[0:01] This conference will now be recorded.
>> controversies were non-existent and
[0:05] shown disdain and disrespect for fellow
council members, even those from his own
[0:11] political party.
Most of the issues he introduces at
[0:15] public meetings are so hyper-partisan,
extreme, and inappropriate for local
[0:20] government discourse that it's crystal
clear to anyone paying attention that
[0:25] the only thing he's interested in is
promoting himself.
[0:29] Municipal officials have an ethical
obligation to act in ways that promote
[0:33] public confidence in government. This
means making decisions based on the best
[0:38] interests of the community, not on
personal or political motivations.
[0:43] Sadly, he's not using his position to
benefit the community, but rather just
[0:49] using all of us to advance his own
personal and political agenda.
[0:55] He likes to assert that he's defending
our community's values and representing
[0:59] residents who elected him, but I feel
confident that the majority of his
[1:03] constituents are not in favor of the
division, conflict, and disruption he's
[1:09] brought to the council. His behavior has
been a costly distraction from the
[1:13] important work our community deserves
from its elected officials.
[1:19] For the almost 13 years I've lived in
Peapack-Gladstone, I've been impressed
[1:22] by how well our local government
functioned, with one's political party
[1:27] affiliation presenting no obstacle to
cooperation and mutual respect, with
[1:32] room for healthy discussions and
disagreements.
[1:36] That all changed when Councilman Sweeney
joined the council.
[1:41] I don't expect this statement to have
any impact on him, well, he's not here
[1:45] to hear it.
[1:48] But to the rest of the council members,
I urge you to do whatever you can to
[1:53] rein in the unproductive and that
dialogue that has pervaded the council
[1:58] since January and get back to doing what
you were all elected to do, take care of
[2:03] our welcoming and wonderful town.
>> Uh thank you, Ms. Simon, for your
[2:09] well-thought-out comments. I appreciate
them. Um while everyone on the council
[2:14] is here tonight hears your words real
very clearly
[2:18] as well as those attending the meeting,
perhaps the person who most should hear
[2:23] them is not here. I'd like to invite you
back the next meeting to perhaps repeat
[2:27] them.
>> Okay.
[2:30] » Okay.
Um thank you again. Sujan, you're next.
[2:39] » Hi, Sujan Backerman, Tiger Hill Drive,
Gladstone. I spoke at the last meeting
[2:43] and unfortunately it looks like after my
comments, Connor Sweeney still went on
[2:49] to be undiplomatic and his usual
disruptive self. So, unfortunately, I
[2:55] guess my words did not land or he did
not listen, but tonight I'm just
[2:58] speaking very quickly about
my support of the library. Just want to
[3:04] share again, I've lived here 23 years
with my family. My kids have enjoyed
[3:09] growing up at that library as is
starting as toddlers at Ms. Jenna's
[3:13] story times, renting books and videos,
attending special programming there, and
[3:19] then studying there for, you know, after
school. And not to mention that they use
[3:23] that space for story summer rec, which
is, you know, a
[3:27] valuable space to have. Um
unfortunately, Mr. Sweeney's not here to
[3:32] listen to it, but I will speak again if
if need be. I'm just very curious to see
[3:38] who on this council will support this
ridiculous initiative that he's brought
[3:43] up to dismantle our current library.
It's a valuable resource again, and it's
[3:48] a cherished part of this town.
And I hope uh the rest of the council
[3:52] members listen to the constituency here
and it's important to us. Thank you.
[3:57] » Thank Thank you, Sujan.
Carolyn Campion, you're next.
[4:04] » Hello. Hello. Carolyn Campion, 32 Old
Chester Road. Um you know, I was also am
[4:10] still going to speak on the library
issue. Um I understand what the mayor is
[4:14] saying that there's going to be time
hopefully to further discuss this, but I
[4:18] have to be honest, I don't find that
incredibly reassuring. I feel like how
[4:21] things have been handled lately with the
town council that I would like to feel
[4:26] that that is some sort of reassurance,
but I don't I don't understand why an
[4:29] issue as large as this wouldn't go to
the town for a vote or town for
[4:32] referendum. I don't know why one council
person who claims to be offended by a
[4:37] pride exhibit can now um put us all into
this situation. So, I did have a longer
[4:43] speech to say, but I'm going to just
abbreviate it cuz I honestly cannot
[4:47] believe we're all here. I cannot believe
after how many years of hard work to get
[4:52] that library so beautifully renovated,
that now we're taking time away from
[4:56] serious issues in this town, real
issues, and instead we're all stressed
[5:01] because one person wants to rip this
town apart. And I feel like before we
[5:05] readdress this, whether it's in
September or the next meeting in
[5:09] September, I think everyone here in this
entire town deserves to know where does
[5:13] everyone on this town council stand.
Whether you're at the meetings or not at
[5:17] the meetings, where do you stand on this
issue? Do you really understand it? Do
[5:20] you understand our contract with the
county? Do you understand what we would
[5:23] lose if we go out of that contract? I
feel like it's all a little bit of a
[5:26] mystery where people on this council
stand, and I think this town deserves to
[5:30] know.
You know, it's is are you okay with
[5:32] closing the library for good? Is that
the ultimate plan? Because I can tell
[5:36] you I believe the majority of the
residents in this town do not want that
[5:40] to happen. So, are we talking to the
residents? Are we listening to the
[5:43] residents? Are we just following one
person's path?
[5:47] That's what I want to know.
Thank you.
[5:50] » Yeah, you're welcome and thank you for
speaking.
[5:52] And Carolyn, I would tell you
that you so to reassure you somewhat,
[5:58] one council member on their own cannot
close or disband our library. It's not
[6:03] that easy.
A one council member can propose a
[6:07] resolution. Two council members can
propose a resolution, but you can't get
[6:12] rid of our library with a resolution.
Okay? A resolution doesn't do it. I
[6:17] believe it would require at minimum an
ordinance. Most definitely preferably a
[6:23] referendum. It's that big an issue. And
I promise you that I would push for
[6:28] a matter resolution, a referendum. I
would push for a referendum if it ever
[6:33] went that far. And I I'll tell you right
now, I'll underline that and say again,
[6:38] if it ever went that far.
I really don't believe it will, and I
[6:42] don't think you need to worry about the
our library ever being shuttered. There
[6:46] will be a library here for a very long
time after this. I can assure you of
[6:50] that.
Okay?
[6:52] One council member is allowed to say
whatever they want. It doesn't mean
[6:56] that's what the borough wants or what
the council wants.
[7:00] And unfortunately, we have no control
over that. That individual is an elected
[7:04] official, and they have the right to do
that as much as
[7:08] some or all of the rest of us don't like
it.
[7:12] Okay? And
that is unfortunate.
[7:17] But that is what we're dealing with
dealing with and whether you know it or
[7:21] not, we are actually working very hard
in between council meetings to try to
[7:26] address that as best we can.
Valerie, could you mute your microphone,
[7:30] please?
[7:35] Valerie, could you mute your microphone,
please?
[7:39] Thank you. Thank you. So so that So
everyone knows. Please don't think this
[7:44] is doom and gloom because one council
member comes forward with a statement,
[7:49] "I want to get rid of the library."
