[0:01] Okay. Mayor, I'd like to call to order
[0:03] the regular meeting of the Elwood Park
[0:05] Mayor and Council for August 20th, 2026
[0:08] to order at 7:00 p.m. On roll call, we
[0:11] have council members
[0:12] >> here.
[0:13] >> Oswald
[0:13] >> here,
[0:14] >> Samson
[0:15] >> present.
[0:16] >> Sheridan
[0:16] >> here.
[0:17] >> Troy here,
[0:18] >> Council President Peline
[0:20] >> here,
[0:20] >> Mayor Kleti
[0:21] >> here.
[0:22] >> We have a quorum.
[0:23] >> Thank you. Good evening, ladies and
[0:25] gentlemen, and welcome to our council
[0:27] public meeting. [sighs and gasps]
[0:29] Uh, I give you all credit for coming out
[0:33] this evening in that rainstorm. Where
[0:35] did that come from? It just out of
[0:37] nowhere and it was a downpour that was
[0:39] tremendous. But like I always say, and
[0:41] I'm not a weatherman. You must some
[0:42] people out there must say, "What's he
[0:44] think he's a a weatherman?"
[0:46] Water is good and it's it creates life.
[0:49] And out west they wish they've been
[0:51] getting rains like this. That me dam is
[0:53] the lowest it's been in uh in existence.
[0:56] They got gonna have problems out there,
[0:59] Las Vegas and all all that area. But
[1:01] that's enough of the weather report. If
[1:03] you'd all be so kind and rise for our
[1:06] prayer and flag salute.
[1:08] Oh God, our father, we ask you to bless
[1:10] our meeting, which we entrust to your
[1:12] fatherly care and protection. Please
[1:15] remove all selfishness and prejudice
[1:17] from our hearts and implant therein a
[1:20] keen sense of justice and a greater love
[1:23] for you and our neighbors. guide us in
[1:26] our deliberations so that our decisions
[1:28] will always please you and bring your
[1:30] peace and happiness to our community.
[1:33] Amen.
[1:35] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[1:38] United States of America and to the
[1:40] republic for which it stands, one nation
[1:44] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[1:47] justice for all.
[1:49] >> Please be seated.
[1:51] Whereas chapter 231 of the public laws
[1:54] of the state of New Jersey require at
[1:56] the commencement of every meeting a
[1:58] statement of compliance be read by the
[2:00] presiding officer. Now therefore be
[2:02] advised that the meeting requirements
[2:04] for this meeting have been met by
[2:06] publishing a special notice in the
[2:08] record and Herald News and by posting
[2:11] such notice in the office of the burough
[2:13] clerk as well as in a public place
[2:15] within this building and also by
[2:18] notifying interested citizens. Said
[2:21] notice was posted and transmitted on
[2:23] January 2nd, 2026 and published on
[2:26] January 8th, 2026.
[2:29] [clears throat] Terry
[2:33] Yes, mayor. I'm I move that we go into
[2:36] executive session to discuss a personal
[2:39] attorney client matter.
[2:41] >> Okay. Council, we're going to second
[2:43] that motion. Second motion.
[2:44] >> Okay. All in favor?
[2:46] >> I.
[2:46] >> Whereas the Open Public Meeting Act PL
[2:49] 1975, Chapter 231 permits the exclusion
[2:51] of the public from a meeting in certain
[2:53] circumstances. And whereas this public
[2:55] body is of the opinion that such
[2:56] circumstances presently exist. And
[2:58] whereas the governing body wishes to
[3:00] discuss attorney client privilege
[3:01] information and personnel minutes will
[3:04] be kept and once the matter involving
[3:05] the confidentiality of the above no
[3:07] longer requires that confidentiality
[3:09] then the minutes can be made public. Now
[3:10] therefore it be resolved that the public
[3:12] be excluded from this meeting.
[3:18] » Can I have a motion to open back to the
[3:20] public?
[3:22] >> Second.
[3:23] All in favor?
[3:24] >> I I
[3:25] >> Okay. At this time, I would like to
[3:26] reestablish a quorum for the regular
[3:29] meeting of the Emerald Park Mayor and
[3:31] Council for August 20th, 2026. On roll
[3:34] call behalf, council members
[3:36] >> here,
[3:36] >> Oswald
[3:37] >> here,
[3:38] >> Samson
[3:39] >> present,
[3:39] >> Sheridan
[3:40] >> here,
[3:40] >> Troy
[3:41] >> here,
[3:42] >> council president
[3:43] >> here,
[3:43] >> Mayor Kleti
[3:44] >> here.
[3:44] >> We have reestablished a quorum. At this
[3:47] time, we have the recognition of the
[3:49] 2026 summer interns. I will turn the
[3:51] meeting over to Councilman Fisola.
[3:54] >> Thank you, Shana, and thank you, Mayor.
[3:56] Uh, good evening, everyone. Tonight, I'm
[3:59] very proud to uh that we have the
[4:02] opportunity to recognize three
[4:04] outstanding young people who
[4:05] successfully completed our burough's
[4:07] summer youth internship program. When we
[4:10] put this program together a few years
[4:11] ago, the goal was to give young
[4:13] residents more than just something to do
[4:15] during the summer. We wanted to give
[4:16] them a meaningful opportunity to step
[4:18] inside their local government, work
[4:20] alongside our employees, and see
[4:22] firsthand how the burrow serves its
[4:24] residents every day.
[4:26] Nala Lanin, who interned in the clerk's
[4:29] office, Anthony Rio Sanchez, who
[4:32] interned in the building department, and
[4:34] Sophia BJO, who interned in the finance
[4:37] and tax office, each had the opportunity
[4:39] to experience a different part of
[4:41] municipal government. Over the course of
[4:43] the program, they gained real world
[4:45] experience, learned the importance of
[4:48] professionalism and responsibility, and
[4:51] saw that even the work that happens
[4:52] behind the scenes plays an important
[4:54] role in keeping a community running. But
[4:57] just as importantly, they showed up,
[5:00] they learned, they asked questions, and
[5:02] they represented the young people of
[5:04] Emwood Park extremely well. One of the
[5:07] things I believe strongly in is giving
[5:09] our young people opportunities right
[5:11] here in our own community. When we
[5:13] invest our time and energy in them,
[5:15] we're investing in the future of Elwood
[5:16] Park. Nala, Anthony, and Sophia, I hope
[5:19] you leave this program with new skills,
[5:21] great memories, and a better
[5:23] understanding of local government. And I
[5:25] hope this is just the beginning of the
[5:28] many great things you'll accomplish.
[5:30] Congratulations to all three of you.
[5:32] We're very proud of you and thank you
[5:33] for being part of our summer youth
[5:35] internship program and thank you for
[5:37] sticking around because it during the
[5:39] summer it's very hard to complete the
[5:41] whole program with different people
[5:43] going on vacation and stuff. So I give
[5:45] them let's give him a round of applause
[5:46] for actually completing it and going
[5:47] through [applause] it.
[5:52] So I'm going to come down there now with
[5:54] the mayor. We're going to give them a
[5:55] little surprise and we're also going to
[5:57] give them their certificates of
[5:58] completion.
[6:04] » [clears throat]
[6:09] » So when I just come up and I'll hand you
[6:11] a certificate and then stay up here so
[6:13] we can uh take a picture
[6:26] on the floor. [applause]
[6:28] CONGRATULATIONS.
[6:31] [applause]
[6:36] Tell us a little about your experience.
[6:39] Speak out now. Stick out. Honestly, uh I
[6:42] really loved it. I got to learn from a
[6:45] lot of new people and I had more of an
[6:46] idea. Originally, I wanted to join this
[6:50] program just because I wanted to learn
[6:52] more about the burrow and everything
[6:54] that we do. And the opportunity that I
[6:57] got was really appreciated by me
[7:01] and I personally worked in the building
[7:03] department. I got to translate to people
[7:06] who didn't speak English and honestly it
[7:10] was a really good experience overall. So
[7:13] for this opportunity
[7:17] [applause]
[7:23] you always got to fold back. You could
[7:24] be a politician if you want.
[7:28] Very nicely done.
[7:31] And so you guys
[7:33] [applause]
[7:41] going to tell us a little about your
[7:42] experience?
[7:45] » I worked in the finance department and
[7:47] it was a great experience. I kind of
[7:49] went into this and it was just something
[7:51] keep me busy for a month, but I worked I
[7:54] walked out of there, you know, meeting
[7:57] so many great people from town and learn
[7:59] so many things and it was great time
[8:06] [laughter]
[8:09] and it was a great experience.
[8:13] [applause]
[8:20] » All right, nice job.
[8:22] >> Thank you.
[8:22] >> Let's take a picture. As you guys come
[8:24] down, take a picture, too.
[8:31] That's
[8:46] going out.
[8:55] » [applause]
[9:06] » I can
[9:09] >> I'll call.
[9:12] >> Thank you.
[9:18] » Okay. Okay, next on the agenda, we have
[9:20] the community service recognition. I'm
[9:22] going to turn the meeting over to our
[9:23] veterans liaison,
[9:26] Frank Doc.
[9:29] >> Shoot
[9:31] [applause]
[9:35] and the certificates are over there,
[9:36] right?
[9:37] >> All right.
[9:44] » So, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
[9:45] >> Good evening.
[9:47] So this was a very special thing that
[9:49] came up kind of unexpectedly
[9:52] um in the Miller area park. But after
[9:56] this you had some young kids take it
[9:58] upon themselves just to try to brighten
[10:00] up some of the residents day. They drew
[10:04] just these adorable and inspiring
[10:08] letters and pictures and they put them
[10:10] in mailboxes. They handed them out. Uh
[10:13] Mr. Councilman Oswald actually came
[10:15] across
[10:16] as well. And when I noticed what was
[10:19] going on, I said, "Hey, this is
[10:21] something that needs to be encouraged.
[10:23] This is something very positive." So, I
[10:25] came to the mayor and I spoke to the
[10:27] chief and we decided that we're going to
[10:30] do something just to congratulate these
[10:32] young folks. I see you. if you keep
[10:34] asking.
[10:37] [laughter]
[10:39] » So, what I'm gonna do now is I'm just
[10:41] gonna off [clears throat] some of those
[10:43] names and I'm going to parent I just
[10:45] want to come up as well. We have two set
[10:47] of certificates. One set of certificates
[10:50] from the town and one for my own
[10:51] nonprofit, the New Jersey Veterans
[10:53] Network. We just want to take a moment
[10:55] to honor these young people and make
[10:56] sure that this is something that's
[10:58] positive moving forward. Somebody give
[11:00] me a hand as I have two sets. Thank you,
[11:12] ran off the same list. Let's do it.
[11:17] So, we have Brooklyn.
[11:21] [applause]
[11:32] » Congratulations.
[11:34] Royal Martinez.
[11:36] [applause]
[11:42] » Good job.
[11:44] >> Thank you so much.
[11:46] >> Congratulations,
[11:48] >> Savannah.
[11:51] [applause]
[11:56] But her mom's here on her behalf.
[11:59] >> Congratulations.
[12:05] [cheering]
[12:05] [applause]
[12:30] » Good job.
[12:34] Thank you so much.
[12:36] >> Congratulations. So, also since we're a
[12:39] town that likes to encourage things like
[12:40] that, myself and Councilman Oswalt, we
[12:43] went out and we spoke to some of the
[12:45] local stores and businesses and we were
[12:48] able to get a couple of gifts for these
[12:49] nice. What do you guys say about that?
[12:52] [applause]
[12:57] Pizza, my favorite pizza.
[13:00] was able to do two free pizzas for this
[13:04] great group of kids. So now we have
[13:05] pizza party
[13:10] » and grianas and a nice snack for them
[13:13] earlier today.
[13:17] [applause]
[13:28] Um, yeah, I just actually want to say
[13:29] one thing. Um, before I met any of these
[13:32] folks, um, I was just walking my dog and
[13:35] my daughter down the street, uh, just
[13:37] being in public and I find these two
[13:40] children chasing me with papers in, oh
[13:42] no, are you processors? Um, but no, it
[13:45] turns out they they saw me walking my
[13:47] dog. They handed me a handwritten
[13:50] letter. I believe it was a marker or
[13:51] crayon. um that just said, "I hope you
[13:53] have a great day." And they just that's
[13:56] all they wanted. They weren't asking for
[13:57] anything. The altruism of these children
[14:00] is astronomical. And I'm so proud of
[14:02] them. And I'm so proud of all the youth
[14:04] of Elwood Park because this is the model
[14:06] that we have set. The mayor knows this
[14:08] better than anybody else. Elwood Park
[14:09] does it right. If you saw Junior Police
[14:12] Academy yesterday, you would know Park's
[14:14] kids, they're on the right side.
[14:16] [applause]
[14:22] Karen from our way of actually here with
[14:25] some free
[14:30] back to school.
[14:37] [applause]
[14:54] You guys have a pizza party. You guys
[14:55] have to save us.
[15:09] » [laughter]
[15:19] » Let me pass my camera.
[15:22] >> Wait, hold on. Hold on. Hold on one
[15:23] second. One second. One second.
[15:44] » [applause]
[15:50] » a great job. Thank you so much. Thank
[15:52] you. Have a great night.
[16:05] Doc has one more thing he wants to get
[16:07] out.
[16:11] » Are they leaving?
[16:16] » Oh,
[16:18] to them.
[16:20] >> Oh,
[16:25] » so ladies and gentlemen, I do have I'm
[16:27] the business. So now I've been working
[16:30] with Clark for about a year as a
[16:34] opportunity to work with
[16:38] >> and um I've seen a lot of people go
[16:41] above and beyond.
[16:42] >> Yeah, I see you guys in the clos
[16:46] >> I think my voice jacks enough. Can you
[16:47] guys hear me? Okay,
[16:50] >> I could hear you and I'm half death.
[16:53] >> What? [laughter]
[16:55] So, I did get an opportunity to work
[16:57] with a lot of great people in this room.
[17:00] So, seeing as I have the floor for a
[17:02] couple of minutes and you're not
[17:03] dragging me off yet, I just wanted to
[17:05] take a moment to honor some of those
[17:06] folks that I've been working with and
[17:08] they're just not aware that. So, the
[17:11] first person I want to make sure that I
[17:13] honor is Joseph Oswald. Councilman, you
[17:16] come up here for a moment.
[17:19] So [applause]
[17:24] yeah, I know you didn't know, huh? So
[17:26] Joe has worked with us quite often in
[17:28] the veteran community. He's come out.
[17:30] He's literally got his hands dirty. We
[17:32] were just renovating the American
[17:34] Legion. He gloved up, got into some mud
[17:37] and some dirt as we were creating a new
[17:40] Elwood Park Veteran Service Resource
[17:42] Office. He actually came over for free
[17:46] cleaning the entire American Legion.
[17:48] outside the building just so he could
[17:50] come and help out our veteran community.
[17:53] Stuff like this is just extra stuff that
[17:55] a lot of people don't often know
[17:57] happens. I just want to make sure that
[17:59] he got recognized for that. So on behalf
[18:01] of the New Jersey Network, I'm
[18:03] presenting you with a certificate of
[18:05] accommodation.
[18:07] We was presented to Joe in recognition
[18:09] of the support of veterans and homeless
[18:11] community. Joe has provided enhance
[18:13] assistance and provided direct support
[18:15] to veterans community programs. Joe
[18:17] provided valuable assistance in the set
[18:19] of Elmer Park veterans resource office
[18:21] and also supports veterans defense. Joe
[18:23] leads veteran face to face during these
[18:25] events and always offers kind words and
[18:27] encouragement to our veteran community.
[18:29] Thank you for your ongoing support to
[18:30] our veterans
[18:32] [applause]
[18:42] coming up here.
