[1:59] Mhm.

[2:07] » Good evening everybody. It's so great to see so many faces here

[2:09] this evening. This is the meeting of the Tinton Falls

[2:12] Borough Council being held August 11th, 2026.

[2:16] This meeting is hereby called to order. Will the clerk please read the open

[2:19] public meeting statement? >> Pursuant to section 5 of the Open Public

[2:23] Meetings Act, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by posting on

[2:27] the Borough of Tinton Falls official website in the municipal building at

[2:30] least 48 hours prior to the meeting and filing with the Borough Clerk all on

[2:34] November 10th, 2025. >> Thank you.

[2:38] May I ask the clerk to call the roll? >> Mr. Alessi?

[2:41] » Here. >> Ms. Buckley?

[2:43] » Here. >> Mr. Nice?

[2:44] » Here. >> Mr. Parikh?

[2:46] » Here. >> Mr. Nessi?

[2:48] » Here. >> At this time, I would like to invite

[2:50] everyone to join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

[2:55] I pledge allegiance >> to the flag of the United States of

[2:59] America and to the Republic for which it stands,

[3:03] one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[3:14] » There are three sets of meeting minutes for approval.

[3:16] May I have a motion to approve the June 16th, 2026 regular and executive session

[3:21] meeting minutes? >> Motion.

[3:24] » Thank you, Ms. Buckley. May I have a second?

[3:26] » Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Nice.

[3:29] May I have a roll call, please?

[3:35] » Mr. Alessi? >> Yes.

[3:37] » Ms. Buckley? >> Yes.

[3:39] » Mr. Nice? >> Yes.

[3:41] » Mr. Parikh? >> Yes.

[3:42] » Mr. Nessi? >> Yes.

[3:47] » May I have a motion to approve the July 7th, 2026 regular session minutes.

[3:53] » Motion. >> Thank you, Mr. Parekh. May I have a

[3:56] second? >> Second.

[3:58] » Thank you, Mr. Alessi. May have a roll call, please?

[4:02] » Mr. Alessi? >> Yes.

[4:04] » Ms. Buckley? >> Yes.

[4:05] » Mr. Neese? >> Abstain.

[4:07] » Mr. Parekh? >> Yes.

[4:09] » Mr. Nessi? >> Yes.

[4:12] The next item on the agenda is reports. At this time, I would like to invite

[4:17] Mayor Clay to present tonight's certificates of

[4:19] recognition.

[4:35] » Thank you so much. Thank you, Council President. Um it's an

[4:40] exciting evening here tonight in Tinton Falls.

[4:45] Uh we have several certificates of recognition.

[4:49] Uh the first um is Elena Mullen. Elena, if you could come up.

[5:03] Um I just I would like to share a little bit about Elena for the audience in case

[5:08] anybody doesn't know. Um we were we were fortunate a number of

[5:13] us were at uh the Kate the the K8 graduation and we got to hear um Elena

[5:20] and Jayla's speeches and they were really outstanding.

[5:24] And so, we wanted to be sure to present these two outstanding young women to

[5:30] everyone tonight. Um I'm proud tonight to recognize an

[5:35] exceptional young member of our community, Elena, who has distinguished

[5:39] herself as the valedictorian of her middle school graduating class

[5:45] through her remarkable dedication to academics, leadership, athletics, and

[5:50] community service throughout all three years of middle

[5:54] school, Elena consistently earned high honor roll

[5:59] recognition reflecting her unwavering commitment to

[6:04] academic excellence. Along with being the valedictorian,

[6:09] she also was honored with both the PTA Scholastic Award and the PTA

[6:16] uh Scholar or Athlete Award, Scholar Athlete, excuse me.

[6:21] Achievements that highlight not only her outstanding scholastic performance, but

[6:26] also her dedication to athletics and personal growth.

[6:30] Her leadership is equally noteworthy. She was inducted into the National

[6:36] Junior Honor Society where she served as secretary

[6:41] exemplifying responsibility integrity, and a strong sense of

[6:46] service. Beyond the classroom, Elena has shown a

[6:51] deep commitment to her community. She completed volunteer service with local

[6:57] organizations and in seventh grade, she graduated from

[7:02] the Tin Falls Junior Police Academy. An experience that further demonstrated

[7:08] her interest in civic involvement. This summer marked another milestone

[7:13] as she began her first job at Kumon helping younger students build

[7:19] confidence and strengthen their academic skills. I know that isn't easy.

[7:24] On behalf of myself and the Borough Council, congratulations, Elena.

[7:29] You represent the very best of our community and we look forward to all you

[7:34] will accomplish in the future. And I just wanted to share that I had

[7:39] asked Elena where she would be going to high school, and she will be attending

[7:43] asked.

[8:38] Okay, and next Jayla Alberto. Jayla, if you can come up.

[8:54] I'm also honored tonight to recognize another outstanding young leader in our

[8:59] community, Jayla, whose accomplishments during her time at

[9:03] Tin Falls Middle School have distinguished her as an exceptional

[9:09] student, role model, and representative of our borough.

[9:13] Uh Jayla is our salutatorian. Uh she served as student council

[9:19] president, a role in which she demonstrated

[9:23] remarkable leadership and dedication to her classmates.

[9:27] Her commitment to excellence is reflected in her hard work and academic

[9:32] success, and has earned her salutatorian of the class of 2026.

[9:40] Throughout her middle school years, she achieved high honors. She was a

[9:45] committed member of the National Junior Honor Society,

[9:49] furthering her dedication to her school and community.

[9:52] In addition, Chayla represented St. Paul's in the

[9:57] eighth grade dialogue program, contributing her voice and perspective

[10:02] on issues important to students in the community. I feel like we need to have

[10:07] that here with some students and council and mayor's dialogue, Penny. Maybe I'll

[10:12] be reaching out to you about that. Uh Chayla's achievements extend to a

[10:17] series of well-deserved awards, including the school spirit award,

[10:23] excellence in social studies award, and the PTA scholarship award.

[10:28] This year, Chayla reached another exciting

[10:32] milestone with her acceptance to Trinity High School,

[10:37] where she will begin her studies as a freshman in the fall.

[10:41] On behalf of myself and the borough council, we are proud to celebrate you

[10:46] and your achievements and are excited to see all the incredible things you

[10:50] achieve in the future.

[11:33] » Great job.

[11:43] » Hey. Um So, um a little bit about this next

[11:50] recognition. A couple of months ago, um

[11:54] we had we had done a post about um our town being film ready.

[12:00] And one of the residents reached out and said, "Hey, Mayor Clay, you know, we

[12:06] have our very own filmmakers that have won awards right here in our town." And

[12:12] I was like, "Wow, that's pretty cool." And so, we

[12:16] ended up meeting uh with Max, who's here tonight, uh

[12:21] myself and the public information officer, Eileen, and we were privileged

[12:27] to see uh some of uh the work of these young men.

[12:32] And I said when I saw them tonight, the uh the two young men that I had met, I

[12:38] felt like I was meeting celebrities, you know, like I recognized them from the

[12:42] movie. It was super cool. Anyway, um

[12:47] we wanted to acknowledge the awards that um that these guys have achieved.

[12:52] Um so, tonight, we're recognizing Max Estrada and Tyler Walsh because they're

[12:59] our Tin Falls residents. I feel kind of bad. I think we'll have to do a picture

[13:04] with all four of you. So. Uh we're pleased to recognize two talent

[13:09] Well, you guys should come up. The two of you guys should come up, and then

[13:12] we'll do a picture with everyone.

[13:21] Uh we're pleased to recognize uh two talented young creators from our

[13:26] community, Max and Tyler, whose impressive achievements in filmmaking

[13:33] have brought pride to Tin Palms and earned recognition across New Jersey and

[13:38] beyond. Max and Tyler have produced standout

[13:43] projects that demonstrate creativity,

[13:47] skill, and a passion for storytelling. I promise you you must check these out.

[13:53] Their film, The Other Foot, received an honorable mention at the Count Basie

[13:58] Center and was showcased in the Basie's historic theater.

[14:03] The film was also selected by several notable platforms,

[14:07] including Filmmaker Sessions Volume 6, The C Show, and the CAF Future Eagles

[14:15] and Screening Competition, underscoring its quality and broad

[14:20] appeal. Their project, This One, Whisper of the

[14:25] West, won the best comedy at the New Jersey

[14:28] Film Awards, a competitive monthly festival that features work from across

[14:34] the state. The film received an honorable mention

[14:37] from the Humanity Rising Festival, which welcomes submissions from high

[14:42] school students throughout the US. In addition, it was selected by the Reels

[14:48] and Moods Film Festival, an event dedicated to storytelling,

[14:52] community, and cultural connection, as well as Filmmaker Sessions Volume 6,

[14:59] which highlights and elevates the work of emerging filmmakers.

