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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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Hey.

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[Music]

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Hey. Hey.

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[Music]

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Hey,

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[Music]

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hey, hey.

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[Music]

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Thank you.

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I'd like to call the city city caucus

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meeting to order for Monday, June 9th,

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2025.

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We have one public hearing this evening.

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If the clerk would please read public

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number public hearing number one for the

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redirection of a portion of Chrysler

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Avenue from a two-way street to a

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one-way street from the intersection of

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Crane and Main Street to Ostrander

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Place. Discussed and committed with

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objection on consent. Item number two.

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for original

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consideration. A resolution calling for

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a public hearing for weight limit

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postings on Kings Road.

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Discussed in committee without objection

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on consent. Item number three.

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Item number item number two for original

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consideration. A resolution authorizing

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fee waivers for exterior building repair

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permits discussed in committee without

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objection on consent.

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Yes, Mr. uh Williams.

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On item number two, you roll call. Yes,

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ma'am. Okay. Thank you.

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Item number three. Item number three for

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original consideration. A resolution

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recognizing the celebration of Junth,

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2025.

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Discussed in committee with objection on

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consent. Item number four. Item number

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four for original consideration. A

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resolution recognizing Caribbean

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American Heritage Month.

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Discussed in committee with objection.

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And on consent, item number 4A for

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unanimous consent. Item number 4 A for

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unanimous consent. A resolution

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supporting funding for Belmont Pop

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Warner program.

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I need a motion to place item number 4A

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on the floor. Moved by Mr. Williams,

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second by Mr. Mancini. All in favor?

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Okay. Is there any objection to item

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number 4 A?

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Since there's no objection to this item,

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may I have a motion to place it onto the

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consent agenda?

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Moved by Mr. Farley,

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second by Mr. Mancini.

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All in favor?

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If there's no objection, we can go uh we

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can put this on the consent agenda.

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If there's nothing more to come before

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the city council caucus, I ask for a

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motion to adjourn.

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Moved by Miss Pat uh moved by Miss

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Patrick, second by Mr. Williams. All in

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favor? We are adjourned. I'd like to

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call the city council meeting to order

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for Monday, Octo Excuse me, October June

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9th, 2025.

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And this afternoon, we do not have

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anyone to um to offer up the prayer.

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However, I would like to us to stand.

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I'd like to offer this prayer for the

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community.

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Dear Lord, I bring the people of

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Skenctity to you today. I pray that you

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give everyone comfort, companion, ando

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companionship and hope. Please surround

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us with your love and care and make us

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feel your presence in our lives. Lord,

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help this council to be an instrument to

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seek out, to help, and to give uh

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support where is needed. God, I ask that

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you open the eyes of others to give a

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hand on the back to those who they come

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in contact with. I pray that you bring

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people together into their their lives

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who can be supportive and encouraging

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and that you would open up opportunities

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for them for to form meaningful

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relationships. Help us Lord to find joy

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and fulfillment in our lives and our

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duties that you've assigned to us

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despise despite what we may go through.

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Thank you God for the gift of community

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and how you bring people together. We

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pray that you will use us to bless

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everyone in our midst and to show them

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all love and compassion. Amen. Amen. I'd

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ask uh council member Patrick to lead us

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in the pledge.

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I pledge algiance to the flag of the

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United States of America and to the

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republic for which it stands, one nation

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under God, indivisible, with liberty and

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justice for all. Thank you.

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[Music]

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Thank you. If the clerk Yes. If the

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clerk could please complete the roll

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call.

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Thorough absent. Mr. Farley here. Mr.

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Mancini here. Mr. Muver. Present. Miss

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Patrick here. Mr. Williams here. Miss

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Porterfield here.

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We have one public hearing this evening

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and I just want to remind everyone that

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the public comment period for um

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on public hearings is four minutes and I

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ask also ask that you respectfully only

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speak to the subject of the public

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hearing itself. Thank you. I have four

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people who are signed up to speak for

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the public hearing.

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number one is regarding

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the redirection of a portion of Chrysler

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Avenue from a two-way street to a

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one-way street from the intersection of

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Crane and Main Streets to Ostrander

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Place.

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So, the first person of the four to

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speak is Chamele Davis.

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Good evening. I've been in two accidents

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on that road. Uh it's very small. It's

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hard for three cars to fit and there's

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parking on both sides. I believe it

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should be changed to a oneway. All

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right. Well, thank you.

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Marawn Dobs.

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I agree. It should uh be changed to a

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oneway. All right. Thank you,

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Ellie Pepper.

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Good evening, Mayor, Council President,

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City Council members. I totally agree

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with making that a one-way street. It's

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really dangerous to go down that street

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when it's two-way. Um, if everybody's

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parked on one side, it's really hard to

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get out of the way of somebody coming

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towards you. Thanks.

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Thank you very much,

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Dean Morabado. Thank you.

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Good evening, Mayor, Madame President,

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members of the council. Uh, yeah, it is

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a dangerous uh situation right now. I've

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driven on that street many times. It's

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really difficult. and reading through

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the surveys that were given out to

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people, it seemed like it was uh

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unanimously

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uh felt that this should be a one-way

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street. So, I agree with that. Thank

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you. Thank you.

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I have no one else signed up to speak,

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so I declare the public hearing um

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comment period on public hearing number

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one closed.

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I'll ask for approval of minutes for

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March 27th, 2025. Motion by Miss

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Patrick, second by Mr. Williams. All

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those in favor? I.

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The clerk could please read any

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communications and petitions.

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Communications presented to the city

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council for Monday, June 9th, 2025.

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Under official, there were none. Under

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general from PD Boris, two emails

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regarding the public hearing. She is

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interested in finding out the reason for

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the redirection of traffic and how the

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data was collected. She also noted that

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she still has not been able to find her

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belongings and under petitions there

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were none. Thank you. Call on council

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members for any committee reports.

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Okay.

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So we'll have privilege over the floor

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related to the legislative agenda.

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So I just want to make a few things

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clear. I see there's uh there are people

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signed up who may not have been here for

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our process before. So I just want to

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give some clarifying um direction.

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The privilege of the floor is three

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minutes and you would speak to on the

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legislative uh agenda item that you came

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here to speak about. At the end of the

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three minutes, if you're still within

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your comment and you need to just finish

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it up, I will allow you to do that, but

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we ask that that you not go over um an

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extended period of time.

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So, for this um comment and you have and

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let me just also say we left the sheets

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out there. We asked people to sign up

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ahead of time. So the names I will be

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calling are names who have signed up to

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speak at this particular time on this

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particular um agenda item

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and we will not be entertaining any

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beyond that.

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Thank you.

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So, I have

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seven, eight people signed up to speak.

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And the first person, Earl Walker,

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Wallace, Wallace, Earl Wallace.

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Um, am I correct that the um on agenda

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item 4A, you're considering uh

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supporting Pop Warner? That is correct,

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sir. That's the uh I'm from the

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Republican party and I would like to

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address that issue. Been involved with

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youth programming my entire life. been a

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high school English teacher, played Pop

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Water football up in Saratoga Springs,

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been a city resident since uh 1989.

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I would um request that we would um

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encourage parents to support Pop Water

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and that we don't do it as a city

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council with public funds. Uh how many

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sports will we end up supporting? I

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believe that um it's better for the

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community if parents are involved in

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raising the money. Perhaps the city can

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help the parents raise the money by um

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encouraging uh donations through a a

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city council website. But u my main

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thing is I would like to see that um

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left to the parents and we don't want to

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get our sports programs into a

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politicized program where perhaps maybe

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the next council may come along and

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decide that they're going to encourage

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certain coaches to be involved with the

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program because they're getting public

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money. Thank you. Thank you.

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Alyssa Hill.

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Good evening. I'd like to speak on

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behalf of the Belmont Cheer Program. Um

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I am one of the I am a co-coordinator of

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the cheer program along with Immani

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Racor and I've been doing this for about

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at least three years now. I've been

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coaching for four. And I just wanted to

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say that our cheer program significantly

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lacks in being successful because we

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lack the appropriate equipment that we

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need to be successful comparable to

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other programs in the area. Um for

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example, there are programs like Colony

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Pop Warner who charge $350 for

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registration. um we will never charge

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that high because we know the needs of

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our families in this community and we

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that's why we have consistently kept it

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pretty much the same price. We've we've

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gone up a little bit this past year but

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we we don't really want to move it any

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higher because we know that our families

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cannot afford that and it has shown um

276
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in previous seasons. We also um we lack

277
00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:48,480
as far as where are the funds would go for cheer related. It would be

278
00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:51,760
towards new uniforms uh cheer mats

279
00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:54,880
especially um it is hard to practice if

280
00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:56,000
anybody knows anything about

281
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,440
cheerleading but it's hard to practice

282
00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:00,160
stunts and get more competitive because

283
00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:02,320
we don't have the cheerleading mats that

284
00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:04,079
we need. We also don't have anywhere to

285
00:14:04,079 --> 00:14:07,360
store them. Um we

286
00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,600
you know we work hard every year to fund

287
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,279
raise. You know, a lot of people have

288
00:14:11,279 --> 00:14:13,279
mentioned, you know, ask doing community

289
00:14:13,279 --> 00:14:15,519
fundraisers. We already do that um

290
00:14:15,519 --> 00:14:17,600
multiple times a year in different ways.

291
00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:20,079
Um and there's still a a lack of funds

292
00:14:20,079 --> 00:14:22,880
needed. Um and a lot of families

293
00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:26,720
struggle to um support the expensive

294
00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:30,000
travel that is required with um the

295
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,160
competitiveness of the program. you

296
00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:34,399
know, as as the further that cheer or

297
00:14:34,399 --> 00:14:36,880
even football moves on, um the farther

298
00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:39,519
we go and it gets more expensive. And

299
00:14:39,519 --> 00:14:41,760
so, it's just always been a struggle for

300
00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,800
um the cheer program alone um is is

301
00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:47,600
really personal to me. I I started at

302
00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:49,279
Belmont when I was 5 years old as a

303
00:14:49,279 --> 00:14:51,440
mascot and cheered all the way up

304
00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:55,040
through high school. And I um would love

305
00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,760
to keep it a competitive and successful

306
00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,079
program for our community because a lot

307
00:15:00,079 --> 00:15:02,320
of times, you know, Pop Warner is the

308
00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:04,800
only program that people can afford.

309
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:05,920
When I was young, I wanted to do

310
00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:07,360
all-star cheerleading and my family

311
00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,199
couldn't afford it and many people can

312
00:15:09,199 --> 00:15:11,440
afford it. Um so I just want to really

313
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:14,959
emphasize that it's not we're not asking

314
00:15:14,959 --> 00:15:17,600
for funds just just to ask for them. Um,

315
00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:21,199
we truly do think that we can be even

316
00:15:21,199 --> 00:15:23,279
more successful with the funds that we

317
00:15:23,279 --> 00:15:27,199
would be receiving. And I know on on

318
00:15:27,199 --> 00:15:30,160
behalf of the football program, they too

319
00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:32,399
um have have been successful in the

320
00:15:32,399 --> 00:15:34,160
past, but just imagine how much farther

321
00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,519
we could go if we had the support from

322
00:15:37,519 --> 00:15:40,160
the city and the community um more than

323
00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:49,110
what we do now. Thank you. Thank you.

