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, February 14, 2017 at 8:09 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- Black History Month: Mark Green and Nate Young Presentation – DEP Green Acres Grant for Foschini Park Public Hearing (Pete Blanos from Millennium Strategies) Pete Blanos – The goal of this grant is to rehabilitate the baseball fields at Foschini Park and add some improvements to make it a better amenity. It concerns Field 1 and Field 7. Both would undergo a complete renovation as they both currently suffer from drainage issues. With respect to the funding, the total cost of the project is $800,000. Under this program, municipalities are eligible to apply for different amounts of funding and Hackensack is eligible to apply for a 75% grant and 25% loan to fund the project. We are submitting a $600,000 grant request and then a $200,000 0% interest loan which is repayable over twenty years. From the date of the award, the city will have two years to implement the project. Mayor Labrosse – Will the Field 1 drainage fix help with the drainage issues in the playground area? Pete responded that Field 1 has the worst drainage issues and I think when it is fixed it will bring the entire facility up to grade so that the flooding issues are eliminated. Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis – How long will this take? Pete responded that the State lists May 1, 2017 as the project start date. That is when we would be notified. The construction project start date would probably be sometime in the summer so that you would not interfere with baseball. There will probably be a start date after July 4 as well so that won’t interfere. Deputy Mayor – From a financial standpoint, is there a matching requirement for the $600,000? Is it an all or nothing thing? Can they come back and say we will only contribute $300,000 towards it? Pete responded that the $600,000 is an outright grant. We are most likely within the confines of a project they will fully fund. Mayor Labrosse – I think it’s a great idea. The field is well deserving of lights. It looks like it will definitely enhance the park especially if we take care of the drainage issues. Carolyn Davis – Hackensack – If the grant is not 100% complete, what payments would go to the taxpayers to cover this? Mayor Labrosse responded saying $600,000 will be paid by the grant. We would have to borrow the $200,000 at zero interest from Green Acres which comes out to about $10,000 a year for the next 20 years. 02/14/2017 1 Toni Haverty – Hackensack – Had anyone looked into the possibility of the advantages and disadvantages of artificial turf for those fields? There is a lot of bird poop that an artificial field would eliminate. Pete Blanos responded when they initially looked at this application we did not look into field turf. It was always intended as a natural grass surfacing. The City Manager mentioned that a turf field would cost a lot more money. Chris Coli – Hackensack – I think it is a wonderful idea but of course we cut the parking down to 200. Years ago we tried to raise the field level and the state of NJ noted that it is a wetland. When they went to put the field lighting in, they had to bring in pumps. To put in drainage, where is it going? The river? This sounds wonderful but I don’t see it working. Dave Dungey – Hackensack – I just wanted to bring to the attention that after July 1, summer camp runs in that field and there are 90 to 100 kids. What will happen to that? Mayor Labrosse replied that the kids would probably have to use a different part of the park. Approval of Minutes – A motion to approve the C.O.W Meeting Minutes from January 24, 2017 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 January 24, 2017 was offered by Councilman Battaglia, seconded by Deputy Mayor Canestrino and approved by Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Canestrino, Councilman Battaglia, Councilman Sims and Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. City Manager’s Report The DPW and Sanitation Departments did a job well done during the February 9, 2017 snow storm. 3,000 gallons of brine were used to help keep the streets clear. It helps to prevent the snow from sticking. It doesn’t cost a lot of money. While we continue to improve the snow cleaning situation, there were some parking issues that PD will have to address. Overall, the streets were passable and we got a lot of compliments on the efforts. Black History Month Celebration for senior citizens will be at the Rec Center on February 23 at 11:30 AM. The Midtown Bridge replacement has come up. The rehabilitation of the bridge will close the bridge to pedestrians and cars around the beginning of March for removal and they will work on the new bridge around mid- March. I have no actual dates of the work but we will keep you updated. City Manager 2016 Year End Report Slideshow Larry Eisen – Hackensack – I admire the City Manager for being so comprehensive but maybe next time just have the highlights and the written report can be handed out. What is going on with the bridge adjacent to Sears? I was wondering about putting Maple Hill Drive on your streets to look into for paving. There are a lot of pot holes. Mayor Labrosse – That Bridge by Sears is a County issue. We have asked them about it. You would have to change the bus routes and it’s complicated. 02/14/2017 2 Resolutions 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. 32-17 FINAL ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 01-2017, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING PART II ENTITLED “GENERAL LEGISLATION,” CHAPTER 170 ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC” OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK MUNICIPAL CODE TO AMEND SECTION 49.2 ENTITLED “PARKING FOR THE HANDICAPPED” 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 – No one wished to speak. Motion offered by Deputy Mayor Canestrino and seconded by Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis that the public hearing be closed. BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hackensack, County of Bergen and State of New Jersey, that Ordinance No. 01-2017 has passed its second and final reading and is hereby adopted. CITY OF HACKENSACK ORDINANCE NO. 01-2017 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING PART II ENTITLED “GENERAL LEGISLATION,” CHAPTER 170 ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC” OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK MUNICIPAL CODE TO AMEND SECTION 49.2 ENTITLED “PARKING FOR THE HANDICAPPED” WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2, the governing body of a municipality may make, amend, repeal, and enforce such other ordinances, regulations, rules and by-laws not contrary to the laws of this state or of the United States, as it may deem necessary and proper for the good of government, order and protection of person and property, and for the preservation of the public health, safety and welfare of the municipality and its inhabitants, and as may be necessary to carry into effect the powers and duties conferred and imposed by this subtitle, or by any law; and WHEREAS, the City wishes to amend Chapter 170 entitled “Vehicles and Traffic,” Section 49.2 entitled “Parking for the Handicapped”; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds it in the City’s best interest to make this change. 