The Newark Municipal Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chamber at City Hall. The meeting included a lengthy public comment period, multiple ordinance readings and adoptions, resolution approvals, and several motions. Key actions included the adoption of bond ordinances for capital improvements and the Resilient Hope Project, approval of tax abatements, and the confirmation of an appointment to the Affirmative Action Review Council. Council Member Michael J. Silva was absent at roll call but arrived at 7:22 PM; all eight members were present for most votes.
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 September 12th at the time of preparation and posted on the city's website. Roll call. Madam Clerk. Do we have somebody to uh morning? I mean, for the prayer. Is he here? He was there. He is okay. We do have somebody. My apologies. Might we pray, eternal God, our Father, creator and sustainer of life. We come before you on this Wednesday evening to pause to say thank you. Thank you for life, health, and strength. Thank you for the activity of our limbs, the blood running warm in our vein. Certainly, Lord, we are thankful for your goodness and your mercy. Father, you have kept us, you have blessed us, and you have never left us. And for that we say thank you. Lord, we also want to ask for your forgiveness tonight, Lord, for every transgression that we have done in this body of clay. Lord, the things we've said, thought, and done. We ask for forgiveness now. We thank you for the fresh start. We thank you for a clean slate. Now, God, as you come into this room tonight, as we conduct the business and city affairs. We pray, Lord, that you will rest rule and abide. We thank you now, God, for our honorable mayor. We pray now, God, that you continue to bless him, God. Bestow wisdom upon him, God, as he leaves this great city. Remember his family, God. Remember his staff. We thank you now, God, for even our honorable council president that will conduct our meeting tonight. We thank you, God, for every councilman and our councilwoman at large. Continue to bless them. Bless their families, bless their hands, God, as they govern the five wards. We thank you for every employee, God, every business administrator, every civil servant, God that works tirelessly to work and keep the North City functioning behind the scenes. We thank you, God, for our responders, our first responders. We thank you for our health care professionals. We thank you for all of our business owners, God that bring business and revenue through the city. We thank you now, God, for those that are operating with integrity and with honesty. We thank you, God, for all of our house and our faith-based leadership, God, that's in all of the five wards. We thank you for the bright light that they share in the city. We thank you for the prayers that go lifted up for protection and coverage. Now, God, we thank you for even these city residents that are here, God, that come near and far, that reside here. God, I pray, God that you would continue to bless every resident of North, God. Bless every household, every mother, every father, every child, every son, every daughter. We pray God that you would keep your hands over them as you are keeping this great city of North. Now, God bless every man and woman that's coming to speak tonight. I pray, God that as they come with their compassion, God, with their excitement. I pray now, God, they will come, God looking for a resolve. And we pray, God, that between city government and people, that there will be a resolution for all.