324
00:15:49,120 --> 00:16:01,430
DC Dunle.

325
00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:03,519
Good afternoon. My name is DC Dunle. I'm

326
00:16:03,519 --> 00:16:04,959
here on behalf of the youth that you see

327
00:16:04,959 --> 00:16:07,120
sitting behind us. I know many of you

328
00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:09,680
city council name members personally

329
00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:12,000
through my mentor, Walter Simpkins. And

330
00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,519
on behalf of Walter, one thing I'd like

331
00:16:13,519 --> 00:16:15,759
to make very clear is we're not beggars

332
00:16:15,759 --> 00:16:17,279
in the marketplace. That's not why we're

333
00:16:17,279 --> 00:16:19,519
here. We're not asking you to fully fund

334
00:16:19,519 --> 00:16:21,120
our program. We're asking you to support

335
00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:23,199
our program. There's a lot of funding

336
00:16:23,199 --> 00:16:24,639
that goes into this program that's not

337
00:16:24,639 --> 00:16:26,720
in the budget, such as mental support,

338
00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,440
emotional support. A lot of us coaches

339
00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:31,279
bring kids to and from practice on our

340
00:16:31,279 --> 00:16:32,800
own dollar that we don't include in

341
00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:35,759
this. We fund kids playing that's not

342
00:16:35,759 --> 00:16:37,519
included in that budget. So, there's a

343
00:16:37,519 --> 00:16:38,560
lot of other costs that aren't

344
00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:40,480
associated with it. And sitting in these

345
00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:42,160
past two meetings is real disheartening

346
00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:44,320
hearing how much objection there is to

347
00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:46,240
supporting the youth of this city is you

348
00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:48,320
guys are all in these positions because

349
00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,279
you come to us to vote for you and now

350
00:16:51,279 --> 00:16:52,560
you're looking the youth in the face

351
00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,160
specifically you because all the other

352
00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:55,759
members from what I understand are in

353
00:16:55,759 --> 00:16:57,600
agreement with moving this forward but

354
00:16:57,600 --> 00:16:59,680
specifically you miss Patrick is real

355
00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:01,759
sir you have to address the chair you

356
00:17:01,759 --> 00:17:04,880
can't all right Marian I apologize

357
00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,120
so it's extremely disheartening hearing

358
00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:09,839
that there's so

359
00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:12,160
resistance to supporting the youth and

360
00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:13,600
consideration for what's going to be

361
00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:15,039
happening next year when we're trying to

362
00:17:15,039 --> 00:17:16,880
figure out what's going on right now. We

363
00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:18,559
we're we're turning away the fact that

364
00:17:18,559 --> 00:17:21,039
kids are hungry right now because other

365
00:17:21,039 --> 00:17:22,880
kids may possibly be hungry a couple

366
00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:24,079
months from now, hypothetically

367
00:17:24,079 --> 00:17:25,839
speaking, or next year we should

368
00:17:25,839 --> 00:17:27,280
consider it when right now the problem

369
00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,039
is at hand. And considering the fact

370
00:17:29,039 --> 00:17:31,600
that the money is already there, but you

371
00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:32,960
don't know what to do with it or you

372
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:34,720
don't know where it's going is, those

373
00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:36,080
are exact words. We don't know where

374
00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,240
it's going. I don't understand what the

375
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,320
problem is is

376
00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,400
we're we're counting the cost, but what

377
00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:44,160
does it cost not to support these kids?

378
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:45,520
What does it cost to turn these kids

379
00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:46,960
away from sports? What does it cost to

380
00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,120
have these kids on Chrysler app right

381
00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:50,160
around the corner from the football

382
00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:51,280
field where you're trying to make it a

383
00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:54,160
one-way street? There's a lot of a kid

384
00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:55,520
was just killed around the corner who

385
00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:57,360
could have been in something positive or

386
00:17:57,360 --> 00:17:58,720
doing something else. So, when we invest

387
00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:01,200
in the youth, you see different results.

388
00:18:01,200 --> 00:18:03,679
I myself am an alumni of Belmont Pop

389
00:18:03,679 --> 00:18:05,840
Warner as a child. My mother never paid

390
00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:07,200
for a single year of me playing Pop

391
00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,919
Warner. But here I am giving my time

392
00:18:09,919 --> 00:18:11,600
four to five days a week investing in

393
00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:13,039
these youth, investing my own dollars,

394
00:18:13,039 --> 00:18:15,919
investing my own time. And that's what

395
00:18:15,919 --> 00:18:18,240
comes back from investing in youth. Now

396
00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,679
t-fold return. And we're not asking you

397
00:18:21,679 --> 00:18:24,160
to, like I said, we're not asking you to

398
00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:25,200
carry the program because that's going

399
00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:27,760
to be done regardless. Speaking on the

400
00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:29,120
parents should be involved in it not

401
00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:30,880
becoming a city problem. The parents

402
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:32,240
been supporting this program for 50

403
00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:33,760
years. We haven't asked for a dollar for

404
00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:36,480
50 years. So you can't say what we

405
00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:37,600
should be doing when we've already

406
00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:39,520
proven the success of what we've done.

407
00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:41,840
We haven't the the program goes on with

408
00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:44,480
or without you. So as the

409
00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:46,880
representatives of this city, it's your

410
00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:49,200
guys's responsibility to support. We're

411
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:50,400
not asking you to carry it. We're just

412
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:52,000
asking you to support. And the amount of

413
00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,799
resistance that goes into support is

414
00:18:54,799 --> 00:18:56,480
extremely disgusting considering that

415
00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:58,400
these children that you're saying don't

416
00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:00,080
need it are the same children whose

417
00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:01,440
parents you're asking for to vote for

418
00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:03,679
you. the same children's parents are

419
00:19:03,679 --> 00:19:05,200
putting you in the position to deny

420
00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:08,000
them. I I I really don't get it as a

421
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,720
member of this city. So clearly I need

422
00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:12,559
to be more involved with uh what's going

423
00:19:12,559 --> 00:19:14,160
on down here in these city council

424
00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:17,679
meetings. And it's not directly a jab at

425
00:19:17,679 --> 00:19:20,720
anyone personal, but it we got to do

426
00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,200
better. Is Belmont slogan one team, one

427
00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:25,039
family. And right now you're turning

428
00:19:25,039 --> 00:19:26,559
down the entire family because you're

429
00:19:26,559 --> 00:19:29,120
concerned about families we don't even

430
00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:31,520
know of. Your time is expired. Huh? Your

431
00:19:31,520 --> 00:19:33,120
time is expired. That was a fast three

432
00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:36,720
minutes, Marion. But it doesn't put on

433
00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:38,320
your own iPhones if you think mine is

434
00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:39,679
wrong. Okay, you can we can all do that.

435
00:19:39,679 --> 00:19:41,360
But your time has expired. Thank you.

436
00:19:41,360 --> 00:19:45,620
You're welcome.

437
00:19:45,630 --> 00:19:49,029
[Applause]

438
00:19:49,039 --> 00:19:56,870
Shamel Davis.

439
00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,919
Good evening again. I um I just want to

440
00:19:59,919 --> 00:20:03,360
mirror the remarks from DC Dunker. I'm I

441
00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:07,600
am I am wholly disappointed and uh I

442
00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:09,039
feel like you guys should be ashamed.

443
00:20:09,039 --> 00:20:11,760
The city should be ashamed that you you

444
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,160
talk about spending $3 million on

445
00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:19,679
sprinkler systems and golf courses and and and all the organizations that

446
00:20:19,679 --> 00:20:21,840
get reoccurring funding without having

447
00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:23,840
to prove or show anything. But yet you

448
00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:25,840
got an organization that say that's been

449
00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,000
doing it like they said 50 years by the

450
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,480
self helping the youth with or without

451
00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:32,480
the city and the one time they come to

452
00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:34,960
the city is nothing but resistance. It

453
00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,280
is shameful and disgusting man. That's

454
00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:44,789
all I got to say.

455
00:20:44,799 --> 00:20:52,149
Mars.

456
00:20:52,159 --> 00:20:55,039
Hi, my name is Marshawn Dobs. I just

457
00:20:55,039 --> 00:20:58,240
like to say, you know, um this is

458
00:20:58,240 --> 00:20:59,679
definitely my son's been playing for

459
00:20:59,679 --> 00:21:02,000
three years and he loves this sport.

460
00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,159
has been nothing but good to

461
00:21:04,159 --> 00:21:07,440
him. Um it does encourage a lot of the

462
00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:09,919
kids to stay out the streets. It

463
00:21:09,919 --> 00:21:12,000
encourages him to um you know, have good

464
00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,200
grades in school. Um we're definitely

465
00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,480
disappointed with certain things. Um

466
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:20,640
there's like they said there's 250 kids

467
00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:23,200
that play and there's many of parents

468
00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:27,200
that do vote and we are noticing who we

469
00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:29,679
should vote for. So uh yeah, I'm just

470
00:21:29,679 --> 00:21:31,679
letting that be known. Thank you. Thank

471
00:21:31,679 --> 00:21:34,630
you,

472
00:21:34,630 --> 00:21:37,840
[Applause]

473
00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:45,830
Ellie Pepper.

474
00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:48,320
Somebody's really tall. Good evening

475
00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:51,520
again. Um, I am in total support of

476
00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:54,799
finding some way to provide funding for

477
00:21:54,799 --> 00:21:58,320
the Belmont Pop Warner organization.

478
00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:00,720
And if other sports organizations come,

479
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,960
that's fine. That's okay. Let's let's

480
00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:06,480
hear it. Uh, let's support our youth.

481
00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:08,080
We're always talking about youth not

482
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,159
having anything to do, youth hanging out

483
00:22:10,159 --> 00:22:12,720
on the streets. This is something that

484
00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:14,720
uh provides a good opportunity and

485
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:17,600
frankly of all the places where my tax

486
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:19,360
dollars could go, this is one place I

487
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:26,480
would like to see it go. Thank you.

488
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:32,070
Calvin Tyron.

