Newark Municipal Council Regular Meeting - August 6, 2025
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I'm glad to lead to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.
One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.
Good morning.
Let us pray.
God, you are the author and the finisher of our faith.
And before we ask you for anything, we want to thank you for everything.
Thank you for waking us up this morning.
Thank you for giving us another opportunity at life.
Thank you for allowing us to assemble together one more time.
God, you have gathered us here from all different perspectives.
We have come from all different faiths.
We have come from all across the city of Norwich, New Jersey, and beyond.
Yet we are united by our love for community.
But most of all, we are united by your love, which works through us to the world.
Therefore, we ask that in this time of sharing in this time of decision making that you would bless our leader, bless the mayor, Ras Baraka, bless each council person represented under the sound of my voice.
Bless every person as they share today.
May you be glorified in our dialogue.
May you be glorified in our choices, and may they exalt your name.
May our temperament and how we engage with one another reflect the love you have called us to have for our fellow brothers and sisters.
So God have thine own way in this place, and we pray this prayer in the name of thou who has created all of us, the true and living God, the one I call Jesus the Christ.
Amen.
Amen.
In accordance with New Jersey Law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting.
In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on August 1st at the time of preparation and posted on the website of the City of Newark.
Roll call.
Council.
Kelly.
Scott Roundtree.
Absent.
President Crump.
Council President, Council members, we are on page three of the regular agenda.
Item five.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Ramos.
Yes.
Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Absolutely.
President Crump.
Yes.
Ordinances on public hearing.
Second reading and final passage.
Six PSFA and B are both to be deferred.
Council as a whole to defer.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
6PSFC is an ordinance granting a 30-year tax abatement under the HMFA law to Sheila Y.
Oliver Senior Housing Community LLC for a project to construct a five-story residential building providing 100% affordable senior housing in the South Ward.
Sponsored by Councilman Counsel.
Second, by councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Is there anyone present wishing to be heard on this ordinance?
Yes.
May I state your name?
All right.
My name is Jeffrey Fell.
I live in Short Hills, New Jersey.
It's been more than five years that I've appeared before you.
The question I have, this is a non-urban renewal entity, HMFA long-term tax exemption.
For more than 10 years, I and others have been questioning whether this statute that you're proceeding under is valid under state law.
If you look at the agenda, just based on the financial statements, there's some entities or urban renewal entities.
Other times you grant long-term tax exemptions under the long-term tax exemption law.
And sometimes you enter in under the FNHMFA.
Since I've been here five years ago, the courts have not ruled on this substantive issue.
They deferred, saying I lacked standing to challenges.
However, the community should understand that in the calendar year 2024 audit issued by the county, the county in its audit and in no footnote, admitted for the first time they failed to collect and monitor long-term tax exemptions.
You say, why do I care?
Well, in 2004, around that time, the Township of Milburn tried to succeed from Essex County.
And part of the deal to stay in Essex County was the amendment of the long-term tax exemption law, where 5% of the revenues go to the county.
Based on the ordinance, and because we do not have the financial agreement, we do not know if that provision is exist.
The last two days, our state supreme court has issued a very series of opinions that says the state constitution controls.
She used to always tell me, continue your local watchdog effort efforts.
Protect the protected.
But she also used to say the devil is buried in the details.
The public needs to see the controlling documents.
They need to see the formation documents to see whether the entity that's going to be building this profits dividends are restrained pursuant to our state constitution.
They need to see the fiscal agreement.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Thank you for that.
Deborah Salters.
Affordable again means that an individual is able to live, pay their bills, take care of their families, and have something left over.
But now it is simply paying to live in a place with a roof over your head.
So do I pay my rent?
Do I pay it late?
Or do I buy groceries?
Or do I get his medicine?
Like you all do not make this easy for residents to live here.
Like we saw yesterday, brother said this is his last time in New York.
He's moving out because he can't afford it.
And this is what is happening.
So when we talk about 100% affordable, and I said this before, you keep putting 60% AMI.
Let's get some numbers with this.
When we're in these meetings online, um, this this is what I'm asking.
So are we talking 900 for one bedroom?
Are we talking 760 for one bedroom?
How much are we talking for two bedroom?
100% affordable, a 30-year tax abatement, and I know you know uh it's in Sheila Oliver's name, but you all do a lot of that legacy building and wanting to leave people's names and all of this stuff, but how does that benefit we the people and the residents?
And I knew Sheila Oliver, I spoke with her too.
I listen, I have no problem with her.
But how does this benefit we the people who are still here and have to make it from day to day?
Paying our rent, paying the bills that come along with the rent, PSNG is through the roof.
They just went up again.
One person told me their PSC and G bill was $300 for the month.
It's ridiculous.
But this is what you all are doing.
Now we want numbers here.
We want to make sure that it is truly affordable.
A person can take a paycheck and live 30 to 40% going to their rent and bills, and then the other 60 to 70% is for the children, for their groceries, for car repairs, for medication.
This is affordable living.
Not what you all are calling it.
And we would like these documents, but every time we ask you here, we don't get them.
We open requests, we don't get them.
We get the GRC involved, we still don't get them.
So what are we, the people supposed to do for the details?
The devil that's in those details.
We need those reports.
Thank you for your comments, next speaker.
Good afternoon, Alif Mohammed.
Um, I'm biased, I'm a senior citizen.
Also, I'm biased because me and Sheila went to weekly together.
And I'm biased because it's in a good spot.
I think that used to be a gas station there for years.
So look.
When I was a commissioner housing authorities, most phone calls I got were from senior citizens.
And a lot of these senior citizens weren't low income.
And let me tell you, it's a weird problem when you're a senior citizen and you're getting a big Social Security and you're getting a pension.
So you had to go into certain business that's low income, you end up paying top rate in the building where the low income should be for low-income people.
So we need more of this because we're living longer now.
You know, thank God we're living longer and stuff.
You know, I'll be 72 in October, or if Larry permits me to be around that long.
You know?
But uh this is a good idea.
Please pass it.
Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Lisa Parker.
On February the 6th, Round Tree, Crumb, and Quintana came to my community about tax abatement extensions, talking about how you are gonna do a revaluation this year that's gonna tax us, how the homeowners now are raising so much hell about the third quarter estimated taxes that are burdening them.
So you increased our tax by 7% this year, you increase it 7% last year, you're about to impose a re-evaluation tax on us.
We're already at the 15% percentile in raising taxes.
We have a whole community of over a thousand people that we all spoke to you.
They came down here, you came up in my neighborhood.
Why haven't any of you put forth tax abatement extension legislation for the people that create these communities and built these communities to keep us here?
Let's talk about what you're calling the affordable.
I don't give a damn you calling it senior and 100% because the contract language says it is income restricted.
So if you don't match the income to be in what is affordable, it is not affordable for low to moderate income.
Let's stop word salading, all of this stuff to put these deals through for your developers that don't pay their fair share of taxes.
And in addition to that, when a tax abatement is given to anyone, like Thalter says, and I preach all the time here, the devil is in the details.
You are not requiring them to have a project labor agreement to hire newarkers to give them a living wage and benefits.
Hell, you gave Queen Latifa a tax abatement.
She never hired one newer construction worker in that project.
How's that?
Newark's own don't have to pay her fair share that don't even live here.
But going back to the people that are salt to the earth of these communities, worked all their lives, now you taxing, you gentrifying the people out of the community.
And you haven't put one piece of legislation forward to extend the tax abatement for university and states homeowners association and society hill that was the catalyst that made people want to come to Newark and in essential ward.
Thank you for your comments, next speaker.
I always say, Manara Bumani, there needs to be uh an independent investigation over our tax abatement program, and I'm gonna continue to say that.
To the friends and family and community advocates who dare love our honorable Sheila Oliver.
How dare you if you allow these individuals to use her name to build this uh construct this project and not do what she stands for, it would be on us.
It would be on us.
And I hope like hell that she haunt the lives out of you if you allow these individuals to do it.
So as a Newark Civic trustee, we came to you with a socially responsible tax abatement orders, didn't we?
Uh Quatana, uh Gonzalez, socially responsible that you looked at and said, Yeah, it's a good thing, right?
And a socially responsible tax abatement basically uh provides us with a community benefits agreement.
It promotes affordable housing that meets the needs of the residents of the city, creating local jobs, and also deals with environmental concerns because when you build these projects, you know the water main system and all of that.
So we got a cop troller that we need to call on because there needs there's a serious problem with y'all handing out these tax abatements.
It's a serious problem because we don't see the jobs, we don't see who's administering the housing that meets the needs of the residents.
We don't see the local uh uh contractors getting the and employing workers.
Okay, we we don't see the unions that we created under local 55 or none of these projects going forward now.
So uh we need to call on the comp controller because these individuals here they they they they they don't have the we we can't allow this to go on any longer.
We can't.
What a socially responsible tax abatement does is create a community benefits agreement with developers and a community, community local groups, it also prior to prioritize hiring and local business before and after the construction.
And y'all looking, y'all just looking, shaking your head, but we don't see none of it.
None of it under your leadership.
And is this a crying out shame that for all these years that we come up here crying out to get this tax abatement program in order to meet the needs of the residents of the city?
We continue to get nothing.
Nothing.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Hearing uh one more council president.
Um, the one the first speaker, the one thing that he said that was most important about that whole process with the county overseeing them tax abatements was that there was no monitoring or enforcement of it.
And that's the same thing that we've been talking about.
We're talking about that affirmative action review council.
So when we're talking about these tax abatements, you we continue to hear these arguments.
We hear Councilman Ramos.
You know, I posted some things that you discussed about why we still giving out these tax abatements and why we're giving them out when Jersey City was giving out affordable housing, uh doing affordable housing and not doing tax abatements.
And so why are we still giving out?
That's what you said.
I posted that.
So the same arguments that y'all are making up there about why we're giving out tax abatements.
You also, Councilman Gonzalez, you said you should we should have a moratorium.
So we we should not be having these back and forth discussions when we understand that our government is not in compliance with our own laws.
There was no monitoring, no compliance, whether New York residents are working, there's no no report caught on these developers, whether or not they're paying their taxes, they're getting their debts waived, everything is going on except for newer residents are working, and there's no compliance from these developers.
Our government is not compliance.
Why are we still doing this?
Why are we still doing this?
No one can answer that question.
Why are we still doing these tax abatements when our government is not in compliance?
We asked for a moratorium.
The councilman asked for your support.
Councilman Roundtree, Councilman Council.
He he also asked for your support on this moratorium on tax abatements.
So are we gonna have these moratoriums on these tax abatements until the government becomes compliance with our own local laws?
Are we?
That's a question.
Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Seeing none, public hearing is now closed.
Anything from the council?
Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Number one to address um uh Miss Lisa Parkerson.
Um look into the legislation, also deal with um the state as well.
We've been researching for that extension.
Myself, Council President Crum have been looking through all of the ordinances, looking for the legislation that you spoke of that Charlie Bell um might have been involved with.
I'm not sure, and I don't want to call out names out of order, but I do believe it was Charlie Bell at the time that was mentioned to me.
We have not negated to deal with the we're looking right now to figure out how we can um present an ordinance to give homeowners some relief.
Because I do agree with you that while homeowners, especially inside Society Hill, we're talking about 30 years ago when homeowners were buying it.
What about the homeowner that just bought the house?
They don't get the benefit of that, they don't get the benefit of your abatement.
So we are looking into it.
Council President Louis Quintana and myself have been researching, especially the president, to find that legislation so we can possibly try to find a way to um put that on record to see how we can give the homeowners some relief.
We don't disagree with you.
We do want the homeowners that have been in this city that have paved the way, that are paying taxes to be able to have some relief, especially our elders.
So it's not going on notice, it's just that we haven't gotten a chance to get back with you to have a meeting to have an update, other than what we hear from you here.
So maybe it's time for that to show you what we have found, what we haven't found, and what we're going to create.
And that will happen.
To your point, Mr.
Tillman, in reference to the committee and the civilian uh there's two.
I sit on the council along with um Pat Council and Councilman Gonzalez on the tax abatement committee for the New York Municipal Council.
We're not allowed to make any uh changes.
That is not what we do.
We review the projects from front to back, we look at them, but we legally are not able to make decisions and tell people what they have to do.
That's not what we do.
And we in reference to the complaint, the civilian, I'm not the civilian, to the um review council that you're talking about for tax abatements.
We're in the process now.
Just yesterday, myself, I spoke to um Corporation Council, the BA, and some other parties, so that we can review what's going on in reference to the moratorium.
The councilman Gonzalez spoke, I support my colleagues, but whatever is in best the best interest of the people.
When he spoke the moratorium, there were things already in the pipeline that have already been, we can't go back and tell and and not put this stuff on the gender.
I don't know about the registrar and what how familiar you are with it, but anything new coming, when Councilman Gonzalez gets ready, we're going to support our colleagues to the best of our ability to make sure that the decisions we make are in the best interest of the residents of this city.
So we couldn't, like when he said it, just stop it right there.
There's a process.
So we are addressing that as well, sir.
So I just want to address those two things, those three things, because when my name gets called, I want to make sure that people know that we are working on those areas.
So Mr.
Tillman, we are dealing with the civilian keep saying civilian, the um the uh review council, which is administration.
What I do is municipal council.
We are dealing with the extension on the tax abatement and seeing how we can give some relief to our residents.
We don't make, I don't make promises, we don't make promises because the problem with promises is they can be broken, and then you get called out that you said you was gonna do something and didn't do it.
So we said we were gonna look, we said we were gonna do, and we are going to do something.
I just can't say exactly what it is, but our ultimate ultimate goal is to give relief to our homeowners, especially our elders.
That's number one.
I also want to welcome the Oliver family in the council chamber today because they are here.
Sheila Oliver's family is in the house.
God bless you, and thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilwoman.
Anything else from the council?
Councilman Gonzalez.
Wouldn't I do sentence?
Yes, I did say that uh we're going to have a moratorium.
We are going to continue approving the ones that are in the pipeline, but uh they say the ones that aren't coming to us unless that committees form where I am not going to hear them.
All right.
Thank you, Councilman Gazala.
Anything else from the council?
Hearing nothing roll and roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Groundtree?
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
D is an ordinance amending booting or removal of vehicle on private property to update booting and mobilization regulations and adopt fees.
Sponsored by Councilman Ramos.
Second by Councilman Quintana.
Is there anyone present wishing to be heard on this ordinance?
Lisa Parker.
169 Clinton Avenue.
Is that what we're referring to on this ordinance right here?
It was deferred.
One, two, three, four, five times.
Why is it back here?
Ms.
Parker.
That's not the one we're on.
We're on SDSF D.
Page four and the last one on page four.
Regarding regarding booting.
Okay.
Let's talk about the booting and the and the tickets that's given out in this city.
Because number one, there's never been no accountability for the revenues that you collect, whether you boot somebody, and let's talk about the booting companies that are in this city, and I'll refer to Bergen Street right up there where they sell stake or take at that guys is out there booting people's cars, and it's a cash business.
If you don't give them cash, they're not unbooting your car.
Then they take it to wherever the warehouse is for you to get your car, so you got to pay pay those fees.
When are y'all gonna get some kind of regulation guidelines on people in this city making money, booting and what have you, and have some regulations over it?
When are we gonna get accountability on all the people that come into our city and make money, but they ain't paying no taxes?
They ain't paying their shit fair share to be in business in this town.
When we gonna get an accounting of all the revenues collected by these boot companies that is not paying their fair share and operate a cash business hijacking people's cars all over this city.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
He showed a little outrage about the guys booting people's cars.
But so what exactly will this ordinance do?
That is the question.
Will this now uh give you power to regulate what they're doing?
Will you have a list of these companies?
I saw a couple companies come here, what last year and had to present.
Um, haven't seen them since.
However, and I've seen them just wait for people to get out of their cars, and as soon as they walk away, they're there putting the boot on.
Literally, and they want 350.
350.
Don't give it to them.
You can't get it.
