[0:00] Very good evening everyone. It's 6:30.
I'll call this meeting to order. Would
[0:03] you please rise for the pledge of
>> allegiance
[0:09] to the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for it
[0:14] stands one nation under God indivisible
with liberty and justice for all.
[0:20] » God bless America.
[0:26] Roll call. Councilman
first council present.
[0:30] » Colin Okonnell first council present.
>> Mr. Fuller, second council, present.
[0:35] » Maria Mamer, second word council
president.
[0:38] » Michael Hockenberry, councilman at
large, present.
[0:40] » Dominic, mayor, present. Jeffrey RHS,
third council, present.
[0:43] » Gerald Noni, third councilman, present.
>> Stan Seagull, fourth word councilman
[0:48] present.
>> Corporation council present.
[0:52] » All right. Thank you everyone. We have
no public hearings on the agenda
[0:55] tonight. We do have one presentation.
I'd like to call up Laura Meyer from the
[0:58] Fort Jervis Tourist Board.
[1:05] » Well, 2025 the Port Jervis had a lot of
great events that happened. Everyone was
[1:11] successful and we had added the Delaware
River Cardboard Boat Riotta and Delaware
[1:17] Beach Party to the event last year. We
didn't have a lot of contestants, but we
[1:22] had a lot of fun. And um the tourism
board would like to present the check to
[1:26] the Port Juris Fire Department special
operations team for their assistance the
[1:31] day of. And I think they had a lot of
fun. They saved everybody from drowning
[1:35] and injuries at the event. So, we want
to thank you.
[1:39] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[1:40] » Thank you.
>> Thanks.
[1:49] » All right. Moving on. Public comment.
Five minute limit per person. I just
[1:53] want to uh remind everybody that this is
public comment and not public answering
[1:57] session. Okay. Lindsay Ellis Andis.
[2:04] » Hello. Um my name is Lindsay Andis. This
is my son Pinn. He's a portervice middle
[2:09] school student. I'm an engineer tech
lead accredited associate. Highly
[2:14] experienced in residential structural
design with some experience in
[2:18] commercial design.
I grew up in Greenville and in January
[2:21] of 2024, we bought our first home here
in the city of Port Jervis. In the two
[2:26] years we have lived here, we have fully
immersed ourselves into our community.
[2:31] As a volunt I am a volunteer at the
warming station a few nights a week. I
[2:35] serve meals. I travel to collect
donations and cater to our guests
[2:40] individual needs. I also host movie
nights for our guests two Fridays every
[2:47] month for fellow movie enthusiasts.
Finn is an athlete playing Fort Jervis
[2:55] youth baseball, football, and wrestling.
He's also a frequent attendee of the
[3:00] city's recreation department. You can
find him at their after school program
[3:04] multiple days a week, not because he
needs to be there, because often I work
[3:08] from home, but because he loves to be
there. He attends their seasonal parties
[3:13] and during the summer bounces between
Pike Street and Church Street locations.
[3:18] This past summer, the recreation center
hosted an open forum for youth residents
[3:24] requesting their input for proposed
community center to be located at the
[3:29] Church Street Park. Finn was the only
student to attend. He spoke publicly to
[3:34] the committee and shared his thoughts on
how the after school youth program
[3:40] would benefit from having outdoor spaces
and activities such as basketball courts
[3:45] and brass toss for football. friends and
I love this little city and we want to
[3:50] continue to contribute to our community
whether it is with our minds, our hands
[3:55] or our hearts.
As an observer and a doer, I watch
[4:00] people and I listen. I hear what's
happening in the homeless community,
[4:04] their opinions and perspectives. I hear
all the youth's chatter at games in
[4:09] school coming from my own living room.
When I attended the youth forum this
[4:14] summer regarding the proposed new
community center, I listened to the
[4:18] input of my son um and from what the
forum leader shared from his meeting
[4:25] earlier with seniors and other community
demographics
[4:29] and at an increasing rate. I've been
listening to and seeing people's
[4:33] conversations online regarding the
turntable.
[4:37] Most recently, I attended the December
city council meeting and heard the
[4:41] city's residents thoughts regarding 86
Pine Pike Street, the site of our
[4:48] historic turntable landmark. Emotions
were high. Many people shared the same
[4:53] passion to preserve the city's history.
Residents came out and tuned eager for
[4:59] informed response from the city.
Instead, the mayor issued a brief
[5:03] statement which gave no explanation
other than the had no intentions of
[5:07] selling the turntable or the parcel it
sits on
[5:11] and made sure to mention two developers,
but you didn't vow not to lease it or to
[5:18] transfer ownership or to allow the state
or county agency to build grant housing.
[5:24] Can you give us guarantee?
Rumors and concerns continue to linger
[5:29] regarding the fate of the turntable at
86 Pine Street. There is a real need
[5:34] right now for unity. The residents of
the city feel they are losing their
[5:38] history and their identity. The
turntables a landmark which represents
[5:43] our deep routed history in the railroad
which the city was built on. Finn and
[5:49] Ben Finn and I are here tonight to
propose that 86
[5:53] Pike Street be absorbed by the city's
recreation department. Furthermore, as
[5:57] someone who has worked with
municipalities to create communal
[6:01] spaces, structures, and expand on the
services that they provide to their
[6:06] communities, I encourage the city to
consider 86 Pine Street, the future site
[6:10] of the proposed community center. The
goal of remediated brownfield is
[6:17] redevelopment. The potential for
redevelopment greatly increases with
[6:21] locations with municipal water and
sewer, which our city supplies. The
[6:26] Street Park located at 5155 Church
Street is two parcels with a combined
[6:32] 3.8 acres. Majority of the park is
already occupied by tennis and
[6:36] basketball courts, a splash pad and
playground,
[6:40] all leaving limited space for our
community center that can serve all the
[6:44] needs of our community, not to mention
parking. 86 Pike Street is a single 8.7
[6:50] acre parcel is a current
um It currently has municipal parking in
[6:57] place with ample room for expansion. Its
proximity to the business district makes
[7:02] it convenient and readily accessible to
residents
[7:06] » with more than double the timer.