[15:03] Beyond these recognitions, Max and Tyler continue to expand their creative reach

[15:09] through their YouTube channel, Buttery Biscuit Studios. I was like, I had to

[15:15] practice that. Where they share their projects with a

[15:18] growing audience. Their work is also featured on MTV

[15:24] including interviews with Colin Wars package further demonstrating their

[15:28] commitment to refining their craft and sharing their voice. On behalf of myself

[15:33] and the Borough Council, congratulations Max and Tyler. We're proud to recognize

[15:38] your achievements and eager to see what outstanding work you create next.

[15:49] I I also have to add that both of these young men were outstanding camp

[15:54] counselors in our rec program this summer

[15:56] and also that Tyler will be interning with us

[16:01] in the fall and and he'll lend his creative touch to

[16:07] what what gets put together coming out of the borough

[16:12] and that both of these gentlemen will be doing some work at our community day.

[16:23] » Shout out to Eric and Leo who are also in the front row today. They help us

[16:27] with all of our productions, help us in writing, post-production, directing and

[16:31] are absolutely fantastic actors. If you check out any of our movies, Eric's

[16:34] always a star and Leo's always that surprise villain coming from behind. So

[16:39] Thank you so much Mayor Kat.

[17:06] » And then you guys come on out.

[18:11] » Before proceeding to the next agenda items, we'll take a short

[18:14] 3-minute break. Anyone wishing to leave may do so at this time.

[20:17] » beginning with reports. If everyone's ready.

[20:21] Uh, beginning with Mr. Neff, our borough engineer.

[20:25] » Thank you, Council President. Uh,

[20:27] the 2026 road program is substantially complete. Um, they've finished 95% of

[20:34] the work. They're doing some minor punch list work. And they just have Locust

[20:38] Grove Road left on the paving list. Um, that won't be taking place just yet

[20:42] though cuz we are still waiting. We're going to get sanitary sewer and a water

[20:46] main extension down that road. But, thank you to all the residents who

[20:50] worked with us on that project. I know there are some inconveniences as with

[20:53] any project, but it turned out great. Also, Hans Park has been undergoing some

[20:59] upgrades. Um, previously the basketball courts out there was just, you know,

[21:03] old, outdated gray asphalt. Uh, it's gotten pretty

[21:06] worn out. So, we did a resurfacing out there. It all looks brand new,

[21:10] color-coded, re-striped. Uh so, court looks great. DPW's going to

[21:15] be getting some new bleachers, doing some other cleanup work in that park.

[21:19] So, that there's some nice upgrades going on there.

[21:22] And I am happy to hear that we did get confirmation from DEP and the New Jersey

[21:27] Forest Service that we are getting the $20,000 grant for the tree inventory and

[21:33] the community forest management plan development. So, we will start working

[21:38] with our uh certified tree expert on that plan. It's

[21:41] mostly for the public park areas um throughout town and what we can do to

[21:47] increase the uh tree canopy, maintain the existing trees, things like that.

[21:52] That's all I've got. >> Thank you, Mr. Neff.

[21:54] Mr. Fallon, our CFO. >> Yeah, I have no report tonight, Council

[21:58] President. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[22:00] Mr. Camilleri, our Business Administrator.

[22:03] » Thank you, Council President. Uh first I want to thank Recreation again. They

[22:06] just finished a successful summer camp. They had over 320 kids this year, which

[22:11] I think that's the most they've had so far. Uh they had great camp counselors

[22:15] uh coming back year after year to help them. Also want to thank the police

[22:19] department. They just finished a three-week uh Junior Police Academy.

[22:23] They had 22 cadets, and then they had uh five student leaders, which are uh

[22:28] people that have already gone through that program, and they come in and help

[22:31] mentor the younger children. And then also, we are working with the

[22:36] uh Monmouth County people. We are uh working on a pilot

[22:39] program they're trying to do, which is a cold red, which is a summer form of the

[22:43] cold blue. So, instead of a warming center, they're they're working with

[22:46] them to um host a cooling center uh for extreme

[22:50] heat. That's all I've

[22:54] » Thank you, Mr. Camilleri. Mayor Clay.

[22:57] » Thank you, Council President. Um it's uh been a busy month.

[23:03] Um well, since the last uh council meeting.

[23:07] Uh the beginning at middle of July, we had

[23:10] a ribbon cutting. Um

[23:13] we uh Mr. Neff and I have been attending the Pamero meetings.

[23:18] Um on the 16th, it was a double header where um

[23:24] we uh worked with Robert Wood Johnson to create uh tiles for new mural that's

[23:32] going to be featured in their cancer center.

[23:34] And then that night uh we were at um Council President Nessie's barber shop

[23:41] uh doing uh haircuts for the police academy, which definitely is not my

[23:46] strong suit. Um

[23:49] on the 17th, several of us attended the Tinton Falls senior group's senior

[23:56] picnic, uh which was uh

[23:59] a great hot Friday. Also, thank you to recreation for all the work that they

[24:06] did to make that happen. Um

[24:09] uh uh our business administrator, Mr. Cammarano, uh

[24:13] referenced recreation. Uh we were fortunate enough to get to a

[24:17] number of activities, including the inflatable day and the talent show, and

[24:24] it was a stellar camp season. Um it's always incredible to see how over 300 uh

[24:32] kids can engage at the same time, all busy.

[24:37] And also um that uh the rec program had to endure a

[24:43] lot of crazy weather, and they did so, and they did it successfully.

[24:49] Um uh

[24:51] uh Mr. Cammarano and I also attended the Mincola Civic Association scholarship

[24:57] awards, where several Monmouth Regional students

[25:00] were honored. And

[25:03] a number of us also attended the MAZDA truck pull.

[25:08] If you've never been, I highly encourage it. It's always in August. It's always a

[25:13] very hot day and they raise a lot of money for

[25:17] charity. Um

[25:20] on August 3rd we had our first official meeting of the mayor's wellness

[25:27] campaign. We have approximately 16 people

[25:33] from different facets of our community. We have EMS people. We have

[25:39] someone from the police department. We have people that work in private

[25:44] agencies. We have pastors. And what we are doing is looking at

[25:51] recent needs assessments that were conducted that involved Tin Falls

[25:56] residents and trying to determine what needs exist in this community amongst

[26:03] our residents covering all ages from little ones to

[26:09] seniors. And then we will be looking at proposals

[26:15] from different agencies and individuals who are interested in providing those

[26:20] services and may range from mental health to nutrition and pretty much

[26:27] anything else that you can imagine along those lines. The caveat is that anything

[26:33] that we fund has to relate back to mental health substance abuse prevention

[26:41] peer leadership anything that builds resiliency.

[26:47] Um so it's fairly broad and I'm very encouraged by the wide range of people

[26:53] that we have. Uh also uh on that committee is uh

[26:58] Councilman Alessio. Bless you.

[27:01] Uh National Night Out, I just want to give a shout-out to the police

[27:04] department. Uh also everybody else that assisted with that night, it was

[27:09] amazing. Uh

[27:12] I heard such good reviews even though it was accidentally moved, I think people

[27:16] really loved it there. And uh everyone did a great job.

[27:21] Uh It was mentioned that we were at

[27:23] President the Junior Academy graduation. And that's another stellar program put

[27:29] on by our police department. And then um

[27:34] also in addition to that this weekend the Crawford House did a fantastic job

[27:41] with the ice cream social that we attended. And um that evening we

[27:47] went to a fire company dinner. So it's been busy but very good.

[27:53] Um also I just want to mention uh two more quick things.

[27:58] Um in response to residents' request and residents' displeasure

[28:05] with JCP&L we have on the calendar a town hall

[28:11] for September 17th where residents will be able to speak

[28:16] directly to JCP&L.

[28:20] And I'm hoping that people will put down their laptops and their comments on

[28:26] social media and bring them here. So one can only hope.

[28:31] And um additionally on tonight's agenda uh there's a resolution about um

[28:38] opioids. And I do want to mention that uh if you see the uh purple flags when

[28:46] you came in. That um and those represent

[28:51] uh 89 lives lost in Monmouth County in 2025.