You know, um, I mean, fortunately, in that incident, I was able to help them out with going to somebody over everybody in the complex, but no one should have to go through that.
So you're passing this ordinance.
I remember when you brought it up, Ramos.
But what is this going to allow the city to do?
And like Miss Parker was saying, we do not have a tally of the revenue that these people make because it's a cash business.
And there's no one out there watching them.
There's no one regulating them.
They are just doing whatever it is they want to do, and they're getting away with it.
So, what good is this ordinance?
And how will we benefit?
Those are the two questions.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Good afternoon, counsel.
Good afternoon.
Might I suggest with this ordinance.
I hate to ask you this.
We know your name, but could you just say it for the record?
Yes, Gail Cheneyville Jenkins, 88 Richmond Street, Newark, New Jersey, not Florida.
Thank you.
The ordinance, um, one of the things you guys can do is to make sure that these parking lots where these cars go and park, that there is an actual sign that's legible and big, so that people can see that if you park here and leave, you will get booted.
I came here in 2022 when I told you all my car got booted right across the street from Universe and Medicine and Dentistry.
Those signs aren't visible in all these shopping places.
So you all can make it mandatory that these businesses that have that booting service have the sign properly displayed in order for people to understand when they park there, then it's at their own risk.
A lot of those signs are very small and they're inconspicuous places.
So if you put the signs up and make it mandatory, you have the power to create an ordinance to strengthen that and make sure that people understand that they will get told, and that they should also have the number of where they can get their car back.
But a lot of these booting companies now they wait for you.
They make you pay money right then and there.
And the day I got caught and I told you all about it.
There was a one lady, unfortunately, she didn't have the money.
There were 10 of us in the parking lot getting money together to help that sister.
She had three kids.
So these parking predatory laws have to be strengthened, but you have to make sure that there's some signage that is clear, and if they don't post that, then they should be fined.
The not the residents.
Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Y'all need to look at Paramount Ass.
I know you got, I know you got some complaints about them.
Shake your head and say no.
Paramount asset over there by Cassentra.
A medical place for people that's injured.
Took over the whole parking lot.
Where they don't even got cars in them.
Sit there and let you park in the up space.
Sign way over in the corner, like uh uh uh honorable Gail Cheneyfield said in the corner.
Can't be seen.
No allka centric door if you if you're limping like me, I had to go up in there.
I'm trying to get in the seat with a torniscus.
Boot my car.
And guess what?
You better pay 250 right away.
And you better hurry up and get it if you don't got it, because you're going to the uh towing place.
So please look into that.
I don't know why they took over all the parking space.
I guess because they took and brought up the whole space over there where easy easy tickets, whatever.
What is the easy pass?
All that stuff over there.
Yeah.
Your building you in.
You ain't got enough space for your for your people over there.
Tell the truth.
I mean, this is unacceptable.
And then because central parking space is way over across the street with a little space.
And you got a whole lot of people, more than what you got in the council people in the council chambers, that got to go in there.
That's limping, crutches, ill, sick.
You know Cassentra is a medical place.
Please look into this to do something about the signs.
I don't know, maybe because Central got to deal with them because they don't even shout, if you got your cars, move them, because they're gonna boot them or if they don't come in there and say, all right, if you got people in here, tell them to move their cars.
No, they boot.
They got a white truck that walk around to see you parked there and wait till you to go in concentra and boot you.
You come out and you gotta pay that money right then and there.
Please look into it.
Do something.
Do something.
Because y'all, you know, I'm gonna keep continue calling y'all.
Because that's why you got the ordinance because people's complaining.
But paramount asset predatory.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Hearing, seeing none public speaking hearing is now closed.
Anything from the council?
Councilman Ramos.
Yeah, uh, thank you, Mr.
President.
I think if you look at the ordinance, and then if you happen to have been here when this was uh previously discussed, it addresses um most, if not all the concerns that the residents raised.
Uh the city's current towing ordinance does not properly address the booting practices.
Actually, the state law, which protects residents against predatory towing, does not uh address some of the booting practices that a few of these illicit towers are enforcing upon our residents.
So the the ordinance that's here uh enacts a maximum fee that they can charge in the city of Norfolk, requires them to have a business license, requires them to have appropriate signage at the location, requires them to have a 24-hour uh hotline that residents can call in case their vehicle is booted, uh, requires them to release the the boot if the resident happens to get there while the vehicle is being booted at no charge.
Um so it details a lot of the provisions that the um residents have uh brought to our attention today.
Another important provision that that the police division added is that the booting company has to notify North Police when they're booting a vehicle because a lot of times uh residents, if there's no one at the site, have no idea who to contact in case their vehicle uh was booted.
So these are all the provisions that are here.
We all heard the horror stories about people in our city uh getting victimized sometimes by companies that are not not even licensed in the city of Norway.
You know, I heard on a private lot on Park Avenue that they were charging $350 more than a tow and a one-night uh fee to to boot a vehicle.
So the this uh actually Senator Timberlake reached out to our office because I believe the state wants to model um some of their uh protective practices around booting based on this ordinance.
Thank you.
Thank you, councilman.
Any other thing?
Uh councilman uh Kelly.
You're offered thank you, Council President.
I just want to say um thank you for the revisions from council uh rainbows, and a lot of these revisions we've we've dealt with so many different booting horror stories in the city and the residents we received a lot of calls.
That's why this ordinance was revisited, and a lot of the revisions have taken place, and I just wanted to um say that to uh Miss Cheneyfield that there wasn't a sign in there.
I don't know if if it wasn't when you got your car booted, but I just I know myself and my staff, we had some situations where we had to actually go to the lot.
It's the guy sitting there in the truck watching everybody.
As soon as you come into the parking lot, that parking lot is connected to the IHOP and to the I believe the chicken spot right there.
So now it's a big sign right there in the middle.
So whether you go into the IHOP area or if you go into the chicken spot, it's a sign right there.
So um we're just making sure that like Councilman Ramos said that signage is there.
If there's no signage there, you can fight it.
If there's what all of the revisions that's now in this ordinance, if none of those rules are followed, you can definitely fight it.
If you pull up while they're trying to boot your car, you can get they can stop and not boot your car, and you don't have to pay a fee.
All of these, all of these are are in the revisions because of dealing with the residents and some of our horror stories.
So I just wanted to reiterate that and say thank you to uh councilman ramos for this ordinance.
Thank you, Councilman, Councilwoman Scott Ron.
What's important just to be back up with what Councilman Kelly is saying, that people in this council chambers is getting that information and people that are watching, so maybe there's a way that we can get this information out through the North People's Assembly through via emails or on the website, or because that is really key.
People that don't get that message that they um that we've made all of these revisions in the legislation.
That's important.
One more thing.
Thank you, Councilman.
All right, real quick, Councilman Kelly.
Uh, just one more thing, too.
I just wanted to add that they were getting uh delivery vans and people who were deliver delivering to residents were getting booted as well.
So there's language now that allows them to deliver without getting booted.
Signage is one of them, uh extra parking spaces and loading zones for delivery.
So just like Georgia King Village was getting delivery vans were getting booted, there they have signage now, they have parking spaces for those delivery vans, so there's no parking in the fire zone, which was Georgia King Village delivery deliverers were used to, so now they have made parking spaces just for deliveries, so there shouldn't be any more booting or finding out a place to park once you're delivering, and that language is in the ordinance as well.
Thank you.
Uh Councilman Raymond.
Yeah, one last thing.
I just want to thank the clerk's office, uh, the business administrator and the police division.
You know, government moves slow sometimes, and in this case, this was an example of how we got this done within a few months.
Um, you know, with some changes that were important made by Councilman Kelly regarding delivery vehicles.
So, you know, I just want to thank all the parties involved because in this case it was a lot of collaboration, and we understand the urgency.
So thank you, Councilman Roller Call.
Council, yes, Gonzalez, yes, Kelly, yes, quintana, yes.
Ramos, yes, Scott Roundtree.
Yes, Silva, yes, President Crump.
Yes.
Second reading and final passage.
Only six SFA and ordinance authorizing the execution of a lease agreement between the city and 169 Clinton Development Urban Renewal LLC to provide housing for the homeless population.
Council as a whole to adopt council, councilman council, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Gonzalez.
Abstain Kelly, yes.
Quintana.
Abstain.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
It's not here.
President Crump.
Yes.
Resolutions.
6R1A through M are all temporary emergency appropriations.
A is a temporary emergency appropriation for funding police officers sponsored by Councilman Silva and second by Council President Crump.
B is overtime to address violent crimes.
Sponsored by Councilman Silva.
Second by Council President Crump.
C is overtime to address violent crimes.
Sponsored by Councilman Silva.
Second by Councilman Cantana.
Council to adopt A through C with the sponsors, please.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Remos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
D is a temporary emergency appropriation for drunk driving enforcement fund.
E is the five-ward paving improvement project.
F is for the freight impact fund project.
G is for PSE and G energy efficiency partnership program.
H is for the partnership program commercial.
I is for the partnership program residential.
J is for the operating expenses.
K is for the STD testing and patient follow-up.
L is for the law enforcement behavioral health response grant.
And M is for oral health care.
Council as a holds would adapt D through M.
Councilman Gonzalez.
Thank you.
It's a I just want to know when the budget will be introduced.
I I I would like to know where is that money coming from to sponsor these festivals and the and the uh events.
So let me ask you this, Councilman.
Can we take a roll call since we started or you want to hear you want to hear first?
All right.
And I got a question too.
Councilman.
Yes, I I just have a um question on 701E.
I just asked for uh I don't I didn't see it in my email.
I just asked for um the locations.
Mr.
President, if I may continue, it's uh let's say there's 62 million dollars that we are approving, uh I suppose brings a total to close to 400 million dollars.
I can't hear you got it.
Bring the total to four like eight months at sixty million dollars is uh almost five hundred million dollars that we have approved with in in resolutions.
I believe that we deserve to know where the budget is, and uh that the thing is that we are being penalized supposedly 25 dollars a day for not submitting uh the the budget.
So where is it?
What what is happening?
All right, so let's not yell out, please.
But uh can we have uh some uh discussion from the business administrator?
Without a second reading, uh council president Eric Pennington, business administrator to uh councilman Gonzalez's questions and comment.
The comment about us being fined five dollars a day is inaccurate.
I appreciate the uh information that you may have seen in the letter, but that has not been acted upon and acted upon by DCA because I'm actively in discussions with them to uh address issues and concerns that we have.
I expect that that'll be resolved today or tomorrow, and and you should have a budget uh at the next meeting if we don't call one sooner in the special meeting.
I would appreciate it because uh we're getting to September.
Absolutely.
Yes, sir.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, uh I didn't mean to interrupt Carlos.
Um yeah, to Councilman Gonzalez's point though, and and I think you've alluded to the fact that you know, similar to other municipalities, there there is uh some gaps in the budget this year.
A lot of the uh COVID funding that was available to cities like North is either dried up or the spending period has expired.
So with that in mind, like has there any been had and Carl Councilman brings up a good point, like some of these events that tend to be very expensive, you know, other expenditure items is got a few months left in the year, like what kind of measures are you guys putting in place to enable us to at least realize some savings between now and the end of the year to to address um you know the gap that's in the budget and to reduce the impact on taxpayers, and like we we recognize that because of the gap, you know, you guys are gonna propose uh increase in taxes this year, but what kind of items can you hold spending on between now and the end of the year uh that that could enable us to weather the storm right now?
Thank you for that question, uh Councilman Ramos.
We have already instituted a uh a hiring freeze and a promotion freeze, which we anticipate will uh generate some savings.
We'll be able to sweep that by the end of the year and move it around uh to the various areas uh that we need to to make sure that uh that we're we're fine.
Um, as I'm sure you know, the biggest expenditure for the city is uh uh payroll personnel and health care costs.
So we are working on both of those.
We've done a uh significant significant job, I think, uh in a positive way with respect to health care costs uh to keep the increase less than it would be, not necessarily to reduce it.
So we're working on that as well and continue to do so to make sure that we realize as much savings as uh as possible.
Um the negotiations I'm involved in, I'm not prepared to discuss those publicly, but I'm certainly prepared to discuss them with uh you and the other council members if we were going into executive session.
I don't I don't think we have anything scheduled for that, but if we do, I'm happy to discuss that further.
Anything else from the anything else from the council?
Thank you, Mr.
B.
Gonna roll roll call council, yes, Gonzalez, yes, Kelly, yes, yes, Ramos, yes, Scott Roundtree, yes, Silva, yes, President Crump, yes, N through A G are all purchasing contracts, N is for firearms, O is for multi-function devices, P is for firearms, Q is for industrial supplies, R is for public relations services, S is for warning devices, T is for space rental, U is for janitorial services, and V is for software.
Council as a whole to adopt N through V.
Low call Council, yes, Gonzalez, yes, Kelly, yes, yes, Ramos, yes, Scott Roundtree, yes, Silva, yes, President Crump, yes, W is an amending resolution for the government access television studio sponsored by Councilman Kelly, second by Councilman Cantana, roll call council, yes, yes, Kelly, yes, Quintana, yes, Ramos, yes, Scott Roundtree, yes, Silva, yes, President Crump, yes.
X is a renewal contract for the bridges outreach council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council, yes.
Gonzalez, yes, Kelly, yes, Quintana, yes, Ramos, yes.
Scott Roundtree?
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump, yes.
Y is an extension of emergency contract for the reconstruction of the Bay Floor for engine five sponsored by Councilman Silva, second by Councilman Ramos.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly?
Yes.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Councilman Gonzalez.
Only because I'm about to group them right after this last one.
Okay.
We'll get there.
Z is an extension of emergency contract for the relocation of the property room and evidence to a new facility.
Council is a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly?
Yes.
Ramos?
Yes.
Scott Roundtree?
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Clump.
Yes.
AA through AE are all cooperative purchasing agreements.
AA is for the bomb X-ray systems.
A B is for the records retention system.
AC is for paving services.
A D is for membership in the cooperative agreement.
And AE is for the exhaust systems.
Council is a whole to adopt AA through AE.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Soba.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
A F and A G are both bid contracts.
A F is a bid contract for portable toilets.
And A G is a bid contract to provide athletic apparel that's sponsored by Councilman Kelly.
And second by Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
AH and AI are applications acceptance of grant funds.
AH is for the Clean Energy Coordinator.
And AI is for the Keep America Beautiful grant.
Council is a whole to adopt AH and AI.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R2A is a professional service contract for engineering design services as well as construction management services.
Council is a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Abstain.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Ramos.
Abstain.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Abstain.
President Crump.
Yes.
Item failed to adopt.
B is a private sale redevelopment to provide new construction of a two-family home and rehabilitation of a three-family home to sell at market rate and the South Ward.
Sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Mr.
President.
Councilman Gonzalez.
I saw what this contractor did in the central ward in the property that he developed.
A beautiful project.
And that's why I am voting for this item because I saw what he had done in the central ward.
And hopefully he can do the same for these properties in this in the South Ward.
Thank you, Councilman.
C is new construction of five two-family homes to sell at market rate.
Motion to defer, sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Councilman Kelly.
Roll.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes to defer.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
D is new construction of one two-family home and one three-family home to sell at market rate.
Council is a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
E is the first amendment to the agreement for the sale and redevelopment of land to beacon development partners LLC to amend the project scope in the West Ward.
Sponsored by Councilman Kelly.
Second by Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
F is to execute a D restrictive affordable housing agreement for the Central Ward.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
G is it execute a D restrictive affordable housing agreement for property in the North Ward.
So is a motion to amend on the floor to reflect the property as actually being in the North Ward.
Roll call to amend.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Now there's a motion to adopt as amended, sponsored by Councilman Ramos.
And second by Councilman Quintana.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
H is to execute an affordable housing agreement for support of housing in the South Ward.
Sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Rocco.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
I.
Investigation for an area in need of redevelopment in a North Ward.
Sponsored by Councilman Ramos.