>> Am I done?
[7:13] » Okay. Um
86 Pike Street support can support
[7:19] community center which means all the
communities need with room for future
[7:24] growth. It will provide a haven for
learning, physical activity, gathering,
[7:28] play, leisure, relaxation and most of
all unification. This new community
[7:32] center will serve as a permanent home
for our treasured artifacts memorabilia
[7:36] and honor our history with preservation
of the turntable. with the city's
[7:40] recreation department
continued commitments to our community
[7:45] and the funding assistance of the
Brownfield redevelopment grant, New York
[7:50] grant, office of children and family
services, Orange County Youth Bureau and
[7:54] other participating state and county
agencies. The community center 86 Pike
[7:58] Street is
[8:06] » Laura Meyer tourism.
[8:11] » Tim Simmons.
[8:21] » Thank you, mayor. Um, my name is Tim
Simmons. Um,
[8:26] representing the fortress special
operations team. Uh this past Saturday
[8:32] we uh held our seventh annual polar
plunge. Uh we had an amazing 89 people
[8:40] go in the water on Saturday. Um it was
it was awesome. We had a a really good
[8:47] turnout. We probably had uh
200 people there all together that uh
[8:53] were there to watch and participate. Um
this year once again um our our good
[9:01] friend Chip Estinus came and u he put
together donations pledges from uh his
[9:09] his fellow employees and he presented us
with $1,229
[9:14] in pledges and donations that he
collected. Um, we're always very
[9:20] fortunate to have the sponsorship of uh
local businesses. I just want to take a
[9:27] moment moment to run down the list here.
Uh, as always we have the Gun Lady,
[9:33] Never Sync Lumber. Uh this year we had
the uh Shop Tattoo, Bagel HQ, Mama Grace
[9:39] Pizzeria, The Erie Hotel and Tiki Bar,
Mos and Papa Joe's, Hocking Bears
[9:44] Garage, uh Jim Roner, uh once again Bear
Holler Embroidery, Blue Sky Insurance,
[9:52] John Kota and Sun Supply, our county
legislator, Tom Fazion, performance
[9:58] forming, the Port Republic Republican
city committee, uh our mayor former fire
[10:05] chief uh Tom Calis, Tom's Automotive,
Assembly, Assemblyman Carl Brain, and
[10:11] Walsh and Honor Free attorneys of Law.
And we always ask our participants to to
[10:17] patronize these. Um the only one we
don't ask them to patronize right away
[10:21] is uh the Night O movie funeral home. We
think they can wait on that a little
[10:27] bit. But um uh we also had some
donations from various people. Uh Judge
[10:35] Honor gave us a $250 donation. Uh and um
Paul Hartman gave us a $50 donation and
[10:42] other people I'm not sure who they were
along the way gave us various donations
[10:46] as they signed up or came to watch. So
um it it was awesome. Um, and without
[10:54] the support of the recck department, uh,
John Fagioni, uh, Preston Simonson, and
[10:59] Greg Conland, um, we couldn't do it.
They help us out tremendously through,
[11:05] you know, getting everything that we
need at at the beach. And, um, also the
[11:10] run signup that, uh, we use to have the
participants uh, sign up through. Uh,
[11:17] it's it's really great. But, uh, also
the guys special operations team uh are
[11:24] there to to to uh make sure it runs
smoothly and make sure everybody's safe
[11:28] and u just as they are all year long.
You know, doesn't matter day or night,
[11:34] what time of the day, what the weather
is like. Um they're always there to um
[11:41] help people who are having the worst day
of their lives. So, uh I just want to
[11:46] thank everybody that was involved and um
I want to thank the uh city for allowing
[11:53] us to hold an event like this and next
year we will do it again. Uh we've also
[11:59] thought about the idea of uh having a
challenge. Um we're going to see if we
[12:07] can send out an invitation to the all
the local fire departments. We're going
[12:12] to call it the fire and ice challenge.
And the fire department that comes with
[12:16] the most number of members who enter the
water will get a trophy and the bragging
[12:22] rights of being the coolest fire
department in the area.
[12:26] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[12:30] » All right, Harrison.
[12:39] » Sounds like it's working.
I h from the city of Kingston as an
[12:44] employee of the Catskill Mountain
Railroad.
[12:48] I've only recently been paying attention
to
[12:53] controversy about what's going on with
the turntable museum.
[12:58] I request that transparency
in order of it much like 12 years ago
[13:07] county started attacking our line to
pull it out for a bike trail. It sure
[13:12] felt like we had the rug pulled out from
under us because we as the public just
[13:16] did not know what's going on.
I would ask that you consider the
[13:20] history of your
>> Yeah.
[13:26] » Charles
[13:33] last time, but
first and foremost, I'm going let you
[13:37] all know that I a lawsuit against the
city. um police department. Um
[13:44] other than that, uh like you said, she
sound like she had a good plan for down
[13:49] there, but
the other gentleman there, uh Mich
[13:59] was donated. So donate, donation means
it's no longer ours. As long as they're
[14:05] here, it's still here to preserve our
history.
[14:08] So I I'd like everybody to start looking
into uh this uh what was what was it I
[14:18] read? Uh half a million dollar rent for
a fire department and are they going to
[14:23] tear out the wall to build a central
firehouse?
