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Record of Proceedings

Vineland City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyVineland, New Jersey
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 27:45

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

Regular meeting of City Council on Tuesday, May 12th, 2026 at 5 30 p.m.

Speaker 2

0:04

Dr.

0:05

Arthur here.

0:06

Councilmember English?

0:07

Here.

0:07

Councilmember Vargas?

0:08

Here.

0:09

Vice President Gomez?

0:10

Here.

0:10

President Spinelli.

0:11

Please stand for the Pledge Allegiance.

Unassigned speaker

0:17

I

Speaker 1

0:17

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

0:21

And to the Republican under God, indivisible liberty law.

Speaker 2

0:31

Public notice.

0:32

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

0:38

Post some written notice on the official bulletin board of the lobby of City Hall, provide a written notice to the offices of the Daily Journal, Press of Atlantic City by the Invoice and publishing electronically on the city's official website and filing written notice in the office of the city clerk or the city of Milan.

Speaker 1

0:52

General attend a motion that the pre-meeting conference regular meeting and two executive sessions of April 28th and the work session of May twenty uh May 5th, 2026 be approved as submitted.

Speaker 2

1:02

So move.

Speaker 1

1:02

Second.

1:03

Discussion.

1:05

Dr.

1:06

Arthur.

Speaker 2

1:06

Yes.

1:07

Council Member English?

1:08

Yes.

1:08

Councilmember Barcass?

1:09

Yes.

1:10

Vice President Gomez.

1:11

Yes.

1:11

President Spinelli.

Speaker 1

1:12

Yes.

Speaker 2

1:13

We'll open up the public portion of the meeting tonight.

1:16

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

1:20

The governing body describes the city council's bylaws and the new university statutes on open public meetings when engaging during public comment.

1:27

As such, each individual shall have a three-minute limit to comment, cannot yield time to another individual, may only approach the podium once during public comment for any one topic, and city council will not engage in dialogue with the public during this time.

1:39

Disruptive conduct by audience members may result in removal following a warning, and all participants are expected to adhere to professional decorum.

1:47

The governing body maintains model courtesy and respect and requires the members of the public to do the same.

Unassigned speaker

1:53

This

Speaker 1

1:53

time if you'd like to speak, can line up both sides.

1:56

Come up, state your name where you live.

Speaker 2

1:58

Mr.

1:58

President, I have Raymond Mora Jr.

2:01

Raymond Mora Jr.

Unassigned speaker

2:09

State

Speaker 1

2:09

your name, please, where you live.

Unassigned speaker

2:11

Hi,

Speaker 3

2:11

my name is Ramon Mora Jr.

2:12

I'm from Violin.

2:14

Um I'm coming to you kind of as a advocate for a community that I just received notice of I what I believe is an abuse of a landlord or at least neglect.

2:28

Um the one of man's apartments, they recently got notice that all of their cooling AC units that were uh that came with the uh their residence would no longer be repaired or maintained, which right before the summer seems to be problematic.

2:47

Um these are people who um can't afford legal representation or advocacy.

2:53

Um these are people who really can't afford to buy units and are discouraged by um the leasing office to uh put in window units.

3:05

Um I lived there growing up for 17 years.

3:08

I know firsthand what it was like to not have uh cooling.

3:12

A lot of people like to think that it's a luxury.

Unassigned speaker

3:14

I

Speaker 3

3:14

don't I don't see it as a luxury because uh people who oftentimes live in these communities, the inside temperatures of the apartments can get to 90 degrees easily with the humidity of violin.

3:24

Violin has a very humid climate.

3:26

You have people who are over 65 in these communities who will be at higher risks of heat strokes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████55%
Transportation Safety███████████13%
Data Center Development███████████13%
Animal Welfare███████8%
Pending Litigation█████6%
Youth Programs████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Vineland City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026

The Vineland City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 5:30 PM, presided by Council President Paul Spinelli. All five council members were present. The meeting included public comments on housing, development, environmental concerns, and animal shelter; final adoption and first readings of ordinances; and approval of resolutions and a motion referred to the planning board.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Ramon Mora Jr. (Vineland) urged council to address the lack of air conditioning maintenance at Walnut Manners Apartments, noting that temperatures can exceed 90°F, posing health risks for seniors and low-income residents. Business Administrator Robert Dickenson responded that tenants have legal rights and that code enforcement will inspect.
  • Nicole Gardner (Vineland) criticized the proposed David Development on Lincoln Avenue for not including a traffic study, citing multiple studies showing high accident rates and congestion. She also expressed skepticism about DataOne’s claims regarding water usage and energy, and objected to the characterization of concerned residents as "paid actors."
  • Larry Garrity (Vineland) promoted the 'Youth on the Course' golf program and requested legally binding guarantees that the DataOne data center will not expand to one gigawatt. He also called for more youth programs, noting an estimated 12,000 children in Vineland.
  • Bert Brewster (Plum Street) raised concerns about DataOne’s environmental statement, particularly water usage given drought conditions, and suggested that noise complaints can be directed to the Cumberland County Health Department. He requested greater analysis of alternative land uses.
  • Nancy Martin (Bridgeton) questioned the transparency of the city's animal shelter arrangement, citing lack of information on stray holds, medical care, and plans for cats. President Spinelli stated that the contract is under litigation, limiting public discussion.

