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Record of Proceedings

Vineland City Council Meeting – October 13, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, October 13, 2026
BodyVineland, New Jersey
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 29:03

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

October 13th, 2026 at 534.

0:03

Dr.

0:04

Arthur?

Speaker 2

0:04

Here.

Speaker 1

0:05

Councilmember English?

0:06

Here.

0:06

Councilmember Vargas?

0:08

Here.

0:08

Vice President Gomez

Unassigned speaker

0:10

is

Speaker 2

0:10

absent.

Speaker 1

0:10

President Spinelli.

Speaker 2

0:12

Here.

0:13

Today for the Pledge of Allegiance, we have the Johnstone Middle School.

0:17

Safety Patrol to leave the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:20

Gabriella Rodriguez, Olea Soriano, Gary Davis, Edward Ortiz, Jacob Pavon, Corinne Ortiz, Leah Daniels, Enzo Torres, Andrea Castellano Screws, Abigail Adams, Giovanni Cortez, Kindle Barnes, and Isabel Fazawari.

0:39

And I don't know if there's a couple more

Speaker 3

0:40

you said you got.

0:42

Right.

0:43

Sorry, we missed those.

0:45

Yes, there's three more.

0:47

Students, correct?

Speaker 4

0:50

Okay.

0:51

Please stand, then you guys can come.

Unassigned speaker

1:11

Well, it's one of the very much.

Unassigned speaker

1:25

I played an allegiance.

Speaker 4

1:30

And to

Unassigned speaker

1:31

the Republic for which it stance, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Unassigned speaker

1:44

Certificates.

Unassigned speaker

1:54

Yeah.

Unassigned speaker

2:02

Oh, you have one?

Unassigned speaker

2:04

Uh it's going to actually.

Unassigned speaker

2:19

We may have more than we have opened.

Speaker 4

2:24

Anyway, done.

Unassigned speaker

2:51

Thank you.

Unassigned speaker

3:13

I'd like

Speaker 4

3:14

to thank the John Stone Safety Patrol for power and teachers first for allowing them to come here for nine

Speaker 2

3:21

of them.

Speaker 1

3:24

Public notice this meeting.

3:25

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

3:31

Posting written notice on the official bowling board of the lobby of city hall, providing written notice to the offices of the Daily Journal, Press of Atlantic City, Violin Voice, and publishing electronically on the city's official website and filing written notice in the office of the city clerk of the city of Ireland.

Speaker 2

3:45

Chairtains a motion the pre-meet conference regular meeting on September 22nd and the work session of October 6th, 2026, be approved as the move.

3:58

So move.

3:59

Second.

4:00

Discussion.

Speaker 1

4:02

Dr.

4:02

Arthur?

4:03

Yes.

4:03

Councilmember English?

4:04

Yes.

4:05

Councilmember Vargas?

4:06

Yes.

4:06

President Spinelli.

4:07

Yes.

4:08

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

4:12

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

4:16

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

4:23

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.

4:36

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

4:43

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

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%
Animal Welfare██████████████15%
Pending Litigation███████████12%
Public Engagement████████9%
Miscellaneous████████9%
Youth Programs███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Vineland City Council Meeting – October 13, 2026

The Vineland City Council met on October 13, 2026, at 5:30 PM at City Hall. All members were present except Vice President Gomez. The meeting included approval of previous minutes, public comments, multiple ordinances, a commendation resolution, and a consent agenda with numerous routine items.

