Transcript for Piscataway Council meeting on November 9 2021


Note: Transcripts are generated by rev.ai and may not be fully accurate. Please listen to the recording (below) if you feel any text is inaccurate.

Speaker 0     00:00:00    St. John's sub X for 19 as a part of the township ongoing effort to slow the rate of transmission and water mailing or treatment center. The public is invited to attend and participant by the way calling number and the bus or notice of the meeting has been provided as required under chapter 2:31 PM, 19 Johnny five specific the time date, location information, and do the municipal court and too many shipper library, will it inward when it should have a providing a copy of the official newspaper of the township and by filing their copy in the office of township Clark in accordance to the certification by the clock, which will be entered in a minute, the township continue to use the telephone meeting format in an effort to mitigate the chance of expo 19 as a part of the township, ongoing slip and fall to slow the rate of transmission and  center in order to make sure appear recorded, the meeting can be made and that all party hunt or these are organized person or member of the public will be during the meeting.  
Speaker 0     00:01:14    If a member of the public wish to speak during any public comment, please press star nine. In order to raise your hand and speak, we will unmute the member of the public. And usually if they have that hand base and it is your turn to speak, you will get a notification that you have been un-muted because at that time it was sort of beginning to ask any question you may have, you will have two minutes to speak at the con inclusion of which you will be Lutera again, and the constant, your admission, and we'll respond as necessary. Should you have any further comments or question? The township council is always available by email and phone, and you can always call the mayor's office during the normal operating hours. Each member of the public cell only have one opportunity to speak during public person, as the technology does not allow us to know if there are multiple call and in usual line, we asked that if you wish to speak that you dial in a separate line so that we can recognize you as a separate infusion in UDL may also submit it and comment to the township clerk up to 48 hours per year, prior to the meeting to be read by the township plug in the public comment portion of the meeting comments.  
Speaker 0     00:02:31    And really we take two, three minutes of reading. Thank you in advance for your patience as you continue to move the township or during the health emergency, we should. Uh, and I have it local  
Speaker 1     00:02:49    Councilman Cahill, Councilman con, Councilman Lombardi here, Councilman Ralph complement, Aaron Council, president Shaw, mayor Brian Waller,  
Speaker 2     00:03:13    Present  
Speaker 1     00:03:16    Business administrator, Timothy DAC township, attorney Michael Baker. And I'm here Melissa Cedar, the township clerk.  
Speaker 0     00:03:27    Thank you. We should do it for the next  
Speaker 1     00:03:32    I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God, indivisible with Liberty.  
Speaker 0     00:03:50    Can we that some number five almond from ed misses and I'm constantly regarding any matter on this agent, the  
Speaker 1     00:04:09    Council president. I have none. Thank you.  
Speaker 0     00:04:21    Um, number six, open to the public comments regarding item 10 Benson agenda items, Or at least public comment person. If we wish to speak at this time, please star nine to raise your hand. When it's your turn to speak, you will hear an announcement that you have been unmuted at that time. Please state your name and this knowing that you have two minutes with you to make your comment, the counselor and Mr. Will respond if necessary after you have completed any comment or question,  
Speaker 3     00:05:00    Well, number ending in 9 6, 9 0. Please unmute yourself.  
Speaker 2     00:05:13    Hello?  
Speaker 0     00:05:16    Yes. It's state your name and address please.  
Speaker 2     00:05:19    Yeah, just petite Patel. 2,900 bedroom. Okay. The question that I have for the consent agenda resolution, in terms of those line item budgets, how is this amount paid by? Is it paid by property taxes, sales taxes, or how is it paid off in each of those line items? Can somebody explain?  
Speaker 4     00:05:48    Yes. Mr. Patel, I think that you had discussed with the team warning. So the township does not collect any sales tax. So all of our budget is done either with money that we received, uh, from themes, for applications and things like that, of some state aid money that we get and the rest is made up to property taxes. We don't, we don't have, we don't have any other sources of funding for local municipalities in New Jersey.  