02/14/2017 3  NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK, as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter 170 entitled, “Vehicles and Traffic” is amended as to Section 49.2 entitled “Parking for the handicapped” is amended such that The City of Hackensack Municipal Code, Part II entitled “General Legislation,” states: §170-49.2. Parking for the handicapped. ... E. Designation of parking areas. In accordance with this chapter, the following three (3) locations shall provide parking for the physically handicapped: Parking Lot or Street Side Location/Number of Handicapped Parking Spaces 244 First Street East One space - From a point 66 feet south of the south/east curb line apex of First Street and High Street to a point 22 feet south thereof Section 2: This Ordinance shall take effect upon passage, adoption, and publication in the manner prescribed by law. Introduced: January 24, 2017 Adopted: February 14, 2017 Council Intr Secon Abstai Recuse Member o d Yes No n Absent d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 33-17 INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 02-2017, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING PART II ENTITLED “GENERAL LEGISLATION,” CHAPTER 170 ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC” OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK MUNICIPAL CODE TO AMEND SECTION 49.2 ENTITLED “PARKING FOR THE HANDICAPPED” BE IT RESOLVED that the above ordinance, being Ordinance 02-2017 02/14/2017 4 as introduced, does now pass on first reading and that said Ordinance shall be considered for final passage at a meeting to be held on February 28, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter can be reached at the regular meeting place of the City Council and at such time and place all persons interested be given an opportunity to be heard concerning said Ordinance and that the City Clerk be and she is hereby authorized and directed to publish said ordinance according to law with a notice of its introduction and passage on first reading and of the time and place when and where said ordinance will be further considered for final passage. CITY OF HACKENSACK ORDINANCE NO. 02-2017 AN ORDINANCE AMENDING PART II ENTITLED “GENERAL LEGISLATION,” CHAPTER 170 ENTITLED “VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC” OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK MUNICIPAL CODE TO AMEND SECTION 49.2 ENTITLED “PARKING FOR THE HANDICAPPED” WHEREAS, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:48-2, the governing body of a municipality may make, amend, repeal, and enforce such other ordinances, regulations, rules and by-laws not contrary to the laws of this state or of the United States, as it may deem necessary and proper for the good of government, order and protection of person and property, and for the preservation of the public health, safety and welfare of the municipality and its inhabitants, and as may be necessary to carry into effect the powers and duties conferred and imposed by this subtitle, or by any law; and WHEREAS, the City wishes to amend Chapter 170 entitled “Vehicles and Traffic,” Section 49.2 entitled “Parking for the Handicapped”; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds it in the City’s best interest to make this change. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK, as follows: SECTION 1. Chapter 170 entitled, “Vehicles and Traffic” is amended as to Section 49.2 entitled “Parking for the handicapped” is amended such that The City of Hackensack Municipal Code, Part II entitled “General Legislation,” states: §170-49.2. Parking for the handicapped. ... E. Designation of parking areas. In accordance with this chapter, the following three (3) locations shall provide parking for the physically handicapped: Parking Lot or Street Side Location/Number of Handicapped Parking Spaces 418 Hudson Street East One space - From a point 250 feet north of the north/east curb line apex of Hudson Street and Shafter Place to a point 22 feet north thereof Section 2: 02/14/2017 5  This Ordinance shall take effect upon passage, adoption, and publication in the manner prescribed by law. Introduced: February 14, 2017 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. 34-17 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 $6,000.00 be made between the Year 2016 Budget Appropriations as follows: FROM DEPARTMENT 6-01-20-120-121-200 Elections - O/E $ 6,000.00 Total $ 6,000.00 TO DEPARTMENT 6-01-25-240-240-200 Police - O/E $ 4,000.00 6-01-26-305-305-200 Garbage & Trash – O/E $ 2,000.00 Total $ 6,000.00 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. 35-17 02/14/2017 6  RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EMERGENCY TEMPORARY APPROPRIATION Prior to the Adoption of the budget Per N.J.S.A. 40A:4-20 WHEREAS, an emergency condition has arisen with respect to the need to make payments for operating expenses prior to the adoption of the budget, and no adequate provision has been made in the 2017 temporary budget for the aforesaid purpose; and WHEREAS, N.J.S.A. 40A:4-20 provides for the creation of an emergency temporary appropriations for the purpose above mentioned; and WHEREAS, the total emergency temporary appropriations adopted in the year pursuant to the provision of N.J.S.A. 40A:4-20 (Chapter 96, P.L. 1951 amended) including this resolution total $29,000. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, (not less than two-thirds of all members therefore affirmatively concurring) that in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:4-20: 1. An emergency temporary appropriation be and the same is hereby made for: TEMPORARY BUDGET APPROPRIATION S&W O/E TOTAL Audit Services – O/E 7-01-20-135-135-200 25,000 25,000 Emergency Mgmt – O/E 7-01-25-252-252-200 12,000 12,000 Emerg Medical – O/E 7-01-25-265-269-200 5,000 5,000 Snow Removal – O/E 7-01-26-290-291-200 150,000 150,000 Pub Health Clinic – O/E 7-01-27-330-330-200 15,000 15,000 Human Services – O/E 7-01-27-345-345-200 1,000 1,000 NJDEP Remediation 7-01-31-450-450-247 1,000 1,000 Public Defender 7-01-43-495-495-200 20,000 20,000 Total $229,000 2. That said emergency appropriation will be provided for in the 2017 operating budget in full. 3. That three certified copies of this resolution be filed with the Director of the Division of Local Government Services Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 36-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING TAX REFUNDS 02/14/2017 7  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 $250.00 448 38 Teisch, Alan & Virginia 2016 Veteran Deduction 359 Anderson St Hackensack, NJ 07601 $2,024.16 457 36 Dovenmuehle Mortgage Inc 2016 Overpymt For Hope, Madeleine 1206 St. Charles Rd Elgin, IL 60120 $1,596.00 237 1.01 C008A James E Hanson Management Co 2017 Duplicate Pymt 400 State St Hackensack, NJ 07601 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. 