[28:57] But even more um

[29:00] I I don't want to say important, but even more important to note is

[29:05] that there were 344 non-fatal overdoses in Monmouth County.

[29:11] So, opioids continue to be a pressing issue.

[29:15] They cross all social lines. They don't discriminate, and they affect so many

[29:20] families in in our county, in our state, and in our country. Thank you.

[29:26] » Thank you, Mayor Clay. Mr. Starkey, our director of law.

[29:29] » Uh thank you, Council President. I have no report tonight.

[29:32] » Thank you. Mrs. Hutchinson, our borough clerk.

[29:35] » Uh thank you, Council President. I have no report this evening.

[29:40] » Thank you. Moving on to council reports beginning with Mr. uh Lessy.

[29:44] » Thank you, Council President. Uh I just want to report that the Planning Board

[29:48] meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening is canceled as of today.

[29:52] And that's all I have for my report. Thank you.

[29:54] » Thank you, Mr. Lessy. Ms. Buckley.

[29:57] » Thank you, Council President. Um I will uh be brief. Uh Mayor Clay mentioned a

[30:01] lot of uh lot of items. Um I just want to also thank the police

[30:06] department um and the administration for the police uh National Night Out. It was

[30:10] a great evening. I was glad I was able to attend that one. I did miss the

[30:13] Historic Commission uh ice cream social that my council members talked about it,

[30:16] but I hear it was fantastic, and the pictures were great. Um and I also was

[30:20] able to attend the Maza Truck Pull. Uh I'd like to thank uh the borough for

[30:23] their participation, and Maza for that wonderful event as well. And that's all

[30:27] for my report. Thank you. >> Thank you, Ms. Buckley. Mr. Neese.

[30:31] » Yes, thank you, Council President. Um yes, I attended um many of the items

[30:36] mentioned, but I'll just brief through. Um

[30:40] we were at a uh cutting for the Monmouth Counselors

[30:43] um on 7/13. I went to the Crawford uh house on the

[30:48] 14th for the plastic detox. I will say that I no longer bring a plastic bottle

[30:52] with me. I now carry a metal one. Thank you very much. Uh

[30:57] went to the uh NJEDA tour um that was a ribbon cutting for their new office uh

[31:03] and then I did the tour of Fort Monmouth which was a very good tour. It was like

[31:08] a 45-minute tour. I learned a lot and um I've been through Fort Monmouth many,

[31:13] many times myself. Um

[31:18] uh the Junior Police Academy did a great

[31:23] job that evening. Uh it was too bad for the weather that

[31:27] they didn't get out to march. Uh but I will say it was a good ceremony. The

[31:30] power went out briefly, but did come back on.

[31:34] Um and um today we had the uh Community Day uh meeting.

[31:41] Um the Community Day event is to be held on 9/26. Don't forget the date.

[31:47] Also, the Zoning Board's next meeting is on September 3rd.

[31:52] And uh this year we will be um having the anniversary for 9/11,

[31:58] which is the 25th anniversary. I just wanted to bring that up. Thank you.

[32:03] » Thank you, Mr. Nees. Mr. Parekh. >> Thank you, Council President. Uh cover

[32:07] some of the events that I attended. Uh first, uh congratulations to the

[32:12] Historic Commission and the Crawford House on a successful old-fashioned

[32:15] Sunday event that they had on the 8th. Uh it was a warm day, but it was well

[32:19] attended. Lots of young families joined us and uh we appreciate the efforts they

[32:24] made there to bring the community together. Uh also on that same night, uh

[32:27] I want to share a sincere thank you to the fire

[32:30] companies for including us on their uh annual celebration. It was nice to

[32:33] connect with uh the men and women that keep us safe in our town,

[32:38] um, and many of them were honored for their efforts. So, that was a great

[32:41] night. Uh, I also want to acknowledge the efforts of, uh, the Tinton Falls

[32:45] Wreck Department. Um, as many of his have stated, uh, they had record numbers

[32:50] this year. I've heard a lot of positive feedback from, um, neighbors and and,

[32:56] uh, folks in the community about uh, how engaged the children were, how happy

[33:00] they were to attend, and they're already looking forward to next year's summer

[33:04] camp. Uh, my children as well were were, uh, really pleased with, uh, the

[33:08] activities and the and the fun they had. So, some fantastic summer memories for

[33:12] for our children and in the community. Um, I also wanted to mention, uh, with,

[33:17] uh, uh, some of the boards of eds, um, with

[33:20] the, uh, Tinton Falls Board of Education, with, uh,

[33:24] Mr. Pelayo stepping down, there was a vacant seat. They appointed, um,

[33:28] Nicholas Belia as, uh, as a new board member to the Tinton Falls Board of Ed.

[33:33] He will be also participating on their finance and facilities, uh,

[33:37] committees. The next meeting for the Tinton Falls Board of Education, uh,

[33:42] which will be to kick off the the new school year, is on August 27th. And the

[33:47] same for the Monmouth Regional Board of Education will be on August 18th. I also

[33:51] want to highlight an, uh, a really interesting event that the Crawford

[33:55] House is hosting. Um, it is a screening of the Monmouth

[33:59] County at War documentary that, uh, the county commissioners have have, uh, gone

[34:04] to great lengths to put together. If you have an opportunity, take a look at it

[34:08] on YouTube. There's a trailer there. Um, it's it's really intriguing. It's called

[34:13] Rebels, Raiders, and the Revolution in Monmouth County. That scree- screening

[34:17] screening will happen on October 21st at the Crawford House at 7:00 p.m. So, uh,

[34:22] if any if all of you, uh, anyone that's available, we look forward

[34:25] to seeing you. Uh, that's all I have, Council President.

[34:28] » Thank you, Mr. Pareek. And as for myself, I just want to thank our

[34:32] congratulate all the certificate recipients this evening.

[34:36] Moving on to ordinances, there are three ordinances on for introduction this

[34:40] evening. I'd like to remind the public that when an ordinance is introduced,

[34:43] there is no public discussion. The public discussion for the following

[34:46] ordinances will take place when it's up for final consideration. With that, may

[34:51] I ask the clerk to read the title of the first ordinance?

[34:54] » 2026-1550, an ordinance amending chapter 4 of the

[34:59] borough code entitled general licensing by amending section 4-20, motel hotel

[35:05] guest registration, to establish limitations on the duration of hotel and

[35:09] motel occupancy and to preserve the transient nature of hotel and motel

[35:13] uses. The public hearing will be held on September 1st, 2026, or as soon

[35:18] thereafter as a matter can be reached on the agenda.

[35:21] » Thank you. May have a motion to approve the

[35:23] introduction of this ordinance. >> Motion.

[35:26] » Thank you, Mr. Pareek. May have a second?

[35:29] » Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Alessi.

[35:32] May have a roll call, please? >> Mr. Alessi?

[35:34] » Yes. >> Ms. Buckley?

[35:36] » Yes. >> Mr. Neese?

[35:37] » Yes. >> Mr. Pareek?

[35:39] » Yes. >> Mr. Nessie?

[35:41] » Yes.

[35:44] » May I ask the clerk to read the title of the next ordinance?

[35:47] » 2026-1551, an ordinance creating a new chapter 26

[35:52] of the borough code to be entitled short-term rentals. The public hearing

[35:55] will be held on September 1st, 2026, or as soon thereafter as a matter can be

[36:00] reached on the agenda. >> Thank you. May have a motion to approve

[36:03] the introduction of this ordinance. >> Motion.

[36:06] » Thank you, Mr. Neese. May have a second?

[36:11] » Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Pareek.

[36:13] May have a roll call, please? >> Mr. Alessi?

[36:16] » Yes. >> Ms. Buckley?

[36:18] » Yes. >> Mr. Neese?

[36:19] » Yes. >> Mr. Pareek?

[36:21] » Yes. >> Mr. Nessie?

[36:22] » Yes.

[36:25] » May I ask the clerk to read the title of the last ordinance?

[36:29] » 2026-1552 an ordinance amending the general

[36:33] penalty provisions of the Borough code of the Borough of Tinton Falls to

[36:36] authorize per day fines for continuing ordinance violations. The public hearing

[36:41] will be held on September 1st, 2026 or as soon thereafter as the matter can be

[36:45] reached on the agenda. >> Thank you.

[36:47] May I have a motion to approve the introduction of this ordinance?

[36:50] » Motion. >> Thank you, Mr. Alessi.

[36:53] May I have a second? >> Second.

[36:55] » Thank you, Mr. Nees. May I have a roll call, please?

