parks & Recreation, Jim Bonder Deputy Mayor, Andy Potopchuk Police Chief John McKeown Municipal Clerk, Susan McCormick Excused PRESENTATIONS/ PROCLAMATIONS Spotlight on Business Geets Diner Sandy Cannon, Owner Geets Diner thanked Council for the opportunity to speak on several programs that are being held as well as some upcoming events and the many discounts She announced that in the near future there would be a new menu as the people have they offer. spoken and they want a new/bigger menu. The hours of operation are 7: 00am 11: 00pm. On the weekends ( Fridays & Saturdays) the Lounge is opened from 11: 00am 2: 00am. Cncl. Miller extended his thanks to Sandy for choosing to invest in Geets and in our township. We are thankful you were able to bring a business back to life. Mrs. Cannon noted it is fun and has been a new experience, it has definitely been a challenge but along the way we have learned a lot and 1

2 PRESENTATIONS/ PROCLAMATIONS (cont' d) the public has been talking to us and for this we are most grateful. Mayor Teefy expressed what a great job they did in re- designing the diner along with all the tremendous work and effort put into it. On behalf of all the residents he thanked her for keeping Geets here for us. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia noted on behalf of council he wished her luck, welcomed her to Williamstown and hoped she would be here for a long time and be most prosperous. Knights of Columbus, Lodge Donation to Tot Lot (Green Meadows) Dan Kozak, Knight explained at a recent council meeting there was discussion on how the tot lots in the area are in need of repair/maintenance. He then contacted Cncl. Pres., DiLucia to ask him to consider the Knights perhaps contributing some finances toward it, he was fine with the idea. Mr. Kozak then went back to his fellow Knights, they agreed and were happy to help the town. He then presented a check in the amount of$ 1, 000 for the improvement of the tot lot located on Ward Lane. Mr. Kozak then mentioned that the Knights will be selling hoagies at locations throughout town on Sunday, November 11th from 9: 00am 12: 00 noon. Also, he stressed that the Knights are always looking for new members and anyone interested can contact Vic at Cncl. Pres., DiLucia on behalf of council thanked Lodge 3352 for the generous donation and assured that the money donated will go directly toward that tot lot and at some point we will give recognition to the Knights in terms of a plaque being installed at that location. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted of the Work of October 8, The motion Session of October 8, 2018 and the Regular Council Meeting was seconded by Cud. Miller and approved by all members of Council in attendance, with the exception of Cncl. Dilks and Cncl. Heffner, who were Absent. B.) CORRESPONDENCE None C.) RESOLUTIONS SCHEDULED PUBLIC PORTION Cncl. Miller made a motion to open the Resolutions Scheduled Public Portion. The motion was seconded by Cncl. Garbowski and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. With no one wishing to speak, Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to close the Resolutions Scheduled Public Portion. The motion was seconded by Cncl. Marino and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance R: Resolution Approving The Bill List For The Council Meeting Of October 22, Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was R: Resolution Adjusting Township Of Monroe Tax Records Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was seconded by Cncl. Marino and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. R: Resolution Of The Township Council Of The Township Of Monroe Authorizing Tax Collector To Credit An Overpayment Of Real Estate Taxes For A Period Of Five Years From 2013 For The Property Located At Block 15302, Lot 13 On The Tax Map Of The Township Of Monroe 2

3 C.) RESOLUTIONS SCHEDULED (cont' d) Cncl. Miller made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was seconded by Cncl. Garbowski and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. R: Resolution Of The Township Council Of The Township Of Monroe Authorizing The Acceptance Of A Donation In The Amount Of$ 1, From The Knights Of Columbus To The Township Of Monroe Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was R: Resolution Of The Township Council Of The Township Of Monroe Authorizing Reduction Of A Letter Of Credit For Spring Ridge, Subdivision # , Block 3704, Lots 2, 3 & 7 For Certain Site Improvements Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was seconded by Cncl. Marino and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. R: Resolution Authorizing The Consent Order For Dismissal In Litigation Captioned " Empire TF4 Jersey Holdings, LLC, Et Al. vs. Community Champions, Et Al.," Docket No. L Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was seconded by Cncl. Marino and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. R: Resolution Of The Township Council Of The Township Of Monroe Awarding Bid To South State, Inc. For Services Associated With The Forest Drive Phase II Improvements As Specified In The Bid Specifications For The Township Of Monroe, Gloucester County And Authorizing The Proper Township Officials To Execute The Required Documentation Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was R: Resolution Of The Township Council Of The Township Of Monroe Awarding Bid To South