489
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:33,600
Hello. How you doing tonight? My name is

490
00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:35,760
Calvin Trion. I'm a lifelong resident of

491
00:22:35,760 --> 00:22:37,360
Skenctity, New York. This my son right

492
00:22:37,360 --> 00:22:39,520
here. This was his first year playing uh

493
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,080
football for the Belmont program. I

494
00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:44,640
noticed uh a lot of positive attributes

495
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,480
that he gained from the time that he

496
00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:48,400
spent at the program this year. And

497
00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:51,360
honestly, Belmont is a like a DNA of

498
00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:52,960
Skenctity. Like it's a part of the

499
00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:55,360
fabric of the community. Like my my

500
00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:57,440
stepfather, he's a uh he's a lifelong

501
00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,360
city resident. He's a part of the team

502
00:22:59,360 --> 00:23:01,679
that was undefeated in the 70s. Like he

503
00:23:01,679 --> 00:23:03,919
still pulls out his book and tells me

504
00:23:03,919 --> 00:23:06,000
about it to this day. like it's is

505
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:07,679
really a part of our community. So, I

506
00:23:07,679 --> 00:23:09,360
feel like we got to put a little more

507
00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:11,679
importance on Belmont specifically. I

508
00:23:11,679 --> 00:23:13,280
know there's other sports programs. I'm

509
00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:14,559
not trying to take away anything, but

510
00:23:14,559 --> 00:23:16,799
Belmont is really a important part of

511
00:23:16,799 --> 00:23:19,600
our fabric of our community for one. And

512
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:21,679
for two, I feel like we need to exhaust

513
00:23:21,679 --> 00:23:23,679
all options on investing in the youth so

514
00:23:23,679 --> 00:23:25,679
we can actually get these kids to to

515
00:23:25,679 --> 00:23:27,679
stick around. A lot of a lot of kids

516
00:23:27,679 --> 00:23:29,200
don't they they want to go somewhere

517
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:31,360
else to play football or oh let me go to

518
00:23:31,360 --> 00:23:33,600
Gilderland cuz they got this and let me

519
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:35,600
let's let's worry about here keep our

520
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:37,840
kids in this community and then when

521
00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:39,360
they grow up to be adults they'll come

522
00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,360
back and invest again in this community.

523
00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:42,559
You know what I mean? Like so we can

524
00:23:42,559 --> 00:23:45,679
move forward with that type of stuff. Um

525
00:23:45,679 --> 00:23:47,840
in and in general like I said the

526
00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:49,679
Belmont program is just positive. The

527
00:23:49,679 --> 00:23:51,440
coaches are doing a lot of uh amazing

528
00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:52,880
things. They've always done amazing

529
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:55,520
things and not everybody's going to be a

530
00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:57,280
professional athlete, but I was a a

531
00:23:57,280 --> 00:23:59,440
member of Belmont as well. And there's

532
00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:01,200
just certain things you learn as in

533
00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,280
sports being a part of a team and just

534
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:08,000
discipline and other things like that our youth is in my opinion lacking

535
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:09,760
in this current generation. And so, like

536
00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:11,760
I said, I would feel like in my opinion,

537
00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,240
I feel like we need to invest um exhaust

538
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,240
all options in investing in the youth.

539
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:17,919
And that's just that that was my small

540
00:24:17,919 --> 00:24:19,279
piece what I had to say. Thank you for

541
00:24:19,279 --> 00:24:22,350
the time. Thank you.

542
00:24:22,350 --> 00:24:27,269
[Applause]

543
00:24:27,279 --> 00:24:38,470
William Kent.

544
00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:40,400
Good evening. Uh my name is William

545
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:42,400
Kent. I am the current president of

546
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,039
Skenctity Belmont Pop Warner. I'm also a

547
00:24:45,039 --> 00:24:46,960
lifelong city resident as well. I grew

548
00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:48,880
up playing Pop Warner. My father was a

549
00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:50,720
coach, which really got me into it and

550
00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:52,480
helped me fall in love with the game.

551
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:54,159
Um, a lot of these people that you see

552
00:24:54,159 --> 00:24:56,320
here, uh, I either met through the

553
00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:58,880
program or I grew up within the city as

554
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,520
friends and as community members and

555
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,320
we've come together to honestly do

556
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:05,840
something special. So, I just want to

557
00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:07,200
touch on something that the gentleman

558
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:11,279
had said prior to me uh, a couple uh,

559
00:25:11,279 --> 00:25:13,440
people back um, about parent

560
00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:15,600
involvement. What you're seeing right

561
00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:19,760
here is parent involvement. This is community

562
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:21,679
involvement. Uh we could talk about

563
00:25:21,679 --> 00:25:23,440
differences in communities and about

564
00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,679
single family, single parent households

565
00:25:25,679 --> 00:25:27,520
in one community to the next and what

566
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:29,039
that might look like for a single mother

567
00:25:29,039 --> 00:25:31,039
with four kids that's working two jobs

568
00:25:31,039 --> 00:25:33,279
to be able to help fund raise or to be

569
00:25:33,279 --> 00:25:34,720
able to kick out extra money for their

570
00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:36,480
kid to be able to do something different

571
00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:38,640
or a city in Skenctity that a median

572
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,600
household income is $55,000 to a median

573
00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:44,799
household in Saratoga that's $101,000.

574
00:25:44,799 --> 00:25:46,720
Right? So, apples to oranges when we're

575
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:49,200
talking about certain things. And um I

576
00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:51,279
do genuinely appreciate the the the

577
00:25:51,279 --> 00:25:53,039
conversation that took place, right?

578
00:25:53,039 --> 00:25:54,640
That doesn't mean I also appreciate

579
00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:56,159
everything that was said, but I

580
00:25:56,159 --> 00:25:57,520
understand, right, that there's always

581
00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,240
going to be multiple sides to a uh to a

582
00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,400
discussion and any type of a debate. But

583
00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:04,080
what I'll say is there's no debate in

584
00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,799
this. And um the kids participating in

585
00:26:06,799 --> 00:26:09,760
our program are benefiting not just as

586
00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:11,360
athletes. They're benefiting as people

587
00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:12,880
because of the people that you see right

588
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:14,880
here. These people every day pour into

589
00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:16,880
these kids. They're giving rise. We none

590
00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:18,799
of us make a dollar doing what we do.

591
00:26:18,799 --> 00:26:20,720
But we do it because we're rich morally,

592
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:22,240
because we're rich with love. We're rich

593
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:23,919
with family. And that's what we talk. We

594
00:26:23,919 --> 00:26:25,520
don't say one scene, one family for no

595
00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:26,799
reason. There's nobody in here I

596
00:26:26,799 --> 00:26:28,080
wouldn't give the shirt off my back for.

597
00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:29,279
And they would do the same for me and

598
00:26:29,279 --> 00:26:31,440
anybody in my family. So it goes a lot

599
00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:33,360
deeper than that. And also like we talk

600
00:26:33,360 --> 00:26:35,039
about kids having things to do and being

601
00:26:35,039 --> 00:26:36,480
productive members of our community,

602
00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,360
right? So the thing is we have a certain

603
00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:40,559
amount of kids that are already

604
00:26:40,559 --> 00:26:42,000
participating. We would like to continue

605
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,080
to grow that. From 2021, when I first

606
00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,080
took over the program, we only had about

607
00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:47,840
six, seven teams total. That includes

608
00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:50,799
cheer, tackle, flag, everything. Now,

609
00:26:50,799 --> 00:26:52,880
we've more than tripled that across the

610
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:54,400
board. We're continuing to get more and

611
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:56,000
more engagement with kids. And that's

612
00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:57,679
the idea. We want to get more kids

613
00:26:57,679 --> 00:26:59,520
involved. We want there's over 10,000

614
00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:01,200
kids in the school district in Skenctity

615
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:02,960
alone. We would like to try to make a

616
00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:04,480
bigger and bigger dent in that every

617
00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:06,320
single year. So, yes, we're asking for

618
00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:08,000
some funding this time around, but that

619
00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:09,679
doesn't mean we're not sustainable. I

620
00:27:09,679 --> 00:27:11,120
can guarantee you this. We will continue

621
00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:12,720
to grow. We will continue to push and we

622
00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,120
will continue to work together as a unit

623
00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:16,880
and we will do great things and we

624
00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:18,320
appreciate any and all support that you

625
00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:20,320
all offer and we thank you for that.

626
00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,360
Thank you.

627
00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:30,950
[Applause]

628
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:32,960
All right. I have no one else signed up

629
00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:34,400
to speak. So I declare the public

630
00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:36,080
comment on the legislative agenda

631
00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:43,830
closed.

632
00:27:43,840 --> 00:27:49,830
[Music]

633
00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:52,159
Oh, sir, you were asking. You were

634
00:27:52,159 --> 00:27:54,000
looking.

635
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:55,279
You You'd have to move to the

636
00:27:55,279 --> 00:28:02,710
microphone.

637
00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:04,399
Is this to speak about P something

638
00:28:04,399 --> 00:28:07,840
that's on the agenda? Um,

639
00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:09,600
it's not on it's not about anything

640
00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:11,760
that's on the legislative agenda. Okay.

641
00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:12,799
So, well, we will give you an

642
00:28:12,799 --> 00:28:14,399
opportunity to sign up for general city

643
00:28:14,399 --> 00:28:16,480
business. That's not right now. And I'll

644
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:17,600
give the sheet back to the council

645
00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:18,799
member. They you can sign up for that.

646
00:28:18,799 --> 00:28:21,120
That's at the end of the meeting if it's

647
00:28:21,120 --> 00:28:26,470
not on the agenda.

648
00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:28,159
So, I'll call you for that. It's not

649
00:28:28,159 --> 00:28:30,240
right now.

650
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:39,190
Thank you.

651
00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:40,640
This time ask for approval of the

652
00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,679
consent legislative consent agenda.

653
00:28:43,679 --> 00:28:46,000
Will my Mr. Williams

654
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:49,120
second by Oh, wait. Uh second by Mr.

655
00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:51,120
Mudin.

656
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:55,360
All in favor? I. We do have one item for

657
00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:57,760
roll call

658
00:28:57,760 --> 00:28:59,520
and the clerk could please read item

659
00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:04,470
number two.

660
00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:05,919
for original

661
00:29:05,919 --> 00:29:07,840
consideration, a resolution authorizing

662
00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:10,559
fee waivers for exterior building permit

663
00:29:10,559 --> 00:29:14,630
repairs.

664
00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,919
I need a motion.

665
00:29:17,919 --> 00:29:22,389
by Miss Williams. Second.

666
00:29:22,399 --> 00:29:24,720
by Mr. Mancini.

667
00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:29,110
Is there any discussion on this item?

668
00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:36,070
Yes, Mr. Williams.

669
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:37,520
I just wanted to clarify my comments

670
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:38,640
that were made during the committee

671
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:42,240
meeting. Uh my um opposition to this is

672
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:43,760
based on just wanting to have a better

673
00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:45,760
understanding of what it represents. uh

674
00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,799
there seems to be just some um not

675
00:29:48,799 --> 00:29:51,200
clarifying details and sincerely if we

676
00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,480
are looking to have these types of um

677
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:56,880
cost savings for a specific population

678
00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:58,960
building them into the budget I think is

679
00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:00,960
a more appropriate manner with this

680
00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:02,880
being in its fourth iteration or fourth

681
00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,279
year um definitely with ensuring that it

682
00:30:05,279 --> 00:30:06,880
is meeting the tangible needs of our

683
00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:08,640
homeowners as in hearing some

684
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:10,159
conversations around this in our past

685
00:30:10,159 --> 00:30:12,880
meetings of trying to entice uh

686
00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:14,960
redevelopment and renovation within the

687
00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,840
homes where it is so verly needed. Um,

688
00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:19,360
just wanting to have just some of those

689
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:21,520
tangibles outlined to include potential

690
00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,120
marketing to ensure that everyone knows

691
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:25,120
and understands what the program is and

692
00:30:25,120 --> 00:30:29,039
then also what it isn't. Thank you. Any

693
00:30:29,039 --> 00:30:31,279
further discussion?