Don't read into it. It is not that easy.
[7:54] So, let me reassure you of that.
All right. Uh Jackie Braun, you're next.
[8:05] You're muted. We can't hear you.
[8:09] Still can't hear you.
[8:15] We see you talking, but we can't hear
you.
[8:19] Your microphone on your computer is not
on or your phone is not on.
[8:26] Now Now you've muted yourself on the
app, but your microphone's not on.
[8:37] No, it's not yet.
[8:43] Well, I'll I'll move on to somebody
else, Jackie, if you want to disconnect
[8:46] and reconnect. Maybe that will help.
Okay, and I'll come back to you.
[8:53] All right, let's move on. I I don't know
what who GA is, but GA is next.
[8:58] » Hi. Thank you. My name is Jennifer from
500 Old Chester Road.
[9:03] » Last name, please.
>> Abraham.
[9:06] A couple months ago, I stood up at your
council meeting and I said a couple
[9:10] things. I put my support behind parental
rights. I am a parent, so I don't think
[9:15] that's quite a big leap. And I let the
council know what I had learned after
[9:20] speaking to some of the librarians when
I went to visit the pride display.
[9:25] When I left that meeting, I was met by a
group of women very upset. They weren't
[9:33] happy with what I said, and they were
pushing me on where I live.
[9:38] And the gist was
you don't belong here. You don't even
[9:43] live in this town. And I said, "Well, I
live 3 minutes down the road." And that
[9:47] didn't satisfy them. They kept pushing.
They wanted to know where I lived. And I
[9:53] said, "I live in Chester." And they
said, "Well, you don't even really
[9:56] belong here. Why are you here?" Uh
deepen. And to that said to them
[10:05] I said, "We're all neighbors."
And they looked at me and they said,
[10:10] "No."
They said, "No, we are not neighbors."
[10:17] And then I listened to last month's
meeting and I'm just going to quote a
[10:20] couple things that I heard some
residents,
[10:23] who let's say have the same sentiment as
the ones that were yelling at me. Um
[10:29] I heard and I'm quoting here, "We find
ways to respect one another even when we
[10:35] disagree."
It's disappointing to see Sweeney and
[10:39] those supporting him choose division
over unity.
[10:44] We support our LGBTQ neighbors because
they are our neighbors.
[10:50] There was mention of bringing neighbors
together. And quote, "What really
[10:55] matters is supporting our community
and working together."
[11:00] So, what's happening here?
I mean, either this is a huge case of
[11:06] not practicing what you preach.
Or
[11:10] this has nothing to do with being
neighborly.
[11:14] Maybe this is all about control dressed
up as empathy.
[11:19] The questions that some residents are
asking
[11:22] are
"Your library has five displays.
[11:28] Why put questionable material, I'll say
questionable, likely it's not for the
[11:32] littles.
Why put it closest to the littles room
[11:36] and on a table with crayons versus the
other one?
[11:41] Who's their audience?
Why am I not their neighbor? Because I'm
[11:46] trying to protect my child innocence.
What would we call those not trying to
[11:51] protect the innocent?
If this is about pride which
[11:58] I'm loosely going to suggest is
for the LGBTQ community to be accepted.
[12:06] Um I know anti-bullying and inclusion
come up with that with the pride issue.
[12:14] Maybe what we're missing
is to demonstrate and show the kids that
[12:20] they live in the best country
>> I'm sorry. I have to interrupt you. You
[12:23] reached your 3-minute limit.
I'm sorry.
[12:26] » I have one more one more thing. I really
hope you
[12:30] I'd like to compliment all of you. I
would like to say that there's examples
[12:36] all over.
God bless them.
[12:39] » Thank you.
>> You're welcome, Sergeant Tom.
[12:44] » Please respect the limit, please, or
else we have
[12:47] » problem. I just want to compliment
>> We're going to mute you if you don't
[12:51] stop. So, please.
>> I read it was 5 minutes on the
[12:55] paperwork.
>> 3 minutes. 3 minutes.
[12:57] » 3 minutes. Um
Okay.
[13:00] Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[13:02] Uh next person, Bob Baker.
[13:07] Bob Baker.
>> Hi. Bob Baker from uh 100 Bender Road,
[13:11] Gladstone.
Um first of all, is are is our town
[13:14] meetings open to people from any town or
are they just people allowed to speak
[13:18] just from our town?
>> No. Our public comment session is open
[13:22] to any citizen of any any any area.
>> Understood.
[13:26] Um you know, I was going to I had a
whole thing prepared and and I I
[13:30] I'm just going to sideline that and I
just sort of echo what Carolyn said. I
[13:35] think that uh
you know, I don't feel confident that
[13:40] this is going to be um handled properly.
Uh I'm not sure that people aren't going
[13:46] to try to
you know, is there any way that people
[13:49] could do like sneaky votes or if if all
the council is not present?
[13:54] You know, we need some we need more
reassurance, Mark.
[13:57] Mayor and um
you know, I'll I'll leave all my
[14:01] prepared comments aside, but uh
this is a really big issue that has a
[14:05] lot of people really upset.
>> Um you I would say the issue has a lot
[14:10] of council members upset as well.
>> Okay.
[14:13] » Because we feel the
Let me speak Let me speak for myself. I
[14:16] can't speak for anybody else.
I'm upset by it. I think it's ridiculous
[14:21] and silly.
Okay, I think the Somerset County
[14:24] Library System does a fine job managing
our library. That's how I feel about it.
[14:30] Okay? And I know a number of other
council members feel the same way as I
[14:34] do.
[14:37] I will fight to ensure that the Somerset
County I will I have I'm sorry, I should
[14:41] speak only for myself. I will fight to
ensure the Somerset County Library
[14:45] System keeps its place.
Um as I know some others likely will as
[14:51] well.
So, I can't offer you any assurances
[14:55] because it is a council and I don't know
how the council members will vote.
[15:00] Um
but I but I would like to think that
[15:02] most council members shove this issue
aside very quickly.
[15:07] » It would be helpful for us to know what
some of the other council members think.
[15:12] » And you'd have to
You'd have to poll them individually. I
[15:14] can't ask them
I can't ask them to get their opinion
[15:18] right now. I'm sorry, that would be
inappropriate.
[15:22] » Mayor, I I think uh
uh
[15:24] Ms. Braun's has her volume working, but
it might be working a little too good
[15:28] right now.
>> Okay.
[15:29] » And
>> Okay.
[15:31] Um to Bob, thank you for your comments.
Are you done?
[15:35] » Yeah, I'm done. Thank you, Mr.
>> Okay, Jackie, we're back to you. Jackie
[15:39] Braun.
>> Okay, I think Am I on now?
[15:42] » You're on.
>> Yes, thank you. Jacqueline Braun, 63
[15:46] Main Street. Uh we moved here, I think
22 years ago we bought our house.
[15:51] And
I am kind of surprised at the unfair
[15:56] bashing of Councilman Sweeney that I'm
seeing on social media pegging him as
[16:02] homophobic,
racist, everything is unjust to him. And
[16:08] I was trying to educate myself on the
display that has
[16:14] uh
been at the library for Pride Month. So,
[16:17] I did take out one of the books that was
in question.