State, Inc. For Services Associated With The 2018 Monroe Road Program As Specified In The Bid Specifications For The Township Of Monroe, Gloucester County And Authorizing The Proper Township Officials To Execute The Required Documentation Cncl. Miller made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was seconded by Cncl. Garbowski and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. R: Resolution Authorizing The Execution Of A Final Change Order For South State, Inc. In The Decreased Amount Of $27, For Services Associated With The 2017 Monroe Road Program Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was R: Resolution Of The Township Council Of The Township Of Monroe Awarding A Contract For Professional Services To Adams, Rehmann & Heggan, Inc. To Perform Construction Administration/ Inspection Services Associated With The 2018 Road Program Within The Township Of Monroe, County Of Gloucester, State Of New Jersey Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Resolution R: The motion was seconded by Cncl. Marino and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. 3

4 D.) ORDINANCES Cncl. Pres., DiLucia turned this portion of the meeting over to Ordinance Committee Chairman, Cncl. Marino. Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to open the meeting to the public for the Ordinance listed on the Agenda for Second Reading and Public Hearing. The motion was With no one wishing to speak on the Ordinance for Second Reading, Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to close the Public Hearing. The motion was seconded by Cncl. Pres., DiLucia and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. 0: An Ordinance Of The Township Of Council Of The Township Of Monroe To Amend Chapter 69 Of The Code Of The Township Of Monroe, Entitled" Police, Division Of' Second Reading: A copy of this Ordinance was posted on the bulletin board at the Municipal Complex. Additional copies were made available to the public. Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to approve Ordinance 0: for Second Reading and Public Hearing. The motion was seconded by Cncl. Miller. ROLL CALL VOTE TO APPROVE ORDINANCE 0: FOR SECOND READING AND PUBLIC HEARING 5 AYES ( DiLucia, Garbowski, Heffner, Marino, Miller), 2 ABSENT (Dilks, Heffner) Tally: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays, 0 Abstain, 2 Absent. Ordinance 0: was duly approved for Second Reading and Public Hearing. E.) REPORTS AND OTHER MATTERS Cncl. Garbowski spoke on the various programs offered through the Monroe Township Library, especially ones scheduled for the upcoming holidays. He noted that next Wednesday, October 31' is Halloween and he urged everyone to take care to be stay safe and use extra caution when the little ones are out trick or treating. vote on Tuesday, November 6th He also urged everyone to come out and Cncl. Marino expressed his thanks to the Knights of Columbus for their generous donation also echoing the sentiments of Cncl. Pres., DiLucia in trying to get recognition in the form of a plaque at the Green Meadows tot lot. He spoke of his attendance at an EDC meeting on October 1st where the resignation of Don Colligan was received. There were also questions on some affordable housing letters sent out by Triad (single family homes) and he did send this to the Chairman of the EDC as he had only received letters pertaining to apartments. He advised that just this evening the council discussed moving forward with the rehabilitation of a single family home for the affordable housing program. The EDC discussed investment opportunity signs that they are in the process of placing on certain corners throughout the township. Also there was discussion on how best to utilize the remaining monies in their budget as well as plans for Main Street and the Main Street Committee. He reported on the BOE meeting that took place on October 1 8th which he was unable to attend. He did note however the overall sentiment with the new superintendent, assistant superintendent and elementary superintendent is such that the schools are going in a very good direction. Cncl. Marino then noted the measures Richard P. Glen. He also noted that rumors are Perry, Jr., Superintendent is taking with regard to Holly around that Holly Glen should be torn down but that is not in the best interest of the taxpayers or of this town and it would really cause a financial burden to the taxpayers. Cncl. Marino spoke of the Halloween Parade and the terrific job Parks & Rec/ Public Works did putting the event together. Cncl. Mcllvaine expressed his thanks and appreciation to Mr. Bonder and Mr. Calvello and all their employees as well as all the volunteers that put on the Fall Festival and the Halloween Parade, although he did not attend either he understands these were fantastic events. He recognized all those involved with the scarecrows that were displayed up and down Main Street. He then thanked the Knights of Columbus for their generous donation. 4