Second by Councilman Quintana.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
J is the need for housing project in the central ward.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
K and L are both resolutions of support.
K is for a submission of application to the developer of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Affordable Housing Trust for Project in the North Ward.
Sponsored by Councilman Ramos and second by Councilman Quintana.
And L is a submission of application to the developer of to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Affordable Housing Trust Affordable Housing Trust Fund for a project in the South Ward sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Council President Crump.
Motion to approve or adopt K and L with the sponsors.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
M is an exception to public bidding to provide professional engineering support services for the North Pedestrization Safe Streets Project.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
N is to execute a community benefits agreement.
Council as a whole to defer.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Kintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R3A is a professional service contract for the Community Health Center at Park Elementary School.
Sponsored by Councilman Ramos.
Second by Councilman Kintana.
Rocco.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
B through D are all resolutions requesting an extension of time for various engineering projects.
B is for the bikeways project.
C is for the transit hub project.
And D is for the transit village.
Council as a whole to adopt B through D.
Roll.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
E is an application for grant funds for the Clinton Avenue Safety Improvements Project.
Sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Councilman Kelly.
Roll.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly?
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
F through I are application acceptance of grant funds.
F is for the safe streets program.
G is the five-ward paving project.
H is paving improvement project.
And I is transportation planning program.
Council as a whole to adopt F through I.
Roll.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
J and K are bid contracts.
J is for the street resurfacing project.
And K is for the drop-in center project.
Council is a whole to adopt J and K.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R4A is authorizing the tax sale.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R5A is to waive the 20-day period for an ordinance to become effective regarding the lease agreement with 169 Clinton Development Urban Renewal LLC.
There's a motion on the floor to amend this item to reflect that the public hearing and second reading was done on April 2nd.
The final passage was done today, August 6th.
Roll call to a minute.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes to amend.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Now there's a motion to adopt as amended.
Roll call.
Council?
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Abstain.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
C Ramos.
Abstain.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
B is an application acceptance of grant funds for the STD testing and patient follow-up.
Council is a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Yes.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
C and D are acceptance of donations.
C is for the sponsorship of National Health Centers Week.
And D is for the scooter donation.
Council is a whole to adopt C and D.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R6A through C are settlements with the law department.
Council is a whole to adopt A through C.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Abstain.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Sir President.
Councilman Gonzalez.
Yeah.
The abstention is due to the fact that I wasn't here yesterday.
I didn't hear the discussion.
Understood.
Thank you, Councilman.
D through F are all professional services contracts with the law department.
D is for utility management services and E and F are both for litigation matters.
Council as a whole to adopt D through F.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
G through L or civil litigation and pre-litigation settlements with the law department.
Council as a whole to adopt G through L.
Row call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Abstain.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
On all of standing on seven or six.
Duly noted.
President, if I may change my vote on Councilman.
6K and 6L.
Yes.
Repeat that again, Councilman.
Yes.
6K and 6L.
Yes.
6K and 6L.
Say on the others.
On the others.
Thank you.
Noted.
7R.
7R7A through F are all whole harmless agreements for the use of Newark Public School facilities.
A is for the North Ward Town Hall meeting.
B is for the Central Ward Community Meeting.
C is for the West Ward Community Meeting.
D is for the East Ward Community Meeting.
E is for the South Ward Community Meeting.
And F is for the North Ward community meeting.
Council is a whole to adopt A through F.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R8A is the attestation of the review of the city audit.
Council is a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Sova.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
B and C are both ceremonial street designations.
B is for Carolyn Bertha Wolf.
Thompson Wallace.
Sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Council President Crump.
And C is for Susan M.
Cleary.
Sponsored by Councilman Quintana.
Second by Council President Crump.
Council to adopt B and C with the sponsors, please.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
D through F are waiving permit fees.
D is for the Pesheim Avenue Alumni Reunion Block Party.
Sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Councilman Kelly.
E is for the Hope in Esperanza.
Community Health Fair.
Sponsored by Councilman Quintana.
Second by Councilman Kelly.
And F is for the South 16th Street block party.
Sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Councilman Kelly.
Motion to adopt D through F with the sponsors.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
G is recognizing and commending resolutions.
And H is expressing profound sorrow and regret.
Council as a whole to adopt G and H.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R11A is accepting a gift of swimsuits and goggles valued at $8,000.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R12 A and B are resolutions from the Department of Water and Sewer Utilities.
A is a professional service contract for lead pipe litigation representation.
And B is a bid contract for additional filters at the water treatment plant.
Council is a whole to adopt A and B.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Communications.
Item 8A is an appointment to the Newark Equitable Growth Advisory Commission for Council President Crump.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
I kind of feel like I should abstain.
Abstain.
Duly noted.
B is an appointment to the Caribbean Commission.
Frederick A.
Morton Jr.
Sponsored by Councilman Kelly.
Second by Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Items 8 C and D are both ordinances pursuant to New Jersey law.
C is increasing the bid threshold for our QPA.
And D is increasing the settlement amount for our corporation council.
Council as a whole to advance and adopt C and D on first reading.
I believe it's advanced and adopted, Michael.
I'm sorry.
Advance and adopt on first reading.
My apologies.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
E is an ordinance granting a 25-year tax abatement to Central Point Urban Renewal LLC for a project to construct a new six-story multifamily building in the central ward.
Motion to advance and adopt on first reading.
Sponsored by Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Second by Councilman Kelly.
Roll call.
Councilman, I'm sorry, before we councilman Gonzalez.
Line 11 of this ordinance says 7-7 instead of saying 77.
Right.
As we amended on the floor.
Oh, multiple famil multifamily buildings.
7-7.
Yes.
Should be 77.
Is it missing?
Missing a T Y.
And we consider that.
I think that should be considered a scrivener's error.
We should move forward.
I'll submit the error.
All right.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Kitana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
F is an ordinance granting a 25-year tax abatement to 824 South 20th Management Urban Renewal Entity LLC for a project to construct a new four-story residential multifamily dwelling in the South Ward.
Motion to advance and adopt on first reading.
Sponsored by Councilman Council.
Second by Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
G is an ordinance granting a 25-year tax abatement to 300 Gar Side Management Urban Renewal LLC for a project to construct a new five-story residential multifamily dwelling in the North Ward.
Motion to advance and adopt on first reading, sponsored by Councilman Ramos.
Second by Councilman Kintana.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
H is an ordinance authorizing a corrective deed for the West Ward.
Council as a whole to advance and adopt on first reading.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
I is an ordinance authorizing the assignment and assumption of a financial agreement from 306 MLK Boulevard Urban Renewal Company LLC for property in the central ward.
Motion to advance and adopt on first reading.
Sponsored by Councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Second by Councilman Kelly.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Quick question.
Councilman Gonzalez.
F on G First or adopted on first.
F and Gvance and Advanced.
Advance and adopted on first, yes.
J and K are ordinances issuing bonds or notes.
J is for the filters at the water treatment plant.
And K is for the Green Parks projects.
Council is a whole to advance J and K to first reading.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
L is an ordinance amending multi-way stop intersections.
By designating Second Avenue, West and North Seventh Street as a multi-way stop sign intersection in the North Ward.
Council as a whole to advance to first reading.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Additional items.
7R1AJ is the use of a state contract by walk-in building supplies.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R20 is a subordination agreement for additional funding for our project in the North Ward.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R12 C is a professional service contract for engineering services for design and construction administration for the Ironbound Resilience Hub Project.
Council is a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Communications 8 M is the parking meter ordinance.
Council as a whole to defer.
Roll call to defer.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
The defer.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Unfinished business.
7R2P is introducing the 2025 annual budget for the Newark Downtown District Management Corporation.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Miscellaneous.
Item 10A.
Is the Raffle license?
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Added starters.
7R2 QAS is to authorized payment of state approved list of eligible training providers.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
7R2RAS is an amending resolution to add Manchester police to the site assessment agreement for NJDEP Greenway project.
Council as a whole to adopt.
Mr.
President.
Councilman Ramos.
Yeah, I'll notice it as a sponsor for this.
Ramos Gonzalez.
Duly noted.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Quintana?
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Communications.
8NAS.
Is an ordinance to create Chapter 41?
Intermodal container lot license and establish rules and regulations.
Council as a whole to advance the first reading.
Mr.
President.
Council.
No, just reading the memo that came in just today on this.
I know we didn't get a chance to go over it in executive session yesterday.
It seems to be a response to uh pending litigation.
I know this is, you know, there were a few of us that didn't support the original container ordinance that the city put forth because we thought you know the city didn't have the authority to do so.
This seems like the a number of the smaller um business owners got together.
They there's pending litigation, so this is being done in response to that.
So I have no problem moving it forward, but at some point I think the council needs to have a detailed briefing as to the city's position on this issue in response to the uh litigation.
I agree with you by the next executive session.
We'll have a full discussion on this matter.
But in the meantime, we'll advance the first reading.
Roll call.
Sorry.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silver.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Council President, Council members.
We have one last added starter, which is simply a whole harmless agreement for the North Ward Movies Under the Stars.
Sponsored by Councilman Ramos.
Second by Councilman Cantana.
Second by Councilman Cantana.
Thank you.
Roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Gonzalez.
Yes.
Kelly.
Yes.
Yes.
Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Roundtree?
Yes.
Yes.
President Crump.
Yes.
Council President, Council Members, just for the record, that item is legislator file 25 dash 1117.
Thank you.
Hearing of citizens.
Yes.
We're sorry, Councilman Gonzalez first.
Just one thing.
No.
What uh what's on Dan is Silva using in Portugal.
I couldn't hear you.
It was it was a joke.
No, I guess it was a joke.
I I could hear, but my Wi-Fi is running out.
I have to pay for Wi-Fi here.
All right.
Thank you, Councilman Silva.
We are now in the hearing of citizens portion of this meeting where each speaker will have five minutes to speak.
When your name is called, please approach the podium and address the council members.
The first speaker is Felicia Austin Singleton.
She's not appearing today.
Lisa Mitchison Parker.
Appearing.
How dare you?
SFA.
How does Silva, who's in Portugal for the first time, call in to vote on this ordinance that was deferred five times and should have went back to the administration.
What this is is a classic example of the advisor to the mayor and Daniel Spiegel getting three million dollars for the Riviera after you gave him 650,000 last year, and then in December of last year, they didn't have no beds for the homeless.
How dare you?
And if he could call in, if I'm not here and I'm in another state, I could call in too.
How dare you?
And didn't allow any of the speakers to address that, Larry Crump.
That's right.
Louise, let me straighten you out.
You're gonna say you were researching for tax abatement extension.
I've been coming here for five years as long as you've been here.
Even before we had a meeting in my community, I gave every last one of y'all a template for all the legislation that you put forward giving tax abatement extension.
Don't say nothing.
I need follow-up, because while y'all are researching, people are losing their homes, and y'all don't give a shit.
Good day.
Now you know Miss Parker.
Let me finish.
Don't take my time, Larry.
Put my time back.
Don't use that language, and you're not gonna be able to do that.
Good day, criminal cult that's running our government.
Let me first acknowledge the loss of one of Newark's icons.
Council President Donald Bradley, a man whose life was devoted to public service for the people.
His passing wasn't posted on the website, the city's website, nor was there a flag flying half-massed out in front of this building.
Let us all remember Don Bradley for his life and his legacy being a public servant.
Two icons that served in the best interests of the people.
Last year we didn't get a budget, and it was submitted in October of last year.
Meanwhile, y'all are giving away perks, 25-year tax abatement.
Um making settlements.
We don't even know how much money we have.
We don't have none because as of last year to this year, June, you done bonded $804 million in the water department, and that is continuing to grow, and we the taxpayers have to pay for it.
We've been taxed.
I talked about that already.
I don't want to go back to it.
Sadly, the only ones that's benefiting are the developers, friends, and family while working families are being taxed out of this city.
Who is representing the residents of New York?
It isn't the mayor, not the council, and the man's going around while he was campaigning since last year, didn't care about the people here and how filthy it was, didn't care about people losing their homes or gentrification that he's promoting.
We have had nothingness for 10 years, a decade.
No jobs, no affordable housing, no services, no advocacy, and no plan to benefit the residents.
Now the mayor's gonna come to your neighborhood.
I want to hear your voice.
Well, we've been talking at this podium.
How come you haven't heard us yet?
Broke ass city, filth everywhere.
Developers without PLA, public safety.
No one in the mayor's crew pays their fair share for land here.
Mismanagement, incompetence, and a laundry list of failures will be the Barack legacy.
Join me in supporting Gail Cheneyfield Jenkins for Central War.
Thank you for your comments next speaker.
Alif Mohammed.
I was gonna go back in a couple weeks ago back to the housing authority, but as we know, something special happened where there's some changes getting ready to happen in the housing authority.
And I wonder when I was on a commission for almost five years.
I wanted to explain some of the things that happened.
And what I just passed out to you was a report that we used to get every month as a uh as a commissioner.
And in the report, it gives you grades on everything that we supposed to have.
And if you look at the grades since 2019 or whatever I gave, they were all Fs for rental, collecting rent, for turning around, for doing things all F's.
Now, let me tell you the kick about this.
In March 23, March 23rd, 23, I got the transcript here.
I asked a question.
I said, Man, I've been on here for four and a half years, and we keep saying yes and voting, voting that we're gonna do this.
And I said, why should we do this when we keep getting F's?
And I asked Victor Sorello, who was the ED at the time, and he said to me, he said, so even as bad as these numbers are, Commissioner Mohammed presented, this situation is worse than these reports.
And then he says, the books are cook.
So think this.
We getting F's, and the books are cooked.
So now you last year and a half.
We got rid of Victor, Pat did.
And they got rid of Victor, and they brought in a new gentleman Spicer.
And Spicer used to be head of HUD in New Jersey for public housing.
And Spicer's not from New Jersey.
He's not friends with the mayor, he's not friends with the council, he's not friends with the count uh Joey D.
He's not clear.
He's strictly a federal guy.
And he came in and he had a meeting, a big meeting of all employees.
And I came to the meeting, and matter, Pat, if he remembered you admonished me, you said, Oh, you shouldn't be at that meeting.
But I was that kind of commissioner that I went to everything and checked out everything.
And um in that meeting, he said, you got all these Fs.
You got all these things.
If you don't change, I gotta make a change.
Right as soon as he take over, we come total status, which I mean trouble status, we're in a problem.
But we were in trouble status in 2018.
People don't remember that.
And in the trouble status, they do an assessment where they send 10 people in from HUD.
And in that session of 2018, it said Victor Cerrillo was not qualified for the job.
Now let me tell you who participate in the assessment.
It's the commissioners, it's the ED, and guess who else?
The mayor.
The mayor's part of it.
Now, the mayor hired Victor Sorella.
Hard said, he's not qualified.
So in my school, we have what we call cause and effect.
What caused us to have this problem when Mrs.
Faison now gotta say, I'm gonna privatize, and it's probably people from New York gonna lose their job.
And even if they if the new companies come in and they get a chance to hire them, they ain't gonna have the insurance and the pension that we have.
Matter of fact, they said a housing thought he got the best pension in New Jersey.
So what I'm saying, they're gonna lose a lot of things.
Some people might get over, but the idea is we got properties up here that we own, like Stella Wright, and somebody else's managed.
Remember y'all loaned us 20 million dollars with the co-sign.
Well, that 20 million dollars, you say you didn't want us to manage it.
So somebody else is managing good.
So probably so he's the idea, private company.
Spicer said the rules is three six, seven commissioners, one for the governor, three for the council people, three for the mayor.
Y'all need to enforce that because it's been the state since I've been in the other person is there, but what with the force is because the mayor's picking.
So a mayor picked the ED, he picked the commissioners.
So who the hell is responsible that we in this hell right now?
That these knockers is gonna lose a job.
It ain't Spicer, it's Ros Baraka.
It's Ralph Baraka, it's Ros Baraka.
Wall Lake of my slow.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Beth Zach Cohen.
Appearing.
Hello.