[18:50] Now, Miss Pan often comes to our veteran
[18:52] events and also gets her hands. Just
[18:56] last Sunday, she surprised us and she
[18:59] sat there just meeting veterans,
[19:00] supporting veterans, same kind words to
[19:02] veterans, serving pizza to the veterans.
[19:05] But we had a rough launch recently in
[19:07] the heat.
[19:09] was there on the back of our mouth truck
[19:12] handing out water to veterans in that
[19:14] intense heat. You know why she does it?
[19:16] Because she's great and she loves So I
[19:18] just wanted to take a moment to thank
[19:20] you.
[19:22] I appreciate you so much. So I just want
[19:25] to make sure that I presented you with
[19:26] the certificate of commendation
[19:28] presented a recognition of the support
[19:30] to veterans and park community has
[19:33] provided hands-on assistance and direct
[19:35] support to veteran community programs.
[19:37] often supports veteran events and
[19:39] volunteers both set up concerning
[19:41] veterans with kindness and patience
[19:43] veterans face to face during these
[19:45] events and always offers kind words and
[19:46] encouragement to our veteran community.
[19:48] Thank you for your ongoing support to
[19:50] our veterans. Let me say when I went
[19:52] through a tough time earlier this year,
[19:54] Pam was there with me every step of the
[19:56] way to ensure I was. So if anybody in
[19:59] this town ever says that she's not there
[20:01] supporting veterans, we got to get it
[20:02] past.
[20:04] I'm so proud of you.
[20:07] >> [applause]
[20:13] » Lorine,
[20:17] » I know you don't like to be surprised,
[20:19] but
[20:22] [clears throat]
[20:29] » Yeah, I'm sneaking
[20:33] >> now, Miss Lorine. every step of the way.
[20:37] I often have veterans who are having a
[20:39] difficult time. Surprises can come up,
[20:41] emergencies can come up, and one of
[20:43] those emergencies should never be a
[20:45] veteran family with no food. That
[20:48] doesn't happen because if I have an
[20:49] emergency come up, call Lorraine and she
[20:52] supports and assists me every single
[20:54] time over and over and over. A lot of
[20:57] people never hear about.
[21:00] So,
[21:01] I can't tell you how great it is that I
[21:04] know that I have that resource so close
[21:06] by veterans. No veterans should go their
[21:10] families and children. Am I right guys?
[21:13] >> So this reads certificate of
[21:15] commendation honoring Lorraine Code
[21:17] presented to Lorraine in recognition of
[21:18] her support to veterans in the home park
[21:20] community. The range assistance has
[21:22] provided direct support and relief to
[21:24] veterans facing homelessness and food
[21:26] insecurity. She often takes time to come
[21:28] support veteran events veterans face to
[21:31] face and offers kind words and
[21:32] encouragement to our veteran community.
[21:34] Thank you for your support to our
[21:38] [applause]
[21:46] » chief. Yeah, you weren't expecting that.
[21:54] » I work with a lot of law enforcement I
[21:57] have a statewide program and I work with
[21:59] a lot of different municipalities and
[22:01] leaders and um chief
[22:07] I'm still impressed by
[22:10] I I met the chief about a year and a
[22:12] half ago when there was a homeless
[22:14] veteran driving around here in town who
[22:16] had nowhere to go. Sleeping in a parking
[22:17] lot, sleeping in a truck. Situations
[22:20] like that have no playbook. Sometimes
[22:23] veterans have different things going on.
[22:25] In his case, he had a dog in his car and
[22:27] no hotel loans, which means he couldn't
[22:28] be accepted to any programs that were
[22:30] available at the time. I remember, you
[22:33] probably don't, but I remember he's
[22:35] saying, "If we can't find something,
[22:38] we'll figure something out." And that's
[22:40] what a leader says because you can
[22:42] always say, "Oh, hey, I didn't have the
[22:45] time. I don't know what to do." Pass the
[22:46] bus. That's not what the chief did. He
[22:49] moved forward. And then we've worked
[22:50] together several times after that. We
[22:53] did a program where we had veterans come
[22:55] out had a box. Chief doesn't mean break
[23:00] and we've continued to work together
[23:01] ever since. Every time I come to the
[23:03] chief and I ask him for help when it
[23:04] comes down to a veteran, he never says
[23:07] no.
[23:08] You too, man. You're pretty awesome.
[23:12] I say to him to come up because first of
[23:14] all, he's my right-hand man, but I wish
[23:16] I could have the whole department up
[23:17] here because we're a team and we do this
[23:19] together and that's the team, too. So
[23:21] not just me and thank you but this this
[23:24] council department all the employees we work together so thank you
[23:28] >> I didn't ask to come up because I'm
[23:30] intimidated by
[23:32] this reads as
[23:35] representative Michael in recognition of
[23:37] the support to veterans and the
[23:38] community provided hands-on assistance
[23:41] and direct support to veteran community
[23:42] programs Michael supports veteran events
[23:45] resource assistance veterans in the
[23:47] veteran community show support for
[23:49] veteran programs
[23:53] » [applause]
[23:56] » some military tradition and sometimes I
[23:59] feel like it's to what police do because
[24:01] we all go out there and we risk our
[24:02] lives in a very way to give a challenge.
[24:07] So, I'd like for you to have this
[24:08] challenge for me as well.
[24:11] And thank you, Chief. Appreciate that.
[24:15] [applause]
[24:20] So, I'm out of um commendations, but I
[24:23] do have just
[24:26] You didn't think I wasn't going to
[24:27] recognize,
[24:28] please come down here.
[24:31] >> Congratulations.
[24:34] Now,
[24:37] We have a lot of great people that I
[24:39] work with here,
[24:41] but Terry stands out.
[24:44] See, Terry is the DFW auxiliary
[24:47] president, and Terry is always there
[24:50] helping out with whatever we need. If we
[24:53] need to set up for an event, she's there
[24:55] for [snorts] hours before setting up. If
[24:58] we need help saying hello to the
[25:00] veterans and greeting them because they
[25:02] might be a little bit nervous as they're
[25:03] coming in, that's scary. And I don't
[25:05] just mean once or twice. I mean every
[25:08] time. She gives of herself so much her
[25:12] free time just going to event after event helping veterans. And
[25:17] just like Pam was on the back of that
[25:18] truck on that hot day. Terry was too.
[25:22] And she got off of there and she's
[25:24] sweating and she hugged me and I was
[25:25] like, "You're too sweaty."
[25:28] [laughter] But you know what? She was
[25:29] happy because she got to go there and
[25:31] make a difference and see our veterans.
[25:33] She truly truly loves our veterans and
[25:36] it shows. So I took a step forward and
[25:40] Terry, you're receiving
[25:43] an actual hero award which is kind of
[25:46] like our highest award that we have for
[25:48] the New Jersey Veterans Network. You act
[25:51] like a hero with a lot of veterans and
[25:52] I'm proud of you.
[25:55] It reads, "See the gold seal." That's
[25:56] cool.
[25:58] >> In recognition of Terry's ongoing
[26:00] service to the veteran community on a
[26:01] weekly basis, time and time again, Terry
[26:04] has gone above and beyond to help
[26:05] veterans facing homelessness,
[26:06] depression, and other concerns, giving
[26:08] over time, and energy to selflessly.
[26:10] Terry's ongoing dedication, inspiration
[26:12] is a true testament to New Jersey her.
[26:14] [clears throat]
[26:15] We're also going to give Terry, take
[26:17] this
[26:21] hero bracelet.
[26:23] You better make sure you wear this
[26:24] because it's a military condition.
[26:31] [applause]
[26:37] Mayor,
[26:41] now mayor, I did one I did one to cover
[26:45] the entire leadership council, but
[26:48] nobody says leadership council to me
[26:49] more than you because you're the true
[26:51] leader here. We have other folks here
[26:53] that I've worked with often like
[26:54] Lieutenant Woods. Councilman Falo has
[26:57] sent me a couple of bills a couple of
[26:59] times. Eric, we've had a couple of good
[27:01] conversations over at the BFW when
[27:03] you've come over to support. I can
[27:04] honestly say the entire team you have
[27:06] here is welcome to veterans comes out
[27:09] and helps out and I appreciate you all.
[27:12] So, mayor, I do have one more hero
[27:14] award, and this is going to burrow
[27:21] living here, the work that gets done
[27:23] here. I was speaking to another DFW
[27:25] commander earlier,
[27:28] >> and he told me about all the troubles
[27:30] that he has as far as doing veteran
[27:33] events there. I don't have those
[27:34] problems here because I have you and
[27:36] your excellent team here doing what you
[27:38] do.
[27:40] So the hero award reads honoring the
[27:42] burough of Elwood Park, New Jersey in
[27:44] recognition of Bel Park's ongoing
[27:46] service to the veteran community. The
[27:48] Burwood Park and its leadership has an
[27:50] ongoing record of consistently
[27:51] supporting the veteran community and
[27:53] helping veterans in need. The actions of
[27:55] Park and its leadership is a true
[27:56] testament to New Jersey heroism. May I'd
[27:59] like for you to accept that please.
[28:00] >> Thank you very [applause]
[28:07] Thank you, Doc.
[28:09] You're part of the team here. You're
[28:10] part of this here. So, you could take a swipe of it
[28:16] >> before you leave. But, uh, this is what
[28:21] he summed it up. Work as a team and I'm
[28:23] not too good at receiving these things.
[28:25] I'm usually giving them out and I'm
[28:27] probably a little more fluent. But um
[28:31] this does not happen for me unless all
[28:35] these components
[28:37] put together and hand selected. These
[28:41] people up here are hand selected.
[28:42] They're workers, not talkers. They're
[28:45] not walkers. They're they're workers.
[28:48] And that's the most important thing.
[28:49] That's why we have a su successful
[28:51] community starting with our police
[28:53] department where it's more community
[28:55] involved and our council all on the same
[28:58] page. Very very little harsh discussion
[29:02] goes on between
[29:05] the the council people and the mayor
[29:07] except maybe near November.
[29:11] But that's to be expected. That's the
[29:14] just the way it's designed. But uh here
[29:16] we go guys. This is for all of us. All
[29:18] right. [applause]
[29:24] » Sure. Sure. However you want to do it.
[29:26] >> Would that be okay with all of you? All
[29:28] of us took a picture.
[29:32] >> Thank you.
[29:40] » You're want us holding awards?
[29:42] >> That would be great.
[29:52] » [snorts]
[30:02] » I know.
[30:12] Ready? [snorts] One, two, three.
[30:44] a lot.
[30:48] » That was a lot of talk.
[30:50] >> I don't know.
[30:53] >> Not a position.
[31:04] All right. Uh, we're back in council
[31:06] comments. We'll start off with our
[31:08] councilman on the left there, Mr.
[31:10] Oswald.
[31:11] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate the
[31:13] opportunity. Um, I'm just going to keep
[31:15] it brief and just say how how grateful I
[31:17] am um to be sitting up here as a
[31:19] councilman, as an elected leader in this
[31:21] town. Um, as Doc had said and as the
[31:23] mayor often points out that we are a
[31:26] team, uh, despite anything that you may,
[31:28] uh, hear otherwise, everyone up here
[31:30] wants what's best for the town and wants
[31:32] what's best for everybody sitting in the
[31:33] audience and at home, anybody watching
[31:35] back there. Um, and that we always
[31:37] encourage things like altruism, like
[31:40] being selfless and going around and
[31:41] doing something out of the goodness of
[31:42] your heart, or just for the benefit,
[31:44] like cleaning up the neighborhood with
[31:46] the eco warriors or uh, handing out
[31:48] notes to people just to make them feel
[31:49] better. There's a lot of animosity in
[31:51] the world. There's a lot of things that
[31:52] make people sad, a lot of things that
[31:54] make people mad, uh, or feel like, you
[31:56] know, maybe this isn't the world that
[31:57] they knew when they were growing up. But
[31:59] when I see things like that, when I see
[32:01] the the kinds of, um, acts that people
[32:04] do, regardless of their political
[32:06] affiliations or their religion or who
[32:08] they were or are or who they're going to
[32:10] be, um, everybody seems to understand
[32:12] that this ship called Earth that we're
[32:15] all riding on together, we really only
[32:16] get one chance at it. And we all live
[32:18] this one life. and I think we're doing
[32:20] such a good job. Um, and I'm just really
[32:22] appreciative of those kids of of
[32:23] everybody, the police force, of the
[32:24] mayor and council. Um, so thank you all
[32:26] for for being a part of it.
[32:31] » Thank you, mayor. U, this evening is
[32:33] just another example of how strong this
[32:34] burrow is, how strong this burrow was at
[32:36] every level and every age group. So, we
[32:39] saw adolescents that uh, cheer up a
[32:41] neighborhood. We saw some uh some, I
[32:43] guess, teenagers that spent some time
[32:45] here as interns. hopefully um they'll pursue a career in public
[32:51] service or helping the helping the uh
[32:53] the public and uh and doing good. We
[32:56] also of course our veterans. Our
[32:58] veterans are first and foremost because
[32:59] we can't sit here. We can't enjoy life.
[33:02] We can't um celebrate the way we
[33:04] celebrate or live our life that we do in
[33:06] America. And all of this proves that uh
[33:09] we are the leaders of um the government
[33:13] of the people, by the people, and for
[33:15] the people. And uh thank you to all
[33:18] involved. Doc, thank you for all you do
[33:20] for veterans. Um, and mayor, I kept it
[33:24] short a little bit. Long night.
[33:30] » Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, I just want to
[33:32] reiterate what I said uh about the
[33:34] interns. Uh, first and foremost, uh,
[33:36] they gained a lot of good experience
[33:38] here. Uh, a lot of them came in not
[33:40] knowing what to do in their future and
[33:42] their um, and what they want to pursue
[33:44] once they get into college and and it
[33:46] kind of solidified certain decisions for
[33:48] them. uh they were placed uh just to
[33:50] give you a little background, they were
[33:51] placed uh in places where they kind of
[33:53] wanted to uh pursue in college. Uh I
[33:56] felt it important to place them in those
[33:58] specific areas uh just so they could get
[34:01] a feel for how it would be to work in
[34:02] that specific area uh in the future. So
[34:05] uh I want to congratulate them for
[34:06] completing the program, never really
[34:08] taking a day off um uh throughout the
[34:11] process uh and gaining that experience.
[34:14] Uh I al I also want to uh thank Doc for
[34:17] everything he does for the veterans in
[34:19] this town and also for our community. Uh
[34:21] people like that really bring the
[34:22] community together uh and really work
[34:25] hard to to give us uh a lot of hope for
[34:28] the for the future and and hope for uh
[34:31] people like the veterans who who are
[34:33] having uh certain issues uh at certain
[34:35] times. So it's great that we have a tool
[34:37] like Doc in our community. Uh and
[34:40] lastly, for the uh the youth that were
[34:43] going around town cheering people up,
[34:45] it's a testament to their the way they
[34:48] were raised uh the community that we
[34:50] have to honor people like that. So, I'm
[34:52] really proud of of how this meeting has
[34:53] gone uh so far um and all the positivity
[34:57] that that we're bringing into this
[34:58] meeting. Thank you, Mayor.
[35:03] » Thank you, Mayor. First of all, I'd like
[35:05] to say congratulations to all the
[35:06] interns. Um good luck. I hope everything
[35:10] works out the way you want it to. Doc,
[35:13] as far as you go about a year and a half
[35:16] ago, um I spoke to the mayor, maybe two
[35:20] years ago, I spoke to the mayor and
[35:21] said, "We need a veteran lison." Our
[35:23] first one didn't work out that great.
[35:26] And when I went up to the mayor and I
[35:27] said to the mayor, I have somebody
[35:28] that's really going to make it work. I'm
[35:31] telling you, you got to be 100% behind
[35:33] them. and we brought Doc on board and it
[35:37] was the best decision this council made.
