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Record of Proceedings

Vineland City Council Regular Meeting - January 27, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, January 27, 2026
BodyVineland, New Jersey
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 48:38

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:00

On Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 5 30 p.m.

Speaker 2

0:04

Roll call, Dr.

0:06

Arthur?

Michael Atkinson · Speaker 3Inferred

0:07

Here.

Speaker 2

0:08

Councilmember English?

0:09

Here.

0:10

Councilmember Vargas?

0:11

Here.

0:11

Vice President Gomez?

0:13

Here.

0:13

President Spinelli.

Speaker 1

0:14

Here.

0:15

Please stand for the pledge of allegiance.

Unassigned speaker

0:21

I

Speaker 1

0:22

pledge allegiance to the fly of the United States.

0:25

And to the report.

0:29

Under God, indivisible deliberately justice call.

Speaker 2

0:35

Public notice of this meeting pursuant to the open public meeting act has been given by the city clerk on December 12, 2025 in the following manner.

0:43

Post some written notice on the official bulletin board in the lobby of City Hall.

0:46

Providing written notice to the offices of the Daily Journal, Press of Atlantic City and the Mineland Voice and filing written notice in the office of the City Clerk or the City of Bond.

Speaker 4

0:58

Yeah.

0:58

Well I do the minutes.

Speaker 2

1:00

That's what I asked.

1:01

Oh, yes.

1:01

Page one approved.

Speaker 1

1:02

Cheryl Tana motion to approve the pre-meeting conference regular meeting of January 13th, 2026 in the work session of January 20, 2026.

1:13

And uh approved as submitted.

Speaker 2

1:15

So move.

1:16

Second.

Speaker 1

1:17

Discussion.

1:18

Seeing none.

Speaker 2

1:19

Dr.

1:20

Arthur.

Speaker 1

1:21

Yeah.

Speaker 2

1:22

Councilmember English?

1:23

Yes.

1:23

Councilmember Vargas?

1:25

Yes.

1:25

Vice President Gomez?

1:27

Yes.

1:27

President Spinelli.

1:28

Yes.

Speaker 1

1:29

Okay.

1:31

Resolution.

Speaker 4

1:33

Presolution will read it now.

Unassigned speaker

1:35

Mr.

Speaker 2

1:36

President, I present resolution number 2026-16, a resolution recognizing John Shukanoff upon retiring from public service, effective February 1, 2026.

Speaker 1

1:50

Roll call.

Speaker 2

1:52

We'll just do a uh a motion,

Speaker 1

1:54

motion.

1:55

Yeah.

Speaker 2

1:55

Motion or approved.

Speaker 1

1:56

Second.

1:57

We'll

Speaker 5

1:57

second.

1:58

Um right.

Speaker 2

1:59

Dr.

2:00

Arthur?

2:00

Yes.

2:01

Councilmember English?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Data Center Development█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Procedural██████████████████████████████████34%
Public Engagement████████████████16%
Environmental Protection███3%
Youth Programs███3%
Public Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Vineland City Council Regular Meeting - January 27, 2026