694
00:30:31,279 --> 00:30:33,679
If the clerk could please call the role.

695
00:30:33,679 --> 00:30:38,720
Mr. Farley. No. Mr. Mancini? Yes. Mr.

696
00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:42,480
Muan? Yes. Miss Patrick? Yes. Mr.

697
00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,679
Williams? No. Miss Porterfield. Thank

698
00:30:45,679 --> 00:30:47,520
you. First of all, I would like to just

699
00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:50,720
to explain my vote. So, I view this

700
00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,120
legislation from the lens of giving a an

701
00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:54,799
incentive to homeowners and owners of

702
00:30:54,799 --> 00:30:57,440
rental property in Skenctity and how we

703
00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:59,760
treat other investors in the city.

704
00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:01,760
Developers and business investors who

705
00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:03,039
seek to do business in the city of

706
00:31:03,039 --> 00:31:05,360
Skenctity are given various incentives

707
00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:07,039
to entice them to have their business

708
00:31:07,039 --> 00:31:10,159
located here. There are tax credits,

709
00:31:10,159 --> 00:31:12,240
discounts on supplies and materials,

710
00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:14,720
pilots, payment in lie of taxes, and

711
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:16,640
sometimes just the benefit of being well

712
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:19,520
connected. Most of our residents do not

713
00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:21,360
have those of those those resources

714
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:26,559
available to them. Even within the New York State budget of

715
00:31:26,559 --> 00:31:28,320
2026,

716
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:29,919
it was recognized that the general

717
00:31:29,919 --> 00:31:31,600
public needed to have the ability to

718
00:31:31,600 --> 00:31:34,320
purchase single and two family homes um

719
00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:36,240
before res before institutional real

720
00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:39,679
estate um investors. And therefore they

721
00:31:39,679 --> 00:31:41,679
added article 16 to the real property

722
00:31:41,679 --> 00:31:44,240
tax law which states that one to two

723
00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:46,399
family residents must be listed for sale

724
00:31:46,399 --> 00:31:49,519
to the general public for 90 days before

725
00:31:49,519 --> 00:31:51,919
institutional investors can take it can

726
00:31:51,919 --> 00:31:55,679
take um can bid on it. So considering

727
00:31:55,679 --> 00:31:57,760
all of that and that our while we

728
00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:00,480
incentivize um major real estates and

729
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:02,320
developers I think we should also take

730
00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:05,679
this opportunity to um invest in our

731
00:32:05,679 --> 00:32:08,080
local homeowners.

732
00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:09,840
I understand what Councilman Williams is

733
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:11,360
saying that we need to build it into our

734
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:13,120
budget and that we do need to have some

735
00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:15,039
understanding on how it's how it's done

736
00:32:15,039 --> 00:32:18,000
going forward. I and I appreciate that.

737
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:19,519
And I just want homeowners to know we

738
00:32:19,519 --> 00:32:20,880
appreciate that the property owners who

739
00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:22,320
are investing in improving in their

740
00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:24,559
property and they should also be aware

741
00:32:24,559 --> 00:32:25,919
that when there's major improvements

742
00:32:25,919 --> 00:32:27,440
that go beyond the aesthetics of

743
00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,480
painting, fixing painting, uh peeling

744
00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:32,640
paint, broken rails, etc. beyond the

745
00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:34,799
aesthetics if there's major improvements

746
00:32:34,799 --> 00:32:37,519
that could co cause a rise into into the

747
00:32:37,519 --> 00:32:39,200
assessment of their properties, but

748
00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:40,640
that's something they they would want to

749
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:43,120
take on. So, I think there's a upside to

750
00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:44,880
that in terms of the increase in

751
00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:46,080
assessment because they've improved

752
00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:48,320
their property, but also because renters

753
00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,240
are getting their properties uh improved

754
00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,120
as well and that um we are giving some

755
00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:55,519
incentives to our small um to our

756
00:32:55,519 --> 00:32:57,519
landlords and small property owners. So,

757
00:32:57,519 --> 00:33:00,159
with that, I vote yes.

758
00:33:00,159 --> 00:33:07,750
And the motion passes 4 to two.

759
00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:09,440
At this time, we'll have privilege of

760
00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:10,960
the floor regarding general city

761
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:15,269
business.

762
00:33:15,279 --> 00:33:17,679
And I have six people signed up to

763
00:33:17,679 --> 00:33:20,950
speak.

764
00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:30,710
The first person is Sean Ratigan.

765
00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:34,000
Um yeah, hey, good evening. Um my name

766
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:37,200
is Sean Ratigan and um I've spoken here

767
00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,360
before on how as a homeowner in

768
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:41,600
Skenctity, protecting tenants with good

769
00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:44,799
cause eviction is important to me. And

770
00:33:44,799 --> 00:33:46,480
today I'd like to speak on the

771
00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:49,120
importance of care and respect when

772
00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:51,440
operating in the housing business. When

773
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:54,080
your income depends on providing a roof

774
00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:56,320
over someone else's head, you'd better

775
00:33:56,320 --> 00:33:58,080
take their living conditions and their

776
00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:01,200
life circumstances seriously. These are

777
00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:03,120
people's lives we're talking about.

778
00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:05,200
Their home, their community, where their

779
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:06,799
children go to school, and where they

780
00:34:06,799 --> 00:34:08,720
play sports.

781
00:34:08,720 --> 00:34:11,679
When a landlord decides decides to evict

782
00:34:11,679 --> 00:34:14,000
a tenant, they're deciding to uproot one

783
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,240
or more people's lives. This shouldn't

784
00:34:16,240 --> 00:34:18,399
be something taken lightly. This should

785
00:34:18,399 --> 00:34:20,560
be something

786
00:34:20,560 --> 00:34:22,079
This shouldn't be a decision made

787
00:34:22,079 --> 00:34:24,720
without a good cause.

788
00:34:24,720 --> 00:34:27,200
Tenants deserve safe, affordable, stable

789
00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:29,040
housing. Tenants should know that

790
00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:31,599
Skenctity has their back if the landlord

791
00:34:31,599 --> 00:34:33,440
files an eviction for something other

792
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:36,399
than non-payment, violating the lease,

793
00:34:36,399 --> 00:34:38,639
violating the law, or taking the unit

794
00:34:38,639 --> 00:34:41,679
off the market. Tenants shouldn't fear

795
00:34:41,679 --> 00:34:44,079
landlords retaliating against them with

796
00:34:44,079 --> 00:34:46,639
eviction for arbitrary reasons or

797
00:34:46,639 --> 00:34:48,560
because they requested repairs on their

798
00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,320
apartment.

799
00:34:50,320 --> 00:34:52,240
Landlords, when you get into the

800
00:34:52,240 --> 00:34:54,320
business of someone else's housing, you

801
00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:57,280
better be putting people before profits.

802
00:34:57,280 --> 00:34:59,119
I bought a house because I couldn't put

803
00:34:59,119 --> 00:35:01,440
up with my landlord raising the rent

804
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,920
exorbitantly every year when I renewed

805
00:35:03,920 --> 00:35:06,480
my lease. And now I have 15 years of

806
00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:08,480
relatively stable housing payments to

807
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:09,920
the bank.

808
00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:11,680
because the city taxes, they really

809
00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:13,520
don't go that go up that much every

810
00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:16,079
year. So, it's kind of wild to me that

811
00:35:16,079 --> 00:35:18,400
landlords who have the outright capital

812
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:20,800
to purchase property or the credit to

813
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:22,960
get long-term stable loans and then use

814
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:24,800
the rents paid to them every month to

815
00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:27,440
pay those loans back will still increase

816
00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:29,920
the rents, refuse or ignore repairs,

817
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:32,640
suggest terrible repair options, provide

818
00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:36,079
underinsulated units, take months to

819
00:35:36,079 --> 00:35:38,880
repair an elevator, or per perform any

820
00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:40,960
other repairs that deeply impact the way

821
00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:44,400
tenants live. Good cause eviction still

822
00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:46,880
lets landlords file evictions. It's not

823
00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:48,560
going to make it harder to evict a

824
00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:51,599
tenant or for a justifiable reason. And

825
00:35:51,599 --> 00:35:54,560
in good co in California, good cause law

826
00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:57,040
helps speed up courts by getting rid of

827
00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:00,880
bunk no fault eviction cases. Skenctity

828
00:36:00,880 --> 00:36:03,520
city council good cause eviction is good

829
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,079
for the city's operation. It's good for

830
00:36:06,079 --> 00:36:08,079
the community. It's good for the people

831
00:36:08,079 --> 00:36:10,480
that actually live here. Why shouldn't

832
00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:14,640
we afford our 57% renter community these

833
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,560
protections? Please put the people

834
00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:19,640
first. Thanks. Thank you,

835
00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:23,920
[Applause]

836
00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:25,920
Earl Wallace.

837
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,480
I respect your wave. Okay, sir. No

838
00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:41,109
problem. Ellie Pepper.

839
00:36:41,119 --> 00:36:42,880
Good evening again, Mayor, Council

840
00:36:42,880 --> 00:36:44,960
President, and City Council members. Uh,

841
00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:46,640
just for the record, I'm Ellie Pepper

842
00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:48,640
and I live in the Eastern A

843
00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:50,800
neighborhood. I have lived here for 30

844
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:52,400
years.

845
00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:56,400
Uh, since New York's emergency rental

846
00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:58,800
assistance program protections ended in

847
00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:01,760
January of 2023,

848
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:05,440
Skenctity has likely seen over 3,500

849
00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:08,240
eviction filings based on an average of

850
00:37:08,240 --> 00:37:12,160
about 175 filings per month. That's more

851
00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:14,960
than 3,500 families brought into court,

852
00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:16,640
many of whom were paying rent and

853
00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:18,720
following the rules, but still face

854
00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:20,079
losing their homes without a clear

855
00:37:20,079 --> 00:37:23,359
reason. We also know that eviction is a

856
00:37:23,359 --> 00:37:26,320
leading driver of homelessness. In a

857
00:37:26,320 --> 00:37:28,480
single school year, more than 500

858
00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:30,160
students in the Skenctity School

859
00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,040
District were identified as homeless.

860
00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,520
That's not just a statistic. It's a sign

861
00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:37,680
of families living in crisis and kids

862
00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:39,440
struggling to learn without stable

863
00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:41,119
housing.