Um Betha Cohen, 17 Williams Street, number 205.
I'm speaking on behalf of Ask Me Local 2298, New York Public Library Workers.
So over the past year, we've been here in the council about the library's budget and also the contract.
So we're here to report that we have approved a contract with the union, the administration, and the board, um, which is a big win for our staff.
Uh, we're getting a big raises for the lowest paid uh workers.
So we're very happy that we were able to work this out.
Um, it's gonna provide them significant raises and support.
Uh we want to thank the city council, mayor Baraka, and BA, Mr.
Pennington, for their collaboration throughout this process.
As you remember, we met with every council person in the summer of 2024, as well as former councilwoman McIver, who's now Congresswoman, and we really appreciate those conversations.
We were able to increase after those conversations, uh much needed increase in the budget.
So we thank the council for um recognizing the importance of our libraries.
Um we're very happy with this contract, but uh of course the work isn't over.
Uh, as everyone's spoken about, inflation and cost of living continue to rise.
So we want to get continue to ensure our staff is supported to provide outstanding service to our residents.
We've been here, we've talked about all the services the libraries provide beside books, ESL classes, GAD classes, um, a space for the free lunch program, historical archives that are unique, historical art collections, teen and youth programs, community programs, um, panels, book talks, and dance parties.
We have one this Friday again in dance parties.
Shout out to that.
So, all these services and programs uh help support and build our communities.
So we're hoping that we can continue to work together to make the library a priority in the future.
Um we know, as we've talked about, it's of course a difficult budget, but it's a small percentage of the budget, and it really makes a difference to our communities.
Uh so once again, we wanted to thank the city council.
As many of you know, you know, I was born and raised in this city, I love the city and I love the library, so we hope that we can continue continue to support our libraries as we have these budget contest discussions coming up, and we thank you for all your help this past year.
Thank you, and also thank you to all the community members that have supported us throughout the year.
Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Uh, next speaker, George Tillman Jr.
Appearing.
Good afternoon, George Tillman Jr.
So Councilwoman Roundtree.
Um you talked about, and we we several times when we come up here and we address things going to the administration, and I've been doing this for over two years, and the council responds.
Councilwoman Lamonica MacGyver used to do the same thing, and the administration does not respond.
So now that we're here now, two years coming to this microphone, right?
Now we're at a tax abatement.
We have a moratorium now, right?
On the tax abatements going forward, right?
Right?
Okay, so we got a moratorium going forward.
So this ordinance was written in July of 2015.
So from July 2015 to August 6, 2025, the residents of the city of Newark are owed compensation.
So when you start talking about that process, I don't want to, you shouldn't talk.
All due respect.
The administration needs to speak now because for 10 years since 2015, they've been non-compliance to the ordinance of hiring Newark residents.
There was no oversight.
There was no commission that was making sure that Newark residents was working for 10 years.
For 10 years, the Newark Works was not supplying the workforce as per the ordinance for all the construction sites under that ordinance for 10 years.
There's a whole lot of tax abatement.
We don't know what the log is going forward, Councilman Gonzalez.
So we stop the ones that the applications go on.
But what about the ones now?
There's a log that we're talking about right now, the tax abatements still no compliance, no oversight.
And I'm asking you, there's no transparency.
The administration didn't respond to this affirmative action review council.
We want trans who's gonna be on that review council.
How's that selection process going?
You understand?
We want transparency.
At this point, where we've not benefited at all, there needs to be transparency.
Also, the mayor did not tell new community when he's up there last week that the city was giving them $3.6 million towards that development.
He didn't tell them that.
That wasn't a part of the discussion.
See, Miss Derrick, she was here for a moment.
See, there's certain people that need to be in those negotiations, like myself that they took out of it.
Because things that need to be discussed aren't being discussed.
You can't be giving this entity a grant from the city from the state for $3.6 million, and we haven't had a community benefit agreement.
A discussion about it.
Because I think those residents up there really got a problem with this 80 million dollar project, and no abatements is going on up there in the in those those apartments, abatements, upgrades, capital improvements, because the city could have gave 3.6 million dollars of a grant to for capital improvements.
So this process of these tax abatements and and these how we're going to be compensated, or the what the process looks like now going forward needs to be transparency.
And I asked Council President several times for a special conference.
Now I'm asking again.
Because now we gotta we have a tax abatement moratorium as of August 6.
So now we need to have some discussion as I've been coming to this mic for two years about these tax abatements.
Let's have a discussion on how we're gonna fix so newark residents are working and being a part of these economic incentives.
Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Colleen M.
Fields.
Uh Ms.
Fields is not appearing.
Jean Curitan.
Miss Kieran is not appearing.
Deborah Salters.
Deborah Salter's worry for the people.
Um and like the brother was saying, because I was in the meetings with him.
Uh the lack of transparency, the non-compliance with forming the review council because we had said for so long there were only three people on it, and we kept saying it.
The mayor had the one person on there.
Then it was like we need to get rid of the people if they're not gonna come and put somebody else.
Oh no, no, no, don't touch it.
Don't touch it.
So what are we supposed to do?
But yet we're giving away tax abatements.
Also with the tax abatement, uh the benefits that we're supposed to receive.
The people who owe us money, and you've been given the numbers.
This person owes us 10 million.
This person owes us this million.
This piece of and I said this the other night.
These people owe us money, and we still give them tax abatements.
And you wonder why the city's broke.
We're not collecting what we're owed, and we're still giving out the candy from the candy store.
And let me say this.
If you hold a public job, if you're an officer of law, if you do any public service, you don't get to have a bad day and take it out on the residents.
You do not get to have a bad day and take it out on the residents.
I don't care if you were held over 20 hours on your shift and you didn't get to go home and you planning to go do this or that, deal with it.
You took the job.
Do not take it out on the residents.
And I will say that if my son were a Caucasian, he would not have been treated in the manner that he was.
Let us get this thing together.
If you have a paycheck that we're paying your salary, and you are a public servant, I'm going to say it again.
You are to treat the people of this city with dignity, respect, and honor.
If you cannot do it, quit.
Silva, you have been missing for the last three or four meetings.
And I understand you are boycotting the affirmative action meetings, but you do not get to boycott the City of North Council meetings.
You get a paycheck to be in that seat.
You have not answered any of my questions regarding my parking decals for the East Ward that you do not consider to be the East Ward because you are only concerned about your precious iron bound.
I have not seen you in the East Ward, but I have seen you doing promotions for your people's clubs down in the Iron Bound.
It is unacceptable.
I want my parking decals.
I want you to fix this situation with this uh event parking that's robbing the cities who are the city residents who are already paying astronomical rents.
You can fix it, but you were told to lay down and you did.
The people pay your salary.
Fix it.
Be in this meeting or quit.
If you don't want to be here, quit.
And anyone that is paying attention, the elections are 2026 next year.
Fire him.
Run for office for the East Ward and put him out of his misery.
And to the rest of you.
We've been coming here talking to you about these situations.
Nobody had time.
Especially during the election for the gubernatorial.
Um, our city's a mess.
We got police officers who you make the report.
I have yet to receive some information that I asked for back in December, early this year.
Okay.
It is time for people who are not doing their jobs to be fired.
We're already broke, right?
We're already in a 20 million 29 million dollar deficit that the taxpayers, if you got your tax bill, it went up.
I don't know if you paid attention.
My mother's taxes went up $60 for the quarter estimated that just came out.
So we the people are bearing the brunt of the actions that are going on here.
But yet the ones who are in these seats getting two six-figure salary stipends, they're not hurting at all.
But our people are suffering.
Our people have to move out because we can't afford what's here.
But you all are passing these ordinances like you did in February to allow these slum lords and landlords to raise our rent up to five percent per year.
Not for any reason, other than they just can.
Right.
You don't have to worry about it because you're living well, your family's living well.
Meanwhile, my people are suffering, and we're gonna stay in your faces.
We're gonna stay talking to you about this until we fire you, but it is time, Norkers, to stand up and stop suffering in silence and do something about it.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Darnella Lee.
Guys afternoon, everyone.
Good afternoon.
The last time I was here, I spoke of a young man passing.
So a young lady, Sean Dewite from the building, she passed Saturday, today is a service.
It's a service.
So I want to give a moment of silence for her.
I said, and the honorable Donald Bradley.
Also, we have an honorable formal councilwoman Gail Cheneyfield in the building.
I just want to say, hey gal.
We have a lot of candidates that are running for Central Ward.
And they are all excellent.
You got the young blood.
You got Tilman, you got Gail.
You got the Bay and some other people are probably don't know why.
I'm asking if you all allowed to take out two.
Run for two positions.
Run for councilman at large.
Because we need some young, well, good people that's not trying to eat, but trying to save and help.
The last meeting I was here June the 4th when Pat Counsel spoke about my apartment coming out.
He did a test and it was normal.
That was in 24, me and 25, but we had numerous attests between myself and North Cowson and take you had managers sending numerous letters that they acknowledge that the mold was there.
But because the biggest cover up is going on, they're getting people from Home Depot.
As I tell you that, after I spoke, told y'all that you can come through the building, walk see the mold in the hallways outside of my door, and everybody else in the hallways.
What they do.
Larry Crump sends an aid to the building at six.
I come downstairs.
I'm in my manager's office.
The guy is Kenny Watkins.
He says, You hear them playing the council meeting and he said, Hey, is she before Munero after?
I say I'm after.
He gets up, he slams the door.
They pursue.
I go outside, I wait.
I called my sister on the phone.
I couldn't believe because as a formal council aid, I know we carry cards when somebody asks our name.
We have a right to give it to them.
So I called up one heard on the phone.
When he came outside, I asked him.
I said, You mean I don't know you.
I never said yes, sir, sir.
I was a councilade in 2014.
I said, I came in.
My little sister, Elaine.
I know Elaine.
My sister said, Hey, hi.
He said, Hey, Elaine.
She said, What's this?
What's your name?
Who are you?
He went and tell it.
However, young man come, which is Shonda's white son.
He walks down a young lady that passed.
I said, Ask him what's his name.
Your mother and father got mold in their apartment in the vents.
He asked him, he don't want to go.
The security come out, it's an altercation.
It all ended up being settled and more to the story.
We go back in, everybody's coming behind me.
I asked her to what's his name, she gave it to me.
He looks at me and said, I was just coming to set up attendance meeting.
I said, You gotta be kidding me.
You did all that.
They set up attendance meeting.
Larry Crumb comes out June the 17th.
They had a people come to a barbecue.
I had spoken about the grass next door, but they didn't do that till the 17th from the fourth.
However, people spoke about the mold.
So what they do, people who have been there 20 years, 15 years, nine years, eight years, have gotten not got their apartment painting.
They speak about mold, they come and they bleach it, they cover it up like my apartment.
Ten months later, it comes back.
The cover up is back.
So with that being said, all the people that had mold in their apartment, most of them, some of them passed away.
So what they're doing now, the same apartments they did a year ago, round tree that we saw the victims up three in, they working up there because when I put on the record, they put in molded floors or I mean new floors on.
So they're redoing the apartments, did all the store, no plastic up, no nothing for the dust, people getting sick.
You say the fire doors distances coming.
I'm calling everybody, and I'm not gonna name names, dust on the stairs where you see everything.
I'm calling every organization taking pictures for 16 days, 17 days.
Do you know I watched them, take all you paint, regular paint, put it on the banishes, I'm stopping them on video.
What are you doing?
They look at me, don't speak, and proceed it.
You can see they put uh wood pieces to cover, but I got the pictures before I get up at four in the morning.
They can move them, y'all can see the lobby been done twice, uh three times.
Nobody apartment.
Every time I say something to y'all, they come and cover it up.
The managers don't have no control.
Mr.
Spicy has the control.
You gotta send your work orders down.
You got Wim.
He's been up molded out.
He's been asking six months, other people, so stuff is not getting done.
Everything in my apartment came back.
I want you to come back.
So everybody, something is wrong when you got seven people died on the second floor at the y'all let them come in, open the door, hallway, the same all the garbage, and then the doorway is open.
Most burrows come.
Most of the people had cancer came out of my mission.
That's what Mold do.
Do something.
I'm about to put my foot on the ground.
I'm not coming here.
I'm not moving, but I'm not coming here no more.
Put the foods on the ground, put my boots to come at y'all.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Opal R right.
Good afternoon.
My name is Opal Right.
I reside at Vanderple Street in Newark, New Jersey.
My concerns with the Wall Street, sorry, Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
Title Ten, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection is this title is cited, the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010.
Title Subtitle H conforming Amendments Section.
A in paragraph seven by striking and at the end in paragraph eight by striking the period at the end and inserting and C by adding at the end the following nine.
The term Bureau means the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection.
Two in section four in subsection A by striking the first sentence inserted the following.
Taken together may apply to a transaction that is subject to both or either provisions of law.
Uh disclosure shall be to facilitate compliance with the disclosure requirements of this title and the Truth and Lendings Act.
To aid the borrower or Lee C in understanding the transaction by utilizing readily under standable language to simplify the technical nature of the disclosure.
I would also like to re uh mention title 11, which is the Federal Reserve Provision.
And here this says in section eleven oh one.
Also have a section eleven oh three, which is public access to information.
And I would like to start by the giving the definition, the purpose of this uh subsection following the following definitions shall um apply.
Covered transactions, which means any open market transaction with the non-governmental for third party conducted under this uh first undesignated paragraph of section 14 or subparagraph A, B, or C of the second designated paragraph of such section after the date of enactment of the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
I would just like to say that I disagree with the um P.
Diddy um trial because it's a good thing.
I'm prosecuting him and did not miss right.
I'm sorry, into facts about a prostitution.
Miss Wright, thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Appearing.
Sylvester.
Council members at large.
That's who I want that to go to.
Only the at large.
Good afternoon, council members.
My name is Fakira Bradley.
I would like to please keep my address off the record.
Please and thank you.
I'm here to address a very serious issue involving the former management at 250 Georgia King Village, LM Development.
Daisy Bermuda, Daisy Bermudez, Keisha Kemis, Tierra Thomas, and Justine Labay, who all was terminated due to fraud.
From October 7th, 2020 to October 15th, 2024.
I was a tenant at 200 Georgia King Village Apartment 4G, North New Jersey 07107.
During that time, I experienced an illegal eviction, fraudulent lease practices, and failure to return my security deposit and other monies owed to me.
The papers I sent up to you were on a legal eviction when they say upon me leaving the unit, I will get my security deposit in full.
Sierra Thomas on that.
Um rent at the time was 1,192.
My Section 8 voucher covered 1250.
However, the building is subsidized, and it was a violation for me to be placed there while holding a housing choice voucher, a section eight voucher.
I'm seeking help in recovering the funds owed to me and holding everyone involved responsible and accountable for my pain and suffering.
To this day, I'm still owe security deposit and overpaid rent.
I was never supposed to be renting at 200 George King Village because the unit is such as ours.
That is fraud.
The amount owed to me is approximately 4,793, including my security deposit.
Mismanagement definition, incompetent, careless, or dishonest handling of responsibilities, especially in a business, property, or organization.
I am formally asking the council members at large and assist me in recovering the funds owed to me by LM development, my security deposit, overpaid rent, any funds that was taken due to fraudulent leasing leasing practices and illegal eviction.
Please hold LM development accountable and help me to ensure that I'm fully compensated for my financial harm and emotional stress and physical harm.
I endured living at 200 Georgia King Village Department 4G.
I am rightfully owed the amount of 4,007 hundred and seventy-nine dollars and thirty-two cents and more.
I'm seeking counsel.
It's been 10 months.
I have not received the DOM.
The unit was cleaned and left in the proper order as I moved in.
I need my coins, my money, please.
For I'm still not working yet, yet I pay real bills, living off city welfare, full stamp section eight.
Please, I can definitely use my funds.
Please rectify this problem.
I am the voice for the voiceless, please and thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
I don't think I saw him not appearing.
Eddie Thomas.
Eddie Thomas.
Edie, I'm excuse me.