[16:21] And I guess
my question is is it really appropriate
[16:26] to have a book
where children can access it that
[16:31] involves a sexual relationship between a
19-year-old and a 15-year-old, whether
[16:37] they be same sex or opposite sex. I just
don't think that that is appropriate in
[16:44] our library. And I think uh Councilman
Sweeney also was quoted saying that he
[16:51] uh
wouldn't care if it was heterosexual or
[16:54] homosexual, that it involves children,
and that should not be accessible to
[17:00] preteens.
So, I just think he's being unfairly
[17:05] bashed about that.
[17:09] And I guess my question is at you had
mentioned on the 11th, this is going to
[17:14] be brought up more in person about that
display. Is that I guess I will come in
[17:19] person as well?
>> No, what I said was at the one of the at
[17:23] the at the meeting it's likely going to
occur on the meeting of September 22nd
[17:29] when this will be discussed cuz that's
the next meeting that I know of when the
[17:33] entire council will be present.
>> Okay. All right, very good. I
[17:37] appreciate. Thank you for letting me
speak.
[17:39] » Uh, you're welcome.
>> Thank you.
[17:42] » Uh, you're welcome. Um,
Heather S, which I believe is Heather
[17:46] Heather Santoro, you're next.
>> Hi, thank you. Um, yes, my name is
[17:51] Heather Santoro. I live at 3 Louise Lane
in Gladstone.
[17:56] Um, I am speaking as a private citizen
this evening and not
[18:01] um, in my capacity of a board of ed
member. My statements do not reflect the
[18:06] board on which I sit. Um, I just I I
appreciate um, Mr. Mayor that there will
[18:13] be further discussion on this. This is
obviously a very serious and concerning
[18:19] issue to so many of us. I just wanted to
point out one thing as you guys move
[18:25] forward with council conversation on
this. Um,
[18:29] I I just want to ask you to take your
responsibility as council people very
[18:33] seriously.
Um, the thought of removing our library
[18:38] from a county system that has been
serving us
[18:41] well for over 40 years without any level
of consideration for what that looks
[18:47] like, the impact on our community
um, a fiscal perspective as well as a
[18:55] social perspective is really quite
frightening to me. There needs to be
[19:00] some serious discussions and
considerations
[19:03] if there was ever even a thought of
removing us from the system. So, I do
[19:10] hope that our council members take this
very very seriously going forward.
[19:16] Um having said that, I believe our
library is working. Our librarians are
[19:20] excellent. Our residents use it. We just
invested heavily into it. And I would
[19:24] just like to note with a very simple
phone call today within 5 minutes, I was
[19:30] able to determine that there is a
process
[19:34] through the county library system. If
somebody objects to a book, it is a very
[19:39] easy process. There is um our steps
lined out, a form to fill out, and all
[19:46] you need to do is implement that process
for any book to be considered. So, I'm
[19:52] just curious if Councilman Sweeney ever
implemented that process instead or or
[19:58] if he's implemented that process rather
than leaping to removing something that
[20:03] has been serving this community for over
40 years, an invaluable resource,
[20:09] and taking it away from the residents he
serves. So, I I would like to consider
[20:13] that that process is available for
everybody. It literally took me one
[20:17] phone call,
a 2-minute conversation, and I had the
[20:20] form in my email box. So, I presume that
anybody on this call, in our town, in
[20:26] our county can avail themselves of that
process as well. So, that is all I would
[20:31] like to say this evening. I thank you
very much for your time.
[20:35] » You're welcome. Thank you for your
comments, um Heather.
[20:39] Um seeing no one else on the list, does
anybody else wish to speak on a
[20:44] non-agenda item?
[20:48] Seeing
Seeing none, I'm going to close the
[20:52] public comment portion non-agenda items
of the meeting.
[20:56] And we're going to move on.
Uh again, thank you everyone for your
[21:01] comments.
Moving on, we have no old business on
[21:04] the agenda tonight. We move on to new
business. Uh the gypsy moth moth survey
[21:10] uh Council President Murphy, will you
speak to that, please?
[21:15] » Sure. So, we got a letter from the
Department of Agriculture that um the
[21:20] gypsy moth has been identified in our
area in our county and they um requested
[21:27] that they did a survey basically looking
for egg mass um and evidence of gypsy
[21:32] moth. So, it's just something that's
going to be occurring um this fall. Um
[21:38] and so, if you see individuals from the
Department of Agriculture, you'll know
[21:41] that's what they're doing. They're
assessing how this highly injurious um
[21:47] insect is affecting um our trees. So,
pretty straightforward.
[21:52] » Okay.
Thank you and then we are responding
[21:55] positively to that re- uh we are
supplying positively that we want that
[21:59] done.
>> So, absolutely.
[22:01] Can I talk for a second um about this?
Um so, yeah, we got our our packet for
[22:07] the council. So, if everyone in the
community knows, we get our packet of
[22:10] all the resolutions to look at on Friday
before the meeting. Um and then in that
[22:15] packet, we got a letter from the state
of New Jersey and then attention
[22:20] municipal clerk. The New Jersey
Department of Agriculture regrets to
[22:24] inform you that the defoliation caused
by the gypsy moth has been detected in
[22:29] your municipality.
Um the gypsy moth is a highly injurious
[22:34] forest insect that feeds on severely
defoliates many species of trees
[22:39] normally found in forested residential
areas. And then it So, so they detected
[22:43] it, but then they go on to say the
Department of Agriculture has developed
[22:47] an integrated pest management system
which utilizes aerial sprays
[22:51] with the biological insecticide bacillus
thuringiensis
[22:56] when residential and recreational
forests are threatened with heavy
[22:59] defoliation in adjacent uninhabited
woodlands, natural control agents such
[23:04] as parasites, predators, and diseases of
the gypsy moth are encouraged. Um then
[23:10] it goes on to read, "If your council
wishes the department to conduct the egg
[23:14] mass surveys in your municipality,
please contact our office. There is no
[23:18] charge for these inspections. However,
you're required to supply copy of your
[23:23] municipal map to the inspector for the
survey. Initially, the survey will be
[23:27] conducted to the residential and
recreational areas of your municipality.
[23:30] If time permits, the more uninhabited
areas also will be inspected."
[23:35] And then it goes on, "But you must
complete the department is pleased to be
[23:38] able to offer these services once again,
but you must complete and return the
[23:42] enclosed request form to this office by
August 15th, 2020 to be eligible."
[23:48] Now, this was not put before council.
Why such a quick time
[23:53] lapse? And then I see as part of our
packet that we were not voting on this.
[23:58] Nancy Bresner already Yes, please survey
for the gypsy moth. And it succeeded
[24:05] 8-3.
So, I'm actually
[24:09] um
pretty upset about this. Why wasn't this
[24:13] put to a vote or even shown to any of us
prior to Friday?
[24:19] And and and I under understand they've
already detected
[24:22] you know, this
um gypsy moth.
[24:26] Is this another communities, you know,
why is it why wasn't a county vote? Is I
[24:31] mean there's there's a lot of questions
here that I have and it's it feels like
[24:34] this is slammed in my face and we I was
not given my due right to vote on this
[24:39] as a council member.