[14:29] You guys really
need to uh open up this stuff. It's like
[14:36] Kelly Decker all over again.
Becker 2.0.
[14:43] » Yeah, that's all I got.
>> Thank you.
[15:03] » Yeah, I think
does a great job.
[15:09] Unfortunately, I'm not here to tell you
what a great job you're doing.
[15:17] And I've done a lot of volunteer work
over the years for the for the city. I
[15:23] grew up in the city. I went away to
college. I came back.
[15:29] I thought I'd leave, but then we bought
property here.
[15:33] Uh I tried to rem maintain my
in a good way.
[15:41] I thought I was maintaining them. Well,
I got a notice
[15:47] in September.
Now, when was the first notice?
[15:54] The notice, the first notice was in
September
[16:00] that the grass needed to be cut
um at my property.
[16:07] and it was the store that my parents
owned on Ball Street.
[16:14] I didn't get the notice until the 20th.
Uh, apparently the deadline to cut the
[16:22] grass
was supposed to be on the 15th.
[16:29] As soon as I got the notice, I called
the fellow who was renting the store for
[16:34] me. He's a very good tenant. He pays his
rent right on time. I called him up. I
[16:40] said, "Joe, you've got to cut the grass.
I got a notice."
[16:45] So, the deadline apparently was the
15th.
[16:49] I wasn't worried about it. I thought,
"Well, I didn't get the notice till the
[16:53] 20th. I called Joe. I figured he'd go
and mow it. No big deal." So, I threw
[16:59] away the letter.
The next day, I get a bill for
[17:05] 54.
This piece of this little yard, it's
[17:10] fenced in. It's got a little tiny gate.
$354.
[17:17] I never paid more than $50
to have this little yard mowed. So, I
[17:23] call up Mr. Rivera and I said, "I just
didn't get this notice until just
[17:30] recently." I said, you know, the post
office isn't that fast. I don't go and
[17:38] mow myself.
I have the tenants. It's part of their
[17:43] things. I said, I did call them as soon
as I got the notice,
[17:49] and I do keep my properties up as soon
as I know. I don't go out and inspect
[17:54] them to see that these things are done.
But as you can see, you know where my
[18:00] properties are. My house is well
maintained. Uh, and I know if I call
[18:07] him, I know he's going to do it.
Not my concern.
[18:16] But the bill was $354.
I never paid more than $50. It's a
[18:22] little yard. Nobody goes in this little
yard. It's got a little gate. Little
[18:28] gate is like partially open. Nobody goes
in this yard. I couldn't believe the
[18:33] amount of money. I could understand even
if it was $100. I'd said well this that
[18:40] the other $354. I said, "I'm not paying
this. This is ridiculous. This is some
[18:46] kind of a money scam." I said, "I'm not
paying this."
[18:51] So meanwhile, I just got another bill
every month I've been getting a bill.
[18:57] This last month is for $49.50.
And on the bottom, it says if I don't
[19:04] pay this, it's going to be added to my
city taxes, which is the end of this
[19:10] month. So, one way or another, you plan
on taking this money out of my hide. I'm
[19:18] not happy about this. I'm going to be
putting this on Facebook and I'm going
[19:23] to be notifying Excuse me.
>> What address is that?
[19:28] » It's going to be taken out of my
>> address.
[19:32] » The address is 100 street.
I'm going to be sending this out to both
[19:40] the representatives because I didn't
hear from any of you. I sent you every
[19:45] one of you a letter. I sent the mayor a
certified letter. I sent a letter to
[19:51] River a certified letter. And everyone,
each of you got a regular letter that
[19:56] you had to sign for. So I know you each
got this letter that stated all the
[20:03] information. I can the letter.
It said,
[20:09] I received a bill from port service DPW
for $374.
[20:15] The work order was from Mr. Rivera
authorizing DPW.
[20:22] Your five minutes is over.
>> My five minutes are over.
[20:25] » We'll look into this.
>> You all got this letter.
[20:28] » I'm going to be sending it to
>> look into it.
[20:34] » You better look into it.
>> Yes.
[20:36] » Because I'm also sending it to the New
York State Attorney General because I
[20:41] know that I'm not the only one that has
this has happened to. I won't let this
[20:46] go.
This is a scam.
[21:02] What's up?
[21:06] » Hi, I'm Peter Brick.
I was born and raised in Port Jervis.
[21:13] Um,
which may take some people by surprise
[21:19] because um,
unlike everyone else here, I have a
[21:25] strange accent. Don't tell me ask me how
this happened. I just do. I've only
[21:31] spent maybe
two days outside the country as far as I
[21:35] know.
Um,
[21:40] so
and and many people when they talk about
[21:45] my accent, they usually
guess uh somewhere in Europe, uh, often
[21:52] England, but other places as well.
So,
[21:57] um,
[22:00] because of my accent,
I can be targeted
[22:06] by ICE, immigrations, and custom
enforcement,
[22:12] just because of my act, the way I talk.
Um,
[22:17] and
I was talking with a law enforcement uh,
[22:23] New York City retired policeman um, last
month and he was telling me
[22:30] um, how like he had lots of interactions
with the uh, immigration when he was uh,
[22:38] back when he was um, still in the
service in the uh, uh, on the
[22:46] in the police department down there. Um,
and they like
[22:54] they did not treat people well. Uh,
and that was presumably
[23:03] back before this current administration
where there's like no restrictions it
[23:10] seems on what uh ICE officers can do to
people. um
[23:19] and um
[23:24] the uh arrests of both immigrants and US
citizens who might have strange accents
[23:33] um or just
um
[23:37] look the wrong way,
don't look American enough. Um they
[23:43] their cars can be rammed from behind uh
to get them to stop. Um
[23:50] windows smashed in their cars. Um their
lives could be extinguished.
