City Council

The Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Hackensack was held at City Hall, 65 Central Avenue, Hackensack, New Jersey, on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 8:07 p.m. Mayor John Labrosse called the meeting to order and the City Clerk Deborah Karlsson announced that the meeting was being held in accordance with the Sunshine Law, notice having been published according to law, with a copy on file in the City Clerk’s office, and a copy posted on the bulletin board in City Hall. Attendance Ms. Karlsson called the roll: Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Kathy Canestrino, Councilman Leo Battaglia, Councilman David Sims and Councilwoman Deborah Keeling-Geddis were present. City Manager Ted Ehrenburg and Attorney Steve Kleinman were in attendance. Flag Salute Proclamations- None Approval of Minutes – A motion to approve the C.O.W Meeting Minutes from December 6, 2016 was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino, seconded by Councilman Battaglia and approved by Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Canestrino, Councilman Battaglia, and Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. Councilman Sims abstained as he was not present at the meeting. A motion to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes from December 6, 2016 was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino, seconded by Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis and approved by Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Canestrino, Councilman Battaglia, Councilman Sims and Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. A motion to approve the C.O.W Meeting Minutes from December 20, 2016 was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino, seconded by Councilman Battaglia and approved by Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Canestrino, Councilman Battaglia, and Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. Councilman Sims abstained as he was not present at the meeting. A motion to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes from December 20, 2016 was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino, seconded by Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis and approved by Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Canestrino, Councilman Battaglia, Councilman Sims and Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. City Manager’s Report Happy New Year to everyone! January 16, 2017 Martin Luther King Jr. Day City Hall will be closed. There will be an event at the Mount Olive Church which will occur on the 16th at noon. All the leaf complaints were handled in a timely manner. Any that have been identified tonight will be addressed. The first snow of 2017 I think the City did a decent job with the clean-up. We have been trying to be proactive. We sent out Nixle alerts for residents to remove their vehicles for the snow plows and to keep the streets passable. Sometimes there is conflict with the County roads which run through the city and who maintains them. Burn Street parking complaint is being handled by the Traffic Division. Every Wednesday of January will be Christmas tree pick up. Make sure your tree is at the curb Tuesday night for Wednesday pick up. 01/10/2017 1 Resolutions Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia Deputy Mayor Canestrino Sims Keeling- Geddis Mayor Labrosse CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 01-17 TABLED FINAL ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 44-2016, AN ORDINANCE ADDING CHAPTER 3B OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK TO ESTABLISH A STIGMA FREE ADVISORY BOARD This ordinance has been advertised pursuant to law and now calls for a public hearing. Will someone so move?” Motion offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino and seconded by Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis that there be a public hearing. PUBLIC HEARING – Regina DiPasqua - I am currently on the committee and this was never discussed at our meetings. Currently the committee is required to have training to be on the committee. This ordinance does not require training to be on the board. The purpose, as the County tool kit states, is to have as many people as possible have the mental health first aid training. If we don’t require our Stigma Free Board to have the training then what is the point? You need to have it. It is required. The County says it and it is not in this ordinance anywhere. I mentioned it last time. Right now it is required to be on the committee but not to be on the board? Is this going to have no real training? We put up a few lawn signs and that is it? If you do not have the training then what is the point? Further, the terms of everyone on it presently were to end 2018. We have not even done much and now this will end all terms at the end of this year? No continuity and it makes no sense. Also, every other board the members appoint a chairperson, not the Council. This was never brought or discussed by our committee and we are being disregarded. Mayor – We are not in disagreement that the training should be a requirement. City Manager – The establishment of the board was a primary function to get started. If there are amendments or anything that needs to be added, the committee can establish their own policies or rules. It doesn’t have to be in the ordinance. The city just wants to start to establish it, get a framework and a formation and move forward. Ms. DiPasqua – Albert should have told you. There are also far too many city employees on this committee. What have we been doing for a year and a half then? Albert Dib – A year and a half ago this Council decided that they wanted to pass a resolution establishing Hackensack as a Stigma Free community. At that time, a number of people stepped 01/10/2017 2 up like myself who have a family history of mental illness and would be more than happy to be put on this board. With that spirit, myself and some other city employees stepped forward and said yes this is important and we should volunteer our time and make a difference in Hackensack. That is the spirit in which the committee was formed and why I serve on it and other city employees serve on it. In the past year and a half we have done good things, some awareness campaigns, talked about what events we will put on, represent Stigma Free at various events, we have attended Stigma Free breakfast with other communities. There has been a lot of early progress with this. Now we are at a point where we can formalize this and create a board where we know who comes on, how long they will serve, what parameters the board will operate within, and I feel like we have done that with the ordinance. We took Teaneck’s Stigma Free ordinance as a model and we adapted that for our own purposes. Now we can have a discussion whether or not we want people to go through the Stigma Free training. Reasonable minds can differ as to if that is something that needs to be required. Some people among the board feel it is an important enough responsibility where you want to understand the science of mental illness and other people on the board feel like they have been living with this their whole life and don’t necessarily need training. It is hard enough for people to find time to join any kind of board and may be dissuaded if they have to take 8 hours of mental health training. You can also have a psychologist offer to join the board or someone who has a significant amount of training. I think it is within the board’s discretion as to whether they want to make this a requirement or let the board police itself like other boards do. I think it is a judgment call. I respectfully disagree with Regina because I do not want to turn this into a controversy. People stepped up to address an important issue in the community and they are doing it willingly and to the best of their ability. There is nothing stopping us from changing the ordinance in the future. I leave that to your consideration. Ms. DiPasqua – If new people can be appointed after December 31 not necessarily this Council will be appointing because there is an election between now and then. It was never discussed at our meetings and every person who is on the committee now has training. Everybody who is there now is committed to it. I did it on my own time at night - two nights, 4 hours. Why is that not going to be a requirement? Someone who is a mental health professional has training. We want the residents involved. If they are committed to it, they will take the training. If you don’t require it, they will not. The training is a whole different perspective. I object to the fact that this was never bought to the committee and that the Council is going to appoint a chairperson. City Manager – We want to be as inclusive as possible, we didn’t want to put the absolute starting impediment that you had to take two 4 hour training courses because some of these people have families with this problem or a long standing history so people understand mental illness and don’t necessarily need a class. I am just trying to facilitate this process. It certainly can be added but I don’t know that it has to be legislated in this ordinance. It can be done by policy. Richard Salkin – I don’t have strong feelings on this other than that you cannot leave it up to the board to police itself because if the board says you all need training and appointee #5 says ‘well I’m not doing it’ then if the Council doesn’t put it in as a requirement… if you think it should be, then just table this and amend it and read it at the next meeting. City Manager – All I am trying to do is facilitate this. That is my only agenda. Based on this discussion, I ask the Mayor and Council to table this under the circumstances because there is passion on 01/10/2017 3 both sides of this. We