5 E.) REPORTS AND OTHER MATTERS (cont' d) Cncl. Miller extended his gratitude for the work and effort that was done for the Halloween Parade and the Fall Festival. He also thanked Christine Feggans, Ernie Carbone, Rosemary Flaherty, Tara Park, Tony Langella and Jared Valdez for their attendance at the Governor' s Conference on Housing & Economic Development. He then highlighted some of the topics that were presented/ discussed. He spoke on our affordable housing program and how he felt it was really great that we have rolled this out. He noted there are some misconceptions about the actual program and we will not be taking single family dwellings and converting them into rental units. He elaborated on the program being put into place. At this time, Mayor Teefy made the following appointments: Library Board Jennifer Brenner Unexpired Term expiring 12/ 31/ 2020 requires advise & consent of Council) Cncl. Bart Mcllvaine made a motion to approve the appointment of Jennifer Brenner to the Library Board term expiring 12/ 31/ The motion was seconded by Cncl. Miller and unanimously approved by the members of Council in attendance ( Dilks,Heffner Absent) Municipal Alliance Barbara Horcher Unexpired Term expiring 12/ 31/ 2018 Municipal Alliance- Kathleen Romero - Unexpired Term expiging 12/ 31/ 2020 Open Space Advisory Committee Autumn Baidouri Unexpired Term 12/ 31/ 2020 Environmental Protection Commission Ryan Rebozo Unexpired Term 12/ 31/ 2018 Liaison to Open Space Committee) Mayor Teefy then reported on both the Fall Festival and the Halloween Parade and spoke of what a tremendous job was done by both the Public Works Department and the Parks & Rec Commission. He then went on to elaborate on the Halloween Parade and what an outstanding event it was with Harvey Conn serving as the " Grand Marshall" who will turn th. next July Mr. Conn has been a member of the Williamstown Fire Department for 71 years and served with General Patton in World War II. Mayor Teefy reported on attending the grand opening on October 10th of Pink Harbor, Certified Public Accountants Taxes & Accounting a new CPA office in town located at 1035 N. Black Horse Pike. He then reported on some of the winning entries in the Scarecrow Contest as well as all the entries in the different categories that marched in the Halloween Parade. He extended his thanks to the judges Scott Whyte, Shannon Grimm and Bob Eley. The Mayor spoke on the upcoming Election Day on Tuesday, November 6th urging all to get out to vote and to familiarize themselves with the candidates running on a local level. Director of Community Development, Rosemary Flaherty announced that when street lights are out around the town if residents make note of the pole number they can contact her office with the information. Municipal Clerk, Susan McCormick noted for clarification that all street lighting matters should be reported to her office as we have access with Atlantic City Electric and we work in conjunction with them in reporting street lighting problems. Director of Parks & Rec, Jim Bonder extended his thanks to everyone and wished to recognize all the volunteers for all the time and effort they put into making the Fall Festival and the Halloween Parade a great success, highlighting some of the awesome activities they plan which adds to the success of these events. He then thanked the Chief of Police and his staff for the safety they provide us in order to put forth this event. He mentioned what a great job both the Public Works department and the Parks & Rec staff did to help make these events both successful and " Special". Mr. Bonder then gave details on the Main Street makeover that is scheduled to take place on October 27th from 7: 00am to 1: OOpm. Chief of Police, John McKeown thanked the volunteers as well as our paid staff for all their efforts during all of our events. He noted he would be remiss if he didn' t thank our citizens. We are vastly outnumbered during any event we have emphasizing that we have safe events 5

6 E.) REPORTS AND OTHER MATTERS (cont' d) because we have both residents and spectators that come out who want to have a good time and they do it in a respectful fashion and that type of cooperation is critical. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia echoed the sentiments of most others in terms of volunteers in this town and how grateful everyone is for all the time and effort they put in particularly during these events. Let' s not lose sight of the fact that we also have a lot of people who serve on committees Library Board, Open Space, etc.) where they spend countless hours discussing things that affect our everyday lives. They serve without any pay, strictly voluntary and to those individuals I want to extend a thank you because that, most times, goes unnoticed. He then noted that he had received an from a resident in the Amberleigh development and it was requested that he extend a thank you to Director of Public Works, Mike Calvello for all his work and efforts in having a buffer installed in the rear of her property. This was an ongoing problem for some time and his efforts were most appreciated. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia thanked both Mr. Calvello and his crew of workers for all their work in completing this project. He then noted his attendance at a town hall meeting hosted by Congressman Donald Norcross and what impressed him is that he never once mentioned the upcoming election or voting for him as he is a candidate on the ballot. He talked about issues and shared his views that effect people on a national level. We as representatives in Monroe cannot affect the national scene but it is always good to talk about it. One thing that was said was because of the tax cut that was just enacted recently that 86% of that tax revenue went to one half of one percent of the people. This tells you that tax cut was not earmarked toward the middle class. The same people that supported this legislation are now saying we have no money, we ran out of money and the only place we can get it from is Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. This effects the people who did not get a tax cut by and large. After this election, if the senate stays the same, and the congress stays the same they have made a promise they are going to cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, to what degree he did not know. Congressman Norcross also talked about Sears and Kmart going into bankruptcy noting the people that have worked there for years under a pension will lose their pension because when they go into bankruptcy court the first thing asked will be to alleviate them of the responsibility to continue to pay on pensions or the pension those people were promised. Also, talked about was a movement in this country with regard to health insurance that pre- existing conditions are not now going to be recognized, thus those individuals will be charged a much greater premium. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia spoke of the ballot in New Jersey and that there is a senate race where he would do some research to see which side of the issues each individual was on and to also do some research on Congressman Norcross to see what side he is on. Now, after that you have county level offices on the ballot Surrogate, County Freeholder ( 2) and Sheriff At a local level you have Mayor and ( 3) Council at Large positions on the ballot. He urged everyone to get out and vote because unfortunately the vote in this country during mid-term elections normally have a very low turnout. F.) GENERAL PUBLIC DISCUSSION Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to open the General Public Discussion. The motion was seconded by Cncl. Miller and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. William Blong 125 Harrell Avenue approached council with two issues. He felt it was extremely inappropriate to mention any other candidate names on a federal or state level. There are members of both parties in attendance to this meeting and he felt it was not appropriate discussion. Telling people to get out and vote is entirely appropriate but bringing up candidates is not. He spoke on a recent issue with the redevelopment plan for Rt. 322 & Tuckahoe Road. Mr. Blong advised he has had a lot of residents come to him questioning why it has been tabled until January, especially since the Planning Board recommended they don' t go forward with it and they downsized it to just include the intersection. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia noted for clarification the matter has not been tabled until January, it has been tabled. There has not been a date put on to revisit it, if it is going to be revisited at all, there has been mention of January. 6

7 F.) GENERAL PUBLIC DISCUSSION (cont' d) Mr. Blong then questioned as of right now we don' t even know if there will be another meeting involving this matter, correct? Cncl. Pres., DiLucia explained when a matter is tabled you can always make a motion to remove it from the table. Under parliamentary procedure you can always remove a tabled motion subsequent to that date. At this point, no one has made a motion to reopen it, no one has put on the record that it would be revisited in January or that it would ever be revisited. Mr. Blong thanked him for the response as now he has something to tell people who have been questioning him about this. Mr. Blong then noted earlier in the week he spoke with the Deputy Clerk about an issue as well as speaking with Mr. Cappelli about a building in town that has the label/ seal that says Township ofmonroe as well as saying municipal offices. His concern is that this building also has campaign literature and campaign signs in front of it. According to the Deputy Clerk no municipal building owned and maintained by the township can have those signs in front of it. Mr. Cappelli explained to him that this is a privately owned business. Mr. Blong then noted however, that business also falls under the blanket of the Historical Society which is a municipal run society, a municipal organization which he believed would fall under a different category as it is under an umbrella of a municipal organization run by local government. Cncl. Miller responded they just purchased the sign for it, it is not run by the Historical Society it is owned by a separate property owner who runs his business out of it as well. Mr. Blong questioned so that being said why didn' t the township ever require them to remove the township seal and the wording of municipal offices from that building? Cncl. Miller noted due to the sheer fact they didn' t want to remove it, it is a private property we can' t mandate to residents or a business what we want them to remove from their properties. Mr. Blong noted when the township sells a police car we don' t sell it with Monroe Township wording on it. Cncl. Miller then noted to keep the historical integrity of the actual building which was at one time municipally owned the owner wanted to keep the name up there and the Historical Society placed a sign there that says it used to be the old town hall building. Personally, it is not a conflict it would be like me going to a private business owner and saying I don' t agree with your political views because it has the name of something on it you should remove it. Mr. Blong noted he understood that but the building itself is misleading to the residents of the township that drive up and down Main Street. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia noted that he actually yielded to the Solicitor in terms of what the legal obligations are and if the Solicitor would have advised that it was not legal to have that sign up there, because my name is on it, I to get him elected. He would have had it removed. Adding, that he did not think that was going then noted that he was down at the public works yard which is clearly our property, the township' s property and you had your car there with your signs all over the car. Is that not true? Mr. Blong responded, no sir I had one ( 1) sign in the window of my truck. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia noted and that was on township property. Mr. Blong responded it was his privately owned vehicle. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia noted so your vehicle is alright to put signs on but his house is not of Monroe. Cncl. alright to put signs on. Mr. Blong noted his house clearly states Township Pres., DiLucia noted it is illegal to do what you are doing and we didn' t say anything about it, you know why? Because we don' t want to nitpick, that sign whether on your truck or on that building is not going to win an election or impress anyone to vote one way or another. The fact remains it is legal to have to have it there and we are going to leave it there, if wasn' t legal we would remove it because we will comply with whatever the election laws require. Now, you are standing here tonight making it look like we are doing something illegal and we are exerting our rights because we happen to be council people is unfair. Mr. Blong noted he was not saying you are doing something illegal because you are a councilman. I am saying it is misleading to the residents of the township who drive up and down Main Street and see campaign signs in front of a building that says Township of Monroe. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia added you are saying we don' t have a right to do it, that it is illegal and it is not illegal. If you think it is, you belong to an organization, you have attorneys, file. We are telling you it is legal, the solicitor said it and I got a personal opinion from attorneys that had nothing to do with our politics who said it was legal. If you don' t agree with the decision of our solicitor you have legal recourse. I can tell you if you have your sign in your car on our property I am not going to challenge it, you could put five ( 5) signs there. Mr. Blong then noted I am not going to pursue any issue with the signs in front of that building, I just figured in the interest of fairness in an election not to mislead the general public and that is it. Cncl. Pres., DiLucia added he did not feel it was misleading and that wasn' t the purpose. 7

8 F.) GENERAL PUBLIC DISCUSSION Michael Mellace, CPA 313 Aberdeen Road extended his thanks to Public Works for The streets throughout his getting out and taking care of the street in front of his home. development ( Scotland Run) are really bad and we are hoping that all of our streets will get addressed. Mr. Mellace then expressed his thanks to the entire Township of Monroe for helping us in getting our business opened here. He noted his business has two other locations one in Washington Township and one in Springfield, PA and we wanted to put a firm around here and he looked at all the different towns around and he really wanted to be here and went into all the things that drove him in this direction and how everyone from Mayor Teefy to the EDC was so accommodating and helpful. He added they were really, really happy to be here in Monroe Township. Our office is located at 1035 N. Black Horse Pike ( Advanced Medical Professional Plaza). He then advised that on March 6, 2019 we will be holding a seventeen ( 17) hour long fund raiser. This will be a pay as you want day and it will go a box and be donated to a scholarship fund. He also spoke on a program to be held during the month of November where they would assist in filling out the Homestead Rebate applications. He noted they would be participating in the clean up along Main Street. We are looking forward to just being a good neighbor. Sherri Kennedy 375 Bryn Mawr Drive approached council to advise of a dog/ pet parade that will take place on Saturday, October 27th ( after the Main Street clean- up) at the Pfeiffer Center. Cncl. Garbowski made a motion to close the General Public Discussion. The motion was seconded by Cncl. Marino and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. G.) ADJOURNMENT With nothing further to discuss, Cncl. Miller made a motion to adjourn the Regular Council Meeting of October 22, The motion was seconded by Cncl. Garbowski and unanimously approved by all members of Council in attendance. Respectfully submitted, CT, f l f" Susan McCormick, RMC Municipal Clerk A I(); Presiding Officer These minutes were prepared from excerpts of the tape- recorded proceedings of the Regular Council Meeting of October 22, 2018 and serve as only a synopsis of the proceedings. The official tape may be heard in the Office of the Township Clerk upon proper notification pursuant to the Open Public Records Law. Approved as submitted Date i Approved as corrected Date 8