[35:40] I mean, Doc, you are great. You do
[35:43] everything for the veterans. There was a
[35:45] time when you didn't feel good and you
[35:48] still kept on going and going. You're
[35:50] like the little Energizer. You just keep
[35:51] going and going. Whether you're sick,
[35:53] whether you're not, we were there. You
[35:56] were here for us. We were there for you
[35:58] when you needed us. Um, I love you.
[36:02] Thank you for everything.
[36:04] That's all I got. Mayor,
[36:05] >> can I just can I just add one thing to
[36:07] what Councilwoman Sheridan said um for
[36:09] Doc? Uh I remember a few times around
[36:12] the holidays where you ask people in the
[36:14] council uh to to give you references on kids who just need cheering up. And I
[36:21] remember uh there was a few kids, one of them being disabled, uh who you
[36:25] showed up and dressed as Batman and and
[36:27] brought a Batmobile and and just gave
[36:29] them toys. and just those little things
[36:31] that happen in a kid's life uh could
[36:33] really change the trajectory of of where
[36:35] they're headed. So, I want to I really
[36:36] appreciate what you do for not only our
[36:38] veterans but our youth as well.
[36:48] » Uh I would like to congratulate the
[36:50] participants of the intern program. they
[36:52] took time out of their uh summer to come
[36:56] and learn about uh the way the burrow
[36:59] operates and learn um some of the things
[37:03] that go on behind the scenes. So, we're
[37:05] super proud of them for that. To the uh
[37:08] young people who wrote the letters,
[37:12] um
[37:14] they show us how very important a small
[37:17] act of kindness can be. Um, so we're
[37:21] very proud to have those kids in our
[37:23] community and um, thank you uh, Doc and
[37:27] Councilman Oswald for um, recognizing
[37:30] them and also thank you doc uh, for the
[37:33] recognition today. I was very touched.
[37:36] Thank you for all that you do for our
[37:38] veterans. Thank you.
[37:44] » Yes. I'm going to start off with Doc
[37:46] first.
[37:48] It's amazing to me that you're giving us
[37:50] awards and you're the true hero in the
[37:53] room tonight for all that you do for our
[37:56] veterans. Like Terry said, you don't you
[37:58] never stop. You never never stop. And we
[38:01] want you to know that we're always here
[38:03] for you. You just have to call us and
[38:05] you have at certain times and we want
[38:07] you to continue that because we don't
[38:09] want any veteran to go without. We
[38:11] wouldn't have our freedom without our
[38:13] veterans. So please always call us. were
[38:16] always there for all of them. And as a
[38:18] military family, my son is serving his
[38:20] 12th year. It touches my heart, maybe on
[38:23] a personal level, even a little more.
[38:26] So, it's near and dear to me, and I want
[38:28] you to know we'll always be here for
[38:30] you, whatever you need and whatever our
[38:31] veterans need. But we want to thank you
[38:34] tonight for all you do, Doc. So, thank
[38:36] you to the children that wrote kind
[38:40] letters to the neighbors. That to me is
[38:44] another situation of being a hero. To
[38:48] put a smile on someone's face is
[38:50] precious. If there's nothing more you
[38:53] can be in this world, the best thing you
[38:54] can be is kind and show kindness. And
[38:57] they're learning that at an early age.
[38:59] And they're changing lives by a simple
[39:01] smile, a simple letter, whatever it may
[39:04] be, a simple handshake. But they're
[39:06] learning this at an early age. And I
[39:08] know they will continue to be great
[39:10] people as they grow. So that was
[39:12] wonderful you acknowledging them
[39:14] tonight. I thank you for that. And then
[39:16] our interns, we have wonderful, employees here in our burrow
[39:21] and I know every year when the interns
[39:23] come in, they interact so well with our
[39:26] employees and I'm so happy for them that
[39:29] they get a chance to see what their
[39:31] municipality does and how it works on a
[39:33] day-to-day basis. So I wish them great
[39:36] luck in whatever they choose to do. But
[39:39] this is a great program and it's a great
[39:41] experience for our youth and so another
[39:45] great applause for everybody here
[39:46] because all these things tonight just
[39:49] show what we can do when we work
[39:51] together and it makes for a better
[39:53] community. So I just want to thank
[39:54] everybody and I'm feeling very grateful
[39:56] and blessed tonight. Thank you.
[39:58] >> Thank you council.
[40:01] you see uh how much we appreciate
[40:05] u everything that went on this evening
[40:07] uh from the children accepting awards to
[40:10] the adults accepting awards uh to having
[40:13] a having a a fellow like the doc with us
[40:17] in town right now uh who's renowned
[40:20] throughout the state with the VFWs and
[40:23] have him working hand inand with us and
[40:26] we are very as he knows very high on VFW
[40:30] to start off with. It's a very unique
[40:32] situation and people gravitate to each
[40:34] other that they know that other person
[40:37] is is being true to themselves and to
[40:40] their heart. So, uh we are blessed that
[40:43] way. Uh we can say it a thousand times,
[40:46] right? Uh and it probably will lose some
[40:48] of its value. But doc, I want to know
[40:50] this corn you gave me. Is it can I go to
[40:54] Dunkin Donuts and get coffee with it?
[40:56] >> Yes, you can, sir.
[40:57] >> Okay. [laughter]
[40:58] Beautiful thing though. Thank you very
[41:00] much. All right, moving along, we'll
[41:02] turn the meeting over to Terry.
[41:07] » Thank you, mayor. I move that we amend
[41:10] resolution R-283-26
[41:14] to the following. Resolution 283-26
[41:20] approve firefighters rec resignation
[41:24] in lie of determination.
[41:27] Wherefore, Elwood Park fire company
[41:29] number one brought discipline charges
[41:31] against firefighter Melissa Morirano and
[41:35] voted to remove her from the fire
[41:38] company number one at the Elwood Park
[41:40] Fire Department.
[41:42] And whereas the Elmer Park Fire Board
[41:46] met to hear Mrs. Marinette's apply
[41:50] appeal of her removal.
[41:54] Whereas after considering the evidence
[41:57] and test testimony presented, the fire
[42:00] board decided that the charges were
[42:03] substained and upheld. Mrs.
[42:06] Marinero remove removal.
[42:10] Wherefore the fire board submitted this
[42:16] uh Wherefore the fire board submitted
[42:19] this determination for the mayor and
[42:21] council's approval pursuing to burrow
[42:24] code 2-28-6.
[42:28] Whereas Mrs. Marinero submitted written
[42:31] correspondence to the bureau on August
[42:35] 20th today, 2026, requesting that the
[42:38] mayor and council accept her resignation
[42:42] in of her removal. Now therefore to be
[42:46] resolved by the mayor and council of the
[42:49] bureau of Elwood Park that Mrs. Morano
[42:54] resignation from the Elwood Park Fire
[42:56] Board is accepted of the removal action
[43:01] and be forward resolved that the barrel
[43:04] records be updated to reflect the
[43:07] resignation.
[43:07] >> You want to you want to speak?
[43:09] >> Can I have a second?
[43:12] >> We're looking for a second. Yeah, I'll
[43:13] second that.
[43:15] >> Any discussion?
[43:19] Okay.
[43:21] >> Amend resolution R-283-26
[43:24] amended by Councilwoman Troy, I mean
[43:27] Councilman Sheridan, second by
[43:29] Councilman Samson. On roll call, we have
[43:31] Council Member Swisso.
[43:33] >> I recuse.
[43:35] >> Oswald,
[43:36] >> yes.
[43:37] >> Samson,
[43:38] >> yes.
[43:38] >> Sheridan,
[43:39] >> yes.
[43:40] >> Troy, I recuse.
[43:43] >> Council President Peline,
[43:44] >> yes.
[43:45] >> Motion carries.
[43:49] At this time we are moving on to our
[43:51] ordinances.
[43:54] We have ordinance
[43:57] [clears throat]
[44:00] resolution R-257-26
[44:03] introduce ordinance number 26-20. First
[44:05] reading be resolved that an ordinance
[44:08] entitled bond ordinance to appropriate
[44:10] an additional sum of $135,000
[44:13] for the construction of a replacement
[44:15] salt shed at the department of public
[44:17] works facility in buying for the burrow
[44:19] of Elwood Park in the county of Bergen,
[44:21] New Jersey to make a down payment to
[44:23] authorize the issuance of bonds to
[44:25] finance such additional appropriation
[44:27] and to provide for the issuance of bond
[44:29] anticipation notes in anticipation of
[44:31] the issuance of such bonds be passed and
[44:33] adopted on first reading and be It
[44:35] resolved that a final hearing on said
[44:36] ordinance will be heard in the municipal
[44:38] building on Thursday, September 3rd,
[44:40] 2026 at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter
[44:44] as same can be heard at which time any
[44:46] persons interested in set ordinance can
[44:47] be heard. Be it further resolved that
[44:49] the burough clerk be and she is hereby
[44:51] authorized to advertise a notice of
[44:53] introduction and final hearing as
[44:55] required by law.
[44:57] >> I have a motion on the ordinance. So
[44:59] >> move.
[45:01] >> I need a second. Second
[45:04] discussion.
[45:06] Mr. Figgno, would you break this down
[45:08] for us, please?
[45:09] >> Yes, Mayor. Uh, this is a uh
[45:11] supplemental to the initial bond uh that
[45:14] was passed for the salt shed that is
[45:16] necessary at the DPW. This is a
[45:19] three-year-old project and the price uh
[45:21] the bid came in substantially higher uh
[45:23] because it was 3 years old. So, the
[45:25] prices have gone up. So, this is to
[45:27] complete that project. And just for the
[45:29] record, uh, I've personally inspected
[45:31] this building and is in dis disrepair
[45:34] and needs to come down and a new one
[45:36] needs to go up.
[45:38] >> Any further discussion?
[45:40] >> Yes, Mr. Mayor.
[45:41] >> Yes.
[45:42] >> Um, I just want to clarify for the
[45:43] record though, this is an additional
[45:45] $135,000 on top of the nearly 600,000 we
[45:49] approved. So now we're talking about a
[45:50] salt shed that's going to cost us
[45:53] $735,000.
[45:55] and that this specific $135,000 was
[45:58] approved back in 2023. And in line with
[46:02] the corrective action that the report
[46:04] provided by the auditor and the CFO,
[46:07] there are approximately 5 years worth of
[46:09] unencumbered or unfunded projects that
[46:12] have been approved over the past 5
[46:14] years. Obviously, this is one of them.
[46:16] Is there any inclination as to how many
[46:18] more of these popup expenditures we're
[46:21] going to see that were passed in the
[46:23] past and are now going to be attached to
[46:26] the current budget even though we just
[46:28] passed it and raised taxes on people. I
[46:30] just I would like to know how many more
[46:32] of these we're going to see.
[46:34] >> So could you just clarify the question?
[46:37] >> Yes. So according to the corrective
[46:39] action report issued by the CFO in the
[46:41] last audit for 2025, there was a part of
[46:44] the report issued said that there's been
[46:46] a approximately a 5-year period, so back
[46:49] to almost 2020 2021 where this council
[46:53] uh in its various iterations has
[46:55] approved uh expenditures that never
[46:57] ended up being either fulfilled or spent
[47:00] or bonded. Um which is a problem that
[47:03] had occurred several times in the past.
[47:05] It disappeared in 2023 and is now
[47:08] resurfaced. So, I am trying to get on
[47:11] the record a clarification or at least a
[47:13] promise of a clarification that these
[47:15] kinds of expenditures, this is a
[47:17] three-year-old expenditure, this
[47:18] $135,000.
[47:20] How many more of these do we expect to
[47:22] see considering we have 5 years worth
[47:24] according to the CFO?
[47:25] >> That's a very good question. Uh, I'd
[47:27] have to be a some type of mind reader in
[47:29] order to answer that. I think we just
[47:31] have to wait and see and hopefully there
[47:32] aren't any. But there are the CFO
[47:35] pointed them out. There's 5 years worth,
[47:37] Mr. Mayor.
[47:37] >> Okay. Well, then your question should be
[47:40] directed directly to the CFO.
[47:44] >> Moving along.
[47:49] » I guess we're going to have a call. Call
[47:51] the RO.
[47:52] >> First by Council President Pellegrine,
[47:54] second by Councilman Samson. On roll
[47:56] call, we have Councilman Bristool.
[47:58] >> No.
[47:59] >> Oswald.
[48:00] >> No.
[48:00] >> Samson.
[48:02] >> Yes. Sheridan,
[48:04] >> yes.
[48:04] >> Joyce,
[48:06] >> since this is a safety issue, my vote is
[48:10] yes.
[48:12] >> Council President Pel Green,
[48:13] >> yes.
[48:14] >> Motion carries.
[48:15] >> Just want to emphasize to the audience
[48:17] that uh there is a safety issue here and
[48:20] that becomes beyond our control. If
[48:23] we're aware of it, a safety issue now,
[48:25] it's our job to move on that safety
[48:27] issue. Moving along. Next, we have
[48:30] ordinances on second reading. Resolution
[48:32] R-258-26
[48:35] introduce ordinance number 26-9 on
[48:38] second reading. Whereas a public notice
[48:40] has been given by the burough clerk that
[48:41] an ordinance entitled bond's ordinance
[48:43] to authorize the undertaking of
[48:45] structural improvements to the
[48:46] recreation center and buy and for the
[48:48] burrow of Elwood Park in the county of
[48:50] Bergen, New Jersey to appropriate the
[48:52] sum of $265,000
[48:54] to pay the cost thereof to make a down
[48:56] payment to authorize the issuance of
[48:57] bonds to finance such appropriation and
[48:59] to provide for the issuance of bond
[49:01] anticipation notes in anticipation of
[49:03] the issuance of such bonds was
[49:05] introduced and passed at a meeting held
[49:06] on Thursday, August 6, 2026. ICS and
[49:09] that for the consideration of this
[49:10] ordinance will be taken up at this
[49:11] meeting and whereas all persons
[49:13] interested in said ordinance were given
[49:15] an opportunity to be heard concerning
[49:16] the same. Now therefore, it be resolved
[49:18] by the mayor and council of the bureau
[49:20] of Elwood Park that an ordinance
[49:21] entitled by an ordinance to authorize
[49:23] the undertaking of structural
[49:25] improvements to the recreation center in
[49:27] buy and for the burrow of Elwood Park in
[49:29] the county of Bergen, New Jersey to
[49:31] appropriate the sum of $265,000 to pay
[49:33] the cost thereof to make a down payment
[49:35] to authorize the issuance of bonds to
[49:37] finance such appropriation and to
[49:39] provide for the issuance of bond
[49:40] anticipation notes in anticipation of
[49:42] the issuance of such bonds passed on
[49:44] final reading.
[49:46] just for the edification of the
[49:48] ordinance outside. Uh
[49:51] the situation here with this building in
[49:54] the corner is collapsing. It's um we've
[49:57] repaired it once before, but it seems to
[50:00] be an ongoing some type of uh situation
[50:04] subterranean problem, but this time
[50:07] we're going to go with extens extensive
[50:10] repair to it with a underpinning and um
[50:13] that should should cure the problem
[50:15] hopefully. And that's what the engineers
[50:16] had told us. Uh may I have a motion to
[50:18] open to the public on this issue?
[50:20] >> So move.
[50:21] >> Second.
[50:21] >> Anybody for the public hear talk on this
[50:23] issue and this issue alone? This
[50:25] ordinance rather?
[50:28] >> If not, I will close the public portion.
[50:31] May I have a motion to adopt the
[50:32] ordinance?
[50:33] >> Some second.
[50:35] >> Call the role, please.
[50:37] >> First by Council President Peline,
[50:39] second by Councilman Folo, and roll
[50:40] call. We have council members Folo. I
[50:42] just want to clarify this issue right
[50:44] here as the mayor just said is the
[50:46] actual um safety issue not the salt
[50:50] shed. So yes
[50:52] >> Oswald
[50:53] >> yes
[50:54] >> Samson.