>> I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm missing
[24:42] something from you, Jill. What it was
the harm of having a survey done?
[24:47] » The harm is I don't know what this is a
spray of of aerial spray that could
[24:51] possibly happen. That's just
>> Jill, Jill, this is a request to have a
[24:55] survey done. No spray is being done.
>> But if a survey's already been done, if
[24:59] they've already detected it in our
community.
[25:01] » No. No, this is a request to have them
do a survey. They're not doing any
[25:05] spraying. This all they're going to do
is come in and survey.
[25:09] » Well, my question is
>> So, they've detected it and now they
[25:12] want to know how it how invasive it is.
They want to know
[25:16] » We want to know is this just our
community? Is it cuz we we are a town,
[25:20] right? We There's other farm communities
from more forested communities. Have
[25:24] they gotten this letter, too? Why the
deadline of August 15th? And yeah, it's
[25:28] a survey, Mark and Jamie, but why
weren't we asked to also weigh in on
[25:33] this?
>> I think as chair of property in and in
[25:37] discussion with the mayor, we we just
thought this would seem like a a
[25:40] reasonable thing to help the Department
of Agriculture assess an invasive bug
[25:43] and we didn't think it was necessary to
involve the entire council.
[25:47] Um and again, it's just a survey. Um
with your feedback, when we get this
[25:52] information, we'll obviously bring it to
a vote if we decide to move ahead with
[25:57] um any of the insecticides. I mean,
they're biologic, which are typically
[26:00] the safest type. Um but you know, we'll
make sure to do a vote um after the
[26:05] survey if we decide to treat.
>> So, I did also some background
[26:10] information on this and um one of the
things that I found out is that um
[26:16] well, one question The first question
that I have is that have they detected
[26:21] it if they haven't done a survey?
So, that's the first question. And the
[26:26] second thing that I wanted to mention, I
did some research on this and
[26:31] Peapack-Gladstone has never ever
experienced a critical severe
[26:36] infestation. I understand that's not to
say that it couldn't happen, but um
[26:41] this is normally found in like the pine
barren areas, in areas of high um you
[26:47] know, forestation. You see some of it up
in Chester and forest. You wouldn't
[26:53] really see it on farmland.
Um, it would be very unusual for you to
[26:58] see it there.
In order to actually qualify for the
[27:04] state to pick it up, you have to have
like they have measurements that they go
[27:09] through.
Um, where it has to be, you know, 500
[27:13] egg mass per acre over a 40 50 acre
size. So, I mean this to me seems like
[27:22] and there's all kinds of repercussions
where okay, it's it's found in dense oak
[27:27] forest. Well, where do we have dense oak
forest? And you have to, you know,
[27:33] the egg the egg survey done in the fall
and then if you're treating, you have to
[27:38] treat in the spring. And you have to
make sure that the caterpillars are less
[27:42] than a half inch long and there's all
kind of
[27:46] things that you need to file file as far
as protocol goes, but the thing that
[27:51] really stood out to me the most is that
this is not typically a hotspot for any
[27:56] type of infestation. Historically, there
it's very common up in Sussex County.
[28:01] It's common in the Pine Barrens.
Um, they said that in Somerset County,
[28:05] it's it's always remained too low to
treat.
[28:09] » Yeah, and that's, you know, that's why
that's why, you know, they count on park
[28:13] rangers and and county employees to
monitor various areas. And so my my
[28:18] guess, although they didn't inform us in
the letter of who identified it, it's
[28:22] very likely a county employee who
identified it and hence the survey.
[28:26] Because the reality is is all of these
invasive species, you know, whether
[28:30] you're talking about the gypsy moth or
the lantern fly or, you know, the the
[28:34] stink bug, I'm sorry, I don't remember
the scientific name for it. You know,
[28:37] those all started in one location and
spread. And so basically that's the
[28:41] role, one of the many roles of the
Department of Agriculture, is is
[28:45] identify spreading invasive species and
stop that spread. There's a real serious
[28:51] spread of disease down in Texas right
now of the screwworm. I don't know how
[28:55] it seems like, you know, you're reading
up on the Department of Agriculture.
[28:58] Like that is the role of this
department, and I think it's our role as
[29:03] council people to
ensure that they get the help that they
[29:07] need to identify these these invasives
because they can do serious damage to
[29:11] our forest, and we do have forests in
PG.
[29:14] » Well,
>> I I I have a question for Jill Jill
[29:18] and/or Julie.
Are you suggesting we should have
[29:22] responded, "No, don't do the free survey
for us." So, we might have a reassurance
[29:29] one way or another that we either do
have a problem or we don't have a
[29:32] problem. Why not?
Why are you
[29:35] » Why are you yelling? Why are you yelling
at us?
[29:38] » I'm sorry.
>> Why are you raising your tone and
[29:40] yelling at us? We're having
>> I'm not yelling. I'm not yelling.
[29:43] » You just yelled, "No." two times.
>> I'm just curious. Why would we not do
[29:47] it? We're not paying for it. It's being
done as a courtesy.
[29:50] » we're not refuting the fact that you're
we're looking at it. We're looking at
[29:55] one, not being consulted on this, and
two, really like they sent you this
[30:00] letter. It's a form letter. It's not
even addressed to us, and I would want
[30:04] more information on why they think that
we have a potential infestation.
[30:08] » And may I also add, if I'd gotten a
letter like this, I would have asked,
[30:12] "Hey,
let's call you you talk Mark to the
[30:15] other mayors in the other towns. Hey,
did you guys get this letter, too? Did
[30:17] you Did you Nancy or whoever else was
privy to seeing this?
[30:22] Ask those questions?"
[30:27] » No, I didn't. I don't think it's
necessary. When the Department of
[30:30] Agriculture thinks there's a risk of an
invasive species and all they want to do
[30:34] is a survey that is no cost to the
bureau whatsoever, no harm to the
[30:38] bureau, I say go ahead and move forward.
My guess is
[30:41] » a fear of not questioning the Department
of Agriculture. Let's just put it that
[30:45] way.
>> Who are you questioning then? That's
[30:47] where the letter came from.
>> I said you have a history of not
[30:51] questioning the Department of
Agriculture.
[30:54] » Oh, I don't.
[30:57] » Correct.
>> I don't I don't understand where that's
[31:00] coming from.
Is it something to
[31:04] to do with
I I don't understand where that's coming
[31:07] from, Joe.
>> Yeah, see now the way I see it is if if
[31:10] they do a survey and they send us a
report, the survey will answer your
[31:13] questions. It will say, "Oh, we we
detected this because it came from here.
[31:19] We've we've followed these gypsy moths."
Well, why do we need to know it before
[31:23] the survey is done? Let the survey
answer the answer your questions.
[31:27] It's a survey.
[31:31] I'm not I'm not following why you're
>> It just seems suspicious.
[31:36] » I I don't like
>> I don't like aerial I use the word
[31:39] aerial spraying and it just gets me
nervous.
[31:41] » They're not doing aerial spraying.
>> It says in the letter that the survey
[31:46] says that they're there. It says aerial
spraying.