Speaker 2     00:06:17    Okay. So in, um, what I would like to get some clarity on this is how much of whatever this projects I'd actually funded by property taxes. And I understand, uh, dancers it's hard and all this kind of stuff. I don't think there should be that hard, uh, how much money is coming in from the state and how much of the taxpayer's appropriation money is being appropriate to any of this activities? Probably not today, but probably, um, in next meeting or in future, uh, with this line items, when they're, when they're talking about, I would like to see a percentage of, of, because of the muni budget is I understand maybe 20 or 25% because 50% goes to the school district. So I just like to understand within that 25%, and if the state is paying for this, then I would like also like to have a state representative present at probably next month or following month. So that way, um, as a public, I can ask questions because their office, sometimes I can't reach their website is just, it's just all over the place and I don't get straight answers. It's just like, I'm going from one place to another. Um, and it's very hard in today's day and age with the way taxation is going on. Thank you,  
Speaker 1     00:07:47    Council president, I'm asking the next individual with their hand raised to unmute themselves last four digits 0 9 6 2. Thank you.  
Speaker 5     00:08:12    Sorry about that. I was being on my end. Uh, Brian req 1247. So I've wrote, um, so line item E that appears to be for the helper farm. Does that mean that lawsuits finally ended and we can get some information about what actually happened there?  
Speaker 6     00:08:29    Um, this is Mike Baker township attorney Mr. Rock. I'm happy to answer that. Um, over the course of the past, uh, two and a half years, the parties have been engaged in a court, ordered mediation in an attempt to settle the case. Um, uh, the first, uh, we tired judge who was doing the mediation, uh, had all the parties township, uh, the 11 12th of the Halper family. And then the one 12th of the interest, which is Larry, Halper all participating in the mediation process. Unfortunately, that judge passed away in the middle of the mediation process, nothing having to do with the mediation itself. He was an elderly gentlemen and it took us, uh, many months with counsel from the other side to attempt to agree to which mediator to use next. Uh, we were ultimately unable to get Mr Lauren's helper to agree to a common mediator.  
Speaker 6     00:09:37    So the township moved ahead with the, uh, 11 of the 12 family members, uh, and mediated with retired judge, Frank chiffony as a result of the judges mediation efforts and the work of counsel and the part that the clients, we were able to reach a settlement. The settlement was approved at the last council meeting that what you see on the agenda tonight is the first step in getting the property cleaned up, uh, remediated to residential standards. Uh, the first step, uh, along the way in turning the, uh, former farm, uh, into the, uh, new newest park in Piscataway the ecological, uh, preserve. So the item on the agenda for LSRP, which is licensed site remediation, professional services will take us from the start of the cleanup, through the bidding process for contractors to do the remediation work to the additional testing both before and after, uh, remediation, as well as all permitting required by the DEP. And then ultimately the final close out of the remediation process. This will get the project moving, uh, this year and hopefully, uh, into the spring, you'll be able to see real progress happening at, at the site.  
Speaker 0     00:11:05    Okay. Thanks. You're welcome. Thank you, Mr. Becca. Thank you,  
Speaker 1     00:11:18    Council president. There are no other individuals with their hand raised at this time.  
Speaker 0     00:11:23    Okay. Thank you. So we have a protocol public portion and number seven first fully funded, various capital improvement, 920  case  
Speaker 1     00:11:52    Resolved by the council Piscataway township, New Jersey. There's an ordinance and titled ordinance appropriating $925,000, $583,645 and 96 cents of which is from the capital improvement fund, $13,690 of which is from capital surplus and $327,664 and 4 cents of which is from a developer's contribution for various capital improvements in and by the 10th. But the Skyway and the county of Middlesex New Jersey is hereby adopted on the first reading that it'd be published in the official newspaper and that a second reading, uh, and public hearing be held at 7:30 PM prevailing time at the Piscataway municipal building 4 55 Hosely and Piscataway New Jersey, as well as by telephonic conference on the 30th day of November, 2021, the further resolved that a copy of this ordinance shall be posted in at least two public places within the township prior to the day of the second reading and final passage, and a copy of this ordinance shall be made available at the office of the tantric clerks for any interested member of the public.  
Speaker 0     00:13:00    Thank you, Mr. Offer, and thank you, Mr. Khan.  please. Yes.  
