[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:00] Conference of the New York Municipal Council on Tuesday, February 25th. In accordance with
[0:08] New Jersey law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the
[0:12] Jersey Journal and the public at large establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting.
[0:19] In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on Friday, February 21st, at the
[0:26] time of preparation and posted on the website of the City of North.
[0:31] Roll call please.
[0:32] Council.
[0:34] Present.
[0:35] Gonzales.
[0:37] Kelly.
[0:37] Here.
[0:38] Montana.
[0:40] Ramos absent.
[0:42] Got round three.
[0:44] Present.
[0:46] Nova absent.
[0:47] President Trump.
[0:49] Present.
[0:50] Council President Council members, we are on page four of the agenda.
[0:56] Item 7R1AS is a bid contract, but by videotaping, training, and technical assistance to the municipal council in the city court.
[1:04] Please.
[1:05] Roll call.
[1:09] Council.
[1:10] Yes.
[1:11] And all of.
[1:12] Yes.
[1:13] Kelly.
[1:13] Yes.
[1:14] Yes.
[1:16] Way more absent.
[1:18] Got the round tree.
[1:20] Yes.
[1:21] Nova absent.
[1:23] President Crom.
[1:24] Yes.
[1:27] 7R2AS is a private sale redevelopment agreement for the first amendment to the agreement for sale and redevelopment of land in a support nation agreement in order to permit the redeveloper to obtain financing necessary for the rehabilitation of property to build a three-family house for sale in the southward.
[1:46] Any questions, comments on this one?
[1:49] Seeing none, hearing none, roll call.
[1:51] Council. Council? Yes.
[1:54] Zimbabwe. Yes. Kelly? Yes.
[1:58] Hidana? Yes.
[2:00] Ramos Afton. Got round three. Yes.
[2:03] Gova Afton. Hedren Kwon. Yes.
[2:07] Seven are eight A.S. is an amending resolution to increase the contract amount for auditing
[2:12] services. Council's a hold to adopt. Any questions from the Councilman Gonzalez?
[2:18] Yes, we're in this by $100,000 and is it because the police department was not included before in the audit?
[2:30] Yes, sir.
[2:31] Okay.
[2:35] Nothing else.
[2:37] The same class.
[2:38] It was the same class.
[2:39] Roca.
[2:40] Council.
[2:41] Yes.
[2:42] González.
[2:43] Yes.
[2:43] Kelly.
[2:44] Yes.
[2:45] Intana.
[2:46] Yes.
[2:46] Yes.
[2:47] Ramon's absent.
[2:48] Got round three.
[2:50] Yes.
[2:50] Nova absent.
[2:51] President Cromwell.
[2:53] Yes.
[2:55] 7R8B.
[2:56] S.
[2:57] Is a resolution to support publishing legal notices on official government websites.
[3:03] Council's a hold to adopt.
[3:05] Madam Clerk, can we just get a quick explanation on this?
[3:08] Absolutely.
[3:09] Council President Council members, due to the star ledger not publishing anymore and
[3:17] they're digitized totally, the law has yet to catch up with that.
[3:22] So this proposed resolution of support is a compromise which is promoted by the League
[3:28] of Municipalities as well as New Jersey Municipal Courks Association just trying to advocate for
[3:35] making all of our legal advertising on the city's website instead of you know
[3:40] contracting with multiple publications where businesses don't typically read
[3:46] the other publications and we're spending money for this to turn down the
[3:52] spending by just posting on the website. And this is a recommendation coming from
[3:56] the League of Municipalities. Yes sir. No question.
[4:04] I'll
[4:05] But what we've done is we have kept local, like a little loose so as basically I need to
[4:13] we kept some of the ethnic papers because of the concern.
[4:21] So I would say that following the lead but also following that we have different loose papers within the city
[4:30] that we can put place the ads to because not everybody's going to look at the website.
[4:37] So I would encourage what we do at the St. Valley is that we do when loose or another
[4:44] newspaper is ethnic so that there is medication which is taking place.
[4:48] Absolutely.
[4:50] Thank you, Councilor Gidana,
[4:54] a roll call.
[4:56] Council?
[4:57] Yes.
[4:57] Gonzalo?
[4:58] Yes.
[5:00] Kelly?
[5:00] Yes.
[5:01] Yes,
[5:06] yes, yes, yes, we are now in the public comment portion of this special meeting where each speaker will have three minutes to speak please state your name for the record.
[5:22] Is there anyone wishing to address the council members?
[5:25] Good
[5:36] morning, George Tillman, Jr.
[5:39] Quickly, last night there was an affirmative action review, council meeting at 375 McCartow
[5:46] Wake.
[5:47] McCartow Highway at Nook Works, and there was, excuse me, there was only two members present
[5:55] again, chairperson Rashid and the other gentleman, Donald Carter, were the only two members.