[31:49] » No, what No, what it says in the letter
is it's treated by aerial spreading
[31:55] spraying if there's an infestation.
>> Right, but it says aerial spraying.
[31:59] » This is a survey. It's It's not saying,
"We're going to survey and then we're
[32:03] going to come in and spray." It doesn't
say that. It says, "We're going to We're
[32:07] offering you a free survey." That's all
it says.
[32:10] » Maybe our town should do our own survey
before trusting the federal government
[32:14] to do it.
>> It's It's not the federal government.
[32:16] This is the state government. This is
the state Department of Agriculture.
[32:21] It's not the federal. It has nothing to
do with federal.
[32:23] » All right, well then maybe we should do
our own survey first.
[32:26] » So So what you're suggesting is that we
hire a professional, contract with them,
[32:32] and let them do a gypsy moth survey
rather than experts at the state who
[32:36] know about this do it for free. That's
what you're suggesting.
[32:40] » Well, nothing's for free. Our taxpayers
pay for them as well.
[32:43] » No billable No No
No billable cost to the bureau and no
[32:47] billable cost. Is that what you're
asking suggesting?
[32:50] » I'm suggesting we should have talked to
the other towns and see if they got the
[32:54] same letter and just kind of talked
about it first and kind of questioned
[32:58] it. Maybe instead of signing this
letter, did someone call the state
[33:01] Department of Agriculture? Did anyone
talk to them? We just
[33:06] piece of paper saying, "Yeah, come on.
Do a survey."
[33:08] » It's a form letter. It's just a form
letter.
[33:11] » That's all we're questioning. I'm not
saying, "Oh, we should pay for it
[33:15] ourselves." I'm just questioning was
this questioned? I just see a paper of
[33:18] slapped in my inbox at 5:00 or whatever
time Sorry, 1:30 or whatever time it was
[33:24] on Friday and I and it's signed and it
wasn't There was Was it questioned?
[33:29] » And
you didn't Friday and tonight
[33:32] Friday and tonight you didn't pose that
question to Nancy or Jamie or Jamie or
[33:35] somebody else?
>> Well, I was away.
[33:38] » Oh, okay.
>> Okay.
[33:41] » And I don't I just didn't think it was
enough time to review it anyway, but
[33:47] » Okay.
[33:49] » I'm just questioning that these things
that are handled are just not really
[33:53] brought up to the whole council. It
seems like it should That should have
[33:56] been brought up to the whole council.
>> It is being brought up to the whole
[33:59] council. That's why Jamie put it on the
agenda.
[34:02] » And that but why was it signed and sent
back?
[34:05] » Because it's a survey. So, they're doing
a report. They're going to come look
[34:09] around and go and write a report and
send it to us.
[34:13] I'm not sure what the damage is. I'm not
sure what you're worried about.
[34:17] » And what if the authority What if they
do find something and then they suddenly
[34:20] have the authority to do aerial sprays?
>> They don't have any authority to do it.
[34:24] They'd have to come to the bureau and
they get that authority. They'd have to
[34:26] go to a council for a vote.
>> Okay, well, I don't I don't doesn't say
[34:31] that on this letter, but was it a
question
[34:33] » Actually, let's stop this conversation.
Let's bring Steven to the picture. Steve
[34:37] Steve Warner, Esquire, can you please
elaborate on this conversation and give
[34:41] us your perspective from a legal point
of view, please?
[34:45] » Certainly, I'm not an expert on gypsy
moth spraying, uh but from the letter
[34:52] uh that I read
uh
[34:55] I would have to research to
I got it probably the same time
[34:59] everybody else did
uh or at least the governing body
[35:02] members did.
Um but from the letter I read uh I could
[35:07] not tell
uh whether doing the survey or not doing
[35:12] the survey one way or the other had any
impact on whether aerial spraying would
[35:17] or would not occur
in our bureau or the uh a control over
[35:22] that happening that we would have. So, I
would have to look into it myself uh and
[35:28] do my own research. Uh if someone
authorized to do so to try to to to make
[35:33] that determination. I'm not an expert on
on the state Department of Agriculture's
[35:37] authority to spray or not spray
uh
[35:41] and the impact of
agreeing or not agreeing to have an
[35:46] initial survey done on that. It's
possible It's possible if we didn't do
[35:51] the survey, they might still spray. It's
possible that if we did do the survey,
[35:56] we might have the authority to say yes
or no to spraying uh depending upon what
[36:01] they find or regardless of what they
find. So, I'm just pointing out I don't
[36:05] have that answer if that is the answer
you're looking for. I'd have to do my
[36:09] own research on that.
>> Okay, but you you did enlighten us on we
[36:13] we may not have we may or may not have
the authority to vote on this cuz Mayor
[36:18] Mark just said we would have the
authority. He assured
[36:20] » All I'm saying is I personally have not
done the research, so I do not know for
[36:25] a fact one way or the other. That's all
I am saying.
[36:29] » Mark, do you know for a fact that we'd
have the authority to vote on it if they
[36:32] decided if they found that these were
harmful insects in our area and would we
[36:37] have the authority to vote on this?
>> I I would think that if the if the
[36:42] Department of Agriculture found a large
gypsy moth infestation and they wanted
[36:49] to spray P Palak Limestone and they
wrote us a report suggesting that that
[36:54] that is an important enough issue that
it would come to council for
[36:57] concurrence. Absolutely.
>> All right, that makes me feel better
[37:00] about the possibility.
>> my decision for property to make or any
[37:03] other chair to make or for myself to
make for that matter or the
[37:07] administrator to make. That is a council
decision. Hands down.
[37:10] » makes me feel better. Okay.
>> Hands down.
[37:13] » for engaging in the discussion. This
that makes me feel much better.
[37:16] » Absolutely.
>> If you could let us know your findings
[37:20] concur like
if your your findings are the same as
[37:24] what Mark's saying then I'll feel much
better about this whole thing.
[37:26] » No, no, no. Survey Survey's one thing.
Come coming with a helicopter and
[37:31] spraying the chemical over the town is
another thing.
[37:35] » Yeah, but I am
>> And I am
[37:36] » just to
I have not researched it and I don't
[37:40] consider artificial intelligence with
all due respect to be the same as
[37:46] human intelligence.
I hope it never surpasses that. But but
[37:51] the the the but
what it is quickly telling me is it
[37:55] appears as if it would be a I'm I'm
seeing the words voluntary cooperative
[38:00] suppression program using biological
insecticides. So I myself am becoming
[38:07] more comfortable that the ultimate
conclusion may be that we would have
[38:13] some say perhaps you know all the say if
you will as to whether or not
[38:20] uh
we're sprayed so to speak. But again,
[38:24] that that's just a um
it's a a preliminary
[38:28] opinion, not a legal opinion, and not a
definitive opinion.
[38:33] » Thank you. That's That's helpful.
[laughter]
[38:35] » Everyone, everyone, I think we beat this
up enough. Let's move on.
[38:40] Um
>> Before we move on, is is Ste- uh is uh
[38:44] Esquire Warner allowed
to do further research on this?
[38:51] » I'm sorry, say that again?
>> Uh before we move on, uh is Steven
[38:55] Warner approved to do further research
on this?