Speaker 1     00:13:22    Councilman con  
Speaker 0     00:13:24    Yes.  
Speaker 1     00:13:28    Councilman Lombardi.  
Speaker 0     00:13:30    Yes.  
Speaker 1     00:13:32    I'm from an urban council president shock.  
Speaker 0     00:13:37    Yes. Thank you, Mr. D item number eight on this pulsating fully-funded radius capital improvement, 1,500,000,   
Speaker 1     00:13:51    It resolved by the township council it's gallery township, New Jersey that an ordinance entitled ordinance appropriate in $1,500,000, $300,000 of which is from the sewer capital improvement fund $450,000 of which is from capital surplus and $750,000 of which is from the story utility budget capital outlay for various store utility improvements in, in, by the township of Piscataway in the county of Middlesex New Jersey be, and is hereby adopted on the first reading, that'd be published in the official newspaper. And then a second reading and public hearing be held at 7:30 PM prevailing time at the Piscataway municipal building 4 55 Hosely and Piscataway New Jersey, as well as by telephonic conference on the 30th day of November, 2021, we have further resolved that a copy of this ordinance shall be posted in at least two public places within the township prior to the day of the second reading and final passage and a copy of this ordinance shall be made available at the office of the township clerk for any interested member of the public.  
Speaker 0     00:14:49    Thank you, Mr. De GLI offer. Thank you. Thank you. You should can take what please?  
Speaker 1     00:15:13    Yeah. Counseling con Councilman calm. Councilman Lombardi. Yeah. Councilman Earnin.  
Speaker 0     00:15:37    Yes.  
Speaker 1     00:15:39    I'm going to go back to Councilman con cause I didn't hear his vote. Um, Councilman con, I need your vote please.  
Speaker 0     00:15:52    Uh, yes. I tried to vote instead. I was muted by the host, so I assume  
Speaker 1     00:15:55    That  
Speaker 0     00:15:57    Was an issue. Yes, I go.  
Speaker 1     00:16:00    Yes. Okay. Thank you, council president Shaw.  
Speaker 0     00:16:04    Yes. Thank you. Misha. I had done number nine on his first rating. It was an improvement to multi-skilling. Is there a Senator from the audience Mr. ,  
Speaker 1     00:16:23    There was all that attached to council at the scattered patch of New Jersey that an ordinance entitled ordinance for the acquisition of rights of way, easements and land in fee simple for the improvement of Morris land and Piscataway township county of Middlesex state of New Jersey. He is hereby adopted on the first reading. That'd be published in the official newspaper. And then a second reading and public hearing held at 7:30 PM prevailing time at the Piscataway municipal building 4 55 hos lane, Piscataway New Jersey, as well as by telephonic conference on the 30th day of November, 2021, be it further resolved that a copy of this or that it shall be posted in at least two public places. And then the township prior to the day of the second reading and final passage and a copy of this ordinance shall be made available at the office of the township clerk for any interested member of the public.  
Speaker 0     00:17:06    Thank you, Mr. Uh, do have alpha Human contact and thank you, Mr. Gunn. We should please.  
Speaker 1     00:17:22    Yes. Councilman con Councilwoman Lombardi. Yes. Councilman Aaron. Yes. Council president shock.  
Speaker 0     00:17:35    Yes. Item number 10. Consent agenda is relation. Well, we offer  
Speaker 7     00:17:58    Counseling. I'll make an offer.  
Speaker 0     00:18:01    Thank you, Mr. Khan,  
Speaker 8     00:18:07    Second calculus and Lombardi and council, woman Lombardi.  
Speaker 0     00:18:12    Thank you please.  
Speaker 9     00:18:19    Yeah.  
Speaker 1     00:18:21    Councilman con yes. Councilman Lombardi. Yes. Councilman urban council president, sir.  
Speaker 0     00:18:31    Yes. Thank you. Okay. Item number 11, announcement and comment from his shell. I constantly make any comment or Christian.  
Speaker 9     00:18:55    Um, I would just, uh, like to remind, um, the residents that they're say is veteran's day and it is a good time to reflect on those. Who've served, those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, um, and to be thankful that we live in a free country, um, and to know that we should be fighting for those freedoms, um, and be vigilant for them all the time. Thank you.  
