[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

2026-08-20 meeting

Transcript