[50:55] >> Yes.
[50:56] >> Sheridan.
[50:59] >> Yes. Troy.
[51:02] >> I'm going to clarify they are both a
[51:04] safety issue. My vote is yes.
[51:08] >> Council President Pellegrine.
[51:10] >> Yes. And I'd like to say I they are both
[51:13] safety issues. So yes. Okay. Motion
[51:16] carries.
[51:19] Okay. Moving on to the consent agenda.
[51:22] We have the following resolutions.
[51:24] Resolution R-259-26
[51:27] approval of payroll. R-260-26
[51:31] approval of bills list. R-261-26
[51:34] capital budget amendment. R-262-26
[51:38] resolution to refund the shop rate.
[51:53] Okay, thank you.
[51:56] R-263-26
[51:58] resolution to refund taxes veteran.
[52:00] R-264-26
[52:02] resolution to refund overpayment.
[52:04] R-265-26
[52:07] resolution to issue duplicate tax sale
[52:09] certificate. R-266-26
[52:12] resolution to issue duplicate tax sale
[52:14] certificate. R-267-26
[52:17] resolution to issue duplicate tax sale
[52:19] certificate. R-268-26
[52:22] award of bid burrow salt shed. R-269-26
[52:26] award proposal for professional services
[52:28] alignment group for the recreation
[52:30] center structural improvements. R-270-26
[52:34] award proposal for professional services
[52:36] alignment group for the FY2026 NJDOT
[52:39] program Mola Boulevard Hillman Drive to
[52:42] Route 46 R-271-26
[52:45] award proposal for professional services
[52:47] alignment group for the FY2025 NJ dot
[52:50] program Mola Boulevard Lynon Avenue to
[52:53] Hill Hillman Drive R-272-26
[52:56] authorized purchase of equipment
[52:58] r-273-26
[52:59] approved Elma Park fire department
[53:01] stipen program second quarter
[53:03] compensation R-274-26
[53:06] authorized release of road opening
[53:07] performance bond R-275-26
[53:11] authorized retirement payout department
[53:12] of public works R-276-26
[53:16] appoint full-time laborers department of
[53:18] public works R-277-26
[53:21] appoint part-time labor department of
[53:23] public works R-278-26
[53:26] appointment of counselors for the 2026
[53:28] 2027 school year [snorts] morning care
[53:30] and afterare after school program
[53:32] recreation department
[53:34] R-279-26
[53:36] resolution to enter into a interlocal
[53:39] service agreement for special three law
[53:41] enforcement officers with the board of
[53:43] education of Elwood Park and the burrow
[53:45] of Elwood Park R-280-26
[53:48] resolution to enter into a shared
[53:49] service agreement with the township of
[53:51] Little Falls. R-281-26
[53:54] appoint crossing guards for the 2026
[53:56] 2027 school year police department.
[53:58] R-282-26
[54:00] award quote for paving at Veterans Park.
[54:03] R-283-26
[54:05] approve firefighter resignation in lie
[54:08] of termination. R-284-26
[54:11] approval to submit and execute a grant
[54:13] application. R-285-26
[54:16] approve handicap parking space Elm
[54:18] Street. R-286-26
[54:21] approve handicap parking space Philip
[54:23] Avenue. R-287-26
[54:26] resolution approving redevelopment
[54:28] agreement between the burl of Elwood
[54:29] Park and Meridia Elwood Park 871 Urban
[54:33] Renewal LLC and designated Meridia
[54:35] Elwood Park 871 Urban Renewal LLC as
[54:39] redeveloper for the property known as
[54:41] 871 River Drive in 79 and 15 Norris
[54:46] Street block 16002 lots 2 3 4 and 26
[54:51] R-288-26
[54:53] approve Approve annual municipal audit
[54:55] report for the year 2025. R-289-26
[54:58] adopt corrective action plan for the
[55:00] 2025 municipal audit. R-290-26
[55:04] appointment of special officers.
[55:06] R-291-26
[55:08] authorize online auction of surplus
[55:10] property. And R-292-26
[55:13] resolution to approve the consent
[55:14] agenda.
[55:16] >> Take a deep breath, Chen.
[55:18] That was a long one.
[55:20] >> Mhm.
[55:21] May I have a motion on the consent
[55:22] agenda?
[55:23] >> So move.
[55:25] >> I need a second. So I second.
[55:28] >> Any discussion? Call the vote, please.
[55:33] >> First by Council President Peline,
[55:35] second by Councilwoman Chroy. On roll
[55:38] call, we have Council Members Folo.
[55:40] >> I'm going to recuse on 272-26,
[55:45] 273-26,
[55:47] and 283-26.
[55:50] Yes to the rest.
[55:51] >> Oswald,
[55:52] >> it's going to be a no on R-268-26
[55:55] and yes to everything else.
[55:58] >> Samson,
[56:00] >> yes.
[56:01] >> Sheridan,
[56:02] >> yes.
[56:03] >> Troy,
[56:05] >> I'm going to recuse from R-273-26
[56:08] and R-283-26.
[56:11] Yes to the rest.
[56:12] >> Chen, can I um also clarify my vote on
[56:14] 268 would be no.
[56:16] >> 26.
[56:17] >> 268-26.
[56:19] Okay.
[56:23] Should we see? Council President Peline.
[56:25] >> Yes.
[56:27] >> Motion carries. Moving on to
[56:29] departmental reports. We have the zoning
[56:31] board meeting minutes from June 24th,
[56:34] 2026.
[56:36] >> Motion, please.
[56:40] » No motion. So move.
[56:43] >> Need a second. Second.
[56:46] >> Okay.
[56:47] >> Any discussion?
[56:49] All in favor?
[56:50] >> All in favor?
[56:51] >> I
[56:53] departmental reports have been accepted.
[56:56] At this time, mayor, this concludes my
[56:58] portion of the meeting. I will turn it
[56:59] over to you for council reports.
[57:02] >> Okay. Thank you. Let's start off with uh
[57:03] Councilman Fellow.
[57:06] >> Thank you, Mayor. Um I think we said a
[57:08] lot tonight about the the positivity of
[57:11] um of um everything that that went on in
[57:15] the meeting in the beginning. Uh, so I
[57:17] want to stay positive with that. Um, I
[57:20] just want to clarify what me and
[57:22] Councilman Oswald um and it have have
[57:27] been saying about the salt shed issue.
[57:28] The salts issue, we had um money budget
[57:33] allocated for this project already. Uh
[57:35] when we decided to do this after 3
[57:38] years, um the price came in about
[57:42] $135,000
[57:43] more. Uh there was a civil discussion. I
[57:46] got to give credit where credit's due.
[57:48] It was a civil discussion on whether we
[57:50] should rebid it and [clears throat] and
[57:53] have maybe have it come back more
[57:54] expensive, maybe come back have it
[57:56] coming back um cheaper. Uh but that's
[58:00] where the that's where the issue was. We
[58:02] all agreed that the salt shed should be
[58:04] done. Uh but the price tag was just way
[58:08] too high in this time for me and I and I
[58:11] hopefully I can speak for Councilman
[58:12] Oswald for us to accept. We wanted to
[58:15] rebid it. Uh that was the only issue. Um
[58:18] the division between uh the two of us.
[58:22] >> Um just to clarify that a little bit.
[58:24] Yes, ma'am.
[58:24] >> I'm done with my report.
[58:26] >> Okay. Just to clarify that we've taken
[58:28] many a bids. That's what elongated this
[58:31] whole procedure uh along the way. And
[58:34] now it's time we have to get off the
[58:35] potty so to speak and uh get get this u
[58:40] project done.
[58:41] Uh, any more discussion on that matter?
[58:45] >> I I'd like to make a comment. I
[58:47] >> I would have been open to a rebid, but
[58:50] for the possibility of it coming back
[58:53] even higher if we were to refuse this.
[58:57] >> Um, so we we risked um, you know, paying
[59:01] even more for the repair.
[59:04] >> That's
[59:05] >> Thank you, Councilwoman. All right.
[59:08] Mayor, what I would like to say is that
[59:10] um we obviously there's been a couple
[59:13] references to safety. The safety matter
[59:15] is multiffold or or several fold.
[59:18] There's the al the overall safety of the
[59:20] condition of the building and our
[59:22] employees that travel in our vehicles in
[59:24] and out of that salt shed loading it
[59:26] during the winter. There's the the uh
[59:28] safety factor of being able to deliver
[59:31] salt in a timely manner during a winter
[59:33] weather event. And there's also the
[59:35] matter of what happens if that salt that
[59:37] salt shed current salt shed becomes
[59:39] unable to be used completely and our
[59:42] inventory the value of our inventory
[59:45] gets uh destroyed or um decimated and
[59:48] what what do we do with additional salt
[59:50] and where do we get additional salt from
[59:52] so the safety matter is not just general
[59:54] safety those are the safety items that's
[59:56] why I voted yes I understand it's
[59:58] expensive but it's something that we
[1:00:00] have to have in this bureau thank you
[1:00:01] mayor
[1:00:02] >> thank you thank you you know councilman
[1:00:03] I understand your concerns. Uh maybe you
[1:00:06] should take a trip down there and take a
[1:00:07] walk through.
[1:00:08] >> I actually did, mayor.
[1:00:09] >> And what' you see?
[1:00:10] >> I think it could wait, but that's you
[1:00:12] know, it's your
[1:00:13] >> You think it could wait?
[1:00:14] >> Yeah, I think it could wait. Mayor, we
[1:00:16] have a budget crunch. We're telling us
[1:00:18] not to spend money. We're Listen, that
[1:00:20] we're not going to beat this to death.
[1:00:21] It passed. You spent $135,000 more than what we had budgeted. But listen,
[1:00:26] I'm not complaining about it. I'm just
[1:00:28] telling you that was our disagreement
[1:00:30] was whether to rebid it or to do it. I
[1:00:33] wanted to rebid it. That's where it was.
[1:00:34] I'm not complaining that you guys did
[1:00:36] it. I'm just saying that that was my
[1:00:38] opinion was to rebid it. But I
[1:00:40] understand the reason why you guys
[1:00:43] passed it. That's fine.
[1:00:45] >> Moving along. Uh, Councilman Samson,
[1:00:49] your council report. Just as a reminder
[1:00:52] where we're at. [laughter]
[1:00:54] >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, as my colleague,
[1:00:57] Mr. Folo said um I spoke um excuse me at
[1:01:00] length about the strength of this bureau
[1:01:01] and the people that we awarded this
[1:01:03] evening and uh that just proves what
[1:01:04] this bureau is made of and um like I
[1:01:06] said government of the people by the
[1:01:08] people and for the people. Uh as far as
[1:01:10] my activities are concerned our EMS uh
[1:01:12] program is strong and continues to forge
[1:01:15] ahead. We do uh probably approximately
[1:01:18] 175 aided calls. That's what I refer to
[1:01:20] as aids. Whether it's our ambulance
[1:01:23] coming in or our police hand helping a
[1:01:25] residents or mutually aid coming from
[1:01:27] the county, um we can get an ambulance
[1:01:30] to your house in less than 5 minutes
[1:01:32] typically. That's stunning. Those
[1:01:34] numbers are stunning. Uh new ambulance
[1:01:37] is being built. I look forward to that
[1:01:38] finally coming in. There is a long lead
[1:01:40] time for it. I'm uh I'm with the chief
[1:01:43] and our uh sales rep from PL Custom Body
[1:01:46] and we're going to get this done and get
[1:01:48] it here as soon as we can. Um, finance.
[1:01:52] I met with the finance committee led by
[1:01:54] Councilwoman Troy. We we paid the bills,
[1:01:56] the bureau's bills. Um, that went well
[1:01:59] and um
[1:02:03] that's about it. Summer's winding down.
[1:02:05] Let's enjoy it. Oh, the summer concert
[1:02:07] series, complete success. McCartney, one
[1:02:09] of my favorite singers. He was uh
[1:02:12] tributed this past Tuesday. Loved it.
[1:02:14] Love his uh his work, his songs, and
[1:02:17] that band did a great job replicating
[1:02:19] them. So, mayor, thank you for that
[1:02:20] concert series. Uh, you and Jimmy Demo
[1:02:23] are doing a great job working together
[1:02:24] to get that done. And we as a team are
[1:02:26] also delivering a great product to our
[1:02:28] burough residents. Again, enjoy the
[1:02:30] summer. Be safe.
[1:02:32] God bless America. That credit goes to
[1:02:35] the mayor and council as far as the the
[1:02:38] concert series goes.
[1:02:39] >> That's a refer to the team. Thank you.
[1:02:42] Moving along, Councilwoman Shepardan.
[1:02:46] >> Thank you, Mayor. Um I have my um fire
[1:02:50] report for um the month of July. We had
[1:02:53] 58 emergency incidents, 430
[1:02:57] firefighter respond manh hours, 12
[1:03:01] training drills, one department meeting,
[1:03:04] uh, three special assignments, 710
[1:03:08] volunteer service hours, mind you the
[1:03:11] word volunteer,
[1:03:13] 16 fire smoke alarms, six citizen um,
[1:03:17] assists, five standby assignments, four
[1:03:20] gas leaks, two odor investigations,
[1:03:23] three motor vehicle collisions, and
[1:03:26] three carbon monoxide alarms.
[1:03:29] Um, we also had 12 training training
[1:03:32] drills with 216 firefighters
[1:03:36] uh for the manh hours. Mind you, our
[1:03:39] fire department is all volunteer. So, if
[1:03:42] you know anybody that wants to sign up,
[1:03:44] we're more than welcome to have them.
[1:03:46] Um, Sunday we had the pre-party at the
[1:03:49] American Legion. Um, with Doc. Um, we
[1:03:53] had it over at the American Legion. We
[1:03:55] had pizza, we had desserts, we had
[1:03:57] giveaways. We had 70 veteran families
[1:04:01] that went to Hawthorne um, Doc and the
[1:04:04] New Jersey uh, Veterans Network. Thank
[1:04:07] you so much for everything you guys do.
[1:04:09] They took 70 um veteran families to the
[1:04:13] movies to see the new Spider-Man.
[1:04:17] Um they had the soda, they got
[1:04:19] [clears throat] popcorn. I mean, we gave
[1:04:22] them a lot. We gave a lot out. And I
[1:04:24] just want to tell um Doc, thank you for
[1:04:27] everything. Thank you to the New Jersey
[1:04:29] Veterans Network. I mean, if it wasn't
[1:04:32] for you guys, our veterans would be
[1:04:34] really lost. So, I just want to give a
[1:04:37] big shout out to you guys, your veterans
[1:04:39] network. Thank you. Everybody had a
[1:04:41] great time. Um, the concerts, as um,
[1:04:46] Councilman uh, Samson said, Tuesday
[1:04:48] night was Pure McCartney. Next week's
[1:04:51] our last concert. Everybody come on out.
[1:04:54] It's 60s. Um, after next week, I'm going
[1:04:57] to be bored on Tuesday night, so I'm not
[1:04:58] going to have anything to do, but I'm
[1:05:01] sure I'll figure something out. Um, I
[1:05:03] also want to give a thank you, Chief. I
[1:05:05] want to thank you for the crossing guard
[1:05:07] that you put out in front of the rec
[1:05:09] center. There is no crossing zone there.
[1:05:13] Okay. But when that concert's over
[1:05:14] between everybody coming out of the
[1:05:16] parking lot, people trying to get across
[1:05:18] the street, that was a good move on your
[1:05:20] part. Thank you very much. Um, thank you
[1:05:23] to the police department, and um,
[1:05:27] that's all I have, Mayor.
[1:05:28] >> Thank you, Councilwoman. Uh, we're going
[1:05:31] to shift back over to this side.
[1:05:32] Councilman Oswell.