Speaker 0     00:19:25    Thank you, Ms. Gunn on seven con,  
Speaker 7     00:19:30    I want to echo those words and just a wish happy veterans day to all the veterans out there, not just in our town, but across the country. And, uh, finally I wanted to congratulate, um, uh, Councilman Rouse for winning a full term or the balance of the term, uh, to the town council. Uh, we've all known or many of us known to have a mouse for a long time. He adds a lot, uh, uh, to the town council. And I'm glad to have him as a, as a colleague.  
Speaker 0     00:20:01    Thank you, Mr. Cohen.  
Speaker 8     00:20:05    I'd also like to say thank you to all of our veterans. And I'd also like to say I'm super excited to see a resolution, uh, be moving forward on the helper farm project. So, uh, it's been a long awaited and we are clearly looking forward to, uh, see that come to fruition. So it's very exciting. Thank you.  
Speaker 0     00:20:32    Thank you, Mr. Murray.  
Speaker 10    00:20:36    Yes. I also like to thank all the veterans for their service, and I also want to give a shout out to our pop Warner AAU team. They won their division three title last Sunday and our tenure team is in also an apply for males, have a shot of winning to  
Speaker 0     00:20:54    Thank you, Ms. Gallas. So Sam eco with Ms. Girls for the record state for veterans in Australia. Thank you.   
Speaker 11    00:21:07    Thank you, council president. And I just want to echo what, uh, the other council members said about veteran's day. And I don't know folks in the public and Piscataway has gotten a chance to, uh, walk along our multi-use path, uh, along 18. You're going to see, um, that pictures of, uh, veterans up there on the flag banners out there, uh, honoring them. So if you get a chance, uh, take a stroll out there. Uh, I also want to congratulate, uh, pass the Rouse on his election, but more importantly though, on the condolences of loss of his immediate family member out there, I know many of the council members know and last but not least is, uh, Councilman Earnin, congratulate the pop Warner, uh, teams out there and also the Rutgers, uh, ladies field hockey team, uh, for, uh, winning the big 10 championship. And actually I believe they're the number one seat in the NCAA for field hockey. So hopefully we'll bring home a national banner here in Skagway. Thank you, council president.  
Speaker 0     00:22:06    Thank you. Ma'am um, but then they said they went to DC. No, nothing  
Speaker 11    00:22:11    Tonight. Thank you.  
Speaker 0     00:22:13    Thank you, soundscape. I mean, Mike record,  
Speaker 6     00:22:17    Thank you, Councilman. Uh, as the son of a, uh, a Marine veteran, I always like to thank Councilman Khan for his services, the United States Marines and all those other veterans out there on baby listening. Thank you.  
Speaker 0     00:22:31    Thank you. Okay. Item number 12, agenda assessment for November 23rd, 2021 ordinance for secondary acquisition of certain property. Identify as a block.  1, 1 6 0.01 for public person, 1, 1 6 per pound road. It should have leave the reservation, please.  
Speaker 1     00:23:02    This is just the agenda session. So you're just going to go through each one.  
Speaker 0     00:23:05    Okay, so, and the second. Thanks, Rick. Okay. And then second living one-on-ones various capital improvement, 10 million, two hundred eighty five thousand nine million seven hundred seventy thousand seven hundred fifty dollars. The second title is ordinance proceeding amending we're here in chapter erupting ordinance. Any comment or question?  
Speaker 6     00:23:41    No common council present  
Speaker 0     00:23:44    Plus shooting emanating. Any question comments? None. Thank you.  of project and lose it. Then you see that over drive improvement. Pace one, get constituent company. Any question? Thank you, council president. Thank you. Is it listen, we're building a world of professional engineering service contract for fire alarm system. Upgrade X selling religion, DNM associates, not to exhibit 15,900. And in commented question. No thank you. Most of them, except that he put a plug account October 21,  2021 and most the issue and enter in minutes discernment of the per month of October, 2021. Any comment or question? Yeah, I don't know what 13 open to the public this time, please press nine to raise your hand. When it is your turn to speak, you will hear an announcement that you have been unmuted at that time. Please state your name and address and know that you have in three minutes in which you can make comments that counselor administrator will respond if necessary after you are completed. Any comment or question  
Speaker 1     00:25:29    As the president, I'm asking the first individual to unmute themselves 9, 6, 9 dare. You can unmute yourself.  
