OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Vineland, New Jersey/City Council
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Vineland City Council Regular Meeting – February 10, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 10, 2026
BodyVineland, New Jersey
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 33:40

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

0:01

Today we have the kids from uh many school, Isabella Alvarado, Liam Avila Quavara, Eric Robinson, Arthur Shin, Nathan Shin, Whitley Turner, and William Turner.

0:16

I guess that's Pastor Turner's children.

0:42

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:47

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:55

Good job.

0:56

Good job.

0:58

Stay right there.

Speaker 2

1:08

Okay.

1:09

Oh, sorry.

Unassigned speaker

1:32

Good

Speaker 1

1:32

job, stay right there.

Unassigned speaker

1:34

We gotta give you a minute.

Speaker 1

2:09

Go ahead.

Unassigned speaker

2:10

Great job, guys.

Unassigned speaker

2:11

Great job.

Speaker 1

2:11

Good job.

2:12

Thank

Unassigned speaker

2:12

you.

Speaker 2

2:35

Public well.

Speaker 1

2:36

I'd like to thank the principal from many school and the kids and the parents that got them here as well.

2:41

It's always a pleasure to have the young kids here to help us with the pledge.

2:45

Thank

Unassigned speaker

2:45

you.

Speaker 2

2:46

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

2:53

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

2:56

Provide a written notice to the officers of the Daily Journal, Press of Atlantic City in the violent voice, and filing written notice in the office of the city clerk of the city of Mineland.

Speaker 1

3:07

Uh to approve.

3:10

Approve the pre-meeting conference and regular meeting, uh regular meeting of January 27th minutes, special meeting, work session, and closed session minutes of February 3rd, 2026.

Speaker 2

3:22

Second.

Speaker 1

3:23

Discussion.

3:24

Seeing none.

3:26

Dr.

3:26

Arthur?

Speaker 2

3:27

Yes.

3:27

Councilmember English?

3:28

Yes.

3:29

Councilmember Vargas?

3:30

Yes.

3:31

Vice President Gomez?

3:32

Yes.

3:32

And President Spinelli.

Speaker 1

3:34

Yes.

3:37

We'll open up the general public comment portion of the meeting.

Speaker 2

3:40

Public comment provides an opportunity for members of the public to inform the governing body about their views.

3:45

The governing body prescribes the city council's bylaws and New Jersey statutes and open public meetings when engaging during public comment.

3:52

As such, each individual shall have a five-minute limit to comment, cannot yield time to another individual.

3:58

May only approach the podium once during public comment for any one topic.

4:03

Vulgar offensive language is prohibited, and city council will not engage in dialogue with the public during this time.

Unassigned speaker

4:14

Rich,

Speaker 1

4:14

you got people signed up or not.

Speaker 2

4:16

I have two, Mr.

4:17

President.

4:17

The first one is Mary Ann Lyelli.

4:20

Mary Ann Lyelli, followed by Mary Gaunt.

Speaker 1

4:29

Please state your name and the municipality where you live, ma'am.

Speaker 3

4:33

Mary Ann Lielli Vinlin.

4:53

Given my profession, I know firsthand the value of this playground.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

And it will be a feather in Vineland's cap, and hopefully it will draw from all of South Jersey.

Unassigned speaker

5:08

Um,

Speaker 3

5:08

it's a benefit to the children, to the caregivers, and even if anyone just shows up to observe the interactions on the playground.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████████36%
Data Center Development████████████████████████████████████36%
Environmental Protection█████████████13%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Youth Programs███3%
Public Safety███3%
Affordable Housing██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Vineland City Council Regular Meeting – February 10, 2026

The Vineland City Council met on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 5:30 PM and adjourned at 6:04 PM. All five council members were present: President Paul Spinelli, Vice President Cruz Gomez, and Councilmembers Dr. Elizabeth Arthur, Scott English, and Albert Vargas. Also in attendance were the Business Administrator, City Solicitor, Deputy City Clerk, Director of Public Safety, and Director of Public Works. The meeting included public comments on a proposed data center and recreational needs, unanimous approval of two ordinances for final adoption, first readings of four ordinances, and passage of multiple resolutions via consent agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Maryann Laielli (Vineland resident) expressed strong support for the planned special needs playground at Romano Park, stating it will attract families from across South Jersey and benefit children, caregivers, and the community. She also asked about an independent environmental study promised by the DataOne data center owner at a January 21, 2026 Town Hall; Council President Spinelli confirmed no copy had been received by the City and that the owner had volunteered the study.
  • Mary Gaunt (Vineland resident and public school teacher) referenced the city’s recreation survey results and advocated for a skate park or dedicated space for skateboarding, bicycling, roller skating, and scootering. She cited a University of Southern California study on positive outcomes and noted that the survey showed skateboarding ranked fourth, only six responses less than gardening.
  • Andrea Land (Vineland resident and landowner for 45 years) criticized the DataOne data center, comparing its owner to Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos and alleging lack of transparency. She questioned how an AI data center was authorized when the city code does not mention “Artificial Intelligence,” and urged council to update the code. She also claimed the data center is being built over a Tier 2 well head protection area and called for a moratorium on construction.
  • Elora Malat (lifelong Vineland resident) cited a Harvard Business Review article suggesting AI does not simplify work but may reduce labor demand. She remarked that council members “essentially rubber stamp everything” and expressed concern that the city lacks sufficient electrical capacity for the data center, comparing potential outages to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  • Larry Garrity (Vineland resident) stated that the City Council has failed the community. He criticized the mayor, state senator, and council for supporting the data center and mega church projects, alleging that they do not operate in the city’s best interest. He also complained that police had confronted him during prior meetings despite his non-violent behavior.