864
00:37:41,119 --> 00:37:44,240
Good cause eviction is one way we can

865
00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:46,640
prevent this. It says that landlords

866
00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:48,720
must have a valid reason like

867
00:37:48,720 --> 00:37:51,359
non-payment of rent or a serious lease

868
00:37:51,359 --> 00:37:55,200
violation before evicting someone. It

869
00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:56,960
also gives tenants the right to

870
00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:59,839
challenge extreme rent hikes. This isn't

871
00:37:59,839 --> 00:38:01,920
about stopping rent increases

872
00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:05,200
altogether. It's about preventing sudden

873
00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:07,520
abusive increases that are meant to

874
00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,920
force people out.

875
00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:12,480
And to be clear, this isn't rent

876
00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:15,119
control. Good cause doesn't freeze

877
00:38:15,119 --> 00:38:18,560
rents. It doesn't set prices. Landlords

878
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:20,720
can still raise rent reasonably each

879
00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:24,000
year and still pursue eviction for a

880
00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:28,320
cause. The law also exempts small owner

881
00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:30,720
occupied buildings with fewer than four

882
00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:33,359
units. We've seen how this works

883
00:38:33,359 --> 00:38:35,520
elsewhere. In New York City, since good

884
00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:37,520
cause protections were enacted in April

885
00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:40,480
2024, eviction filings have dropped

886
00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:43,760
significantly down to about 9300 per

887
00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,640
month compared to 15,000 per month

888
00:38:46,640 --> 00:38:49,760
before the pandemic. In California, a

889
00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:51,599
study showed that cities with just cause

890
00:38:51,599 --> 00:38:53,760
eviction laws saw statistically

891
00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:57,119
significant drops in eviction filings.

892
00:38:57,119 --> 00:38:59,839
And in Albany, tenants use local good

893
00:38:59,839 --> 00:39:03,440
cause rules to stop 50 to 100% rent

894
00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:06,240
hikes and stay in their homes. These

895
00:39:06,240 --> 00:39:08,800
policies work. They keep people housed

896
00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:10,800
and they reduce the number of evictions

897
00:39:10,800 --> 00:39:12,960
flooding our courts.

898
00:39:12,960 --> 00:39:15,680
Skenctity has the chance to do the same.

899
00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:17,760
With thousands of eviction filings just

900
00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:19,760
since last year, we can't afford to keep

901
00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:21,760
waiting. We need this protection in

902
00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:24,320
place now for our families, for our

903
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:26,240
neighborhoods, and for the future of

904
00:39:26,240 --> 00:39:31,359
this city. I urge you to vote to opinity

905
00:39:31,359 --> 00:39:34,320
into the good cause eviction law. It's

906
00:39:34,320 --> 00:39:38,160
not that radical. It's fair. It's tested

907
00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:40,400
and it's necessary.

908
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:42,640
And also, I support funding for Belmont

909
00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:51,190
Pop Warner. Thank you.

910
00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:58,870
Dean Morabido.

911
00:39:58,880 --> 00:40:02,160
Hello again all. I am Dean Morabido, the

912
00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:05,040
30-year city resident.

913
00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:06,960
Um, and I would encourage you also to

914
00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:09,920
opt into good cause eviction. It's uh,

915
00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:12,160
it seems like the thing to do. It should

916
00:40:12,160 --> 00:40:15,920
be done. I also wanted to comment on uh

917
00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:19,040
Belmont Pop Warner. Um, I was able to

918
00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:21,440
attend the committee meeting and heard

919
00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:23,599
their presentation by the members of Pop

920
00:40:23,599 --> 00:40:28,000
Warner and uh, it seems like it's

921
00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:31,119
uh, already uh, supported through the

922
00:40:31,119 --> 00:40:34,320
community and through the parents and

923
00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:37,520
uh, I I see no reason to have the

924
00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:40,160
committee uh, city council not supported

925
00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:43,920
as well emotionally and financially.

926
00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:47,040
It's it's a good thing for kids to do.

927
00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:48,640
It's a good thing for kids to be

928
00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:50,240
involved with their parents and the

929
00:40:50,240 --> 00:40:52,480
parents to be involved with their kids.

930
00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:55,760
Uh it's just a good thing and I support

931
00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:59,570
it totally. Thank you. Thank you.

932
00:40:59,570 --> 00:41:04,790
[Applause]

933
00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:12,710
Bridget Savage Savage Spies.

934
00:41:12,720 --> 00:41:14,640
Hello. Uh my name is Bridget Savage

935
00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:17,839
Spies. Um, I live in Albany and I

936
00:41:17,839 --> 00:41:19,680
volunteer organizing tenants throughout

937
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:22,240
the capital district. And so I wanted to

938
00:41:22,240 --> 00:41:24,960
um give some context on what good cause

939
00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:28,000
has done for Albany um so that um you

940
00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:30,319
guys can understand the reason why um I

941
00:41:30,319 --> 00:41:31,520
think it's a good idea to pass in

942
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,480
Skenctity as well. Um while organizing

943
00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:36,079
tenant unions and working with tenants

944
00:41:36,079 --> 00:41:37,520
in the capital district, I've seen some

945
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:40,160
pretty appalling conditions um largely

946
00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:42,000
in

947
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:43,520
um

948
00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:46,240
large properties owned by multi-million

949
00:41:46,240 --> 00:41:49,280
dollar corporations um that are based

950
00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,079
out of state um and have very little

951
00:41:52,079 --> 00:41:56,720
tangible um tangible support in the um

952
00:41:56,720 --> 00:41:59,520
in the property itself.

953
00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:02,480
um these these multi-million dollar

954
00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:07,200
corporations frequently buy up these properties. Um they don't develop

955
00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:09,599
them, they don't improve them. Um and

956
00:42:09,599 --> 00:42:11,839
they frequently increase rent by 30 to

957
00:42:11,839 --> 00:42:15,760
50% on um families and community members

958
00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:18,560
who are already living there. Um in

959
00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:21,280
2022, one of the largest housing

960
00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:23,280
complexes in Albany was purchased by one

961
00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:25,520
of these companies. Um, several of the

962
00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:27,680
tenants there eventually got fed up with

963
00:42:27,680 --> 00:42:30,000
the extreme lack of maintenance. There

964
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:31,920
were rodents everywhere throughout the

965
00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:34,400
building. Um, and they were refusing to

966
00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:36,000
send exterminators in to fix the

967
00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:39,359
problem. Um, they had broken appliances,

968
00:42:39,359 --> 00:42:41,200
mold throughout the building. Um, and

969
00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:43,920
none of it was being addressed. And so

970
00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:45,920
these tenants came to the United Tenants

971
00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:48,640
of Albany and tried to form a housing

972
00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:50,880
um, a housing union in order to address

973
00:42:50,880 --> 00:42:52,079
these problems with management

974
00:42:52,079 --> 00:42:54,079
collectively and head on. um because

975
00:42:54,079 --> 00:42:55,680
they weren't being addressed in these

976
00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:58,319
one-to-one conversations.

977
00:42:58,319 --> 00:43:01,599
So, after Alby's good cause projections

978
00:43:01,599 --> 00:43:04,400
were struck down, um one of these tenant

979
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:06,640
organizers received a bill for a

980
00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:10,400
received a $600 a month rent increase.

981
00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:14,720
Um, and so she was then forced to

982
00:43:14,720 --> 00:43:16,800
continue she she was able to continue to

983
00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:19,520
live in her home paying $600 more a

984
00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:23,119
month um temporarily, but she still had

985
00:43:23,119 --> 00:43:25,359
mold in her bathroom and her kid with

986
00:43:25,359 --> 00:43:29,040
asthma was still sick. Um, and this is

987
00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:30,960
the kind of thing that good cause

988
00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:34,800
prevents. um is parents and community

989
00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:36,800
members are able to stay in their homes

990
00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:38,880
without predatory rent hikes just for

991
00:43:38,880 --> 00:43:42,560
asking for basic living conditions. Um

992
00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:44,560
this winter though with good cause

993
00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:46,720
protections back in Albany now that we

994
00:43:46,720 --> 00:43:48,720
could opt into them through the state.

995
00:43:48,720 --> 00:43:51,200
Um there was a better story where heat

996
00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:53,440
went out in an 80 plus unit complex in

997
00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:56,160
the center of downtown Albany. um those

998
00:43:56,160 --> 00:43:58,160
residents called United Tenants and

999
00:43:58,160 --> 00:43:59,680
concerned that if they made a complaint

1000
00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:02,079
to code enforcement that they would be

1001
00:44:02,079 --> 00:44:03,520
subject to these predatory rent

1002
00:44:03,520 --> 00:44:06,319
increases that other places had seen. Um

1003
00:44:06,319 --> 00:44:08,160
they had good reason to be concerned

1004
00:44:08,160 --> 00:44:10,800
about this. Um but United Tenants was

1005
00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:12,400
able to reassure them that good cause

1006
00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:14,319
would protect them in the case that they

1007
00:44:14,319 --> 00:44:15,839
made a complaint to code enforcement

1008
00:44:15,839 --> 00:44:18,480
about it being the middle of January and

1009
00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:21,599
their rooms being 50°.

1010
00:44:21,599 --> 00:44:23,200
Um,

1011
00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:24,720
this is what good cause can do for a

1012
00:44:24,720 --> 00:44:26,720
community. Landlords that are present in

1013
00:44:26,720 --> 00:44:28,319
the community, maintain their property,

1014
00:44:28,319 --> 00:44:29,839
and raise rents just to keep up with

1015
00:44:29,839 --> 00:44:31,760
their costs are not affected by good

1016
00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:33,680
cause eviction protections. Your your

1017
00:44:33,680 --> 00:44:35,520
time has expired. Okay. Thank you.

1018
00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:37,270
You're welcome.

1019
00:44:37,270 --> 00:44:43,030
[Applause]

1020
00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:50,870
Patricia Reed.

1021
00:44:50,880 --> 00:45:01,910
I'm sorry, it's Patrice.

1022
00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:06,000
Hi, my name is Patricia Reed.

1023
00:45:06,000 --> 00:45:08,319
We can hear you. Okay,

1024
00:45:08,319 --> 00:45:10,400
before I start, can I give all these

1025
00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:35,829
papers to you guys?

1026
00:45:35,839 --> 00:45:38,800
My name is Patricia Reed. I was here

1027
00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:43,200
last year uh July 1st, 2024.

1028
00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:45,119
I'm trying to I've been trying to open

1029
00:45:45,119 --> 00:45:48,240
this business in Skenctity, the park of

1030
00:45:48,240 --> 00:45:50,800
Central Park, city of Skenctity like

1031
00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:53,440
since 2022.

1032
00:45:53,440 --> 00:45:56,000
So I remember all these faces. Hopefully

1033
00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:59,920
you guys remember me. I was here trying

1034
00:45:59,920 --> 00:46:03,520
to see if I can open a small business in

1035
00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:05,440
city of sket.