Edie Thomas.
My apologies, Edie Thomas.
Hello, Council.
Good afternoon.
Yes, my name is Edie Thomas, Edith Thomas from East Orange.
I wanted to come down to Newark and talk about solar panels.
I'm sorry, Miss Ms.
Thomas, if you could speak into the mic a little better.
Yeah, I wanted to come down to Newark to talk about solar panels and solar roofs and what they're doing in New York.
In New York City, the drive towards carbon neutrality has reshaped building regulations to prioritize energy efficiency and renewable energy.
A key part of this initiative is requirement for new construction to incorporate solar power panels or green roofs as a mandate by like local laws 92, age 94.
Yeah.
New York City has taken bold steps towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
To support these goals, the city has implemented a series of forward thinking building codes designed to promote sustainability and energy efficiency.
Among these measures, solar panels and grease greenhouse roots mandates, stand out as a pivotal requirement for new construction and major roof renovations.
Now they're having a problem in New Jersey with uh electricity.
I was looking at the news last night, New Jersey news, and they were talking about data centers that they're using a substantial amount of electricity.
That's one of the reasons why our bills are going up.
Um they also may cause outages.
With a mass massive amount of new construction, there will be a high usage of electricity that will cause blackouts.
Public service is going to go up 20% on all electric bills.
Um construction and old buildings that's going to replace the roofs should be mandated.
That they have solar roofs, and the owners can't afford it, so we shouldn't pretend like oh feel sorry for them because they're making money.
The city can also give homeowners the chance to get solar solar, the city can give this is my opinion.
The city can give contracts to solar companies where when a new roof, when a uh homeowner wants a new roof for their home, they can only be charged like maybe 5,000, 3,000, less.
The federal government, they're gonna be cutting major programs, energy programs, social programs, and this is some kind of relief for the um for the taxpayers and the also the um citizens.
Um I feel as though we should be the citizens should be getting more from these tax abatements that these uh builders are getting.
Okay, and this is one way where they can save on energy costs, and the city, you know.
Um and the owners will save money also.
So I hope you consider this.
Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Speaker 14 is not appearing.
The next speaker is Gail Cheneyfield Jenkins.
Appearing.
I will.
Um, officers, you can come because I think I'm gonna take more than five minutes, so when you're gonna be dragged me off, I'm prepared.
This is not the Newark I remember.
Having lived in Newark all my life, I like so many others realized this is not the Newark I remember.
I remember when landlords like New Community, 440, Bill of Victoria, et cetera, were called out for being deplorable and having living conditions where they don't treat their residents right.
I remember a Newark that was moving into the 21st century that everyone, and not just a few were going to benefit from.
I remember Newark where the streets were clean on a regular basis and where there weren't rats running around, filth wasn't the normal, going out throughout the city, where we weren't embarrassed to have family and friends come to visit us in a city that's filthy.
I remember in Newark where the sanitation workers were gained, were given equipment to clean our city and where sanitation workers were given a living wage, health benefits, and not overwork and underpaid.
It's not the fault of our sanitation workers.
Their morale is down in the dumps and they're being treated without respect and made enough and don't make enough money to live when before they were able to put their children through college.
No heat, no health benefits, work working as per diemes.
It's a shame.
I remember when the police department was patrolling the streets, either in the cars, on foot, and made arrests.
I remember diversity in the police department.
I remember when we had enough police officers to patrol the city of Newark.
I remember when the police officers were not militarized in the council chambers to go after speakers who come to voice their concerns and offer solutions to the council administration.
I remember political adversaries or regular citizens could voice their opinions in the council chambers, attending meetings or on social media without having the police be sent to the silence or intimidate or harass or arrest anyone just because the folks are thin-skinned and don't want to be held accountable for the harm that is being inflicted upon Newarkers and employees because they disagree with them.
I remember Newark that folks in power who don't want to be criticized for their harmful actions toward Newarkers and are thin-skinned, frightened cowards with little thing complexes, have the police on speed dial to fight their battles that they create.
Hell, I remember people who have the police on speed dial being called punks and informants in the past, but I guess now you call them administration.
I remember Newark that was strong, a leadership that represents their union members, and the union presidents who fought at Adnesio, Gibson, and the greatest mayor, Sharp James, to get monies and benefits and good working conditions for the workers.
I remember a Newark that had balanced budgets, not deficits that have been caused by misappropriations, mismalfeasions, and a Newark municipal council budget that gave Newark a triple A rating so that we could bond for projects that benefited Newark residents directly.
I remember Newark Council and mayor not only having no deficits but keeping property taxes low and the water rates low.
Hearing about the high property taxes and the high water rates on the top of the burden of PSNG, I want I wonder where the relief is coming from for everyone, especially the seniors on fixed incomes, barely making ends meet.
I mean, real Newark don't feel safe now, contrary to the crime stats that say Newark is safe.
I remember I remember Newark where there was a thriving downtown and not open drug sales taking place downtown and throughout the rest of the city.
I remember Newark was a place for destination.
We had Newark officials that traveled to conferences, not just to go and party, but to bring back information that would help the city.
Not funneling it to fake nonprofits created just to deliver services.
OVP is the new drug game.
George Brand, Charlie Bell, Dana Ron, Darren Sharif, Eddie Osborne, Mildred Crump, Anthony Carino, Hector Cachado, Anibo Reynolds, Hype Martinez, Donald Tucker, Louis Gantana, Augie Amador, Ron Vice, Ron Light.
I'm telling you the cops.
I appreciate you know we let I let you go a little further past, but please just respect the council chambers and always respect the council chambers, council president, and I'm finishing.
I'm saying the cops can come and get me.
I'm gonna finish this.
I'm calling for a federal monitor November 4th election and the May election of the city.
Councilwoman, I'm gonna have to turn off the lab.
You can turn it off to allow, come on, cops to allow new community to realize a six three point six million dollar building when their housing is in the shambles, right?
How they're building more stuff when they haven't been able to fix what they have right now.
That deal that just went people in the bridge area is no different than the deal that went through.
How many times are you going to turn around and allow this city?
How many times do we all sit there in New York?
Councilwoman.
But councilman, I don't I just don't, I don't want to do this to anybody, and I don't want to do this to you.
I I want to be respectful to you.
And I'm just trying.
You can come back and finish and have another opportunity to speak.
But I I mean, these are the rules of the council chamber, appearing.
Oh, wait, I'm sorry, hold on.
I think I left it off.
Speaker, say something.
Test test.
Okay, there you go.
All right.
Um good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Jamar Youngblood.
Last week I attended a conference at the United Nations where different countries came together to discuss housing and security.
And one share, and uh basically everyone shared the same concern.
Financialization is reshaping our world.
And let me explain.
There's a group of professionals out there called asset managers, and their job is to manage money for the wealthy.
In the 1970s, they controlled about one trillion dollars and only invested in stocks, bonds, and other financial assets.
But today they control over a hundred trillion dollars.
And with so much money to invest, they begin buying physical assets like homes, energy infrastructure, and other physical property.
Their goal is simple.
They want to privatize everything.
And by the end of the conference, the conclusion was clear.
Local governments are the only ones who can lead the charge to protect residents from these financial professionals.
Cities must innovate and create their own solutions instead of relying on the federal government or private organizations to solve their problems.
So, with all due respect, if our local officials don't understand the bigger forces shaping life here in North, you become complicit without even realizing it.
So now that you are aware of one of the global forces affecting life here in North, I want to share two simple ideas within our control to help us put us on the right track.
The first idea is a step towards modernizing our local government, and the second is a call for an intellectual renaissance here in North.
So here's a copy of our city charter.
And to the residents watching this, think of it like an employee handbook for our local government.
You can view and download it at eCode360.com.
In our charter, the word May appears way too often.
Example, Title 40, chapter 69A, section 37 of our charter says the council may investigate city departments.
This means council members are not required to hold city employees or agencies accountable simply because the charter uses the word may.
In Portland, Oregon, they updated their charter to replace May with Shall.
This small change made monitoring and oversight a duty, not a choice.
So we shall do the same thing here in North.
Because when we think of the lead water crisis from last decade, nothing in our charter required the council to investigate or act quickly.
Instead, North residents had to rely on the federal government to protect us when that should have been handled by our council members.
Lastly, while campaigning, I mean so many intelligent Norkers who see the problems we have in our city, but they stay quiet because they fear losing access.
We need a new culture in City Hall that focuses on solving problems and innovating, not just holding on to power.
And to build this new culture, council members must help us modernize our local laws, and we need more courageous residents to speak up so we could demand laws that give power back to the people, not just the financial professionals.
Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Oh no, Ms.
Jackson's here.
All right, Miss Jackson is appearing.
Alabama.
Alabama, North.
Good afternoon, good evening.
I miss you all.
So let's get right to it.
The boy done stole all the money.
The city is broke.
I'm gonna respectfully ask Mr.
Pennantin, although you are a corporate mouth for the thief in the corner, don't respond to me.
The city has no money.
The federal budget has not been cut off to the coffers of the city.
Now individual grants have been cut off, but the money coming in the North ain't stopped.
Let me tell you folks out here in the land that want to keep following the dumb crats around because you don't know how to come up with your own issues.
This ain't got to do with Democrat or Republican.
This has got to do with the issues that affect us on this local level, state level, county level, and national level need to be addressed.
And do we have the people in place to do that?
Hell no.
Workers, you have sat back and allowed these folks to pimp you to the point where you can't even make it to work.
DPW, let me tell you something.
You missed the opportunity.
When Philly was striking, you should have had this garbage dumped on the steps of City Hall like they treat you.
You got one man, two men on the back of the truck.
I understand y'all made some administrative changes, but damn it, it ain't no different.
Because you disrespect the workers that work here so bad, but guess what, y'all?
It's your fault.
Because you allow it.
Your union suck, all of you.
Police, fire, sanitation, suck.
Because when you pay union dudes, they supposed to be on this mic like me.
Up here.
Accountability.
Not no zero, zero, one percent, two percent, and that's a contract.
Library workers, shut your mouth.
They gave you nothing.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
For what?
They gave you nothing.
Now y'all done got back into bed with Mr.
Spicer down the street here, and now we want to privatize the housing authority.
Hell no, it ain't happening.
It's not happening.
Y'all not gonna fire all these people after y'all sent all y'all little, who I need a job down to the housing authority and made them hire them because they know how to twitch better than the other one.
I dress the way I dress because I'm not looking for nothing.
Ain't interested in nobody because it ain't sex for hire.
It's those that can read, those that could write.
And y'all ain't got none of that.
You don't even have people that know how to answer the phone.
We had lack of access to the police department for three weeks in here to state police files and complaint.
What y'all gonna do?
People calling 911.
I'm being chased down the street.
He comes to gun me, and I can't get nobody to answer the phone.
And then y'all thought it was acceptable to put some damn cell phone numbers up on the page for the city for me to call an officer sitting in the precinct.
What the hell is going on?
You put people at risk.
Then I gotta come up the mud block, leave Pookie and Ivan.
We responded to a damn fight, the officer get the mace taken off his belt.
Who the hell we hiring?
It didn't get his gun taken.
That's unacceptable on my block.
My grandkids at my house now, it's a summer time.
Y'all have left something would have happened, it wouldn't have been no meeting today.
It wouldn't have been no meeting.
Because that's my wife right now, my grands.
My kids is first, DJ and the rest of them, but my grants, it wouldn't have been no words today from none of y'all.
None of you, because that's how disrespectful you are to us.
The people just got their tax bill in urgency because I'm helping some seniors.
$1,500 in May and got paid $2,900 tomorrow.
That's a $1,500 increase.
What y'all gonna do to us?
Mr.
Pennison, I'm telling you right now, don't get your butt up here, saying rass lies, because the financial director already put it in the paper, and y'all better stop playing too.
I told you, team Baraka.
That's how y'all came in here.
I know there's some separation and some fighting going on right now.
Give a damn about that.
Let's do the city business.
Y'all are killing us.
Y'all gonna clean up South Orange Avenue for one day for National Night Out.
I'm so sick of these things taking over our neighborhoods, throwing garbage on, and you don't do nothing.
South Orange Avenue is hell, dude.
For self-cleaning up, it looks like damn Iraq.
Crazy.
We worse than we were five years ago.
The water still contaminated.
What are y'all gonna do?
The same thing you've been doing, nothing.
So don't answer none of us today, because y'all don't give a damn.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker, Margaret Johnson, Margaret Johnson appearing.
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon.
Uh I would like to can you step closer and speak into the microphone, please.
I want to first say that thank you for the opportunity for me to be here to speak for myself and the people that I live with in the northbound of Newark.
I was here in March, and my complaint continued to be the same thing.
The filthness of Newark.
2024.
And Mr.
Kelly, you looked at me in my face and promised me that something is going to be done.
Yes, I did not expect wonders, but I thought something would be done for my community.
Everything is still the same.
And at the same time, you are using this building, these offices in this building to fight me.
Their own honor.
Because when I stood here last time, I had my short-term rentals approved.
The next week, I was told that, oh, it's not approved because there's something, something.
When I came to the plumbing department, I was told that my building, there's no recreation that I have heat.
But the previous owner had Section A tenant.
I had to bring PSNG officials to tell them the nicest words.
To tell them the nicest words that cannot be pronounced here.
When I walked out and I said I'm being you people are being racist, every single thing was approved.
Every single thing.
When I came with the fire of my building, the first time when I closed on my mortgage, they say, oh, on this building, there is only one meter.
Everything is fine, Miss Johnson.
And I kept one account, which I faithfully paid.
But because I was calling, looking for the city to help me to clean the street, they shut down my water.
They said, oh, investigation should be done.
It will be done when they came to do the investigation.
There was one meter.
So who is fighting who?
You guys are fighting us.
You are suppressing.
You are suppressing us.
Right now you are in this big chair.
I am busy crying.
For you to clean the street so we can live healthy.
But tomorrow you will not be here.
And when my son shoot you or shoot your child, don't ask.
Because you are creating this catastrophe.
Catastrophe that you are creating.
When I walk out of my building, I am greeted with rats.
Because the city is filthy.
Mr.
Kelly, you promised not even a damn improvement.
No, nothing.
But here all of you are talking about what is it?
Community health fair.
And you put the name of the hospital where we should go.
After you created the diseases from the rats, you are sending us in the hospital.
Come on now.
Come on now.
They said prevention is better than cure.
Where is that one?
Where is it?
Where is the common sense?
I didn't expect one that's but Mr.
Kelly, from the scientist, even if it was month once in a month to clean my street.
I would appreciate it.
Thank you for your comments.
Next speaker.
Dr.
Teresa Alan Johnson.
Dr.
Johnson, Alan Johnson, not appearing.
Speaker 20 is not appearing.
The next speaker is Francesca Rodriguez.
Francesca Rodriguez.
Not appearing.
That concludes the hearing of citizens.
All right.
Any comments from the council.
You might any count a comments from the uh administration.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Anything from the council?
No.
Anything from the administration at this point.
Are you wanted to say?
I'm sorry, Councilman Kelly first.
Yeah, thank you, Council President.
Um, just to um talk about um what some of the residents said about the cleaning.
So we on South Orange Avenue, South Orange Avenue is cleaned by a third party in North.
It's cleaned by CDS, which is funded by our business improvement district.
CDS cleans South Orange Avenue.
Um, and any time that there's a lack in cleaning South Orange Avenue, I am on the phone with Caesar Vascaino to make sure that the people at CDS are cleaning up South Orange Avenue.
We have had all around the city, not just in the West Ward.
Um, we've had gaps and laps of things going on with DPW from equipment failure to uh the death to um administration changes, and this is not an excuse, it's just reality.
Um, it's not just happening on South Front Avenue, it's not just happening in the West Ward, but it's happened all around the city.
So CDS clean South Orange Avenue.
Um, and being that there was a gap with with DPW, my office has partnered with UVSO, and we go out once every two weeks to clean South Front Javenou.