Consent Calendar

  • Meeting Minutes: Approved unanimously (4-0) the minutes of the pre-meeting conference and regular meeting of September 22, 2026, and the work session of October 6, 2026.
  • Consent Agenda: All 23 resolutions listed on the agenda (Resolutions No. 2026-484 through 2026-507) were adopted by a single unanimous vote. These included items such as Green Acres program authorization, Safe Routes to School application, property sales, emergency stormwater pipe repair, change orders for various contracts, budget insertions for grants, forgivable loans for Project Beautify, and other routine financial and administrative actions.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Vineland Turkey Drive (Steve Clevins and Paul Thacker): The co-directors described the 15-year-old program that provides turkeys to feed an estimated 5,000 people in center-city Vineland through six trucks and 15 volunteers. They reported losing $8,000 from a canceled banquet fundraiser and another $3,000–$4,000 from a former Verizon donor. They asked the Council for help and leads to corporate donors. No formal action was taken.
  • Animal Shelter Concerns (Nancy Martin, Bridgeton): Ms. Martin stated that she emailed attorney Richard Tanetta on September 21, 2026, with a list of specific questions about the city’s compliance with its legal obligation to contract with a licensed animal shelter, but had not received answers. She listed unresolved questions including where cats are kept, veterinarian care, euthanasia decisions, quarantine procedures, kennel capacity at the canine facility and at Pampered Pup, cost breakdowns, staffing, cleaning schedules, and the status of a foster application. She criticized the new animal control website for not providing transparency and noted that the city ordered kennels for 1086 Walnut Road but provided no timeline. No formal response was given.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 2026-69 (Naming Inclusive Playground “Vincenzo’s Place”): Final reading and adoption. Council held a public hearing; no public comments. The ordinance was adopted unanimously (4-0) to name the completely inclusive playground at Romano Park as “Vincenzo’s Place.”
  • Ordinance 2026-70 (Recycling Operations and Junkyards): Public hearing held. An attorney from Hill Wallach LLP, representing the owner of 1508 Ellen Road, a pending applicant for a junkyard license, objected to the ordinance because it would increase the minimum land area from 3 to 10 acres (his client’s lot is 5 acres) and limit the number of licenses to five. He asked that the ordinance include a savings clause for pending applicants and stated his intention to participate in the planning board’s review the next evening. He also reserved the right to seek court relief. The Council voted unanimously (4-0) to continue the public hearing to October 27, 2026.
  • Ordinance 2026-71 (Classification and Compensation Plans): First reading and setting of public hearing for October 27, 2026. Passed unanimously (4-0).
  • Ordinance 2026-72 (Water Tank Maintenance and Asset Management with Utility Service Company): Amends prior ordinance to allow cleaning and placement of city logos on water tanks and sets a payment schedule. First reading passed unanimously; public hearing set for October 27, 2026.
  • Ordinance 2026-73 (Legal Representation for Armed Security Officers): Provides legal defense for armed security officers employed by the city against criminal charges arising from lawful actions while on duty. First reading passed unanimously; public hearing set for October 27, 2026.
  • Ordinance 2026-74 (Bond Ordinance for Howard Pelugi Parking Improvements): Authorizes $1,180,000 in bonds for various improvements to the Howard Pelugi Parking facility. First reading passed unanimously; public hearing set for October 27, 2026.
  • Ordinance 2026-75 (Bond Ordinance for Joseph E. Romano Sports Complex Improvements): Authorizes $716,000 in bonds for improvements to the sports complex. First reading passed unanimously; public hearing set for October 27, 2026.
  • Resolution 2026-513 (Commendation for Hans Lambert and Lori D’Matteo Fiocchi): Recognized Lambert and Fiocchi for their selection as community benefactors by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cumberland County. The resolution was adopted unanimously (4-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Adopted: Ordinance 2026-69 (playground naming) and Resolution 2026-513 (commendation).
  • Continued Public Hearing: Ordinance 2026-70 (recycling/junkyards) to October 27, 2026.
  • Advanced to Second Reading: Ordinances 2026-71, 72, 73, 74, and 75, all with public hearings set for October 27, 2026.
  • Approved Consent Agenda: All 23 resolutions (2026-484 through 2026-507) without separate discussion.

Note: Vice President Gomez was absent. The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:59 PM.

Meeting Transcript

October 13th, 2026 at 534. Dr. Arthur? Here. Councilmember English? Here. Councilmember Vargas? Here. Vice President Gomez is absent. President Spinelli. Here. Today for the Pledge of Allegiance, we have the Johnstone Middle School. Safety Patrol to leave the Pledge of Allegiance. Gabriella Rodriguez, Olea Soriano, Gary Davis, Edward Ortiz, Jacob Pavon, Corinne Ortiz, Leah Daniels, Enzo Torres, Andrea Castellano Screws, Abigail Adams, Giovanni Cortez, Kindle Barnes, and Isabel Fazawari. And I don't know if there's a couple more you said you got. Right. Sorry, we missed those. Yes, there's three more. Students, correct? Okay. Please stand, then you guys can come. Well, it's one of the very much. I played an allegiance. And to the Republic for which it stance, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Certificates. Yeah. Oh, you have one? Uh it's going to actually. We may have more than we have opened. Anyway, done. Thank you. I'd like to thank the John Stone Safety Patrol for power and teachers first for allowing them to come here for nine of them. 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. Posting written notice on the official bowling board of the lobby of city hall, providing written notice to the offices of the Daily Journal, Press of Atlantic City, Violin Voice, and publishing electronically on the city's official website and filing written notice in the office of the city clerk of the city of Ireland. Chairtains a motion the pre-meet conference regular meeting on September 22nd and the work session of October 6th, 2026, be approved as the move. So move. Second. Discussion. Dr. Arthur? Yes. Councilmember English? Yes.

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