[36:59] » Mr. Alessi. >> Yes.

[37:00] » Ms. Buckley. >> Yes.

[37:02] » Mr. Nees. >> Yes.

[37:03] » Mr. Parekh. >> Yes.

[37:05] » Mr. Nessi. >> Yes.

[37:09] Moving on, there is one ordinance for final consideration.

[37:14] We will hold a public hearing with comments being limited to 3 minutes.

[37:17] Comments may be only pertain to the ordinance.

[37:20] May I ask the clerk to read the title of the ordinance?

[37:23] » 2026-1549 an ordinance adopting a revision and

[37:27] codification of the ordinances of the Borough of Tinton Falls, County of

[37:30] Monmouth, State of New Jersey. >> Thank you. May I have a motion to open

[37:34] the public discussion on this ordinance? >> Motion.

[37:38] » Thank you, Ms. Buckley. >> But if I may just want to make one

[37:42] comment before you open public discussion.

[37:44] » Yes. >> Um there is one change uh to the

[37:47] ordinance that's being considered tonight um from when it was considered

[37:51] on first reading. Uh this is a it's a lengthy ordinance, but there's uh

[37:55] changes to chapter 17 in here, which is tree removal and replacement. And in

[38:01] particular, there's a section 17-9. Um there is one sentence in that ordi-

[38:07] that part of the ordinance that's going to be deleted on this um second reading.

[38:12] And I just want to read into the record. The sentence says, "The maximum amount

[38:15] to be collected as a contribution to the tree escrow fund shall be $250,000 per

[38:20] site." Um that sentence is deleted in the ordinance that's being considered

[38:24] tonight. That is not a material change, so you can proceed with second reading.

[38:28] But, I just wanted to make the public aware of that.

[38:30] » Thank you, Mr. Starkey. May I have a motion to open the public

[38:34] discussion for this ordinance? >> Motion.

[38:38] » Mr. Thank you, Mr. Pareek. May I have a second?

[38:41] » Second. >> Thank you, Ms. Buckley. All in favor?

[38:43] » Aye. >> Aye.

[38:44] » Aye. >> Is there anyone from the public that

[38:46] would like to comment? Please remember to state your name and town for the

[38:49] record.

[38:59] » Barbara Colberg, 21 Cedar Place, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, 07724.

[39:05] I'm a member of the Shade Tree Commission. I'm speaking you tonight

[39:08] because there are changes coming in the 2026 1549 ordinance affecting Tinton

[39:14] Falls code 3-36.5 and 3.36.6,

[39:20] which will remove the Shade Tree Commission's authority. We currently

[39:23] have authority over our trees. With your vote, yes, our power will be totally

[39:28] eliminated so that we can no longer safeguard Tinton Falls trees. New Jersey

[39:32] state law 40:64-5, sorry, 64-5,

[39:38] states that a Shade Tree Commission created under the state's chapter has

[39:42] full and exclusive authority over the regulation, planting, and care of trees

[39:46] in public areas. This mandate lists specific powers allowing that municipal

[39:51] law can modify the powers, but the 2026 1549 removes our authority entirely,

[39:57] which seems to be illegal at the state level. The Shade Tree Commission, STC

[40:01] for short, welcomed all new members when we were invited to our first meeting on

[40:06] April 9th, 2025. We didn't realize we had full authority

[40:10] because we were never told we did. We were told at this meeting we were only

[40:14] allowed to do two things: create a list of recommended trees and talk to the

[40:18] community about trees. We were directly told that we were not to approach the

[40:23] planning board or to try to talk to borough employees about trees.

[40:27] Today, we are sad and discouraged to realize that we are only finding out

[40:30] about our authority as it is being taken away. All of this feels wrong to us. We

[40:36] are here, eager and ready, volunteering our time, bringing years of experience

[40:40] and knowledge. Our STC of five members currently includes three master

[40:45] gardeners. The SDC envisioned borough employees, commissions, and boards

[40:50] working together to achieve the worthy goals in the Tinton Falls Master Plan,

[40:54] such as maintaining and upgrading the existing system of parks. We want to be

[40:58] more useful. We can see that other towns, such as Little Silver and Fair

[41:02] Haven, have robust STCs that are much more effective. This year, the Tinton

[41:07] Falls STC has boldly started efforts to improve our borough trees by applying

[41:12] for state grants from the New Jersey Urban Community and Community Program

[41:17] and the New Jersey Shade Tree Federation. If our power is eliminated,

[41:21] we fear that we will be ineligible to apply for such state grants.

[41:26] Tinton Falls currently current Chapter 17 code states that the SDC and a tree

[41:31] specialist both have power. Our tree specialist was contracted from two

[41:36] engineering firms. Consequently, our tree specialist has an engineering

[41:39] focus, not a conservation focus. I saw this first hand when these particular

[41:44] firms bid on a job that the Environmental Commission was given a

[41:47] grant to do. Their proposal showed an engineering perspective and did not

[41:51] address conservation issues. Tinton Falls still has old growth trees, and we

[41:55] need to hold on to them for future generations. So, going forward, all of

[41:59] this is concerning. Please don't take away the SDC's authority. We propose

[42:04] that the SDC should work with tree specialists, and the borough create a

[42:08] better agreement for how we work together. That would ensure that the

[42:11] SDC, as stewards of the trees, have a voice in what happens. Thank you for

[42:16] your time. >> Thank you, Ms. Goldberg.

[42:22] Is there anyone else who would like to speak on this ordinance?

[42:32] » Good evening. Ellen Goldberg, 90 Glenwood Drive.

[42:36] I would like to express my thoughts on how excited I was to have the Shade Tree

[42:40] Commission back up and running in Tinton Falls.

[42:43] I truly believe they there are they are very concerned and dedicated residents

[42:49] that are serving on this commission, and they have a tremendous tree-mendous,

[42:54] pun intended, amount to offer our borough.

[42:58] This commission is so important to have and will continue to work with the

[43:01] borough to achieve the goals of the master plan.

[43:04] Why do we have a master plan? Isn't it to protect our residents and be sure

[43:09] that we we maintain the integrity that we are meant to have here?

[43:13] There are obviously countless reasons why we need trees. We need more, not

[43:18] less, as we develop and grow and build. This is taken directly from the master

[43:24] plan. Enhance pedestrian connections within

[43:28] the borough between and among residential neighborhoods, community

[43:32] resources, and commercial areas. Promote the development of a

[43:36] comprehensive borough-wide system of greenways, bike ways, and other

[43:42] pedestrian connections. Trees are imperative to our survival

[43:47] as a human race. Cutting down one of the most important assets that we have and

[43:53] not replacing is just unthinkable to me. Having the Shade Tree Commission is one

[43:58] of the utmost im- importance commissions to our residents.

[44:03] I personally went to them for advice on choosing a tree to plant in my yard, the

[44:08] location of my tree on my property, and when I noticed something on it that

[44:13] looked like a problem, I had this group, this commission, to reach out to for

[44:18] help. The Shade Tree Commission should be

[44:20] helping the bureau to protect our air quality, which is diminishing rapidly.

[44:25] More people, cars, trucks, buses, wildfires,

[44:29] higher temperatures and like I've never seen before, make me

[44:34] very worried about our health. Our roles as public servants, and I

[44:38] include myself as the chairperson of the Environmental Commission, is to take

[44:43] care of our town and keep it safe in every way possible.

[44:47] I encourage you not to allow the authority of the Shade Tree Commission

[44:52] to be taken away. This is a group of individuals that I

[44:55] trust will do the right thing for Tinton Falls. Thank you.

[45:00] » Thank you, Ms. Goldberg.

[45:04] Is there Anyone else would like to speak?

[45:06] Sure.

[45:14] » Hey, good evening. Uh Mitch Goldberg, also from 21 Cedar Place, Tinton Falls.

[45:19] Um Uh my my comments are more general.

[45:23] Uh There's been a lot of excitement around

[45:25] this ordinance, and I I was going through it, and I I mean, so the first

[45:28] instance that got pulled. Anyway, point is, I don't really understand this

[45:32] ordinance. It It's basically some type of massive correction

[45:37] for the for our entire code, and I'm I'm It's just not clear from looking at it

[45:43] uh why why we're doing it, what it's for,

[45:46] why we're doing it now. Uh and it and it seems, you know, it It

[45:50] re- first read, it it kind of looks, all right, well, you know, committee names

[45:53] have changed, and you know, these department names are changed. And that's

[45:56] fine to do a massive clerical modification to to our code, if you want

[46:02] to do that, but there's definitely changes in there that constitute

[46:05] alterations to these laws. Minor some of them, you know, fees and

[46:09] things like that change, but in general, um

[46:13] it seems like a sweeping massive, you know, bill that covers a whole bunch of

[46:17] area in one time that makes a lot of changes.

