OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Edison Special Meeting on Emergency Appropriations – July 23, 2026

Township Council — Thursday, July 23, 2026
BodyEdison, New Jersey
SessionTownship Council
DateThursday, July 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:06:21

Transcript — Verbatim
0:27

Good evening, everyone.

0:28

Today is July 23rd.

0:31

This is a special meeting today on the appropriations budget.

0:34

It is an emergency appropriations for today.

0:37

As most of you know, we did not finish our meeting uh on Monday.

0:41

And today, the part of this uh meeting today is to make sure we finish the appropriations.

0:46

It is not a meeting to pass the budget.

0:49

Okay.

0:50

We all please rise to play the for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:59

To the Republican which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:09

Council.

1:12

Councilmember Brescher.

1:13

Here.

1:14

Councilmember Dima.

1:15

Here.

1:15

Councilmember Kentos.

1:16

Here.

1:17

Councilmember Patel.

1:18

Here.

1:18

Councilmember Patil.

1:19

Here.

1:20

Councilmember Schmuel.

1:21

Here.

1:21

Council President Coyle.

1:23

Here.

1:23

Clerk Weird Adequate Notice.

1:26

Adequate notice of this meeting as required by the Open Public Meeting Act of 1975 has been provided by a special notice published to the township website on July 21st, 2026, and posted in the main lobby of the municipal complex on that same date.

1:43

Thank you.

1:43

Thank you, Council members, for joining us here today.

1:46

And for everyone here from the public, thank you for joining us.

2:04

Uh of the portion of the agenda.

2:05

If you're watching from home, uh please visit SNNJ.gov, click on departments, then council, and the and select the council agenda so you can follow us along from home on TV.

2:17

If you have any further comments and you're not here today to make comments, you can email me at Joe Coyle at Edison NJ.gov.

2:26

Just uh in addition to my comments, I first want to mention uh for those who want to speak uh during the public portion, we're gonna uh Sergeant Michkowski is here.

2:38

The gentleman uh right behind him, we're gonna form a line behind him.

2:42

So anybody who wants to speak will start behind Ms.

2:45

Michkowski.

2:46

We do have a small list of people prior to that, but please form a line there.

2:51

Uh as you know, this is going to be a long meeting.

2:53

If you have the opportunity that one of your uh colleagues will represent what you may want to say, you are welcome to do that.

3:00

I wish everyone can speak here for four minutes, but some of you may not want to be here that long.

3:05

We have all night.

3:06

Everyone is welcome to speak all night, and each one of you can speak, I believe twice for four minutes.

3:12

So uh that'll be up to you whether you choose to allow that courtesy for your friend to or your colleague or your union rep to speak for you.

3:19

But as a favor to those who are listening or those who are here for the most important reason, which is to uh vote on the uh emergency appropriations, please consider a courtesy that we can get to that vote.

3:30

I expect that we'll have several council members speaking from their position and and what they have an interest in, and we have to also allow that.

3:38

I'm quite certain they'll give a courtesy to each one of you that you're here and that they'll do the best they can to wrap up their point and their privilege and suggestions they have to the council.

3:47

So with that being said, again, welcome and I just hope we can do our best to get to this vote and uh what's most important.

3:54

Again, we're voting on emergency appropriations that'll get us through the spending for each one of you that are in this room that have a job in Edison and for all the public safety needs we have in this town, uh including you know DPW, police fire, and and several um departments in here that are essential needs to this town.

4:14

So uh we are not again voting for the budget today.

4:17

We are planning to voting for the budget, Madam Clerk is uh August August 3rd.

4:22

So that day will be a separate day, and at that day, members of the council can suggest amendments to that budget which can be cut, which could have effects as well, but there's no bigger effect today, not voting for this emergency spending today.

4:35

So I hope we're clear and thank you again.

4:37

And uh look forward to hearing from a lot of you.

4:40

Again, the line is formed behind uh Sergeant Michkowski and we'll move from there.

