0:09Welcome to the special meeting of the Newark Municipal Council on Tuesday, October seventh.
0:16In 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.
0:28In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on October third at the time of preparation and posted on the city's website.
0:49Council President, Council Members, I'm aware of an executive session.
0:54Like a roll call for exact.
0:56Roll call for executive session.
3:57I should do the same.
4:02Council President, Council members, we are back on the record.
4:07We are on page four of the agenda.
4:14Seven R eight AS is authorizing the twenty twenty five municipal budget.
4:20Council as a whole to defer.
4:42B is a resolution supporting the remediation of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site, sponsored by Councilman Quintana.
4:53Madam Clerk, as indicated to you, I this we once it's adopted.
5:00We need to send it to all the clerks within the uh 40 some cities for them to adopt the same resolution.
5:10Also to the Jersey League of Municipalities.
5:14Also to our congressional delegation, because this is a very serious as I indicated.
5:22We have spent over two and a half million dollars or more on legal fees about this Pisaic River, which is on to this to the city and to the counties and through the whole Passaic River and to the North Bank.
5:38So again, I would urge that we do that immediately to all the 40 some cities that make up and consume from Passaic Valley.
5:50We're the whole city, so we as a whole city want to take the lead.
5:57Thank you, Councilman.
6:02Wait a second for this.
6:348AS is an ordinance amending the tax abatement granted to KSPG 39 Madison Urban Renewal LLC for a project to revise certain terms of the financial agreement for the purpose of developer seeking to obtain a certain mortgage loan to refinance their existing debt on the property.
6:54Council is a whole to advance and adopt on first reading as 6 FA.
7:01Yeah, I sponsored this council.
7:03What are you saying, Council?
7:04Yeah, I sponsored this item.
7:07Sponsored by Councilman Council.
7:11I get by uh Roundtree.
7:13Scott Roundtree got in there.
7:15And we have somebody explained.
7:16Yeah, that's what's the next thing I was gonna have.
7:18Can we get somebody from EHD to come up and explain the amendment?
7:35Good morning, Brandy Daniel, legislative coordinator for economic and housing development.
7:40Council President to the question.
7:42Um the amendment in this agreement is to list the lender within the language of the agreement as the mortgagey.
7:50Can you say it again a little more the mic?
7:52I really the lender is requesting to be uh put into the agreement paperwork as the mortgage in order to uh give funding to the developer, so they want to be mentioned within the agreement, so we had to do the amendment.
8:05Okay, anything else from the council?
8:12Roll call to advance and adopt.
8:32The ordinance adopted today on first reading will be advertised in accordance with law, and a public hearing will be held at a regular meeting on October 22nd or soon thereafter in the council chamber.
8:44Council President, Council members, we have one added starter.
8:48It's 7R8C ASS, which is waiving special event application permit fee for the annual trike masters breast cancer motorcycle run sponsored by Councilman Quintana.
9:04Second by Councilman uh uh Gonzalez.
9:11Council Council, yes, Gonzalez, yes, Kelly, yes, quintana, yes, Ramos, yes, Scott Roundtree, yes, yes, President Clump, yes.
9:27We are in the 30-minute public comment portion of this meeting, where each speaker will have three minutes to speak.
9:33Please state your name for the record.
9:35Is there anyone wishing to address the council?
9:46Good morning, everyone again.
9:49Good morning, uh Donna Jackson.
9:51So I see you deferred the budget again, but still it's not clear, even on the city website and the state website.
10:02I asked at the last meeting.
10:03Uh, what is the amount being spent currently for executive protection?
10:06And I'm not playing.
10:08Is it up to 30 million dollars?
10:09Because the police budget has increased.
10:12Um, and I have a problem paying officers outside of my city.
10:16Yes, the mayor's gonna travel, but we don't need to take 13 with them.
10:20Uh Joe D, drive with one.
10:23Uh, if you guys had one, you'd be driving with one.
10:26You wouldn't have two in the back and a car behind you.
10:29I don't know what this presidential stuff that Corby Booker started, and then we we continue the nonsense, but that's too much money on executive protection, and you guys need to start pushing back.