[46:21] Doesn't feel right and also feels like a place where you can hide stuff

[46:25] for the paranoid among us. So, anyway, I I know it's supposed to be only a

[46:30] one-way conversation, but if somebody wanted to explain what this is all

[46:34] about, I would appreciate it, but otherwise that's that's all I have to

[46:37] say. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Mr. Colbert.

[46:51] » Good evening. Richard Calvert, 13 Mayberry Drive.

[46:55] I'm here to discuss the deplorable and dangerous conditions of

[47:01] our roads. Uh I >> We're only speaking right now on behalf

[47:06] of the ordinance. Is this Is this pertaining to the ordinance? Correct?

[47:09] » I'm sorry. >> Is this pertaining to the ordinance that

[47:11] we're um

[47:12] » Oh, no. I have to wait. >> Yeah, there's going to be a public

[47:15] discussion. >> Okay. Got you.

[47:22] » Is there anybody else would like to speak on this ordinance?

[47:29] » Council President, there was an email sent in that I would like to read if

[47:32] that's okay. >> Yes, please.

[47:34] » Thank you. Um the email was sent in from Anthony

[47:38] Priver Terra. Um it stated, "New Jersey law requires

[47:43] shade tree commissions to have authority based on my layman's understanding of

[47:48] NJSA 40:64-5.

[47:52] The proposed cap of 250,000 is far too low. A con- In conservative estimate of

[47:59] these number of these numbers would allow any tree cut after number 520 to

[48:05] be done free of any replacement. Given that there are an estimated 89 trees at

[48:10] 12-in DBH per acre, you basically cut down as many acres of trees if you

[48:16] wanted pay for the first 5.

[48:20] acres. We need to spend some time working on a

[48:23] sliding scale for the cap based on the size of the property at a minimum should

[48:28] be should have a million-dollar cap in the

[48:31] meantime. Um he also included a reference table in

[48:35] this email. That concludes the email. Thank you.

[48:38] » Thank you, Mr. Hutchinson.

[48:42] Are there any more comments this evening on the ordinance?

[48:46] Hearing none, may I have a motion to close the public hearing?

[48:50] Motion? Thank you, Ms. Buckley. May I have a

[48:52] second? >> Second.

[48:55] » Thank you, Mr. Alessi. All in favor? >> Aye.

[48:57] » Aye. >> Are there any council members that would

[48:59] like to comment on this ordinance? >> I would. Thank you, Council President.

[49:03] Um uh yes.

[49:06] So uh first I'd like to um thank uh what however made the decision

[49:11] to remove the cap until that can be further analyzed as to whether or not a

[49:14] cap is appropriate on the tree removal and replacement. Um

[49:19] my comments I um also just wanted to to make clear when I

[49:22] was also reading around the shade tree commission to the to the comments that

[49:25] just came in. It like the current wording does say

[49:28] exercise full and exclusive control over and the changes say make recommendations

[49:33] on. So to me um that that does read I don't know whether this is the intent of

[49:39] of the changes, but it does read like any full any approval authority um or

[49:45] real authority is being removed and it's making it more like just

[49:48] recommendations. Um Um, I I don't I I I did read the state statute. I don't know

[49:54] I'm not an I'm an attorney. It does seem to conflict with the state statute. Um,

[49:57] I don't that's just my layman's uh, you know, reading of it. But, um, I

[50:02] would you know, from a public perception perspective,

[50:05] like I understand in the past like other iterations of the Shade Tree Commission

[50:09] perhaps weren't active, weren't filled. There was a period of time where we only

[50:12] had like two or three people, right? But, that's not now. So, like from a

[50:17] like me you know, being elected official I constantly if I get in touch with

[50:21] residents or they contact me about something and they've got expertise and

[50:24] they want to get involved. I'm like all for that. Like to me that's the best use

[50:28] of government. And now we have like a really knowledgeable got a couple of

[50:32] tree experts people on the Shade Tree Commission. I think that should be

[50:35] encouraged and like I don't know that I'm not I've no idea

[50:39] where the intent of this change came from. But, if we make this change it's

[50:43] going to completely dampen that, right? Like we want to encourage people with

[50:46] knowledge to be involved. And I feel like this would do the opposite whether

[50:50] or not that was the intent. I doubt it was. But, I do think that would be the

[50:53] effect of it. Um, and I do think like we're I know they're applying for grants

[50:58] and things. Like I do think there's a lot that that can be done now that we

[51:00] have the expertise there and I think we should encourage that. Um, also just a

[51:04] silly thing anecdotally as I drove here, like the logo of Tin Falls is a sycamore

[51:09] tree. Like to me that means like that was intentional for a reason and I do

[51:13] think we should, you know, encourage that. Part of the um,

[51:16] tree removal and replacement ordinance was actually designating historic trees.

[51:20] Which to me was, you know, Sycamore Avenue historic Sycamore trees. So, I do

[51:23] think there's a lot more work to be done that the expertise of this particular

[51:27] iteration of the Shade Tree Commission would be valued in. So, I I'm fine with

[51:31] changing some of the wording to like it make it a partnership should there be a

[51:35] future iteration of the Shade Tree Commission where we don't have

[51:37] volunteers. Right? We don't want to

[51:39] we don't want to stop progress if you will. But, the current iteration just

[51:43] changing this to make recommendations I think that will have a dampening effect

[51:46] that I can't uh, that I can't support this particular section. Thank you.

[51:51] » Thank you, Ms. Buckley.

[51:57] Any other members of council like to speak on this ordinance?

[52:02] Hearing none. May I have a motion for adoption?

[52:07] » Motion. >> Thank you, Mr. Alessi.

[52:11] May I have a second? >> Second.

[52:13] » Thank you, Mr. Nice. May I have a roll call, please?

[52:17] » Mr. Alessi? >> Yes.

[52:20] » Ms. Buckley? >> No, just for the aforementioned reasons.

[52:23] I just want to put it on the record. I don't have any problem with the rest of

[52:25] the entire codification ordinance. >> Thank you. Mr. Nice?

[52:30] » Yes. >> Mr. Pareek?

[52:32] » Yes. >> Mr. Nessi?

[52:34] » Yes.

[52:42] » Moving on to public discussion. May I have a motion to open the public

[52:45] discussion? >> Motion.

[52:48] » Thank you, Ms. Buckley. May I have a second?

[52:50] » Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Alessi.

[52:53] All in favor? >> Aye.

[52:56] » Before we begin the public comment, I would like to remind everyone that

[52:59] the procedures are outlined in the public comment section of the agenda.

[53:03] When you come up to speak, please clearly state your name and town for the

[53:05] clerk. You will have 3 minutes, and all your

[53:08] remarks must remain respectful and follow the rules noted in the agenda.

[53:13] Is there anyone who would like to speak this evening on any matter?

[53:17] » Okay. Sorry about that before, folks.

[53:20] » That's okay. >> Okay.

[53:22] Uh Richard Calvert, 13 Mayberry Drive. I am here to

[53:27] talk about the very dangerous and deplorable road

[53:31] conditions for our neighborhood, which is Mayberry

[53:34] Drive, Bowles Lane, Blueberry Lane, Ruffin Court, McMedemy Place, and

[53:41] Squankum Road from the Route 18 overpass to Colts Neck.

[53:47] I've been in touch with Mr. Neff a number of times emailing back and forth.

[53:52] We have a number of issues. We never received our final course. Mr.

[53:56] Neff disagrees with that assessment. He's been out, but we have lips on our

[54:02] Belgium block that are intolerable.

[54:06] We have drainage issues where the drains back up

[54:11] because they are above the water level of the pavement. And

[54:17] weeds grow and it exacerbates the situation makes

[54:22] it even worse. But the most overwhelming since I got to really talk fast here

[54:26] with this time limit, the most overwhelming issue here

[54:31] is the ADA compliance

[54:35] on the handicap access points on these

[54:40] sidewalks. And

[54:43] I have a semi partially handicapped person in my family. We have tried to

[54:50] navigate that in the wheelchair and the walker. The lips are like this. The ADA

[54:56] code is no more than a quarter inch. And it can't be done by just throwing

[55:02] temporary pavement up there and trying to make it work. It's got a

[55:08] full requirement of regulations that have to be followed to make it compliant

[55:14] with title two.