[1:05:34] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I knew you
[1:05:35] wouldn't forget about me. It's okay. Um,
[1:05:37] I just have I'm going to do a couple of
[1:05:40] things. Just some things I've been
[1:05:41] working on the past couple weeks since
[1:05:42] our last work session. I just wanted to
[1:05:44] bring up. Um, the first is that I would
[1:05:47] I every time I look through the um
[1:05:49] packets that were given, I I like to go
[1:05:51] through some of the line items in the
[1:05:52] budget and see where we're spending
[1:05:54] money, even if it's just small amounts.
[1:05:56] One of the things I'd like to see going
[1:05:58] forward um with this council, no matter
[1:06:00] who is there next year, is that we
[1:06:02] potentially either create ordinances,
[1:06:04] resolutions, or direct departments to do
[1:06:07] more local spending to send uh money
[1:06:09] back to our local businesses rather than
[1:06:10] going to other towns uh to go bowling or
[1:06:13] to go to parties and stuff where it's
[1:06:15] reasonable. I'm not saying it's a, you
[1:06:16] know, a hard mandate, but you know, I
[1:06:18] see a lot of purchases at Amazon, a lot
[1:06:20] of purchases at places out of town where
[1:06:22] we have businesses in Elma Park that
[1:06:24] provide those services. And I just think
[1:06:26] that we could every once in a while
[1:06:27] consider um that as a um a reason to go
[1:06:31] somewhere rather than just where we feel
[1:06:32] like. Um the I every time we go through
[1:06:36] to these agendas, we often approve a lot
[1:06:38] of these handicap spaces. One of the
[1:06:40] things I do um when I go shopping is um
[1:06:44] I I know a lot of people with
[1:06:45] disabilities and I know how hard it is
[1:06:47] to walk through a parking lot with a lot
[1:06:49] of cars driving around and and on rainy
[1:06:51] day like today when I went to shop right
[1:06:54] um I notice often and I'm I'm thankful
[1:06:56] to our police department for being so
[1:06:57] responsive um but how often people park
[1:07:01] in handicap spots that have no right to
[1:07:03] be parking in them. Um they park in fire
[1:07:05] zones and loading zones and that make
[1:07:07] people very uncomfortable walking around
[1:07:08] and parking. I just want a public
[1:07:10] service announcement. Those handicap
[1:07:11] spaces are for people with handicap
[1:07:13] plates and placards. I call every week I
[1:07:16] call in um and ask them to do a patrol
[1:07:18] around the parking lots and thankfully
[1:07:20] they do. Sometimes they issue a ticket,
[1:07:22] sometimes people leave, but just be
[1:07:23] mindful that that's a it's a pretty low
[1:07:25] thing to do to take a handicap space,
[1:07:26] especially in a rainy day. Um we have a
[1:07:30] lot of things that came from our audit
[1:07:32] that I found were interesting um
[1:07:34] budget-wise. Um, one just as a anecdotal
[1:07:38] fact, the population of Elwood Park, uh,
[1:07:40] over the past 5 years since 2020 has
[1:07:42] increased by 154 people. In the previous
[1:07:45] 10 years, it had increased by over 2,000
[1:07:47] people, but we sit at around 22,000
[1:07:50] people. In the past 3 years, the uh,
[1:07:53] municipal budget has gone up by $9
[1:07:56] million. $9 million. We're talking about
[1:07:59] salary and wage increases of 29% over
[1:08:02] the past 5 years. operating budgets
[1:08:04] increased by 62%.
[1:08:06] And not that there's a direct link that
[1:08:09] we just because we haven't had a big
[1:08:11] population increase that these
[1:08:12] expenditures uh aren't warranted. But
[1:08:15] one of the things I am intent on
[1:08:17] following up with is the September 1st
[1:08:19] deadline for making sure that some of
[1:08:20] the corrective actions that were issued
[1:08:22] actually get taken place. Uh such as
[1:08:24] moving us over to the correct accounting
[1:08:26] system, getting us off of Excel. I would
[1:08:28] really love and now that the CFO is
[1:08:29] here, I will send an actual email
[1:08:32] request, but I would like um some
[1:08:33] further information uh regarding some of
[1:08:35] these uh unencumbered or um unspent un
[1:08:39] uh appropriations over the past 5 years
[1:08:40] that were found in the audit. I would
[1:08:42] like to know what the total amount
[1:08:44] outstanding is that we may be
[1:08:46] potentially expected to budget for this
[1:08:48] year or next. And I would like to know
[1:08:51] uh which departments have experienced
[1:08:53] the most increase um in their actual
[1:08:56] budgetary process because according to
[1:08:57] the audit, we've had a relatively flat
[1:09:00] increase in um certain things like the the budget 18% tax increase, but the
[1:09:06] actual budget itself was only a 4%
[1:09:09] change. Why the water fund lost 34%.
[1:09:12] We're talking $1.6 million down. And I I
[1:09:15] suppose we're tapping into some
[1:09:16] surpluses, but um there's a lot of
[1:09:18] people that are in the audience today.
[1:09:19] They're going to be asking about their
[1:09:20] taxes, asking about where their money is
[1:09:21] spent. And I would encourage everyone to
[1:09:24] do their due diligence, read the audit,
[1:09:26] read the report, um and and then look up
[1:09:29] that information, decide what you feel
[1:09:31] is appropriate um as a response. I know
[1:09:34] that a lot of people want to complain or
[1:09:36] to suggest that they were treated
[1:09:38] unfairly by our tax assessor. I wholly
[1:09:40] disagree with that um idea. I believe we
[1:09:42] have an incredibly fair and um
[1:09:44] experienced tax assessor and team. No
[1:09:46] one's trying to hurt anybody. I believe
[1:09:48] one of the things I'd like to clarify
[1:09:50] though is that people that do have an
[1:09:52] issue, you have every right to say
[1:09:54] something about it, but I'd like us to
[1:09:56] remain respectful and to please make
[1:09:57] sure you actually follow processes like
[1:09:59] setting up a meeting, asking someone the
[1:10:01] question ahead of time rather than
[1:10:02] making um claims that might not be
[1:10:05] substantiated by empirical facts, even
[1:10:07] though they might feel good emotionally
[1:10:08] to say. Um, so I will be keeping up on
[1:10:11] top of the corrective action and I
[1:10:13] really hope to see that some of those
[1:10:15] reports um, uh, don't show up in the
[1:10:17] 2026. And I really think that this the
[1:10:21] amount of money that we have been
[1:10:23] increasing the budget over the past 5
[1:10:24] years is unsustainable. The per capita,
[1:10:26] we're talking the past 5 years, $600 per
[1:10:29] person increase in taxes with not as
[1:10:32] noticeable increases in services. So,
[1:10:34] um, that being said, I do appreciate
[1:10:36] everybody taking their time to come out.
[1:10:37] Thank you for listening to us and all
[1:10:39] the things we did. Thank you to all the
[1:10:40] people who did the volunteer work. Thank
[1:10:42] you to Doc for your commendations today.
[1:10:44] They were unexpected but very warmly
[1:10:46] welcomed. And for everybody that um
[1:10:49] participates in this process, thank you
[1:10:50] for coming out. That'll be all, Mr.
[1:10:52] Mayor.
[1:10:53] >> Some uh incredible questions there and I
[1:10:56] compliment you on it. Uh but keep in
[1:10:58] mind that u that $9 million you're
[1:11:02] talking about is unsustainable.
[1:11:04] uh basically uh that was out of our
[1:11:06] control and I've received some
[1:11:09] information today that uh out of the 70
[1:11:12] communities in Bergen County uh 60 of
[1:11:16] them have uh registered uh their tax
[1:11:19] situation and Elwood Park is the fifth
[1:11:24] lowest out of 60 communities, the fifth
[1:11:26] lowest. So what that's telling me is
[1:11:28] that if you separate the costs that were
[1:11:32] out of our control based on the budget
[1:11:34] that we we dealing with and and during
[1:11:37] the course of the year our spending we
[1:11:40] were flat if not maybe just a slight
[1:11:42] increase and that is a tribute to this
[1:11:45] mayor and council. Moving along
[1:11:48] councilwoman Tracy.
[1:11:52] >> Thank you mayor. Um,
[1:11:55] yes, we had tax increases three years in
[1:11:58] a row and the majority of those
[1:12:02] increases increases can be directly
[1:12:05] attributed to the employee health care.
[1:12:09] We have seen year-over-year
[1:12:12] uh double-digit increases
[1:12:14] um with this year I think being the
[1:12:17] highest we've seen yet um about 35%.
[1:12:22] It is absolutely unsustainable and that
[1:12:25] is why I have been uh lobbying for the
[1:12:29] burrow to look at alternative health
[1:12:32] care plans for our employees and we are
[1:12:36] doing that. So hopefully we will see
[1:12:39] some relief in those doubledigit
[1:12:41] increases year after year. Um I'm just
[1:12:45] going to proceed with my uh council
[1:12:47] report uh wreck update. Just a reminder
[1:12:51] that the school year program
[1:12:52] registration closes on Monday, August
[1:12:55] the 24th
[1:12:57] and or until it reaches capacity,
[1:12:59] whichever uh happens first. The spray
[1:13:02] park will close for the season on the
[1:13:04] 30th. Uh first day of school is
[1:13:07] September 2nd.
[1:13:09] Um, we wish all the students returning
[1:13:12] to the for the 2026 2027 school year um
[1:13:18] uh a year filled with learning and uh
[1:13:22] friendships.
[1:13:24] The Elwood Park Police Department
[1:13:26] backpack and school supply giveaway will
[1:13:28] be held Sunday, August 23rd from 12:30
[1:13:32] to 3:30 on Mhola Boulevard between 16th
[1:13:35] A and Elwood Terrace. There'll be bounce
[1:13:38] houses, music, seesburgers,
[1:13:41] and I'd like to also congratulate all of
[1:13:44] the um participants in the Junior Police
[1:13:47] Academy who graduated yesterday. I'd
[1:13:50] like to thank Chief Aligno and his staff
[1:13:52] for hosting such a wonderful program
[1:13:54] that's been growing every year. And then
[1:13:57] on uh on August the 9th, myself and 24
[1:14:02] other residents teamed up with a company
[1:14:05] called Eco Clean Guardians. They're an
[1:14:08] environmental nonprofit group. And in
[1:14:12] 103° weather, we removed uh 1,420
[1:14:18] lbs of trash from our streets uh in 6.3
[1:14:25] miles of roadway.
[1:14:28] It was difficult, but it was rewarding
[1:14:31] work. And I just like to thank the
[1:14:34] residents who gave up their Sunday to do
[1:14:38] that in the heat to make Elwood Park a
[1:14:40] better place to live. Um and then uh
[1:14:44] just want to make an announcement that
[1:14:46] Elwood Park girls softball will be
[1:14:47] hosting a carnival
[1:14:50] uh September 10th through the 13th and
[1:14:52] it'll be at 41 Slater Drive.
[1:14:56] That's all I have. Thank you, Mayor.
[1:15:01] The woman
[1:15:04] Uh,
[1:15:05] council president.
[1:15:08] >> Yes. Thank you, Mayor. My board of
[1:15:10] health update. Save the date. They will
[1:15:12] be having their 6th annual Elwood Park
[1:15:14] celebrate senior event. The date is
[1:15:16] October 10th. The time is 11:00 a.m. to
[1:15:18] 300 p.m. Location our recreation center,
[1:15:22] 500 Muller Boulevard in Elwood Park.
[1:15:24] Their next regular meeting will be held
[1:15:26] on September 14th at 7:00 p.m. right
[1:15:29] here in Burough Hall. All are welcome to
[1:15:31] attend.
[1:15:33] Chamber of Commerce update. The New
[1:15:35] Elwood Park Chamber of Commerce and the
[1:15:36] Elwood Park Police Department will be
[1:15:38] having their second annual Elwood Park
[1:15:40] charity car show Sunday, September 27th
[1:15:44] from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the
[1:15:47] American Legion Post 147, One Legion
[1:15:50] Place in Elwood Park. This year's event
[1:15:52] will benefit two local families affected
[1:15:55] by tragedy. Please come out and support
[1:15:57] this event. It will be a day of great
[1:15:59] cars, music, vendors, raffles,
[1:16:03] and awards and charitable giving. The
[1:16:06] next regular meeting will be held on
[1:16:08] September 15th at 6:00 p.m. at Burough
[1:16:11] Hall in our allpurpose room. Any
[1:16:12] questions, you can call 551507810.
[1:16:18] Residents assistance program update.
[1:16:20] Come join us for our stopout hunger
[1:16:22] event Sunday, September 13th, 100 p.m.
[1:16:25] Location starting point will be the
[1:16:27] corner of Lincoln A and Mhola Boulevard
[1:16:29] and Elwood Park. Will we be marching
[1:16:32] together to our pantry on Thalmoth A.
[1:16:35] Please help us to stock our pantry
[1:16:37] shelves. Items we need are peanut
[1:16:39] butter, pasta, juice, tuna, cereal,
[1:16:42] rice, honey, coffee, tea, canned soups.
[1:16:46] We appreciate all your anticipated help.
[1:16:48] Let's fight hunger and work together to
[1:16:50] feed our residents in need. For any
[1:16:52] questions, please call 2011-7961457
[1:16:57] extension 2015 or 2013. This is a great
[1:17:02] event where the whole community comes
[1:17:04] together. It's only a few blocks. We
[1:17:06] march. People bring bags of food. Our
[1:17:09] police are on hand to collect that, put
[1:17:11] it in the trailer. They march with us.
[1:17:14] They're a big help. We closed the street
[1:17:15] down. So, I encourage everyone, please
[1:17:17] come out and be a part of this. We don't
[1:17:19] want anyone ever in our community to be
[1:17:22] hungry. So, I thank you in advance for
[1:17:24] that. Couple upcoming events that we
[1:17:26] have. The shredding event will be held
[1:17:28] September 26th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00
[1:17:31] p.m. Location behind the municipal
[1:17:33] building, 182 Market Street.
[1:17:36] Confidential and sensitive material
[1:17:38] only. No need to remove paper clips,
[1:17:40] staples, or paperboard covers. For any
[1:17:42] questions, call 2011-796-1457
[1:17:47] extension 3000. And then the annual
[1:17:50] townwide garage sale will be September
[1:17:53] 19th and 20th. No permit needed. Your
[1:17:56] address must be registered to be on the
[1:17:58] participation list. Call the recycling
[1:18:00] coordinator for all questions and
[1:18:02] register. 2019
[1:18:05] 1457 extension 3000. And lastly, um,
[1:18:09] last evening we had the Junior Police
[1:18:11] Academy graduation. It was a really
[1:18:14] beautiful event. We want to congratulate
[1:18:16] all the participants and really we want
[1:18:19] to thank Chief Fully and his team. It
[1:18:22] was their 16th graduating class. We've
[1:18:25] been to several. And to sit there and
[1:18:28] watch the youth interact with our police
[1:18:31] officers is such a wonderful thing. They
[1:18:34] get so much out of this program. And I'm
[1:18:37] just so proud of our police department.
[1:18:39] The kids years ago
[1:18:42] as I'm older, they used to be afraid to
[1:18:44] uh approach a police officers. Now when
[1:18:46] I go to events, these kids, they run up
[1:18:49] to them and they hug them and they're so
[1:18:51] happy to see them. And that just warms
[1:18:53] our heart because that's what we want.
[1:18:55] Community working together, community
[1:18:57] knowing our police officers by name.
[1:18:59] It's just a wonderful, wonderful thing.
[1:19:01] And I want to thank you, Chief Belgno,
[1:19:03] and your entire team for what you do for
[1:19:05] our youth and for our entire community.
[1:19:07] Thank you.
[1:19:08] >> Thank you, Councilwoman.