4:45

Council President.

4:46

Yes, quick question.

4:48

Um normally when a member of the public comes up to speak, we have an opportunity to respond.

4:54

Since we have people downstairs, they don't even know this line exists, and they actually are waiting downstairs to speak.

5:01

Should we allow everybody to speak first and then comment later or do you want to be able to do that?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Public Safety███████████████████████23%
Public Engagement███████████████████19%
Procedural████████████12%
Personnel Matters██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Edison Township Council Special Meeting on Emergency Appropriations – July 23, 2026

The Edison Township Council held a special meeting on July 23, 2026, to vote on emergency appropriations (Resolutions 401-072026 and 402-072026) needed to restore funding for township operations and reverse furloughs. The meeting came after the regular meeting on July 20 failed to pass a temporary budget, leading to the furlough of 10 police officers and many other employees. Council President Joe Coyle emphasized that the vote was only for temporary spending, not the full budget, which is scheduled for August 3, 2026. After public comments, amendments, and debate, both resolutions were passed, and all furloughed employees were to be reinstated with back pay.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution 401-072026 (emergency appropriation covering council, mayor, administration salaries, and other operating expenses) and Resolution 402-072026 (sanitation budget) were considered together on the consent agenda.
  • Before adoption, an amendment to strike council salaries and wages ($14,250.06) from Resolution 401 passed (4-3). An amendment to strike mayor salaries failed (3-4). After these votes, the consent agenda was adopted unanimously (7-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Margo Harris (43 Oak Hills Road) asked whether the temporary budget would run through the end of the month; administration clarified it covers the pay period ending July 22 through August 5.
  • Thomas Lucky (Netherwood Circle) expressed support for the appropriation but urged the council to withhold their own salaries and the mayor's until the budget passes.
  • Peter Andrew (President, New Jersey State PBA) requested the council approve funding to return all furloughed officers, provide complete information on any proposed additional furloughs, and meet promptly with the union. He stated that 10 officers had already been furloughed and that removing officers does not eliminate public safety needs.
  • Michael Coyne (DPW/Teamsters 469) pleaded for passage to avoid the town becoming national news and to keep essential services running.
  • Dan Boslett (resident) heavily criticized the three council members who did not attend the July 20 meeting and called the situation “deplorable.” He urged passage and future budget cuts.
  • Diana Joffey (on behalf of former councilman Tony Masaro) read a statement saying the council should vote based on facts and noted that cutting $755,000 would save each taxpayer only one penny.
  • Jamie Goldman (resident, attorney, and realtor) expressed fear that furloughs make Edison unsafe and that the chaos would discourage new residents.
  • Jim Walsh (President, Edison Fire Fighters Association) urged passage, noting that firefighters remain understaffed and that the budget is now the council's responsibility.
  • Lola [Lilith] (AFSME Local 3269 President) stated that 94% of her membership was furloughed, affecting many lesser-known departments. She insisted on restoring services.
  • Gulbender Demija (Denser Just Road) called for waste reduction and resident control over budgets, citing a $500 monthly copier rental as an example of waste.
  • Andrew Benjavanga (resident) supported immediate passage and thanked the council.
  • Maria Orchid (Chair, Human Relations Commission) criticized the proposed 4.5% tax increase and noted that recreation and senior services were furloughed.
  • Janice Roberts (new resident) asked why requested information on easy pass and fuel was not provided earlier and whether summer camp days closed would be refunded.
  • Brian Kilajansky (resident, firefighter, nurse) urged the council to know funding deadlines and improve communication to prevent future crises.

