City Council

A Special Meeting of the City Council of the City of Hackensack was held at City Hall, 65 Central Avenue, Hackensack, New Jersey, on Monday, August 4, 2025 at 7:00 P.M. Mayor Gaines called the meeting to order and the Deputy City Clerk announced, “This meeting is being held in accordance with the “Open Public Meeting Act,” N.J.S.A. 10:4- 6 et seq., 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. Saabye called the roll: Mayor Gaines, Deputy Mayor Toomey, Councilwoman Clark-Collins, Councilman Carroll, and Councilman Diaz were present. City Attorney Richard Malagiere was present. City Clerk Deborah Karlsson was absent. Deputy City Clerk Allison Saabye was present. Flag Salute Proclamations and Presentations – None Approval of Minutes – None Resolutions Council Member Intro Second Yes No Abstain Absent Recused Deputy Mayor Toomey X X Clark- Collins X X Carroll X Diaz X Mayor Gaines X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 359-25 RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE RESIGNATION OF VINCENT CARUSO AS CITY MANAGER OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK WHEREAS, the Vincent Caruso was appointed by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack as City Manager on September 1, 2021; and WHEREAS, Mr. Caruso served in that position from the date of his appointment continually up through August 4, 2025; and WHEREAS, Mr. Caruso tendered his resignation to Mayor Caseen Gaines effective August 4, 2025, citing that he believes “this is an appropriate time…to explore new professional opportunities and challenges”; and WHEREAS, Mr. Caruso will help transition the City’s new City Manager through September 5, 2025; and WHEREAS, Mr. Caruso has provided nothing less than his best efforts and commitment to the City of Hackensack through his tenure as City Manager; and WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council of the City of Hackensack wish Mr. Caruso the best in his future pursuits. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack hereby accept the resignation of Vincent Caruso as the City Manager 08/4/2025 1 of the City of Hackensack effective August 4, 2025; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack wish Mr. Caruso success in his upcoming endeavors and Godspeed. Vincent Caruso Comments: It has been a true honor to work alongside such a dedicated and talent group of individuals here in the City of Hackensack. Together we have faced challenges, celebrated successes, accomplishments, and built lasting memories. I want to express my deepest gratitude for all your hard work, your collaboration, your commitment, and your support throughout my four years that I have been here. During the transition period over the next 30 days, I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition. I will work closely with the new City Manager and Council to ensure a seamless continuation of service for our residents and all of our employees. I want to thank you again for the opportunity that I have had to work will you all. I always look back fondly on my time here in Hackensack and wish nothing but the best for all of you moving forward. While I am excited about what may be my next chapter, I will genuinely miss working with all of you. God bless and thank you. Council Member Intro Second Yes No Abstain Absent Recused Deputy Mayor Toomey X X Clark- Collins X X Carroll X Diaz X Mayor Gaines X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 360-25 RESOLUTION APPOINTING THOMAS FREEMAN CITY MANAGER OF THE CITY OF HACKENSACK WHEREAS, Thomas Freeman was born in the City of Hackensack (“City” or “Hackensack”) and joined the Hackensack Fire Department in 1983; and WHEREAS, Chief Freeman served in the Hackensack Fire Department for four decades beginning in October 1983, ultimately rising to the rank of Chief in March of 2009, where he served the City honorably until his retirement in October 2023; and WHEREAS, Chief Freeman is a third generation Hackensack firefighter continuing the legacy of his grandfather Captain Jack Freeman, who served the department and City from 1936 to 1964, and his father Chief Ronald Freeman, Sr., who served from 1956 to 1994; and WHEREAS, Chief Freeman led the City’s Fire Department during an unprecedented period of growth in residential density housing with an unwavering commitment to the safety of, and care for, the City and its residents; and WHEREAS, Chief Freeman served as the interim City Manager in 2021, where he earned the respect of the City’s residents and workforce; and WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack recognize Chief Freeman’s commitment to public service, his unique perspective as a former resident and employee of the City, his stellar professional and personal reputation, and his 08/4/2025 2 longstanding dedication to the City’s residents and workforce. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack hereby appoint THOMAS FREEMAN City Manager of the City of Hackensack effective this date; and it is further RESOLVED, that Mr. Freeman’s terms and conditions of employment shall be governed by the City’s salary ordinance currently in effect, its employee policies and procedures, and the applicable statutes and regulations governing his position. Council Member Intro Second Yes No Abstain Absent Recused Deputy Mayor Toomey X Clark- Collins X X Carroll X X Diaz X Mayor Gaines X CITY OF HACKENSACK RESOLUTION NO. 361-25 RESOLUTION SUSPENDING THE CONTRACT WITH APS CONTRACTING, INC. FOR THE 55-0009 JOHNSON PARK SPORTS COMPLEX PROJECT WITH AN ADJUSTED CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $11,982,224.13 WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack (the “City” or “Hackensack”) have a fiduciary responsibility to the residents of Hackensack, who have communicated that they are experiencing hardship of increased taxes and rents throughout the City; and WHEREAS, the total cost of the Johnson Park Sports Complex (the “Project”) has skyrocketed over time, with an initial projected cost of $7 million when the Project was announced in 2016 with a 2018 anticipated completion date and, nine years later, no physical construction has begun, and the aggregate Project cost is anticipated to exceed $40 million by the time it is completed; and WHEREAS, the Johnson Park Sports Complex has been controversial and deservedly criticized since its inception; and WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council remain committed to addressing the needs and concerns of the community, and the Johnson Park Sports Complex remains a “half-baked” project insufficient for the needs of the City’s student athletes, with inadequate recreational and financial benefits for the City’s residents; and WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council would like to solicit community feedback and consider alternative recreational options for the site that will benefit more of the City’s population; and WHEREAS, Hackensack entered into an AIA document A101- 2017 Standard Form of Agreement between Owner and Contractor with APS Contracting, Inc. on January 8, 2025 for the Johnson Park Sports Complex in the amount of $10,430,000.00 (the “Contract”); and WHEREAS, a Notice to Proceed was issued to APS Contracting, Inc. on or about February 21, 2025; and WHEREAS, Change Order #1 in the amount of $1,552,224.13 was issued by APS 08/4/2025 3 Contracting, Inc. on March 4, 2025 and approved by the City through Resolution 136- 25 on or about March 11, 2025, bringing the total Project cost and Contract amount to $11,982,224.13 (“Adjusted Contract Amount”); and WHEREAS, APS Contracting, Inc. has not yet physically mobilized the Johnson Park Sports Complex Project site, and as such has not started physical construction of the Project; and WHEREAS, Article 7 (Termination and Suspension) of the Contract at section 7.2 states that the work of the Project may be suspended by the Owner; and WHEREAS, Section 14.3 of the AIA A201- 2017 General Conditions incorporated into and referenced by the Contract (“Contract General Conditions”), “[t]he [City] may, without cause, order the Contractor [APS Contracting, Inc.] in writing to suspend, delay or interrupt the work [of the Project], in whole or in part for such period of time as the Owner [the City] may determine.” NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Council of the City of Hackensack hereby SUSPEND FOR CONVENIENCE the January 8, 2025 Contract between the City of Hackensack and APS Contracting, Inc. for the 55-0009 – Johnson Park Sports Complex, including Change Order No. 1, and hereby suspend the work of the Project; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Contract is hereby suspended for Convenience pursuant to the AIA A201- 2017 General Conditions incorporated into and referenced by the “AIA Documents A101-2017 Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Contractor” Contract at Section 14.3 (Suspension by the Owner [City] for Convenience); and be it further RESOLVED, that the City Manager and staff as well as City professionals are hereby authorized and directed to take all steps reasonably necessary to implement this Resolution. City Manager’s Report I would like to thank Mayor Gaines, Deputy Mayor Toomey, Councilman Carroll, Councilwoman Clay Collins, Councilman Diaz and City Attorney Malagiere for trusting me with position of City Manager of Hackensack. I am truly honored, humbled, and very thankful for this opportunity to continue serving this great City in a new way. I would also like to thank my parents, my mom and dad are watching tonight, and I definitely have to thank them for making me sign up for that fire fighter entrance test back in 1983. That simple decision set me on a path that led me here today, following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather, who both proudly served as Hackensack firefighters. Cumulatively, that means that three generations of Freemans have been serving Hackensack for a total of 106 years. I am proud to say that starting tonight, we are going to keep adding to that number. To my wife Margie and my kids Kayla, Tommy, and Nikki, thank you for always being my support system. You have stood by me for the long shifts, late night calls and now this new chapter. I could not have done it without you. My deep appreciation also goes out to all of my family members, young and old, here physically or in thought, your love, encouragement, and support through every step of this journey has meant the world to me. I also want to thank the many other people who have supported me through this process. Your advice, encouragement, and belief in me have meant a great deal. A special recognition goes to all of you that took the time to be here tonight to support me. It means a lot to see so many familiar faces and new ones as well. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with City Manager Caruso and many other outstanding City Managers of Hackensack, each of them bought something different to the table and I can honestly say I have learned valuable lessons from every one of them. I also want to recognize the incredible team of Hackensack workers who keep Hackensack running every day. You are the ones who make it all happen. I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside 08/4/2025 4 so many of you during my 40 years with the fire department and I am looking forward to meeting those of you I haven’t yet crossed paths with. Finally, to the residents and business owners of Hackensack, your support has meant everything to me throughout my career. You have always stood behind me and the fire department, and I look forward to continuing that strong partnership in this new role. Thank you all, I am excited to get to work. Let’s keep Hackensack moving forward together. Boswell Engineering – Status of Johnson Park Project: Kevin Boswell – I used to be able to say I am proud to say we have been in business 100 years, but we are four years shy of the Freeman family. My reason for being here tonight is to briefly discuss Johnson Park master plan as it has been developed over the past decade or so and to address the two active projects. We have been meeting with various members of the staff, professionals, and going through the permits, designs, and the contracts. What the Mayor and Council took action on tonight is the 75,000 square foot building to the north of the property, to the south is the outdoor turf field, pickleball, tennis courts, and then the active project that is currently ongoing. What is going on now is there is historic fill on the property. There has been raising of some grades, bringing in importing material, bringing up to the elevation required pursuant to flood hazard areas, regulations by the DEP, relocation of utilities and the end result will be a series of parking lots to generate parking for 250 spaces. The area where the building suspended is, we are looking for another use there. We would be looking to initially stabilize that with topsoil and seed in order for the Mayor and Council to establish a policy decision of what they want to see in this area. By doing that effectively, the environmental remediation concerns are addressed and the site would be effectively finished where the parking lots are and where the building would have been would be stabilized from a perspective of environmental remediation. The existing permits which were issued allow for this construction to take place. We would address any field changes with the DEP to make sure that the temporary cap is properly approved by the DEP. But effectively, from an environmental permitting perspective, it is actually a very straightforward matter whereby one area that was going to be covered by a building with a minimum first floor elevation of 10 would now be covered by outdoor use of some type with a minimum elevation of 10. There are some details that we are working out with regard to site lighting for the parking lots with Ryan Westra, there is some utility coordination with public service and Veolia. Again, what you will see at the end is you will see this newly constructed set of parking lots that would be available for use for residents when they come and wish to use the park. Thank you. Public Comment A motion to open the meeting to the public was offered by Councilman Carroll and seconded by Councilman Diaz. J. Tolstoy – Most important, suspending the Johnson Park sports dome which is and would have been a taxpayer wheelbarrow of money, out the door for years of bond interest payments and yearly skyrocketing maintenance and contract costs but mainly it was for the family and friends of the previous administration. We are glad to see that go. I think Hackensack as the County seat needs for its children, family, and community is a large amphitheater like in Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange or New York City, the Delicort Theater in Central Park. That’s where everyone would benefit - youth, adults, and seniors. The second point is this August 4th introduction of the second pick up, we got a press release, and it says ease the daily burden of our sanitation workers. Let’s start hiring additional workers rather than placing people and equipment on unnecessary pick two times a week. New York does not do it. Cedar Grove does not do it, why are we doing it? At what price? Over worked employees and broken equipment and non-existent problems. That is additional city costs; the city of Hackensack does not need that. As presently set, the City of Hackensack does not need a two per week pickup. On the days of pick up, garbage is picked up without the need of secondary runs to finish the job. I say do not try to appease the city, the