should sort out whether it needs to be in there. I don’t think it needs to be legislated in an ordinance. Paul Nickels – I am very happy that we started this but I do not know enough about legal stuff to know if any of this stuff can be amended afterwards. But, yes, we did a lot of good so far. The original Stigma Free binder from the County does say to be Stigma Free we need to take the training. What we are doing now is really what it is all about – talking about it and communicating. All the mental illnesses that I have, that training was really good. When I was in One Bergen one day, they had people from all over the world come in and I asked what they were doing there and they were there to train to become a mental health first aid trainer. Valley Hospital doctors took the training. Anyone can take it and get something out of it. I do agree that it should be required. I don’t see it as a problem. I can’t sit a whole eight hours but two 4 hours is okay. A lot of people here took the training. I am very grateful for the group and I want to thank you for the beginning and where we are now. Kathy Salvo – This is a lack of communication but I think the training should be mandatory. I think if you really want to be on the committee and you have a commitment to it then you will take the training. Like when I took the CPR course, I thought I knew everything until I took it and there was a lot I didn’t know. We want people to be part of committees and participate and be on the same page. They’ll all be on the same page if they all took the same training. I heard the training was very good and I don’t think I would want anyone on the committee if they don’t have it. Can’t we table this and fix it and amend it and then vote on it? That would be the best thing to do tonight. Larry Eisen – I would like to endorse what Regina has said. My mother suffered from bi-polar depression her entire life. I thought I knew something about mental health but as I grew up and encountered people with other mental illnesses like schizophrenia and delusional issues, if a lay person is going to deal with these situations, it is absolutely necessary to get trained. It is a very complicated issue. This committee should also have professional guidance. There are many forms of mental illness and not all them are obvious to a lay person. The committee is an enormous step forward and a very positive statement about Hackensack, I would like to see the committee get formal training. Mayor – We are going to table the ordinance and make some changes in this. Deputy Mayor - We need to get the committee involved. I don’t know how often they have the training but maybe if someone is really interested they can join as long as they take the next training session. Motion offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino and seconded by Councilman Battaglia that the ordinance be tabled. ORDINANCE NO. 44-2016 AN ORDINANCE ADDING CHAPTER 3B OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK TO ESTABLISH A STIGMA FREE ADVISORY BOARD WHEREAS, the National Institute of Mental Health reports that 1 in 4 adults experiences mental illness in a given year, 1 in 17 adults live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder, and 20% of youth ages 13-18 and 13% of youth ages 8 to 15 experience severe mental disorders in a given year; and WHEREAS, despite its prevalence in our society, society often attaches a stigma upon persons suffering from mental illness; and WHEREAS, the stigma which society attaches to mental illness results in experiences and feelings of shame, embarrassment, distress and hopelessness in individuals having mental 01/10/2017 4 disorders and is identified as the primary reason individuals fail to seek the help they need to recover from the disease; and WHEREAS, the establishment of “Stigma Free Zones” aims to inspire public interest and open dialogue about the effects of stigma, raise awareness of the disease of mental illness, create a culture in which individuals having the disease of mental illness feel supported by their communities and neighbors, and encourage such individuals to seek treatment for the disease without fear of being subjected to stigma and thereby begin recovery, restore hope and avoid tragedies; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Hackensack finds that the designation of Hackensack as a “Stigma Free Zone” and the establishment of an advisory board to raise the awareness of resources and encourage individuals suffering from mental health disorders to seek care will assist in eliminating the stigma which society attaches to mental health disorders and will promote better mental health within the City of Hackensack; and WHEREAS, the City Council further finds that stigmas associated with suffering from sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, being discriminated against on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex, and being subjected to harassment, intimidation and bullying must also be addressed and eliminated; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey, that the Code of the City of Hackensack is hereby amended to read in full as follows: Chapter 3B. Stigma Free Advisory Board § 3B-1. Establishment; membership. The City of Hackensack is hereby declared as a “Stigma Free Zone” and, in furtherance thereof, there is hereby established a Stigma Free Advisory Board. The membership of the Board shall consist of not less than 15 persons and the duties and functions shall be as follows: § 3B-2. Terms; compensation. All persons presently serving as members of the Stigma Free Advisory Boardshall continue to be members of the Stigma Free Advisory Boardfor a term to expire December 31, 2017 or until successors are appointed, whichever occurs later. At that time, the Mayor and Council shall appoint or reappoint, as the case may be, members of the Stigma Free Advisory Boardso that approximately 1/3 of the members shall serve for a one-year term; 1/3 of the membership shall serve for two-year terms; and 1/3 of the membership shall serve for three-year terms. Following such initial appointments, pursuant to this chapter, all appointments shall be for three years, and vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term only. The members shall receive no compensation for their services. § 3B-3. Organization and Purpose. The Council may appoint such number of Hackensack residents and other persons associated with local community groups, faith communities, local businesses, schools, mental health organizations, hospitals, physicians, attorneys, health care professionals, social service organizations and municipal officials and employees as the Council deems appropriate who express a commitment to promoting a stigma free Hackensack. Appointments shall be for a one year period, expiring on December 31 of each year. The Council shall appoint a chairperson from among the membership each year. The purposes of the Stigma Free Advisory Board are to raise public awareness of the stigmas associated with mental illness, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, being discriminated against on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex, and being subjected to harassment, intimidation and bullying with the goal of eliminating such stigmas and encouraging individuals suffering from the disease of mental illness and sexually transmitted diseases to seek treatment and to urge individuals who are subjected to discrimination, harassment, intimidation and bullying to report same to the appropriate authorities. § 3B-4. Powers and duties. The Stigma Free Advisory Board may, subject to the availability of adequate funds, undertake a stigma free campaign, participate in public awareness programs to eliminate stigmas, host stigma free forums, distribute stigma free promotional materials, coordinate stigma free events with local community service organizations, advise the Council as to additional stigma free programs, 01/10/2017 5 and perform such other functions in furtherance of the purposes to eliminate stigmas within the City of Hackensack § 3B-5. Attendance. In the event that any member of the Stigma Free Advisory Board shall miss three consecutive meetings, the Stigma Free Advisory Board shall report such absences to the Mayor and Council. If the Mayor and Council, after due inquiry, are satisfied that the absences were not occasioned by reasonable cause, the Stigma Free Advisory Board member may be removed by resolution of the Mayor and Council. This Ordinance shall take effect upon passage, adoption, and publication in the manner prescribed by law. Introduced: December 20, 2016 Tabled on January 10, 2017 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 02-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING TRANSFER OF 2016 BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS WHEREAS, various Year 2016 bills have been presented for payment this year, which bills were not covered by Year 2016 Budget Appropriations; and WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:4-58 provides that amounts in excess of appropriations over and above the amounts deemed to be necessary to fulfill the purpose of such appropriations may be transferred to appropriations deemed to be insufficient during the last two months of the year and the first three months of the reserve year. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the transfers in the amount of $131,038.17 be made between the Year 2016 Budget Appropriations retroactive to December 31, 2016 as follows: FROM DEPARTMENT 6-01-22-200-202-200 Community Development – O/E $ 15,000.00 6-01-26-290-290-200 Streets & Roads – O/E $ 15,000.00 6-01-31-435-435-200 Street Lighting $ 40,000.00 6-01-31-460-460-253 Vehicle Gasoline $ 8,000.00 6-01-36-471-471-200 Public Employees Retirement (PERS) $ 50,000.00 6-01-45-920-942-28J Debt Service – Wastewater Principle $ 3,038.17 Total $131,038.17 TO DEPARTMENT 6-01-20-100-100-200 Administration - O/E $ 2,000.00 6-01-20-130-130-200 Finance – O/E $ 5,000.00 6-01-22-195-195-200 UCC Building Inspection – O/E $ 15,000.00 01/10/2017 6 6-01-25-240-241-100 School Crossing Guards – S&W $ 5,000.00 6-01-25-240-243-100 Communication Operators – S&W $ 1,000.00 6-01-26-130-130-200 Public Buildings / Grounds – O/E $ 18,000.00 6-01-26-300-301-200 City Garage – O/E $ 12,000.00 6-01-26-300-302-200 Street Cleaning – O/E $ 4,000.00 6-01-26-305-305-200 Garbage & Trash – O/E $ 26,000.00 6-01-26-305-306-200 Recycling – O/E $ 28,000.00 6-01-26-313-313-200 Shade Tree – O/E $ 3,000.00 6-01-28-375-375-200 Parks & Playgrounds – O/E $ 9,000.00 6-01-45-920-942-28K Debt Service – Wastewater Interest $ 3,038.17 Total $131,038.17 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 03-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING 2017 TEMPORARY BUDGET WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:4-19 provides that where any contract, commitment or payments are to be made prior to the final adoption of the 2017 Budget, temporary appropriations should be made for the purpose and amounts required in the manner and time therein provided; and WHEREAS, the date of this resolution is within the first thirty days of January 2017; and WHEREAS, the total appropriations for 2016, exclusive of any appropriations made for interest and debt redemption charges, capital improvement fund and public assistance in said budget is the sum of $94,564,918.16; and WHEREAS, 26.25% of the total appropriations in the 2016 Budget, exclusive of any appropriations made for interest and debt redemption charges, capital improvement fund and public assistance, in said budget is the sum of $24,823,291. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the following appropriations be made and that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to the Chief Financial Officer for his records. 2017 TEMPORARY BUDGET APPROPRIATIONS Current Fund Budget General Government Salaries & Wages Other Expenses 7-01-20-100-100 Administration $ 137,500 $ 36,325 7-01-20-105-105 Human Resources $ 52,500 7-01-20-110-110 Mayor and Council $ 13,650 7-01-20-120-120 Municipal Clerk $ 47,000 $ 8,450 7-01-20-130-130 Financial Administration $ 121,250 $ 33,275 7-01-20-145-145 Tax Collection $ 56,250 $ 13,075 7-01-20-150-150 Tax Assessment $ 47,500 $ 179.600 01/10/2017 7 7-01-20-115-155 Legal Services $ 257,500 7-01-21-180-180 Planning Board $ 7,000 7-01-21-185-185 Board of Adjustment $ 14,150 7-01-21-190-190 Rent Stabilization Board $ 1,250 7-01-25-275-275 Municipal Prosecutor $ 16,750 7-01-43-495-495 Municipal Public Defender $ 13,750 7-01-43-490-490 Municipal Court $ 160,000 $ 19,125 7-01-23-210-210 Group Insurance $3,905,750 7-01-23-215-215 Workers Compensation $ 415,750 7-01-23-220-220 General Insurance $ 593,500 7-01-23-225-225 Reserve for Unemployment $ 30,000 7-01-30-415-415 City Web Site / Info Tech $ 12,000 7-01-30-415-416 Accumulated Wages $ 325,000 7-01-31-430-430 Utilities (Electric & Gas) $ 175,000 7-01-31-435-435 Street Lighting $ 130,000 7-01-31-440-440 Telephone $ 42,125 7-01-31-445-445 Water $ 26,250 7-01-31-455-456 Sewer Treatment – BCUA $1,681,730 7-01-31-460-460 Vehicle Gasoline $ 150,000 7-01-31-461-461 Fire Hydrant Service $ 90,000 7-01-36-472-472 Social Security $ 325,000 7-01-36-476-476 Defined Contribution Retirement Plan $ 2,000 Public Safety 7-01-25-240-240 Police $3,875,000 $ 179,375 7-01-25-240-241 School Crossing Guards $ 100,000 7-01-25-240-242 Traffic Control $ 15,000 $ 15,125 7-01-25-240-243 Communication Operators $ 257,500 7-01-25-252-252 Emergency Management $ 4,200 7-01-25-265-265 Fire $3,142,500 $ 67,325 7-01-25-265-266 Fire Official $ 137,750 $ 5,700 7-01-25-265-267 Fire Alarm $ 33,500 $ 9,300 Uniform Construction Code 7-01-22-195-195 UCC Building Inspectors $ 93,750 $ 55,000 7-01-22-200-200 Inspection of Property $ 107,000 $ 500 7-01-22-200-202 Community Development $ 70,000 Department of Public Works Salaries & Wages Other Expenses 7-01-26-130-130 Public Buildings & Grounds $ 156,250 $ 54,675 7-01-26-290-290 Streets & Roads $ 71,250 $ 31,700 7-01-26-290-290 Snow Removal $ 100,000 $ 100,000 7-01-26-300-300 DPW Administration $ 178,750 $ 24,000 7-01-26-300-301 City Garage $ 128,750 $ 10,500 7-01-26-311-311 Sewer $ 32,500 $ 80,500 7-01-26-313-313 Shade Tree $ 41,250 $ 13,625 7-01-28-375-375 Parks & Playgrounds $ 92,500 $ 31,775 Sanitation 7-01-26-300-302 Street Cleaning $ 30,500 $ 9,075 7-01-26-305-305 Garbage & Trash $ 350,000 $ 99,450 7-01-26-305-306 Recycling $ 8,250 $ 11,250 7-01-26-305-307 Sanitary Landfill $ 375,000 Health & Welfare 7-01-27-330-330 Public Health Clinics $ 10,000 7-01-27-330-331 Health $ 157,500 $ 15,450 7-01-27-330-332 PEOSHA $ 40,300 7-01-27-340-340 Animal Control $ 15,175 Recreation & Education 7-01-28-370-370 Recreation $ 104,500 $ 20,000 7-01-28-370-371 Cultural Arts $ 16,750 $ 11,000 7-01-30-420-420 Celebration Public Events $ 10,000 $ 17,500 7-01-29-390-390 Johnson Public Library $ 706,562 Debt Service 01/10/2017 8 7-01-45-920-920 Bond Principle $1,675,000 7-01-45-920-930 Bond Interest $ 115,000 7-01-45-940-942 Wastewater Loan Principle $ 95,000 7-01-45-940-942 Wastewater Loan Interest $ 54,000 7-01-45-930-930 Green Trust Loan Principle $ 11,000 7-01-45-930-930 Green Trust Loan Interest $ 4,000 7-01-45-920-945 Capital Lease Principle $ 133,000 7-01-45-920-945 Capital Lease Interest $ 5,000 Total Operations $22,556,817 Debt Service $ 2,092,000 Parking Utility Fund Budget Salaries & Wages Other Expenses 7-05-55-501-000 Parking Operations $77,500 $147,500 7-05-55-522-000 Bond Interest $ 7,000 7-05-55-530-000 Bond Principle $150,000 7-05-55-541-000 Social Security $ 5,000 Total $387,000 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 04-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING TAX REFUNDS BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the proper officers be and are hereby authorized to make the following refunds for the reasons stated: AMOUNT BLOCK LOT NAME YEAR REASON $805.00 323 20 C005D Hammond, Kirk Anthony 2016 Duplicate Payment 281 Park St #5D Hackensack, NJ 07601 $5,873.65 39.07 1 Zipp & Tannenbaum 2012 SBJ & Caccavelli LLC For P S Electric & Gas Co 280 Raritan Center Parkway Edison, NJ 08837 $8,000.68 39.07 1 Zipp & Tannenbaum 2013 SBJ & Caccavelli LLC For P S Electric & Gas Co 280 Raritan Center Parkway 01/10/2017 9  Edison, NJ 08837 $10,734.50 39.08 1 Zipp & Tannenbaum 2015 SBJ & Caccavelli LLC For Public Service Elec & Gas Co 280 Raritan Center Parkway Edison, NJ 08837 $10,226.84 100.08 10 Zipp & Tannenbaum 2013 SBJ & Caccavelli LLC For P S Electric & Gas Co 280 Raritan Center Parkway Edison, NJ 08837 $15,428.58 209 17 Brach Eichler LLC 2012 SBJ And Warren Plaza LLC 101 Eisenhower Parkway Roseland, NJ 07068 $19,253.75 209 17 Brach Eichler LLC 2013 SBJ And Warren Plaza LLC 101 Eisenhower Parkway Roseland, NJ 07068 $19,882.17 209 17 Brach Eichler LLC 2014 SBJ And Warren Plaza LLC 101 Eisenhower Parkway Roseland, NJ 07068 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X Sims X X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 05-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RE-APPOINTMENT OF CITY CLERK WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack needs to re-appoint the City Clerk of the City of Hackensack; and WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Form of Government, N.J.S.A. 40:82-1, et seq; and WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:A:9-133 the Council previously appointed Deborah Karlsson to the position of City Clerk for a term of three (3) years, which commenced as of January 7, 2014; and WHEREAS, Deborah Karlsson has and continues to meet the qualifications and requirements to serve as City Clerk pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:9-133. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack that they hereby find it in the best interest of the City 01/10/2017 10 to re-appointment Deborah Karlsson to the position of City Clerk for a term to commence as of January 7, 2017. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be forwarded to the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Government Service; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Resolution shall take effect pursuant to law. Council Intr Secon Abstai Abse Recuse Member o d Yes No n nt d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrin o X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 06-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PAYMENT OF BILLS BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the bills in the following accounts be and are hereby ordered paid: Current Fund $ 1,073,765.87 Grants 2,541.50 Payroll 3,337,327.28 Public Parking System 40,579.79 Capital 152,867.36 Escrow 45,249.59 Trust Account 434,979.00 Total Expenditures 5,087,310.39 Interfunds/Transfers $6,756,081.83 01/10/2017 11  Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 07-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RENEWAL FOR 2016-2017 TERM FOR LIQUOR LICENSE #0223-33-055-008 WHEREAS, Resolution 441-16 which was passed at the November 22, 2016 Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Council rescinded the renewal of liquor license number 0223-33-055-008 for the 2016-2017 term ; and WHEREAS, the liquor license holder has now received their 12.39 Special Ruling from the State of New Jersey; BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that liquor license #0223-33-055-008 be issued in the City of Hackensack, effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, applicants having complied with the ordinances of the City of Hackensack and any special conditions which may be determined by the City Council, and having paid the required fee. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 08-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING BOARD AND COMMISSION RE-APPOINTMENTS 01/10/2017 12  BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack that the following: CONDOMINIUM AND COOPERATIVE UNIT OWNERS ADVISORY BOARD Re-appointment for the following members: Murray Runin Constance Bovino Marilyn Santiago Thomas Casey William Noonan Edward Lipiner Thomas Lydon Robert Feinberg Annette Jankowski Are hereby re-appointed to a three year term to expire on 12/31/2019. CULTURAL ARTS BOARD Re-appointment of the following member: Shantanya Shaw Is hereby re-appointed to a five year term to expire on 12/31/2021. HACKENSACK MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE Re-appointment for the following members: Andee Post Iris Koonin Thomas Torpey Are hereby re-appointed to a three year term to expire on 12/31/2019 HOUSING AUTHORITY Re-appointment of the following member: Marie Dukes Is hereby re-appointed to a five year term to expire on 12/31/2021 SHADE TREE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Re-appointment for the following members: Joan Sampedro Pedra Del Vecchio Are hereby re-appointed to a three year term to expire on 12/31/2019 LIBRARY BOARD Re-appointment of the following member: Robin Coles Is hereby re-appointed to a five year term to expire on 12/31/2021 PLANNING BOARD Re-appointment of the following member: Fernando Garip (Chairperson) Is hereby re-appointed to a four year term to expire on 12/31/2020 01/10/2017 13 ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT Re-appointment of the following member: George Diana Is hereby re-appointed to a four year term to expire on 12/31/2020 VETERANS ADVISORY BOARD Re-appointment of the following member: Frank Albolino Is hereby re-appointed to a three year term to expire on 12/31/2019 Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 09-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPOINTMENTS FOR CONDOMINIUM AND CO- OPERATIVE ADVISORY BOARD BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack that the following: CONDOMINIUM AND COOPERATIVE UNIT OWNERS ADVISORY BOARD Appointment for the following members: Judith Montelbano Karl Wagenfuhr Ana Viecco Marie Dama Are hereby appointed to a three year term to expire on 12/31/2019. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 10-17 01/10/2017 14  A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING S-2663 AND A-4234 WHEREAS, almost all local units of government and Boards of Education in New Jersey including the City of Hackensack secure insurance through governmental entities known as joint insurance funds (hereinafter JIFs); and WHEREAS, existing law limits JIFs to investments otherwise authorized for local governmental entities and Boards of Education; and WHEREAS, insurance mechanisms such as JIFs have different cash flow needs than local government and Boards of Education; and WHEREAS, existing law greatly limits the potential investment earnings, currently less than 1% on investments of approximately $1 billion; and WHEREAS, S-2663 and A-4234 would permit JIFs to invest in debt obligations of any governmental entity established under the laws of the State of New Jersey and federal agencies or governmental corporations; and WHEREAS, while the range of investments permitted by S-2663 and A-4234 is still very conservative, it would save the taxpayers at least $10 million per year; and WHEREAS, S-2663 and A-4234 would also reduce interest expense for local units of government and Boards of Education by creating an additional purchaser of their bonds; and WHEREAS, S-2663 and A-4234 would also permit JIFs to join together and create a joint investment and cash management program further increasing investment income. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack: 1. Legislature is urged to adopt S-2663 and A-4234 and 2. A copy of this resolution shall be sent to all area legislators as well as the Governor, Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance and the Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 11-17 01/10/2017 15  RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RAFFLE LICENSES BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Hackensack that the following organizations be granted permission to conduct a Raffle in accordance with the applications on file in the office of the City Clerk: RA #2128 Rotary Club of Hackensack Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 12-17 RESOLUTION AWARDING PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT TO CLEARY, GIACOBBE, ALFIERI & JACOBS, LLC AS CITY ATTORNEYS WHEREAS, it has become necessary for the City of Hackensack (“City”) to engage the services of a City Attorney; and WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:11-1 et seq. exempts professional service services from certain requirements of public bidding provided a notice of the appointment be printed in a newspaper of general circulation within the municipality; and WHEREAS, the City did undertake a competitive process to select a Labor Attorney and solicited Requests for Qualifications on November 22, 2016; and WHEREAS, the City has determined that Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri & Jacobs, LLC will be the most advantageous to the City, all relevant factors considered; and WHEREAS, the City has qualified Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri & Jacobs, as City Attorney for the year 2016/2017; and WHEREAS, the City has received a Business Registration Certificate and Stockholder Disclosure from the firm prior to entering into a contract; and WHEREAS, the Chief Financial Officer has prepared and attached a certification of available funds to this resolution. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack that said City Attorney be and is hereby appointed for the year 2016/2017; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that compensation for said City Attorney for the year 2016/2017shall be claimed, approved and paid in the manner set forth in N.J.S.A. 40A:5-18 and pursuant to a professional service agreement to be entered between the parties; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that compensation for the tasks associated with this position will not exceed $15,000 per month for services 01/10/2017 16 as outlined in the Professional Services Agreement, and litigated matters at the rate of $150.00 per hour, as outlined in the Professional Services Agreement, without the written consent of the governing body. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the City, which shall be available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Clerk shall cause a notice of the adoption of this resolution to be printed in a qualified newspaper within ten (10) days after passage hereof. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 13-17 RESOLUTION AWARDING PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT TO McELROY, DEUTSCH, MULVANEY & CARPENTER, LLP AS SPECIAL LITIGATION COUNSEL WHEREAS, it has become necessary for the City of Hackensack (“City”) to engage the services of a Special Litigation Counsel; and WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:11-1 et seq. exempts professional service services from certain requirements of public bidding provided a notice of the appointment be printed in a newspaper of general circulation within the municipality; and WHEREAS, the City did undertake a competitive process to select a Labor Attorney and solicited Requests for Qualifications on July 1, 2016; and WHEREAS, the City has determined that McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP will be the most advantageous to the City, all relevant factors considered; and WHEREAS, the City has qualified McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP as Special Litigation Counsel for the year 2016/2017; and WHEREAS, the City has received a Business Registration Certificate and Stockholder Disclosure from the firm prior to entering into a contract; and WHEREAS, the Chief Financial Officer has prepared and attached a certification of available funds to this resolution. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack that said Special Litigation Counsel be and is hereby appointed for the year 2016/2017; and 01/10/2017 17  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that compensation for said Special Litigation Counsel for the year 2016/2017 shall be claimed, approved and paid in the manner set forth in N.J.S.A. 40A:5-18 and pursuant to a professional service agreement to be entered between the parties; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that compensation for the tasks associated with this position will be paid according to submitted fee schedule. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the City, which shall be available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Clerk shall cause a notice of the adoption of this resolution to be printed in a qualified newspaper within ten (10) days after passage hereof. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 14-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES – LSRP SERVICES – PARKING LOT ADJACENT TO JOHNSON PARK WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack requires engineering services for a preliminary assessment related to LSRP services for the parking lot adjacent to Johnson Park; and WHEREAS, the City solicited a Request for Proposal regarding said services from Boswell McClave Engineering; and WHEREAS, it was determined that the proposal from Boswell McClave Engineering was most advantageous to the City based on cost, experience and specific knowledge of this particular project. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack, County of Bergen, as follows: 1. Boswell McClave Engineering of 330 Phillips Ave. South Hackensack, NJ 07606 is hereby awarded a contract in the amount not to exceed $4,000 for a preliminary assessment related to LSRP services for the parking lot adjacent to Johnson Park, in accordance with the proposal attached thereof. 