37-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ACCRUED TIME PAYOUT OF $45,516.08 TO POLICE OFFICER MIGUEL MOLINA WHEREAS, N.J.A.C. 5:30-15 established rules that govern how local government units manage and finance compensation for accumulated absence time for their respective employees, and WHEREAS, accumulated absence includes any sick days, vacation days, personal days, compensatory time or any other absence time authorized as part of an employer agreement, which is not used by the employee during the allowed period and which is permitted to accumulate over time to the benefit of the employee, and WHEREAS, the Chief Financial Officer has certified that the funds and authority exists to pay Miguel Molina owed vacation days, sick days and compensation time, and WHEREAS, City Manager Ted Ehrenburg has authorized the payment of $45,516.08 to Miguel Molina for said days. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack hereby approves payment to Miguel Molina in the amount of $45,516.08 for an accrued time payout in accordance with the rules and regulations established by the Local Finance Board for such payments. 02/14/2017 8  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. 38-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RELEASE OF ESCROW – 160 OVERLOOK (CLEARWIRE) WHEREAS, a request has been received for the return of any Professional Review Escrow funds for the project known as 160 Overlook (Clearwire); and WHEREAS, the Chief Financial Officer has determined that the balance of escrow funds remaining for this project is $3,248.67; and WHEREAS, the City is in receipt of a certification as to the completeness of the project from the Building / Land Use Department. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack, County of Bergen that the Chief Financial Officer is hereby directed to return the balance of Professional Review Escrow Funds in the amount of $3,248.67 to Clearwire 4400 Carillion Point, Kirkland, WA 98033. 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. 39-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RELEASE OF ESCROW – 540 HUDSON (LAUNCH) WHEREAS, a request has been received for the return of any Professional Review Escrow funds for the project known as 540 Hudson (Launch); and 02/14/2017 9  WHEREAS, the Chief Financial Officer has determined that the balance of escrow funds remaining for this project is $1,951.25; and WHEREAS, the City is in receipt of a certification as to the completeness of the project from the Building / Land Use Department. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack, County of Bergen that the Chief Financial Officer is hereby directed to return the balance of Professional Review Escrow Funds in the amount of $1,951.25 to Launch Trampoline Park NJ 535 Centerville Rd, Warwick, RI 02886. 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. 40-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING RELEASE OF ESCROW – 166 AMES STREET (ENTEK ENGINEERS) WHEREAS, a request has been received for the return of any Professional Review Escrow funds for the project known as 166 Ames St.; and WHEREAS, the Chief Financial Officer has determined that the balance of escrow funds remaining for this project is $11,825.56; and WHEREAS, the City is in receipt of a certification as to the completeness of the project from the Building / Land Use Department. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack, County of Bergen that the Chief Financial Officer is hereby directed to return the balance of Professional Review Escrow Funds in the amount of $11,825.56 to Entek Engineers 166 Ames St., Hackensack, NJ 07601. Council Intr Secon Abstai Abse Recuse Member o d Yes No n nt d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrin o X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK 02/14/2017 10  RESOLUTION NO. 41-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE SUBMISSION OF A NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, GREEN ACRES PROGRAM, LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE APPLICATION LAND ACQUISITION AND PARK DEVELOPMENT GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE FOSCHINI PARK BASEBALL FIELD IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT. WHEREAS, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Green Acres Program (“State”), provides loans and/or grants to municipal and county governments and grants to nonprofit organizations for assistance in the acquisition, development, and stewardship of lands for outdoor recreation and conservation purposes; and, WHEREAS, the City of Hackensack desires to further the public interest by obtaining funding in the amount of $800,000, in the form of a $600,000 grant and, if available, a $200,000 loan, from the State to fund the following project(s): Foschini Park Baseball Field Improvements at a cost of $800,000; and, WHEREAS, the governing body/board resolves that the Mr. Ted M. Ehrenburg or the successor to the office of City Manager is hereby authorized to: 1. Make application for such a loan and/or such a grant; 2. Provide additional application information and furnish such documents as may be required; and, 3. Act as the authorized correspondent of the above named applicant; and, WHEREAS, the State shall determine if the application is complete and in conformance with the scope and intent of the Green Acres Program, and notify the applicant of the amount of the funding award; and, WHEREAS, the applicant is willing to use the State’s funds in accordance with such rules, regulations and applicable statutes, and is willing to enter into an agreement with the State for the above named project. NOW THEREFOR BE IT RESOLVED, by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack: 1. That the Mayor of the above named body or board is hereby authorized to execute an agreement and any amendment thereto with the State known as Foschini Park Baseball Field Improvements; 2. That the applicant has its matching share of the project, if a match is required, in the amount of $200,000; 3. That, in the event the State’s funds are less than the total project cost specified above, the applicant has the balance of funding necessary to complete the project; 4. That the applicant agrees to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations in its performance of the project; and, 5. That this resolution shall take effect immediately. 