Ordinances for Public Hearing and Final Reading

  • Ordinance 2025-94 – Authorizes execution of a contract of sale for joint acquisition with CCIA of vacant land for development of a youth sports facility. No public comments were heard. Unanimously adopted (5-0).
  • Ordinance 2026-6 – Authorizes execution of contracts for acquisition of portions of properties on West Weymouth Road. No public comments. Unanimously adopted (5-0).

Ordinances for First Reading (Public Hearings Scheduled for February 24, 2026, at 5:30 PM)

  • Ordinance 2026-7 – Appropriates $1,000,000 from the Capital Improvement Fund to supplement the $10,600,000 appropriated by bond ordinance 2025-23 for improvements to the Vineland Municipal Electric Utility. Passed first reading unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2026-8 – Amends Code Chapter 687, Article I (Right of Access; Right to Place Instruments). Passed first reading unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2026-9 – Amends Code Chapter 687, Article XV (Remote Meters). Passed first reading unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2026-10 – Amends Ordinance 2005-100, Chapter 425, Article VIII (Affordable Housing). Passed first reading unanimously. Council also approved a motion to refer the amendment to the Planning Board for consistency review and recommendations.

Resolutions (Approved via Consent Agenda Unanimously)

The following resolutions were considered routine and adopted by one motion without separate discussion:

  • 2026-49 – Amends Resolution 2025-633 to correct an administrative error recognizing Alberto Rosario upon retirement.
  • 2026-50 – Authorizes a grant application to the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone Authority for up to $2,710,000 for Phase I of clearing, demolition, and infrastructure improvements at the former Vineland Developmental Center-West Campus to create an industrial park.
  • 2026-51 – Authorizes application to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Local Recreation Improvement Grant Program for pickleball courts at Pagliughi Park.
  • 2026-52 – Cancels outdated checks issued by the City of Vineland (renumbered from 2026-61).
  • 2026-53 – Authorizes contract award to Patricia Bennett Group, Inc. (dba PBG Networks) for annual Extreme Networks software renewal.
  • 2026-54 – Authorizes contract award to Initium Softworks, LLC for OnBase & file share software maintenance renewal, not to exceed $80,673.68.
  • 2026-55 – Approves forgivable loans from First Generation Enterprise Zone Funds for Phase Two of Project Beautify.
  • 2026-56 – Approves surety reduction, release, or renewal as submitted by the City Engineer.
  • 2026-57 – Approves a UDAG/CDBG Small Business Loan Program to Pedia Place Realty, LLC.
  • 2026-58 – Makes temporary emergency appropriations for calendar year 2026 pending final budget adoption.
  • 2026-59 – Provides for payment of bills and demands against the city (renumbered from 2025-62).
  • 2026-60 – Authorizes issuance of original, renewal, and/or transfer taxicab licenses for 2026 (renumbered from 2026-63).

Reports

  • The reports of various city departments for the fourth quarter of 2025 were presented and received and filed with the City Clerk’s Office.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous adoption of Ordinances 2025-94 and 2026-6 for final reading.
  • Unanimous first reading of Ordinances 2026-7, 2026-8, 2026-9, and 2026-10, with public hearings scheduled for February 24, 2026, at 5:30 PM.
  • Unanimous approval of all 12 resolutions via consent agenda.
  • Motion to refer the affordable housing amendment (Ordinance 2026-10) to the Planning Board was carried.
  • No council discussion occurred under Privilege of the Floor.
  • No dissenting votes were recorded on any item; every roll call vote was 5-0.

Meeting Transcript

Today we have the kids from uh many school, Isabella Alvarado, Liam Avila Quavara, Eric Robinson, Arthur Shin, Nathan Shin, Whitley Turner, and William Turner. I guess that's Pastor Turner's children. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. Good job. Good job. Stay right there. Okay. Oh, sorry. Good job, stay right there. We gotta give you a minute. Go ahead. Great job, guys. Great job. Good job. Thank you. Public well. I'd like to thank the principal from many school and the kids and the parents that got them here as well. It's always a pleasure to have the young kids here to help us with the pledge. Thank you. Public notices meeting pursuant to the open public meeting act has been given by the city clerk on December 12, 2025 in the following manner. Post a written notice on the official bulletin board in the lobby of City Hall. Provide a written notice to the officers of the Daily Journal, Press of Atlantic City in the violent voice, and filing written notice in the office of the city clerk of the city of Mineland. Uh to approve. Approve the pre-meeting conference and regular meeting, uh regular meeting of January 27th minutes, special meeting, work session, and closed session minutes of February 3rd, 2026. Second. Discussion. Seeing none. Dr. Arthur? Yes. Councilmember English? Yes. Councilmember Vargas? Yes. Vice President Gomez? Yes. And President Spinelli. Yes. We'll open up the general public comment portion of the meeting. Public comment provides an opportunity for members of the public to inform the governing body about their views. The governing body prescribes the city council's bylaws and New Jersey statutes and open public meetings when engaging during public comment. As such, each individual shall have a five-minute limit to comment, cannot yield time to another individual. May only approach the podium once during public comment for any one topic. Vulgar offensive language is prohibited, and city council will not engage in dialogue with the public during this time. Rich, you got people signed up or not.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com