2. A Certification of Funds has been prepared and authorized by the Chief Financial Officer for the said contract assuring that there is a sufficient appropriation to fund the purchases authorized in this resolution as an express and mandatory condition of the award of this contract. 3. The Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to sign the contract documents necessary to effectuate the award of this contract. The 01/10/2017 18  City Attorney shall review any and all contractual documents prepared in furtherance of this award. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 15-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF AN ORDER OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORIZATION AND DESIGNATION OF AN ACTING MUNICIPAL COURT ADMINISTRATOR AND ENABLING CONSENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF HACKENSACK AND THE TOWNSHIP OF SOUTH HACKENSACK. WHEREAS, the Honorable Bonnie J. Mizdol, A.J.S.C., has issued a judicial directive, in furtherance of the Court’s efforts to secure seamless and continuous accessibility to a Bergen Vicinage Municipal Court Administrator during the Court’s implementation of Criminal Justice Reform, that requires Bergen County municipalities to appoint on a provisional basis an Acting Municipal Court Administrator to undertake court duties when the Municipal Court Administrator is out on a scheduled or unscheduled leave of absence; and WHEREAS, the judicial directive requires that the Administrator provisionally appointed as an Acting Municipal Court Administrator must be a Municipal Court Administrator in another Bergen County municipal court, who is fully accredited with certification in good standing; and WHEREAS, the judicial directive further requires that all judicial officers exercising the functions of the Acting Municipal Court Administrator shall sign documents as “Acting Municipal Court Administrator”; and WHEREAS, the judicial directive further requires that the Acting Municipal Court Administrator shall be bonded or insured against loss and misappropriation of public funds by the sending municipality; and WHEREAS, the judicial directive further provides that, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 2B:12- 10(b), the Acting Municipal Court Administrator shall be paid at a rate established by the judge but not exceeding the rate established for the Municipal Court Administrator; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the Uniformed Shared Services and Consolidation Act (the “Shared Services Act”), N.J.S.A. 40A:65-1 et seq., the Township may enter into an agreement with any other local unit or units to provide or receive any services that each local unit participating in the agreement is empowered to provide or receive within its own jurisdiction, including services incidental to the proper purposes of any of the participating local units; and WHEREAS, in accordance with the aforementioned judicial directive and the Shared Services Act, the City of Hackensack is desirous of partnering with the Township of South Hackensack to execute a consent agreement to share the professional services of their respective Municipal Court Administrator on a provisional basis to undertake the duties of the absent Municipal Court Administrator during scheduled and/or unscheduled leaves, within the two (2) respective municipalities; and WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack and the Township of South Hackensack have agreed to compensate the Acting Municipal Court Administrator at a rate of $35.45/per hour. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and City Council of the City of Hackensack, in the County of Bergen, State of New Jersey, that the above-referenced consent agreement with the Township of South Hackensack is hereby approved, with such changes as may be necessary to effectuate the purposes of this Resolution to fully comply with the judicial directive issued by the Honorable Bonnie J. Mizdol, A.J.S.C.; and 01/10/2017 19  BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor, the City Clerk, the City Manager, the City Attorney, and any other necessary official, officer or employee of the City of Hackensack be and they are hereby authorized to execute any and all documents and to take any and all actions necessary to complete and realize the intent and purpose of this Resolution and the above-referenced judicial directive, including, but not limited to, the execution of the Consent Agreement with the Township of South Hackensack and Order of Provisional Authority for the Position of Acting Municipal Court Administrator. Public Comment A motion to open the meeting to the public was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino and seconded by Councilman Battaglia. Caitlin Doran – Outreach Coordinator for Hackensack Riverkeeper – Hackensack Riverkeeper is a clean water advocacy agency based in Hackensack on Main Street and I am here tonight to commend the City of Hackensack on a healthy environment and a healthy river and to sing the praises of the Clean Communities Department and its coordinators Greg Liosi and Frank Borelli. I have been the volunteer coordinator for two and half years now and in that time we have made an effort to get more involved with the city. I know I don’t have to tell you that clean water is good and litter is bad... bad for business, bad for infrastructure and especially bad for oceans and bays. There was a study which said by 2050 the amount of plastic pound for pound will outnumber the amount of fish in the ocean. Anything we can do upstream is not only necessary but is also our responsibility and Greg and Frank really get that. They have been a huge help in our river clean-up program securing a small grant for each time we do a clean-up in the city of Hackensack. They secured funds for a litter patrol canoe which we will take up and down the river to clean up as much trash we can get. It is because of partnerships like the one we have with the city and Clean Communities that we were able to mobilize a thousand volunteers to clean up 39,000 pounds of trash. It is a great thing to say on the heels of our twentieth anniversary. I just wanted to commend you guys and thank Greg and Frank. We look forward to a great 2017. Mayor Labrosse – Thank you to Riverkeeper and everyone involved with the program. The Council is committed to working to clean up that river. I think good things are in the future for it. We just received a grant for $700,000 for a kayak launch which will be wonderful for educating people on the river and keeping it clean. We are proud to be a river front community. We look at it as an asset. Rich Cerbo – Spring Valley Avenue – Hackensack - $700,000 for a kayak launch? You can launch one there right now. It seems like a lot of money. I am not trying to criticize the program but it seems absolutely outrageous. Also, this story that is circulating around about our two DPW employees is sort of a shock. I read the story and I know that our City Manager has taken the best approach. When there is a court case, there is usually a character witness who can vouch for the character of those accused of things. I’d like to say now that those two guys Jesse and Tony are two of the best guys I know. They have been working for the city for a long time and would do anything for anybody and I would like to stand up for those two guys. However this turns out, I am standing up for those guys and wanted to say that in public. I always look out for those at the bottom. Let’s talk about the poor. I think it was Oscar Wilde who said the only class who worries about money other than the rich are the poor. That is all they can think about – the misery of poverty. I have not heard it mentioned once since we have been on this roller coaster ride of luxury apartments. It is all for those at the top. Also, Pope Francis recently spoke about poverty in his own way and mentioned a glass of water. Some see it as half full or half empty but the Pope mentioned the glass of water as a metaphor for poverty and he said 01/10/2017 20 when the glass is full and overflows, that overflow goes to the poor. The only problem is those at the top with lots of wealth will increase the size of that glass so it doesn’t overflow. That is a problem and I am adamant about mentioning those at the bottom. How is our affordable housing going? Where are the apartments that those in town can afford? Last thing is I want to know how the Cultural Center is going? Is there a date yet? Spring? Thanks. Richard Salkin – Hackensack – When you say personnel and your engineers go in the back, it doesn’t hold water. I see Mr. Reiner there. You are only supposed to hold executive session for certain topics. Words matter. We got this holiday greeting from the Council and I read what you put out. I saw the message from the Mayor about two out of three homeowners seeing stable property taxes. I guess I can read it to say we implemented a property reevaluation where two out of three homeowners seeing stable or higher taxes. We delivered the first cut in the tax rate in ten years… which I guess is true but ten years ago with the last reevaluation; it went from $5.00 to $1.99 rate where as yours only dropped 17 cents. It is all prospective and words. Words matter. I want to talk again to the Deputy Mayor about the developer’s agreement with the Medical Center. The last time we discussed it you said Mr. Mangin gave his blessing to it and you invited me to speak to him about it. I contacted Mr. Mangin and he said he didn’t do any work up, he saw that the prior CFO Tammy had not calculated the ratio correctly and we may have overcharged the Medical Center. That is all he told me he did but you were right about something. I admire that you are taking ownership of this and standing up for the Council. It was a terrible deal and I took your words to heart, I have common sense and I can’t possibly have accurate numbers that the loss to the city was $16 to $20 million dollars. You were right. I went to a CPA who is also a Certified Municipal Finance Officer and also a Certified School Finance Officer and also an auditor throughout the state. He did a work up and said my numbers were wrong… it is $23 million dollars that the city is losing. Again, I don’t know what happened. You were an inexperienced Council and you didn’t have a lawyer representing you. Scrivo was conflicted out. You were listening to Troast and Carlson about the agreement. I remember when asked at a meeting in May 2015 about who represented the city, nobody responded. Again, it’s never going to be a good deal and any spin you put on it, it’s not there. $23 million dollars – own up to it. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Canestrino – I am happy you took the opportunity to speak with the CFO and I am happy that you understand where the errors were in the calculation so if you continue to use those numbers as projections then all of your data is incorrect because those numbers are incorrect and the basis for that escalation is incorrect. As far as present value calculation, I know you believe in present value calculation because I’ve seen documents relating to you that use present value calculation. So why you would chose not to use present value calculation here is kind of a little disturbing. We stand behind the facts and the data that has been presented numerous times by our CFO. We stand behind our good relationship with the Medical Center and the agreements that have been made. Thank you. Regina DiPasqua – Parker Avenue – Hackensack – Mr. Ehrenburg, our sanitation and DPW did a decent job with the snow and fortunately it was not a lot. However, the Nixle went out at 10:20 in the morning about enforcing parking. Somebody called the police department about parking on Washington Avenue at 12:30 and the police told them it was discretionary. The ordinance says no parking when the road is snow covered. The Nixle went out. Does HPD get the Nixles? Did they get the memo that no parking needs to be enforced when it snows? City Manager – I had this conversation with the woman who lives on Washington Avenue and I will speak with the police department and we will come to an understanding. 01/10/2017 21 Ms. DiPasqua continued – It is never discretionary. I went through this a few years ago with another police officer. Traffic doesn’t work on weekends so the enforcement falls on patrol and it is not normally their job. There are a whole bunch of gaps. When do you enforce an ordinance? Always. Speaking of the police department, the blue line is a dead issue and it is not because it was illegal, because we didn’t know that, it is because our clergy poo-poo-ed it and didn’t want it but we have done nothing. No coffee with a cop, nothing to show appreciation for the police. I think that is abominable. You said you were thinking of doing something else and it didn’t happen. What are we waiting for? Yesterday was national law enforcement day. Something should have happened. We got another letter from Appraisal Systems. Last year we got a letter and our assessed value went down $5,000 so my taxes went down slightly. Now, no changes and nothing different, my assessed value has gone up $11,000. Why? We did nothing. It’s like we give you a break for a year and we are going to sock it to you the next year. This says my new assessment rate is before the budget increase. The taxes are going up again. I don’t care two out of three whatever. Are you appraising lowering some people just to appease them and then raising them again? Do you know how many foreclosures are in my neighborhood or in Hackensack? I went on the Sheriff’s website and there are 77 open in Hackensack. That is a fair number. People cannot afford to live here. I did no improvements on my home. I did nothing except live here. The rate is going to go up because the budget is going to increase. How can you say you are lowering taxes? I don’t get it. Is there any explanation on that? You are putting the burden on the tax payer. City Manager – I have listened to this complaint from another resident just the other day and as I explained, I do not have an immediate answer because I have no documentation in front of me. I also explained that residents have the option to go speak to our tax assessor or they can contest their taxes, which is obviously their right. Why did they change from one period to another? The city hires an outside company. That is the system and the process that we are using. My suggestion is you make an appointment with Art or contest your taxes and we will get an answer. We are not disagreeing with you but there is a process of how to solve problems. Mayor Labrosse – I got the same letter and there is a number on there to call if you have an issue with it. Mine went up and I’m calling too. Deputy Mayor – The tax rate is lower than last year which was 3.378 and we do not know if your taxes will go up but they may not if the tax rate dropped enough to comparatively make that change. Think about it – when the tax rate drops it is because the overall value of people’s homes has increased throughout the city. That is something we want. We want our homes to appreciate in value. That doesn’t necessarily translate to an increase in taxes. If everything goes up and the tax rate drops to compensate for that, there would be no increase in taxes, just that your property has appreciated which is something we all want to happen. I agree that there is a process but do not make that jump to say automatically that you are going to get a tax increase. Last year was the first and full assessment that we did here in quite a while. There was a shift from residential to commercial because of all the tax appeals, primarily by the large commercial influx. That was a stabilization. What we are committed to with the Local Finance Board is to keep our equalization ratio as close to 100% as possible to avoid getting back into a $30 million dollar tax hole. So yes, you will see violability the value of the home as the market changes. I would call and pose all the questions and follow the process but I just want to explain to you that is does not necessarily mean an increase in your taxes. Paul Nickels – Hackensack – Happy New Year! Thank you again for everything with Stigma Free. If you haven’t gotten it, I have newer resource guides and the main thing that it has is the Project Homeless Connect on January 25 01/10/2017 22 over at the Housing and Community Services Center. Every year HUD does a national homeless count which helps fund the center and programs. I am going to continue this year to try to meet with Anthony at Housing and maybe the City Manager can follow up on that too. He was going to add to the website the link that we all thought was good about homeless prevention. I also emailed you the tool-kit for the Bergen County Stigma Free. We have done a lot of good and talking about this kind of stuff is what it is all about. Thank you. Josephine Nicolacco – Polifly Road - Rose Garden Condos – Hackensack – I am the President of the small condo association for the Rose Garden Condos where I have been since 1986. We have never encountered this problem and this is why I am here to discuss it. Our building is a corner building and one side houses eight families on Mary Street and the other side is Polifly Road. I have a two bedroom condo on Mary Street. Over the past thirty years, I have rented out the other room to friends and they have never had a problem parking on Mary Street. They get a sticker proving they are a resident and they had no problem parking on the street. On Polifly Road there are only six units. In our by-laws, it stipulates that when the condo association was made, even though we have 14 units, they only allowed 13 spaces to park in our lot. That is all the town inspectors allowed. As a result, it stipulates that only one unit does not have a place to park. That is Unit 2 on 207 Polifly Road. I am the president of the association and I have never heard anybody complain about parking cars up until now. This year a new tenant moved in. She is a nurse. She had her car towed away and ticketed because she parked in Hackensack where she lives. We have no space for her to park. There is nothing we can do. We can’t build a space in the air. How can a resident of Hackensack have nowhere to park a car? Her car is now in storage. I have no solution. I spoke with traffic enforcement and they told me if you are on a side street you will get a parking sticker for your car. I don’t need it because I have a space in the lot. If you are on Polifly which is a major road, you can’t get one. I understand that but there is no allowance. Where is she supposed to park her car? I called the town and I called the police and they told me to come here. The town did not allow us to put another space in the lot. The town has to come up with somewhere for her to park. Put yourself in her shoes. Where is she supposed to park? I am asking for an exception. City Manager – Josephine and I have spoken on the phone and I explained to her that I would do the research and come up with an option. Obviously it was her option to come to the meeting and approach the Council. The problem is that she called on behalf of the tenant and tenant was informed upon leasing the unit that there was no parking available in the lot. So the person knew right up front that there was no parking for them on site. Now she is claiming that the resident should have a street sticker. The problem that we have is that her address is on