02/14/2017 11  Council Intr Secon Abstai Abse Recuse Member o d Yes No n nt d Battaglia X X Deputy Mayor Canestrin o X X Sims X Keeling- Geddis X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 42-17 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 $ 4,234,471.15 Grants 31,001.56 Payroll 1,624,323.39 Public Parking System 8,923.01 Capital 716,596.11 Escrow 27,995.03 Trust Account 385,217.57 Total Expenditures 7,028,527.82 Interfunds/Transfers $6,898,381.22 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. 43-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING PROPOSED BERGEN COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRANTS 2017 WHEREAS, Bergen County Community Development Grants have been proposed by the following organizations located in the municipality of Hackensack, New Jersey; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the State Inter-local Services Act, Community Development funds may not be spent in a municipality without authorization by the Mayor and City Council; and WHEREAS, this resolution does not obligate the financial resources of the municipality and is intended solely to expedite expenditure of the aforesaid 02/14/2017 12 Community Development Funds. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council of the City of Hackensack hereby confirms endorsement of the following projects; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be sent to the Director of the Bergen County Community Development Program so that implementation of the aforesaid projects may be expedited. APPLICANT PURPOSE AMOUNT Housing Authority Martin Luther King Jr/Sr Of Bergen County Intergenerational Center Afterschool Program $ 38,000.00 AAH of Bergen County, Inc. Housing First Case Mgmnt$ 60,744.00 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. 44-17 AUTHORIZING PERSON TO PERSON LIQUOR LICENSE TRANSFER – RIVER WINE & LIQUORS, LLC TO K & S WINE AND SPIRITS, LLC WHEREAS, an application has been received in the Clerk’s Office to approve a person–to-person transfer of a retail distribution liquor license from River Wine & Liquors, LLC to K & S Wines and Spirits, LLC including a disclosure of all funds used in the purchase of the license; and WHEREAS, consent has been received from River Wine & Liquors, LLC and has been filed with the Clerk of the City of Hackensack; and WHEREAS, proof of publication has been submitted to the Clerk’s Office of the City of Hackensack of the notice of application for the said person to person transfer; and WHEREAS, no written objections have been received and all applicable fees have been submitted to the City of Hackensack and the State of New Jersey; and WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council further finds that the submitted application is complete; the application has disclosed and the City has reviewed, the source of all funds to be used in the purchase of the license and to the extent that the Mayor and Council can conduct an investigation and review of the submitted documents, the applicant is qualified to be licensed under the applicable New Jersey Statues and Regulations and City Ordinances. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the following person to person transfer be approved effective February 14, 2017. Plenary Retail Distribution license 02/14/2017 13  From: River Wine & Liquors, LLC - License Number 0223-44-014-003 To: K&S Wine and Spirits, LLC – License Number 0223-44-014-004 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. 45-17 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 #2131 Heightened Independence And Progress RA #2132 Columbians, Inc. RA #2133 Englewood Cliffs Education Foundation 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. 46-17 02/14/2017 14  RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING REFUNDS FOR HACKENSACK RECREATION DEPARTMENT 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 reason stated: $350.00 Hackensack Youth Basketball Team Refund to: Youth Sports Management LLC 142 Dewey Avenue Totowa, NJ 07512 (HYB outside team 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 X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 47-17 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING SUSAN MCVEIGH AS HEALTH OFFICER TO PROVIDE LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES FOR THE HACKENSACK HEALTH DEPARTMENT WHEREAS, the Local Health Services Act, N.J.S.A. 26:3A2-1, et seq., and the Public Health Practice Standards of Performance for Local Boards of Health in New Jersey, N.J.A.C. 8:52-1, et seq., mandate that all local boards of health establish and maintain the required standards of performance with respect to public health services; and WHEREAS, it is mandatory for the Hackensack Health Department to have a licensed Health Officer as per the New Jersey Practice Standards for Public Health at N.J.A.C. 8:52; and WHEREAS, Susan McVeigh has the required license to serve as the City of Hackensack’s Health Officer. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack that the City Manager be and is hereby authorized and directed to name Susan McVeigh as Health Officer for the City of Hackensack. Council Intr Secon Abstai Absen Recuse Member o d Yes No n t d Battaglia X Deputy Mayor Canestrino X X Sims X 02/14/2017 15  Keeling- Geddis X X Mayor Labrosse X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 48-17 RESOLUTION DESIGNATING LISAMARIE SCHIELI AS RECYCLING COORDINATOR AND AUTHORIZING SUBMISSION OF RECYCLING TONNAGE GRANT APPLICATION WHEREAS, the Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act, P.L. 1987, C.102, has established a recycling fund from which tonnage grants may be made to municipalities in order to encourage local source separation and recycling programs; and WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Act to use the grants to develop new municipal recycling programs and to expand existing programs; and WHEREAS, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) is publicizing recycling regulations to implement the Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act; and WHEREAS, the recycling regulations impose on municipalities certain requirements as a condition for applying for tonnage grants, such as the keeping of accurate verifiable records of collected materials; and WHEREAS, Hackensack’s authorization to apply for a tonnage grant will honor its commitment to recycling; and WHEREAS, Hackensack employs a Certified Recycling Professional, Lisamarie Schieli, who held this credential for 2016, and is therefore qualified to complete and submit the Annual Recycling Tonnage Report to the NJDEP, which