[23:57] Um and there is hardly any
accountability.
[24:01] And this worries me and it should worry
other people. Although maybe some people
[24:07] here don't mind if my life gets snuffed
out. Um and people American citizens
[24:13] have been held in detention um uh what
amounts to torture facil facilities
[24:22] um here in the US
um
[24:29] and
um
[24:34] so I would propose to the city to start
making uh um protect protective
[24:43] measures. Um
[24:48] uh have city agencies prohibited from
sharing informations about immigrants
[24:52] with federal agents unless they're
suspected of criminal activity.
[24:59] Um, you know, the big push was supposed
to be,
[25:02] » um, oh, we're going to get all the
violent criminals out, but turns out
[25:06] ordinary people, um, even people who
hold green cards, have visas,
[25:12] they just find out, oh, we're going to
we got a quot, we got we're going to
[25:16] yank this visa. Uh,
uh, so, uh, what other measures might
[25:23] the city take? um have uh
ICE uh prohibited from arresting uh
[25:31] individuals at the city hall,
uh other uh city or state facilities, uh
[25:39] I guess school houses.
Um
[25:45] uh another uh thing that the city might
adopt um
[25:52] uh
[25:58] have the city failed uh barred from
honoring detainer requests from ICE
[26:04] unless the uh the person was convicted
of a violent or serious crime.
[26:10] or is on the federal fox list or under a
judicial warrant
[26:15] » and have other points which I can make
next time.
[26:21] » Thank you, Mr.
[26:26] We have no executive session tonight.
Moving on to the
[26:31] annual banual mayor's appointments.
the ADA committee. I'm going to point
[26:37] this term will run through January 31st,
2026
[26:42] through January 31st, 2028.
Jennifer Foster, Ann Marie Foster,
[26:49] Melissa Decker, Gina Torres, Timothy
Monahan. For the Civil Service
[26:55] Committee, a term that's going to run
through January 13, 2026
[27:01] through May 31st, 2031, I'm going to
appoint Lisa owski for the CDA.
[27:08] I would like to appoint Kristen Troy.
Her term will run January 31st, 2026
[27:14] through January 31st, 2029.
John Russell, whose term will run
[27:19] January 31st, 2026
through January 31st, 2027.
[27:26] Michael Townage, whose term will run
from January 31st, 2026
[27:32] through January 31st, 2028.
To the IBA, I'd like to appoint Rosita
[27:38] Ever. Her term will run from January 13,
2026 through January 31st, 2028.
[27:46] Mr. Michael Whit, whose term will run
from January 13, 2026 through January
[27:52] 31st, 2029.
to the planning board to reappoint Mr.
[27:57] Henry Dunn whose term will run January
31st, 2026 through January 31st, 2031.
[28:05] Mr. Joe Budo, whose term will run
January 31st, 2026 through January 31st,
[28:12] 2031.
Recreation Committee, Debbie Cunningham,
[28:15] whose term will run January 31st, 2026
through January 31st, 2033.
[28:23] to the tourism board. These terms will
run from January 31st, 2026 through
[28:30] January 31st, 2028. Miss Laura Meyer,
Miss Theresa Bellow, Jackie Smith,
[28:36] Tucker Enright, Robert Bloomer, Tammy
Predor, Chucky McBride, Mike Meyer,
[28:41] Nikki Jones, and Regis Foster.
Like to appoint to our city uh reappoint
[28:46] to our city marshall. These terms will
run January 31st, 2026 through January
[28:52] 31st, 2031. Mr. Jeffrey Brewer and Mr.
Stan Seagull, our city historian, which
[29:00] term will run January 13, 2026 through
January 31st, 2028. Mr. Kelly Decker,
[29:07] Upper Delaware Scenic Byway Commission
rep, which term will run January 13,
[29:12] 2026 through January 31st, 2028. Miss
Teresa Straley.
[29:18] For the next round of appointments, we
will need votes, council votes
[29:24] to appoint our city clerk treasurer,
Stacy Hoskin. Her term will run January
[29:29] 13, 2026 through January 31st, 2037.
>> Motion,
[29:38] » Councilman Rhodess, we got a second by
Councilman Okonnell.
[29:42] All those in favor?
>> All those opposed? Motion carries.
[29:46] Corporation council, Mr. Bull Frank.
This term will run January 31st, 2026
[29:52] through January 31st, 2028.
[30:07] Make a motion.
>> Councilman Seagull. We got a second by
[30:10] Councilman at large Huckabeberry. Any
discussion? All those in favor?
[30:15] » All those opposed? Motion carries.
Labor attorney, uh, Mr. Stu Waxman. His
[30:21] term will run January 31st, 2026 through
January 31st, 2028.
[30:31] Thomas
[30:34] Henberry. Second by Councilman Rhodess.
Any discussion? All in favor?
[30:40] » All opposed? Motion carries. Okay. Our
city engineer, which will be MH
[30:45] Engineering. Their term will run January
31st, 2026 through January 31st, 2028.
[30:51] » Motion.
>> Council Okonnell.
[30:54] Second by council large Hawkenberry. Any
discussion? All those in favor?
[30:59] » All opposed? Motion carries. For this,
we'll do a roll call vote. This is for
[31:05] the appointed position of city court
judge. This is for Mr. Matthew, the
[31:08] honorable Matthew Wither. This term will
run through January 31st, 2026 through
[31:14] January 31st, 2032.
Councilman Quigerell,
[31:20] » yes.
>> Councilman Okonnell,
[31:22] » yes. Counciloman Fuller.
>> Yes.
[31:24] » Council man.
Sorry.
[31:31] » Council Laur.
