The Public Safety and Health Committee convened for its final meeting of the 31st Board on October 30, 2025, presided over by Vice Chair Eric Morrison. The committee addressed four major agenda items ranging from air quality monitoring and a retirement resolution to a contentious review of a false arrest incident involving a student. Despite the absence of key administrative officials, the committee discussed the lack of transparency regarding the student incident, received a formal letter from the Board of Education declaring the matter outside the committee's purview due to potential litigation, and ultimately voted to recommit the related items to the Steering Committee for the incoming 32nd Board. The meeting concluded with unanimous approvals for a street renaming resolution and extended remarks honoring the service of Chair Jeff Stella and the committee members.
Okay, today is Thursday, October 30th, 6 30 p.m. Uh, this is Vice Chair Eric Morrison. I'm gonna call the final meeting of the public safety and health committee of the 31st board to order. Uh present committee members are myself, Representative Burns, Representative Campbell, Representative Camparelli, Representative Pavia, and Representative Pollack. Also with us this evening, Representatives Goldberg, Dela Cruz, and Somerville. All right. Do I have a motion to take up item number one, PS31.002? A review. Administration's plans to pursue air quality monitoring as proposed in resolution 408.1 previously PS30.092. If a motion for Representative Burns is there a second. Second. We have a second. Thank you. Are any we don't see any of our invited guests this evening, Director Jarubis or Director Bishop Pullen? Representative Della Cruz, do you want to address this item this evening? Thank you, uh Vice Chair Morrison. Yes, I would like to make a few comments. As you know, we've been trying to get this air quality monitoring program going since the 29th board. Uh Director De Rubais and Bishop Poulin were not able to attend our September meeting. And we learned uh lately that they were not able to, they are not able to attend tonight's meeting. Uh they asked that we provided them with questions uh that they could respond uh for tonight's meeting. Uh Chair Stella and I compiled a list of questions, which they responded to late this afternoon. I have not had a chance to really study uh the responses. I forwarded them to the committee and to the word, and I will ask that they be added to the legislative recording. But a preliminary review of the answers provided uh I find them wanting. For example, with respect to the numerous complaints about the order in the area, the response that was uh sent was that a health inspector went by in April of this year and smelled no orders. We have had since April, we have had numerous complaints. In fact, our own chair uh Jeff Stella went to the area to do some business at the Verizon store there and had to leave because the order was so pungent that his lungs wouldn't take it. We have received numerous emails. More recently, residents have resorted to hosting flyers on utility polls to call attention to a problem that has not been paid attention to. And yet the response was that back in April, an inspector went and smelled nothing. Another response relating to the idling of trucks of excessive idling of not one truck, but ten trucks in a line for extended period of periods of time. The response was that several months ago, a DEP inspector went, noticed the situation, and asked that a sign be posted, alerting drivers, not that they cannot uh you know, uh idle their trucks for more than three minutes as required by our ordinance. Well, we have been receiving the same complaints since then, so apparently the sign had no has had no effect. And there are other aspects of the response that were wanting, but having had the time to really delve into it. My intentions are to take the time to study the responses. Uh respond to the email with listing the reasons why the responses we find wanting. And then this being our uh last meeting. I would request that the committee re the committee recommit the item to steering so that perhaps we can continue it on the 31st board. I'll be happy to answer any questions my fellow uh colleagues have. Thank you, Representative Del Cruz. Are there any questions from the committee members or other members of the board in attendance? Okay, um, seeing none, uh first order of business. Let's uh make sure that uh the um items that Representative Della Cruz referred to are added to the legislative record attached to this item. Um and there won't be any recommitting to steering because it is the end of the term. This would have to be brought up as a a new PS 32 item, uh and we can link it to the um prior board's record, just as this one is currently linked to a PS 30 item for the legislative history. I have a hand up from Representative Camparelli. Go ahead. I just have a point of information on the on some of the previous meetings that we had, it was stated by I believe the parliamentarian and President Sherwood that we could actually uh commit to steering or refer to the new board items, um, you know, recommended items for the new board. So I I don't know if if Representative De La Cruz wants to do that, but I I just wanted to make you aware that in previous meetings uh that was stated.