Ordinances for Final Adoption

  • Ordinance 2026-30 (Storekeeper 1 classification): Adopted 5-0.
  • Ordinance 2026-31 (Acquisition of 2040 Maple Ave by purchase/condemnation for recreation): Defeated 0-5 (unanimous nays).
  • Ordinance 2026-32 (Subdivision and site plan details amendments): Adopted 5-0.

Ordinances Introduced (First Reading)

All passed first reading 5-0, with public hearings scheduled for May 26, 2026:

  • Ordinance 2026-33 (Supervising Heating and AC Mechanic classification)
  • Ordinance 2026-34 (Landis Theater Foundation Board of Directors amendments)
  • Ordinance 2026-35 (Purchase of 4378 Juniper Street for $70,000)
  • Ordinance 2026-36 (Center City Redevelopment Plan – Landis Avenue Commercial District amendment)

Consent Calendar

  • Resolutions 2026-205 through 2026-234 were adopted as a consent agenda (original Resolution 2026-209 on radio network was removed; Resolution 2026-209 appointing Rebecca Payan to the Housing Authority was added). All resolutions passed unanimously, covering grant applications, contracts, change orders, appointments, budget adjustments, and emergency repairs.
  • Motion to Refer (to Planning Board) to amend the Center City Redevelopment Plan by removing "social services, public and private outreach and training facilities" as permitted uses was approved 5-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes of previous meetings approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance 2026-31 rejected; ordinances 2026-30 and 2026-32 adopted.
  • Four ordinances advanced to public hearing on May 26, 2026 (minutes list hearings at 4:30 PM; transcript states 5:30 PM; a discrepancy exists).
  • Temporary emergency appropriations for 2026 approved pending budget adoption.
  • Appointments ratified: Luis Amberths to Zoning Board of Adjustment; Terry Andrus appointment amended to Alternate No. 2; Rebecca Payan as resident member of Housing Authority.
  • Failed stormwater pipe at 4621 E. Chestnut Avenue declared an emergency for immediate repair.
  • Council President Spinelli noted that the animal shelter contract is under litigation, limiting public comment.

Meeting Transcript

Regular meeting of City Council on Tuesday, May 12th, 2026 at 5 30 p.m. Dr. Arthur here. Councilmember English? Here. Councilmember Vargas? Here. Vice President Gomez? Here. President Spinelli. Please stand for the Pledge Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republican under God, indivisible liberty law. Public notice. This meeting pursuant to the open public meeting act has been given by the city clerk on December 12th, 2025 in the following manner. Post some written notice on the official bulletin board of the lobby of City Hall, provide a written notice to the offices of the Daily Journal, Press of Atlantic City by the Invoice and publishing electronically on the city's official website and filing written notice in the office of the city clerk or the city of Milan. General attend a motion that the pre-meeting conference regular meeting and two executive sessions of April 28th and the work session of May twenty uh May 5th, 2026 be approved as submitted. So move. Second. Discussion. Dr. Arthur. Yes. Council Member English? Yes. Councilmember Barcass? Yes. Vice President Gomez. Yes. President Spinelli. Yes. We'll open up the public portion of the meeting tonight. Public comment provides an opportunity for members of the public to inform the governing body about their views. The governing body describes the city council's bylaws and the new university statutes on open public meetings when engaging during public comment. As such, each individual shall have a three-minute limit to comment, cannot yield time to another individual, may only approach the podium once during public comment for any one topic, and city council will not engage in dialogue with the public during this time. Disruptive conduct by audience members may result in removal following a warning, and all participants are expected to adhere to professional decorum. The governing body maintains model courtesy and respect and requires the members of the public to do the same. This time if you'd like to speak, can line up both sides. Come up, state your name where you live. Mr. President, I have Raymond Mora Jr. Raymond Mora Jr. State your name, please, where you live. Hi, my name is Ramon Mora Jr. I'm from Violin. Um I'm coming to you kind of as a advocate for a community that I just received notice of I what I believe is an abuse of a landlord or at least neglect.

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