Discussion Items

  • Council President Coyle clarified that the meeting was only for emergency appropriations, not the full budget, and that the regular budget vote is August 3.
  • Councilmember Brescher moved to amend Resolution 401 to strike council salaries and wages, stating the council collectively failed to reach a budget agreement. The amendment passed 4-3 (Brescher, Kentos, Patel, Petil yes; Dima, Schmuel, Coyle no).
  • A subsequent motion to strike mayor salaries failed 3-4 (Brescher, Kentos, Petil yes; Patel, Dima, Schmuel, Coyle no).
  • Councilmember Brescher also requested detailed easy pass and fuel records dating back to the prior administration, promising to withhold votes until received. The administration agreed to provide unredacted reports.
  • Councilmember Patel stated he was not feeling well on Monday and had surgery on Tuesday, but attended because the vote was critical. He emphasized he never intended to harm employees and would vote for the budget on August 3.
  • The Business Administrator (BA) and CFO explained that the surplus is approximately $4 million and that emergency appropriations require council authorization. They noted that all council members had been provided with financial documents for five months.
  • Council President Coyle argued that the temporary appropriations are a routine practice and that the council's failure to pass them on Monday was unusual. He criticized the mayor for sounding the alarm only seven days before funds ran out.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 401-072026 was amended to zero out council salaries and wages for the temporary period (motion passed 4-3).
  • The amendment to remove mayor salaries failed (3-4).
  • Both Resolutions 401 and 402 were then adopted via consent agenda on a unanimous 7-0 vote.
  • All furloughed employees are to be reinstated the next day (July 24) and will receive back pay for the days missed.
  • The next budget meeting is scheduled for August 3, 2026, where council members may propose further amendments to the full budget.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Today is July 23rd. This is a special meeting today on the appropriations budget. It is an emergency appropriations for today. As most of you know, we did not finish our meeting uh on Monday. And today, the part of this uh meeting today is to make sure we finish the appropriations. It is not a meeting to pass the budget. Okay. We all please rise to play the for the Pledge of Allegiance. To the Republican which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Council. Councilmember Brescher. Here. Councilmember Dima. Here. Councilmember Kentos. Here. Councilmember Patel. Here. Councilmember Patil. Here. Councilmember Schmuel. Here. Council President Coyle. Here. Clerk Weird Adequate Notice. Adequate notice of this meeting as required by the Open Public Meeting Act of 1975 has been provided by a special notice published to the township website on July 21st, 2026, and posted in the main lobby of the municipal complex on that same date. Thank you. Thank you, Council members, for joining us here today. And for everyone here from the public, thank you for joining us. Uh of the portion of the agenda. If you're watching from home, uh please visit SNNJ.gov, click on departments, then council, and the and select the council agenda so you can follow us along from home on TV. If you have any further comments and you're not here today to make comments, you can email me at Joe Coyle at Edison NJ.gov. Just uh in addition to my comments, I first want to mention uh for those who want to speak uh during the public portion, we're gonna uh Sergeant Michkowski is here. The gentleman uh right behind him, we're gonna form a line behind him. So anybody who wants to speak will start behind Ms. Michkowski. We do have a small list of people prior to that, but please form a line there. Uh as you know, this is going to be a long meeting. If you have the opportunity that one of your uh colleagues will represent what you may want to say, you are welcome to do that. I wish everyone can speak here for four minutes, but some of you may not want to be here that long. We have all night. Everyone is welcome to speak all night, and each one of you can speak, I believe twice for four minutes. So uh that'll be up to you whether you choose to allow that courtesy for your friend to or your colleague or your union rep to speak for you. But as a favor to those who are listening or those who are here for the most important reason, which is to uh vote on the uh emergency appropriations, please consider a courtesy that we can get to that vote. I expect that we'll have several council members speaking from their position and and what they have an interest in, and we have to also allow that. I'm quite certain they'll give a courtesy to each one of you that you're here and that they'll do the best they can to wrap up their point and their privilege and suggestions they have to the council. So with that being said, again, welcome and I just hope we can do our best to get to this vote and uh what's most important. Again, we're voting on emergency appropriations that'll get us through the spending for each one of you that are in this room that have a job in Edison and for all the public safety needs we have in this town, uh including you know DPW, police fire, and and several um departments in here that are essential needs to this town. So uh we are not again voting for the budget today.

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