children, families, and community or the City of Hackensack with gimmicks to win applause especially when the bills haven’t been paid for. We will get to the accounting 08/4/2025 5 soon. Some service trucks are new. By the sounds of the service, I speak to them. The word was used indefinitely; I don’t like that word. It presumes there is, assumes that money is flowing when our strongest responders are not compensated for the services they provide. Pay them first before we jump to increase workload and maintenance costs in the City of Hackensack where zero interest payments are pocketed by officials and elite lizard developers. Vickey Farhey – The first is congratulations to the new City Manager and getting rid of that monstrosity at Johnson Park. I think the applause speaks for itself. My second question is, I was the Chair of the Rec Board when we first built a soccer field at Johnson Park. Is there still going to be an active soccer field at Johnson Park? That was done for the kids, and it was an important improvement to that park. I am glad there will be more parking for it, but I want to know that kids are still going to have a soccer park. Soccer is a big sport in the town, and the kids need to have a place to play. Randy Glover – I have two things. I am going to advocate for Toney Jackson to become the poet laureate for Hackensack. That is simple. The second request is that everyone here and the City residents give the City Council another 60 days to get their footing, to find out what was going, the other Council was in power for 12 years so it will take time for this Council to uncloak and work past what was done and to move forward with their agenda. I am asking the citizens of Hackensack to please give them the opportunity. Donna West – Welcome Mr. Freeman, I did not know that I knew your wife. She was my student teacher. I didn’t get to speak to all of you at the high school because that line was so long but I wanted to echo what was said that night. I want to wish you all a wonderful tenure and like Mr. Glover just said, we want to give you the time but we are still going to hold you accountable because we appointed you and we elected you. Good luck with everything that you are doing. I was wondering if we could bring back parades. They were like the highlight when we were children. It would be a win-win for businesses along Main Street if we did it. Other towns do it. Could we see how they do it and perhaps bring back the parades. I don’t know how we can enforce fines for dog poop but it is everywhere. We have an increased number of dogs. I don’t know how we can make the owners responsible for cleaning up after their pets but it is really becoming an issue. I was also wondering if there is a way but cleanliness around homes and businesses, Main Street is dirty. I don’t know how can we enforce businesses or homes to clean the area around there so that Hackensack as a whole looks cleaner and better. I spoke a couple months ago about possible speed bumps and speed hills. People are still racing through our side streets and I want to make sure this Council will work with the Board Of Education to get our town a new school and more green space for our children. Thank you. Dan Kirsh – My father, my he rest in peace, would not forgive me if I did not take this opportunity to congratulate our new City Manager because his father and mine worked together serving the city in last century. I look forward to a continuation of all the City Managers who have helped move Hackensack forward and working with you. I love the things you said about partnership and moving forward together. I look forward to a new era where the City Council, the Board of Ed, and all the other departments and citizens are doing exactly that, moving forward as a partnership. We may not always agree but we can always talk about it and find ways to work together. Congratulations and best wishes. Gary Westlake – Mr. Freeman, congratulations and the Council, I wish you all the best of luck. Just a question, in reference to Johnson Park getting all the fill down there. I am involved with the Scouts and we have one of the community garden beds down there. Recently, they ripped the fencing around it down and people have been coming in and helping themselves to the fresh vegetables that everyone grows for themselves and for the food pantry. I was just wondering if there is something you can do to prioritize putting that fence back. When they did the grading of the new parking lot, 08/4/2025 6 they took down everything and now it is a disaster. If you could put that on the plate, I would appreciate it. Thank you. No one else wished to speak. A motion to close the meeting to the public was offered by Councilman Carroll and seconded by Councilman Diaz. Council Comments Deputy Mayor Toomey – Welcome and it is great to see so many people here. We are excited to welcome Mr. Freeman, our newly appointed City Manager. We look forward to working together to continue making our City stronger, more vibrant, and an even better place to live. Mr. Freeman comes with a lot of experience as you have heard and I believe he will continue to be a great asset to the City as he was in his prior life here. I would like to thank our outgoing