is a condition of receiving the tonnage grant; and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack hereby endorse the submission of the recycling tonnage grant application for the year 2016 to the NJDEP, designates Lisamarie Schieli as Recycling Coordinator, and directs her to take all necessary actions in furtherance of this grant application; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the monies received from the recycling tonnage grant be deposited in a trust fund to be used solely for recycling purposes. Public Comment A motion to open the meeting to the public was offered by Councilman Sims and seconded by Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis. Richard Salkin – Hackensack – I have questions about the mailer I received. I am no stranger to politics. I know Congress members when their election comes up, you start getting informational mailings with their names on it. Newsletters go out. This one is interesting. I can’t see how anyone reading this would not conclude this is a political piece. My question is this, I assume this was prepared my Vision Media; did you folks have an opportunity to review it before it went out? Who was this mailed out to? Property owners? 02/14/2017 16 Mayor Labrosse – Yes, I did, I can’t speak for the rest of the Council. I am not sure who it was mailed out to or what criteria were used, I would have to ask Vision Media. It is the same as the other mailers I would assume. I’m not sure. Mr. Salkin continued – You do realize if it turns out to be a voter’s list we have a major problem because then you would be using public funds to finance your election campaigns. Major problem and I have OPRA-ed this information. It is certainly not property owners because I am in a CO-OP; you didn’t get my name that way. I suspect you mailed to voters and I think you are going to pay the price for that. Thank you. Larry Eisen – Hackensack – I have spent much more time than usual in the past few weeks down on Main Street and I applaud when I see the list of the projects going on down there. The one thing that bothers me about Main Street is those parking meters. I don’t know how much we actually get from those meters but I can’t imagine it is that much money. I know we have a parking issue. Teaneck did away with their parking meters on Cedar Lane years ago and they just have people who patrol and mark tires. I believe the Alliance has a crew on Main Street that can do the same. With all the investments going on to Main Street, nothing will stifle it more than parking meters. I hope they will disappear as more projects on Main Street flourish. Carolyn Davis – Stanley Place – Hackensack - Has there been any study done for the amount of accidents at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Central Avenue? Our church is there and I feel like every time I turn around there is an accident on that corner. I don’t know if people don’t see the stop sign but there are constantly accidents there. How is the swimming going? Mayor Labrosse – We can have the City Manager reach out to Traffic to find out about the accidents there. Councilman Sims – There is no swimming right now because there is swim team practice and swim meets going on. It is closed now. When it is open, the kids come. Ms. Davis continued – How is the number of police in Hackensack determined? City Manager – There are several ways to determine the ratio depending on the county. I have done some consulting work in Bergen County. I believe the ratio is 2.5 officers for every thousand in population. That is a guide, not an absolute or definitive answer. You can get that calculation from the uniformed crime report. They report the ratio and how much population per thousand and it varies from county to county. There are other variables that change that – how many civilian staff work, how many supplementary staff like H-Cops and Parking Authority, so there are variables. Ms. Davis continued – I know the City Manager is working on this but I wanted the Council to be aware of the situation. Building inspection is very important but I believe the process needs to change. What happened is I have a rental home that I went down to and my tenants speak very little English and some officers went there and thought there were too many people living there. In trying to speak with them, they didn’t understand much and the next thing I know I get a summons from the Building Department that I am in violation of renting a room. The next thing I know is they made an inspection and find out I am right. The process is wrong. There should be a complaint made first, not a summons, because you don’t know if you are in violation until you inspect the location. Paul Nickels – Hackensack – I think it was last year Councilwoman Geddis bought up affordable housing and with all these buildings going up, one of 02/14/2017 17 the worst things is for someone low income the most money they will get is like $1,200. That’s rent. I don’t know all the terms and I know Hackensack is way above the amount of affordable housing but that was then and this is now. The reality is you can’t afford anything around here. When they had the open housing vouchers for the DCA recently, real section 8 housing, they only give you so much time to look for an apartment. Someone trying to get out of a rooming house and get into a nice apartment will lose out because they can’t find reasonable affordable housing. It’s not only this town, it’s everywhere. I am hoping that some of these new units that are being built will have affordable housing incorporated into them. I heard there is going to be more COAH laws being passed. Mayor Labrosse – We have a meeting next week with our COAH attorneys to go over exactly what you are talking about. We are already meeting our obligation and actually well over it since we have the Housing Authority. With that being said, we did put a million dollars in a trust fund from the Avalon Bay project and we are looking to do something moving forward. Rehabilitation plans are state run projects and affordable housing is exempt from it but that doesn’t mean that anything else going up in the city isn’t. We are going to meet next week and look at moving forward what we need to do to address it because it is something important we need to address. COAH changes quite often and some communities have absolutely nothing in their towns as far as affordable housing. We are still working on a project with the county on their probation site where it would be public parking, two levels of affordable housing and a level of veteran’s housing. It would be 110 units in our downtown area, walkable to the bus; we are still working on it. Regina DiPasqua – Parker Avenue – Hackensack – I also have a problem with this mailer. Am I going to be getting one of these every few weeks