10:39I like that you push back on this budget today, but I'd like to know what direction is the state giving you.
10:44How much fines have you guys paid till today for this budget not being done?
10:49Um, this also falls on Congresswoman McIver's shoulders because this is the precedent that she started as she sat in that seat with Mr.
10:57You guys are not doing what needs to be done.
10:59We're not being fiscally prudent in terms of doing the things that we need to do.
11:05You guys need to look over the six million dollars that you just gave to the housing authority.
11:09You need to see what's going on with that.
11:11Because people are testifying at the uh NHA meetings and it's not going well.
11:16You can't take people, you can't just take down all the street.
11:19I've been sleeping at the Penn Station for 10 years and put me in an apartment with no support.
11:24And it's not happening.
11:25I'm telling you, the seniors are angry, they're upset, they're trying to work some things out, but y'all destroying the senior buildings with this program with no direction.
11:34The other thing is um the police budget, the fire budget.
11:39I got a fire truck with a ladder sitting on 18th Avenue and stops and been sitting there three years.
11:43The window is broken.
11:45How do we have equipment that's not working?
11:47I didn't hear anybody in their budget presentation doing that.
11:50The budget presentations that were given, horrible, and it needs to be redone.
11:55The disrespect you guys show us by allowing these departments run by the administration to just give haphazard.
12:01I didn't hear anybody ask for extra staff.
12:04What are you doing in code enforcement?
12:06What's being recruited in code enforcement?
12:08How much money are we making from the parking authority?
12:10How much of that comes back over here?
12:13Because you're talking about we operating in a deficit, we over here, we borrowing money.
12:17Y'all asking the state for money.
12:18That's fiscally irresponsible.
12:20And that's been happening before some of you got up here, but with this Barack administration since 2014, we spending what we don't have.
12:28And that's gotta stop.
12:30Y'all getting ready to slam these homeowners.
12:32I talked about Urban Center, but y'all getting ready to kill these people.
12:35And I'm out there with the senior freeze applications and the anchor applications, letting people know what you guys are doing.
12:41Because Urbanson doing the same thing, they don't have a budget, but they put in their assessments for the revaluation.
12:47And average homeowner is getting a $2,000 increase in one quarter.
12:51Y'all getting ready to do the same thing to us.
12:54Thank you for your comments.
13:10Like I come in last month, like uh three weeks ago, something like that.
13:14So I own the properties from 633 to 645 South 18th Street.
13:20You guys, when I come in 2017, was worse.
13:24I look at these days in South Area.
13:27The taxes increase because you know a lot of investors they come at the uh because they believe in this city.
13:34Like I say last time, I do believe it.
13:36You guys doing, but guess what?
13:38Last night was 645, South A team, they vandalize the property at one o'clock in the morning.
13:44I have the videos, but the the uh detectives they are over there right now.
13:48You know, they keep calling me.
13:49I say, you know what, I'm not gonna answer because I would like especially for Councillor Kelly.
13:54You're doing good job.
13:55We have a nice park over there, and the streets, but like I say, you know, the properties, you know, the tax increase, the people who who doing the tax assessors, you know, because the citizens, you know, they do their job.
14:15Me, other investors, you guys doing the job.
14:18But you know, uh, this time I I lost like a five thousand dollars in materials.
14:25So who's gonna respond this?
14:27I need more police in the my area, like I say, 633 to 645, and I have other properties around in the West in West Water area.
14:36So, like I say, you know, I feel frustrated, you know.
14:39When I see police all day long in the Hondipo area, I do believe because you know the Hondipo, they give a job to a lot of people.
14:49And I also I I do I give apartments for a lot of citizens, and also, you know, and I pay higher taxes because you know when I do improve like a fixed house renovations, it's better for the city, it's better for the other people, believed.
15:00And also, you know, and I pay higher taxes because you know, when I do improve like fix the house renovations, it's better for the city, it's better for the other people, believed.
15:06And also, I asked last time if it's possible more signs, like I say, please, whoever people eat, put it in the garbage trash.
15:19In my neighbor, many times I have to myself bottles, somebody people who eat trolling this i walk.