>> Yes.
[31:32] » Councilman Rhodess.
>> Yes.
[31:34] » Councilman on.
>> Yes.
[31:35] » Councilwoman Dennis.
>> Yes.
[31:37] » Councilman Seagull.
>> Yes.
[31:38] » Motion carried. Motion passes. N.
>> All right.
[31:44] The first half.
>> Yeah.
[31:48] » Okay. The approval December 8th, 2025.
Council meeting minutes.
[31:53] » Motion also by Councilman Rhodess.
>> Second.
[31:56] » Second by Councilwoman Fuller. Any
discussion on the minutes? All those in
[32:00] favor?
>> All opposed? Motion carries. December
[32:04] 29th, 2025. Special common council
minutes.
[32:08] » Councilman Laurenberry. Second by Mr.
Rhodess. All those in favor.
[32:16] » Two extensions.
That's one.
[32:21] I got cherry. I got
[32:31] » all those in favor.
>> All those opposed?
[32:35] » Motion carries.
>> All right, moving on. Regular business.
[32:39] Code committee council.
>> Thank you, mayor. Uh, code committee met
[32:44] on January 7th.
>> I have one order of business. Um
[32:51] like to make the following motion to
adopt
[33:03] » resolution amending the bylaws of the
Port Fire Department.
[33:08] Um, this was brought before the code,
discussed, reviewed,
[33:14] and
just making a bit easier on the fire
[33:19] police. Uh, so therefore, is hereby
resolved that common council city for
[33:24] service hereby approves following
amendment article 7 section E of city
[33:30] fire departments bylaws effective
immediately as noted by all
[33:36] 12.
Uh section E captain replace sub
[33:43] sections five and six with the
following. The incompetent captain of
[33:48] each company prior to December 31st of
each year shall provide the department
[33:52] secretary with a list of members in
writing that he recommends that the
[33:56] mayor appoint as member of said fire
police squad. The appointment term shall
[34:01] be openended as it as at will and the
mayor may remove any person appointed
[34:08] office at any time.
Six, the captain of the fire police will
[34:14] ensure that each member is administered
an oath of office within 30 days of
[34:19] appointment. Failure to administer or
take the required oath of office will
[34:24] invalidate the appointment. If a member
voluntarily resigns from the fire police
[34:30] squad or reassigned to another position
within the fire department, such member
[34:34] will be required to retake the oath of
office should he or she be reappointed
[34:41] to fire police squad.
Basically, the fire police used to have
[34:47] to take the oath every year. This just
makes it so they can take it when
[34:51] they're appointed to the fire police
squad and
[34:55] unless they different position
>> and I'd like to make that a motion.
[35:00] » Second.
>> Second by Councilman Okonnell. Any
[35:02] discussion? All those in favor?
>> All is opposed. Motion carries.
[35:08] » Thank you.
[35:11] » At the code committee, we
discussed such items as electric bikes
[35:18] and scooters and went over some of the
existing laws that are in place. Uh
[35:23] again, if you have an electric bike or
scooter, you're not supposed to be
[35:26] riding on the sidewalk. You are supposed
to be riding with traffic on the side of
[35:30] the road and obey all vehicle and
traffic laws.
[35:35] We also discussed uh creating a local
law.
[35:42] Again, I can't believe we have to
discuss these things about animal
[35:46] control with uh abandoning animals. When
tenants leave apartments, they're
[35:52] they're leaving their animals and
they're to die.
[35:56] It's a terrible thing. I can't believe
we even have to address this. So, we
[36:00] have to look at a way to maybe
control that a little bit.
[36:06] Um,
other was regular business.
[36:13] As far as the building department, um
last year we auctioned off four
[36:21] properties which the city own and had
clear title to other than city buildings
[36:28] that we use every day. They were the
only four parcels in the city that city
[36:32] owns clear title. They were auctioned
off with the
[36:39] uh condition that those buildings
because they were in such disrepair be
[36:44] taken down within a year's time.
If the city were to hold on to those
[36:49] buildings, it would have cost the city
over half a million dollars or over 9%
[36:55] of city budget to take those buildings
down.
[36:59] At this point, after the auction, I'm
proud to say that three of those
[37:03] buildings that were purchased have been
demolitioned and have been backfilled.
[37:10] Kel there is building there and they
plan to put houses on those buildings.
[37:15] So those properties are back on the tax
rolls and they were taken down and
[37:19] didn't cost the taxpayers anything.
The fourth building is scheduled to be
[37:25] taken down within the next couple weeks
as weather permits. So those four
[37:30] buildings will all be taken down and
won't cause the city taxpayers to die.
[37:35] So I'm very proud to say that.
Other big things that the building
[37:41] department's been working on, Rumshop
was very happy to take delivery of their
[37:47] first building. They have two stick
built buildings get on the on the way
[37:52] there.
[37:55] the the building at 29 Jersey Avenue
which was in severe disrepair.
[38:02] Building department and the city council
was able to get a hold of the owner of
[38:06] that. And as you can see,
you can actually take the entire front
[38:13] of a building off without taking the
building down, which surprised me. So,
[38:20] I'm glad to see that that's being worked
on. It's going to be fixed up and
[38:25] and uh renovate it.
Other than that, the next code committee
[38:31] meeting will be February 4th at 6:30
p.m.
[38:38] right into the police.
Uh police committee meeting has not met
[38:43] since our last council meeting. However,
we will meet Thursday, January 15th at
[38:48] six o'clock here in council chambers.
[38:54] getting into all the other stuff. Um,
one thing that we we the police, the
[38:59] DPW, we do we're begging for people to
come into compliance.
[39:05] Um, when it snows, get your cars off the
street. The DPW plows can't get down the
[39:12] street if your cars are parked there.