1036
00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,000
that the city of sketched has been

1037
00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:13,760
giving me one around like oh you do this I did everything the city of

1038
00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:16,640
sketed asked me to do I even paid for

1039
00:46:16,640 --> 00:46:18,560
his insurance they told me to pay for

1040
00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:20,720
insurance I paid for the insurance I got

1041
00:46:20,720 --> 00:46:27,200
all that done up to uh last year

1042
00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:29,680
July 15th

1043
00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:32,480
Miss Marion I I sent an email to follow

1044
00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:35,040
up to what was going on and she sent me

1045
00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:37,839
email say somebody from the city will

1046
00:46:37,839 --> 00:46:41,520
send me something to see where we can

1047
00:46:41,520 --> 00:46:44,640
start the business. So from that time

1048
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:46,160
2024

1049
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:48,720
the 15th I've been following up. I've

1050
00:46:48,720 --> 00:46:51,440
been coming here saying oh can I speak

1051
00:46:51,440 --> 00:46:54,079
to the city council? I was always told

1052
00:46:54,079 --> 00:46:55,839
or leave your number. They'll call you

1053
00:46:55,839 --> 00:46:59,200
back. I never got a call back. Mr.

1054
00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:01,200
Alfonso

1055
00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:04,240
I always uh email him. I never got an

1056
00:47:04,240 --> 00:47:06,079
email back.

1057
00:47:06,079 --> 00:47:10,800
So I'm here to see what's going on. Why

1058
00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:12,720
I can't get an opportunity to open a

1059
00:47:12,720 --> 00:47:15,200
business at Central Park in Skenctity.

1060
00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:18,319
I'm not bring like something bad. I'm

1061
00:47:18,319 --> 00:47:20,000
trying to bring something good for the

1062
00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:22,480
community in the city of Skenctity. So

1063
00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:25,280
why I can't get that chance to open that

1064
00:47:25,280 --> 00:47:27,920
business in the city of Skenctity.

1065
00:47:27,920 --> 00:47:30,720
And it's been like since 2022. I did

1066
00:47:30,720 --> 00:47:32,800
everything the city of Sken asked me to

1067
00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:36,640
do. It's like now today I didn't I

1068
00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:39,200
didn't even have anything. So I like I'm

1069
00:47:39,200 --> 00:47:41,040
just going to go over there to see

1070
00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:43,200
what's going on, what I can do. What

1071
00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:45,520
else can I do for me to be able to open

1072
00:47:45,520 --> 00:47:48,319
a business in cities connecting? This is

1073
00:47:48,319 --> 00:47:50,880
a small business. It'll be good for the

1074
00:47:50,880 --> 00:47:53,119
community. That's what I think. I think

1075
00:47:53,119 --> 00:47:55,680
it'll be good for the community and is

1076
00:47:55,680 --> 00:47:59,920
for everybody. kids, older people can

1077
00:47:59,920 --> 00:48:02,640
use it. So that's why I gave you the

1078
00:48:02,640 --> 00:48:04,480
paperwork so that you guys you can

1079
00:48:04,480 --> 00:48:08,880
remember me the last time I was here.

1080
00:48:08,880 --> 00:48:11,599
So I would like to have the opportunity

1081
00:48:11,599 --> 00:48:15,520
to open it a small business central park

1082
00:48:15,520 --> 00:48:18,640
city of Skenkity and if there's any

1083
00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:20,800
reason why I can I would like to know

1084
00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:23,839
that too.

1085
00:48:23,839 --> 00:48:27,480
Thank you. Thank you.

1086
00:48:27,480 --> 00:48:33,440
[Applause]

1087
00:48:33,440 --> 00:48:35,280
I have no one else signed up to speak on

1088
00:48:35,280 --> 00:48:36,480
public comment and regular city

1089
00:48:36,480 --> 00:48:38,559
business. So I declare this public

1090
00:48:38,559 --> 00:48:42,470
comment period closed.

1091
00:48:42,480 --> 00:48:44,319
This same is this time entertain any

1092
00:48:44,319 --> 00:48:46,960
miscellaneous business of the council.

1093
00:48:46,960 --> 00:48:52,950
Mr. Williams.

1094
00:48:52,960 --> 00:48:54,480
Uh thank you. I sincerely just wanted to

1095
00:48:54,480 --> 00:48:57,839
go before Mr. Harley um with regards to

1096
00:48:57,839 --> 00:48:59,839
the the Belmont program and before I

1097
00:48:59,839 --> 00:49:01,599
make any comments regarding that I

1098
00:49:01,599 --> 00:49:02,880
sincerely want to thank everyone for

1099
00:49:02,880 --> 00:49:05,040
coming out to speak although my comments

1100
00:49:05,040 --> 00:49:08,240
will be directed to the the president um

1101
00:49:08,240 --> 00:49:10,480
it takes a good effort and a confidence

1102
00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:11,760
to come and speak at the podium. I think

1103
00:49:11,760 --> 00:49:14,480
a lot of people take it uh or undervalue

1104
00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:16,160
how uncomfortable it is to speak in this

1105
00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:17,680
type of setting but sincerely sharing

1106
00:49:17,680 --> 00:49:20,319
your opinions wherever they reside. I

1107
00:49:20,319 --> 00:49:21,920
take vigorous notes and I do it for a

1108
00:49:21,920 --> 00:49:23,680
reason because I care. uh and your

1109
00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:25,440
perspective helps me understand how to

1110
00:49:25,440 --> 00:49:28,000
advocate for my position. Um but I want

1111
00:49:28,000 --> 00:49:30,240
to speak specifically to the young men

1112
00:49:30,240 --> 00:49:31,680
and women that are in this room.

1113
00:49:31,680 --> 00:49:33,839
Although my back is to you sincerely uh

1114
00:49:33,839 --> 00:49:36,319
your your hearts are are are with me

1115
00:49:36,319 --> 00:49:39,200
right now. Um these seats that we sit

1116
00:49:39,200 --> 00:49:41,359
in, they have term limits. Um but

1117
00:49:41,359 --> 00:49:43,760
sincerely the blood, sweat, the

1118
00:49:43,760 --> 00:49:45,280
investments that are being poured into

1119
00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:48,319
you uh that last a lifetime. And as you

1120
00:49:48,319 --> 00:49:50,400
can tell, a lot of the people that are

1121
00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:52,880
doing this work now were in your seats.

1122
00:49:52,880 --> 00:49:56,720
So take this seriously and it is not for

1123
00:49:56,720 --> 00:49:58,640
you to begin because I already know you

1124
00:49:58,640 --> 00:50:00,079
are doing this good work of being

1125
00:50:00,079 --> 00:50:03,680
shepherds and ambassadors for the legacy

1126
00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:05,200
that you're pouring into. But you are

1127
00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:07,760
that legacy also right now. Uh so as we

1128
00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:10,640
look at justifying the continued

1129
00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:12,480
investment into these types of efforts,

1130
00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:14,800
I think it requires us viewing how we

1131
00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:17,200
fund things in this municipality from a

1132
00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:20,720
standpoint of if we proactively address

1133
00:50:20,720 --> 00:50:22,640
issues, do we have the discussion of

1134
00:50:22,640 --> 00:50:24,880
continuing to fund our overtime at an

1135
00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:27,119
excessive level? Uh and that is only one

1136
00:50:27,119 --> 00:50:29,200
facet of why I think looking at things

1137
00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:32,160
through a different lens um provides us

1138
00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:33,680
opportunities to address the needs of

1139
00:50:33,680 --> 00:50:36,640
our community in a different way. Uh so

1140
00:50:36,640 --> 00:50:40,319
as we enter uh the year of 2026 uh and

1141
00:50:40,319 --> 00:50:41,760
those budgeting needs are being taken

1142
00:50:41,760 --> 00:50:44,800
into consideration, understand what is

1143
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:46,880
potentially about to happen with this

1144
00:50:46,880 --> 00:50:49,040
upcoming vote. And regardless of where

1145
00:50:49,040 --> 00:50:51,200
our council stands, understanding that

1146
00:50:51,200 --> 00:50:52,480
there are people in this room, there are

1147
00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:53,920
people outside of this room that love

1148
00:50:53,920 --> 00:50:56,720
you. So hold on to that and carry

1149
00:50:56,720 --> 00:51:00,160
forward properly.

1150
00:51:00,160 --> 00:51:02,310
Thank you.

1151
00:51:02,310 --> 00:51:08,630
[Applause]

1152
00:51:08,640 --> 00:51:11,440
Mr. Farley.

1153
00:51:11,440 --> 00:51:13,440
Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, first I want

1154
00:51:13,440 --> 00:51:14,880
to thank everyone that came out today

1155
00:51:14,880 --> 00:51:17,040
and has been out and has come out in the

1156
00:51:17,040 --> 00:51:20,480
past to uh address city council. Um,

1157
00:51:20,480 --> 00:51:23,040
this seat that we sit in um comes with

1158
00:51:23,040 --> 00:51:25,119
tough decisions that have to be made and

1159
00:51:25,119 --> 00:51:26,640
these should always be spirited

1160
00:51:26,640 --> 00:51:29,520
conversations um but not mean-spirited

1161
00:51:29,520 --> 00:51:33,599
conversations. And I am what you call a

1162
00:51:33,599 --> 00:51:36,400
street shooter, if you will. I say what

1163
00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:38,480
I mean and and then try to mean what I

1164
00:51:38,480 --> 00:51:41,599
say. When I'm calling

1165
00:51:41,599 --> 00:51:43,599
someone in, it's important that you

1166
00:51:43,599 --> 00:51:47,280
recognize I am addressing a behavior and

1167
00:51:47,280 --> 00:51:49,359
I'm criticizing a behavior and not a

1168
00:51:49,359 --> 00:51:53,520
person. And that is our obligation, what

1169
00:51:53,520 --> 00:51:55,599
we're obligated to do when we sit in

1170
00:51:55,599 --> 00:51:58,559
these seats to exchange ideas with one

1171
00:51:58,559 --> 00:52:00,800
another and say, "Hey, I disagree with

1172
00:52:00,800 --> 00:52:03,119
that." Or, "Hey, this doesn't align with

1173
00:52:03,119 --> 00:52:06,400
who we say we are um publicly." And I

1174
00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:09,599
think that those are tough. That's a

1175
00:52:09,599 --> 00:52:11,599
tough standard to be held to, but that's

1176
00:52:11,599 --> 00:52:13,760
the exact standard that we ought to be

1177
00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:17,839
held to in our position. And to disagree

1178
00:52:17,839 --> 00:52:20,240
with me on a position doesn't make you a

1179
00:52:20,240 --> 00:52:24,000
disagreeable person. Um, and there are

1180
00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:26,720
part of this job, if you will, is giving

1181
00:52:26,720 --> 00:52:28,960
concessions and and and making

1182
00:52:28,960 --> 00:52:31,920
compromises. Um, I'm always willing to

1183
00:52:31,920 --> 00:52:34,079
do that. That's what we saw happen

1184
00:52:34,079 --> 00:52:35,680
today.

1185
00:52:35,680 --> 00:52:37,760
However, there's certain areas that we

1186
00:52:37,760 --> 00:52:40,800
can we can't afford to compromise on and

1187
00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:43,680
that is definitely our youth. there.