[38:58] » Well, um I'm sorry, research for what?
>> To make sure it's going to be a
[39:02] municipal decision on whether or not
this is a spray- this can just be done
[39:07] by the state Department of Agriculture,
or will we have a say?
[39:11] » He doesn't have to do research. If for
some reason they come back and say we
[39:16] should
you have an infestation, your town has
[39:19] to be sprayed. When
Nancy already knows from our
[39:23] conversation tonight, it has to be put
on the agenda for her concurrence.
[39:27] » But was the signing of this approval of
this letter that was not approved by any
[39:32] of council, are we going to have the
right to vote on if this is going to be
[39:37] sprayed or not, if they find in this
research that
[39:42] there is
>> has nothing to do with that, Jill.
[39:47] The letter has no The letter has no
control over how this council operates.
[39:50] It's our decision.
>> has a signature on it, and we were not
[39:53] told we were not allowed to vote on
that. It has a signature.
[39:56] » signature to approve a survey.
It's a survey. That's all it's doing.
[40:01] It's saying, yes, come in and take a
look around. That's what it's saying.
[40:06] » Jill, I just did some quick research as
as everyone's arguing back and forth,
[40:11] and we need to be more cognizant of of
professionalism amongst
[40:15] our town, but also we're here to
represent our constituents. The state
[40:19] does not have unilateral decision make
making decisions to spray without our
[40:24] approval. If that's the land is state
owned then it does. But ultimately
[40:30] we what we what I just did I looked at
it thoroughly I looked at it and
[40:34] ultimately we signed looks like approval
to do a survey to figure out if there's
[40:38] a need to spray. If there is a need to
spray the state does not have unilateral
[40:42] decision making to spray. Unless we
approve it as a town or if it's land
[40:47] state land
owned property. So ultimately and I'll
[40:51] do some more due diligence but at the
end of the day
[40:54] there's a lot of tension here. And this
is exactly what our town members are are
[40:58] are talking about and concerned about
that we can't have a simple discussion
[41:03] and that goes for our constituents as
well because right now we're fighting
[41:07] each other
and I think we're setting a a poor
[41:09] example. We're setting a poor example
with with some council members not
[41:13] currently here. But at the end of the
day let's do what's right for the town
[41:17] with the best interest of the town in
mind and the end goal being positive for
[41:21] everyone. Not everyone's going to see
IDI but ultimately
[41:25] I think we all need to take a step back
and do our due diligence educate
[41:29] ourselves in in in these programs
and I truly believe everyone has a good
[41:33] heart but ultimately the state cannot
spray without our approval and our
[41:39] signature. But I also understand your
point
[41:43] that sometimes things do come across our
desk that are ultimately last minute and
[41:48] we're kind of shocked by it. But that's
again for us to discuss in terms of
[41:53] logistics and formalities. Just like now
we can present earlier in the in the
[41:58] agenda as a public agenda. So with that
said I think we need to move on and
[42:03] we've kind of beat this this enough.
[42:07] Are you good with that Joe?
I'm good with that. Thank you Sergio.
[42:12] » All right. Thank you, Sergio, very much.
Um moving on to miscellaneous blood
[42:17] drive, Council President.
>> Uh so, this is me. So, I um organized a
[42:22] blood drive for Thursday, September 10th
with the New York Blood Center. There is
[42:28] currently a crisis
um need for blood and platelet products.
[42:34] Um and so, I was giving blood and I was
speaking with an individual who helps
[42:38] organize these functions and um
identified a date and then I did reach
[42:43] out to our previous chief of police and
previous mayor, Greg Skinner, um hoping
[42:47] that we could um kind of incorporate
into um a memorial for it's 25 years um
[42:54] this year for 9/11, uh the attacks on
9/11. And so, we um I planned it for
[43:00] September 10th, the day before, um and
we'll be doing a memorial on September
[43:05] 11th. We're going to be doing it in the
evening this year
[43:08] um on Friday evening um because it is a
Friday this year. Um so, um I will be
[43:13] posting around town paperwork and I
really hope that um any councilperson,
[43:19] any resident who is able uh will donate
um whatever they can that day. So,
[43:24] again, um the afternoon 12:30 to 6:30
Thursday, September 10th. Thank you.
[43:31] » Thank thank you.
>> posted?
[43:34] Uh Jamie, do you have flyers that you
would like posted for the town?
[43:38] » I got some paperwork and I'm going to um
hand them out next week.
[43:42] » Okay.
>> I'll get some from you then.
[43:44] And I'll post them at church and other
places. Happy to do that.
[43:47] » Perfect. I appreciate that.
That'd be great. If anyone else needs
[43:51] paperwork for, you know, a relatively,
it doesn't have to be an in-town
[43:54] location, but something relatively
nearby that they think that individuals
[43:57] might be interested, please let me know
and I'll make sure you get what you
[44:00] need. I I have electronic QR codes and
um physical paperwork.
[44:06] » Okay. Thank you. Let's um move on to
minutes.
[44:10] Um so we have two sets of minutes. We
can do a consent vote for both. The
[44:14] regular meeting minutes of July 21st,
2026 and the executive session meeting
[44:19] minutes of July 21st, 2026.
May I have a motion second uh
[44:26] to approve both sets of minutes, please?
>> So moved.
[44:30] » And Mayor, just to note, we do have one
of we should have one abstention for
[44:34] both sets of minutes, and that council
member, of course, should not make the
[44:38] motion or second.
>> Yep.
[44:41] Thank you, Steve.
>> Second.
[44:44] » Jamie was second. Who was first?
>> Jill.
[44:47] » Jill, okay. So Jill and Jamie. Uh any
any discussion, council members?
[44:52] Hearing none, a roll call vote, please,
Nancy.
[44:55] » Council President Murphy.
>> Yes.
[44:59] » Councilman Silva.
>> Abstain.
[45:02] » Councilwoman Sweda.
>> Aye.
[45:06] » Councilwoman Wyville.
>> Aye.
[45:13] » Okay.
Um
[45:17] moving on, we move to ordinances. So
tonight we have a second reading of an
[45:21] ordinance is 1171-26
2026, and I'll read it. An ordinance of
[45:27] the mayor and council of the Borough of
Peapack and Gladstone, Chapter 23, to
[45:31] designate data centers as a
non-permitted use in all zones within
[45:35] the borough, and to provide application
requirements for any variance requests.
[45:40] May I have a motion second, please, to
open the public hearing for this
[45:44] ordinance?
>> So moved.
[45:46] » Second.
>> And all in favor, please.
[45:50] » Aye.
>> Aye.
[45:52] » Okay. Um
May Does anyone from the public wish to
[45:57] comment on this ordinance? Now, I see
three people have raised their hands so
[46:02] far, so we'll start with that. Uh
we'll start with Carolyn. Uh Carolyn,
[46:08] would you uh go first, please?
And just turn your um unmute your
[46:13] microphone and turn your camera on.
[46:21] » I think she might have had her hand up
from previously and never took it back
[46:24] down again.
>> Oh, okay. I'm sorry. That's that's
[46:27] that's probably the case. Um
Uh that that that it's only Don uh
[46:31] Donald Lemmer. Uh Donald Lemmer, are you
on the line?