>> In the month of December, the police
[39:17] department wrote over 200 overnight
tickets. We've changed the law to that
[39:23] used to be from December 1st
>> to April 15th.
[39:28] » April 15th
>> that you couldn't park there any night.
[39:31] So to help people out, we said we won't
do that. We only do it when it's
[39:35] snowing. Please comply. And and we're we
still
[39:41] we're not exactly sure what to do. You
know, we need some some compliance and
[39:46] some cooperation on that matter.
The next, like I said, the next police
[39:53] committee meeting will be January 15th
and 16th.
[39:56] » That's all.
>> Planning and zoning recreation council.
[39:59] » Thank you, mayor.
>> Planning or zoning have not met since
[40:03] our last meeting. Um, planning will next
meet on Tuesday, January 20th at 7 p.m.
[40:08] in the council chamber.
Recreation.
[40:16] One second. Okay. So, the dog the dog
yard on Church Street Park and the
[40:22] vehicle entrance at Point to Point Peter
are all closed for the winter. They'll
[40:26] reopen this spring. We're all in the
process of setting up the sleigh riding
[40:30] hill at West End Beach. Hay bales will
be placed along the guard rail for
[40:33] protection. Please no skis or snowboards
sleds only. Open during daylight hours.
[40:38] The youth center is open Monday through
Thursday 2 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Fridays
[40:43] 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It will be closed on
January 19th. Martin Martin Luther King
[40:48] Jr. Day. The next recreation commission
meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,
[40:52] January 14th at 6:15 in the East Center.
And on behalf of the council, I want to
[40:58] thank Tim Simmons, the Portraits Rec
Department,
[41:02] um all the volunteers and sponsors who
helped put on this year's Porter Polar
[41:07] Pledge. It took place on Sunday, January
10th at West End Beach. It was a huge
[41:11] success. People came from far and wide
to take the plunge and brave the
[41:15] blistering cold of the Delaware River.
Councilman Vicarelloo and myself somehow
[41:19] survived the took the plunge and somehow
survived with all our toes and fingers
[41:23] intact.
[41:27] The plunge was for an
amazing cause. Over $3,000 was raised.
[41:33] All proceeds went to the Port Fire
Department spee operations team. These
[41:38] honorable men and women selfishly risk
their own lives to make our city safer,
[41:42] rescuing countless people every year
caught in a horrible situation.
[41:47] They truly represent the best of what
our community has to offer. That's all I
[41:51] have. Mayor, thank you.
>> Thank you. Thank you.
[41:54] » Thanks, Councilwoman Fer.
>> Thank you, mayor. Uh we have bills to be
[41:59] paid from the general fund, $475,378.81.
[42:05] From the water fund, $116,176.
[42:10] From the sewer fund, $6,42818.
[42:15] From the capital fund, $123,68743.
[42:20] And from trust and agency, $314,44254
[42:26] a total of 1,36,1132.
[42:31] Some larger items to note from the
general water and sewer funds. Robert
[42:35] Green truck for $51,943.96.
[42:40] MH Engineering for $85,220.
Orange County Sanitary Landfill for
[42:46] $29,57610.
[42:50] Orange and Rockland PE uh Cordova Solar
for $54,964.3.
[42:57] From the capital fund, we had MHE
engineering for $117,874.93,
[43:05] FAR Engineering for $562.50,
and Carol Gallagher Esquire for $5,250.
[43:14] I would like to make a motion to pay the
bills.
[43:17] » Second, second by Councilman Okonnell.
Any discussion on the bills? All those
[43:22] in favor?
>> All opposed? Motion carries. And our
[43:26] next finance meeting will be Wednesday,
January 21st at 6 PM here in the council
[43:31] chambers. And that's all I have. Mayor,
>> great. Thank you. Tourism Councilwoman
[43:34] Mazar.
>> Thank you, Mayor. The tourism board held
[43:38] their annual holiday lighting contest.
The winners in order were first
[43:42] placewald
oldtime family Christmas located at 92
[43:48] Orange Street with 691 votes. Second
place, Christmas Magic, 84 Hammond
[43:54] Street with 499 votes. And third place
was Festive Puerto Rico at 129 Crunch
[44:01] Street with 354 votes. Votes were cast
on the poor service Facebook page and
[44:08] the board would like to thank everyone
who participated in and voted.
[44:14] It went well.
The board is now working on the St.
[44:19] Patrick's Day parade which will be held
on Sunday, March 1st. Anyone interested
[44:24] in participating can email tourism chair
Laura Meyer at flora laura pjyahoo.com.
[44:32] The next tourism meeting will be held
this Wednesday, January 14th at 7 p.m.
[44:38] here in the council chambers. And that's
all I have.
[44:40] » All right. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[44:42] » Emergency management. Councilman
Rhodess.
[44:44] » Thank you, mayor.
>> And happy birthday.
[44:47] » Birthday boy.
>> Happy birthday.
[44:49] Happy birthday to you.
>> No, no, no, no. Save that for your quote
[44:53] of the day.
>> Let's not go there.
[44:58] » Uh from the fire department, Never Sync
Engine Company would like to have events
[45:02] for the year. Uh Super Bowl fundraiser
starting uh on January 5th, 2026 until
[45:08] the Super Bowl, a spaghetti dinner
takeout on March 7th of 2026.
[45:14] uh and also a spaghetti dinner takeout
on uh November 7th, 2026. I make that a
[45:19] motion.
>> Second, second by Councilman Seagull.
[45:22] Any discussion?
>> All those in favor?
[45:25] » All oppose. Motion carries.