15:28So we need more education, more signs saying to put it place the food in the garbage.
15:36Now I have to call the exterminator to do the job.
15:41So, like I say, I appreciate what the job a guy is doing.
15:44Like I said, you're gonna see more often because you know this has to be changing.
15:47You guys did the job, change already.
15:49But I need change in my my Westwater area, special for you, Mr.
15:56I'm sorry if I be rude, but that I feel like right now really frustrated for you know somebody by their my pocket.
16:06Thank you for your comments.
16:20My name is Ariel Lafkovitz.
16:22Uh I grew up here in Essex County, and I live in Jersey City currently.
16:27Um, I'm also a public policy specialist with Humane World for Animals, uh, formerly known as the Humane Society of the United States.
16:34I've come here today to urge this council to consider joining 150 cities in New Jersey and over 500 nationwide in passing an ordinance that bans the retail sale of dogs and cats in pet stores.
16:48I'm urging this action because New York's one puppy selling pet store is currently breaking state consumer protection law, um, has been operating without a license, uh and is sourcing from out of state puppy mills that no one would knowingly support.
17:05Um, there are also city officials that have admitted that the city does not have the ability to regulate this store.
17:12Um, on top of this, there's currently nothing stopping another store from opening in Newark, and so now is the time to say enough is enough.
17:21So 150 cities have passed a humane pet shop ordinance, as I mentioned, because puppy stores uh harm residents by deceiving consumers, selling sick puppies, and using predatory financing practices.
17:37Most recently, Union City passed an ordinance like this, um, which affected three puppy selling pet stores in that district.
17:45This offers pet stores an opportunity to move to a more humane business model to expand their you know services and goods.
17:54They could sell uh dog toys, dog food, offer boarding or grooming, things like that, things that um folks who have pets are willing to spend a lot of money on.
18:04The pet service and and retail industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, um, and no pet shop needs to sell puppies in order to be successful.
18:15Additionally, under an ordinance like this, residents would still be able to get the pet of their choice by going to their local animal shelter, a local rescue, including breed-specific rescues, um, and they would still be able to go to responsible breeders who are only selling directly to the public, showing folks you know, where the parents, where those puppies have been raised, and people can make that decision for themselves.
18:39Um, going forward, if this is something that you consider, I'm offering myself as a resource.
18:45Um, we our organization has uh language that we can help draft that would fit into the city code of Newark, and um I'm I'm here for any questions that anyone may have.
18:57Thank you for your time.
18:58Thank you for your comments.
19:18It's been a minute since I did this.
19:22Donald Jackson, North President.
19:26Good friend of mine a few years ago told me that we govern through effective policy, and either the policy is ineffective, or we're not governed properly.
19:43It could be a combination of both.
19:46We're less than 90 days away from 2026, and we do not have an approved budget for 2025.
19:56How is this effective governing?
19:58How is this good governance?
20:03Convince me as a norker that the city hasn't already overspent what is proposed budgeted for 2025.
20:15Sounds like miss fiscal mismanagement to me.
20:20And unfortunately, the taxpayers and the citizens are being extorted.
20:30Parking is criminal here downtown.
20:36If you do not properly pay the meter, and in some parts of downtown you can't feed the meter, you will receive a $91 parking ticket.
20:46How much money is coming back to the city of New from these funds?
20:53I don't have too much for today, as I'm still trying to comb through the budget, because quite honestly, it's a little hard for me to understand.
21:03Um could be due to me forgetting how to read certain things since my time on the school board.
21:10Some things look familiar, some things don't.
21:25Just know that the city of Norfolk has not adopted a 2025 budget.
21:30How is that good governance?
21:33The residents are demanding good governance, and I think we're owed that here in the city of Norfolk.
21:54Things are not getting better.
21:56Do you drive through this city?
21:59Where are the street cleaners?
22:01I can't tell you the last time I saw a street cleaner.
22:11But again, I have to beg the question is this good governance?
22:16Thank you for your comments.
22:23No one of the public speakers.
22:30Council President, Council members, that concludes the agenda for today.
22:36Roll call to adjourn.
22:54Council President, Council Members, we are now in the special conference portion of.