until the election? I was looking for the ‘paid for’ that is required on campaign material so then I started looking at it and part of this is from the letter we got about the tax rate. That’s all good but my appraised value went up 6% and the only time that is a good thing is when you are selling your house. When you are paying taxes it is not a good thing. Stabilize, I have said this before, my value has gone up and then down and then up, what is next year going to bring? Probably a for sale sign because that is the only time the value going up is good. The rate went down 2.6% but my appraised value went up 6%. How can anyone plan? Does my income go up that much? No. I am not the only one in this boat. I can’t afford to live here and I have been saying this for a long time. The billion dollar downtown does me no good on Parker Avenue. Maybe down the road but what about the extra services required for all the apartments? Parking? That will be an issue. I like this little ad for now leasing with the phone number. Give me a break. I have a problem with this on many levels. You think if you build it they will come but the rest of us who are here paying the taxes can no longer afford it. Another thing, as far as the dome and the M&M Building, have you taken into consideration the long term cost of that? This was addressed to me and I am not the property owner. My name is not on the deed. It was not sent from the tax roll. That is a problem. Not everyone got this. Toni Haverty – Berry Street – Hackensack – I am surprised to find out that we have a constable. I would like more information. Do we have more than one? I would like to find out what they do. I would like a job description. City Manager – We have one full time and one part time. Ms. Haverty continued – On your slideshow, I believe that a small section of Berry Street was paved by Prospect, but Berry Street is a long street and our street has never been paved. We have had little spots where they have patched it up but it has never been paved. The other thing is, I want to comment, I got a flyer with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor entitled Billion 02/14/2017 18 Dollar Development. Where did that money come from because it looks like campaign materials? Mayor Labrosse – It was a city piece. We put them out on Recreation, taxes; there have been four of them so far. Deputy Mayor – It is a mechanism to keep the residents informed. The sale of Lot C was big information. The folks in the city want to be informed and don’t always hear about everything and do the newsletters are a way of keeping them informed. Ms. Haverty continued – Why were the other Councilmembers not included on the flyers? I have gotten several. Mayor Labrosse – I can see why I am in a lot of them because I am the Mayor but pictures of the whole council have been in there. Deputy Mayor – Everyone plays different roles and areas of responsibility. Redevelopment happens to be myself and the Mayor’s responsibility. Ms. Haverty continued – So the money for these flyers came out of the city budget? Deputy Mayor – Absolutely. Chris Coli – Prospect Avenue – Hackensack – I was reading the newspaper and I don’t know if you discussed this yet but I see Hackensack has defective turf. The article says the towns that have it will have to replace that turf. I was wondering if there was any discussion about this? Councilman Battaglia – Johnson Park, that particular field is already 14 years old and according to the article, the guarantee is only for 10 years. Our field is already 14 years old so maybe next year or the year after we will renew the field. The high school field is still in good condition. Mr. Coli continued – Another thing I found very disturbing is Hackensack is now going to be the county seat for massage parlors that we have kept out of this town since the creation of this town because no one wants the hookers and the pimps and the drug addicts and drug dealers. We are going to have them all now. The regulations for that, all you have are two inspectors, are they going to inspect that daily? Weekly? Monthly? Once a year? I never had any training on massage parlors so I assume they will have to go to special training. I don’t know why we are allowing it to come into this town. I have articles on Ridgewood and Elmwood Park and they are talking about their developments and everything in their article is they need parking. The state parking requirements are a minimum, not maximum. If we are having problems on Main Street now and we are putting billions in development down there, where are they all going to park? Come July 4th, where are all the people going to park? I know people who park in Bogota and walk because there is no parking left in Hackensack. We are taking 500 spots away for 200 and we are not building enough. We built the Cultural Center and took the parking away for a park that is used two months out of the year. A parking lot would have been used all months. That lot is now gone. We are building the basketball courts and the parking solution has not been talked about yet. Most other places would have a solution before building the court. 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 02/14/2017 19 Councilman Battaglia – We should be proud of the job Sanitation did with the snow on the streets. Related to parking, Lot C, the 200 spaces are going replace what is already there for the Ice House and Bowler City but the developer is going to have the whole second floor for just the tenants. That’s going to be about 600 spaces, not just 200. I know other cities have problems with parking but we try to utilize what we got and I think eventually it will be okay. I am glad we are going to fix Foschini Park because we have problems with the flooding. Thank you for coming. Deputy Mayor Canestrino – Congratulations to our Black History Month award recipients. Thanks to Dave for doing the leg work. It is always nice to honor folks who are committed to the city. I agree with Leo, great job on the snow. We have heard positive things. Thank you Ted for the year-end report; it is our role here to supply as much information as we can. We want folks to have an understanding of what is going on in the city and all the work the various departments do. I think the grant for Foschini Park is great. We talked about it more at the COW meeting. I know there are draining issues and this is going to compensate for that and do some replacements and upgrades to those fields. It has been our mission as a Council to improve recreation facilities throughout the city. Congratulations to Susan from the Health Department on her certification; we now have our own health officer once again. As far as parking, every project we discuss we look at maximizing parking. 