[6:03] So this is the second meeting in a row where we haven't had a board.
[6:10] So that's just the beginning of the conversation about what happened in that meeting.
[6:16] However, one of the things Mr. Rashid said going forward is that us coming to that meeting to get information regarding those construction developments, we had to submit a request.
[6:30] And not only that, when Mr. Baptiste came with the reports that to give for a compliance she wouldn't allow him to give the reports saying that now there's some new guidelines or that rules that prohibits her from giving direct information.
[6:47] So I don't know where that came from, but I submitted an open request prior to in October 21st 2024.
[6:58] We're relating to the ordinance on 7-1 from July 1st, 2015 to October 9th, 2024.
[7:10] As per ordinance 6-P-SF-DAC-061715, I am requesting the following quarterly and semi-annual
[7:20] progress reports for contractors, vendors, award and municipal contracts and compliance.
[7:25] the above reference progress reports to the Office of City Clerk,
[7:30] the Office of Affirmative Action, as to the user agencies or departments containing
[7:35] an accurate record of one.
[7:38] The number of Newark Highers, Newarkers Highers, as well as the number of Newark residents
[7:43] currently employed on projects or in performance of the contract, to the number of training positions
[7:51] and the amount of positions that will be filled by Nook Residents 3, the necessary level of job skills required of Nookers to plan and implement the work to be done on the job or in performance of the contract.
[8:06] In the semi-annual reports and the contractors should document all good faith efforts in their actions to hide Nook Residents as assigned work hours.
[8:16] This was according to the ordinance, and the response that I got from the clerk's office was that no records were found for 10 years from that review council or new work works.
[8:28] So I only have 10 seconds. So I'm going to follow up with our next meeting to get to give more information in detail. Thank you.
[8:36] Thank you for your comments. Next speaker.
[8:44] I guess number one I would ask why was Councilman Silva in the hallway during the last meeting?
[8:50] The last council meeting we just had?
[8:53] He was in the hallway instead of in here in the chair.
[8:55] Do you all know what's up with that?
[8:57] I don't understand that one.
[8:59] In the hallway instead of in the seat where we needed him.
[9:04] Number two, Allison Legge, where is all of the money that we received to give people their
[9:09] first month rent and first security and rent. You stood up here I think was back in October.
[9:18] We had just gotten another four or six million from the federal government and before that we had
[9:23] gotten a few million for that very reason and someone came to you right after the money was
[9:28] received and they were told that there was no money. Where is all the money for the people needing
[9:35] residents out here. Needing places to live. The money is given and everybody's all up
[9:41] and on, oh, Donald Trump's cutting this and he's cutting that. Yeah, because y'all been stealing.
[9:46] Y'all, as in anybody in government and has not been putting the money where it's supposed to be going,
[9:53] I told you before, you understood, you singular, you plural, whichever you fit, you wear it. Okay,
[10:01] it's not personal is business. It's personal when my people cannot find a place to
[10:05] live that is truly affordable. And I heard somebody over here say that's not true. I don't
[10:10] know who was talking. But what I said was he's uncovering a lot of fraud and wasteful spending
[10:17] and everybody's all up in arms. And we know it here in the city because we experience it
[10:23] on a daily level. Every department in this city needs to be refurbished, rewashed, cleaned.
[10:36] It's a
[10:37] darn shame that our people are suffering and those who are in office are getting fatter
[10:43] off of the plight of the people.
[10:46] It makes no sense.
[10:49] And then for this affirmative action committee to now join the club of refusing to give us
[10:57] information that is our information, again, where are the dollars being spent, who is holding
[11:05] the developers accountable. We were in a meeting, the last
[11:09] tax evapment meeting, and as I'm speaking to the developer, he's
[11:13] talking about, oh, I did a good faith effort. I hired consultants.
[11:17] The affirmative action committee are the consultants.
[11:22] The council
[11:23] people are the consultants. What do you mean you hired a
[11:26] consultant? The people who are in charge of the residence
[11:30] that's getting employment are the consultants.
[11:36] But we can't get the affirmative action committee to do their job, especially when you only have two members who show up.
[11:45] Thank you for your comments.
[11:46] Next speaker,
[11:50] no one else appearing, public speaking is closed.
[11:55] Any comments or questions from the council?
[12:02] Anything from the administration?
[12:06] Motion to adjourn?
[12:17] I'm sorry, roll call.
[12:18] Thank you.
[12:20] Council?
[12:21] Yes.
[12:22] In dollars?
[12:23] Yes.
[12:24] Kelly?
[12:25] Yes.
[12:26] Santana?
[12:27] Yes.
[12:28] Ramos?
[12:28] Yes.
[12:29] Got round three?
[12:30] Yes.
[12:31] Yes.
[12:32] President Crump?
[12:33] Yes.
[12:35] Council President Councilmembers, we are now in the special conference portion of this meeting.
[12:40] However the