So literally myself, my staff and volunteers, we start at Boiling Street Recreational Center, and we disperse by going in each direction of South Frontier Avenue, cleaning South Funge Avenue, going inside the blocks, cleaning those blocks.
So I don't know, I don't remember talking to Miss Margaret Johnson.
I'm not saying that it doesn't happen.
I don't know which building she lives in or refers to.
One of my staff members is talking to her now.
So if I told her that DPW was supposed to come out in street cleaning, that could be possible.
And it's possible also that they didn't make it out there for whatever reason.
So I have my staff talking to her to see what the issues there are.
But when it comes to cleaning South Front Javanou, myself, volunteers literally go out there with our own broom with brooms from DPW and rakes and do the work ourselves just to pick up the gap when DPW or CDS is not doing the job as efficient as the residents want.
So we get out there ourselves.
So you know, we're we're actually being part of the solution.
And I I would hope that the resident, and one more thing, Council Prez is that when we clean it up, we've cleaned up South Front Javenue and 20th Street.
I'm from 19th Street.
We cleaned up 19th Street, 20th Street, South Orange Avenue.
And literally that night, it was dirty again.
We probably six, seven hours later, it was dirty again, like we never touched it.
And what I'm saying to you is that if I can get out there myself and clean it up, get dirty, the residents have to have to have a responsibility as well.
I'm not saying that the DPW can't do what they supposed to do, but when those gaps are happening, we as residents have to get out there and do the work also.
It just because you don't own the home doesn't mean that you don't have to sweep up in front of it or sweep the curb up in front of it.
You know, I think that we have a responsibility as Norkers.
We can't just lean on elected officials because they're not superheroes.
And then most of the time they're they're asking or talking to the directors and asking them to get out there and do the job.
They're not the garbage, um, they don't work on the garbage trucks.
Our elected officials, we're we're mostly legislators, but in a city like New Jersey, you can't be just a legislator in a town like New Jersey.
You gotta get out there and do the work as well.
So that's why we've got with UVSO and we get out there and clean South Frontier Avenue every two weeks ourselves.
Shout out to the uh the mayor for actually put in a citywide cleanup that happened this this week.
And then when they say one day cleaning South Front Javanou, that's not true because we've been out two months before the mayor even came out.
You know, because the mayor has a bigger platform, they say, oh, this is one day.
But I mean, if you follow my social media or follow anybody that's associated with my art office, you can see we've been cleaning up South Frontier Avenue for a while.
So um I'm I'm we're gonna address the situation.
She's very upset, Miss Margaret Johnson, and see how we can help her.
She said that you know, once again, that we didn't help her with the uh the street cleaning, but there's a lot of problems that's been going on with DPW, and maybe that fell through the craps.
Thank you, Council.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Anything from uh anything administration I'm sorry, Council President.
Yes, I I just want to address um the statement that was made.
And Council President, I'm I'm gonna need your support on this regarding all of the documents that were presenting to us regarding the extension of the um tax abatements.
Um Miss Lisa Parker, um Lisa Mitchell Parker had stated to us.
I know that there were some documents given, but I also know that you did do some research about that.
So I don't want misinformation.
I was not here all of those years that she stated that she gave all of this information to the council.
We just addressed this, if I'm not mistaken, this year to try to move forward with doing something, and again, it was myself, Council President Crump, and I believe Councilman Quintana.
So we are still moving forward with that information that she presented and the residents at Society Hill, and she didn't mention another entity, which is not confronted the council yet, but we will be addressing her concerns.
And in reference to the process, Mr.
Tillman, when I say that the process, because everything with everything there's a process.
So when we start talking about the um review council, once again, that is the administration, they're working on replacement of those individuals.
So we'll either have an effective one or none at all.
So it's one thing that we can talk about it, but they are working on that conversation we said yesterday.
Because one thing, and I'm gonna keep saying this, and we keep I'm just as I guess full of whatever the word I'm trying to find with people coming back to the council with the same thing over and over again for two or three years.
I want a resolution so we can hear some new stuff.
I don't want to keep hearing the same thing over and over and over and over again.
So we're going to do our best.
I know that we're gonna do our best to address these issues so we don't have to keep hearing the same thing.
I don't want Donnell Lee coming back.
I don't want you come up with something new for us to resolve.
Let's try to get this stuff squared away one way or the other with the administration.
We will be talking to them, Councilman, uh Council President, you and I have to revisit.
You even talked about, let me go back to this the project labor agreement.
You even brought that up.
We've had meetings about these things.
So we it's not like it's not on our radar, we're just disregarding what the information that comes to this microphone.
Uh you do hold us accountable.
And and my prayer is that as we work towards it, that you will see the results and the resolution at some point today.
Don Lali, we're going to revisit you asking us to come.
I asked the director of the health department to schedule with me, and whoever else would like to come with me to go back to 516 because I have walked those halls.
I want to go back.
I don't want you people coming to the meeting and not inviting us or telling us about a problem and we don't address it.
In reference to the meeting that was held at new community, there have been issues that we addressed a couple of years ago, and then we went back again to address them recently, and we've had four meetings in the last month.
It hasn't been no one year, two years, but we want to deal with all apartment buildings and all landlords that have issues, not just new community.
I mean, there are other issues.
So we talk about the LLC Royce and the deplorable conditions in the city.
But once we know at this point in our life that there's an issue, we coming.
We coming.
So thank you very much for your concern.
Thank you for the residence that hold us accountable, and we're gonna do our best to address all of it.
Thank you, sir.
Thank you, Council President.
Thank you, Councilwoman.
Uh Councilman Kelly.
I just got one more thing real quick.
Uh, there was a statement made that um OVP is a gang or gang of drug dealers.
And I disagree, I think that's that's that's really inconsiderate, I believe.
I think that, and I say this just speaking from experience.
When I call on the Office of Violence and Prevention and Trauma Recovery in my ward in this city, they come through and they really, really make a difference.
And I'm speaking from my experience.
When I call them to my neighborhood, when I call them to a home that has young people who have guns in their homes and they don't want to deal with the cops, and they only want to deal with with the office of violence and prevention.
When I call them to deal with a girl who's being beat up by a boyfriend and they only want to deal with the Office of Violence and Prevention, when I call a meeting in Vellsburg Park and I tell them to bring their parents, they only want to deal with the Office of Violence and Prevention.
I I think that it is very, very, you know, harsh to say that they're a gang of drug dealers because of the possibly of their past.
I think that they're doing an amazing job just from my own experiences, especially in the West Ward, especially when it comes to our targeted areas and in some of our uh harsh areas, I should say, like a Bradley Court or Isabella or you know, dealing with people who are in gang activities.
There's some of those people who are now children are playing in pop one of football who were thinking about other things.
There's some people who are going to the baseball camp that we have who were usually involved in other things, and a lot of that is because the partnership with OVP and their uh you know, other organizations that are associated with them.
So I think that's hard to say on record, so that the people can really think that this company, this um organization that's here to help our youth, that they don't when they don't want to talk to the suits, when they don't want to talk to the police officers, these are the people that they talk to, and I'm talking from my own experiences, seeing it with my own eyes, that it really has been a help.
So I want to thank OVP and not call them a gang of drug dealers.
I just want to say thank you to them for helping me in in our residents and our war in the West War with different situations that really could have been fatal and and really traumatic in a in a whole nother sense.
So thank you to Office of Violence Prevention.
I think that there are reform people who are doing professional things to help save our city and the youth in our city.
Thank you, Councilman Kelly.
Council President.
I know, I know.
Listen, we we got four people that don't have to speak because they're not here.
So I just want to um take a moment, if you don't mind, Council President, to piggyback on what Councilman Kelly is saying because everybody has a past.
And we have to be very, very careful of the terminology we use, identifying individuals that are working in the community.
There's some people that come to this microphone that you need to examine your record when you open your mouth to speak against individuals.
Because if you take a look at your record, all of us, every last one of us in this chambers, I'm sure has something that they played it on the screen, they would have to crawl up under these benches and walk out of here.
So let's be very careful of identifying and labeling people that are doing the work.
What better person to talk to a drug addict than a reform for real drug addict?
What better person to talk to someone that has been in a gang or been uh in violent situations or had someone killed as a result of violence and someone who's experienced.
If you've never been to a fight, I don't want you to come with me.
So that that is very, very important that you understand that individuals that have fallen, that they get up.
God is no respected person.
So I don't think how great you think you are when you come and you start talking and calling people names and saying things against people, you have a right to your opinion.
Just because we don't disagree, don't mean I'm wrong and you wrong.
We can have a difference of opinion, but that doesn't make you wrong or me wrong.
When you start labeling people that are trying to change their lives, you can that can be one decision away from them deciding.
Well, you know what?
They don't think I'm changed.
Let me show you something.
So I commend them at one point before there was an office of violence prevention.
I was running out there with the gangs.
I had my thing, not gangs like that, but talking to them on corners, and people would say my family would be like, Why are you out there late at night?
Why not?
Somebody had to do it, you know, and I don't think that I'm beneath or above or uh beyond talking to someone who has had a problem in their life.
And that's part of the problem.
We're so busy condemning others.
We're not taking a look at ourselves and our shortcomings.
So be careful.
I commend them and I thank them, and I'm glad we got them.
Because you sure cut down on me running out here trying to do it all when I wasn't wasn't, I should say, capable of addressing some of the issues that they are.
I've learned, we've learned from each other.
I do what I do, and all 50 of them do what they do.
And I'm grateful for them.
Office of violence prevention and trauma recovery is a baby.
They were crawling, now they're walking, and soon they'll be running if we support the work and encourage them in the field say they are.
Thank you, Council President.
And thank you, Councilwoman.
So as the BA comes up to the microphone, uh, I'm just gonna say real quick, so by the time you get there, I'll be finished.
So I agree with uh my council colleagues regarding OVPGR.
I believe they do a great job for our community, and I think we would be in a much worse position than we are.
So thank you also.
All right, Mr.
Bear.
Yeah, Council President Derek Pennington, Business Administrator.
I want to thank you, uh, Council people, because that was one of the topics I was gonna talk about as well, but you said it all.
I don't need to add anything to the Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery, which uh does an amazing job carrying out the mayor's directive to try to reduce violence, uh recidivism and other issues with our young people and older people who are engaged in violence in the city of Norway.
So you have said all on that one.
Uh I just want to address head on the the uh the trash issue and the problems that we've had with collection and not run away from it.
The people who have spoken about a uh lack of cleanliness, uh they are correct.
And uh Mayor Barack has recognized that we have made some changes in the department of public works uh to improve the collection.
Um the trash collection has improved uh significantly over the last couple of weeks.
We are working to get recycling uh better and have both pickup and street sweeping cleaned as well.
We have tasked a group of senior executives in the city to go to DPW to assist uh in getting that addressed.
It's led by Green Medim, who's the director of our water and sewer department, but he's not alone.
There are a couple of other people who are also involved in writing the ship.
Uh we understand it's a problem.
Uh recognize it, and we are working diligently to get that done.
Um I heard earlier that there was a uh one speaker indicated that it was a moratorium on tax abatements, and that is not correct.
And that's not I don't think what what I heard.
I think that Councilman Gonzalez may have said that he's not gonna vote on tax abatements further until this uh uh advisory committee is addressed, and we're gonna work to get the advisory committee addressed, but we're gonna be moving forward with tax abatements and all wars that are appropriate.
I presume the North Ward Councilman wants tax abatements that will improve his uh board to go forward.
I presume the South Ward Councilman, the West Ward Councilman and the East Ward Councilman all want uh tax abatements that are going to prove the quality of life and projects and their wards to go forward.
So we are not gonna stop sending them to the council if there's a particular council person who believes that it's not appropriate to vote on something for whatever that reason is, that's their choice.
But this administration will continue uh to help develop the city and move it in the right direction and hope that the council sees fit to join us in in that regard.
Um the final point I want to talk about was uh the uh administration put forward a contract to retain the services of OCA architects, and it was not passed.
Uh there were uh you know four four positive votes and four abstentions.
This and I just want to lay out there uh that the council people who abstained, if there's more information that I can provide about this company to satisfy them with respect to why they didn't vote favorably for them, I will do so.
This happens to be a NORC-based architect company.
It is black owned, it is diverse, they have both women leadership and male leadership, and they they fit within the footprint of what it is this administration wants to do in ensuring that professionals that we hire are diverse professionals.
The project that they are tasked to work on happens to be an affordable project, 100% affordable project in the central ward with condominiums so that they can be real homeownership for people, and I believe everybody listens to what the mayor says that home ownership is the best way uh to wealth development, wealth improvement for all Americans, and that is particularly true for uh black and brown Americans, most of whom uh make up the population of the city of Newark.
Uh so I'm just offering publicly to provide information to this council uh to get them at the next council meeting to vote favorably on uh moving forward that project with this architecture team, which is a minority local, uh local minority-owned business uh of professionals.
And that's all I have for council president.
Mr.
President.
Yeah, as one of the people that that abstained that yesterday's pre, I I did ask a question about the overall project and how is it gonna work that the city is now in the development business and they're gonna develop uh this particular project.
The firm that you had before us uh is not only tasked with designing units, also construction management firm.
So I'm just trying to get some information on how the role the city is gonna change here, because typically we don't develop these kind of large-scale projects, so that will be helpful for me.
And then the other thing is this morning I read an article where the North Library had a deferred action on a contract for the same architectural company.
So I was just making sure that everything you know was above board.
Uh that's uh I appreciate the the question and the comment.
Uh let me go to your uh first point about the uh city being developers.
Uh what we intend to do is project manage it, but we will use a construction company uh who is well versed in building projects of this type to do the build through the building.
We have sufficient professional resources in-house who can project manage a project like this, and uh we intend to do so.
With respect to the use of this architectural firm by the library, I talked to the library about all sorts of things, and I have not spoken to them about that.
Yeah, um, I will have you check it out as the same company.
I'm not accusing them of anything.
I was just thought it was a coincidence that today's came up and you know my my bigger concern is trying to understand what the city's role is gonna be with this project because that is you know, it's a different position that the city's taking.
There's some risk involved, obviously, if you uh going into the development business, and there's a lot of different components.
You guys understand it better than me that that'll take in order for this project to be successfully built.
Sure.
It would not be the first project in the city that was project managed in-house, uh, either through staff that we have or through Invest Nork or or others uh who oversaw the development of a particular project, but your point is well taken.
Yeah, I mean, large scale residential, I I can't remember the last time.
You know, and I've been here a little bit.
Yeah, the the one that comes to mind, you're right.
There was uh Mulberry Commons was project managed in-house, but with an outside developer, but your point is well taken.
Thank you.
Anything else from the council?
No, that's it.
So I said am I good to go?
You don't have five.
Oh no, no, you're here.
We got councilman counsel on the phone.
Oh, he's on the phone.
Yeah, he's still here.
I thought you're getting Mike from Portugal on the phone.
He had to go, unfortunately.
Uh I mean councilman council's laughing at my so let's let's do a quickly uh motions.
Yes.
Councilman Council uh I guess Councilman Council.
You have any motions?
Yes, yes, sir.
Uh, first of all, uh want to have the sorrow and regret uh as some of the speakers stated earlier, uh, for my councilman, uh, the former president of the municipal council, uh Donald Bradley, who uh served with honored distinction, uh, who was a man of God to his entire family, uh the Bradley family to the entire South Ward, uh, who mourned the loss uh of the council president and the overwhelming love and support that was shown uh during his services and the rallying of the community around it.
Uh but we just want to issue a sorrow in regret uh for council president Donald Bradley.
Uh also uh on Tuesday, August 19th, uh Milford Avenue between Clinton Ave and West Alpine Street.
Uh we will have District 51, our uh district meeting in District 51.
Uh so we're asking all the Southworth residents who live in District 51 from Milford After Johnson after Clinton Ave West Alpine uh to come out.
We'll be out in the street.