[1:19:11] Uh, I'm going to yield my time to these
[1:19:14] two gentlemen, by the way, that they
[1:19:16] entered a meeting later on. Uh, they're
[1:19:18] not CIA or FBI,
[1:19:21] just so you know. Uh, that's our tax
[1:19:23] auditor and our CFO. Um, Kevin, would
[1:19:27] you like to take the meeting from this
[1:19:28] point? Certainly.
[1:19:34] » Oh, I'm sorry.
[1:19:38] » There we go. Can everyone hear me?
[1:19:39] >> Yes.
[1:19:40] >> Thank you. My name is Kevin Espazito. I
[1:19:43] am your assessor here in Elwood Park for
[1:19:44] the last 16 years. Thank you, mayor and
[1:19:47] councel and administrator for receiving
[1:19:49] me this evening. The Elmwood Park
[1:19:51] residents have been uh in a situation
[1:19:54] where we have been forced to undergo a
[1:19:57] revaluation that was ordered by the New
[1:19:58] Jersey State Division of Taxation. The
[1:20:01] last time Elwood Park had a revaluation
[1:20:03] was tax year 2003. So, it's been 23
[1:20:07] years since our last revaluation.
[1:20:09] Elwood Park went through the request for
[1:20:12] proposal process and we selected the uh
[1:20:15] appraisal systems which was the uh
[1:20:18] contract awarded bidder um to do our
[1:20:21] revaluation. Appraisal systems has
[1:20:23] served the state of New Jersey for over
[1:20:25] three decades servicing many Bergen
[1:20:28] County towns as well as other
[1:20:29] communities throughout the state of New
[1:20:31] Jersey. When revaluations are ordered
[1:20:33] and when they occur, traditionally the formula of a third residence or
[1:20:39] third property owners in receiving an
[1:20:41] increase, a third property owners being
[1:20:44] neutral and then a third mate going
[1:20:47] down. That is the traditional formula
[1:20:49] throughout the state. I supervised the
[1:20:52] revaluation. I was in the field on
[1:20:55] numerous occasions supervising the staff
[1:20:57] members of the reevaluation overseeing
[1:21:00] the inspection tactics and process that
[1:21:02] they utilize the data collection process
[1:21:05] as data was accumulated and and put into
[1:21:08] what's known as the computer automated
[1:21:09] mass appraisal system. I supervised that
[1:21:12] process as well. I looked at the sales
[1:21:15] data that they collected throughout the
[1:21:17] uh two-year process of the sampling
[1:21:19] period utilized to establish the
[1:21:22] neighborhood values from within each of
[1:21:23] our value control sector, which is how
[1:21:25] neighborhoods are valued. And at the end
[1:21:28] of the day, I uh was in review of the
[1:21:31] letters that were distributed to each of
[1:21:33] our property owners. I reviewed the uh
[1:21:36] results of the meetings of those of
[1:21:38] those letters. Um, I'm sorry. Many of
[1:21:41] our property owners who met with the
[1:21:43] revaluation firm in council chambers
[1:21:45] here uh last year earlier this year in
[1:21:48] uh March, February and March, I
[1:21:51] supervised that results as well. And
[1:21:54] then our notice of assessment letters
[1:21:56] were sent to our residents along with
[1:21:57] our chapter 75 postcards that were also
[1:21:59] distributed.
[1:22:01] And then we went through the appeal
[1:22:02] process. I'm happy to say that there
[1:22:04] were not many tax appeals filed this
[1:22:06] year in Elwood Park Burough at the
[1:22:08] county level or the state level and the
[1:22:10] results of those appeals were recently
[1:22:12] received. Uh since our tax bills were
[1:22:16] distributed recently, I also have been
[1:22:18] contacted by a good percentage of our um
[1:22:21] municipality property owners that
[1:22:23] received increases. Obviously, in many
[1:22:26] cases, property owners that have made
[1:22:29] repairs over the last 15 to 20 years
[1:22:32] that maybe did not require or maybe did
[1:22:35] not obtain permits may have seen an
[1:22:38] increase greater than the average
[1:22:39] residential increase. And many of those
[1:22:42] property owners were very disappointed
[1:22:45] that their taxes may have increased
[1:22:47] beyond that of their neighbors.
[1:22:50] Typically, when such a long time goes by
[1:22:53] and passes between revaluations,
[1:22:56] specifically 23 years,
[1:22:59] we all have seen property values in
[1:23:01] Elwood Park and throughout New Jersey,
[1:23:04] especially after CO increase at
[1:23:07] doubledigit annual increases.
[1:23:10] 23 years ago, you could have bought a
[1:23:13] Cape Cod in the Burrow of Elma Park for
[1:23:16] somewhere between 200 and $250,000.
[1:23:20] There's no such home in Elwood Park
[1:23:22] today. No Cape Cod. You cannot purchase
[1:23:24] any Cape Cod anymore for $250,000.
[1:23:28] Entrylevel Capes are selling well above
[1:23:31] $350 to $400,000 with the average Cape
[1:23:34] selling almost $450,000.
[1:23:36] Our two family homes
[1:23:39] are very, very expensive. So when you
[1:23:42] look at your new assessment card or your
[1:23:44] new assessment,
[1:23:46] you have to be mindful that per the
[1:23:48] letter of the law, the revaluation firm
[1:23:51] is obligated to assess homes at market
[1:23:54] value. A lot of people say, "Well, Mr.
[1:23:56] Espazito, I don't understand. I'm at
[1:23:59] 100% of market value." That is the way
[1:24:02] the division of taxation and our
[1:24:03] constitution requires revaluation firms
[1:24:06] to do their job. And when I supervised
[1:24:09] that, I looked at the sales that were
[1:24:11] utilized in each of the neighborhoods.
[1:24:13] And when you compare the average
[1:24:15] assessment in those neighborhoods to the
[1:24:16] sales utilized in those neighborhoods,
[1:24:19] the data is supported. All that data was
[1:24:21] published on the revaluation firm's
[1:24:23] website for our residents to view during
[1:24:26] the reevaluation process and it was
[1:24:29] publicly uh you know out there for
[1:24:32] everyone to look at. Hopefully many of
[1:24:34] our residents viewed that information
[1:24:36] and they had meetings with the
[1:24:38] reevaluation firm. So thereafter there
[1:24:41] is the appeal process. So homeowners if
[1:24:45] they didn't appeal this year and they
[1:24:46] believe that there was an inaccuracy to
[1:24:48] their assessment, they have an
[1:24:50] opportunity to appeal next year. Um
[1:24:54] that would be that and they can also
[1:24:55] contact my office and report any
[1:24:58] discrepancies in their assessment card
[1:25:00] and then we will take a look at that.
[1:25:02] Thank you, Kevin. We appreciate that. U
[1:25:05] before I call for a motion to open to
[1:25:07] the public, I just like the public to
[1:25:09] know that uh because of the many people
[1:25:12] that are here tonight, I don't know how
[1:25:14] many are going to speak on this uh
[1:25:16] tonight. I'm going to limit it to three
[1:25:18] minutes and our attorney will will keep
[1:25:20] a clock so that we keep some order in
[1:25:22] this uh situation. If you have two
[1:25:25] topics, you got six minutes, but one
[1:25:28] three minutes to one each topic. Uh, may
[1:25:31] I have a motion to open the floor to the
[1:25:32] public?
[1:25:33] >> Some move.
[1:25:33] >> Second.
[1:25:35] >> All in favor?
[1:25:37] >> Anyone from the public here to speak on
[1:25:39] any subject whatsoever?
[1:25:41] Please come forth. Give us your name and
[1:25:44] address.
[1:25:46] And the clock is ticking.
[1:25:51] » Uh, name Brian Knoblock. Address 181
[1:25:55] Lincoln Avenue. Is
[1:25:55] >> the mic on?
[1:25:56] >> Mhm.
[1:25:58] >> Can y'all hear me? Okay. Uh, good
[1:26:02] evening, mayor and members of the
[1:26:03] council. As you know who I am already,
[1:26:07] I'm an Elwood Park resident, taxpayer,
[1:26:09] and someone who spent my
[1:26:31] There are people sitting in this room
[1:26:32] who are looking at their tax bills
[1:26:35] wondering how they're going to absorb
[1:26:37] thousands of dollars in additional costs
[1:26:40] into their own household budgets that
[1:26:42] were already stretched thin. We keep
[1:26:44] hearing explanations pontificating and
[1:26:47] bickering from this council.
[1:26:51] We hear about reassessment. We hear
[1:26:53] about rising costs. We hear about who's
[1:26:55] responsible, who isn't. We hear about
[1:26:58] Democrats. We hear about blaming
[1:26:59] Republicans and Republicans blaming
[1:27:02] Democrats. Enough. The taxpayers of El
[1:27:05] Park don't need another explanation of
[1:27:07] the politics. We need you to fix the
[1:27:10] problem. When my taxes go up and I don't
[1:27:14] get to print more money, I have to make
[1:27:16] choices. I have to cut something. I have
[1:27:19] to postpone something. I have to make a
[1:27:22] sacrifice. Why shouldn't we expect
[1:27:25] anything less from our government? What
[1:27:28] exactly are residents receiving in
[1:27:30] return for these increases? More police
[1:27:33] officers, more police vehicles. Yet,
[1:27:36] many residents are asking why we rarely
[1:27:38] see either in our neighborhoods. Have
[1:27:41] you driven on our streets lately? Pretty
[1:27:45] soon, the streets themselves will be
[1:27:46] crumbling and you won't be able to drive
[1:27:49] in cars or police cars on them. more
[1:27:52] giveaways, all which lead to degradation
[1:27:56] of personal responsibility. At some
[1:27:59] point, government has to distinguish
[1:28:02] between what would be nice to have and
[1:28:05] what taxpayers can actually afford. Cut
[1:28:09] the bloat, re-evaluate your spending,
[1:28:13] and stop making promises with other
[1:28:16] people's money that this community
[1:28:19] cannot sustain. And please stop the
[1:28:23] political bickering. Leadership is not
[1:28:27] standing in front of a camera when
[1:28:28] there's a ribbon to cut or a photograph
[1:28:31] to take. Leadership is what happens when
[1:28:34] choices are difficult. When there isn't
[1:28:36] enough money and when saying no might
[1:28:39] make you unpopular.
[1:28:41] That's servant leadership. I know
[1:28:44] something about public service.
[1:28:46] Sometimes it requires sacrifice. I've
[1:28:49] been doing public service for the last
[1:28:51] 25 years. Sometimes you inherit problems
[1:28:55] in public service that you didn't
[1:28:58] create. Sometimes
[1:29:00] >> you're at your three minutes, sir. Try
[1:29:02] to wrap it up.
[1:29:03] >> You were elected to solve it. Can you
[1:29:05] take my three minutes?
[1:29:07] >> Doesn't doesn't work that way.
[1:29:08] >> You were elected to solve it. Every
[1:29:10] taxpayer sitting in this room has to
[1:29:12] balance a budget.
[1:29:14] >> We make difficult decisions. Sir,
[1:29:16] there's there's many there's many people
[1:29:18] that want to speak. The time limit is 3
[1:29:19] minutes. You're at your three-minute
[1:29:20] limit. Thank you. It's not transferable.
[1:29:23] >> Yielded to me.
[1:29:24] >> The the burough uh code does not provide
[1:29:27] for time yielding.
[1:29:28] >> Are you close to finishing?
[1:29:30] >> I am.
[1:29:31] >> Okay. Let them finish. Let them finish.
[1:29:32] >> Thank you, ma'am.
[1:29:36] » Every taxpayer sitting in this room has
[1:29:38] to balance a budget every day. We make
[1:29:41] difficult decisions about what we can
[1:29:44] afford. We expect the people we
[1:29:46] entrusted with our tax dollars to
[1:29:48] exercise that exact same discipline.
[1:29:51] Stop pointing fingers. Stop making
[1:29:54] promises that we can't afford.
[1:29:57] Stop [snorts]
[1:29:58] wasting.
[1:30:00] Find the waste. Cut the bloat.
[1:30:03] Prioritize essential services and bring
[1:30:07] our mess under control. And if the
[1:30:11] [clears throat] elected officials and
[1:30:13] appointed officials are unwilling or
[1:30:16] unable
[1:30:18] to make those decisions, then perhaps
[1:30:21] it's time to make room for people who
[1:30:24] will because leadership
[1:30:28] isn't about holding a title. It is about
[1:30:32] accepting responsibility.
[1:30:33] >> Okay.
[1:30:34] >> Thank you very much. Thank you
[1:30:37] [applause]
[1:30:38] for your comments. Uh, who else would
[1:30:40] like to speak? Please come forth.
[1:30:47] » Uh, one of you ladies, you want to
[1:30:49] choose that out? Odds and even. See who
[1:30:52] goes first? No. All right, Glattus,
[1:30:55] you're up.
[1:30:57] A little tough getting out of that
[1:30:59] chair, huh?
[1:31:03] » Take the mic down to yourself. Here you
[1:31:05] go.
[1:31:23] Glattus, try and keep it to three
[1:31:24] minutes, please, if you can. I I might
[1:31:28] stretch it to four, but
[1:31:30] >> Okay. Um, I have a question about my
[1:31:33] taxes. Um,
[1:31:36] I'm the third that went up and I came
[1:31:40] here and I met with a I guess a surveyor
[1:31:43] and he didn't really help me that much.
[1:31:45] um he gave me a number to call and to
[1:31:48] because I didn't let them in the house
[1:31:50] to go through my house. So, you know, I
[1:31:53] was given an an explanation from him
[1:31:56] that my taxes went up oneird because the
[1:32:00] other people were paying too much and
[1:32:03] now so I feel like why am I being um you
[1:32:07] know making an example of like having to
[1:32:11] pay the difference.
[1:32:15] Thank you. And um
[1:32:18] so that's what I want to know. How How
[1:32:20] did I get picked as the third the
[1:32:23] one-third that had to pay the higher
[1:32:25] price?
[1:32:28] Oh, wait. And and I will tell you, I
[1:32:30] decided not to have the assessor come
[1:32:32] in. I'm going I said I'm I the woman who
[1:32:35] called I I left a message that I was
[1:32:37] going to get my own private assessor.
[1:32:39] She called me back and left a message
[1:32:40] and this is exactly what she said. Do
[1:32:43] not do that. She said, "Come down here
[1:32:46] and we will lower the price on our end."
[1:32:48] So that made me believe that they put
[1:32:52] everyone up to the ceiling so that if
[1:32:54] anyone did come in and complain, they
[1:32:56] tried to make you feel a little bit
[1:32:58] better. And I have it. I have it. I took
[1:33:00] a snapshot and I kept it. Please do not
[1:33:03] do that. So I feel like it's shady a
[1:33:06] little bit.
[1:33:10] » Thank you. So, I wasn't a party to that
[1:33:13] conversation or email, so I can't attest
[1:33:15] or answer that specifically. With
[1:33:17] regards to your question about a third
[1:33:19] go up, a third go down, and why are you
[1:33:21] paying? Basically, when revals are
[1:33:24] ordered, they are what are known as
[1:33:25] revenue neutral. Meaning, the Burrow of
[1:33:27] Elman Park doesn't collect a dollar more
[1:33:30] after the reval is completed than they
[1:33:32] did before. The budget is the budget is
[1:33:35] the budget. The net valuation goes up,
[1:33:37] the tax rate goes down. So, it's very
[1:33:40] possible that your home was assessed at
[1:33:43] a lower value all the years and a lot of
[1:33:46] your neighbors who maybe made
[1:33:48] renovations or maybe built a new house
[1:33:50] was set at a very higher standard. Okay?