200 spaces in Lot C, Atlantic Street Parking garage is now open for the first floor for residential parking, and as it grows, we will expand that. 210 Main Street has a parking facility behind on 210 Moore and part of that will supply 50 spaces to the city for its use. We are working on a development on Camden and we are working with them on having a portion of that for city parking. Parking is taken very seriously in each and every one of these discussions. I want to publically thank the Main Street Alliance, they have been working very closely with us on our new Cultural Arts Center and they have agreed to fund a consultant to help us get off the ground with that. We are moving into a newer, larger venue and we are looking to expand that experience for our residents. As always they are partners with us and we appreciate the help. We thank you for coming and have a safe trip home. Councilman Sims – I want to thank Choripan Rodizio steakhouse for supplying free coffee, tea, hot chicken soup for the DPW and Police Officers during the snow storm. As Black History Month continues, this Thursday February 23, 2017 at the M&M Building we are having an African American feast. Doors open at 11:30. We have no more tickets left. We had 260 tickets as we are going to make sure we have amble parking for our citizens. Tonight we honored two African Americans who are examples of the contributions our community has made to our city and beyond in areas of arts, culture, community service, and business. Mr. Mark Green and Nate Young, on behalf of the City Council and all the residents, thank you for all their contributions they made to Hackensack. Get home safe, good night! Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis – I’d like to thank everyone for coming out on this Valentines’ Day night. Thanks to Mr. Sims for putting Mr. Green and Mr. Young up for proclamations from the Council. I will cut to the chase because I have a statement I would like to make. I would like this put into the record. Debbie, I will give you a copy of this. “You can’t imagine my surprise when I got home last Friday after taking the mail out of my mailbox and seeing yet another flyer from members of this council that I knew nothing about and like the others had no hand in crafting. In May of 2016, the council voted to hire Vision Media public relations firm at the rate of $3,000 per month. I was under the impression that the whole 02/14/2017 20 council would have input into what was disseminated from city hall to the residents of this town. I was dead wrong. Despite voicing my dismay to this council at least 3 times on how the PR is being handled, I have been completely shut out of the PR decision making process, which has been done in a secretive and non-transparent manner. To me, this latest mailer is yet another piece of thinly disguised political propaganda that is being financed by taxpayers- this time, a 6 page mailer, complete with 4-color photos of only them, that we are paying for. Not one other elected official is pictured in this brochure. This is now the fourth mailer produced by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the course of 6 months, since last August at a cost of approximately $25,000 or more; not including this latest flyer, which I will estimate to be at a cost of approximately 12- 14,000.00. Every mailer sent out has "reeked" of political campaigning. The production of this latest self promoting flyer is proof positive that the political posturing has begun, which is expected as we are entering into another campaign season- but my objection is that these campaign mailers are being done on the tax payer’s dime. And how convenient it is to be able to use tax payer’s money to kick start your campaign! 4 mailers in 6 months!!! Wow!!! Besides the blatant political nature of this flyer, there are deeper issues that go to the heart of what is now being termed the Labrosse Administration. And who decided that the council would now be called the “LaBrosse Administration?” Let's keep in mind that under Hackensack's form of government, the mayor and council have the same 1/5thvote. As I see it, there are two issues with the continual pumping out of the city's so called “newsletters”: The first is the secretive nature of the production of this and the other 3 flyers and the total lack of transparency by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor in having these flyers produced (and I might add the other members of the council as well); And, my second major concern is the secretive way of using taxpayers’ dollars to kick start a campaign. Both are troubling and both have to cease immediately! An approximate total of $48,000 has been spent in 2016 on mailers and Vision Media's monthly retainer thus far, not including the cost of this latest mailer, which is dedicated solely to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. This is not acceptable! These mailers should be billed to the Mayor and Deputy Mayor's re-election campaign, NOT TO THE TAXPAYERS because it is nothing but a political piece. I was not consulted about the production or the cost of these mailers before they were produced and I don't know who signed off on them. The amount of money spent on these mailers could have been done through a resolution to ensure total transparency; instead, the payments for these mailers has been quietly pushed through until the last meeting in January, when I pulled the bill for Vision media’s production of the “Holiday mailing” and had a separate vote for it. Last fall, I called for a meeting with Phillip Swibinski, one of the owners of Vision Media, at which time I voiced my concerns about the mailers and how the PR was being handled. We spoke about other PR ideas and I actually thought he would make sure there was transparency in the future PR decisions… 02/14/2017 21 Silly me! I asked him who was making the decisions on what is printed and he said the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. I told him this was unacceptable and that every member of the council should have input. The last thing I asked Phil was if the firm was working on the campaign of the other 4 council members. He wrinkled his face and said something like, “Well… we’re helping out”. I told him that that wasn’t good and wouldn’t go over well. This past November, the council attended the NJ League of Municipalities where we had to attend a seminar on ethics. The thing that immediately jumped out at me on the power point that was shown and discussed, was something to this effect, "Council members should not have or hire any city employees to work on your political campaign". So I am asking this council, is Vision Media working on your campaign? To my knowledge these mailers were not budgeted for, so I am asking the City Manager to give me a report stating where the money came from to pay for the mailings and why wasn’t