The Vineland City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, at 5:30 PM at City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Council President Paul Spinelli with all five members present (Councilmembers Dr. Elizabeth Arthur, Scott English, Albert Vargas, Vice President Cruz Gomez, and President Paul Spinelli). The agenda included approval of prior meeting minutes, general public comment, ordinances for public hearing and final reading, ordinances for first reading, and numerous resolutions. A significant portion of the meeting was dominated by public opposition to a proposed PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreement for a data center project by DataOne, which ultimately passed on final reading with a 5-0 vote.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the Pre-Meeting Conference and Regular Meeting of January 13, 2026, and the Work Session of January 20, 2026, were approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Consent Agenda (Resolutions): The following resolutions were approved en bloc by a single motion (5-0):
    • RES. 2026-20 through 2026-22: Confirming sales of specific city-owned lots to highest bidders.
    • RES. 2026-23: Extending contract for police uniforms.
    • RES. 2026-24: Extending health insurance broker services contract.
    • RES. 2026-25: Issuance of change order to Fred M. Schiavone Construction.
    • RES. 2026-26 and 2026-27: Authorizing professional services agreements.
    • RES. 2026-28: Open-end contract to Atlas Copco for air compressors ($124,000).
    • RES. 2026-29: Contract for SCR reagent ammonia ($62,100).
    • RES. 2026-30 and 2026-33: Cayenta contracts for managed services and software support ($58,916.16 and $135,558.20).
    • RES. 2026-31: Certifying volunteer firefighters for LOSAP benefits.
    • RES. 2026-32: Contract with Invoice Cloud for online payment processing.
    • RES. 2026-34: Imposing liens for unpaid property registration fees.
    • RES. 2026-35: Authorizing payment of bills.
    • RES. 2026-36 and 2026-45: Reappointments to Vineland Development Corporation (Meghan Spinelli and Victor Villar).
    • RES. 2026-37: Reappointing Perry Barse to Landis Sewerage Authority.
    • RES. 2026-38 and 2026-40: Issuance of limousine and taxicab licenses for 2026.
    • RES. 2026-39: Change order for Virginia Transformer Corporation ($97,890).
    • RES. 2026-41: Accepting a recoverable grant from Vineland Revolving Loan Fund (up to $500,000) for property acquisition.
    • RES. 2026-42: Amending grant writing consultant contracts.
    • RES. 2026-43: Temporary emergency appropriations for 2026 budget.
    • RES. 2026-44: Transfer of 2025 reserve budget balances.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Maryann Laielli (Vineland) thanked council for hosting a town hall with DataOne, questioned the timeline discrepancy between DataOne's stated arrival (December 2024) and a 2019 PILOT application, and asked if the city would be reimbursed for infrastructure costs related to the Clayville Generation Station supporting the data center.
  • Zac Landicini (Vineland) pointed out the lack of a definition for AI data centers in the city code and urged community input during any zoning amendments. He argued that a PILOT for a privately funded company is unnecessary and requested council to vote "no" on Ordinance 2026-3.
  • Elora Malat (Vineland) stated the town hall should have made council reconsider the data center, opposed the PILOT, and warned that if council does not protect citizens, they should be voted out.
  • Neva Warren (Vineland) cited flaws in the town hall presentation, including conflicting statements on water usage (from zero to 20 million to 100 million gallons), questioned why the center is being built in the poorest city/county, and called the PILOT unethical.
  • David Barraclough (Vineland) asked who would hold DataOne accountable if promises are broken and said citizens are not getting answers from the city.
  • Michael Atkinson (Vineland) presented financial analysis: without a PILOT, DataOne would pay $3.2 million in taxes over five years; with the PILOT, $1.8 million. He calculated the net benefit to the city under the PILOT (compared to undeveloped land) is only about $101,000 over five years, and argued the PILOT is unnecessary since DataOne will locate here anyway. He urged a "no" vote.
  • Larry Garrity (Vineland) criticized the town hall and used vulgar language; Council President Spinelli warned him, then security removed him from the meeting.
  • William Darnell White (Vineland) asked council to vote no on the tax abatement, requested a public forum for direct dialogue, and expressed loss of faith if the PILOT passes.
  • Amanda Warren (Vineland) pleaded with council to vote no, calling the data center "not beautiful" and unhelpful to residents.
  • Matt Williams (Vineland) reiterated a "no" vote on the PILOT, citing AI industry performance concerns and the need to strengthen the tax base for schools.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 2025-94 (Youth Sports Facility): Continued public hearing. No public comment. Council voted to continue the hearing to February 10, 2026 (5-0).
  • Ordinance 2026-1 (Purchase of 440 W. Landis Ave): Public hearing held with no comment. Adopted unanimously (5-0). Authorizes purchase of Block 2902, Lot 13 for $50,000.
  • Ordinance 2026-2 (Weight Limit on Rieck Terrace): Public hearing held with no comment. Adopted unanimously (5-0). Establishes a four-ton weight limit.
  • Ordinance 2026-3 (PILOT Agreements): This was the most contentious item. Following public hearing (with multiple speakers opposing), council closed the hearing and voted to adopt the ordinance 5-0. The ordinance authorizes PILOT agreements for various applicants, including DataOne's data center project.
  • Ordinance 2026-4 (Salaries and Compensation): Public hearing held with no comment. Adopted unanimously (5-0). Amends salary ordinance.
  • Ordinance 2026-5 (Cap Bank): Public hearing held with no comment. Adopted unanimously (5-0). Allows exceeding budget appropriation limits.
  • Ordinance 2026-6 (First Reading - W. Weymouth Road Acquisition): First reading held; public hearing scheduled for February 10, 2026.
  • Resolutions Out of Consent:
    • RES. 2026-16: Recognized John Shicunoff upon retirement from the Department of Municipal Utilities after 38 years of service. Adopted 5-0.
    • RES. 2026-17: Authorized reading by title only of the Vineland Downtown Improvement District (VDID) 2026 Budget. Adopted 5-0.
    • Public Hearing on VDID Budget: No comment; closed.
    • RES. 2026-18: Adopted the VDID 2026 Budget. Adopted 5-0.
    • Public Hearing on VDID Assessment Roll 2026: No comment; closed.
    • RES. 2026-19: Approved the VDID 2026 Assessment Roll. Adopted 5-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 2026-3 (PILOT Agreements) passed 5-0 despite strong public opposition. The vote means DataOne will receive a tax exemption under a PILOT agreement for its proposed data center.
  • All other ordinances and resolutions passed unanimously (5-0).
  • Ordinance 2025-94 (Youth Sports Facility): Public hearing continued to February 10, 2026.
  • Ordinance 2026-6 (W. Weymouth Road Acquisition): Set for public hearing on February 10, 2026.
  • Councilmember English thanked city employees for clearing roads and lots after a recent ice and snowstorm.
  • Meeting adjourned at 6:19 PM.

Meeting Transcript

On Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 5 30 p.m. Roll call, Dr. Arthur? Here. Councilmember English? Here. Councilmember Vargas? Here. Vice President Gomez? Here. President Spinelli. Here. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the fly of the United States. And to the report. Under God, indivisible deliberately justice call. Public notice of this meeting pursuant to the open public meeting act has been given by the city clerk on December 12, 2025 in the following manner. Post some written notice on the official bulletin board in the lobby of City Hall. Providing written notice to the offices of the Daily Journal, Press of Atlantic City and the Mineland Voice and filing written notice in the office of the City Clerk or the City of Bond. Yeah. Well I do the minutes. That's what I asked. Oh, yes. Page one approved. Cheryl Tana motion to approve the pre-meeting conference regular meeting of January 13th, 2026 in the work session of January 20, 2026. And uh approved as submitted. So move. Second. Discussion. Seeing none. Dr. Arthur. Yeah. Councilmember English? Yes. Councilmember Vargas? Yes. Vice President Gomez? Yes. President Spinelli. Yes. Okay. Resolution. Presolution will read it now. Mr. President, I present resolution number 2026-16, a resolution recognizing John Shukanoff upon retiring from public service, effective February 1, 2026. Roll call. We'll just do a uh a motion, motion.

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