1188
00:52:43,680 --> 00:52:46,079
That money that is invested, not the

1189
00:52:46,079 --> 00:52:48,400
cost that we're spending, but the

1190
00:52:48,400 --> 00:52:49,920
investment

1191
00:52:49,920 --> 00:52:52,000
that dollar stays in our community. Not

1192
00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:53,680
only does it enrich the lives of our

1193
00:52:53,680 --> 00:52:55,920
young people, it also relaxes some of

1194
00:52:55,920 --> 00:53:01,359
the money that we have to spend being in reaction to lack of programs like

1195
00:53:01,359 --> 00:53:04,400
Belmont. That comes at a cost, too. So,

1196
00:53:04,400 --> 00:53:06,319
I just want to really uh uplift the fact

1197
00:53:06,319 --> 00:53:09,040
and I appreciate um uh the committee

1198
00:53:09,040 --> 00:53:11,680
members um and Miss Patrick engaging in

1199
00:53:11,680 --> 00:53:15,119
this conversation in a way that did not

1200
00:53:15,119 --> 00:53:18,319
uh shut out the ideas of people, but was

1201
00:53:18,319 --> 00:53:20,800
uh willing to really listen, compromise,

1202
00:53:20,800 --> 00:53:23,440
and be responsive um be a responsive

1203
00:53:23,440 --> 00:53:25,599
leader. That's what I uh aspires all to

1204
00:53:25,599 --> 00:53:28,160
continue to be. And I just again deeply

1205
00:53:28,160 --> 00:53:29,839
appreciate Belmont, the work you're

1206
00:53:29,839 --> 00:53:31,520
doing in one team, one family. Thank

1207
00:53:31,520 --> 00:53:34,180
you. Thank you.

1208
00:53:34,180 --> 00:53:36,950
[Music]

1209
00:53:36,950 --> 00:53:39,599
[Applause]

1210
00:53:39,599 --> 00:53:42,480
Miss Patrick,

1211
00:53:42,480 --> 00:53:44,960
thank you. Yeah, I think um I agree with

1212
00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:46,559
what Mr. Farley said. I had actually

1213
00:53:46,559 --> 00:53:48,160
written down a very similar statement

1214
00:53:48,160 --> 00:53:51,520
about um you know sitting at this table

1215
00:53:51,520 --> 00:53:53,200
means that you have to make difficult

1216
00:53:53,200 --> 00:53:56,720
decisions and difficult choices. Um and

1217
00:53:56,720 --> 00:53:58,480
that's just goes along with with the job

1218
00:53:58,480 --> 00:54:00,000
that goes along with the job of being

1219
00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:02,480
part of a team. um that we have to be

1220
00:54:02,480 --> 00:54:04,559
working together and uh listening to

1221
00:54:04,559 --> 00:54:06,800
each other and listening to each other's

1222
00:54:06,800 --> 00:54:10,319
uh thoughts and and opinions as well. Um

1223
00:54:10,319 --> 00:54:15,119
I did compromise uh today. Um I do hope

1224
00:54:15,119 --> 00:54:17,760
that folks understand that um you know

1225
00:54:17,760 --> 00:54:19,680
this is a one time that ARPA funding

1226
00:54:19,680 --> 00:54:23,520
that we used um Miss Patrick

1227
00:54:23,520 --> 00:54:26,240
the ARPA funding that uh we used today

1228
00:54:26,240 --> 00:54:29,680
is uh not going to be here uh after this

1229
00:54:29,680 --> 00:54:32,720
year. So, uh, you know, I hope folks

1230
00:54:32,720 --> 00:54:34,559
understand that this was a one-time

1231
00:54:34,559 --> 00:54:37,839
grant. Um, the idea that I came in with

1232
00:54:37,839 --> 00:54:40,319
tonight was that when we start to

1233
00:54:40,319 --> 00:54:43,920
discuss the 2026 budget, um, under the

1234
00:54:43,920 --> 00:54:47,119
direction of our parks director, um, I

1235
00:54:47,119 --> 00:54:48,800
think we need to think about what we

1236
00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:51,920
want to do for youth recreation. Um that

1237
00:54:51,920 --> 00:54:54,000
is my committee health and recreation

1238
00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:56,720
and we spend a lot of time uh talking

1239
00:54:56,720 --> 00:54:58,880
about our fields, talking about our

1240
00:54:58,880 --> 00:55:01,359
parks, talking about the golf course

1241
00:55:01,359 --> 00:55:03,760
where indeed we made an investment into

1242
00:55:03,760 --> 00:55:06,880
the golf course um which is one area of

1243
00:55:06,880 --> 00:55:09,839
the city where we generate revenue uh

1244
00:55:09,839 --> 00:55:11,920
through the golf course. So that was a

1245
00:55:11,920 --> 00:55:14,559
sound investment in something that had

1246
00:55:14,559 --> 00:55:18,720
not been uh worked on for years. Um so I

1247
00:55:18,720 --> 00:55:21,200
think that uh next year we will have to

1248
00:55:21,200 --> 00:55:23,359
think about this um in terms of all the

1249
00:55:23,359 --> 00:55:26,800
youth activities. Mr. Farley and I met

1250
00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:29,760
uh on a committee that was working on

1251
00:55:29,760 --> 00:55:31,839
youth programs in the city well before

1252
00:55:31,839 --> 00:55:34,160
either one of us was on city council.

1253
00:55:34,160 --> 00:55:37,040
Um, and I think that it's important for

1254
00:55:37,040 --> 00:55:39,280
us to continue to understand that

1255
00:55:39,280 --> 00:55:42,000
anything we do, we have a very robust

1256
00:55:42,000 --> 00:55:45,520
summer recreation program planned in our

1257
00:55:45,520 --> 00:55:48,640
parks this summer. Um, and hopefully

1258
00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:52,000
those opportunities will um, help the

1259
00:55:52,000 --> 00:55:53,359
youth that come, whether they're coming

1260
00:55:53,359 --> 00:55:54,799
to swim in the pool, whether they're

1261
00:55:54,799 --> 00:55:56,559
coming to play a sport, whether they're

1262
00:55:56,559 --> 00:55:58,559
going to be coming and taking part in

1263
00:55:58,559 --> 00:56:02,079
arts and crafts activities or ecological

1264
00:56:02,079 --> 00:56:04,480
uh, environmental kinds of activities.

1265
00:56:04,480 --> 00:56:06,960
Um, all of those kinds of things are a

1266
00:56:06,960 --> 00:56:09,040
way to make sure that our youth are

1267
00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:16,319
having um, robust opportunities this summer. Um, I also have to say that

1268
00:56:16,319 --> 00:56:19,680
um it was really important to me uh that

1269
00:56:19,680 --> 00:56:21,920
we were able to hire as many youth from

1270
00:56:21,920 --> 00:56:23,599
our high school that we will be

1271
00:56:23,599 --> 00:56:26,480
employing this summer. Um, that's really

1272
00:56:26,480 --> 00:56:28,799
important to me because those kids are

1273
00:56:28,799 --> 00:56:32,240
going to understand um and learn job

1274
00:56:32,240 --> 00:56:34,319
responsibilities and job skills that

1275
00:56:34,319 --> 00:56:37,839
will only go on to benefit them as they

1276
00:56:37,839 --> 00:56:40,480
um continue um with their with their

1277
00:56:40,480 --> 00:56:44,079
lives and their careers. um in our town.

1278
00:56:44,079 --> 00:56:47,359
Um so um that was a challenging

1279
00:56:47,359 --> 00:56:51,520
discussion. Um I definitely came in uh

1280
00:56:51,520 --> 00:56:53,839
prepared to not vote in favor of that

1281
00:56:53,839 --> 00:56:56,319
funding. Um so I think that the

1282
00:56:56,319 --> 00:56:58,720
compromise that we came to uh is a

1283
00:56:58,720 --> 00:57:01,280
reasonable one. Um but I do think that

1284
00:57:01,280 --> 00:57:03,440
all of our youth sports need to

1285
00:57:03,440 --> 00:57:05,040
understand that they will continue to

1286
00:57:05,040 --> 00:57:09,040
have to fundra as they all do um moving

1287
00:57:09,040 --> 00:57:12,079
forward. Okay. Um, and I also want to

1288
00:57:12,079 --> 00:57:15,520
say that um, again the Skenctity County

1289
00:57:15,520 --> 00:57:18,240
Food Council is holding a food and

1290
00:57:18,240 --> 00:57:20,960
poverty speakout on Wednesday, June 11th

1291
00:57:20,960 --> 00:57:23,119
at 6:30 at the Roderdam Community

1292
00:57:23,119 --> 00:57:25,680
Center. Um,

1293
00:57:25,680 --> 00:57:27,280
this is going to be a real opportunity

1294
00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:30,000
for folks to come out and really tell us

1295
00:57:30,000 --> 00:57:32,319
um about what they're needing in terms

1296
00:57:32,319 --> 00:57:34,319
of their in terms of food. as someone

1297
00:57:34,319 --> 00:57:37,200
that volunteers quite extensively um

1298
00:57:37,200 --> 00:57:39,440
fighting food insecurity in our in our

1299
00:57:39,440 --> 00:57:43,040
city, in our county actually. Um this is

1300
00:57:43,040 --> 00:57:45,760
just been this huge increase uh in the

1301
00:57:45,760 --> 00:57:47,440
numbers of people that our food

1302
00:57:47,440 --> 00:57:49,839
providers are serving every single one

1303
00:57:49,839 --> 00:57:51,920
of them. There's 23 food providers in

1304
00:57:51,920 --> 00:57:53,920
Skenctity County, but this is a chance

1305
00:57:53,920 --> 00:57:56,240
for people to come out and talk about

1306
00:57:56,240 --> 00:57:57,839
their needs. And let me tell you, when

1307
00:57:57,839 --> 00:58:00,559
you hear people talk about um you know

1308
00:58:00,559 --> 00:58:02,240
that food's sort of the last thing

1309
00:58:02,240 --> 00:58:03,599
because they have to pay their rent,

1310
00:58:03,599 --> 00:58:05,119
they have to pay their utilities, they

1311
00:58:05,119 --> 00:58:06,880
have to pay for a car to get themselves

1312
00:58:06,880 --> 00:58:09,359
to work. Um and so often they end up

1313
00:58:09,359 --> 00:58:12,160
with no food um after they after they

1314
00:58:12,160 --> 00:58:14,319
spend their money. So again, Wednesday,

1315
00:58:14,319 --> 00:58:16,720
June 11th, 6:30 p.m. at the Roderdam

1316
00:58:16,720 --> 00:58:18,720
Community Center. And the other piece is

1317
00:58:18,720 --> 00:58:21,440
that the Skenctity County Food Council

1318
00:58:21,440 --> 00:58:25,760
has a survey out as well um to try to

1319
00:58:25,760 --> 00:58:28,640
get information uh about what people are

1320
00:58:28,640 --> 00:58:31,520
experiencing in terms of um food costs,

1321
00:58:31,520 --> 00:58:34,319
food insecurity, um how they're getting

1322
00:58:34,319 --> 00:58:38,880
their uh nutritional uh needs met. Um

1323
00:58:38,880 --> 00:58:40,799
and so I hope that folks will pay

1324
00:58:40,799 --> 00:58:42,480
attention to that as well. It's all it's

1325
00:58:42,480 --> 00:58:45,680
on Facebook. It's on uh the website uh

1326
00:58:45,680 --> 00:58:48,640
for the for for the Skenctity Foundation

1327
00:58:48,640 --> 00:58:50,640
and I encourage people to it's in

1328
00:58:50,640 --> 00:58:53,119
English, Spanish and Arabic. So I

1329
00:58:53,119 --> 00:58:54,880
encourage people to do that. And then

1330
00:58:54,880 --> 00:58:56,480
again I also want to give I know we

1331
00:58:56,480 --> 00:58:58,640
still have a few weeks but um we will be

1332
00:58:58,640 --> 00:59:00,240
doing a reading of the Declaration of

1333
00:59:00,240 --> 00:59:02,880
Independence again on July 4th at 10:30

1334
00:59:02,880 --> 00:59:05,359
in the morning here at city hall.