I want to thank all of those residents that supported while we were out in District 40 and 41 uh at our uh community meeting, and we encourage folks to come back out uh on Tuesday, August 19th, uh from 6 p.m.
to 8 p.m.
Milford Avenue between Clinton Ave and West Alpine.
And then uh our back to school pop-up event for our book bag giveaway that's coming up, and we're excited about it, where we continue to get to share uh with young people and parents all over the city uh on August 28th.
Uh we'll be our book uh pop-up uh at 1 p.m.
We'll be at Avon Avenue School, 219 Avon Avenue at 3 p.m.
We'll be at George Washington Carver School, 333 Clinton Place, and at 5 p.m.
we will be at the Temple of Hip Hop 55 Lutlow Street.
And on August 23rd, we'll also be supporting uh back to school efforts at Belmont Running, helping to support uh the brand new principal over there, Michael Dixon.
Uh so we want folks to come on out as we continue to uh encourage folks as we move out of August and headed into September for back to school activities and events, and not forgetting our uh community meeting on August 19th.
Uh so we're encouraging everyone to come out.
And again, uh I support the Office of Bible's prevention and trauma recovery a thousand percent uh for the work that they're doing out here in the community.
Uh and I ask that everyone else continues to support them if you need them to reach out to them.
They're not a silo organization, uh, but they're an organization and group uh that was put together uh to be able to help the drive down uh some of the instances and incidents that are happening in our community, and we're stronger together than the part.
So thank you.
Thank you, Council.
Sir, a second.
Second, second by councilwoman Scott Round Tree roll call.
Council.
Yes.
Kelly?
Yes.
Donna absent.
Ramos?
Yes.
Scott Roundtree.
Yes.
Silva.
Absent President Crump, yes.
Councilwoman Scott Round.
Yes, I would like to thank you, Council President.
I would like to express profound um have a profound sorrow, regret um letter done.
I believe we've already done the resolution uh for Vivian Williams Lester.
She is the mother of Pastor Michael Lester.
And the funeral arrangements, I think, for Friday.
Um, we want to truly um send our condolences on behalf of the City of Newark, our mayor and our North Municipal Council to this family.
And once again, um, we want to thank the the Bradley family for including all of us in the homegoing celebration uh for our honorable Donald Cornelius Bradley, council president for the city of Newark, who served in so many capacities, even historically in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
His journey uh began in activism a very, very long time ago.
So we are grateful um for his commitment, his faithfulness, his picture looks down on us here in the council chambers as we look up on the wall and and we're grateful.
We're grateful for his presence when he walked in a room, the smoothness, the calmness, but he would get stuff done, bringing balance to our council.
So we thank God for um examples such as he.
Um, on to announcements on our August 9th, uh, which is this Saturday.
Um I partnered with IHOP and um a couple of other individuals in the Central Ward for a read and feed, get your mind thinking with Dr.
Get your mind thinking with Dr.
Johnson.
There will be good book books given away.
Book giveaways.
Every child will walk away with a book or books.
And we're also working with a organization that is teaching.
Council President and I went to an event with individuals who are volunteering to tutor children who need.
We talk about what our children can't do, but I want to know who's helping them to get it done.
So that's what we're doing.
We are everything is not on social media, but there are things that are being done in our city.
And I don't want to be a part of the problem.
I want to be a part of the resolution.
So I will be offering my church and any other locations I can find for them to set up hours for parents to bring their children or sign up if they are struggling with reading and maybe some other things.
But right now, we do want to make sure that if that is the case, everybody's not reading on the same level.
You can have somebody reading on a fifth grade.
I was reading on a fourth grade level when I was in second grade, but my mother wouldn't let them elevate me because she knew I'd fail in every other class.
So they had to send me to another class.
It was different then.
I went to Quitman Elementary School where it took place.
But I just want to say that we thank Source of Knowledge for providing books for our young people.
On August 16th, Devonna Booker and Kelly Harrison, along with myself, and a lot of other council, well, I should say organizations, are sponsoring the 13th annual back to school giveaway.
There will be blocking off between car uh it is commerce and commerce court between Mulberry and Commerce Court.
That will be blocked off for activities, everything.
There's no cost.
Madre Son, Madre and Son, which is a black owned business, gives back at least four times a year.
They shut down, they don't shut down the block.
During the Christmas holidays, they open up their space and they give away things to the children.
They do the book bag giveaway.
This is their 13th annual.
It's actually Devana Booker, which is the daughter in love of the uh Yolanda, which is the owner of Madre and Son.
Let's support John.
We go down to Adega.
Yes, we do.
Councilman Ramos, we go over to the North Ward, the Dicky D's, but we can come down to the to Madre Soul and support the sister that's trying some fish and some collar greens.
Then on August 24th, we have the Central Ward, uh Interfaith, North Interfaith Alliance, along with the Central Ward Clergy Alliance, presents the community love fest.
We were doing a spiritual and community engagements all over the city with the faith-based community.
Um we want to thank Dr.
Lauren Monroe and Pastor Darren Munro of Chosen Generation and the Central Ward for taking the lead along with Dr.
Jerry Lee.
I'm out of can't quite remember what year this is, uh, but they took over the lead for the Central Ward Faith-Based Community after Dr.
Perry Simmons and Dr.
Mary Miller moved on, and they are leading in excellence.
We want to thank them.
So this community love fest, which takes place on August 24th at 1045 a.m.
Bring your whole family for no cost, food, no cost, activities, games, book bags, school supplies, resources, and music, and ministry.
Dimitri did this bolder.
Don't blame him.
I gotta blame him.
Listen, I'm busy.
We busy, we busy.
Um, Dr.
Michael Carr is a playwright, and he's been writing plays.
We know that most of our council people are very strong, and our mayor and the artist community.
This man has been writing plays for over 15 years.
We talk about Tyler Perry and the sitting in the car and sleeping in the car.
But this man is writing a play, has written a play called I Matter.
Um, it's been shown throughout the state.
He has a bullying play on bullying.
This one will be featured.
I've opened up Good Neighbor, 100 Chancellor Avenue for this play to be uh returns August 24th, 2025.
The doors open at 5 o'clock.
I do have some comp tickets if anyone is interested.
It is August 24th at 12 uh yes, in the evening at 5 p.m.
So I will be at the community love fest and then off to the South Ward Councilman Council for this play.
The East Ward, Eastward, we all over.
We at large Councilman Crump.
Eastward will be having a Unity Day.
They had about 500 people last year receiving services, um, and at the same time, ministry.
It's the North Union of Churches.
They call it that because faith-based community, while you're waiting for people to come in, they waiting for you to come outside, pastors.
So come on outside, bring your services, bring if you have anger management.
Whatever you have needs to be on the street.
So people will know it is available.
And last but not least, I do believe we'll be meeting before this, but we've had some individuals and we deal with topics, Councilman Crump, my colleagues.
We deal with topics.
There are some topics we really don't deal with, like suicide.
That that is something that it's like taboo.
We don't want to talk about that.
We don't want to talk about domestic violence.
But these are real issues in our community.
And the truth is sometimes you might miss the sign.
Well, I have a mother that came to my office some time ago, months ago, because her son had experience, had this experience, or she had this experience with her son.
And somebody somewhere knows somebody that probably has shown signs and then it happened.
So we're doing a suicide work.
I'm going to be sponsoring a resolution for suicide awareness at our next meeting.
But on September 13th, we will be in Military Park.
We're probably going to walk because we can't get on the steps right now, City Hall.
So I'm not sure of the starting point, but we will end up in Military Park with services for suicide awareness.
We're going to do the walk.
We're going to walk with some of these mothers and some of these families to let them know that while they think that they have to bear this, that life has to go on for them.
And we're going to remember those who maybe made a decision a little too early.
And so September 13th, please mark your calendars for these dates.
Oh, the next announcement is about the North Ward Interfaith Alliance, which will be having an event in uh Mount Pleasant Avenue and Third Avenue and Governor Street.
And that's from 11 to 3.
More services, more friendship and fellowship and fellowship.
And that covers all five wards of my report.
Council President, my closing remarks are this.
City of Newark.
I thank you.
I thank you because I'm here because somebody pushed a button or circled in a dot.
Whatever way it went.
So I will always be grateful that you come to the mic.
Just because I stated earlier, people don't see things the way others do sometimes, does not mean either one of us are wrong.
I welcome every comment.
I welcome every accountable statement that you make to hold us because that's what you signed up to do, and this is what we were selected to do to hear you.
Hearing you and acting upon those things that we can legally and ethically accommodate you with.
We should.
So I thank you.
I thank you for electing me.
I thank you, North for listening to me.
And I thank you, Newark, for allowing me to be a servant to the people of this city that I grew up in.
I love each and every one of you.
God bless you.
Have a happy Labor Day weekend, and may God continue to shine upon all of your lives and our city.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councilwoman.
I'll second that.
Roll call.
Council.
Councilwoman.
Gonzalez absent.
Kelly.
Yes.
Absent.
Ramos.
Yes.
Got round tree.
Yes.
Absent.
President Crump.
Yes.
Councilman Kelly.
Thank you, Council Prez.
Just a couple of acknowledgments.
And so first of all, I just want to say thank you.
Thank you to everybody that came out for our youth 13 and under Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament.
Thank you to Council Woman Louise Scott Roundtree.
Thank you to you, Council President, for showing up for our youth.
I have to thank the county for allowing us to utilize their parking and facilities and partnering with us as well as our city of Newark for partnering.
I want to thank the legend, Michael Bibbins from the group New Edition, who brought down Boston and Shane the Dribble Machine from the A1 who brought down the Bronx.
And Reggie Redge, who's on the radio there in Connecticut.
It was an amazing, amazing event.
Our girls, this is the second annual tournament.
Our girls took home the championship trophy by beating Boston girls.
I want to thank our chief of staff, who is a great uh female basketball coach who allowed us to use some of his players from university in Newark, New Jersey.
We have some amazing female basket, young, young female basketball players and high school players here.
Our boys, um, I want to thank them as well.
I want to thank uh Mike who affects it.
We call White Mike.
I want to thank White Mike and Coach T and Coach Gage Day because they took our boys to the championship.
But we lost in the championship to the Bronx, who is actually ranked in the top 10 uh across the country when it comes to the tournament of basket 13 and under, but it was an amazing um event that kept our youth off of the streets, kept some of our um our young men and young women who probably would be on their block.
It kept them engaged, and um it was an amazing event.
So I thank you for that.
Um I thank everybody that came out in the West Ward with the mayor and the volunteers to help us clean up Roseville to help us clean up Vellsburg to help us clean up the West Side.
Um that event went well.
And in just walking the blocks, you know, with the directors and the mayors, it got them to see some problems head on.
You know, you can talk about some things that's going on, but when you see it, you get a better understanding.
So I want to thank all of the directors who see what I've been talking about for so long when it comes to the West Ward.
Um also we have uh a baseball clinic.
If anybody knows me growing up in the city of Newark, I thought I was gonna be a New York Yankee, so I always wanted to continue to pour in to the young people when it comes to baseball.
We have a uh a baseball clinic that has professional baseball players that are actually gonna teach our young people.
Um it's $20 to register.
So what I did is I put out a back call because I know some of our children, some of our youth still can't even afford the $20.
And when I say that the city responded, residents of the city responded, um, like Luce Cannon, who got over 50, got over 60 players to get waived their fee because other people are paying for them to come.
Um I want to thank um Jordy Navarre who actually is doing the camp with us with knockout cares.
We have Alex Reyes, who is um you know, a 2021 National League All-Star.
Um we have uh Emiliano Alcantera, who is the coach and trainer for Juan Soto to help our children.
So this is not just uh a high school coach teaching our young young men and women baseball, but these are professionals who are gonna be pouring into Newarkers.
Um, and it's gonna be August 9th from 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m.
And we will be in the the uh Northwest or the West North as you call it, Councilman Ramos, Casperger Phil, 415, North Fifth Street, Newark, New Jersey.
So that's August 9th from 9 a.m.
to 1 p.m.
And if you can't afford to bring your child for $20, that's all it is to get professional baseball players, major league baseball players to pour into your children.
The first session is age 10 to 12, 9 a.m.
to 10:30.
Second session is from 13 to 16, 11 a.m.
to 1230.
And I just want to thank my staff, uh, Monaco Cruz and everybody from Newark RBR and um the patio, the new patio on Sussex Ave in Newark, so people go check that out.
And for more information, you can call 973-985-2085.
Once again, that's 973-985-2085.
I also want to um tell the parents, I know you're getting ready to go back to school and get your children for back to school, and there's so many.
There's a plethora of back to school events happening in Newark.
Um, we're doing one partnering uh again with the Partnership West Inc.
an all-star barbershop for our ninth.
I know I've only been councilman but for three years, but this is our 19th annual.
That means I've been doing this work for a long time.
This is our 19th annual back to school event with All-Star.
Um, the first 50, we're doing it at the barbershop on Central Avenue, 522 Central Avenue, and we're gonna give the first 50 haircuts for free.
And this is September 6th.
So we have 24 hours apiece.
That's happening the 5th to the 6th.
So right after 24 hours apiece, we're gonna have our back to school bookback drive and the first 50 haircuts are for free.
And that's 522 Central Avenue.
So please tell a friend to tell a friend to come out.
And then we're also the West Ward is a big ward.
We have like five parts.
So we're gonna be doing another one, partnering with Knockout Care.
And this is their annual back to school block festival, and it's Saturday, August 30th.
So I just ask that you join us for the fun music and giving back.
They usually give away bikes, not just book bags over there.
Um gonna be food and uh a lot of different supplies, book bags applies.
So please come over to um North 7th Street, uh August 30th and Park Avenue.
And then also we have a block party.
Like I said, the West Ward is pretty big on the West Side section of the West Ward, right by Westside Park.
This is the block fifth annual block party Saturday, August 30th from 12 p.m.
to 8 p.m.
That's the 16th Street Block Alliance, where we're gonna also be unveiling the logo I love the West Ward.
And we want to thank Prudential for joining us and welcoming the West Side Community Banner unveiling at 2 p.m.
in the prudential sponsor that prudential.
We thank you, the city of Newark Values for Life, um value goods.
This block party is a book bag drive.
There's gonna be music, food, family games, and also they have the best bouncy houses on 16th Street and 16th Avenue during this time, 12 p.m.
to uh 8 p.m.
And we're doing something real big.
I just spoke to uh councilwoman Louise Scott Roundtree about it uh the other day.
I won't give all of the details right now, but but the clergy in the West Ward, get ready for church with the councilman.
It's gonna be real big.
Uh, and we're partnering with the county in Vellsburg Park for that.
So uh I can't wait till that happens.
Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman.
Is there a second?
Second by uh Scott Round.
Before we vote, though, I gotta say, them 13-year-olds was huge.
Yes, that basketball tournament.
That was a six foot 13-year-olds.
I was like, yeah, I don't know what they're feeding them, but good God.
And thank you to KG for Naughty by Nature and Vin Rock from Naughty by Nature.
Thank you to the NBA president came out.
Thank you to New Edition, Mike Bibb, BBD, and thank you to MySign.
Thank you to the Office of Violence and Prevention.
And the reason why I say that is because one thing that I've learned and just know from being on the city of Newark, you can't invite certain children, certain youth from certain blocks to certain areas.
Right.
You would think that you can because it's a basketball event, so they should be able to come from everywhere.
But with our city, with the gang culture in our city, you have to be careful.
And I'll tell you this OVP, New Direction, One Hood.
They make sure that all of my vents are blessed to not have any problems.
And if it do arise, they respect them enough that they don't bring that nonsense to the event.
So I want to thank them for stopping things that they they see before anybody even sees that there was about to be a problem.
So thank you.
Thank you.
All right, Rolks.
Oh, there's a motion.
I'm sorry.
All right, there was no motion.
I missed that.
Councilman Ramos.
Uh, thank you, Mr.
President.
I'm not gonna go over uh the events.
You know, we post them on social media, uh, back to school.
We got a few things coming up.
Um, just uh a few motions.