[46:35] » I am uh Mayor, thank you. Um so, uh my
name is Donald Lemmer. I live on Minden
[46:40] Road in Gladstone. Uh I wanted to
provide comments for your consideration.
[46:44] Um I have a great deal of experience in
this area and expertise, and I know all
[46:48] of your intentions are to do what's best
for our residents and community. So,
[46:52] I'll try to be as succinct as possible
and hope you'll find my perspective
[46:55] useful in your deliberations.
Um
[46:58] but, I'm asking that you not approve the
ordinance uh with the restrictions that
[47:01] come with it. By way of background, I
have more than 30 years of experience
[47:05] and expertise in the IT field, hold a
PhD in computer science, and managed the
[47:10] largest scientific database in the
world, and one of the largest data
[47:13] centers in the world in my previous
capacity as director of computing and
[47:16] CIO at one of our federal government's
national laboratories. Among other
[47:20] things, the ordinance states the reasons
advocating for its passage relate to
[47:24] noise, air quality, water use, and
references 3 to 5 million gallons of
[47:29] water usage a day.
This is preposterous. IT cooling systems
[47:33] use, in simplified terms, a radiator to
expel heat, recycling and not consuming
[47:39] any water to cool the systems. It would
be like saying your car uses 100 gallons
[47:43] of water to drive to ShopRite. It's the
car's radiator that cools it down,
[47:47] recirculates it, and consumes no water
or coolant at all, and that was my
[47:51] experience in these very large, massive
data centers. Computer systems don't
[47:55] create any noise. There's no moving
parts, and um within the service
[47:59] themselves, there's zero impact on air
quality as the data centers themselves
[48:03] do not generate any pollutants.
Regarding community character, they're
[48:06] housed in normal-looking buildings, no
different in external design than any
[48:09] other building you would find in the
borough, and certainly more attractive
[48:12] than heavy manufacturing facilities,
which are permitted in the borough.
[48:16] Also, I'd like to address the issue of
the consumption of electricity. Now, I
[48:21] would proffer that the power grid in
town is so unstable, and my power's gone
[48:25] out twice in the last weeks, that no
company at present would want to
[48:29] construct a purpose-built data center in
the borough. However, if they did, it
[48:33] would be highly likely that they would
make substantial investments in
[48:36] stabilizing and creating redundancies in
our power grid. And as we've seen with
[48:41] PG's successful participation in the 100
and energy aggregation program, the
[48:45] economies of scale actually reduce
electric costs for our residents.
[48:49] Lastly, if a corporate entity were
considering purchasing the space and
[48:53] investing in the building, um, a
low-impact corporate presence, the
[48:57] desirability of the building and the
price they would pay within our borough
[49:00] would be vastly diminished since this
new regulation would add costs or limit
[49:04] flexibility that they would have to
their property. This would negatively
[49:07] impact the future tax base. So, let me
close with this.
[49:11] The outcomes of the data center and
computing resources that I've worked
[49:14] with have decoded the human genome, done
remarkable work in the field of
[49:18] proteomics, astro particle
physics, and medicine. This type of
[49:22] science and use serves a noble purpose
benefiting all of us. This ordinance,
[49:26] although well-intentioned, appears to be
a solution seeking a problem that simply
[49:30] does not exist. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Don.
[49:34] Um, anyone else wish to comment on this
ordinance?
[49:41] I don't see any hands up.
Oh,
[49:44] Miss or Mrs. Nolan, you are you just
raised your hand, so go ahead.
[49:49] » Hi, I'm Jean Nolan. I live at 4 Hunt
Lane.
[49:53] And I also didn't run a major data
center, but I worked in the IT industry
[49:57] for 45 years.
And I just think there's a big
[50:02] difference between
the enormous server farms we're seeing
[50:07] spring up now with the lowest cost point
that you can possibly have
[50:12] versus what Don probably had in a major
data center that was running mainframes
[50:17] and very
engineering scientific oriented
[50:21] computing that probably had closed loop
water chillers and some other very
[50:26] efficient capabilities that we're not
seeing in these server farms. So, I
[50:30] think there'd have to be
a lot better understanding of what maybe
[50:34] a water cooled rack is versus the
systems he was managing when he was
[50:39] doing the human genome. Uh and I think
there's nothing wrong with us having
[50:45] this ordinance because let's face it,
hardware has not kept up with software.
[50:50] And there's not a lot of money going
into
[50:52] really creating efficient systems that
run at the best
[50:57] uh peak usage of electricity as well as
um
[51:02] best cooling technologies. And that's
that's all I wanted to add.
[51:07] » All right, thank you Ms. Nolan or Mrs.
Nolan or whatever.
[51:11] » It's [laughter] It's my It's my time.
[51:16] » Okay, Jean. Thank you, Jean.
Okay. Um
[51:19] I don't see anybody else. I don't see
any more raised hands. Is there anyone
[51:23] else?
Seeing none, may I have a motion second
[51:27] to close the public hearing for this
ordinance?
[51:31] » So moved.
>> Second.
[51:36] » Second.
>> Okay, that was Jill and Jamie Nancy. Uh
[51:40] all in favor?
>> I.
[51:42] » I.
>> I.
[51:44] » All right, anybody doing Anyone opposed?
Okay, we move on.
[51:48] Um
Um
[51:51] May I have a motion and second, please,
to adopt ordinance 1171-2026?
[52:01] » So moved.
>> Second.
[52:03] » Okay, so moved by Nancy, Jill, and
Jamie.
[52:06] And a roll call vote, please, Nancy.
>> Council President Murphy.
[52:12] » Yes.
[52:14] » Councilman Silva.
>> Yes.
[52:19] » Councilwoman Sweda.
>> Yes.
[52:23] » Councilwoman Wyble.
>> Aye.
[52:27] » Okay. Ordinance 1171-2026
is now adopted and shall be published by
[52:33] title only on the borough website in
accordance with the law.
[52:38] Okay, so we have a new law.
Right, let's go to resolutions. I would
[52:43] like all the council members to please
take a moment and look at where the
[52:46] resolutions listed on the
resolution list. That's 147-26
[52:52] through 152-26
and 154-26.
[52:57] Take a minute. Let me know if you'd like
to pull any one of those for an
[53:00] individual vote or discussion.
Otherwise, we'll do a and we'll do a
[53:04] consent vote for all the rest.
>> Uh Mayor,
[53:07] can I please just make a suggestion that
resolution 147-26
[53:13] on the person-to-person transfer for the
liquor license be pulled. Um there is
[53:18] somebody on the um
call tonight on the meeting tonight um
[53:23] to speak on the
the buyer's behalf.
[53:27] » Okay, very good. And that's fine. I'll
pull that one.
[53:35] Now, well, when you're ready, council
members, just give me a
[53:38] I I yeah I yeah I yeah.
[53:41] » I'm ready.
>> Jamie's good.
[53:44] » Good. Good.
>> Jill's good. Julie's good.
[53:47] » I'm good.