Polifly. There are even larger buildings on Polifly Road which do not permit for people to park on the street. I tried to find other options but because her address is Polifly that’s the problem. I spoke with the traffic division and they confirmed that the police department is very strict on this ordinance because once we make one exception; we will have to make exceptions for the hundreds of people who live at 100 Polifly that has no parking. We have never made an exception. I tried to explain over the phone that this is not easily done because once we make the gesture to one person we need to do it for all. When this person rented the unit, they knew there was no parking on site for them. If this Council grants a waiver, they will have to stand here with a room full of people from 100 Polifly, an even larger building, looking for an exception for them. Ms. Nicolacco continued – 100 Polifly has their own parking lot and they have room there for everyone to park in the lot. This lady has nowhere to park in the lot and she lives in Hackensack so she should have right to park somewhere. Since it is one building, it is the same Block and Lot for the whole building even though she is on Polifly. She should be allowed to park 01/10/2017 23 on Berry Street which is around the corner. Just have human common sense. I have been in real estate for thirty years and all those high rises have parking lots for their people. Unfortunately we only have one person without a spot and I don’t think it would be a big deal to make an exception for one person who has nowhere to park. How do you have people living in Hackensack with no place to park? Mayor Labrosse – The building was built in 1964 and they gave you 13 spots for 14 units and the city wouldn’t allow you to have any more. I don’t know if that is fact or not, I’d have to see the original zoning or planning board documents, but the restrictions on parking have changed through the years on required spaces per unit per one bedroom, two bedroom, etc. Today’s requirements are different than in 1964. We will need to have a discussion to see if there is any feasible way. We have to watch what can of worms we open. I can give you a hundred apartments in New York that have no parking. That’s what happens. I can show you two family houses with no drive way. I will speak with the City Manager but I can’t guarantee you anything. We will do some homework and discuss this. City Manager – I tried to explain this in detail but we are not making an exception for one person. She rented the apartment knowing that there was no site parking. You can’t assume that there will be street parking. Chris Coli – Hackensack – I had to make a stop at the M&M Building on Monday after the snow storm. There is no requirement that those residents can leave their car there snow covered for more than a few days? I think they have to move them after a certain amount of time. They made it their personal parking lot. When I was there someone was changing the oil on their car. I notified Recreation to have the car towed out. I see that the city is going to build 110 parking spaces for Johnson Park. Last time I asked a question about the parking I was told we were renting parking from FDU for one dollar. I was told we had plenty of parking, now I see we don’t. For this I see we are building 110 for the dome, and the other park we sold off the parking lot which was used more than Johnson Park. I guess the out of town soccer leagues will have plenty of room to park at the dome. You have illegal parking spaces on State Street so now in front of 248 State Street you put a whole row of parking spaces and no meters in front of the Cultural Center there are six spots there. The guys park at the end right at the turn and they are there all day. Now you are making spots on the street for them when they are supposed to be parking in the parking garage. The Cultural Center you are building seating for 252 people so if you just have half of those people come by car where are they going to park? That apartment building rents that parking garage at night for parking. The other question is – another town is building like what we are on Ward Street. They are putting in more parking spaces than are required. We are not even building the basic minimum. I don’t understand why we don’t require two spots per unit. Fran Reiner – City Planner – Regarding Atlantic Street, there are spaces currently that are on State Street in front of the Arts Center which will be metered in the future. The vehicles that are parked there now are the construction vehicles that are with the building itself. When performances occur, there is a 224 seat theater at maximum capacity. Across the street from Atlantic Street is a 400 space parking structure. 120 spaces are being rented by Cappadaglia, leaving over 280 spaces that will be available for performances on nights and weekends if all the Cappadaglia spaces were being used. There is plenty of parking for events at the Arts Center with the existing garage. Regarding Johnson Park, we are looking at 89 spaces in the existing lot and there was a grant application for an additional 110 spaces which would be used for not only the existing facilities but also for the future dome. Right not the parking at Johnson Park is actually not city property. It is actually owned by the owner of the Sear’s lot. That lot is being used by residents that are using Johnson Park and it is not actually a municipal lot. As for Lot C, I believe the statement was that there will be development 01/10/2017 24 occurring on that lot. That lot is actually over used at the moment. There are 544 parking spaces, there are less than 150 spaces that are being rented through the Police Department with tags on a monthly basis. Most of those are through Eastwick College. As a part of the redevelopment plan, a 200 parking space minimum would be required to support both the existing office users but also the Ice House, which doesn’t currently lease spaces but uses that lot essentially for free. What the city wants to do as part of the redevelopment process is to make sure the Ice House is supported which is a part of why those 200 spaces would be required. In regards to Ward Street, we have Lot E which is 131 parking spaces. We had the Police Department do an assessment of that lot to determine the actual use. One part is how many tags are being sold and how many spaces are being used. The lot is actually 100% being leased. Someone is paying monthly to be in that lot. Through analysis we have found out it ranges from 40 to 70 available parking spaces in that lot at any given time. It is never full. There is plenty of parking over there as well. We know there is a lot of data that I can’t convey all here tonight but the state statute has a standard; RSIS Residential Site Improvement Standard which encourages certain ratios. 1.8 spaces for a one bedroom and 2 spaces for a two bedroom, 2.1 spaces for a three bedroom. When you look at cities and municipalities in Bergen County, the parking ratios are significantly lower. We have established a parking ratio of 1.25 spaces per unit. Many people say that is not enough but the data suggests it is more than enough. Jersey City has residential development that requires zero parking spaces. You are not permitted to build a parking space on a redevelopment site in parts of Jersey City. All data available and the biggest survey that we rely on is a NJIT study that talks about parking ratios and the reality of what is required is a 1 to 1.25 ratio. Our city has established a 1.25 ratio in our redevelopment area. Mayor Labrosse – One thing I agree with Mr. Coli, those cars should not be parking in that lot for days with snow on top of them. We can’t plow that lot unless the cars are moved. Maybe we should put some signage up. That lot should be treated because what if we have an emergency and use that building as a shelter? It’s a city lot and it cannot be used to store cars especially during snow storms. Kathleen Salvo – Hudson Street – Hackensack – Again, its enforcement. Chris is right. They should have been towed if they remain there too long but the residents are allowed to park there when it snows because they need to get off the streets. According to the calendar, there is garbage pick-up on Martin Luther King Day. Because we only have garbage pick-up once a week, it would have sat there for eight days so it’s a good thing it is being picked up. When you went into closed session, you said personnel and I saw Boswell Engineering and our Project Manager go in. Didn’t anyone know why? Were they there for personnel? Because that is what you said. City Manager – No, it was not just personnel. It could be about engineering or contractual issues. Ms. Salvo continued - We need that to be stated. Don’t try to tell us something that is not. You said personnel to get us off your back but it was not personnel. City Manager – I think the new city attorney said he was new and this was his first meeting. It takes a little while to get your feet underneath you. Ms. Salvo – Parking is a problem in Hackensack. This Cultural Center has always been. The way Fran fudges these parking spaces… there should be no parking in front of that building. That is a turning lane, there is an arrow. He satisfied the handicapped parking there. There should be no parking on State Street. It’s a traffic lane. This poor woman looking for a parking space, we are going to have this problem with all these new places. We are not realistic on the parking spaces. That brings me back to parking at the M&M 01/10/2017 25 Building which we all came to talk to you last month about. Thank you for listening to us all before you make a decision. It is not fair that the Council makes decisions without hearing the flip side of the point. Because we were able to give our input about