1335
00:59:05,359 --> 00:59:07,359
Hopefully on the steps of city hall

1336
00:59:07,359 --> 00:59:10,079
hopefully it won't rain. Uh I'm feeling

1337
00:59:10,079 --> 00:59:12,319
not so positive about that these days.

1338
00:59:12,319 --> 00:59:14,880
Um, so I hope people will come out uh

1339
00:59:14,880 --> 00:59:16,880
and celebrate the 4th of July with us as

1340
00:59:16,880 --> 00:59:19,359
well. Thank you.

1341
00:59:19,359 --> 00:59:23,599
Yes. Thank you, Mayor.

1342
00:59:23,599 --> 00:59:25,599
Want to thank everyone for uh coming out

1343
00:59:25,599 --> 00:59:28,480
tonight. Discussion is always uh lively,

1344
00:59:28,480 --> 00:59:30,640
thoughtprovoking, and good for the

1345
00:59:30,640 --> 00:59:32,880
community. Yield the rest of my time.

1346
00:59:32,880 --> 00:59:36,000
Madam President, thank you. I also would

1347
00:59:36,000 --> 00:59:37,359
like to thank everyone for coming out

1348
00:59:37,359 --> 00:59:39,359
tonight to making your voice heard on

1349
00:59:39,359 --> 00:59:41,040
the various topics that we heard this

1350
00:59:41,040 --> 00:59:42,880
evening. I appreciate the young people

1351
00:59:42,880 --> 00:59:44,880
coming to see what the process looks

1352
00:59:44,880 --> 00:59:47,359
like and the adults the work that the

1353
00:59:47,359 --> 00:59:50,960
adults put in for you. Um so you know

1354
00:59:50,960 --> 00:59:52,480
one day if you want to you could be

1355
00:59:52,480 --> 00:59:53,839
sitting up here as well or sitting in

1356
00:59:53,839 --> 00:59:55,680
one of those chairs. So if you stay in

1357
00:59:55,680 --> 00:59:58,160
Skenctity we'd love to have that and we

1358
00:59:58,160 --> 01:00:00,160
hopeful hopefully um people will

1359
01:00:00,160 --> 01:00:02,319
understand that as we did our work today

1360
01:00:02,319 --> 01:00:03,920
as we talked about what needed to happen

1361
01:00:03,920 --> 01:00:06,559
or what was going to happen.

1362
01:00:06,559 --> 01:00:08,079
Please appreciate the fact there was a

1363
01:00:08,079 --> 01:00:09,839
person that entered the room with saying

1364
01:00:09,839 --> 01:00:11,359
you know it was going to be an absolute

1365
01:00:11,359 --> 01:00:14,160
no and so we were able to move to a

1366
01:00:14,160 --> 01:00:17,280
compromise in our process. Often that is

1367
01:00:17,280 --> 01:00:19,359
what we have to do. I personally am

1368
01:00:19,359 --> 01:00:21,680
committed to giving helping you in any

1369
01:00:21,680 --> 01:00:24,960
way possible to identify resources to

1370
01:00:24,960 --> 01:00:26,720
raise the rest of your funds because I

1371
01:00:26,720 --> 01:00:28,720
think I know that the work that you do

1372
01:00:28,720 --> 01:00:31,200
is important. I've never had a child in

1373
01:00:31,200 --> 01:00:33,119
Pop Warner but I've seen children that

1374
01:00:33,119 --> 01:00:34,480
have come through. I've seen actually

1375
01:00:34,480 --> 01:00:36,559
been to games. So, I know the work that

1376
01:00:36,559 --> 01:00:38,319
you do is important and investing in our

1377
01:00:38,319 --> 01:00:40,319
children regardless of the sport that

1378
01:00:40,319 --> 01:00:42,799
they are in is extremely important. So,

1379
01:00:42,799 --> 01:00:44,799
thank you for coming out. Thank you for

1380
01:00:44,799 --> 01:00:46,319
having your voices heard and thank you

1381
01:00:46,319 --> 01:00:48,799
for helping to help us to um to move

1382
01:00:48,799 --> 01:00:50,000
this process along. And to all the

1383
01:00:50,000 --> 01:00:52,079
council members, I want to thank you for

1384
01:00:52,079 --> 01:00:55,520
getting us to that point. Just one off

1385
01:00:55,520 --> 01:00:57,280
record comment off the record. It's off

1386
01:00:57,280 --> 01:01:01,040
the record that if you have goals in

1387
01:01:01,040 --> 01:01:03,359
this chamber, the seats you want are the

1388
01:01:03,359 --> 01:01:05,599
council ones. The public has the worst

1389
01:01:05,599 --> 01:01:08,079
seats and those benches. The second

1390
01:01:08,079 --> 01:01:10,400
worst are up here, but the city council

1391
01:01:10,400 --> 01:01:13,520
members have the best. So,

1392
01:01:13,520 --> 01:01:14,799
thank you, Madam President. You're

1393
01:01:14,799 --> 01:01:17,760
welcome. Um, I just want to for those of

1394
01:01:17,760 --> 01:01:19,599
you who missed the kids arts fest this

1395
01:01:19,599 --> 01:01:21,200
weekend around city hall, it was

1396
01:01:21,200 --> 01:01:23,280
wonderful. The rain came and but we

1397
01:01:23,280 --> 01:01:24,799
didn't go inside. We put on our

1398
01:01:24,799 --> 01:01:27,520
raincoats and we went outside and but it

1399
01:01:27,520 --> 01:01:29,040
cleared up so it was great time and so

1400
01:01:29,040 --> 01:01:30,480
for those parents who don't aren't aware

1401
01:01:30,480 --> 01:01:32,400
of it every year it happens around city

1402
01:01:32,400 --> 01:01:33,920
hall. It's a great opportunity for kids

1403
01:01:33,920 --> 01:01:36,400
to come out. I want to know note also

1404
01:01:36,400 --> 01:01:38,720
this year they had a cultural addition

1405
01:01:38,720 --> 01:01:41,119
to it that I'd not seen before. They had

1406
01:01:41,119 --> 01:01:43,520
people come from the Irakcoy nation to

1407
01:01:43,520 --> 01:01:45,839
come and do their um to to do a dance

1408
01:01:45,839 --> 01:01:47,920
and to sing songs. So it was great

1409
01:01:47,920 --> 01:01:50,240
exposure for the for for the community.

1410
01:01:50,240 --> 01:01:51,680
So, I want to thank the folks that put

1411
01:01:51,680 --> 01:01:53,680
that on and for all the uh vendors that

1412
01:01:53,680 --> 01:01:56,160
were there at the Kids Arts Fest. And by

1413
01:01:56,160 --> 01:01:58,079
the way, everything is free to the kids

1414
01:01:58,079 --> 01:02:00,640
coming just to, you know, have a good

1415
01:02:00,640 --> 01:02:02,079
time in their community. So, that's

1416
01:02:02,079 --> 01:02:04,240
another event.

1417
01:02:04,240 --> 01:02:07,119
I want to um mention the Junth is coming

1418
01:02:07,119 --> 01:02:09,839
up, the celebration of Junth on the 20th

1419
01:02:09,839 --> 01:02:13,119
and 21st of this month. The 20th will be

1420
01:02:13,119 --> 01:02:16,559
in Central Park. And as many of us know,

1421
01:02:16,559 --> 01:02:19,920
Walter Simpkins, our dear beloved uh

1422
01:02:19,920 --> 01:02:21,359
community member who has passed on,

1423
01:02:21,359 --> 01:02:23,680
really led that. But so we want we'll be

1424
01:02:23,680 --> 01:02:25,920
there in his honor on the 20th in in

1425
01:02:25,920 --> 01:02:28,880
Veil Cemetery. And then on the 21st, we

1426
01:02:28,880 --> 01:02:31,920
will be in s in Central Park celebrating

1427
01:02:31,920 --> 01:02:34,559
Junth. So asking everyone to please come

1428
01:02:34,559 --> 01:02:37,760
out and to um participate in that. And

1429
01:02:37,760 --> 01:02:39,440
uh to Miss Reed, I'm I'll speak to you

1430
01:02:39,440 --> 01:02:41,680
specifically. Um, I believe my email to

1431
01:02:41,680 --> 01:02:43,200
you was that corporation council was

1432
01:02:43,200 --> 01:02:44,640
going to be looking into your your

1433
01:02:44,640 --> 01:02:46,319
situation. I will review that email

1434
01:02:46,319 --> 01:02:48,880
again and and follow up with you on that

1435
01:02:48,880 --> 01:02:50,480
because I know that they were taking a

1436
01:02:50,480 --> 01:02:53,280
look at at at your situation. So, um, if

1437
01:02:53,280 --> 01:02:54,720
you want, well, you can speak after the

1438
01:02:54,720 --> 01:02:56,960
meeting and I'd be glad to, um, to just

1439
01:02:56,960 --> 01:02:59,680
give you more information on that. And I

1440
01:02:59,680 --> 01:03:02,000
have nothing more to add to that. So, at

1441
01:03:02,000 --> 01:03:03,440
this time, I ask for a motion to

1442
01:03:03,440 --> 01:03:07,119
adjurnn. Moved by everyone. Moved by Mr.

1443
01:03:07,119 --> 01:03:09,359
Williams, second by Mr. Mutiver. All

1444
01:03:09,359 --> 01:03:11,760
those in favor I we are journed. Have a

1445
01:03:11,760 --> 01:03:23,750
good night.

1446
01:03:23,760 --> 01:03:40,069
Interesting.

1447
01:03:40,079 --> 01:03:47,270
All right.

1448
01:03:47,280 --> 01:03:51,700
Fast.

1449
01:03:51,710 --> 01:04:10,079
[Music]

1450
01:04:10,079 --> 01:04:12,900
Hey. Hey.

1451
01:04:12,900 --> 01:04:21,159
[Music]