[55:17] And I'm wondering if this is something that's going to be

[55:22] looked at because the average lifespan for an asphalt

[55:29] pavement is 20 to 25 years. You know how long we have been in

[55:36] Sterling Forest 35 years and we've never had a paving.

[55:43] So, we are way past. We should have been on the schedule 10 years ago.

[55:48] And we didn't even get on it this year. And I just went over I the one street I

[55:54] saw Rutgers which was just done. The lips on the driveway are approximately a

[55:59] quarter to a half inch. We have lips that are two, three, and

[56:04] four inches. They're dangerous. We've had the go I've seen the little boy

[56:09] across the street fall twice on his bike with the training wheels, cut his knees.

[56:14] We have a dangerous and deplorable situation that has to be rectified and

[56:21] we need action right away. We've waited 35 years

[56:27] for something to happen. And the fact that I contacted Mr. Neff

[56:32] last year, we should have been put on He came out

[56:35] and did a physical exam. We have weeds growing up in the middle

[56:40] of the street. It it's it's terrible and the ADA

[56:44] compliance issue is really something that's got to be addressed here.

[56:49] » Your last name is Mr. Calvert, right? >> I'm sorry?

[56:52] » You said your last name was Mr. Calvert? >> Okay.

[56:55] » I know I What's your last name? I couldn't hear you. I'm sorry.

[56:58] » I'm sorry. I can't >> What's your last name?

[57:00] » Calvert. >> C A L V E R T.

[57:02] » Calvert, sorry. >> Calvert, like the whiskey.

[57:05] » On the agenda is an email. Can you send your contact information and I will

[57:10] follow up with you or with someone else as well to

[57:12] » Well, I Mayor Clay has gotten copies of

[57:16] everything. Mr. Calamari has gotten copies of everything and Mr. Neff has

[57:21] everything. >> Okay.

[57:22] » And I've sent numerous emails and pictures.

[57:25] I mean, I've sent You get a lot of pictures, huh, Mr. Neff, huh?

[57:30] But I sent tons of pictures to everybody >> Mr. Neff, you

[57:33] » to show the sewer

[57:36] uh manhole covers have lips. The ones that

[57:41] there's temporary pavement around the utility covers.

[57:45] We have a very, very, very serious situation that's got to be addressed.

[57:51] And if I can just make one more quick comment.

[57:58] If you guys and for my military training I always

[58:03] prepare for every scenario. And the next step is we have been in

[58:08] touch with an attorney. And

[58:13] to go forward here we are prepared

[58:18] there be four points that the attorney would

[58:22] bring up with you and I'll just give you the four highlights. The Title II ADA

[58:26] violations and pedestrian accessibility hazards.

[58:30] The notice of dangerous conditions pursuant to NJSA 59 colon 4-2.

[58:38] The immediate demand for remediation. And the open request for municipal and

[58:45] developmental records pertaining to our streets. Okay?

[58:49] » Thank you, Mr. >> Thank you very much. I appreciate your

[58:51] time. >> Mr. Neff, would you like to comment on

[58:54] » Yeah, I I know there's a few residents here. I can give a couple comments if

[58:58] you want. Uh as far as the ADA, uh I understand it may not be compliant with

[59:02] current regulations, but that site was built before the

[59:06] regulations were put into effect. So it's just the fact. Um so, the ADA

[59:14] regulations require that they be replaced when the roads are paved.

[59:18] So, we are not It's for the record, we're not in violation of any ADA

[59:23] requirements. They not may not meet current regulations, but we are not in

[59:26] violation of anything. >> Understood.

[59:28] » You're only required to upgrade those when the roads are paved.

[59:32] » Okay. >> So, I understand the road is certainly

[59:34] showing its age. It's definitely showing signs of wear. It's getting

[59:39] older. We've reported it to DPW, the potholes,

[59:43] the bigger issues. You know, we'll certainly take a look at it um when we

[59:47] do the next road program, you know, because of budgetary reasons, we can't

[59:50] just add roads throughout the year, you know, we have to go through the capital

[59:54] budget process. So, you know, that's in the spring, so we'll certainly take a

[59:57] look at this. Um I can say the road, you know, definitely did have the surface

[1:00:01] course paving. You can see the two layers very clearly out there. But

[1:00:05] again, we'll certainly take a look at it, you know, for a strong

[1:00:07] consideration, you know, the next time we do a road program.

[1:00:12] » Thank you, Mr. Neff. >> Can I comment again?

[1:00:15] Am I allowed? >> I I I can let you comment again, yes.

[1:00:19] Not for 3 minutes, but yes, if you had a follow-up, yes, or a question.

[1:00:22] » Okay, I do have a follow-up. The ADA Title II was passed in 1992.

[1:00:29] And you're going to Mr. Neff, to say to sit here and tell me

[1:00:34] you're going to wait another 2 years because that's the next paving cycle

[1:00:41] for the town to wait 35 years to comply with an ADA regulation is totally

[1:00:50] unacceptable. Totally unacceptable. And you're Now

[1:00:55] you're talking about having us wait another 2 years?

[1:00:58] And the life cycle I'd like to know and I also one other thing I asked for was

[1:01:03] the 2026 paving schedule. And I wanted to know

[1:01:07] the time frame between when those roads were last paved and when they're

[1:01:11] currently paved. Because if you go like to Rutgers, which I drive by every day,

[1:01:16] and I inspected it, those lips again are Or this. Mr. Neff, you went out to our

[1:01:22] neighborhood. You see the lips are like this.

[1:01:25] That is because the final course was never put down.

[1:01:30] And I asked for the records. I asked for the performance bond retirement for the

[1:01:36] developer. I asked for the paving records from the paver. I asked for the

[1:01:42] report from the engineering firm that was hired by the bureau in 1991 that

[1:01:48] would have signed off on the completion of that work. I was told none of those

[1:01:52] records are available. Why is that?

[1:01:56] » Mr. Culver, I'm going to follow up with Mr. Neff, Mr. Camel Larry, Mayor Clay,

[1:02:00] and and see what we can do to get maybe

[1:02:03] clearer answers for you and then >> I would I would like

[1:02:06] I want to get that information. >> I will make sure you get that. Yes.

[1:02:09] » And also the 2026 paving schedule and I want to know when the time frame that

[1:02:16] those cuz we're we haven't been paved in 35

[1:02:20] years. The life cycle for a road is 20 to 25.

[1:02:24] » We are going to move forward to another speaker, okay?

[1:02:26] » you very much. Appreciate your time. >> Thank you for speaking.

[1:02:34] Anybody else like to speak to tonight? >> Hello.

[1:02:40] Um I do have some handouts I'd like to give out. Uh Mr. Neff has this, Mayor

[1:02:45] Clay does, and uh the bureau administrator, so

[1:02:48] I'll just leave them. >> You can leave it right there. That's

[1:02:50] fine. Thank you. >> you.

[1:02:53] » My name is Gina Varella. I live at 200 Hockhockson Road, Tinton Falls.

[1:02:58] I'm here tonight to discuss some unaddressed zoning and variance

[1:03:01] violations that are occurring at 246 Hockhockson Road.

[1:03:06] Um a bulk variance board resolution BA 2025-01

[1:03:11] was granted last year

[1:03:14] uh based on submitted plans that depicted a driveway location, house

[1:03:18] garage location, grading, etc. Variance condition stated that the

[1:03:23] location of the accessory building will not be visible from the street,

[1:03:27] which will preserve the natural woody character of beautiful Hitchcock and

[1:03:31] Road, which I happen to love cuz I live there.

[1:03:35] Um the owner willingly violated the

[1:03:37] approved site plan without concern for the parameters of the variance or the

[1:03:41] impact on the environment, clear-cutting mature 50 to 80-ft trees,

[1:03:46] slicing through extensive root networks, endangering the remaining adjacent

[1:03:50] canopy, while stripping wildlife habitat and disrupting the local microclimate

[1:03:56] and biodiversity. I heard Mr. Neff talk before about

[1:03:59] preserving canopy. This surrounding area is really at risk

[1:04:03] because of this. Um

[1:04:10] Instead of constructing the driveway according to the submitted layout, the

[1:04:13] owner abandoned the approved engineering plans and relocated the driveway to an

[1:04:17] unauthorized area. They cut a straight 400-plus foot right path right along the

[1:04:23] property line. This relocation completely deviated from

[1:04:27] the approved variance plans, which are included in what I gave you

[1:04:31] guys. Um

[1:04:35] and resulted in an additional violation. It

[1:04:39] removed the woodland buffer. The mature trees have been removed, and as a

[1:04:44] result, the building now stands clearly visible from the road.