[1:33:54] So that newer home that might have been
[1:33:56] built 10 years ago or 15 years ago when
[1:33:59] your home was built maybe 50 or 60 years
[1:34:01] ago um that newer home was at a higher
[1:34:06] standard 15 years ago and now it did
[1:34:09] appreciate over that 15-year period but
[1:34:12] it didn't necessarily double in value
[1:34:15] compared to your home. If you look at
[1:34:17] your home, I don't know your home
[1:34:18] individually. I haven't had a
[1:34:19] conversation with you, but let's say you
[1:34:22] have the average Cape Cod that's in town
[1:34:24] that was built in the 40s. Now it's 60
[1:34:27] years old or so or 70 years old. Okay?
[1:34:30] Um
[1:34:32] those homes have gone up considerably
[1:34:35] since our last reevaluation as I stated
[1:34:37] previously. Okay? So, because your home
[1:34:41] may have doubled in value and some of
[1:34:44] the other homes only went up by 30%,
[1:34:48] 40%, because they were built 10 years
[1:34:49] ago, or maybe they were assessed 10 or
[1:34:52] 15 years ago because if a homeowner
[1:34:53] pulled a permit and did an addition on
[1:34:55] their property, we do added assessment
[1:34:58] work every single year. We pick up at
[1:35:00] least 100 or so properties typically on
[1:35:02] any given calendar year. CO was the
[1:35:04] exception because obviously we weren't
[1:35:06] going out into the field. We couldn't we
[1:35:08] couldn't have people go out into the
[1:35:09] field during COVID, but we did what we
[1:35:11] could to get them on the books. Um they
[1:35:14] were picked up the next year. Sometimes
[1:35:17] if people do work without a permit, we
[1:35:19] don't know about that. It's very
[1:35:20] difficult, you know, we don't find out
[1:35:22] about that and we find out about during
[1:35:24] reval. So in your case, to answer the
[1:35:27] question about your potential increase,
[1:35:29] your home may have gone up much more
[1:35:30] than the average residential assessment.
[1:35:33] As far as the comment on come and talk
[1:35:36] to us, I can't really give an answer. I
[1:35:38] wasn't a party to that conversation. I
[1:35:40] can only tell you that I did not observe
[1:35:43] any reductions that weren't warranted.
[1:35:44] Many of the residents who did make an
[1:35:46] appointment, they either allowed an
[1:35:49] inspector into their property or the
[1:35:51] Reval firm also offered video
[1:35:54] inspections, okay? where they would have
[1:35:56] a homeowner walk through their home on
[1:35:58] their handheld phone or their laptop PC
[1:36:01] and they they took notes of that
[1:36:02] inspection. So,
[1:36:04] >> well, my um my appraisal did go down
[1:36:07] $40,000,
[1:36:09] but I'm still paying $1,700 more in my
[1:36:13] taxes, but my thing is 23 years is too
[1:36:16] long because you're hitting these senior
[1:36:18] citizens that cannot pay it and they
[1:36:20] have to pay that senior fees upfront.
[1:36:23] That's going to be hard for them, you
[1:36:25] know. Um, I thought it was every 10
[1:36:27] years by law it had to be done.
[1:36:29] >> Well, I'll be honest with you. There is
[1:36:31] no law that determines. It's the is
[1:36:34] there are number of steps that require
[1:36:35] revaluation and there's number of tests
[1:36:37] that are required when a municipality's
[1:36:40] ratio falls below 85%. That is one of
[1:36:43] the indicators. It's also based on the
[1:36:45] volume of appeals, the coefficient of
[1:36:47] deviation. So there are basically 13
[1:36:50] steps that have to be met before a
[1:36:52] county or the state would order a
[1:36:54] revaluation.
[1:36:56] So that's why our ratio was holding very
[1:36:58] strong precoid and then co came and
[1:37:02] things started going up. Prices started
[1:37:04] gradually increasing and then a few
[1:37:06] years after co we've had doubledigit
[1:37:08] increases in real estate values and as I
[1:37:10] said previously you can no longer get a
[1:37:11] Cape Cod in Elwood Park anymore for
[1:37:14] $250,000 is is out the window. Um, I can
[1:37:18] assure you that we will never see
[1:37:20] another revaluation order that drags on
[1:37:23] for 23 years. You will probably see them
[1:37:25] more frequently every decade or so. Now,
[1:37:27] most of Bergen County, a lot of
[1:37:29] municipalities do what are known as
[1:37:31] annual reassessments.
[1:37:33] Um, and that's also
[1:37:36] something we could explore if there is a
[1:37:38] correction in the market. Specifically,
[1:37:40] if I see valuation trending downward
[1:37:43] because of potentially uh an economic
[1:37:45] crash of the real estate market, I would
[1:37:48] encourage the mayor and council to
[1:37:49] consider a reassessment down the road in
[1:37:52] the future. Um, but the annual
[1:37:54] reassessment program that a lot of
[1:37:56] municipalities enter into shifts that
[1:37:58] number and that burden on an annual
[1:38:00] basis. So, a lot of homeowners aren't
[1:38:02] necessarily in favor of that either
[1:38:04] because you see that mix taking place
[1:38:06] every single year. So,
[1:38:08] >> right. Thank you. And just for the mayor
[1:38:10] and council, um I just read for 2027
[1:38:14] health care for the teachers is going up
[1:38:17] 34%.
[1:38:19] 13% for the local government. How do we
[1:38:22] ever get out of an 18% increase?
[1:38:26] >> Yeah. Well, here's here's the thing.
[1:38:28] Where do we point the figure? To me, I
[1:38:31] like to know what my state legislators
[1:38:34] and assembly people are doing because I
[1:38:36] know if I had that position, I'd be in
[1:38:38] Trenton that for my term, two-year term
[1:38:41] or four-year term as a senator, I would
[1:38:44] just focus on that one point and drive
[1:38:47] it home until it it was fixed. That's where I think we have to push
[1:38:54] because we're talking the health system,
[1:38:56] which is a state program, state-run
[1:38:59] program.
[1:39:01] and uh they can't do anything about
[1:39:03] >> 30%. I would just get my own private
[1:39:05] insurance at that point.
[1:39:07] >> But you know, my husband works for the
[1:39:09] hospital. There's thousands and
[1:39:11] thousands of employees. We have the
[1:39:13] crappiest insurance, too. We had good
[1:39:16] insurance, then it went to the middle,
[1:39:17] and then it went to the bottom. So, I
[1:39:20] mean, I don't know what the answer is,
[1:39:21] but I can't see this budget coming down
[1:39:24] ever.
[1:39:24] >> Okay.
[1:39:25] >> With um
[1:39:25] >> it's it's beyond our control. It really
[1:39:28] is. I mean a protest to the you know to
[1:39:32] Trenton. I mean something's got to give
[1:39:34] because you know this is this was always
[1:39:37] considered a bluecollar town
[1:39:39] >> and we have hard workers and we don't
[1:39:41] they don't make hundreds of thousands of
[1:39:43] dollars you know which you really need
[1:39:45] that to live here today.
[1:39:48] >> Thank you for your time.
[1:39:49] >> Yeah Glattus there's no panacea that will just rectify the situation. I
[1:39:54] wish I wish I had the answer for you.
[1:39:56] time that well. You're exactly three
[1:39:58] minutes.
[1:39:59] >> Moving along. Anybody else care to
[1:40:01] speak?
[1:40:04] » We please have your name and uh your
[1:40:08] address.
[1:40:14] » Lenora Matrao 92 Echo Place, Elwood
[1:40:17] Park. First, and this isn't part of the
[1:40:20] three minutes. I'd like to congratulate
[1:40:22] all the hard-earned
[1:40:26] young people that were part of any
[1:40:28] program that participated in Elwood Park
[1:40:31] with any department this year.
[1:40:34] I'd like to
[1:40:35] >> touche I'd like to thank the chief and
[1:40:38] his department for everything that they
[1:40:40] did.
[1:40:42] And I'd like to apologize that my
[1:40:44] computer didn't save any of the changes
[1:40:46] that I made to this. So, I'm going to
[1:40:49] try my best to um figure it out.
[1:40:55] Everybody's talking about the tax
[1:40:56] assessment. Okay, back when we had the
[1:41:00] assessment, Mr. Espazito basically
[1:41:03] forced himself that he had to come into
[1:41:06] my house, which finally I had to agree
[1:41:10] and I had to let him in my house to do
[1:41:12] the assessment. Okay, fine. Now, the
[1:41:16] Elmwood Park specifically says that in
[1:41:18] 2006, reevaluation was intended to
[1:41:21] create a uniformed and equitable
[1:41:23] assessment base and the re-evaluation is
[1:41:27] revenue neutral. Neutral, I don't think
[1:41:30] so. Now, I looked up some lots and
[1:41:33] blocks. Don't take this personal. I just
[1:41:36] grabbed a bunch of different addresses
[1:41:38] that were given to me. Block uh 1803,
[1:41:42] lot six. the land assessment. I'm not
[1:41:45] talking about the building, Mr.
[1:41:47] President. I'm talking about the land.
[1:41:49] 50 by 100. And I brought this up at the
[1:41:52] work meeting. 50 by 100 is 50 by 100.
[1:41:55] Dirt is dirt no matter how you look at
[1:41:57] it. I'm being charged on my property $62
[1:42:02] per square foot.
[1:42:04] Felmouth Avenue 50 by 100.
[1:42:08] They're being charged 4242 for a 50 by
[1:42:11] 100 lot.
[1:42:13] Here's a 75 by 100 lot being charged
[1:42:16] 4466.
[1:42:18] They're being charged less money than
[1:42:21] I'm being charged on my lot. Dirt is
[1:42:24] dirt no matter how you look at it.
[1:42:26] Square footage is square footage no
[1:42:28] matter how you look at it. My land is
[1:42:31] being approximately 46% more square
[1:42:34] footage than Falmouth Avenue or the
[1:42:36] other places. Why is the land component
[1:42:40] of my property $62 a square foot while
[1:42:44] the others are less? Also
[1:42:48] on the other properties there's
[1:42:51] is in my corner mine is a corner lot.
[1:42:54] One of the other ones is a corner lot.
[1:42:56] So there's no justification for the
[1:42:58] difference in the property being a
[1:42:59] corner lot. The other one the larger
[1:43:02] property is an internal lot.
[1:43:07] answer those questions.
[1:43:08] >> No, I'm going through this whole thing
[1:43:10] before my three minutes is up because I
[1:43:12] can't figure it out.
[1:43:14] Appraisal systems. I couldn't have the I
[1:43:17] couldn't find the time. I worked for an
[1:43:20] attorney. There was no time. No, no way.
[1:43:23] No time. I just kept getting stickies on
[1:43:25] the door. They didn't even have those
[1:43:28] little stickies in there properly
[1:43:30] labeled. It had bathroom. It had living
[1:43:33] room. Didn't even list bedrooms on it.
[1:43:36] nothing to check off. Now, somebody that
[1:43:39] I know who I don't know who their
[1:43:41] appraisal system was, but they had
[1:43:42] somebody come in their house. They told
[1:43:45] them that if you didn't let them in the
[1:43:47] house, they were going to charge you as
[1:43:50] assess you the highest amount they could
[1:43:55] as if you re remodeled the entire house.
[1:44:00] Okay, that's what was told.
[1:44:02] >> You're at the the three minute mark.
[1:44:04] Could you please sum up
[1:44:09] and
[1:44:09] >> the land is not being
[1:44:11] >> the land question? I think that's
[1:44:12] >> the land press question is not being
[1:44:15] charged properly to any of I have given
[1:44:18] the entire council some of the doc some
[1:44:20] of the people that I've I've done in
[1:44:23] fact one of my neighbors is being
[1:44:25] charged his assessment went up in fact
[1:44:28] one of the properties went up $447,000
[1:44:32] their taxes only went up $156.
[1:44:35] How could that be? How could that be?
[1:44:39] While some people had their assessment
[1:44:42] go up $300,000
[1:44:45] and their taxes went down on a single
[1:44:48] family house.
[1:44:50] >> I mean, come on. What happened here is
[1:44:53] not right. It's not neutral. It's not
[1:44:55] fair.
[1:44:57] >> Fix it.
[1:44:58] >> Miss Espazito, would you like to answer
[1:44:59] some of those questions for that lady?
[1:45:01] >> I'd be happy to.
[1:45:02] >> Madrick Kim off. I believe that many
[1:45:04] years ago you are correct. You did file
[1:45:07] multiple appeals and I was required to
[1:45:11] inspect your property. I never forced
[1:45:14] myself or upon you to inspect your
[1:45:16] property. In Bergen County, if a
[1:45:19] resident or property owner files a tax
[1:45:21] appeal, assessors are required to
[1:45:24] inspect the property to confirm the
[1:45:25] accuracy of the property record card
[1:45:28] before any decision is made by the
[1:45:30] burrow assessor to grant the reduction
[1:45:34] or by the the comm the county
[1:45:36] commissioners to grant the reduction.
[1:45:38] So, I never was forceful in any way. It
[1:45:41] is a requirement. That requirement still
[1:45:44] exists. You can confirm that with the
[1:45:45] Bergen County Board of Taxation if you
[1:45:47] choose to do so. With respect to land
[1:45:50] assessments, property owners do not have
[1:45:53] the ability or authority to appeal just
[1:45:56] a portion of their assessment. They can
[1:45:59] appeal their entire assessment because
[1:46:01] that's the way the computer automated
[1:46:03] mass appraisal system works. Revaluation
[1:46:06] firms value land in communities based
[1:46:10] upon the zoning approval and then they
[1:46:13] use what's known as the front foot
[1:46:14] method and the depth factor method.
[1:46:17] Okay. So that is how they come up with
[1:46:21] the base for valuation for each site in
[1:46:24] the community and then each property has
[1:46:27] a site value attributed if there is a
[1:46:30] prop a home erected on that site because
[1:46:32] if it's just a vacant lot and there are
[1:46:34] no improvements there. It doesn't become
[1:46:37] a site until utility is granted.
[1:46:39] cleaning there is there is a water
[1:46:42] connection there is a sore connection
[1:46:45] then that vacant lot becomes a
[1:46:47] construction site and then when the
[1:46:48] improvements are made then it is a
[1:46:51] dwelling and the total assessment is
[1:46:53] placed on a property with respect to
[1:46:56] your question about how could a property
[1:46:58] go up by $300,000 and only have an
[1:47:01] increase of hundred or two dollars
[1:47:04] >> $440,000
[1:47:06] >> okay well if you look at the last
[1:47:09] assessment
[1:47:10] >> unless
[1:47:13] >> I doubt it. It's possible if you got the
[1:47:16] records off of the county website or you
[1:47:18] got them off of our website, they're probably accurate. Okay, I can
[1:47:23] confirm that with you. But the reality
[1:47:25] is is it depends on how far away their
[1:47:28] prior assessment was from the average
[1:47:29] assessment. If the average assessment
[1:47:32] prior to the revaluation was in the
[1:47:34] $230,000
[1:47:36] range and their assessment was double or
[1:47:40] triple that
[1:47:42] and now their assessment is maybe only
[1:47:46] 20% higher than the average assessment.
[1:47:49] The delta would dictate the increase. So
[1:47:53] they did go up by a a number, but they
[1:47:57] didn't go up as much as everyone else
[1:47:59] because they were at a much higher
[1:48:01] standard than everyone else pre-reval.
[1:48:03] So when you say how could some people go
[1:48:05] down, that is the reason they were
[1:48:07] paying more than their fair share based
[1:48:10] upon the fact that they may have had a
[1:48:12] newer home, a more or more renovated
[1:48:15] home than the average home from within
[1:48:18] the community. about the assessment.
[1:48:21] >> Well, as I stated, you cannot pick and
[1:48:25] choose how you want to do.
[1:48:28] >> Well,
[1:48:30] I understand your point and I respect
[1:48:32] your opinion, but I'm not a lawmaker.
[1:48:36] Those laws are made in Trenton and set
[1:48:38] by the Constitution.
[1:48:40] >> Well, like any law that you challenge,
[1:48:42] you'd have to talk to your elected
[1:48:44] officials at a higher level than in
[1:48:45] Elwood Park.