Speaker 2     00:25:44    Yeah. Hi. Um, this has particular Patel, 29 drug bedroom. Um, I'm going to comment on few things today. Um, and probably those are not good things that I see some improvements. Uh, one is in the area of taxation. Um, the reason I'm bringing this to council's attention in mirrors attention is I think in last 10 years, um, pretty much property taxes have doubled. And now I'm going to challenge you all of you and look into a municipal ledger and tell me which position on W2 has doubled their wages in last 10 years. So the question becomes is that's fine. You've Democrats want to exit taxation without revenues or without income, then they would, I would rather have a letter from the mirror to every household to show how they're going to finance that tax deficit that is going to show up in their own home budget.  
Speaker 2     00:26:40    I have seen in many cases, even with the clearly written legislature, that I went into the website and all over the hoops, that none of the taxes should have exceeded more than 2%. When I look at the last 10 years of tax data, and you can look it up for yourself, look at 29 redbud road, what the tax was in the year, 2010 versus what it was charging 2020. And then look at it again, the legislature of 2% of whatever that was in state legislature. And I would like you to measure against that. And if there was a deficit, I would like an explanation, how should I finance that money? The second part of it is what I've seen lately is, and these are, these are not small numbers. There is a $1.2 billion, this billion dollars that are showing up as an income in non-profit who has domicile or who has an address in Piscataway for which there is no revenue.  
Speaker 2     00:27:34    So are you guys seeing that those $1.2 billion are being spent in Piscataway, but they're taken away from discovery. And the third thing was, I think just general terms. I think last time you kind of explained that I was pretty rude or I said some foul language in, in some, uh, in their office. If, if he can present the person and testify under oath, that I use some bad words, I would like to see that in, in, in, in office, other is what I see nowadays is just blatant, lying by the counseling and many officials, uh, who are presenting on the, on the chair today. Thank you.  
Speaker 7     00:28:19    Thank you, council president. Can I, can I just briefly respond? This is counseling. Yeah. Right. I don't know Mr. Patel at my church, we met and he was at meetings pre COVID or not. I don't know him. Uh, he, he may be a really nice guy, but he's very ill informed. And, you know, he comes to these meetings and I don't know who listens to these meetings on the internet or whatever. And he makes a lot of statements that factually incorrect. And I I'll talk that up too, that he's, you know, he, people nowadays read things on the internet and take all that from truth, as opposed to being well-informed on the issues. Uh, first taxes have not, you know, quadrupled or whatever the allegation was. Property values have his home on red voters, but has gone up and values is a good thing for him in the long run.  
Speaker 7     00:29:14    Um, you know, some of the other accusations that he makes in some of these council meetings, again, I don't, uh, I don't have any ill will towards him. I've never met him. He's probably a nice guy who sat down and had a cup of coffee with him, but he's ill-informed and he makes these statements as if they're true. And a lot of times at these meetings, we don't respond and it, and it comes across perhaps to other folks that are listening or if this is recorded and broadcast is as if this is true or accurate. And a lot of what Mr. Patel says is not accurate. It's not well-informed. And, you know, we don't take the time necessarily to debate them on each point, but I wanted to make that point because some of the things that he has said tonight, um, simply not accurate, not true. Uh, so, you know, at some point we'll go back to the live meetings. I look forward to meeting Mr. Patel and maybe having this conversation with him directly. And I don't suggest he's not welcome at the meeting he is, but I think it's important to point out to other folks that comments he's made are just not accurate. Thank you, council president for, let me take this time.  
Speaker 0     00:30:38    Council president, there are no other individuals with their hand raised. Thank you, Mr. D. Okay. Item number 17 again. Okay. Sorry. Uh, I want to close the public portion first. Okay. Now item number 14 as an admin offer. Thank you all in favor. Aye. Aye.