[1:04:47] Uh I've included pictures along with a highlighted board-approved site plan and

[1:04:52] my last email that I sent to borough officials.

[1:04:58] In addition to this, the straight-line cutting eliminated the natural water

[1:05:01] absorption along my property line and adjacent, which is just adjacent to my

[1:05:05] septic system, two tanks and one field. Um at one some points along this

[1:05:11] property line the

[1:05:15] property owner cleared a good 30 to 40 ft barren, bare, nothing there. It's

[1:05:21] like if you were to shave your head, there's

[1:05:24] nothing there. There's absolutely no buffer between my property and this

[1:05:29] property. Um it has a significant effect on the

[1:05:32] drainage. I think for every tree, they absorb about 100 to 300 gallons a day of

[1:05:38] water. So, it's very significant and I'm seriously concerned as I was at the

[1:05:43] zoning meeting. I discussed this last year, the tree removal and how it affect

[1:05:47] my septic system. Um

[1:05:51] this area was supposed to remain heavily wooded for a number of reasons, but one

[1:05:55] was to shield it from the road. Um and I was hoping one was so I wasn't affected

[1:06:01] so much by it. Um I've tried to resolve this through

[1:06:04] the proper channels. I've been in touch with Mr. Neff since March.

[1:06:08] Um initially, I contacted him because the owners were at the property and

[1:06:13] instead of having a licensed surveyor map off the areas to clear, they were

[1:06:17] doing it themselves. Mr. Neff had no problem with this even

[1:06:21] though it goes against borough ordinance.

[1:06:24] Um

[1:06:26] in fact, every concern I've had since then, it's really been relied on My

[1:06:31] concern is always about the trees and and the impact on the environment. Um

[1:06:36] they've been dismissed over and over. Um

[1:06:40] in June, I started copying the borough administrator because I was just getting

[1:06:44] what I consider the runaround. Um at this point, the owner,

[1:06:49] the tree removal service, and the current builder,

[1:06:52] they all agree that this driveway is not in the correct location. That it needs

[1:06:56] to be much further left. It was supposed to go in a western

[1:07:01] kind of slightly curved

[1:07:03] um way.

[1:07:06] » And you you mentioned it was 246 Hockhockson Road, correct? And your

[1:07:09] contact information's in the paperwork you handed up?

[1:07:12] » I I did not include my contact but I I I'd be happy to email you my

[1:07:17] contact info. >> Okay. On the agenda is the bureau

[1:07:20] clerk's email. If you can forward your information and then someone from the

[1:07:23] council will see if we can get some uh

[1:07:26] clear answer for you. >> Yeah, so

[1:07:29] unfortunately

[1:07:33] I'm frustrated this has been going on since March. And I feel like I've gotten

[1:07:37] totally the runaround because in my eyes I'm not an engineer, I'm not a surveyor,

[1:07:41] I'm not a planner, I'm not an architect, but I can read a plan. And I know it's

[1:07:45] been violated. And I see the damage that's been done to the environment.

[1:07:48] It's it it looks absolutely horrible. It makes me really really sad. I hear all

[1:07:54] these people talking about trees and I feel I feel that.

[1:07:58] I feel it deeply. I've lived there for many years. It's a beautiful area. It's

[1:08:03] very pristine. Um

[1:08:05] » I understand. Um so we're going to follow up. I know you you said you get

[1:08:09] the runaround. I don't like that. >> Yeah, well I I have I have I have I have

[1:08:13] a couple of other things to say. I did reach out to the mayor. Um

[1:08:18] because I was just at the point that I didn't really know what to do. She told

[1:08:22] me the bureau administrator would reach out to me.

[1:08:24] He never did. I followed up with an email. I never received a response from

[1:08:28] the mayor. Um

[1:08:30] at this point I I don't understand why

[1:08:35] clear violations are being ignored. I mean this property owner actually said

[1:08:39] to me he moved it on purpose. >> Hm.

[1:08:41] » He said he can get away with everything he wants in the town. And I didn't want

[1:08:44] to believe that, but at this point when I feel like everybody's looking away,

[1:08:48] like what more can I think? It's really disappointing. And my

[1:08:53] concern at this point is that oh, there's going to be some kind of

[1:08:56] backdoor deal and they're going to retro something in. So oh yeah, it's okay to

[1:09:00] get done. But that would be really, really bad.

[1:09:04] And I'm asking the council, I really am, to direct I I requested a stop work

[1:09:10] order so we could figure everything out, have a bonded plan and restoration. The

[1:09:15] owner did agree to this, and last week Mr. Knapp said, "Oh, yeah, no, we're

[1:09:18] good." So,

[1:09:22] kind of citing that the DEP said there was no wetlands violation, which is

[1:09:25] completely separate from any zoning or variance

[1:09:29] uh permits. So, at this point, I'm really looking to the bureau council for

[1:09:34] help >> Okay.

[1:09:35] » in enforcing this. >> One of us from the council, myself or

[1:09:38] planning or zoning uh liaison will contact you from when you reach out to

[1:09:42] the clerical I got your email. >> Well, she she has my email. She's been

[1:09:45] very lovely. >> Okay.

[1:09:47] » Um but, I will reach out to her again. >> Perfect.

[1:09:49] » Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you.

[1:09:58] Would anybody else like to speak this evening?

[1:10:07] » Hi. Uh my name is Dave Keenan, and I live at

[1:10:11] 69 Squankum Road, uh along with my wife.

[1:10:16] Uh my wife and her family have lived at 69 Squankum Road since the 1950s,

[1:10:23] and we are the only house that was there before this neighborhood was built. So,

[1:10:29] we've been through the entire process. And, you know, I lost 15 ft of my front

[1:10:34] yard for them to put that road in. And I was willing to accept that because

[1:10:39] I assumed that the road would be maintained.

[1:10:42] And I can tell you it uh everything Mr. Calvert says, I I I

[1:10:46] concur and I can validate cuz I've been there the entire time.

[1:10:50] Um I walk that road all the time with my dog. And just for giggles, I counted

[1:10:56] there's a over a hundred patches from the Route 18 bridge to my house on

[1:11:03] Squankum Road. A hundred. We've been patching patches

[1:11:07] for all those years. It's kind of silly.

[1:11:11] The other dimension that that adds to it is

[1:11:15] there are a lot of very large trucks now using that road.

[1:11:19] They sneak through there to get to Colts Neck when they don't want to go through

[1:11:22] the middle of town. Because of the

[1:11:26] state of the road, they rip it up.

[1:11:29] There's been a a 10-truck metal container carrier

[1:11:35] uh 10-ton at least 20-ton been going up and down

[1:11:38] the street for the past 2 weeks every day.

[1:11:41] Going and hitting the There's a 10-ton bridge at the end of the road. So, he

[1:11:45] shouldn't even be on that road. Uh

[1:11:48] garbage trucks do it, big big trucks. So, that makes the road worse. It

[1:11:52] crumbles. I have a a a patch in front of my driveway.

[1:11:57] The cap comes off. I cut my uh tire on it because of that.

[1:12:02] It's still open and it it needs a

[1:12:07] an immediate repair so it's not dangerous like that.

[1:12:10] Um So, I just think we've neglected that

[1:12:14] road for 35 years at least and I've seen it and I really ask you

[1:12:19] to, you know, step up and get it somehow on a

[1:12:23] a list of uh roads to be repaved.

[1:12:28] Thanks a lot. >> Thank you, Mr. Keenan.

[1:12:34] Yes.

[1:12:44] » My name is Freddy Boynton, 128 Cherry Street, Tinton Falls.

[1:12:48] Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh Uh, I'm here

[1:12:52] for Apple Street and Springdale.

[1:12:56] There's a car, two cars. I I gave the borough administrator a picture.

[1:13:01] Parks right on that corner. When my daughter

[1:13:05] and my kids come out, they turn onto Apple Street, they got to swing way out

[1:13:10] in the other lane. Oncoming traffic.

[1:13:13] I was over here a couple weeks ago, spoke to the tech I mean the police in

[1:13:17] there to do something about it. They went there, I guess they talked to

[1:13:21] the man to move the vehicle. It's a traffic violation.