>> Sergio, you're good. Okay, we can move
[53:50] on. So, let's start with let's start
with the consent vote. So, may I have a
[53:55] motion and a second for a consent vote
to approve resolutions 148-26
[54:00] through 1
52-26 and resolution 154-26.
[54:07] Motion and a second.
>> Motion.
[54:09] » Second.
>> Second
[54:11] by Jill.
Okay, Nancy, roll call, please.
[54:15] » Council President Murphy.
>> Yes.
[54:18] » Councilman Silva.
>> Yes.
[54:21] » Councilwoman Sweda.
>> Aye.
[54:24] » Councilwoman Weibel.
>> Aye.
[54:27] » Okay.
And [clears throat] now, let's go to
[54:29] resolution number 147-26.
This is a resolution authorizing a
[54:33] person-to-person transfer
of a liquor license.
[54:38] Um
Motion and second for this resolution,
[54:41] please.
[54:46] » So moved.
>> Second.
[54:48] » Okay, and that was Sergio, right? Was
that you, Sergio? Okay, great. Um
[54:54] okay, discussion and then we can hear
from the applicant.
[54:58] Any discussion amongst council?
[55:03] » None.
>> Okay, hearing none, Nancy, tell us who
[55:07] the applicant is who is present tonight
to talk about this.
[55:10] » Um
I don't
[55:13] I know they were coming on, but I'm not
sure where.
[55:17] » Okay, applicant applicant
um would you please unmute your
[55:21] microphone and tell us who you are?
[55:25] » I
do not
[55:29] Jay Krawl
is on here.
[55:34] But I don't
[55:37] » Mr. Krawl, can you if you can hear us
Oh, yeah, you just unmuted your
[55:40] microphone. If you could turn your
camera on so we could see you and talk.
[55:54] Wait, we can't hear you.
[56:00] » They are unmuted. I don't see that.
>> see that.
[56:07] Mr. Crow, can
can you uh
[56:10] attempt to speak?
[56:22] Mr. Crow, please try to speak if you
wish to talk about this.
[56:27] I'll give you another 30 seconds to try
to fix it.
[56:45] » He cannot.
[56:52] » Um
[56:55] Mr. Crow, are you still there?
>> He's I
[57:02] » I think he disconnected or she
disconnected or whatever.
[57:05] » Yes.
>> I know he's connected. I see him I see
[57:07] him still.
>> Uh
[57:09] » I apologize. I cannot get my microphone
to work.
[57:13] » I'm sorry, sir.
>> We have a message from Jay Crow. I
[57:16] apologize. I cannot get my microphone to
work.
[57:18] » All right, Mr. Crow, would you like
would you like to make a statement on
[57:21] the chat and I'll read it to everybody?
[57:29] I'll give you a minute to type something
or 30 seconds to type something and I'll
[57:32] read it.
As a courtesy to you. And if not, just
[57:37] tell me you're not going to say
something.
[57:40] Again, through typing on the chat.
[57:52] If the council has any questions
regarding the application, we would be
[57:55] happy to answer them. Does the council
have any questions regarding this
[57:59] application?
[58:03] Um
seeing none from the council. No, no,
[58:07] Mr. Crowell, um there are no questions
for you. Uh thank you for being on the
[58:11] call with us.
Uh
[58:14] Nancy, would you please uh roll call
vote, please?
[58:17] » Council President Murphy.
[58:24] » Muted.
[58:30] » Sorry about that, computer issue. Uh
yes.
[58:33] » Okay.
>> Councilman Silva.
[58:36] » Yes.
>> Councilwoman Sweda.
[58:38] » Yes.
>> Councilwoman Waibel.
[58:41] » I.
>> Okay, thank you, council members. Um
[58:46] let's move on to the bill payment list,
resolution 153-26.
[58:52] Um
Does any council member have any bill
[58:55] that wish to be wish they wish to have
hold for discussion this evening?
[59:02] Seeing none. Uh Nancy, will you please
to read the total amount of bills to be
[59:06] paid uh on this vote on this resolution.
>> $175,535.73.
[59:15] » May I have a motion and second, please,
to approve the resolution for the
[59:18] payment of these bills?
[59:22] » So moved.
>> Second.
[59:26] » Okay, got Sergio with second. And I'm
sorry, who was first?
[59:29] » It was Jamie.
>> Jamie, okay. Jamie and Sergio, Nancy.
[59:32] And a roll call vote when you're ready,
Nancy. Nancy.
[59:35] » Council President Murphy?
Yes.
[59:38] Councilman Silva?
>> Yes.
[59:41] » Councilwoman Sweda?
>> Yes.
[59:43] » Councilwoman Wyvel?
>> I.
[59:47] » Okay.
It is a little slow time of the year,
[59:50] but some of our council members may have
reports from their respective
[59:53] committees. Does any council member have
a committee report they wish to share
[59:57] with us tonight?
>> No.
[1:00:01] » Seeing a no from Jill.
Anyone else?
[1:00:06] I think we covered some earlier, and I
have nothing outstanding at the moment.
[1:00:11] Uh Steve, do you have anything from our
legal on us?
[1:00:15] » No. No uh no report this evening. Thank
you, Mayor.
[1:00:18] » And Nancy, do you have anything for us?
>> Uh no, not this evening.
[1:00:22] » Okay, very good.
Um executive summary, I have nothing
[1:00:26] from the meeting to recap that it needs
to be followed on. So, let's go to
[1:00:30] public comments on agenda items.
So, these are comments regarding items
[1:00:36] that were on the agenda.
Uh again, same process as before, please
[1:00:40] raise your hand if you wish to comment
and address the council on agenda items,
[1:00:45] and I will call on you. Uh name and
address, please. Um 3 minutes per
[1:00:49] person.
[1:00:55] I'm not seeing anybody. Could that be?
[1:01:03] Seeing no one.
Let me just scan it again.
[1:01:12] Seeing no one, I'm going to close the uh
public comment on agenda items.
[1:01:18] Let me just take a look. Okay.
Um adjournment. Is there anything
[1:01:24] further that any council member wishes
to bring up or discuss?
[1:01:29] » No.
>> Okay, seeing none.
[1:01:32] Um,
I would like to thank everybody who
[1:01:35] signed on tonight and for the those of
you who expressed your opinions on
[1:01:39] things.
Um,
[1:01:41] I I regret that it got a little heated
amongst us, but um,
[1:01:46] uh, sometimes we agree to disagree and
we have to work it out and uh,
[1:01:50] and that does take some time
unfortunately.
[1:01:53] Um,
our next meeting is on Tuesday,
[1:01:57] September 8th, 2026. Our two
uh, go-to electronic meetings are over
[1:02:03] for the summer, so we go back to
in-person meetings at Borough Hall. That
[1:02:08] meeting on Tuesday, September 8th is at
7:00 at the Borough Hall meeting meeting
[1:02:12] in the Borough Hall in the meeting
council room council room meeting room.
[1:02:17] Um,
may I have a motion and a second to
[1:02:19] return this meeting, uh,
>> So moved.
[1:02:24] » Second.
>> Jill and Sergio.
[1:02:27] Uh, all in favor?
>> I.
[1:02:29] » I.
>> Okay, meeting is adjourned and again,
[1:02:32] thank you everyone for being online
Good night.