City Manager Mr. Caruso. Thank you for your years of service. We appreciate your dedication and commitment to the City and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Thank you for coming out. We are here for you, we are here to listen to comments and complaints, your suggestions, concerns, and do our best to get things done, some people might like it, some may not, we can’t make everyone happy but we will do our best. Councilwoman Clark-Collins – Briefly, congratulations Mr. Freeman, best of luck to Vinny and thank you for your service. Thank you for coming out today. Councilman Carroll – Mr. Caruso, I want to thank you for your four years of dedication to the City. You did very well. Best of luck in your endeavors. God speed. You know we are always here for you. Mr. Freeman, City Manager, congratulations. We go back quite a long time. I think you are going to do the best and greatest job for us that you can and I wish you the best of luck and we are here for you. You have heard some comments by some of the residents. So you have started some work. I want to address the Johnson Park issue. We are addressing the pit there. We want to make it a cheaper project, it will be a cheaper project and we are going to make it suitable for everyone, not just certain individuals from the past. Sanitation - I agree with you. We did talk about the second pick up. We are working with sanitation. We are trying to implement different strategies. I agree Main Street needs to be clean, Anderson Street need to be cleaned, all of our streets need to be clean. We working with them to make it better for everyone. That’s it. Councilman Diaz – I want to take a moment to say thanks to Mr. Caruso and express our gratitude for the job you have done for the last four years. We wish you the best. Mr. Freeman, we are receiving you and giving you the welcome with open arms and high expectations. Based on your background and expertise, we are pretty sure that you will be a great asset for the City of Hackensack. Congratulations and welcome on board. Thank you all for being here today, thank you for attending this special meeting on short notice. Your presence, your support, is what makes Hackensack very special. We will continue to work together and move forward with all the plans that we have. Thank you. Mayor Gaines – I want to echo everyone’s comments and say, Mr. Caruso, thank you so much for four years, thank you for the way you held the baton and for doing all that you can in the next 30 days to pass the baton. Thank you for your leadership and we wish you all the nest. Mr. City Manager, we are looking forward to working with you. The great thing about being in this seat, it is about all different perspectives and everyone gets together and we talk through things and try to figure out the best way to move the City forward. We were all incredibly impressed by the perspectives that you bring and we know that you will be a great asset to the City as you have been for the past 40 years. I want to address one thing with the sanitation. As Phil, said we will talk about Johnson Park more over the course of time but sanitation is my favorite thing this month to talk about because we were able to increase the pickup with no 08/4/2025 7 impact to the budget. I want to explain why. The biggest issue with sanitation is that one time per week pick up resulted in overloaded trash cans, overloaded trucks, and a lot of our trucks went into disrepair because of the amount of tonnage that was put on the trucks. Additionally, a lot of cans were being broken and debris was spilling out into the street because of the amount of garage that was being produced in homes. When we sat down and we asked our head of DPW and we asked our CFO and we asked our City Manger to look into this and explore it, they went back and looked at the data from when we had one time a week pick up and two time a week pick up because we had both in the past. They found it was actually cheaper to do twice per week pickup because if you are picking up more than once, you are not generating more garbage, it is just lighter on the cans, lighter on the trucks, and easier on the workers. Workers are not getting hurt on the job trying to lift overfilled cans that can’t connect to the truck. This was a classic win-win where it is a quality of life improvement and also a cost improvement for everyone. We are glad with the partnership with Mr. Caruso and our DPW and Jim, we were able to make this happen and realize this was a common sense, fiscally responsible decision that also makes everyone’s properties a little less stinky. We hope everyone enjoys and if you don’t need a second time a week pickup, just put it out once per week. That’s okay too. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:49 PM. Approved by Mayor and Council on August 11, 2025. _____________________________________ Mayor Casen Gaines ____________________________________ Deputy Mayor Agatha Toomey _____________________________________ Councilwoman Sonya Clark-Collins ___________________________________ Councilman Phillip Carroll ____________________________________ Councilman Roberto Diaz ____________________________________ Deputy City Clerk Allison Saabye, RMC 08/4/2025 8