>> Next thing, uh events for Excelsier
[45:29] Engine Company number five, Super Bowl
party on 2826,
[45:35] Daytona party
2226,
[45:39] uh Good Friday pizza takeout 4326.
timers night on 51626
[45:46] have a booth at fall forwards 92726
and a members Christmas party on 121926
[45:54] and make that motion
second by counciloman any discussion all
[46:00] those in favor. All motion carries.
>> Next is the appointment of a
[46:06] probationary driver for David Daniel
Moore for never engine company. I make
[46:11] that motion.
>> Second by Councilman Seagull. Any
[46:14] discussion?
>> All those in favor? All
[46:17] » oppose? Motion carries.
>> Appointment of of a driver for Andrew J.
[46:23] Alic for Poke Lad. I make that motion.
>> Second. Second by Councilman Seagull.
[46:28] Any discussion? All those in favor I.
>> All those opposed. Motion carries. Next
[46:34] department transfer from Michael C.
Kwinsky Jr. into Never Sync any company
[46:39] from Tri-State Close Company number six.
I make that motion.
[46:42] » Second that. Simply Councilman Seagull.
Any discussion? All in favor? All
[46:47] opposed?
>> And the last uh is removal of member for
[46:52] Jeffrey M. Winger from uh Excelsier
Company number five due to passing away.
[46:59] That motion
>> wanger
[47:03] second by council mello. Any discussion?
>> All those in favor?
[47:09] Motion carries. And the next fire
emergency man meeting since Monday the
[47:13] 19th is going to be a holiday is going
to be on Thursday the 22nd here in the
[47:18] council chambers at 6:30
on the 22nd. Thursday. Okay, that's all
[47:24] I have.
>> IDA council.
[47:28] » Thank you, mayor. Uh the ADA has not
met. The IDA will be meeting uh January
[47:33] 21st at 7 p.m. and a reorganization
of officers will take place.
[47:41] » Okay.
[47:45] » CDA council
[47:50] » of the CDA last met
at the rec center. The CDA will next
[47:56] meet on January 28th, 2026 at 7 p.m.
location.
[48:02] » Good job.
>> Housing Veterans PJTV23
[48:07] Councilman Seth.
[48:13] » Thank you. The last meeting of the Port
Housing Authority was held on Tuesday,
[48:17] November 18th. There was no meeting in
December. The next meeting is scheduled
[48:23] for January 20th at 6 pm at Hillside
Terrace.
[48:28] The next senior club meeting is the is
January 24th at 1:30 p.m. in the
[48:35] fellowship hall in West End.
Veterans should know the flu shots are
[48:40] available at our clinic with many
getting the flu. Getting a shot should
[48:45] be considered. Just call the clinic and
make an appointment. call the clinic at
[48:50] 845856-5369.
[48:56] Also, the 2006 veterans disability
compensation rates starting this past
[49:02] January 1st have been increased by 2.8%
to match
[49:09] the adjustments made by the Social
Security Administration.
[49:15] PJTV
is looking for volunteers to become
[49:18] members and learn television
broadcasting and community involvement.
[49:24] Experience is nice, but it's not
necessary. Podcasters are also welcome.
[49:30] Junior members 16 to 18 years old are
welcome as well. You can contact me at
[49:36] 8452481622
or my email.
[49:42] I'm still updating my monthly calendar
andformational email list. If you're
[49:46] interested in being added to the list,
you can contact me at stan seagull
[49:51] 2@gmail.com.
[49:55] The
um tri-state or the port service naval
[49:59] ship
7241
[50:04] has an annual um contest. One is Voice
of Democracy for High School Kids and
[50:11] one is
one is Patriot Pen. And yesterday they
[50:17] had an awards ceremony for the winners
of that in addition to a really nice
[50:22] gross beef dinner. And I'd like to
announce those winners because I think
[50:26] it's a great thing that these kids take
the time to talk about patriotism. And
[50:32] every year they have this event and this
and the essays that these kids come up
[50:37] with are really really great. So the
winners of the portraits high school
[50:41] Voice of Democracy were first place Ava
Mills and if I make a mistake by names I
[50:48] apologize ahead of time.
Second place was Genna
[50:54] Di Ti.
She was they're both 11th graders. And
[50:59] the third place was Bella Cartagena,
also 11th grade student. The Portra
[51:06] Middle School Patriot Pen essay winners
were first place was Isabelle Fedoric,
[51:12] eighth grader,
Elania Sweeney, also an eighth grader,
[51:18] and Brilan Koser, a seventh grader. And
I'd like to congratulate them and thank
[51:23] everybody all the kids that got involved
in this essay program because I think
[51:27] it's vitally important to be patriotic
and to learn about patriotism and the
[51:34] words that they had to say were were
were
[51:38] very good. So thank you to all of them.
Also
[51:46] I would like to take a minute to thank
you for the the fire police. Um it's
[51:53] it's been a hassle to try to get
everybody together annually. This way
[51:57] they'll get
[52:01] once and they'll continue until they
resign or they leave. So thank you for
[52:06] doing that.
[52:09] » Also um
my inspirational
[52:22] believe that you can and you're halfway
there. And that was Teddy Roosevelt.
[52:28] And the second one is the best way to
get started is to quit talking and start
[52:33] doing. And that's Walt Disney. One of my
favorite.
[52:39] Thank you. Happy New Year to everybody.
>> DPW Councilman Henber. Thank you, Mayor.
[52:46] The garbage recycling on the week of
January 12th will be on it normal
[52:50] schedule. The week of January 19th,
garbage recycling will be picked up one
[52:53] day later due to the Martin Luther King
holiday. Fourth work cardboard will be
[52:58] picked up on January 23rd. 2026 garbage
schedule is available in the city's
[53:03] website at www.porteny.gov
or by emailing the DVW office at DVW
[53:09] clerk at portervice.gov.