[1:48:46] >> Okay. So,
[1:48:49] >> okay. Thank you. Thank you for answering
[1:48:51] those questions. Uh, let us move along,
[1:48:53] please. Yes, ma'am.
[1:48:54] >> Um, Martha Hayes, do you hear me? I
[1:48:57] don't know if
[1:48:57] >> Yeah, we can hear you.
[1:48:58] >> Uh, 259 Fencaca Park. I have a question
[1:49:01] because this is a a substantial um
[1:49:04] increase for me and I am, you know, just
[1:49:06] me paying this. So, I was wondering, did
[1:49:09] it have to be applied all at once or
[1:49:11] could it been incrementally applied over
[1:49:13] years?
[1:49:16] I'll let you go through any other
[1:49:18] questions.
[1:49:18] >> Oh, no. That's that's really the only
[1:49:20] question that I had. Thank you.
[1:49:21] >> Certainly, unfortunately,
[1:49:25] we have to comply with the guidelines
[1:49:27] set by the Division of Taxation. And
[1:49:30] when revaluations or reassessment occur,
[1:49:34] there is no phase in period over two or
[1:49:36] three years. I wish there were because
[1:49:38] then it would make it that much more
[1:49:40] palatable, especially when so many years
[1:49:43] pass. I feel your pain. I understand it.
[1:49:46] I am also a victim of revaluation in my
[1:49:48] community as everyone in the state is.
[1:49:51] Okay? And again, unfortunately, and it's
[1:49:55] by no fault of mine or anyone up here or
[1:49:59] any of our residents that 23 years have
[1:50:01] passed since our last reevaluation. We
[1:50:04] are a victim of circumstances. Our ratio
[1:50:06] declined at a point a few years ago
[1:50:09] where the reevaluation was ordered. We
[1:50:11] never denied and we never stalled the
[1:50:14] reevaluation process. As soon as we got
[1:50:16] the order, the administrator, the CFO
[1:50:19] and I brought it to the mayor and
[1:50:20] council and they immediately embraced it
[1:50:23] and said, "Okay, we want to get ahead of
[1:50:24] this project." We went ahead, we put an
[1:50:27] RFP out. We got the process rolling. As
[1:50:30] you all know, last year booths were on
[1:50:32] the ground. We had people in the street
[1:50:34] looking at the properties. I supervised
[1:50:36] it. It was funded by the municipality,
[1:50:39] but unfortunately there is no provision
[1:50:42] in the law that would allow a phase in.
[1:50:44] So sadly, if there were that option, we
[1:50:46] would have explored that to make it
[1:50:48] easier for residents like you and
[1:50:49] everyone else.
[1:50:50] >> Okay. Thank you.
[1:50:54] » Anyone else care to speak?
[1:51:00] » Yes, sir. Your name and your address,
[1:51:02] please.
[1:51:05] Make sure the button on the It's on.
[1:51:07] >> Oh, no it's not.
[1:51:08] >> There you go.
[1:51:08] >> Yeah. Um about assessments again. I was
[1:51:12] told the same thing that if I don't let
[1:51:14] the guy in the they're going to charge
[1:51:17] us as much as they want, whatever the
[1:51:19] highest rate. Why Why do you guys care
[1:51:23] what's inside of my house?
[1:51:25] Why? Like
[1:51:27] >> I'll let you ask all the questions and
[1:51:29] when you're done. No, that's my only
[1:51:30] question cuz Yeah, because it's so
[1:51:32] annoying that in a free country, I have
[1:51:35] to open my door to some guy so he can
[1:51:37] decide how much my house is worth
[1:51:40] inside. I Why do you care what my
[1:51:43] kitchen looks like or that makes no
[1:51:45] sense to me? Okay, I'll answer that.
[1:51:47] Those are very good questions. Okay.
[1:51:50] At the end of the day, when revaluations
[1:51:53] occur, it is to make sure that all
[1:51:56] assessments are fair and uniform to
[1:51:58] everyone. Okay. The reality of the
[1:52:02] situation is that
[1:52:04] if they don't get inside to see
[1:52:07] amenities like a kitchen or a bathroom,
[1:52:10] we all know how expensive those things
[1:52:12] are to renovate and maintain and improve
[1:52:14] in a home. And obviously, if you have a
[1:52:18] newer kitchen or a newer bathroom and
[1:52:21] you go to sell your home, you're going
[1:52:22] to ask a lot more because you may have
[1:52:24] spent $50,000 or more on a new kitchen
[1:52:28] and $25,000 or more on a new bathroom.
[1:52:31] So, at the end of the day, that's the
[1:52:33] reason why, and by the way,
[1:52:35] >> the New Jersey State Assessor's Handbook
[1:52:38] and the Appraisal Manual require
[1:52:41] interior inspections. Now, if a
[1:52:43] homeowner didn't want to let an
[1:52:45] inspector in their property, and we have
[1:52:46] many people that have compromised immune
[1:52:48] systems or are concerned about the
[1:52:50] safety of their family and and and such,
[1:52:53] so they offered a video inspection to
[1:52:56] accommodate that. And in addition, with
[1:53:00] respect to your question about the
[1:53:02] statement made, why did they say my home
[1:53:05] would be set at the highest standard
[1:53:06] possible? Because the division of
[1:53:08] taxation basically says if interior
[1:53:11] access is not permitted,
[1:53:14] assume that the attic and basement are
[1:53:16] finished, then assume that the interior
[1:53:18] is in overall good condition. And then
[1:53:20] if the homeowner says, "Hey, I don't
[1:53:22] have a finished basement or a finished
[1:53:24] attic, and I don't have an updated
[1:53:25] kitchen or an updated bathroom," they
[1:53:28] can either prior to the reval being
[1:53:30] completed,
[1:53:32] have an informal meeting with the
[1:53:34] revaluation firm, which we had those
[1:53:36] conducted here. And by the way, for
[1:53:37] residents that worked, they did evening
[1:53:40] appointments and they did Saturday
[1:53:41] appointments through the reevaluation
[1:53:43] process, okay? Because we understand
[1:53:45] it's a bluecollar community and I wanted
[1:53:47] to make sure that our residents were
[1:53:48] afforded the best options possible.
[1:53:52] I'm a firm believer in the golden rule.
[1:53:55] I treat people the way I want to be
[1:53:57] treated in life. That's important. So, I
[1:54:00] wanted to make sure after 16 years of
[1:54:02] serving our residents and knowing that
[1:54:04] the hardships that many would face,
[1:54:06] especially in the economic conditions
[1:54:08] that exist at this time, I wanted to
[1:54:11] make sure that everyone had every
[1:54:12] opportunity possible. Okay. So, with
[1:54:15] that said, it is required if you didn't
[1:54:18] comply to let them in to assume that
[1:54:21] those items are renovated. And it's for
[1:54:24] the fairness of everyone else who did
[1:54:26] allow an access and an inspection.
[1:54:29] Okay.
[1:54:31] >> Yeah. But sounds like a communist
[1:54:33] country. I mean, I lived there, so I
[1:54:36] know. I I just I hate someone comes into
[1:54:40] my house. I just I don't get it. Look at
[1:54:42] what site, do whatever you want. You got
[1:54:44] all the permits. You know what's inside
[1:54:46] the house. It just makes no sense. In my
[1:54:49] many years of serving p the public,
[1:54:52] I will say that I have addressed many
[1:54:55] residents who've moved here from other
[1:54:57] countries, okay? Specifically communist
[1:55:00] countries and they have a fear of
[1:55:02] government and I respect and understand
[1:55:04] that. But in the United States, we are
[1:55:06] much different than communism. Okay? And
[1:55:09] at the end of the day, these rules are
[1:55:11] in place here not to hurt or to
[1:55:14] weaponize to hurt individual people, but
[1:55:16] to
[1:55:17] >> but to make sure that fairness is met
[1:55:20] and uniformity is met.
[1:55:24] » But remember, it's based upon market
[1:55:26] conditions and you can you can look at
[1:55:29] the value of your home today and compare
[1:55:31] it to your assessment. And I think
[1:55:32] >> realize like if you have taxes, I mean
[1:55:36] stocks, you're not paying taxes on
[1:55:37] underrealized
[1:55:39] dividends, whatever. It's the same thing
[1:55:41] with the house. It's only about it just
[1:55:44] makes no sense. You guys are charging us
[1:55:46] and you guys raising everything, paying
[1:55:48] for everything. And
[1:55:51] if I don't make enough money, I I can't
[1:55:53] just raise money from someone else. You
[1:55:56] guys just
[1:55:57] >> I I understand, but there is there are
[1:56:00] guidelines and regulations
[1:56:03] >> and we have to comply.
[1:56:04] >> Anyone else care to speak from the
[1:56:07] audience?
[1:56:13] Hello everyone.
[1:56:15] >> Welcome your name and your
[1:56:18] >> Rodriguez 14th place Elwood Park. Hello
[1:56:22] Kevin.
[1:56:23] >> How are you sir?
[1:56:25] >> Uh first thing is the
[1:56:28] marina. Oh, yes. You have to turn.
[1:56:31] >> I called the parks department and asked
[1:56:33] them, please.
[1:56:34] >> I asked them if they can move the
[1:56:36] portaotty.
[1:56:37] >> Where's the button on the mic?
[1:56:39] >> The red. There you go.
[1:56:41] >> Hey,
[1:56:41] >> now we can hear you if they can move
[1:56:44] that porta potty because uh going in is
[1:56:46] no problem. But when you come out, it
[1:56:49] obstructs my vision. It's hard to get
[1:56:52] out without it. But when you go look to
[1:56:54] the left, it's right there. If they can
[1:56:56] move it out of the way. Uh that's the
[1:56:59] one thing. And then this the second
[1:57:01] thing is about the taxes.
[1:57:04] I talked to Kevin
[1:57:06] uh week and a half ago.
[1:57:09] >> And uh he's a nice guy. He mentioned uh
[1:57:13] look at my square footage
[1:57:16] and uh compare it to other houses that
[1:57:18] are sold that are less, you know, to try
[1:57:21] to appeal this thing.
[1:57:25] My question to you, Kevin, is
[1:57:28] what if I look at houses that are have
[1:57:31] more square footage and our houses are
[1:57:34] worth more? Could I use that to appeal?
[1:57:40] » Are you done with the question?
[1:57:42] >> Yes. Just
[1:57:44] you understand my question, right?
[1:57:45] >> I completely understand your question.
[1:57:48] When you provide comparable sales to
[1:57:51] your specific house, you want to select
[1:57:55] the most similar. Okay, look at it.
[1:57:58] Let's say you were going to refinance
[1:58:01] your home. The bank would hire a
[1:58:03] licensed or certified appraiser to look
[1:58:05] at your property. There are guidelines
[1:58:07] that Fanny May and Freddy Mack, the
[1:58:09] larger lenders backed by the government,
[1:58:12] they have requirements. And when you do
[1:58:14] an appraisal, you want to compare apples
[1:58:17] to apples. So if you have a 1,200 ft
[1:58:19] home, you don't want to compare it to a
[1:58:21] 3,000 foot home. You want to compare it
[1:58:24] to a home in size of maybe 13, 14,
[1:58:28] maybe,500 ft² because a 4bedroom 3,000
[1:58:32] foot home has much different market
[1:58:35] appeal than a,200t home. So, or if you
[1:58:39] had a two-bedroom condo, you wouldn't
[1:58:42] come on use that as a comparable either.
[1:58:44] You would probably be doing yourself a
[1:58:45] disservice. Okay? So, when you look for
[1:58:49] your comparable sales, you want to look
[1:58:50] for something that's similar.
[1:58:54] All right? So, if I have 2200 square ft
[1:58:58] of living space
[1:58:59] >> and there's a house that with 2,900
[1:59:03] with 3,000,
[1:59:06] I can't use that. Well, you can submit
[1:59:08] anything that you want. Okay. Whether
[1:59:10] it's not whether it's going to be
[1:59:12] comparable or not is the question.
[1:59:16] >> Can I see you uh Wednesday and talk
[1:59:19] about this?
[1:59:20] >> I'm always available. Okay. If you call,
[1:59:23] you can you can come to see me on an
[1:59:25] individual basis. I'd be more than happy
[1:59:27] to discuss this.
[1:59:29] >> All right. I'm going to leave it at
[1:59:30] that.
[1:59:31] >> You're happy?
[1:59:32] I'm not happy, but uh I want to talk to
[1:59:35] Kevin and
[1:59:36] >> Okay.
[1:59:37] >> I'll discuss it further with you. All
[1:59:38] right.
[1:59:39] >> Thank Thank you.
[1:59:41] >> Anyone else care to speak on any subject
[1:59:44] whatsoever?
[1:59:44] >> I just have a comment that Mr. Espazito
[1:59:48] just made.
[1:59:50] >> I'm going to allow you to second second
[1:59:52] term, but that'll be it. Go ahead,
[1:59:53] Lenar.
[1:59:56] You just
[1:59:56] >> how come the mic let you got to speak to
[1:59:59] them
[2:00:01] to us.
[2:00:07] » You just told this gentleman
[2:00:10] basically not to take a condo into
[2:00:12] consideration.
[2:00:14] But when I spoke to your appraisal
[2:00:16] person, whatever the company is, he
[2:00:19] said, I asked him about the condos
[2:00:22] because they're across the street from
[2:00:23] me devaluating my parity. He said, "We
[2:00:27] treat condos as a single family home."
[2:00:31] So, if that person is telling me that
[2:00:34] they treat condos as a single family
[2:00:36] home, why are you telling him he can't
[2:00:39] use a condo?
[2:00:42] » Please,
[2:00:43] >> are you completed? I'm done.
[2:00:44] >> Okay. Was this a field inspector?
[2:00:48] >> It was an inspector from the appraisal
[2:00:51] company that this
[2:00:52] >> a field inspector who came to your home.
[2:00:55] >> No, I called him. I spoke to him on the
[2:00:57] phone.
[2:00:58] >> Oh, because you said when he was at your
[2:01:00] home, the he referenced the condo across
[2:01:02] the street.
[2:01:03] >> Did I say that?
[2:01:05] >> I thought you did.
[2:01:07] >> I'm mistaken. Okay. So, it was a
[2:01:09] conversation that you had with someone
[2:01:11] from Appraisal Systems.
[2:01:12] >> Correct. Okay, I don't know. I'm not a
[2:01:15] party to that conversation, okay? But I
[2:01:17] can tell you that if you had a
[2:01:20] conversation with me, your assessor,
[2:01:22] okay, I would tell you that condos are
[2:01:27] much different than a single family
[2:01:29] residential.
[2:01:30] >> Well, then you better talk to the
[2:01:31] appraisal company.
[2:01:33] >> I'm just telling you that's the
[2:01:34] conversation he had with me.
[2:01:36] >> I wasn't a party to that conversation.
[2:01:38] So, I
[2:01:39] >> There's something wrong with that
[2:01:40] company. Yeah,
[2:01:42] >> I wasn't a party to that conversation
[2:01:44] and at the end of the day the reality is
[2:01:47] that
[2:01:48] >> anyone else anyone else care to speak on
[2:01:50] any subject whatsoever?
[2:01:53] >> If not I will close the public portion
[2:01:55] but before you go I just want you to
[2:01:57] know one thing that the mayor's taxes
[2:01:59] went up $2,000.
[2:02:03] » Can I I need a motion to go into
[2:02:04] executive.
[2:02:05] >> No executive.
[2:02:07] >> We do not have executive. We don't have
[2:02:09] executive and I need a motion to
[2:02:11] adjurnn.
[2:02:12] >> Yes.
[2:02:13] >> Motion.
[2:02:14] >> All in favor?
[2:02:16] >> Thank you.
[2:02:18] Oh,
[2:02:20] >> I think you have to find this