this made known to the whole council. The jury is out as to whether it is illegal to use the city’s PR firm for a political campaign, but at best, it is unethical! This council ran with a promise of transparency and inclusion, but this series of occurrences, like many others before, is showing something much different. So let me ask the Mayor and Deputy Mayor again, who is running your re-election campaign? Please let us know.” * *Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis sent this directly to be placed into the minutes. Mayor Labrosse – Let me start off by saying kudos to Black History Month. It is an honor to be able to honor citizens who make a difference in our community. Thank you to Mr. Sims for that and for the proclamations for Nate Young and Mark Green. Congratulations to our new Health Official Susan McVeigh, she does a great job. I got a lot of compliments on the snow clean up. We had a few parking issues here and there but we will work together to try and fix that. This past Sunday I attended the unity march and rally. Unfortunately the march was cancelled due to the weather but they did have the rally on the courthouse steps. About 150-200 people showed up in support and unity against some of the policies that are being presented to us by our new President. I was there, in agreement with them on many issues and I was lucky enough to get up and speak and welcome the people to Hackensack. We did supply security for the event to make sure everyone was safe. I want to thank the City Manager for his year-end report. The grant for Foschini Park is a great thing especially when you can get $800,000 and only payback $200,000 at zero interest over 20 years that’s a good deal. I would like to look into grants on reconfiguring the parking in that area so we can pick up some parking at Foschini Park. One of the residents mentioned taxes. Yes, the tax rate went down, some people’s houses went up and some went down. In years past, if you look at the ups and downs of the taxes in this city, it was insane. We are leveling that out. The key here is we are looking at downtown so we can bring the rateables in to help lower taxes. That’s the goal. It won’t happen overnight. We went to rolling assessments to eliminate the issue of tax appeals and that has worked. Tax appeals overall are down 55%. This is all a plan. If you focus on one part of something, it is easy to tear it apart. Look at the whole plan. Thank you to Choripan Restaurant for feeding our guys and taking care of them. We talked 02/14/2017 22 about the table of organization for the Police Department. We are probably above it. One of the things that kills it is at any time you can have 5, 6, 10 of them out on work related injuries or something else and you can’t go out and hire replacements because those guys are still there. It is a matter of shifting people around. That is one of the things we do. July 4th, one thing we will attempt to do is to utilize the two new county parking decks and shuttle people back and forth. There are over 1,200 spots down there. The other discussion going on with redevelopers is a parking deck in the middle of the downtown where the city would get two levels of public parking and that’s about 226 spots. We are looking at ways to take care of parking issues. Every developer is required in some way or another to have parking. Massage parlors passed but it’s a different world. What you said, I’d like to think that is not the norm but they will be monitored. There is a massage parlor in Hackensack now and we haven’t had an issue with it. There is going to be requirements to have the license. A lot of towns have them. Atlantic Street Park - we reconfigured the whole park and really only lost one parking space. It’s a great addition to the city and its being utilized quite well already in its first year. Mrs. Keeling, I will respond to some of your comments as far as this being a political piece. You can construe it any way you want but there are pieces where I had no say, where I wasn’t quoted and it wasn’t about me. There are different things. One had Dave Sims with the Splash Park. Everybody was in the picture. This was a redevelopment piece. The council has always put out flyers. Even the Council I was on before put out flyers, they were a little different, a little smaller and I think they were called Happenings. They were put out on a regular basis and maybe a little heightened in the political season. There was a newspaper at that time called the County Seat which in one edition had the Mayor’s picture in 26 times during an election season. This happens. It has happened forever. I have had little or no input on two of these. As far as Vision Media being employees, they are not employees, they are paid contractors or vendors or consultants, whatever you want to call them. As far as transparency, our goal is to bring to the City, we have noted that the City is lacking knowledge on what is going on, when a tax thing happens like we just had and taxes went down for almost 2/3 of the population, and the tax rate went down, we want the people to know that. That hasn’t happened in ten years. We were proud to put that out there and that is what one of the fliers was. Are we supposed to take no credit for doing that? That is what we are here for. We need to make sure the public knows things. It is much more transparent to put things out there so people can see what is going on in their city. I honor your opinion and that is your opinion. I did not do this as a political piece. I don’t feel it was done as a political piece. That is my opinion on that. Councilwoman Keeling-Geddis – May I ask why the whole Council wasn’t allowed to participate in what went out? Can you tell me why I wasn’t allowed to participate? I mentioned this to the Council three times. I was fluffed off and I said okay. I knew after the finished product but don’t I get a chance to put in some input? There is something secretive about this process because I asked you many times to let the whole Council in on this process. You even agreed the first time I brought it up. Mayor Labrosse - I certainly did not tell anyone not to tell you. I can show you emails where I asked Vision Media to make sure that everyone knew. If they didn’t tell you this time, that’s them. Thanks for coming out. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m. Approved by Mayor and Council on February 28, 2017. 02/14/2017 23  _____________________________________ Mayor John P. Labrosse, Jr. ______________________________________ Deputy Mayor Kathleen Canestrino ______________________________________ Councilman Leonardo Battaglia ______________________________________ Councilman David Sims ______________________________________ Councilwoman Deborah Keeling- Geddis Deborah Karlsson, City Clerk 02/14/2017 24