Everybody should receive again the
[53:13] instructions for initials and how to
sign up for the notifications.
[53:16] Um most of the city's correspondence is
done through there now. You'll get
[53:20] notifications when you can and cannot
park on the streets. Hopefully people
[53:24] sign up. That'll
[53:29] probably not. But it's worth a try. I'm
trying
[53:33] all residents received or let inventory
letters in the mail at this time. If you
[53:37] have already complied with the letter,
please disregard. If not, please follow
[53:41] the instructions on how to complete the
survey. Christmas tree pickup is ongoing
[53:45] and all the awards that please put your
tree curbside for pickup. Last day for
[53:51] pickup will be January 19th. If you get
it out there after the 19th, just
[53:55] contact the DPW office and they'll come
by and pick it up. It's not a big deal.
[53:58] Our next meeting is scheduled for the
middle of this month, January 22nd,
[54:02] Thursday.
[54:06] That is all I have. Thank you. All
right. Thank you, sir.
[54:10] All right, just finishing up our evening
here in the mayor's correspondence. I
[54:13] have a letter from Miss Jackie Smith.
Dear Mayor Sigles, I'm ready to submit
[54:16] this letter by resignation from the
portrait of IDA board effective
[54:19] immediately. Due to personal
circumstances and professional changes,
[54:22] I'm unable to commit the time required
to serve the board in full capacity as
[54:26] needed for its full success. It's been a
pleasure serving on the board for the
[54:30] past few years. I'm excited for the
future of Port Riverside via IDA and the
[54:34] great opportunities that will provide it
to our city through the work of the IDA.
[54:38] And I make a motion or entertain a
motion motion to accept that with regret
[54:46] second by Councilman Oni. Any
discussion? All those in favor?
[54:50] » All opposed? Motion carries. I'd like to
thank Jackie for her years of service on
[54:55] the board. And sitting into her seat as
councilman or chairman will be Mr. Caleb
[55:01] Russell
have a few resolutions to get through.
[55:04] Just some housekeeping items for the
beginning of the year. Uh this is the
[55:08] resolution on the common council of the
city of Port Jervis. This is for banking
[55:11] and depositories. Whereas the city of
Port Jervis common council has
[55:15] recognized the need to maintain and/or
establish the accounts to conduct
[55:18] regular business. Is hereby resolved
that the common council of the city of
[55:21] Port Jervis directs the city clerk
treasurer to utilize official
[55:25] depositories for the funds maintained in
a check-in and savings accounts of the
[55:28] city of Port Jervis for the year 2026 as
follows. TD Bank, General Operating,
[55:34] Water, Sewer, Capital, Money Market,
Recreation, IDA, Senior Citizens,
[55:40] Payroll, Rachel Deets Memorial Fund,
Small Cities Grant, and the USDA Water
[55:44] Clarifier Reserve Funds, Mnt Bank,
Trusting Agency, Money Market, Federal
[55:50] Drug Forfeiture, and City Drug
Forfeiture Funds. I'll entertain a
[55:54] motion.
>> So move.
[55:55] » Councilman Laurenbury.
>> Councilwoman Fuller. Any discussion? All
[56:00] those in favor? All those opposed.
Motion carries. Resolution of the common
[56:05] council of the city of Port Jervis
standard workday and reporting for New
[56:08] York State retirement system benefits.
Whereas the city of Port common council
[56:12] recognized the need to establish a
standard workday for all elected and
[56:15] appointed positions within the New York
City for New York State retirement
[56:20] reporting purposes and to satisfy
reporting requirements in New York State
[56:23] retirement systems with respect to time
work and is hereby resolved and
[56:28] reaffirmed that the common council of
the city port hereby establishes a
[56:32] standard workday of eight hours for all
employees elected and appointed
[56:35] officials and it is also resolved that
all employees elected and appointed
[56:40] Officials who participate in the New
York State retirement system are
[56:43] required to submit time sheet time
sheets of actual time worked and/or
[56:47] shall complete record of activities log
for at least a three-month respective
[56:51] time period and submit to the city clerk
for report purposes. Entertain a motion
[56:58] second
roads by Councilman Seagull. Any
[57:03] discussion? All those in favor?
>> Opposed? Motion carries. Resolution of
[57:09] common council of the city of Port
Jervis
[57:12] newspapers, radio and television.
Whereas the city of Port Jervis common
[57:16] council has recognized the need to
maintain or establish accounts to
[57:19] conduct regular business. It is hereby
resolved that the common council of the
[57:23] city port Jervis directs the city
treasurer to utilize the time scale of
[57:26] record as his official newspaper for the
year 2026 with the pike county dispatch
[57:32] as alternatives when necessary for legal
notices local laws ordinances
[57:36] advertisements for bids for materials,
equipment and services as being required
[57:41] during the year 2026.
And be it further resolved that WDLC be
[57:47] designated as the official radio outlet
and
[57:52] PJTV23
provided by Spectrum under the pres
[57:55] present cable franchise agreement be
designated television outlet
[58:03] second
by Councilwoman Fuller. Any discussion?
[58:08] All those in favor? Opposed? Motion
carries. Uh lastly, doing the I will be
[58:16] doing the annual state of the city
address here in the council chambers.
[58:19] It'll be January 26th at 6 pm. It will
be before the 6:30 common council
[58:25] meeting and I will entertain a motion
for
[58:27] » adjournment.
[58:33] No
>> do that next meeting.
[58:38] All right, I'll entertain a motion for
>> adjournment.
[58:42] Second large, second by Councilman
Seagull. All those in favor?
[58:47] » All opposed? Motion carries.
[59:06] How are you, sir?