OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Passaic City Council Meeting - October 9, 2025

Council Meetings — Wednesday, October 22, 2025
BodyPassaic, New Jersey
SessionCouncil Meetings
DateWednesday, October 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 39:35

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Good evening.

0:04

On behalf of the governing body of the city of Pisake, we welcome you to the October 9th, 2025 City Council meeting.

0:11

In accordance with chapter 231, public laws of 1975, adequate notice of this meeting was provided by resolution of the municipal council adopted on June 17, 2025, setting forth the schedule for meetings for the year 2025-2026.

0:26

Said notice was published and posted on the City Hall Bulletin Board by the Office of the City Clerk.

0:32

Please be further advised.

0:34

This meeting will be conducted in person.

0:35

The Zoom stream provided is for viewing only and it's offered to the public as a convenience.

0:40

On September 19th, 2025, public notice and instructions for public notice and zoom instructions for this meeting were published in the Herald News and posted on the City of Passake website at WW that city of the state.com council agenda.

0:55

Instructions are also available on the last page of this agenda.

0:58

Please be guided accordingly.

1:01

Councilman Love.

1:03

Present.

1:03

Councilman Mayor.

1:05

President.

1:06

Councilman Garcia.

1:08

Councilman Colombon.

1:09

President and Council President Shea.

1:11

President Shirk is rise.

1:14

Councilman Love, please.

1:16

No problem.

1:17

Heavenly Father, just want to ask for your prayers over both myself, my colleagues, the city of PASIC, and those who are involved with this council meeting.

1:28

That we're able to vote our consciously, righteously, and justly.

1:34

And this I pray in your name.

1:36

Amen.

1:43

To the Republic from which stands for justice report.

1:54

Mayor Laura, I know that you're not with us physically, but you are with us.

1:58

I am.

1:59

I am very good, sir.

2:01

It's wonderful to have you with us.

2:03

I believe Council Monk will also be uh attending virtually.

2:08

Councilman Mark, are you with us now?

2:12

Okay.

2:13

Um we are on regular schedule.

2:16

We're up to remember number four on our schedule, mayor's update.

2:19

Mr.

2:20

Mayor.

2:21

Thank you, Council President.

2:24

Pull up my notes.

2:27

Update.

2:28

I wanted to share that this weekend.

2:32

We had the Polish American parade for the very first time in 88 years.

2:39

Um council president, members of the city council, the city of Pasake was asked to lead the parade in New York.

2:46

We went with our police, our fire with Father Stefan and uh Eric Beginski of the uh Holy Rosary Church on Wall Street, where there were tens of thousands of individuals from the um Bergen and Passake County community throughout New Jersey that participated, and Pasake was at the lead.

3:09

Um, supporting our autism community on September 17th, I met with Autism New Jersey to discuss partnerships that will better support individuals with families in our community.

3:19

We focus on access to services programs and strategies to make Passake more supportive, inclusive of all those of special needs.

3:27

Council President, they said hello to you in your other capacity.

3:30

As they said, they're very aware of your advocacy and championing of all communities, especially those in the special needs community.

3:38

We also celebrated the Mexican flag raising this weekend and parade where we had over 15,000 members uh participate at Pulaski Park.

3:48

It was a remarkable day, and I wanted to report.

3:51

And I am proud to say that in the city of Passake, we had zero incidents, not a single incident in the entire day.

4:00

I want to thank obviously all the organizers, the community members, all those that visited our cities, and of course, our police, our fire, our volunteers, our emergency responders, and everyone that uh had a hand in and took part in making that day so uh important and of course uh successful.

4:20

We are participation from all over the state.

4:23

It is the state Mexican parade.

4:25

We have it every single year.

4:27

This is one of the biggest years we've ever had.

4:30

Council President, you're aware you participated in it as many others in the walking in the ceremony, but it was impactful, especially so considering the times to see the children encourage families and other communities all come together.

4:45

This Saturday, we will have the Italian flag raising along with uh commissioner of the board of education, Mary Ann Capercy.

4:53

I want to obviously thank her and her leadership.

4:55

Uh, we will be honoring two individuals, uh, vice principal, uh Mr.

5:00

Chupa, John Trupa, as well as the memory and legacy of Dave Diarco, who was uh the leader of UNICO and who helped us establish uh this uh most important program.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Public Safety██████████████14%
Procedural████████████12%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Active Transportation██████6%
Parking Management█████5%
Youth Programs██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Passaic City Council Meeting - October 9, 2025

This regular City Council meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer from Councilman Love. Mayor Laura provided a comprehensive update on city events, public safety, infrastructure, and community partnerships. The council unanimously approved a consent calendar of routine items, heard public comments on parking, property maintenance, and street paving, and adopted several ordinances and resolutions. Key highlights included a major drug seizure by police and the approval of an expansion of the city's bike share program using grant funding.

