City Council

CITY OF EAST ORANGE THE EAST ORANGE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, December 12, 2022 5:30 P.M. (Minutes from the Meeting of November 28, 2022) CHRISTOPHER AWE City Council Chairman First Ward Second Ward Christopher D. James Christopher Awe Amy Lewis Brittany D. Claybrooks Third Ward Fourth Ward Bergson Leneus Casim L. Gomez Vernon Pullins, Jr. Tameika Garrett-Ward Fifth Ward Alicia Holman Mustafa AL-M. Brent Like Us on Facebook: @EASTORANGECITYCOUNCIL The following minutes are of necessity, condensed and abridged and do not purport to contain the full contents of the matters discussed. The items referred are subject to legal opinion as to validity. MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE MEETING November 28, 2022 The East Orange City Council met on November 28, 2022, at 5:46 P.M. in City Council Chambers, 44 City Hall Plaza, East Orange, and New Jersey. Adequate notice of such meeting was duly given in accordance with law, by publication in local newspapers and by posting on the bulletin board outside and within City Council Chambers. On Roll Call the following Members of Council were present: Casim L. Gomez.; Tameika Garrett-Ward; Bergson Leneus; Brittany Claybrooks; Alicia Holman; Vernon Pullins, Jr; Christopher Awe ABSENT Mustafa Al-M Brent Amy Lewis Christopher D. James CITY OFFICIALS PRESENT Solomon Steplight, City Administrator City Administrator Dorothy Gallagher, CFO Finance Eladio Negron, Director Code Enforcement Ronald Hunt, Corporation Counsel Law Department Phyllis Bindi, Chief Police Department Rupert Bell, Director Public Works Jamal Pearson, Director Recreation Yvonne C. Blake, Acting Director Health Department Tiffany Harris-Delaney, Director Planning Monica Reed, Director Human Resources ALSO PRESENT Deputy Chief Crespin Fire Department Tony Jackson Mayors Office Muzammil Mohamed-Stevens Public Works COMMITTEES 100-ARTS, RECREATION & CULTURAL AFFAIRS 200-BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND ZONING 300-FINANCE 400-HEALTH AND EDUCATION 500-HOUSING, LICENSING AND INSPECTION 600-LAW AND LEGISLATION 700-PLANNING AND GRANTS 800-PUBLIC SAFETY 900-PUBLIC WORKS 1000-COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE  100 - ARTS, RECREATION & CULTURAL AFFAIRS BRITTANY D. CLAYBROOKS - CHAIRWOMAN Lewis, Gomez, Garrett-Ward 101. Recreation Department In Committee 102. East Orange Public Library In Committee 200 - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND ZONING CASIM GOMEZ – CHAIRMAN Leneus, Brent, James 201. Brick Church Mall In Committee 202. Brick Church Urban Renewal In Committee 203. Economic Development Corp. In Committee 300 - FINANCE VERNON PULLINS, JR. – CHAIRMAN Holman, James, Lewis 301. Personnel Resolution Authorizing the Continued Acting Appointment for the Position of Corporation Counsel - Resolution to be presented 302. Tax Refund In Committee 303. Labor Negotiations In Committee 304. Tax Revaluation In Committee 305. Tax Sale Certificate In Committee 306. In Rem Foreclosure In Committee 307. Payroll #23 Resolution to be presented 308. Stop Payments In Committee 309. Legal Transfer In Committee 310. Tax Payment Plan In Committee 311. Tax Appeal Refund In Committee 312. Annual Tax Sale In Committee 313. Tax Abatement In Committee 314. In Lieu of Taxes In Committee 315. Bills, Claims & Appropriations – 11.28.2022 Resolution to be presented 316. Tax Sale Assignment In Committee 317. Tax Lien In Committee 318. Tax Lien Redemption In Committee 319. Budget Insertions In Committee 320. Status of Women In Committee 321. Auction In Committee 322. Duplicate Tax Payments In Committee 323. State of New Jersey, Department of Human Resolution to be presented Services East Orange Substance Abuse Treatment Program 2023 Grant 324. Resolution Acknowledging Completion of Best Resolution to be presented Practices Inventory 325. Resolution Authorizing the Award of Non-Fair Resolution to be presented and Open Contract for the Purchase of Granicus Agenda Management Software 400 – HEALTH and EDUCATION TAMEIKA GARRETT-WARD – CHAIRWOMAN Brent, Claybrooks, Leneus 401. Child Guidance Clinic In Committee 402. Health Department In Committee 403. Mental Health Board In Committee 404. East Orange General Hospital In Committee  400 – HEALTH and EDUCATION - Continued TAMEIKA GARRETT-WARD – CHAIRWOMAN Brent, Claybrooks, Leneus 405. East Orange