Stigma Free, I think the outcome was much better. That is what is happening about M&M. Nobody was told about the M&M expansion. The only way they knew was when they saw a piece of machinery there on site and everybody got nervous. This building is max. Mayor Labrosse – That thing has been in the newspaper for over a year now. It has been bought up in this Council meeting for over a year. People have been calling it Dave’s basketball court and Leo’s soccer dome for over a year. You can’t tell me nobody in town knew about it. There were renderings put out for people to see. Fran had them and presented them. Ms. Salvo – People don’t read the newspapers or come to the meetings and it was talked about but no one said how big it was or the impact it would have on the neighborhood. Had it been anywhere it would have gone through Planning Board or a Zoning Board at which time people within 200 feet would have been notified. They did not know it was going to have such a big impact. It is municipal parking lot, it is not just the M&M Building. It was given to the church to alleviate the congestion from masses. It was given to the Cultural Art Building. It was given to the school. I was at that meeting. Parking is a problem. Mayor Labrosse – When there is an event at that building, they need the parking. It was originally built with that parking lot. Ms. Salvo continued – It is a municipal parking lot just like we use other municipal lots for schools and have people pay to park. This parking lot has been used to alleviate congestion. We cannot put two full sized basketball courts with stadium seating. Fran Reiner – I believe we have over 300 seats for people to be seated in for the facility. Ms. Salvo continued – We are bringing 300 people and that parking lot cannot accommodate that. Mayor Labrosse – We are working on a parking solution. Lance Powell – Golf Place – Hackensack – Wonderful job on the paving. Do you have any idea when you will be paving Maple Hill Drive? Deputy Mayor – The list is in the works. As soon as we have more information we will let you know. Mayor – What the Council has asked of the Manager is a plan on what streets and when because a lot of residents want to know about their streets. Lance Powell continued – I read about the blue line this week and I knew it was controversial but I want to commend the Council on the stance you took on it. There are other ways to find to honor our police officers. The decision you made turned out to be the right decision. Keep up the good job you are doing. We hope we can move Hackensack in the right direction for 2017. A lot of work was done last year and we will continue to work together as a community to keep making Hackensack a better place. No one else wished to speak. A motion to close the meeting to the public was offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino and seconded by Councilman Sims. Council Comments 01/10/2017 26 Councilman Battaglia – The only thing I can say about the sports facility for the kids is that many towns around us are building facilities to keep the kids busy. My father used to say a healthy mind, a healthy body. We have to improve the area and supply more building and places where the kids can be under some kind of supervision. Some people complain and say we need more parking. We are working on the parking situation. Happy New Year! Thank you for coming tonight! Deputy Mayor Canestrino – Happy New Year to everyone! As far as Stigma Free goes, this is just a bump in the road. We will have the ordinance done and we commend the committee for their efforts. We want to see that continue. I think it’s a good idea to have the committee review this and get back to us with their comments. There were a number of board appointments tonight on the agenda. A lot of folks were reappointed and there were a few new board members. I know we are still looking for more members. We have a couple inquiries that we have received. Check our website and if there are openings you are interested in, we are happy to hear from you. Congratulations Debbie on three years here with us. We wish you continued success. We welcome Steve, our city attorney. As for M&M parking, we are not ready to share information yet, but this is hot on our list and we are looking to make change and handle the existing parking problems in that area. We are avidly working on it and once we have something to share, we will be happy to do so. Thanks for coming. Councilman Sims – Last Saturday was opening day for Recreation basketball. We only got to play until 1PM due to the snow. Hopefully this week we will try again. As mentioned, yesterday was Nation Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. I want to thank the officers of the city for all their service. I also want to thank the firemen and the EMTs, the teachers, and the city workers for all they do for the city. The Fellowship of Black Churches is having a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 16 at noon at Mt. Olive Baptist Church. I want to wish everyone a happy new year. See you at the next meeting! Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis – I’m sorry Mr. Cerbo left but at the last meeting I mentioned my frustration with the Council not having any leverage in the creation of affordable housing. I’ll have to talk with him at a later time. We met with Carolyn Heir. She works with SPAN of New Jersey who deals with children with autism. She is the mother of an autistic child. We had a meeting with the City Manager, Captain Aquila, Tina, and she wanted to make the police department aware of a registry of autistic individuals so if anything ever happened the police have something to refer to. She is just very concerned so we don’t have a situation like what happened in Florida with an autistic gentleman and his aide and a police officer. She offered some different training for the police so hopefully that will come about. There are some winter events for the Cultural Arts which will take place at 39 Broadway. The first is on Martin Luther King Day it will be a Youth Speak from 4 to 6PM targeting middle and high school ages. We want them to come and speak about how they feel about the town or whatever. We just want to start a dialogue with the youth. January 21, 28 and February 4 th we have some open mics. We will have a live band there and some featured vocalists who live here in town. We are going to have a comic open mic on the 26th. On the 25th we are partnering with the high school and the county family services and we will have our first LGBTQT forum. We just want to outreach to as many individuals as possible in the town. We will have a documentary Thirteen which deals with the thirteenth amendment. February we will have a poetry slam. We will be posting the events on the Cultural Arts Facebook and website. I hope you come out and enjoy the events. Thanks and have a good night! Mayor Labrosse - I want to congratulate the clerk on her tenure. We appreciate everything you do. I too would like to thank our police, fire, and EMS. They always have my support. I want to address something Mr. Cerbo 01/10/2017 27 said about helping the less fortunate. He used the word poor; ill use the words less fortunate. It doesn’t mean you don’t have money. There are other things we do for people... buildings for the seniors and for the kids. The city has a lot of less fortunate children. I’ve coached here for years. Dave has coached for years, Leo too. Debbie has taught here. You see families from all different walks of life and they need a place to go. They need structure, coaching, people to look over them instead of becoming a statistic. That is part of our job. I was a youth sports coach for over fifteen years. I’m sure I have saved some lives. I know I’ve lost some. It tears me up to think maybe if they had been kept off the streets. Our seniors, when you go to these events, it’s packed. The events for them are wonderful. The bus trip this year was a great success. These are things communities should be doing for their people, especially the less fortunate. We are attacking that as well with our redevelopment. We are putting people on our streets in our downtown with a tremendous amount of rateables which in the long run will pay dividends to every citizen by lowering their taxes while raising the value of their property. As the Deputy Mayor said, that is a good thing especially if you keep the taxes level and maybe even drop. We are helping the less fortunate by trying to stabilize the taxes, keep it at a level pace. Did some people go up this year? I did but there are people whose taxes went down. There are opponents of ours whose taxes went down which they will never come up here and say. I am a firm believer in what we are doing for the kids in this community and the seniors. We are going to address the parking by the M&M Building but we also need to come to terms with who is allowed to use that lot. I want to request the City Manager find out the exact definition of that lot because it was bought up tonight that it was a municipal lot or if there is a written agreement with the church. It needs to be addressed. I want to wish everyone a happy new year! We are going back into closed session for the same reasons as before – engineering, planning issues having to do with stuff discussed tonight. Have a safe trip home. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 10:55 p.m. Approved by Mayor and Council on January 24, 2017. _____________________________________ Mayor John P. Labrosse, Jr. ______________________________________ Deputy Mayor Kathleen Canestrino ______________________________________ Councilman Leonardo Battaglia ______________________________________ Councilman David Sims Deborah Karlsson, City Clerk ______________________________________ Councilwoman Deborah Keeling-Geddis 01/10/2017 28 01/10/2017 29