Consent Calendar

  • The council approved the minutes of the previous meeting unanimously (5-0).
  • Items 2 through 5 (Communications) were accepted without objection.
  • Items 6 through 19 (routine matters) were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Joe Condescente raised several issues:
    • Questioned whether the city or Holy Rosary Church paid for police participation in the Polish American parade in New York City. Mayor Laura clarified that off-duty officers volunteered and the church covered any costs beyond standard city services.
    • Requested improved traffic safety at Tulip and Oak Street, suggesting stop signs with LED lights or a traffic light due to dangerous conditions for crossing children. Council directed the administration to study the intersection.
    • Complained about property at 147-149 Broadway, alleging garbage and high grass. The administration responded that violations have been issued and the property has been boarded up, with ongoing inspections.
    • Criticized parking enforcement gaps between 3 PM and 10 PM and inaccurate ticketing. The administration disputed the claim, noting that night parking enforcement officers are active.
    • Raised concerns about angle parking on Henry Street, stating it makes the street too narrow for fire trucks. The city engineer confirmed the design meets safety and code requirements.
  • Henny Marcus, resident of 280 High Street, requested repaving of the street between Van Hamilton and the railroad. She cited a medical condition (heart condition, shoulder pain) aggravated by bumps. The council asked the administration to consider repairs during upcoming paving projects.

Discussion Items

  • Mayor's Update: Mayor Laura reported the following:
    • The city led the Polish American parade in New York City for the first time in 88 years.
    • A meeting with Autism New Jersey to improve services for families.
    • Over 15,000 people attended the Mexican flag raising and parade at Pulaski Park with zero incidents.
    • Upcoming events: Italian flag raising, mental health walk, breast cancer awareness day, cops and bobbers fishing event, fall festival and pet adoption, pumpkin painting night.
    • Infrastructure: Striping completed on Gregory Avenue and High Street; Harrison Street under review.
    • A minor methane gas explosion in a manhole on Gregory Avenue was isolated, caused no injuries, and was handled by PSE&G, police, and fire.
    • Both gubernatorial candidates visited Passaic.
    • The NJ Anchor Program distributed property tax relief at School #6.
  • Resolutions 21-38: Council questioned and discussed several items:
    • Item 32 (grant project): Funded entirely by the state Urban Enterprise Zone in two phases; council approved.
    • Item 29 (legal contract consolidation): Annual consolidation of conflicts, advisory, and rent leveling board attorney contracts continued.
    • Item 35 (bike share program): Grant-funded expansion adding 10 more bicycles. Council member discussed usage (currently 25 bikes), free two-hour rides using code on app, and suggested providing training wheels for children.
  • Mayor's Closing Comment: Announced that police through a strategic operation seized one kilo of cocaine, along with other drugs and weapons, exclusively within the city.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes, communications, and routine items (all 5-0).
  • Adopted ordinances and resolutions as presented (all 5-0).
  • Approved Resolution 2500-25 regarding restricted parking for disabled persons (5-0).
  • Approved payment of bills (5-0).
  • Council directed the administration to review traffic safety at Tulip and Oak Street and consider repaving High Street.
  • Meeting adjourned unanimously (5-0).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. On behalf of the governing body of the city of Pisake, we welcome you to the October 9th, 2025 City Council meeting. In accordance with chapter 231, public laws of 1975, adequate notice of this meeting was provided by resolution of the municipal council adopted on June 17, 2025, setting forth the schedule for meetings for the year 2025-2026. Said notice was published and posted on the City Hall Bulletin Board by the Office of the City Clerk. Please be further advised. This meeting will be conducted in person. The Zoom stream provided is for viewing only and it's offered to the public as a convenience. On September 19th, 2025, public notice and instructions for public notice and zoom instructions for this meeting were published in the Herald News and posted on the City of Passake website at WW that city of the state.com council agenda. Instructions are also available on the last page of this agenda. Please be guided accordingly. Councilman Love. Present. Councilman Mayor. President. Councilman Garcia. Councilman Colombon. President and Council President Shea. President Shirk is rise. Councilman Love, please. No problem. Heavenly Father, just want to ask for your prayers over both myself, my colleagues, the city of PASIC, and those who are involved with this council meeting. That we're able to vote our consciously, righteously, and justly. And this I pray in your name. Amen. To the Republic from which stands for justice report. Mayor Laura, I know that you're not with us physically, but you are with us. I am. I am very good, sir. It's wonderful to have you with us. I believe Council Monk will also be uh attending virtually. Councilman Mark, are you with us now? Okay. Um we are on regular schedule. We're up to remember number four on our schedule, mayor's update. Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Council President. Pull up my notes. Update. I wanted to share that this weekend. We had the Polish American parade for the very first time in 88 years. Um council president, members of the city council, the city of Pasake was asked to lead the parade in New York. We went with our police, our fire with Father Stefan and uh Eric Beginski of the uh Holy Rosary Church on Wall Street, where there were tens of thousands of individuals from the um Bergen and Passake County community throughout New Jersey that participated, and Pasake was at the lead. Um, supporting our autism community on September 17th, I met with Autism New Jersey to discuss partnerships that will better support individuals with families in our community. We focus on access to services programs and strategies to make Passake more supportive, inclusive of all those of special needs. Council President, they said hello to you in your other capacity. As they said, they're very aware of your advocacy and championing of all communities, especially those in the special needs community. We also celebrated the Mexican flag raising this weekend and parade where we had over 15,000 members uh participate at Pulaski Park. It was a remarkable day, and I wanted to report. And I am proud to say that in the city of Passake, we had zero incidents, not a single incident in the entire day.

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