The first is uh congratulations to the uh community federally qualified community health center.
This is Federally Qualified Health Center Week.
Today I attended an event uh for St.
James Healthcare.
We want to congratulate them, want to congratulate North Community Health Center, which is in the North Ward, and also Hope and Esperanza.
So these three centers, you know, they have their hands full right now, and with these pending cuts on Medicaid eligibility, you're gonna see more and more residents look for services from these very valuable assets that we have in the community.
Uh this morning we hosted our annual scholarship breakfast.
We gave out about $25,000 in scholarships to kids who are attending, you know, colleges, universities, parochial schools.
So I want to congratulate the board of our ARJ Civic Association.
They make that a priority uh every year, and uh we we hosted the event uh at the Northwest Center.
And uh we we hosted the event uh at the North War Center.
So we want to thank them uh for providing the kids and their families with uh breakfast this morning.
Um one one motion um uh inquiry.
We've we've been getting more calls from homeowners, uh, one in particular, and then a bunch after.
They're receiving these subsequent um water bills, like years after um, you know, the city saying that they were receiving estimated bills, and in the case of one homeowner, her her her adjusted bill is five like more than five thousand dollars.
So, as you can imagine, that's a huge shock to any homeowner.
A lot of times when you get your monthly water bill, um, you know, you need to look at them that bill very carefully to to realize that it could be an estimated bill.
So it's not something that I thought it was like an isolated case, then I reached out to the Forest Hill Association and other groups, and they have more and more people that this is happening to.
So we we we need to have a conversation uh with director Adim with the BA to see, you know, what can we do?
Uh it becomes a very difficult situation for someone to get hit with that kind of adjusted bill at one time, especially if it's over a four or five year period.
So, you know, we we we gotta figure out a way to do things a little bit better.
And I'm glad that the BA addressed uh some of the changes that they've made with with garbage collection.
I know it was a very stressful time uh for residents around the city.
You know, we went through like a 10-day period where you know we we we had very unstable collection and residents were upset, and um, you know, rightfully so, and I think at some point we need to have them come in to give us a presentation, especially like what happens a lot of times the the backup happens after a holiday, right?
And we did get a few days in between where there was unusually warm weather and you know became unsafe for our workers to be out there, but moving forward as the fall hits, and we're gonna get hit with more and more holidays that impact collections, right?
Because they're there's their federal or state holidays.
Like, what's the city's plan to make sure that we don't fall behind the following day?
So I'm gonna ask through your chair and the clerk that we get a presentation soon so that we can figure out what's gonna happen in the fall.
I agree.
Thank you.
Uh second by councilwoman Scott Roundtree.
Rocco.
Council.
Yes.
Yes.
Donna absent, Ramos.
Yes.
Scott Round Tree.
Yes.
Silva absent, President Crump.
Yes.
Uh President Crump, can I just one brief councilman Kelly?
We um gated to acknowledge Dr.
Mamie Bridgeforth for the what we partnered with her on last night.
They talked about the Westwood being clean for one night for that event.
Uh, Dr.
Bridgeforth has been doing that in partnership with me for 10 years.
And prior to that, it was Gloria, Dr.
Gloria Harris on West End Avenue that used to block it.
So we want to commend her because those are the areas we need to go in, shut down and invite the young people and those individuals that have those issues on those corners.
There was a young man that came, Council President, and made in front of the stage asking for help.
He didn't look like he needed help.
He you if you looked at him, he was a nice young man, he was clean.
Um, but he asked for help.
He prayed for me.
I want to get rid of this situation I have.
And if you touch one, it makes a difference.
If you can have someone, so we want to thank uh for the Westboard National Night Out event and our City of Lord for Westside Park for the wonderful event they do every year.
And someone made a statement about the health fair.
We, for the first time in the history of the City of Norwork, have a dental mobile unit.
We've always had the medical mobile unit, and we partnered with assemblywoman Tucker this year, this this day, to do free eye screenings.
So if you can go somewhere and get all three in one day and don't have no cash, don't have no insurance.
I think that's a blessing.
I wouldn't I wouldn't encourage that with the conditions that are deplorable, uh, whatever you say that we need to fix, because we need both.
We need to have clean city, and we need also have a health taken care of.
So I'm gonna continue to advocate for mammograms, cervical screenings, eye, heart, body, because if we can bring the mobile van to your neighborhood, maybe something you didn't go to the doctor for or didn't think you could go because you had no health insurance, or there were people that were walking in and said, Well, while I'm here, I may as well get my dental check while I'm here.
Or there were people that were walking in and said, Well, while I'm here, I may as well get my dental check while I'm here.
I might as well go get my blood pressure check because it was all in one space.
So I thank all of those individuals, University Hospital, Maker Hoods.
I thank Linda uh First Lady Linda Baraka because she and assembly woman Tucker made sure this happened, but bringing it to Central Ward.
And I keep saying Central, because I don't want people to think that we just forgot the Central Ward either.
There's some large people up here that you hold accountable.
And there's a Central Ward staff still working.
So we're still bringing things to the Central.
And until that scene is fixed, you know, fix it's fixed.
It's broken, they say right now.
Until it is filled, which might be a better word.
It's not that we had forgotten and just acting like, well, it's just over there.
We're still moving projects forward on the Century Ward.
We're still putting events in the Central Ward, and we're still hearing the citizens of the Central Ward.
And I'm really done this time, Council President.
Thank you so much for this time.
All right, thank you, Councilwoman.
All right, I got a few quick things.
I apologize.
Well, I don't know, apologize.
My turn.
Shoot.
Yes.
Let's go back and play it, maybe.
Number one, I just wanted to congratulate and thank everybody, all the organizations that had the national night outs yesterday.
I I attended five altogether.
I went to uh United Parks, had one in Mildred Helms.
They also had one in Jesse Allen Park, and they had one at um Matt Turner Park.
All three were were well attended.
They they had uh a lot of great activities and fun uh uh fun things to do for kids and families.
So I really appreciate those those three and Cars for Kids was there.
You know, we all know that song.
So it was interesting to actually meet some of those folks for Cards for Kids.
They were playing giving out book bags and other things.
But uh, so that those as well as the West Ward one that uh my council colleagues sponsored along with uh former councilwoman Mamie Bridgeforth, Dr.
Mamie Bridgeforth, and West Ward Clergy and all those involved there.
That was another good one, and then the the main one that the city had was definitely great.
I got to have a uh a good old-fashioned burnt hot dog and hamburger.
Wall Street Park.
I didn't get there.
Oh, that was what it was.
But yeah, uh uh West Side Park, that's what it was, West Side Park, too.
So uh I want to just congratulate you because I think all the events were wonderful, well attended, a lot of kids, a lot of activities going on, and uh I appreciate all of that.
Um I want to throw out also on August 27th, along with my council colleagues, uh Councilman uh I'm sorry, I'm trying to make sure I got the date.
Councilman uh Kelly and Councilwoman Louise Scott Roundtree.
We're we're doing our third annual book bag drive at Boyland Street School.
It's August 27th from 4 p.m.
to 7 p.m.
We're going to have um, you know, we're giving our book bags and school supplies.
We're we're going to hopefully have everything we had last year, which was ice cream, uh the uh medical van, uh uh RV, I guess you call it there, to provide uh screenings for our kids, um, as well as haircuts, and um it's an opportunity just for us to all to get together to provide um book bags for our children, and and I didn't, I'm sorry, Teach for America, um, which is a very important sponsor of this, as well as the Braun Shields, which are the firefighters and I mean uh Braun Shields police officers and the Vulcan Pioneers firefighters.
Um so it's a great organ, it's a great event.
We have hundreds and hundreds of folk of kids come through, and we're gonna continue uh the tradition.
I do have two sorrow and regrets.
One is for uh Pam Gaston.
Um she actually was uh a mentee to my mom as well as um fact she when my mother retired from the commission for the blind.
Um she helped throw my mom's retirement party, and she was a wonderful person who gave a lot to to the community and gave a lot to helping those with uh for lack of a better word, disabilities, and helping them along the way.
Um it's it's you know, she she retired maybe what a month or two ago and and just passed this past uh week.
So, you know, uh I I always say this, and I really mean it, man.
Just enjoy your hug on your loved ones, love on your loved ones, because you never know when when your last days is happening.
Uh the other sorrow regret is for uh Fuquan Ferguson.
He is uh a brother and uh classmate of mine in Mason Reed through the Blue House concessory and shrine.
He is also the the brother of Shakira Marshall, uh police officer who passed away.
Um you know it it I I just can't stress enough how important it is to just be around your family or friends.
Make sure you love on them.
Make sure make sure you make that phone call.
Don't don't say I'm not gonna call today, I'll call tomorrow.
Reach out to them, do what you have to do, be with your family, be with your friends.
Um if anybody's interested to funerals at Cotton on Bergen Street at two o'clock.
We are doing a Masonic uh ceremony uh as well as the actual funeral.
Uh with that being said, I uh I am that's it.
Is there a second?
Second, second by councilman Ramos roll call council, yes, Gonzalez absent, Kelly, yes, absent, Ramos, yes, Scott Roundtree, Silva absent, President Crump.
Yes, motion to adjourn.
Council yes, Gonzalez absent Kelly, yes, Tana absent, Ramos Scott Roundtree, Silva absent, President Crump.
Yes.
Thank you for saying Mr.
Trump.
Newark Municipal Council Regular Meeting - August 6, 2025
The Newark Municipal Council held its regular meeting on August 6, 2025, at 12:30 PM (called to order at 12:37 PM) in the Council Chamber at City Hall. All eight council members were present (Council Member Silva joined via phone at 12:42 PM). The meeting lasted until 4:14 PM and covered a wide range of legislative items, including tax abatements, a booting ordinance, a homeless shelter lease, and numerous resolutions and ordinances.
Consent Calendar
- Reports and recommendations from city officers, boards, and commissions were accepted unanimously.
- Temporary emergency appropriations for police hiring, overtime, drunk driving enforcement, paving projects, energy efficiency programs, operating expenses, STD testing, law enforcement behavioral health response, and oral health care were adopted (7R1-a through 7R1-m).
- Various purchasing contracts, cooperative purchasing agreements, and bid contracts were adopted (7R1-n through 7R1-ag).
- Grant applications for a Clean Energy Coordinator and the Keep America Beautiful MLK Jr. Corridor Grant were accepted (7R1-ah, 7R1-ai).
- Engineering resolutions extending time for grant awards and accepting funds for safety and paving projects were adopted (7R3-b through 7R3-i).
- Bid contracts for street resurfacing and a drop-in center renovation were awarded (7R3-j, 7R3-k).
- A tax sale resolution was authorized (7R4-a).
- Litigation settlements and professional service contracts for the Law Department were adopted (7R6-a through 7R6-l).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Sheila Y. Oliver Senior Housing Tax Abatement (6PSF-c): Jeffrey Field questioned the validity of the HMFA statute and noted the county's failure to monitor tax exemptions. Debra Salters demanded clarity on affordability metrics and asked for documents. Alif Muhammad supported the project, citing the need for senior housing. Lisa Parker criticized the lack of tax abatement extensions for homeowners and the absence of project labor agreements. Munirah El-Bomani called for an independent investigation of the tax abatement program. George Tillman, Jr. emphasized the need for a moratorium and compliance with hiring ordinances.
- Booting/Immobilization Ordinance (6PSF-d): Speakers Lisa Parker, Debra Salters, Gayle Chaneyfield-Jenkins, and others described predatory booting practices, including excessive fees, hidden signage, and lack of accountability. They urged the council to strengthen regulations.
- Other Public Comments: Residents addressed homelessness, mold in public housing, city cleanliness, water bills, and the need for better oversight of tax abatements. Several speakers criticized the administration's handling of the budget and public safety.
Discussion Items
- Sheila Y. Oliver Senior Housing Tax Abatement (6PSF-d): After public hearing, the council adopted the ordinance (8-0) granting a 30-year tax abatement for a 100% affordable senior housing project (48 units) in the South Ward.
- Booting/Immobilization Ordinance (6PSF-d): Council Member Ramos detailed reforms including a maximum fee, business licensing, signage requirements, a 24-hour hotline, and release of the boot if the owner arrives during the process. The ordinance was adopted (8-0).
- Lease for Homeless Shelter (6SF-a): The council adopted an ordinance authorizing a 15-year lease at 169 Clinton Avenue for a homeless shelter, with rent starting at $0 and escalating to $3,992,130.48 in year ten. The vote was 5-3 (three abstentions).
- OCA Architects Contract (7R2-a): A professional services contract for the Kawaida Towers project failed on a 4-4 vote (four yes, four abstentions). The Business Administrator later offered to provide additional information to secure passage.
- Tax Abatement Moratorium: Council Member Gonzalez stated he would not vote on new tax abatements until an advisory committee is formed. Business Administrator Pennington clarified that the administration will continue to submit abatements, and individual council members may choose to abstain.
- City Cleanliness: Council Member Kelly acknowledged DPW gaps and noted that his office volunteers to clean South Orange Avenue. Business Administrator Pennington reported that a senior executive team is working to improve trash and recycling collection.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted a 30-year tax abatement (6PSF-c) for the Sheila Y. Oliver Senior Housing Community, a 5-story, 48-unit 100% affordable senior housing project in the South Ward.
- Adopted an ordinance (6PSF-d) regulating vehicle booting/immobilization, including a maximum fee, business licensing, signage requirements, and a 24-hour hotline.
- Adopted a lease agreement (6SF-a) for a homeless shelter at 169 Clinton Avenue, with a 15-year term and escalating rent.
- Failed to adopt a professional services contract (7R2-a) for OCA Architects for the Kawaida Towers project (4-4 vote).
- Confirmed appointments: Council President C. Lawrence Crump to the Newark Equitable Growth Advisory Commission (7-0-1) and Frederick A. Morton, Jr. to the Caribbean Commission (8-0).
- Advanced several ordinances to first reading, including changes to bidding thresholds, tax abatements for Central Pointe, 824 S20th, and 300 Garside, a corrective deed, and a financial agreement assignment.
- Deferred the parking meter ordinance (8-m) and the Community Benefits Agreement for the Clinton Avenue medical office building (7R2-n).
- Approved the 2025 Annual Budget for the Newark Downtown District Management Corporation ($8,335,000) and a raffle license for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
- Adopted motions of profound sorrow for the passing of former Council President Donald Bradley, Vivian Williams Lester, Pamela Gaskins, and Fuquan Ferguson.
Meeting Transcript
I'm glad to lead to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Good morning. Let us pray. God, you are the author and the finisher of our faith. And before we ask you for anything, we want to thank you for everything. Thank you for waking us up this morning. Thank you for giving us another opportunity at life. Thank you for allowing us to assemble together one more time. God, you have gathered us here from all different perspectives. We have come from all different faiths. We have come from all across the city of Norwich, New Jersey, and beyond. Yet we are united by our love for community. But most of all, we are united by your love, which works through us to the world. Therefore, we ask that in this time of sharing in this time of decision making that you would bless our leader, bless the mayor, Ras Baraka, bless each council person represented under the sound of my voice. Bless every person as they share today. May you be glorified in our dialogue. May you be glorified in our choices, and may they exalt your name. May our temperament and how we engage with one another reflect the love you have called us to have for our fellow brothers and sisters. So God have thine own way in this place, and we pray this prayer in the name of thou who has created all of us, the true and living God, the one I call Jesus the Christ. Amen. Amen. In accordance with New Jersey Law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting. In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on August 1st at the time of preparation and posted on the website of the City of Newark. Roll call. Council. Kelly. Scott Roundtree. Absent. President Crump. Council President, Council members, we are on page three of the regular agenda. Item five. Council. Yes. Gonzalez. Yes. Kelly. Yes. Quintana. Ramos. Yes. Roundtree. Yes. Silva. Absolutely. President Crump. Yes. Ordinances on public hearing. Second reading and final passage. Six PSFA and B are both to be deferred.
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