The Franklin Township Council held a work session and regular meeting on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at 7:00 PM in the municipal building. The meeting included the swearing-in of new police chaplains, a Pride Month proclamation, public discussion on the Gaza conflict and community concerns, adoption of ordinances, and action on a consent agenda with 15 resolutions.
This work session regular meeting of the township council is called to order. Madam Clerk. In accordance with the open public meeting act of the state of New Jersey, adequate notice of this work session regular meeting of the Franklin Township Council was made as required, indicating that this work session regular meeting would take place at the municipal building at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25th, 2024. And again, stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing, followed for by an invocation from Councilman Ram and Barrison. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. Let us take the next few moments of silence to seek each seek in our own way. Whatever sources of inspiration will grant us the strength and power in our thoughts and decisions to be for the benefit of all people at all times. Amen. Thank you. We'll now I'm still standing because I'm gonna get up. So um we're gonna have the swearing in of the police chaplain. We've got to take the vocal. I did it again. No excuse. Madam Clerk, please call the role. Councilman embarrassed. Councilwoman Francass here. Councilman Carazi. Here Mayor Kramer. Here Councilman O'Neillaka. Yeah. Deputy Rebotasnik. Present. Councilwoman. Here. Councilman Vassanella? Here. Councilman Wright. Now time for commendations and proclamations. Swearing in of the police chaplains. Good evening, everyone. I'm Captain Sean Hebben from the Franklin Township Police Department. And today, as they stated, we're here swearing in new uh police department chaplains. Um chaplains are no uh stranger to Franklin Township Police Department. We've had them here before. Um however, under the direction of uh Director Quavela Mayweather, we revamped and updated our chaplain program. These are three out of the five uh chaplains, um possibly six that we're going to be swearing in. Um and Franklin Township Police Department is a very diverse police department that represents a very diverse community. We also wanted our chaplains to also represent that diversity. So you'll be able to see here a range of different um faiths and a range of different um uh uh backgrounds to offer those services to not just our police officers who are in need of prayer at times, and police officers do need prayer. We're people that you know are going into the thick of things sometimes. Our officers are people, and sometimes uh they they hurt and suffer as well, um, as well as members of our community. Um there are things that happen here that require us to go beyond just going and serving and protecting through uh whatever we carry on our um duty belts. Um sometimes we have to really uh dig deep into helping someone in a deeper way, and that's where the chaplains come in and could be of uh great support um for our agency. So here we have uh today um Rabbi Eli Garfinkel, who has been a uh uh chaplain from uh from way back when I don't know how I don't know 18 years. So he has a lot of history here with Franklin. He's he's been with the chaplain program in the past, and uh he's here with us um continuing on to serve today. We have um um and he's representing um Temple Bethel. We have Reverend Jamin Powell from Community Baptist Church, um, who's here, and you have some uh um background as well in um in um and chaplaincy from uh uh previous county orange county sheriff's department, and uh we have Father uh Simon uh Simon L.