[1:13:25] I contacted motor vehicle and motor vehicle

[1:13:30] gave me 25 ft from a crosswalk, 25 ft from an intersection,

[1:13:36] 50 ft from the stop sign, 10 ft from the fire hydrant.

[1:13:41] Y'all go over there and paint that, we won't have that problem. They will

[1:13:45] park back further. I worked for the borough 30 years.

[1:13:49] 30 years I worked for the Red Bank. I received a ticket

[1:13:52] when I worked for the town years ago, right here.

[1:13:56] No parking on the street. I get up 5:00 in the morning I work for

[1:14:00] the town. I had the borough vehicle, I parked my personal vehicle out there.

[1:14:03] Police said I was overnight parking. I get up to move my truck so my daughter

[1:14:08] can go to work. It wasn't out there overnight, but I'm just letting y'all

[1:14:11] know I received a ticket and if that's a motor vehicle violation, how come that

[1:14:16] car cannot get a ticket? He's there every other day.

[1:14:21] I went by there this morning. There's another car there. I took pictures of

[1:14:25] it. I turned my phone off, but I took pictures of it.

[1:14:28] And when I went by there, police came right up Apple Street.

[1:14:32] Never stopped. The car's right there. He may be broke down, I don't know, but

[1:14:35] he's right on that corner. What are we going to do?

[1:14:39] It's a traffic violation. What are we going to do?

[1:14:42] Just going to ignore it?

[1:14:45] I'm just saying if you're going to ignore it.

[1:14:47] Now, the other thing, Apple Street, I mean uh Cherry Street,

[1:14:52] cars running the stop sign. It's a four-way stop sign down there.

[1:14:57] They're running that stop sign. My wife got hit there a couple years

[1:15:01] ago. Two of them called. Man ran the stop sign.

[1:15:05] Go to that deli up there. They come through there every morning.

[1:15:08] I'm not saying the police not doing their job. They can't be everywhere.

[1:15:13] But it's a problem over there. Them running the They're running them stop

[1:15:15] signs. We don't have several accidents over

[1:15:18] there on Cherry Street at that intersection.

[1:15:23] And something need to be done. We talk about it, but there's nothing being

[1:15:26] done. We had one cop come sit there. Caught the lady coming down the one-way

[1:15:31] street. We get that all the time. We need something over there to stop

[1:15:36] that. We have to stop these people from running the stop sign. They have to be

[1:15:39] issued ticket. If I can get one, and a friend of mine's

[1:15:43] got one, I don't want to bring it up, but the man I know about it. For a

[1:15:45] cracked windshield in the car, police came the other way says he's she's seen

[1:15:49] the cracked windshield in his car. He's running 40 mph, she's running 40 mph.

[1:15:54] How can you see a cracked windshield in a man's car when the sun is out? 80 I

[1:15:58] mean 80-something degrees out there. You can't.

[1:16:01] But he got a ticket. So, if we can get a ticket, they deserve a ticket, too.

[1:16:05] Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Boyd.

[1:16:19] » Hi. My name is Rich Gandhi. On a side note, I'm here to give you guys some

[1:16:23] compliments. So, um I'm a business owner. I don't reside

[1:16:27] in in this town. I own a business in this town. And I wanted to discuss the

[1:16:32] the hotel ordinance that you guys are putting out. I actually think it's

[1:16:35] commendable that you guys have coming up with this. It'll help solve a lot of

[1:16:38] problems that the township has with a lot of the

[1:16:42] uh some of the establishments in town, but I would actually like to add that I

[1:16:47] think you need to put some uh uh some teeth to the to the language I

[1:16:51] did read out there. I feel like uh

[1:16:55] there's no enforcement action and I'm like uh there's going to be no real

[1:16:59] result that we are trying to achieve here. I think if if they basically

[1:17:04] revisit this, I've actually talked to Councilman Peric about this um and if

[1:17:09] you and I given some uh feedback and points on it uh as to how they could do

[1:17:13] it because I've seen it done in a lot of other townships. I own a few hotels and

[1:17:18] a lot of other townships. They have they have established it and uh how they've

[1:17:23] gotten around legally. It has helped and I've provided all that

[1:17:27] documentation to Councilman Peric. I think you guys should um consider making

[1:17:32] a little more stringent. That would actually help really solve our problems,

[1:17:36] but I think it's a step in the right direction. So, thank you for doing what

[1:17:40] you guys do. Thank you.

[1:17:46] Would anybody else like to speak this evening?

[1:17:59] » Alan Goldberg, 90 Glenwood Drive. Um first of all, just to announce that

[1:18:05] our Environmental Commission meeting is next Thursday, August 20th. We usually

[1:18:09] have it the fourth Thursday of the month, but

[1:18:12] uh due to summer activities, it's going to be next Thursday. Uh I also wanted to

[1:18:18] report on the plastic detox. Thank you so much, Mr. Nice, for bringing that up.

[1:18:24] The uh event I thought went very, very well and was very well received and

[1:18:31] eye-opening to the people who came. Um I am working on additional showings

[1:18:38] because I know that there were people that were interested in coming that

[1:18:41] couldn't make it. So, I am looking to work with Mr. Lee at the high school. We

[1:18:48] are We're talking about possibly making it

[1:18:52] a a showing for the high school students and also bring it back to the Crawford

[1:18:57] House after Community Day so that we have an opportunity to promote it at

[1:19:01] Community Day. Um

[1:19:06] And something interesting and I'm just going to tag on with some of the things

[1:19:11] that some of the people were saying uh the speed limit. So, we've changed the

[1:19:15] speed limit in a few places or the the county, I guess it was, that changed the

[1:19:19] speed limit on Sycamore. So, it went from 40 to 35, right? And I know that I

[1:19:25] drive on that road almost every single day.

[1:19:29] I go 35. I have people who are on my back of my car practically. Um you know,

[1:19:35] because they want to go faster. And I also noticed that if I'm behind

[1:19:39] somebody, they're not going 35. So, I'm just wondering is this

[1:19:45] uh being upheld? Is it you know, is there any kind of ramification for

[1:19:50] anyone who's going over the speed limit? And you

[1:19:53] know, how much more do you go over the speed limit? I mean, it was reduced for

[1:19:57] a reason. And it's funny because I find myself going, you know, you go 40 mile

[1:20:02] an hour road to a 35 mile an hour, and I'm still going 35 thinking, "Well,

[1:20:07] there's residents on all of these roads. Maybe we should consider lowering the

[1:20:12] speed limit to 35 on our town roads that have all these residents on it because,

[1:20:18] you know, if people are going 40, people are going 45 and 50 and whatnot. And

[1:20:23] maybe it would be better for us to just keep all of it consistent at 35. So,

[1:20:30] just a thought. Thank you very much. >> Thank you.

[1:20:38] Any other comments this evening?

[1:20:44] At this time I would like to ask the clerk if there were any comments that

[1:20:47] were submitted prior to the meeting via email.

[1:20:49] » There were none. >> Hearing no further comments, may have a

[1:20:52] motion to close the public discussion.

[1:20:57] » Motion. >> Thank you, Mr. Perik. May have a second?

[1:21:02] » Second. >> Thank you, Mr. Alessi.

[1:21:04] All in favor? I.

[1:21:07] Does any member of council have anything to add this evening?

[1:21:12] Hearing none, we will now move on to the consent

[1:21:15] agenda. Are there any items any member of

[1:21:18] council would like to be removed to be voted upon separately?

[1:21:23] Hearing none, may have a motion to approve the consent agenda.

[1:21:27] » Motion. >> Thank you, Mr. Nice.

[1:21:29] May have a second? >> Second.

[1:21:32] » Thank you, Mr. Alessi. May have a roll call, please.

[1:21:35] » Mr. Alessi? >> Yes.

[1:21:37] » Ms. Buckley? >> Yes.

[1:21:39] » Mr. Nice? >> Yes.

[1:21:40] » Mr. Perik? >> Yes.

[1:21:42] » Mr. Nessi? >> Yes.

[1:21:44] » Motion carries to adopt consent agenda. >> This concludes today's business. May

[1:21:48] have a motion to adjourn. >> Motion.

[1:21:52] » Thank you, Mr. Nice. May have a second? >> Second.

[1:21:55] » Thank you, Mr. Perik. All in favor? >> I.

[1:21:57] » I. This meeting is now adjourned

[1:22:00] at 8:50. Thank you to all attendees for your

[1:22:03] participation and orderly conduct this evening.

Tinton Falls Council Meeting 8/11/2026

Transcript