Board of Education In Committee 500 – HOUSING, LICENSING AND INSPECTION CHRISTOPHER D. JAMES – CHAIRMAN Garrett-Ward, Leneus, Claybrooks 501. Rent Leveling In Committee 502. Affordable Housing Program In Committee 503. Housing Authority In Committee 504. Housing, Planning & Coordinating In Committee 505. Private Parking Rentals In Committee 506. Senior Citizens Housing In Committee 507. Housing Summit In Committee 700 – PLANNING and GRANTS BERGSON LENEUS – CHAIRMAN James, Pullins, Jr., Holman 701. Community Development In Committee 702. Safe and Clean In Committee 703. Small Tools Library In Committee 704. Green Acres Grant In Committee 705. Women’s Summit in Committee In Committee 800 - PUBLIC SAFETY AMY LEWIS – CHAIRWOMAN Pullins, Jr., Garrett-Ward, Brent 801. Police Department In Committee 802. Fire Department In Committee 900 - PUBLIC WORKS MUSTAFA AL-M. BRENT – CHAIRMAN Claybrooks, Holman, Gomez 901. Capital Improvement Projects under Construction 902. Streetscape In Committee 903. Resolution Authorizing the Designation of Resolution to be presented Restricted Parking Spaces 904. Resolution Authorizing and Approving an Resolution to be presented Award of Contract through the Essex County Cooperative Pricing to Supply and Deliver Rock Salt (Sodium Chloride) from Morton Salt, Inc. 905. Resolution Awarding a Contract for Professional Resolution to be presented Services Development of Contract Documents for the Adaptive Reuse of the Old East Orange Police Building 906. Resolution Accepting the Proposal of Resurfacing Resolution to be presented of Various Streets through Co-Op 600 - LAW AND LEGISLATION ALICIA HOLMAN – CHAIRWOMAN Gomez, Lewis, Pullins, Jr. 601. Ordinances on First Reading Ordinance No. 35 of 2022 An Ordinance to Amend Ordinance No. 34 of 2022 Ordinance No. 36 of 2022 An Ordinance to Amend the Code of the City of East Orange, Article XXIV, “Abandoned Property Designation Program” (Adopted 12.08.2008 as Ord. 23 of 2008 and Amended by Ord. 27 of 2014)  600 - LAW AND LEGISLATION - Continued ALICIA HOLMAN – CHAIRWOMAN Gomez, Lewis, Pullins, Jr. 602. Ordinances on Second and Final Reading In Committee 603. Bingo/Raffles In Committee 604. A.B.C. In Committee 605. City Council Rules In Committee 606. Settlements In Committee 607. Comcast/Suburban Cable Contract In Committee 608. Taxi Cabs vs. Livery Licenses In Committee 609. Confirmation of Appointment - Weston Robinson Resolution to be presented to the Municipal Alcoholic Beverage Control Board 1000– COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE 1000. East Orange Parking Authority In Committee OPEN HEARING OF CITIZENS Pursuant to Article IV, Section 3 of the Rules of City Council, each person wishing to address the Council, shall step up to the microphone, shall give his/her name in an audible tone for the record and unless further time is granted by the Presiding Officer, shall limit remarks to three minutes. All members of the public are expected to conduct themselves in a proper manner. Any derogatory, abusive or threatening statements will not be permitted. The Chair will immediately rule such conduct out of order and terminate any further comments. 1. Cassandra Dock – Code Enfoncement Département fines 2. Mr. Glassco – Requesting assistance with price gauging with groceries store, non-profit for elders that can’t pay taxes 3. Leshia Richardson – No hot water for 48 hours, elevators are not working, was able to get one working and Wanda Watson does not return phone calls or emails, complaints have been made to her since 2020 with no response. 4. Dr. Harris - Non-profit for infant mortality 5. Shalonda Adam – The cost of speed bumps cost too much, maybe you should consider rumble strips for William Street, and they should fix Arlington Avenue pothole near Tyson school. 6. Donna Jackson – There are so many eviction cases in Essex County, Jewish owners are trying to evict tenants from their home even though they collected Rental assistance money, they still want to evict them. 7. Christina Brown – No running water on Thanksgiving and the owner of 60 North Arlington (Spaxel) 8. Darlene Clovis – Have been harassed and intimidate by a member from Code Enforcement of the City of East Orange 9. Salski – Cannabis Applications and congratulations on the Groundbreaking Meeting adjourned at 7:41 PM. Respectfully submitted by: Cynthia S. Brown, City Clerk